Edirol R-09

One of the biggest hits of the 2006 NAMM Show was a versatile little recorder from Edirol (www.rolandus.com/edirol), the R-09 ($450). It records and plays 16- and 24-bit WAV files at 44.1 or 48 kHz and MP3 files at rates from 64 to 320 kbps. The R-09 is suitable for a variety of audio applications, from capturing interviews and ambient sound effects to recording your band and mastering your next CD. Building on the popularity of Edirol's portable R-1 recorder and only half the size of its predecessor, the R-09 features a built-in stereo condenser microphone, ⅛-inch stereo mic and line inputs, and an output that accommodates optical S/PDIF or ⅛-inch headphones. A USB 2.0 connection lets you transfer audio files to and from your computer.

In addition to transport and level controls and a 120 × 64 — pixel organic LED display, the menu-driven R-09 has onboard reverb and a button dedicated to looping between two user-defined markers, as well as automatic gain control and a low-cut filter. The 6-ounce device offers one-handed operation and relies on cost-effective Secure Digital cards as its storage medium. Two alkaline AA batteries yield up to 5.5 hours of playback and 4 hours of recording time. An AC adapter is included.

M-Audio EX66

M-Audio (www.m-audio.com) has unveiled its top-of-the-line studio monitor speaker, the EX66 ($699.95). With two 6-inch linear-piston low-frequency drivers and a 1-inch titanium dome high-frequency driver, the EX66's midwoofer-tweeter-midwoofer (MTM) vertical array was designed to exhibit a wider sweet spot while avoiding reflection problems inherent in more traditional woofer-tweeter configurations. The system is biamped, with two 100W PWM power amplifiers separately driving the 4 woofer combination and the 4 tweeter.

M-Audio calls the EX66 a digital high-definition reference monitor and recommends it for 2-channel and multichannel applications in which audio accuracy is paramount. Onboard digital signal processing tunes the cabinet to eliminate self-resonance, and a fourth-order Linkwitz-Riley crossover ensures a smooth, flat response. The EX66's Optimage II waveguide helps to minimize diffraction and improve imaging. A dual-flanged rear-cabinet port diminishes friction noise and port turbulence. An acoustic space control lets you optimize response based on room placement. Other controls include a volume knob, a high-frequency boost/attenuation switch, a midrange low-Q peak switch, and a 3-position low-frequency cutoff switch. S/PDIF and AES/EBU inputs handle 24-bit, 192 kHz signals and supplement the EX66's balanced ¼-inch TRS and XLR inputs.

Joemeek MC2

Joemeek (www.joemeek.com) continues to update its line of pro audio products, introducing an affordable stereo compressor that replaces a discontinued model with the same name. The MC2 ($299.99) houses two channels of photo-optical compression in a half-rack chassis that has electronically balanced inputs and outputs and a sidechain insert. The ins and outs also accept unbalanced signals.

The front panel has controls for Input Gain (with a peak LED), Compress (which determines the threshold), Slope (which determines the ratio), Attack, Release, and Make Up Gain. The MC2 can automatically adjust its ratio in response to the input signal's transient content. Gain reduction is indicated by a row of eight LEDs, and the overall level is indicated by nine LEDs.

By freezing gain-reduction levels when the input falls below threshold, the MC2's Gain Reduction Hold function can suppress noise or hiss during quiet passages, as indicated by a 2-color LED. The MC2 also lets you control stereo width by using a mid-side technique to vary the image from mono to normal stereo to extrawide, without losing the center or affecting bass response.

Serato Pitch 'n Time LE

Pitch 'n Time LE (Mac/Win, $399), a host-specific plug-in from Serato Audio Research (www.serato.com), produces pitch-shifting and time-stretching effects ranging from subtle to dramatic. Previously available only as Pitch 'n Time Pro for Digidesign Pro Tools TDM, the LE edition works with Pro Tools TDM, Pro Tools M-Powered, Pro Tools LE 6 and 7, and Apple Logic Pro 7.2. Because Pitch 'n Time LE relies on the same algorithm as the Pro edition, it produces the same high-quality output by acting on one set of parameters at a time. Use it to process any 16- or 24-bit audio, from a single sample to an entire stereo mix. You can shift pitch as much as an octave up or down and scale time from half to twice its original length.

Pitch 'n Time LE appears different in Logic Pro than it does in Pro Tools. Either version allows you to set the output tempo by a percentage or in beats per minute, specify the output length, transpose by pitch or by key, and create classic varispeed effects. The Pro Tools plug-in can also attenuate the output to avoid clipping, preview time changes, and help you calculate an audio selection's input tempo. In either version, you can preview pitch changes before rendering an audio file to disk.

sE Electronics Reflexion Filter

Many personal-studio owners don't have the resources to build an isolation booth for recording vocals and amplified and acoustic instruments. sE Electronics (www.seelectronics.com) seeks to address their needs with the Reflexion Filter ($399), a portable device you mount behind a microphone to reduce room ambience. It consists of a curved, approximately 12 × 18 — inch wall attached to a mic stand using a variable-position clamp. Functioning as a lightweight, mobile vocal booth, the Reflexion Filter helps to achieve dry, nonreflective sound in rooms that lack proper acoustic treatment.

