Indholdsfortegnelse for 12/2023 i Beat English

The stereo chorus legend Overloud GEM Mod For many, Roland‘s Dimension D is the holy grail of studio choruses. Overloud‘s GEM Mod brings the legendary analog effects processor from 1978 to life in software form. The plug-in has been given some modern features that make it even more flexible than its hardware counterpart. This makes it a guarantee for wonderful warm vocals, organic chorus effects for synths and instruments, and wide, floating stereo sounds. It‘s a sound magician that no collection should be without. Download: see page 9 | Info: overloud.com win | mac All serial numbers safely accessible: The Beat Serial Center To ensure that none of your serial numbers are lost in the future (for instance, in the event of a new installation, Outlook crash or disk crash),…

Beat / Morning Mike, straight to the point: Who is Radio Evosonic for and why do you have to listen to it? Mike / Our radio is for everyone who likes electronic music that’s outside the standard. If Sunshine Live isn‘t underground enough for you, you‘ll love us. You also have to listen in because we allow the word. We also see ourselves as an „educational radio station“. For example, our two professors from Trier University of Applied Sciences, who take everyone on an exciting journey into the future of regenerative energy systems with their weekly show „Climate and Coal - The Campus Talk“. Together, they discuss how we can master the energy transition and make a personal contribution to curbing climate change. One of our most successful shows is…

1 | Gyraf Audio G23-S Tilt EQ The Tilt EQ ensures the necessary tonal balance during the mastering process and offers the option of switching on full-fledged analog tube sound. Its filter curves are so well chosen that they can often replace 2-3 conventional EQs and optimally prepare the material for further production. 2 | Gyraf G22 Vari-Mu Compressor The G22 gives my songs the depth they need. The performance in M/S mode is simply incredible and gives me the ability to decrease or increase the dynamics of the mid and side signals separately. In addition, I regulate the level component for the middle and side signals here. 3 | Masalec MEA-2 The Masalec improves my signal by cleaning or amplifying it, while remaining inaudible. My magic weapon when it…

1 | SSL G-Master Buss Compressor Sean Divine uses the parallel split module to achieve parallel compression with the SSL G-Master Buss Compressor. This allows significant compression to thicken the mix without losing transparency. For an even denser sound, you can use the P Comp macro control. 2 | Manny Marroquin EQ The Marroquin EQ offers a very musical sound based on analogue models. This preset uses its high-pass filter, the frequency of which can be controlled with the HPF macro. Does your mix need a little more freshness? Just turn up Hi Boost. This macro increases the gain of a peak filter at 12.5 kHz. 3 | F6 The chain continues with the dynamic equalizer F6, which reduces intrusive upper treble. You determine the intensity with the Hi-Tame macro…

1 | IK Multimedia T-RackS Classic Equalizer I‘m a big fan of mixing in the track instead of mastering, so the EQ doesn‘t do much for me except limit the sub-bass. The Classic Equalizer responds very gently, so I usually set it to 80 Hz (while I would set other EQs much lower). 2 | IK Multimedia T-RackS Compressor Similar to the EQ, the compressor doesn‘t have much to do here either. I simply load the plugin with the factory settings and change exactly nothing. The T-RackS Compressor provides a subtly more mid-range sound and also seems to filter out some low end. After that there is at least a little more pressure in the sound. 3 | Zotope Ozone Element 9 I only use Elements very rarely when mastering…

Beat / Why don‘t you tell us why you built and set up your studio the way you did? Lennard / I had to create a sensible space for my studio in a very small area. I, therefore, had to choose a side in my bedroom, which is the only wall without obstacles, such as doors, windows, or angles in the masonry. Since I only have room for a relatively small desk, but like to have plenty of room to work, all of my equipment except for a small keyboard has been moved out to a shelf. I connect each device only when I need it. This also has the advantage that I can save on connections, as well as cables. Of course, this also depends on the workflow. I…

How long has it been since musicians were so lavishly rewarded? When Bob Dylan announced that he had transferred his publishing rights to Universal for $300 million, the news came as a shock. More shockingly yet, he had allegedly turned down an even higher offer of $400 million from British company Hipgnosis. [1] For Hipgnosis founder Merck Mercuriadis, one thing is certain: „When a song becomes a proven song, the earnings pattern to it becomes very predictable and reliable, and is therefore investable. And these songs are as valuable as gold, or oil.“ [2] It‘s a statement that feels hopeful and unsettling all at once: Will creative decisions in music ultimately be made only on the basis of factors such as investability and return on investment? Financial alchemy? For the…

