Technology gets smaller and smaller, that's a fact. The Zoom H1 is one of the smallest quality handy recorders I've seen. It's the younger brother of two very successful products like the H4 and the H2. We've got one to test in these weeks, and I'm sure this is gonna be a perfect Christmas gift (or self-gift) for many of us.

Did I say it's small? Well, the Zoom H1 is also very light (just 60 grams without battery, so let's say 90 grams with), a perfect combination when you need to record something and you don't want to bring heavy/big equipments with you.
Good ergonomics, great usability: you don't need to go through submenus to use it, all the functions are one-click (or switch) away. Yes, the keys on the side are a bit small, but once you get used to it, it's fine (unless you have XXL hands!).


As you can see there's only one big button on the front, which lets you start/stop recording (and stop playing, when in play mode). Really, it can't be easier than that, thumbs up for Zoom's engineers and designers.

All the other functions are performed using the buttons on the sides (play mode, input and output level, delete) and the switches on the back of the unit (lo-cut, automatic level, wav/mp3 file format). The rewind and forward buttons duplicate also as selectors for the wav and mp3's quality (96kHz/48kHz/44.1kHz at 16-bit or 24-bit for the Wave files, from 48 to 320kbps for the mp3s). That's it, you don't need to know anything else about the features, you can start recording right away!
Oh, there's a tiny speaker too, so you can have a quick listen to your tracks. Just don't expect much from it, think of it as a bonus.

The sound
The X/Y microphone lives up to the expectations created by H1's bigger brothers. Good stereo image, and high sensibility (during one of the tests I was able to pick the words of some kids playing more then 20 meters from me!). The high sensibility can be a double-edged sword though. You'll have to manage the H1 with care during the recording. My advice is to use it with a tripod. By the way, talking of the tripod mount, one of the plus of the Zoom H1 is that it's a perfect match for DSLR cameras.


I've tried using the H1 with both automatic and manual recording levels. The automatic one works fine, so if you're going to use the H1 for interviews, meetings, etc, I'd choose this method without thinking too much about it. If you're doing something music-related, I'd go the old way, and set the levels with care first.
You can also use external microphones with the Zoom H1. You'll need a 1/8-inch plug.

Performance
The unit comes with a 2gb miniSD card (and an adapter to use it in SD card readers) and one 1,5 v. AA battery. When plugged via USB, the Zoom H1 mounts as an external drive, so it's just a matter of dragging the files to your hard disk and it's done. No USB cable is provided, a bit annoying if you haven't got one of these cables (many cameras use it though, for example some of the cheap Nikon models, so there's a chance you have one at home).


As said, this is a very easy-to-use device, with all the basic features you may expect. I've used it for song sketches, interviews, field-recordings. Having the H1 it's so easy to grab sounds around you that you can later put in your sampler or fav sound mangler.
Then, if you're looking for more control over your recordings (like setting markers while recording mp3s, overdubbing, etc.), better mics, etc., you should have a look at more expensive/bigger models.

Blowin' in the wind

Zoom sells also an accessory kit (Windscreen, AC Adapter, USB Cable, Adjustable Tripod Stand, Padded Shell Case and Mic Clip Adapter) which may come in handy. The package we've got for the test was the basic one though, so I can't say anything about the quality of these extras.
Anyway, I'd recommend getting a good windscreen. I've mentioned the mics' high sensibility, and if you're going to use the H1 for field-recording, sound-design, or you live in a windy place, well you WILL need a windscreen.
I first got one of the standard ones, and, uhm... forget it. Ok, it was cheap but it simply didn't work. Then I started looking on the internet and I found this guy, Kalani, and his company, Redheadwindscreens.


Redheadwindscreens makes and sells these funny looking windscreens which, well, just work (you can choose the colour)! Recently they added the Zoom H1 to the supported models, so I got one (well, two) of these windscreens and I can confirm they really make a difference.
Their size is perfect for the H1 (actually at first it's not so easy to put them on, it takes some practice), the switches on the back and the headphone plug can be reached without problems.


With these windscreens you can use the Zoom H1 also in less-than-ideal wind conditions. If you don't trust me, just look at this video.


