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Issue 138 September 2014

WIN JAMHUB GEAR | 1.2GB OF ROYALTY-FREE SAMPLES!

4GB+

www.musictech.net

Issue 138

September 2014

The magazine for producers, engineers and recording musicians

THE BEST STU TAKE A TODIO

THE FINEST SUR OF IN THE UKTUDIO

Will Gregory

Goldfrapp's main man and his band full of Moogs

GET A JOB From hobby to job, from gear to career. Industry pros reveal the inside track to working in the audio industry

DVD inside 4GB+ The Latest Reviews

IN DEPTH TUTORIALS

Roland's SH-101 reborn PLUS: Electric keys, horns and orchestras, and the monitors you can take anywhere

www.musictech.net

PRODUCING DUBSTEP MULTIPLE BUSS PROCESSING REASON AUTOMATION CUBASE MIXDOWN

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AIRA SYSTEM-1

1.2GB of incredible royalty-free samples

Issue 138 September 2014

£5.99

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       

www.musictech.net

06/08/2014 14:47

Focus more on your music and less on your laptop.

Launch Control XL is the ultimate mixer, effect and instrument controller for Ableton Live. It integrates seamlessly with Live to give you immediate hands-on control of your mix. The 24 LED-enhanced knobs are set out in three rows of eight, so they align perfectly with Ableton’s mixer interface while you use them to tweak your effects, devices an plug-ins. Combined with Launchpad S’s intuitive 64-button grid, Launch Control XL provides extraordinary simultaneous control over Ableton Live’s session view, mixer, effects and instruments. Producing the perfect mix has never been easier.

www.novationmusic.com/launch-control-xl

Welcome MT

Expert Panel Studio Hardware John Pickford

John is a studio engineer with over 25 years of experience. He is a keen sound recording historian and has a passion for valve-driven analogue equipment and classic recording techniques.

Mixing/Mastering/Logic Mark Cousins Mark specialises in sound design and cinematic productions. He has recorded with orchestras across Europe and is heavily involved in soundtrack composition.

Careers Editor Rob Boffard

Rob Boffard is a sound designer with a background in TV and radio work. He is a Reason evangelist, and when not writing for Music Tech he releases hip-hop music under the name Rob One.

Digital/Composition Andy Price

With a masters in songwriting and a vast interest in music history and recording techniques, Andy works daily on MusicTech.net as well as regularly contributing to the magazine.

Recording & Guitar Tech Huw Price

A recording engineer since 1987, Huw has worked with David Bowie, My Bloody Valentine, Primal Scream, Depeche Mode, Nick Cave, Heidi Berry, Fad Gadget and countless others.

Scoring/Orchestral Keith Gemmell

Keith specialises in areas where traditional music-making meets music technology, including orchestral and jazz sample libraries, acoustic virtual instruments and notation software.

Ableton Live & DJ’ing Liam O’Mullane

Liam has worked as a D&B scratch DJ as well as releasing dubstep, D&B and hardcore tracks. His passion is to master the production styles of the latest genres using Live.

Reason & Mobile Hollin Jones

As well as teaching music technology, producing and writing soundtracks, Hollin is an expert on everything Apple, mobile or computer-related, as well as being an accomplished keyboard player.

Electronic Music Alex Holmes

Alex has been a computer musician for 15 years, having a keen passion for beats, bass and all forms of electronic music. He’s currently involved in three different dance music projects.

Cubase Tim Hallas

Tim’s a music technology consultant and education expert. As Cubase Editor he will be bringing you a range of technique features for the popular DAW over the coming months.

If you are into music production with technology, it’s likely you will exhibit certain geeky tendencies. Like me, you might have yearnings for certain pieces of bright and shiny – oh so shiny and colourful – equipment. You’ll have a need for speed – nothing but the fastest computer will do. And you’ll also need the biggest and best monitors – after all, nothing impresses your mates more than hearing your music through pro speakers, right? It’s an obsession with the technology that can get in the way of the music… If you have ever demonstrated any of these perhaps extreme behaviours, we would like to help. We want to channel the inner geek – to celebrate it, even – so in this issue we look at how your love for the technology could land you a job in the industry that produces the technology. Several of the star players in the audio world talk about their experiences and offer advice on how to get a foothold into what can be a very competitive environment. We’re not saying it’s an easy ride but this article should help you make vital decisions – indeed, even whether to start the ride in the first place. Anyway, enough of that, back to the gear lust and there’s still time to check out my review of Roland’s Aira System-1 on p62. It’s shiny – oh so shiny… Andy Jones Senior Editor Email [email protected] Send your tweets @AndyJonesMT (although don’t expect much tweeting from me) Read my blogs at www.musictech.net

Pro Tools Mike Hillier

Mike spent five years at Metropolis Studios, working alongside some of the best-known mix and mastering engineers in the world. He is now building his own studio in south London.

