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GForce Software OB-E Can GForce capture the character of the legendary Oberheim 8‑Voice in software? Back in 2003, the GForce Oddity was the first ‘modelled’ soft synth I reviewed. In addition to a sound that was closer to the original ARP than I had expected, things such as the ability to run multiple instances, velocity and aftertouch sensitivity, MIDI automation and, of course, the lack of crackly faders, meant that I was impressed. The following year, the ImpOSCar arrived, follow...

Why Your Ears Are Lying To You How To Interpret What They’re Telling You By Gavin Herlihy Our ears are the most important tool we have, but they’re surprisingly unreliable. We explain how to interpret what they’re telling you. Use your ears. That’s the advice drummed into us since day one of our musical lives. But what if your ears aren’t always to be trusted? The human hearing system is the most powerful machine in each and every one of our studios. It’s a microphone with th...

RAK Studios engineer Isabel Gracefield undergoes our questioning.

Emily Lazar Photo: Charlie Gross With a record three Album of the Year nominations at this year’s Grammy Awards, mastering engineer Emily Lazar is at the forefront of her profession. “I guess you could say I was born to be a mastering engineer,” laughs Emily Lazar. “I grew up in a very musical house. My mom was a guitar teacher and she taught from home, so I had that great opportunity of sitting in on all of her lessons. And then my dad was very interested in finding cool record...

Classic Tracks: The Bangles ‘Walk Like An Egyptian’ Producer: David Kahne The Bangles. Left to right: Vicki Peterson, Susanna Hoffs, Debbi Peterson, Michael Steele.Photo: Lester Cohen ‘Walk Like An Egyptian’ was a huge hit for the Bangles, but it all started with a demo mix‑up and some very unusual percussion. One of the biggest hits of the ’80s (and a staple of rock radio ever since), the Bangles’ ‘Walk Like An Egyptian’ was instantly everywhere upon its initial rele...

Melodium 42Bn A French classic is reborn. As ribbon mics grew in popularity during the 21st Century, so prices for original RCA and Coles mics soared. Canny studio owners then turned their attention to less well‑known vintage models, and soon discovered the Melodium 42B. Developed by Charles Boutelleau and Émile Furn about 80 years ago, this imposing microphone enjoyed a long career in its native France. Over the last decade or so, word spread that the 42B was an affordable and good‑sound...

OS Acoustics DBS8 OS Acoustics have followed up their impressive DB7 with an even more capable twin‑woofer design. We put the new DBS8 to the test. Back in April 2018 I reviewed OS Acoustics’ debut monitor, the DB7, and very much admired it. The newly developed and launched DBS8 not only extends the OS Acoustics monitoring range upwards in terms of price and performance aspirations, but also offers a somewhat different electro‑acoustic design philosophy. Where the DB7 is a conventional...

Aaron Dessner: Producing folklore And evermore Taylor Swifts Lockdown Albums Aaron Dessner at Long Pond Studios.Photo: James Goodwin The pandemic gave Taylor Swift a chance to explore new musical paths, with two lockdown albums co‑written and produced by the National’s Aaron Dessner. Few artists during the pandemic have been as prolific as Taylor Swift. In July 2020, she surprise‑released folklore, a double‑length album recorded entirely remotely and in isolation. It went on to ...

IK Multimedia AmpliTube 5 We check out IK’s latest refresh of their popular amp and effects modelling suite. It is hard to believe that IK’s AmpliTube has been with us for almost two decades. When released, it was one of the first guitar/bass amp and effects‑modelling plug‑ins that aimed to emulate the entire recording chain. Of course, AmpliTube has evolved considerably since then, to take advantage of better algorithms and increases in computing power and to add more models and functi...

Inside Track: Taylor Swift willow Secrets Of The Mix Engineers: Jonathan Low Jonathan Low at Long Pond Studios.Photo: Josh Goleman From sketches to final mixes, engineer Jonathan Low spent 2020 overseeing Taylor Swift’s hit lockdown albums folklore and evermore. “I think the theme of a lot of my work nowadays, and especially with these two records, is that everything is getting mixed all the time. I always try to get the songs to sound as finalised as they can be. Obviously that’...