Innehållsförteckning för September 2019 från Computer Music

Secure and safe online access, from anywhere Free access for every reader – print and digital Download only the files you want, when you want All the downloads from all your issues, in one place Get started 01 Register your FileSilo account and log in. Even if you have a subscriber ID, you’ll still have to unlock each mag separately or migrate your old Vault account (see step 3) 02 Head back to the Computer Musicpage (filesilo.co.uk/computermusic) and choose an issue to unlock. You’ll need to answer one question to prove you’ve purchased the issue 03 You can migrate your old Vault account over to FileSilo to retain the issues you’ve added – head to filesilo.co.uk/vault and enter your Vault email address. Reset your password via the email you receive,…

ABLETON LIVE 10 “It took me quite a few years to get into Ableton Live. I started out with a Roland MC-505 Groovebox, then moved on to Cubase. After a while, I realised everybody was using Logic, so I switched again, but never clicked with it. No matter how much practice I had, Logic always made me slow in the studio. So… over to Ableton. I started out with v8 and I’ve just updated to 10, which, for me, is the best DAW out there. Why? It feels automatic. If you have an idea, you don’t have to pull up the manual to find out how to do it. You don’t have to interrupt workflow. Once you know your way around it, all the doors are open. Whenever I’m putting…

Simple structures The keys to a great tech house arrangement are to not overelaborate, and to make the most of every single sound in your track. While introducing new parts later in the arrangement can be a powerful way of increasing a track’s impact, it can often be more effective to instead use fewer elements initially, then introduce them as the tune chugs along. A simple example of this is muting percussion for the first eight bars of the drop. The simplified groove instantly sounds different, leaving the other elements more space to shine and creating a huge impact on a club PA system. Using effects such as filtering, distortion and chorus on your drums or bass towards the end of a section is another easy, effective way to make…

HY-FILTER3 A powerful and creative filter behemoth featuring five filter types (SVF, Reso, Xover, Dual and Formant), two modulation engines, dual effects units and randomisation features. HY-RPE This powerful MIDI sequencer offers eight sequencer tracks, eight chainers, velocity/trigger/probability tweakability and switchable snapshots. HY-SLICER Creatively chopping and replaying audio yields great results, and this sequencer-driven sample slicer does exactly that. Customise playback speed, position, order, dynamics and more.…

01 SHIFT BUTTON Even as long ago as 1983, tabletop gear was plagued by the ever-present Shift button. Then, as now, it was necessary to access a secondary level of functions below select dual-purpose buttons. You can tell which ones they are by the field of orange that surrounds some of the legending across the panel – Track and Pattern Write functions are among them. 02 TEMPO KNOB/ DISPLAY WINDOW Unlike many drum machines that came before it, the TR-909 at least gave some indication of global BPM via the Display Window to its left, assuming that the various external sync functions weren’t being used. That three-digit LED display was also used to indicate the current measure, among a few other helpful indicators. 03 TRANSPORT CONTROLS These buttons likely need…

You know those short chords that, though not part of the main chord progression, help you pass from one chord to the next? Those are passing chords: extra points of harmonic detail that shore up the tune’s structure. Generally played quite briefly, they work like stepping stones between the main chords in a progression, providing harmonic enrichment and variety to spice up otherwise humdrum passages. Passing chords needn’t be in the same key you’re playing in, in fact they mostly work better if they’re from another key. When using them, it’s good to look at things from the view of where your progression is going, rather than the chord you’re currently playing. If you know what you want the next chord to be, you can work back from that to…

The release of a new V Collection update is always something for classic synth and keyboard enthusiasts to get excited about, and version 7 adds three more classic emulations to a line-up that already takes in a what’s-what of legends by Moog, Roland, Yamaha, Buchla and many others, bringing the total number of instruments to 24. It also makes improvements to B-3 V and Analog Lab – see Lab report. The newcomers, then, comprise Mellotron V, Synthi V and CZ V (VST/AU/AAX/Standalone), putting Arturia’s TAE (True Analog Emulation) and Phi (Physical Modelling) algorithms to work on recreating the tape-playing keyboard made so famous by The Beatles et al, EMS’ revered ‘briefcase modular’, and a hybrid of Casio’s CZ-101 and CZ-1000 phase distortion synths. As ever, each one can be had…

