Table of contents for November 2019 in Future Music

WELCOME The outer limits… In electronic music making, effects are everything. You can be using the best vintage synths and a ton of killer drum sounds, but without a bit of creative processing your music is going to sound incredibly dry. Whether it’s using reverb to place sounds into space, adding groove with delay or harmonic grit with distortion, having a stock of quality effects – and knowing how to use them – is essential for any modern producer. Pushed to extremes, creative effects can be the most inspiring thing in your production toolbox. By setting up elaborate chains of processors and getting over-the-top with automation, it’s possible to turn even simple sounds into wild, ear-catching sonics. This is exactly what we’re exploring in this issue’s Extreme Effects cover feature.…

Filter Moog are reissuing the compact Model 10 modular synth… but the price is not so compact Moog are returning to their roots once again with the announcement of a rebooted Model 10 modular synth. Originally released in 1971, this compact, self-contained instrument was designed with portability in mind, but contained a classic line-up of sonic building blocks. The Model 10 contains 11 discrete analogue modules including oscillators, multiple filters, modulators and a random signal generator. Highlights of note include the revered 907 Fixed Filter Bank, while the three 900-series oscillators replicate those used by Wendy Carlos in the creation of the seminal Switched-on Bach. For the reissue, everything is housed in a Tolex-enclosed wood cabinet, and Moog say that this is an instrument that’s designed for “speed and simplicity”…

Channel Robot’s Firewalker synth plugin lets you create evolving, emotive pad sounds from a single note It might have an interface straight out of 1998, but if the specs are anything to go by, Channel Robot’s Firewalker could be capable of creating some pretty state-of-the-art pad sounds. The story starts with three hybrid oscillators (there’s also a sub-oscillator), each set up to use one of more than 300 sound sources. These were all created using Channel Robot’s wavetable generating system. Evolving, emotive pads are the order of the day here, and if you combine the oscillators you can create lengthy sounds from one note. After the oscillators, there’s a volume envelope and waveshaping module, followed by a multimode filter and a sequenced volume gate. There then follows an effects section,…

Filter Denise have taken the worst elements of tape and put them in a plugin We’re used to hearing developers big up the sound quality of their plugins, but with Bad Tape, Denise are taking a rather different approach. Promising to emulate “extreme tape artefacts”, the plugin enables you to create a range of ‘undesirable’ effects. You can randomly detune pitch to make it sound like the tape is playing at an inconsistent speed, add sequel and noise, emulate the sound of ‘failing’ tape thanks to subtle bitcrushing, and create a tape stop effect that’s similar to what you’d hear if you placed your finger on a tape reel while it was playing. You can use Bad Tape on all kinds of material, and it’s available now for PC and…

ALBUM REVIEWS ALBUM OF THE MONTH Floating Points Crush Ninja Tune Four years on from his widely-acclaimed debut album, UK producer, DJ, label owner and much-loved resident, Sam Shepherd releases his brilliant follow-up Floating Points record. Unlike it’s predecessor, Elaenia, which was made over five years, the new album, Crush was made in just five weeks. That sense of urgency has carried on into the record itself, with its bristling energy and unshifting momentum right at the heart of things. In fact, this is some of the heaviest, most unflinching and aggressive music to come out of the Floating Points project yet. Basslines are muscly, the beats are pugilistic and the synths are piercing and stab with ferocity. Shepherd himself states that this aesthetic was born out of his experiences…

Extreme Effects Granular echo with Ableton Grain Delay Combine delay and pitch manipulation for unique results 01 > Load Ableton’s Grain Delay on a track containing a small vocal snippet. Turn up the device’s Feedback to repeat the incoming signal at the Beat Division set at the bottom – 2/16th, or 1/8th-notes by default. 02 > Sweeping the Pitch control up and down crudely transposes the entire signal. However, raising this in conjunction with Rand Pitch randomly pitches the various output grains up or down, for strange modulation and alien-like repeats. 03 > Set Pitch and Rand Pitch back to default, then turn up the Spray parameter. This adds random offset to each tiny grain in the delay path, creating noise-like jitter and harshness. Try juggling this parameter together with…

