Indholdsfortegnelse for July 2022 i Electronic Musician

In electronic music circles, the words vintage and analog are often interlinked. Ask someone to name a 'vintage' synth and 9 times out of 10 you'll hear the name of some '70s classic – a Moog, a Prophet, perhaps an ARP… At the risk of making some readers feel old, it's not just '70s gear that counts as 'vintage' anymore. In fact, gear from the '80s, '90s and even the early 20th century can be counted as classics these days, much of which is now ripe for the modern day reissue or emulation treatment. Obviously, once we reach beyond the early '80s, we're no longer in the realm of purely analog gear. For many, it might be considered heresy to mention the affordable, arguably dated and often eccentric digital instruments…

In the late 1980s, as 'realism' became an increasingly important part of what synth manufacturers were trying to achieve, companies adopted different approaches to produce the most lifelike sounds. Roland's recognized that the most difficult-to-synthesize element of a sound was its attack portion, so through its D-series synthesizers (with the flagship D-50 at the top of the tree), it offered a hybrid approach, offering a series of short attack samples stored in ROM, to which you could add a 'synthesized' decay, sustain and release waveform. This approach became so popular that it remained Roland's predominant technology all the way through the JV and XV synth module ranges of the 1990s. Here's how you can work with a similar 'Sample And Synthesis' approach in your DAW. We plug a microphone in…

We're going to use NI's Massive to create our set of raw waveforms. We select Squ-Saw II first. We want a ‘solid block' of sound, so we modify the amplifier envelope to produce a sustained tone. We create a note which lasts for four bars and render this as an audio file. We unmute the audio files but we don't want them to play together. We chop them at various points on the grid, so they're all cut in the same places. We then choose one region to play at all of the edit points, muting the others. We do this for the first two bars. We repeat this process for three more waveforms, selecting Woody, Math I and Escalation I, setting blend balances between the waveforms we like before…

When talking about scales and keys, the terms ‘relative’ and ‘parallel’ crop up a lot, and are often mistaken for each other. So this month, we'll straighten out this confusion a little with some clear definitions, coupled with an example or two of their usage. In a nutshell, relative scales are a pair of scales, one major and one minor, that share all the same notes, whereas parallel scales are two scales, one major and one minor, that share the same root note. Similarly, relative and parallel keys are just based on relative and parallel scales respectively. That's all well and good, but what can we do with this info? Relative keys can be used to provide an emotional shift for different sections of a song. For example, a verse…

If there is one thing you can say about this plugin, it's that it is inspiring, in a weirdly nostalgic sense. While the lead sounds are unique and could certainly be regarded as being eerie in certain settings, the accompaniment and rhythm sections are a blend of musical, classy, cheesy and hilarious, and all in equal measure. They form part of the time capsule element of this plugin and the M-Tron is all the better for it. There have been many pieces of music that adopt the samples as a backbone; Caro Emerald's album Deleted Scenes from the Cutting Room Floor places many of these samples front and center of not just the production, but the composition too. It has also managed to infiltrate the wider world, cropping up regularly…

from $45 The gifted guys and gals in the lab coats at Audiotent HQ have clearly had a hoot twisting and turning the knobs on Arturia's Pigments synth. Clearly enamored with its sample and harmonic engines, they've lovingly crafted an exquisite set of presets for you all to swoon over. They've broadened its already expansive range, and somehow managed to find new and exciting sounds to take your music to the next dimension. All 107 presets come with mod wheel assignments, and four smartly mapped macros, which delight with each tinker and turn. Ether also comes in three editions – ranging from the Standard for producers who just want the presets, to the Ultimate set, loaded with MIDI files, all the WAVs, and some intriguing project files. Roy Spencer Loopmasters…

Crack a battle of yaur favorite tipple and raise a glass to yourself for turning a musical idea into a fully fledged release. Now, back to work! Even though your music is now out in the world, you still have to make sure you're maximizing its potential. Your main job today is to promote the hell out of your release on all possible platforms and social media channels. Any page that's got your artist name on it should be updated accordingly, with links to the streaming platforms where your devoted fan base can find it. It can be helpful to collate these links into a smart link page, so that you can direct people towards a central destination rather than multiple ones. Remember to engage with your followers throughout this…

