Indholdsfortegnelse for June 2022 i Electronic Musician

If you thought that you’d seen the last of ROLI and its Seaboard range of controllers, think again, as we now have the prospect of the Seaboard Rise 2. Launched in 2015, the Rise was a more affordable version of ROLI’s full-size Seaboard MPE controller, but has been off the market for two years. The new version is said to be easier to play, more durable, and to come with a better bundle of software. The most significant improvement over the original Rise might well be the Keywave2 silicone playing surface, which provides ‘frets’ that enable players to more accurately judge the position of their fingers on each key. This new surface is said to make the Rise 2 more playable than its predecessor, and easier for players of standard…

Native Instruments has unveiled Playbox, a new Kontakt-based software instrument that’s designed to kickstart your workflow and refresh your creativity. Playbox is the brainchild of Antonio de Spirt, Mickaël Le Goff and Nadine Raihani, who says: “Our goal as creators was to establish a sound library that didn’t just focus on one specific sound, but instead explored the full spectrum of sounds available to us, and embraced the happy accidents you come across when working with randomisation.” Combining chord generation, sample layering and elements of chance, Playbox promises to produce unique sounds that you can play with just one finger. Roll the dice and it will randomise and blend between 905 samples, 224 chord sets, and 217 effects presets. As well as playing the supplied content, users can also import…

Music equipment reviewers and tutors Higher Hz have branched out into the world of audio effects with their debut plugin, simply entitled Delay. This free plugin does a lot more than just simple repeats, though. The makers behind the plugin make it very clear that their goal with this device was to deviate from the norm, offering features that aren’t often found in most delay plugins, and actually removing features that you might expect from other similar products. We’re going to take Delay for a quick spin to try out some of its features, and you can grab it yourself for free from higherhz.com 1. Drive The Drive control is situated at the center of the plugin and at the beginning of the signal flow. Drive applies soft distortion to…

It’s no secret that a DAW’s mixer is designed to mimic the wellestablished workflow of recording consoles. However, right up there at the top of an analog console’s channel strip will be a gain dial and of all the options a console provides, this one is the most readily forgotten. Gain considerations are particularly crucial when you’re working with soft synths and plugin drum machines, which increasingly want to impress us by emitting headroom-melting levels from the moment we start browsing presets. ‘Gain structure’ is the term used to ensure that balancing a console to the levels it will be handling across a mix are appropriate; not too quiet to produce poor signal-to-noise ratio nor so loud that the sounds you’re working with are overloading. Either adjust the output levels…

Tangerine Dream are one of the most iconic names in electronic music. The German band defined the Berlin sound in the seventies, and alongside Kraftwerk laid the groundwork for electronic music production across the world. But where Kraftwerk went onto define genre after genre, Tangerine Dream became synonymous with moody, sequencer driven atmospheric synth music. And they are also somewhat more prolific, having notched up more than 100 albums in their 50+ year history. In terms of personnel, it’s been what you might call ‘busy’ too. The band was started in 1967 by Edgar Froese and for its most famous line up, he was joined by Christopher Franke, and Peter Baumann throughout the seventies. However, since then the band has seen more than 25 other members come and go with…

Ask any budding recordist to name a famous compressor and they’ll likely respond with one of Universal Audio’s other proliferate pair, the tube and opto-isolatorbased LA-2A or the solid-state 1176. They’d be right to do so, too, as those units have worked their magic on more than a few classic recordings. Both have been re-issued by Universal Audio and continue to sell well today, while vintage Teletronix LA-2As and Urei 1176s go for a pretty penny on the secondhand market. Yet the designer behind the venerable 1176, Brad Plunkett, also lent his hand to a direct successor to the LA-2A in the form of the Urei LA-3A (initially badged as a Teletronix LA-3A). This odd duck was half the size of an 1176 and downright diminutive compared to the massive…

$149 sonicextensions.com Amid much secrecy, Spectrasonics released a teaser video as a warm-up ahead of its latest release. “It’s not going to be what you think,” the advert warned us — and it isn’t! It’s probably fair to say that many were hoping for something along the lines of a much-awaited update to Stylus RMX, which might also explain why initial reactions in industry circles seemed somewhat muted. But dig a little deeper and there are some very happy surprises, so let’s get curious! EXtending Omnisphere Sonic EXtensions are a series of expansion packs for Omnisphere 2.8. There are four in this initial release, with each adopting a stylistic persona, presumably with more to follow. There is a caveat: you must have Omnisphere to use these EXtensions, as they load…

from $160 dreadbox-fx.com Dreadbox is expanding its range of synths (Nymphes and Typhon) and Eurorack modules with a set of five stompboxes, four of which are currently available. All four pedals reviewed here share control layouts and three (all analog) sport a trio of CV in/outs for integration into modular setups as well as with other CV capable pedals. The odd one out, Darkness, is a digital pitchshifting shimmer delay which features stereo I/O and processing. The jacks are rear-mounted, good for desktop use, ie bunching them up close to maximize space and hands-on range. The enclosures are relatively light, but they’ll easily withstand the rigors of most players’ footwork when on the floor. The footswitches have been sensibly selected to be hand or (socked/bare) foot operable without too much…

