Microphones
Placid Audio Carbonphone RU-80 – A Mix Mini Review
Check out Rob's quick take on a unique capsule microphone that delivers delicious distortion.
Rob is a journalist, producer/engineer, musician and songwriter who started with Pro Audio Review magazine in 2007, moved with PAR to Pro Sound News in 2015 and in turn moved to Mix with PSN. Rob opened Catalyst Recording in 1993, focusing on mobile recording, winning two Emmy’s along the way towards becoming an audio Jack-of-all-trades; mixing FOH and monitors, broadcast TV A1 and A2, mixing live sporting events, mixing theatre, chief engineer at the nation's top (Fortune 500) karaoke production studio, recording/mixing radio commercials, scoring film, mastering, teaching college-level audio courses, producing audio books and mixing streams/podcasts. Today Rob mostly records/produces/remixes musical artists across the spectrum and does lots of web-based mixing and mastering (Mac, smart-plugs and analog-summing, fwiw).
Outboard-Gear
Irodu P-1 Playback Device – A Mix Mini Review
Reviewer Rob Tavaglione shares his quick take on a unique stompbox-style playback device.
New Products
Alpaca Mic Alpaca 57 – A Mix Mini Review
Reviewer Rob Tavaglione shares his quick take on a unique on-mic filter for the SM57 microphone.
Plug-ins
Mastering the Mix Stereovault – A Mix Real-World Review
Our crack review team put Mastering The Mix's Stereovault plug-in the test and declared "Ultrawide mixes? Not a problem anymore."
Microphones
AKG C114 Microphone — A Mix Real-World Review
We took the C114, AKG’s new budget-friendly condenser, into the studio to put it to the test; here's what happened.
Microphones
Mix Review: AEA KU5A Microphone
Studio owner Rob Tavaglione puts the AEA KU5A, a supercardioid ribbon designed for studio and live use, to the test.
Monitors
Space Labs Systems Lift MK2 Speaker Stand – A Mix Mini Review
A bite-sized review of Space Labs Systems Lift MK2 Speaker Stand.
Reviews
Tandem Drum Drops – A Mix Mini Review
A bite-sized review of Tandem's Drum Drops, which help to dial in each snare drum, rack tom, and floor tom in a drum kit.
Plug-ins
Drumforge DF-Xcite 2 – A Mix Mini Review
A bite-sized review of the new DF-Xcite 2 plug-in from Drumforge.
Plug-ins
Denise Audio Perfect Room 2 – A Mix Mini Review
A bite-sized review of the new Perfect Room 2 plug-in from Denise Audio.
Microphones
Vanguard Audio Labs V1S+LOLLI gen 2 — A Mix Real-World Review
Studio owner Rob Tavaglione takes the new Vanguard Audio Labs V1S+LOLLI kit and puts it through the paces in this Real-World Review.
Plug-ins
Heritage Audio 73 JR Plug-in — A Mix Real-World Review
We put the new 73 JR plug-in, a careful re-creation of the 73 JR 500 Series 1073-clone, to the test - here's what happened.
Reviews
AKG K712 Pro Headphones — A Mix Real-World Review
Veteran studio pro Rob Tavaglione gets his hands on AKG's latest open-back headphones and puts them to the test.
Plug-ins
Baby Audio Humanoid — A Mix Real-World Review
The Mix review team puts Humanoid, a “vocal transformer and hard tuner” processor, to the test.
Reviews
Audio-Technica ATH-M60X Headphones – A Mix Real-World Review
Our reviewer loves his ATH-M50X headphones, so when he discovered the M60X model, he had to give them a try.
Outboard-Gear
Radial Nuance Select — A Mix Real-World Review
Studio owner Rob Tavaglione puts Radial's new Nuance Select through the paces and finds it's a studio monitor controller with stellar sonics.
Microphones
Vanguard Audio Labs V24 — A Mix Real-World Review
Our review team puts the pricey Vanguard Audio Labs V2 mic kit to the test and finds you get what you pay for.
Reviews
Triniti AI — A Mix Real-World Review
AI tools are increasingly trying to make inroads into the recording world. Of course, a skilled mixer/remixer can do better—for now.
Outboard-Gear
AudioScape Buss Compressor & 260VU Comp/Limiter — A Mix Real-World Review
Boutique U.S. manufacturer AudioScape is an example of how classic sonics are being brought into the present for affordable prices.
Microphones
Roswell Pro Audio Aztec – A Mix Real-World Review
Our review team put Roswell Pro Audio's Aztec boutique tube microphone to the test in this Real-World Review.
