Innehållsförteckning för October 2023 från Future Music

It’s our birthday! Future Music has been in print for 400(!) issues. That’s over 30 years of exciting new music, boundary pushing artists and cutting-edge technology. We’re not going to spend this issue looking back though; to celebrate the milestone we’re bringing you a bumper anniversary mag stuffed with ideas, quick inspiration and handy tools to help you make better music. We’ve got advice on gear, studio workflows, DAW tips, creative ideas and much more. There’s more than we could fit in the mag itself too, so be sure to check out this issue’s download page for loads of bonus sample packs, handy MIDI files and much more. We hope you enjoy the issue. Si Truss, Editor-In-Chief simon.truss@futurenet.com…

As collaborations go, it’s hard to think of many more appealing than former Moloko vocalist Róisín Murphy and Pampa Records boss DJ Koze. In their respective careers, both have come to occupy a space where the pure joyfulness of house and disco meets something more abstract and emotionally complex; Murphy’s distinctively rich voice is at home equally on era-defining club tracks and abstract synthy post-punk; Koze creates peak-time bangers peppered with eccentricity and a hint of mournfulness. Hit Parade sees the pair collaborating for a full album and the results do not disappoint. Much like the off-kilter AI-created cover art, there’s a subtle but alluring weirdness that runs throughout the album. Take lead single CooCool, a gorgeous piece of deep summertime disco that sees Murphy toying with ‘coo’ sounds until…

EP Berlin-based producer Sam Barker’s 2019 album Utility was distinctive for presenting a propulsive take on techno while completely eschewing one of the genre’s staple sounds – the kick. For his latest EP, Barker has flipped the concept on its head, creating four tracks primarily built from synthesis tools usually reserved for kick design. Sonically, this is less obviously conceptual – while the four tracks here are rooted in thumping, kick-like percussion, you wouldn’t necessarily pick up on the concept without being told in advance. The results are just as creative, though. Birmingham Screwdriver is a high-energy mass of distorted modular stutters, while highlight Percussive Maintenance builds from a skittish beat into a lush, reverberating soundscape. Si Truss VERDICT 8…

Reverbed reverse 1Swamp a reversed sound in reverb, then reverse the rendered ambience signal. Bet you’ve never heard that tip before, eh? Well, you can obviously go further and make the classic ‘reversed reverb’ trick your own: timestretch the reverb ‘riser’ to quadruple its original length; pitch up the reversed reverb by an octave or two; or coat the new effect in even more reverb, then you can reverse that! Make noise 2Noise is a staple tool for building FX sounds. Filter some white noise and you’ve got the classic ‘noise sweep’ or synthetic ‘wind’ effect: easy. Alternatively, throw your favourite flanger or chorus processor over some noise for strange, metallic timbres. And although noise doesn’t have an inherent pitch or tone, you can always try pitch- or frequency-shifting your…

CREATE YOUR OWN SAMPLES “Record your own samples. Not only will it be 100% your creation, it will also facilitate the creative process as each recording has a visual memory.” BE CURIOUS “When it comes to finding interesting sounds, listen, be curious and don’t hesitate to record as much as possible. It’s more work but it’s often in the unexpected that you find the best sonic treasures.” ORGANISATION IS KEY “Be structured and organised in your folders. We’ve created categories and subcategories of sounds. Do it the same day you recorded to have your memory fully fresh. We also have folders for our favourite plugins, effects and mixing tools. This makes the process much faster.” TRANSIENT SHAPING “Use the transient controls in Ableton’s Sample Editor to shape transients and help…

1 MPE envelopes MPE (MIDI Polyphonic Expression) updates the standard MIDI protocol that we use to send notes and control messages between music software and hardware, offering more detailed and expressive control, via dedicated hardware controllers. If you don’t have one, good news is that in Live 11 it’s possible to automate MPE inside any MIDI clip that contains notes. Load an instrument that supports it, such as Wavetable, then go to the clip editor, click the Note Expression tab, and click the four buttons at the bottom left, to show lanes for Slide, Pressure, Velocity, and Release Velocity. Now you can drag the handles below each note up/down to add some MPE expression. What effect they’ll have depends on how you’ve assigned MPE inside the instrument. 2 Ableton Link…

CONTACT WHO: Neural DSP WEB: neuraldsp.com KEY FEATURES Amp modelling plugin with cab sim, EQ, pre/post effects and a monosynth; Formats: VST, AU, AAX, Standalone This particular reviewer feels a little late to the game when it comes to Neural DSP’s fabled Archetype guitar amp-modelling plugin series. Neural DSP’s form in the amp-modelling world has been nothing but stellar. Initially releasing Darkglass and Fortin amp emulations, the company had raised the bar in terms of plugin-based amp modelling and forged the way for its signature plugin range, Archetype. Instead of emulating a particular piece of hardware, Archetype sets out to distil the character of some of the leading names in guitar playing today, with the likes of Tim Henson, Tosin Abasi and Cory Wong having already been immortalised. Each plugin…

