Table of contents for 02-2022 in Beat English

Full versions worth $78 2 high class sound instruments Fresh and original sounds for your productions await you in this month‘s software highlight: Applied Acoustics Systems gives you two high-quality sound instruments. You can choose your two favorites from over 50 different instruments with sonorous names like Insomnia, Stranger Strings, Post Rock and Deconstruction. The sound banks cover a huge stylistic spectrum. Download: see Page 9 | www.applied-acoustics.com win | mac All serial numbers securely accessible: The Beat Serial Center To ensure that none of your serial numbers are lost in the future (for instance in the event of a new installation, Outlook crash or disk crash), you can now conveniently manage them online. The advantages are obvious: The Editorial Team can send you targeted software updates, you have access…

The next generation of Pioneer DJ‘s standalone DJ controller XDJ-RX3 is on the market. This 2-channel system for mobile events can now draw on the advantages of the club standard CDJ-3000. The most striking feature is the 10.1-inch touchscreen, which has been enlarged by three inches. In line with the in-house DJ software rekordbox, analyzed songs are visualized in 3-band EQ mode. The number of beat effects and sound color effects has been increased by a total of eight new effects. The Release FX, Echo Out, Spin Out, Build Up and Vinyl Brake modes have been added to the eight performance pads available per deck. The music can be transferred, as usual, either via the two USB slots or via a computer with rekordbox. Two phono and two line inputs…

The Italian software company, IK Multimedia, has expanded its range of virtual synthesizer emulations in its new Syntronik 2 collection by eleven pieces (in the Max) version or a total of 33 instruments. A comprehensive 200 GB of sound content and over 5000 presets are bundled into this collection. The new synthesizers include Megawave, a Waldorf Microwave replica, as well as the M-12, which is a clone of the Oberheim Matrix-12; and Obie One covers the Oberheim OB-1. There are 71 effects, including amps of all kinds, from jazz amps to vintage and British-style to modern tube amps. The effects include a channel strip and compressor, as well as various equalizers. There are also several distortion and modulation effects, as well as various delays and reverbs. Syntronik 2 also provides…

1 Foundation In our example track, a 170 BPM fast drum & bass beat should form the rhythmic foundation. You can find this loop under the name „WS_Beat da_01 Beat.wav“ in the magazine downloads. Of course, you can also start your track with a groove in another style. First, let the tempo and rhythm of the drum loop inspire you. 2 Strategy Now how can you emphasize the groove of the drum loop with a bassline? If the beat has tonal qualities, you can match the instrument sounds to it. What mood does the beat convey and how can you enhance it with chords, bassline and hookline? Does a sustained bassline or a pulsating staccato sequence suit the drum loop better? 3 Bassline Do you prefer fast chord changes and…

Let KordBot create songs As a chord generator, KordBot has 32 integrated as well as inverted chord shapes from all imaginable scales to offer. In addition, user-defined chord sequences are accepted and saved. The Song Builder mode automatically selects harmonic progressions, while the ChordSpread mode adds complexity. With the help of the pressure-sensitive ribbon controller, notes can be struck individually. Also great is the Humanization function, which varies velocity and starting points, making the result sound more ‚human‘. islainstruments.com Hooklines with Novation‘s LaunchKey and SL series Novation‘s LaunchKey and SL series look like ordinary keyboards for the studio, but at second glance they offer much more. The built-in arpeggiator with scale and chord function as well as the MIDI output allow jamming with hardware sound generators, completely independent of the…

1 Copyright-Check For this workshop, we assume that you already have at least one finished track that can be released. If you have used samples or melodies with unclear origin, we strongly recommend a copyright check with the free app Shazam [1]. Simply hold your phone up to the speakers and play the parts in question. 2 Mastering If Shazam detects a song, you should replace the sounds in question or clarify with the respective label whether they may be used. Once everything is „clear“, it‘s time for mastering. Here you can use fast and automatic services like Landr [2] or Maximalsound [3]. For real manual work, we recommend Audio Senses [4] and Beatmunks [5]. 3 Metadata Once the track has been mastered, it‘s time for the metadata, i.e. details…

Cherry Audio Quadra The latest plug-in from Cherry Audio is the first virtual replica of the legendary ARP Quadra. Its analog prototype from 1978 has four sections: Bass, lead, poly and strings. As you would expect from Cherry Audio, they have added many new features to this emulation, such as oscillator drift, additional waveforms and modulation options (including pulse width modulation) for the polyphonic synth, and a flexible arpeggiator for the lead synth. Although the bass synthesizer only has one oscillator, it manages to deliver a wide range of crisp, crunchy and powerful basses. An important part of the ARP Quadra‘s sound is also its 14-stage phaser, which has also been meticulously recreated. Fortunately, the virtual Quadra was equipped with chorus/flanger, delay and reverb, which can be activated individually for…

