Table of contents for 05-2021 in Beat English

Adrenaline Kick for the Low End W.A. Production Fundamental Bass Acoustic and electric basses, as well as synth basses, are a challenge to mix because they have to stand up to drums and other instruments and provide a gripping groove. Our software highlight, Fundamental Bass from W.A. Production, combines multiband compression and stereo imaging, as well as tube saturation and distortion and helps to give bass sounds a more compact and punchier sound in just a few simple steps. Download: www.bit.ly/BeatDL184 | Info: www.waproduction.com win | mac Flexible Synthesis Giant KV331 Audio Synthmaster 2 BE At first glance, KV331’s SynthMaster BE is an excellent sounding synth of a subtractive nature. Its real strength, however, lies in the flexible oscillators with countless waveforms, which are “alienated “by two modulators in the…

For Free: Flexible Gate with Sequencer from HY Plug-ins HY-ESG is an exciting Freeware tool from HY Plug-ins, released in collaboration with Bedroom Producers Blog (BPB). The symbiosis of Trance Gate and Euclidean Sequencer, is supposed to enable rhythms off the beaten path. In addition to the tie steps, sequencer and gate, the plugin is completed by the output section. With the sequencer, the number of steps and bars, as well as the direction and duration of the sequence, can be determined. In addition, complex rhythms can also be started at any step or randomly generated. In the gate section, the step sound to be triggered can be shaped to be punchier or softer via ADSR envelope. The whole thing gets really swinging with three LFOs at the bottom. For…

1 The four elements We roughly divide the groove recipe of his track “Sad but true” into four elements: a crisp kick, sluggish hi-hats (in a positive sense), a whipping snare and a simple but lively grooving bassline. We‘ll program all four and start with a relatively shallow drum kit from Acidlab‘s 808 clone Miami. 2 Sluggish hi-hat The Miami_BD1.wav comes on every quarter, Miami_Snare3.wav on every second. The Miami_Ohh1.wav comes into the off, but already with a special feature of Boris: it is pushed forward by 1/64. To do this, we set the attack to 130 ms, with which the hi-hat starts to drag pleasantly. We also load a 1/8 delay and mix it in quietly. 3 Crisp kick Briefly back to the kick: It lacks a bit of…

1 Recording Our minimalist LoFi drum kit consists of two plastic bowls and various kitchen utensils made of metal and wood. We use an iPad as well as the iRig Mic HD microphone and the iRig Recorder app from IK Multimedia [1] for recording. Great: The recording app is also available for iOS and Android in a free version with basic recording functions. 2 Editing For your own recordings, you can of course also use the integrated microphone of your smartphone, tablet or laptop. When recording the everyday objects, make sure that the individual hits decay completely. Then edit the sample material in the audio editor of your choice (e.g. the free audio editor Audacity [2]) or your favorite DAW. 3 Feed the sampler Load the ready-to-play material of your…

1 All about the bass! Whether acoustic, electric or synth basses, the all-important low-frequency instruments can drone, have annoying resonances or, for example, sound significantly thinner in the high registers than in the low registers. So it is an art in itself to integrate particularly dynamic basslines into the mix. Fundamental Bass can quickly remedy this. 2 Frequency Split A good starting point is to set the crossover frequency to about 200 Hz. Furthermore, define a Balance value of -25 dB in the Low and High sections. This compresses the low and high frequencies for a more compact sound. Adjust the Balance values, as well as the crossover frequency, depending on the audio material. 3 In Balance You can then balance the level reduction with the Volume controls in the…

1 Connections For our workshop, we use an MPC Live, but with other models the principle is the same. Only the used inputs and outputs can differ. We use an external Lexicon reverb, to which we feed Out 5/6 of the MPC. To its Input 1/2 we feed the Return output of the Reverb and set the mix portion of the Reverb to 100% wet. 2 Settings In the MPC, we switch to the CHANNEL MIXER (Menu + Pad 12) and there from the Programs to the Returns. We route the first of these to Out 5/6, so that its output is routed to the Lexicon reverb. This is already „half the battle“! In the PAD MIXER, on the SEND 1 page, you can now route each pad to the…

