Innehållsförteckning för 07/2024 från Beat English

Jan Wilking Synthesizers, samplers and drum machines have defined his life for a good four decades. Inspired by the emerging Synth Pop of the early 80s, particularly the first concerts as a budding teenager like Depeche Mode, Nitzer Ebb and Shock Therapy shaped his further development, which led to the founding of the EBM/Industrial project STERIL in 1990, which was successful mainly in the USA. From the simple cassette recorder, Casio keyboard and mono sampler with mini-memory to the modern DAW with almost unlimited possibilities, Jan has witnessed the development of electronic music production, with his personal conclusion: Less is often more! Sascha Blach Passionate music nerd who likes variety as a listener, as well as a singer, musician and producer, because he thinks variety is what makes life interesting…

Beat/You took your time between your debut album „ve​·​loc​·​i​·​ty“ and your new one,„Head-Space“.What happened in these years? Maassai/ Those years were spent living, going through transitions, and finding what we wanted to say. Beat/I‘m asking because Hip-Hop is a very fast moving genre. Artists rarely take that much time off to reflect. JWords/ Yes, Hip-Hop does move fast. But personally I have to be able to go through life experience and lessons to create work I’m proud of. It‘s never a rush to drop music especially if I don’t feel 100% about it. Beat/How would you describe the production process for „HeadSpace“? JWords/ My main goal when I’m creating H31R beats, I make sure it‘s glitchy, polyrhythmic and has the sense of Hip-Hop fusion into Techno. The most rewarding moment…

1 Piano as a basis In the last issue, we first recorded a chord sequence and an eighth-note ostinato with a piano and used this as the basis for developing a simple orchestration with double basses, cellos, violas and violins. Now, we unleash the power of the brass, which can lend your composition a majestic mood. 2 Create ensemble You can, of course, play the instruments of a brass section individually, but we will build our own ensemble. To do this, we will load the following instruments from Iconica Sketch into an instance of HALion Sonic: Euphonium, Horns, Trombones, Trumpets and Tuba. Set the same MIDI channel for all of them on the MIDI page. 1 3 Dynamics Now you can play your entire brass ensemblevia one MIDI channel. Select the Sustain…

1 Multiband expansion We load a highly compressed loop or song into the DAW of our choice. We then increase the dynamics with the Pro MB in Expander Mode by placing its bands in the frequency ranges that have the least dynamics. We set the Threshold slightly below the average level, Ratio to about 1:3 and Range to about -8dB. 2 Emphasize transients Using the Pro-Q‘s analyzer, we now search for the transients. These are often around 5 or 10 kHz. If they are difficult to find, we set the Q factor and Gain to the highest level and „sweep“ slowly through the frequency spectrum. Where the transients resonate, we now set the Gain to around +2dB and Q to around 1.4. 3 Dynamic nuances Even if it seems counterproductive at first glance…

The scope of delivery and features are impressive. Replaceable, washable ear pads, optionally made of velour or textile, ensure individually adjustable wearing comfort. The sound characteristics can also be adjusted to a certain extent. Also practical and rare to find: The 180 cm long connection cable supplied can be attached either on the left or right. This is particularly convenient in desktop studios, where the equipment is not always arranged in an ergonomically perfect way, as it means that cables hanging across the desktop and getting in the way can be avoided without any additional effort. What‘s more, every user has their own preferences when it comes to attaching the cable to the side. Professional Design We also noticed positively that the cable transmits virtually no unwanted sound, which is…

Felix Dames: Hybrid Mind The Berliner by choice, Felix Dames, has been enriching the electronic underground since the 90s and has since dedicated himself to a wide variety of genres. His latest work also reflects the musical diversity of his entire oeuvre. Five tracks suggest an EP format, but “Hybrid Mind” is actually more of an album length, with a total playing time of over 43 minutes. And that‘s because Felix has a preference for expansive tracks – here between eight and fifteen minutes. In them, he combines straight Techno with Trance, Acid and Psychedelic. But more important than the exact genre classification is that the artist has a feeling for attracting his audience to the dance floor and keeping it there. He definitely has the right mix on the…

