Table of contents for October 2020 in Future Music

FM WELCOME Record setters As any seasoned mix engineer will tell you, trying to ‘fix it in the mix’ is a fool’s errand. Realistically, if you want something to sound good in your finished track, it needs to sound good to begin with. If you’re working purely in-the-box that’s easy enough, but if you want to capture a ‘real’ instrument, a vocal or a field recording there are suddenly a whole host of extra factors to consider, from what mic to use to where to place it and how to process your sound. With this issue’s cover feature, we hope to offer a catchall primer to help you get better recordings no matter the situation. Whether you’re working on a pristine pop track or something gritty and lo-fi, we’ll show…

deadmau5’s performance controller available to own What do you do when you want to use a unique touchscreen performance interface when playing live? Well, if you’re deadmau5 you collaborate with a developer to create your own. The Canadian DJ and producer has been using OSC/Pilot for a good while now, with the software in development since 2013 and now the app, described as a fully customisable control system, is available to buy. OSC/PILOT has been in development since October 2013 and I’ve been field testing and using it in shows since that time. It’s a vital component to our live production, both on stage and for front of house,” deadmau5 explains. OSC/Pilot supports the sending of MIDI and OSC (open-source control) data to enable you to control your audio projects…

Jam with MIDI sequences with Bastl’s Midilooper Midilooper, the latest hardware control tool from Czech brand Bastl, is fairly self explanatory, functioning much like a traditional looper pedal but working with MIDI rather than audio. The unit has three independent voices, each of which can be assigned its own MIDI channel, allowing it to send looped messages to up to three instruments at the same time. The workflow appears fairly simple – simply feed the device a MIDI input, hit record, and instantly create a loop of note, CC data or both. Midilooper has several controls for processing MIDI data, letting users quantise, transpose, humanise or add swing to patterns. Users can also alter or stretch the length of individual patterns to create interesting rhythmic effects. Midilooper can integrate into…

Jennifer Touch “I love my tambourine, it brings a special natural vibe” Jennifer Touch Drawing influences from post-punk, electro pop and techno, Berlin’s Jennifer Touch is a vocalist and producer capable of bridging the gap between club music and classic songwriting. On her debut album – Behind The Wall, released this summer via Fatcat Records – she pulls together all these influences and more, to create an album held together by her ear for a great synth sound and skill at building tight electro grooves. We caught up with her to find out more. When did you start making music? “I started as a singer in bands, then one day a friend gave me Reason, and I started to create beats and some noises. That was my first experience in…

Ableton Live Breathe life into your MIDI parts in Ableton Live PROBLEM: How can I make my programmed MIDI instruments sound more realistic? Using MIDI is a fantastic and incredibly flexible way to compose with software instruments and samplers. Wherever you are, you can use your computer mouse or trackpad to draw notes into the MIDI Editor grid, or even use the computer keyboard as a virtual piano, arm to record, and play them in. There’s just one problem – these programmed parts can sound flat and lifeless when they’re compared to recordings of real instruments and real performances. It’s true that sometimes a robotic non-vibe is a beautiful thing in its own right, but there’s something about the sound and feel that live instruments bring to a mix, which…

How to record everything! CREATING AN ENVIRONMENT FOR GREAT RECORDINGS Having the microphones you need and your favoured recording medium (hard disc or tape) are, of course, essential for making successful recordings. However, having all of the gear in the world won’t help you unless some other, often overlooked considerations are addressed too. Firstly, look around at your recording environment. If you were visiting to come and record here for the first time, is it a room in which you’d like to work? Have you tidied up? Are there old coffee cups now growing live cultures, or ashtrays over-spilling in the corner? Are your collaborators likely to trip over a trailing cable and have you cleared somewhere for them to sit between takes? Is the room acoustically treated and, if…

Small homemade percussion in a ‘big’ mix Sometimes, less is more. Rather than trying to add another ‘huge’ sound for extra power, sometimes a small, home-recorded sound is best It’s tempting to try to make a new sound cut through an already dense mix with ever louder sounds. Often, the opposite is true, particularly in the world of percussion. Below, we’ve mocked up the start of what, in film music or TV terms, might be referred to as a ‘tension cue’. It features big, powerful and deep percussion hits and two ominous low synth sequences. What chance might a home-spun drum stick tapping a ceramic mug, recorded through a dynamic microphone plugged directly into a spare channel of an audio interface have cutting through that lot? Quite a lot, as…

