Innehållsförteckning för November 2022 från Electronic Musician

Already recognized as one of the best free DAWs you can download, Tracktion’s cross-platform Waveform Free has just been updated for 2022. This latest version of Waveform Free is based on the essential features of Waveform Pro 12, Tracktion’s paid-for DAW, and imposes no restrictions on track counts, exporting/rendering, project saving or use of third-party plugins. It won’t time out, either. The 2022 edition of Waveform Free includes a completely new browser that enables you to specify tags, favorites and smart lists. 15 of the audio effects have been refreshed, too, and there are now six utility plugins. These include a convert-to-mono tool and a spectrum analyzer. The Actions panel, meanwhile, enables you to favorite your most-used actions and create custom actions for one-click recall.…

Cherry Audio have had another delve through the annals of synth history and had their emulative eyes caught by the Elka Synthex, an 8-note polyphonic Italian analog synth that was originally released in the early ‘80s. The result is Elka-X, a plugin version of said synth that offers more features for a fraction of the $12,000 you’d probably have to pay for a secondhand original. Designed by Italian engineer Mario Maggi, the Synthex offered digitally-controlled analog oscillators and a four-pole multimode filter. It was multitimbral and had its own four-track sequencer. In 2015, a new team attempted to bring back the Synthex in hardware, but its crowdfunding campaign was unsuccessful. Maggi broached the idea of a Synthex 2 that same year, but this hasn’t yet seen the light of day.…

If you’re a fan of free plugins, you have to check out Full Bucket Music. The German developer has released some great - and great value for money - plugins that can be tracked down at fullbucket.de. Synths like ModulAir and WhispAir, plus the FB-3100 series, which emulates Korg’s PS-3100, -3200 and -3300 synthesizers, are not to be missed, alongside a huge number of other synths and effects. Full Bucket encourage donations to keep them feeling good-natured, and so do we! The plugin in question for this article was first made available in 2012, but has recently been updated ten years after the fact. Here we’ll shed some light on Frequency Shifter 2. 1. LFO Full Bucket Frequency Shifter’s LFO has five LFO shapes to choose from. Using the Waveform…

Monosynth/polysynth Monosynth/Polysynth refers to how many voices a synth has, ie, how many notes/pitches it can generate simultaneously. A monosynth is only capable of generating a single note at any one time. A polysynth can simultaneously produce multiple pitches in accordance with how many voices it offers. This allows it to create a polyphonic output - ie, chords. Modular/semi-modular Modular/semi-modular are types of synthesizer that can be rerouted by the user. Typical self-contained synthesizers - a Minimoog, for example - are pre-wired, so the connection between its oscillators, filters, amps, etc cannot be changed by the user. A modular synth is made up of totally distinct elements - aka modules - each of which usually specializes in a specific role, such as a filter, oscillator or envelope. In modular systems…

Keyboard MAGAZINE HOW-TO We continue our exploration of the work of Greek composer/synthesist Vangelis. A Surprising Side Project Considering how most of the music Vangelis made was instrumental music, some may find his partnership with Yes vocalist Jon Anderson a surprise. Anderson is said to have heard Vangelis’ early album L’Apocalypse Des Animaux in 1971 and sought him out when Yes was looking for a replacement for Rick Wakeman (before recording Relayer). While Vangelis decided not to join the band they found in each other kindred spirits, and began making music together, with Jon first appearing on the album Heaven and Hell (1975) singing the song “So Long Ago, So Clear.” Over the next decade they made music as Jon and Vangelis, releasing a number of classic LPs with songs…

$98 softube.com Strengths Excellentre-workingof a classic TheGUIis a true delight to use Someverydesirable backend effects Its pretty exacting to the original sound Youcansave patches unlike the original! Limitations -Atadbottomheavy -Nopolyphonicoption When it comes to classic synthesizers, we are pretty au fait with the usual strong contenders, but what makes the original Roland SH-101 so especially interesting is that it was never really a classic of its time, being a cheap and cheerful substitute for the more expensive machines. Thankfully, time has been exceptionally kind to the humble 101, being quickly scooped up as a bargain-basement secondhand purchase back in the late ‘80s, before becoming a firm staple in production sound, throughout the ‘90s and beyond. Back in ’82 Softube’s reworking of the 101 ignites a smile upon loading; admittedly, it…

If you are new to the concept of orchestral libraries, there is no doubt that there is a little bit of a learning curve in knowing how to get the best from a package or set of samples. Firstly, there is the musical element; orchestrating does take a degree of getting used to, and is a little bit different from simply playing chords on a keyboard, or strumming notes on a guitar. Voicings, as we call them, have everything to do with where you place the notes from within a chord across an instrument section. Getting used to this style of working will yield more convincing results, as will real-time control of the samples. Owning some form of keyboard or fader bank, that will allow real-time adjustments of parameters as…