VISIT OUR WEBSITE!

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Tech? New to Music r Check out oude ui G rs ne in Beg et at musictech.n

DON’T MISS OUR GREAT SUBS OFFER!

Subscribe and save 35% and get the digital edition free – see page 60 for full details.

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MT Contents

MT Contents Issue 138 September 2014

12 GET A JOB IN THE AUDIO INDUSTRY

If you think you’ve got what it takes to make it in the audio industry but don’t know how to break in, fear not, for Rob Boffard is here to guide you towards your dream career…

26

Interview

WILL GREGORY

From Goldfrapp to his Moog Ensemble, Will Gregory talks tech and production…

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Technique

45

Multiple Buss processing Mike Hillier looks at how to work with stems and multiple busses…

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Contents MT

p69

MT Issue 138 Full listings… 006 | Advance Opinion, predictions and upcoming reviews 012 | GetAJobInTheAudioIndustry The complete guide

p62

The Latest Reviews

ROLAND AIRA SYSTEM-1 Thermionic Culture The Rooster 2 | NI Session Horns Pro Sonokinetic Grosso | M-Audio Trigger Finger Pro

INTERVIEW 026 | Will Gregory One man and his Moogs INDUSTRY GURU 030 | Gary Garritan Meet the sample library legend

p66

DAW Tutorials

p71

BECOME A POWER USER, PART 13 p45

TECHNIQUE Become a power user – part 13 040 | In Steinberg Cubase 050 | In Reason Contemporary production 045 | Multiple buss processing Genre Focus 054 | Dirty dubstep, part 3 060 | Subscribe and get free digital editions, plus save 35%

p54

REVIEWS 062 | Roland Aira System-1 synth 066 | Thermionic Culture The Rooster 2 preamp

p40

069 | Fender Focal Passport Studio portable monitors 071 | M-Audio Trigger Finger Pro 073 | sE RF SPACE reflection filter 075 | Positive Reflection JamUp Pro XT virtual amp 077 | Sonokinetic Grosso 081 | E-Instruments Session Keys Grand virtual piano

Genre Focus

083 | Brainworx bx_refinement mastering plug-in 084 | Best Service Altus 087 | Dope VST Bass Engine 089 | NI Session Horns plug-in 091 | Mini Reviews 097 | Next Month in MT 098 | On your MT DVD

54 HOW TO PRODUCE DIRTY DUBSTEP, PART 3 MAGAZINE September 2014

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MT Advance

MTAdvance Round-ups

Analysis

Industry insight

FOR MORE OF THE LATEST NEWS CHECK OUT MUSICTECH.NET

STUDIO OF THE YEAR

RAK Studios is officially the best studio in the UK and is behind some of the most seminal recordings in pop history. It also has a gear list to die for. MusicTech pays a visit to see what all the fuss is about…

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ou’ll have heard of Abbey Road and Metropolis, most probably Miloco Studios too. But what about RAK? RAK Studios was voted Best Studio at the prestigious MPG Awards this year, and on our visit we could see why. The studio is based near Regent’s Park in London and was founded by what you might consider as the 70s’ equivalent of Simon Cowell, the one and only Mickie Most. It’s one of the recording world’s best-kept secrets and some of the most iconic recordings have been made there: everything from Radiohead’s The Bends to Paul McCartney’s Mull Of Kintyre. RAK was opened by Mickie in 1976 after he’d already enjoyed a hugely-successful career that included producing the seminal House Of The Rising Sun by The Animals and scoring 11 number one singles in South Africa with his own band Mickie Most And The Playboys. As his success as a record producer increased in the 70s, Mickie needed a studio to call home, and RAK was born…