Klevgränd Rum Despite there already being countless reverb plugins on the market, there are always new tools that specialize in a particular niche. The Swedish developer has released the effect plug-in Rum (Swedish for the word room), which acts less as a reverb effect and more as a room simulator. In Rum, ten different rooms, such as a hallway, bedroom, office, studio or kitchen, are available for selection; each offering up to six variations. On the one hand, the Mic control can be used to switch between two microphone positions; on the other hand, three room characters are simulated with character. If you don‘t have time to find the right microphone position in the room during recording, you can record the signal completely dry and then emulate the spatial environment…

At the end of the 80s, Studio Electronics first appeared with the Midimoog, a modified Minimoog in rack format. In 1993, their first in-house development followed with the SE-1, but with a clear reference to the classic synth from Moog. A few years later, the extended SE-1X followed. Then, for many years, it was rather quiet around the American company, until their cooperation with Roland resulted in the SE-2 in compact Boutique format. Extended SE-3X To be honest, we didn‘t really expect a further development of the SE-1X after all this time, even though there was a sign of life in the form of the SE-02 in compact Boutique format and a few Eurorack modules found their way into the stores. But now, this powerful analog rack synthesizer has actually…

Beat / Back to back is often a nice diversion for many DJs. For you, it‘ your standard mode. Why do you still enjoy the format so much? SHDW & OS / We‘ve been friends for many years. The bond we have means there are many synergies between us. We share the same thoughts and goals. That‘s something that carries over into our DJ sets. Beat / How would you describe the process of growing as a duo? SHDW & OS / To us, it‘s similar to a romantic partnership. You feed from the unforgettable and beautiful moments you share on and off stage. But you also grow through shared crises and difficult times. Beat / Remarkably, you‘re even producing your tracks back to back. SHDW & OS / That‘s…

Review: Dreadbox Nymphes Nymphes is a small but sophisticated polyphonic desktop synthesiser with an analogue heart and digital ornaments. Sound generation and modulation is analogue for all six voices. Digital tools were used for the reverb section, MIDI integration and preset management. With a waveshaping oscillator, sub-oscillator, noise generator, LFO, two envelopes as well as 24db lowpass and 6db highpass filters, the compact synthesiser is reminiscent of Roland‘s popular Juno series. Interview: Computerbandit Computerbandit experiments tirelessly with his vintage and new synthesizer treasures to produce an symbiosis of synth-wave, 80ies touch and electroclash. A fusion of analogue and digital worlds can be found in the driving and at the same time melancholic tracks. We talk to him about his success on Instagram, his studio set-up and his productions. Review: Sonicware…

4.6 GB: Loops & Samples for Cinematic, Tribal & Hip-Hop Two high-quality sound instruments from AAS are waiting for you as a highlight this month. You can choose your two favorites from over 50 sound packs. With Analog Techno Drums you can create the matching grooves right away. The plug-in comes up with 1056 drum sounds, as well as matching modern synth sounds for various modern music styles. For the new soundset Big Room Synths for Zampler & MPCs, we married our modular Beat Studio Rack with analog synths and combined the resulting sounds with the organic sounds of instruments like acoustic guitars, pianos, koto and glockenspiel. Perfect for EDM, Techno, Trance & the like! Inspiration is also guaranteed with the 4.6 GB of loops from Black Hand Loops, Prime…

After last year‘s huge success, Focusrite has once again put together a Hitmaker Expansion Pack software bundle that delivers over $1,000 in added value to all Focusrite customers of a Scarlett 3rd Gen, Clarett and Red interface. Even users of the smallest Scarlett Solo will have access to this software. The plugin suite is, therefore, intended to complete one‘s own recording studio with high-quality mixing and mastering plug-ins. The bundle includes the Auto-Tune Access vocal effect from Antares, as well as the LX480 Essentials Reverb from Relab and the Silver Jubilee 2555 Marshall clone from Softube. In addition, there are the XLN Addictive Keys and XLN Addictive Drums 2 Studio Rock Kit plug-ins, which are supposed to provide snappy drums and expressive keyboard sounds. From Brainworx, you can enjoy the…

