Archive for 'Product Review'

I have to hand it to Avid, the Eleven Rack is changing my mind on guitar amp modeling and changing how I work in the studio and on stage. Today I want to give a little show and tell of the Eleven Rack, which is a total guitar amp, speaker, and effects modeling box that also happens to be a USB 2.0 interface and comes bundled with a free copy of Pro Tools. Let’s do this!

There is a lot of hype surrounding the latest vintage console emulation plugin from Waves, the REDD consoles from Abby Road Studios. Does this replaces something like Slate Digital’s Virtual Console Collection or Waves own NLS (Non Linear Summer)? Or is it something more? Today I do a little show and tell of how I’ve used it in real mixes as of late.

I love to see competition in the plugin world. It better serves the customer/user. Today’s review covers the Plug And Mix VIP Bundle from the guys at DontCrack.com. It’s a very affordable bundle of plugins ($399US for 40 plugins) that both sound good and are fun to use. Here’s a little show and tell from a mix that I used a bunch of these plugins on.

One of the absolute best deals in plugin bundles right now is the McDSP Project Studio pack. You get 5 plugins that cover compression, EQ, reverb, mastering limiter, and tape saturation. No fluff, just quality stuff. The good news? It’s $79. The bad news? It’s only for Pro Tools users. But if you ARE a Pro Tools user, you should pick this thing up. Here’s a little demo and review.

So I finally got a chance to master some albums in Studio One from PreSonus, and I’m hooked. I’ve had my eye on the built in Project Page feature of Studio One Pro for some time now, and all I can say is, mastering in Studio One is pure joy. The combination of refreshing workflow, ease of use, and deep functionality makes Studio One king of the castle for in the box mastering. Here’s a little overview.

You asked for it, so here it is. One of the few third party plugins I use regularly is the Waves SSL 400 Collection.  Featuring the eq and dynamics of both an E and G series SSL console, this plugin bundle gives you that analog sound and look of working on an SSL 4000. Will it turn your DAW into a $500,000 mixing console? No. But it will give some really nice processing that that just sounds oh so good.

Looking for that subjectively magical sound that analog tape can bring your in-the-box mixes? Your search is pretty much over. The people over at Slate Digital seem to be solidifying themselves as the kings of modeling and emulating analog circuitry, and their latest Virtual Tape Machines plugin only makes the case stronger.

Your Mix, Just Better

It’s hard to describe just what tape does to audio, but in general it’s safe to say that it simply can take your tracks and make them better. Now better is subjective to be sure, but there is some inherent musical quality that tape brings to the table and this plugin makes that a reality to the modern DAW mix engineer.

If you’ve caught the last few posts on the blog then you know we’ve been talking about your room and how it sounds. We’ve also addressed acoustic treatment and what role it plays in the bigger picture of getting great tracks in your studio. Today I review a simple room kit from Auralex, the Roominator series of kits as well as their super helpful free room analysis process. Both of which I used when setting up my latest studio.

We all want loud mixes that still sound musical and punchy. Brickwall limiters can be helpful but if you aren’t careful, they can rob your tracks of all the dynamics that made them great. So what are your other options? Enter the FG-X by Slate Digital. If you caught my recent interview with Steven Slate (CEO of Slate Digital) then you know that I’m a big fan of the plugin and (not surprisingly) so is he. I decided to demo it here on the blog for you. Hope you enjoy!

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Steven Slate (CEO of Slate Digital, Slate Pro Audio) to talk about all things audio related. Here’s a guy who is famous for making killer drum samples that are used by the world’s top mixers. He’s since gone on to make some of the most useful pro audio plugins I’ve ever seen that are helping the pros and home studio guys alike.

Talking About The Recording “Revolution”

Steve was gracious enough to chat with me about this recording “revolution” we are living in and how exciting it is to be making music these days. In this interview Steven talks about:

• The affordability of recording gear as a good thing for the industry
• Analog summing verses mixing in the “box”
• The Virtual Console Collection and why he makes plugins
• Drum samples and why they aren’t cheating
• What it takes to succeed in this music industry

For info on his plugins check out Slate Digital. To get his infamous drum samples, check out Steven Slate Drums. To check out his pro hardware gear, swing over to Slate Pro Audio. And if you just want your dose of funny tweets, follow Steven on Twitter.