Table of contents for 05/2026 in Beat English

Things are heating up in the realm of copyright law – and this time, the ground is shaking beneath the feet of the AI giants: After GEMA already put OpenAI in its place, Suno AI is now in the crosshairs. On March 9, the first round of arguments took place at the Munich Regional Court, and the allegations are serious: It’s no longer just about text, but about the music itself. GEMA has demonstrated that AI generates results for songs like “Atemlos” or “Forever Young” that are so similar to the originals that one could almost call them digital copies. The suspicion: AI isn’t just learning; it’s “memorizing” our works. This is a milestone in the battle between creators and artificial intelligence. Because let’s be honest: without the millions upon…

SUPERBOOTH26 – Innovations at a glance SuperBooth26 will take place from May 7 to 9 at the FEZ in Berlin and is celebrating its 10th anniversary. Visitors can once again look forward to a major trade show dedicated to electronic sound generation and processing—including synthesizers, modular systems, effects units, plugins, accessories, and much more. Numerous established brands, including new exhibitors, will be presenting their products at the fair for the first time. The exhibition areas once again include the large circus tent, the Orbitall, and the expanding pro-audio and software sections. Based on feedback, the “Headphones-Only” area will also be expanded, featuring additional tents and a large star tent with over 50 exhibitors, including new brands from Asia. Another new feature is a FLINTA area*, which offers visitors who identify…

Frequency response The frequency response shows how strongly a microphone reproduces different frequencies. A linear response means the most even possible reproduction. What matters: Microphones are never truly neutral. Many models deliberately emphasize certain ranges – highs add presence, while lows provide warmth and fullness. This directly affects how well a signal cuts through in a mix. Studio practice: For drums or guitar amps, deliberately colored microphones are often used. The frequency response shapes the sound more than many other parameters. A colored microphone will often get you to the desired result faster than a neutral one. For present-sounding pop vocals, models such as the Neumann TLM 103 or the Lewitt LCT 440 PURE are typical examples. Sensitivity Sensitivity describes how strongly a microphone responds to sound. It indicates how…

1 The hallway reverb Not every reverb has to come from a plug-in. So why not simply use a hallway or an adjacent room as a natural reverb chamber? In addition to the main signal, record the room sound there. The farther away the microphone is placed, the stronger the natural reverb becomes. This method can instantly add depth and size, especially to vocals, guitars, or percussion. The trick works surprisingly well even in small apartments: stairwells or long hallways often provide the most interesting reflections. 2 Recording the amp in another room A classic trick for more size: don’t place the guitar amp right next to the microphone, but in an adjacent room or at the end of a hallway. Capture the sound with a room microphone instead of miking the…

Beat / How did you first get into music, what shaped you along the way, and what have been the highlights of your career so far? AK / As a child I started learning several instruments at different times, but I never had the patience to practice enough, so in the end I can’t really play any of them properly. Later I played in a few bands with friends where I handled the electric bass—more or less. Eventually, through a childhood friend, I was introduced to electronic music for the first time. I was immediately fascinated and started experimenting at the age of 14 with a version of Ableton Live Lite that came bundled with my bass amp. For me, the biggest highlight is honestly the fact that I get…

1 Vocal Sound Before we turn our attention to the harmonies, let’s first get the basic sound of the vocals in shape. Omnivocal isn’t entirely free of artifacts, and in a dense mix like our audio file “Cubase PP 2026-05-Music” [1], the vocals can easily get lost. However, with the right effects, they can be integrated cleanly into the song and any artifacts can be masked. 2 Use the Channel Strip To do this, load the VocalChain plug-in as an insert on the track containing the female vocals. The “Female Pop Vocals” preset is a good starting point. As we don’t need these processing stages here, we’ll disable Pitch, De-Esser 1 and De-Esser 2. For the track containing the female vocals, we’ll select VocalChain with the Cut-through Pop preset. 3 Space and harmonies…

1 Sample selection The foundation of any strong main loop is a high-quality source sample. For “Taki Taki”, DJ Snake used the Loop Whistle 01 from the Sounds of KSHMR Vol. 2 pack. However, it‘s not just the quality that matters, but also the potential for further processing. Look for distinctive phrases and recognisability, as well as enough scope for creative input. 2 Tempo and Key It’s rare for a sample to instantly fit perfectly into your project, which is why the creative work begins right here with Time Stretching and Pitch Adjustment. In “Taki Taki”, the loop was brought to 96 BPM and pitched down by a semitone. This not only ensures a perfect fit, but also alters the character and mood of the sound. 3 Trim the sample…