Going digital “We started with two studios: 1 and 2,” recalls RAK’s long-time studio manager Trisha Wegg. “Both were installed with API desks that are still running nearly 40 years on! They were put in from the get-go. We were the first studio in the UK with API desks – they were all-singing, all-dancing state-of-the-art.” It was technology that immediately gave RAK the edge over other studios in London, and soon the biggest names of the time were using the facility. “We had The Moody Blues, Pink Floyd, The Who – they recorded with Glyn Johns, which was an adventure!” says Trisha before explaining the attraction of RAK to such big names. “It was a combination of the technology and it being Mickie’s place. He just bought everything straight out – lots of choice pieces of kit.” The studio became the place that people in the industry knew, and part of its appeal was that it never boasted of its success. Artists may have been attracted by the gear but quickly absorbed the creative atmosphere and word spread. Trisha reels off a list of artists to an almost overwhelming degree: Duran Duran, Paul McCartney, Michael Jackson and

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Studio 1 has the original API desk and both Genelec and Yamaha NS10 monitors. Almost hidden behind a curtain is one of the original analogue recorders that still works perfectly.

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Studio 1 boasts a live room large enough to fit a complete orchestra in.

Elton John to name a few. Then there are the results, with classic tracks such as The Buggles’ Video Killed the Radio Star, Ultravox’s Vienna, and Simply Red’s Holding Back The Years all recorded at RAK. “The main thing is that people are comfortable, and there’s no airs or graces. I mean, I’ve stood in the kitchen and Paul McCartney has made me a cup of tea. Not many people can say that!” Trisha laughs.

 People are comfortable and there are no airs or graces. Paul McCartney made me tea…

just one of the regular users of the still-working analogue reel-to-reels. “The great thing is that the next generation of engineers will be recording these new bands and that’s their learning ground,” says Trisha, “just like Mickie would be the mentor to the original generation. It’s being in a creative environment. I don’t think you could name any artist who has been in a studio like this that would then say, ‘I can’t work here, I’m going back to my bedroom’. That would be quite insular whereas music is quite spiritual. It’s about creating and developing, so if you are put in an environment like this the music flourishes.” MT More from: www.rakstudios.co.uk Racks of gear in Studio 2 include classic outboard from AMS, dbx, Tube-Tech and Fairchild.

Going digital Producer Stephen Hague was a regular visitor in the 90s when RAK had expanded by two more studios. He principally used Studio 3, and the artists he brought with him meant some of the original gear needed updating. “We bought digital equipment for Stephen, initially a Sony 24-track and then a 48-track digital multitrack,” says Trisha. “It was simply because Stephen was doing so much work here and that’s what he wanted. Those were the halcyon days for Studio 3. We had the Pet Shop Boys, David Bowie, and Robbie Williams recorded his first single here. He had just left Take That and he and Stephen did the cover of George Michael’s Freedom.” The Take That connection would continue with the recording of the band’s massive comeback album Beautiful World at RAK in 2006. It was one of Trisha’s employees, a young Nigel Godrich, who was instrumental in another masterpiece being recorded at the studio. Large parts of Radiohead’s The Bends were captured at RAK thanks to the relationship that Godrich formed with the band, and one that has lasted to this day.

Paul McCartney’s Mull of Kintyre was recorded in the RAK mobile studio, and he and his family signed – or designed – the guest book after.

RAK today Many of today’s big names are using the facility including Lily Allen, Labrinth, John Newman, Adele and Tiny Tempah. Ironically, some are using a studio once famed for its cutting-edge technology simply because it still has the same gear installed back in the 70s. Ethan Johns, for example, is

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WIN A JAMHUB SYSTEM!

Your chance to pick up the ultimate band technology with both a JamHub Tracker and JamHub GreenRoom up for grabs, worth £853…

COMPETITION

If you are not familiar with the JamHub concept, it is a clever way for bands to come together and rehearse and record without annoying family or neighbours. Simply plug in your instruments and mics, set your levels and rock out together. The system is designed so you'll be able to hear your band – the good parts and the bad – and be able to improve your playing together without disturbing anyone else! For this month's competition we have both the JamHub GreenRoom and JamHub Tracker to give away to one lucky reader.

JamHub GreenRoom The main part of the JamHub system is the Silent Rehearsal System into which you plug your instruments, set your levels and rehearse in peace. JamHub has three sizes of these, the GreenRoom being the middle model. It features 21 audio channels enabling seven musicians to plug in via XLR or TRS inputs. It has a JamHub SoleMix unit so that one of the musicians – say the keyboard player – can operate remotely from behind their instrument rig. There are also built-in 24-bit effects and recording connectivity including a USB-out for direct recording to computer.

