New music tech gear of the month: review round-up (February 2013)
The old-school tape delay is brought up-to-date
PSP Audioware PSP Echo
Every month, MusicRadar's industry-leading sister magazines - Guitarist, Computer Music, Total Guitar, Rhythm and Future Music - publish the best independent and in-depth music-making gear reviews.
We've collated the latest plug-ins, apps, DJ gear and other hardware to have fallen under the watchful eyes of Computer Music, Future Music, Rhythm, Total Guitar and Guitarist's test teams. All the gear on show here was originally reviewed in Computer Music issue 186/187 and Future Music issue 261.
NI and Softube's latest EQ/comp plugin bundle
Native Instruments Premium Tube Series
MusicRadar’s verdict:
A select collection of modern drum samples
Toontrack Rock Solid EZX
MusicRadar’s verdict:
Cinematic string samples take a star turn
Native Instruments Action Strings
MusicRadar’s verdict:
The ultimate avant-garde ROMpler?
UVI IRCAM Prepared Piano
MusicRadar’s verdict:
A distortion plugin suffering an identity crisis
FXpansion Maul
MusicRadar’s verdict:
One of the processor greats, now in plugin form
Eventide H3000 Factory Harmonizer Native
MusicRadar’s verdict:
The PC editor gets its Mac on
Sony Creative Software Sound Forge Pro Mac
MusicRadar’s verdict:
Numark's latest iPad DJ controller
Numark iDJ Pro
MusicRadar’s verdict:
High-end hardware turned UAD plugin
UAD-2 Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor
MusicRadar’s verdict:
A new micro synth with superstar potential
Novation MiniNova Synthesizer
MusicRadar’s verdict:
WiFi streaming DJ controller/media player
Pioneer XDJ-AERO DJ System
MusicRadar’s verdict:
60s synth reborn as a Kontakt plugin
Rhythmic Robot Audio Jennings
MusicRadar’s verdict:
New FX aplenty for the powerhouse synth
DiscoDSP Corona R4.6
MusicRadar’s verdict:
Wave Editor gets revamped and retitled
Audiofile Engineering Triumph
MusicRadar’s verdict:
More MIDI for the harmonising plugin
zplane vielklang Instant Harmony 2
MusicRadar’s verdict:
Virtual instruments with authentic Eastern sounds
Kong Audio Chinee Orchestra
MusicRadar’s verdict:
Update time for the multiband distortion plugin
iZotope Trash 2
MusicRadar’s verdict:
A powerful, comprehensive de-esser plugin
FabFilter Pro-DS
MusicRadar’s verdict:
The ultimate analysis tools bundle?
Blue Cat Audio Multi Pack 2
MusicRadar’s verdict:
Version 4.0 of the Cronox sampling synth
LinPlug CrX4
MusicRadar’s verdict:
A complex vocoder plugin that might short some circuits
MeldaProduction MVocoder
MusicRadar’s verdict:
DCAM Dynamics suite plundered for digital gain
FXpansion DCAM EnvShaper RE
MusicRadar’s verdict:
A 54-kit Kontakt drum library