1 Setup The song, which we refine in the process of Mastering through automation so that the drop looks more intense, should already have been fully mixed and rendered as a WAV file. With Ctrl+T, we can set time markers for a better overview in the arrangement. One marker at the beginning of the build-up, one for the pre-drop fill and one for the drop is sufficient. 2 Volume ratio We humans often perceive many stimuli only in relation to other stimuli. We want to use this property of our perception. In order to make the drop sound loud and powerful, it is not necessary to make it louder, but it is sufficient to turn down the part before it. For the implementation we open Fruity Balance in the Master Channel.…

1 Simple Beat… For our workshop demo track, we first need a kick, a hi-hat and an instrument; in our case, an ethnic flute sample. The kick plays a simple 4/4 pattern over four bars and the flute is triggered in the first bar. And to turn it into an official texture, we hit the AMP section with full REV(erb). 2 …gigantic reverb FUNC+AMP then takes us to the reverb section, where we stretch its reverberation time to its maximum length with DEC(ay). In order to prevent the result from sounding totally bassy and/or tinny, we turn up the highpass filter (HPF) to about halfway. Since we want to create intentionally massive textures, we leave the lowpass filter (LPF) untouched. 3 Keep mix clean! In other cases, we would turn…

The trend of sampling or reconstructing sequences and melodies from dance hits from the 90s is unbroken. Kim Petras, Nicki Minaj and their producers Dr. Luke and Rocco Did It Again, for example, use the song „Better Off Alone “by Alice Deejay in their hit„Alone“. Will we manage to recreate the distinctive synth sequence and other sounds from their current hit in Studio One? 1 90s Dance Hook We start with the striking synth sequence from „Alone“, which, as mentioned, comes from the Dutch dance formation. It has also been recycled by David Guetta and Wiz Khalifa. Create a new project at 137 BPM and drag the polyphonic Mai Tai synthesizer from the Browser into the Arrange window. Load the preset + init from the issue data. 2 Lead sound Activate…

StudioRack has been familiar to Waves users for a few years now. In the latest version, it has been given a new feature called StudioVerse, through which thousands of effects chains from top Mix Engineers and Producers are now accessible. In a constantly growing community, users can share their chains of Waves plug-ins and VST3 plug-ins from other manufacturers. StudioRack is free, but requires licenses for the effect modules that are being used. To really exploit the potential of StudioVerse, one of the two subscription models is recommended: Waves Essential with over 110 plug-ins or Waves Ultimate with more than 230 plug-ins. The remarkable thing about StudioVerse is that there are also numerous creations by renowned Mix and Mastering Engineers like Andrew Scheps, Manny Marroquin, Chris Lord-Alge and Abbey Road…

1 First the beat! To get into the Drum & Bass mood and immediately create a rousing rhythm base for our track, we resort to drum loops from Loopcloud [1]. These are kept at a style-typical 174 BPM, so we also choose this tempo for our project. We start with the Chorus or the melodic hook of the track. 2 Distorted bass The first thing we want to do is to add a bass to the beat. Load the soundbank „Zampler Tremorrr.fxb “ in Zampler//RX. Preset 006: BS Backbiter is best suited for our purpose. Reduce Glide to 24% and deactivate the effects. Also adjust the filter and envelope parameters as shown in the picture. 3 Bassline For more bite, we want to add some hefty distortion to the sound. An easy task…

Just three years after the release of the Norand MONO, a completely revised MK2 version is coming onto the market. Buyers of the first model don‘t have to worry too much, because they can also use some of the improvements in the software (more on this later). Better hardware According to the developers, new hardware was necessary to adequately implement all the newly conceived features. Fortunately, more attention was paid to a little more value. You don‘t necessarily see the potential of the MONO MK2 at first glance. But with the aluminum housing, new RGB LEDs and an overall improved user interface, it no longer looks quite as cheap as its predecessor. 3D sensors A noticeable advantage of the improved controls are the 3D functions of the mini keyboard‘s buttons.…