Plug-ins
Brainworx bx_limiter True Peak – A Mix Real-World Review
Our reviewer finds that Brainworx's latest plug-in features a wealth of control and fine-tuning options.
Microphones
Austrian Audio OD5, OC7 and OC16 – A Mix Real-World Review
Recording pro Rob Tavaglione put a trio of Austrian Audio's latest mics to the test for his latest Real-World Review.
Monitors
SPL MTC Mk2 Monitor Controller – A Mix Real-World Review
Studio owner Rob Tavaglione spent months working with the SPL MTC Mk2 Monitor Controller for this Mix Real-World Review.
Reviews
Lalal.ai Source Separation – A Mix Real-World Review
Some may find it more useful than others, but the Lalal.ai web-based ‘un-mixing’ stem-splitting service keeps getting better—here's why.
Plug-ins
MAAT FiDef JENtwo – A Real-World Review
Studio pro Rob Tavaglione puts the psychoacoustic process of the new MAAT FiDef JENtwo stand-alone plug-in to the test.
Plug-ins
Youlean Loudness Meter 2 – A Real-World Review
Many free plug-ins only get half the job done, but reviewer Rob Tavaglione discovers the Youlean Loudness Meter 2 plug-in hits the target.
Microphones
PreSonus DM-7 Drum Mic Set – A Real-World Review
Reviewer Rob Tavaglione finds the DM-7 set to be "a steal, as I fully expected it to cost double that and still be a...
Microphones
Vanguard Audio Labs V13 gen2 Microphone – A Real-World Review
Producer/engineer/studio owner Rob Tavaglione discovers "the V13 gen2 checks all the boxes of performance, affordability and quality" in this Real-World Review.
Reviews
Flare Calmer Earplugs – A Real-World Review
Producer/engineer Rob Tavaglione pops some Flare Calmer earplugs in and gives them a post-mix session test drive.
Plug-ins
Mastering the Mix’s Reso Plug-In – A Real-World Review
Mastering the Mix’s Reso Plug-In Offers a Clean, Intelligent Approach to Problem Resonances.
Reviews
Sound Anchors ADJ2 Speaker Stands – A Real-World Review
Studio owner Rob Tavaglione takes on Sound Anchors' ADJ2 Speaker Stands in this Real-World Review.
Reviews
Real-World Review: Argosy HaloK Workstation, Rack ’n Roll and Spire 360 Xi Speaker Stands
Studio owner Rob Tavaglione recently updated his facility, Catalyst Recording, with a new desk, rolling rack and speaker stands from Argosy. Here's how it...
Microphones
Austrian Audio CC8 Microphone — A Real-World Review
Mix's review team put the new Austrian Audio CC8 small-diaphragm condenser microphone to the test.
Plug-ins
SIR Audio Tools StandardCLIP Plug-in – A Real-World Review
Our review team put the SIR Audio Tools StandardCLIP Plug-in to the test and came away impressed—here's why.
Outboard-Gear
Sterling SHA4 Headphone Amplifier – A Real-World Review
Reviewer Rob Tavaglione finds that despite mostly typical features, the Sterling Audio SHA4 headphone amp has some cool design quirks.
Plug-ins
Baby Audio Smooth Operator – A Real-World Review
Reviewer Rob Tavaglione says the Baby Audio Smooth Operator plug-in makes makes dramatic tonal variations easily possible.
Microphones
Lauten Audio LS-308 – A Real-World Review
Studio owner/producer/engineer Rob Tavaglione put a trio of Lauten Audio LS-308 condenser mics to the test and found them to be versatile problem solvers.
Product Reviews
JZ Microphones BB29 Condenser Mic – A Real-World Review
Studio owner/engineer Rob Tavaglione puts the new BB29 Condenser Mic from JZ Microphones through the paces and finds it's a winner.
Product Reviews
SSL VHD 500 Series Mic Preamp – A Real-World Review
The VHD 500 Series Microphone Preamp provides users with an affordable way to achieve that classic SSL sound.
Gear and Technology
Repairing Spoken-Word Recordings with iZotope Rx 8 Advanced – A Real-World Review
Producer/engineer Rob Tavaglione explains how he repairs spoken-word recordings with iZotope Rx 8 Advanced in this real-world review.
Product Reviews
BABY Audio Parallel Aggressor Plug-In—A Real-World Review
Producer/engineer Rob Tavaglione put the BABY Audio Parallel Aggressor Plug-In to the test and found it was a winner.
Product Reviews
Shure Beta91A Condenser Boundary Microphone – A Real-World Review
Revered as kick drum mics par excellence, Shure Beta91 and Shure Beta91A microphones go head-to-head for a side-by-side and sound-by-sound comparison.