To diffuse acoustic energy, the Reflexion Filter's composite wall has six layers that are made of punched aluminum on the outside, absorptive wool and aluminum foil on the inside, and an air gap in the middle. Attached to the main absorber are pieces of formed polyester fiberboard, which help absorb and diffuse sound waves striking the filter. The Reflexion Filter prevents reflected waves from reaching the microphone's back and sides while minimizing unnatural coloration.

The Sound Guy SFX Machine Pro

The latest audio plug-in from the Sound Guy (www.sfxmachine.com) is SFX Machine Pro (Mac/Win, $199), a versatile real-time multi-effects processor. Featuring all the effects of SFX Machine RT, the Pro version also has new algorithms such as granular synthesis and pitch sweep. More than 300 presets include such unique effects as 16mm Projector, Subliminablizer, and Full-Wave Rectifier, as well as studio standards like distortion, filter vibrato, and slapback echo.

You can also create your own effects with the modular Preset Editor, which lets you specify the DSP type and modulation routings for as many as eight stereo sound sources. All parameters can be automated, and you can assign remote hardware controllers using the MIDI Learn function. SFX Machine Pro can sync its LFOs and delay times to your sequencer's tempo, too. The plug-in supports the VST format in Windows and Mac OS X and AU on the Mac. The Sound Guy promises that future versions will add new features and even more presets.

Nomad Factory Analog Signature Pack

Nomad Factory (www.nomadfactory.com) has introduced a suite of three plug-ins that simulate tube-based studio processors. Analog Signature Pack (Mac/Win, $287) consists of a limiter, an equalizer, and a combination EQ and compressor. Limiting Amplifier LM-662 is a software emulation of the Fairchild 670, a dual-mono limiter with individual A/B controls. Two identical halves each provide knobs for Threshold, Attack/Release Time, DC Adjust, and Gain, as well as a 12AX7 tube-emulation slider.

Program Equalizer EQP-4 is a stereo processor that features low and high bands with a choice of shelving or peaking, boost or cut, and 13 cutoff frequencies. Parametric EQ is available for overlapping low-mid and high-mid bands with variable bandwidth, boost or cut, and 13 center frequencies.

Studio Channel SC226 gives you a 4-band equalizer, modeled optical compression, and brickwall limiting for tracking, mixing, or mastering. Each of the three plug-ins supplies analog-style VU meters and 21 presets for specific instruments or situations. Analog Signature Pack is compatible with AU, RTAS, and VST hosts.

Get Smart

At the most basic level, good musicianship comes down to using your ears, your hands, and your mind. Ear training aims to improve your aural and visual recognition of intervals, scales, chords, progressions, and rhythms. EarMaster 5 (Win, $69.95), a software application from eMedia (www.emediamusic.com), will help you develop your ear and advance your recognition skills. The program furnishes more than 650 lessons in 12 focus areas and in 13 languages. You respond to the program's questions by playing a MIDI instrument, by playing or singing into a microphone, or by using standard notation, onscreen buttons, an onscreen keyboard, or an onscreen fretboard. You can customize EarMaster 5 to present exercises that concentrate on your individual needs. For users who are more advanced, the Jazz Tutor offers an alternative to EarMaster 5's Standard Tutor.

Although digital recording permeates personal and commercial studios alike, the allure of analog tape hasn't diminished. The analog medium's legendary warmth has kept it alive, but its proponents are faced with the relative inconvenience of using and maintaining tape machines and reels of magnetic tape. Analog Recording ($29.95), written by David Simons and published by Backbeat Books (www.backbeatbooks.com), explains why the practice will never go completely out of style. In interviews with engineers and producers of numerous hit records, the author dissects the sound of artists ranging from the Beatles to Fiona Apple. He tells readers how to buy and maintain vintage analog gear such as recorders, mixers, monitors, and mics and offers suggestions for studio construction. To illustrate various techniques and effects, an audio CD is bundled with the book.

Anyone who dreams of owning a studio by the sea or in some other fabulous location will be inspired by the book Making Tracks: Unique Recording Studio Environments ($44.95), by Jeff Touzeau. Through color photos and interviews with studio owners and managers, the 207-page hardbound book from Schiffer Publishing (www.schifferbooks.com) takes you on virtual tours of 18 unusual locations to record your next project. You'll discover studios in a 300-year-old mansion, a Caribbean resort, a 12th-century winery, and Brooklyn's oldest firehouse. From famous multimillion-dollar facilities such as Real World and Bearsville Studios to lesser-known, one-of-a-kind spaces such as Al Jardine's Red Barn Studios and Will Ackerman's Imaginary Road, Making Tracks tells the behind-the-scenes story of each studio's construction, equipment, and operation.

In the interactive CD-ROM Audio Plug-ins CSi Master, vol. 2 (Mac/Win, $44.99), from Thomson Course Technology (www.courseptr.com), hosts and authors George Leger III and Chris Hellstrom guide you on your quest to master the ins and outs of dynamics and effects plug-ins for Windows and Mac OS X. Approximately four hours of video clips explain the operation and functionality of more than 30 individual plug-ins from Antares, Camel Audio, Native Instruments, PSPaudioware, Sony, Universal Audio, and others. You'll also learn to work with applications such as Celemony Melodyne Studio 3 and NI Reaktor 5. Featured topics include equalizers, compressors, delays, filters, pitch- and time-stretch, reverbs, and restoration.