Table of contents for 12-2020 in Beat English

The Secret Weapon for Drums & Vocals IK Multimedia Tape Echo With Tape Echo, IK Multimedia has created a virtual monument to the legendary Maestro Echoplex EP-3 from 1969. It recreates the distinctive vintage sound of the tape echo device with all its peculiarities in detail, without any tape tangle and with delay times that can be synced to the DAW tempo. This makes the plug-in a real secret weapon for giving guitars, synths, electric pianos and even drums and vocals a striking retro touch! Download: www.bit.ly/BeatDL179 | Info: www.ikmultimedia.com win | mac Finally Build Your Dream Synth! Cherry Audio Voltage Modular Beat Voltage Modular is one of the most exciting modular software systems. With the Voltage Modular Beat Edition, Cherry Audio presents a special version of the creative powerhouse.…

Whoever sets up their own home studio nowadays usually does so in rooms that have to fulfill other, usually higher-level functions. Whether it is the studio corner in the study or the desktop studio on a desk in the bedroom - everywhere you have to make compromises in terms of space requirements and spatial sound. In practice, most rooms are right-angled, as this design is the most cost-effective on the one hand and guarantees universal usability on the other. Acoustically, however, this room shape is not very useful for producing, listening to and evaluating music. This is because strong reflections on the walls, standing waves or dominant room resonances lead to a distortion of the audio material. So one usually tries to adapt the mix to the negative characteristics of…

EVALUATE MEASUREMENT RESULTS 1 Understand Readings After the measuring process, REW presents us the measuring results in the form of a three-dimensional frequency-response diagram. Its X-axis shows us not only the frequency response of the room impulse response, but also the level on the Y-axis. In addition, the Z-axis shows us the corresponding decay and reverberation time, which is a significant evaluation criterion for our room. 2 The Decay Time Matters In the waterfall diagram, as well as in the 2D-Decay view of the first measurement of the acoustically untreated room, the levels of the individual peak areas initially drop evenly. Ergo, our goal is not only to reduce the input peak value; we also want to reduce the input signal level. And we also want to achieve a significantly…

1 Orientation Start with a new Cubase project at 128 BPM and download the project files. Import the enclosed MIDI file Piano 01 into the project. This track should give us harmonic orientation through a piano sound. Move the piano event to bar 2 so that you can later use the first bar of the project as a prelude. 2 Chord Track To create a chord track from these MIDI notes, select the MIDI event and then go to Project > Chord Track > Create Chord Symbols. In the selection window, set a check mark for Consider Bass Notes and Consider Tensions and confirm with OK. This will create the exact harmonies in the chord track. 3 Main Vocals Now you can sing your own vocal melody to match the…

1 Track Preparation We created a simple four-on-the-floor rhythm, consisting of a bass drum, snare, hi-hat and percussion track. We routed this to tracks one to four in the FL Studio mixer. In the upper right corner, between the Multi- touch control button and View extra volume/stereo properties, you will find the View Waveforms function. 2 View Waveforms With this function, the mixer displays the individual waveforms instead of the volume levels. These waveforms also react to further processing like EQ and the like. This provides perfect visual feedback of the individual tracks, making the mixing process easier. This way you not only have an overview of their level, but also of the waveforms. 3 Drum Bus Tip Drums should be processed on a common bus in the mixing process.…

The name „Model 72“ is already a good hint - a look at the lovingly designed user interface of the plug-in removes any last doubts: This is a reproduction of a Minimoog Model D from 1972. As there are already very good software-based Minimoog emulations available, such as Synapse Audio The Legend, NI Monark, GForce Minimonsta, Arturia Mini V and u-he Diva, this does not directly trigger storms of enthusiasm. However, Softube have proven with their previous products, that they are at the forefront of faithful analog circuitry replication. The modules in Softube Modular, for example, can hardly be distinguished from their hardware counterparts in terms of sound. And this brings us straight to a unique selling point of the Model 72: The virtual Minimoog not only installs itself as…

When Englishman Manuel Caballero presented his self-developed virtual-analog debut synthesizer Exodus Valkyrie at Superbooth 2018, he managed a genuine surprising coup. The sound synthesis and the design were reminiscent of the popular first-generation Access Virus VA synthesizer. Even Virus developer Christoph Kemper considered it an homage to his synthesizer. Later, Waldorf took over the support of the ambitious project and optimized the hardware in particular. Is Kyra really the legitimate successor to the Access Virus, which hasn‘t been updated for years and still enjoys great popularity; and whose second-hand market prices have actually been rising steadily lately? Robust and Chic The sturdy metal housing with its cream-white-grey color scheme and brown wooden sides is, without question, reminiscent of the Polar and Snow versions of the Access Virus TI. Not surprisingly,…