JamHub Tracker While GreenRoom makes quiet rehearsals possible, Tracker enables you to record the results. Any live performance or rehearsal can be captured with Tracker, which features up to 16-channel recording and 24/96 quality. You can use it to record directly from a mixer, so a band can simply plug it in to the venue's live mixer and then mix the multitracks later. You can also connect Tracker to a JamHub GreenRoom using a single cable and record your rehearsal, or simply plug your instruments direct into the unit.

To win both JamHub GreenRoom and Tracker, which have a combined value of £853, simply head to the MusicTech website (www.musictech.net), and go to the Competition link on the main page. Standard competition rules apply, and the entries close on 18 September 2014. MAGAZINE September 2014

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Music is Our Passion

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MT Feature Get a job in the audio industry

MT Cover Feature

GET A JOB IN THE AUDIO INDUSTRY If you think you’ve got what it takes to make it in the audio industry but don’t know how to break in, fear not, for Rob Boffard is here to guide you towards your dream job…

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Get a job in the audio industry Feature MT

Y

ou’re probably reading this magazine because you’re a producer or musician. You make music that you want other people to hear. It’s the finished product which interests you, rather than actually working with the tools used to make the finished product. But, really, the two go hand in hand. If you’re a moderately skilled musician with a knowledge of studio hardware and software then you’re probably very comfortable with the ins and outs of DAWs, VSTs, synths, outboard gear and the like; and if not, then you should probably learn about them sharpish. But the point is this: there is absolutely no reason why you shouldn’t take that hard-earned knowledge and make it work for you. Working in the audio industry to develop the programs and gear that musicians use every day can be an amazingly rewarding, complex and challenging job. It can, and often does, go hand in hand with musical endeavours, and there are plenty of musicians out there who have used their expertise in audio to build up a steady income. Many have switched focus entirely and now consider audio development their primary work.

Before you start…

Working in the audio industry can be amazingly rewarding, complex and challenging

Be warned: working in the audio industry is not easy. The technical knowledge of plug-ins and hardware is just the start – you have to be able to reach into the guts of these things, tear them apart, figure out what every bit of code or every glowing valve does, and put them back together. To become a hot-shot designer at a company such as Waves or Native Instruments takes a hell of a lot of work. If you’re willing to put in the time, though, the rewards speak for themselves. The programs and gear you create could be used by thousands of musicians around the world. Imagine the feeling when you see a top-name producer creating a track with a plug-in you worked on, or releasing a synth and having its users create sounds you never even dreamed of – all of which came from your programming. There are better feelings in life, but few you’ll get standing up. That’s what this guide is about: how to break into the audio industry, what it’s like once you get there, and the various skills that you’ll need to survive and thrive. We’ll go through everything you need to know: programming languages, courses, what jobs are out there (and where to find them), and a dozen tips and

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MT Feature Get a job in the audio industry

tricks for how to get ahead. We’ll also talk you through starting to design your own plug-ins.

If you want to learn about the inner workings of hardware you could do worse than building your own with one of the many DIY kits available…

The beginning Let’s start from scratch. You’re a musician. You’re happy and comfortable with various DAWs. You know your way around compression and EQ, and you have a sound knowledge of industry-leading plug-ins and you’re comfortable using them. You want to work in the audio industry, in some capacity. How do you get started? And what career paths are open to you? Let’s deal with the former first. You learn to score goals by kicking footballs, you learn to write by tapping on a keyboard, and you learn to work in audio by using equipment. You should be trying and testing as many plug-ins and pieces of outboard gear as you can get your hands on. It’s not just about how to use them, you should be trying to work out how they function. Which variables affect others? Why are they designed the way they are? If it’s hardware, and if it’s possible, open them up and look at the guts. It doesn’t matter if you don’t know how it all works, the key is to be curious about it and willing to figure it out. The answers will come later. You should start experimenting with programs used for designing plug-ins. Most of these are freely available, and in the step-by-step sections of this guide we’ve taken a closer look at some of them, such as Max For Live and SonicBirth. The advantage of learning to use these programs is that they offer a very easy way into plug-in design, usually with graphical interfaces that are simple to understand and customise. It can take minutes to design a basic instrument or effect, so there’s no reason not to experiment. Coding is something you should seriously look at, too, and we’ll talk about that in more detail later on. Sound design is a great skill to have, especially if you’ve already got a kickass portfolio of work. Many people in the creative fields, such as post-production engineers, foley artists and TV sound designers, often transition into more demanding roles in the audio industry. You don’t need to know how to weld or solder to design hardware, but you do need to know how it all works. Admittedly, getting a piece of hardware to tinker around with is a little tougher than downloading a program from the internet, but if you can find an old synth or keyboard somewhere – eBay, garage sales, etc – and you’re prepared to rip it open, then you’ll start gaining a knowledge base that you can build on. Finally, you need to start researching the industry, and that’s arguably even more important than hardware or software skills.

