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Warm Audio WA12 Review Part 2: The Audio Files

By
Bryan
-

Well just as I expected, my inbox has been inundated with emails calling me a shill, over-hyping a product, and “too sexy to report on pro audio.” While the last one may be true, the other two could not be more absurd so in preparation, I had raw WAV files to back up my claim. NOTE: if you really don’t believe me after this, I’ll send you to Pro Tools Session and you can see these are raw files, if that’s not enough, I don’t know what else to tell you because it’s not like he’s trying to sell you a pre for $1000. It’s half that and honestly, if you need that much proof over that little dough, you might need to find a new hobby. So here we go.

A little background on this particular session:
DAW – Pro Tools HD9
Clock Source – The new Avid HD I/O (which isn’t that great to begin with but don’t get me started)
Microphone – Blue Spark on every track (I wanted to keep it inexpensive)
Acoustic Guitar – Breedlove Atlas
Electric Guitar – Paul Reed Smith NF3
Guitar Amp – Matchless Avalon 2 channel on channel 1 (Fun Fact on that amp, there’s only 3 in the world and I have the last one made)
Guitar Effects – Pigtronix Echolution

If you’re looking for the written review of the WA-12 look no further, HERE is the link.
Also for good measure, HERE is a review of the Blue Spark for those interested in buying one to match the WA12 in color. Fun Fact 2: They actually use the exact same color to make each of them.

Ok now that we got that out of the way and everyone knows every aspect of the gear, lets get down to brass tax.

Here we have the acoustic guitar ran through the SSL VHD. I added a little bit of the Variable Harmonic Drive to give it as vintage of a sound as I could
NOTE: I tried to meter these things as close as I could as not to bias any pre’s with the louder is better theory, but seeing as I had no metering on any of the pre’s, I had to use T-Racks metering program to get it as close as I can.
AGT SSL VHD by Everything Recorded
Sounds pretty good right. Well let’s run it up against the WA12 to see how well it holds up.
AGT WA12 Tone in by Everything Recorded
I did engage the tone button on the WA12 to add that little oomph to the track. I do hear less bite in the WA12 than the SSL as well as more pronounced tone in the high mids. So if we’re getting a more full-bodied sound out of the WA12, lets see how it works against the Millennia, which is known for extremely transparent open sound.
AGT Millennia by Everything Recorded
I don’t want to sound biased but the Millennia sounds flatter than the WA12… just saying.
Onto Electric Guitar.
Once again, the SSL VHD
EGT SSL VHD by Everything Recorded
That’s a pretty good benchmark for a decent dry electric guitar track. SSL always has the punch and with the Variable Harmonic Drive, adds just a little of the vintage to it. And now the WA12
EGT WA12 by Everything Recorded
I’d say they sound fairly identical on electric. That’s a huge feather in Warm Audio’s cap due to SSL being a go-to for most engineers on rock tracks. Now for fun lets throw the Millennia in the mix again.
EGT Millennia by Everything Recorded
I can hear just a slight boost in the 8-10Khz in the Millennia but it’s just barely noticeable. All in all I say they all sounded very close on that comparison. Keep in mind, this pre is $449.00.
Now lets try some female vocals.
Here is the SSL VHD
FVOC SSL VHD by Everything Recorded
Great sounding as usual. And now with the WA12
FVOC WA12 Tone in by Everything Recorded
I did engage the tone button again on the female vocal to add more low end and it seemed to add quite a bit more than the SSL did while still retaining the highs. So now lets throw it in the ring with the Millennia.
FVOC Millennia by Everything Recorded
Definitely lacking the same low end either of the pre’s have, it still retains the highs and sparkle Millennia is known for. So lets take the tone button off and see if we can replicate Millennia’s sound with the WA12
FVOC WA12 by Everything Recorded
Not too shabby…
Now just for fun, Here is 3 acoustic tracks and the female vocal all recorded together STILL with no processing of any kind. This is straight off of the pre into the DAW on each track. All I did was pan the two rhythm tracks and flip the polarity with the preamp on the one on the right side.
All WA12 Song by Everything Recorded
As always, Everything Recording encourages everyone to their own opinions, so feel free to argue my points. Just don’t get too heated… No one’s looking for a fight, unless it’s an exact recreation of the fight scene in Anchorman.