Phase Plant’s effects section uses the company’s Snapins setup, where simple but effective processor modules can be loaded and combined. The base version comes with six Snapins – covering EQ, chorus, gain, delay, limiting and stereo widening. Users can expand on this by buying extra processors, though, either individually – prices are around the $20 mark – or as bundles, up to a maximum package including all 28 Snapins. Snapins can also be used separately in your DAW via the free Snapheap host. A subscription is available too, including Phase Plant, all Snapins, plus Multipass and all other Kilohearts plugins, for €10 a month. The effects section itself is split into three lanes. These can be routed as desired – allowing many varieties of parallel or serial effects setup. Each…

Singular in its purpose, Waves’ new plugin effect generates sub-harmonic signals based on the dynamic and tonal characteristics of the input signal. The most obvious source candidates for Submarine, (VST/AU/AAX) are basslines and kick drums, but anything below 240Hz that needs underpinning with low-end energy is potentially viable. Below the surface To be clear, Submarine isn’t an octaver, simply duplicating the input signal at a lower register through pitchshifting, or an analogue-style synth tracking the input’s pitch but generating an entirely independent signal. In fact, it’s somewhere between the two. The subs are created using Waves’ Organic ReSynthesis engine (ORS), which deconstructs the input and resynthesises it in terms of four sonic elements: carrier, pitch, formant and envelope. Two subs are generated in parallel, the first an octave below the…

Polyverse Music Comet $149 Web polyversemusic.com Format PC/Mac, VST/AU/AAX This unique ‘morphing’ algorithmic reverb isn’t intended to be a convincing model of any particular real-world space, as Is made apparent by the range of the Size control, which runs from 1 cubic centimetre to 1 cubic kilometre, and the infinite 100% Decay time setting. The Pre-Delay control is cleverly implemented, sliding up from centre for up to 2000ms of delay, or downwards for tempo-synced settings up to 1/1, while the Diffuse slider adjusts the density of the late reflections, and Detune applies impressively enriching pitch modulation of the feedback path. On the right, the Hi and Lo Damp controls introduce filtering, and Color governs a tilt EQ. That morphing thing, then. Adjusting the Glide control sets the amount of…

So how does your DAW know where to look for your plugins? Actually, it might not. Mac users have it easy, as there are OS-specified folders into which plugins are installed. These folders can be found by going to your Library folder (if you can’t find it, go to the Finder’s Go menu, hold Alt, and a Library option should appear). Find the Audio directory, and then the Plug-Ins folder within. There you will find more folders still. One will be labelled Components – this is where your AU plugins reside. Other folders will be found alongside it for VST and VST3 plugins. If you’re a Pro Tools user, you’ll find your plugins in an Avid or Digidesign folder. If your installers don’t automatically install the plugins into the proper…

HOUSE & TECHNO MASTERCLASS All the production techniques you need to make perfect 4/4 tunes – from classic to cutting-edge 2 How to produce a funky French house track 3 Designing Dirtybird-style bass with NI Massive 4 Gorgon City-inspired pads with u-he Bazille CM 5 Jeff Mills-style rolling TR-909 drums 6 Squelchy lead sequence with Phonec CM 7 Synthesising Drumcodeesque techno stabs Read the full article on p22 cm Producer Masterclass LEFTWING:KODY See the tech house duo remix a track in real time in this month’s in-studio video Note: this video is only available using the link on page 44 Read the full article on p42 HY-FX CM Find out how to use this issue’s free software – a multitalented multieffect from HY-Plugins Read the full article on p52 909…

Tell us how Audiaire came to be SR “I’d always wanted to make a synth. Once I’d embarked on that first instrument, I realised the developers were incredibly talented and it made perfect sense to expand into other wares, so Audiaire was born.” cm Your first plugin was the acclaimed Zone. What sets it apart from others? SR “Zone allows every synth parameter to be modulated by its own sequencer running at its own speed. Each sequencer lane has a range of modifiers and presets. This approach to sound design feels ‘modular’ and ‘analogue’ to me, and lots of happy accidents occurred while making the factory presets. I had no idea it’d sound how it ended up sounding. Automating so many parameters in one easy-to-access piece of screen estate can…

