Innehållsförteckning för January 2023 från Computer Music

news In what has become quite a retro-focussed news – with emulations of classic instruments from the last 50 years – we’ll close with String Machine. East West’s latest instrument has samples from some of the best machines from the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s, including the ARP Solina, Oberheim OBX, Roland RS-505, and Roland Jupiter-6. However, String Machine’s ‘modern twist’ is that you can combine these with modern strings, brass, woodwinds, and vocals. It’s $199 or part of ComposerCloud+ subscriptions (starting at $20/month). Review coming soon... www.soundsonline.com…

A little knowledge, as they say, can go a very long way, and that’s why this month we’re covering synthesis, from its humble beginnings right through to how some of that knowledge can turn you into a synth power user! The reality is that getting acquainted with basic synth-control facts is likely to benefit your music making and production skills, way beyond just using synth plugins, so we’ll explore the main types of synthesis and get hands-on with some of the best plugins out there and the free ones from our very own Plugin Suite. So let’s get started, and go right back to the birth of synthesis as we understand it today, with a look at subtractive synthesis……

S&S to ROMplers Sampling technology came of age in the ’80s, thanks to a number of hardware devices that made it affordable to capture audio and reproduce it at a key stroke. The big problem with sampling, at least at that time, was that it was entirely dependent on RAM (Random Access Memory) to hold the sample in an active state, ready for reproduction. This meant that many of the most affordable samplers could only hold a few seconds of audio at a time. As has so often been the case with music technology, it took computers to push sampling to the next level. In 1997, the introduction of Gigastudio (aka Gigasampler) brought hard disk streaming of samples to the fore for the first time. The only sampling limit, it…

u-he Zebra CM Mac/PC Kicking off our list, we have to give praise to our very own ZebraCM. It’s packed full of flexible operation, from its oscillators to its many filter types. With numerous modulation routings, ZebraCM can sound considered or absolutely huge. https:/u-he.com Cherry Audio Surrealistic MG-1 Plus Mac/PC Based on a Moog design, which was bizarrely sold throughout the world in branches of Radio Shack/Tandy, this relatively basic subtractive synth is something of a class act. Beautifully characterful filtering, coupled with an easy-to-use layout, makes it a perfect entreé to synthesis. https://cherryaudio.com DiscoDSP OB-Xd Mac/PC Making no bones about it, this classic little synth is crafted to both look and sound like a legendary Oberheim. It’s arguably at the less adventurous end of synthesis, being firmly subtractive in…

> Step by step 3. Basic bass patch in the style of classic bass synths like the Minimoog or SH-101 1 Load ZebraCM into a spare channel within your DAW, then click on the display at the top, which doubles as a menu. Select Init from the bottom of the menu, to initialise the patch, then move to the Master volume, located on the bottom right, placing it at a 12 o’clock position, which should display a value of 50 in the upper display. 2 Moving to the oscillator section, we’ll leave Osc1 set to a Sawtooth, which is its default, but we want to change the Osc2 waveform to a Square wave. Click on the waveform, and drag it up until you see a Square wave, which should also…

After covering some of the fundamentals of synthesis in our Become A Synth Power User feature from page 12, it’s now time to dig deeper into your synths. The fact is, if you own at least one software synthesiser, it’s likely that you’re sitting on a goldmine of untapped musical potential. As a producer working in today’s digital world, we all take these powerful virtual instruments for granted, only using them for specific tasks or their bundled sounds. So over the following pages, we’re going to use some of the world’s most popular softsynths – including Serum, Bazille CM, Sylenth1, FM8, Diva, and more – to walk you through common (and some not-so-common) synthesis features you’ll find within the majority of electronic instruments: from self-modulation and polyphonic glide to DIY…

As synthesiser companies go, they don’t come more highly prized than Moog. It was Bob Moog who solidified the subtractive concept, but it was many years later that he also invented the Moogerfooger range of pedals, which were withdrawn from sale back in 2018 after 20 years in production. New birth to old circuits It’s only now that we can understand why the original hardware was withdrawn, as it was presumably part of Moog’s plan to model their classic pedal lineup in software. It only begs the question why it took so long? The plugin suite retails as a collection; there is no option to buy individual plugins unlike the original hardware. Also unlike the original hardware, the complete cost of the suite is a tempting and realistic prospect, while…