As the latest achievement among mobile multitrack recorders, Zoom has introduced the R20. This recorder is equipped with 6 XLR inputs and 2 XLR/jack combo inputs for microphone, line or Hi-Z instruments. Up to 16 tracks can be recorded, eight of them simultaneously. Recordings can be stored directly to up to 1 TB SD/SDXC cards. The WAV format, with a resolution of up to 24 bit and 44.1 kHz, is accepted. Operation and editing can be done on the 4.3-inch touch display. Color-coded volume faders, gain controls and tracks support the work. An editor, as well as various effects are included. Alternatively, editing of the recordings can also be done via the USB interface in the included Steinberg Cubase LE DAW software. Even a synthesizer with 18 internal sounds and…

If you want to create your own kick drums, Sinee‘s kick drum designer Chop Suey is here to help. This plug-in is a sample editor with which unique kick and bass grooves can be created. The kick drums are composed of the components Transient, Body & Tail, which can be edited individually. Drag and drop is promised for quick import and export of the samples. The pitch of the base note is automatically detected. A low-pass filter with resonance & beef parameters can also be used. For detailed editing, you can zoom into the waveform. The phase and offset settings are used to create phase-clean kick drums. The glue and gain functions are also available for this purpose. Undo and redo can be used to undo the processing steps. The…

1 Source material To develop an entire track from a loop, we will use the eight-bar sequence from the workshop „The beat is there - and now?“. In addition, we have produced another eight-bar sequence (B-part) whose individual tracks we can use for our song. Of course, you can also build a complete track from the musical elements of a single loop. 2 Copy & paste With two loops as a basis, however, you have more options for composing a complete, varied song. You can work with both audio and MIDI loops. The first step is to copy the corresponding parts to the desired location in the timeline to build up a basic song structure of the desired length. 3 Building the structure The task here is to decide which…

1 Reviewing In the first phase we concentrate on reviewing the existing ideas. Start chronologically and load the first project you find. Listen through the tracks one by one and pick out only the most indispensable ones. If your DAW allows importing tracks from another project, note the song, the names of the … 2 Note … selected tracks, and the pitch. If direct importing is not possible, export the tracks as an audio file. But only the really relevant parts, so that you don‘t end up with a huge stem collection. Make a note of the song name and pitch here as well. Go through a maximum of ten projects and then create a new one. 3 Experimentation phase Load all collected and noted tracks there and sort them…

Plugin Boutique Scaler 2 Scaler 2 scores as an extremely effective tool that facilitates the creation of catchy chord progressions. As a MIDI effect, the plug-in can control any software or hardware sound generator. Impressive chord progressions, arpeggios or strummings can be played with just one finger. You can use 200 ready-made chord sets for countless styles as well as numerous scales. Scaler is also a great help when creating rousing melodies. www.pluginboutique.com | 49 Euros Mixed In Key Captain Plugins Captain Plugins is a suite of five tools, each focusing on a specialty area: Chords, Melodies, Basslines and Beats. The plug-ins are loaded in the DAW as virtual instruments and can control any software and hardware sound generators. Great: Creating rousing beats in various styles, catchy chord progressions as…

1. One step back: Think about funding in time! Producing and releasing music as well as shooting music videos is not free. But funding can help you. What exactly is a grant? As an artist, you can apply for funding because this way you do not have to accept the first record deal or have to own a small fortune. When you apply for funding, you already take a closer look at yourself and your music: You learn to formulate your goals and work out a yearly plan to present yourself to the application office. Of course, your application has to be approved first, but be careful: the duration of the project is crucial. You will not receive funding to finish projects you have already started, but to finance a…

For you Adele fans, November 19, 2021 was a special day. Five years after her record-breaking „25“, the British singer finally followed up with a new album. I was in a few record stores in Berlin that day and had the impression that I had rarely seen even institutions like the Kulturkaufhaus Dussmann so full. Crowds pushed their way to shelves where „30“ LPs were stacked up to the ceiling. It felt a bit bizarre, but not really bad, to be part of such a mass phenomenon, especially in times when release days have basically become meaningless and physical formats have degenerated into something of a side thought. Since Sony, after selling 22 million copies of „25,“ was expecting a similar bonanza from the follow-up, all major pressing plants worldwide…

3.2 GB BEST-OF ANALOG & MODULAR SYNTHS When it comes to Techno, Trance and EDM, fat sounds are a must. Not only that, they should be original as well. That‘s why we didn‘t hesitate to marry our modular Beat Studio Rack with analog synths and combine the resulting sounds with organic sounds from instruments like acoustic guitars, pianos, koto and glockenspiel. The multi-faceted result is 96 basses, synths and pads that enhance any track. Enjoy! www.zamplersounds.com Facts Big Room Synths for Zampler: ▲ 3.2 GB soundbank ▲ 96 patches ▲ 50 lead & synth sounds, 17 basses ▲ 16 keys & chords, 4 atmospheres & FX ▲ 4 guitars, 3 pads, 2 drum patches ▲ 1,461 samples Big Room Synths for Akai MPCs: ▲ 1.4 GB samples (optimized for MPCs)…