>107 punchy presets for Reveal Sound’s super fun softsynth, Spire. This library of powerful sounds has been hand-crafted with a real vision. With each of the tough textures tumbling out of your speakers oozing with individual character, and a fiercely provocative presence. Pick through a cutting-edge collection of seriously subby sounds, icy lead lines, nasty-ass bass growls, and other spiralling and sonically captivating arp noises and pad washes. There are tons of tones to play with, all purpose-built to inspire, and take the lead on any on-going tracks needing a lift. If you want to get freaky with futuristic grooves without the fuss of having to fashion and tweak them beforehand, then you’ll fall in love with this set, right out of the box. Bonus MIDI and WAV files also…

Kilohearts kHs One kilohearts.com Earlier this year, Kilohearts announced that it was discontinuing its impressive virtual analogue kHs One. The downside is that users can’t exect future updates and there’s no VST3 version. The upside is it can be downloaded free! Full Bucket Music Bucket One fullbucket.de Full Bucket makes a host of wonderful free emulations. Its latest revives the Crumar Bit One, an Italian rival to the Juno-106. Newfangled Audio Pendulate newfangledaudio.com Built around a physics-based ‘chaotic oscillator’ Pendulate is a wonderfully weird, inspiring synthesiser that specialises in unstable tones. Spitfire Audio BBC Symphony Orchestra Discover spitfireaudio.com BBCSO Discover is an introductory version of Spitfire’s full library, with 34 instruments. Surge XT surge-synthesizer.github.io Surge might seem like old news, but this open source synth is getting updated on a…

>IK Multimedia has launched a new desktop version of its Uno Synth Pro. Rather than being a simple keyboard-free port, however, the Uno Synth Pro X takes the analogue paraphonic synth engine of the original and gives it a significantly reworked interface that places extra emphasis on hands-on editing. Under the hood, the Pro X has that same design that impressed us when we reviewed the original Pro back in 2021. There are three oscillators with continuously variable wave shapes, capable of sync, FM and ring modulation. Its secret weapon lies in the dual state variable filters, one OTA design, one SSI, which can be arranged in series or parallel to create a total of 24 different filter setups between them. Alongside the core sound generation tools, the Uno Synth…

The magazine you’re reading right now is the 400th edition of Future Music. FM first hit shelves in autumn 1992 and we’ve been charting the course of music tech – and the sounds it helped create – ever since. Rather than spend our anniversary issue getting bogged down in nostalgia, we thought we’d celebrate by doing what we do best: bringing you inspiration and ideas to help you make music. To that end, we’ve harnessed the collective wisdom of our expert writers, plus a selection of musicians from across the genre spectrum, in order to put together an eclectic selection of tips and guides. Our aim is to offer instant ideas to help improve your studio workflow or inspire you to try something new. From gear ideas to DAW tips,…

Artificial intelligence is a term that’s becoming increasingly inescapable. As the array of technologies that fall under the term’s umbrella continue to develop, we continue to be astonished and unsettled by each successive demonstration of their capabilities. Over the past year, the AI-driven tech that’s caught the public’s imagination has been generative; this refers to a type of AI-based system that’s capable of generating text, images, video or sound in response to instructions from the user. Generative AI models make use of neural networks and machine learning techniques to understand and learn vast quantities of data so that they can then generate new data that’s based on it. This means generative AI-powered tools can hold a conversation, produce photorealistic images, and even create music. While the extraordinary powers of DALL-E…

Ban a sound 1Push yourself creatively by banning the use of a common element. Maybe try writing a dance track without any kick drums, hi-hats or cymbals. The key is to find creative ways to replace the role usually performed by whatever you’re missing, such as using a pulsing bassline in place of a kick rhythm or swirling noise effects to emulate the groove of hi-hats. Distort reality 2Saturation and distortion are indispensable if you want to accentuate specific harmonics or create aggression within a sound. Whether you’re applying the circuits of an analogue signal path, or engaging a software solution, you’ve likely added bite to a clean sound before. Now it’s time to Forget tuning try pushing the ‘drive’ parameter to extreme values. Take a ‘distortion synthesis’ approach to…

MODULATE AND AUTOMATE “Learn to use automation. Everything sounds better if it’s automated or creatively flows from one part to the next. We’re hardwired as humans to enjoy imperfections and progressive changes and static sounds can often make tracks sound stiff. Automating and modulating filter cutoffs, note velocity and the reverb’s dry/wet control is a good place to start.” KEEP AN EYE ON THE BIG PICTURE “Try and focus on the bigger picture and not get stuck on the nitty gritty. It’s easy to spend weeks on specific parts of a track (kick and bass, I’m looking at you), and then find that 90% of listeners don’t notice. It’s often more important to spend your time fleshing out a full arrangement as you will quickly find whether the track works…

>Nobody can fault Spitfire Audio’s ambition, but sometimes one might be forgiven for wondering how many variations on TV and film scoring libraries one company can explore. The answer, of course is that as computers get more powerful, and with the increasing speed and size of storage available, it becomes possible for companies such as Spitfire to revisit past instruments and themes and delve even further into playing, recording and playback techniques. This goes hand-in-hand with increasing demands on composers for new sounds and textures, and ever more convincing demos (and final tracks where a full orchestral budget is not possible). There has also been a boom in the development of new musical content needed to supply the various streaming giants vying for the biggest slice of market share. This…