Going for a drive Ask someone to name an audio processor synonymous with extreme sound manipulation, and distortion will likely come top of the list. Loved by long-haired axe-wielders and electronic experimentalists alike, it’s an effect capable of everything from subtle grit to roaring aggression. Operationally, distortion is fairly simple. Run a signal through a real or virtual distortion circuit, and the waveform’s shape is altered as the circuit’s limits cannot be surpassed. This flattens out and emphasises existing harmonics, and can also create new ones. The harder a signal is distorted, the more aggressive and harmonically complex it becomes. When pushing sounds past societal sonic norms, distortion is even more essential. Use it to ‘magnify’ or exaggerate signals that have been processed with other effects, or reach for more…

Extreme Effects EXPLORING REVERB AND DELAY Reverb and delay effects are essential weapons in your arsenal. A reverb effect places a signal in a virtual environment, while a delay or echo repeats the input signal at a user-defined rate value. Used subtly as part of a broader chain of effects, short reverb and delay can coat sounds in metallic reflections or shimmering ‘air’ that can then be compressed, distorted and processed with the dry signal to forge unique timbres. When used to extremes, giant washes of ambience and searing delay feedback almost become timbres of their own, opening more creative doors. Try splashing a short melodic sound in extended reverb, bouncing down the result, then loading the reverbed audio file into a sampler. The reverb signal can now be played…

YOUTUBE THE TRACK Leading producers go in-depth on the sounds, ideas and techniques behind their latest releases GRiZ, Mercy feat. Valentina US artist Grant Richard Kwiecinski – aka GRiZ – takes us behind the scenes at Point Blank’s studios in London to find out how he made this track DON’T MISS: Prospa, Intended Gosha Smith and Harvey Blumler take us into their production lair Ambassadeurs, Nocturnes Mark Dobson talks us through a cut from his new album Josh Butler, Right Time Learn how Butler made the rolling beats of Right Time in Ableton Live Phildel, Glide Dog Phildel breaks down a dark, moody track from her new album DON’T MISS: Principleasure shows us the processes behind his debut album, I In the studio with Berlin-based techno eccentric T Raumschmiere…

CREATIVE INSPIRATION Stereo bass Bass should always be in mono, right? Wrong! Soup up your low end with our tips for spatialising basslines © reklamlar/Getty Images When mixing bass in a two-channel (ie, stereo) mix, the topic of stereo content and mono compatibility in the low frequencies is hotly debated. Most recommend you keep all low-frequency elements in a mix – generally the kick drum, sub bass and other bass elements – completely mono. This is generally pretty solid advice: keep everything bass-heavy in the middle of the stereo field, and those sounds will then retain low-end power when the overall mix is summed down to a single channel and played back over a mono system such as a club or mono Bluetooth speaker. Plus, bass that has an excess…

Crafting custom bass widener auxes Build super-stereo, mono-compatible basses with advanced parallel widening. Here’s how… When working with stereo effects, your DAW’s auxiliary return channels are indispensable. By sending your solid, centred bass signal/s to a dedicated ‘stereoising’ aux return, you have complete control over the level, width and tone of the new stereo content you’re adding, independent to the mono stuff that’s already balanced in the mix. This level of precision is even more important when stereoising sounds containing low frequencies, as you can meticulously filter/EQ to control the widening. You can also cue up multiple ‘stereoising’ auxes in a project. This lets you juggle alternative widening ‘flavours’ in the mix for different elements, or stack up two or more stereo treatments for the same sound. Let’s learn how…

SOUNDS & SAMPLES UVI – Toy Suite €399 Some sound library creators put all their effort into capturing the nuances of specific instruments down to almost microscopic level. Often this is focused on rare and expensive gear or in distilling a unique playing style. UVI’s new Toy Suite eschews all of this high-end glamour for something seemingly far more throwaway – a bunch of (mainly cheap and cheerful) children toys, never really intended for ‘serious’ music making. Toy Suite requires 24GB of disk space (compresses with FLAC lossless encoding) for the install, and employs UVI’s (free) Workstation software for its front-end. This is equivalent to 86GB in WAV format (over 70,000 samples) and takes in 384 instruments, 1,185 presets and 1,499 loops. The instruments are grouped into three main groups…