1 Preparation Falcon is not only a real sound monster, but also an Eldorado for creating your own instruments or synths. In the following we will show you how to create a sample instrument in a simple way. First prepare the samples you want to load into Falcon. These should already be cut ready to play. 2 Mapping The first step is to feed Falcon with samples. To do this, switch to the Edit page. If you don‘t have your own samples at hand, you can use our household percussion sounds from the magazine download. If the Mapping Editor is not visible, we open it by clicking on the icon in the title bar. 3 Simple drumkit In the File Browser, navigate to the folder where your samples are located.…

Beat / The TMA-2 Modular is one of these ideas that seems entirely obvious but no one ever goes ahead and actually implements it. For AIAIAI, in which way is it embedded into a larger, longterm strategy? Frederik / On the one hand headphones are becoming lifestyle products, which means we are finding ourselves in an industry that at times can be comparable to “fast fashion‘‘, where people buy products that fit with their short term needs or the flavour of the month. About 15 billion tons of headphones contribute to e-waste every year - we need to have people buy less products but longer lasting ones. The other perspective is the fact that headphones live a tough life where they often take a beating in backpacks and such. This…

Akai focused more on the new MPCs in recent years and Force was somewhat forgotten. In the background, however, the handling and the workflow were improved by numerous updates, and many functions were added. Meanwhile, the updates to the MPC and Force run more or less in parallel. Everything that happens on the MPC, also happens at some point on the Force and vice versa. Even an integration of Force into the MPC software is planned, according to unofficial information. Therefore, these are enough reasons to take a second look at Force and have a closer look at the current update to 3.1! Ableton Push as a standalone Force combines a matrix with 64 physical pads (in the style of Push controllers) with the large touchscreen of the new MPCs…

With a refreshed look, improved workflow and some new technical enhancements, FabFilter presents the updated Volcano3 effects plug-in. Among the most important innovations is the four analog-modeled, non-linear vintage EQ filter shapes: Bell, Low/High Shelf, Notch and Allpass. They each have their own saturation section. If desired, the slope can now be lowered to only - 6 dB per octave. Furthermore, endless modulation possibilities are promised for XLFOs, MIDI sources and envelope generators, which can be quickly linked using drag and drop. In real time, the modulation sources and the modulation destination are visually displayed. At each filter, the volume and panning settings can be changed. For the best possible results, a High-Quality mode for maximum oversampling has been integrated. The collection of factory presets has also been updated. There…

Fans of modular systems take note! Expanding the popular virtual Eurorack concept, VCV has introduced the cross-platform VCV Rack 2 in Free and Pro editions. Most noticeable is the redesigned user interface and the option to darken the user interface with the Dark Room mode. VCV Rack 2 includes over 170 official modules from Eurorack manufacturers, as well as over 2000 modules from the VCV library. With knowledge of the C++ programming language, users can also develop their own plug-ins using the VCV SDK. The Pro version also comes with a VST plug-in to integrate VCV Rack into a DAW as well. The polyphonic MIDI input and output further make the software attractive for hardware control. VCV Rack 2 not only allows you to learn synthesis basics, but also transcends…

UDO Audio introduces a keyboard-less desktop version of their Super 6 binaural analog hybrid synthesizer. This mobile, compact synthesizer, in addition to being placed on a studio desk, can also be installed in a 19-inch rack with the included mounting brackets. It is 12-voice polyphonically playable and has two oscillators with five waveforms, plus a sub-oscillator. The second oscillator also allows PWM. The mixer unit adjusts the mixing ratio of the oscillators. An analog self-resonating 4-pole low-pass filter with an additional saturation unit is also included. For modulation, two LFOs and a modulation matrix can be used. Rhythmic playing variations are supplied by the sequencer and arpeggiator. In terms of effects, there is a chorus and a delay. The unison mode also contributes to more sound breadth. There are 128…

While some artists, such as Tracy Chapman, see songwriting as a mysterious process that can‘t be controlled or even see inspiration as intuition, other musicians, such as PJ Harvey and Nick Cave, rely on a daily songwriting routine, as did great composers such as Mozart, Beethoven and Tchaikovsky. And they do so with great success, considering Nick Cave‘s high creative output, for example. The Australian rock giant has even established fixed office hours during which he writes his songs. There‘s no doubt that a daily composition routine can help increase musical productivity: if you devote just 15 minutes a day to composing and producing music, after just a few weeks you‘ll have collected a large pool of building blocks that you can use for new songs. It doesn‘t matter whether…