Go to work So what’s it actually like working day-to-day in the audio industry? We could lie and say that the top programmers are like rock stars and that you’ll have a Ferrari within five years. But we won’t. The audio industry is

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You need to try out as many plug-ins and pieces of outboard gear as you can just like any other. It has big companies and small companies, and freelancers and conferences, and corporate nonsense and office politics, and maverick developers and internal feuds. There are plenty of amazing developers, and some really terrible ones. It’s an industry like most others, and it acts like it. Many programmers start off as freelancers, working by themselves or alongside others in a small group to create and sell their own plug-ins – think people like Urs Heckmann and Rob Papen. The advantage, like with any freelance job, is the freedom to do what you want. But there are plenty of disadvantages: you don’t just have to know how to build a badass plug-in, you have to know how to sell it, how to do your accounts, and how to respond when things go wrong. Plenty of wannabe programmers fail because they don’t get the business side sorted out. You might be hired by, or decide to apply for a job at, an established audio company. Most of these companies have a corporate structure, so you’ll need to be prepared to deal with HR managers, accounts people, and certain standards of production. That might not be what you want out of an audio career, especially if you come from a musical background, but if you can stick with it there are plenty of advantages – and we’re not just talking about a

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Get a job in the audio industry Feature MT

regular salary. You can focus on designing plug-ins and hardware. You have support and training. You have team members to help out. Working in the audio industry is similar to working in IT or software development. You’ll be working to schedules of design, testing and bugfixing. You’ll need to slog to get the rewards, mostly because if you release something that isn’t perfect it can come back to bite you later on. It’s also very competitive. There are plenty of audio companies but the big ones only hire the best. If you’re serious about working in the industry then you need to make sure your research and skills are top notch, and that you’re not going to be sitting there one day wondering why you went down this route. You don’t, by the way, need to be designing software or hardware to work in the audio industry. Love audio and know about HR? Nothing to stop you working in recruitment. As the editors of MTM will tell you, audio companies definitely have need of good public relations and marketing people. If you don’t have the programming or musical skills to work on the creative side then these can be a great way into the business.

AWA R D S 2014

• NOMINATED • REWARDING QUALITY AND INNOVATION

Solo button Let’s talk about working solo. How do you go about creating and selling a product? Well, firstly, you need to have a good one – something that fills a need, or makes sounds no one

Pro Tip Looking for jobs doesn’t have to be restricted to audio company websites. You should be taking other sites into account too, especially places such as LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook. Don’t just hang around passively searching, either; follow, like, and chat to the people running the accounts. This will mean that they’ll be familiar with you when the time comes to recruit. Added to that, it lets you show that you’re already using their product. And if you’ve created a great track with a company’s synth, why not post a link to it on their FB page, or tweet them? ●

Check with your Local Dealer discounted products or go to . . . MAGAZINE September 2014

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MT Feature Get a job in the audio industry

else has figured out how to make. The road to get to this point is probably the toughest part of the process, because you’ll need to have spent countless hours dabbling in programming. You can use our step-by-step guides to get you started, but like any skill you’ll need to go beyond the material in this guide to master it. So let’s say you have your product, eg, a software synth that makes dubstep growls sound like the chirps of a hyperactive budgie. It looks amazing, you’ve tested it into oblivion on a number of different systems, and it’s ready to go. What do you need? Firstly you need a website to sell the product. It needs to showcase what the program can do, why it’s awesome, and things such as tech specs and versions. It needs to be clearly and reasonably priced, and easy to pay for and download. Are you going to offer a trial period? What are the restrictions? It all needs to be up there, in one place. Secondly, marketing. This is a dark art in itself, but the more people who know about the product, the

more producers you’ll have beating a path to your door. If you’re a musician, try and create songs using your product and share them around. Use Twitter, Facebook and message boards such as KVR Audio and Gearslutz to get the word out. And MusicTech, of course! A good product – one that fills a need or does something different – will spread by word of mouth once other people start using it. And once they do, get testimonials that you can display on your website. Thirdly, treat this endeavour like a proper company. Register your name, do your paperwork, pay taxes. It’s all boring, but all necessary: it will protect you further down the line and enable you to focus on creating brilliant audio plug-ins or hardware. Just do it, and thank us later!

