Innehållsförteckning för 08/2023 från Beat English

The most awesome semi-modular! u-he Beatzille 2023 If you‘re bored with conventional synthesizers, Beatzille will be your best friend! And if you‘re into willy-nilly fat synth sound, even more so, because it brings the incomparable sound of expensive modular synthesizers right into your DAW. On board are the best patches from our Beatzille Patch Contest. Download: see page 9 | Info: www.u-he.com win | mac I linux 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), you can now conveniently manage them online. The advantages are obvious: The editorial team can send you targeted software updates, you have access to all serials at…

With our online service, plugins-samples.com, we have set up a digital subscription service through which you can obtain BEAT in digital form. This includes all monthly software content as downloads and the digital magazine in German and English. The two annual subscriptions also include access to the complete BEAT archive with over 120 issues currently available. The software content includes several gigabytes of VST/AU plug-ins, instruments, effects, audio software, samples, loops, sound banks, and so on… Just „everything a producer needs!“. The monthly editions usually come with two plug-in highlights, which are either BEAT versions with slightly stripped-down features, but also sometimes include full versions of commercial software. The three available subscription models differ in duration and price, starting at 4.99 Euro per month. The models give you access to…

It couldn‘t be easier: Record a drum set with one microphone It would be the dream of all live mixers and studio people: set up the drum kit, point a single microphone at it and go. Unfortunately, this doesn‘t work in most cases, the reason being the common sound ideas we have about recorded drums. It starts with the lack of a stereo image and doesn‘t end with the lack of options for separate sound shaping. But that doesn‘t mean that it can‘t and shouldn‘t be done. On the contrary. There are even historical models for this. In the early days of recording (in mono, by the way), there were only a handful of mics available for the whole band, one of which was for the drums. Drummers were expected…

1010music nanobox razzmatazz The squeaky-pink pocket groovebox has a lot more to offer in terms of sound and functionality than you would initially expect: Razzmatazz combines a drum sequencer with FM synthesis and sampling, two filters and good effects. This combination provides a lot of fun and creative possibilities, the operation is well thought out and is surprisingly easy to handle despite the small dimensions. Street price: 449 Euro | www.1010music.com | www.tomeso.de Tip: Make sure to use the extensive modulation options of razzmatazz in conjunction with the sequencer to create crazy grooves. Especially by modulating the FM and effect parameters you can create weird beat permutations. Erica Synths Drum Synthesizer LXR-02 LXR-02 is a refreshingly different drum synthesizer with intuitive operation, reminiscent of a Microtonic in hardware form. The…

1 Mobile drummer We use the Nanobox Razzmatazz from 1010music [1], because the lightweight box fits nicely in the palm of your hand, is super mobile thanks to powerbank operation, and recording is even possible via headphones and headsets, so you don‘t even necessarily need a microphone. For our workshop, however, we took both with us. Better safe than sorry. 2 Find sounds So where do the drums come from? An obvious approach to percussive sounds is to „hit“ things with a mallet or stick. For example, with a stick on a table, with the fingers on railings or wood on wood. For the kick, we hit a hard plastic garden chair with a wood. Important: Balance the threshold beforehand! 3 Level threshold If recorded too early, the sample will…

Kick drum 1 Probably the most frequently used EQ setting for kick drums: the bass range of the kick drum is raised a little, the muddy 300 Hz mids are lowered and the attack of the kick drum is boosted a little. Kick drum 2 The classic „smiley face“ can shape a kick drum that has too many frequencies in the mids very nicely. The bass range and the treble range are enhanced. As a result, the mids automatically get into the background. Kick drum 3 If there are too many low frequencies, we reduce them with a low-shelf filter at 20 Hz. The upper bass range is boosted at 150 Hz. The presence is boosted by a highshelf filter at 16 kHz. Snare 1 Probably the most frequently used…