Native Instruments Komplete Price Lowers

By
Bryan
-

Looks like Propellerhead is giving Native Instruments a little scare with the price adjustment and they’re dropping prices on their Komplete Audio package. This package has a sleek interface, Cubase (which isn’t too shabby), a ton of instruments and Traktor LE2… Nice! Not too shabby for $249.00

Having been out of stock due to its overwhelming success, Native Instruments is happy to bring KOMPLETE AUDIO 6 back at a more competitive price than ever – permanently! Now only $249 / 229 €, the critic’s favorite packs serious punch with 6 pristine channels, four analog ins/outs, digital in/out, MIDI and low-latency performance – all in a sleek, ready to rumble frame. It’s not a comeback. It’s a KOMPLETE knockout, whether you’re recording, performing or playing music.
KOMPLETE AUDIO 6 is designed to be flexible, with plenty of options for connecting mics, guitars, MIDI instruments or outboard gear:

  • 4 analog inputs: 2 balanced mic/line/instrument (XLR); plus 2 balanced line (1/4″ TRS)
  • 4 balanced analog outputs (1/4″ TRS)
  • Digital stereo input and output (S/PDIF / RCA) for lossless signal transmission
  • MIDI in/out for master keyboard, MASCHINE or any third-party MIDI controller
  • Headphone output with independent level control and source switch
  • Completely USB powered, with an extra sturdy custom USB socket

Price $249.00.
For more, info click HERE
To buy, click HERE

Tone2 Saurus

By
Bryan
-

Continuing my days of yore posts of recreations of analog gear, we have Tone2 Saurus. This one has a twist though. You can get the old school sounds from the classics but it can also create synths that are extremely modern. You also get a built in arpeggiator and gate that allow you to take a standard preset and make it completely your own. The other great facet is the price. It’s only $119.00 and comes in standalone 32 or 64 bit windows and VSTI and AU 32 and 64 bits for mac so all your bases are covered.

Tone2 Audiosoftware are proud to officially announce the release of Saurus Analog Synthesizer.
Saurus takes the high regarded analog sound from the past into the unlimited digital realm, fusing them together with a user interface
that invites to tweak and a multitude of unique sound sculpting tools exclusive to Saurus. All without placing heavy demands on your CPU
or budget.
True analog sound with state of art functionality!
It has been the aim of developers the world over to bring the best “Virtual Analog” synths possible to re-create the sound of classic hardware.
However, unlike many competitors who sell ‘Virtual Analog Synthesizers’ which are at best mere approximations of what happens in the real
world, we set out to create not just another synthesizer with character, but one that truly represents the sound of analog hardware.
We carefully measured and modeled the circuits of many classic performance synthesizers, even including single capacitors and resistors to
provide an extremely accurate analog model, faithfully capturing the spirit and character of these old machines.
Enter Saurus

Continue

Waves NLS: Non-Linear Summer

By
Bryan
-

Waves keeps cranking out the classics with 3 new versions of classic consoles in ONE plug-in with the Non-Linear Summer. Now your horrible cover’s of Adele songs can have that analog sound from the days of yore. Waves gives you the tools to be your own boss so please, for everyone else’s sake, add some warmth to your cold teeny sounding tracks with this great addition to the Waves family. I personally put the CLA76 on almost every vocal track I mix, and I bet once I buy this, I’ll be using this just as much.

