Magix Audio Cleaning Lab 12 XXL review

The latest version of Magix's audio restoration software for creating cleaned-up copies of your favourite records and tapes comes in two varieties: the basic Deluxe package, and this £20-dearer XXL edition, which includes a preamp so you can connect your record player to your audio interface. The preamp is a simple affair with two phono ins, two phono outs and a power supply input. You don't actually get the power supply, but instead a nine-volt battery is included. You'll need a screwdriver to open up the preamp to put the battery in, so it's not exactly ready to go out of the box, but it's still a very appealing inclusion. The software is largely unchanged from previous versions, and jolly good it is too, enabling you to remove hiss, clicks, and so on, and generally pump up the sound. New features include a podcasting tool, an 'Energizer' and a multiband stereo enhancer. Overall, Audio Cleaning Lab 12 XXL represents pretty good value for money and offers a user-friendly solution to cleaning up your old cassettes and vinyl.