Tech Reviews: New products (May 2023)

Sontronics Voicecasting Pack

Sontronics has released a new Voicecasting Pack, built around their excellent Podcasting Pro Dynamic Microphone. The pack includes everything you need to install the microphone within a classroom setup, including their new Elevate stand. This is a multi-positional desktop stand that clamps on to your desk and can also be permanently fixed using the supplied fittings. Elevate features tensioned cables inside rather than springs, so no noise transfers into your recording, and each arm has a channel and clips to keep your leads tidy. Speaking of leads, the Voicecasting Pack also includes two cabling options for supreme flexibility. The XLR-USB allows you to plug the mic directly into a Mac or PC, while the XLR-XLR cable enables you to use the mic with an interface or mixer. This is a great all-in-one solution for a good quality microphone, stand and leads for all kinds of classroom recording.

sontronics.com/voicecastingpack

Demo songwriting app

One of the challenges that songwriters face is the need to capture ideas on the fly – inspiration waits for no one! The team behind Demo are looking to solve that problem and have created a slick and refined app fit for that purpose. You can automatically generate chords or create custom progressions and start writing straight away. The app encourages you to create a progression, draft lyrics, record the vocals over the top and then save the entire idea together. You can create different sections easily and can export the track to continue working on it in a DAW. It’s also very easy to share demos with other people, encouraging collaboration and co-writing. With a very helpful tutorial and polished UI, Demo is a brilliant option for an all-in-one songwriting app, and one that I would highly recommend.

madewithdemo.com

AudioCheck

AudioCheck gives you access to an extensive collection of sound tests all available online and to download. These can be used to test (comprehensively) audio equipment connected to the computer and serve as an interesting starting point for any content about sound in the classroom. The tests also extend to the listener with fun pages on noticing small differences in pitch, timing delays, and a standard hearing test. The site is well presented and fun to explore; the binaural recordings also stood out as something particularly surprising! A great resource which is free to use.

audiocheck.net/index.php

Ableton Live tutorial resources

In our work, we’ve noticed recently the growing popularity of Ableton Live, and for good reason. For music in which you are looking to alter sounds, or programme instruments such as drums, it's a particularly good option, but that's really scratching the surface.

As a fully featured DAW, Ableton provides access to an array of both self-published and curated tutorials, stories from artists, and demo sets for users to explore. These cover a huge number of topics, from learning to use plugins to creative workflow techniques. The content from artists themselves, including how they work, can often provide starting points for compositions. For any new budding music-makers, this is a great place to start.

ableton.com/en/blog/categories/tutorials