The DJM-V5 is space-saving and compact compared to the larger premium model, the DJM-V10, yet still offers a surprisingly high level of functionality. Visually, the DJM-V5 features a clean, functional interface with a robust chassis and high-quality knobs and faders. Despite its more compact design, it retains a professional feel and appears to be very solidly built. The layout of the controls is well thought out; the 60-millimetre long-throw faders ensure precise, smooth transitions between channels. Connections The DJM-V5 is equipped with three Phono and Line inputs, as well as a Microphone input. On the output side, in addition to the Master and Booth outputs, there are two Phono outputs and a Rec-Out. There is a Send/Return path for connecting external effects units. To ensure maximum flexibility when connecting in…

17.04.2026 - 19.04.2026 Synthfest France Nantes, FR 24.04.2026 - 26.04.2026 Akustika Nuremberg DE 07.05.2026 - 09.05.2026 Superbooth  Berlin, DE 13.05.2026 - 17.05.2026 Berlin Dance Music  Berlin, DE 28.05.2026 - 30.05.2026 AES EUROPE Copenhagen, Danmark 04.06.2026 - 07.06.2026 HIGH END Vienna 2026 Vienna, AT 18.06.2026 - 20.06.2026 Sonar Festival 2026 Barcelona, ES 25.09.2026 - 27.09.2026 Guitar Summit Mannheim, DE 06.10.2026 - 08.10.2026 LeatCon / Studioszene Hamburg, DE 21.10.2026 - 25.10.2026 ADE Amsterdam Dance Event Amsterdam, NL 25.10.2026 - 26.10.2026 DJ Workshop Germany Schloss Romrod, DE…

On our social media channels, we regularly ask the questions that really matter to us as Producers. And the best part is: The community responds! Hundreds of you share your experiences, offer tips and engage in lively discussions about today’s gear and workflows. Fancy having your say? We warmly invite you to join the discussion. Simply scan the QR code to go straight to our current debates and let us know: What‘s your take on this?…

Omnidirectional (omni) Omnidirectional microphones capture sound evenly from all directions. There is no preferred pickup direction. What matters: The sound is particularly natural and uncolored, as there is no directional effect. At the same time, however, the entire room is captured as well. In practice: Omnidirectional microphones are especially suitable for recordings where the room is intended to be part of the sound, such as ensembles, room recordings, or field recordings. Studio tip: If your room sounds good, an omni can feel significantly more realistic than a cardioid. In small, untreated rooms, however, it is often the wrong choice. Cardioid The cardioid pattern captures sound primarily from the front and largely rejects signals from the sides and rear. What matters: It offers a good balance between directness and control. This allows…

IK Multimedia iRig Mic Studio XLR Compact enough for a laptop bag, yet equipped with a true large-diaphragm capsule: the iRig Mic Studio XLR combines mobility with studio technology. A 1-inch back-electret capsule ensures clear, focused recordings. Unlike the USB version, this model uses a classic analog signal path via a 3-pin XLR connection. This allows it to be easily connected to an interface, mixer, or preamp with 48 V phantom power. In combination with mobile interfaces (such as those from IK Multimedia’s iRig series), it forms a highly portable setup for productions with a laptop or smartphone. The frequency range of 20 Hz to 20 kHz and a maximum SPL of 142 dB make the microphone versatile: in addition to speech and vocals, instruments such as acoustic guitars or…

1 Top-Level Rack Create an Effect Rack as an Insert on a track and set up three chains: DIRECT, WET CORE and SHIMMER VOICE. Set the chain volumes initially to DIRECT 0 dB, WET CORE −6 dB, SHIMMER VOICE −12 dB. To control the direct signal, load a Utility in DIRECT and map Gain to Macro 1. Map the Utility’s Gain in WET CORE to Macro 2. 2 Create an effects chain In Map Mode, set the Max. Range to 0 dB for both. Name Macro 1 ‘Direct’ and Macro 2 ‘Wet’. In WET CORE, build this chain: Empty Audio Effect Rack -> Auto Shift -> Spectral Resonator with Modulation Mode set to Wander -> Auto Filter -> Utility -> Limiter. This first creates space, then shapes the pitch and harmonics, and…

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Project info Material: Ableton Live 12.3, Push 3 Time required: 30 minutes Content: Expanding Push 3 in standalone mode with an external class-compliant audio interface, keeping the configuration and routing clear, reducing system load, setting up stable monitoring, and tips for quick navigation and a clear layout. Difficulty: Advanced 1 Connect the interface Connect a class-compliant audio interface to Push’s USB-A port. Open Setup -> Audio. In the top-left corner, next to Settings, you’ll see the new Device option. Open the Device menu using the corresponding display button and select your interface. If you disconnect it later, Push will automatically switch back to the internal audio interface. 2 Configure I/O Under Config, you can specifically select mono and stereo inputs and outputs. Use the Enable option to activate only the…