Distortion is one of the most misunderstood terms in the world of guitar pedals. Confusion over the term begins with the fact that “distortion” is a descriptive as well as a genre; all gain related pedals create distortion, from the cleanest boost to the heaviest fuzz. As with any “genre” in music categorization, another issue is the level of crossover. Some overdrive pedals creep into distortion range, while some distortion pedals sneak into fuzz territory. So, let's attempt to clarify. Boost pedals contain a preamp circuit that allows you to push your amplifier into distortion. While this can provide “natural” sounding distortion, it doesn't offer much control over the volume level at which that distortion occurs. An overdrive pedal has a circuit that pushes the signal into soft clipping for…

FROM THE ISSUE: Release your music We spend a lot of time banging on about music making here in EM - it's sort of our thing - but for musicians in 2022, production is only half the battle. In this issue's masterclass we'll help you with the rest - from promo to release. See more: Page 56 FROM THE ARCHIVE: Prophet 5 review This issue's lead review sees us testing Sequential's new Take 5 – a relatively affordable cousin of the company's Prophet range. Catch-up on a bit of background by reading our review of its bigger sibling, the rebooted Prophet 5. See more: bit.ly/EMp5rev AROUND THE WEB: Superbooth As we send this issue to press, several of our colleagues are on their way to Berlin for this year's Superbooth…

> These days, our computers can play hundreds of tracks at once. But '80s sequencers and synths couldn't. Their ‘limitations’ are often their strengths - keep things simple. > One of the most endearing things about limited sampling technology are dodgy loop points and single samples being stretched over more keys than is entirely ‘musical’. Let a few samples go a long way. > Research specific pieces of gear. It's not hard to find out which synths were used on classic '80s albums before digging into their feature sets to discover how they actually worked. > Don't be afraid to work at lower sample rates, or to use bitcrushers on every channel. This doesn't have to mean super-low 8-bit sample rates work at 16-bit or 12-bit, and things will immediately…

$1,030 casio.com Strengths Upgradedspeakers makeanoticeable differencetosound Bluetoothaudioand MIDIconnectivityis genuinelyuseful Batterypowerand portabilitymeansyou cantakeitanywhere youlike Limitations - Action is not quite up to scratch for pro-level players This year, Casio has upgraded the popular PX-S series digital pianos, bringing them up to date with Bluetooth connectivity, a redesigned speaker system and more. The PX-S3100 is the more capable instrument, boasting a broader range of onboard sounds and more opportunity for tone-shaping in the effects department than the PX-S1100. The PX-S3100 delivers a fantastic collection of 700 onboard sounds including 24 piano voices which offer variations on the standard concert grand alongside genre-specific options for pop, jazz, rock etc. The voices offer a faithful recreation of an acoustic piano's tone, down to minute details like string and damper resonance and mechanical action noise,…

from $125 novationmusic.com Strengths Qualitycontrollerswith immediateaccessto importantFLStudio functions FLkey37users will benefitfromthelarger sizeFLkeyMiniusers willliketheportability Thecontrollayout is as clearascouldbeand welikethebrutalist squarecase Thepadsare great- sequencingisareal breeze Limitations -Notkeyboardsthat youduseformultiple DAWs -Wouldlovetoshoehorn adisplayontotheMini! Given how long FL Studio has been around in its various forms (Fruity Loops came out in 1998, can you believe it?), the question is really ‘why didn't this happen sooner?’. Akai's Fire gave FL users their first dedicated controller, and now Novation bring us the FLkey 37 and Mini keyboard controllers. We had both the FLkey 37 and Mini in for review – we'll focus mainly on the 37, and refer to the Mini only when there are differences between the two models. They're both grey and unashamedly boxy; stylistically more in common with hardware synths than generic MIDI keyboards.…

Your track is finished, the I's have been dotted and the T's have been crossed. The mastering engineer has done their thing, and you've even changed the track's name from “Crazy Idea 8”. Your piece of sonic art is nearly ready to be flung out to an unsuspecting public, but hang on, is it really so simple? Of course not. Here, another huge job is starting – and it's not one about dynamic range compression, EQ or synth programming; it's one about sample clearance, artist bios and press kits. Without the proper packaging and marketing groundwork, your unsuspecting public might be so unsuspecting that they miss you entirely. So what on earth should you do now? Or in other words, what should you have started in the days and weeks…