Making connections We’ve harped on about the importance of networking a lot in these pages. That’s because it’s important. Often boring and frustrating, yes, but important. And that goes double if you’re trying to forge a career in

MT Step-by-Step Max for Live

Max for Live is a modular plug-in builder. It looks intimidating, but its GUI is actually quite intuitive. You have an input and an output. Every little box you put between them (connected by stripy audio cables and black data cables) is a parameter that will affect the sound – think of them like insert effects on a channel. Everything you put in the top box will be visible on your plug-in, and everything you move to the bottom box will be stashed out of the way.

We’re going to create a very simple synth. Drop a Max instrument onto a MIDI track, then click the Edit button in the top-right corner on the device that appears. Click in the Max window that pops up and press N to create a new object. In the box, type saw~ (the ~ is called a tilda, and it denotes an audio object). Press Enter, and you have a saw wave. You can also find any object you like in the sidebar, which can be popped up using the button on the bottom-right of the Max window.

Click the saw~ box again, and type in 500Hz, so it reads saw~ 500Hz. Press Enter, then create another new object: Live Gain. You now have an output level. Click and drag the black bars to bring up a connection. Connect the saw wave to the input, and the Plugout object to the output. Click the Lock button (bottom left on the bar) to test your device. Turn up the fader and you’ll have a single saw wave playing. Click the Lock button to unlock the plug-in for tinkering.

To control the frequency of our synth, open the Inspector using the button on the bottom right and select Explorer. In the Live section, drag the Live Numbox onto your plug-in and connect it to your saw. Rightclick the Numbox and open the Inspector. Here you can rename the control, change its Unit Style, and input max. and min. values. Lock the instrument and try changing the value on the Numbox.

To control the frequency with a MIDI controller add a NoteIn object, which the Explorer has under MIDI objects. Then hit I to create a number object. Link the Pitch of the NoteIn object to this, and link the number object to the Live Numbox. Once again, lock the instrument and have a play on your MIDI controller. Different notes should now throw up different pitches of saw wave. It’s a very rudimentary synth, but it’s our synth!

Max enables you to add a huge number of controls: we’ve added a filter with Cutoff and Resonance. Tidying up, we’ve moved all the user controls into the top box, and everything else (the stuff the user doesn’t need to see) into the bottom box. By clicking the Presentation Mode icon on the toolbar we can neaten up our GUI further. Don’t forget to keep saving your instrument patch: it’s Ctrl+S on PC, or Cmnd-S on a Mac.

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MT Spotlight Interview the audio industry. You’re not just selling music here, you are trying to sell sophisticated pieces of hardware and software. Conferences are key. If you can, get to events such as Midem or Musikmesse. Yes, there’s an outlay (plane tickets, event passes, etc) but it will be invaluable professionally. These are places where the makers gather, and if you’re serious about making connections you could certainly do worse than spend some time hanging out here. Actually finding communities of people who’d be willing to part with their cash for your product is harder than it sounds. Gearslutz, KVR Audio and the like may have messy message boards and outdated interfaces, but they can be a repository for a lot of business if you play it carefully. Try different strategies and see what works: a free VST may draw people to your site, or maybe an extended, fully functional demo period for one of your plug-ins. Either way, your goal is to find and maintain customers, and get feedback – if something doesn’t work you need to know about it sooner rather than later. Lastly, don’t forget to make connections with local studios and producers. Often it can be as simple as giving them a copy of your plug-in, or plug-ins, to use on their system. No studio engineer or producer will turn down a free VST, so take full advantage. Be sure to check back after a month or two to see if they’ve been using it and if they have any comments.