These "fashionista" windscreens do not come cheap (34$ each), but they definitely add value to the Zoom H1 (and they're made in the beautiful Hawaii, US, no mass production). Recommended (and your girlfriend may love it too)! If money is an issue, try joining their monthly giveaway, you never know...

Conclusion
Great quality/price ratio and very portable, the Zoom H1 sets a new standard in its market's segment. A very useful tool for both journalists, musicians and sound-designers.

Price
(approx.) 99 $ - 99€ - 89£
If you'd like to support ANR you can buy it from Amazon following the links below, and we'll get some cents out of it. Thanks!

Zoom H1 at Amazon USA
Zoom H-1 at Amazon Germany
Zoom H1 at Amazon UK
Zoom H1 at Amazon France

...a perfect Christmas gift for many of us...

Product page

PROS

• Small and light
• Good recording quality
• Very easy to use
• Great value for money
• Great match for DSLR cameras

LOVE IT OR HATE IT

• It's light and cheap, but it's not built like a tank and it's not full-featured like its bigger brothers or other more expensive models

CONS

• Not rechargeable via USB (but it's only one AA battery)
• No USB cable
• No markers while recording in mp3

Twisted Tools is a company located in San Francisco that creates fun, professional, creative audio effects plugins for use within REAKTOR - a modular studio created by Native Instruments.

Buffeater is the 3rd Plugin in the Twisted Tools stable (read our Vortex review if you'd like to know more). It's a real-time granular multi-effect plugin, that can be used standalone (within Reaktor), or sit on a track in just about any DAW host around, as an AU or VST plugin. Buffeater can take a hold of live audio, or recorded samples, and manipulate the time and pitch of the audio in various ways, to affect the audio from a subtle to extreme manner. The 'sound' of the Buffeater is in my opinion aimed squarely at electronica (although definitely not limited there!) with its glitch, beat-slicing, stutter, DJ scratch and tape-style effects. This is confirmed with the list of artists that have either contributed to, or complemented Buffeater - Richard Devine, Bassnectar, Toksin, and Tipper, to name a few.

Buffeater is a multi-effects plugin, and is dynamically ordered. The best analogy I can think of is a guitar pedal board with 6 pedals on it. The order you choose to wire the pedals together greatly changes the affect the pedals have on the incoming sound. Buffeater's 6 effects can be ordered and reordered instantly, with just the push of a button. The sonic possibilities available at your fingertips suddenly becomes massive. I spent a little time on the maths, and quickly gave up!

To run Buffeater, you need to own a version of Reaktor 5 or later. This is an additional cost, but it is well worth looking in to, if you don't already own it, as it is an amazing piece of software in and of itself. Setup's a little trickier to navigate having Reaktor as the middle man. If you haven't ever used Reaktor, there's definitely a slight learning curve there. However the manual and setup guide that gets delivered electronically with the plugin are excellent, and once up and running, Reaktor has a great built-in 'info' button, that once depressed, will give you important information on everything you scroll the mouse over. Very useful. Twisted Tools also thoughtfully included templates for most DAW platforms, so it's as simple as loading your DAW's template, and away you go.

Buffeater is a clean, bold and colourful GUI. The six effects are laid out clearly, and there's an internal sample-player that comes loaded with almost 400mb of loops (free commercial use) contributed by D'arcangelo and some of the afore-mentioned artists. There are a mass of presets to click through, to get you started tweaking. The samples themselves are tunable within the sample player: you can change the pitch, start position, length, and amp of all the samples.

The six effects are:

Stretch : A granular effect that acts as the title suggests. You can stretch your audio out to the point of standing still.

Tape : An effect that allows you to slow down or speed up the incoming audio. Sounds like a record deck slowing down or speeding up.

Slice Repeat: This is a beat repeat effect, that takes equal defined chunks of audio, and re-orders them as you'd like.

Deconstruct: This one's not as obviously named as the others. It's similar to the Slice effect above, but has some extra sonic mayhem thrown in, allowing the sound to be altered more dramatically.

