The December Issue of RECORDING: 2022 Holiday Buyers' Guide

[Paul Vnuk Jr.]

Holiday Buyers Guide: Studio Gear You've Got to Get!

 

It's that time of year again. The holiday season is upon us. To help you make your list for all of the nice recording musicians in your life, or even if you are being just a bit naughty and planning to spoil yourself, we present the 2022 RECORDING Magazine Holiday Buyers' Guide! This year 54 companies weighed in with their suggestions.

 

Reviews

 

We have fifteen new product reviews this month:

 

It starts with the Mac Studio and Mac Studio Display from Apple. The OWC miniStack STX hardrive and hub, and to help keep your Mac Studio safe and protected, we bring you the stylish canvas and leather Mac Studio Case from Watershed.

 

We have four USB audio interfaces: The Apogee BOOM, the LEWITT CONNECT 6, the 88M from Neve, and the Vocaster One Studio bundle from Focusrite.

 

To help connect and route your preamps, processors and effects to the proper destination, we dig into the PATCH LT, a 16X16 32-point digitally controlled patchbay from Flock Audio. We have the Icicle Equalizer from TIERRA Audio. From Soyuz, we have the new 2-channel Launcher Deluxe inline preamp. For your reamping needs, we plug into the Reamp Station and the compact Reamp HP from Radial Engineering.

 

Finally, in software, we look at the Berlin Con Sordino Strings from Orchestral Tools' and the Originals Epic Choir from Spitfire.

 

Features

 

In Inside The Studio, Mark Hornsby offers up a second non-gear-focused Holiday Buyers Guide aimed at helping you hone your engineering skills. In Session Log, producer-engineer Marc Urselli shares his tales of recording the American composer, conductor, and saxophonist John Zorn-nothing screams happy holidays like the music of John Zorn. Aaron Trumm is back at the helm of this month's Fade Out with his thoughts on Holiday purchases and more.

 

If you have any questions or comments on this issues reviews or articles feel free to chime in.

 

Not a subscriber yet? Tomorrow I'll be back with a way that some of you can get a free digital subscription.

[Dave Bryce]

On 11/30/2022 at 4:32 PM, Paul Vnuk Jr. said:

Not a subscriber yet? Tomorrow I'll be back with a way that some of you can get a free digital subscription.

 

 

dB

[KuruPrionz]

I enjoyed the review of the Spitfire Audio Epic Choir, I'll be picking that one up before too long. 

 

I liked the review of the Neve 88M but I realized I can use my Focusrite ISA Two to get a Neve chosen transformer sound (older but still a great tone) AND separate send and returns for each channel. Plus, it has a variable high pass filter that works on mics and DI instruments - bonus feature. I can just use my SSL 2+ inputs set to Line anytime I want that sound plus I can get the SSL sound which is very nice in it's own right. Still, I'm not sure I'd have thought of that so soon without reading the article!

[Paul Vnuk Jr.]

16 hours ago, KuruPrionz said:

I enjoyed the review of the Spitfire Audio Epic Choir, I'll be picking that one up before too long. 

 

I liked the review of the Neve 88M but I realized I can use my Focusrite ISA Two to get a Neve chosen transformer sound (older but still a great tone) AND separate send and returns for each channel. Plus, it has a variable high pass filter that works on mics and DI instruments - bonus feature. I can just use my SSL 2+ inputs set to Line anytime I want that sound plus I can get the SSL sound which is very nice in it's own right. Still, I'm not sure I'd have thought of that so soon without reading the article!

 

Thanks,

 

I am a big fan of the Focusrite ISA preamps. If I didn't already have a plethora of preamp choices, I would easily consider switching to a full ISA setup. Just note that while Rupert Neve designed the original ISA 110 preamps, and the famous Neve 1073, they both offer a very different sound, as is the case with the preamp topology of the Neve 88 series.

The thing I liked the most about the new 88M (despite its cost) was its balance of–––does what it says it does––functional simplicity and its sound. The preamps are true to what you find in an 88-Series desk, and the conversion is top-tier (think Apogee, RME ADI and Lynx).

Since you mentioned the Focusrite ISA pres, I did a full video review that I can post in a new thread.

 

-PV

[KuruPrionz]

Just now, Paul Vnuk Jr. said:

 

Thanks,

 

I am a big fan of the Focusrite ISA preamps. If I didn't already have a plethora of preamp choices, I would easily consider switching to a full ISA setup. Just note that while Rupert Neve designed the original ISA 110 preamps, and the famous Neve 1073, they both offer a very different sound, as is the case with the preamp topology of the Neve 88 series.

The thing I liked the most about the new 88M (despite its cost) was its balance of–––does what it says it does––functional simplicity and its sound. The preamps are true to what you find in an 88-Series desk, and the conversion is top-tier (think Apogee, RME ADI and Lynx).

Since you mentioned the Focusrite ISA pres, I did a full video review that I can post in a new thread.

 

-PV

I'm very aware that the ISA is an older design and had a different transformer than the newer Neve stuff, Rupert kept working to improve his preamps right to the end. 

That said, the ISA is a great sounding pre! 

I'd love to see your video review, please and thank you!!

[Paul Vnuk Jr.]

I know it's darn near sacrilege in the studio world, but I actually think I prefer the ISA 110 sound to the classic 1073, I also really like the more modern Neve 88 a bit better as well.