Electronic Musician (2004/05)

Features 30 // Ears To You! The most important tool in any audio professional's arsenal is a healthy pair of ears. An expert who specializes in treating musicians' hearing disorders explains how you can preserve your hearing for as long as possible. By Charles J. Limb, M.D. 42 // Cover Story: Bargain Hunter's Delight Everyone likes a bargain, especially when the product is good. Get the lowdown on nine cool, interesting, innovative, fun, or just plain useful software synthesizers for Mac and Windows that you can add to your arsenal for less than $100 apiece. By Brian Smithers 56 // Production Values: Sonic Surgeon Welcome to the world of BT, a place where a single vocal track can have thousands of edits, sound effects can be time—corrected with 512th-note accuracy, and studio sessions can last 40 hours. The electronica film composer chats about his music, his studio, and his incredibly intricate production techniques. By Mike Levine Departments 10 // First Take 14 // Letters 18 // What's New 132 // Ad index 133 // Marketplace 137 // Classifieds Columns 26 // Tech Page: Getting Holographic Holographic data storage could be the Next Big Thing. 28 // Pro/File: Cloud Formation Curtis Roads creates energetic music using pulsar synthesis. 72 // Recording Musician: The Winning Pitch Get the most from pitch correction. 82 // Square One: About Phase We set the record straight about phase, phase shift, and polarity. 146 // Final Mix: What's in a Ward? Exploring the power of semantics. Reviews 90 // Steinberg Cubase SX 2.0.1 (Mac OS X/Win) digital audio sequencer 96 // Studio Projects LSD2 stereo large-diaphragm condenser microphone 100 // Cakewalk Sonar 3.1 Producer Edition (Win) digital audio sequencer 104 // M-Audio Tampa mic preamp/compressor Special Monitor Review Section 108 // Event Electronics Studio Precision 8 Active active close-field monitor 112 // KRK ST8 passive close-field monitor 116 // Tapco S-5 active close-field monitor 120 // Alesis ProACtive 5.1 surround speaker system 124 // Quick Picks: Korg Toneworks Ampworks guitar-effects processor; SoundToys FilterFreak (Mac) filter effects plug-in; EastWest PMI Grandioso Bösendorfer 290 sampled-piano plug-in; FXpansion BFD 1.07 (Mac/Win) virtual instrument