In the not too distant past we delved into the wild frontiers of Excite Audio’s debut plugin, Lifeline Expanse. It transpired to be an adept sound-shaping multi-tool, with a particular penchant for making our tracks bite that bit harder, particularly via its re-amping and signal dirtying potential. The Lifeline family now welcomes a new member in the shape of Lifeline Console. Bearing the same drag-and-drop, modular interface as its predecessor, the plugin’s focus is on recreating the warmth of an analogue mixing console, the quirky characteristics of traditional storage formats and – what Excite Audio describe as – the ‘charm’ of computer-free music production. With five central modules, Lifeline Console is able to either clean and spruce up your entire track, or pointedly degrade your audio into retro-sounding gnarl. Console’s…

Hydratek MEKKA €29.99 100 cinematic Serum presets to take your futuristic music to the next level. You get basses, hybrids, keys, leads, pads, plucks and SFX. All heavily tweakable, thanks to macros and mod wheels. Customise until you find that sweet spot, and shape each sound and sequence to its breaking point. Play it all by ear, or tuck into the PDF guide if you want to become a master in soundscape manipulation. It’s crazy fun, and the swooshes and tones will have your mind racing off in brave new directions. There’s also 100 key and tempo-labeled loops to mess with, and bonus AI art to further sell the vision of this rewarding pack. www.hydra-sound.com 9/100 Beatport Sounds Ashibah 4 E.V.E.R £29.95 Dancefloor-focused artist pack from the Danish/Egyptian producer with…

become a synth power user We’re going to begin by looking at the most common form of synthesis, known as subtractive synthesis. In some circles, you may hear subtractive described as analogue synthesis; it is effectively the same thing, but in the case of the latter, the moniker has stuck thanks to subtractive’s association with analogue synthesisers – very much those existing in the hardware world, rather than software. Analogue technology with subtractive synthesis was where it all started, with many of the current crop of synth plugins looking to emulate the early vintage classics. Like most audio-related matters, subtractive works on a principal of a signal chain, so we’ll begin at the front of this chain, with the oscillator. In literal terms, the oscillator emits a pulse a number…

Cherry Audio Miniverse Mac/PC $220 It’s often said that everybody should have a Minimoog, and while the original or reproduction hardware still changes hands for thousands of pounds, you can own a Mini for about 1% of the price in software. Cherry Audio’s Miniverse is production ready, and even offers a Polyphonic mode. https://cherryaudio.com Arturia SCS-80V Mac/PC €199 Now in its Mk4 incarnation, this software recreation of an analogue heavyweight is one of the best of its class, from Arturia. The CS-80 has a very distinctive sound, which Arturia have managed to capture brilliantly, while providing all the controls you could need to get creative. www.arturia.com Roland Juno-60 Mac/PC $149 (Roland Cloud subscription) The original Junos were never the most complex subtractive synths, but they were the perfect machines for…

> Step by step 1. Create a simplified hypnotic sequence inspired by Daniel Avery’s Drone Logic 1 For this mini tutorial we’ll use the ZebraCM plugin. Load a copy in your DAW, then click the display at the top, which doubles as a menu. Select Init from the bottom of the menu, then move to the master volume, located on the bottom right, placing it at the 12 o’clock position, which should display a value of 50 in the upper display. 2 We need to ensure that we have plenty of harmonic content to work with. Therefore, we’ll leave Osc1 set to its default Sawtooth waveform. Sawtooths contain all the harmonics from the series, meaning that they’re bright and loud. To keep things simple, we will just be working with…

Talk to ten different producers, and they’ll have ten different weapons of choice and techniques for creating their own distinctive sound. In many cases, it’s simple decisions, emboldened by supporting elements and structure. As a case in point, this month we draw inspiration from composer and producer Bonobo. Apart from his widespread appeal, his work has benefited from huge critical acclaim, in part thanks to a stylised methodology, which draws on a blend of vintage and contemporary synthesisers, plugins and modular gear. We are going to drill down into a relatively useful bass sound, which could be attributed to the sort of thing you might easily create on a vintage hardware synthesiser. Using our ZebraCM plugin, we can recreate something very similar in architecture to a synth like the MiniMoog…

BLEASS Megalit follows a conventional subtractive ethos that feels immediately familiar and comfortable: three oscillators, noise generator, low- and high-pass filters, a pile of modulation options, all rounded off with some effects and processing. So there’s nothing here that will leave you puzzled, but there are innovative ideas, exquisite execution, and an awful lot of timbre-wrangling potential. The first hint of that potential comes from Megalit’s pair of wavetable oscillators. These offer a voluminous selection of over 120 wavetables encapsulating a vast swathe of waveforms, so with this alone you have a vast trove of tones and timbres to exploit. But the waveforms within the wavetables can themselves be varied substantially using the oscillators’ Fold function. This compresses the waveform whilst inserting silence to maintain the wavelength/pitch. With modulation applied…