The common thread: Beat magazine 05/2026 For many years, Beat has been inspiring its readers not only with practical and musical topics, but above all with the tight integration of editorial content. From the very beginning, Beat has been about creating, about the structured building of ideas and the common thread – in the magazine as well as in the tracks. This navigator shows you the highlights of this issue and allows you to see the big picture. Masterclass: MIC CHECK No matter how expensive your plug-ins are or how good your monitors sound: if the recording isn’t right at the source, things will get tricky later on. In our “Mic Check” special, we’ll show you what matters when it comes to microphone types, polar patterns, technical specifications, and proper…

Dynamic microphones Dynamic microphones operate with a moving coil in a magnetic field. When sound hits the diaphragm, an electrical voltage is generated – entirely without any external power supply. What matters: This design makes dynamic microphones particularly robust when handling high sound pressure levels. At the same time, they are less sensitive to fine details and capture less of the room. The sound is often direct, focused, and mid-forward, but less detailed in the high frequencies than that of condenser microphones. In practice: Dynamic microphones really play to their strengths, especially in home studio environments. For vocals in acoustically untreated rooms, they often deliver better results. They are also a proven choice for guitar amps and drums. Studio tip: If your room is not acoustically optimized, a dynamic microphone will…

6.000 listeners are already on board! You too? Noel Gallagher, who’s never one to shy away from a bold statement, once remarked that jazz is when “four musicians play a different song at the same time, at a different tempo and in a different key.” Maybe he should give “Quiet Fire” a listen. Because what Dave Stapleton presents here is undoubtedly jazz—but otherwise the exact opposite of the humorous horror version painted by the Oasis songwriter. For his first solo album in 12 years, the Welsh musician shut himself away in his studio to create, during long, focused sessions, a deliberately slow, atmospherically smoldering sound in which the instrumental performances do not aim to impress superficially, but rather draw the listener ever deeper into a timeless liminal space through their…

1 Audio at last Almost simultaneously with the release of Fender Studio Pro 8, Logic Pro 12 introduced a feature that made the dream of many electronic music producers come true: chord detection in audio files. The two DAWs take different approaches: Logic integrates the feature into the chord track, whilst Studio One‘s successor incorporates it into the Audio-to-MIDI conversion. 2 Drag and Recognize! With this feature, Apple has essentially just expanded the Chord Track in Logic. Previously, you could drag a MIDI region containing chords into the track, and Logic would recognise the chords and write them to the Chord Track. For audio analysis, you first need a loop – ideally one that doesn’t come from Logic, as the chords in those loops have already been analysed. 3 Clean Sounds only As…

1 Reese History If you look into the origins of the Reese Bass and its numerous variations, one thing quickly becomes clear: There is no single, definitive ‘original’ Reese Bass. Depending on whether you’re into Drum ‘n’ Bass, Neurofunk, Jungle, Electro or Dubstep, there are different interpretations of how this swirling beast should sound. 2 Polysynth Bass We’ll stick with the dark, often strangely hollow and pulsating-sounding version that’s popular in Drum ‘n’ Bass. And Bitwig’s Polysynth is ideal for this. Two oscillators with separate suboscillators, three waveforms, sync, up to 16-part unison, six ways to blend the oscillators, seven filter types: Perfect for Reese Bass! 3 The foundation The pads shimmer at the top, drums pound in the middle, and the Reese Bass rumbles at the bottom. Now build…

See page 9 for Zampler plug-in, sound bank and demos LASERS AND PROJECTIONS This bundle combines the best of Trance, Acid, and EDM across six powerful soundbanks: Trance Future and Viral Injection deliver over 170 patches, including legendary Access Virus A sounds for ecstatic melodies. Corrosive offers 1 GB of Acid power featuring TB-3 and TR-8 loops, while Hyper Vox stands out with 55 vocal synths. EDM Blaster provides 72 aggressive 808 basses, and Polar Fox refines 74 high-end patches from the Virus TI using analog post-processing for maximum punch and warmth. www.zamplersounds.com Facts ACID TRANCE BUNDLE for Zampler: ▲ 10 GB sound banks ▲ 411 patches ▲ Compatible with Bliss, DirectWave, Discovery Pro, Electra 2, Engine, F’em, Falcon, HALion, Highlife, Kontakt, MachFive, MSoundfactory, Phase Plant, Rapid, Redux, Sampler, SampleTank,…

Apaull: Gunfactor On his third album, the Dutch-Canadian producer once again explores a wide range of technoid styles. While the focus clearly lies on different shades of techno, the record also incorporates influences from synthwave, industrial, minimal and EBM. Apaull understands the importance of driving kick drums for filling the dancefloor – although they could sound a bit punchier in places – but he also knows when to dial back the tempo and let the atmosphere take over. Spoken-word samples and vocal chops form a central element of his tracks: throughout the album you hear all kinds of processed voices, but no conventional singing. In addition, there are numerous old-school touches that evoke memories of the ’80s and ’90s, alongside synth lines ranging from pitch-dark to almost childlike and playful.…