Indholdsfortegnelse for July 2020 i Electronic Musician

Tracktion launches Waveform Free: is this the world’s best free DAW? Tracktion Software has long been generous when it comes to offering free DAWs, but with Waveform Free, the company seems to think that it’s surpassed itself. In fact, it’s calling this “the world’s best, fully featured, completely unlimited free DAW for all music creators”. Launching at a time when there are a lot of people at home looking for a creative outlet, Waveform Free runs on Windows, macOS and Linux, and also Raspberry Pi. There’s support for MPE and the latest generation of expressive softwware instruments, and the DAW includes innovative features such as the MIDI Pattern Generator – this enables you to create synchronized melodies, chord progressions, basslines and more: the 40SC Virtual Synthesizer and Micro Drum Sampler.…

Take a look at your plugins folder. How many Minimoog, TB-303 and DX7 emulations are in there? If you’re anything like us, you’ve amassed a collection of classic clones, and you can count yourself among those fortunate enough to have access to the sounds of such legendary instruments. Aping the big names is big business, and for good reason. Secondhand prices of famous instruments have skyrocketed thanks to their scarcity and collectibility. If you’re lucky enough to be able to own the real deal, you’ll no doubt have learned that maintenance costs are equally offputting. As most readers out there will be aware, software simulations represent sound alternatives, allowing us to relive the past without the hassles. And yet, how many of us actually owned an original Prophet-5 or Jupiter-8?…

Composer, remixer and multi-platinum-selling producer Tom Holkenborg has overseen a remarkable career change. Born in the tiny municipality of the Netherlands, Lichtenvoorde, the classically trained teenager became consumed by electronic gear after working in a local music store. By the early ’90s, his instrumental tracks were already being licensed to the video game industry and by the end of the decade he’d scored his first movie project, Siberia. Meanwhile, Holkenborg was cultivating his electronic rock/breakbeat solo act Junkie XL, peaking with the explosive success of his Elvis Presley remix ‘A Little Less Conversation’ (2002). Alongside his artist releases, he continued writing for the film and video game markets and finally cracked Hollywood in 2014 with the period action film 300: Rise of an Empire. Firmly on the big exec radar,…

For many, drum machines are encapsulated by the booming sound of an 808 kick drum or the snappy whipcrack of a 909 snare. Resurrected by hip-hop and dance musicians, those machines reshaped our perceptions of what a drum machine could sound like; yet before they had their second shot, another Roland box made a very different sonic impression. That machine was the CR-78 CompuRhythm. This costly drum machine offered 14 distinctive sounds that were quickly etched into the popular music of the day. Like Roland’s later classics, the CR-78 used analog synthesis, but its sounds are almost delicate by comparison to those that followed. The kick drums pop, the hi-hat sizzles and the snare politely spits rather than cracks. This was a drum machine that could carry a beat without…

The effects offering here is identical to that found on Model:Samples, featuring both reverb and delay as auxiliary effects, along with a per-channel volume control that doubles as a subtle digital distortion when pushed into the upper levels. The two auxiliaries are fairly straightforward; each has a front panel rotary for hands-on control with a secondary function provided by a shift-press. In the case of the delay, this allows users to edit the delay time (sync’d to 128 note divisions of the main tempo) and feedback level. The reverb, meanwhile, has editable Size and Tone parameters, the latter applying a bi-directional shelf EQ in order to adjust the effect’s high or low frequency. While the effects in themselves are fairly straightforward, as with most of Model:Cycles’ parameters, the real fun…

WordBuilder’s phrase generator interface is incorporated in Play and with the corresponding patch (WB Multi) loaded, the WordBuilder button in the top left activates the window. The interface is split between word-specifying aspects at the top and a time editor at the bottom. WordBuilder uses three concurrent word modes, English, Phonetic and their own Votox alphabet. Once you type in a word or phrase, or load one from the library, switching the Text Editor mode lets you adjust things in different ways, creating vocal sounds that may not conform to regular words. The same system allows you to create and save words that aren’t in the dictionary, or create custom pronunciations of existing words. In use, each word responds to one MIDI note message. With further spaces between letters in…