Studio One has come a long way since finding its feet back in the 2000s. With its inaugural version released in 2009, Studio One spent the early part of the last decade gradually establishing itself into a formidable alternative to many of the more familiar heavy-hitters. Yet it wasn’t until 2015’s Studio One 3 that the most convincing case to ditch Live, Logic and Cubase and turn to PreSonus’s burgeoning mega-DAW was made. With subsequent iterations (4, 5 and numerous point updates) bringing slick additions like chord detection, video editing and a live performance-angled Show page, we’ve noted a simultaneous growth in the number of people who now point at Studio One as the most flexible DAW for their workflows. As version 6 rolls in with enhancements, speed and benefits…

A little over a year ago, the release of Dubler 2 blasted open the potential of Vochlea’s audio-to-MIDI conversion tool, by introducing the option to use any dynamic microphone – as opposed to having to purchase the company’s bespoke offering as part of the more expensive Studio Kit. Attracting far more interest than that first version, Dubler 2’s broader accessibility resulted in greater take-up. Fortunate then, that this was coupled with a wider array of options for using your vocals as not just a MIDI note generator, but for using vowel sounds (‘OOOs’ and ‘AAAs’) as MIDI CC messages, meaning that you could open and close filters with your mouth, modulate effects with silly vocalisations and much more. It also offered up the ability to turn plosive, impactful vocal noises…

XILS 3.2 CM (AU, VST, VST3) is the latest incarnation of XILS Lab’s excellent VCS 3 emulation, a fun and creative modular synth. The EMS (Electronic Music Studios) VCS 3 is an absolute classic and a great example of an early (1969) affordable monosynth. It’s also very portable, and despite its compact size is modular and includes three oscillators plus a noise generator. Rather than patch cords, which look impressive but tend to get in the way, the VCS 3 uses a rather novel plugboard Matrix combined with conductive pins to create the desired connections. Further features include a patchable XY joystick for modulation, plus spring reverb, ring modulator and low‑pass filter. XILS Lab created a full on emulation of this classic design coupled with an emulation of the EMS…

The hottest new apps + where to get them! Tired of the same old software? Well, it might just be time to update your studio – for free! Next month we’re looking at the best of the latest free music production titles, revealing where to get them and how to use them. Give yourselves a lot of software for 2023! PLUS! 2 x plugins! Two free bass plugins to add to the CM Suite! Gear of 2022 A roundup of the best synths, effects and instruments of the year The Guide! How to make your music sound great – wherever you play it!…

Novation first arrived on the scene in 1992 (coincidentally at almost the exact same time as issue 1 of our older sister mag Future Music) and over the past 30 years, the British brand has been responsible for some of the most memorable instruments and controllers of our lifetime. Originally launched as Novation Electronic Music Systems, the company’s debut product was the MM-10, a compact MIDI keyboard designed to control Yamaha’s QY10 synth. Novation’s first icon, however, arrived in 1993 in the form of the Bass Station – a wonderfully raw and meaty analogue synth capable of thick leads and killer acid basslines. Novation synths have covered a lot of bases over the past three decades. From the shape-shifting digital tones of the Nova series to the thick, hybrid sounds…

The wonderful thing about technology is that it never stands still. Once subtractive had become firmly established in the synthesist’s psyche, key figures in the synth industry started to look for new sounds and concepts. Once such figure was Wolfgang Palm who became the driving force behind a unique new form synthesis, which came to fruition in the late ’70s. Wavetables from the ashes The concept of wavetable synthesis had been around for some years, but it took Palm’s vision to bring the format into being in the late ’70s and early ’80s. Palm Products GmbH, better known as PPG, flew the flag for wavetable through their Wave product range. In reality, they were a little ahead of their time; you could link a Wave synthesiser to the Waveterm computer…

Xfer Records Serum Mac/PC $189 A plugin that has become something of an industry standard for more commercial and dance-orientated work, Serum is a classy performer with a number of sonic options. It’s billed as a wavetable synthesiser, but its pallet goes far deeper. www.xferrecords.com Arturia Pigments 3 Mac/PC $199 Pigments 3 has really come of age, providing a multi-faceted approach to creating sound in synthesis. Its layering possibilities are substantial, providing plenty of wavetable content to get you started. Its sonic potential is vast, from the subtle to the exaggerated. www.arturia.com iZotope Iris 2 Mac/PC £128 This very unique, multifaceted synth could be regarded as one of the most complex sample manipulation packages on the market. It includes an extraordinary amount of control over sample reproduction and infinite sonic…

