Innehållsförteckning för July 2024 från Future Music

KEY FEATURES LF DRIVER: 5” woven Kevlar aramid HF DRIVER: 1” silk dome copper cap CROSSOVER FREQ: 2.27kHz CLASS D AMPLIFICATION: HF 20 Watts, LF 35 Watts TOTAL DYNAMIC POWER: 130 Watts MAX. SPL: 104dB (@1m) INPUT: balanced XLR, TRS combo connector EQ: High 10kHz shelf +/2dB, 3.5kHz peak +/1dB, Low 60Hz shelf +2, -3dB, 200Hz -2dB peak KRK’s Rokit series is one of the most established monitor ranges, and although very affordable and considerably cheaper than its flagship V Series, they offer great sonics and decent features. The new fifth generation release has three models built around 5”, 7” and 8” woofers, and it’s the smallest Rokit 5 Generation Five I have for review. Before I get started, it’s worth mentioning that although these monitors replace the fourth generation…

CONTACT WHO: SOMA Labs WEB: somasynths.com KEY FEATURES I/O: 2x MIDI in, 3x MIDI out, 1x hybrid MIDI/sync out (MIDI to TRS adapters required). USB for power only SOMA is best known for esoteric instruments such as the Lyra-8 ‘organismic’ synth, Pulsar-23 drum machine and Terra, a microtonal synth built into a solid block of wood. Compared to these, the company’s new device Metaconformer is fairly conservative. Metaconformer is a MIDI router and thru box. It has two MIDI inputs and four outputs. In typical SOMA style though, Metaconformer does more than simply route MIDI. The device functions in three modes, each making use of eight MIDI ‘cells’. The first of these modes is a Splitter function. This lets the user set up keyboard splits in order to play two…

CONTACT WHO: Noise Lab WEB: noiselab.io KEY FEATURES I/O: Two resonant band-pass filters, 24dB low-pass filter, CV controllable, Series and parallel path options Filters are the most common tone-shaping tool used in synthesis and no matter what your preferred option, from band-pass to notch, there will be modules that cater to your needs. That said, some offer more than others, so why stick to a simple single mode filter, when there are other, more versatile, possibilities out there? That’s where Noise Lab of Sweden steps up, with Formantic. This isn’t the smallest filter module on the market at 16hp, but it delivers a lot for the space with some fun and very useful tricks up its sleeves. Formantic is more than just a standard filter. It comes with two band-pass…

>Sun-kissed studio sessions, recorded live and direct in Trinidad and Tobago. The vibes are high on this one, with all the super-catchy rhythms full of energy and danceability. The backbone loops and one-shots take in a whole host of traditional percussion playing, with tight cabasa and bongo takes to die for, and the more song-starting melodies have stacked verse and chorus-ready guitar sounds, amongst other instruments, which are sure to delight. Modern dance textures come via the synth sounds on offer, with layered plonks and plinks adding extra digital doses of hot calypso sauce to the musical melting pot. Helmed by producer Smiddy Smith, it makes for a treasure trove of super soca samples. Roy Spencer splice.com VERDICT 7.0…

Arturia KeyStep Pro £319 Review: FM359 For melodic sequencing duties and flexible hardware control, this is one of the best keyboard devices around. Novation SL MkIII from £540 Review: FM338 For those who work with both hard and software, this may be the best studio centrepiece on the market. Korg SQ-64 £269 Full Review: FM367 | An intuitive, nostalgic and very musical bit of gear. v2.0 firmware update has added a new drum mode and more. Pioneer DJ Toraiz Squid £467 Review: FM351 Features like Groove Bend and speed modulation put a new spin on your sequencing moves. Arturia BeatStep Pro £196 Review: FM296 A modern classic, offering great connectivity, sequencing and controller capabilities, all without breaking the bank.…

Summer is just around the corner, and we can’t think of a better way to welcome it than with Kasper Bjørke’s Puzzles, a dreamy, carefree slice of sun-dappled disco-pop that’s best enjoyed with a cold beer in hand. Featuring guest spots from a cast of friends and collaborators that includes Woolfy of DFA Records and Icelandic folksters Sísí Ey, the project finds Bjørke departing from his typically DAW-focused workflow to play and record the majority of instruments on the record live, a decision reflected in the dynamism and spontaneity of its sound. Though the glitter of the disco ball has long shined on Bjørke’s work, the shape-shifting Copenhagenite has inhabited more than a few creative guises throughout his two decades in the game, from the angular synth-pop of his 2007…