Essential Tools For Music Making GEAR GUIDE HIGH-END SYNTHS Novation Summit £1,899 Full Review: FM350 Though the Peak is still great, Summit is even greater. A powerhouse polysynth, perfect for classic tone emulation as well as next-level, out-there sound design. Korg Prologue from £1,299 Review: FM332 Despite a few surprising omissions, this sounds inspiring. A unique character, plus the analogue voices layered with VPM sounds and effects sound magical! Moog Sub 37 $1,579 Review: FM286 With a richer set of features and fewer operational hurdles than its predecessor, the Sub 37 is a superb and highly desirable upgrade to the Phatty family of Moog synths. Sequential Prophet X £3,359 Review: FM336 The Prophet X is a fresh and inspiring hybrid synth that encourages you to explore sound making in new…

MONITORS (UNDER £500) KRK Rokit 7 G4 £220 each Full Review: FM348 | KRK’s Rokit monitors look and sound the best yet, and the RP7 represents an excellent balance of power, footprint and price. M-Audio BX5 D3 £100 Review FM321 The D3s are the best looking and best sounding BX5s ever. These diminutive monitors remain one of the best budget designs you can buy. Genelec 8010A £199 each Review: FM306 With a deceptively powerful low end and plenty of power, these Genelecs punch well above their weight. Sound quality is excellent too. Eve Audio SC203 £389 Review FM306 These monitors offer quality transient response with a nicely balanced mid range. Bass is impressive too, and there’s enough control to adapt to most studio spaces. Mackie MR524 £139 each Review: FM328…

Filter Erica Synths Pico System III is the full analogue modular synth that you can fit in your bag The words ‘analogue modular synth’ are often associated with big, wood-panelled instruments, but Erica Synths’ new Pico System III is rather different. Designed to offer a full modular experience, this is a compact, self-contained device that is available in both desktop and Eurorack formats. Erica Synths say it’s designed to take modular synthesis back to basics and to encourage patching creativity. There are 31 inputs, 20 outputs and seven switches, giving you almost limitless scope for experimentation. For a guaranteed result, you can make use of the preset voice cards; five come included, while a further five are empty and can be used to develop your own patches. More will be…

Filter Steinberg’s new UR-C USB 3.0 audio interfaces offer Yamaha preamps Steinberg have pimped-up their UR range of audio interfaces, introducing new USB 3.0 models for PC, Mac and iOS. There are currently three options for you to consider – the UR22C, UR44C and UR22C Recording Pack. A fourth, the UR816C rackmount interface, is due to be released in November. Each of the interfaces offers USB Type-C connectivity (or USB 3.1 Gen 1 SuperSpeed, to give it its official title) and operates at 32-bit/192kHz audio resolution. There’s MIDI I/O, too, as well as DSP that provides zero-latency effects that can be used when monitoring. These can be accessed via the dspMixFx mixer. Unsurprisingly, the UR22C is a 2-in/2-out audio interface. You get a couple of balanced Neutrik combo inputs, each…

Talking Shop | Emptyset “Who decides what a good mixdown is?” Emptyset © James Ginzburg Originally from Bristol, UK but now residing in part in Berlin, experimental duo Emptyset – aka James Ginzburg and Paul Purgas – have long spanned the realms of experimental electronic music and high-concept art. Their latest project, Blossoms, might be their most ambitious yet. Borne of an extensive period of software research and development, the album uses cutting-edge machine learning and raw audio synthesis techniques. Ginzburg tells us more… When did you start making music? “I started making music when I got a Tascam 464 four-track tape recorder when I was 13 – I’d mostly record an ancient piano and my electric guitar through a 12-bit Digitech RP-10 guitar processor. I listened back to some…

In the studio with MSTRKRFT’s Jesse F Keeler “The main studio was MSTRKRFT Inc. in Toronto. The main synth on tracks like It Ain’t Love was a Moog Voyager, the rack version. We don’t own it any more, and we never used it before or after. It was also the main synth on Balance. The synth on Fist Of God was the Roland MKS-80 Super Jupiter, which we had the controller for, because it would have been stupid without it. “Other than that there was probably a Juno 106 on some stuff. And I know all the arpeggiated stuff is pretty much a Juno 60 being set off a rim shot out on a [Roland] 909. “For the John Legend session I forget what the desk was, but it was…

Feature EXTREME EFFECTS Effect processors are essential for all music makers, but if you’re just using them to mix or fix recording issues, you’re missing out on a vast world of sonic creativity. Let’s push those processors to the extremes and see how we can turn simple sounds into something unique. Let’s head down the rabbit hole... These days, with all the easy-to-use hardware and software music-making tools at our disposal, the creation of electronic music can become formulaic. Lay down beats, add a bassline, program some synths and samples over them, and you’ve got a basic club banger. Effects processors, used in traditional ways, help sweeten and polish those sounds to give you a tune that’s passably functional, but a bit generic. So how can you push your productions…