1 Starting point In the first step, find a suitable starting point. This should be a point where the instrument or vocal is paused and silence is present to achieve an inaudible transition. Press the REC button of the track you want to replace. Start playback before the part to be replaced and press the REC button at the appropriate position. 2 Foot Switch When the record button is pressed, the recorder jumps to recording standby and dubs the selected track with the newly recorded material. At the end of the part to be replaced, stop the recording by pressing the stop button. If you want to have both hands free to play, you can also use a footswitch activated in the menu. 3 Automatic If you want to concentrate…

After first unpacking, the four-track Looperboard appears truly magnificent. At over five kilos, it is stable and solidly built and seems to be prepared for the rough everyday life on stage. Connections and Operation The focus of the user interface is the high-contrast 7-inch touch display, which can be used to edit all settings and images in detail. Navigating through the menus is made easy thanks to matching icons and allows an intuitive, user-specific and fast workflow. Four parameters are located on each side of the display. The parameters on the right-hand side control the four input signals, while the parameters on the left-hand side control the volume of the main output, the aux input and the headphones. There is also a push encoder for display navigation. On the bottom…

For Prince, decadence was certainly not a foreign word. In the peak years of his fame, his conditions for the backstage area included: purple painted walls, a limousine to drive him from the dressing room to the stage, and the „absolutely necessary“ requirement that everything be shrink-wrapped in plastic. One time, the contract contained the clause that a house should be built for him right next to the venue. [1] But even for him, the current posthumous box set of his classic „Sign O‘ the Times“ would probably have been a little too much of a good thing. The Super Deluxe Edition comprises 13 LPs, a DVD and a bound glossy photo book in a slipcase. Alternatively, there is the 8 CD version for the less analog-savvy fans, which includes…

1 Tube For the bass, we use the Submotion Block in Reaktor (see workshop data). Not least of all because of the Monark Filter, because we want a bass sound with a rich tube sound. Turn the FADE knob to the right to hear only OSC 2 and set its FM control to 12.3. Transpose OSC 1 down 12 semitones. 2 Oscillators To make the FM modulation of the two oscillators hum more, we turn the OSC 1 waveform almost completely to the rectangle. For movement in the modulation, we use Modifier B, which is connected to LFO 2. Click on B and move the PW modulation to about halfway up. Set LFO 1 speed to 3/8. 3 Fat Sound The OSC 1 FM control allows you to add a…

1 Basic Sound First, create a track for a software instrument. In the empty channel strip, the Studio Strings (stereo version) are called up first. This is, of course, the specialist within Logic Pro X. The foundation can be „Soft String Pad“, „Reverse String Pad“ or a similar ready-made setting. Envelopes and filters should remain as neutral as possible. 2 Modifying an Instrument The Studio Strings offer various settings for a dynamic performance. Activate „Dynamics via CC“ and the „Auto Voice Split“ and open the window below. As a vibrato controller, „Channel Pressure“ should be selected. Now you can create swells with the modulation wheel, while vibratos are created independently with aftertouch. 3 Preparing Send-FX The reverb effect is very important; therefore, we send the string sound via Send-FX to…

The Play series has been significantly expanded in Komplete 13 Ultimate and now includes Modular Icons, Butch Vig Drums, Lo-Fi Glow and Cloud Supply in addition to Analog Dreams, Hybrid Keys and Ethereal Earth from the previous version of Komplete. The latter is primarily focused on trap melodies. Previously, these instruments were pure sample players with preset macro controls, but now you can also access the individual samples of the dual engine, the downstream subtractive synthesis, the multitrack step-sequencer and the multi-effect chains. Super8, a virtual-analog polyphonic synthesizer, was also integrated into Komplete 13. It offers very clear operation; all parameters are accessible via a main page without submenus. Nevertheless, Super8 is able to recreate all classic analog sounds in very convincing quality, with the basic sound being somewhere between…