1 Basic Loop The principle is relatively simple: If a loop has something certain about it, but does not harmonize perfectly with the current track, it is simply made to fit. Because both groove and melody can be influenced without taking away the special feeling of the sample. Let‘s start with a drum loop, in our case LNZ_174_Hubba_ Drums_3.wav. 2 Send to Impact The loop is almost perfect in sound, but the groove doesn‘t fit our downbeat track. So we right-click it and select the Send to new Impact option in the Audio menu. Thanks to the automatic slicing, we can play each sound individually and, therefore, rearrange it, adjust the groove exactly and tune each sound individually. 3 Refine After recording the new beat (see projects in the magazine…

The Chromaphone 3 comes as an „Acoustic Object Synthesizer“. Physical modeling serves as the basis for the sound generation; therefore, this virtual synth follows the same concept as its predecessors. There are, however, some innovations in the latest version. Among other things, users can now work in two-voice multitimbral mode, which means that two independent timbres can be stacked or used separately. But let‘s start from the beginning… An Overview Chromaphone 3 is based on a series of eight different resonator types: Beam, Marimba, Closed Tube, Plate, Drumhead, Membrane, Open Tube and String. These represent different materials that can be struck and edited extensively. This allows you to create sounds of different categories such as drums/percussion, strings and hybrid synth instruments. Synthesis The sounds are formed from two layers. Each…

Almost 8 years ago, Roland presented a new edition of its TR-808 and TR-909 drum computers as part of the AIRA series with the TR-8, which found widespread use despite some criticism of the questionable design and unnecessary limitations in terms of memory, operation and sound generation. At the beginning of 2018, its successor, TR-8S was released, which not only eliminated the main points of criticism, but also added the capability to integrate your own samples – hence the S in the name. The TR-6S is a cheaper, slimmed-down version of the TR-8S, which has only 6 tracks instead of 8, but otherwise takes over most of the features of its big brother, including the FM sound generation that was added as part of an update. Digital Recreation and Samples…

High-Quality monitoring equipment is the most important tool for evaluating the mix. Instead of a glossy hi-fi sound image, a neutral, honest sound is more important. After all, when it comes to mixing, studio speakers should above all reveal the weaknesses in a mix and not cover up its shortcomings by emphasizing or attenuating them. As with almost no other component in the studio, there are considerable differences in sound with monitor speakers. One and the same mix will have a completely different sound on different speakers. Selection The variety of designs alone shows that there is no such thing as the „ideal“ loudspeaker. But how do you find your favorite? Above a certain price range, the choice of a monitor is not a qualitative, but rather an artistic decision,…

Well into the 80s, the mixer was the true heart of the DJ set-up. Acoustic signals, picked up from a needle curiously scanning the grooves of a spinning plate of vinyl, entered its black box, where they were processed, transformed and sublimated. When they left the mixer again through the speakers, they had become pure bliss, an amalgamation of the producer‘s genius and the uncompromising vision of the DJ. With just a few simple operations – the muting and unmuting of channels, the addition or subtraction of a few basic effects – tracks were changed beyond recognition, either built up to cathedral magnificence or stripped down to their naked skeleton. An album like Jeff Mills‘s Mix-Up Vol. 2 was testimony to this approach, awe-inducing both in its rawness and immediacy…

If there are any winners during lockdowns, it‘s not just parcel and online services, but above all, the film and gaming industry. This is because, completely unimpressed by current events, they are expanding diligently. Luckily, composers and producers can also participate, because both worlds depend on good sounds. In our special feature, we explain in detail how you can produce background music for clips and trailers, film scores and gaming soundtracks, what pitfalls you need to avoid and how you can later sell the results. Review: Moog Subsequent 25 The Subsequent 25 is the little brother of the Subsequent 37 and inherits the Sub Phatty. Two oscillators with hardsync, sub oscillator and noise form the foundation; in contrast to the Sub Phatty, duophonic play is possible. The ladder filter with…

DRUMS & GROOVE Whether it’s Techno or EDM, Hip Hop or Chillout, drums have to sound crisp, be used cleverly and, above all: they have to groove. But what to look for when searching for sounds, how do kick and bass become one unit, how can ready-made loops and samples be combined into a signature sound or even created yourself, and how does an infectious groove come about? Look forward to all the answers, techniques and personal equipment recommendations from the editorial team in our big Drums & Groove special. Page 16 Review: Behringer Mono/Poly Analog beast in a chic design: The Mono/Poly is currently our favorite among the Behringer clones. Page 74 Portrait: Orlando Voorn Active since the 80s, he has explored genres such as Techno, House, Drum‘n‘Bass, Ambient,…

