Indice dei contenuti per August 2023 in Future Music

It’s easy to get hyperbolic when talking about technology, in a way that can look rather embarrassing later on. In 1999, for example, FM ran a feature about the varied ways the Millenium Bug was going to dramatically impact your music making. We can all, surely, remember at least a few products hailed as ‘game changers’ that actually disappeared from view after having very little impact. At the risk of falling into this trap though, there are a number of emergent technologies kicking about right now that do feel like they could have a significant impact on how we make music in the future. From the expressive capabilities of MPE to AI and machine learning, through to spatial audio, it’s these ideas – and more – that we want to…

TRACK Across their label’s output, DJ sets and own productions, the Hessle Audio trio have ironed out a reputation as purveyors of cerebral, future-facing club tracks that balance rave-up energy with a dose of chin-stroking intrigue and sonic experimentation. Though this approach has paid dividends, their finest moments have often been their most accessible. Installation, from Hessle Audio cofounder Pangaea, is exactly that: it’s remarkably easy to love. The track is built from just a handful of elements, each of which serve their purpose with aplomb. A squiggly, descending bassline spirals around a 4/4 beat, while expertly rearranged vocal chops make for a relentless, anthemic hook that’s firmly installed itself in both our subconscious and the USB sticks of big-room DJs everywhere. Matt Mullen VERDICT 9…

Ever since they arrived in popular music in the ’70s, synths have always seemed new and otherworldly. Bristling with strange knobs and controls and emitting weird electronic noises, many synths might seem more at home in the bridge of the Nebuchadnezzar than in your studio or bedroom. Initially, musicians responded with horror at the arrival of these newfangled music-making machines, fearing being replaced entirely (a sentiment echoed in some of the scepticism surrounding AI’s role in music today). First came the analogue synths: brutish modular systems with cables and real circuitry. These gave way to more portable and playable models like the trailblazing Minimoog. Then came their digital ancestors, which used mathematical representations of audio waveforms. Wavetable, additive, FM, physical modelling and sample-based synths took grip on the global music…

How long have you been DJing? “I started to learn to DJ about 12 years ago, I’ve been kind of on-again off-again. But in terms of properly taking it seriously, it’s probably been about 10 years, which is basically since I joined Koven. When I started working with Max, that’s when things got a lot more serious and I put a lot more time into it. “The way that I DJ would be fairly standard to most people, but then there are some different and slightly more unique ways of doing it to incorporate the singing. Those elements are things that I had to teach myself in order to make it work being a singing DJ. “That includes things like bringing in a lot of tunes with the faders up.…

ACCESS OUR KIT FOR YOURSELF! Download the Project files from our Downloads page to get our Drum Rack and samples for use in Live or Push 3 1 > As Live users know, each pad of a Drum Rack can contain any one of a variety of sound sources, including any of Live’s instrument Devices or third-party plugins. A common use, however, is to load each up with a sampled hit, via individual instances of Live’s Simpler. Our example here uses 16 vintage drum sounds from FM’s Sample Archive. 2 > By clicking the disk icon at the top of its UI, we can save our Drum Rack preset. Live’s Browser then allows us to drag this preset into the User Library on Push’s hard drive to access in standalone…

Few artists inspire the same kind of universal reverence that Burial does. Appearing seemingly out of nowhere in the early ’00s, his downcast and ethereal tunes synthesised UK garage and the then-revolutionary sounds of dubstep with cinematic textures, atmospheric sound design and raw emotion. There’s a reason why, if you ask your favourite producer who their favourite producer is (and we do quite a lot of that), Burial is often the answer you’ll receive: he’s behind some of the most powerfully emotive, artfully produced electronic music that’s ever been made. Burial’s first release was the 2005 EP South London Boroughs. That EP was also the first release on Hyperdub, a record label run by producer, DJ and academic Kode9 that’s since become one of UK electronic music’s most acclaimed imprints.…

