Buying Guides

The Ultimate Guide to External Hard Drives External Hard drives have massively increased in popularity in this digital age, whether it's for simple back-up purposes, additional storage or the need to transport large digital files from one location to another.  Often, modern day laptops and notebooks ship with a Solid State Drive (SSD), partly as the smaller size (2.5”) allows the manufacturer to keep the size and weight down, and partly because they are blazingly fast compared to their full size (3.5”) spinning cousins.  However, the smaller size and increased performance comes at a cost and not just in pounds...

For the dedicated audio engineer or music producer, studio monitors are an essential part of your setup. In previous generations, a high-quality finished piece of audio could only be achieved at a professional studio, but thanks to the wonders of modern technology it’s now possible to enjoy professional results in the comfort of your own home – and studio monitors are key to making the most of your recording space. Unlike standard speakers, which are designed to enhance the sound of recordings, studio monitors aim to provide an accurate reproduction of the original recording – by giving you a ‘warts...

In years gone by, a dedicated audio engineer would have had to visit a professional studio to guarantee their productions were of the highest quality. But the lightning pace of technological improvement has ensured that, nowadays, creating a studio in the comfort of your own home is no longer an impossible dream. Starting from just a couple of hundred pounds, you can install reliable studio monitors which will allow you to create high-quality recordings with a minimum of fuss – but with normal speakers available at a much lower price, you may be wondering whether the extra outlay for studio...

If you’re a budding audio engineer, you’ve probably heard of studio monitors - but you might not know exactly what they are, and what they do. To the naked eye, a studio monitor can look much like any other type of speaker, but they offer a very different set of features – in fact, in many ways they’re the exact opposite of speakers, fulfilling very different requirements. We’re here to give you a rundown of everything you’ll need to know to get the most out of your studio monitor. Producer or consumer? Where your average speaker is designed to make...

What Pro Tools activation code do I need? Confused about the myriad upgrade options relating to Pro Tools?  Fear not, you are not alone - we get a lot of calls here at ESV regarding the best upgrade options.  In this guide we will try to simplify things and outline the relevant options available to you for your system. I have Pro Tools HD 12 with an active Upgrade and Support Plan that is soon to expire For users who have previously purchased a new system that included Avid’s Upgrade and Support Plan or have purchased an Upgrade and Support...

Whether you’re a professional audio engineer or an amateur musician looking to ensure your work sounds as high-quality as possible, a decent studio monitor is a must for any dedicated music fan. Designed to maximise the quality of your audio when you’re recording, mixing and mastering, studio monitors are essential for ensuring your recordings sound great, offering precision sound that allows you to hear what works and what doesn’t – but they don’t always come cheap, with some models easily costing upwards of £5,000 per pair. For those on a budget, however, there are plenty of options available which offer...