Extreme Effects Morphing a drum loop into a techno bassline Let’s create a rumbling sub bass using a percussive source sound 01 > Start with any basic four-to-the-floor drum loop from a sample pack. Ensure that the loop’s kick and percussive elements feature sufficient low frequencies, as this bass content can be boosted and shaped at a later stage. 02 > Transform the loop’s clean timbre into something gnarlier by applying distortion, ring modulation and/or frequency shifting. We’re using auto-panning set to an uber-fast audio rate. Don’t worry too much about specific settings for now – you can come back and tweak later. 03 > If the loop needs more weight, tune it down using your DAW’s audio editing features or a pitch-shifting plugin. We’re using a real-time shifter to…

Extreme Effects Four extreme effects pairings Combine processors to quickly generate unique effects. Here are four combos for you to try today… 01 EQ and distortion Smash a signal through impactful distortion, then place an EQ pre-distortion and experiment with wild peak boosts and cuts. Forcing specific harmonics up into the drive will wildly change the timbral effect, while drastic cuts will quickly clean up or temper the effect. 02 Pitch and reverb As you sweep a melodic signal’s pitch up by an octave or two, use automation to send it to a cavernous reverb effect placed on an aux return. The giant reverb will carry over the rest of the melody, creating a unique ‘shimmering’ tail that you can render and reprocess. 03 Filtering and compression Filtering a sound…

Adding a tempo-synced LFO to a Model D Behringer’s hardware Minimoog clones doesn’t offer a sync’d LFO itself – let’s give it a go with Live… 01 > First, drag the CV Instrument into the Clip area to create a new MIDI track. Make sure that the track’s MIDI From input is set to your controller. Make sure the track is record-enabled by selecting the record button at the bottom of the channel strip. 02 > We need to tell the CV Instrument exactly which outputs on our audio interface to send control voltage and gate information to. It’s essential that you use the right cabling in order to make this procedure work properly. In this case, we are using 1/4” TRS to 1/8” TS ‘floating ring’ cables by Expert…

RETROSPECTIVE Jungle With a lineage encompassing everything from acid house to dancehall, jungle was more than a short-lived fad © Martyn Goodacre/Getty Images To say that the late ’80s and early ’90s were a fertile time for UK dance music is a big understatement. And it’s crucial to understand how tech, youth culture and musical ideas collided to create these bold new sounds. The catalyst behind much of this rapid evolution came in the form of raves, where sounds and trends changed from one week to the next, assisted by lightning-fast distribution of new music on tape packs, white label vinyl and pirate radio. Jungle’s musical family tree is complex. The sound grew out of hardcore and breakbeat-driven forms of techno, which respectively drew influence from a range of styles…

Widen or lengthen bass drums with virtual ambience Create cavernous stereo kicks with this sextet of counterintuitive reverb tricks 01 > It might seem a little illogical, but when paired correctly, kick drums and reverb are, in fact, ideal bedmates. Set up your reverb plugin on an auxiliary return track in your DAW, then send the kick channel to this aux – this’ll allow you to process the reverb signal in isolation. 02 > As a general rule, you’ll want to move the bulk of the reverb tail out of the way of the dry signal, preventing it clashing with the main punch of the kick. Do this by either increasing the reverb’s pre-delay time, or by using the dry kick as a trigger to sidechain the wet signal out…

PROCESSING YOUR SOUNDS The Summit offers a load of processing options to help take your sounds to another world. There’s ring-mod and cross-mod for adding texture and metallic-type tones. Then there’s shape mod, oscillator sync, loopable envelopes and filter and linear FM, plus the new FX Mod features. The filter (now with Dual mode) has powerful resonant/vocal characteristics, so you can achieve some extremely piercing, glassy and liquidy tones (12dB mode allows more highs to cut through while 24dB mode is smoother – both are great). Also, as the resonance tracks the keyboard range perfectly, it’s great for making precise drum sounds and soft siney pads too. Add reverb/delay, noise and overdrive/distortion and you’re in atmospheric heaven! The onboard reverb and other effects still sound superb and now you can…