PRODUCER’S GUIDE Ableton Wavetable Take a deep dive into Live’s newest onboard synth which promises to have your sound design making waves AUDIO ON FILESILO Although Ableton Live 10 was packed with workflow enhancements and impressive new effects (like Echo and Pedal), the biggest news for sound designers has been Wavetable, an impressive new approach to wavetable-based synthesis, with an interface that lets you see nearly every design/modulation element on one screen. Here we present Wavetable’s features in depth, along with a few expert tips along the way. Architecture Some users have compared it to Serum and Massive, but Wavetable’s engine is different, with its own unique collection of wavetable data and filter options; it doesn’t replace either of those synths, but instead, expands the range of this popular synthesis…

Three software staples to nail the dubstep sound NI Massive 1 First released in 2007, NI’s wavetable synth plugin arrived just in time for peak dubstep. The combination of wavetables, interesting filter modes and powerful modulation made Massive an obvious choice for anyone looking to create the heavily LFO-modulated wobble bass (‘wubwubwub’) that characterised a healthy proportion of dubstep tracks. If you didn’t want to create your own sounds, NI helpfully included plenty of presets that fit the bill nearly as well. The ‘Brutal Electro’ sound in particular will be familiar to anyone who’s listened to late-2000s dubstep. FL Studio 2 Formerly known as Fruity Loops, the sequencer-based approach of FL Studio lent itself well to dubstep. It’s hard to argue that any particular DAW is the ‘best’ for dubstep…

TESTBENCH Cableguys Shaperbox 2 > With Cableguys’ plugin package you can build the perfect curve, and use it to change one of six factors, controlling the filter, pan, volume, width, time and (now) Crush processors individually or as a team. ShaperBox’s curve editing makes it easy to get quick results, and going deeper, there are seriously well-put-together curve editing functions too. It’s some of the more unusual processes that make ShaperBox 2. Distortion from the Crush processor and playing with the timing of loops and other audio are two greatly appealing parts of the experience, and combined, it’s a killer. The full package will cost you $224. For further info, visit cableguys.com. What’s in the box? To start, choose one of its six processors. We’ll plump for the classic VolumeShaper,…

You can now import your own wavetables into the Sequential Pro 3 Sequential have announced that they will open their Pro 3 hybrid monosynth to let you import your own wavetables via a browser-based utility. The feature comes along at the same time as an OS upgrade which will be made free for all Pro 3 owners. The web-based Wavetable Generator will give users the ability to convert up to 16 single-cycle waves into a Pro 3 compatible wavetable. From there you’ll be able to load the wavetable into any of the 32 user slots available on the synth. Founder Dave Smith adds: “How do you make an awesome-sounding hybrid synth even better? By letting users import their own wavetables. It opens up a lot of new sonic territory for…

Saffron’s new Members’ Club is aimed at supporting women and non-binary people working in music technology Formed in Bristol in 2015, Saffron is a non-profit organisation aimed at redressing gender imbalance in the music tech industry through training and career support. Their latest initiative is a tiered Members’ Club, offering access to a variety of resources and events. Memberships range from £5 to £22 per month and are available to any female-identifying musician or producer. Perks include newsletters, mentoring, production and DJing masterclasses, music PR advice and more. Members also gain access to various promotions, including a 6-month free Mixcloud PRO account and 40% off Spitfire Audio libraries. As well as buying subscriptions for themselves, individuals or organisations can anonymously fund memberships for musicians from low-income backgrounds. Several free bursaries…

ALBUM REVIEWS Huw Marc Bennett Tresilian Bay ALBUM OF THE MONTH Alberts Favourites Welsh producer and bassist Huw Marc Bennett, the man behind a number of innovative and exciting musical excursions, announces his hugely impressive, new Tresilian Bay project in celebratory style. Bennett, known for his Gambian-focused sound as Susso on Soundway Records and as part of electronic jazz outfit Saltwater Samurai, is a well-established part of the London jazz community. As jazz continues to experience a heady and fascinating resurgence in the capital, the Tresilian Bay project serves as a perfect snapshot of the energy, excitement and explosion of ideas and cultural exchange that has been fizzing away in London over the past couple of years. The record is full of energy and life, traversing a rich and complex…

Recording drums with multiple microphones Through these steps, we’ll break apart a multi-track drum recording session, recorded at Kore Studios in West London Recording drums can be a deep engineering experience (if you’re lucky enough to have access to a studio, a drummer and a rich collection of mics and preamps). Below, we’re using a multitrack recording session from Kore Studios. The mics are as follows: AKG D112 (Kick In), Neumann U47 (Kick Out), Sontronics STC1 (Kit LoFi), DPA (Kit Corridor), Melodium (Kit Mono), Altec (Kit Mono), Neumann U67s (Overheads Left and Right), Coles (Overhead Mono), Melodium (Stereo Room), AEA R88 Ribbon (Stereo Room 2), AKG C451 (Snare Top) SM57 x2 (Snare Top 2 and Bottom), Sennheiser 421 (Rack Toms 1 and 2) and RE20 (Floor Tom). Each mic (mono…

