Issuu

1985 — 2025

THE WORLD’S BEST RECORDING TECHNOLOGY MAGAZINE

MUSIC PRODUCTION TECHNIQUES / INDEPENDENT IN-DEPTH PRODUCT TESTS / ENGINEER & PRODUCER INTERVIEWS / LIVE SOUND

M A K I N G Jung Jae-il

The composer behind Squid Game

How to play to a click

S K E L E TÁ

Introducing... SOS For Artists Dynaudio Acoustics M1 MkII A legend returns!

TANTRUM AUDIO

ANGRY SYSTEM SPEAKERS + SUB WORTH $2494 www.soundonsound.com

ON TEST: AUDIX / SOUNDTOYS / UJAM / EVENTIDE / TRITON / BOSS / XVIVE / BABY AUDIO / KORG / ANALOGUE SOLUTIONS / DREAMTONICS

TECHNIQUE: HOW STEREO WORKS / PRO TOOLS PLAYLISTS

USA $11.99 / Canada C$13.25

LE ADER

SOS FOR... EVERYONE The idea that the ‘subscription model’ is a new thing is greeted with wry smiles at SOS Towers, where our print edition has been available on subscription for almost 40 years. We were among the first magazine publishers to offer digital alternatives, and today, more than half of our readers choose to view our articles on our website, through downloadable PDFs or in our dedicated apps. You could say that Sound On Sound knows a thing or two about subscriptions. So when we thought about how to apply that experience beyond the world of magazine publishing, we didn’t want to offer something underwhelming. With hundreds of companies vying for a monthly fee, we knew we had to go the extra mile in order to stand out. And I think we have done exactly that with SOS For Artists. The concept is simple: SOS For Artists should make a difference at every stage of the music-making process. For music creation, you’ll have access to thousands of samples, plus virtual instruments and even DAW software. For mixing, you’ll draw on a powerful selection of plug-ins, as well as the industry’s leading stem separation and AI mastering tools. And when it comes to getting your finished music out there into the world, SOS For Artists is a complete one-stop shop for distribution, aggregation, promotion, royalty reporting and more.

SOUND ON SOUND LTD (HEAD OFFICE) ALLIA BUSINESS CENTRE KING’S HEDGES ROAD CAMBRIDGE, CB4 2HY, UK T +44 (0)1223 851658 sos@soundonsound.com www.soundonsound.com

I’ll admit that I was initially sceptical. What could SOS For Artists offer someone like me, who rarely uses samples and has more than enough plug-ins already? I soon learned the answer, which is that each of its main strands is worth the asking price on its own. In my case, the sample and plug-in libraries are simply a nice bonus. The ‘here, take my money!’ feature is the ability to release tracks on over 150 platforms simultaneously, with metadata, licensing and promotion all handled from one central hub. And that’s just the start. We have ambitious plans for SOS For Artists. New content will be coming online every month, including video tutorials, and very soon you’ll be able to make real money not just by releasing music, but by sharing your unique skills and expertise. I hope this little taster has whetted your appetite. Even if you’re one of those people who is rightly cynical about some subscription services, I’d urge you to take a minute to dive into what SOS For Artists offers. Check out the introductory article that kicks off this issue of the magazine, or point your web browser at www.sosforartists.com to find out more. I think you’ll agree that it’s a pretty compelling offering. See you there!

“I’d urge you to take a minute to dive into what SOS For Artists offers.”

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Production Manager Michael Groves Designer Mick Reilly Designer Andy Baldwin

International Distribution Magazine Heaven Direct www.magazineheavendirect.com

Printed in the USA Not for re‑sale outside North America

ISSN 1473‑5326 A Member of the SOS Publications Group The contents of this publication are subject to worldwide copyright protection and reproduction in whole or part, whether mechanical or electronic, is expressly forbidden without the prior written consent of the Publisher. Great care is taken to ensure accuracy in the preparation of this publication but neither Sound On Sound Limited nor the Editor can be held responsible for its contents. The views expressed are those of the contributors and not necessarily those of the Publisher or Editor. The Publisher accepts no responsibility for the return of unsolicited manuscripts, photographs, or artwork. © Copyright 2025 Sound On Sound Limited. Incorporating Music Software magazine, Recording Musician magazine, Sound On Stage magazine, SPL magazine, Sound Pro magazine and Performing Musician magazine. All rights reserved. All prices include VAT unless otherwise stated. SOS recognises all trademarks.

July 2025 / www.soundonsound.com

“Best Flagship Synth 2023” - Alex Ball/Bo Beats

“Best Hardware Synth 2023” - Attack Magazine

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116 HIGH CONTRAST

IN THIS ISSUE

www.soundonsound.com

July 2025 / issue 9 / volume 40

WIN

FEATURES 8 SOS For Artists We explore the key features and benefits of the exciting new SOS ecosystem for music creation & distribution.

62 Modular XAOC Devices’ Maciek Bartkowiak on the potential of modular and pushing the boundaries of analogue circuit design.

96 Spotlight: Multi-Tier Keyboard Stands Is your synth collection spiralling out of control? These multi‑keyboard stands could help you keep your studio in order!

100 The SOS Guide To Playing To A Click

TANTRUM AUDIO ANGRY SYSTEM

WORTH $2494

We look at what you need to know to program a click track and play along to it successfully.

PAGE 58

102 How & Why Stereo Works

124 Composer Jung Jae-il

In the first part of a new short series about stereo recording techniques, we start by exploring the most important tools of all: your brain and your ears!

Making Drum & Bass

Lincoln Barrett’s musical journey started in the box but, 20 years on, he’s reinventing his trademark liquid funk sound with vintage hardware.

122 How I Got That Sound Producer and mix engineer Stephen Power explains how it took several days and a lot of tape to create the layered drum sound on Robbie Williams’ 1998 single ‘No Regrets’.

C OV E R

116 High Contrast:

South Korean dramas Parasite and Squid Game have been worldwide hits — and Jung Jae-il’s scores have played a key role in their success.

130 Inside Track: Ghost Swedish hard rock band Ghost have topped charts worldwide — with an album that was mixed twice!

142 Q&A Your studio and recording questions answered.

146 Why I Love... Tiny Gear Lawrence Joseph tells us why for him, small is beautiful.

64 BOSS TAE CORE

ADPTR Audio Utopia

ON TEST

Reverb Plug-in

Archaea Exchange Eurorack Module

Arturia MicroLab Mk3

Ashton Research Tetrapatch

92 Electro-Harmonix LPB-3

36 Eventide & Third Man Records

Audix OMX Series

Fuzz Synth Pedal

28 Baby Audio

Resonance Suppression Plug-in

Boss TAE Core Reactive Load, Speaker Simulator & Re‑amplifier

Dynaudio Acoustics M1 MkII Passive Monitors

UJAM UFX Filter Filter Plug-in

Void & Vista Frames

Flatsix Seventh Summoner

140 Westwood Instruments

Sample Library

Novella Origin & Novella Blackwater

Sample Library

Jamstik MFC1 Korg microKORG2

XAOC Devices Lublin Eurorack Module

Xvive More You Audio Interfaces

Synthesizer

Lake People G103-D-4 Dante Headphone Amplifier

Software Vocal Synthesizer

22 141

MIDI Floor Controller

Triton Audio Kompressor Mic Booster & Compressor

Ferrofish Pulse 8 AE

Sample Library

56 Dreamtonics Synthesizer V

Studio 2 Pro

& Damage Rock Grooves 2

Drawmer MQ-1 & MQ-2 500-series EQ Modules

Tone Architect

Tone-shaping Plug-in

140 Heavyocity Damage Guitars 2

Cong Burn Stacks Software Instrument

94 Teletone Audio

Eight-channel A-D/D-A Converter & ADAT Router

Eurorack Module

Complete Guitar Wiring Book

Soundtoys SpaceBlender Reverb Plug-in

Boost & EQ Pedal

Knife Drop

Smooth Operator Pro

Linear Power Boost

RJ45 Patching System

Dynamic Microphones

EastWest Ancient Kingdom Sample Library

Controller Keyboard

Woodwinds & Brass

Sample Library

Analogue Solutions AS500-Seq Analogue Step Sequencer

70 Soundpaint Solo

Newfangled Audio Articulate Envelope Shaper Plug-in

141

Song Athletics Friends Sample Library

WORKSHOPS 106 108 112 114

Pro Tools Studio One Live Cubase

TECHNIQUE

You get instant access to up to 2400 samples per year from a library of millions, covering almost every instrument and genre imaginable.

Create • Produce • Distribute We explore the key features and benefits of the exciting new SOS ecosystem for music creation and distribution. THE SOS TEAM

onceived to help independent artists, producers and collaborators make music and share it with the world, we’re proud to announce SOS For Artists, a new subscription service that packs all the digital tools and services that are needed to take your music from idea to final release into a single, convenient and affordable environment. Beginners will find everything they need to make music and share it with their friends, bandmates and, if they wish, the rest of the world. But more experienced composers and producers will also find plenty here to complement the tools they already own and use. We plan to further develop our service in collaboration with a range of commercial partners over the coming months and years, but already you get access to one of the world’s biggest sample libraries, complete with advanced sample browsing and previewing tools that integrate

July 2025 / www.soundonsound.com

with your DAW. There’s DAW software to get beginners started, a good range of high-quality plug-in instruments and effects, and various other useful mixing and mastering tools. And when you’ve perfected your creations, you can use our comprehensive distribution service to release them on the major online streaming platforms, track your streams — and, hopefully, manage your income too! In the coming months, we’ll be diving deeper into the features and potential applications of SOS For Artists in a series of workshop articles. But we’ll kick off this month with a quick tour of what’s on offer.

Create: Inspiration & Ideation 1. Sample Selection Made Simple. At the heart of our platform’s creative suite lies a comprehensive sample library, with over three million royalty-free offerings from acclaimed producers and labels. Updates are frequent, and new free sample packs will be offered to subscribers every week.

Use of up to 2400 samples annually is covered by your subscription, and you can preview as many as you want before downloading them. Whether you’re trying to source specific sounds or simply searching for that creative spark, and whether you want to chase the latest musical trends or a more retro vibe, it’s quick and easy to find what you want. Samples can be filtered by tempo, key, genre, mood and instrumentation, so it’s quick and easy to find the right loop or one-shot — no need to burn time and energy wading through thousands of mismatched sounds. Your discoveries can, of course, be marked as favourites and organised into folders for fast recall on future projects. But, better still, an advanced preview tool allows you to tempo-match and audition up to eight samples simultaneously, so that you can be sure they’ll work well together before downloading them to your DAW. And speaking of your DAW, there’s a dedicated plug-in version of this preview tool (supporting Logic Pro, Cubase, Pro Tools, Ableton Live, FL Studio and many more), so you don’t have to leave your project to find samples and quickly drag them onto the timeline.

2. Synth & Instruments Suite. As part of SOS For Artists, you get access to a suite of premium virtual instrument, synth and sample-player plug-ins. Currently included are some popular plug-ins from the likes of Spitfire, UJAM, Arturia, Sonuscore and GForce, but while there’s already plenty of variety, covering a wide range of sounds and genres, we’re also working with a range of partners to build this collection over time. Rest assured, we’ll be actively curating this collection, carefully selecting only high-quality plug-ins and ensuring that you never face ‘overwhelm’ — you can just get on with the fun of creating. You can install any, all or none of these plug-ins, as you prefer. All you need to do is click the install button at the side of the product listing on the SOS For Artists website, after which you’ll be given a licence key plus download and installation instructions.

songs to the SOS For Artists mastering page and perform the separation there. With a typical song, it takes just a few minutes to deliver a handy set of tracks that can be imported into your DAW. But you can also choose to extract only what you need — an isolated vocal, perhaps — in which case it will be even quicker. Stems works especially well with drums, and will become even more useful as the technology behind it improves. Unlike some other stem separators, this one will work on the older Mac operating systems that we know plenty of SOS readers still rely on. Some applications for this tool will be obvious, but others may be less so. For instance, not only can remixers or those who want to create backing tracks (whether for live performance or for practice) use the resulting audio files ‘as is’, but they can also be used with your DAW’s audio-to-MIDI tools to replace, say, bass lines, or to give you a starting point for sheet music

3. Stem Extraction. A particularly powerful plug-in is LANDR’s Stems, which was developed by AudioShake. This tool can be opened in your DAW as an instrument and it allows you to extract stems from mixed recordings. You simply drop songs or loops into it for analysis, and it will then do a surprisingly accurate job of separating out Vocals, Drums, Bass, Instrumental and Other (ie. what’s left!) stems from the song or loop. Alternatively, you can upload your

transcription. It has the potential to speed up your sample searches too — if you find a loop with the right drums but the wrong bass line, then you can still use it. It could also be an invaluable tool for artists looking to revive or re‑balance old projects for re-release without having to record all the parts again. And yet another very useful

LANDR Stems: we reckon this powerful stem separation plug-in has rather more creative potential than you might think.

application for stem splitting is reducing the levels of unwanted spill in live recordings. 4. DAW Software. While we understand that most SOS readers will already have chosen their preferred DAW, we’re also keen to welcome new music creators. For them — and perhaps those who’ve been thinking about switching DAW — we’ve included ‘lite’ versions of both Steinberg Cubase and Ableton Live in the sub, which can load any of the plug-ins and samples described in this article.

“You can switch distribution ownership without losing any of your play stats and followers — essential for any artist, producer or band who’s spent years building their brand!”

Just a few of the instrument plug-ins already bundled with your subscription — we’ll be adding more over time.

Produce: Shape Your Productions When you’ve got your ideas down, it’s time to polish them, and SOS For Artists provides a range of tools that you can use to produce them to a professional standard. 1. Effects & Processors. As with the instrument plug-ins, we’ve curated a great collection of effects and processors that you can use to mix and master your tracks. Again, these can be installed in your DAW, they’ll remain active while you have a subscription, and it’s a collection we plan to grow over time. They cover the expected bases like EQ and compression, delay and reverb, distortion and saturation, along with some standout extras. Amongst the offerings you’ll find a couple of channel strips, Eventide’s CrushStation, Rev PLATE-140 from Arturia, Taip from Baby Audio, and IK Multimedia’s MixBox SE: a powerful effects rack that can run up to eight of its 24 included effects at once. You www.soundonsound.com / July 2025

TECHNIQUE

SOS FOR ARTISTS

Some of the effects and processor plug-ins included in SOS For Artists. Again, we plan to add more over time at no extra cost.

also get access to Synchro Arts’ excellent vocal-alignment and pitch-correction tools. 2. Mastering. Here at SOS, we firmly believe that skilled professional mastering engineers have something unique and valuable to offer anyone making music. But today’s content-creation environment means there are often times when artists and producers need to be able to put out a preview, get something out quickly on social media, or perhaps ‘finalise’ so many tracks or samples for libraries that it’s just not practical or affordable to send everything to a mastering engineer. As part of SOS For Artists, you get access to the online and plug-in versions of LANDR’s AI mastering engine. This clever machine-learning-based system, which we’ve reviewed in these pages previously, has matured substantially in recent years. It analyses the frequency balance, dynamic range, tempo and stereo width of your mix, and then applies what it deems to be suitable processing for the type of music you’ve created. You can opt for different mastering styles to point it in the right direction, or let the engine make those decisions for you, based on its analysis of a vast number of commercial tracks. And if you feel the result is ‘nearly there’, then you have some controls with which you can refine the result.

July 2025 / www.soundonsound.com

For those assembling full-length projects, the multi-song album mastering option ensures tonal and volume consistency across an entire release — it could prove useful for independent artists with limited funds, who may not have access to a mastering engineer when creating cohesive bodies of work. Head back to the plug-ins tab and you’ll find some more mastering tools, including MixChecker from Audified, which allows you to preview your mixes on a range of emulated audio listening devices, including phones, iPads and earbuds.

Distribute: Unleash Your Creations! When your track is polished and ready to go, SOS For Artists helps you shift into distribution mode — it streamlines the process of getting your music out to the masses, understanding who’s listening, and tracking your royalties, with no need to deal with the multiple different platforms directly. 1. Digital Distribution. We’ve teamed up with LANDR to give you access to one of the best online distribution services in the world. Subscribers can distribute unlimited music to all the major players and more — over 150 platforms, in fact, including Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, Tidal, and Deezer — and the process is painless. Just upload

your audio files and artwork, enter your metadata, select your release date and off it goes. It’s super easy to migrate from other distribution services too. The platform accepts the usual WAV, FLAC or AIFF files (individual stores process the files they receive to match their preferred formats). An ISRC can be added or automatically provided, and there are fields for adding featured artists, producers and remixers. You can also match your artist name to existing profiles at Spotify and Apple simply by selecting from a drop-down menu, rather than having to hunt for your URLs at these stores. A licensed content section will scan your release for use of samples, and you can make a declaration about whether you’ve used AI-generated content — potentially a useful step in the future, as AI and creator content may well be presented separately on download stores. You can also add copyright info, label details and release artwork here. A Release Settings tab allows you to specify which stores you want your music to appear in. The main ones are selectable individually, while the smaller stores are bundled into a single tick box, for speed and convenience. You can also choose to distribute direct to social platforms — very handy if you haven’t yet reached monetisation status on YouTube!

high-fidelity 2 channel instrument preamp / EQ / DI Our all-new MOXi is like a baby FELiX, or a double BiX, but very much its own little beast. Basically, we took the best of both and wedged it all into one compact, killer-sounding little 2 channel acoustic instrument preamp. With just enough bells and whistles to make you sound amazing, but without all the mucky-muck. Get all the details at gracedesign.com.

TECHNIQUE

SOS FOR ARTISTS

Releases can be set to go live within the following 2-7 days, or scheduled as part of a release campaign plan, and those who’ve licensed tracks to labels in different territories can restrict which countries can access their music. It’s then just a matter of approving all of the terms before clicking on the Submit button. Other useful time-saving options include the ability to clone releases, and a Royalty Split feature: for completed tracks, click on Manage and navigate to the Splits tab, where you can assign percentages to co-writers; anyone not on the platform already will be sent an email with sign-up details. 2. Switching From Other Platforms. For the many readers who will already have download store profiles and distribution services in place, an invaluable feature is the ability to import your catalogue to our service from other distribution platforms. In other words, you can switch distribution ownership without losing any of your play stats and followers — something we know is essential for any label, artist, producer or band who’s spent years building their brand!

3. YouTube Official Artist Channel. Likewise, it would be frustrating for any artist who’s worked hard to build a YouTube presence to end up with their official releases on a separate profile under ‘Artist Name – Topic’. Link your YouTube channel to SOS For Artists, and you’ll ensure your channel subscribers and distributed content all sit in one place. 4. Cover Song Licensing. Yet another handy detail is that mechanical licence agreements for cover songs are handled automatically, with a one-off fee. There’s also a direct link to the Harry Fox database (www.harryfox.com) where you can search composer details for adding into your track metadata. 5. Promotion. When your tracks are ready to release, you’ll find various tools to help with promotion, including a linktree service, so you can send out a single URL with all your links in one place, and there’s a whole host of useful articles and videos with promotional tips.

6. Reporting Tools & Royalties. Finally, a comprehensive royalty reporting page lets you view trends, top tracks, top countries, stores and more, with filtering to allow you to dig deeper into the reporting data. You get to retain 100% of your royalties, and minimum payment thresholds are low, starting at just $1 for PayPal.

Ready To Go? That completes our initial tour. Whether you’re new to making music or just looking for good-value production tools and distribution arrangements, there really is something for everyone — it’s a comprehensive service for modern music makers that doesn’t cut corners and offers speedy workflows without diluting the artistic process. There’ll be new features, tools and samples added in the near future, but we hope you’ll already find SOS For Artists as compelling a proposition as we do. We’re offering early adopters a special ‘locked-in’ launch price of only $14.99 per month or $99 annually plus VAT — that’s 25% and 50% off the full price, respectively — and you have the ability to pause and resume your sub at any time without losing any of your profile, samples and projects too. Next month, we’ll be back with a more hands-on demonstration of how you can use some of the specific tools and features of this exciting new platform. But if we’ve already piqued your interest, why not head over to www.sosforartists.com, where you can learn more? Whether you’re an individual artist or running a small label, you’ll find a comprehensive set of distribution tools for managing your releases, including the ability to import releases from other services without losing your play counts and playlist inclusions.

July 2025 / www.soundonsound.com

There’s no place like home. Your home studio is your sanctuary — a place where your creativity thrives and you can discover your true voice. At Sweetwater, we understand how important it is to have the right gear that complements your space and your needs. That’s why we offer expert guidance, unmatched support, and all the best hardware and software to turn your home studio into an oasis of inspiration.

Photo: Mitch Gallagher’s Home Studio

Sweetwater.com (800) 222-4700

20 YEARS OF ACOUSTIC RESEARCH INTO ONE SOLUTION.

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ON TE ST

Arturia MicroLab Mk3

Controller Keyboard If you’re looking for a controller keyboard that’s both compact and affordable, Arturia have got just the thing... ROBIN VINCENT

he MicroLab Mk3 is quite possibly the least-featured MIDI controller I’ve ever set my fingers on. The previous version at least had a jaunty-coloured jacket and a natty recessed MIDI cable so that you would never be without it. With the Mk3, other than a dash of veneer on the ends, it is the plainest of the plain, no-frills, off-white or black, compact MIDI controller keyboard, and I’m pretty sure that’s the point.

Easy Does It To spend some moments deep diving into the facilities, you get two velocity-sensitive octaves, two touch

strips and four buttons. It’s probably small enough to fit in your laptop bag without too much trouble, but it’s surprisingly thick. This lends it a certain amount of robustness and also makes room for the mini piano-style keys. The keyboard is actually pretty great for its size. It has a decent feel and resistance to it, it’s relatively quiet and it plays much nicer than the Launchkey Mini I currently have on my desk. The minimal theme is continued at the back of the unit where there’s just a quarter-inch sustain pedal input, a Kensington security slot and a USB-C port for power and connection to a computer. The touch strips to the side of the keyboard represent the usual pitch and modulation wheels, but they also have a secondary function: if you load up the included Analog Lab Intro plug-in and hold the Shift button, you can use the mod strip to scroll through the presets and the pitch strip to change categories. Tap on the strip to load the selected preset. The octave buttons can also get involved by stepping through the

presets as you hold Shift. It’s a little hamfisted but is helpful enough to stop you from reaching for your mouse. That’s not it for the touch strips, though. Using the Arturia MIDI Control Centre, you can further repurpose them to control other things if you wish. You can also adjust the velocity curve of the keyboard and decide if you want the Hold button to toggle or gate. One last touch is the Chord mode, where if you press Shift and the Hold button and play a chord, the MicroLab will remember it and play the same chord on every key. The Analog Lab Intro software comes with 500 presets from Arturia’s V Collection, which has a decent selection of usable sounds, and the obligatory Ableton Live Lite is also included, so you have everything you need to start making music.

“The MicroLab Mk3 is quite possibly the least-featured MIDI controller I’ve ever set my fingers on.”

Conclusion There’s really not that much to say about the MicroLab Mk3. It’s not an exciting keyboard, but it has a good feel, takes up very little space and lets you surf presets in Arturia synths without taking your hands off the keyboard. And at $59 it’s undeniably affordable. It would have been great if it had a MIDI out, but otherwise, it’ll do nicely.

summary Simple, affordable MIDI controller for people who want some compact keys that don’t feel terrible.

There’s not much to see round the back, just a sustain pedal input and a USB‑C port.

July 2025 / www.soundonsound.com

$ $59 W www.arturia.com

Your True Sound

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ON TE ST

and suitable articulation choices, Ancient Kingdom will — sonically, at least — put your audience right into that ancient world. I particularly enjoyed the low hulusi, double shepherd flute and various Armenian duduk options, but there are beautiful sounds to be had wherever you look.

Opus Options

EastWest Ancient Kingdom Sample Library EastWest explore the world of traditional wind instruments with characteristic style. JOHN WALDEN

or film, TV or video game composers working in fantasy genres or world music styles, a virtual collection of traditional instrument sounds is an important part of their sonic toolkit. EastWest’s latest release — Ancient Kingdom — is aimed squarely at these kinds of use cases, providing a tour of some of the world’s most distinctive traditional wind instruments. EastWest have collaborated with virtuoso wind player and composer Saulis Petreikis and the result is a deeply sampled virtual selection from Saulis’ own collection of instruments. The library uses EastWest’s excellent Opus front end and is available as

July 2025 / www.soundonsound.com

either a perpetual licence, or as part of the ComposerCloud+ subscription.

Hold Your Breath From the Armenian duduk through to the Viking war horn, Ancient Kingdom’s instrument collection spans some wonderfully exotic choices. In each case, EastWest’s usual attention to sampling detail is fully present and correct. This does, of course, mean plenty of expression through suitable velocity layers, but it also means Saulis’ playing abilities are represented via the extensive performance articulation options. Within each instrument group, therefore, a range of Opus presets are available focused on specific articulation choices as well as full keyswitch-based presets. As shown in the screenshot, these go well beyond sustained and staccato options, letting you create performances full of realistic detail. The underlying sound of each instrument is excellent, capturing plenty of subtle details. With appropriate playing,

The Opus front end lets you make good use of the core sampling to further customise the sounds. This includes options for instrument doubling and control over the amplitude envelope, but the ambience options are particularly impressive. With four microphone positions (close, mid, main and surround) that can be blended, and Opus’ classy reverb (which features a huge selection of reverb types), you can place your sounds into whatever kind of virtual space you might need. If you want to gently push the instruments away from their purely traditional sound, you also get four predefined effects signal chains that you can blend. These offer various processing combinations, with the original signal chains including the use of guitar amps, Leslie-style speakers and megaphones, for example. It’s all tastefully done and provides just enough to give the sounds a more modern edge if required. Opus also offers its usual Soft, Classic and Epic ‘Mood’ options. These essentially provide preset configurations of all the sound‑shaping options to get you instantly into a suitable sonic ballpark.

World Of Sound Conceptually, Ancient Kingdom is fairly straightforward and, of course, there are other sample libraries that cater for similar types of world wind instruments. That said, the sounds here are undeniably impressive, and I could easily imagine these virtual instruments being used in any triple-A film, TV or video game context; the quality bar is very high. I’ll leave you to your own debate about perpetual licences versus subscription services but, for busy working composers, Ancient Kingdom is just additional value added to EastWest’s already cost-effective ComposerCloud+. Indeed, it is an excellent complement to titles such as Fantasy Orchestra that are also included within that subscription and, for anyone working on world music projects, or composing for fantasy-based soundtracks, the Fantasy Orchestra/Ancient Kingdom combo would provide a versatile core sonic palette. Yes, traditional wind instruments are something of a niche musical tool, but Ancient Kingdom provides a world of beautiful breathy sound in a convenient and deeply sampled virtual format; it’s impressive stuff.

summary EastWest’s Ancient Kingdom provides a beautiful collection of traditional wind instruments from around the world.

$ $299 or via ComposerCloud+ subscriptions ($19.99/month or $149/year).

W www.soundsonline.com

i am the music. i am reverb.