Edinburgh-based developer Krotos Audio is among the first ports of call for movie and video game audio producers looking to create dynamic, ‘playable’ sound design elements. Thus far, however, the company's plugins – including Reformer Pro (Foley effects, animal noises, etc), Weaponiser (gunfire and associated noises) and Igniter (real and sci-fi vehicles and engines) – have been largely irrelevant to most musicians, so it’s with no small degree of excitement that we fire up Krotos’ first ever softsynth: a two-oscillator virtual analog going by the slightly confusing name of Concept (VST/AU/AAX). Think tank The interface of Concept should make it immediately apparent that this is an instrument that wants to be your friend, no matter what your level of experience. Apart from the fold-out modulation controls, every parameter (two oscillators,…

Taking up considerably more space than it needs to in the middle of the Rhythmiq interface, the AI-driven Beat Assistant is a sort of ‘virtual drummer’ that essentially takes command of the Arrange, Reverse and Silence knobs for auto accompaniment purposes or general generative shenanigans. The IQ Arrange knob sets a range within which the stem Arrange knobs automatically self-adjust in order to generate gently evolving patterns. Thoughtfully, it can be bypassed for individual stems, so you can ensure your four-to-the-floor kick or backbeat snare isn’t interrupted. Activating IQ Evolve hands governance of the Arrange and Reverse Evolve buttons over to the whims of the AI, which will spookily ‘click’ them whenever it decides a change is called for. IQ Reverse, meanwhile, is rather less impressive in its braininess. It…

01 Analog Pad It’s very simple to create a sawtooth pad in Phase Plant. From the initialized preset, start with an analog generator (which defaults to a sawtooth), add a touch of unison for thickening, and increase the attack and release of the output envelope for a pad character. Next, add a lowpass filter with reduced cutoff. 02 Transient Before you add the transient, take some time to familiarize yourself with the samples available in Phase Plant, as its library is extensive. The Transient, Decay, and Mallet folders include numerous options for layering. (Full disclosure: My company, Symplesound, designed and optimized many of the factory samples specifically for this type of layered synthesis.) 03 Decay For the sampled layer, create a second group containing a Sample generator and Output object.…

Elektron Overbridge 2 is “music making made more fluid” The original Elektron Overbridge software functioned as both an editor for Elektron’s hardware synths and a way to play and monitor them through your DAW. With Elektron’s USB 3.0 Overhub in tow (optionally), users could combine the very best of all the company’s many synths with an in-the-box workflow. Overbridge 2 – which is out now, following a lengthy public beta – keeps the VST and AU plugins, but adds a standalone app that can edit and even record audio from your analog or digital Elektron synths, without the need to rely on your DAW. Additionally, Overbridge 2 features the ability to use your connected Analog Heat, Analog Rytm or Analog Four as external effects processors for audio routed from your…

Delay plugins start off simple, sure, but once you've got a repeating signal path, there's a lot you can do to make something particularly unique. Baby Audio's Comeback Kid has got a new spin on the delay plugin, and it's all about the wet signal. Instead of loads of controls and modulation over delay timing and feedback, Comeback Kid works its magic in the feedback path itself. Controls you'll recognize include Time, Feedback and Ping Pong, but knobs like Richer, Swirl, Sauce, Cheap and Destiny give you the distinct impression that you're supposed to use your ears. Those unfamiliar parameters mostly process the wet, delayed signal, making it wider, richer, more overdriven or anything else, compared to the input signal. 1. The Basics However comprehensive you make a delay plugin,…

Dividing up phrases and runs between both hands can make them easier to play smoothly, and can lead you to play ideas that are difficult to execute one-handed. Two Is Better Than One Last month we explored two-handed riffs to be used as highpoints in your solo. These were based on repeated note figures, thinking of fingers as drumsticks. This idea first came from Chick Corea in his 1987 Keyboard Workshop video, which you can watch at tinyurl.com/Ten- Drummers. Chick has mastered this technique, and can be seen using it often in his playing. But his approach tends to be from an advanced jazz perspective, and he often uses it when he wants to stray from the key center, playing more “out”. Let’s take the concept and apply it to…