Dear Sir… If you’re thinking about applying for a full-time job in the audio industry, then you might reasonably ask

Your goal is to find and maintain customers and get as much feedback as you can Pro Tip This is going to sound like something you know already, but bear with us. If you’re coding you will accumulate scraps of code faster than you can ever imagine. You don’t just want a good naming system, you need it, as it will save you a lot of headache later. Also, try and get familiar with the various file extensions you’ll encounter (such as the .cpp files used in Xcode). Your goal is to be swimming in this ocean of code without drowning, and tricks like this will help keep you afloat. ●

The producers

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ada Life’s Stefan Engblom can talk about Sausage Fattener all day. He and Olle Cornéer released the plug-in to their fans in 2011, and they’re justifiably proud of it. But the one thing he won’t talk about is the effects chain the plug-in aims to duplicate. “I have to keep the original chain secret,” he says. “If the Sausage Fattener didn’t exist, I’d tell you! What people don’t realise is that with a large effects chain you don’t push one plug-in to the maximum. You only do it a little bit, and altogether it makes a really fat sound.” Dada Life became famous for the thick, grimy basslines in their tracks, and Sausage Fattener was a chance for their fans to replicate the effect. The group already had a connection with Swedish plug-in producer Tailored Noise, and they decided that it was a perfect way to market their music. “Before we even had an idea we’d gotten a lot of questions about how we got our sound,” says Engblom. “We took it for granted how we had a long plug-in setup in Ableton. [We] realised that it could be a good opportunity, because nobody had done an artist-standard plug-in. They ran the effects chain, and tried to replicate how it sounded.” For Dada Life, the process of designing their plug-in paid a heavy debt to that mythical effects chain. They’d use Ableton’s macros to craft a plug-in setup with two control knobs working many parameters at once, and it shows in Sausage Fattener’s design. Two knobs – Fatness and Colour – pump up the sound, while a funky little animated sausage creature gets fatter and angrier the further you push it. Tailored Noise handled the back-end, but it was up to Dada Life to test the plug-in. This, Engblom says, was a labour-intensive process, and one that anybody designing a plug-in should be prepared to work hard at: “We had to test how it behaves. I’d push a hi-hat through it, see how it reacted, and sometimes it reacted in a weird way, or in a way our original chain wouldn’t. So we’d reprogram it and try it out on other stuff, just going back and forth.” But, Engblom says, the result was worth it. Sausage Fattener has started to show up on tracks from other big-name artists such as Tiësto. Dada Life are planning more plug-ins, although they’re not keen on us revealing the details just yet…

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MT Feature Get a job in the audio industry

MT Spotlight Interview

The HR person

I

Zotope’s audio products are some of the most useful things any engineer can own. Their mastering, mixing, restoration and sound-design plug-ins (think Ozone, Alloy, RX) have won them acclaim from everywhere in the audio world, so it’s no surprise to hear the Massachusetts-based company has some seriously high standards. Johanna Perri heads up Human Resources for iZotope and is in charge of making sure that the right people come to work at the company. It has 62 employees, but it’s expanding quickly – Perri says that they want to get to a hundred before the end of the year. “We try to use as many different avenues as we can think of,” says Perri. “We’ll have strategic meetings to decide who we need to recruit, what needs to be done, what kind of personalities we want to hire, and who’ll be a good fit. Then we come up with a strategy of where we want to post the position.” The iZotope website has an active jobs board, and you’ll often see its postings all over the internet. They’re a good example of a small audio company with a big range of needs. Their biggest team

is engineering, and if you want to play with the back-end of something like Ozone you’ll need to know your DSP from your C++, and probably have a degree in a science field of some sort. Sound design or musical experience, of course, helps immensely. But Perri says that getting hired by an audio company isn’t just about your core skills – it’s about making sure you actually care enough about plug-in design to make it a day job. “Everyone here is unique in the sense that we have people who are extremely smart but also have a passion for music,” she says. “We also have some positions outside of R&D: sales, operations and product management. Our biggest department is engineering, but we have three other teams we need to hire for as well. We have other people that come on board who don’t play an instrument, so we have to understand what needs to get done: do they have the skills to do that? And we have to make sure they’re going to fit into the culture at iZotope. We’re looking for people who are going to be passionate about audio. Are they going to be comfortable working for a small but growing company?” Like many HR managers, Perri won’t discuss how much iZotope’s workers earn. Other sources suggest it’s very reasonable, however, and although iZotope doesn’t recruit internationally all that often, it still happens, and they’re also looking for freelance contributors.