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Baby Audio Smooth Operator Pro

Resonance Suppression Plug-in

Baby Audio escalate their war on bad-sounding audio with a vastly more powerful toolset for tackling problem resonances. SAM INGLIS

aby Audio are the very model of a modern plug-in development company, with a readily identifiable visual aesthetic, a wealth of novel ideas and a laser focus on ergonomics. Their plug-ins usually manage to offer a usefully broad range of control without over-burdening the user with parameters, and so it was with their take on the concept of resonance suppression or ‘de-harshing’. The flip side was that Smooth Operator didn’t offer quite as much to the power user as rival plug-ins such as Oeksound’s Soothe 2. Four years after Smooth Operator appeared, Baby Audio have returned to the idea, but rather than create a version 2, what they’ve done is more

July 2025 / www.soundonsound.com

akin to a ground-up reinvention. And, as the addition of the term Pro to the product name would suggest, it gives the power user everything they could want and more.

Greater Operator In the original Smooth Operator, nearly every control appeared only as a graphical node on an EQ-type curve. This was elegant on paper, but in practice was not quite as intuitive as it might have been, especially with regard to the interaction between different controls. Baby Audio have retained the EQ-like interface in the Pro version, but they’ve made things a lot more editable, and have given up on the idea that the curve alone can accommodate all the necessary settings. Instead, an inspector-type panel

to the left of the window allows you to adjust global controls, whilst a parameter list along the bottom displays settings for the selected node. Each node has its own set of EQ-type parameters: frequency, bandwidth and offset from the global threshold, which is represented in the same way as gain in an EQ curve. Offsetting a node downwards with respect to the global threshold makes it more likely that Smooth Operator Pro will apply processing in that band, whilst lifting it above the global threshold tends to exempt a band from processing. The nodes also inherit numerous dynamic and spatial parameters from the global settings, which are grouped under the labels Focus, Comp(ression) and Imaging. By default, these labels

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Ferrofish Pulse 8 AE

Eight-channel A-D/D-A Converter & ADAT Router This compact converter offers an easy way to expand your audio interface. M AT T H O U G H TO N

errofish now have quite a range of A-D and D-A converters, and cater for a variety of digital connection protocols including MADI, ADAT and Dante. For review here is one of their smallest models, a half-rack‑width device called the Pulse 8 AE, and it’s intended to act as an I/O expander for audio interfaces with ADAT ports.

Features & Operation We’ll start on the rear panel, since the connectivity tells you most, if not quite all, of the story. Power comes from an included inline switch‑mode supply, which attaches to the device through a 2.54mm barrel jack. Thoughtfully, this has a screw‑on connector to keep the power cord firmly attached. Once hooked up to mains power, the Pulse 8 AE boots up in… well, let’s just say instantly, because while technically there may be a short delay, it doesn’t feel like there is. The balanced analogue line-level inputs and outputs (eight of each) are presented on quarter-inch TRS jacks, with adequate space between them for the vast majority of jack connectors to fit alongside each other. There are also two pairs of ADAT ports for the digital I/O. Technically, you need only one pair for all eight channels, of course, but the ADAT protocol limits such setups to a maximum sample rate of 48kHz. The dual ports allow the device to use the S/MUX

July 2025 / www.soundonsound.com

protocol to convert all channels at up to 96kHz (higher sample rates up to 192kHz are supported, but that halves the channel count). More unusual, compared with other converters, is that the Pulse 8 AE can act as a signal router that can address all the analogue I/O and the maximum of 16 ADAT I/O channels individually. The Pulse 8 AE can sync with the attached device over the ADAT Lightpipe connection, of course, but there’s also the option of word clock, for which there are both in and out BNC connectors. This allows the Pulse 8 to act as the clock master or slave to another device, and in the latter scenario it can pass word clock along to a third device. Other rear-panel I/O (whose functionality I’ll return to below) include MIDI in and out on mini‑jack connectors (fine by me; there’s no way DIN connectors would fit on this panel), a USB-C port, and a larger slot reserved for future DSP expansion. There are not yet any current or promised expansions, but Ferrofish see this as a means of future-proofing the unit. On the front, there’s a headphone jack on the left, and the amp seemed to have plenty of juice in reserve when feeding my various headphones (I tried it with Audeze LCD-Xs, Sennheiser HD650s and Audio‑Technica ATH-W3000ANVs). It was good to see in the on-screen menus that there’s the ability to limit the headphone output by up to 18dB below the maximum — basically this means you can set it up to ensure sensible levels with your

regular headphones when the level is set to maximum. On the far right is a backlit power on/standby button (press for on, press and hold a few seconds for off). In between these is a very crisp and clear colour TFT display, along with two more buttons and a rotary encoder for navigating the on-screen menus and making selections. The upper button, marked with three backlit horizontal lines, brings up the menu, and you then use the encoder to navigate and the same button to make selections. The other button (a backlit ‘X’ symbol) exits the current menu layer. These controls are context sensitive, so help you do what you want that bit more easily than might otherwise have been the case. For example, when in the home screen (showing the meters when sync is established, or a No Lock warning if not), turning the encoder sets the headphone level. Do that, then hit the upper button, and you can choose the headphone source, which can be any digital or analogue input, whether single channels for mono or adjacent-channel stereo pairs. If, when in the default screen, you instead hit the three-lines button first, you’ll be presented with a radial menu, whose icons you select to access various sub‑menus. These sub‑menus allow you to change the clock settings, set the headphone routing setup, save and load presets, access system setup options, control the channel input gains and output levels, and configure the routing. You can also

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FERROFISH PULSE 8 AE

RemoteFish Sofware Accompanying the Pulse 8 AE is a version of Ferrofish’s RemoteFish software, which may be familiar if you’ve used previous Ferrofish converters but which was updated during the review period to work with the new Pulse 8 AE. RemoteFish communicates with the Pulse 8 AE using MIDI, either via the Pulse 8’s two TRS mini‑jack connectors and a MIDI interface, or over a direct USB connection with your computer. RemoteFish is a simple and unfussy affair: it doesn’t offer any more functionality than you can access on the hardware (in fact, it offers slightly less), and it might not win awards for graphic design; but ‘focused and unfussy’ is arguably not a bad thing, and it can certainly make managing some functions more convenient. For example,

if you want to experiment with different routing options and save them as presets, then it’s a lot easier to click on a grid in the software than scroll and select using the single hardware knob. There’s one window with five tabs, which not only allow remote control of the hardware, but also update to reflect any changes you make using the hardware’s controls. On the left, the connected unit is identified. Tab 1 is the Main view, with input and output metering for the analogue channels (graphically similar to the hardware), a level control, a mute switch and source selection for the headphone out. Tab 2 lets you set the analogue input gain and output level for each channel. Tab 3 provides a simple channel routing matrix, with blue outlines making it easy

set any MIDI channel to respond to CC controller data separately for the mini‑jack and USB connections, and you can specify whether or not the word clock input is terminated... and much more besides. You can even lock the unit so that only the headphone level can be tweaked from the front panel (there’s a code to lock/unlock it on a sticker on the base, but I might be tempted to engrave it on the base because once locked only this code will unlock it). The sub‑menu style will feel familiar to anyone who has used Ferrofish converters before, but there are plenty of interesting options not available on, for example, my Ferrofish A32, to allow you to configure the unit to meet your own needs. For instance, the A-D and D-A converter options include the ability to set the filter types: as Minimum Phase, Linear Phase Apodizing, Linear Phase

to spot the currently selected cell. At the time of writing, tab 4 appears a little buggy: it’s intended to save/recall presets, but while recall of presets saved on the hardware works fine, the software save facility didn’t — Ferrofish are aware, and as I write a fix is on the way. Finally, we have a Settings tab, which provides firmware details and allows you to switch word clock BNC termination on/ off. There are a few hardware functions that aren’t accessible via the software (eg. changing the converter filter type) but nothing I’d miss in normal use. All in all, it works well, but some common OS-style touches, such as a simpler horizontal/vertical drag option for the knobs and modifier-key multi-fader selection could be useful future embellishments.

Fast Roll-Off and various others. There are eight options for each converter, and they each strike a different balance between things like phase response, impulse response and HF roll-off; they’re all made possible by the ES9017 and ES9840Q chips used. Honestly, though, these converters sounded good to me on the default Minimum Phase setting, and I don’t recommend changing it unless you know what you’re looking for here. The gain/level of the analogue line inputs and outputs can also be changed using the menu, and you can do this for individual channels, stereo pairs, with four channels ganged, or for all eight channels at once. Again, it’s all very easy, and the feedback given on screen, with virtual faders and a dBu value for each channel, is really clear. The analogue outputs have a maximum output level of +20dBu, but the virtual faders can back

this off by up to 28dB (to give -8dBu) in 1dB steps, while the inputs can accept a maximum of +20dBu and have up to 28dB of gain available, again in 1dB steps. The connections are balanced, but there are instructions in the manual for connecting unbalanced equipment. While we’re talking numbers, the quoted SNR and THD+N figures might not be world-beating — the chips used here are capable of better — but they’re respectable, and slightly better than my older A32, with which I remain very happy.

Verdict The bottom line is that this is a good-sounding and remarkably compact A-D/D-A converter with very little direct competition: there are now few ADAT converters out there that give you dedicated line I/O without the mic preamps and so on, and when it comes to eight-channel ones there are even fewer. The SSL Alpha 8 (reviewed in SOS May 2025: https://sosm.ag/ssl-alpha-8) is the most obvious alternative but while that boasts better technical specs and some features that the Pulse 8 AE lacks, the Ferrofish device gives it a good run for its money and offers some different features of its own. It’s also more keenly priced and half the size. Subjectively it sounds great, and one thing that Ferrofish have long got spot on and continue to do so is the great on-screen feedback and easy-access menus. All food for thought when weighing up your options...

summary A compact and decent‑sounding line-level ADAT converter, with some useful features, for a competitive price.

$ $699. T Synthax Inc. +1 754 206 4220 E sales@synthax.com W www.synthax.com W www.ferrofish.com

Alongside the analogue and digital I/O are MIDI TRS sockets and a USB connector, to allow for connection to the RemoteFish control software and firmware updates.

July 2025 / www.soundonsound.com

$499.99

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Part fuzz, part guitar synth, this quirky pedal was conveived with horror soundtracks in mind. But it’s not a one-trick pony... TED MORCALDI

his pedal is nasty: good-nasty! Half monophonic synth, half drive/ fuzz pedal, the new Knife Drop is a collaboration between Eventide and Third Man, and despite the small footprint it can deliver massive walls of sound. The pedal is themed around Italian giallo films of the 1960s and ’70s, with a seemingly fictional backstory about working closely with an Italian film director, Giovanni Bianco (consider who that might translate to in English...), to recreate the sound of his horror film soundtrack. There’s a lot of creativity going into the aesthetic and presentation of the pedal, and it complements well the sounds that it’s capable of producing.

Knife Edge The Knife Drop stands out amongst a family of mono guitar synth pedals that now dates back decades, a category full of unique oddball pedals such as the Line 6 Filter Modeler, Digitech’s Meatbox sub synth, the Alesis Deep Impact, Way Huge’s Atreides and, the grandfather of the bunch, the Electro-Harmonix Micro Synth, to name just a few. These each aim to make a guitar sound like a monosynth, but without the need for any special pickup, as is required by the ‘guitar synths’ made famous by Roland and Boss. This pedal isn’t trying to recreate the sound of any classic, unobtainable analogue synth or any of the pedals I just mentioned, and I appreciate that in a time when so many pedals are harking back to retro classics instead of creating an identity of their own. Sure, the combination of octave up, sub‑octave and synth-type square-wave distortion to create a monophonic synth/distortion pedal has shown up in different pedals over the years, but the Knife Drop’s user interface is not only very intuitive, it’s also unique. The primary user controls are Synth/ Guitar Mix, Drive and Level, and there are secondary functions for each knob — Attack, Resonance and Cutoff, respectively — to control the filter

July 2025 / www.soundonsound.com

Eventide & Third Man Records Knife Drop Fuzz Synth Pedal

envelope settings, with the last one setting the starting frequency of the filter sweep. There’s an octave switch too, which gives the option of adding an upper octave only or both an upper and a sub‑octave. With the Octaves switch in red mode you get three notes: sub octave, original note and upper octave. Green indicates that you’ll hear an upper octave plus the original note. The back panel of the pedal hosts a mono quarter-inch jack input, stereo jack output, an expression pedal socket, a TRS auxiliary footswitch or TRS MIDI socket, a USB port (for MIDI over USB and software updates), and a switch to set the pedal to instrument or line-level operation. It’s also capable of connecting to Eventide’s H90 Control for remote desktop operation of routing, preset management and more. I found that what sets this pedal apart from others in this category is the switch that allows the filter to be pre‑ or post‑drive. This single switch morphs the pedal from being a more classic-sounding analogue synth, to a gnarly, edgy synthy dirt pedal that, when the filter is placed

pre-drive, is on the brink of destruction. The filter envelope becomes much more extreme too, especially with the resonance cranked, in which case it delivers some wonderfully exaggerated resonant filter sweeps. An expression pedal then gives you another layer of control, opening up the sonic possibilities further. The expression input can be configured so that the pedal controls parameters individually or so that it morphs between two different sounds entirely — that’s a very effective way to create more malleable sounds with this pedal.

Presets & Pedals There are five presets for this pedal, but one drawback that I noticed when putting this pedal through its paces, and which some might view as significant, is that they are only accessible when using an external footswitch — only preset 1 can be recalled without one. Looking into this further, a reply by Eventide to a YouTube comment revealed that this was a deliberate decision: Jack White (or should that be Giovanni Bianco?) wanted

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JAMSTIK MFC1

DAV E LO C K WO O D

here was a time, not so very long ago, when a MIDI floor controller that did anything more than just send Program Change messages was considered something really sophisticated. Increasingly, however, MIDI foot controllers are expected to be fully programmable and able to send whatever MIDI messages your devices may be able to receive and process. Which means, of course, that you have to be able to programme them, and that’s not everybody’s metaphorical cup of tea. Device-specific controllers, pre-programmed with the necessary commands to make the most of a particular unit, give the user the satisfaction of being ‘immediately usable’, but you’d always want the option to do some programming of your own. And exactly how much fun that is, or isn’t, is what divides the men from the boys in this world. Fortunately, the MFC1, from Jamstik — the people who, in my opinion, make the world’s best MIDI guitars — is programmable from the company’s Creator control app: the same one that works with their MIDI guitars. You can program directly on the unit itself, of course, but you may not actually want to once you’ve tried doing it from the app. Being, as I am, from an era when you had to be happy fiddling about in hexadecimal if you wanted to do anything out of the ordinary with MIDI, I count myself well versed in this stuff... but these days, I have to admit, if I know that I want to program a specific action with a unit like this, I’d much rather just find it in the Creator software ‘actions library’ and assign it to an on-screen control destination rather than having to try to recall exactly which CC does what, and is it ‘0x7fH’ for ‘On’, or is that ‘Off’? The world has moved on.

Well Connected The MFC1 features three sturdy, momentary (non-latching) footswitches, each encircled by coloured LED rings, providing visual feedback during operation, with three rotary encoders above, each with a with push-down switch incorporated. A 32-character backlit screen shows current parameters and values, as well as allowing navigation through menus and settings. The number and range of connectivity options is a clue to the MFC1’s flexibility in being able to handle a range of diverse setups:

July 2025 / www.soundonsound.com

Jamstik MFC1 MIDI Floor Controller

MIDI pedals are more sophisticated and configurable today than they once were, which is great news. But it does mean the quality of the setup software is really important... USB MIDI in (USB-A — the ‘flat one’) allows the MFC1 to act as a MIDI host to other devices; USB MIDI out (Type B — the ‘square one’) facilitates outgoing communication with computers and other MIDI-compatible devices; standard five-pin MIDI out offers connection for non-USB-MIDI devices; quarter-inch jack for an external expression or sustain pedal... and finally a 9V DC power input. The MFC1 will, of course, take power from a USB connection, but it is good to have the alternative for any scenario in which you are not able to use the USB out. You might want to control a synth or an effects unit, connecting just via the ‘legacy’ five-pin port. Using the Jamstik Creator application (standalone app for Mac and PC, and VST3/AUv3/AAX plug-in) you can select from a range of nine pre-configured onboard stored setups (aka Profiles) or save your own control assignments for particular workflows and preferences.

The footswitches and encoders can be assigned to literally anything within the lexicon of MIDI: CC messages (Continuous Controllers) to modulate parameters such as volume, pan, and effects; PC messages (Program Change) to select between presets or patches; MIDI notes, to trigger samples; and MMC transport controls to offer hands-free control of DAW functions like Play, Stop and Record. But best of all, for Jamstik MIDI guitar users at least, the MFC1 offers direct control over Jamstik MIDI guitar parameters and device settings such as pitch‑bend, string envelope and MIDI modes, at the same time as passing through incoming MIDI data from the instrument. So, in a DAW-recording scenario, your Jamstik would be connected to the USB MIDI in port and the USB out to the host computer, with SysEx and controller messages going from the MFC1 to the Jamstik, while note data is recorded in the DAW. Of course,

“The footswitches and encoders can be assigned to literally anything within the lexicon of MIDI.” The MFC1 can be powered using USB or a pedalboard-style 9V supply, which is useful if you need the USB connection for other things.

if you’re not using a computer at all, perhaps using the Jamstik guitar to play a hardware synth, the Jamstik-specific messages available within the MFC1 will allow you to still change important Jamstik parameters without needing access to the Creator software. Of course, it doesn’t have to be a Jamstik guitar that you are connecting, it could be another hardware synth, but they tend to have onboard access to settings, whereas a Jamstik guitar does not. The rotary controllers are used for onboard programming if you are not using the app, but their inclusion hints at this being useful as a simple desktop MIDI controller, as well as for underfoot use. If you want mouse-free control of volume and pan on whatever DAW mixer channel is currently selected, you can just set up a profile for CC7 and CC10. Logic users beware, however: Logic’s mixer doesn’t default to using these parameters, so you have to remember go into Project Settings / MIDI and enable the setting ‘Control Change 7/10 Controls Volume/Pan of Channel Strip Objects’. I’m not sure if other DAWs require something similar, but if it is not working in Logic, that’s probably why. Another great application is using the MFC1 to control your DAW’s transport using MMC (MIDI Machine Control) messages, which is especially useful for MIDI guitar players who want to keep both hands free for the instrument. Again, Logic users will want to navigate their way down to Settings / MIDI / MIDI Sync Project Settings and enable ‘Listen to MIDI Machine Control’. Other DAWs may vary, but there’s a great resource on the Jamstik website: search for ‘MFC1 Third Party Software Profile Guides’.

are plenty that are more ambitious than the MFC1 in the number of footswitches available — a Morningstar MC6 or Singular Sound MIDI Maestro at a comparable price point are both fully programmable and offer six and eight footswitchable functions respectively. But if you are a Jamstik MIDI guitar user, I’d say this is clearly the one to have. I know you can change all these parameters from the app, but being able to instantly transpose in octaves or semitones, or enable pitch‑bend only when you want it without having to take your attention away from the composition to look at the app, really does help to maintain a creative flow state. But the big one, for me, is being able to easily switch between MIDI modes — MPE mode is great for working with the Creator plug-in’s own synth voices, but the density of MPE data will overwhelm any virtual instrument that

isn’t set up for it. I’ll often have a project using some Creator MPE instruments and some of the integral Logic instruments. Jumping between tracks to add parts using the different instruments requires a change of mode every time, and it’s brilliant to do it just from a footswitch. And the user colour-coding available on the footswitches leaves me in no doubt as to which mode I’m in. Competitively priced, easy to program and seemingly built to last, be sure to give the MFC1 a look when shopping for a MIDI floor controller, especially if you are a Jamstik MIDI guitar user.

summary A flexible MIDI controller with a wide range of applications, but especially useful for the Jamstik MIDI guitar player.

$ $279 W www.jamstik.com

Flexible & Easy To Programme There’s plenty of choice now in the MIDI foot controller sector, and there

The MFC1 is easily programmable using the same app that’s used to configure Jamstik’s instruments.

www.soundonsound.com /July 2025

ON TE ST

other level controls (gain only on the MQ-1, and gain and compression level on the MQ-2) have black inserts with white indicators. Black buttons with associated LED indicators control the hard bypass on both units and the signal path on the MQ‑2 (EQ pre/post the compressor). Lastly, red buttons with LEDs switch in Drawmer’s unique Crush circuit, a harmonic saturation feature that’s been borrowed from their own 1971 four-band parametric EQ. It’s the same circuit on both modules, but the MQ-1 has an additional Harmonics LED that gets progressively brighter as the amount of saturation in the output signal increases. Other than that last LED, the MQ-1 offers no indication of the signal level, whereas the wider MQ-2 lacks the Harmonics LED but is equipped with three eight-LED bar meters. The first displays up to 20dB of gain reduction, whilst the other pair indicates the level of the stereo output’s left and right channels. Like all Drawmer hardware, the all-analogue MQ-1 and MQ-2 are designed and hand-assembled in Yorkshire, in the UK. All of the components are full-size, through‑hole types, and the standard of workmanship is of the highest order. The ingenious mechanical design of both units creates a very stable structure, too.

The Equaliser

500-series EQ Modules

Drawmer MQ-1 & MQ-2

These modules pair a vintage-style EQ with a clever saturation feature — and the stereo MQ-2 also brings controllable compression to the table... BOB THOMAS

orty-three years since the late Ivor Drawmer (1943-2023) founded his eponymous company and introduced the first frequency-conscious noise gate, the DS201, Drawmer have released what I believe to be the world’s first Motown-inspired 500-series analogue EQs. One is a single-slot, mono, seven-band EQ called the MQ-1, and its sibling, the MQ-2, is a larger double‑width stereo device that pairs the same EQ circuit with a compressor. The EQ sections are based on the

July 2025 / www.soundonsound.com

frequency bands and bell-shaped EQ curves of a passive EQ that was developed by Mike McLean of Motown’s Engineering Department in the 1960s: a proportional-Q, seven-band design. But neither module is a direct clone, and both have a neat trick up their sleeve that could well extend their usefulness today.

Design & Construction Largely, these modules adhere to Drawmer’s long-established black, yellow and white livery, although I noticed that the classic black knobs first seen on the DS201, which had yellow pointers, have been replaced with plain black knobs in yellow circles. To help you navigate the photos, both units’ seven cut/boost frequency knobs have light-grey inserts with black position indicators, while the

In both the MQ-1 and MQ-2, the seven bands’ centre frequencies are preset at 12.5, 5 and 2 kHz, and 500, 320, 132 and 50 Hz, just as in the original Motown equaliser. Although those centre frequencies are spread too far apart for detailed, precise tonal correction, their sizeable overlaps make them very effective for broader tone-shaping right across the audible spectrum. Each band offers ±10dB of adjustment, by the way, whereas in the Motown design it was ±8dB. To replicate the bell curves and centre frequencies of the inductor-based Motown EQ, Drawmer’s engineers have employed active gyrator-based circuits, to create virtual inductors. If you’d like to know more about the active gyrator approach, our Technical Editor Hugh Robjohns provided a good overview in this SOS Forum post: https://sosm.ag/gyrators-v-inductors. In the Motown equaliser, the level loss caused by its passive equaliser circuitry was compensated for using a post-EQ gain stage. In the MQ-1, the gain stage sits pre-EQ, whilst in the MQ-2, it sits post the EQ/compressor Order switch. Although these gain stages act primarily on the incoming signal level (MQ-1) and the output signal level (MQ-2), each has a secondary role in controlling the level of the signal going into the Crush circuitry. Lying at the heart of the Crush feature is a compressor with a fixed attack and automatic make‑up gain, and it’s been designed to introduce warmth and musically pleasing second-order harmonic saturation to the EQ’ed signal. This compression/ saturation is threshold‑based, of course, so applies only to the frequencies that are highest in level — in practice, that typically means you saturate the bands you’ve boosted, and not those that have been cut. The results obtained from this function, then, depend on the interaction between the frequency characteristics

of the instrument or voice that’s being EQ’ed, the frequencies being boosted and the overall signal level, including any contribution from the gain control. As the EQ boost increases, the more apparent the Crush contribution becomes at the frequencies being boosted, and the brighter the MQ-1’s Harmonics LED illuminates. Note, though, that if you want to dial in a particularly high level of Crush by boosting a band or bands, you may actually find yourself having to reduce the signal level coming into your MQ-1, or that leaving your MQ-2, so as to avoid clipping the units’ output stages.

The Compressor In addition to its EQ stage, the MQ-2 features a one‑knob, programme-dependent stereo compressor that can deliver up to 20dB of compression. The single knob controls the overall amount of compression, influencing both threshold and ratio in the process. Being programme-dependent, the compressor automatically adjusts its attack and release times in response to the amplitude and frequency content of the incoming signal. This automatic optimisation alters the compression envelope to suit the signal, and can help to deliver a more natural-sounding compression. The one-knob approach makes dialling in the desired amount of compression really intuitive. The post-compressor gain knob then allows you to make up for any loss in the signal level that results from the gain reduction. As I alluded to above, the MQ-2’s compressor can be placed either pre or post EQ and this is done using the Order button. The position you choose will depend entirely on whether you want to,

for example, reduce a track’s low-end level before it gets to the compressor (which might prevent unwanted compression), or to adjust the EQ to mitigate any of the reduction in high-frequencies that can be a side-effect of compression. There’s no right or wrong, just what works and sounds best for the source you’re processing and the track that you’re working on.

Crush & Clarity To me, the defining quality of both the MQ-1 and MQ-2 is the clarity and detail of their audio performance, which is reflected in their 20Hz-20kHz (±0.5dB) frequency responses. Specification-wise, the MQ-2 has slightly higher noise levels, but only because its compressor is always in circuit — this didn’t create any issues for me. A more consequential difference is that the MQ-1 can accept input levels of up to +21dBu, whereas the MQ-2 tops out at +16dBu, and that should be kept in mind when gain-staging signal chains. Operating the MQ-series equaliser is intuitive, and it’s very effective too. Its wide bandwidth at lower boost/cut levels enables you to gently sculpt a source’s tonality. Although this EQ is, to me, more paintbrush than scalpel, it can definitely reward a more aggressive approach when necessary because there’s sufficient focus available to help deal with an issue in one frequency band without creating insurmountable problems in neighbouring ones. The EQ’s clarity means that it doesn’t change the sonic character of a source too much, of course — but that’s what Crush is for, and Crush is highly effective and pretty addictive. Given its interaction with gain and EQ boost, it rewards experimentation too, and when you become accustomed to the interaction, you’ll be able to find the ideal level of harmonic saturation for the task at hand quickly. For example, in the lower frequencies, Crush can be used to help thicken up drums and bass guitars. In the mids it can add presence and warmth to a mix or put an edge on vocals, The side panel of the MQ-1, with a graphic indicating how the seven EQ bands overlap and can thus interact.

piano or percussion. Up in the highs, you’ll find Crush useful for enhancing cymbals and string instruments. Should you want to explore the outer limits of its capabilities, the results can get quite crunchy, but avoid clipping the signal and you can certainly head on out there. The MQ-2 boasts one of the most effective one-knob stereo compressors I’ve encountered to date. Perhaps the most effective: it just works. Turn the knob slightly and you get light compression, turn it further and there’s more; it’s that simple. At lower compression levels this compressor is perfectly suited to levelling vocals, strings, other acoustic instruments and percussion. With the compression wound up, the MQ-2 is a very effective stereo drum-bus crusher. To modify the frequencies that trigger compression, just position the EQ pre compressor and boost or cut as desired. Any drop in level due to heavy compression can be made up with the output gain control, and any loss in high-frequency content can be addressed easily if you make the EQ post compression.

