Contents

!4MIX WITH THE BEST

REVIEWS

064 Digidesign Pro Tools 7 LEThe lite version of Digidesign’s heavyweight DAW reaches its seventh incarnation.

067 Native Instruments Bandstand General MIDI plug-in with myriad uses in the classroom,on the stage and in the studio.

068 M-Audio ProKeys 88 Equally at home onstage or in the studio,this is M-Audio’s debut into the world of digital stage pianos.

070 Apple Power Mac G5 Quad With no fewer than four processors to turbo-charge the music-making process,the Quad represents Apple’s fastest Mac to date.

072 Arturia Brass Augmenting the company’s expertise in virtual analogue synthesis,Arturia takes a big leap into the world of physical modelling.

075 Cakewalk Dimension Pro Cakewalk’s flagship virtual instrument appears as a standalone product.

076 DPA Microphones 4090 & 4091 DPA’s 4061 capsule finds a new home in the company’s latest condensers.

078 FXpansion BFD Deluxe Collection Gargantuan acoustic samples library recorded by producer Steve Albini.

081 Waves Vocal Bundle Vocalprocessing toolkit featuring two ground-breaking new plug-ins.

085 SE Electronics Mini Entry-level condenser mic for the project studio.

086 Allen & Heath MixWizard WZ3 20S All-round mixing flexibility.

088 Carillon Centrino+ Combining portability with raw processing power.

091 Mini Reviews

64PRO TOOLS 7LE

64PRO TOOLS 7LE

68M-AUDIO PROKEYS 88

68M-AUDIO PROKEYS 88

4 March 2006 MusicTech MAGAZINE
WIN! ONEOF TWO SONTRONICS SIGMA RIBBON MICS WORTH £858!

6)NATIVEINSTRUMENTS BANDSTAND 6)NATIVEINSTRUMENTS BANDSTAND

)8BFD DELUXE COLLECTION

)8BFD DELUXECOLLECTION

3(THE PRINCIPLES OF NOISE REDUCTION

5&CHOOSING AND USING MONITORS

)2ARTURIA BRASS

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MARCH 2006 CONTENTS

FEATURES

024 Mixing A Five-Piece Band The majority of day-to-day studio work involves dealing with just a few core instruments,and if you are familiar with successful ways of mixing them,you’ll find that your product is greatly improved.Mark Cousins explains. 032 Cubase SX/SL3 Workshop Cubase comes equipped with powerful built-in dynamics plug-ins that can help you achieve a more balanced, professional sound.Hollin Jones shows you how to take your music to another level. 036 Ten Minute Master No75: Room Modes The size and shape of a room will have a profound effect on how your ears perceive music – both while listening and mixing.Grant Bridgeman explores the influence of room modes. 039 Noise Reduction Eliminating extraneous noise in the studio has been at the forefront of technological and practical developments since the start of the recording revolution.We look at some of the processes and techniques for ensuring noiseless recordings. 046 Ableton Live 5 Workshop Markkus Rovito explores the creative potential of Live 5’s built-in audio effects,demonstrating how they can be used to transform an entire mix or just an individual take. 048 Ten Minute Master No76: Surround Sound Formats Still in its infancy,surround sound can be confusing new territory for the novice.Mark Cousins explores the principal differences between surround and stereo,and ponders the future of the format. 051 Choosing and Using Monitors The music technology market is literally awash with monitoring options these days,but what should you look out for when choosing a pair of studio speakers? Huw Price unravels the technology and terminology behind this most essential of studio assets. 056 Logic Pro 7 Workshop There’s no doubting that Logic Pro is more than adequately equipped when it comes to the challenge of pushing the boundaries of electronic music,but how and where do you start? Mark Cousins looks at your options. 059 Questions and Answers

006 On your MTMcoverdisc 009 News The latest developments in the world of music technology. 020 Rack ’em up New products coming soon to a music store near you. 022Subscribe to Music Tech MagazineGet the next 12 issues of MTMfor the price of 9! 096 Write for reply Your views,comments and suggestions. 097 Next month Next time in MTM. 098 Back Track Tube & Berger,Straight Ahead

MusicTech MAGAZINE March 2006 5