Whether summer means the beach or the ski slope, some engineers will still be in the studio taking in the sights and sounds of the newest gear and software from names big and small. Here we round up our favourite pieces from July.

1 - sE Electronics BL8 Boundary Microphone

The boundary layer mic is one of those studio tools that can have a tough time getting heard over the big shiny condensers and other stand dwelling mics that are quite literally in your face. These unsung marvels offer a whole load of advantages that extend beyond the bass drum duties that they can excel at. Want to stealth-mic a stage for choir or drama performance? Or maybe get something in under that pesky piano lid? The boundary mic could be the answer.

July saw sE Electronics release the company’s first foray into the boundary mic sphere with their BL8 boundary microphone. Taking on the wedge-shaped form of its biggest competitor, this mic is perhaps most notably different for its interchangeable capsules that come courtesy of its SE8 stablemate. This makes its stock half cardioid pattern one of two options with the SE8 omni capsule providing future semi-hemispherical fun. A healthy 25 mV/Pa output and switchable flavours add to its versatility.

2 - Wavesfactory Equaliser

Just when you thought it had all been done before, someone always has to come along and shake things up by thinking outside the box. While the venerable console EQ still has strong associations with corrective treatments, its artistic leanings often grab the most attention with most engineers tweaking their go-to to make things pop. Somewhere between the two lies Wavesfactory Equalizer.

With roots in the original purpose of EQ, this tool apparently came about when its creator saw an engineer slavishly attempting to iron out all the frequencies on a snare drum that were showing as above or below the line on their analyser. By simply setting its Amount control as needed, Wavesfactory Equalizer does a great job of getting sounds back to where they really ‘should’ be. Ironing out the bumps on something like an electric piano or lopsided acoustic guitar is certainly nothing new, but doing it potentially with just one control and calling it Equalizer surprisingly is.

3 - RME Fireface 802 FS

It could be said that audio interfaces are to the DAW what the front and back doors are to a house. Good ones aren’t altogether exciting, but they need to work regardless, and when they don’t you’re not going to get much done that day. With an enviable reputation that begins with their rock-solid driver technology, RME know a thing or two about reliability with their boxes finding homes outside music and post with live broadcast and scientific research outposts all in a day’s work.

The Fireface 802 FS isn’t going to cause any seismic shifts taking the familiar 1U multichannel form, requiring a USB lead last seen on your parents’ printer. And that’s the point: when you don’t want things to change, RME’s latest box will be in the rack ready to go. The Fireface 802 FS has 60 channels of I/O as well as well RME’s TotalMix DSP on tap, making it pretty hard to outgrow. In fact, it will still be going long after your M2 Ultra is in the bin.

4 - Asparion D700 Modular Control Surface System

Asparion will be a name less familiar to some reading this, however their D700 modular DAW Controller might be the one to put them on the map. This ecosystem of three units (comprising the D700F 8 fader module, D700FT transport enhanced unit, and D700S optional OLED display bridge) offers up to 64 motorised faders, tonnes of silent silicon-capped LED push buttons and RGB rotary encoders for Windows and Mac systems.

The D700 system can talk to almost any device using MIDI CCs, however it also supports the all-important Mackie and HUI protocols. While users of most DAWs should be able to enjoy good integration with their weapons of choice, Pro Tools users can work with a more stripped-back experience in the absence of EUCON. The Asparion Configurator Software supports an enormous range of DAWs as well as NLEs and even DMX for your studio’s lightshow… We haven’t had the chance to get hands-on with one yet; if you have let us know in the comments.

5 - Sonible smart:gate

For a long time, the humble noise gate was the problem solver that gave with one hand and took with the other. Level-dependant threshold can work well when things aren’t working against you, but as soon as that live vocal with guitar in it comes along, no amount of clever sidechain tricks are going to help. Until now.

Sonible will be known to some reading this as makers of intelligent audio plugins that can do some of the heavy lifting and more besides. Their new smart:gate tool can do the thing that a ‘dumb’ noise gate cannot: let through the wanted stuff even when the competing instrument is louder than the signal you want to keep. Gates that discriminate for drums are not new, however this is the first we are aware of that can let through a range of specific instruments that are buried in the clutter.

Smart:gate might not be able to get around the laws of physics (yet), but while we’re waiting for that update engineers can enjoy something that promises to actually make a greater contribution to your next Floor Filler than will the next Folder Filler…

How About You?

What are the things that rocked your studio world in July 2023? Whether you’re holed up for a summer in the studio or hanging up your skis until next year let us know below in the comments…