Verdict Like so many Drawmer units, the MQ-1 and MQ-2 are excellent value for money. Both offer an intuitive workflow and performance that are well above what you’d expect given their relatively modest price — but especially so the MQ-2. If you use a 500-series rack as a single or double-mono recording channel (or are considering doing so), the MQ-1 would be a great choice as your main or supplementary EQ. Its tonal flexibility and the Crush feature will give you a wider sonic palette to work with than a conventional parametric or semi-parametric equaliser. Should you, like me, prefer a stereo setup to handle, for example, analogue synths, pedalboards, amp modellers, drum machines and stems, then the two-slot stereo MQ-2 should get your vote. Because it could turn out to be the only EQ/ compressor you’ll need.

summary These great-sounding 500-series units deliver the essence of the famous Motown EQ, and add some very useful functionality.

$ MQ-1 $369. MQ-2 $565. T TransAudio Group, Inc +1 702 365 5155 E sales@transaudiogroup.com W www.transaudiogroup.com W www.drawmer.com www.soundonsound.com / July 2025

ON TE ST

Complete Guitar Wiring By Gerry Hayes Want to dabble in DIY? Then you’ll need a good guide! JOHN WALDEN

ots of the world’s guitar playing population like to tinker with their instruments, and whether it’s electric guitars and basses or an acoustic guitar with a pickup system, you don’t have to go far down this rabbit hole before you start looking at the instrument’s electronics. You might just wish to troubleshoot a problem, maybe you want to swap out the pickups for something you hope sounds better, or perhaps you’re keen to try a completely new wiring setup. Whatever the reason, if you never took Electronics 101 and don’t know one end of a soldering iron from another (trial and error is not such

a good approach!), your projects can involve a lot of head-scratching, swearing and time-wasting (been there, done that!). Recently, I came across a rather good solution to that possible skills gap: Gerry Hayes’ book Complete Guitar Wiring (ISBN-10: 1919649425, ISBN-13: 978-1919649429). Gerry is an experienced luthier, and runs Haze Guitars from a workshop just outside Dublin. As well as doing guitar building and repair work, he writes an excellent blog and has authored a number of books and guides on guitars and guitar setup. The latest addition to his writing portfolio, Complete Guitar Wiring, is available in printed and electronic forms. I purchased the latter for my own use but, having also seen the hardback version ‘in the flesh’, I can say with confidence that its production quality easily qualifies it for coffee-table status.

By The Book Spanning over 400 pages, this book is comprehensive. Its contents are split into seven main chapters, plus an appendix that’s stuffed with detailed specifications of common guitar parts and components. So Complete Guitar Wiring can serve as

From pots to pickups, the photos and illustrations are absolutely top-notch.

July 2025 / www.soundonsound.com

a reference for those who are experienced in guitar electronics — but a beginner could pick it up without fear of being intimidated. Gerry’s writing style is a big part of that, but it’s also because the first chapter, which explores all the key components that you might find in an electric guitar, acoustic guitar or bass guitar circuit, provides a brilliantly accessible introduction to the basic theory of electronics. That’s a topic that can easily get heavy very quickly, but here it doesn’t. With a clear and pragmatic writing style, Gerry deals with these introductory technical concepts in a very accessible and engaging fashion, exploring the concepts in a very focused way and always in a guitar-related context. So if you’re starting from a point where you’re unsure of the difference between a resistor and a capacitor, or how a volume potentiometer functions, or the basic construction of common pickup types, or what’s required to build a complete electrical circuit, fear not: by the time you have read this first chapter, you will be considerably better informed. Chapters 2 and 3 then build on that excellent platform, to help you explore the wiring and installation of electric guitar/bass and acoustic guitar pickups. There’s a lot of interesting background material here about pickup construction, spanning all sorts of pickup types from conventional single-coils and humbuckers to various piezo designs, including the specifics of systems found on selected leading acoustic guitar brands including Taylor and Takamine. Topics such as pickup setup, polarity, phase and grounding are all explained in clear and straightforward fashion. I didn’t expect to find so much useful information in the section on mounting/installing pickups but, electronics aside, I found myself learning a lot about the use of a basic router (to expand

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ON TE ST

COM PLE T E GUITA R W IRING

a pickup cavity, for example), as well as the practical problems (and some great solutions) often encountered when installing pickups and wiring on a semi-hollowbody guitar (darn f-holes!). Chapter 4 takes the practical advice on the wiring process much further. Framed around a number of typical wiring projects, it takes the reader through the circuit designs and, by building on the concepts introduced in chapter 1, considers how those designs result in the appropriate signal flow through the circuit. However, it starts simply with wiring a guitar cable. Then it’s an output jack, before moving on to a single volume or tone pot, and eventually graduating via pickup replacement to complete rewiring tasks. Again, the technical elements are explained very clearly, but just as impressive is the ‘introduction to soldering’ content. If you’ve ever struggled to solder on the back of a pot, the advice here will undoubtedly get you on the right track. Other tools of the trade are also discussed, from wire types to wire strippers. It’s a well thought out and very practical

discussion. As elsewhere, the text is supported by high-quality photos and illustrations. Chapter 5 focuses on typical troubleshooting cases and, even if you have no desire to build a new circuit from the ground up, there is plenty to learn here. This includes the valuable advice of a basic troubleshooting workflow and how to distinguish between things that might be perceived as problems but actually aren’t, and genuine problems. It then walks you through the processes for testing every major element of your guitar’s wiring circuit to find whatever fault(s) might need attention. For the inexperienced, the bonus is that you will also learn the basics of using a multimeter and, again, it’s all very clearly explained.

“While I realise it might be hard for you to imagine a technical book about guitar wiring being ‘an entertaining read’ that’s exactly what this is!” These five chapters make up the first 200 pages or so of the book. Chapter 6, which occupies the next 100, contains a huge selection of standard wiring diagrams. These span the more common Les Paul, Strat and Tele circuits (including several common variants of each), but also lots of others from manufacturers such as Ibanez, PRS, Chapman, Gretsch, Suhr, Charvel, G&L and Rickenbacker. The majority of the diagrams are guitar based, but a decent selection of basses is represented, including a number of common Fender options. And, because the book started with such a clear explanation of how such circuits are constructed — and, importantly, how they’re represented in diagrammatic form — even a less experienced guitar tinkerer can quickly start to get their eye in. The final chapter, which also runs to nearly 100 pages, progresses nicely into the world of mods, and is a treasure trove of ideas that should appeal to newbies and experienced DIY guitar technicians alike. Whether it’s a simple change to A huge selection of full circuit diagrams is included within the book for a range of guitar and bass instruments.

July 2025 / www.soundonsound.com

how your Strat’s tone controls operate, exploring coil splitting, or configuring series/parallel pickup options, this section will get you thinking of the possibilities that your new-found guitar electronics skills might open up. There’s also a useful reference section of the typical wiring colour schemes used by most of the mainstream pickup manufacturers.

Buy The Book? The book’s comprehensive coverage of its subject is an important part of its appeal, and Gerry’s experience as a luthier of 20-plus years has clearly informed his decision making in terms of both the content and the way it is organised. This book is a triumph in both regards. Just as important as the knowledge and organisation of all this technical stuff, though, is Gerry’s enviable ability to explain it all in a clear, logical and entertaining fashion. Not every luthier can do that, yet throughout this book Gerry comes across as a humble and self-effacing human being. So I’ll happily say it for him: this book is beautifully written and while I realise it might be hard for you to imagine a technical book about guitar wiring being ‘an entertaining read’ that’s exactly what this is! Gerry’s sense of humour, pragmatic approach and desire to share his obviously considerable knowledge come across on every page. Oh, and the many illustrations are every bit as good as the text, not only serving to support the concepts covered in the book very well, but also making it look fabulous. If Gerry’s guitars are as good as this book, I sincerely hope to have the chance to play one at some point. Complete Guitar Wiring may be a niche book about a niche subject but, by a considerable distance, it is the best book on the topic that I’ve ever encountered. So if you’re lost down the rabbit hole of guitar electronics, I strongly advise you to buy it — and let it shine its considerable light on your journey.

summary An excellent resource and an engaging read, for beginners and seasoned tinkerers alike.

$ PDF version $40.

Paperback $39.11 (from Amazon).

T Haze Guitars +353 (0)87 9966 439 E gerry@hazeguitars.com W https://hazeguitars.com

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ON TE ST

SOUNDTOYS SPACEBLENDER

Reverb Plug-in

Soundtoys SpaceBlender

PAUL WHITE

oth the algorithmic and convolution approaches to artificial reverb are now capable of incredibly convincing emulations of real spaces. But ‘real’ isn’t always what we want, is it? In fact, there are often occasions when we prefer to ‘boldly go where no‑one has gone before’, and to get you there, you’ll want to reach for a reverb that strives to be a little different. Popular examples include Zynaptiq’s Adaptiverb and Eventide’s Black Hole, for example, or perhaps you’d prefer a shimmer reverb or a Strymon Cloudburst? Well now there’s another option from Soundtoys, who’s excellent range of plug-ins has proved enduringly popular. They’ve added to their portfolio a new plug-in called SpaceBlender, which increases their repertoire of creative reverbs. Billed as an “imaginary room machine”, it supports all the usual plug-in formats and, like the company’s other plug-ins, is authorised using an iLok account.

Swarming Up While SpaceBlender is perfectly capable of delivering fairly conventional reverb

July 2025 / www.soundonsound.com

New Soundtoys plug-ins don’t come around that often, but when they do, they’re usually well worth checking out. This one’s no exception... sounds, this isn’t its raison d’être — after all, Soundtoys already offer more suitable options when it comes to ‘normal’ reverb, in the form of their Little Plate and SuperPlate plug-ins. SpaceBlender goes far beyond that, in a way that should please many but absolutely delight sound designers and creators of ambient music, as it enables you to create intriguing imaginary spaces that can sound wonderful, but simply don’t exist in nature. Its clear and intuitive GUI can be resized in steps from 75 to 200 percent, and as is usual with Soundtoys plug-ins the control layout is so simple that there’s virtually no learning curve to negotiate. Most algorithmic reverbs combine delay networks with multiple feedback paths involving all-pass filters and EQ to build a reverb tail that increases in density as it decays. But although SpaceBlender is indeed an algorithmic reverb, it is inspired by something known as swarm synthesis. This is a method of creating complex outcomes by combining multiple

simpler units that follow basic rules, and that can interact with each other, the overall structure emerging from the combination of these interactions. If that all sounds a bit too theoretical to take in, it might be helpful to know that some other applications of this technique are inspired by the flocking patterns of birds: each bird flies independently, but it also reacts to the behaviours of neighbouring birds. Apparently the original inspiration for SpaceBlender, though, came from Dewanatron’s Swarmatron, an interesting analogue synth we reviewed back in SOS June 2011 (www.soundonsound.com/ reviews/dewanatron-swarmatron). Traditional algorithmic reverbs create a reverb tail that decays in a generally predictable manner, emulating a natural decay, whereas the shape of the reverb produced by SpaceBlender can be manipulated by the user to produce extraordinary results. There are no separately adjustable early reflections, as

you’d find in most algorithmic reverbs, but at minimum density settings, the output does comprise a series of discrete delays. Examples include long reverbs with no significant decay, fairly abrupt reverb endings, very slow ‘blooming’ reverbs, reverse‑envelope reverbs, gated reverbs and so on. The maximum decay time can be adjusted from 100ms up to one minute and remains the same regardless of changes made to the reverb tail’s shape. As expected, there are several presets to get you started, and you can save your own.

Mission Control Key to the operation of SpaceBlender is the interactive Visualizer display. This shows the ‘shape’ of the reverb in blue, and also a ghost image of the sound that’s being processed (purple), moving from left to right. Controlling the reverb shape is very straightforward, being linked to the pulsating cursor spot in the Visualizer. On the vertical axis, this controls whether the reverb is generated at a constant level, after which it rapidly fades, or whether it builds up to a maximum before decaying. The horizontal position determines the point at which the level is maximum so, by manipulating the cursor, the decay shape can be set to have a slow or fast attack, and a slow or fast decay; the straightforward grab-and-drag approach makes it extremely intuitive. The Time control adjusts the total length of the reverberant effect, either in milliseconds or, if Sync is engaged, beats (from one to 32). Some useful features that don’t clutter the GUI include right-clicking any knob to replace its name with a percentage value readout, and holding Shift while adjusting a knob to engage fine-tune mode. Also, Ctrl+Opt (on a Mac) or Ctrl+Alt (for Windows) locks a knob, so that its value stays fixed when you switch presets — not a unique feature, but a useful one that I’d like to see more widely adopted. When Warp is active, you hear quite drastic tape-style pitch changes as the Time parameter is adjusted. When it’s switched off, the pitch remains unaffected and the level drops as Time is being adjusted. Color essentially gives you control over the tonality of the reverb, with anticlockwise turns darkening the sound as it decays, and clockwise turns causing the sound to become brighter and thinner during the decay. Texture adjusts the reverb

density: when fully anticlockwise you see what’s essentially a multi-tap delay, albeit with a lot of irregularly spaced taps. Fully clockwise, it produces maximum density, and these changes can clearly be seen in the Visualizer. I believe it was Lexicon who pioneered the use of pitch/time modulation within their reverb algorithms (Spin and Wander) to smooth out resonances, and this tactic is used here, with the Mod knob adding a chorus-like effect to the reverb tail. This can sound effective if used sparingly on vocals, but heavier applications can work well on other sources, including some guitar and synth sounds. Mix controls the wet/dry balance, just as you’d expect. Soundtoys have also added a Freeze button that captures and sustains the reverb sound by looping the input to the reverb engine, rather than by the more common methodology of recirculating

Much of the sonic variety available from SpaceBlender comes about due to the ability to directly manipulate the shape of the reverb using the Visualizer cursor. By setting a very slow attack time, it is possible to create reverb effects that bloom and evolve or even sneak up on you several bars later in the song. Or you can push the cursor fully upwards, dial in a long reverb time and look forward to a solid wall of sound. For a plug-in with so few controls, there’s a lot to explore here, though if I put on my ‘Mr Picky’ hat, I’d have liked to see some shimmer type options built-in, to further extend the range of available effects. Having said that, you can always combine it with other plug-ins to expand its capabilities, pitch‑shifters and granular delays being particularly useful in that context. As I’m writing this part of the review, I’m listening to a short piano phrase being processed by SpaceBlender in Freeze mode, and with the Mix 100 percent wet it sounds like a cross between a ghostly string section and distant choirs — I can’t hear any trace of a piano in there anywhere. This is great: bounce that down, and I’ll have the start of my next ambient track! SpaceBlender excels at ethereal reverb effects, so I suspect that sound designers, music for picture composers and those into ambient or chillout music will be the most appreciative of its abilities. But there’s plenty here for others to investigate too. I love the immediacy of its controls, and in reality there’s almost no way to coax a bad sound out of it — SpaceBlender delivers instant gratification all the way, and can create effects that will take your compositions in new directions. It will certainly make a very welcome addition to my reverb arsenal — with its imaginary spaces, it might well become my new best imaginary friend!

“I knew almost instantly that this reverb was something special, as I found myself playing through the default preset for several minutes.” the reverb tail. This allows frozen sounds to be manipulated by using the Visualizer cursor or other controls, which opens up some interesting possibilities for using DAW automation to create shifting beds of sound. The sound being recirculated is also shown in the Visualizer display and the output when using long time settings is a good way to produce an evolving ambient wash or pad until Freeze mode is released.

Gold Blend? When describing the actual sound of SpaceBlender, it’s difficult knowing exactly where to start! But I knew almost instantly that this reverb was something special, as I found myself playing through the default preset for several minutes before setting off to explore the other options. Depending on the Texture setting, which is essentially a density control, the sound moves from a dense cluster of discrete delays to a very smooth and dense reverb with lots of useful options in between. Key to the sound of SpaceBlender is that the reverb tail doesn’t start to sound ‘ringy’ or metallic at long decay times. I tried to replicate its effects using Logic Pro’s ChromaVerb (which can generate very long reverbs and has a variable attack time) but it sounded very different and somewhat metallic by comparison.

summary An algorithmic reverb like no other, Soundtoys’ SpaceBlender can conjure up some truly enticing imaginary spaces, with none of the metallic artefacts you sometimes hear in reverbs, and it’s capable of transforming the incoming sound into something else entirely.

$ $99. E sales@soundtoys.com. W www.soundtoys.com www.soundonsound.com /July 2025

ON TE ST

Dreamtonics Synthesizer V Studio 2 Pro Software Vocal Synthesizer

Dreamtonics take their session singer in software to the next level. JOHN WALDEN

love it when a music technology product leaves me believing in magic. Working with Dreamtonics’ Synthesizer V — which I reviewed in the March 2023 issue of SOS — was undoubtedly one such moment. Dreamtonics have now released version 2 of Synth V. This brings a whole raft of enhancements and new features that, on paper at least, seem very intriguing. To be on the safe side, I placed a pillow on the desk under my chin before exploring. Did I need it? Let’s find out...

Sing It Again I covered the basic features of Synth V in the original review so, aside from restating that v1 was already capable of generating some amazingly realistic sung vocals (realistic to the point that many listeners will not realise that they are hearing a synthesized voice until you tell them), I’ll focus on what’s new here. If you

Dreamtonics Synthesizer V Studio 2 Pro $99 pros • Enhanced workflow options well implemented. • Undeniably impressive vocal synthesis engine. • A fabulous virtual session singer platform for songwriters and music producers.

cons • Does require some workflow changes compared to v1. • The psychological questions you face when the most human part of a song no longer needs to be human.

summary Synthesizer V Studio Pro 2 improves both the realism of its synthesized vocals and the ease with which they can be obtained. This is truly remarkable technology.

July 2025 / www.soundonsound.com

Synth V’s UI has been reworked in a number of ways in v2, to reflect some significant refinements in the software’s toolset.

need to catch up, then the original review is available to read in full on the SOS website and the underlying principles still apply even if some operational changes have been made. That said, I should also point out some highlight additions that arrived as updates to v1 of the software after that original review: a rap engine designed specifically to create rap vocals, and a voice-to-MIDI conversion option allowing you to automatically extract note/lyrical information from your own recorded vocals and turn them into the data need to generate a Synth V vocal. Spanish language support was also added. And, while running as a standalone application (which is how I did much of my own testing here), Synth V is also available as an ARA plug-in within suitable hosts. For those new to the product, it’s also worth emphasising one key concept; Synth V is a virtual instrument. You create the melodic (and lyrical) content of the performance and Synth V’s engine then renders that information into a synthesized vocal based upon your selected virtual singer. The engine utilises AI/machine learning to process detailed samples of the actual singer from which

the selected voice library was built and to resynthesize those samples into the performance you have constructed. This includes the pitch, lyrical content, the choice of singing ‘modes’ (styles such as clear, muted, belt), characteristics (such as loudness, tension and, breathiness) and phoneme duration and pronunciation. Make an edit and Synth V resynthesizes — not in real time, but very rapidly — the required changes. The principle is, therefore, no different from the way you might create a virtual solo violin or guitar part; a sample/ synthesis engine interprets the MIDI and sound parameter information you have supplied into a realistic performance. It’s the same here but with the human voice. Dreamtonics now explain very clearly on their website how the process works and how they have collaborated with (and compensated) the original human singers upon which each Synth V voice library is based. This is not AI vocals generated from a text prompt.

New For Two So, what’s new in version 2 of Synth V? There are some obvious headlines. On a technical front, the rendering of edits

(to notes, pitch curve, voice parameters, lyrics, etc) is now considerably faster. I did much of my testing on an M1-based Mac and re-rendering after any edit was pretty much instant. It’s a very slick experience. The overall UI remains familiar from v1. The track-based Arrangement overview dominates the top (where you can house both audio tracks and Synth V vocal tracks), and the detailed view of the currently selected vocal track sits underneath. The latter is, itself, split into two zones: the piano roll, where you can edit note, pitch curve and lyrical content; and then optional lanes for automating the various vocal modes and parameters. In addition, a series of six panels — Voice, Notes, Dictionary, Render, License and Settings — can be toggled open/closed as required to access further parameters and settings. However, digging in to all these elements reveals numerous changes, additions and enhancements. For example, in the Notes panel, the synthesis engine options have now been consolidated into two main modes of operation — Sing and Rap — and this panel now includes the Retakes options that used to have their own panel. The Retakes feature lets the engine generate alternative versions (takes) of either a whole vocal or just selected notes. This has been rather neatly reworked with new options for just varying timing, pitch, timbre, or all three together. There is also a new X/Y panel allowing you to quickly vary the ‘expressiveness’ used by the engine and the amount of vibrato modulation applied to longer notes. This is all very easy to use and you can swiftly switch between your various virtual takes to see which you prefer for any given phrase. The Voice panel, which contains parameters for your selected voice library, has also been refined. For example, while the Parameters section is as before, the Vocal Mode section — where you can adjust the level of the virtual vocalist’s various singing styles — now allows each mode to be popped open to provide individual control over the Pitch, Timbre and Pronun(ciation) associated with each mode. This provides you with a much greater degree of control over the character of the voice. This panel also used to house controls to vary vibrato and pitch slides into and out of notes, but this functionality is now replaced by the additions to the Notes panel and by additional options to edit

Detailed pitch editing now includes the ability to define nodes on the pitch curve that can guide the synthesis engine.

the detailed pitch curve in the piano roll and automation lanes (more on this in a minute).

Changing Lanes In operational terms, v2 also brings some key changes in the editing and automation panels. Editing notes and lyrics remains very much as before. However, you now also get a Phoneme lane located directly beneath the Piano Roll editing panel. This allows you to adjust both the strength and duration of individual phonemes in an entirely graphical environment. It’s a much easier process than previously provided within the Note panel and allows you to finesse the pronunciation of words in a much more intuitive fashion. Detailed editing of the pitch curve was possible in v1 but the process has been significantly refined in v2 by the ability to add (and edit) Pitch Control Points directly on the curve. You can also draw pitch curve sections in freehand. The way both of these elements are then used is also very clever as, once a point of manual curve segment is placed, the engine will then ensure that the synthesized pitch curve does its best to pass through these points/ curves while still generating a natural result. This system provides powerful control over pitch transitions between notes or vibrato in sustained notes, for a much-improved workflow over v1.

Practice Makes Perfect The toolset changes do mean that existing users will have to make some adjustments to their established workflows, but Dreamtonics have undoubtedly streamlined and improved the overall process with these changes. Editing is much faster, and the toolset feels much more refined. The (very welcome) improved rendering speeds contribute to the enhanced workflow.

Of course, just as (or even more?) important is whether the synthesis engine delivers improvements in the actual vocals created. The short answer is yes; once you have familiarised yourself with the changes to the toolset, the results can be incredibly realistic. I got to test a number of the updated native English voicebanks: Dreamtonics’ Kevin, Natalie, Hayden and the new Liam, for example, and Eclipsed Sounds’ (one of the main third-party companies creating voicebanks for Synthesizer V) Solaria, Saros and Astarian. As in v1, Solaria was particularly impressive but the additional details within each voice’s Vocal Modes really do let you conjure more ‘human’ in the resulting vocals, providing you are prepared to automate the available parameters. And, if you need even more voice options, Dreamtonics’ Vocaflex (see the December 2024 review) provides plenty further potential; it works just as well with Synth V vocals as it does with those of human singers. If you want to hear some examples there are a few short clips I created during the review period on the SOS website. The most obvious use cases for this virtual instrument is for songwriters and/or music producers developing song ideas ‘in the box’. However, whether you eventually use Synth V’s vocals as a guide to a real singer, or they actually make it to your finished mix, for writing and editing vocal parts, Dreamtonics have created a brilliant creative tool. I’ll leave a discussion about the desirability of synthesized lead vocals for another day (but it’s undoubtedly a very interesting debate). Did I need that cushion under my chin? Well, Synthesizer V Studio 2 Pro improves on what was already an impressive product. With a little practice, it’s perfectly possible to generate lead vocals that will jump well over the quality threshold required for a number of very practical use-case scenarios. That in itself is a remarkable thing to be able to say. This software makes me smile every time I use it. Synthesizer V Studio 2 Pro is amazing technology with a surprisingly modest price tag.