The term ‘noise’, in general use, can often have negative connotations, implying something unwanted or unpleasant. But as music makers we shouldn’t think of it as such. Many musicians throughout the past century have explored the use of everyday noise as a credible musical instrument – from Luigi Russolo’s orchestral-industrial experiments in the 1910s, through to the ’40s musique concrete movement, and brought into the mainstream through the sonic experiments of Phil Spector, the Beach Boys and The Beatles in the ’50s and ’60s. Noise is even an established genre in its own right. While music tagged with genres like noise, noise rock or drone is still thought of as experimental, it’s not hard to see elements of it creeping into the mainstream, particularly in cinematic soundtracks from the likes…

01 > Let’s start with the preamp, and the UAD Neve 1073 is a very accurate emulation of the original 1073, right down to its red knob. Turn it right in Line mode to increase the line level and introduce some 1073 character. This is more subtle than the left-hand Mic mode, which is more sensitive and introduces more distortion quite easily, and even at unity gain you should hear some added warmth. 02 > Various emulations might handle gain differently. The Arturia Pre73, for example, is similar to the original, but upside down, so you dial in the opposite direction to increase gain. The Pre73 also features another transformer, which is ‘inspired by another famous brand of vintage equipment’. The difference, though, is very subtle. 03 > Turning our…

Oxygène (Part IV) Disques Motors/Polydor, 1976 It does sound a little twee now given its birth date and simple, ridiculously memorable melody, but this is probably the only synth instrumental that you could play at a wedding party and get away with it. Well, we’d dance to it. It was ground-breaking for its day, became an unlikely hit taking electronic music to the mainstream, and caught the attention of many a future synth-smith. Équinoxe (Part I) Disques Dreyfus, 1978 Équinoxe (Part V) might be the scene stealer with its impressive lead synth line (and betters Oxygène in our opinion), but Équinoxe (Part I) is the atmospheric introduction to Jarre’s follow-up album, and his beautiful welcome to what his studio kitchen was cooking up. You can probably play it on a…

CONTACT WHO: 1010music. WEB: 1010music.com KEY FEATURES Compact Streaming Sampler. Up to 24 voices of polyphony and 16 sequences per preset. 32 GB MicroSD card with 85 presets and over 1500 wav files. Colour matched USB-A to -C power cable and 5-pin MIDI to TRS cable included. I/O: 3.5mm MIDI in/out, Stereo line in/out, USB-C, Micro SD card slot. DIMENSIONS: 95 x 76 x 38mm WEIGHT: 110g THE PROS & CONS + A multitude of sampling options SP-x0x-inspired workflow A ton of bundled sample content - No onboard power Sequencer slightly lets the side down Could do with more effects 1 010music has been knocking out the Nanobox range for a few years now, and while the diminutive noise-makers have been mostly well-received, we’ve still had our reservations over usability…

KEY FEATURES AMP CLASS: D HF POWER: 40W LF POWER: 60W TOTAL POWER: 100W HF DRIVER: 1-Inch Textile Dome LF DRIVER: 8-Inch Optimized Paper FREQ RESPONSE (-10 DB): 37Hz25kHz FREQ RANGE (±3 DB): 45 Hz-21kHz MAX SPL: 117dB ENCLOSURE: Front Ported So impressed were we with Kali Audio’s second gen LP-6 monitor, we found it hard to fault on performance or price. Its bigger brother, the LP-8 (the LP stands for Lone Pine), boasts a very similar spec but costs a little more, so which should grace your studio? First, a recap of our earlier LP-6 review. Both monitors are reboots of Kali’s original LP series, hence the tag ‘Second Wave’, also a nod to the two sound waves found in the logo. These updated monitors use a new…

