Computer Music's goal is to help its readers create great music with a PC or Mac. Each month find easy-to-follow tutorials for all sorts of music software, unbiased reviews of the latest products and answers to technical questions.
Whenever you see this icon, you can grab the files on your PC or Mac by going to filesilo.co.uk/computermusic. Tutorials featuring this icon make use of our own Plugins – find out all about them at filesilo.co.uk. This icon means there are extra files to help you follow a tutorial feature: project files, audio examples, etc. There’s extra video content wherever you see this icon. computermusic.co.uk computermusic@futurenet.com facebook.com/computer.music.mag twitter.com/computermusicuk youtube.com/computermusicmag instagram.com/computermusicmag…
“Communication was just one of the issues” In more than three decades of music making, I think I’ve worked with a vocalist… mm, let me see… once. It didn’t go particularly well. We started off at opposite ends of the page, as it were. Actually quite literally, come to think of it. They wanted to sing. I wanted spoken, whispered words from a fantasy series of books I was reading at the time. Of course I did. Needless to say, I didn’t get out much in those days. Communication was therefore just one of the issues and it all went terribly wrong. So, naturally I did what any frustrated geek of the late ’80s did at the time: turned to technology! Only technology of the late ’80s didn’t really help.…
Kilohearts update ecosystem to v2 A free update to existing users and an attractive world to enter for non users If you are not familiar with the Kilohearts world of effects and synths, it’s a place of joy that can be experienced in a ‘standard’ DAW way or in Kilohearts’ own modular way. And they’ve just upgraded the whole shebang to version 2 for free for existing users. First up, before we look at the update in more detail, let’s take a look at the concept as it requires some explanation. Kilohearts produce many fantastic individual effects (VST/AAX/AU) that can be run within your DAW just like any other plugin. Load them on a channel, tweak and enjoy. They also produce the excellent Phase Plant, a semi-modular softsynth you can…
VHS Synth The premise of Audiokit’s VHS Synth app is pretty simple: take a load of famous analogue and digital synths (the likes of Dave Smith’s Prophet-6, The Moog Realistic Concertmate, the Novation Bass Station and Korg Volca FM) record them to VHS tape and resample them. The result is a crusty, characterful set of sounds that could go well in synthwave, hip-hop, indie and lo-fi productions, or anything else that needs an ’80s feel. You get more than 250 presets and controls to dial in the VHS vibe, plus a free expansion pack that features OP-1 sounds that have been given the video tape treatment. VHS Synth currently costs £3.49/$3.99. audiokitpro.com/vhssynth/ Panflow Want to get more creative with your panning? Audiomodern has just the thing in the shape of…
cm How did you get into music software? JG “I’ve had a keen interest in plugins for a very long time. I followed the latest developer news and always wished I could one day make my own. Now that is a reality, and I spend a lot of my time (even when asleep) dreaming up some new concepts for plugins.” cm What makes your plugins stand out? JG “When thinking up new ideas for plugins, I have two main goals. First I like to find a way to offer as many features and options as possible, while simultaneously making the plugin easy and fast to use. This balancing act is important to me. Secondly, I try to innovate in some way. Either with a completely new concept or a more…
‘What was making the headlines in August 2012?’, you ask. Well, it was the time of Traktor 2.5, the latest version of NI’s DJing app, and we were also introduced to the company’s presumably speedy F1 controller. Vroom, vroom, etc. “a distinction that a very small number of people care a great deal about” The burning question of the day was whether it was possible to play your laptop like an instrument – it was starting to dawn on us that not everyone was plugging in a MIDI keyboard anymore, although hitting your computer with drumsticks wasn’t/isn’t recommended – and we had a bleepy tutorial on creating ‘fakebit’ music – ie music that sounds like it was made using ’80s hardware but was actually powered by ‘chiptune-style’ plugins. A distinction…
