It took me quite some time to come the conclusion that the ART PRO VLA II would be a decent compressor to add to my audio arsenal. ART have in the past and for good reason been considered by most to be one of the worst brand names (Next to Behringer) on the planet. A reputation for cheap Chinese made processors that on a regular day should be avoided like the plague. I seem to remember owning an ART “Tube” preamp that was one of the noisiest devices I’ve ever heard. This experience successfully put me off ART for a very long time. Until recently my opinions of these processors was “pure chinese rubbish”! During some midnight internet adventures I discovered many Read more »
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Tags: affordable, art, art vla pro 2, art vla pro ii, Cape Audio College, la-2a, modifications, opinion, pro audio, pro vla ii, review, valve compressor, vla, vla ii, vla pro ii
Gear, Review | Richard Harriman March 13, 2013 | 
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I remember a day when software controllers where these ugly grey boxes with big rubber F keys. They had nasty, complicated MIDI integration and cost more than a family car. That wasn’t all that long ago and with technology moving at such a pace I find myself wondering what we are in store for next. Minority report styled holo-decks? Telepathy controlled motorized faders? Plutonium based Wordclocks? Perhaps! But for now, we will have to suffice with the current craze that seems to be taking over the world. iPad’s and androids have found their way Read more »
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Tags: "android daw controller", android, audio programs, Cape Audio College, controller, DAW, ipad, music production, pro audio, review, samsung galaxy tab, tablet daw, touchdaw
Gear, Review | Richard Harriman July 11, 2012 | Comments Off
Recently Harman gave us the opportunity to demo the (little known in this country) entry level Lexicon interfaces. If you are unfamiliar with Lexicon products then you have probably been mixing in your bedroom for too long. Lexicons heritage is just plain damn incredible with a reputation for pioneering and producing the worlds best reverb algorithms . The Lexicon 960L became a high end industry standard for 5.1 and 7.1 surround reverb processing. But at $ 6 500 second hand, its no drop in the ocean. I remember buying my first Lexicon processor back in 2001. Feeling like I had just lost an arm and a leg I began to appreciate the value of loosing every penny simply for the purpose of enjoying a decent sounding reverb in my mix. So yes, you could say that I’m a fan of Lexicon and have been for years. Read more »
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Tags: "home recording", "low cost", "south africa", Audio, Audio Engineering, budget, Cape Audio College, i-onix, interface, lambda, lexicon, review, sound engineering, u42s, Wild & Marr
Gear, Review | Richard Harriman February 27, 2012 | Comments Off
Recently I was given a whole bunch of MXL microphones to run through the mill. MXL are a little bit of an unknown company down here in our fishing village at the tip of Africa. And its no wonder, since RODE have been dominating the budget scene down here for quite some time. The MXL microphones are cheap, very cheap and from an initial point of view I was a bit apprehensive to say the least. I mean, come on! How can these things possibly sound any good? I was convinced that horror was a foot and I would end up chundering the instant the channel was un-muted. But I must admit, I was pleasantly surprised at results that emerged after A-B’ing the selected range. Read more »
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Tags: 2010, 550, 550/551, 551, budget, Cape Audio College, cr24, demo, microphones, MXL, review, shootout, v67i
Review | Richard Harriman February 8, 2012 | Comments Off