Beat/It seems the big playlists are today what music videos used to be on MTV. They generate enormous reach. From your point of view, how important are playlists today for making music known? Sven Seibert/ In my opinion, these currently have a huge impact on the reach of music and the comparison is certainly appropriate here. In addition to the playlists, you also have the social media channels and the platforms themselves, which work with algorithms. So in terms of pitching, we have two blocks of topics, because in addition to playlists, pitching on Spotify, for example, also serves to address the algorithms. Just think of the release radar at Spotify. Beat/How do you pitch a track on Spotify to get on one of the high-reach playlists? Sven Seibert/ With…

1 Pitcher We start with this plug-in to compensate for small pitch errors in the vocals. We choose the same key as the corresponding instrumental and adjust the Gender slider to the gender of the singer. We also set speed so that notes are corrected, but the typical Autotune effect is not overly present. 2 Surgical EQ The second plug-in we load into our effects chain is Fruity Parametric EQ 2. The goal is to surgically remove distracting frequencies. Frequencies below 100 Hz are mostly just junk and can be removed. In addition, we use a bell curve to search for resonating frequencies and then lower exactly these. 3 Compression Next, the Fruity Limiter comes into play. That‘s right, because it can also be used to compress in the Comp…

1 Are you serious? Mains hum oscillates at 50 hertz in almost all parts of the world. Only North America, Saudi Arabia and parts of Japan make an exception at 60 Hz. Ultimately, however, it doesn‘t matter, because both are the finest frequencies for subbass! Combined with the basic noise of the gear, the result is a wonderfully rich sound that just needs to be shaped. 2 Record noise The implementation is pretty easy: create a new audio track, set the input to any channel where a device is connected and record a few seconds. When you play it back, you shouldn‘t hear much at first, so normalize the recording. Now it‘s probably noisy as hell, but there should be some bass as well. 3 Bounce sound By the way,…

1 Strong distortion Import the enclosed audio files into a Project at 65 BPM. We will use the drum track from this beat to test different sequences of audio effects. Add an instance of Saturn 2 to the drum track, on the third insert slot. Then, load the Foldback Distortion Type under FX and set Drive to 30%. 2 More weight for snare The snare in this loop needs more low mids. Add a Fabfilter Pro-Q 3 to the second insert slot and boost a frequency band at 260 Hz by +6 dB to emphasize the snare‘s fundamental frequency. We hear that this boost has a strong effect on the distortion and the distortion is clearly more audible in the mids and highs. 3 Boost behind distortion Move Fabfilter Pro-Q…

Good iPad software is characterized by clever operating concepts that know how to integrate the peculiarities of Multi-Touch and pen operation in a meaningful way. This can be seen, for example, on the way from the idea to the finished song in Logic Pro for iPad. Even when creating a first project, the iPad version of Logic proves itself with its adaptable user interface. The iPad version is not only a sequencer, but also an instrument: Software-based instruments can be played directly with an on-screen keyboard, drum pads or via a virtual fretboard. The developers are aware of the limitations of a tablet: Entire chords can sometimes be played with a single touch, instead of making an ass of yourself with crooked finger gymnastics on the screen. Navigation in a…

Raise the curtain for Ableton Push 3! In the usual Ableton manner, Push 3 comes along stylish and simple and presents itself in two configurations: As a musical instrument and controller, like Push 2 in conjunction with a PC, or-and this is new-as a standalone version with integrated processor, hard drive, battery and audio interface. Thanks to exchangeable components, the controller configuration can be upgraded at any time. The rectangular design with the large pad matrix, the high-resolution color display, touch strip, touch-sensitive knobs and function keys has remained. At first glance similar to Push 2; on closer inspection, somehow quite different. What happened? More expressiveness The spotlight is on the Pad Matrix. 64 MPE-capable pads with RGB backlighting, equipped with an XY sensor that detects finger movements in detail.…