Waves Audio, the industry-leading developer of professional audio digital signal processing technologies, is now shipping its NLS Non-Linear Summer, which delivers the sound of three classic consoles in one powerful plugin. To create NLS, Waves joined forces with three of today’s leading producer / engineers – Mark ´Spike´ Stent, Mike Hedges and Yoad Nevo – modeling their rare mixing desks.
NLS recreates the sound of:
The “magical” solid state console belonging to Mark “Spike” Stent (Radiohead, Björk, Muse, Maroon 5, Madonna).
The classic console owned by Mike Hedges (The Cure, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Dido, Faithless, Manic Street Preachers, U2), heard on such timeless recordings as Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon.
The British console customized for Yoad Nevo (Bryan Adams, Pet Shop Boys, Sugababes, Goldfrapp, Air).
In the creation of this plugin, Waves meticulously modeled over 100 individual channels in all, painstakingly analyzing and recreating the distinctive color, character, and behavior of each and every input and summing bus amp. Waves NLS delivers to the digital realm the depth and richness that has long been associated exclusively with analog gear.
Features:
Non-linear summing enhancement
Three legendary consoles in one plugin
Over 100 individually modeled channel and summing buss amps
Developed in association with top producer/engineers
Adds analog warmth and character
Global control over all NLS plugins in the session
Controls
NLS Channel/Buss Controls:
Studio sets the console type.
Drive controls the amount of harmonic distortion, increasing the input signal and decreasing the internal headroom.
Output / Trim controls gain adjustment.
VCA Group assigns the NLS instance to a VCA Group, for global control via the VCA Groups Console.
Link toggles between Dual Mono mode, where the left and right channels are not identical models, and Stereo mode, where left and right are identical (NLS stereo Channel only).
Mic controls the headroom by simulating mic input levels. (NLS Channel only)
Bypass deactivates analog harmonics, noise and frequency response effects.
Noise activates modeled analog noise.
VCA Tab shows and hides the VCA Groups Console section.
Meter displays output signal peak dBFS values.
VCA Group Console Controls:
Auto enables automation writing and reading for the VCA Groups Console.
Group Bypass controls the NLS effect on all instances assigned to that VCA Group.
Group Noise controls the noise for all the NLS instances assigned to that VCA Group.
Group Drive sets the drive offset value for all NLS instances assigned to that VCA Group.
Group Trim sets the output gain offset value for all NLS instances assigned to that VCA Group.
Group Studio sets the studio type for all NLS instances assigned to that VCA Group.
Group Name provides a text field which allows users to customize the name of each VCA Group.
Say goodbye to cold digital tracks that lack depth and harmonic complexity, and say hello to the richness and warmth that only analog gear could deliver – until now.
 

Waves NLS Non-Linear Summer is now available with U.S. MSRP as follows: $249 Native / $349 TDM. Visit HERE for more
information.

Warm Audio WA12 Review Part 1: The Writing

By
Bryan
-

Warm Audio… Ever heard of them? In most cases you probably haven’t, but I have a feeling, very soon, this name will be synonymous with the word insanity. Now, why would I say that? The answer is another question and is very simple: Why would someone charge you $450 for a preamp that sounds just as good, if not better, than one twice its price? Now you’re probably asking me, “How can you prove this?” Very easy, I own both of the culprits in question

Naming your company after an adjective that is used almost exclusively to describe the most desirable trait in recording sound is a brave move. If you don’t follow through on delivering nothing short of vintage analogue tone, you’ve pretty much lost all credibility in the pro sound industry. Consider the founder, Bryce Young, justified in boldly naming his company Warm Audio. What’s even crazier about Bryce is that this started out as just a hobby; but his designing of custom “one off” preamps and modding of other preamps got him quite a bit of attention from customers. So much that he decided to take a crack at designing his own line.

The unit, no doubt, will stand out in the studio with its orange color and vintage vibe. It comes in a half rack one channel version, but can be rack mounted when you buy two of them (more on why you’re going to want two in a sec). The simplicity of this unit is what makes it so great, even down to the button labeled “tone” that I have determined is linked, by some sorcery, to a vintage analogue console hidden somewhere in my house. The front quarter-inch HiZ input makes life easier for running in the guitars and keyboards without having to dive into that tangled web of cables behind your desk. Might I suggest using this as a channel to add spice to your re-amped direct in guitar track. Also the XLR and ¼ inch outputs are linked and can both be used simultaneously, making it very simple to take two of these units and run an output on each to your DAW and the other outputs to the monitors. Voila, you have a stereo summing amplifier (see, I told you that you’d want two of these).

The front controls are straight-forward as well, giving you Hi Z, Phantom Power, Pad, Polarity Switch, and the aforementioned “tone” button. The polarity button is very handy for recording a stereo mix (see you want two!) where mics are in close proximity and subject to the dreaded phase cancellation. I’ve covered what I think the tone button does but here’s a more technical explanation. The tone button adds 6 dB of gain as well as drops the impedance from 600 ohms to 150 ohms. This is very good for ribbon mics but in most cases, I’ve used it more as a color boost to add the extra analog into electric guitar tracks. Also, the 20 dB pad is very handy for loud guitar amps and drums. You pretty much have all bases covered from high SPL instruments (with the pad) to quieter ones (with the total of 71 dB combined with the tone button).