Which hardware plug-ins do others like to use, what do they pay attention to when producing their music, how is their studio set up? When working with labels, producing remixes or at live events, one thing quickly became clear to our host Rüdiger Keller: everyone has their own style, not only musically, but also when it comes to creating. This led to the idea … hey … let‘s make a podcast out of it! Talking to musicians eye-to-tye The concept is simple: each show features a producer and three of his tracks, we talk about his approach to producing, tools and techniques and, most importantly: the fun of it. It doesn‘t matter how successful the guests are. What counts is what they have to say. We talk about technology, production…

1 Set the table In our case, simply slapping a table with your hand is enough. A usable, woody snare can usually be made from clapping. However, this becomes more interesting if there are objects on the table that vibrate briefly. For example plates, bottles, glasses or cutlery. Especially the latter add a metallic note that suits a snare well. 2 Recording We recorded a couple of sounds like this with an iPhone, which you can find under “Tischklopfer” in the magazine downloads. The first of the two recordings we load into a sampler on the note C1. If you use your own recordings and they are noisy, it does not matter in this case, because the sounds are only played briefly anyway. Therefore, we do not edit our recording…

»I wanted to relay something of the rage and anger I felt at the unfairness of all the loss thrown at me.« Beat / The Art of Losing isn‘t just about death from a conceptual angle. You were literally hit by loss in a dramatic way. How has this changed your perspective on life and death, would you say? The Anchoress/The Art of Losing was an album that I made in the face of experiencing a series of huge personal losses and traumas - the death of my father, multiple baby loss, and then my own diagnosis with cervical cancer. It shifted my perspective from someone who perhaps once romanticised the notion of suffering as key to creativity, to someone who would furiously refute that equation. Beat / Beat /…

1 An Audio Event The following technique works for any type of sound, but the signal should be an audio event. As an example, we will use a pluck loop from the MediaBay. Open the Right Zone and navigate to Loops & Samples in the Night Call soundset. Import the loop Synth_Wave_Pluck_ Loop_90_D#_01_NC into your project. 2 Reverse Cut out the 1st note of the loop with the scissors tool. Set the cut just before the next note is struck. Duplicate this short event two bars after your imported loop by holding down the Alt key. Select the slice and reverse it via the menu item Audio-> Processes-> via Reverse function. 3 The Reverb Tail Open the channel settings of the track with the e button. Now load a reverb…

1Prepare basic sound First, we want to make a - possibly monotonous - bass sound more lively. To do this, load the Analog Standard preset into a MIDI track. Set the Filter Frequency of Oscillator 1 to 235 Hz and the Resonance to 33%. Load a Max For Live LFO effect into the track and map the LFO to the filter frequency from Oscillator 1 of the Analog device. 2 Automate filters Set the Rate of the LFO to 0.15 Hz, Depth to 5.21% and Offset to -0.37. Load a Hybrid-Reverb into the track. Select Classic Room from the Chambers and Large Rooms category as the impulse response. Set the Predelay to 23 ms so that the room does not react immediately, but the first reflection is audible with some…

1 Version A The first solution is based more on automation, the second on more complex routings. Which one you choose in the end doesn‘t matter sonically. So let‘s get started and load the reverb directly onto the hookline track. This should have a few gaps so that there is room for the reverb to work in the first place. Turn the Mix control to 50%. 2 Extreme Settings We leave the reverberation time at a generous 5 seconds and turn the STEREO WIDTH dial all the way up. To make the reverb sound more brilliant, we add two EQ bands. Band 1 cuts everything below 300 Hz as a Low Shelf, while Band 2 adds a whopping 13 dB as a High Shelf above 4 kHz. This gives us…