CONTACT WHO: Boss WEB: boss.info KEY FEATURES Multi-effects processor with EQ, delay, echo, reverb, doubling, harmonies, automatic pitch correction, high-visibility colour LCD and multifunction knobs, 50 presets and 99 memories, XLR mic input with phantom power and mic sensitivity control, two XLR outputs, onboard looper. Power: four AA batteries or an optional AC adaptor It’s been five years since Boss released the VE-500 vocal effects processor. With the VE-22, they retain the same powerful vocal effects, whilst dispensing with the guitar input which allowed for intuitive harmony processing. Harmonies can be set manually by selecting the appropriate key. Boss has reduced the switches and buttons on this unit to make the entire experience very simple. The standard effects such as reverb, delay and chorus have been dialled in beautifully.…

>Futuristic techno abounds in this gritty, full-sized sample pack with dark, experimental sounds at the forefront and cutting-edge riffs and rhythms pulsing from the ground up. The textures are sonically rich and raw, with all corners of the 700-strong loop library packed with top-tier production tools. The deep pad sounds and atmospheres mesmerise as each lively lead line ear-worms deep inside your noggin, leaving dusty drums and toppy percussion loops to fire a path through the hypnotic haze. The modular sequencing is second-to-none, too, with all the truly unique twists and tones up for grabs – leaving you to concentrate on perfecting your arrangements, fun stuff, or any other nuts and bolts bits, to take your tracks over the finish line. Roy Spencer audiotent.com VERDICT 9.0…

>Bonkers set of full-bore samples, taking their cues from the dawn of this hard dance genre. Inside, your eardrums get assaulted by the dirtiest tonal kick drums – a signature of this style. These loops and hits attempt to hold down the rest of the pack, with all the other punchy production pieces of complexly distorted noises smashing you in the guts at speeds of over 150BPM. Elsewhere, there’s terrifying synth stabs, a tasty batch of reversed bass bars and one-shots, and some bonus FX glue to stop it all going off the rails completely. The 704MB of track-smashing samples all come with a 24-bit audio polish, and nothing gets maxed out too much, leaving you nutters with extra headroom if you simply must go harder. Roy Spencer loopmasters.com…

Akai MPC Keys from £550 Full Review: FM387 The MPC takes the winning format of the MPC Live and builds it into a keyboard workstation. It’s a logical, winning concept and well-executed. Ableton Push £1,669 Full Review: FM397 Push finally lives up to Ableton’s vision of controller-as-instrument, and standalone mode is a great new way to use Live. Polyend Tracker+ $799 Tracker was already a fun standalone instrument, but this updated version with added synths and drum machines makes it a proper all-in-one sketchpad. Roland MC-707 $999 Review: FM349 It lags behind some rivals on the sampling front, but on the whole the 707 is a powerful and well-designed groovebox. A welcome return for the company’s MC line. NI Maschine+ £1,099 Review: FM363 There are some limitations, but Maschine+ delivers…

>Apple has launched new versions of Logic Pro for both Mac and iPad – versions 11 and 2 respectively. Leading the way in each of the editions are new AI-powered features: Bass and Keyboard ‘Session Players’, which do for these instruments what Drummer does for drums; Stem Splitter, which breaks apart stereo material so that you can create remixes; and ChromaGlow, a new effect that promises to add “instant warmth”. Both Bass Player and Keyboard Player are designed to follow your defined chord progressions, and offer various levels of customisation. You can choose from eight different virtual bassists – these are said to have been trained “in collaboration with today’s best players” (we’d be keen to find out who) – and control the levels of playing complexity. There are adjustable…

Success offers little protection from self-doubt. Nathan Jenkins – better known as Bullion – has produced for Carly Rae Jepsen, Avalon Emerson and Ben Howard and earned both critical renown and a considerable following as a solo artist, but he continues to struggle with a question that has surely plagued many readers: is the music he makes actually any good? “That’s the biggest hurdle to get over with anything I make,” Jenkins tells us. “In the end, it’s not any of my business, and that’s liberating.” It is emphatically our business, though, and we’re happy to declare ourselves big fans of Jenkins’ latest project, the 12-track LP Affection. Featuring contributions from Panda Bear, Charlotte Adigéry and the aforementioned Carly Rae, Affection is a pop record at heart, albeit one executed…