They are a producer‘s most powerful asset: Melodies decide on goosebumps, recognition and hit quality. So far so good, but what makes a successful hookline? It has to stick in your head, not be too complicated, but also not too simple. In this feature, we dive full-on into the creative phase and show you how to quickly create catchy chords with or without a circle of fifths and develop hooking melodies from them – which become ear-worms and get your audience singing and dancing. Test: Behringer PRO-800 PRO-800 is a replica of the 1982 Sequential Prophet-600, but Behringer has not only packed the polyphonic synthesiser into a Eurorack-compatible desktop case, but also given it extras like 8 voices instead of 6, a noise generator, full MIDI controllability and the popular…

In every style of music there are not only style-defining groove patterns, but also characteristic drum sounds. No wonder, because the beat forms the foundation of almost every production. Whether you record real drums live, arrange samples in your DAW, or use specialized hardware or software, powerful basic sounds and a balanced mix of individual elements are crucial to creating a solid foundation. The mix makes the difference! To ensure that all elements of a beat harmonize optimally with each other, a careful selection of sounds and a clever staggering of frequencies and stereo image are of great importance. A popular technique for creating particularly powerful bass drum or snare sounds is layering multiple samples. With a bass drum, for example, you can combine a sound with a distinctive attack…

Arturia Drumbrute Impact Drumbrute Impact is characterized by its unique, unpolished analog sound that perfectly fits genres like Techno, Disco or Electro. With the eight multicolored velocity-sensitive drum pads, you can trigger the 10 analog instruments and play them into the sequencer in real time. By the way, the latter sends MIDI, so you can also integrate other sound generators. Street price: 279 Euro | www.arturia.com | www.tomeso.de Tip: Thanks to the FM module and the distortion effect, even creaky industrial beats are an easy exercise for Drumbrute Impact. In the mood for lively rhythms? Use the polymetrics, random function, note repeat and looper to intuitively loosen up static beats. Behringer RD-9 The RD-9 superbly captures the sound character of Roland‘s legendary TR-909 drum machine. The additional parameters of the…

Sonic Sales Polyend Tracker This device transfers the concept of classic tracker software to a modern hardware instrument. Polyend Tracker combines a powerful sound generation consisting of sampler as well as granular and wavetable synth and a powerful eight-track sequencer and song arranger. Of course, it is also possible to play the integrated sound generators from a DAW. Street price: 629 Euro | www.polyend.com Tip: The operating concept of classic trackers offers great creative potential: For example, each step of the eight tracks can play a different instrument and use individual effects-ideal for complex „sound roulette“ sequences. AKAI MPC One The MPC One is a compact version of the popular standalone groovebox. It comes up with a combination of sequencer and sampler, with which samples and internal synths can be…

1 Load kit The technique is quickly explained: we take a drum kit and bend all the sounds in the audio editor. Sounds trivial (and it is), but the result is awesome! Grab the 909 analogue kit from the workshop data, duplicate the folder and load all 12 samples into your editor. If you don‘t have one, Ocean Audio is also included. 2 Freestyle! From now on we work freestyle: each sample is bent differently. You don‘t have to follow our order here, but you can get inspired. Let‘s start with the kick: we transpose it down by two semitones with the harmonizer of our editor Acoustica and then add a limiter with input gain at maximum. 3 Even backwards? This makes it sound much fatter. For the snare, we…

What do you get when a renowned software manufacturer and sought-after sound designers join forces? The impressive answer is the bass drum synthesizer PunchBOX, which combines the excellent drum modules and effects of D16 with the club-proven samples of Sounds Of Revolution and CFA Sound. The plug-in has a modular structure, four sound sources can be combined. The kick generator provides the “belly” of the bass drum. TR-909,-808, and-606 models, a flexible sine generator, and a sample-based variant are available. Each module offers extensive adjustment possibilities and can be played chromatically. A must-have for kicks in all kinds of styles! Subscribe and choose your gift Web: www.beat.de/jahresabo Phone: *49(0) 711/7252-292 Item number: BE00PLU22 Abo-Service falkemedia, Postfach 810640, 70523 Stuttgart, Germany…