$60 library.gorangrooves.com Strengths Brilliantlyrecorded mix-ready kits Ahugearray of genre and style-oriented options Simpleandimmediate UI saves time CCcontrolof hi-hats makes for smoother e-drumming Limitations -Nomicmovementoptions might frustrate some It’s one of the most frustrating slogs we face as producers, trying to find - and fit - the appropriate drum samples for our projects. It’s particularly troublesome if you’re operating outside of the electronic world and are hungry to inject some brutal, real-world sounding rock drums, spritely jazz rhythms or bouncy reggae beats. Finding the samples and kits that don’t sound like samples (particularly when they’re placed among other real instruments in your mix) can all too often be a long-winded task. GoranGrooves understand this annoyance all too well, and so with their Handy Drums, they have produced a range of immaculately…

Ayman Rostom has been making music with a computer for donkeys’ years, adopting an early Mac and never looking back. He’s worked under several aliases to make music in different styles over the past three decades (jazz, hip-hop and more), but his The Maghreban moniker has garnered the most attention, with its genre-bending idiosyncrasies. Here he delivers a lesson in mixing styles, influences and technology with top advice to turn what might just be ‘pissing around’ with software into one of the albums of 2022. Of Connection, Ayman says: “I’m proud of the music and where I was able to go with the help of my collaborators. There are jazz, eastern and techno influences. They converge differently on a few of the tracks. I am happy with how it all…

Baby Audio have just turned three, and are celebrating by revamping their much-loved I Heart NY compressor plugin. IHNY-2 is touted as a compressor that’s ”designed especially with modern genres in mind” and “optimized for loudness and impact, without a loss of clarity” that will “make your tracks slam and sing”. Best of all they claim it’s “the hardest hitting compressor in the industry”. IHNY-2 is designed to work in parallel, effectively being an all-in-one parallel compressor with no additional plugs required. It aims to let you compress more, while still preserving the dynamics of your original track. The improvements for IHNY-2 come in the form of additional controls over the effect and an Autogain algorithm for maintaining a consistent predictable output level. Users now have control over Attack and…

ANALOG It goes without saying that the ability to record and edit audio in the digital domain brings enormous benefits, enabling us to produce punchy, cutting-edge music entirely within our computers. However, there’s still something undeniably special about audio processed in the analog domain. Wouldn’t it be great, then, if you could make your digital recordings sound more analog? Thanks to an increasing number of extremely talented plugin developers, this has very much become a viable possibility, as they painstakingly model the gloriously chaotic analog processes behind magnetic tape, valves, transformers and more. Of course, all of these things have been around in plugin form for ages now, but the current generation focuses particularly on the subtleties and nuances, emulating the effects of tape and desk circuits used at regular…

$2,000 akaipro.com Strengths Excellentsuiteof onboard instruments Fullintegrationwith Akai MPC 2 DAW/plug-in software Excellentconnectivity Limitations -Kindofbulkyif you’re not used to workstations -Needsafewmore physical controls -Demoprojectshavelimited variety Akai released their MPC Live hardware sampler/synth back in 2017 - complete with 7” touch display, 16 MPC-style pads, instruments, and battery power, and in 2020, the MPC Live II added onboard speakers. The MPC range - the Live I and II, MPC X, MPC Studio, MPC Touch, and MPC One, interacts with Akai’s MPC 2 production software. Akai have embedded the same software and functionality in different forms, which makes sense from a development point of view - in fact they share the same manual. Now, 2022 introduces the MPC Key 61. Like all MPCs, the Key 61 is a sampler using the provided…

The sequencer employed on the SH-101 quickly became something of a hit, thanks to its incredibly easy operation. The basic concept was always to hit the Load button, enter any notes that you would like to play on loop, including rests, and induce immediate performance upon the pressing of the Play button. For some wonderful reason, only known to Roland, the sequencer only had capacity for 127 notes! Softube don’t provide information on the sequencer’s upper note limit, but we would guess that it extends far further, while also providing the ease and ability to not only sync to your DAW, but choose a corresponding note value for the steps you have entered. This provides an incredible level of immediacy, which was one of the things we really loved about…

$400 moogmusic.com Strengths Compactall-in-oneor add it to a Eurorack rig ClassicMoogtones with wavefolding Versatilepatchingpossibilities Limitations -Controlknobsmaybe too small for some tastes Let’s start by looking at the physicality of Mavis. An obvious comparison can be drawn with Moog’s Werkstat, in that they both follow very similar design ethos. Mavis is billed as a DIY analog synthesizer and, while that is true to an extent, those of you who are less interested, or lack the skills for hours of soldering, need not worry. Mavis does need to be constructed but anybody can do it. The box contains a completed printed circuit board replete with all components, a case (including a dust cover), front panel, screws and nuts, a light pipe and a tool for tightening the nuts. Construction takes a few…