3ON ALBUM You could reasonably expect the music made by an enigmatic producer with a background in fine art, whose promotional photos find him dressed in a suit of Medieval armour, to be at least a little strange. Gladly, GAUNT’s debut album exceeded our expectations. This experimental oddity deftly disfigures conventional structures into fuzzy abstraction, catching a surreal vibe that reminds us of Actress’ best moments. Across eleven disorienting tracks, GAUNT uses warped vocals, fractured beats and outré sound design to explore the distress caused by a chronic eye condition referenced in the album’s title: its release will be accompanied by a series of immersive live shows at London’s ICA, performed in complete darkness with a spatial audio setup to mirror the artist’s experience of blindness. Matt Mullen VERDICT 7…

01 > Mark talked us through how he made the bass sound from one of his latest singles, Heaven. This hard-hitting bass patch has a gritty and saturated tone that was achieved by layering up several processed and manipulated versions of the same sound. Here’s how he did it. 02 > Mark begins by showing us how the patch started. He used Ableton’s stock FM synth, Operator, to design a deep house bass patch that sounds a little like the classic ’90s Korg M1 organ preset. Then he played in the melody, a bouncy bassline in the key of E Minor. 03 > The sound of this patch was shaped by hooking up an LFO to the Attack parameter in Operator’s envelope. This modulates the Attack from 100% down to…

1 Steal the groove An easy way of adding flavour to a rigidly sequenced drum break is to extract the groove from another break you like into a groove template before applying it to your own creation – agreat trick for adding that familiar funk without breaching any copyright rules. 2 Pre-kick clicks If your kick is lacking a bit of edge, subtly layering a high-pitched ‘click’ layer over it before using your DAW’s channel time delay to make it play 5ms before the kick will increase the perception of attack while giving the kick more presence on small speakers or headphones. 3 Ghostbusters Adding a ghost snare to a programmed two-step breakbeat can help give a chunky sound: while you can use your main snare if you wish, picking…

1 Bounce in place One of the most handy features in Bitwig Studio is still its ability to ‘bounce in place’ – ie quickly convert a MIDI part to audio within the same track. By default, Bitwig won’t include any insert effects on the same channel when rendering the audio clip. However, if you place effects within the instrument device’s nested device chain (ie the effect slot to the top right of most instrument devices), any effect processing will be baked in when rendering the bounce. Having this option is handy as it allows you to either render down CPU-hungry effects all the while keeping others ‘live’ to edit, modulate or automate later. 2 Keyboard shortcuts Often overlooked but incredibly useful is Bitwig’s easy-to-use shortcut assignment system. Head to the…

SAMPLE LAYERING “Layering a sample with a duplicate and then pitching up that duplicate to a 3rd, 5th, 7th or whole octave can really help a sample gain variation. You can then cut and combine them however you feel.” BROWSER RECORDING “Sample is a great Chrome extension that lets you record and download sounds. Great for capturing obscure sounds.” STRIP BACK TO GO FORWARD “When in doubt, un-make a track. It’s easy to overdo production, especially when coming back to a track multiple times. Sometimes the best way forward is to strip back elements to have a clearer understanding of what made it good in the first place.” MASTER EFFECTS “Don’t shy away from adding effects to the master. Having automated effects on the master can provide you with some…

CONTACT WHO: Korg WEB: korg.com KEY FEATURES I/O: Audio outputs: L/mono, R (6.3mm TRS phone jack, balanced), 5-pin MIDI in/out, USB Type B Keys: 61-key synth action velocity-sensitive keybed with channel aftertouch Weight: 8.4kg Dimensions: 1014 x 344 x 110 mm First teased in 2021, Korg’s premium versions of their 37-key Wavestate and Opsix synths have finally debuted in two new, 61-key ‘SE’ (Special Edition) versions. Eschewing the predominantly plastic build of their lightweight predecessors, both SE synths feel incredibly solid and well put together. From their aluminium casings to the screwed-on steel endplates, these are clearly instruments built for serious touring. As if to encourage this idea, Korg has taken the somewhat unique step of shipping the SE versions in a classy leatherette-bound hard case. Much more physically imposing…

Our bumper 400th issue’s birthday bounty exceeded the pages of the mag, with a massive stock of bonus sounds and files to download, all specially selected to offer instant inspiration that you can drag and drop into your DAW CONSTRUCTION KITS 20 PACKS Loops and grooves Whether you want to sketch out a full track, try out arrangement ideas or you’re looking for raw material to edit and reshape, these genre-themed construction kits each have all of the beat loops, basslines, pads and melodies you need DRUM KITS 20 PACKS Drums on tap Never be short on drum sounds again. Our drum kits are loaded with .wav files ready to be loaded into the sampler of your choice. We’ve broken our kits into two categories: genre-themed packs and classic hardware…