1 | True Iron by Kazrog I start the mastering chain directly with Clipper and Saturator. True Iron helps me to subtly thicken the signal at the beginning of the chain and make it a little stronger. I choose the “111C” transformer because it puts a nice color on the low end. I set “Strength” to 7 and “Crush” to 9dB. 2 | Soothe 2 by Oeksound Next, all frequencies below 800Hz are cleaned up a bit to get more clarity in the low mids and low frequencies. Soothe 2 from Oeksound is the absolute secret weapon to clean this area and limit the dynamics somewhat without creating negative artifacts. 3 | Ivory Multiband Compressor by Acustica Audio Ivory 3 from Acustica Audio is a clone of the famous analog…

Time and again, Romanian producers can be found in the credits of international hits, their songs have a distinct and refreshing flavour and the local scene is positively overflowing with talent. Alexandru Cotoi alias Sickotoy is one of the leading representatives of this movement. His career started with a bang when he became part of the backing band of Morandi, an extremely successful local project at the time. But his true home was the studio and not the stage. Just four years after switching to the other side of the mixing desk, he landed an unexpected hit when American megastar Pittbull picked one of his tracks for the album Dale – shortly after, „Baddest Girl in Town“ scored a Grammy. Since then, Cotoi‘s career arrow has continued to point upwards.…

1 Piano as a base As a basis for our song, we rely on a piano with a catchy chord progression. The Apple loop „70s Ballad Piano 01“ gives us a music bed that inspires our head to many melodies. We copy the region four times for the Verse section and twice for the hook. We choose 80 BPM as the tempo for our Pop Ballad. 2 Recording preparation For our melody trick, you don‘t need any professional equipment because the recording of your voice only serves as a template. We used the built-in microphone of a MacBook for our recording. You should use headphones to avoid recording the piano again. Create an audio track and start recording. 3 Get inspired We let our song run in a loop with recording activated. Gradually…

1 Bass sound First create a Cubase project at 125 BPM. Then, we reprogram the bassline from „Enough“. Load Retrologue and activate the Mono voice mode. Also, add the second and third oscillators, each with the Sawtooth waveform. The first two oscillators are detuned by +/-8 cent with the Fine controls. 2 Bass: Effects This gives the sound a lively beat. Tune Osc 3 up an octave and adjust the Oscillator Levels in the Mix section as shown. Now it‘s time to counter the overtone-rich sound with the Filter. Set Shape to LP12 and adjust the Filter parameters, including the Envelope, as shown in the picture. The only things missing are the corresponding effects. 3 Bassline First, load the Tube Compressor as an Insert. The AM Bass Synth 3 preset…

The range of synthesizers used for the sample libraries extends from Access Music Virus to Yusynth. You‘ll find analog legends like Minimoog, Prophet-5 or Jupiter-8, as well as digital classics like the FM synth DX-7 and the additive Kawai K5. The library also includes modern sound generators like Arturia PolyBrute, Teenage Engineering OP-1 and ASM Hydrasynth, for which you have to plan about 20 GB of space on the fastest possible hard disk. For UVI Workstation or Falcon Synth Anthology 4 requires an installation of the free UVI Workstation, version 3.1.11 or higher, or the VSTi Falcon from version 2.8.5; the authorization of the software is done via an iLok account (max. 3 activations, computer and dongle). The UVI Portal software supports you during the installation. Of course, since the…

We live in exciting times when it comes to music and AI. Where does Artificial Intelligence help in the day-to-day work of Musicians and Producers? Which tools will fundamentally change the way we work and produce? From Auto-Mixers to Voice Changers to ready-to-use Masters and online DAWs with Melody Generators, there‘s a lot going on in audio right now. And we are far away from these developments being a threat to musicians. However, we are close to the fact that a lot is changing very quickly in electronic music production. Today with Chirp. What is Chirp? But at the beginning there is the idea. Whether it‘s lyrics or melody, if it doesn‘t come from us, where does it come from? That‘s what Chirp from Suno. ai is for. In short,…