So all of the features are great but let’s get down to brass tax, the sound. I really don’t want to appear like I’m exaggerating but there’s no way around it on this review. The name justifies the functionality. If you’re looking for that old console sound that adds soul to a very digital world, you can stop looking. Most of the preamps out there claim the “vintage sound”, but only throw tubes and poor circuitry at you to cut cost. The end result is a muddy sounding preamp that you have to EQ to kingdom come in your DAW. The WA12 has found a way to give you a discrete preamp, with custom designed transformers, that still somehow crush the competition in both price and sound. The best part is that you get the analog feel, without it overpowering the track. When the tone button isn’t engaged, you get a very transparent sound with a very balanced low end, but the tone adds a character to it that is almost exclusive to this preamp. It reminds me of the character the Universal Audio 710 has with the blend knob that is between the solid state and the tube leaning slightly more to the tube side, except the WA has more clarity. But a good reviewer has to bring in actual physical comparisons and not just opinions, so I’m going to break into my own studio’s arsenal to compare them.

Note: Audio to prove this is coming soon to the review. I just have to get the files organized.

The three units for comparison come at a much heftier price tag, but I will break each of these units down by price of one channel out of the unit. I love matching, so I used the Blue Spark (review here) with the focus button not engaged. Spark is only $200 so I’m not trying to church the amp up with an overpriced mic. We’re going for cost efficient for the purposes of this review.

First, we have the SSL VHD coming in at $1629.00. That’s roughly $407.00 per channel, which isn’t terrible; but also remember that SSL is an extremely big name in audio, so even going head to head is no easy feat. The SSL also features a similar feature to the tone button with its Variable Harmonic Drive that is said to add a harmonic distortion to color the track. This makes the two very similar in that way but not completely. I metered the two as closely to each other as I could and, I have to say, the WA12 held up very easily. It seems to have more bottom end on just about every application. The clarity is fairly close, but the WA12 slightly better. You really have to push the SSL to get the sweet spot with the VHD knob but the tone button seems to add its character at any level.

The second unit is an actual piece of tube gear. I even wanted to put it up against a piece of gear that’s sole purpose is a warm sound, so I used the Blue Robbie; a one channel coming in at $799. This was an easy win for the WA12. The Robbie is a great preamp especially for bass. I almost use it exclusively for every bass track I put in, but in any other application it falls short, lacking the highs. Although the WA12 didn’t compare as well in the bass department, it definitely was a clear leader in this comparison.

I decided since the WA12 did so well with the other pres, I would throw a wild card at it. So, our third model is a channel from a Millennia HV3 series. Millennia is known for their clean, uncolored sound so in all actuality, these two aren’t even in the same style of preamp. I have enough confidence in this pre that I will put the WA12s silky smooth highs and open sound against a crystal clear $800 channel.

The Warm Audio unit definitely held its own. Though the Millennia had slightly more highs, the Millennia’s sole purpose is transparent sound. The WA12 had a smoother overall tone and could deliver a clean, open sound without the tone button engaged but could still throw down the old school with the button in. The other thing is the versatility with the Millennia. The WA12 has the polarity, high z and tone button. Millennia… as incredible as it is, is very one-dimensional. This is an important thing for the professional studio but even a bigger deal for the home studio. The average musician doesn’t have a great deal of disposable income. He or she needs a “Swiss Army Knife” in their arsenal that takes most of the post processing out of the recording task. The WA does that at half of the price of the Millennia while still delivering a broader spectrum of sound.

In summary, I have no summary. Don’t just stand here. GO order one right now. Your wallet and ears will thank me. Also, be on the lookout for the review complete with audio to back these claims; coming very soon.
For more info, click HERE to go to Warm Audio’s website?.
To buy, click HERE and HERE.

Focusrite ISA 2

By
Bryan
-

I had always thought the ISA One was boxy and took up too much space in the studio and the 428 was too expensive for most home applications, but this gives you the best possible solution. Now you can have 2 channels of incredible Neve sounding preamp at a decent price.