Scratch: This one has some crossover with the tape effect - creating dj-effect scratches, cuts, slides etc

Feed Grains: This one's interesting. It sounds like a reverb-ish type effect that occurs as particular sample grains are fed back on themselves. It creates a fairly different sound.

Each effect has this many parameters, and they are all automatable within Reaktor - so you can either use each effect as an on/off switch, or have it programmed to run through a little automated cycle. So for example, you can determine the order of slices in slice repeat, and how long they'll repeat for, and how many times, etc. every time you trigger the effect. So the push of one button can trigger a complex sequence of events. As is almost standard now - everything is midi-controllable and a couple of clicks will have any parameter linked up with any knob or slider or button sending midi signal.

The sample player is great, but this plugin is definitely well tuned for live use. There's a drop-down menu that allows switching between the sample player and external audio. Select the external audio, and whatever audio is on the track starts running through the plugin straight away. The CPU load was minimal - impressively so. I was using live with standard settings - 512mb sample buffer, and it never showed any signs of latency, slowing down, losing sync with the midiclock, or crashing. The immediacy of the plugin is very satisfying - it's possible to subtly tweak, or destructively mash a simple drum loop instantly, by pressing 6 buttons, and the results are very musical, and useful. Here's a simple drum loop that I tweaked live, and recorded:



There are 60 general presets for the whole selection of plugs, and then there are almost 300 presets for the automation of each of the 6 effects. So just using the presets alone you'll probably create a sound that you're looking for. One quirk that I found is that sometimes the buffer cache doesn't clear when changing a sample, so mid-tweak, the previous sample suddenly appears. This happened mainly on the internal sample-player. Other than that, it was brilliant. Here's another track that I used Buffeater on live, and recorded. 4 tracks, 3 with Buffeater on them, manipulated live. Simple, but you get the point, I think:



System Requirements
First off, a computer running REAKTOR 5 at least. One test the company recommends, if you own Reaktor, is to run the Oki Computer plug that comes with Reaktor. If you can run that comfortably, then you're probably ok. Buffeater runs fine even on PPC Macs, like the G5.

Conclusion
In a market that's starting to fill up - with plugs from Sugarbytes and the like, Twisted Tools' Buffeater stands out as a plugin that is useful for tweaking any audio that comes your way in an intuitive and deep manner. Prepare to lose hours of life gloriously washing around in mangled sound.

Price
$49

...Prepare to lose hours of life gloriously washing around in mangled sound....

Product page

PROS

• Excellent up to the moment effect plugin that enables solid sound mashing potential with a well-thought interface
  
• Deep integration within Reaktor, enabling great flexibility, automation, midi-control
  
• Great value for money
  

LOVE IT OR HATE IT

• If you're looking for a creative and stable way to mash sound live, or process music in a contemporary style, this is a great option. If you don't have Reaktor 5, or don't want to fork out the extra to buy it, then this probably isn't for you.
  

CONS

• For a beginner, it could be relatively confusing using a plugin within a plugin, although Twisted Tools have done an excellent job of making the GUI clean and clear.
  
• If you don't own Reaktor 5, it could be an expensive purchase (Although Reaktor 5 is great software too!)
  

by Andy Dollerson

A couple of weeks ago. in a short conversation with Oscar from Softube, he mentioned a new product coming, quite different from what they had done 'til now. Here's what he was talking about: Softube has just released the TSAR-1, an algorithmic reverb for native (VST/AU/RTAS) platforms, PPC Macs included.
We'll hopefully test it in the next weeks, but now let's read what they have to say about it.
"The TSAR-1 Reverb is not an emulation. It's not a stock design. It's not a static snapshot of a space. The TSAR-1 is a powerful, modern reverb algorithm. It's alive and vibrant, it's gentle and dreamy, and above all - it's natural and believable. The TSAR-1 is the better-sounding alternative to the established, traditional reverb products. At a fraction of the price."

If the image rendering above puzzles you, that's just a 3d rendering for the brochure. The real plug-in interface is this one:


A fully functional 20 day demo can be downloaded from the official website. An iLok is required, also for the demo.
TSAR-1 Reverb is available today at the Softube web shop and at authorized Softube dealers at a price of $329, excl. VAT.