>> My philosophy is generally to edit as little as possible. « Beat/How did your first solo album come about? James/ I built my home studio a while ago, and it‘s been in use for about five years now. It‘s given me the opportunity to play around freely, whereas in the big studios it wasn‘t so easy. Jas Shaw, the other guy from Simian Mobile Disco, had health problems, so we had to put the project on hold for a while. In addition, the pandemic also gave me more time. So I used that time to finish my own stuff instead of collaborating. Beat/Are all new tracks? James/ Basically, yes, but they are partly based on older ideas that I still had in my phone or computer. I had mountains…

1 Create deviations Load Drift into a MIDI track. Drift has two oscillators. Use Shape to drastically change the waveform. Set Shape to 24%. Select the third waveform from the top for Oscillator 2. Set Oct. to -1. In the parameter field of Drift, you determine how much parameters like Phase, Pitch or Filter Position are affected by small fluctuations. 2 Give it character Select 28% for Drift. To shape the sound, set the Filter Frequency to 2.6 Hz, Resonance to 0.9 and Highpass to 150 Hz. To bring the filter into distortion, you can optionally turn up the Gain of Oscillator 1 to max. 6 dB. For a high, or even more low-frequency-heavy texture, set Detune in Oscillator 2 to +7 or-7. 3 Get in motion Add more harmonics.…

1 One row of 16th notes Import the included Synth Loop file into a Cubase project at 90 BPM tempo. Create a new instrument track and load the u-he BeatZille synthesizer onto it. Under Presets, in the Leads folder, find the HS High Flute preset. Then, create a MIDI event and place 16th notes at pitch E3 on each position for 4 bars. 2 Random pitches Select this MIDI event and click on MIDI-Logical Editor-Setup in the menu. Here, we can make various changes to the MIDI notes. Set the Operation for Value 1 (Pitch) to Set Random Values Between and enter C3 and G3. Click Apply to randomize the pitches of the notes. 3 A random rhythm Now we want to delete some of the notes to create a…

1 Layer 1: Bass First, load a patch as simple as possible, like AIR Puncher, to create your own sequence with Dark Horizon. Click on the blue dot at Layer 1 to listen to it soloed. Click on the instrument name of Layer 1 to open the Browser. Then, select a sound source you like, such as Orchestra: Electric Bass. 2 Program a sequence Now activate the ARP mode so that the sound source is controlled by the arpeggiator. Then, program a sequence with 16 steps. For a defined sequence, a more percussive sound is required, so switch to the FX page of Layer 1 and deactivate the Sustain mode at Inst. Adjust Sample Start, Attack and Release as desired. 3 Effect refinement The Crunch effect adds subtle Tape Saturation…

Baby Audio BA-1 Yamaha‘s CS01 mono synth from 1982 looks like a toy, but can score with a warm and powerful analog sound that has its very own character. BA-1 recreates this synthesizer with much love in detail and adds more features like polyphony. While the CS01 has only one VCO, BA-1 boasts two oscillators with selectable waveforms. The first oscillator masters Pulse Width Modulation, the second one offers white noise instead. We were especially pleased about the FM control for creating metallic timbres. The resonant 24 dB lowpass filter packs a punch and can also deliver sounds in the style of the TB-303. The effects, which are inspired by cheap hardware signal processors of the 80s, are a real asset. There are also a shelving filter duo (Tone), overdrive,…

Chowdhury DSP ChowMultiTool ChowMultiTool combines four different handy audio tools in one plug-in. The linear phase equalizer has eight parametric bands, frequency and gain can be adjusted using Drag&Drop of the respective EQ point. Via a menu below the point, you can choose between different filter types for the respective EQ band. The Equalizer impresses with a neutral sound and easy usability. With the waveshaper, the incoming audio signal can be distorted. Chowdhury DSP have already proven with the modular BYOD that they can program impressive distortion. The waveshaper sounds correspondingly good with its integrated oversampling and eleven different waveshape models. In Math mode, you can even enter your own distortion curves, which invites you to experiment. Band Splitter makes it possible to split the input signal into different frequency…