You may only need a couple of mic preamps, but they need to be the very best. The ISA Two dual-mono mic pre is the ideal solution: two independent channels of the highest quality classic Focusrite mic pres, with line in and front-panel instrument inputs – no DI box required. Based on the legendary designs found in the Focusrite Forte and Studio Consoles, ISA Two is the ideal front-end for your rack.
Focusrite’s microphone preamplifiers go back to the original Focusrite ISA 110 modules, when Rupert Neve was commissioned by George Martin in 1985 to create a no-compromise channel strip for his Neve console. Combining the very best solid-state electronics with transformer coupling, Focusrite mic pres have played a key part in the recording of hundreds of hit records and they’re the choice of leading artists, producers and engineers around the world.  At the heart of the ISA Two is a pair of Lundahl LL1538 transformers. ISA products have relied on Lundahl from the beginning, since their components were originally specified in 1985. The LL1538 features a 3-section winding, resulting in very low leakage inductance and, as a result, an extended frequency response. They’re encapsulated in mu-metal cans to shield them from stray magnetism. ISA Two features two classic Focusrite mic preamps, with four impedance settings including the original ISA 110 setting. Variable input impedance allows you to go for an accurate, transparent sound or choose to highlight the character of your favourite vintage mic – and anywhere in between. With up to 80 dB of low-noise gain, ISA Two can perform in the most demanding situations – really bringing your ribbon, condenser or moving coil mics to life. Each channel has a fully-balanced insert point accessed via TRS sockets on the rear panel and activated with a front-panel button, so it’s easy to use outboard processors with the ISA Two. Just plug in your choice of EQ, compressor or limiter.

Im not sure what the price is yet or availability but more info can be found here.

Review: Propellerhead Balance

By
Bryan
-

In celebration of the recent price drop of Reason Essentials and Balance, I am going to feature a review on Propellerhead Balance.
The other day, I got a very adjective heavy phone call. It was one of my buddies who is in the market for a new USB interface. Apparently he is not happy about the options he had found. He went on and on about the fact that, yes, he enjoys the portability factor but also wants an interface to cater to his outboard pre-amps without him leaning over his laptop to connect each one up when he decides he wants to switch (I think he’s a little self conscious about his figure).  So after about 10 minutes of him rambling, I interrupted, first by yelling at him because he doesn’t regularly check this lovely site. His excuse: “why go to a restaurant when you know the chef. “ Then after realizing I have very lazy friends, I simply told him I had the perfect interface for him.
Much to his surprise, he didn’t even know the makers of Reason ventured into the hardware business. He had only known Propellerhead from his use of the program Record as well as Reason,  which made him even more apt to learn more about this all-too-perfect hardware solution. The icing on the cake? I just happened to have one.
Balance is Propellerhead’s first venture that I know of into the hardware world. Usually the newcomer has to make a few models to get its stride, but I’m happy to report, on the hardware side, I would choose this one over my Mbox any day, no hesitation.
On its stealthy wedged exterior, we have all of the controls clearly laid out on its flat black surface. They didn’t just stop there with the comfortable, familiar mixing board reminiscent design. Balance takes design one step further than the competition by gracing the bottom with a splash of red as well as this (pardon my basic explanation) awesome grippy coating all over the unit. All of these things combine to make this interface something you will proudly want to display on your desk next to that gorgeous Mac Book Pro. Color coating of the inputs on front and back also make life easier when connecting up all of your hardware. This unit is solid too. You definitely don’t want to lug around something that feels frail and would shatter to pieces if dropped on a concrete floor… ahem… mbox.
But just as we all know that looks aren’t everything, Balance somehow made the outside reflect what counts, the inside. The pre-amps are the best onboard pre-amps I’ve heard in a USB interface, and I’ve used a TON of these. I took it with me to a remote vocal session and confidently didn’t even bring one of my many outboard security blankets. I wouldn’t even do that when I had my Digidesign 003.
Acoustic guitars LOVE these pres. It seems to reach inside the guitar and pull the tone out on every take. Vocals are extremely transparent with plenty of overhead. I even tried it on drums by using a four channel mixer with the main out running into each channel. Each piece of the kit stands out in its own way without overpowering or distorting. Don’t believe me? Finish this review and there’s an audio clip of a full song with all parts recorded using Balance in Reason. But be patient and read more first.
I’m not going to get too far into Reason Essentials because I had a full copy of Reason I used instead. I played around with Essentials at first but I quickly missed all of the great features the full version has. I would strongly recommend upgrading to Reason. If you need convincing, or want a review on the full version, I’ve got you covered. The link is right HERE, but make sure you come back. That review could pertain to Essentials in functionality but take out several of the instruments, effects, and larger sound bank.
Don’t get me wrong. Essentials is more than enough to record a full song start to finish, but variety is the spice of life, and its bigger brother has more in the rack. Oh… I almost forgot. If you already own a previous version of reason and buy Balance, you get Reason 6 upgrade for free. Now THAT’s a deal, Also, if you can’t keep up with your USB key for Reason, Balance IS the Ignition key. One less USB port used!
So back at the beginning of this review I mentioned my friend wanted to plug all of his gear in and leave it. Balance has 4 separate inputs per channel. You have your mic input complete with phantom power, two more quarter inch inputs labeled line 1 and 2, and even a dedicated guitar channel with a dB pad to run direct in to use Reason’s Line 6 amp models. So basically you have, 8 channels of gear right on the back to select from on its two channels. Now don’t take this as you have 8 channels of audio to record with at once. You just get the selection per each channel. Changing inputs is a breeze with the buttons clearly located under each of the 4 options on each row. Something I really like about the input gain knobs are that they are stepped to make dialing in the same gain settings on a stereo channel very easy. The big out gains glide around to dial in the perfect level for your monitors (left knob) or the headphones (right knob). Also the headphone plug is tucked away to the right of the headphone big knob. Took me a while to find it but I’m an idiot. Also… I found myself just twisting these knobs even when you unit is not in use. They feel like they’re just barely floating above unit. Just try it… I’m not crazy.  It’s very calming.
Balance also gives you a direct monitoring / mute button so you can bypass any latency issues your computer might give you. The interface’s onboard clock is great though. My Mac Book didn’t experience any game stopping latency so I left it on the entire time I recorded. It is nice to have that option though. Two other buttons on the interface give you access to Reason features, such as the magical “Clip Safe” button and the Meter / Tuner.
The clip safe is great especially for beginners but is a nice failsafe for even the more experienced. The easy way to explain how it works is that it records another track of whatever you record but at a lower volume to give you the option of using if your perfect take has a few parts that distort from too much volume. I’ve tried to figure this out, but I can’t quite get my finger on how it works. I’m just glad they made it because one of my drum tracks distorted and I simply used the version they made. Consider it your own personal engineer in there.  The meter tuner is especially great as well. Just push it and they pop up. This makes life easy when you need to check levels or tune and don’t want to mouse over to find the option. It can also be viewed across the room in case you’re tracking guitars in the next chair.
I spent a great deal of time with this interface. I even used it in Pro Tools 9 and it works great with other DAWs too. So, if Logic is your forte, plug this bad boy right in and you’re good to go, but you do not get access to the Meter / Tuner and Clip Safe buttons; but everything else works just like it would in Reason.
So now I’m betting you’re looking at me, saying, “What’s the catch? You said nothing bad about this interface yet and you’re about to hit me with bad news.” Well honestly I can’t find anything wrong with it. If you can, I will gladly place it in my review if it is a well thought out issue.
My only gripe is the price. Even at the new price of $399.00, you’re in Mbox 3 territory. I’m not saying that because Mbox is better at all. The hardware part is no contest for Balance. It’s the limitations in the software that you’re getting with the unit. I’ve stated this in my previous review of Reason and I’ll say it again. Although a company wants to control the whole recording experience, the user misses out on other great plug-ins out there. This is why the price gets me. Sure you’re getting an easy to use, straight-forward piece of recording software, but I’m just not there yet with Reason. So if you asked me with $399, which one am I going to use for the rest of my life, Mbox with Pro Tools, or Balance with Reason, it would take me a while to answer. And if you’ve read this site, you know that is an AMAZING feat to accomplish by Propellerhead because any piece of hardware that would even make me think about giving up my Pro Tools is something to be considered.