1 Set time limits It may sound banal, but there is a lot of truth to it: If an idea cannot be brought to the point within 20-30 minutes, it is too complex or maybe just not good. So allocate your precious time well and focus on the things that really get you ahead and make you happier in the end. Why not use the timer on your smartphone and give yourself 20 minutes each for beat, bass, hookline, etc.? If the idea doesn‘t work, discard it and move on to the next element. 2 Focused work Mobile phone jingling, push messages, social media profiles and several open apps that actively or passively demand attention are „pure poison“ for concentration. Nothing is worse than being pulled out of a good…

1 Creating transitions It‘s a classic: you have two song sections ready to go, each of which works great on its own, but if you put them one after the other, it just doesn‘t rock anymore. You need a transition, so that the listeners are not left irritated (on the dance floor). In the following we speak of an A-part, which we transition to B. 2 Adjust rhythm One of the most important factors is rhythm. Every melody or sequence has a rhythmic emphasis. If A and B differ blatantly here, it pulls the listener out of his mental flow. Here it can help to copy the notes of the A melody to the B melody in order to match the rhythms. If only audio tracks are available … 3…

iZotope Ozone 9 Advanced Isn‘t such a flexible mastering suite as Ozone 9 too much of a good thing to quickly give a new track a professional touch? Ozone 9 Advanced is just the right tool for the job for a number of reasons: not only does it offer a function for applying the sound and loudness of a reference track to your own mix, but it also provides helpers for getting a handle on problematic frequency ranges and adjusting the balance between vocals, bass and drums in a stereo mix. The unique selling point is the intelligent Master Assistant, which adjusts the signal processors appropriately in seconds. www.izotope.com | 199 USD IK Multimedia Lurssen Console This plug-in gives you access to Grammy award-winning engineer Gavin Lurssen‘s perfectly tuned mastering…

Beat / In a quote you said, „Psychedelic-assisted therapies are moving into legality across the world, and yet it feels like no one is talking about the music.“ Was it your intention to create an album that can be a cure for other people? Jon / Not at the time of starting it. I often say that I’m following an instinct, feeling or intuition when I’m writing music. It’s something that wants to come through. It wasn’t really until earlier this year when I was in a phase of writing that the title came to me. Maybe my subconscious was writing an album that could be helpful to some people. But the full title appeared after a psychedelic experience that I had. It seemed that I no other choice, and…

Further info: Info at: www.applied-acoustics.com License & password: www.serialcenter.de Presets Use the left/right arrows to navigate through the bank‘s presets. Alternatively, you can expand the preset menu to browse through the sound library. Conveniently, the sound banks have been divided into categories such as Basses, Leads, Pads and Percussion. Thanks to the targeted use of effects, the patches already sound production-ready. The only control on the AAS Player is a volume knob that lets you roughly adjust the output level. Creative center Whichever of the two sound packs you choose, the basis is the AAS Player, which is installed as standard with Swatches, a „Best of” of the sound pack series. This sound set offers the opportunity to try out selected patches from all banks, which is very handy if…

Baby Audio Magic Dice The interface of a multi-effect cannot be more clearly structured. Magic Dice consists of a large button that, when clicked, rolls the eponymous magic dice for random parameter values of the Delay and Reverb effects working under the hood. There is also a virtual slider for adjusting the mixing ratio between the original and the effected signal, as well as level meters for input and output, but that‘s about it. Nevertheless, Magic Dice is capable of creating very complex effects. Because it is based on the very successful effect plug-in Spaced Out and combines Delay and Reverb for effects that seem to be out of our universe. We already liked the integrated random dice in Spaced Out, because it could provide exciting and mostly quite usable…

Would you like to develop a plug-in or a sample instrument in order to offer it commercially? When generating ideas, two questions are crucial: What can I do and what does the world need? Here, researching the already well-filled market is useful to estimate the sales chances of your own software. If you browse through the offerings of various online stores, you will quickly find out which product types and music styles are particularly hot and which niche you could occupy with your product. Tip: ask directly at the shops where there is a need. You may be able to make good contacts for selling your instrument, library or plug-in right away. Format The format of your product also plays an important role: Do you want to create a VST…

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 with musicians face-to-face The concept is simple: each show features a producer and three of their tracks, we talk about their approach to producing, tools and techniques and most importantly: the fun of it all. It doesn‘t matter how successful the guests are. Rather, it‘s what they have to say that counts. We talk about technology,…