March Soundbytes

My favorite online Magazine...


Announcing the March issue of SoundBytes Magazine, our twenty-fourth issue.


Read it here:
http://soundbytesmag.net/

 
We’ve got some number of interesting items that slightly defy categorization, so we’ll just get briefly lazy and just say there’s a fair amount of miscellany. For starters, there’s iRig from IK Multimedia, a great solution for the home producer needing to record acoustic guitar. Then there’s Transfuser 2 from AIR Music Technologies for loop manipulation and much more. If you need harmonies in your tracks, we present Eventide's Quadravox. Mix on a virtual realistic-sounding high-end console using CTC-1 Pro. Add more analog vibe with Black Box Analog Design’s HG-2. Finish off your production with some lightweight mastering using Ozone Elements 7.
On the techniques front, there are a couple of notable entries. First, we revisit the superb sound design teaching software, Syntorial, to look at some compelling enhancements. More sound design advice is addressed in a tutorial on doing just that in u-he’s Diva. For live performers wanting to get the most out of software instruments, we look at Gig Performer from Deskew Technologies.
Let’s next check out the virtual instruments. For starters, there’s UVI’s PX Apollo, a recreation of rare prototype synth. Then there’s ArcSyn by SPC Plugins. We take a quick return look at PolyKB from XILS-lab, which now has “III” appended to the name. And finally there’s Native Instruments new marvel, Form, which has some splendid granular synthesis tricks up its sleeve.
Sound libraries are present, as ever. At the top of the pile, in both quality and quantity, is Spitfire’s awesome Symphony Orchestra. On a more modest scale, we have the beguiling Angelic Vocal Pads 5 from Precisionsound.
Columns are of course included. Cinemania looks at the sumptuous Solo Cello library from Chris Hein. Essentials presents the far-reaching Ethno World 6 sound library. Ginno is back with fifteen sound libraries for your consideration. The Home Studio Practitioner addresses the considerations when selecting an audio interface. Our Freebie of the Month is a real find that you don’t have to be poor to appreciate. Finally, in Music on Tablets we interview computer sound pioneer Michael Gogins.
Enjoy!
Your SoundBytes music magazine team

Looks useful, thanks Larry (I wish there was a thumbs up smiley)

It's true that you won't find many negative reviews in SoundBytes, but that's due to a "if you can't say anything nice..." philosophy. As David said, we choose products that we'd buy and use ourselves. I can think of at least four different products in the past year that looked interesting but turned out to be disappointing in practice, so I simply did not review them. 

Fleer
Two magazines are top shelf in my book: SoundOnSound and SoundBytes.

Well, you could not have paid me a greater complement - thank you, Fleer!  To my mind, SoS is the gold standard of music tech journalism.

I had never seen this before - glad I finally did.  Looks great, David.