The analog poly synthesizer OB-X8 is based on the classics OB-8, OB-X and OB-Xa, packs their legendary sounds in a modern format and expands them by more than 40 parameters. New features include SEM filter types, per-voice panning and keyboard tracking of the LFO. If you want, you can load two presets at the same time and play them as a split or layer. The OB-X8 represents a comprehensive new edition of the Oberheim synthesizer that many synthesizer fans had to wait a long time for. But not everyone has the space or money for such a large keyboard, which is why Oberheim is adding a more compact and cheaper desktop version. We tested which compromises have to be made for this. Significantly more compact Compared to the keyboard with…

1 Load MPE sound You can find the MPE sounds collected in the Sounds category in the folder labeled MPE Sounds. To get a first impression of the potential of an MPE sound, load a preset into a track and try out the sounds across all octaves. Use different velocities and pressures on the Push 3 pads. 2 MPE Control Push 1 & 2 If you don‘t have a Push 3, but a Push 1 or 2, use the MIDI effect MPE Control. Go to the Push setup menu and select Poly under Pressure. Now you can use MPE Control to create pitch, slide and pressure envelopes for each note and use them to control various parameters of MPE-enabled MIDI devices. 3 Radically change sound If you slide vertically…

Test: Roland GAIA 2 Visually, the successor of the GAIA SH-01 looks like a mixture of Alesis ION and Korg Minilogue. Inside, however, works Roland‘s tried and tested ZenCore engine, which in the GAIA 2 offers wavetables as well as virtual analogue sounds. The compact synth has a large “Motional Pad” and a built-in sequencer in addition to a lavishly equipped control surface and could therefore be recommended as a performance synthesiser for the stage or for live jams in the studio. Interview: Sebastian Reynolds With „Canary“ the British producer Sebastian Reynolds presents an interesting debut album, which features dark Electronica with an experimental approach. In our conversation with the artist, we discuss the exciting production as well as the conceptual background. Test: Melbourne Instruments NINA NINA is a hybrid…

Pure added value for producers Producer Secrets is a brand new messenger channel with daily treasures for musicians, beatmakers, singers, producers and anyone involved in production and recording. It features exclusive samples & downloads, personal secrets from notable producers, cheat sheets, tutorials for faster workflow, web finds for instant inspiration, production techniques, opinions on streaming and musicians‘ rights, and plugin deals & software discounts you can‘t afford to miss - all daily and for free! New members will receive an exclusive gift: the Xils 3 BE semi-modular synthesizer, a versatile channel strip called TheStrip, and a 909 drum pack-recorded with a TLA 5021 tube compressor, sampled with an MPC2500, and enriched with some other gritty hardware tools. The Producer Secrets channel has no strings attached and involves no discussion -…

1 | NLS Buss Console emulation initially subtly gives your mix a warmer and denser sound. In the selected mode, the plug-in recreates the sound of producer and mixing engineer Mike Hedges‘ console. For a different sound coloring, try the Spike and Nevo modes, which emulate Mark Stent and Yoad Nevo‘s consoles. 2 | V-Comp This software replica of the AMS NEVE 2254/R ensures smooth compression of the mix. For a relatively quiet mix, simply turn up Input further. Would you like a stronger color? To do this, experiment with the analogue dial. 3 | API 550B This plug-in is a simulation of the semi-parametric equalizer API 550B. With the three-band tone control in the macro section, you have bass, treble and presence under control. Experiment with different frequencies. Dull…

LANDR LANDR‘s fully automated service promises instant mastering. A desired song can be uploaded directly in a common audio format without the need for registration. A preview allows you to decide whether you like the master and want to buy it or not. You don‘t have too many sound settings. Only the style can be selected between Warm, Balanced and Open and the loudness between Low, Medium and High. Starting at 19.99 euros per month, you get unlimited MP3 masters and three WAV files. To master only one WAV file, you will be charged 9.99 Euro plus VAT without subscription. For 39,99 Euro you get unlimited WAV files mastered. The results are sound and volume-wise okay. www.landr.com Price: from 10 Euro (per WAV file) Delivery time: 5 minutes Retries: -…