Regular readers of our monthly Freeware News column will be familiar with indie software devs HY-Plugins, purveyors of quirky step sequencers, slicers and effects processors – and we’ve teamed up with them to bring you an unmissable plugin that’s guaranteed to spark creativity in the studio. Operationally, HY-FX CM (VST/VST3/AU) couldn’t be easier to get your head around. First, choose one of the 22 high-quality processors from the main dropdown menu. Effects include five flavours of delay, four filter types, four modulation effects, pitch/frequency shifters, dynamics, distortion and reverb. The current effect’s tweakable parameters populate the front panel’s knobs and buttons. Things then get even more creative once you get those parameters wobbling with HY-FX CM’s LFO, Envelope Follower and Sample & Hold module. Modulation is assigned via an intuitive,…

When it comes to legendary names among drum machines, Roland stand firmly at the top, having created a number of seminal beatboxes that have pounded their way into our collective consciousness over the years thanks to the innumerable hit tracks in which they’ve appeared. From the delicate pitterpatter of the CR-78 that opens Phil Collins’ In the Air Tonight to the shutter-shaking TR-808 kick that rumbled through Afrika Bambaataa and the Soulsonic Force’s Planet Rock, these machines have shaped the soundtracks of the last four decades. And though the 808 is the one drum machine everyone can name-check, it was its follow-up that arguably shaped the musical direction of the 1990s and beyond. Along with another underrated Roland also-ran, the TB-303 BassLine, the tight ’n’ punchy sounds of the TR-909…

Digital audio workstations are now the mainstay of most producers’ workflow, but despite their cutting-edge credentials, you might be surprised at just how far back their roots can be traced. In the early 1980s, the first, primitive versions of what we now call digital audio workstations began changing the way musicians could express themselves. The musical landscape looked very different back then, with computers just starting to become a viable option for making music, and the introduction of MIDI was a revolution when it came to controlling synths, drum machines and samplers. The idea of recording or editing digital audio on a computer was still a long way off, but even the earliest music programs offered new options that had never existed before. Why does this matter? To many of…

While modulation effects aren’t the first things that come to mind when processing drums – if, indeed, they come to mind at all – the likes of chorus, phasing and flanging can work wonders in terms of stereo widening, imbuing a sense of movement and adding spectral interest to beats of all kind. All three of these staple studio effects involve the duplication (several times in the case of chorus ) and delaying of the input signal by very small amounts, with the delay time modulated by an LFO to produce their characteristic sounds. Chorus is all about thickening and making it appear as if several differently pitched versions of the source material are playing together, while phasing and flanging deliver two similar styles of psychedelic frequency sweeping, differentiated by…

Also included in V Collection 7, Analog Lab 4 is the latest version of Arturia’s epic ‘compilation’ instrument, giving instant access to 6500 presets from the 23 other members of V Collection, with tagged browsing, 18 preassigned parameter controls, two simultaneous parts for stacking and layering and – new for v4 – onboard effects and a couple of organisational live performance features: Concert mode and Stage view. Available separately for €199, it might seem like a pointless inclusion in V Collection, since you’ve got all the synths and presets it exploits anyway, but Analog Lab’s ability to launch the full source synth patch for any given sound at the click of a button actually proves handy for bringing them all together in a convenient one-stop interface. Version 4 also improves…

Inspired by the grand old polyphonic beasts birthed by Roland, Korg, Sequential Circuits et al in the 80s, Super 8 is Native Instruments’ first virtual analogue polysynth since Pro-53, almost two decades ago. It runs standalone or as a VST/AU/AAX plugin within Reaktor 6 or the free Reaktor Player ‘shell’, rather than natively, which has no significant ramifications apart from a bit of extra CPU usage. Keeping it real Super 8 will be immediately intuitive to anyone who’s ever been within spitting distance of an analogue synth, real or virtual. It’s clearly been designed for quick tweaking and hands-on manipulation via a MIDI controller, as all of its controls are housed in a single screen with no menus or secondary panels to get lost in. It’s a two-oscillator instrument, and…

Developed by Audiaire in partnership with Sinevibes (who coded most of the DSP), Nuxx (VST/AU/AAX) is a step-sequencing multieffects module based on the parameter sequencer from the company’s Zone synth (9/10,cm265). In essence, it’s all about creative Macro modulation of up to three parameters (plus dry/wet mix) from each of six effects at a time, drawing on a well thought-out range of 30 diverse processors. 30 rock The effects modules are found in the puzzlingly named Options panel (why not just call it FX, particularly given that there’s nothing else in there?), where they appear as six vertical columns of three contextual parameter knobs plus a Mix knob each. Clicking the name of an effect ‘strip’ opens the full 30-strong menu (see The crux of Nuxx). Select one and the…