STUDIO TALK Many electronic artists are inspired by the glorious heyday of ’90s rave, but few artists have sought to explore the many threads that make up that decade’s sound in as deep a way as Paramida. The Berlin-based Panorama Bar resident began her career as a DJ and label head, curating her imprint’s vibe by giving each artist these specific instructions: “Imagine it’s 1992, you are at a rave in Goa on the beach. It’s 8am, what’s the track playing? Make that track.” After experimenting with producing edits to drop in DJ sets, Paramida decided to join in the fun herself, refocussing her energy into figuring out how to create the sounds she loves herself. Since then, as a producer she has nailed down a singular style that sees…

ARTURIA’S DIST COLDFIRE IS A DUAL-ENGINE DISTORTION MONSTER Arturia updated their rapidly-growing FX Collection bundle earlier this year, adding a pair of new distortion plugins in the process. Those two effects - Dist Tube-Culture and Dist Opamp-21 - were both based on vintage hardware, each offering a distinctive, nuanced take on analog drive. While they were undoubtedly welcome additions, they left a noticeable gap in the FX Collection lineup for a less subtle and more modern form of distortion. Enter Dist Coldfire, Arturia’s latest effect processor, which joins the likes of EXF Fragments and Rev Intensity in being one of the few all-original, non-emulated effects in Arturia’s lineup. Coldfire is described as a ‘dual distortion reactor’, offering two individual processors that allow users to pair a multitude of drive and…

After several weeks of leaks and speculation, Yahama have updated their MOD-X synth range, adding a trio of new models. Launched in 2018, the original MODX took inspiration from Yamaha’s top-end Montage workstations but arrived at a much more affordable price point, ditching some of the more ‘pro’ level features, cutting down on the memory size and opting for a plastic rather than all-metal build. Now, four years later, the company have launched the updated MODX+ range. As with their predecessors, these new workstations make a big play of the multi-function Super Knob, which goes a great way to making up for the reduced number of physical controls compared to the Montage. Once again, the sound onboard mixes AWM2 sample-based tones - capable of convincing orchestra, brass, pianos and more…

IK Multimedia had winners on their hands with the well-received iLoud Micro Monitors, which delivered affordable quality monitoring to home studios, and the expanded iLoud MTMs. Now IK are aiming to take the iLoud range into the pro realm with three brand new models to get excited about. This new line-up, billed as the Precision range, features a pair of two-way monitors, one with a 5-inch driver and one 6.5-inch, and a range-topping MTM model, which is a three-way design featuring two 5-inch drivers. The iLoud Precision offers an impressive frequency response from 36Hz to 30kHz with a +/-1dB tolerance from 45Hx upwards. The Class D amps on board give true linear phase response above 150 Hz and the 96kHz internal DSP processing keeps top and bottom in check depending…

Which MPC is right for you? It’s pretty obvious that the MPC Key 61 is, as stated elsewhere, basically an MPC Live with a built-in keyboard, and there is nothing wrong with that, in fact a number of users have been clamoring for just such a product. The good old piano layout is still at the core of most musical forms. It could be that you’re set on using one of the MPC devices, but you’re on the fence about which one to go for. The Live has the same ‘brain’ and the same interface, without the keys - everything can be done on the pads and the touchscreen. There’s also the Live II, which includes some rather fun built-in speakers as well, for the truly portable studio experience. Another…

$595 vsl.co.at Strengths Extensivesampledinstrumentation Allorchestralsections covered in detail Exceptionalusercontrol Mostofthe samples are very convincing Limitations -Somevibratosamplessound less convincing -Bythenatureof the library, it’s not cheap -SynchronPrimeEditionrepresents the best in entry-level libraries with a complete instrument list and excellent user control The prospect of spending good money on an orchestral library is often a tricky decision to justify and conclude. It can be a little bit difficult to try out the sounds you want to buy, and as any orchestrator or producer working with sounds such as these will tell you, just because it says ‘orchestral library’ on the box, it doesn’t necessarily mean you will get all of the content you require. Getting Synchron-ized! Vienna Symphonic Library, better known to all of us as VSL, were one of the first companies…

In general, Moogs are commonly referred to as East Coast synths, where the sounds are shaped subtractively - tones manipulated by removing parts of the waveform using filters. The Mavis introduces, for the first time, West Coast-flavored synthesis. West Coast tools, commonly attributed to Don Buchla, are more about additive shaping of a waveform, introducing harmonic content by using frequency modulation and wave folding. That may sound like two approaches to the same end result but they can sound very different, as West Coast synths often sound softer and smoother, whereas a typical East Coast patch has a harder tone. There’s more to the differences than just this however, with West Coast often seen as the home of things like low-pass gates, that aid in equipping patches with a more…