Paul White and Hugh Robjohns pick their software and hardware highlights from the gear they've reviewed in the last 12 months.

Chapters
00:00 - Introduction
00:14 - Cranborne Audio Brick Lane Compressor
03:56 - Soundtoys SpaceBlender
05:40 - Braingasm Ocula
08:18 - Sub51 And Soundtrax Drop Pad
09:16 - Red Panda Radius Ring Modulator
10:40 - Source Audio Encounter Delay+Reverb
11:45 - Electro-Harmonix Oceans Abyss
13:05 - Sound Devices Astral ARX16 Receiver
15:23 - Sound Devices Astral HH Transmitter
16:31 - Sound Devices Astral TX Transmitter
17:17 - RME ADI-2/4 Pro Converter
18:34 - Newfangled Audio Articulate Audio ADSR
19:54 - Overloud THU v2 Guitar Amp Simulator
20:37 - Grace Design m701 Audio Interface

Gear4Music (affiliate link UK/EU only)
Red Panda Radius
EHX Oceans Abyss

Sweetwater (affiliate link North America only)
Cranborne Brick Lane 500
Red Panda Radius
Source Audio Encounter
EHX Oceans Abyss
Sound Devices Astral ARX16
Sound Devices Astral HH
Sound Devices Astral TX
RME ADI-2-4 Pro SE
Grace Design m701

#cranborneaudio #soundtoys #braingasm #sub51 #soundtrax #redpanda #sourceaudio #electroharmonix #sounddevices #rme #newfangledaudio #overloud #gracedesign

Paul White Biog
Paul White initially trained in electronics at The Royal Radar Establishment in Malvern then went on to work with Malvern Instruments, a company specialising in laser analysis equipment, before moving into technical writing. 

He joined the Sound On Sound team in 1991 where he became Editor In Chief, a position he held for many years before recently becoming Executive Editor. Paul has written more than 20 recording and music technology textbooks, the latest being The Producer’s Manual.

Having established his own multitrack home studio in the 1980s he’s worked with many notable names including Bert Jansch and Gordon Giltrap. He’s played in various bands over the years and currently collaborates with Malvern musician Mark Soden, under the name of Cydonia Collective. Paul still performs live claiming that as he has suffered for his music he doesn’t see why everyone else shouldn’t too!

http://www.cydoniacollective.co.uk/

Hugh Robjohns Biog
Hugh Robjohns has been Sound On Sound´s Technical Editor since 1997. Prior to that he worked in a variety of (mostly) sound-related roles in BBC Television, ending up as a Sound Operations Lecturer at the BBC´s technical training centre. He continues to provide audio consultancy and bespoke broadcast audio training services all over the world, lectures at professional and public conventions, and occasionally records and masters acoustic and classical music too!

Catch more shows on our other podcast channels: https://www.soundonsound.com/sos-podcasts

Recording & Mixing

Gear Of The Year 2025

Show Notes

Gear Of The Year 2025 | Podcast

Four pieces performed by the Strathspey and Surreal Orchestra at the Scots Fiddle Festival on 15th November 2025 in Edinburgh. The pieces feature traditional and composed material - arranged by Simon Thoumire - the idea being to take old tunes and arrange them in new ways. The band on this recording are:

Patsy Reid
Benedict Morris
Edie Elliott 
Adam Sutherland
Rae Maciver
Rachel Henderson
Elisabet McConnell
Naomi Priestnall
Douglas Montgomery
Anika Thomas
Eryn Rae
Laura Wilkie

All arrangements by Simon Thoumire 2025
Find out more at http://www.simonthoumire.com

Cluny Castle feat Patsy Reid

Takk...

Gong (The Tape Variations)

Vicky Clarke joins Caro C to explore her experimental approach to sound, from field recording and neural synthesis to AI technologies and spatial audio. She also discusses immersive installations, open-source tools and the unconventional inspirations that drive her work.

Chapters
00:00 - Introduction
02:06 - Field Recording, Musique Concrète and DIY Electronics
05:34 - Residency In Russia
06:27 - Neural Synthesis And Machine Learning
10:53 - Working On Aura Machine
14:16 - Working With AI Technologies
16:35 - Open Source Software
18:30 - Developing An Immersive Sound Installation
20:41 - Fear Around Technology
22:23 - Spatial Audio Using Spat
25:28 - Routing Ableton For Spatial Audio
27:53 - Sculptures As Sound Sources
30:32 - Adopting Emergent Technology
33:53 - Geology As A Source Of Inspiration

Vicky Clarke Biog
Vicky Clarke is a sound and electronic media artist from Manchester, whose work explores materiality, electrical phenomena and ritual. Working with sound sculpture, DIY electronics and human-machine systems, she explores our relationship to technology considering themes of human agency in autonomous systems, post-industrialisation and techno-emotional states. Her work takes the form of composition, installation and live AV performance. She produces music as SONAMB and her debut album, SLEEPSTATES, a ‘glitchy experimental techno jerker’ (Boomkat) was released in 2022, accompanied by net-art piece ‘SLEEPSTATES.NET'.