Audio examples for this article can be found at https://sosm.ag/ DreamtonicsSynthV2 $ $99 W www.dreamtonics.com www.soundonsound.com / July 2025

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Archaea Exchange Eurorack Module

he Archaea Exchange falls into what is possibly my favourite category of modules: essentially very simple but with massive scope. It has eight inputs on the left and eight outputs on the right. Patch a signal into one of its inputs and then, with that input selected via its own light‑up button, simply push the buttons corresponding to the outputs you want to send that signal out of. I suppose the very simplest application of this is to patch a single input and use it as a buffered eight-way mult — and with no complaints; it’s very useful being able to switch various outputs on and off. For instance you might audition or combine different oscillators being controlled by the same sequencer, or use it to performatively send an LFO to various destinations without having to keep un-patching and re-patching. The Exchange, of course, can go further than this. With all eight inputs patched, you can select any combination of outputs for each — although be warned you can’t use it to sum several input signals to one output. I’m sure the developer would have a good answer for why this parallel mixer functionality wasn’t possible (in fact I’d imagine it was one of the first questions on the R&D table), but at the end of the day there are plenty of Eurorack summing mixers available, some as small as 2HP, and I daresay it wouldn’t be a bad idea to have one nestled alongside the Exchange for when the need arises. Once you have a patch in place, you can save it to one of 64 preset slots, any of which are accessible in two button pushes (eight banks of eight presets, if it wasn’t clear). Here’s where the Exchange shines, in my opinion. Once saved,

you can use the Copy and Clear functions to move presets into different locations if desired, and once they’re there, you can sequence them in all manner of ways — which is another way of saying you can sequence patches. The Exchange supports an astonishing variety of methods to do this: you can use USB MIDI and send notes corresponding to different presets, or you can assign input 8 to accept triggers or CV. If set to expect triggers, it will progress incrementally through a designated range of presets with each pulse, representing the progression with its light‑up buttons. If set to expect CV, however, it will divide 5V by the number of presets in the range; so you can sequence them in any order from a CV sequencer, randomise them with stepped voltage or for that matter send an LFO to have them sweep back and forth. Very, very fast if you want to. It made for some wild and unpredictable results, and in honesty challenged my patching technique a bit too, since it required not a little parallel thinking to create a patch and then sufficiently vary it into sequence-able sub-patches. Now is probably a good time to say that, of course, things like the Erica Synths Desktop Matrix Mixer are juggernauts in the patch-recall department. That unit can handle 256 connections, accept MIDI Program Changes, and so forth. What it can’t do, though, is sit in the very middle of a system, patched in and ready to go, and it can’t change patches with CV. Also, in my opinion the linear ‘Y-Y’ layout of the Exchange (as opposed to X-Y) suits it perfectly to being sequenced. Simple enough to use at speed, complex enough to facilitate deep-diving. In this way

XAOC Devices Lublin Eurorack Module

he Lublin 1957 from XAOC Devices is a two-channel pingable VCA module with three ping responses and a gain limiting circuit to prevent peaking or distortion. For anyone who doesn’t know, a pingable VCA has a Ping input which

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it can either be a type of ‘set and forget’ module or it can be a highly performative and dynamic one, playing a key role within a patch as well as external to it. It’s also worth mentioning that Archaea have purposefully created a substantial expansion system to support multiple Exchanges in a setup, if you do have need to exponentially increase the size of your matrix. Archaea are a fairly new face on the scene, but they mean business. The Exchange somehow manages to be elegant, creative and useful all at the same time, and on more than one occasion gave me genuine pause for thought when I realised the amount of things I might be able to do with it. Whether your system is big or small, I guarantee it has a place for this lovely little design. William Stokes $

$349.99

www.archaea.co.uk

makes it possible to trigger short envelopes, useful for creating shortened sounds with a slightly rounded attack while retaining their harmonic value. The Lublin also has an Exponential input, meaning it can perform more conventional VCA duties. As XAOC describe on their website, the Ping inputs use an analogue circuit to “model the dynamic behaviour of vactrols, allowing you to trigger a carefully crafted gain response that mimics the natural decay of plucked and struck acoustic

instruments”. The technical definition of a vactrol is an electronic component that combines a light-dependent resistor and an LED, and it is what allows the smooth plucked and struck sounds to be achieved. Traditionally vactrols contain cadmium, which is banned in EU countries, hence the modelling. The three settings of the switches — ‘Shortened’, ‘Natural’ and ‘Prolonged’ — allow a fine‑tuning of the ping response in designing your sound. The Shortened setting can provide an easy solution to creating percussive sounds. I have always enjoyed the possibility of shaping a sound with a VCA to create hi-hats or other percussion while patching. Usually we think of the main function of a VCA as processing the audio output signal, but the Lublin is DC-coupled to process both CV and audio, which is a patching possibility that might not have been evident at first. And while it creates exponential decay curves, it cannot exceed unity gain, hence there will not be any distortion coming from this module, unless the signal of the sound patched into it is already distorted. As we have found, some modules can be brutal and gritty without the built‑in unity gain control, and I like them like that, but it’s also nice to have one like the Lublin, which allows both deep and delicate sounds to be clean without distorting or peaking. The sound through the Lublin can be soft and light for creating subtle percussive and atmospheric sounds, or it can be heavy for kicks and bass lines. It is very versatile in the range of audio responses it can help to achieve. VCAs are an important tool for all modular systems; by now, we all understand we should have several in our systems to creatively and effectively patch with. I have found, when VCAs have several output settings, they can be inspiring tools that can also bring new ideas to light. The choice between the Exponential and Ping inputs along with the switch settings gives a range of options in one module, all with an intentional and clean-sounding response. This is a great module that is highly recommended for everyone who finds their rack in need of a new VCA, and as we all agree, the VCA component is one of the most important factors in building a custom synthesizer and patching it. The Lublin, with its ability to maintain control signal while giving the user plenty to explore, is entirely consistent with the high quality we’ve come to expect from XAOC Devices. Dr Chelsea Bruno $

$209

www.xaocdevices.com

Silver 107.868

www.soundonsound.com / July 2025

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Boss TAE Core

Reactive Load, Speaker Simulator & Re‑amplifier

Offering all the essential facilities at a lower price point, could the new Core version of the Tube Amp Expander be a serious competitor to the original flagship model? DAV E LO C K WO O D

he Boss division of Roland announced their original flagship Waza Tube Amp Expander at 2019’s Winter NAMM show, putting it head-to-head with Universal Audio’s OX tube-amp load box and speaker simulator, and we reviewed it in SOS September 2019 (https://sosm.ag/ boss-tae). Five years on, that ‘big box’ version is now joined by the TAE Core, which is half the size and half the price, but offers by no means half the functionality. The TAE Core, like the original TAE, facilitates direct recording of a tube amp without the need for a guitar speaker. The amp feeds the TAE’s dummy load, where a line-level signal is derived to pass through an A-D converter. A range of digital effects can then be activated, before the signal is split into two paths: one to feed an impulse-response host,

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where you can access both the integral cabs and any other speaker IRs you may choose to load; and the other to feed an internal solid-state power amp to use with a real speaker.

Overview The Core’s reactive load is switchable between 4, 8 and 16 Ω, with power-matching options of 10, 50 and 100 Watts, primarily I’d imagine for internal level optimisation. Maximum power input is stated as 100W, and there is a ‘safety load’ in place if you forget to power up the TAE before switching the amp on. Once you are all hooked up, the Speaker Out socket on the back of the TAE Core, which is fed from the internal 30W power amp, can then be used to hear your safely-loaded amp at whatever volume setting you like, via a fully variable (not stepped) level control on the front. A pair of balanced XLRs

convey the DI path’s speaker-emulated signal to a PA mixer or recording system. Apart from the fact that it was possibly the first integrated re‑amping solution, as opposed to an attenuator, the original TAE’s ‘big thing’ was that it offered a user-adjustable impedance curve, rather than the fixed response offered by most dummy load/attenuator boxes. It offered 16 possible response shapes via its Resonance Z and Presence Z front-panel switches. In the guitar world, we tend to think of speakers just in terms of 4, 8 or 16 Ω units, but an actual impedance will always vary significantly across the whole frequency range. The significance of this parameter is that the impedance curve determines the power transfer at different frequencies, which, of course, becomes a factor in the actual sound that we hear. The purpose of including the user-adjustable reactive load is that it allows the user to approximate the impedance curve of a number of different types of speaker, thereby making the connected amp behave more accurately like it would if it were connected to that specific driver.

Now, the reason I’m dwelling on these controls on the original model within a review of the new one is that the TAE Core doesn’t have them... But I think it is none the worse for it. The load settings for the Core are just a choice of Combo or Stack, perhaps replicating a single-driver open-back cab and a closed-back 4x12. Whilst the more sophisticated control setup could allow you to fine-tune an exact the response, it could also allow you to get it a bit wrong. A single, fixed impedance curve is likely to be optimised for just one type or the other, but a choice of the two primary types really has got you covered without having to think too deeply about it. Yes, the impedance curve matters, but so do all the other variables — the virtual mics, the effects and EQ, and the room ambience — as well.

Speaker Emulation You can use the TAE Core’s speaker-emulated outputs straight out of the box without firing up the dedicated software editor — there’s a speaker and effects setup stored in every one of the 10 settings of the front-panel Rig control — but you’d be missing out on quite a lot. The editor, available now in both desktop and mobile formats, and connecting over USB-C or (using an optional adaptor) Bluetooth, allows you to store your own Rigs (whole setups of routing, IR, EQ and effects), with 10 of these able to reside within the TAE hardware for instant recall via the front-panel control, the app, or MIDI, whilst many more can be stored

in your library via the app. The editor improves on the original TAE editor in that it now also includes the IR loader, which makes a lot more sense than having separate apps. Apart from the Speaker Out level and reactive load setting, the only other control knobs on the front are the 10-way Rig selector, line out, phones level and ‘Air Feel Level’. This last control is a tight, stereo ambience applied to the line out, headphones and USB digital outputs, but, logically, not the speaker feed. Air Feel opens out the close-miked dryness of the IRs into something more like an in-the-room sound that is far more comfortable to play with, without having to make the sound noticeably reverberant unless you turn it up a long way. Round the back, power connection is from a 12V DC external adaptor, with a chunky right-angle connector that inspires a lot more confidence than the standard DC connector used for pedals. There’s now a single speaker output; the ‘big’ TAE had a paralleled pair. The power amp specs at 30W into 8Ω, with a minimum impedance of 4Ω (which would obviously give you a bit more output given that this is a solid-state power stage). Driving a single 12-inch speaker in an open‑back combo cab, I could comfortably get up to what counts as ‘performance volume’ for me these days. I guess it might not be enough in a large band line‑up with a hard-hitting drummer, but who still gets to really crank it up on stage these days without being told to ‘turn it down’ and ‘get some

Boss TAE Core $699 pros • Simplified reactance setting. • IR loader now integrated into the editor. • Improved software editor with connection via Bluetooth and USB-C. • Comprehensive remote control via MIDI. • Fully variable ‘attenuated’ volume.

cons • Poor scaling of software controls. • No gain-reduction metering or EQ-curve graphic in software editor. • MIDI footswitching required for stage use.

summary The Boss Tube Amp Expander Core is a great little package — dummy load, speaker sim/IR host, integral power amp, onboard effects and MIDI control, at a significantly lower price point than the original. Whilst the control app is undoubtedly better than the original TAE editor, this version still feels a bit more like a ‘point-one’ tweak than a ‘five-years-later’ revamp.

in-ears’? At lower levels, it’s great for just practicing with an authentic overdriven amp sound and, of course, it’s perfectly valid to still mic the speaker for recording rather than using an IR. It’s not exactly the same as having the output stage drive the speaker directly because you’ve broken the interactive feedback loop that gives that relationship some of its feel, but the moment you stop thinking about

The rear panel has impressive connectivity options, including send and return jacks for an effects loop.

www.soundonsound.com / July 2025

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Sample Library

Soundpaint Solo Woodwinds & Brass Soundpaint’s affordable wind instruments contain some hidden treasures. DAV E ST E WA RT

nyone engaged in contemporary virtual orchestration will likely be familiar with the name Troels Folmann. Since 2009 this voluble Danish composer has created hundreds of sample libraries, initially under the Tonehammer banner in conjunction with sound designer Mike Peaslee, then in creative partnership with producer Tawnia Knox, who co-founded the snappily-named 8Dio Productions with Folmann in 2011. Based in West Hollywood, California, 8Dio’s extensive catalogue features epic choirs, cinematic percussion and a sprawling range of orchestral sample products that run the gamut from a solo oboe to the 240-piece Majestica mega-orchestra. The Legion series’ 66-player bass, cello, trombone and tuba ensembles are similarly gargantuan, while the musically detailed Century Strings, Century Brass and Adagio string series feature more traditional ensemble sizes. In October 2021 Folmann and Knox launched Soundpaint, a free, easy‑to‑use

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sample player jam-packed with features (see box for more info). Accompanying the new engine was a free deep-sampled 1928 vintage Steinway grand piano and an intriguing assortment of high‑quality new instruments. The remarkable thing about these products was their price — in a world where sample developers routinely charge hundreds of pounds for their wares, many of them cost $20 or less. After nearly four years of development, Soundpaint’s catalogue has grown into an Aladdin’s cave of affordable instruments that promise many hours of fun for the acquisitive sample user. I found much to admire in this astonishingly diverse collection, so to get started I’ll shine the spotlight on Soundpaint’s solo woodwinds and brass.

Solo Woodwinds: Flutes Soundpaint’s seven solo woodwinds made their debut some years ago as the rather expensive 8Dio Claire Woodwinds Kontakt library. The collection has now been re-formatted for Soundpaint and can be bought as single instruments at decidedly affordable prices. Recorded from close, Decca Tree and wide microphone positions in the amazing concert hall of the Cultural and Congress Centre, Zlín,

Czech Republic, these woodwinds feature some exceptional specimens. The flute family is represented by the 2004 Flute Platinus, 2001 Piccolo Shire and 1987 Alto Flute Savana. An unnamed flautist sets the tone with some beautifully expressive performances — her platinum instrument’s sweet-sounding high register is perfect for romantic themes and dramatic swirling note flurries. The versatile piccolo can also tug the heartstrings with romantic melodies, evoke visions of a Hobbit-ridden English countryside with rustic melodies, or burst your eardrums with piercing fortissimo shrieks. All good stuff, but if you want one flute to rule them all, the alto flute’s sultry, breathy mellow tone, superbly consistent timbre and infinitely stretched range can sound like a complete flute family when played chordally.

Solo Woodwinds: Reeds In the reed corner we have the 1967 Clarinet Paris, 1982 Oboe Amore, 1995 English Horn Lorium and 2010 Bassoon Firebird. Played with no vibrato in the orchestral style, this Bb clarinet is unsuitable for hot Dixieland jazz but will function perfectly in a traditional score. I like the instrument’s effortless smooth deliveries and liquid, rounded tone, the only small

flaw being the noticeably unclean attack of its mf sustains’ E5-F5 register. Formerly known as Claire Oboe Virtuoso, the Oboe Amore is not an actual oboe d’amore, but has a strikingly bright, plaintive and distinctive sound of its own — great for underscoring cinematic love scenes and panoramic nature shots, and also effective for incisive stabs. The bassoon is a tour de force: its lyrical vibrato legatos render soulful melodies with uncanny realism, and it excels at supportive bass lines, blasting marcatos and staccato rhythm ostinatos. Much as I enjoyed these instruments, I have to reserve my highest praise for the English horn (aka cor anglais). It is absolutely stunning: warmer and darker than the oboe with a wonderfully poignant low register, it sounds equally magical high up in the oboe range. An ultra-expressive legato style incorporates emotive dynamic swells, while ‘Legato FX’ programs use quiet breath noises and key clicks to enhance realism. A playable instrument, and a brilliant example of woodwind sampling.

Woodwind Artics The woodwind players perform a near-identical set of articulations consisting of unlooped regular and legato sustains, marcato long notes, staccatissimo shorts, major and minor second trills and major and minor up and down octave runs. Each instrument plays between four and eight types of ‘arc’ (medium-length notes with expressive built-in dynamic swells). The oboe and flute also perform straight crescendos.

While the excellent legato mode can handle very fast playing, its note durations seem a little short — a reminder to program occasional pauses for breath! Though the instruments’ vibrato is baked in, you can use Soundpaint’s time-stretcher to adjust the vibrato speed, and also to alter note durations and attack speeds.

Three Duduks The duduk is an Armenian double reed woodwind instrument, described by ethnic winds specialist Dirk Campbell as “a cool, transcendent sound, best used with a minimum of background”. The instrument (a wooden pipe punctuated by a row of finger holes with a mouthpiece inserted at one end) might appear rudimentary, but its sound has an unforgettable, haunting voice-like quality. Skilled performers can generate a range of sophisticated and expressive performance techniques, including bent notes, multiple grace notes and an impassioned vibrato. Soundpaint’s three duduks were built in the keys of A, Bb and C, but thanks to chromatic sample mapping each one can play in all 12 keys. You can choose between sustain, marcato and legato articulations, the latter offering simple unornamented notes, single and double grace notes and slow inter-note portamento slides. These legato variants are presented in keyswitchable four-way programs, so you can switch between straight legatos, grace notes or slides in real time.

Eight years in the making, the Soundpaint engine contains a wealth of creative features.

Soundpaint Solo Woodwinds & Brass From $20 pros • An extremely affordable selection of high‑quality, ultra-playable solo wind instruments. • Contains some stellar solo woodwinds. • The woodwinds were recorded from three mic positions in a fabulous European concert hall. • The three duduks sound lovely. • The Soundpaint player is fun to operate.

cons • None to speak of.

summary Showing a keen awareness of musicians’ budget constraints, Soundpaint make their excellent products available at knockdown prices. There’s nothing cheap about the sound; some of these solo woodwinds are among the best I’ve heard, and deserve serious consideration by all orchestral sample users.

Also included are layered ensemble and sound design programs, which work well for chordal passages and bass drones. Overall, an enchanting and beautiful-sounding trio of instruments, a worthy addition to Soundpaint’s catalogue.

Solo Brass Recorded in the aforementioned Zlín scoring hall, Soundpaint’s Century Solo Trumpet and Solo Flugelhorn are 100 percent musically and sonically compatible with the solo woodwinds. Both were originally part of 8Dio’s Century Solo Brass, a seven-instrument Kontakt collection now beginning a migration to the Soundpaint format. The solo trumpet is a winner, offering a large menu of bright, super-confident, well-tuned performances including looped sustains and polyphonic legatos with and without vibrato, marcato shorts, staccatissimos, swells (called ‘soaring’ for some reason), long and sfz crescendos, ‘arcs’, trills, flutter tongue, and double and triple tongue, some of which come in Harmon and straight mute variants. The flugelhorn, a magnificently fat-toned, mellow instrument often associated with jazz, matches the trumpet for quality but omits the fancier artics. At the current prices, both are an absolute snip. Jazz, Latin and pop producers might prefer Soundpaint’s Fire Brass, a brass trio drily recorded at Feeling Studios in Cali, Columbia. Operating under the names of 1984 Trumpet Fire, 1989 Fire www.soundonsound.com / July 2025

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SOUNDPAINT SOLO WOODWINDS & BRA SS

Trombone and 1992 Fire Saxophone, these instruments collectively cover the idioms of big band jazz and pop horns, whipping out unrestrained, in-your-face artics such as the overblown ‘frullatos’. While suitable for hot rhythm work, they also perform conventional artics (including legatos), so could be used in an orchestral setting.

Saxophones Our final instruments were recorded at Gorbals Sound Studios, Glasgow, from close and room positions. The fancifully named 1980 Tenor Sax Spectralius, 1999 Soprano Sax Moonlight and 1989 Baritone Sax Barry deliver a lorry load of articulations (including runs, scoops, triplets and ‘daa da da’ mini-phrases), but I’ve a feeling most people will take one listen to their utterly realistic legatos before compulsively reaching for their credit cards and buying all three. I slightly preferred the tenor and baritone instruments’ timbre over the soprano — however, I very much enjoyed the slow, dreamy fade of the soprano sax’s ‘Somber Arcs’ program, a great textural backdrop for meditative melodic explorations.

Conclusion Troels Folmann has long been an advocate of hybrid sounds, so it’s no surprise that the Soundpaint factory programs include many sound design and effects-based creations. These atmospheric, sometimes transformative concoctions are not separately presented in the browser, so don’t be surprised when looking for a close-miked oboe if you end up with something resembling the distant piping of the god Pan. In that

The concert hall of the Cultural and Congress Centre, Zlín, Czech Republic, venue for the recording of many of the libraries on review here.

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Soundpaint Engine The free Soundpaint engine uses a proprietary audio format called Real-Time Samples to play back its recorded material. All instruments can have 127 discrete dynamic velocity layers, with musical realism enhanced by the UDS (Ultra Deep-Sampled) versions supplied for some instruments. These contain identical material to the standard instruments, but introduce an additional set of real-life round robin for repeated notes. Soundpaint’s HAL III (Hyper Acoustic Legato) technology offers limitless polyphonic legato. This means you can play cohesive, joined-up, single-note melodies on (say) a woodwind instrument, then instantly switch to chords on the same instrument and enjoy equally smooth inter-chord note transitions. Eight years in the making, the Soundpaint modular interface contains the core engine, a downloader-cum-installer (which handles updates), and a user sample import (USI) with a built-in editor. You can drag and drop your samples onto the keyboard, adjust their ranges and stretch them across multiple keys, then save your work as a single instrument ‘part’. Soundpaint also supports keyswitching and time-stretching, has a built-in arpeggiator and boasts a comprehensive effects section which includes a beautiful Lexicon-style reverb. An intriguing feature of this sample player is ‘part morphing’. This enables you to modulate the sound of one part using another part, with a slider controlling the morph mix. A single program can have up to four sets of morphing parts, which opens up brain-boggling possibilities. Having heard Troels Folmann modulate a grand piano with an orchestral recording of Grieg’s ‘In The Hall Of The Mountain King’, I’m already a fan! The Soundpaint player works as a plug-in and in standalone mode on Windows 10+ and Mac OS X 10.14+ systems. For full specifications, see the company website.

vein, I enjoyed the program ‘Memory MJ’, a mystic, tranquil flute echoing from some far-flung galaxy. Also worth mentioning are Soundpaint’s ‘hidden gems’, factory programs featuring instruments from different libraries. When I installed one of the woodwinds the display suddenly shouted, “Congratulations Dave, you’ve unlocked new hidden gems!” (A bit sinister really — how did it know my name?) Nevertheless, it’s a fun marketing tool, and some of the layered multi-instrument programs sound great. If you’re looking to accompany the above‑mentioned melodic instruments with filmic ambiences, textures, synths, pads and vocals, I can recommend Dunescape 2.0,

a much larger and somewhat more costly library, which spans the sonic spectrum from delicate to cataclysmic. To spice up your rhythm tracks, you might also fancy the pulsing textures of Rhythmic Aura Acoustics, a former 8Dio product. I mention these additional libraries to give an idea of the wider capabilities of Soundpaint, a forward-looking company whose instruments have caught my imagination and inspired my creativity. $ Solo woodwind and Solo brass

instruments $20 each, 3 Duduks $30, Fire Brass bundle 2.0 $50, Saxophones $30 each. W www.soundpaint.com

To find a dealer visit www.musicmarketing.ca

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Xvive More You

USB Audio Interface

Xvive’s ingenious modular interface puts foldback in the hands of the performers. ROBIN VINCENT

he Xvive More You is one of those rare finds: an audio interface with a unique feature. It has the uncommon ability to expand and daisy-chain itself into a whole band’s worth of personal monitoring and recording. While the name may make it feel playful and toy-like, the reality of the system is far from it, and the more you get into it, the more problems it appears to solve. The More You is about collaboration, and it manages to remove a lot of the stress and chaos you often find around recording and rehearsing with other people. It’s perfect for ad hoc situations

July 2025 / www.soundonsound.com

or home and project studios that don’t have much hard‑wired in.

DAW Recording Scenario Typically, when you want to record with a few musicians into a DAW, you’ll have one audio interface that everyone has to go through. There will be lots of cables dragging about the place, you’ll be fighting over headphone sockets, and only one person can really see what’s going on. It tends to feel fraught and fussy and can be more about getting things to work than making music together. The More You system releases that tension by pushing the audio interface out into your room. Starting with the two‑in/

two‑out Hub, you chain together up to eight More You Hubs, or the simpler two-channel 2X units, so that everyone has one. Your guitarist, bassist and vocalist all have their own connections, right next to them, in a little box, with a pair of inputs, controls and headphone sockets. The main Hub

Xvive More You $329/$229 pros • Brilliantly expandable recording system. • Gives each musician their own connections and monitoring. • Reduces cable clutter in multi-musician settings. • A complete rehearsal monitoring system.

cons • You’ll need an extra power supply. • No loopback driver. • Currently no remote mixing.

summary The More You system could radically simplify the recording and rehearsing of bands or other scenarios involving multiple musicians. It removes the drama and replaces it with solid connections and happy players.

is still the primary interface handling all the input gains and level control, but you can use the Mix knobs on your own box to blend your input with the mix locally in your headphones, which is really all a musician is interested in. The other knobs add reverb per channel, again locally. The brilliant thing is that neither of these affects the mix or what anyone else hears. So, your singer can drown themselves in reverb, and the guitarist can make their monitoring all about them, and no‑one else has to care. As for the actual recording, the Hub supports up to 24 inputs; two of its own on the front with combi XLR connections and an ADAT port on the back for eight additional inputs. The remaining 14 inputs can come from any combination of Hubs or 2X boxes. The boxes connect via a regular XLR cable plugged into a digital port that carries power and multiple channels of digital audio. They daisy-chain from one box to another rather than spanning out from a single box, which can massively reduce clutter and tangles. With a maximum cable length of 25 feet you can occupy quite a large space. The system works like a shared bus, so no additional latency is added when you connect another box. Audio arrives at each 2X box within one sample cycle, and if they’re all set to direct monitoring, then there will be no appreciable latency. Like any audio interface, if you want to monitor through the DAW, which you can choose to do with any input, then there will be the usual round-trip latency. Still, I had it www.soundonsound.com / July 2025

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XVIVE MORE YOU

output of the DAW. The headphone mix remains unaffected.

2X Expanders

You can daisy-chain up to eight More You Hubs or 2X expanders using the XLR ports on the back of each unit.

working down to a couple of milliseconds without any trouble. There’s no software mixer or routing app to pull up; it’s all done on the hardware. This means that whether you have a computer connected is largely irrelevant because the mixing and monitoring is the same either way. The only slight disappointment is the lack of any loopback driver for bringing the output of other software into the DAW, which has become a very common scenario.

Using The Hub The Hub is a solid and chunky desktop box with two XLR/jack combi inputs, stereo line outs, a headphone out, a display, and a friendly bunch of roomy knobs set on top. It ticks all the right boxes with audio up to 24-bit/96kHz, MIDI I/O and an ADAT port for eight additional inputs. It’s weighty, covered in rubberised protection, and has an integrated mic stand mount hidden behind a panel on the side. The top section of the Hub contains everything you need to control the entire system. You have a little screen, two clickable encoders and a handful of buttons. The top encoder switches between Gain mode and Mix mode, and selects which channel you wish to control.

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The bottom encoder changes the value. For every input, the Hub can offer up to 60dB of gain, phantom power, polarity inversion, a high-pass filter, a Hi-Z switch for instruments, and direct monitoring. Any connected boxes appear as a pair of channels on the Hub display. These are usefully colour-coded so you always know you’re adjusting the right input. Then you simply go from musician to musician, setting the gain for their instruments and microphones. You can also use the very welcome Autogain feature. Just get everyone to play, and with the tap of an encoder, the Hub will do a decent job of setting the gain up for you. It’s the sort of feature that blasts through all the difficulties of getting lively, creative people to set things up when they just want to play some music. In Mix mode, you use the encoders to set the monitoring levels and panning for each of the inputs. This is the mix that everyone will hear in their headphones and against which they can balance their own input signal on their own box. The last button on the Hub is the monitor switch. When the switch is lit blue it is sending the whole headphone mix, including playback from the DAW, to the stereo output on the back of the Hub. When lit red it is sending only the

The 2X boxes are the same size and shape as the Hub but with some very key differences. The 2X has no outputs other than the headphones and no USB port for computer connection or power. All of the audio data is streamed directly to the Hub and power comes down the same cable. Otherwise, you have the same two inputs, mix and reverb knobs, a big headphones control and an intriguingly large Talk button. The Talk button is a talkback circuit designed to let you communicate with the other musicians via a little microphone recessed into the front panel. Just push the button and everyone can hear you ask for more cowbell. It’s a very useful feature; however, it’s so noisy and loud that it’s more likely to be used to abuse your fellow band members. The 2X is not an audio interface in its own right and can only operate connected to a Hub and so you’d buy them with the express purpose of expanding your system. Xvive have two larger expansions coming soon, called the 4X and 8X, which probably need no further explanation. One rather neat feature is that each Hub can also act as a 2X box. So, if all your musician friends owned a Hub for their own systems, they could bring them along to a session and plug them all in together without anyone having to fork out for an expander. In this mode, they operate simply as a two-in interface and lose the ADAT input and mixing ability. However, Xvive told me they are working on firmware that will allow anyone with a Hub to create their own local monitoring mix while the primary Hub handles the gain and overall mixing to output.

Power None of the Xvive units came with a power supply or USB cable, and this threw up some unexpected problems because the power requirements are very specific. When you plug your Hub into your computer, you get a readout that tells you how many expanders it can support. On my slightly ageing desktop computer with regular USB-A ports, the Hub reported that it couldn’t support any 2X units at all, leaving me sitting here with two expanders and a spare Hub and no way of using them. When I moved to my Surface Pro 9, which has USB-C connections, the Hub gleefully told me it would support a single

2X unit. So at least I could test out the concept. To support more units, you have to provide extra power, which you can do via a second USB-C port on the back labelled ‘power’. However, nothing I possessed in my home or studio could summon up enough power to convince the Hub that it could support more than one 2X. It turns out that what you need, ideally, is a 65W USB-C supply like the one that comes with a MacBook Pro. Xvive explain all this in detail on the website and in the manual, but it is slightly frustrating to have to buy a whole power supply just to use the system as intended.

