EM Editors Choice 2009

Jan 1, 2009 12:00 PM, By the EM Staff

           
 

2009 EDITORS' CHOICE AWARDS

BONUS MATERIAL
Reviews and Such for This Year's Winners

Field Recorder

Sony PCM-D50 ($499)

Two years ago, we gave an Editors' Choice Award to Sony's PCM-D1, a digital stereo recorder remarkable for its portability and outstanding quality. Late that year, we got our hands on the PCM-D50, an even smaller machine possessing nearly all the D1's charms at a fraction of the cost. It was love at first sight. The PCM-D50 is a thing of beauty. Its specs and feature set make it an ideal choice for audio professionals. Though compact, it offers an ample display, lots of buttons, and four AA batteries and can record 24-bit, 96 kHz BWF files for 12 hours without running out of juice.

The PCM-D50 comes loaded with 4 GB of onboard memory, and you can expand it further with a Memory Stick. Like the D1, the D50 has top-mounted mics that swivel to accommodate XY and wide-angle recording. It sets up quickly and offers both analog and digital audio I/O. You can speed up or slow down playback without changing pitch. Dedicated buttons and an easy-to-navigate menu system let you define loop points, split files, and automatically engage an unusually flexible limiter. It can even begin recording 5 seconds before you press Record. In a year when several pocket-size recorders hit the street, the Sony PCM-D50 is at the top of the heap.

Guitar Amp/Effects-Modeling Software

Native Instruments Guitar Rig 3 (Mac/Win; Kontrol edition $499, software only $299)

Native Instruments Guitar Rig is a perennial leader in this very competitive and ever-growing software category. Guitar Rig 3, which is both a standalone program and a multiformat plug-in, offers a wide range of new features. Our reviewer, Babz, described the new version as “an all-around guitarist's toolbox.”

Version 3 adds four new amp models (emulating Orange, Bogner, Hiwatt, and Fender Tweed amplifiers) to its previous total of eight, giving you a wider range of tones. Six new effects include a ring modulator and a tape echo that models the Roland Space Echo. The user interface has been redesigned, offering improvements such as large views for live work, reorganized preset menus, and automatic cabinet matching. The Rig Kontrol pedal — the hardware controller/audio interface that comes with the Kontrol edition — has also been revamped. It sports a new look, additional switches, and new audio converters. So whether you're into simple, straight-ahead rigs or complicated multiamp-and-effects setups with complex custom routing, Guitar Rig 3 — even more so than previous versions — provides an all-in-one software solution.

Microphone

Cascade Microphones

Gomez Michael Joly Edition ($499)

Once again the mic category proved to be quite a horse race, with a variety of mics competing at a wide range of prices. This year's winner is a modestly priced ribbon transducer that offers greater versatility than others in its price class. The Cascade Gomez Michael Joly Edition received kudos from reviewer Rudy Trubitt for its well-rounded sound, relatively open top end, and clarity in the lower midrange. With a frequency response that is relatively flat up to about 5 kHz, recordings made with the Gomez respond well to high EQ boosts without getting harsh.

With its asymmetrical grille basket, this distinctive-looking mic features a symmetrical bidirectional pattern and includes a Lundahl LL2912 output transformer. It also comes with a shockmount and a foam-lined metal case. However, it's how good the mic sounded that got our attention. As ribbon mics continue to grow in popularity for recording electric and acoustic guitar, brass, woodwinds, and percussion, it's fitting that this year's winner is an affordable ribbon with a sound that belies its price.