We’re used to seeing vintage synths being remade in software, but plugin reboots of contemporary keyboards are less common. This being the case, we’re surprised but delighted that Korg has just released ‘native’ versions of the Wavestate and Opsix – two digital synths that were released in physical form in 2020. These are both available in VST/AU/AAX and standalone formats for PC and Mac. What’s more, they’re fully compatible with their hardware counterparts, meaning that sounds can be exchanged seamlessly between the two platforms. So, those who own both the hardware and software versions can create sounds on their desktop and then play them live without the need for a computer, or use the hardware’s physical knobs and sliders to program sounds and then transfer them into software for use…

We’re used to DAW developers talking about releasing the ‘biggest’ update to their software in a while, but in the case of Tracktion’s Waveform Pro, we’re told that version 12 is the ‘broadest’ revision in a decade. Presumably, this refers to the fact that improvements have been made right across the board: there’s a new Smart Browser, more plugins and effects, a reworked audio engine, enhanced MIDI features, improved hardware controller support and more. The end result, we’re assured, is “the most creative, inspirational and affordable DAW ever created”. The new browser is designed to speed up your workflow, with fast access to key elements of Waveform 12, the option to color-code favorites, and Smart Lists that can be used to preview and consolidate edit and project items. There’s also…

Delay is a hugely popular spatial treatment, for good reason. Echoes have the potential to do all kinds of things to a mix, from adding excitement and purpose to synth parts, to actively reinforcing the weight of a vocal part in a pop production. However, not all delays are created equal. Whilst modern digital delays produce high-fidelity repeats of an input signal, it’s frequently the case that a slightly more lo-fi, saturated delay works better, producing a slightly ‘dark shadow’ of the original input signal. Using tape machines with the record head enabled, it was possible to produce echo effects which had the potential to re-generate, getting louder and threatening to overwhelm a mix, offering danger and excitement in equal measure. We start with some programmed parts from Zebra2 and…

Whilst it’s tempting to assume that ‘classic’ mix tools must refer to technology of a bygone age now reaching astronomical prices on the second-hand market, there’s no disputing that there is some wonderful technology being made today which deserves the ‘classic’ tag. It seems to be universally accepted that, among those, is Empirical Labs’ Distressor, which offers a kind of ‘best of’ feature set of compressor design. Some of its compression ratios offer a different signal path to others, with the 10:1 ‘Opto’ setting emulating the LA-2A and the ‘Nuke’ option modeling the behaviour of the 1176 with its classic all-buttons-pushed-in trick. As a result, the Distressor is capable of anything from warm coloration to all out spank and, in turn, this means it’s popular on vocals, guitars, basses, synths…

Edgar Winter was one of the seminal rock/blues artists to popularize using a synth in rock music, and surely was the first artist to “strap on” a keyboard and prowl the stage with the machismo of a lead guitarist. His 1973 hit “Frankenstein” from They Only Come Out At Night was a huge success; topping the Billboard Hot 100 chart in May, 1973, and named one of the Top 25 Best Rock Instrumentals by Rolling Stone Magazine. I got together with Edgar and uncovered some new insights into how he created this masterpiece. Let’s dig in. The Monster Lead Sound The lead sound is pretty basic (see Fig. 1): I used Arturia’s ARP 2600 V3 to stay true to what Edgar played. Osc 1 uses a sawtooth waveform, and Osc…

$653 steinberg.net Major DAW updates always come with a certain amount of trepidation, as it’s inevitable that every user will have their own personal preferences when it comes to functionality, and therefore what makes it onto their ‘top feature request’ list. One has to only look at the official Steinberg forums to see this at play, and as is the case with any software, the most opinionated here don’t necessarily represent a majority view. One also has to remember that software such as Cubase has an incredible number of features that cater for a very wide range of users, and the needs of someone who predominantly works with audio loops to create an EDM banger will be very different to someone who spends every day recording real instruments or who…

A wah-wah pedal (technically known as just a wah pedal) alters the guitar’s tone by sweeping the peak response of a frequency filter up and down with a treadle. Essentially a tone control operated by foot, it originally sought to emulate the crying sound that a trumpet or trombone player created by moving a mute in and out of the instrument’s bell. The plan was to market it to brass and wind players but no horn player in his or her right mind wanted to add a pickup and start carrying around an amplifier to make a sound they could easily and cheaply create with the end of a plunger, and so the idea subsequently tanked. With the rise of electric guitar, however, the concept made more sense and the…

SPARK GIVES YOU NATIVE SUBSCRIPTION ACCESS TO UAD PLUGINS It’s not quite hell freezing over, but Universal Audio’s decision to start releasing native versions of its UAD plugins on the new Spark subscription platform (VST3/AU/AAX), so that they can run in pretty much any DAW without any UA hardware, still counts as an abrupt change in philosophy. Initially available for Mac (Windows support is coming later this year), Spark is billed as an evolving platform that will cost you $20 a month, though you can try before you buy with a 14-day free trial. If you own one of UA’s Volt audio interfaces, meanwhile, you can try Spark free for a month. It’s also worth noting that, if you’re a UAD hardware owner and have already purchased a perpetual licence…