Propellerhead Lowers Prices

By
Bryan
-

Propellerhead usually goes against the flow. In that spirit, they are offering lower prices in both Balance and Reason Essentials. Balance is an incredible product as is Reason Essentials and now this gives you even more reason (crap I didn’t mean to make that joke) to buy their incredible product.

Propellerhead announced today a major price drop on Reason Essentials, the company’s streamlined version of the award-winning music making software Reason. Introduced in the fall of 2011, Reason Essentials is now available at an exceptional price suited to first-time buyers of music software or those curious about Reason’s instruments, creative flow and fresh take on audio recording.
Propellerhead is also lowering the price on the Balance with Reason Essentials package. The integrated system featuring the critically acclaimed Balance audio interface and Reason Essentials music making software will be available at a new lower price starting today.
Distilled from the core of Reason, Reason Essentials contains a great selection of instruments and effects in a virtual rack that builds itself, or can be infinitely customized—drum machine, loop player, sampler, synths, reverb, delay, distortion, mastering effects and more. For guitar players, the built-in virtual guitar and bass PODs from Line 6 bring a wide range of top quality guitar amps, cabinets and effects. The built-in audio and MIDI sequencer makes recording and arranging song ideas, loops and full-blown tracks a breeze. Users never have to worry about track counts, latency issues or adding that extra reverb or effect. With an easy to grasp interface, it won’t get in the way of ideas and will inspire to make more music.
“We want Reason Essentials to be within reach for everyone,” says Leo Nathorst-Böös, Reason Essentials Product Marketing Manager. “With this new price-point for Reason Essentials we’re opening up the Reason platform to all musicians who want to record, mix and produce their own tracks in a straight-forward way.”
Skills learned and song files created in Reason Essentials are directly transferable to Reason, providing users with a smooth transition to Propellerhead’s full-blown music making platform should they need more instruments, effects and advanced mixing tools.