Goldbaby Bluewave $49 New Zealand’s leading samplist returns, this time with just shy of 3GB of multisamples (3634 files) captured from a PPG Wave 2.2 wavetable synth via a treasure trove of fancy outboard. The sampling is as well-executed as ever – even with the admission that “some of the sustain loops aren’t as smooth as I’d like… because they’re looping a complex modulated stereo sound source” – and the sounds have been bundled into a ton of impressive patches for Kontakt (with a scripted UI), EXS24, Ableton Simpler/Sampler and TAL-Sampler, taking in basses, leads, pads, FX, raw oscillator waves and much more. goldbaby.nz 8/10 43% Giant Emotional Garage Subscription This intriguing new offering from the Noiiz label sees 43% Giant flexing his future garage production muscles to…

HYBRID SYNTHS Our synths have been created by the best software developers in the world to bring you a suite of sound-making tools for all music production scenarios u-he Zebra CM Blendableoscillatorwaveforms Super-programmable step LFOs Slick delay, reverb and chorus Original synth designed just for CM AU/VST, 32-/64-bit u-he.com KV331AudioSynthMasterCM Dualwavescanningoscillators Multimode filter and built-in effects FM/AM synthesis modes Based on SynthMaster 2.5 AU/VST, 32-/64-bit kv331audio.com Synapse Audio Dune CM VAandwavetableoscillators Powerful per-voice modulation 12-slot modulation matrix Based on the full version of Dune AU/VST/RTAS, 32-/64-bit synapse-audio.com u-he Bazille CM Patchablemodularsynthesiser Sequencer and Mapping Generator Audio-rate modulation, Fractalizer Huge how-to guide in 232 AU/VST 32-/64-bit u-he.com Dmitry Sches Thorn CM Dualspectraloscillators Analogue and Harmonic Filters Spectral and real-time effects Glitch Sequencer and Arpeggiator VST/VST3/AU/AAX, 32-/64-bit…

Though there are a wide variety of DAWs, each with its own unique interface, there are similarities when it comes to loading up and using plugins, and most stick to one of two approaches. The first – as seen in Steinberg’s Cubase, Apple’s Logic, and Cakewalk’s Sonar – involves insert slots on a track or mixer channel. These are used in the same way as an insert effect would be used on a hardware mixer. In other words, the effect is placed ‘in line’ on that mixer or track channel. Plugins might be loaded in by use of a dropdown menu tree or right-clicking in the effects slot. Clicking in the insert or effects slot in some DAWs – Cockos’ Reaper, for instance – will reveal a dedicated browser from…

Yamaha SY22/TG33 The story of Yamaha’s brief foray into vector synthesis is likewise a story of the demise of one of the greats – Dave Smith’s Sequential Circuits, the company that begat the legendary Prophet-5 polysynth. Sequential had ridden high on the success of the Prophet-5, from its release in 1978 through the mid-80s, when a string of low-rent multitimbral instruments sullied the name of the company that had previously been associated with high-end instruments. Powerful, to be sure, but the cheap build quality and tacky designs of instruments like the MultiTrak and Max instilled little consumer confidence. A last-ditch effort to try to reclaim some of the company’s lustre resulted in a spiffy set of samplers, and an inspiring set of digital waveforms, subtractive synthesis, and vector control, abetted…

Plugins Install and use HY-FX CM, plus our entire cm Plugins collection Tutorial Videos See and hear exactly how it’s done with our expert video guides Samples Download this month’s exclusive packs and power up your tunes Tutorial Files Follow along in your DAW with WAVs, project files, MIDI clips and more Log in at filesilo.co.uk/computermusic Register this issue for instant access to our plugins, samples, videos and files on your desktop computer Free for digital readers, too! Read on your tablet, download on your computer…