The Hydrasynth is the remarkable debut of the relatively young company Ashun Sound Machines. Behind ASM, however, is Glen Darcey, an experienced developer who was already significantly involved in synthesizers from Arturia and Akai. Accordingly convincing are the sound and concept of the complex digital synthesizer, which has earned a veritable reputation within a few years and thanks to regular firmware updates could grow even more. The new firmware 2.0 offers, among other things, voice modulators, with which you can set individual deviation for any parameter such as filter or pitch for each voice and thus provide a very lively and „analog“ sound or weird experimental sounds. Identical sound generation The sound generation of the Hydrasynth Deluxe is identical to the other models and therefore fully patch-compatible with Keys, Explorer…

1 Browser Using Artificial Intelligence, rekordbox 6 has a new algorithm that automatically recognizes vocal parts in the song. This is ideal for live remixing on the fly, for example, to combine two vocal songs with instrumental intros. Open rekordbox 6 and select a vocal song in the browser for analysis. 2 Analysis With the right mouse button, select Analyze Track from the menu. In the following dialog, check the boxes in front of BPM, Key, Phrase and Vocal. Perform the analysis for all vocal-heavy songs that you will need for mixing. In the browser, already analyzed songs are marked by a red-green-blue symbol on the left. 3 Settings Select the Preferences from the File menu. Under the Tab View, you will find the entry Layout. Place a checkmark in…

00000 Deejayladen Oschatz Thomas-Müntzer-Str. 4 | 04758 Lonnewitz Deejayladen Dresden Alaunstr. 13a | 01099 Dresden Deejayladen Leipzig Simildenstr. 2 | 04277 Leipzig Tel. 03435 9880-10 | www.deejayladen.de 24h im Online-Shop 40000 Djs Delight – T. Tennagels Erkrather Str. 4 40233 Düsseldorf Tel. 0211-35 37 21 Fax 0211-35 37 23 info@djsdelight.de www.djsdelight.de Advertise starting at 80 Euro in the Beat buying guide Your consultant: Yvonne Popall +49 (040) 28 51 66 48 y.popall@falkemedia.de 90000 Musikhaus Thomann e.K. Treppendorf 30 | D-96138 Burgebrach Tel.: 09546 9223-0 Fax: 09546 6774 info@thomann.de www.thomann.de…

Physical modeling synth from Erica Synths The synthesizer developers of Erica Synths, together with the Dutch expertise of 112dB, have announced the new physical modeling synthesizer Steampipe. It is intended to be used to shape analog wind instruments, among other things. The instrument can be played eight times polyphonically and dispenses with conventional oscillators for sound generation. The model includes the three core modules Steam, Pipe and Reverberator. Steam creates the airflow and the associated envelope regulates the force with which it is blown out. DC/Noise is the noise that is obtained when it is blown out. If needed, DC/Noise can also be replaced by an external audio source. Pipe can be compared to a flute in which the melody is formed. The shape of the flute is changed there…

1 Tighter drums with less decay Especially kicks and toms can overload a mix with their powerful low end. In this case, or if the bass is pushed away too long by sidechain via kick, the sound is usually simply too long. The solution is easy: reduce sustain and release to zero and then turn down the decay until the kick no longer takes up all the space. 2 More punch via pitch envelope Kick too soft or snare too weak? Then an envelope can help if it modulates the pitch of the sample. To do this, set all controls to zero, only turn up the decay a little (20 to 30 ms is usually enough) and then set the intensity of the envelope to pitch to 50% or higher.…