The ACID loop building kit, developed by Sonic Foundry and later sold to Sony, is over 20 years old. As early as 1994, Magix released its best-known software, the Music Maker, which has been controversially discussed since then. The two products are not so different at their core, but Music Maker has always been aimed more at beginners and musically unbiased audiences, while Sonic Foundry wanted to appeal to creative professionals. So, it was only logical that Magix bought up Sony‘s neglected software and gave it a lot of modern features using their in-house technology. Tempo and Pitch ACID Pro 10 Suite differs from ACID Pro 10, which is only half as expensive, mainly by the additional license for the Xfer Serum software synthesizer, which is arguably the most popular…

USTA is, at first glance, a special module. The relatively large user interface features 17 endless knobs, 16 of which are arranged in an unusual oval shape, lots of CV outputs, four inputs, 16 buttons and a graphical display that shows the current mode, step notes, scales and patterns. And at second glance? Patterns and Learning Effect The USTA‘s classic patterns consist of up to 16 steps with variable pitch or voltage, which is either quantized as notes or output „raw“. Unlike other sequencers, each step has an individual length, CV gate and a random function to modulate the stored voltage. And this, again, in a programmable range. This sounds a bit complicated at first and - that‘s the first of two downers - unfortunately, it is. While on other…

1 Prepare Drum Rack Load your favorite sounds into a Drum Rack for a Live Performance, whether you are a passionate finger drummer or just want to play a few beats live. To play sounds rhythmically, select One-Shot Playback Mode and Gate Mode in the Simpler so that the sample only sounds as long as you hold down the Push Button. 2 Set Playback Mode The most effective way to do this is to start a multi-bar sample to which you play beats live. For samples that are to be played longer, also select One-Shot Mode and Trigger Mode. To change the pitch of a sample while playing, hold down the Convert function button and select a sample in your Drum Rack. 3 Pitch Select MIDI Track in the Push…

Bodzin, Monolink, Umek are three of the most influential Melodic Techno producers. Together, they not only have high positions on the club charts, but they also have high musical output. Melodic House and Techno are the hottest styles of the electronic underground, which meanwhile influence the sound of commercial radio and Spotify playlists. You can look forward to our big special, in which we not only analyze their releases, but also show you what is technically and melodically important based on completely new tracks. Review: Dreadbox Typhon Typhon is a monophonic desktop synthesizer, whose clear layout is designed to give beginners a start in analog tweaking. It combines the analog synthesis of two oscillators and a low pass filter with 12 DSP effects. Thanks to complex modulation options and a…

Beat / Hi Lukas, classic recording studios in separate rooms are rather rare nowadays, but the number of home studios is increasing exorbitantly. No wonder, a laptop with a pair of monitor speakers is usually sufficient for producing. Has this changed the demands of your customers? Lukas/ Of course, the trend has been going on for years, more and more professionals are furnishing rooms at home where they can work, of course, due to reduced budgets or simply because they want to work in their familiar environment. At the same time, the number of hobbyists has also increased. Since the beginning of the pandemic, many people have had to think about a home solution again - professional speakers, for example. So it is definitely noticeable that large recording studios are…

1 The Empty Room In an empty, acoustically untreated room, reflections from the room walls distort the sound impression at the listening position. For this reason, a well-balanced, natural sonic image with a reduced reverberation time, especially in the bass and mid-range, is to be achieved through the targeted use of acoustic panels. How this is achieved in practice is demonstrated with products from Browne Acoustics. 2 Panel Overview Basically, there are three different types of panels in the form of broadband absorbers, bass absorbers and diffusors. The former serve to attenuate the widest possible frequency spectrum. So-called bass traps, that is, bass absorbers with a higher material thickness, can be used to supplement these in a targeted manner. Diffusors provide additional sound dispersion and, thus, a more natural sound.…

»Recording the subconscious was an exciting struggle. « Beat / How much distance do you already have from „Flur“? Did you have time to reflect it yet? Martin/ It‘s two months old now. I often need the mirror of other people who work with me in order to feel it too. I try to get the music out of myself as clearly and authentically as possible without editing, changing or conceptualizing it too much. I want it to just „be“. Only then can I hear it myself. It also makes me a little afraid to hear it together with other people. Beat / Interesting, because most artists say of themselves that they hardly ever hear an album after its completion. Martin/ It‘s different with me. I hear it very often…