CONTACT WHO: Apple. WEB: apple.com KEY FEATURES REQUIREMENTS: Requires an iPad with Apple A12 Bionic chip or later and iPadOS 16.4 or later. 663MB available storage space for minimum install or up to 15GB storage space for full Sound Library installation. Includes AUv3 support PRICING: $5/month or $49/year In writing about the newly released Logic Pro for iPad, perhaps a bigger question than ‘what is it?’ would be instead, ‘who is it actually for?’ Is this a genuine touch-enabled alternative to the desktop version of Logic Pro – and one that could convince huge swathes of musicians to shift wholesale from the Mac to the iPad – or simply a souped-up version of GarageBand for iPad? That is, fine for beginners, singer-songwriters and as a scratchpad for recording ideas, but…

CONTACT WHO: UDO Audio WEB: udo-audio.com KEY FEATURES Binaural 12-voice hybrid synthesiser. 49-key Fatar keybed with velocity and aftertouch. MPE capabilities. FPGA-based engine with DDS oscillators. SSI analogue LPF and HPF. Two envelopes; one with looping, two LFOs. Mix control with split/crossfade. Digital delay and chorus Ifirst heard the Super 6’s sound engine in action back in 2019, just before the synth was officially unveiled at that year’s Superbooth. At the time, the synth was still in the prototype phase, without its final hardware design or interface. Even in that bare-bones state though, it was obvious that the Super 6 was something special; the oscillators had a rich, warm sound reminiscent of the best classic polys, and its binaural sound engine – allowing the 12 voices to be divided into…

NEW ENTRY Expressive E Osmose €1,799 Full Review: FM398 | With expression at the forefront, Osmose could be the all-in-one, future-proofed synth and controller you’ve been waiting for. ASM Hydrasynth Deluxe £1,489 Review: FM383 The Deluxe is a great-sounding, flexible polysynth, ideal as a performance-led keyboard that can successfully reach a wide range of tones and textures. Korg Wavestate £699 Review: FM353 Wavestate walks the line perfectly between paying tribute to a ’90s classic and offering cutting-edge tools. A fantastic update to a much-loved synth line. Roland Jupiter-X £2,432 Review: FM396 A fabulous-sounding instrument that, despite being 100% digital, manages to capture the spirit and grandeur of its famous analogue namesake. Arturia MiniFreak £539 Review: FM391 Although less of a trailblazer than the original MicroFreak, this is a stellar, versatile-sounding…

PWM Malevolent £499 Full Review: FM388 A bold and characterful debut and very much worth your attention, although its vintage ethos occasionally limits its versatility. Korg Volca Modular £190 Review: FM342 A West Coast synth in a compact package. It may be fiddly, but give in to its experimental ethos and it’s endless fun. Moog Mavis £339 Review: FM387 Mavis can’t be faulted at this price. It covers a wide range of tones, is well built and brings new options to the classic Moog. Moog Subharmonicon $699 Review: FM359 Mixes familiar Moog sounds with experimental sequencing and rhythms. An inspiring, well-built and well thought-out synth. Moog Matriarch £1,979 Review: FM355 The Matriarch is very inspiring. It’s well built, has the classic Moog Modular sound and is complex yet still pleasingly…

>The idea that you can take “comprehensive” charge of your DAW using a single fader controller might seem illogical, but that’s the claim that SSL is making on behalf of the UF1. This new controller might be the UF8’s (much) smaller sibling, but it’s still said to pack in the features. As well as the 100mm motorised fader you also get dual high-resolution displays, soft-feel rubber keys and a weighted jog wheel, all wrapped up in a metal chassis. You’re also able to control your DAW’s pan settings, sends and plugins, and customise the 46 soft keys to suit your workflow. Plus, the UF1 integrates tightly with the new SSL Meter plugin and existing 360° software. The device can actually control up to three DAWs simultaneously, and comes with profiles…

Despite releasing his formative works in the late ’80s, Italian ambient artist Gigi Masin has had a late career peak over the past two decades thanks to being championed and sampled by a newer generation of artists such as Björk and Oneohtrix Point Never; the latter of whom Masin toured with in 2016. Recent years have seen him releasing on lauded contemporary labels such as Apollo, PAN and Dekmantel. Dolphin is Masin’s debut collaboration with Isle of Wight-born pianist Greg Foat, who has been steadily making a name for himself as one of Britain’s most notable jazz musicians over the past decade. Despite their somewhat different backgrounds, sonically the two artists make for an obviously coherent pairing. Foat’s 2022 solo album Psychosynthesis saw him leaning heavily on vintage analogue pads…