IK Multimedia UNO Drum UNO Drum combines 6 analog sounds with 54 PCM samples in 12-bit/32 kHz resolution. A real highlight are the Drum Anthology Libraries, which give the charming little plastic box the sound of 40 classic drum machines such as Korg CR-78 and Roland TR-606, 808, 909. Street price: 321 Euro | www.ikmultimedia.com Tip: Lively beats are the strength of UNO Drum. In addition to trigger notes, the 64-step sequencer also records several sound parameters per step, whereby you can add variety with performance effects such as stutter, note repeate and humanize. Need some inspiration? The Random function delivers new patterns at the touch of a button. Roland AIRA Compact T-8 Roland‘s small groovebox T-8 combines the classic TR drum machines with a TB-303-style bassline synthesizer and also…

1 Why Controller… …and no plug-in? Sure, there are almost endless tools to help you build smashing beats, but connecting your hands directly to the sound is just logical, consistent, and brings the most of yourself into it. Ideal for signature beats. Give it a try and you‘ll see more exciting patterns come about than with the mouse. 2 Focus on the beat Another advantage: when a kit is loaded, your focus shifts away from the screen and fully onto the beat. But enough talking, let‘s get to it: we use an ESI Xjam controller [1] together with Kong in Reason, but you can just as well use our free Speedrum Beat [2], Ableton Drumrack, Battery or your favorite drum machine. 3 Synchronize We set three things on the controller:…

Beat/Let us know why you built and set up your studio the way you did? Massimo/ I have been designing my studio for a long time, and even though the layout is very simple in the end, I have tried to evaluate several factors. The biggest difficulty was in positioning the speakers because of the 3 monitors I use to have an eye on the tracks, the mixer, the instruments and effects together.I also wanted an affordable solution and so I designed the studio to be able to build it myself manually and/or with the furniture and equipment I already had. Beat/What tips can you give to other readers, what traps should they not fall into (when building a studio or gear in general)? Massimo/ Always consider the possibility of…

Ed Sheeran – uncrowned King of copyright lawsuits. In recent years, the singer has had to defend himself so often against accusations of plagiarism that yet another lawsuit hardly seems worth a headline. When it comes to the lawsuit started against him by Edward Townsend, however, things are different. Townsend had noted striking similarities between the classic „Let‘s Get it On“, which Townsend had written with Marvin Gaye in 1973, and Sheeran‘s „Thinking Out Loud“. After four tough years, the court ruled in Sheeran‘s favour, causing some in the alternative music press to rejoice. As online magazine Pitchfork put it: „Ed Sheeran Finally Seems Useful. It took a serial plagiarist to uphold creative freedom.“ [1] Yet the result hardly clears things up. And in the long run, it could rather…

REGISTRATION & INSTALLATION The registration of u-he Beatzille takes place-as usual with our software highlights-via our www.serialcenter.de. After registering the data of the current Beat edition, you will receive an e-mail containing the password for the archive with the installation files in various formats, as well as instructions for installation. By the way, the latest version of the synthesizer is also Apple-M1 compatible. [1] See Beat Issue 2023]02, to be reordered at falkemedia-shop.de 1 Oscillator 1 With its versatile digital oscillators, lush modulation options and sequencer, Beatzille is a guarantee for cool sequences for Techno, Psytrance & the like. When loading the modular synth, the Preset Initialize is active and the output of Oscillator 1 is linked to Audio Out 1. The oscillator should be triggered in quarter time. 2 4/4…

1 Consult beat What you need to get started is just all the notes of the drums on one track. If you already have an existing one, whose sounds are distributed on several tracks, merge all notes on one track. This can be done easily with Copy/Paste. Go to the first drum track, open GRID EDIT, select all notes and press SHIFT+COPY. 2 Transpose? Then, paste the notes into a new track with SHIFT+PASTE. Repeat the step for each drum track, pasting all the notes into the same track. Once the beat is together on one track, it may be necessary to transpose the notes so that they start with Pad 1. Then, we come to the real trick: for this we need a field recording. 3 Find loops It can…