Beat / Where are you right now? Marius / In Pasadena, outside Los Angeles. Beat/Cool, are you busy with tour preparations? Marius / Exactly, rehearsals start in ten days and currently I‘m preparing the Ableton sessions for the shows. Beat / Do you have a different band for the US tour than in Europe? Marius / I generally have another band now. That‘s because the tour is just so long. The musicians I‘ve played with so far don‘t have enough time for it because they all have other jobs as well. That‘s why we have reorganized the band. Beat/Let‘s first go back to the beginning. How did you get into music? Marius / Some of my classmates started playing guitar and drums and at some point there was a vacancy…

1 Lively vocals GEM Mod is one of the three iconic vintage modulation effects emulated in GEM Modula. The plug-in emulates the Roland Dimension D chorus, which was very popular for vocals in the 80s and 90s. Let‘s try it out! Load the plugin as an insert effect on a dry vocal track and select the Initial Preset. 2 Combine modes Click and hold the <Alt> key on Switches 2 and 3 to combine both modes. With a Speed value of 0.755 Hz, a modulation Depth of about 32% and a Shape Value of -50%, you bring the sound to life. Set Amount to 55% and Stereo Width to +50%. Voila: The vocals sound much more lively and spatial. 3 Come as you are If you want, you can give the vocals even…

1 What is Saturation? Saturation is a compression-induced distortion that historically stems from the overloading of electrical hardware components, such as tubes or tape, where the components no longer respond linearly due to the high level. This saturation effect is emulated in Ableton with audio effects such as Saturator and Dynamic Tube. 2 Compression If the input signal is not equal to the output signal, the ratio is no longer 1:1, but 2:1 or higher. This means that the dynamic range of the signal is reduced, that is, it is compressed. At the same time, frequency ranges are emphasized and enhanced with harmonics. This „malfunction“ can be used deliberately! 3 „Warm up“ sounds Bass sounds become warmer and fatter with Saturation and also gain more punch. Load a Saturator onto…

Reason is quite a force to be reckoned with when wiring up various racks. But what goes under the radar for many users is that all sequencers, LFOs and other CV signals can also control external hardware, including invisible parameters and randomization! This is guaranteed to add value to any of your synths. Let ‘s go! 1 Establish connection Let‘s get right down to business: We have our Arturia MicroFreak connected to the MIDI interface and want to record a few sequences with it - including parameter automations - and let ourselves be inspired a bit by chance. To do this, we load a MIDI OUT module into the rack, select the synth as the destination, and then load a Matrix Sequencer. 2 Endless patterns On the back of the rack,…

The Inphonik RX1200 plug-in is, of course, much cheaper, but gives you almost the same possibilities as its hardware counterpart. What‘s so special about the SP-1200 and RX1200? Both work with a reduced bit depth and sample rate compared to CD quality, creating an often-heard sound aesthetic that can give your sounds a certain vibe. Mathieu Demage and Wilhelm Lamy, with their company Inphonik, had previously cloned a Yamaha sound chip and the AD/DA converter from Akai ‘s S-950 sampler. In the RX1200 plug-in, they use a sample rate of 26,041 Hz and 12-bit resolution, just like the original. The visual design is also very close to the original. With the RX1200, you can recreate workflows of the time that contributed significantly to their sound. So, it was common to…

Just like its predecessor, Scarlett 2i2 4th Gen allows a maximum of two inputs to be used simultaneously for microphones, instruments, and other audio sources. Instead of combo jacks, how ever, there are now separate inputs: 2x jacks on the front and 2x XLRs on the back. You can leave your microphones plugged in at the back and still plug in a synthesizer, bass, or guitar at the front if needed, as these have circuit priority. The 48V phantom power can be switched on for condenser microphones. The built-in preamps are very powerful and provide up to 69 dB of gain. This provides enough reserves even for low-level microphones and reduces noise. Setting the appropriate level is cleverly handled: The two gain controls are surrounded by a colored ring that…

The module is available as a standalone in its own case. It is divided into two blocks. All controls, including a small display, are located on one part. All audio and CV jacks plus input gain controls share an expander that can be mounted to the right or left of the control panel. This creates flexibility and keeps pots and switches free from the cable jungle. This is immediately very pleasing! The editing options via CV are very lavish. You can count a whole 32 CV Ins! The connectivity is complemented by the audio ins. A line-level input, which facilitates the straightforward integration of things like smartphones or guitars. On the output side, we find left and right out, mono out, and a mono out of the unprocessed signal of…