EP Welove an unexpected collaboration. Today’s surprise link-up sees storied Scotsman Hudson Mohawke join forces with Atlanta-based club music producer Nikki Nair. The fruit of their combined talents is Set The Roof, a three-track EP that’s said to be the first of several incoming joint efforts from the pair. More Recently is wonky analogue techno and Demuro is a spirited tribute to French touch: we’re fans of both, but it’s the title track that’s got us hooked. Bitcrushed 2-step drums and syncopated stabs augment the dizzying sugar rush that is Tayla Parx’s vocal line, but just when you think you’ve got a handle on it, the track redoubles its assault, changing key as a looped vocal syllable careens skywards, before growling bass brings us back to earth. Matt Mullen VERDICT…

In the seven years since Ableton’s Push 2 hardware hit the market, it’s successfully established itself as the go-to control surface for Live users. While there are other great Live controllers out there, including many that do certain things better than Push – Ableton’s device is still notably missing a keyboard, and Push 2 lacked that versatile MIDI and CV functionality of Novation or Arturia controllers – its plug-and-play simplicity and tight workflow made for the smoothest way to interact with Live beyond a mouse/keyboard. That success, however, must have presented Ableton with something of a challenge when designing the inevitable follow-up: how to make a new Push that felt like a substantial step forward without upending the established workflow of Push 2’s many users. Push 3 is, on the…

Impact Soundworks are back with another instalment in their Shreddage series, and unlike the previous outing which was decidedly mellow in style, this one can go to 11! Once again, this instrument library is based around the new Shreddage 3.5 engine that’s hosted within Kontakt (and you can also use the free Kontakt Player to do this). Here the classic Fender Telecaster guitar is the focus, and as before there’s lots of customisation on offer; both from performance and playability perspectives. The two main components of the interface are the Shreddage Engine (devoted to performance and raw sound creation) and Console, where the guitar’s output is fed to an audio chain that includes virtual amps, cabs, pedal effects, EQ, dynamics etc. This covers a lot of ground and enables Telos…

UNDERSTANDING: Two waves are often referred to as being ‘out of phase’ if their peaks and troughs aren’t perfectly aligned, but the most important implication from a production perspective occurs when the waves are 180º out of phase, meaning their amplitudes are identical in magnitude but one is positive and one is negative. Take the example of two waveforms which are identical in terms of frequency/wavelength but 180º out of phase with each other. At any given moment, their amplitudes will add up to zero – and the result will be silence. Likewise, the sum of two identical signals which are out of phase by 90º or 270º will be lower than the sum of two in-phase waves, weakening the combined amplitude. Of course, this sine wave theorising is all…

Full Review: FM392 | Building on the successes of multiple other Elektron instruments, Syntakt is a top quality groovebox with a lot of power under the hood. Korg Drumlogue £529 Review: FM392 A flexible, powerful drum machine that has a lot to offer for the price… and it’s only slightly held back by a few clunky design choices! Arturia DrumBrute Impact £249 Review: FM335 It’s not the most versatile drum machine on the market, but the Impact combines quality sounds with a killer sequencer, at a price that makes it very tempting. Behringer RD-9 £270 Behringer’s ‘tribute’ does a convincing job of feeling and sounding like a genuine 909, all at a price below £300. It’s hard to knock that. SOMA Labs Pulsar-23 £1,759 Review: FM370 Pulsar-23 is odd, eccentric…

Ableton Push From $999 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. Akai MPC Key 61 £1,699 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. Akai MPC X SE £2,050 Full Review: FM397 This is a fine update to the original MPC X – the new instruments and effects are really excellent. The retro look is very stylish too. 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+…

UK duo Koven have made a name for themselves over the past decade with releases that touch on DnB, dubstep and bass music for labels like Monstercat and Anjunabeats. The duo comprises producer Max Rowat and vocalist and DJ Katie Boyle, who performs solo under the Koven moniker. Having to balance mixing and singing in her performances, Boyle’s shows are unique in both gear setup and how she plans and executes her sets. We met up with Boyle to chat about her approach to DJing, how she works in the studio with Max, and take a tour of her bespoke, Patchwork London-designed in-ear monitoring setup. What’s your musical background? “My original background came from my mum. When I was in my early teens, I was in an ABBA tribute group…