Native Instruments Electric Vintage With Electric Vintage, the popular Session Guitarist series moves into the next round. This time, a 1950s Fender Telecaster has been meticulously recorded with vintage preamps and high-resolution converters. As usual, the library, which was developed in collaboration with Drumasonic, delivers two separate instruments: With 231 patterns and 55 songs, the rhythm instrument provides quick inspiration for a variety of musical styles between rock, blues, pop, funk, hip-hop and club music. Since different playing techniques and articulations are used, a wide range between rousing rhythms, plucked arpeggios and driving riffs is possible. You can determine which chords are played and also set the voicing and fret position. By switching between different phrases using key switches, you can create varied guitar accompaniments. The only thing we would…

In bedroom and desktop studios in particular, external outboard equipment is rarely found. Lack of space, no desire for tangled cables, or simply too few inputs and outputs on the audio interface usually make producers turn to plug-ins. In addition, the prices for the hardware is sometimes significantly higher than their emulations in plug-in format. And in terms of sound, many plug-ins have now reached a quality that is hardly inferior to the hardware model. Depending on the performance of the computer, plug-ins can also be used on multiple channels and saved with the song. But what is missing compared to the hardware is a hardware interface specifically adapted to the effect. Master X and Brickwall want to solve this problem, at least in terms of dynamics processing, and work…

1 Audio Interface Digital DJs usually use a DJ Controller with an integrated audio interface, as this makes setup and transport easier. It becomes pro blematic when this component stops working; therefore, pack a small audio interface as a backup. Important: Make sure that the interface has at least two stereo outputs 1, 2, so that you can preview and mix songs. 2 Keyboard Mapping If, instead of the interface, the control of your DJ Controller fails, you can help yourself with mappings for your computer keyboard. You should create an extensive mapping so that navigation in the Song Library, as well as loading and adjusting songs, does not have to be done with the mouse. The assignments are made in the Setup Menu 1 of your software. 3 Replacement…

1 Enable MPE MPE is an extension of the MIDI protocol and stands for MIDI Polyphonic Expression. It allows you to affect multiple parameters of a single note simultaneously. Push is not a classic MPE controller, but it can be used for this purpose. Go to the Live Preferences under MIDI and select MPE for Push MIDI Ports. 2 Dimensions With MPE, you can generate pitch, slide and pressure envelopes, and do so for each individual note. This is possible because each note is assigned to its own MIDI channel and can, therefore, run through a pitch change (for example) independently of other notes. Since Push now supports polyphonic aftertouch, MPE data can be sent over it. 3 MPE Matrix Mapping To enable Push to send polyphonic aftertouch data, go…

They are the basis for every track, sometimes in the foreground, often just a means to an end, but always essential: Grooves are the supporting basis of vocals and melodies and are the center of attention, especially in electronic music. But what is really important when making your own beats? What are the options and how can the best results be achieved? In the beginning there is the kick Of course this is not a law, but a logical detail, because the bass drum sets the rhythm. Whether it‘s four-four time, twelve-four time or breakbeats in all variations, the kick always sets the basic rhythm, which all other sounds then follow. For these, in turn, one has to consider how a real drummer would play them. Could he trigger different…

1 Simple pattern 1 Simple pattern We use the d16 Nepheton as the beat foundation, but you can just as easily use another 808 plug-in or kit. The pattern couldn‘t be more typical: at 150 bpm the close hat alternates between 1/8 and 1/16 patterns, snare and clap are on every third quarter per bar and the kick also plays an all-too-familiar pattern. 2 Samples! Therefore you will find the pattern as a MIDI file in the project data. But what defines the beat? Quite simple: The fat drums and a powerful sub-bass. While most trap songs stick to a pure 808 instrumentation, Masked Wolf relies on alternatives for kick and bass. That‘s why we replace the 808 kick with a sample. 3 Kick too sharp? The choice is up…

1 Build a beat First, let‘s create a simple beat. The beat should consist of a kick drum, snare and hi-hat. We program the beat in such a way that the snare comes on the 2 and 4, the hi-hats play a 16th groove with small fills and the kick drum pumps casually in between. As soon as our head starts to nod, we know that the groove is right. 2 Fine-tune the beat We set the volume of the individual tracks correctly, EQ out any disturbing impact noise and route all tracks to our first group track. This gives us better control over the overall volume of the beat and allows us to better adjust the volume ratios between the beat and drum loops in a later step. 3…