Reason Essentials and Balance will be available for purchase at the new lower pricing worldwide starting today.
The suggested retail price for Reason Essentials is $129.00 USD / €120 EUR. The street price is expected to be $99/€99.
The new suggested retail price for Balance with Reason Essentials is $449.00 USD / €429.00 EUR. The street price is expected to be $399/€349.
For more info, click HERE.

Native Instruments: Dark Pressure

By
Bryan
-

Maschine has easily become one of my must have pieces of gear in the studio. The merger of hardware and software into one easy to use package, is ideal for anyone producing modern music. I’ve used Maschine for just about anything from country to dubstep and it never lets me down. Now Native Instruments have added a new package to the arsenal with Dark Pressure. This caters to the all too popular electronic element in music today, giving you all the one shots needed to make the next hit that will ultimately knock Ke$ha off the charts and back to waiting tables in Encino.

DARK PRESSURE brings the sound of tough underground dance music to your MASCHINE or MASCHINE MIKRO.
Huge sub-heavy kicks, chunky toms, sharp hi-hats, crisp percussion, warm bass tones and crystallized lead synth sounds – all processed with analog gear and MASCHINE’s internal FX – provide the building blocks for muscular techno, tech-house, and minimal tracks worthy of the world’s most respected clubs.
Created in association with globetrotting DJ/Producer Steve Lawler and leading sound designers from Loopmasters, this Expansion delivers club-ready punch for maximum dancefloor response.

DARK PRESSURE is available now in the NI Online Shop for just $59 / 49 €, and if you own iMASCHINE, you can get a smaller version of DARK PRESSURE for only $0.99 / 0.79 € directly from the in-app store.
For more info, click HERE
 

Mixed In Key: Mashup

By
Bryan
-

We all wish we could make Mashups like Girl Talk and other names I don’t remember right now. The only problem is usually, it’s extremely hard to do it right. Well until Mixed In Key released Mashup. This software does all of the work for you. No need to spend hours in Ableton trying to match everything perfectly. Simply drag two files in and get going. Also… it’s very cost effective at only $39.00. That’s a steal for software that lets you get all of the glory for awesome music. Just don’t put any Ke$ha in there… for my sake.

Mixed In Key has released Mashup for Windows and Mac OS X, a new software application that lets you quickly and easily beatmatch two or more audio files, edit them, and save your results to a new audio file. Mashup uses Mixed In Key 5’s harmonic algorithm to find compatible songs, and makes the process of mashup creation incredibly easy. “Our goal was to design software that could help you create a mashup in five minutes or less,” says Mixed In Key’s president Yakov Vorobyev. “We think that mashup creation should be easier than it is with Ableton Live.”
Mashup’s user interface is streamlined and intuitive. Import songs into Mashup, and it will analyze them for key and tempo. Next, drag a song into Mashup’s ultra-fast audio editor, and its tempo will become the master for the project. If you’d prefer, you can manually enter in a different master tempo. As soon as one song is added, the song browser will show you which other songs in your collection are 100% harmonically compatible with your original song. Then drag other songs into the editor window, and they’re automatically beat-matched to the master tempo, using Mashup’s professional time-stretching algorithm.
Now you can start editing. Mashup lets you graphically edit each song’s volume, as well as three bands of EQ, all with breakpoint-style automation. The editor also lets you select and silence portions of songs, adjust phase, slide them in time, and more. When you’re done editing, you can export the result to a 320kbps MP3 file or a 16-bit, 44.1kHz WAV file.
If you already use Mixed In Key 5, Mashup will load its database and will skip the analysis step. Mashup and Mixed In Key 5 work flawlessly with each other.

Mashup is available for $39 and comes with free updates until Version 2.99
For more information, click HERE

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