Product page

Last but not least, Softube has a new webstore, called More Is More. The concept is simple, buy more save more.
Good news for all existing customers: Softube is offering a voucher for up to 40% off to those that already own some of their plugs!

Doepfer has just published some preliminary informations about their Dark Time Analog Sequencer, the perfect match for their cool Dark Time little synth (one of our awards in the 2009 Sonic Joy Awards - Special Guest's picks).
Of course the Dark Time Sequencer can be used with other devices (Midi, USB or CV/Gate).
It should be available for the end of the year, so if you're starting thinking about your Christmas gifts, well, this could be one of them!

The price should be around 400/500 euro. I guess this could be another hit for Doepfer...

On the Doepfer website you'll find all the details available at this stage.

Yesterday we visited the SAE Alumni Convention in Berlin. It was a nice chance to meet developers and audio pro companies showing their products in the SAE's studios and halls.
We spent some time with the Feeltune guys, the French company behind the much-talked Rhizome.

Rhizome is... oh well, a groove machine, a sequencer, a sampler, a VST host, a controller, basically an all-in-one music production machine. It can be used both for live performances and in the studio as a composing tool.
Under the hood Rhizome is an Intel-based computer running a very light and optimized version of Windows XP, with a display (divided in 4 sections), buttons, encoders and 16 pads. The audio in/out section uses RME hardware. Depending on the version chosen, the Rhizome comes with a set of plug-ins (virtual instruments and fx).

Rhizome is going to reach the market in November, and the two models shown yesterday were pre-production models waiting for the final touches.
We will wait to put our hands on the final release for a review in the next weeks.
After spending less than 30 minutes with the Rhizome, we can say that for sure there's a lot of work behind it, from both software and hardware points of view.
The software has been developed by Feeltune in collaboration with Ohmforce, which also provided some of their plugs (like Minimonsta) to the stock instruments and fx the unit ships with. Of course you can install other plug-in you've already bought.

At a first look, the workflow looks good, once you've learned the basics (for a computer user it won't be hard, trust me). Lots of flexiblity (step sequencer, real time mode, song mode, live sampling, etc.). The biggest drawback at the moment, for me at least, is that some vst instruments and fx have a preset management system that is not directly compatible with the Rhizome. This means that you can't browse through the presets using the Rhizome's knobs, and you'll need to use an external monitor to manage the thing. For example this affects some Native Instruments plugs, like the FM8. The Feeltune's devs are working with software audio companies to try to make the interaction between plug-ins and the Rhizome as seamless as possible though, so stay tuned for news.

The Rhizome has grown up in these months also thanks for the early feedbacks the company got from musicians and producers (an early version was presented at the Musikmesse a few months ago). The guys definitely want it to be a succesful device and they anticipated they're gonna work hard to make it even better once the first models will start shipping (updates, etc.). No corporate bullshit, they're musicians and they really love their new baby, so best of luck to them!

Official prices are not announced yet (should start from approx. 3.300 euro though), but don't expect it to be cheap. As said, this is a well designed all-in-one machine, produced in France in small quantities (and there are no plans on producing it elsewhere), so it's more like a boutique item. The price won't be that different from a pro audio setup anyway (computer + display + high quality converter + software, etc), so the final choice will be more about the benefits that a different, and definitely more "hands-on" and compact approach could give to your creativity. Stay tuned...

Product page

3R Audio, a new German software company, released the first version of Space Designer Manager, a Logic Pro utility.
If you're are a "heavy" Space Designer's user, with tons of third parties' IR files, this may come in handy.