Arturia Spark VDM $99 Arturia apply their skills to this simulacrum of not one but thirty vintage drum machines, including the CR-78. Arturia’s Spark hardware boxes are cool, but you can get the Spark VDM software on its own for less than a hundred bucks. Here, samples and analog modeling are combined with synthesis and effects. Preset and programmable patterns included. Marvin Pavilion reTromine FREE If you’re rocking a 32-bit Windows DAW (or a host that can load 32-bit plugins), you can get a taste of the Roland CR-78 without spending a dime, thanks to Marvin Pavilion’s reTromine, just one of the developer’s series of Tromine drum synth plugins. Here, you get 15 sounds sampled from the CR-78, edited and premapped across a span of MIDI keys. Logic Cafe CR-78…

When Klevgränd develops its plugins, the developer often does so with a pretty specific function in mind – and the brand's latest, Knorr (AU, VST, VST3, AAX, iOS), is no exception to that rule. This ‘bass vitalizer’ is designed to add presence and edge to monophonic low frequency sources such as bass guitars, bass synths and kicks, using Klevgränd's own proprietary algorithm which uses a combination of filtering, amplitude modulation and frequency modulation. The interface is wonderfully simple (bear in mind it’s also available for iOS) and uses an XY pad for key parameters. The X axis controls the processed frequency range (100Hz to 1kHz), while the Y axis sets how much signal (Level) is passed to the processing algorithm (0 to 100%). There are also three intensity settings. Rounding…

Below the four mod source displays sits a fifth, yellow fold-out panel, with a central ‘dice’ button suggesting some kind of randomizing functionality. And indeed, that’s what the Tweak It system does, albeit with user input required. Like the modulators, Concept parameters are assigned to Tweak It by dragging their names into the panel, whereupon they’re added to the assignment list and given Depth sliders. Clicking the button then randomizes all assigned controls around their set values, within their Depth ranges. The Master knob scales the randomization globally, and it’s worth noting that randomization is bipolar only. The obvious omission is the inability to trigger the randomize button via automation or a dedicated MIDI note, and/or have controls transition to their new values over a period of time, which would…

Originating from the melding of synth-driven pop music from the likes of Giorgio Moroder and Kraftwerk alongside American music styles like house, funk and soul, techno has long transcended its gritty Detroit roots to become one of the world’s most enduring and leading dance music styles, with artists such as Carl Cox, Adam Beyer and Jeff Mills in constant demand for both their productions and live sets. Characterized by a tempo of between 120-150bpm, a palette of sounds heavily influenced by now-revered 1980s Roland kit like the TB-303 bassline and TR-808/909 drum machines, as well as a deliberately electronic, dystopian sound, techno has influenced many other music styles to varying degrees, including the UK rave scene which took inspiration (as well as a stab or two!) from the Belgian techno…

01 Algorithm Despite its focus on FM and additive synthesis, Ableton Operator is actually a fantastic tool for creating LA-style layered pads. The key is to select the algorithm with two independent carriers (A and B) for the pad and a combined carrier/modulator (C and D) for creating the transient layer. 02 Envelope+Waveform Since Operator has independent envelopes for every oscillator/operator, you can set up oscillators A and B with identical pad-like envelopes, with a medium attack and longer release. Since we need to keep the filter off to retain transient frequencies, use the Saw 4 waveform, which only contains the first four harmonics. 03 Detuning Detuning a pair of oscillators within Operator is a bit more convoluted than other synths. Because the Coarse tuning is incremented by harmonic and…

There are a lot of free plugins out there, and so developers have to really push the boat out if they want to offer something unique and interesting. Audiomodern's Filterstep is a great example of freeware done right – a plugin that most producers would consider paying for if it wasn't gratis already. Not only is Filterstep great, it's also quite unique, too – it's a sequenced filter plugin that lets you draw your steps for a low-pass, high-pass or band-pass filter, and takes you far deeper with the programming than simply the basics. Let's take a look at exactly what it can do. You can grab Filterstep for free from audiomodern.com. 1. Sequenced Filtering A great way to start off with Filterstep is through its randomization function. Simply hit…