Features: • Duophonic Hybrid-Analogue synthesizer• 200 Patches• 2 Oscillators plus sub-oscillator per voice• 2 Multi-mode state variable VCA filters with overdrive• Oscillator Drift• 6 Arpeggiator types• Reverb, Chorus• 2 LFOs• 2 Envelopes• Ring modulation See Mantis in action! Having fun with Mantis Watch Mantis tutorials Hear the best of Mantis www.1pwm.com…

Features: • USB 3.1 audio interface with USB-C connector, USB 2.0 compatible• USB bus powered• 2 input / 2 output channels at 24-bit/192kHz• XLR combo microphone preamp and +48V phantom power support• real time hardware input monitoring with input / output crossfade mixer• loopback channel for internal recording• includes Bitwig Studio 8-Track DAW• includes Steinberg WaveLab LE audio editor license• works with Cubasis LE from Steinberg for iPhone / iPad• includes 3 month (up to 9000 minute) subscription to JackTrip Virtual Studio Including: WIN ESI AUDIO GEAR WORTH 1100 EURO…

Legendary sound, infinite expression The TEO-5 boasts a full-sized, semi-weighted Fatar keyboard, designed for expressive playability with velocity and aftertouch. Its low-split mode and polyphonic portamento add layers of performance flexibility, while the unison mode thickens sounds using up to five voices. With a vast memory bank of 512 total presets, your unique sounds are always at your fingertips. Forge your sonic kingdom Craft intricate melodies and evolving rhythms with the TEO-5‘s 64-step sequencer and multimode arpeggiator. Infuse your music with depth using the lush built-in reverb and versatile effects like phase shifter and ring modulator. The TEO-5 doesn‘t just play notes – it weaves sonic stories! Seize the Throne of Tone The TEO-5‘s five-voice analog architecture reigns supreme, with dual VCOs and a sub oscillator for each voice, delivering…

When Beat was launched in spring 2005, nobody thought that the magazine would still be so successful almost 20 years later. Not to mention the thought of being the market leader in German-speaking countries. Reason enough to celebrate issue #222! Because this milestone anniversary means almost 20 years of concentrated expertise with a strong focus on practical workshops that simplify your everyday life in the studio when mixing, mastering and sound design. How it all started? In the first issue #001, we highlighted the Battery 2 drum computer as well as Arturia‘s ARP2600 V, a virtual version of the semi-modular analog legend ARP 2600. Then as now, inexpensive microphones are in demand in every studio. We presented a market overview for microphones up to 500 euros. One constant that has…

1 808-Beat For the production of our little Synthwave track, we arm ourselves with the plug-ins TAL-Drum for the drums and TAL-Pha and TAL-J-8 for the synth sounds. In TAL-Drum we load the GB-808taste kit, because what would suit the virtual Roland synths better than drums from the TR-808? Use these to record a straight beat at 112 BPM. 2 Alpha-Juno-2-Bass You can add more spice with percussion sounds such as cowbell or clap. Well then let‘s move on to a stylish synth bass, for which we use TAL-Pha, which emulates Roland‘s Alpha Juno-2. Start with the default preset and select Pulse PW as the second waveform for the DCO. Tune this 24 semitones lower using Tune. 3 Fatter, wider! The sub-oscillator gives the whole thing a fat foundation and a pinch of…

1 Haas effect The best-known method of making a sound wider is the Haas effect. This means you duplicate the track (even if it is still in mono) and turn the panning completely to the right or left. If you now delay one track from the other by a few milliseconds, the sound appears much wider to our ears. 2 Fruity Stereo Enhancer It is even easier to use the Fruity Stereo Enhancer. To do this, route the track that you want to make wider to any mixer channel and load the plugin there. Set the Phase Offset control between 5 and 20ms in one direction to shift the phase of the sound, making it appear wider. 3 Delay A frequently used method to make a mono sound more stereo is to use…

1 Prepare Live Set The Max for Live Pack contains 4 devices that are suitable for different applications. Using the device variations, you can call up current settings for the entire Set or individual tracks, similar to the macro controls. To do this, create a Live Set in which, for example, each song or each individual song part is in a different scene. 2 Create snapshot Load the Max for Live Device, Variations, into the main track. Set everything as desired for the first song. Under Include, select Clip, so that the clips currently playing are also saved in the screenshot. Start the scene and then click on New to take a snapshot of all current settings. 3 Call up variations Double-click on the Variation 1 label and give it a suitable…