How to record everything! Creating a ‘recording project’ Picture this: you’re almost ready for an artist to add a live performance. It’s been a while since you’ve recorded something ‘new’ for this project, so you’ve forgotten that the load on your computer’s CPU is throwing up latency issues. The moment you arm your recording channel, your performer is complaining that there’s a delay between their playing and what’s coming back from their headphones as, to deal with latency, your computer’s CPU is buffering his or her performance. Rather than recording directly into your ‘main production’, render a stereo audio file of your track for your performer. Create a brand new ‘Project Name > Recording Project’ session in your DAW and import the stereo render of your track onto a new…

How to record everything! Dictaphone recordings These can provide a pleasing, lo-fi edge which couples nicely to more ‘produced’ elements. Let’s try it with some piano chords… 01 > We’ve set our dictaphone to record and captured some upright piano chords and some isolated, higher notes. We could plug in a USB cable and transfer these directly to our DAW, but we’re adding a second layer of lo-fi, by recording them via a mic and preamp, as played back through the dictaphone’s speaker. 02 > We mute the original dictaphone recordings and set up the Una Corda piano instrument within Kontakt, recording the same two piano chords we captured via the dictaphone. These are captured at 120bpm, whereas the dictaphone recordings were made without a tempo in mind.  03 >…

Making Mars’ retro sound in Logic Simon uses a combination of classic hardware and contemporary plugins to create his polished take on early ’90s trance 01 > The initial idea behind Mars is a synth stab created with Arturia CS-80V. “I recovered this part from an old project because I thought it was cool,” reveals Simon. FabFilter Simplon is used to low-pass filter this sound in the intro, with its cutoff automated to smoothly bring the sound in. 02 > The track’s hats are taken from Simon’s Roland TR-909 hardware drum machine. “The 909 sounds pretty bland if you just plug it in,” he notes. “There’s some heavy EQing, I’m always rolling off the low end. No one’s taught me the science of EQing, I just…

Method 2: Xfer Serum With snappy envelopes and plenty of effects, Serum is a solid percussion design toolkit 01 Starting with a sine wave on Osc A, lower the coarse tuning to around -24.00, and adjust the amp envelope (Env 1) to create a quick decay. Because of Serum’s default decay curve, this will be around 250-350 milliseconds. From there, you can impart pseudo-compression effects by extending the envelope Hold time. 02 To add punch to this kick, assign Env 2 to modulate Osc A’s coarse tuning. Keeping all of the envelope parameters at their defaults, set the decay time to around 350 ms. Next, set the pitch modulation depth to around 10. You can then further fine-tune the decay time, decay curve, and modulation depth. 03 To add the…

GEAR GUIDE DAWS Apple Logic Pro X 10.5 $199 Full Review: FM361 Although many of Logic 10.5’s new tools are familiar from other DAWs, this generous free update rounds out a feature set that is now arguably unrivaled. Steinberg Cubase Pro 10.5 £480 Review FM354 A solid update to a great DAW, though whether you choose to update now will depend on your own workflow and needs. Cakewalk by Bandlab free Cakewalk was killed off by Gibson but saved by BandLab. It’s now free, so head over to their site and get downloading! We’re interested to see what the future holds... Tracktion Waveform Pro from $119 Review: FM345 Waveform is now friendlier, contains more creative tools and brings workflow ideas you’ll have missed from other DAWs. PreSonus Studio One 4…

Of Music FILTER Akai’s MPC Beats is a free ‘beatmaking DAW’ for Mac/PC ...and the brand’s newly-updated MPK mini controller is ready to take control Akai’s MPC products have been inspiring electronic music and hip-hop producers since 1988, which saw the release of the iconic MPC60. Now Akai are marking another milestone with the release of MPC Beats – a free ‘beatmaking DAW’ for PC and Mac. The release of MPC Beats means that everyone can now experience the renowned MPC workflow. The software features a classic 4x4 drum sample grid (that’s 16 pads), a piano roll, a sample library browser and a sample edit window. You can switch between these views when you like. If you’re new to the production game, beat templates will help you understand the process,…