When social media platforms are used well, they can provide simple, powerful ways to network and engage with current and potential audiences for your music. The internet moves fast, so you should have a well-thought-out social media strategy with engaging, on-brand posts that keeps your music visible during the crucial weeks before and after the release. Choose the right platform Each social media platform has its own demographic, or at least its own approach, and you should take this into account when deciding where and how to promote your music once it's been released. When it comes to reaching new fans, we think that currently the best platforms are TikTok and Instagram. TikTok is designed specifically to provide content to users from creators they don't follow, but whom the TikTok…

If you could wander back in time and find yourself in a well-appointed studio of the late 1980s or early 1990s, as well as the swathes of synths and the all-important mixing desk, you'd find hardware effects modules of reverbs and delays, ready to be accessed from the desk's auxiliaries. Hardware reverbs such as Lexicon's PCM range were popular, but so were Alesis’ more affordable units, including the flagship Quadraverb. These digital reverbs’ lower-than-pristine sample rates ensured a slight grittiness, with characteristic aliasing, particularly when decay tails came towards their conclusions or when working at low levels. Some producers became so frustrated by the ends of reverb tails that they turned to gates to kill their volumes off altogether, creating an even more distinctive effect… We've selected a detuned lead…

Whilst modern software samplers are awash with staggering capabilities, the limited recording time and less fully specified featuresets of their hardware forebears are nevertheless responsible for providing some classic late '80s and early '90s sounds. Early D&B producers relied on technology like Akai's S1000 and MPCs, and Roland's S760 to sample and chop up breaks and produce patterns radically divorced from the speed of their chosen source material. The Amen break is, without question, the most famous example of this approach, but if you're drawn to the simplicity of this kind of sampling, why not create your own 'breakbeat' from adopting the sampling approach of the early drum & bass pioneers? All you need is a little programming, some decent drums, and some basic maths. We're starting with a four-bar…

UVI Emulation One $83 They don't come right out and say it, but it's pretty evident that UVI's Emulation One ROMpler was inspired by the Emulator, with its stark blue faux front panel and gritty lo-bit sound. As a bonus, the company throws in a drum machine that bears a striking resemblance to E-Mu's Drumulator line of beatboxes. www.uvi.net 112dB Morgana $169 The woefully overlooked Morgana looks more like the budget-minded Ensoniq Mirage than the Emulator, but as this superlative softsampler recreates the lovely lo-fi sound of vintage 8-bit sampling, it can be called into action as a suitable substitute for the E-mu as well. Utterly authentic '80s sound without the maintenance of owning an Emulator. www.112db.com Togu Audio Line TAL-Sampler $74 Though not a clone of the Emulator, Togu…

The Hydrasynth Deluxe has double the voice count of the original and can employ this in a dual layered, split or overlapped configuration with a complete, and entirely separate, sound engine available to each. Unlike some synths, where compromises have to be made when combining independent patches, the Deluxe's multimode allows changes to be made and saved completely separately to the Single mode patches. The results of this dual approach can be extremely compelling, especially once you realise that you have two separate arpeggiators and two completely independent multi-effects sections with which to play. This type of flexibility is great when it comes to detailed sound design, but also offers a lot to the performing musician where different sound elements can be assigned to different areas of the keyboard.…

Press Shots It's a good idea to get a fresh batch of photos for a launch. Preferably this should be from one photoshoot and they should share a similar aesthetic. If possible, make the aesthetic of these pictures relate to your release's artwork and any videos you may have. Your bio should contain information about you, and your new release. You can then repurpose this bio for your various artists profiles, and for your press kit. ISRC Code When you upload a song to your distributor, they will generate an ISRC code for your song recording. This is an international standard code for uniquely identifying sound recordings and music video recordings. Make sure to use that same ISRC code when you upload the song again for the album. Doing this…

Singer, songwriter, DJ and producer Ultra Nate is responsible for some of the biggest hits in house music. Born in the US, she found success in Europe after abandoning a major-label contract to work with the now-cult classic house institution Strictly Rhythm. Writing her breakout hit, ‘Free’, alongside producers Mood II Swing, Nate drew inspiration from R.E.M. in attempting to devise a “rock song that would work in clubs” with a powerful guitar-driven hook. The result became a bona fide ’90s house anthem, topping charts across the globe and catapulting Naté to superstardom. ‘Free’ turns 25 this year, as Ultra Naté prepares to release her 10th studio album, ULTRA. The Billboard G.O.A.T.-honoured dance legend takes us on a tour of her discography as she picks out four pieces of gear…