Future Audio Workshop SubLab Get your 808 on with this sub-focused new softsynth solution Future Audio Workshop – best known for their Circle2 synth (8/10, 220) – have released SubLab, a plugin synth for Mac and PC dedicated solely to the production of “powerful 808 style sub-bass that sounds punchy on every speaker, every time”. A SubLab patch comes together as a freely adjustable mix of a simple one-oscillator analogue-style synth, a kick drum or other transient sample, and the X-Sub “psychoacoustic sub-bass oscillator”. The synth features sine, triangle, saw and square waves, and volume, pitch and filter envelopes; while the sample can be sourced from a 250-strong factory library of 808, TR-8 and other kicks, or imported from your own collection via drag-and-drop, then tweaked in terms of playback…

FXPansion have been around for about as long as , and their DR-002 drum machine was one of the first free plugins to come with the mag. They’ve gone through a lot of changes over the years and offered a lot of now-classic products along the way, but Orca surely stands out as one of the oddest. An experimental monophonic synth, Orca was a test project designed to showcase a new type of modelling technology that would later appear in the company’s premium products. Its nightmarish interface hid a seriously squelchy sound, though! No longer available from FXPansion directly, you can still find it at vstplanet.com.…

From inner-city USA to the sunny terraces of Ibiza via the fields of rural England, house and techno culture has been the lifeblood of underground dance music since wannabe musicians began bashing away on old step sequencers and discarded drum machines. In terms of structure, content and tempo, house and techno share many similarities – specifically four-to-the-floor kick drums, drum machine-driven rhythms, groovy basslines, processed vocals and simple melodics. Broadly speaking, house can be generalised as more ‘accessible’ to the casual listener, whereas techno adheres to more of a dystopian, ‘machine-made’ aesthetic. However, the line between house and techno has become more and more blurred as electronic music has evolved. Sure, you’ll never mistake the glittery grooves of Defected with the warehouse rumblings of Drumcode, but anyone even remotely familiar…

KEEP IT SIMPLE, STUPID We might be stating the obvious, but the minimal sound is all about, er, minimalism. There are no overblown arrangements here, no complex patterns and multi-layered mixes. Instead, it’s almost a question of seeing just how few elements you can use. As a challenge, try starting with just a kick, hi-hats and one synth element. If you can create a compelling groove with that limited selection of sounds, you’re well on your way. DRUMS AS BASS Basslines in minimal tend to be carried by the kicks, with the drums tuned to fill in the bottom end of the mix rather than having separate synth elements in the low frequencies. An 808 hit is an obvious starting point, but anything with a distinct pitch and tonality can…

Blasting out a steady stream of club bangers from their Maidstone studio, Leftwing : Kody – aka Jon Kong (Leftwing) and Chris Adie (Kody) – have been a musical partnership to be reckoned with since 2012. With residencies at Fabric and Sankeys, and releases on a range of labels including Toolroom, Truesoul, Knee Deep In Sound and their own acclaimed Lost Records, there’s no stopping these eclectic house DJ/producers. We caught up with them at their aforementioned Kentish facility to witness them remix their recent track – I Feel It – released on the iconic Toolroom Records – in Logic Pro X. Before we kick off the session, however, we sat the pair down to find out how they both got into making music. “When I was younger, I was…

ROLAND TR-909 SOFTWARE RHYTHM COMPOSER Roland have never ceded to demands for an analogue recreation of their lauded analogue beatboxes, but they have seen fit to recreate them in various digital guises over the years. Of great interest to readers, this particular incarnation comes as part of the company’s monthly Cloud subscription service. Take a look at the walkthrough later in the feature for a closer look. rolandcloud.com D16 GROUP DRUMAZON A constant resource for killer clones of classic kit, d16 Group have given us their take on quite a number of Roland classics, including the TR-808 (Nepheton), TR-606 (Nithonat), and this, a 909 knock-off. As ever, the sound is pretty much spot-on, and the interface will be familiar to users of the original. They’ve added in all mod cons,…

Structuring tracks can be tricky. Often, you’ll create a track sketch that has potential, but struggle to extend the idea beyond a basic loop – perhaps the transitions between sections aren’t as smooth as they could be, or maybe the order of the sections just doesn’t flow. Furthermore, you may want to rejig the structure of completed tunes by ‘remixing’ them on the fly, either to create a fresh remix or to prepare the song for live performance. Thankfully, many modern DAWs offer features designed for exactly these scenarios. Ableton Live, for example, has its Session View: a mighty sketchpad for assembling cyclical clips of audio and MIDI into multitrack sequences on the fly. If you’ve transitioned from a traditional, linear-based arranging background, the Session View’s loop-based nature can at…