According to the developer, "Space Designer Manager extends the usability of Logic's popular Space Designer impulse reverb and is it's perfect companion. The ever and ever growing number of 3rd party and user impulse responses shows Space Designer's drawback: Before you can use a impulse response file you must load it into a setting and save it. If you have hundreds or thousands of files this will be an exhausting and almost impossible task, because you have do it one by one. Space Designer Manager keeps you being creative because it does the job automatically for you in seconds. Furthermore it can find and relink impulse responses back to the setting files they belong to, if Logic can not find the files at the position that was saved in the setting.
Space Designer Manager consists of two parts. On the left side you find the Generator which batch generates setting files for Space Designer compatible impulse responses. You can process single impulse response files, folders or multiple selections as you wish by drag and drop or the open file dialog. The program will process all files in folders and folders in folders with the format aif, wav, sd2 and sdir. On the right side resides the Relinker which relinks setting files with the impulse responses they were originally pointing to by selecting a setting folder and the according impulse response folder. Relinker lets you choose the right file if there should be any files with the same name."

Price: 29 euro.

Product page

Avid should announce soon the release of the new Pro Tools HD Native Core. Details have already leaked, and here's the more or less official press release (and no, it's not REALLY native, it's a PCIe-based solution without TDM, but it's getting closer)...

"Avid Pro Tools HD Native takes full advantage of today's high-power computers by offering you some of the top features of Pro Tools HD at an incredible low price. Pro Tools HD Native gives you blazing fast I/O, near-zero latency, automatic delay compensation, and full integration with Avid's HD line of interfaces, leaving your CPU to handle plug-ins and mixing. If you're budget minded but still demand results from your DAW, have one of these high-power computers, and prefer to track with outboard signal processors (rather than plug-ins), then Pro Tools HD Native is perfect for you.

As a basic system, Pro Tools HD Native consists of an Avid Pro Tools HD Native Core PCIe card card, Pro Tools HD software, and an Avid HD interface. These interfaces include the HD I/O, HD Omni I/O, and HD MADI I/O, as well as the legacy 192 I/O, and 96 I/O. DigiLink Mini inputs on the Pro Tools HD Native Core card provide I/O for up to two separate interface connections and up to 64 channels of ultra-low-latency I/O.

Other than TDM plug-in support (which requires DSP), Pro Tools HD software runs the same with a Pro Tools HD Native Core system is it does with a Pro Tools HD Accel system. You get 192 channels of audio (64 at 192kHz), as well as 7.1 surround sound support, Copy to Send, complete multitrack Beat Detective, and other great functions previously unavailable for a native Pro Tools system. And if you're stepping up from a Pro Tools LE system, you'll get all of the plug-ins you already know and love."

Avid Pro Tools HD Native Core Card Features at a Glance:

• PCIe interface card
• Compatible with Avid Pro Tools|HD
• Supports Core Audio and ASIO applications
• 2 x DigiLink Mini ports interface with Avid HD interfaces including HD I/O, HD Omni I/O, HD MADI I/O, 192 I/O, and 96 I/O
• Serial port interfaces with SYNCH I/O
• Provides 64 channels of I/O with almost zero latency
• Includes Pro Tools|HD DAW and bundled plug-in software
• Supports full HD feature set including:
• Support for Mac OS X 10.6 and Windows 7
• 192 audio tracks, 128 busses
• Auto delay compensation on hardware and software inserts
• VCA Mixing
• Solo Bus AFL/PFL
• Input Monitoring
• Destructive/TrackPunch
• Machine Control
• ICON Support
• Advanced audio and video editing
• Prices start @ $3500.00

Apex Web Media, a company offering video-based training for audio, graphics, and professional software, has got in touch with ANR and told us about their latest audio-related courses: Pro Tools 8 and a Logic Pro 9 tutorials. And we've got also a discount code for our readers, so that you can get these courses with a 10% off the regular price.

The Pro Tools 8 Tutorial Video, geared toward beginners, features over 13 hours of instruction, these introductory lessons cover set up, navigation, HD and LE hardware configurations, recording and editing all the way to export and burning.
In their words "The Pro Tools 8 training has been designed to bridge the gap between tips and tricks available online and complete classroom-based certification courses costing thousands of dollars. As added assistance, work files are included to correspond with examples in the course.
All 22 lessons are narrated by Adam Olson, a professional Pro Tools and Logic Studio instructor who has worked with Grammy winning producers and major production studios throughout the U.S.
Some of the topics and techniques covered in the course include I/O Setup, Tracking Audio, Loop Recording, Beat Detective, Elastic Audio, Compressor and EQ Plug-ins, Working with MIDI, Aliasing, iLok, Exporting to Other DAWs and more.
The course retails for $99.95 (or €79.95 + Vat for EU Sales) on DVD or is instantly viewable through a $30 monthly subscription plan. Free demo videos and a full index of lessons can be found on the product page.