Rehearsal Scenario Once I had everything powered up and got the system to work in the relative calm of my studio, it was time to introduce it to the chaos of other people. Xvive gave me a few of these boxes, and so I took them to a band rehearsal. I had it all set up, plugged in, attached to mic stands and ready to go before the bassist returned with a sandwich from the shop up the road. There was no computer involved this time, but everything

worked in exactly the same way. When we were all ready, I hit Autogain to set the levels and we were off. As a band, we’re used to playing with in-ear monitoring via a Soundcraft Ui24R system controlled by an iPad app. It works, but it’s always a faff. The iPad never seems to be charged, no‑one can remember the login for the mixer, the personal in-ear monitoring boxes are always running out of battery or getting trodden on, and there are cables absolutely everywhere. In comparison, the More You system was a refreshingly smooth, tidy and competent experience. With the Hub clipped on to my mic stand, I could get to all the controls, set up the general mix and then adjust my own level via my own interface, all with my guitar hanging around my neck. The others did the same without any fuss or mess, and no‑one had to ask for any adjustments. It was an absolute breeze.

Conclusions Xvive have really dug into the challenges of playing and recording together

and come up with an elegant and robust solution. While expandable interfaces are not entirely new, the way the More You system does it is pretty unique and solves more problems than simply offering additional channels. The forthcoming 4X and 8X units look really useful and will let you do things like wire in your tower of synthesizers via a single box with a single cable. And if you wanted to go off and do some music on your laptop, or drop round a friend’s for a jam, then you just need to take the perfectly portable Hub. The technology is solid, and the ease of setup and the practicalities of use as a monitoring system made for some very happy bandmates, and that in itself makes it a winner. If you’re in a band or often have people round to record, then the More You system is definitely something to be reckoned with. $ More You Hub $329.99, More You 2X $229.99.

W www.xvive.com

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CONG BU R N S TACK S

Cong Burn Stacks

If you want proof that original independent music software is still flourishing, you need look no further than Stacks. ROBIN BIGWOOD

tacks is a new virtual instrument for macOS, Windows and iPadOS by Cong Burn, the software development arm of British electronic artist and programmer John Howes. It follows on from Strokes, which I reviewed most recently in the June 2024 issue of SOS, and shares a similar left‑field, minimalist, modular-inspired character, and is similarly affordable. If forced to summarise what Stacks actually is, you’d have to say it’s a four‑track looper with an onboard synth, audio input,

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step sequencers, modulation sources and effects. Particularly in its standalone app form, on the iPad, it has sufficient scope to create exploratory long-form pieces all by itself, and perhaps even a longer ‘set’: sequencers and modulators drive the synth, the output of which (or another incoming live signal) can be captured and layered in the loopers. The same and more is possible with Stacks running in a DAW or other host, in plug-in form (AUv3 for iPadOS, AU for Logic, and VST3 for everyone else on macOS or Windows). However, Stacks is open-ended, and I think it’s likely some

Software Instrument

Stacks is a busy environment visually, but easy enough to understand, with no cryptic labelling. This is the VST3 version, with its resizable window, and with three looper tracks loaded.

users will have it for its multitrack looping alone. It’s also not strongly deterministic, in the way a linear timeline-based DAW is, but more of a platform for experimentation and for generating that old friend, the happy accident.

Stacked A visual scan of Stacks’ main interface is potentially a bit overwhelming at first — it’s a very ‘busy’ design — but the main sections are easy enough to spot. Two step sequencers (one primarily for notes, the other for modulation) towards top left. Synth and effects top right. Various modulation

sources plus mode/view buttons (and, on the standalone app, transport controls) at bottom left. And then at bottom right the four parallel loopers. However, this is only the ‘Main’ layout, and others reconfigure the interface, opening up new panels or increasing the size of existing sections. For example, the Loopers mode increases the size of all four looper tracks and hides the sequencers and the synth almost entirely. The way elements interrelate remains very clear at all times though. Such is the depth of functionality in Stacks I dare not try to describe all its features. But I’ll focus in on a few to hopefully give a flavour of the what, how and why. Let’s take the uppermost step sequencer, Seq A, for starters. Its main role is to send notes to the onboard synth (and, for good measure, across virtual MIDI too). You specify note pitch by dragging faders, with the option to generate single notes or many types of chords. An eight‑step design might look rather limiting, but these are actually eight ‘stages’, individually adjustable in

length and with varying numbers of notes triggering (like a ratchet) within that length. Ensuing rhythmic subdivisions can range from downright predictable to exotically discombobulating. There’s even a way for the note triggers within a stage to be skewed, for a ‘bouncing ball’ effect. Equally, you can dial in rests, or skip stages completely. An overall Steps parameter sets the ultimate musical length of the loops you create here. It doesn’t alter the number of stages but forces a reset to stage 1 every time the whole cumulative caboosh of note triggers and durations plays out, helping to maintain useful musical structures — or not... Finally, Seq A can run forward, backwards, in palindrome fashion, or completely randomly. Notes from Seq A feed into a pitch quantiser section to the right. This constrains raw note data to any musical key and one of many preset scales (or indeed to a live MIDI input), all of which means you needn’t be deadly accurate with note programming in the sequencer. The quantiser will also alter chord inversions and voicings, apply pitch offsets, allow for

Cong Burn Stacks $19/$49 pros • A really sophisticated multi-stage sequencer and wavetable synth. • A brilliant multitrack looping environment. • Not difficult to learn, despite being very unconventional. • Good‑quality onboard effects. • Fantastic value for money.

cons • Nothing important.

summary Stacks takes all the most interesting bits of step sequencing, modular-inspired and granular synthesis, and multitrack looping, and blends it into an exciting, unique whole.

control and modulation of velocity and note length, stereo spread, and much more.

Stabs Stacks’ synth is essentially a subtractive design, but has many unconventional tricks up its sleeve. The Oscillator section gives you 26 wavetables to choose from,

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Synthesizer

Korg microKORG2 Updated for a new generation, can the microKORG2 live up to the huge success of its predecessor? WILLIAM STOKES

he microKORG. Where to begin? With its legion of long-time users, it’s not the kind of instrument to be upgraded without some serious consideration. And I dare say the time is right: you hardly need me to tell you that the marketplace is now far more congested and competitive than it was in 2002, particularly in the realm of small-but-mighty synths. What was once a reliable slam-dunk year on year for Korg is now in a position where it very much needs to reassert its relevance for fear of being left behind. The original microKORG managed to slake the needs of two very different parties equally: preset-flicking users, with an idea of what sound they want but little to no interest in electronic sound sculpting, and then

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more experienced players needing a convenient instrument with which they can craft and tweak sounds down to a reasonably fine level of detail. Parallel to this was its modest selection of big, accessible physical controls and, above all, a really rather excellent-sounding DSP analogue‑modelling system ported straight over from the significantly more esoteric MS2000. All of that really constitutes the criteria for this review: if the microKORG2 doesn’t similarly mediate between depth and accessibility, it simply has no raison d’être.

Next In Line I’ll try to avoid simply listing the differences between the microKORG2 and its predecessor, but in terms of spec it simply offers more, and in almost every way. It doubles the amount of voices from four to eight, and also the capacity for preset

storage from 128 to 256. There’s a new sound engine, more effects and more modulation possibilities, more types of arpeggiator, a significantly upgraded vocal processor, and a handful of new features such as the loop recorder. The panel’s most conspicuous indication of all this, perhaps predictably, is a lush 2.8-inch colour screen, which immediately upends the traditional microKORG workflow. I should say straight out of the gate that the original microKORG’s workflow was by a mile the weakest thing about it. Assignable knobs clunkily programmed by way of two encoders; a cramped three-digit, seven-segment display doing its best to display words, reams of parameters written on the body of the synth itself... it strays perilously close to the likes of the supremely clunky Korg Poly-800 (tattooed up to the neck with on-body parameters — though we’ll forgive it, because, well, ’80s), so I’m glad to see the back of most of it. Here on the microKORG2, though, there is blissfully little text on the body of the thing. “Don’t worry,” goes Korg’s spiel, “it’s all about enhancing your experience, not complicating it.” Glad to hear it. The fundamentals of the microKORG panel

remain, of course: five assignable Edit knobs, a large central Program Select dial and a row of big Program buttons. A Mic knob (to adjust level after A‑D conversion) has appeared next to the Volume knob, and of course the centre of the panel has been all but overhauled with the inclusion of the screen. Impressively, despite feeling sturdier and featuring an improved, slightly bigger keyboard, the whole thing is actually slightly lighter than the original. You’ll be either pleased or dismayed to know that cheesy genre labels still orbit the Program Select dial, though these seem to have been updated for 2025 (to reflect, erm, Korg’s finger on the cultural pulse?), displaying ‘Pop/Rock’, ‘Funk/Soul’, ‘Hiphop/R&B’, ‘House/Disco’, ‘Ambient/Electronica’, ‘Techno/Trance’, ‘DnB/Dubstep’, and ‘Game/SFX’. Then as now, I honestly cannot think of anybody who would seriously choose to organise their sounds as if they were programming muzak; and the moment you start editing those sounds, you’re likely to deviate from those descriptors anyway.

Flow State Nonetheless, the architecture of the microKORG2 is intuitive and immediate. If you’re preset-flicking you can simply turn the Program Select dial, choose one of the four banks below and use the buttons below that to choose a preset. You can also save a set of eight Favourite presets to the buttons for quick access or to craft performance sets, which is handy. Once in a preset, it’s essentially a case of following the buttons on the right side of the panel from left to right — from oscillators, to filtering, to modulation, and so forth. Moving through each button’s screen, the five Edit Control knobs (physically colour‑coded a little subtly but nice and clear on the screen) take on different roles as specified by the GUI, along with live parameter readouts and in most cases quirky little icons and animations to accompany them. Atop the aforementioned Favourite presets, once any preset is edited and written you can save a set of assignments to

the five Edit knobs for quickly accessible performance parameters. Lovely stuff. Belied by this slick workflow is the sheer amount of variation on offer with the microKORG2. For starters, like its predecessor, it’s bi-timbral; a simple and effective way to allow sounds to become more than the sum of their parts, though of course this halves the voice count from eight to four. Each timbre offers three oscillators and a noise generator, each of which presents simple saw, square, triangle or sine waveforms, as well as DWGS (Digital Waveform Generator System), which creates FM-style tones with single-cycle complex waveforms, and finally OneShot, which delivers a selection of 32 fairly basic PCM waves for passable pre-packaged percussive or metallic sounds. The Shape parameter allows for further variation within these waveforms, offering one predetermined parameter for quick waveshaping. With a sine wave, for instance, it’ll clip the wave into saturation; with a square wave it’ll adjust pulse width. For DWGS and OneShot it’ll cycle through samples. Osc Mod allows for cross-modulation, oscillator sync, ring modulation and variable phase modulation between oscillator 3 and oscillators 1 and 2; there’s also a highly flexible noise generator, with selectable noise ‘colour’, its own filter or decimator and keyboard tracking per oscillator. Whew! The filter section has all the parameters you’d hope for — different modes, key tracking and the like — but once again there’s a very generous amount of variety on offer, for instance 24dB/oct or 12dB/oct curves for the high- and low-pass filter modes, and also a rather nice-sounding filter drive. Overall the filter itself doesn’t have much character, but in this instance I wouldn’t expect it to. Its role, like much of what’s on offer here, is to fit into a frictionless workflow, and in this respect it does well.

Micro But Mighty These are solid building blocks by any metric, but with instruments like this I tend to look to the modulation and

Round the back we find full‑size MIDI I/O ports, inputs for condenser and dynamic mics, an aux input, damper switch input, stereo audio outs, headphone out and a USB‑C port.

Korg microKORG2 $549 pros • A slick and spacious workflow that takes very little getting used to. • Huge range of sounds on offer. • Generous amounts of modulation and effects options. • A well-designed arpeggiator with a few tricks up its sleeve. • Sturdy build quality — yet still lighter than the original.

cons • With so many assignable functions, endless encoders would be preferable to knobs. • Needless ‘Trophies’ screen.

summary Korg have gone back to the drawing board where it counts and done well to keep the charm of the original microKORG intact. A worthy successor to one of the world’s most popular electronic instruments.

effects sections to see what the scope for going deeper really is, and here I was not left wanting. The amount of modulation on offer is quite amazing, with six ‘virtual patch routes’ allowing for up to two modulation sources per patch to control a litany of destinations, from fairly conventional parameters like filter cutoff to more off-piste ones like arpeggiator octave-jumping or vocoder formant. The selection of sources itself is also wide, from keyboard tracking to the pitch-bend wheel. On the subject of effects, the routing here is highly flexible as well: they’re not just on or off the master bus, they can be discretely assigned to each timbre layer, or to audio coming via the mic jack. Effects are also applied to audio coming in via the aux in jack: while I couldn’t see a way for this to be switched off without disabling the effects themselves, it does mean the microKORG2 can effectively become a relatively powerful effects processor for just about anything coming down a 3.5mm cable. The effects are organised into modulation effects, delay and reverb. Each of these has generous variety within: there are nine modulation effects, from the expected chorus, phaser

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ON TE ST

Dynaudio Acoustics M1 MkII

Passive Monitors In updating their classic M Series, Dynaudio Acoustics show that passive doesn’t need to mean low-tech. PHIL WARD

ynaudio, together with studio designer and acoustician Andy Munro, played a really significant role in the development of the contemporary professional studio monitor — particularly in Europe. The story goes that Andy Munro, dissatisfied with the horn‑loaded compression tweeters found in the vast majority of main studio monitors of the 1970s and 1980s, hunted around Europe’s specialist driver manufacturers to find one that could supply high‑performance, non-compression tweeters able to survive the rigours of studio use. Munro alighted on Dynaudio in Denmark, and a deal was done that brought the company’s renowned drivers into a range of Munro‑designed and ‑manufactured studio monitors. The monitors would be marketed by Munro, but with Dynaudio Acoustics branding. That monitor range was the original Dynaudio Acoustics M Series, and over

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the last three and a half decades, M Series monitors have been installed in countless studios the world over.

All Change The original M Series speakers ranged from relatively compact nearfield/midfield models right up to huge, soffit‑mounted systems incorporating multiple bass drivers, and although they were incrementally developed and improved over the decades, there was never a root and branch redesign — until now. Once again, Munro Acoustics have taken the best of Dynaudio’s driver technology and built around it a range of new M Series passive and hybrid active studio monitors. The new M Series again encompasses models from the relatively compact M1 MkII right up to the enormous, soffit-mount, four-way M4 MkII. Furthermore, to partner with the new M Series, Dynaudio Acoustics have also developed and launched a range of power amplifiers designed to complement the monitors. So, along with a pair of M1 MkII monitors,

I was also loaned a pre-production sample of the new DA-2 power amplifier. The M1 MkII is the smallest of the new MkII M Series. Dimensionally it inhabits a territory that, to my way of thinking, is nearfield bordering on midfield. To put some numbers on that, it’s 256 x 476 x 393mm. It is designed exclusively to be installed in landscape orientation. The M1 MkII is of course heavy, at 14kg, but considering some of the monitors I’ve had to heave onto my monitor shelf, not outrageously so. As far as the published data goes, Dynaudio Acoustics specify a frequency response of 50Hz to 20kHz, a maximum SPL of 122dB from a pair of speakers at 2m, and total harmonic distortion of 1% at 90dB SPL. The specifications are written generally without constraining limits, so are of limited value. While we’re talking specs, the DA-2 is a substantially constructed and satisfyingly heavy 2U unit rated at 500 Watts per channel into 4Ω. It provides both balanced and unbalanced input options, and output options of binding posts and Speakon sockets. The amplifier is convection cooled so generates no bothersome fan noise. Somewhat unusually, the DA-2 combines a conventional 500VA linear power supply

with Class-D output topology, the latter based on Ultra-Sigma technology. The DA-2 is clearly a very well‑specified and high‑performance power amplifier. Returning to the M1 MkII, its cabinet is manufactured in 22mm and 18mm MDF panels and finished as standard in traditional, pro-audio textured black paint; oak, cherry, walnut and maple veneer finishes are optionally available. The cabinet is not internally braced and sounds marginally live to the knuckle tap, but it carries foam panels on its internal surfaces that will provide some damping. The cabinet is not rectilinear, but reduces in width significantly towards the back. This is likely to bring acoustic benefits, helping to suppress internal cabinet resonances that might otherwise escape out of the reflex port or through the relatively thin material of the bass/mid driver diaphragms.

Architecture In electro-acoustic terms, the M1 MkII is a conventional, reflex-loaded, passive two-way system. It incorporates two custom-specified Dynaudio 180mm bass/midrange drivers and a Dynaudio Esotar3 28mm soft‑dome tweeter, arranged in a MTM (mid-tweeter-mid) D’Appolito array. This will result in relatively narrow horizontal dispersion through the upper midrange and will generally have the effect of suppressing side wall reflections and shifting the transition between the acoustic nearfield and reverberant fields further back into the listening space — at least at those upper midrange frequencies. Being reflex loaded, the M1 MkII sports a reflex port. The port is located beneath the tweeter on the front panel and is notably short (not much longer than the front panel is thick) while still being relatively generous in diameter. The port is flared on its exit but not on its entrance. Now, the length of a port defines the reflex tuning frequency, which will be chosen by the designer to achieve the desired low‑frequency response characteristics for the monitor, and the port diameter effectively defines how loud the monitor will play before port compression and distortion becomes a problem. The challenge for the designer is that the larger the diameter of a port, the longer it must be for the same tuning frequency. But when a port length approaches around five times its diameter it will likely fall prey to secondary (and highly undesirable) organ-pipe resonance effects. So, all that

considered, the low‑frequency sums have clearly been well managed to enable such a short yet large‑diameter port. I would have preferred to see some flaring on the port entrance, but generally, the M1 MkII’s reflex port implementation augurs well. The two bass/mid drivers work in parallel before handing over to the tweeter at a relatively low crossover frequency of 1650Hz. The crossover itself employs nominally second‑order (12dB/ octave) filter slopes and comprises only air-cored inductors, polypropylene film capacitors and wire-wound resistors. It is implemented on a glass-fibre printed circuit board with generous, high‑current‑capacity copper tracks.

Driver Technology On the surface, then, the M1 MkII is a relatively uncomplicated traditional passive loudspeaker; there’s none of the active electronics and complex DSP that characterises many of today’s monitors. However, that surface hides some pretty sophisticated engineering in the drivers. I’ll kick off with the bass/mid driver. Dynaudio have long followed a somewhat atypical path in bass/mid driver design. While the unusual external voice-coil configuration that characterised early Dynaudio drivers has mostly been jettisoned (and isn’t employed on the M1 MkII driver), there are still a number of design and constructional techniques not often found elsewhere. One example is the integrated diaphragm and dust cap, and a second is the use of a unique mineral‑filled polymer diaphragm material, christened MSP. While the current trends in bass/mid driver diaphragm material seem to be either towards traditional paper and aluminium items, or very high-tech materials such as carbon fibre/graphene composites, Dynaudio have stuck resolutely to their MSP solution. They argue that MSP’s particularly

Dynaudio Acoustics M1 MkII $9500 pros • Great integrity, consistency and clarity. • Insightful, detailed midrange. • Exceptional high‑frequency performance. • Suited to compact rooms.

cons • None.

summary The original M Series became a byword for reliable, consistent high‑performance monitoring in busy, professional studio facilities. On the basis of the new M1 MkII, there seems no reason why that should change.

beneficial combination of rigidity, density and damping can’t be had by any other means. And while I’m on the subject of the MSP diaphragm, in its particular application in the M1 MkII bass/mid driver, the material is just 0.4mm thick. It’s a very light diaphragm. Hidden behind its diaphragm, the M1 MkII bass/mid driver employs a voice coil comprising aluminium wire wound on a glass-fibre former. The use of aluminium wire is relatively unusual, but it offers significantly lower moving mass than the much more common copper wire option. And the glass fibre voice-coil former of the M1 MkII bass/midrange driver offers two advantages over the the aluminium more often chosen for the role. Firstly, it is not an electrically conducting material, so its movement through the magnetic field of the driving magnet doesn’t result in distortion‑inducing eddy currents, and secondly it conducts less heat to the thermoplastic diaphragm. At 55mm in diameter, the voice-coil is significantly larger than is typically found in a 180mm

Diagram 1: The M1 MkII’s on-axis frequency response, measured at 90dB SPL at 1m. Second- and third‑harmonic distortion is shown in green and blue, respectively.

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ON TE ST

DYNAUDIO ACOUSTICS M1 MKII

Diagram 2: Comparing the axial frequency response (red trace) with measurements taken 20 and 40 degrees horizontally off‑axis (green and blue, respectively).

driver, and this bodes well in terms of power handling and resistance to thermal compression. And speaking of driver‑borne compression, the generous voice coil enables a large‑diameter flared vent hole to be located in the pole piece, so that air pressure under the diaphragm dust cap is relieved. Further bass/mid driver refinements include suspension spider and rubber surround components optimised through finite element analysis (FEA) to maximise linear excursion and thus reduce distortion, and a copper pole-piece cap that reduces voice-coil inductance and, perhaps more significantly, reduces the degree to which that inductance is modulated by voice-coil excursion. While we regularly read from monitor manufacturers that improving driver performance is all about big technological advances such as new diaphragm materials, the truth is that the devil of driver performance is very much in the detail. Designing a better bass/mid driver is about optimising all the small details, and the M1 MkII bass/mid driver looks to be a good example of that principle. Tweeter performance is also all about the small details. Esotar tweeter models from Dynaudio go back to the 1990s, and the Esotar3 is the latest in the line. It is a 28mm‑diameter soft driver designed, say Dynaudio, for very high‑performance applications, particularly those that demand high sound pressure levels. The Esotar employs a particularly powerful neodymium-iron-boron magnet system that means its inherent sensitivity is so high it is able to reach the sound pressure levels required of the M1 MkII while accommodating a low crossover frequency; the latter parameter is additionally aided by the tweeter’s

unusually low fundamental resonance frequency. The Esotar3 also incorporates a sophisticated absorptive element, christened Hexis, that dissipates the dome’s rearward acoustic radiation to ensure it doesn’t reflect forwards.

Measuring Up I took the M1 MkII to my usual large and empty speaker measuring venue (a local church) to capture and analyse a little electro-acoustic data. The four diagrams in this article are the result.

narrow dispersion through the upper midrange, and that’s revealed very clearly in Diagram 2, which shows the axial response curve overlaid with curves taken at 20 and 40 degrees horizontally off-axis. This phenomenon is likely to have some significant subjective repercussions and I’ll write more about that further down the page. For Diagram 3 I placed the measuring microphone right at the mouth of the port to investigate whether anything undesirable finds its way into the outside world. The result is a clean bill of health for the M1 MkII port. It always surprises me how little of the intense acoustic energy bouncing around inside a speaker enclosure finds its way out through a well‑designed port, and in the case of the M1 MkII, I’d hazard an educated guess that its non-rectangular cabinet helps in this respect. Finally, Diagram 4 shows input impedance: data that I rarely get to include in monitor reviews, because so few of them cover passive speakers. Now, those readers used to reading speaker input impedance curves might be surprised to see three curves overlaid, and those not used to reading speaker impedance curves might be a bit surprised that speaker input impedance is so complex. Either way, a bit of explanation is probably in order. Broadly, the input impedance of a passive speaker varies widely over the audio band, partly because driver voice coils are inductive and they move (which results in multiple dynamic impedance phenomena), and partly because passive filters are created from networks of inductors and capacitors which themselves present impedance that varies with frequency (which is how they do their filtering job). The result,

“The M1 MkII sounds wonderfully consistent and, in monitoring terms, trustworthy.”

July 2025 / www.soundonsound.com

Diagram 1 shows the M1 MkII axial frequency response measured at 90dB SPL at 1m. The response curve appears nicely flat, with a smidgeon of midrange emphasis and gently drooping high‑frequency response. Overlaid on Diagram 1 are second‑ and third‑harmonic distortion curves, and both look very well controlled at typically better than -50dB compared to the fundamental — that equates to 0.3%, and that’s a good result. I mentioned earlier that the D’Appolito format of the M1 MkII would result in

Diagram 3: A close-mic measurement of the port output.

as shown in the red curve of Diagram 4, is that the M1 MkII input impedance magnitude varies from a high of around 28Ω at 35Hz to a 3Ω low at around 200Hz. The two peaks (35Hz and 78Hz) and central trough (55Hz) are, by the way, characteristic of the particular arrangement of cabinet volume, driver parameters (moving mass, suspension stiffness and so on) and reflex tuning frequency, the latter being defined by the central trough. So the impedance magnitude curve reveals that the M1 MkII port is tuned to 55Hz, which ties in with the published 50Hz low‑frequency cutoff. The green phase curve of Diagram 4 is associated with the red magnitude curve in that it shows the phase angle, in degrees, between the input voltage and input current. If the M1 MkII, or any passive monitor, were to display an entirely resistive input impedance, the phase angle between voltage and current would be zero. However, as discussed, speakers display multiple inductive and capacitive effects, so the angle is typically anything but zero. This is significant because amplifier output stages are typically more stressed as phase angle increases, and this is especially the case if a large phase angle, say greater than 45 degrees, is combined with a low impedance. The impedance phase angles displayed by the M1 MkII are entirely typical and reasonable, and I’ve overlaid a third curve to Diagram 4 (one that’s beginning to be used more commonly in the speaker design community) that displays the effective load the amplifier sees from the combination of impedance magnitude and phase. The curve is known as the Equivalent Peak Dissipation Resistance (EPDR for short), and it shows a calculated resistive load that would give rise to the same peak amplifier power. The M1 MKII EPDR curve shows that the equivalent resistive load seen by the amplifier drops to pretty low values for a significant portion of the audio band, so it’s reassuring that the DA-2 amplifier is stable down to 2Ω and is able to deliver up to 35A.

Listening Tests With the M1 MkIIs on my monitor shelf I began listening to a playlist of regular favourites. This is always a slightly nervous moment for me with a new monitor because, well, what if it’s obviously flawed? There was no such worry with the M1 MkII, though, because it was clearly very capable and well sorted from the start.

Diagram 4: The M1 MkII’s input impedance. Magnitude is shown in red, phase rotation in green, and the EPDR (equivalent peak dissipation resistance) in blue.