There are many types of synthesis out there, but there’s one in particular that can really help you understand how sound can be generated. FFT theory states that all melodic waveforms are made up of individual sine waves: a fundamental frequency and related upper harmonics. If you look at it in theoretical terms, by adding together the right combination of sine building blocks at the correct amplitudes, frequencies and phases, you can recreate any sound you like from the ground up. That’s pretty neat, huh? An additive synthesiser adds together individual sine waves – or partials – at related frequencies based on the harmonic series. Take a basic sawtooth as an example: to create an A4 saw wave, all you need to do is combine sine waves at 440Hz (the…

In 2016, Kilohearts launched Multipass – a multiband effects suite that thoroughly impressed us by being both highly customisable and pleasantly simple. That plugin made us think of the company’s Snapin system, whereby users purchase effect modules – either individually or as bundles – designed to be combined on order to construct powerful tools out of relatively simple building blocks. With their latest release, Phase Plant, Kilohearts bring a similar concept to the power synth market. Again, the plugin is essentially a modular sandbox offering a space in which to construct a custom instrument. Here, that space is divided into three sections, housing sound generators, effects and modulators. It’s a design that owes an acknowledged debt to UVI’s synth-cum-sampler Falcon, but what sets Phase Plant apart – to its credit…

Super 8’s modulation system goes beyond the pre-assigned main panel controls with the ability to assign up to two mod sources to any control (except the effects), complete with ‘Sidechain’ input for modulating the mod depth with a secondary modulator. Phew! The list of sources and sidechains includes Modwheel and (Komplete Kontrol) touchstrip, Velocity and Aftertouch, Keytracking, ADSR Amp and Filter envelopes, Pitch Mod, and two LFOs (Mod 1 and 2). The LFOs can run at up to 100Hz unsynced or 32/1 to 1/96 synced, free-running or retriggered, in mono or polyphonic mode, and, like the oscillators, can mix four waveforms (triangle, saw, square and S+H). Modulations are set up by clicking the top bar in the Modulation section, selecting the target parameter, then assigning sources and sidechains in the…

The debut from plugin developers Pulsar is an emulation of the legendary Binson Echorec 2 magnetic drum delay unit, as made famous through the 60s and 70s by the axe-wielding likes of Pink Floyd’s Dave Gilmour, Led Zep’s Jimmy Page and The Shadows’ Hank Marvin. Known at the time for its comparatively consistent sound and characterfully rhythmic head positioning, these days a second-hand one will set you back around £2500, so a quality software version is always of interest. Pulsar’s claims to be the most realistic yet, accurately modelling everything from the tube amp to the motion of the drum itself. Head games Echorec’s (VST/AU/AAX) delay line comprises a record head and four play heads, the latter authentically fixed in their relative positioning around the rotating drum. Unlike the real…

To help you get the most out of our immense plugin collection, we’ve assembled the Plugins Tutorial Bank, containing over 100 guides and tutorials for our Plugins, specially selected from past issues. You’ll find Getting Started PDFs and videos for most of the individual plugins, along with tutorial PDFs and videos on using Plugins for sound design, mixing, and even creating entire tracks. You’ll find all of this as a handy download from FileSilo – go grab it now and start getting more out of your plugins! filesilo.co.uk/computermusic…

UVI VECTOR PRO Dedicated emulations of Yamaha’s vector synthesiser line are pretty much non-existent, but UVI offers one that’s about as close as you’ll get. Ostensibly a virtual realisation of the Prophet VS, the sample-based Vector Pro bundle includes the ‘bonus’ Vector Pro 22, a variation on the theme centred around Yamaha’s SY22. uvi.net SONIC CAT RAVITY It’s cheap, it’s cheerful (sort of), and it’s only for 32-bit Windows. Nevertheless, if you have a host capable of running the thing, you’ll find plenty of samples that bear a decided resemblance to Yamaha’s ROMplers of the 1990s. This isn’t going to get you the delightful vector interplay of FM and samples, but it will get you halfway there. sonic-cat.com ARTURIA PROPHET V Once again, we come face-to-face with the fact that…