Toontrack has launched EZdrummer 3, the latest version of its accessible drum sampling and groove generation software. This is designed to make it easier (EZier?) than ever for songwriters and other musicians to quickly create rhythm tracks that sound like they were played by a real drummer. Rebuilt from the ground-up, EZdrummer 3, comes with a new, fully scalable and resizable interface and a new library of MIDI grooves. The Tap2Find feature now includes a step sequencer, and you can now mix and match elements of different grooves in an instant. If you’d rather program your own grooves, there’s now an onboard grid editor, while new humanization features automatically adjust velocity and microtiming to create a more natural performance. Articulations are automatically varied, too. The mixer has been redesigned to…

Said to “stand on the shoulders of 60 years of chasing ‘the holy grail of DSP’,” Crystalline is a new algorithmic reverb plugin that harks back to classic digital reverbs of the past while taking advantage of modern processing power. The result is a plugin that promises everything that today’s DAW-based producer needs. For a start, Crystalline enables you to hard-sync the reverb attack and decay time to your DAW’s tempo, creating reflections that sync with the music. That said, you still have the option of setting the pre-delay and decay times in milliseconds if you’d rather. A dedicated Reflections section, meanwhile, enables you to set the size of the room, add ‘Sparkle’ – which emphasizes the high frequencies within the reverb algorithm – and set the width. The Depth…

Can you remember what made you want to be a producer, songwriter, mix engineer or remixer? Or recall the fuel that set your imagination on fire enough to consider making music a significant part of most of the days of your life? Of course, the inspiration for all of us will have been different but for most, walking into a recording studio, or seeing photos of the famous studios where our favorite records were made will have contributed significantly to our inspiration. And, of course, part of that comes down to the musicianship which will have been nurtured and developed in order to make those tracks. But another part will have been the gear available to take the performances of those musicians, capture them through classic microphones, record them through…

01 Here’s our starting mix. We’ve programmed some sequences from Zebra, and added beats on individual channels from Battery 4. There are no EQs on any of the sounds but we’ve added auxiliary reverb (Valhalla VintageVerb) and Waves’ H-Delay to some sounds. 02 We set UAD’s Pultec EQP-1A up on the kick and switch the low frequency dial to 60Hz. Boost by 5 and attenuate a little more. The overlapping bands adjust adjacent frequencies, so get a more refined, punchy bottom end. Listen to the original, the processed and ‘in context’ kick in the audio example. 03 Use the Pultec MEQ-5 on the main pitched sequence. The original sound is a little bit wooly and we’d like to make more of the lo-fi, clicky element. So boost a little at…

One of the most prized ’80s drum sounds came from the AMS RMX16 reverb and one of its algorithms: NonLin. Producing a gated, hyped reverb tail with a hefty sustain, it adds real weight to any sound you pass through it and is really effective on claps and snares. But what if you have neither access to the original hardware nor an emulation? Like all classic mix techniques, what’s to stop you just using them as inspiration? Here, we’ll create a kind of homage to the NonLin sound using a chain of modern plugin tools. Putting a fresh spin on classic techniques is a great way to freshen up your mixes. Plus, you may make something unique along the way. Take three sounds from the same Battery 4 Kit with…

For the most part, us electronic musicians are quite happy to stick with the usual major or minor keys that make up 95% of the stuff we hear on the radio or in clubs today. Every now and then, though, wouldn’t it be cool to color outside the lines? The major and minor scales we’re all familiar with are key parts of the music that satisfies us as listeners, but there’s a whole new level of sophistication that opens up when you start to explore the vast number of permutations and variations on those scales that exist outside that major and minor sandbox. A lot of these scales are based around very simple tweaks of the church modes – the ones you get when you play through regular major or…

$66 excite-audio.com Lifeline Expanse from Excite Audio serves five different ways of re-defining the sound of your track. By harnessing some clever re-amping techniques, the Excite team deliver multiple digital chains that you can send your audio through, and endless sonic exploration. Upon installation we’re presented with a nice, to-the-point UI which maps out the five effect modules side-by-side. From left to right, there’s Format, Dirt, Re-Amp, Width and Space, with Main and Advanced views for each. The Main view simply presents three knobs, with the top being relevant to the specific effect (Time for Space, Drive for Dirt, etc) and the others controlling Tone and Mix level. Within each effect you can select different signal chain models. Under Re-Amp, for example, you can choose between monitors, cabinet or even…

Over the past five years, Tom VR has issued a series of releases while developing his own imprint, Valby Rotary. His latest full-length project is his most ambitious yet, transmuting the aesthetic he’s explored hitherto into a 10-track statement that permeates the rhythmic frameworks of house music, trip-hop and DnB with color, texture and vivid emotion. How and when did you first get into actually making music? I started making music in high school at about 14. They had this software for writing musical notation, and I’d spend my breaks messing around with it in the library. I had no idea how to actually read music, but I just did everything by ear and process of elimination really. A friend in the same class used to make dubstep and taught…