1 Pulsating Sequences Tape Echo can transform even simple synthesizer note sequences into hypnotic ambient sequences. You can try this out using the example of the audio file „Analog Synth-Seq“ [1]. Load Tape Echo as an insert effect and activate the BPM Sync mode. Set the Mode switch to A and select the Echo Time 1/8D. 2 Stereo Delay Then use the Mode switch to change to channel B and set an Echo Time of 1/8. Due to the individual delay times of both stereo channels (an advantage of the plug-in over the original), a pulsating stereo delay effect is created, which rhythmically fills the sequence. Want some more vintage charm? 3 Vintage Sound Click on the Echoflex logo and increase Tape Wear and Wow Flutter to simulate the muffled…

1 Presence Range We start with working out the individual sound character of the lead vocals with EQEight. Raise the presence range a little between 2.5 - 5 kHz. (Our ear hears most sensitively here and this is also where speech intelligibility lies). Correct strong volume fluctuations either via volume automation or via a compressor that is just starting to work. 2 More Depth To give the vocals more depth, load a reverb plug-in into the track. Adjust the Reverb Size to suit the type of vocal. If the vocal phrases tend to consist of shorter notes and fast movements, choose a shorter reverb time. If the vocal phrases are longer, choose a longer reverb time. 3 Reverb and Panning For a more subtle effect, to generate more width and…

1 Choice of Synth As distinctive as the basses are, they are so easy to create. All you need is an FM synth like Ableton’s Operator, FM8 from NI, or the freeware OxeFM. In the former, the operators can be wired using so-called algorithms; in OxeFM they can be connected completely free in a matrix. The latter can be found with skins in the magazine data. 2 Main Bass The main component is made by the operators A and B - all others are switched off. At Op B, we set Coarse to -2 OCT to get a nice subbass and increase its output in the matrix to 99. Op A, in turn, shall modulate Op B. To do this, we click on the matrix directly below A and move…

The basic idea of IK Multimedia MixBox is that you can combine up to 8 effect modules in a virtual effects rack. For this purpose, MixBox provides 70 effects, most of which are borrowed from the well-known T-RackS, AmpliTube and SampleTank programs, and some are completely new. Thanks to the new IK Product Manager, MixBox can be easily and quickly installed for use in the DAW as a VST2/3 and AAX plug-in or even as a standalone version. The Effects MixBox houses 70 effects from the areas of dynamics processors, EQs, filters, modulation, channel strips, distortion, reverb, delay and amps. All important effects can be found here together. Really? Not quite. When you look through the effects, you quickly notice that there is no gate effect in MixBox. That really…

In April 2009, Native Instruments introduced Maschine, a combination of audio software and a perfectly tuned hardware controller. Over the years, not only has the software been continuously enhanced, but the hardware has also been redesigned. Maschine Mk2 introduced multi-colored pads for a better overview, Maschine Studio was the first to feature two large graphics-enabled displays, and Maschine Mk3 expanded its standalone capabilities with a built-in audio interface. Common to all hardware versions, however, was that no sound could be elicited without a connected computer. Early on, the ever-growing Maschine-community expressed the wish for a self-sufficient Maschine groovebox with built-in sound generation, and now, without much notice, the result, called Maschine+, is available in our test studio. Maschine Mk3 Deluxe At first glance, you can hardly see any difference between…

The Keyboard in KeyStep 37 is the same as the model in KeyStep, but with 37 instead of 32 keys. The slim keys are among the mini keys with the best playing feel on the market; touch dynamics and aftertouch are very well implemented. The LEDs above each key are new for visual feedback. This is especially useful for the new Scale function, which allows you to limit the keyboard to predefined or self-created scales, thus avoiding off-key sounds. There are two touchstrips for modulation and pitch bending. KeyStep 37 finally has the controls that were sorely missed in the first version. Four of them are available, can be assigned four times with a total of up to 16 MIDI controllers to control (e.g. filter frequency and resonance of a…

The arsenal of weapons for orchestral compositions primarily consists of a high-quality basic set of orchestral samples. Libraries such as the Synchron series and the Vienna Instruments series from VSL pursue the goal of making individual instruments playable with the greatest nuance. Orchestrations are built up instrument by instrument giving the composer flexible musical possibilities, just like in a real orchestra. The flipside is the immense time and resource requirements of complete arrangements. Products like ProjectSAM Symphobia and Orchestral Essentials, Spitfire Audio‘s Albion, as well as Audio Imperia‘s Jaeger and Nucleus, on the other hand, take a different approach. With production-ready ensembles and orchestrations, arrangements in cinematic widescreen sound can be achieved without the user having to deal with the subject of instrumentation in any detail. Many professional composers rely…