The overwhelming characteristics of the M1 MkIIs for me are balance and integration. Its overall tonal balance is spot on, and bearing in mind the very limited scope in passive speaker engineering for finely targeted EQ, this speaks firstly of very high‑performance drivers and secondly of great skill in their integration and voicing. And it sounds very ‘together’; there’s a consistency of character and performance all the way through the audio band. Some speakers, for example, might combine an explicit, insistent high‑frequency character with a slightly soft and warm midrange character, and that kind of contradiction rarely sounds comfortable. The M1 MkII sounds wonderfully consistent and, in monitoring terms, trustworthy. Bass is well extended downwards, but not so ambitiously that it trades bandwidth for dynamic or pitch accuracy. And it remains consistent from low to high volume levels. The M1 MkII’s midrange performance is characterised both by the usefully neutral balance and a natural and insightful ‘hear-through’ clarity, especially in the lower midrange/voice band. I’d wager that this is a direct result of the low‑distortion driver engineering and that MSP diaphragm, but it is also I think emphasised by the narrow dispersion that suppresses side wall reflections. It feels to me like the M1 MkII would be pretty well suited to use in relatively small mix spaces. Having said that, in larger spaces where more listening potentially happens in the reverberant field, the M1 MKII might not be so well suited, because the reverberant field perhaps will lack a little upper midrange energy. Moving up the audio band, the Esotar3 tweeter is obviously an extremely high‑performance driver. One subjective criterion for me when considering subjective high‑frequency performance is to consider how individually noticeable

ALTERNATIVES There are relatively few passive monitors available in the M1 MkII’s price band, but considering a budget that also covers a DA-2 power amplifier, active monitors such as the Telegrapher Gorilla, ATC SCM45A, PMC6-2, PSI A23M and Dutch & Dutch 8C would all be worth considering.

the tweeter is. Does it draw attention to itself? In these terms the Esotar3 implementation in the M1 MKII is pretty much faultless. Continuing the theme of consistency and integration, the Esotar3 itself is all but inconspicuous, but the level of natural high‑frequency detail is extraordinary. With brushed cymbals, for example, it’s almost as if each strand of the brush is made audible. And this is achieved without any sense of unnatural high‑frequency emphasis. It never ceases to amaze me just how many ways there are to conceive, configure, design and manufacture a speaker that can play convincing music and effectively carry out the monitoring function. For example, in engineering and technology terms, the M1 MkII couldn’t be much further away from, say, the Kii Seven, yet they both sound great and can do an excellent monitoring job. Back in 2020 I wrote a Why I Love column about passive speakers and the element of artistry that I feel is perhaps taken away from speaker design when almost limitless electronic and DSP resources are available. The M1 MkII is a perfect example of the kind of passive speaker I love. It’s full of skill and artistry, and it sounds really great as a result. $ $9500 per pair. DA-2 pricing TBC. T Dynaudio North America +1 847 730 3280 E sales@dynaudiousa.com W www.dynaudio.com www.soundonsound.com / July 2025

ON TE ST

Analogue Solutions AS500-Seq

Analogue Step Sequencer Analogue Solutions’ AS500-Seq is defiantly old-school, eschewing quantisation, MIDI and encoders... WILLIAM STOKES

“Y

ou spoke, we listened,” declares the promotional video for Analogue Solutions’ AS500-Seq 64-step sequencer. It might look big and bulky — an impressive 38 by 29 centimetres — but by Analogue Solutions’ standards it’s pint-sized. Perhaps I say this because the AS500-Seq is in fact lifted straight out of a corner of the staggeringly huge EMS Synthi 100-inspired Colossus; although it would actually be more accurate to say it skips a generation, since the Colossus’

July 2025 / www.soundonsound.com

sequencer circuit, so far as I can tell, is itself a faithful reimagining of the lauded Megacity ‘teardrop’ step sequencer. I’ll stop, before we end up in Old Testament-length lineages; the Megacity was reviewed in SOS by Paul Nagle back in 2017, who found it “an endless and evolving world of polyrhythms.” A 64-step analogue sequencing titan that could be split into two 32-step sequencers if desired, each step offered a choice of two different gate outputs, X or Y, alongside some very inventive and creative pattern configurations. If you filed a cutting of that review, you won’t

be blown away by a raft of new features here; indeed, the latter does not offer one or two things the Megacity did, such as MIDI. In fact I wouldn’t dissuade you from reading Paul’s great piece to get something of a different angle on the AS500-Seq, so similar is its functionality to that of the Megacity. In any case, since user demand was the apparent driving force behind the AS500-Seq’s release, I suppose it’s my job to ask whether or not that demand has been satisfied. Along with the AS500-Seq itself, I was grateful to have been sent a companion synth, the similarly-proportioned

Analogue Solutions AS500-Seq £999 pros • A proper piece of old-school analogue goodness! • Unique and original sequencing workflow. • Solidly built.

cons • Some might find it too big. • Hefty price tag for a standalone sequencer.

summary A statement piece for your synth setup, the AS500-Seq is a slice of classic electronic music-making brought elegantly into the present day — with a price tag to match.

Analogue Solutions Ample. The Ample I have also been keen to try for some time, and while this review isn’t principally concerned with it, it’ll be our case study if nothing else. And what a gorgeous thing it is: a 16-step sequencer of its own with a host of syncopation options and even a ‘snare drum’ noise output, a row of CV touch pads, three oscillators, two envelopes, a ring modulator and an elegant little pin matrix, it’s ample indeed, as futuristic-looking as it is retro. Simply marvellous.

Simplicity Itself If you’re at all familiar with Analogue Solutions then you’ll already know what to expect from the AS500-Seq: this is old-school synthesis, in almost every sense. A 64-step all-analogue machine, it has no MIDI, no quantisation of any kind (again, unlike the Megacity) and certainly no USB. Its encoder-less, preset-less workflow consists of knobs, toggle switches and the odd button, and that’s more or less it. And here I was thinking my Doepfer Dark Time was a nod to old-school sequencing. Like its predecessor, the AS500-Seq centres on a vertical ‘teardrop’ layout whose transport moves from top to bottom, each step’s knob lighting up in sequence column-to-column as if ‘dripping’ downward. It is very pretty. There’s no Direction control here: instead, sequence variation is achieved by flicking various step switches to Jump, meaning the sequence will hop from one column to the next at that point. The topmost steps in each column have a Reset option instead of Jump for variable sequence

lengths, and variously combining these two can make for some very interesting patterns. You can set the second lot of 32 steps to operate at divisions of the main clock, and you can also set it to act as a ‘fill’ for a sequence ordinarily operating across steps 1-32, either with a button or trigger signal. Combine all of this along with the X and Y gate options and you’ve got some considerable and unique creative scope. Fair to say, with so many steps available and with no scale quantising, you might find yourself spending a good amount of time tuning and preparing your sequence, but once a selection of values are in place and the clock is running, it’s essentially for the step switches to take over with their selectable gate outs and Jump settings. This is a lot of fun. In one simple but effective patch I sent one side of the AS500-Seq to one of the Ample’s oscillators and the other side (with a sequence of different length and division) to another. I then used the AS500-Seq’s clock to sync the Ample’s

been taken. That, in my experience, is generally worth paying for. As for the second, this is something Analogue Solutions founder Tom Carpenter himself joked about with me at SynthFest, wryly quipping that people must surely not have any need for such a physical beast of a sequencer, let alone one with basically none of the mod cons we’ve come to rely on. It’s one thing to remortgage your house and jump feet-first into the land of Colossus — you know what you’re getting yourself into there. But I’d say that adding this one ‘Colossal’ module into an existing setup requires a different mindset entirely. My argument for its intrinsic value is fairly simple. Having but one genuine piece of no-stabilisers analogue gear is not only a rarity these days but a highly valuable piece of creative stimulation; on top of this, it’s even more valuable that it isn’t a sonic component like an oscillator or a filter — any of which, if we’re honest, can basically be whipped into shape with a modern control signal. It’s a controller

“Having but one genuine piece of no-stabilisers analogue gear is not only a rarity these days but a highly valuable piece of creative stimulation.” own onboard sequencer and trigger its filter and VCA envelopes (while it certainly does not disappoint overall, the Ample curiously doesn’t have a way to trigger either of its envelopes externally). In any case, I then patched the Ample’s Interval Generator CV touch pads to the filter cutoff with the pin matrix so I could performatively offset its response to the envelope. I dialled in a little portamento for the AS500-Seq’s second side (there’s a Glide knob for each), and in no time I was composing some rich and dynamic sounds.

Back To Basics Two understandable questions might arise at this point: firstly, why is it so expensive? And secondly, why would I want that in my setup? To address the first: not only do Analogue Solutions operate, from what I can tell, with fairly short runs, the components in their designs are at a premium: durable, sealed potentiometers, a steel and aluminium enclosure, and so forth. Where a manufacturing shortcut has been available, nine times out of 10 it has not

that requires direct interaction to work, and occasionally a little bit of calculation. Even writing this review, using the AS500-Seq felt like reading a physical book after, ahem, staring at a computer screen all day. Or recording to tape without the visual feedback of a DAW. Its physical size meant I had to move my body to interact with the machine, the steps’ unquantised values meant that improvising on the knobs created as many weird microtonal intervals as it did more musical ones. As for the question of whether or not the user demand for a rebooted Megacity has been satisfied — if you are a MIDI devotee then I daresay you’ll be disappointed with the AS500-Seq. Retaining the signature Megacity workflow with a more compact form factor, however, along with more tactile and durable light-up step knobs and a far more ergonomic overall shape, it would be remiss not to call it an enormous success. $ £999 W www.analoguesolutions.com www.soundonsound.com / July 2025

SPOTLIGHT

Multi-Tier Keyboard Stands

Is your synth collection spiralling out of control? These multi‑keyboard stands could help you keep your studio in order!

Gator Frameworks GFW-KEY-5100X

LUKE WOOD

here can’t be many modern studios that don’t feature a keyboard or synth of some sort, and it’d be safe to bet that many SOS readers aren’t limited to just the one! It doesn’t take long for a keyboard collection to start taking over a room, and having them all on their own separate stands doesn’t help — it can require a lot of space, and also makes it awkward to quickly switch between multiple instruments or play them together. Fortunately, there are plenty of stands around that aim to solve such issues, ranging from simple two-tier solutions to large frame systems designed for those who are blurring the lines between a studio and a museum!

attach an included microphone boom arm. The GFW-KEY-5100X then offers a double-braced X-style stand that comes fitted with two tiers as standard, with a third available thanks to an optional add-on — the standard configuration will support up to 79kg, while the additional tier will hold an extra 34kg. Finally, there’s the GFW-KEY-8500, a framed design that includes three height-adjustable tiers and will support up to 58kg. All of the models in the Frameworks family are fitted with ergonomic fittings that have been designed to make setups, adjustments and pack-downs as efficient as possible. $ From $179.99. W www.gatorco.com

Gibraltar

Gibraltar are a well-known name in the world of drum hardware, but their

Gator Frameworks

Gator’s Frameworks family includes stands, clamps and holders for just about every bit of kit you can think of, and keyboards are no exception. First up is the GFW-KEY-4000, a two-tier column-style stand aimed at both studio and stage use. Its heavy-duty frame is capable of supporting up to 54kg, and both tiers are height-adjustable, allowing the stand to be configured for seated or standing players. Helpfully, the top of the central column features a mounting point that can be used to

July 2025 / www.soundonsound.com

Gibraltar Double Keytree

range also includes a trio of keyboard stands, two of which are designed to accommodate a pair of instruments. The smaller of the two, the Keytree 2, boasts a lightweight yet sturdy design built around a curved central column, with the frame held securely in place by the company’s substantial memory-lock clamps. The Double Keytree 2, as its name suggests, doubles up the design with a pair of legs joined by horizontal braces, offering enough support for large 88-note keyboards. Helpfully, both designs break down into multiple parts for transportation. $ From $599. W www.gibraltarhardware.com

Gravity Stands

Gravity Stands have a few options in their range, starting with their KSX line-up. Both the KSX 1 and KSX 2 — X-frame designs capable of supporting up to 55 and 65 kg respectively — can be fitted with the optional KSX 2 T attachment, which adds an angle-adjustable second tier capable of holding keyboards weighing up to 15kg. For those with larger instrument collections there’s the KS MKS 01 B, a rack-style stand that boasts adjustable height, tilt and arm spacing for each of its four tiers. It features a rugged but lightweight frame that’ll support up to 25kg on each tier, and comes supplied with an addition set of stopper attachments that ensure even the largest, heaviest instruments are held securely in place. $ From $80.55. W www.gravitystands.com

Jaspers

Gravity Stands KS MKS 01 B

Hercules Stands

The Hercules Stands line-up currently includes two models capable of accommodating a pair of keyboards. The first, the KS210B, falls into their X Stands range, and boasts a compact, foldable design that can be securely fixed at four set heights and will support up to 120kg — 80kg on the lower tier and 40kg on the upper tier. The KS410B then combines a pair of Z-shaped supports held together by a set of locking arms, and will happily accommodate up to 130kg on its lower tier, and 40kg on the upper tier. Both models feature fast and secure setup and adjustment thanks to the company’s patented EZ-LOK system. $ From $137.99. W www.herculesstands.com

Hercules KS210B

If you’ve got a large collection of keyboards to house, then it’s well worth taking a look at the Jaspers range. Their collection of stands ranges from single- to six-tier designs, all of which are available in a selection of widths and are fully height- and angle-adjustable thanks to a versatile frame and clamp system. They also offer a selection of square-framed racks that are available in four- and six-tier versions, again with a fully adjustable design. Both the stand and rack offerings are rated for between 15 and 40 kg per tier depending on their height, and the company also manufacture a range of accessories that makes it possible to attach the likes of mic booms, tablet and laptop holders, music stands and more. $ From $214.60. W www.jaspers-alu.de

K&M

K&M are well known for the high quality of their stands and mounting hardware, and there are a number of options in their range that cater to those with multi-keyboard rigs. Although their X-Stand series is mainly populated by single-tier designs, both the 18930 and 18990 models can be fitted with the 18941 Stacker. This is an optional add-on additional tier that has full height, depth and tilt adjustment and the ability to support instruments up to 20kg — in addition to the original stands’ 50kg. The Omega, Omega Pro and Omega E then offer table-style designs capable of supporting up to 80kg, and can be combined with Stacker attachments that add an extra tier rated at either 15 or 25 kg. All three models are height-adjustable, and the Omega E comes fitted with an electric lift. The company’s take on the column stand comes in the form of the Spider Pro, which will support up to 105kg, comes with two tiers as standard and can be fitted with a third set of arms if required. There’s also the Baby Spider Pro, a packed-down version that can accommodate up to two keyboards weighing a total of 70kg. Both feature a threaded mount for securing a mic

Jaspers 170-4-120RB

boom arm or other mounting accessory. As you might expect from K&M, there’s a huge range of optional extras that allow users to kit their stand out with laptop or tablet holders, keyboard trays, mic booms, cable management add-ons and much more. $ From $210.98 W www.k-m.de

K&M Spider Pro

www.soundonsound.com / July 2025

SPOTLIGHT

M U LT I -T I E R K E Y B O A R D S T A N D S

Liquid Stands Workstation Three-Tier

Liquid Stands

There are two styles of multi-tier stands in Liquid Stands’ product line-up, both of which are available in different configurations. Their Z Style range includes a two-tier model with an adjustable height range that caters for seated or standing playing, and is capable of supporting up to 113kg on its main, lower tier plus an additional 27kg on its upper tier. There are three versions available, with the main model joined by a variant with adjustable arms that allow the top tier to accommodate deeper instruments, and a version fitted with locking wheels. The company’s Workstation range then comprises two square-frame designs that are height- and width-adjustable, and come supplied in two- or three-tier versions. $ From $149.99. W www.liquidstands.com

On-Stage

First up in the On-Stage range is the KS1365 Z, a simple two-tier stand capable of supporting a substantial 180kg, 27kg of which can be placed on its upper tier. If you need something more portable, then there’s the KS7365-EJ, a foldable version of the Z-frame design, or the KS7292, an X-frame stand that’ll support up to 145kg. The KS9102 then offers On-Stage’s take on a column stand, and features two pairs of height-adjustable arms that allow the stand to hold up to 56kg on each tier. $ From $104.95. W https://on-stage.com/keyboardpiano

July 2025 / www.soundonsound.com

Quik Lok

Quik Lok’s extensive range includes a selection of multi-tier stands, starting with the T-22, a simple X-style design with an adjustable second tier and a maximum capacity of 81kg. The QL-742 and QL-723 then offer two- and three-tier designs that will each support up to 90kg, while the two-tier QL-642 and three-tier QL-623 will each accommodate a more substantial 120kg. If it’s a column stand that you’re after, then Quik Lok’s answer is the SL930, which comes with two pairs of keyboard arms that can be fixed at 11 heights and five different angles. The Z-726 and Z-726L, as their names suggest, feature a Z-shaped frame with an adjustable second tier — both will hold up to 113kg, but the latter is a wider stand designed to support larger keyboards. Finally, there’s the MKS/4, a four-tier A-frame design that’ll support 40kg on its base level and up to 20kg on each of its upper levels. $ From $129.99. W www.quiklok.com

On-Stage Three-Tier A-Frame

is made from a lightweight but rugged steel frame, and will support up to 90kg on its first tier and up to 34kg on the angle-adjustable second tier. The frame is height-adjustable to allow for sitting and standing playing, and there’s the option of adding a mic boom arm or a shelf kit that can be used to accommodate mixers and other gear. As the focus is on gigging, the RCK-1 can be packed into a compact carry case, and the company say that setup and tear-down only takes around 15 seconds! $ $149.99. W www.rocknrollercart.com

RockNRoller RockNRoller specialise in carts designed to transport your existing music gear, but one of the latest additions to their line-up is a two-tier keyboard stand aimed at gigging musicians. The RCK-1 Compact Keystand Keyboard Stand

Quik Lok Z-726

RockNRoller RCK-1 Compact Keystand

StandTastic

There are three models to choose from in the StandTastic range. The first, the 122KS, is a two-tier stand that comes supplied with four adjustable-length arms that can be fixed at a range of different heights and angles. The 102KS then offers a similar design but with a taller frame, while the 103KS combines the taller frame size with a third tier. All three models boast a lightweight design, and can be folded down for easy transport — all models are supplied with

a carry bag. The company also offer the 100TK, an add-on attachment that can be used to kit any of their stands out with an additional tier. $ From $299. W www.lm-products.myshopify.com

Stay

There are a few options in the Stay range, all of which are column-style designs. First up is the Slim 1100/2, a lightweight two-tier stand designed for smaller, lighter rigs. It’ll support up to 10kg per tier, and is also available in a ‘C’ variant, which features a curved top tier designed to accommodate smaller devices. Stepping up to the Intruder 02 gets you a similar lightweight design but with enough support for 76-note keyboards weighing up to 60kg, while the more substantial Tower 1300/2 takes the maximum capacity up to 120kg. For those with substantial full-sized keyboards there’s the Piano 1200/2, which boasts a double-braced design and will happily support rigs weighing up to 130kg. $ From $149.99. W www.staystands.com

Stay Piano 1200/2

VSIQ-200B attachments. In the Apex series you’ll find the AX-48 Pro, a portable column-style stand with two sets of keyboard arms that’ll support up to 113kg, along with the AX-48 Pro Plus, which comes supplied with a mic boom arm and a carry bag. Finally, there’s the V-Stand Pro, an ultra-compact folding stand capable of supporting up to 68kg, which can be fitted with an additional tier using the optional VSIQ-200B attachment. $ From $99.98. W www.ultimatesupport.com

Ultimate Support Apex AX-48 PRO

Ultimate Support

StandTastic 103KS

The first three options from Ultimate Support fall into their IQ-X series. The IQ-X-1000, IQ-X-2000 and IQ-X-3000 are all single-tier stands in their default form, but they can be turned into two-tier designs thanks to optional IQ-X-200 and www.soundonsound.com / July 2025

TECHNIQUE

The SOS Guide To Playing To A Click We look at what you need to know to program and play to a click track.

Creating a tempo map in your DAW enables you to introduce small tempo variations, perhaps increasing the speed slightly in a chorus or decreasing in a verse, adding a natural pull and push that playing to a rigid tempo click can remove.

MARK GORDON

hen it comes to recording music in the studio, one of the most fundamental tools at your disposal is the click track. However, being asked to play to a rigid metronome can strike fear into even the most experienced musician. The idea of adhering to a click while attempting to give your best performance can be quite intimidating, and a stark reminder of your imperfections. So why use one at all? There are certainly pros and cons to working with a click. It not only helps you stay in time and record tighter performances, it can also streamline the entire production process. From a production point of view, if a song has been played to a click, that allows you to do precise editing, easy looping, accurate drop-ins and seamless overdubs, especially when collaborating with other band members remotely or over extended periods. It also helps align any pre-recorded or machine-based elements

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such as sequencers, drum machines and loops, which are often a part of many modern productions, as well as ensuring that tempo-based effects such as delays remain in time. The other side of the argument is the potential for natural ebb and flow to be eliminated, and for the song to feel sterile and cold. Of course, for some genres, particularly dance music, a strict tempo with each instrument locked to the grid is part of what makes that music sound the way it does, but sometimes using a click really isn’t appropriate. I have engineered several recording sessions where it became obvious within the first few minutes of introducing a click that it really was not going to be a productive method! At that point you must make a choice: can you use other techniques to achieve your production and editing goals, or do the band need to take some more time in the rehearsal room practicing with a click. For the purposes of this article, we’re going to assume you’ve decided the best option is to use a click. How can

you, as a producer or musician, make the process work for you and be as painless as possible?

Clicks & Tones & Metronomes Not all click tracks are created equal. Different musicians and genres require different approaches, and there are many ways of keeping in time that don’t require a cowbell banging in your headphones at ear-bleeding volume. Using the click in a way that complements the creative and emotional energy of the song, and choosing the right type of click track, can make a big difference. 1. Standard Audio Click The most common click is a metronome-style beep (or, indeed, cowbell), typically playing quarter notes at a pre-defined tempo. Often the downbeat (or the ‘one’) might be accented or assigned to a different sound to emphasise the start of each bar. It’s possible to make significant adjustments to even this basic type of click, to aid musicians. The sound choice

can make a big difference — some prefer softer sounds like shakers or rimshots to harsh digital beeps. Instead of just counting quarter notes, a click can be subdivided into eighth notes or 16th notes, making it easier to stay in time during slower or complex passages of music. 2. Visual Metronomes Some musicians find it distracting to play along with an audible click and prefer a visual metronome instead. The original incarnation of this was, of course the orchestral conductor, who would typically use a baton in their dominant hand to indicate the tempo and beat pattern, while the other hand was used to indicate dynamics, phrasing and expression. Most hardware devices that feature an internal metronome (such as drum machines) will include some form of visual reference, often a flashing LED, and these metronomes can easily be sync’ed to your DAW . Many phone and tablet metronome apps also include sync facilities and feature all manner of visual feedback options, from a full-screen flash to numerical bar and beat counters. Interestingly, I have not come across many DAWs that include click options with strong visual feedback, but you can purchase a third-party plug-in for Ableton Live that features a fully customisable visual metronome with flashing lights and numerical bars and beats display. 3. Haptic Metronomes A relatively new phenomenon is the haptic metronome, which provides a physical vibration that you feel rather than see or hear. Several phone and tablet apps include the option to add a vibration on each beat, and this is taken to a more practical conclusion with vibrating smart watches enabling the wearer to feel a pulse on their wrist. In my experience, the haptic feedback offered by metronome apps on the Apple Watch is very weak and, although not unusable, it does require some level of concentration. Better options are the Soundbrenner Pulse and Core, dedicated wearable vibrating metronomes

designed for musicians, which I reviewed in SOS a few years ago (www.soundonsound. com/reviews/soundbrenner-core and www.soundonsound.com/reviews/ soundbrenner-pulse). Not only do these devices provide physical feedback in the form of user-configurable pulses, they also offer visual feedback by way of an illuminated display. Designed for musicians, they also include the ability to sync to your DAW via the Soundbrenner app, which makes them a great option for both live and studio work. 4. Groove-based Clicks All the above methods rely on single pulses (whether they be audible, visual or physical) playing on each beat, quarter note or subdivision, but this can feel quite unnatural if you are used to playing along with a drummer or other musicians. Creating a simple drum pattern or using a drum loop that mimics the feel of the song can often be a much better option that feels far more natural to play to. A programmed drum pattern can also introduce dynamics, accents and even swing that can help musicians lock into a groove in a more organic way. I’ve found this to be a great method when working with musicians that are not used to playing to a click — it feels far more natural and closer to playing in a regular band context.

Move With The Times Once you’ve established the type of click you want to play with, you need to give some attention to tempo. For most bands, the tendency is to speed up during exciting bits, slow down into the dreamy bits, and for members to cast glancing smiles at each other during the cool solo bits. In the majority of cases the click track would retain a strict tempo, but almost every DAW has the option to create a tempo map or conductor track, which allows you to introduce tempo changes, and even time signature changes, into your song to mimic these fluctuations. The Soundbrenner Pulse and Core are wearable metronomes that provide a physical pulse that you can feel, which offers an interesting alternative to an audio click.

Loosely Tight Depending on the musical genre, the click can be viewed as an indicator of the tempo, rather than something you must stick to like glue. This approach will be more suited to guitar-based pop and rock bands who are looking to achieve a natural, expressive feel, while still maintaining solid tempo. It can mean some of the finer editing techniques you may want to employ further down the line become challenging, as everything isn’t always perfectly aligned to the grid, but it can produce outstanding results. Playing ‘around’ the click is a skill that takes a fair amount of practice and experience, with the drummer doing most of the heavy lifting. Try intentionally placing your notes slightly ahead of the click for a more driving, energetic feel, then try sitting exactly on top of it for a tight, mechanical feel. Finally, practice sitting just behind the click to create a laid-back, relaxed vibe. You can see exactly where your beats fall against the click by looking at the waveforms in your DAW and comparing this with how the rhythm and tempo feel.

By creating small tempo variations, perhaps increasing the speed slightly in a chorus or decreasing in a verse, you can add a natural pull and push that playing to a rigid tempo click can remove. A good way of creating a tempo map is to base it on a rehearsal recording of the song. Many DAWs offer built-in automatic tempo detection, which can quickly create a tempo map based on transient detection, but you could also use a tap-tempo feature, or even manually map the tempo. Once a tempo map has been created, you can edit and adjust to suit your requirements while still retaining the original feel of the song. It’s unlikely you’ll want dramatic shifts in tempo and, with a little practice, playing along to the variable click will feel quite natural.

Hit Them With Your Rhythm Click Playing to a click isn’t being forced to listen to a quarter-note pulse in your headphones and instantly producing a top performance. It’s about experimenting with what works for you and, like any skill, it becomes easier with practice. When paired with dynamic tempo maps, musical cues, or rhythm-based clicks, the experience can feel as organic and expressive as playing live. In fact, many musicians (and I include myself) discover that playing to a click becomes enjoyable in its own right, and an essential and even gratifying part of the recording process. www.soundonsound.com / July 2025

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Part 1: How & Why Stereo Works In the first part of a new short series about stereo recording techniques, we start by exploring the most important tools of all: your brain and your ears! HUGH ROBJOHNS

espite all the contemporary enthusiasm for multi-channel immersive audio, most people still listen to recorded audio in stereo, and this obviously means that understanding and mastering stereo techniques remains a core skill for everyone involved in recording and mixing audio. Astonishingly, it’s been almost 30 years since I last wrote at length about stereo recording techniques in the pages of Sound On Sound ! But, while it’s true to say that the principles haven’t changed in the intervening years, fashions and preferences certainly have — so I thought it about time I explored this topic once again, in a short series of articles over the next few months.

Why Stereo? Before we get into practical techniques and practices, the first questions we must ask ourselves are: why bother to record in ‘stereo’? Just what is it that we’re actually trying to achieve? I think there are two answers to these questions, and while both are perfectly valid they have very different goals, and necessitate very different approaches.