> Step by step 2. Mimicking the wavetable movement of Windpower by Thomas Dolby 1 We are using the Retro Synth, which forms part of the Logic Pro package, but the process will be the same on other wavetable plugins. If you’re using Retro Synth along with us, be sure to switch to Wavetable mode, by clicking the Table legend. 2 Selecting a suitable Wavetable is essential; we’ll need something which has variety in harmonic colour as we scan across it. All Wavetable synths will have included wavetables to explore. We’re going to use the Digi-Insect wavetable, which we choose from the menu. We can scan across the wavetable using the Shape 1 pot. 3 You may need to adjust the start point of the wavetable. We’re going to position…

Making full use of the stereo image can be an important aspect of a successful mix, and often we need to find a way to add width to mono sounds. The groundwork for a wide, expansive mix is often laid at the production or recording stage. You might have double tracked elements to create really tight doubles that you can pan to opposite sides, or maybe you’ve recorded instruments in stereo complete with a great room ambience. Either way, these components mean you’re already well on the way to stereo nirvana and can supplement these aspects with further reverbs and panning to create stereo width as required. But what if you don’t have these elements in the first place and are presented with a bunch of mono sounds? An obvious…

Finding new and tempting ways to keep us synth-heads entertained is becoming an ever increasing challenge, so it’s always refreshing to see a synth with a new take on older and familiar concepts. Going Sinusoidal If a clue is in a name, then Sines only really tells some of the story. At the mere mention of a synthesiser with four oscillators, all of which emit Sine waves, you’d be forgiven for conjuring up visions of Yamaha-style FM synthesisers. This is part of the Sines story, but it only represents a small proportion of its capability. The Sines interface is utterly exemplary; signal flow is relatively obvious, with an ease of modulation routing which is refreshing, alongside the immediacy and ability to apply on-board parameters to MIDI CCs or hardware. The…

Audio Damage could be regarded as the epitome of a contemporary and evolving company; they once produced a highly regarded line of Eurorack modules, alongside a clutch of equally respected plugins. More recently, there’s been a greater shift toward software, but Audio Damage’s move is coupled with considerable support for Ubuntu and iOS, alongside the more usual OSX and Windows versions. Moreover, the quality of the software is better than ever. Highways and by-ways Residing within their portfolio of effects and instruments, Other Desert Cities (aka AD054) is a curious and engaging effect plugin, which is centred around delay. Named after an apparently famous road sign, on the Interstate-10 highway as you leave LA, this plugin utilises six algorithms, which provide everything from regular stereo and multi-tap delays, through to…

IK Multimedia have certainly made their mark in the world of computer music making, with great software, interfaces, and hard and soft instruments. They’ve even done great speakers, with their iLoud MTM and Micro monitors delivering much more clout than their size and price suggest. But this small size sums up IK’s ambitions thus far. Everything has been aimed at the consumer end of the market, albeit often with professional specifications. Not so these latest speakers. The new iLoud Precision range is aimed at project/pro musicians with great specs and a price to match. The most important item Your studio monitors – while not as exciting as your plugin synths, keyboards and even the computer you use – are the most important item in your production armoury. Being able to…

Psychedelidrone Robbie at Cyclick Samples is the first to exhale a new batch of psychedelic sounds this month… “This sample pack goes late-stage hippy, a blend of acid/space rock and festival drone. The guitars are soaked in phase shifters, flangers and wah-wah, the drums are open and verby. There is also the unavoidable Mellotron, itself bathed in phase, Leslie rotary speaker and spring reverb. “There are two loop/instrument kits that split into two tempos each. These are made up of drums, bass, rhythm and lead guitars and a keyboard. The guitars and keys also feature in the One Shots folder as sets of chords and, in the case of FuzzWahLead, two-string bends. “Other loops are provided by triple tracked guitar which drone different voicings of a chord into three different…

cm/ experts Our resident music production gurus walk you through their specialist fields every month SYNTH MASTERCLASS A BESPOKE LFO FILTER BASS MIX MASTERCLASS FROM MONO TO STEREO COVER FEATURE: SYNTH POWER! 11 free tutorial videos on taking your use of synths and sound creation to the next level. Get tweaking now! Read the full articles from p12 and p46 YOUR FREE PLUGIN! How to download, explore and use Xils Lab’s amazing Xils 3 CM synth Read the full articles from p84…