Embrace standalone – even if you’re connected to a computer 1With Push 3, Ableton has designed a device that can work either tethered to a computer, or as a standalone unit via an internal processor. The control layout for both of the configurations is identical though, meaning that the workflow is pretty much identical too (aside from a few things, like the significant fact that you can control third-party plugins in tethered mode, but not standalone). The upshot of this is that you can treat Push like a standalone device even if your unit doesn’t pack an internal processor. Simply put the computer to one side and embrace the creatively-freeing nature of its all-in-one workflow. Since all versions of Push 3 have identical audio interface and I/O capabilities, you’ll still…

CONTACT WHO: Expressive E. WEB: www.expressivee.com KEY FEATURES 24-voice polyphony, 49 full-size keys with three-dimensional control, standalone synthesiser, MPE Controller and classic MIDI controller I/O: Two ¼” TRS pseudo-balanced line outputs, ¼” TRS headphone output, MIDI In, MIDI Out/Thru, USB Type B DIMENSIONS: 894 x 316 x 87.5mm WEIGHT: 8.3 kg The arrival of Osmose was announced back in 2019 and we remember very well our disappointment at a NAMM show, around that time, when Expressive E brought a non-working version to their booth. To say this was a keenly anticipated instrument is an understatement. We’ll forgive them for the delay as Covid probably put a spanner in the works of development, but fast forward a few years and the Osmose has finally broken through a barricade of red tape…

The big-boy sample house celebrates two decades furnishing us all with top-tier beats and basslines. Happy birthday, Loopmasters! To mark the momentous occasion they’ve put out an anniversary pack, pulling in some of the choicest noises they’ve cobbled together from a fat stack of the most loved packs in their extensive back catalogue.There are dance vocals, hip-hop drums, techno toplines, and drum&bass low ends to coo over. This is the Lite version, which will cost you nada. So, head to their Facebook page and sign up for a free download. There’s also a monster 21GB version with a bonus 80% off, right now, saving you nearly 400 quid. And yes, it’s full to bursting with all of the multi-genre heat we’ve come to expect. Phew! Here’s to another 20 years.…

DYNAMIC REVERB RETURN Heavy reverb effects with long decay times often sound amazing in isolation, but they may just be too overbearing in the mix. There are ways for you to have your cake and eat it. Imagine a vocal being processed by a very large hall effect; when the vocal is playing back, it may be swamped by the large ’verb. Insert a sidechain-capable compressor after the offending reverb and feed its key input with the vocal being mixed. The reverb will now ‘duck’ when the vocal is playing back but will breathe in-between phrases. MILLISECOND MATHS Calculating musical ‘synced’ delay times in milliseconds isn’t a complex task. Just take the number 60,000 and divide it by your tempo to get the length of a quarter-note beat. 60,000/120bpm =…

Bitwig Studio 5 $399 Full Review: FM390 (Bitwig 4.4) The newly unveiled version 5 of Bitwig Studio doubles down on the already incredible modulation capabilities. Steinberg Cubase 12 £497 Review: FM382 Version 12 is a solid and dependable update to Cubase, and offers some excellent new features and small, but important, updates to others. 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. Universal Audio LUNA free UA might not want to call LUNA a DAW, but let’s be honest... Even in its version one form, this is a slick and stylish recording environment and a great freebie for Apollo users. PreSonus Studio One Pro £345 Recently updated to version 6, Studio One now…

Donner DMK-25 Pro £125 Full Review: FM395 The DMK-25 Pro stuffs loads into a lightweight, compact, and visually appealing package. Ideal for on-the-go use. Akai MPK mini mk3 £90 Review FM363 A very decent upgrade with genuinely pro features, fixing its position in the top rung of mini keyboard controllers available. NI Komplete Kontrol A-Series | from £119 Review FM338 A quality controller combined with a well-rounded software bundle. Novation SL MkIII £540 Review: FM338 Well-designed and versatile. For those who work with both hardware and software, this may be the best studio centrepiece that’s on the market. NI Komplete Kontrol S-Series Mk2 £499 Review: FM324 Komplete Kontrol MkII brings a whole sonic universe under your fingertips like never before, with deeper DAW integration too. Arturia MiniLab 3 €99 Full…