‘Latent Spaces’, her 2025 spatial sound installation, was created as a selected ‘In Motion’ composer with Sound & Music UK. Inviting audiences to step inside a computational model, the piece draws on her research into machine learning and musique concréte, working with early neural synthesis models and custom industrial datasets. This research practice developed through artistic residencies and commissions with NOVARS electroacoustic department at the University of Manchester, UK-Russia year of music, British Council, and Cyborg Soloists at the University of Holloway, resulting in her works ‘Aura Machine’ and ‘Neural Materials.’

Vicky won an Oram Award in 2020 from the New BBC Radiophonic Workshop & PRS Foundation. As a solo artist and previously with DIY electronics project Noise Orchestra, she has performed and exhibited at CTM, ICA, MUTEK, National Science & Media Museum, QO2 and STEIM amongst others. Her latest EP AURA MACHINE is out now on LOL Editions.

https://vickyclarke.org/
https://www.instagram.com/sonamb__/
https://linktr.ee/sonamb__
http://sleepstates.net/
https://loleditions.bandcamp.com/album/aura-machine

Caro C Biog
Caro C is an artist, engineer and teacher specialising in electronic music. Her self-produced fourth album 'Electric Mountain' is out now. Described as a "one-woman electronic avalanche" (BBC), Caro started making music thanks to being laid up whilst living in a double decker bus and listening to the likes of Warp Records in the late 1990's. This 'sonic enchantress' (BBC Radio 3) has now played in most of the cultural hotspots of her current hometown of Manchester, UK. Caro is also the instigator and project manager of electronic music charity Delia Derbyshire Day.
URL: http://carocsound.com/
Twitter: @carocsound
Inst: @carocsound
FB: https://www.facebook.com/carocsound/

Catch more shows on our other podcast channels: https://www.soundonsound.com/sos-podcasts

Electronic Music

Vicky Clarke - Neural Synthesis

Vicky Clarke - Neural Synthesis | Podcast

Oceans Abyss Test Files 01_26 with clean guitar

Cubase 14 Dynamics Processing On Acoustic Drums Audio Example JW 01

In this episode, Bernard Butler joins Kevin Paul to discuss his early steps into music production and how he approaches working with new artists and bands. He shares insights on touring, adding value as a producer and songwriting partner, collaborating with engineers and why staying creative, not formulaic, remains central to his work.

Chapters
00:00 - Introduction
00:30 - Butler, Blake & Grant
02:08 - Self-Organising A Touring Schedule
04:35 - Getting Started In Music Production
06:57 - Approach To Working With New Artists
13:39 - Persuading Bands To Try Fresh Ideas
15:03 - Adding Value As A Producer
17:02 - Working With Engineers Who Capture Performances
21:59 - Songwriting Process, Inspiration And Jamming
28:06 - BB & The King Radio Show
30:20 - Following Your Passion And Being Unique
34:49 - Current Studio Projects And Tours
36:39 - Keeping The Production Process Creative, Not Formulaic

Bernard Butler Biog
Bernard Butler is an acclaimed English musician, songwriter and producer, recognised as one of Britain’s most influential guitarists. A founding member of Suede, he co-wrote and played on the band’s early classics, including The Drowners, Metal Mickey and their Mercury Prize-winning debut, before his ambitious work on Dog Man Star cemented his reputation.

After leaving Suede, he formed the celebrated partnership McAlmont & Butler, releasing Yes, You Do and later the album Bring It Back. His two solo records for Creation were followed by a prolific production career, shaping releases for The Libertines, Duffy, Tricky, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Paloma Faith, The Cribs and many others. His collaboration with Duffy on Rockferry earned a Grammy and multiple Brit Awards.

Butler has appeared as guitarist on projects for Aimee Mann, Neneh Cherry, Bryan Ferry and Bert Jansch, and continues to work across songwriting, scoring, teaching and radio. Recent highlights include his Mercury-shortlisted album with Jessie Buckley (For All Our Days That Tear The Heart) and his 2023 solo release Good Grief on 355 Recordings. He also continues to tour regularly.

https://bernardbutler.com/
https://instagram.com/bernardbutlerofficial
http://www.facebook.com/bernardbutlerofficial

Kevin Paul Biog
Kevin Paul is a London-based mixer, engineer and producer whose career began at Soho Studios in 1991 before moving to Konk Studios, working with producers such as Bob Clearmountain, Pascal Gabriel and Gil Norton. After engineering the Depeche Mode archive, he joined Mute Records as Head Engineer, mixing landmark projects including Goldfrapp’s Felt Mountain, David Bowie’s Hours, and Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds’ No More Shall We Part, as well as multiple 5.1 releases.