THE SCENIC ROUTE Reason 11 Suite also adds a new Rack Extension – Scenic, a sample-powered synth with granular capabilities. It makes use of dual sample engines, five effects slots, plus filters and a number of modulation options. Sonically, it’s designed to cover both orchestral sounds and more experimental tones albeit all controlled via a relatively straightforward interface. It looks a touch dated, but the layout is neat. Reason Studios describe Scenic as ‘cinematic’, which is true, particularly once multiple effects are applied. It’s part of the Suite bundle but also available separately from the Reason store.…

ADVICE What’s the best affordable orchestral library out there? It’s difficult to pinpoint one perfect orchestral library, because so much depends on both your skill level and how you’re going to use it. When it comes to both size and price, the sky’s the limit, with pros willing to spend thousands on multiple libraries that will give them every sound and playing articulation they require to create convincing orchestral arrangements in their DAWs. For most of us, though, things are rather different – you may just want an instrument that provides some decent string patches to sit in an electronic music mix, for example. This being the case, it’s worth considering whether you need a full orchestral library at all – if you’re never going to use woodwind and timpani…

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 latest 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 KV331’s great SynthMaster. With…

Essential Tools For Music Making SEMI-MODULAR SYNTHS Korg Volca Modular £190 Full Review: FM342 A West Coast synth in a compact package. It may be slightly fiddly and a little complicated, but if you’re willing to give in to its experimental ethos, the Volca Modular is endless fun. Dreadbox NYX 2 £250 The V2 update to this compact semi-modular from Greek brand Dreadbox is capable of some huge, creative sounds and packs a great modulated reverb. Moog Grandmother £879 Review: FM336 Not a complete all-rounder, but this is a fine semi-modular synth with genuine Moog pedigree. You might just consider selling your grandmother to get one... Pittsburgh Modular Microvolt 3900 $629 Review: FM341 A characterful semi-modular that wears its influences on its sleeve, but still has its own unique style…

Filter Analogue Solutions’ Colossus lives up to its name in both size and price The EMS-inspired megasynth comes with a 25K price tag UK synth brand Analogue Solutions have posted details of Colossus, a lovingly crafted megasynth that takes inspiration from the EMS Synthi 100 but is also looking to take its own place in music technology history. This is very much a no-expense spared analogue workstation – Analogue Solutions say that it’s also “art, architecture, and exquisite studio furniture”, in fact. Although it nods to the Synthi, this isn’t an emulation; instead, it features circuits from previous AS instruments such as the Polymath, Telemark and Vostok. All voice and modulation circuits are fully analogue, though elements of the sequencer are digital. You’ll note the two mighty pin matrix panels…

Cableguys release ShaperBox 2 For many producers, Cableguys’ ‘Shaper’ effects have become secret creative weapons over the past few years, and the company has now packed new versions of five of them into a single plugin: ShaperBox 2. The effects in question -– TimeShaper 2, VolumeShaper 6, FilterShaper Core 2, PanShaper 3, and WidthShaper 2 – take a visual approach to control, so you can draw modulation shapes with the editable LFOs. There are new Pens for drawing lines, arcs and S-curves, while the Filter, Pan and Width Shapers can now respond to the dynamics of beats, loops and melodies. Other enhancements include a British-inspired visual compressor inside VolumeShaper 6, eight phaser modes in FilterShaper Core 2, tape/ vinyl ‘wow’ and custom flanger/chorus with TimeShaper 2’s Fine Mode, and psychoacoustic…

Ninja Tune break into the effects world with the Zen Delay FX In what’s being called a first for an electronic music label, Ninja Tune have launched the Zen Delay, a dub-friendly hardware effects unit. The brainchild of Coldcut/Ninja Tune’s Matt Black and Dr Walker of the Liquid Sky artist collective, it’s been realised by Erica Synths. Zen Delay offers a BPM-synced delay line that offers extreme feedback ranges, a multimode 24dB synth filter and valve overdrive. This makes it suitable for creating dub and experimental lo-fi effects. With one bakelite knob per function, the Zen Delay should be pretty easy to use; it was created in collaboration with DJs and producers and is designed to be used both live and in the studio. You can use it to add…