Can HoRNet’s low-cost MasterTool plugin “make your tracks sound good without effort”? Plugin developer HoRNet has big claims for MasterTool, its latest release, stating quite simply that it’s “a tool that makes your tracks sound good without effort”. While pro audio veterans might scoff, HoRNet says that what it’s created here is a “mastering robot” that can apply the “final touch” to your music. It’s said to be able to adapt to pretty much any genre, and has special features for podcasters and those creating voiceovers. MasterTool is powered by what’s described as a “frequency unmasking algorithm” that promises to fix frequency spectrum issues. It analyses the dynamic content of your mix and, using a “coherence meter algorithm,” sets a clipper and two different limiters. The first clipper and first…

Arturia’s Sound Explorers Collection box set puts 20 years of synth/FX plugins and presets on one 250GB hard drive Available as a limited edition and available exclusively in stores, Arturia’s Sound Explorers Collection box set is an exhaustive greatest hits package that celebrates the company’s anniversary. The supplied 250GB hard drive contains both the V Collection 7, which brings together 23 of the company’s software instruments, and the FX Collection – emulations of iconic effects and studio tools that come with new features for today’s producers. You also get Pigments, Arturla’s excellent original softsynth, and 40 of the company’s best selling preset packs. The Sound Explorers Collection is available now for the reduced price of 599 euros (regular price is 1097 euros).…

CLASSIC ALBUM Beardyman Distractions Tummy Touch, 2014 Words by Roy Spencer Beardyman has always been a walking jukebox of sorts, able to recreate any sound he hears with pinpoint accuracy and flair. As he hit his 20s he turned his talents into his career, cutting his teeth as a beatboxer, winning fans and competitions wherever he went. But, unlike his hip-hop peers, he knew he could take the art form higher, and break out of that niche world. His eureka moment came when he started to incorporate sophisticated tech into his live setup. He wanted to be part man, part machine – enter the Beardytron: a music-making rig of his own design that enabled him to play, twist, mould and meld any of the live sounds that came from his…

How to record everything! Setting up for recording vocals One of the most popular questions we receive is ‘what’s the best way to record vocals for my track?’ Prep is key. Let’s see how… 01 > We’re going to use SE’s 4400a large diaphragm condenser microphone for our vocal recording. We’ve ensured it’s in a shock-mount cradle, on a microphone stand, with a pop shield in front of it and the SE Reflection Filter around it, to address any high-frequency reflections. 02 > You can plug a condenser microphone directly into an audio interface and switch on phantom power for its recording channel. But we’re connecting ours to a Universal Audio LA-610 for an additional preamp stage. Phantom power is enabled here, along with a gentle touch of compression.  03…

Making basic sampler instruments Your recordings don’t have to live as ‘linear’ regions on tracks in your mix. Instead, chop and process them, turning them into sampler instruments Many producers are drawn to recording principally because they want to turn those recordings into bespoke sample instruments. Below, we’ll make a ‘scratch’ Solo Violin Plucked instrument, to take you through the basics of this. This is an involved subject, even for the kind of basic instrument shown here, so for a more in-depth look, see our accompanying video. In it, we’ll look at velocity layering, auto-mapping samples, using your sampler’s interface to further refine sounds as well as looking at tuning issues. We’ll also see how even an instrument as simple as this one can make a significant difference to your…

How to record everything! How to record electric guitars After drums, guitars could certainly be considered among the more ‘antisocial’ instruments you can play and record. This is particularly true of those who favour the shredded sound of high distortion, loud, treble-heavy power chords and searing lead lines. Try playing those for any length of time in your bedroom and it won’t be long before your neighbours let you know they’d prefer that you turned it down (read ‘off’). Perhaps it’s no surprise then, that amp modeling software has – like so many types of effects provision – become so popular. Suites like Native Instruments’ Guitar Rig allow you to take a ‘dry’ signal and turn it into distortion heaven, all by just taking a single lead directly from your…

. .com YOUTUBE MORE UNMISSABLE VIDEO TRAINING FROM FUTURE MUSIC Discover our line-up of exclusive YouTube goodness. Head online for all this and more! THE TRACK Leading producers go in-depth on the sounds, ideas and techniques behind their latest releases GLXY – She Sings for Me ft. DRS Rising stars Jonathan Campbell and Thomas Alston make liquid DnB gold with the help of respected vocalist DRS. We found out how… DON’T MISS: Pablo Nouvelle, Milambi The Swiss artist joins forces with a Beninese icon Pythius, Auxiliary Learn about the Dutch drum & bass producer’s granular approach Fickle Friends, Pretty Great Jack Wilson, songwriter/keyboardist on the making of their latest single Lia Mice, Which Memories Will Make It? The multidisciplinary artist on techno and time travel Top producers…