1 Guitar sound First, of course, we need an electric guitar. We‘ll use the Presence XT Core Library „Electric Guitars“ for this. Simply drag the Studio One instrument, Presence, from the browser into the Arrange window and load the Telecaster Open preset, for which the Fender Telecaster was sampled. Using one of the „smaller“ versions of Studio One? 2 Amp simulator In this case, you can alternatively use a freely available guitar plug-in like Ample Guitar M Lite [1] or SampleScience Clean Electric Guitar [2]. To turn the clean electric guitar sound into an ambient sound, we load the Ampire amp simulator as an insert effect. By default, the Default preset is active. 3 Condense sound Disable the amp to get a clean sound and select the Cabinet 4x12 American.…

With the new MSEG (Multi Stage Envelope Generator), Bitwig underlines its supremacy as a hybrid of DAW and creative instrument. Customizable waveforms have been at the top of Bitwig users‘ wish lists for a long time, and the developers in Berlin didn‘t do things by halves. The waveforms can not only be customized in every conceivable detail and stored in a dedicated library along with many presets for cross-project use, but can also be used in a wide variety of ways. LFO, oscillator, distortion? You can draw your own waveforms and LFOs, free or tempo synced with any number of nodes and adjustable progressions in between. You can then use this to modulate just about anything, for example, to have another envelope available for filter modulation with a synthesizer plug-in…

Braaaminator Ultra-fat braaam sounds for Trailer and Epic Music are a piece of cake for MiniFreak V. Use the Modulation Wheel to turn the sound into a riser. Chaotica In this sequence, the oscillator parameters are modulated by the two LFOs with the Sample & Hold waveform-perfect for adding some controlled chaos to your tracks. Comb The Desert Feeding noise to MiniFreak V‘s Comb Filter oscillator model makes for wonderful sounds reminiscent of acoustic guitars. Ebb 242 This hard bass sound is a real secret weapon for EBM, which immediately brings back memories of Front 242 and Nitzer Ebb. Feel The Funk This cool patch for Hip Hop, Funk & more proves that MiniFreak V also shakes crisp analog basses quite casually out of its sleeve. Green Man Gang Our…

The differences to the much more expensive Keylab MkII are mainly due to the quality of the hardware. The Keylab Essential does without the robust metal case featuring wooden sides and the semi-weighted keyboard with aftertouch, but thanks to sturdy plastic, KeyLab Essential is lighter and more compact. The keyboard is smoother and the 9 faders are also a bit cheaper. The controls make a better impression, in particular, the new large control below the display. The pleasantly large pads also have a good feel and can be played in a nuanced way. In contrast to the keyboard, the pads react to corresponding afterpressure, individually per pad (=polyphonic aftertouch). This is interesting for Arturia instruments like the CS-80V, as well as for the numerous new MPE instruments in Ableton Live.…

The Trigon-6 is a 6-voice storable analog synthesizer with Minimoog and Memorymoog borrowings: 3 oscillators per voice and a resonant cascade filter form the basis of the sound generation. The VCOs of the Trigon-6 are analog and discrete, as is the ladder filter, while the modulations are calculated digitally by a processor. In a series with Prophet-6 and OB-6 Externally, the Trigon-6 corresponds to the other two models and is in the same housing. However, the wood with which the metal housing is covered is birch wood this time and is much lighter in comparison. The semi-weighted 4-octave keyboard with 49 keys, velocity and aftertouch is also identical. Admittedly, not everyone will be happy with the mere four octaves. But this way the Trigon-6 could be kept halfway compact and…

1 Shape phases Load Chiral [2] into a MIDI track. Use Size, Bend and Fold to deform the phase of the sine wave. Set Sync to 38, Bend to 25, Fold to 18 and Size to x3. The larger Size, the more harmonics. Use amplitude modulation for movement. Set AM to 9%, Freq to 8 and Feedback to 15%. To soften the sound, set Tone to 62%. 2 Create sound layer Group the device. Open the chain list and load another Chiral into a new chain. Create a sound that complements the other instance, such as a pluck sound. In the Envelope, set Decay to 42 and Sustain to 16. For Sync, select 20, Size x3, Bend 18, Fold 22 and set Noise to 27%. In the Matrix, set Slope…