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The role of ‘stereo’ in most popular music is generally as ‘ear-candy’, delivering exciting spacious effects. Often, it’s a case of the wider and more obvious the stereo spread, the better. Precise stereo imaging and accurate placement of sound sources within a real

acoustic space is usually unnecessary, and often even irrelevant in this context (although there are exceptions, of course). Consequently, this ‘wider is better’ strategy brings enormous freedom in mic choices, placements and techniques. A practical example is miking an acoustic

guitar with one mic placed close to the neck/body joint and another (often a different type of mic) near the tail of the guitar, with these two mics panned hard left/right, giving a wide stereo effect. The Glyn Johns drum recording technique is another example of (often) mismatched mics placed to deliver a pleasing and spacious ‘effect’ — even though precise imaging of individual drum components within the set, both relative to each other and within the acoustic environment, is largely lost. In contrast, recordings of classical music (and most other acoustic genres, in fact) tend to require a far more realistic portrayal of the relative spatial positions of instruments and performers, usually in a stage-like setting, and within a natural acoustic environment. Achieving that necessitates precise and rigorous microphone techniques which, in turn, are built upon a good understanding of microphone properties and a knowledge of how parameters such as mic polar patterns, capsule spacing and mutual angle, mic height and distance all interact and can be adjusted to create the desired stereo imaging and perspective. So, in this short series I shall be exploring a variety of popular stereo microphone techniques that are typically employed to achieve ‘realistic’ stereo recordings, as well as explaining how various practical tools and procedures can help to optimise these techniques and capture realistic stereo images — as might be employed for recording acoustic ensembles from duets to full orchestras, choirs, folk, jazz, ambient spaces, and more besides. And for those immers-o-philes who might think stereo boring and old-hat, it’s worth noting that the very concepts and techniques I’ll be discussing in relation to stereo recording can be expanded and enhanced for surround and immersive audio recording applications too!

sabre-toothed tiger’s stealthy approach through the jungle, for example. Having made our brain aware of a potential danger, our hearing then provides sufficient extra information to enable the brain to turn the head to view that danger directly (the sense of sight generally has priority in fight-or-flight decision-making). To that end, our ears and brain are amazingly well adapted at processing the minuscule differences between sounds arriving at each side of the head to evaluate the likely position of sound sources in 3D space around us. This is called binaural hearing (and is not to be confused with the stereo recording/replay format of the same name). Like all our senses, binaural hearing is not a perfect system and it has intrinsic flaws — many animals can do far better than we can, of course. Nevertheless, our sense of hearing is still pretty impressive, and it’s definitely worth looking after! For humans, the accuracy of positioning a broadband sound source (ie. one with wide frequency content) varies across both the horizontal and vertical planes. But it’s generally agreed

to be better than two-degree accuracy for sources in the region directly in front of us, then reduces to about a 10-degree error margin towards the sides, and is a little worse for sources behind us. Our ears and brain rely on three distinct auditory cues to extract information about the direction of a sound source, as I’ll discuss below: inter-aural time differences (ITDs), inter-aural level differences (ILDs), and spectral artefacts (complex comb-filtering effects caused by sound reflections from the torso and outer ears or pinnae). There is a priority order between these cues in determining source location, too, with ITDs being most relied upon, then ILDs, and spectral differences being used to add more detail and deconflict ambiguities — as well as coming to the rescue where true binaural hearing is impaired for some reason.

Inter-aural Time Differences Inter‑aural time differences arise because sound travels relatively slowly through the air (roughly 340 metres per second). If you consider a sound source directly in front of a listener, the sound

What Makes Stereo Stereo? Before we move on, I think it’s helpful to consider, at least to a basic level, how our sense of hearing actually works, because the various stereo mic techniques are all designed to exploit one or more aspects of our hearing senses, and often they succeed or fail directly because of how they try to fool our senses. Human hearing evolved, essentially, to warn us of impending danger located anywhere around us — the legendary

Sound waves emitted from a sound source directly in front of the listener arrive at both ears at the same time because the paths lengths are identical.

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Playlists are the key to managing takes, comping, and much more! JULIAN RODGERS

n Pro Tools, many of the most useful features aren’t recent additions, but quietly solid tools that have been there for years. Playlists are a perfect example. They’re not new. They’re not exclusive to Pro Tools. But if you record or edit in Pro Tools and you’re not using them properly, you’re almost certainly making your life harder than it needs to be. Pro Tools playlists allow you to manage multiple takes or alternative versions on a single track, without any unnecessary duplicating. It’s the feature that underpins everything from vocal comping to ADR to guitar solos and multi-mic drum sessions. Recent updates have added support for MIDI playlists too — a long-requested feature that finally brings parity between audio and MIDI workflows in this area. In this article, we’ll look at what playlists are, how they’re used, and why they’re still one of the most valuable tools in Pro Tools for producers, engineers and editors. A playlist in Pro Tools is basically a version of a track’s contents. Each track has a main playlist, which is what you see and hear by default, but you can also create as many alternate playlists as you like. Each one is a full version of the track’s timeline, complete with clips, edits and fades. Playlists are most commonly used to manage alternate takes, whether captured during recording or created as part of an editing process. Instead of duplicating tracks or muting clips, you can simply create

A guitar solo, comped using playlists. The pink track has been ‘promoted’ to be the main playlist (which you hear when the track plays back), and a section from playlist 04 has been inserted into it.

a new playlist for each take and switch between them as needed. The beauty of playlists is that they live within the track. There’s no clutter in your session. No duplicated inserts or sends. No reassigning outputs. Just clean, contained organisation that scales well whether you’re working with a single vocal or 20 tracks of layered guitars.

Creating & Managing Playlists One scenario where playlists can be invaluable is when you want to try out an edit to see whether it works. Rather than relying on the Undo feature, or saving an alternate version of your session, you can just duplicate the content of your main playlist to a new playlist and edit it there. If it turns out to be a bad decision, you can simply revert back to the original playlist. To create a new playlist, click the Playlist selector in the track header (that’s the drop-down that shows the track name by default) and choose ‘New’. Alternatively, you can use the shortcut Control+\ (Mac) or Start+\ (Windows). You can duplicate, rename or delete playlists from the track header. And if you’re unsure whether there are alternate playlists on a track, look out for the playlist selector next to the track name. If it’s blue, there are alternate playlists on that track.

Loop Recording

With this option enabled, a new playlist will be created for each take when using the Loop Record feature.

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One of the best ways to use playlists is in combination with Loop Record. Please note that Loop Record is a dedicated

record mode, accessed by right-clicking the Record button. Recording while Loop Playback is engaged is not the same thing. With Loop Record enabled, Pro Tools can be configured to automatically create a new playlist for each loop pass. You simply let the track roll and every pass is captured in its own clean lane. To make this work, make sure the preference is enabled: go to Setup / Preferences / Operation, and under Record, enable Automatically Create New Playlists When Loop Recording. Alternatively, you can access this preference from the track header by clicking the Playlist selector. Once it’s on, a new playlist is created every time the loop cycles. This is ideal for capturing multiple takes quickly without breaking the flow of a session. Once recording is done, it’s time to switch to...

Playlist View Playlist view is where the power of playlists really becomes apparent. From the track header (where it normally says Waveform or Clips), choose Playlist. This view stacks all the track’s playlists vertically, so you can see every take in one place. Each lane shows the waveform for a different playlist, with a solo button that lets you audition that playlist instead of the main playlist. You can solo any lane using the Shift+S shortcut, or by clicking the solo button directly. Once you’ve found the part of a take you want to use, just select it and use the shortcut Option+Shift+up (Mac) or Alt+Shift+up (Windows), or click the upwardpointing arrow in the lane header. That moves the selected audio to the main

Using the shortcut Opt+Cmd+Shift+up/down, you can cycle through different playlist versions of the same clip, to hear and evaluate them in context.

playlist — the one you’ll hear in your mix. You can also drag clips from any playlist lane into the main track if you prefer working with the mouse. Playlists support crossfades, clip gain, clip effects, and all the normal editing tools, so once your comp is built, you can fine-tune transitions, timing and dynamics exactly as you would on any other track.

Keyboard Shortcuts Comping together the best bits from your alternative playlists is faster and more intuitive once you know a few key shortcuts: • Control+\ (Mac) or Start+\ (Windows): Creates a new playlist. Fantastic for quickly capturing another take without the singer having to wait for you. • Shift+S: Solos the selected playlist lane, great for auditioning takes. You can rate them out of 5 from the right-click menu. • Opt+Cmd+Shift+up/down: Cycles the clip selection through available playlists, making it easy to audition alternative takes in context.

Automation Playlists? Automation for mix and plug‑in parameters is stored on separate playlists, but unlike audio or MIDI clips, you can only have one playlist per automation parameter on each track. You can’t, for example, have multiple alternative takes of volume automation. This means that you can’t use this playlist‑based approach to experimenting with alternative automation. There is a way to compare alternative automation passes if you use Pro Tools Ultimate or Studio, though. To do this you need to use Preview mode, which is part of the advanced automation features. That’s beyond the scope of this article but well worth knowing about.

Once these are second nature, playlist comping becomes a quick and fluid part of your workflow — not something that slows you down or interrupts your creative decisions.

MIDI Playlists Until recently, playlists were exclusive to audio tracks. That changed with the introduction of MIDI Playlists in Pro Tools 2024.10, which finally brought the same comping workflow to instrument and MIDI tracks. The concept is exactly the same. Record multiple takes (with or without Loop Record), and each pass can be stored in its own playlist. Switch to Playlist view and you can solo, audition and promote MIDI clips just as you would with audio. This is a big deal for people working with performance-based MIDI parts, and it’s especially useful for anything involving multiple passes. It also means that users who work heavily with MIDI no longer need to adopt a different approach just because they’re not recording audio. Like the audio version, MIDI playlists support all the editing tools you’d expect, including quantisation, clip gain, and Real-Time Properties.

simultaneously, keeping different takes organised and avoiding chaos. Each new playlist is automatically named with a numbered suffix (.01, .02, and so on), which Pro Tools handles intelligently. If you’re working with grouped tracks (for example, a multi-mic drum setup), Pro Tools will apply consistent numbering across all tracks. Even better, if you add a new track later, its first new playlist will pick up in sync with the others. So, for example, if you create playlists on a group of five tracks, then later add a sixth track to the group and continue creating playlists, it picks up the numbering right where the others left off. You won’t end up with track six starting at 01 when the other tracks are on 04, for example. This kind of consistency makes session management easier, especially when comping across multiple mics or instruments. You’re never stuck trying to remember which version of ‘Take 3’ is the one that was actually used. You can rename playlists if needed, of course, but for most users, the default behaviour is more than enough. It’s just another way Pro Tools lets you get on with the work rather than spending time on admin.

Why Playlists Still Matter Playlists have been around in Pro Tools for a long time, and like many of the best features, they help with the unexciting details and free you up to do the creative stuff. They let you manage multiple takes cleanly and non-destructively — all within the track you’re already working on. For vocal producers, they’re invaluable. For anyone recording multiple passes, they’re the right way to keep things tidy. Now that MIDI playlists are supported too, playlists have become even more central to everyday Pro Tools work — whether you’re recording vocals, layering synths, or managing multiple takes in post.

Your Number’s Up Pro Tools’ playlist naming and numbering system is particularly useful when recording multiple instruments

Pro Tools will automatically number your playlists in order — and will maintain the correct naming scheme even if you add tracks to a group that already has playlists.

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We explore the new Cinematic Lights instrument. ROBIN VINCENT

n the 7.1 Studio One update, PreSonus gifted us a new virtual instrument called Cinematic Lights. It’s designed to blend heavily processed strings and brass with synth, modular and environmental elements to offer complex textures, smooth transformations and multiple layers of movie magic. Cinematic Lights is based on the Presence XT engine and so is essentially a multisampled instrument library. It uses an overhauled front end to give you more intuitive and creative control over how the sounds are layered and modulated. We find similar ideas in Deep Flight One and Lead Architect, which came with the initial release of version 7. This new hybrid instrument comes with 120 sampled sounds, 120 layer presets, 96 instruments and 50 Musicloops. Let’s dig in.

Layer Cake The front end of Cinematic Lights mirrors the instrument’s intention: it’s moody, interestingly lit and asking for interaction. When you lay your hands on the keys, the default preset is exactly what you’d think; I half expected the background to spring

The main screen of Cinematic Lights hosts a number of macro controls and a three-way vector pad for blending between the layers.

into life with illuminated flying objects, moodily moving figures and the stings of a few drops of rain. Instead, we have some controls to play with. A preset is made up of three layers represented in yellow, green and red. The layers can be seen at the bottom of the GUI and have their own controls for panning, reverb and delay. Clicking the little down arrow opens the instrument browser, where you can select your sound

The detailed layer editor gives you direct access to each layer’s amp, filter and modulation options.

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from seven categories. However, it’s the strange arrangement of triangles in the middle of the panel that really catches your eye. The Triangle Vector Pad is like a three-axis X/Y pad, or a three-edged vector synthesis system. As you drag the little white triangle in the space, the three coloured lines on each side expand and contract to reflect the position. The lines correspond to the volume of the associated layer and so as you move you get a different blend of sound. If you click on the even smaller triangles at the points of the middle triangle, the mix goes 100 percent to that layer, essentially acting as a layer solo. It’s much less complicated than it sounds. All you have to do is hold a chord and move the white triangle and it becomes obvious very quickly. To the right is an Attack and Release envelope for each of the layers, split into their colours. There’s a full ADSR envelope behind the scenes that we’ll come to in a minute, but for now, PreSonus feel that the journey into the sound and back out again are the most important aspects of the multi-layered sound. Over on the left is a master filter cutoff. It’s tied to the filter cutoff in each of the layers and gives you an easy way to control the timbre of the whole instrument. Next to that is the slightly mysterious Sample Shift. The idea behind Sample Shift is that it changes the speed of the underlying sample without altering the pitch. This results in some quite interesting tonal

automation and set Studio One in motion, the level movements of all three layers will be recorded on to separate lanes as you manipulate the triangles. Alternatively, you can add waveshapes and write in modulation to the track for the individual parts to mess about with the blend.

Global FX

If you map a MIDI CC to a front-panel control, it will only adjust the first layer. To map a controller to another layer’s parameter, you need to create a macro in the Channel Editor.

shifts. According to the Presence manual, Sample Shift should be able to go from -36 to +36 semitones, and in the Presence XT instrument, it certainly does. In Cinematic Lights, however, the up/down buttons shift it ±1 octave, with no other values on offer. The only way to access the full range appears to be to map a MIDI control to it. It seems an odd oversight for a control that’s given prominence on the front panel.

Macro Polo Before we move onto the effects and deeper layer editing, it would be a good idea to talk about how best to interact with the front panel. Essentially, it’s a macro interface that works well with your mouse to give you overall control of some choice aspects, but it’s less adept at MIDI control. Whenever you attempt to map a MIDI control to anything on the front end, it only gets attached to the first layer. We can get around this by generating our own macro controls in the Channel Editor. You can bring up the Channel Editor window by clicking on the track number or the little hand of cards icon on the console channel strip. Then click on the little knob icon to bring up the macro window. It should have nothing assigned to it, so click on the little spanner icon to get us into the editor. On the right, you’ll find all the available

parameters in Cinematic Lights listed. You’ll find the filter cutoff controls under each Part. Simply drag each entry into the middle section and your macro knob will control all three. Now, if you click the ‘Edit mapping’ over on the top right you’ll be able to assign a MIDI knob to control the macro and so control all three layers’ filters at once. You could do the same for the envelope attack and release. The Triangle Vector Pad is another matter. You’d need some kind of three-dimensional controller to let you blend and mix three sources with one control. You can use a knob for each layer level or even a single knob that crossfades between two, but that’s as far as we can go. The one route open to you is through automation. If you enable Write

Squeezed between the part selection section and the keyboard is the Global FX section. It offers an overall volume control and a mix knob for the reverb and delay. This is also where we encounter the Arpeggiator and Repeater, which are MIDI note effects rather than audio processors. Each part layer has a send control for the reverb and delay, where you set the level of signal from that part being routed to them, but it’s here in the Global FX that you set the overall return level of those effects. If you click on the effect label a new panel slides out, giving you a handful of controls over the size of the reverb, and the timing and feedback on the delay. The Arpeggiator has aspects of a conventional arp, in that it will play whatever notes you hold down in a number of different directions. However, you can also create rhythmic patterns to run the arpeggiator groove, giving it a bit more spice. The editor is on the small side, but you can program up to 32 steps with gate length and note velocity. Simply click on the steps to drag out the gate and velocity values, and enjoy how it complements the regular play directions. There’s a bunch of presets to enjoy from a drop-down menu on the left. Sadly, you can’t save your own. Alternatively, you can run the Repeater, which retriggers the note you’ve just played up to 32 times. You can set velocity and timing, including whether it’s sync’ed to the tempo or free‑flowing. But perhaps more interestingly, you can scale the velocity so that it gets louder or softer with every repeat, or scale the pitch so it rises or falls from the original note. But wait, there’s

The Triangle Vector Pad can be automated, in which case each axis gets its own automation lane.

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CIN E M ATI C LIGH T S

The Arpeggiator allows you to program your own rhythms, with up to 32 steps and adjustable gate length and velocity.

Like the Arpeggiator, the Repeater is a MIDI effect, and can go beyond simple note retriggering thanks to its built-in basic sequencer.

more. You can also decouple the scaling and set the pitch and velocity individually for each step, effectively turning it into a cool little sequencer. One thing you can’t do is loop the sequence, so if you wanted it to play continuously, you’d have to drop a note into the main Studio One sequencer at the start of each bar. Interestingly, you can enable the Arpeggiator or Repeater for each layer individually, giving a really nice depth of movement and variation to a preset.

Digging Deep Each layer has a more detailed view, which you can access by clicking on the loaded part. The details will be familiar to anyone who’s used Presence XT. You get two LFOs with multiple waveshapes, rate control, and a useful delay function to hold back the modulation so that it doesn’t kick in until sometime after you’ve played the note. The rate can also be scaled by the notes being played so the LFO will be faster with higher notes and slower with lower. The filter is nicely comprehensive, with multiple modes and characterful controls. You can select some of the modes on the row of buttons, but you’ll find more hidden away under the drop-down menu. Essentially, you get every sort of ladder filter and every state‑variable filter plus a simple Eco filter that is easier on the CPU. For character variation we have a Soft button for a more mellow tone, Drive for saturation and Punch adds a bit of percussive attack. The filter can be pushed into self-oscillation if you select the Eco variant and wind up the resonance. The Key control will alter the cutoff frequency as you play up and down the keyboard, and if you set it to maximum you can play an oscillating filter like another oscillator. You still have to have a sound loaded, but it can be quite an effective additional tone. One tip while you’re trying to find sounds that combine well with a self-oscillating filter

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is that there’s a little padlock next to where you load each layer sound. If you enable the lock, all the editor settings, including the filter, will remain unchanged, and only the samples will be loaded. It’s a great way of auditioning new sounds in a patch without losing all the editing and modulation settings you’ve been working on. The amp and filter both get an ADSR envelope, although funnily enough, the filter envelope isn’t hardwired to the cutoff. You have to make that connection in the modulation matrix, which I’ll come to shortly, where it’s called Env2. This envelope also has a delay parameter so you can control when it starts to have an effect. In the FX A and FX B sections, we get a bunch of layer-specific audio effects. These include chorus, flanger, phaser, bit‑crusher, distortion (with multiple types), a gater (which acts on the audio, not the MIDI notes like the Repeater does), an EQ and a panning effect.

The dedicated PreSonus Musicloops are a great way to get started with Cinematic Lights.

Lastly, we have the huge 16-slot modulation matrix, which you may struggle to fully populate with parameters. There are actually 18 destinations, so you could certainly fill it, but you might have to double up on some of the 14 modulation sources. You put your main choice of modulator at the top, and then you can add a second modulator that the first one can be modulated by. So you could, for example, shape an LFO with an envelope. In the bottom slot, you put the parameter you are trying to control and then the line in the middle sets how deep the modulation goes and whether it’s positive or negative. It’s a potent modulation system capable of swirling these samples inside out.

Be Inspired If you’re not really sure where to go with Cinematic Lights then I’d recommend making use of the included Musicloops to stir up some ideas. Musicloops are a Studio One file format that can contain audio and MIDI information, including the virtual instrument used and the routing. You can use them for audio clips or MIDI phrases, but they are best when dragged into space where they can create a track and load up their intended virtual instrument. You’ll find the Cinematic Lights Musicloops in the Browser under Files / Sound Sets / Cinematic Lights / Musicloops. They are listed with key and tempo information and should shove you down the right road.

INTER VIE W

CARO C

Producing Drum & Bass

Lincoln Barrett’s musical journey started in the box, but 20 years on, he’s reinventing his trademark liquid funk sound with vintage hardware. 116

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nspired by the original pioneers of jungle and drum & bass, Lincoln Barrett aka High Contrast found his own way into production. Since signing to Hospital Records in 2000, he has become one of the genre’s biggest names. Drawing on an early obsession with film soundtracks and sound design, he developed a signature liquid funk sound, pumping out anthems with epic vocals and drum & bass remixes of household names like Adele, Kanye

cinematic and haunting. But there was no context to it for me, I was coming at it completely blank. “When I was 16 I went to college, and friends I met there were already into jungle and buying vinyl. I realised there was this whole scene where people are making music, often in bedrooms with very simple setups, and they’re sampling films that I love, and people are actually dancing to it. I felt this was tailor-made for me, because the one thing I do know about is movies. “At the same time, I got a free CD-ROM on the cover of a computer magazine with a demo version of Cubase. I didn’t know anything about music production, but it did allow me to throw some samples together and start very basic explorations of making drum & bass. This was all at the start of the Internet, so I was able to download things like the Amen break and bass sounds but there was no real sense of an online community around drum & bass for me. “It was only when I was 18 and I was able to actually get into clubs that I heard sub-bass for the first time! Back then the sub-bass was just pure sub 808, so there was no way I was going to hear that on my home stereo system. I think that has stuck with me, because I focus more on the melodies, the samples and the sounds rather than the bass and even the drums sometimes. That’s kind of my contrarian approach to things within drum & bass. I actually try and de-emphasise the drums and bass element!”

Out Of Step

West, White Stripes and Coldplay. Even nowadays, a new High Contrast track just has to be premiered on BBC Radio 1 on a Friday night for audiences to be singing the track back as he DJs the next day in a massive club. His recent album Restoration is heavily inspired by the old Roland and Akai hardware samplers used by the hip-hop pioneers.

Sound & Vision “I had no interest in music until I was about 16,” admits Barrett. “Certainly not contemporary music. I was interested

in film from the earliest possible age, so I collected film soundtracks. My sister got me Goldie’s Timeless album and I thought ‘What the heck is this?!’ I’d never heard jungle before. It was the most alien thing, and I couldn’t get my head round it. So I was immediately turning it off but kept going back to it, trying to work out exactly what this music was. Hearing those cut-up, sped-up drum loops being edited with a lot of sound effects. I also noticed there were sounds in there that I recognised from films, and then the strings were quite

“I started very basic production around 1996, 1997 without any help from anyone. It took me a long time to figure out what I was doing, but by around 2000 my tunes were starting to sound... not professional, but they were sounding interesting, I think because drum & bass was so dark at that time. There was the whole techstep era in the late ’90s and I really didn’t connect with that. At the same time, I started to listen to house music, specifically Chicago house, the deep house sound, and New York garage. I loved all those sounds. At the same time there was Daft Punk happening and the whole French filtered house thing, which I loved. And I fell in love with disco. I wondered, why aren’t we getting this in drum & bass? So it kind of became my mission to try and do that whilst also tying it in to www.soundonsound.com / July 2025

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Hear The Sound W https://open.spotify.com/

track/2h4Lh23FF8OQ8uGBnOdepy

W www.youtube.com/

watch?v=csm7MUXxb74

Stephen Power • Robbie Williams ‘No Regrets’ J O E M AT E R A

nglish producer and mix engineer Stephen Power has worked with artists ranging from Blur and Andrea Bocelli to Diana Ross and the Bangles. Power co-produced some of Robbie Williams’ biggest-selling albums and, asked to select a favourite sound, recalls how he got the layered drum sound on Williams’ 1998 single ‘No Regrets’.

Half Power “The original demo of the song was in half time, but because we wanted to get it on the radio as a single, it meant we had to get some double-time stuff on there. So, the intro and the end are both in half time, while the body of the song is in double time. “This was in the days of tape, and was the last Robbie album that was recorded on tape. No Pro Tools rig in this session! I started programming with a load of loops and several of them in half time and several

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of them in double time and also some backwards loops. And then we also used the tape to play double time and then slowed the tape down to half time. Then recorded that into Logic and put that back onto the tape. What I ended up with were loads and loads of rhythm tracks, including three where Chris Sharrock played a rolling tom-tom part with the rest of the kit during the double-time body of the song. You can’t really pick that out, because the idea was to make it epic-sounding — kind of like a Phil Spector thing. The idea was to get everything doubled and repeated and just try and make this collage of something that would sound epic out of lots of sounds. “At the beginning and during the track, you can hear the reverse hi-hat going. And it was at a time when you couldn’t line everything up, because it was done on tape. So, it was more a case of filtering out the low end of the loops so that the real bass drum is the one that you hear. And basically, that was it. All these collages were made out of half-time loops, reversed loops, half-time playing full speed, and a tom-tom part. And then when it came to mixing it, I didn’t want it to sound clear. I wanted it to sound like a magical blend of stuff that you

couldn’t really figure out what the hell was making the rhythm track. It took us a whole day of picking the loops, a whole day of the drummer playing parts, and then a lot of messing around in the mix to get a blend together of everything working correctly to try and make a motoring sort of epic backing track.”

Going Epic “The loops were all recorded through the SSL at Trident Studios. The live drums were recorded with a Neve console, and it was all mixed on an SSL. I used some compression on each loop as I recorded them, though didn’t use any compression on the live drums. Everything then went through an SSL quad compressor to try and hold the whole track together. As I didn’t do any group compression of the loops, the only group compressor used was the quad SSL over the whole mix and individual EQ’ing and compression again on all the loops. So that’s why it sounds kind of like a steamroller thing, where you can’t really figure out what’s playing what.”

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INTER VIE W

South Korean dramas Parasite and Squid Game have been worldwide hits — and Jung Jae-il’s scores have played a key role in their success. S O N A L D ’S I LVA

r, e s o p Comducer n Pro usicia &M

ung Jae-il’s score for Squid Game is so perfectly in sync with the Netflix show’s unique imagery, it’s hard to believe that the South Korean composer hadn’t visited the sets until well after the thriller had become a worldwide phenomenon. Jae-il finally got the chance before he began scoring seasons two and three “under extreme confidentiality. They had all the cameras on my phone taped up.” This didn’t hinder the composer’s process in any way, it turns out, because his inspiration comes from an entirely different source. “For me, film is an art of editing, so I don’t get inspired as much from physically visiting a set. What is written into the script is what inspires me more, and I match that with the scoring and the scenes. I must say, though, the deadline is what really inspires me the most!”