INTRO & RECORDING 1 Sound sources You probably won‘t have to look far for percussions in your sample library. Pretty much every drum sampler offers at least a handful of suitable kits, otherwise you can find a lot of free packs on the net. Just in case, we have a collection ready for you in the magazine downloads. The choice of sounds is ultimately not insignificant for the character of your tracks. 2 Choice With a set of Chinese zills you create a different atmosphere than with a cymbal or bongos. Besides the choice of sound, the main question is how to create the patterns. We recommend playing in via keyboard, pad controller or MIDI drum set, then the grooves will be more dynamic than when setting notes with the…

The Portuguese musician André Allen Anjos wrote a small letter to everyone who bought his tape “Boy”. »I hope you are proud to be a part of helping artists gain their freedom.« These are big words. But this is not a commercially available album either, but the most expensive tape in the world. Two months after release the cassette was traded for up to $4500. Not the relaxed and rather unspectacular music, but the extraordinary pricing mechanism was responsible for such proud numbers: Anjos does not sell albums, but a digital voucher. The current owner can do two things with it: Either exchange it for one of the 100 copies worldwide. Or resell it. Like a stock, this right has changed portfolios several times and experienced highs and lows. After…

1 Choose Sound The basis of the track is a simple drum loop. To give the song a melodic component, you should select sounds that are suitable for this application. For melodies, instruments like pianos, saxophones, and synthesizer lead sounds work best. You can make chords sound with pianos or pad sounds. 2 Scale Mode Here a sitar sound is used for the melody. The chords are realized using a pad sound and a piano. In Scale mode, you can use different scales to make your melodies more interesting. Click on the Keyboard tab above the drum pads of Maschine+. The left screen now shows two settings options. 3 Define Scale From the Bank tab, you can choose from eight predefined categories, each of which accommodates 15 scales. This gives…

1 The Loop Browser Granular synthesis is generally based on editing samples or audio files; therefore, it is convenient to open the Loop Browser on the right side of the DAW and first look for Apple loops that you would like to massively edit. Both audio loops (blue) and software instrument loops (green) can be selected. 2 Import to Alchemy Since the update to Logic 10.5, the handling has become very intuitive: A file from the Loop Browser can be imported directly into Alchemy by dragging and dropping. The selected file is dragged to the left into the Track Header area while holding the left mouse button, and then the option of a new track is presented: Please select Alchemy (granular). 3 One Beat as an Example We‘ll take the…

At first glance, Warlock looks like just another virtual analog synthesizer with two oscillators, filter, ADSR envelopes and LFO, but under the hood it has some special features to offer. The sound generation is called Harmonic Content Morphing and is based on the analysis of the harmonic spectra of acoustic instruments like guitar or piano, as well as electronic instruments like synthesizers. A total of 256 of these spectrum snapshots have been packed into the 84 „spectrum tables“ that can be selected for each of the two oscillators. Similar to a wavetable synthesizer, these spectrum-tables can be modulated and morphed between the individual snapshots. The tables can be looped in various ways, even in sync with the song tempo. There are 25 modifiers available for further sound modification. They range…

Behringer‘s cloning machinery continues to run at full speed. The latest object of desire is the MonoPoly, a replica of the Korg Mono/Poly with additional extras. Korg Mono/Poly The Korg Mono/Poly is a monophonic analog synthesizer that was produced between 1981 and 1984. Its distinctive feature is the four oscillators, which can either be layered to create fat sounds or allow playing with four voices. In polyphonic mode, however, all four oscillators share the same filter and amplifier stage, so it is a paraphonic synthesizer. That‘s why, despite its superior sound possibilities, the Mono/Poly was overshadowed from the beginning by the Polysix, which was launched at the same time and scored with true six-voice polyphony as well as a sound memory - both very desirable features at the time! And…

1 Create a project Press the Load button from the Project Section to start a new song arrangement. The display on the right will then ask you if you want to discard an existing project. Turn the Value/Enter knob to the right so that New flashes and confirm this by pressing the knob. 2 Sound selection For beat programming, select the KICK under DrumTracks. By playing it, you will audition the preloaded sound. If you do not like the existing kick drum, replace it by pressing KICK again and turning the Value knob, for example, with the sample FXM SynthKick 5 and confirm this by pressing the same knob. 3 Programming First, program the KICK over 16 steps. Extend the beat by holding down the EDIT key and the OCT+…