Creative compression Dynamics processors such as compressors and limiters are generally used for subtle, transparent levelling and peak control in a mix. OK, so an analogue or analogue-modelled device may occasionally be recruited for its specific colour or tone, but again, this is generally kept to a more subtle amount. Once you’re familiar with a range of compressors and their controls, however, you can start to apply them in more creative ways. For example, when designing out-there sounds, the processes you apply can create huge jumps and spikes in volume, so a compressor or limiter afterwards can be used to heavily pin down those jumps. Furthermore, by using a compressor or limiter as a creative, obvious effect in itself, you can dial in everything from forceful pumping to characterful signal-squashing.…

Extreme Effects THE CHAIN GANG On your journey of creative effects processing, it pays to familiarise yourself with your DAW’s method for saving and recalling effects chains. All hosts provide some way to save a channel’s collection of multiple plugins – for example, a ‘channel strip’ in Logic or an ‘FX chain preset’ in Cubase – as a single preset for easy recall in another session. Other DAWs such as Ableton Live and Bitwig Studio take this concept further, allowing you to package up a row of individual instruments and effects into a ‘rack’, complete with overall macro controls for multi-parameter knob assignments. And then there are third-party multieffect ‘rack’ plugins such as Soundtoys’ Effect Rack, Unfiltered Audio’s BYOME and TRIAD, NI Molekular and Kilohearts’ Multipass. These are all dedicated…

Extreme Effects Creative chaining with Unfiltered Audio BYOME Dedicated multieffect tools are ideal for extreme sonic creativity 01 > Modular multieffect plugins such as Unfiltered Audio’s BYOME allow you to chain up several effects, then get several parameters at once with internal modulation signals. Here you can see BYOME loaded over a repeating vocal phrase. 02 > To begin, we use a 1/16th-note LFO to modulate BYOME’s Basic LP Filter. With the filter’s Resonance cranked up, we get a rhythmic ‘zapping’ wobble effect. Some added Saturation pre-filter pushes the input signal harder. 03 > Multieffects allow you to experiment with the reordering of effects. Here, placing a Lo-Fi Reverb module after the Saturation device but before the filter creates a wall of wide ambience that sucks into the filtering effect.…

Bensley | The Track Creating a swingin’ jazz breakdown in Ableton Live Peter keeps the dancefloor on its toes by switching up Hard Times’ DnB to straightup jazz for 16 bars 01 > “Halfway into the track, we break down into a swung jazz section, and while I maintained a lot of the original elements of the track there are some things I changed, the percussion section and the bassline being the key things,” begins Peter. Here, we see the full-on DnB drum arrangement before the breakdown. 02 > “In order to adapt the percussion, which had originally been purposed for DnB, I’ve stripped out everything except the kick and the snare, and also adjusted it to a triplet grid,” Peter continues. “I also added some jazzy samples to add…

How to use the Rotating Rhythm Generator While most of CV Tools’ components are built for CV, the RRG deals with MIDI, with a conceptual approach inspired by modular sequencers Ableton’s inclusion of the Rotating Rhythm Generator might raise eyebrows, as technically this is a MIDI device. However, it does bring “modular-style beat and polyrhythmic generation” to the table, in a way that is not quite possible with other step-based MIDI sequencers. The RRG lets the user choose rhythmic subdivisions, swing, velocity, and length values for four notes, each of which can be turned on or off independently. By using the Division and Offset knobs for each note trigger users can create unique rhythmic patterns; however, things get much more interesting when using the Euclid and Logic functions. Let’s dive…

How to modulate internally in Live with CV Tools Use Max For Live to expand modulation options in Live, even with no modular gear at all 01 > Let’s use a CV LFO tool on a simple house beat to modulate part of our bass’s effect signal. We use Ableton’s Wavetable with an instance of Echo applied, using a stereo dotted 1/8 note setting and feedback set modestly to 50%. 02 > Locate the Max for Live folder on the left side in the Browser, and drop an instance of CV LFO onto an empty audio track. On the right side of the plugin is the dropdown menu to select output, but here we’re not going to be sending CV out of our interface at all. 03 > Choose the…

Getting to know Product For our tutorial we have some additional Frequency Central modules on hand to push the tones of ‘Product’ further 01 > Before trying to push beyond the norm it’s important to understand the basics. Set the VCA to drone and play with the oscillator and filter sections to explore the tone and internal routing on Product. Add modulation with the onboard LFO to animate the sounds. 02 > We’re big fans of audio-rate modulation and while Product sings with external modulation, try patching the triangle output from the oscillator into one of the filter modulation inputs, any will do. Adjusting the filter cutoff, emphasis and modulation depths will result in new harmonic structures. 03 > Let’s turn Product into a percussive synth voice. Patch the envelope…