12 MAG ISSUES STARTING AT 71.90 EURO/YEAR ACCESS TO OVER 130 ISSUES IN THE ARCHIVE 1.2 TERABYTE OF INSTRUMENTS & SOUNDS PLUS GIFT OF YOUR CHOICE! Want it? Get your subscription here: www.plugins-samples.com CHOOSE YOUR GIFT Find your favorite subscription gift at www.plugins-samples.com HEAVYOCITY MOSAIC NEON* Mosaic Neon offers an innovative sound palette that combines vintage synth sounds, glowing textures, and dynamic sequences for atmospheric tracks and retro-futuristic productions. This flexible Kontakt instrument allows you to layer three sound sources and edit and animate them in various ways to give your music a neon glow. www.heavyocity.com Gift ID: F1576 no additional costs INITIAL AUDIO SEKTOR* With the powerful wavetable synthesizer Sektor you are perfectly equipped for modern electronic styles such as house, techno, trap and EDM, which is impressively demonstrated…

MELODICER CAN! Vermona’s meloDICER is a melody inventor. While other tools of this kind deliver random results, meloDICER delivers truly usable melodies. And with the help of his new friend MEX3 you get three melodies at once! Or chords … or chords and a melody … You decide! MELODIES FOR ETERNITY meloDICER has a well-thoughtout set of control elements that makes it easy for you to conduct rhythm and melody in any wanted direction. It doesn’t matter if you are a music theory genius or if you never heard of triplets, ties, and the like. Just take a look at the module’s surface and start playing with meloDICER. Yes, it’s that simple. TRIPLE HARMONY meloDICER now supports polyphony. Sequences are no longer limited to just one voice. Use meloDICER’s uniquely…

OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE NEW? (K)NOT HERE! Say hello to Knot, the game-changing solution, bridging the gap between vintage equipment and the latest technology. The world’s smallest MIDI host allows you to seamlessly connect your old-school MIDI gear with USB-MIDI devices. PORTABLE Grid is your ‘takeaway’ studio with its compact 106mm x 106mm size and 4-page memory buildup that allows you to access your work from anywhere. MODULAR Mix & match from Intech Studio’s 6 different modules and create the perfect setup for your workflow. A single controller might fully meet your creative cravings, but beware, they may cause addiction making it hard to resist adding more to your collection. VERSATILE To really get the most out of Grid, you don’t have to worry about different programs…

→ MEET US AT BOOTH 0158 Revolution EXP Video: Introducing the Revolution EXP Crisp, professional sound Boasting 16 analog TRS connections and 16 channels of ADAT I/O, this unit is not just a studio-grade converter and expander—it‘s a sonic enhancer. The meticulously selected components ensure that whether you‘re recording at 44.1 kHz or pushing the limits at 192 kHz, your audio will be crisp, clear, and full of life. Adding outboard Preamps to your interface Video: Use hardware effects like plug-ins Plug-in simplicity for hardware gear With Revolution EXP, you can utilize hardware signal processors with the same ease and flexibility as a software plugin. Imagine seamlessly integrating your outboard gear—compressors, equalizers, reverbs—right into your digital audio workstation. This isn‘t just about adding effects; it‘s about expanding your studio‘s capabilities…

STRUCTURES The structures are pre-programmed sequences of filtering options. They are defined by their length (loops of 2 to 8 steps) shown in the first digit, and their variation in the second digit. DIVISIONS The division applies to the cycling signal whatever its source and treatment. The division tells how many times a step in a structure is repeated before changing to the next content in the loop. MULTIMODE FILTER Grainity offers multimode filtering with 6 options: • LP2, 12dB/Oct lowpass• LP4, 24dB/Oct lowpass• HP, 24dB/Oct highpass• BP, 12dB/Oct bandpass• BR, 12dB/oct band rejection also called notch• IN, the unaltered input signal; sometimes useful to blend with the rich granular result, especially using the Mix CV control ODDS & INS & OUT Every function can be CV controlled. Changing the…