The Logic Pro 9 Tutorial Video, narrated by Sam McGuire, is also geared towards beginners and it covers all the most important topics, from the Setup to the included plug-ins, Flex Mode, Automation, etc.
The course retails for $99.95 (or €79.95 + Vat for EU Sales) on DVD or is instantly viewable through a $30 monthly subscription plan. Free demo videos and a full index of lessons can be found on the product page.

How to get the discount? Easy, add the product(s) to your shopping cart and then fill in your shipping information. In the field marked "Returning Customer Discount Code" near the bottom of the page, enter A3459 and 10% will be deducted from your order.

The WeTab (formerly known as WePad), created by the German company Neofonie, is an Intel-based Tablet Pc (based on Linux, Android and Adobe AIR), and one of the many potential iPad competitors that are going to appear on the market in these months.

Well, for sure the WeTab has already got a record: it's the first touch-screen gizmo whose Managing Director was forced to resign just a few days after the launch (the product is only available through Amazon Germany at the moment)!
WeTab’s MD Helmut Hoffer and his wife have been caught posting fake 5-star reviews of the device on Amazon.de. A German blogger, Richard Gutjahr, has revealed the scoop 2 days ago.

The first (real) reviews are not so positive: weight, display and software issues seem to be the most discussed topics. Probably some of these issues will be fixed in the next software updates, we'll keep an eye on this.

WeTab is available on Amazon Germany in two different configurations: 16GB and 32GB with 3G (UMTS).

Two years ago, in this article, we wrote about a new and quite peculiar sample libraries company, realsamples.
This time we've tested one of their latest releases, a virtual copy of the Orphica portable piano. Invented by Carl Leopold Röllig, this small portable piano type was built in Vienna in 1798. Produced for merely about 15 years, the Orphica remains one of the rarest pianos today worldwide, only 30 instruments have been preserved. The instrument is taken from the famous collection of ancient instruments by Professor Andreas E. Beurmann.

How does it sound?
Röllig was reminded of the "Lyre of Orpheus", so he chose the name accordingly for what happens to be a predecessor of today's portable keyboard.
Actually the word ”piano" here could be a bit misleading. The Orphica's tone is actually quite different. Its three octaves remind me more of an impossible mix between a dulcimer and a "mellow" harpsichord, but there's really something quite peculiar in this instrument. I'm sure if you're into sound-design, vintage sounding stuff (think of Jon Brion, etc.) you're gonna love this little gem. It may also work great to double/reinforce other keyboards' tracks.
Here's a short audio clip, straight from realsamples' website.


Technical details
Realsamples captured the sound with 16 velocity layers of each note, that means you'll get an expressive dynamic range.
Furthermore, key release sounds were sampled chromatically with 8 variations per key.
As usual with this software company, the Orphica samples has been recorded in a true "gearslut" way: the great sounding rooms of the Hasselburg estate, custom-made Wagner™ U47w® tube microphones, Crane Song™ Flamingo® preamps and Universal Audio™ 2192® digital converters, captured in 192 khz/24 bits resolution.
All the most popular soft samplers are covered: HAlion, Kontakt2 and higher, EXS24 and GigaStudio3.

Conclusion
A rare and lovely sounding instrument brought back to life. Definitely recommended for those that want to add a new colour to their keyboards' palette, as well as for musicologists.

Price
starting at 139.95 US $

you're gonna love this little gem

Product page

PROS

• Lovely, organic sound
• Compatible with all most popular formats

LOVE IT OR HATE IT

• Having the real instrument would be better, but given it's so rare we have to consider ourselves lucky to have such a virtual replacement

CONS

• Probably (I'm guessing here) some of the imperfections of the original instrument have been "cleaned", since the instrument sounds almost "too perfect"
• Not cheap, but you get a piece of history