On first hearing the phrase ‘deceptive resolution’, you’d be forgiven for thinking it meant a vow you make at New Year that you’ve no intention of keeping, like giving up beer or spending less time in the studio. In fact, it’s all about ending a chord progression with something other than the expected chord, deceiving listeners in the process. To fully understand what deceptive resolutions are really all about, we first need to know all about cadences. In broad terms, a cadence is a phrase of two chords designed to bring a musical progression to an ultimate state of rest – in other words, a pair of chords that, when played one after the other, end a piece of music – "Ah-men!" A deceptive resolution, also known as a deceptive…

Elektron’s Model series made its debut with last year’s Model:Samples – a sample-powered groovebox based around the engine from the brand’s Digitakt sampler. Housed in a white, lightweight chassis – distinct from the company’s usual dark and weighty aesthetic – the Model:Samples set itself apart with an affordable price point and a workflow considerably more approachable than the deep and complex designs Elektron gear is notorious for. In a move that will surprise nobody, Elektron is now expanding the range with a second instrument, this time based around the sound engine of the Digitakt’s sibling Digitone. As with Digitone, Model:Cycles is based around a polyphonic FM (frequency modulation) synth engine paired with a 64-step sequencer. Unlike Model:Samples, which could be described as essentially the same as Digitakt with a few…

Building complex vocal arrangements is an enormously rewarding process. However, recording, editing and compiling the required vocal sessions can be an arduous and time-consuming task, particularly for those with no access to a huge group of brilliant singers. Thankfully, sampling giants EastWest/Quantum Leap and their resident production gurus Doug Rogers and Nick Phoenix feel your pain, and to that end have over the years built a number of libraries tailored precisely for this task. Award-winning packages such as Symphonic Choirs and Hollywood Choirs have raised the bar for large group and choir sounds. Meanwhile the ‘Voices’ series provide solo or harmony voices with more targeted styles. Their latest endeavour, Hollywood Backup Singers, sees the return of CC White, who featured on last year’s Voices Of Soul, and she is joined…

The latest plugin built on Accusonus’ proprietary machine learning-based drum kit separation technology – as previously deployed in Drumatom and Regroover – is a loop deconstruction and rearrangement instrument that “allows you to instantly jam with your beats”. Indeed, Rhythmiq (VST/AU/AAX) can even generate variations on imported audio loops all by itself. Brains and beauty The three Stem ‘slots’ at the bottom of Rhythmiq’s gorgeous interface each host either a full audio loop or one of three stems auto-extracted from a full loop, and their mixed output is represented in the overview waveform at the top. A 365MB library of WAVs and preset Projects is included, with add-on packs available through the Accusonus website; but far more importantly, importing your own beats couldn’t be easier. Simply drag a loop (up…

MeldaProduction MSpectralDynamics This intensely powerful processor is not quite like anything you’ve ever used before, the idea being a sort of multiband-compressor-meets-dynamic-EQ-meets-regular-EQ-but-for-dynamics device. These sorts of processes already exist in a few forms in other plugins, but in MSpectralDynamics’ Edit window, the controls go deep You can tailor the response of the processor’s compression/gate threshold, attack and release across the frequency range by drawing in a response across the spectrum. Like an EQ, you’re detailing the response across the frequency range, but the actual effect isn’t gain – it’s reaction to dynamics at anywhere a frequency’s level crosses the threshold. MSpectralDynamics is tough to get to grips with, and needs a complete interface rethink, but the power behind this particular device is huge and uniquely detailed. meldaproduction.com Native Instruments Drum…

London-based Swede Martin Terefe is best known for his work behind the scenes as a producer for artists ranging from Jason Mraz and Mary J Blige to KT Tunstall and Cat Stevens. Having previously released music of his own as a part of the collective Apparatjik, alongside members of Coldplay and Mew, 2020 now sees Terefe branching out under his own name for debut album The Involuntary Gardener. EM caught up with him to find out more. When did you start making music, and how did you first get started? As a child I lived for a few years in Caracas, Venezuela. Our neighbours’ kids had a guitar teacher and I asked if he could start teaching me. Each lesson he used to write down the words of a Spanish…