Laura Emiliano: Drag’n Drop in Serum Did you know that Serum has an audio renderer built in? A small wave symbol appears in the top left corner when you move the mouse pointer there. If you hold it down, Serum will render the last note played. You can then drag the result into the DAW as a one-shot or directly into one of Serum’s oscillators as a wavetable. Laura Emiliano: Double LFOs and envelopes in Vital What a package of sound, workflow and new ideas! And it‘s free! Vital has made quite an announcement in the direction of Serum, Pigments and Phase Plant. But like Serum, there is more to Vital than meets the eye at first glance. You can easily double the number of envelopes and LFOs! So three…

Beat/Hello David, as far as we know, the CLAP format has existed since 2021, but only “recently” officially came to light - with a Bitwig update and support for your u-he plug-ins. What exactly is the format all about? David/ So far only large companies like Apple, Avid or Steinberg have specified what plug-ins can do and who can do them. In the past, this not only got us, but also our developer friends, into difficult situations. Therefore, we wanted to have a plug-in standard that was open and free, which is what CLAP evolved from. No one can take away the right to develop CLAP plug-ins or dictate whether CLAP plug-ins can output MIDI messages. Beat/How does the format affect the performance of plugins? David/ There are actually potential…

1 Alchemy Synth To recreate the catchy ARP sound from the Stranger Things theme, we first need a good basis. We set the song tempo to 84, load Logic‘s Alchemy Synth into the plug-in slot and open the 1970s Analog Arp preset. The sound is already quite similar to the theme, but we still need to tame the arpeggiator a little. 2 Chord for the ARP In order to set up the ARP correctly, we next need to make our sound resonate with the right chord. We open the piano roll and draw a Cmaj7 chord with the pencil tool (C, E, G, B, C). We take C2 as the root note and then make sure that the MIDI blocks all sound simultaneously over one bar. 3 Arpeggiator For more…

1 Drums, Drums, Drums To get started, we need sound material that is rhythmically chopped up with four effects, similar to Cableguy‘s Shaperbox 3 or Devious Machines Infiltrator 2 - but with Bitwig‘s onboard tools. It‘s up to you whether you program drums, use a ready-made drum loop or sit down directly at the drum kit and record. 2 Effects, Effects, Effects Multi-effects such as the aforementioned Shaperbox 3 or Infiltrator 2 sound best when they „break“ sound. To do this, we use four of Bitwig‘s own effects, which change the sound character of the drum loop relatively significantly. For the example chain, I placed Bit-8, Flanger+, Delay+ and Ladder, one after the other, on the drum track. 3 Effects in detail I turned up the settings for each effect and then…

The Usual Suspects OsTIrus Osirus, a virtual Access Virus based on an emulation of the Motorola DSP56300 chip used for the original hardware, has been available for some time. However, you need the original ROM of this classic virtual analog synthesizer, which puts you in a legal grey area. The developers have taken this into account to the extent that the DSP emulator only works with the ROM of the discontinued models A, B and C, but not with the Virus TI, which is still available. OsTIrus, the emulation of the TI Virus, was previously only available, unofficially, to supporters of the project. However, Access Music has now announced the discontinuation of production of the hardware, which is why OsTIrus has been released for public download. As the emulation of…

The SP series can indeed be considered a hardware classic. The first model, named Dr. Sample SP-202, hit the market at the end of the last millennium. And even the first version of the SP-404, tested here, is nearly 20 years old but has remained popular. It was high time for Roland to present a modernized successor, especially considering the significant technological advancements in the sampling domain. No internal microphone anymore Fortunately, Roland approached the redesign with care, ensuring that proven elements like form factor, compactness, and direct operation remained intact. Unfortunately, the built-in microphone was omitted in the reissue. Although it offered only modest sound quality, it allowed for quick and spontaneous recording of lo-fi samples. With the SP-404 MKII, you‘ll need to connect a dynamic microphone for this…

1 Set routing Create a new audio track in Push. Then, select the Push Volume Menu. Press the Select button again to open the Mixer view of the track. Use the button above the display to select the Input & Output menu. Under Input Type, use the encoder above to select Resampling. 2 Start resampling Go to the Session Mode in Push. Activatethe Resample Audio Track by briefly pressing the Track Select button until all pads in the row light up. Select the pads you want to resample. Optionally, you can stop the sequencer once or directly press a pad in the resample audio track to start recording. 3 Adjust Warp Mode Switch to the Clip View after you have finished recording. Listen to the recording in solo and, optionally, adjust the…