RETROSPECTIVE Dubstep A heady mix of Jamaican-British sound system culture, garage and broken beat, dubstep was a defining ’00s sound © Suzy del Campo/PYMCA Of all genres with complex legacies, dubstep ranks as one of the strangest. It’s less than 20 years old, yet already feels like it’s been through more ups and downs than a low-frequency oscillator. A victim of its own success in many ways, the sound which felt so fresh in early 2000s London soon hit the global mainstream and imploded. Its roots go deep into Jamaican-British sound system culture, incorporating the heavy bass elements of dub reggae, the skippy syncopated drums of jungle, drum & bass and broken beat, plus the deft melodic lightness of UK garage. It emerged as a distinct form around 2001, when…

Reviews Erica Synths Fusion System II €1,950 The Latvians are back with three new vacuum-tastic modules. Rob Redman gives them a go CONTACT WHO: Erica Synths WEB: ericasynths.lv KEY FEATURES MODULES: 2x Fusion VCO 2, Fusion VCF3, Fusion VCA-Waveshaper-Ringmodulator and FusionDelay/flanger/vintage ensemble Following in the tradition of many Erica Synths modules and full systems, the first thing you notice with the Fusion 2 is the solidity of the physical object. It ships in a 104hp skiff, with textured end cheeks and, although the case is thin bent metal, it feels tough enough to give you confidence for live work. The fascias similarly show typical Erica Synths stylings, reminiscent of something you might see in the prop cupboard of a B-movie about a mad scientist. Knobs and switches all feel robust, with…

REMOTE WORKER This latest update makes Logic’s iOS companion app more appealing than ever. Here it gains Remix FX, an XY controller pad that can be used to add DJ-like effects such as filter sweeps, pitch dives, bitcrushing and beat repeats. These sounds will appeal primarily to a certain type of electronic producer, but the fact you can manipulate each by touch or even tilting your iOS device is a lot of fun. Of more universal use is the Live Loops grid. This allows users to trigger clips and scenes much like using Ableton Push or a Launchpad. It’s nicely implemented and adds considerably to the app’s appeal.…

ROUND-UP Free Instruments Move beyond oldies like Synth1 and u-he Tyrell. Here’s the new breed of legendary free soundmakers for the post-fact generation Full Bucket Audio FB-3300 A clone of the Korg PS-3300 synth, which was a ’70s classic, FB-3300 is a three-oscillator synth with some very old-school options and a truly vintage sound. The PS-3300 was effectively three Korg PS-3100 synths in one; Full Bucket also emulate that one as another plugin, available separately and also for free. FB-3300 is an intensely analogue synth, giving you brilliant bass tones, wavering lead lines and characterful effects. Some great sequenced sounds are also possible. There’s a learning curve that takes time to ascend, but once you’ve got your head around the Modulation Source and Target selection within FB-3300, you’ll have a…

SOUNDS & SAMPLES Steinberg – Backbone Drum Re-synthesizer £128 Backbone, tagged as ‘drum re-synthesizer’ is a new sample-based VST from DAW stalwarts Steinberg. Its primary remit is the creation of single drum sounds from basic audio content, but if you read that and assumed that this is just another way of layering sounds to create something new, think again. As well as the more obvious sample-stacking capabilities, Backbone uses a number of more unusual techniques such as re-synthesis and ‘decomposition’ for further sonic exploration and manipulation. Any user of Steinberg’s Halion or Groove Agent line of products will be familiar with the interface, which consists of multiple modules with sub-pages. The main window size can be adjusted, though font-size (and overall legibility) is not altered unless you’re using a HiDPI…

Essential Tools For Music Making SOFTSYNTHS Kilohearts Phase Plant from €169 Full Review: FM350 Phase Plant’s modular architecture is an incredible resource for conjuring real and otherworldly sounds. A powerful, flexible synth in every way! Arturia Pigments $199 Review: FM342 With a multipart synth engine, sequencer and lots of creative tools, there’s a lot going on in this synth powerhouse. Spectrasonics Omnisphere $499 Review: FM294 Version 2 of Omnisphere is a must-try. Audio import is the standout new feature, but dig a little deeper and there are improvements in all areas. Xfer Records Serum $189 This flexible, powerful wavetable synth has quickly risen through the ranks to knock Massive and Sylenth off the top of the ‘synth every producer must own’ list. KV331 SynthMaster One $79 An easy-to-use sibling to…