Three essential jungle production tools 1 Atari 1040ST The weapon of choice for sequencing jungle was almost certainly an Atari, probably running either Cubase or Logic. The Atari was the people’s choice during the era, coming in at a relatively affordable price and offering built-in MIDI capabilities, plus a market-leading range of music software. Would we still recommend producing on an Atari? Probably not. Although there are still some people who enjoy the challenge of pushing the outdated technology, it’s a frustrating and limited experience compared to a modern DAW. Very much one for the retro enthusiasts these days, rather than a serious option for most producers. 2 Records © DutchScenery We wouldn’t normally consider a record collection as an essential piece of equipment, but jungle and hardcore wear their…

FM KNOWLEDGE Stereo bass layers The concept of layering one or more sounds together in the search for one uber-powerful collective sound is a tried-and-tested technique for many producers, and when executed with a steady hand, this can be used for the purpose of bass widening, too. If your track features a beefy synth bass containing plenty of frequencies across the entire spectrum, but lacks any stereo content, consider mirroring it with a near-similar synth patch. Keep this second layer fairly subtle, and you can afford to push it out to the sides of the mix – try panning oscillators within the synth, or processing it externally with wide chorus, reverb or delay. As a rule, make sure this stereo layer doesn’t overpower the core central layer in frequency content…

Reviews Novation Summit £1,899 With its aftertouch-enabled keyboard, juicy new features and twin Peaks, the new flagship from Novation sounds like a dream. Dan ‘JD73’ Goldman scales the Summit! Back in July 2017, I reviewed Novation’s Peak, their flagship hybrid polysynth featuring eight voices and analogue filters. Fast forward to September 2019 and Novation have launched their newest flagship keyboard, based on two Peaks with various other juicy improvements. Once again designed in collaboration with Chris Hugget (Chris designed the legendary OSCar), Summit (Twin Peaks would have been too obvious perhaps!?) feels just like Peak in as much as it’s a premium product with super-tight rubberised knobs, good quality faders, nice, satisfyingly clicky buttons and a clear OLED screen with adjustable brightness. This time, however, the twin expanded Peak engines…

ROUND-UP One- and two-knob plugins Whether it’s one knob to rule them all, or just an impressively skant set of controls, we test out some of the plugin world’s more minimalist offerings Soundtoys Devil-Loc $79 Actually an emulation of Shure’s Level Loc when pushed to its extremes, Devil-Loc works great at bringing out the low-level sounds in recorded material – especially drums. Just inserting Devil-Loc onto a track is enough to bring out the nuances of a performance and then start pushing them to extremes, adding loads of character to proceedings. Give it a swizz on drums with a nice room sound to start with, and then move onto wind instruments and even pianos, which have a lot of ‘incidental’ sounds to them such as hammer noise, breath noise and…

Nord Stage 3 with Moog I’m looking to cover bass on the Minitaur and Rhodes/strings. How? The Stage series are versatile boards with great synths built in; excellent all-round stage-boards. However, you can also integrate your favourite external synths/modules. The Stage 3 has two panels (A and B), essentially the whole front panel of controls x2! This includes the External section to integrate outboard MIDI gear. The External section has octave up-down controls, a clicked encoder for parameter changes and a keyboard zone selector too, plus its own settings for MIDI channel and more. Here’s how to set it all up... Set up a basic patch on panel A. In the piano section choose a Rhodes sample and switch on the section. Next, choose a pad or string sample in…

Essential Tools For Music Making MONITORS (OVER £500) Focal Shape 65 £600 each Full Review: FM328 | Delivering delicious frequency balance, terrific transient detail and a crystal-clear stereo image, the Shape 65s are a worthy upgrade. MunroSonic Egg 100 £1,299 Full Review: FM295 Stunning visually and sonically, the Egg 100 package isn’t cheap, but it sets the bar for compact nearfields. HEDD Audio Type 20 £1499 each Review: FM329 Outperforming monitor speakers at twice the price; a worthy investment for the serious producer/mixing/mastering engineer. Adam S2V £3,072 per pair Full Review: FM331 Top quality components and sonics in a compact near field. It’s dear, but for critical monitoring in small/medium sized rooms it’s a fine choice. Genelec M Series £579 Review: FM272 A great new design that makes Genelecs more…

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