Creating On The Clock Jae-il has been learning to create within practical constraints since he was a young child. By the time he was four he was already playing the piano, and before he became a teenager, he had taught himself to play all of the instruments on Metallica’s Master Of Puppets. An impressive feat, especially since this was well before YouTube provided music tutorials on tap. He became a professional musician aged 12 and was soon touring the country as part of a funk band, learning about performing for an audience and what it meant to work with an ensemble. Jae-il himself doesn’t appear to find any of this particularly exceptional, because all he was focused on at the time was earning a living as a working musician. “There were days when I was practising my guitar and I would go at it for 10 hours a day; I was completely absorbed by it and crazy for it. And then, I think anyone who has been in a band will know that because of the nature of what it’s like to be in a band,

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Jung Jae-il’s studio is a relatively Spartan affair.

you pick up on other instruments, right? I wouldn’t say that I mastered any of them, it’s just that I can play them. I know how to play them, but I don’t think I could be paid to play them.” When he wanted to study orchestration, he taught himself, starting with a deep dive into a piece that had moved him as a child: Mozart’s Requiem. He has since worked on several orchestral scores, including the Baroque-inspired soundtrack for the four-time Oscar-winning film Parasite, but the lack of formal training posed challenges that Jae-il is acutely aware of. He says of his process, “Because I was self-taught, it’s very messy. To be very honest, I always wanted to learn formally, but I was hesitant and I missed the opportunity to do so. I didn’t get into the school and that’s why I ended up having to teach myself. There is a lot that is not in line with the theories taught in school, and it takes a lot longer for me. “I will say though, the strength of being self-taught is that I once had a director say to me, when they heard what I had created, ‘Hey, they teach

you in schools not to do this, but it actually sounds really good!’” Jae-il progressed by learning from what he loved, absorbing lessons from the electronic sounds of Björk, the hypnotic bass of Massive Attack and the ambient magic of Brian Eno, and incorporating it all into his musical language. He scored his first feature film at 15, released a solo album at 20, and spent the next couple of years writing number one pop hits for Korean artists like Park Hyo Shin and IU. He had achieved his goal of becoming a working musician.

Left Field Then, in 2020, as the world was closing down thanks to the pandemic, Jae-il’s world was about to start really opening up. Parasite made history at that year’s Oscars as the first non-English movie to win the Best Picture award. Then Squid Game seemingly came out of nowhere to become Netflix’s most-watched show ever and a legitimate global phenomenon.

Jae-il’s multi-genre score perfectly complemented the thriller’s impossibly bright colours and stylised costumes. Children’s instruments such as recorders and castanets sat next to traditional Korean instruments that made way for distorted guitars and delicate piano, creating a world that neither looked nor sounded like anyone expected. Take ‘Way Back Then’, the title track from season one, for example. It started out as a backup tune that Jae-il worked on but was nervous to present to the director because of its unconventional instrumentation. He performed a simple melody on a recorder, built around a 3-3-7 clapping rhythm that is popular as a sports day cheer in South Korea. His lack of recorder playing skills meant that he hit a D# when he meant to play a D, but the director liked it, and it made the final cut, eventually becoming one of the show’s signature pieces. The standout piece ‘Vote I’ underscores one of the tensest sequences in season two: a vote, the outcome of which could literally be the difference between life or death for all www.soundonsound.com / July 2025

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INSIDE TRACK

The members of Ghost are, notoriously, anonymous.

Max Grahn & Dan Malsch: Producing & Mixing Ghost Swedish hard rock band Ghost have topped charts worldwide — with an album that was mixed twice! PAUL TINGEN

“O

ne of the most interesting things of my career happened in November last year,” reports Dan Malsch. “Andy Wallace and I had mixed the entire Ghost album, Skeletá, over three weeks in August 2024 at my Soundmine Recording Studio in Pennsylvania, on my SSL 4000 desk. A few weeks later I received a call asking whether I could come to Stockholm and touch up all the mixes. This turned out to be a huge learning curve, because I ended up in a studio that I had never worked in before, with monitoring and a console I’d never used before, so I could not do recalls. “It was a tall order for a mix engineer. Over two and a half weeks I was at the studio, IMRSV, with 16-hour daily marathon sessions and no breaks. It was a lot of pressure, and very stressful. I mean, I didn’t want to be the one

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messing up a bunch of Ghost mixes! The entire Ghost team wanted the record to be great, and there was no shortchanging anything. They could have gone with the Pennsylvania mixes. They were great mixes. But they still wanted to go that extra mile, trying to get the mixes to another level.” How far the commitment to excellence of the Ghost team and Malsch’s upgraded mixes helped steer Skeletá to major success is hard to say, but the fact is that Ghost’s sixth studio album is the theatrical Swedish heavy metal band’s most successful to date, in terms of chart positions. It was the band’s first album to top the Billboard 200 in the US, it went to number one in many other countries as well, and it reached number two in the UK.

Ghost Story Naturally, a commitment to excellence starts right at the beginning. In the case of Skeletá this involved band leader

Tobias Forge writing two of the album’s 10 songs alone, another two songs with Salem Al Fakir and Vincent Pontare, and the remaining six with Max Grahn. In all cases, these Swedish songwriters also co-produced the songs they co-wrote, with the exception of the two tracks written by Forge alone, which were co-produced by him with Pontare. Max Grahn belongs to the colossally successful Swedish pop songwriting scene that started with ABBA and spawned Max Martin. Grahn has co-written songs for Conan Gray, Kim Petras and Lewis Capaldi, and performed on music by Justin Bieber (drums), the Weeknd (guitar), and more. Grahn is signed to Max Martin’s MXM Music, and works from the publishing company’s studio complexes in Sweden and the US. “Max [Martin] is a mentor and a colleague, and we have written a few songs together,” explains Grahn. “Before that, I played in 30-something bands.

Photo: Nikola Stankovic

One of them was a hardcore band, and the singer was Karl Schuster, who left to sign with Max and write pop music under the name Shellback. He quickly had big hits with Pink, Taylor Swift, Justin Timberlake and so on. But I thought, and still think, that being in a band is the coolest thing you can do. I would record the bands I was in, and gained some merit from being on the computer. But it turned out that being in a band with multiple grown men, creating, rehearsing and aligning your goals and sacrifices is harder than I thought. So I started going my own path in production, writing pop music, which I’ve always loved. Turns out writing actually good pop is harder than I thought.”

Conducting Traffic

House Of Hits Max Grahn first connected with Tobias Forge in 2021, and the two co-wrote the lead singles for Ghost’s fifth studio album Impera (2022): ‘Hunter’s Moon’ and ‘Call Me Little Sunshine’. The latter was nominated for a Best Metal Performance Grammy. “Tobias and I hit it off right away. We went into the studio, sat down with a guitar each, started playing and writing, and found this really good synergy. We fed off each other’s ideas and kept building stuff, and wrote those two songs. At some point in 2024, we decided to go back in the studio again to see what might happen. We kept coming out of the studio with new songs and material. I actually don’t think we’ve written anything that hasn’t been released. We have had no misses yet, only ‘hits’.” Tobias and Grahn conducted their songwriting sessions for Skeletá at MXM’s studio complex, designed by Jochen Veith, who was interviewed in SOS May 2022. “The whole house is filled with a group of 10 people or so who are signed to MXM, and each of us has their own studio, plus there’s a big live room. Next door to me is Elvira [Anderfjard] who’s crushing it with the new Addison Rae stuff now, and she’s done Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran and so on. Next door is Oscar Görres, who’s done Ariane Grande, Troye Silvan and so on. Then it’s LIOHN, Holter, Mattman & Robin and more. I can go out of my door and hear this cutting-edge pop music from the best people in the world. I’m fantastically spoiled. “Gear-wise, I have ATC SCM45A Pro monitors, built into the wall, with a pair

box. My accumulated outboard so far is an Alesis Midiverb II, which I heard Aphex Twin uses, an Alesis 3630 compressor, an Evol Audio Fucifier Bloodmaster Edition Distortion, and I got a Roland GP‑8 guitar effects processor, because Kee Marcello, the guitarist of Europe, used that in the ’80s, and we wanted that kind of guitar tone for the Ghost album. We ended up not using the GP‑8, but I’m still experimenting with it. I also have some synths and cool guitars.”

Max Grahn co-wrote and co-produced six of the tracks on Skeletá.

of 1x12 custom ATC subs. I have a UA Apollo x8p, and then the magic part: a Xilica XP 4080 audio system processor, which coordinates the speakers and allows me to tune the room to my liking. And I use Yamaha NS10s with a sub as alt listening. My setup is essentially in the

For the writing sessions he did with Tobias Forge, Grahn says: “We were mostly in the big live room, where we had drum kits and guitars and stuff hooked up. For us, playing instruments is the cornerstone of every song we write. We both play drums, guitar, bass and synths. It’s very important that things feel fun and, weirdly enough, both intuitive and unintuitive to play. Writing should not only be fun, but also be the right amount of challenging. “We both grew up in rehearsal spaces, where we learned to write songs. It’s a way of writing that automatically creates an identity, because playing is so physical and personal. During writing we didn’t have engineers in the room. I have kindergarten level knowledge of how stuff works in a live studio. I don’t know my way around a patchbay, but I can press Record. Once in the box, in Pro Tools, I’m at home.

Dan Malsch at Stockholm’s IMRSV studios, where Skeletá was remixed.

www.soundonsound.com / July 2025

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MAX GRAHN & DAN MALSCH • GHOST

“While writing we used a Shure SM7 going into a Fairman and then an 1176 for vocals. We’d play electric and acoustic guitars, the former through a Rockman, made by Tom Scholz from Boston. They’re like a portable cassette player that you can clip to your belt and plug into your computer. With headphones you sound like you’re a rock star on a rock stage. “All of the songs that we’ve done are 50/50, him and me. When we hammer out songs and arrangements, we are both like little conductors. We like to have a full overview of the full ‘score’ in our heads. We always come back to the guitars when writing, but we are all over the place with instruments, creating the basic arrangements. Once we had written and mapped out the songs in enough detail, it was time to take them into the big studio for proper tracking, which was Atlantis Studios in Stockholm.”

Pin Sharp Famously, the members of Ghost are anonymous, calling themselves ‘Nameless Ghouls’. Even Forge’s identity was not revealed until 2017. As a singer on Skeletá, his name is Papa V Perpueta, while he’s credited as songwriter ‘A Ghoul Writer’ and producer Gene Walker. With band proceedings shrouded in secrecy, Grahn has to be discreet in how he describes the tracking process. “Let’s just say that all music appeared magically in Atlantis Studios! But I can tell you some technical details. We started by building a drum kit, with cymbal shootouts and stuff like that. At the same time we built guitar and bass rooms with amp stacks. Once we knew what the drums were going to be, we recorded them, while still figuring out the guitar tones, which was a whole chapter in itself. Atlantis Studios is legendary, for example many ABBA songs were recorded there. The piano used for ‘Dancing Queen’ is in the middle of Studio A, and we used it on Impera and on the new album. It’s a magical place. “The guitar sounds are never just one sound. For this album we had a few combinations of sounds. For the main guitars on most of the album we used Vincent’s Rockman amp, modified by his guitar guy, Göran Elmqvist. That went into a Roland Jazz Chorus amp and

Many of the guitar sounds on Skeletá were tracked at Atlantis Studios using a combination of the Roland JC‑120 and Mesa Boogie IIC+ amplifiers, miked with Sennheiser MD421s.

a Marshall Plexi with a Hiwatt 4x10 guitar cabinet. For a more distorted sound, we also had a Mesa Boogie IIC+, the same one that James Hetfield of Metallica used in the ’80s. The blend is pretty special and gives a weird guitar sound that I’m super happy with. For the solos we used a Boss OD-1 from between 1977-1979, which is important because it had a 14-pin chip, which was replaced by an 8-pin chip in 1979. They’re all played on Fredrik Åkesson’s custom PRS guitar, sometimes by him, sometimes by me.

one of the songs in particular, ‘Cenotaph’, we had an emergency situation where we liked the song but not the shape the song was in. It ended up in a different bpm, different time signature, and in a different key. And now it’s the best song on the album.”

Legends Of Atlantis During the tracking sessions at Atlantis, four engineers were in action, recalls Grahn. “We were blessed to have Martin Sandmark Ericksson, who is Tobias’ guy; Mark Rankin, who’s a brilliant person as well as a Po Tools ninja; and two Atlantis house engineers, Niclas Lindström and Calle Gustavsson. It was essential to have these technical people there, because as I mentioned, I do not know my way around a patchbay! But with regards to the microphones, I do recall that we used two Telefunken ELA M 251s for the overheads of the drums. Quite luxurious! “For the vocals we’ve worked out a certain way to go about it. ‘Papa’ [Forge] has like five frequency spikes in his voice that are impossible to turn down. It’s

Dan Malsch: “One interesting thing about Ghost is that they have a subkick that changes with the chords, around 40, 50 Hz. It’s quite unique for a hard rock metal band.”

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“Although we had mapped out the songs, they shape-shifted a bit once we got into the real studio and got the final takes. This allowed us to hear new possibilities, like using eight toms, or there’d be a cool new guitar lick. With

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INSIDE TRACK

MAX GRAHN & DAN MALSCH: GHOST

For the second mix of Skeletá, Dan Malsch worked on an SSL Duality rather than his own 4k.

that the SSL brings, just like a Neve will bring a certain sound, and an API will bring a certain sound. “The way we mix is that I first stem the Pro Tools session out to the SSL. There are a lot of tracks, and I try to get as many tracks separately to the console as I can: every guitar mic, every backing vocal, every printed effect. We want maximum control. I don’t want to miss anything. I don’t want to miss a guitar that has a specific reverb on it. When there are more Pro Tools tracks than desk channels, I create groups in Pro Tools. In fact, I have a mix template, and I usually have two kick channels, inside and out, and one for a low-frequency kick. So there may be three different kicks in a mix. Heavy rhythm guitars are grouped and we take them to a stereo channel on the console, or two mono channels. Overdubbed guitars, any kind of jangly guitars or ethereal guitars, we take to another two channels of the console. Whatever effects

are on the guitars, like rooms, digital reverbs or delays, go to another two channels. And so on.”

In The Clear Malsch stresses repeatedly that most of Wallace’s and his mix process “takes place on the console. We want to have control. We do a lot of EQ’ing,

mixes to the main mixes is more space and a depth and a width. “Clarity is a huge thing for me. I want to have as much bottom end and sub as I can, but if I hear any mud in a mix, I don’t enjoy it. One interesting thing about Ghost is that they have a subkick that changes with the chords, around 40, 50 Hz. It’s quite unique for a hard rock metal band. I think that comes from the pop world, and it really helps with the bottom end. I’ve been called a clinical mixer because I need to hear every instrument cleanly. If it’s there, I think you should hear it. Sometimes you’ll have to shave off a little more than you might want to, because there might be three or four different guitar parts or different key parts, and to make sure they are all heard, you have to take out some 300Hz, 400Hz or 500Hz, which are problem frequencies in a lot of music that I work with. “I do all this on the desk. The only thing we’d really change in Pro Tools

Max Grahn: “For the solos we used a Boss OD-1 from between 1977-1979, which is important because it had a 14-pin chip, which was replaced by an 8-pin chip in 1979.”

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compression, level riding and panning. Both Andy and I are very detailed tweakers, looking for every space and separation that we can get, because we’re trying to open up the mix as much as we can. We use the SSL desk EQ to filter certain frequencies out. It’s very delicate because you don’t want to upset what’s there. They are delicate moves. What you’ll notice most from the rough

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INSIDE TRACK

MAX GRAHN & DAN MALSCH • GHOST

is if a track is pushing a little too hard into the console or not pushing enough into the console. For instance, if a kick drum is hitting the input of the SSL too hard, there’ll be weird compression and distortion, so I’ll have to lower the kick drum 4 or 6 dB in Pro Tools and then raise it another 4-6 dB on the console. Actually a lot of what I do is bringing all the clips in a session down by perhaps 5-6 dB because they’ll distort the console. It’s tricky because sometimes you all of a sudden lose some of the energy, and then you have to bring that back with the console. But if you hit any console too hard going in, the mix just collapses. There’s an art to bringing tracks out of a DAW into a console. Gain structure is huge. It’s the same thing with balancing levels. If you’re volume riding in Pro Tools before going into the console, you’re going to distort the console. We do the bigger rides on the console, and tiny little volume tweaks in Pro Tools after that.”

In The Balance Once Malsch has taken the mix as far as he can, Wallace comes in. “He’ll say, ‘How’s everything going?’ and then he’ll sit down at the desk. Andy is a balancing genius. He’s a tweaker, tweaker, tweaker. He is very, very detailed. He’ll listen quite loud for a while. And then he’ll listen quite low for another few hours. That’s our process. I’ll get the song to where I could almost sign off on it, and then he still finds something to improve. “While we mix, the master bus compressor on the 4k is always in, and it’s almost always set the same: auto release on, the slowest attack possible, and a threshold of no more than 3dB. On the 4k even the slowest attack is fast. We also have outboard on the master bus, which is the DW Fearn VT7, a big, clunky, great stereo tube compressor. We’re not compressing with it, just running the signal through the tubes. And then a Bettermaker Stereo Passive Equalizer, which is a solid-state version of the Pultec. The settings on the DW Fearn never change, but we’ll be boosting on the Bettermaker. It has a really broad boost. So if I’m boosting at 30Hz, it’s boosting a good amount at 60 also. And then we often boost top‑end air, like 16kHz. It’s really broad strokes. “I can’t send a mix for review to clients at -12 LUFS because every other mix

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they’re listening to is, unfortunately, -6, -7 LUFS. I’ve seen mixes at -5 and even less, which is crazy. It’s tough because if I send out a mix at -10 with some dynamics, clients are probably going to think there’s something wrong with the mix, because it’s 4dB quieter. So before sending mixes off I’ll have to use a limiter in the box, often the FabFilter Pro‑L 2. Especially if it’s a loud rock mix, I’ll mix into the plug-in limiter, because I want to know what it’s doing. The Ghost record is probably -6.5 LUFS. Andy and I work almost exclusively with Ted Jansen from Sterling. When I send him the mix, I’ll take our limiter off.”

Epilogue As mentioned at the beginning of the article, Wallace and Malsch spent three weeks mixing Skeletá in Pennsylvania with their regular process. There were the usual recalls and mix adjustments, and once they delivered the final mixes at the end of August 2024, all parties signed off on them, and the two mixers assumed that it was a job well done and completed. So the request in late October to re-adjust the mixes came as a big surprise to Malsch, and led to one of the most unusual and challenging mix experiences of his career. “I got a call from Tobias’ manager, asking if I could come over to Stockholm in less than a week. I was told that there were a couple of sonic things that Tobias, after living with the mixes for a while, wanted to change. Also, he had not been able to be there for the mixes in Pennsylvania, and wanted to be present for the mix reviews. “Andy could not make it to Stockholm, so I went alone. The first thing we did was try to find a studio in Stockholm with an SSL 4k, so I could bring the floppy disks and do recalls. We could not find a studio with a 4k that was available, and booked IMRSV Studio 1, where they have the newer SSL Duality Pro Station Delta. It has 48 split channels, so I did not have to regroup things in the Pro Tools sessions. “In hindsight, I’m glad that we didn’t find a 4k, because the Duality suited the record a little better. It sounds more open and cleaner than the 4k. As soon as you put a session on a 4k, it automatically does you some favours, especially in the rock world, as it adds some dirt and glue. You can’t get around that. The Duality doesn’t have that. The Duality is a little more open and much cleaner. So you have to work a little harder. But if I had

Dan Malsch’s Soundmine Studio, where he and Andy Wallace undertook the first mix of Skeletá.

to choose between the two at this point, I would mix on a Duality over a 4k. It’s also quicker and more efficient to use, and easier to maintain. “It was the first time I used a Duality. So I was unable to recall our existing mixes, on a different desk in a different studio with monitors I did not know. It was a huge challenge and quite stressful. I’ve been mixing on ADAM monitors with ribbon tweeters for the last 15 years. ADAMs have a very distinct sound. You love them or you hate them. At IMRSV I was mixing on Genelec The One monitors, which are completely different. And the room took some getting used to. Initially I did not understand the monitoring at all. Basma Jabbar, the assistant at IMRSV, was

a lifesaver for me. She was exceptional. She knew the Duality inside out, and was positive and kept my energy up when I was weighed down by the 16-hour daily marathon sessions. “My first target at IMRSV was to get back as close as possible to the existing mixes. I had some memories of what we had done, and for the rest I had to use my ears! After that, with Tobias in the room, we were able to take the mixes further sonically. Tobias wanted specific changes. Snare drum changes were a big one. We swapped around some keyboard parts, and changed the balances of certain solos and keyboard parts. Adjusting the panning, particularly of the guitars, was one of the bigger changes. Also, I knew what the flaws were in the original

mixes, so I did my best to iron these out. I always second-guess my own work! For example, the original mixes may have been slightly over-compressed, and I could make the new mixes punchier. And the EQ on the Duality is a little sharper and cleaner, which helped. “Another problem to solve was the master bus chain. The Duality bus compressor is pretty much the same as that of the 4k. Understandably, they kept that signature SSL sound. But when I tried to get a DW Fearn, which is part of the signature sound of Andy and I, I could not get one. Not having that was a big deal. I was sweating quite a bit, and in the end substituted the Fearn with a UAD Pultec EQ, because it has a tube-like sound. It’s cleaner and

wider-sounding. That was the ‘analogue’ piece for me, and the only thing on the master bus. So no Bettermaker. And none of the mixes you hear on the album were touched by the 4k. “I sent every mix to Andy, management, the producers, and everyone would give their feedback. Andy gave detailed comments on the mixes, so he was involved. I was supposed to be in Stockholm for 10 days, but it ended up being two and a half weeks, without any breaks. It was gruelling! I have to hand it to Tobias and the producers that they insisted on going that extra mile. I’m very satisfied with the end result. And obviously, the album is doing really well. I think it’s a great record!” www.soundonsound.com / July 2025

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Are passive speakers better than active ones?

I was asking for advice on a well-known hi-fi forum and encountered a widely prevailing view that passive speakers are superior to active systems — in some opinions, vastly superior. I think the belief is partly about the benefit of a separate power amp, which will be ‘cleaner’ or do a better job than an amp integrated into the speaker itself. Is this true — are passive systems better than active ones, and does this apply to studio monitors as well as the hi-fi world? SOS Forum post Hugh Robjohns, Technical Editor Yes and no! The problem in answering this thorny question is that it all depends on the quality of the speaker design and, to a large degree, its price. Ultimately, a well-designed active speaker is capable of achieving a far higher standard of accuracy and fidelity than any passive system, and that’s why most professional recording studios and high-end mastering suites now employ active full-range monitor systems. However, I doubt the correspondents on that hi-fi forum have ever heard such systems, which typically will cost well north of £25k (circa $35k). More likely, their views are based on comparing very good passive speakers driven by well-made amps with budget active monitors, and at the lower end of the studio active-monitor market the active idea is employed for convenience rather than fidelity. A good-quality, standalone, discrete amplifier will always outperform the ‘chip amps’ that are often built into budget active studio monitors, but high-end active systems use the same calibre of amplifier designs favoured in the hi-fi world. The main limitation of a passive loudspeaker is that the crossover circuitry that splits the audio spectrum

Passive speakers are so called because of the passive crossovers that are employed to split and route the incoming high-level (amplified) signal so it can move the different drivers.

to feed the various loudspeakers has to operate at very high power levels and low impedances, with entirely passive components which are large, expensive and tend to interact in unhelpful ways. This all restricts what can be done in terms of phase and amplitude response accuracy. An active system moves the crossover ahead of the power amplifiers so it works at line level with active electronics, and this allows far greater phase and amplitude accuracy, as well as steeper slopes and far better matching between drive units. It also allows for time alignment, and bespoke protection tailored precisely for each individual drive unit. Some recent systems also now use DSP to compensate for inherent foibles in drive units, and even to correct for room acoustic anomalies, which can never be achieved with passive crossovers. Active systems also ‘win’ because connecting a separate power amp directly to each drive unit affords much tighter control of the drive unit’s movements and avoids any possibility of intermodulation, which can be a significant issue in

What should I use to clean the pots on my gear?

I need to clean the volume and tone controls on a Quad 33 preamp to try and cure ‘scratchiness’. I have a can of Servisol for contact cleaning, but would Deoxit do a better job? SOS Forum post Hugh Robjohns Caig’s Deoxit D5, which you’ll often see recommended, is designed to deal with the tarnishing that builds up over time on

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passive designs. (It’s probably worth noting that not all speakers with built-in amps are genuinely ‘active’: some are simply passive speakers with a power amp built into the cabinet, and while these have the ‘all-in-one’ convenience of an active design, they offer none of that format’s other benefits.) So, I’d say that for the ultimate loudspeaker system, an active arrangement will achieve the very best possible performance. But only if it employs very high-quality amplifiers and a well-designed active crossover — so it will inherently be very expensive. At the budget end of the scale, a good passive speaker with a decent amp may well perform better than a cheap active monitor. It might not be as convenient, compact or robust, which could be important in a home-studio setting, but there may be other practical benefits. For example, if the amp were to fail, you could probably plumb another one in more affordably and with less disruption than repairing/ replacing active speakers.

the metal contact surfaces of connectors and inside switches. It does that very effectively but it lacks the lubricant that’s essential to the smooth operation of rotary potentiometers and faders, so I’d recommend sticking with Servisol Super 10 or Kontakt Super 10 (the new name for the same thing) for treating ‘scratchy’ pots. Caig’s equivalent product, F5 Faderlube, should be equally effective. Bear in mind, though, that there’s only so much cleaning an old pot can take — eventually, the track will wear out and the pot will need replacing.

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TINY GEAR LAWRENCE JOSEPH

y early musical experiences included a university course in electronic music as well as playing guitar in various garage bands. I studied modular synthesis in a room with an expansive wall of original Moog modules, and I lugged around a heavy Stratocaster flight case with an even heavier tube amp. Live processing a guitar through this massive synth struck me as a neat way to expand one’s sound palette, but the logistical problems seemed insurmountable. Aside from the obvious transport hassles, live tweaking of knobs on more complex Moog patches required coordinating several sets of hands, and keeping track of a layout that spread over 25 square feet in area was discombobulating. I dreamed of a more portable and compact, yet equally versatile, setup. Over time, technology advanced and equipment downsized. I discovered a handcrafted miniature guitar, and companies like Quilter Labs started producing tube-like amps that could fit into a jacket pocket. The synth side of things remained problematic. Powerful systems remained too large, and smaller systems lacked the one-knob-per-function convenience for improvisational live patch tweaking. Then two articles in Sound On Sound caught my attention. First, the March 2022 issue reviewed the Empress Effects Zoia, a comprehensive 90‑module modular synth in a 5.7 x 3.75‑inch guitar pedal format, weighing only 1.5lbs. Both CV and MIDI-enabled, the Zoia contained not only all the synth building blocks like oscillators and filters, but also effects, from distortion to granular synthesis, pitch detection and envelope followers, delays, loopers and reverbs, sequencers, samplers and a usable keyboard! The Zoia is infinitely flexible, but only a partial solution, since there is only a single knob to control all patch parameters. The missing link came in the form of Intech Studio’s Grids, reviewed in the February 2024 issue. At four inches square and 0.38lbs, each

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Grid module is a programmable MIDI controller containing up to 48 buttons, pots, faders and encoders. Combining these tiny units with the Zoia provides a modular synthesis system more powerful than a wall of Moog, with individual tactile control over every parameter of every module. One Zoia, three Grid modules and a tiny amp fits into a kid’s lunchbox, and the entire rig including the guitar with carrying case weighs only 6lbs! Advantages of tiny gear include not only easier transport, but also aesthetic and other practical concerns. No one

can deny the inherent cuteness of tiny gear, but equally important is enabling one to focus attention on a small space with minimal fussing about. Manipulating a multi-module modular synth rack can take deep concentration, but mental strain eases when all control knobs are collected into one tiny space with no patch cables in the way. Yes, the setup requires some organisation and preparation, as the Zoia and Grid modules both need to be programmed in advance to partner well with each other, but that is also part of the fun. My dream system is finally a reality... Tiny gear rules!

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