Going freelance in 2004, he remixed the entire Depeche Mode and Nick Cave catalogues for SACD/DVD and has since mixed over 100 artists for the iTunes Festivals, including Adele, Ed Sheeran, Alicia Keys, The xx, Foo Fighters, Jack White, Oasis, Calvin Harris and many more.

Kevin continues to work across music and film, teaches mixing and surround at the University of Westminster, and regularly records, mixes and produces projects for international artists.

http://www.kevin-paul.com/

Catch more shows on our other podcast channels: https://www.soundonsound.com/sos-podcasts

People & Music Industry

Bernard Butler - Musician and Producer

Bernard Butler - Musician and Producer | Podcast

EPHEMERA - Spires

FR:
Jacques Pellen est un guitariste et compositeur breton, né à Brest en 1957. Son œuvre prend racine à la fois dans la tradition musicale bretonne et dans le jazz.
Né à Brest, il commence l'étude de la guitare classique à l'âge de douze ans. Très vite, ses oreilles vibrent aux sonorités jazz et celtiques. Il baigne alors dans l'univers de Keith Jarret, John McLaughlin ou Pat Metheny1. Il baguenaude entre formations jazz (Riccardo Del Fra, Peter Gritz, Kenny Wheeler, Bruno Nevez, Henri Texier) et musique celtique (Dan Ar Braz, Kristen Noguès, les frères Molard, Soïg Sibéril, Melaine Favennec...).
L'artiste a joué avec la plupart des artistes reconnus de la musique bretonne contemporaine. En 1986, il monte un trio avec Gildas Scouarnec et le batteur hongrois de jazz Peter Gritz, tombé amoureux de la Bretagne1.
Celtic Procession est une formation à géométrie variable qui naît en 1988. Il regroupe un collectif de musiciens d'horizons divers et passionnés d'improvisation. Cela amène à mêler du jazz aux thèmes et instrumentations d'inspiration celtiques. En 1990, Pellen 4 est le premier disque de la Celtic Procession. La production de sa Celtic procession a été un événement musical en 1993. Il participe avec Dan Ar Braz à l'Héritage des Celtes.
Il a formé un trio avec les frères Jacky et Patrick Molard (Triptyque), ainsi qu'avec le trompettiste sarde Paolo Fresu et Erik Marchand2, et deux quatuors avec Jean-Pierre Riou dans Karroth Rapée et Electric Arsenal... Il était le compagnon de la harpiste Kristen Noguès.

ENG:
JACQUES PELLEN guitars
«Maybe one of the greatest musicians, arrangers and composers of Brittany, Jacques Pellen brought down the barriers between Celtic and Jazz music. His Big Band project "Celtic procession" has become the emblem of the revival of Breton music.»
Jacques Pellen became a professional musician in the mid-70 performing with Breton artists Melaine Favennec, Annkrist or Kristen Nogues. In 79, he created a guitar duet with Bruno Nevez, that turned into a 4tet the following year with the arrival of the bass player Francois Daniel and the hungarian drummer Peter Gritz. Along with major jazz musicians such as the former bassist of Chet Baker, Riccardo Del Fra and the famous trumpeter Kenny Wheeler, Jacques Pellen participated in many creations in the 80's. In 94, he participated in the adventure "The Heritage of the Celts", conducted on stage and on the album by the guitar player Dan Ar Braz. In 97, he formed a new group with the Breton singer Erik Marchand, the Sardinian trumpeter,voted best European jazz 96, Paolo Fresu and bassist Henri Texier (album "Condaghes").
Jacques Pellen will also work with the brothers Boclé, Kristen Nogues and John Surman and joined the cast of the album "Lights in the Dark" in Iconoclastic Hector Zazou.
For his album Ephemera (2003), he invited the singer and musicians Annie Ebrel, Erik Marchand, Riccardo DelFra, Paolo Fresu, Peter Gritz. His following album Lament for the Children (2007) was performed in a trio with Marcello Pelliteri and Gildas Boclé.
He is currently performing in trio with Karim Ziad and Etienne Callac (album Offshore 2011 – choc by Jazzmagazine) and is the leader of the new project "Ar Rannou / Series" with Annie Ebrel and the jazz rock quartet One Shot. He is also playing in Sylvain Barou’s quintet and is collaborating with him on many projects including a new band with Trilok Gurtu.

EPHEMERA - Spires

Jacques PELLEN

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Thierry Tremintin

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