Berlin-based producer Giulia Fournier-Mercadante, aka GiGi FM, practised ballet at the highest level, studying in New York during her teenage years before relocating to London after her dance career was unfortunately cut short. Introduced to DJing by housemates, it wasn’t long before GiGi FM became a fixture on South London’s close-knit dance music scene, initially a fixture at revered Make Me DJ collective parties prior to residencies at Berghain, Boiler Room and NTS Radio. In tandem with her successful foray into DJing, GiGi FM began using Ableton, debuting in late 2021 with the ethereal-sounding Kiwi Synthesis Diary 21k EP. Further releases, including her latest Movimiento, have shifted further into the realm of techno, using sound, colour and movement to create pulsating inter-dimensional club music. While GiGi FM continues to evolve,…

CONTACT WHO: Lewitt WEB: lewitt-audio.com KEY FEATURES Aura range detection, Mute by distance, Large diaphragm condenser, XLR connectivity, comes with shock mount, pop filter and wind shield If you’re familiar with microphones, either through recording, performing or streaming, then you’ll likely also be familiar with the proximity effect. This (usually) undesirable phenomenon shows itself when you move too close to a microphone and are rewarded with boomy, bass-heavy recordings. Up to now, it’s just been another thing producers and sound engineers have to contend with when they’re recording microphones. But Lewitt, the Austrian mic brand, is nothing if not innovative in this space. The Lewitt Ray looks on first glance like yet another large capsule condenser aimed at podcasters. It’s slightly shorter and stubbier than similar mics of its ilk,…

CONTACT WHO: 4ms WEB: 4mscompany.com KEY FEATURES Dual use module Two modules in one, Eight channel sequencer for gates and CV, CV recorder, scene/ preset manager Sequencers in the world of modular are easy to find, with most falling into one of two camps. The more structured rigid type, where you may have a few channels of step sequencing, allowing you to programme a bass, melodies and drum pattern, with some modules varying their offerings slightly. Then there’s the other type, which is much more about randomness and happy accidents. Think Erica Synth’s Black Sequencer vs Intellijel’s Metropolix. Both worthy contenders and excellent in their own right but what if there’s another way? Well, 4MS believes there is and that it comes in the shape of the 20hp Catalyst Sequencer,…

>Inspired by the vinyl diggers of yore, this pack of hip-hop-ready samples is full of grooves you’d normally need dusty fingers to score. There’s jazzy keys and guitars to chop, fly flutes, and some bumping bass riffs to underpin it all. There’s plenty to build your beats around, and some dope drums to make your own. These crispy loops have well-sculpted kicks and neck-snap snares, so they really cut through. A perfect fit for bringing these ’60s and ’70s-style funk nuggets into the Golden Era of boom neo-bap rap. A real heavyweight crate for beat-miners who’ve long since hung their lamps and sample shovels up. Roy Spencer splice.com VERDICT 8.0…

>Time to get your mitts on a corker of a vintage-sounding dub track, and this rootsy release is handily broken down into 32 individual and eight group stems for fellow sound scientists to plunder. The 120BPM stepper has been built up with skanking guitar playing, dramatic FX nosies, bottom-heavy bass, choice vocal takes and swinging drum loops, all for the taking. Pluck out the best bits: they’re all great for remixing, fattening your own tracks with some fire loops or just using as jumping-off points. Or, if you prefer, you can purchase individual elements like stems, loops, or one-shots, if you’re watching them pennies. Roy Spencer loopmasters.com VERDICT 8.0…

Groove Synthesis 3rd Wave £3,279 Review: FM406 Simply one of the most powerful synths you could imagine, wrapped up in one of the easiest to use and most hands-on designs. UDO Super Gemini £3,595 Review: FM408 One of the best performance synths on the market. The Gemini might be up there in terms of price, but does plenty to warrant the outlay. Arturia PolyBrute 12 €3,999 Full Review: FM410 | The PolyBrute was already a fantastic synth, but this update puts it up there with the best – and most forward-thinking – synths out there. Waldorf Iridium Core €1941 Review: FM406 Undoubtedly one of the best-sounding and most versatile synthesisers in recent years. The compact Core will be a hit with desktop producers. Sequential Take 5 £1,229 Review: FM382 More…