Beat/Hi Vincent, great that you‘re back again – SUPERBOOTH is going into round six! For someone who hasn’t been attending the last five times, can you tell in a nutshell what the event is all about? Vincent/ Superbooth is the world‘s biggest trade fair and festival for electronic musical instruments happening in Berlin, Germany. Once a year, people from all over the world get together to celebrate electronic music making with over 250 exhibitors from all over the world and a comprehensive program of musical performances and workshops. For us, it‘s not just about showing the latest gear, but also about bringing people together over their shared passion of making electronic music! Beat/What’s the hottest news and changes for 2024? Vincent/ We have two new areas this year, the Strandbar…

AVAILABLE IN SUMMER SUPERBOOTH24 „Meet us at the Superbooth Clubhouse in the Bungalowdorf“ • Plenty of analog synthesis tricks including supersaw, transistor organ, flanging phase sync• Powerful character control that transforms the whole synthesizer• MPE• User assignable controls• Four physical auxilliary outputs• 6 voice polysynth• Analog four pole variable character filter• Six parts multitimbral• Flexible voice allocation• Optional 16-voice paraphony for each physical voice• Can go from clean to hard distortion• Stereo DSP effects Video: Introduction Audio: The clockworks Audio: The Fjordhammer Audio: Falkor Audio: Art Never Changes Audio: Stacks!! Audio: Machinist Fun Run…

Watch me in action! • Whether recording your Eurorack jams, using it to play stems as backing tracks, or a combination of both – bluebox Eurorack edition will rock your rack!• Eurorack mixer with effects & multichannel recording/playback• Based on the award-winning bluebox desktop mixer• Send 2 channels of audio to and from your computer• Control up to 6 mix settings with the 6 CV inputs Watch me in action! The nanobox | tangerine delivers powerful sampling in an ultra portable form factor. Add recording, sample playback, clip launching, slicing, and musically intelligent looping capabilities to your desktop or travel rig. • Easy work of selecting, editing, and tweaking your samples• Stream large samples of up to 4 GB file size straight from the microSD card• Interact with other musical…

COMING IN SUMMER 24 We at Erica Synths in collaboration with 112dB have developed a unique new hardware reverb effects unit. We focused on the musical aspect of the effect – extremely long decay tails are possible without losing harmonic integrity. Since multiple parameters can be adjusted at once, notes can be played individually and held in chords pitch-shifted at a whim or used to create massive ambient textures. AMP IT TO THE MAX The colossal range of input gain of up to +24 dB makes the Nightverb perfect companion both for synthesizers and guitars. MIDI PORTS Nightverb offers one knob per function – and thanks to separate MIDI inputs and outputs you can record and automate them all. FOOTSWITCH To expand your performance capabilities even more, Nightverb has a…

It‘s a time machine! Famous for its use by artists like Vince Clarke (Erasure), Pet Shop Boys, The Prodigy, Massive Attack and Faithless, the legacy of Roland‘s Alpha Juno II and MKS-50 pulses through TAL-Pha‘s circuitry. TAL-Pha delivers that cherished classic analog sound alongside the perks of modern flexibility. Plus, with the ability to control and convert hardware Sysex data, it stands as a bridge between eras. Authenticity with a modern twist TAL-Pha is modeled and calibrated after the original hardware. Equipped with a 7 stage envelope, it offers nuanced control over the shape and dynamics of your sounds. Turn on the resonance boost and the filters sing with self-oscillation or use pulse width modulation to recreate iconic basses and lead sounds. Unison & FX TAL-Pha‘s stereo UNISON mode thickens…

SNEEK-PEAK Tuff City Kids/ My favourite devices include synths like the Oberheim Matrix 1000 and the Kurzweil K2000R. But I‘m also a fan of presets when it comes to sound generation. Resoe /The K2000 certainly opened up a whole new world for me. The machine was terribly difficult to programme, but it had such fantastic sounds! Before the Kurzweil, everything in my music was totally sample-based, but this synth allowed me to play strings naturally. I used that straight away, of course. A V.A.S.T. from the past: In the mid-1970s, Raymond Kurzweil invented the first multi-font reading machine for the blind, including a text-to-speech synthesizer. In 1976, the blind musician, Stevie Wonder, heard about this new machine and became the user of the Kurzweil Reading Machine, beginning a long-term association between the…