Pro Tip ● Chances are you’ll be spending a lot of time on one of the programs mentioned here. We’ve only covered the basics, but when you’re learning you’ll always want to go deeper. When you do, be wary of the manufacturer’s tutorials and manuals: there are much better ways to learn, and some of them – including SonicBirth’s – are almost hysterically obtuse. Instead, jump on YouTube. There are plenty of people who have uploaded tutorials, and it’s much easier to learn from those while using the manual as a reference.

If you’re prepared to freelance there are plenty of companies that require outside help 18 | September 2014

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whether there are actually that many jobs available at any one time. Given the current economic conditions (boy, do we wish we could stop saying that) it’s no surprise that the audio industry has been hit hard too. To some extent, it’s fared better than others as there’s always been a need for audio professionals, but there are still fewer jobs available now than there used to be. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t some positions to apply for. Take a look at the careers page for companies such as Native Instruments, iZotope or Waves – there are usually plenty of roles going. Jobs have also started popping up in odd places. There are more companies now, and with the rise of the internet their customer bases have expanded and they need people to help deal with the demand for their products. The big, traditional companies are certainly still hiring, but they aren’t the only ones you should be looking at. If you’re prepared to work freelance there are plenty of businesses that require outside help from time to time. You need only one ‘in’ to get started, and once you’re dropping in and out of companies like an audio paratrooper to help set things right you’ll find more and more opportunities opening up. Generally, you’ll get in full-time in one of two ways. First, a company might approach you, impressed with your skills and your software, and eager to bring you on board. You really, really want this to happen. It’s rare as hell but if you’ve worked hard and created something special, it can happen. The second way is more traditional: applying for jobs. Generally speaking, this is the same as applying

MAGAZINE

07/08/2014 09:31

Get a job in the audio industry Feature MT

MT Step-by-Step SonicBirth

SonicBirth is a Mac-only application designed for creating bespoke Audio Elements, although you can export the results as VSTs as well. The interface is similar to Max, with Wires (the black lines) connecting different Elements (the box-like objects). Elements can have numerous inputs and outputs, and come in two flavours: Arguments and Circuits. This will all become clear very shortly when we start using SonicBirth to build an effect AU.

The default for SonicBirth is one input (top left) and one output (top right). Let’s change that. Select Window>Show Settings, and set the Input and Output to Two. Additional boxes will appear. Using the top-right dropdown menu, create a Freeverb (under Misc), five sliders and a boolean (both under Common: a boolean is an on-off switch). Connect them up as shown. Select Window>Sound, load up a WAV or AIFF, press play, and toggle the sliders.

Let’s build something a little more sonically complex: a reverb with a built-in frequency crossover. To start, create a new session with two inputs and two outputs. Then, create two Crossover elements (Filters>Crossover) and a single slider. Connect the slider to the frequency input of each Crossover, and connect the main plug-in inputs to the Crossover’s main inputs. Select your slider, click Window>Settings, and change the type to Hertz.

Create two Freeverb elements. Connect the high outputs of the Crossover elements to the In1 of each Freeverb, and the low outputs to the In2. Wire up the Reverbs as before with sliders. In fact, you might want to combine controls such as the Wet and Dry sliders for both ’verbs using one slider for each control connected to both elements. Rename each slider so you know what it does by selecting it and opening up Settings.

Create two Addition elements. Wire Out1 of each Freeverb to one Addition element, and Out2 of each to the other. Wire the Addition elements to the final channel. For a little more flavour, we’ve added a distortion element (with its own slider) between the Additions and the Outs, as shown in the screenshot. If you want to clean things up a bit you can create multiple points in a wire simply by clicking on it and dragging.

Time to make things presentable. Click anywhere in the main window, open Settings, scroll down and click Custom GUI and GUI Design. You can now adjust how your plug-in looks, including loading up a background picture. SonicBirth doesn’t label your controls, so create a bespoke background image that you can load in, positioning the controls next to the labels. Then, simply export it and you’re good to go!

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for work in any other industry. Interviews, salary expectations, portfolios – all of these come into play. We’re not going to go into the ins and outs of a successful job application beyond saying that the one thing you need to demonstrate is passion. Showing that you care for audio and music, and that you let that show through in your work, covers up a lot of sins. But a word of advice: in the audio industry, things move slowly. Job applications can sometimes take months, so don’t be disheartened if you don’t hear anything for a while.

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Pro Tip There’s no rule that says you have to work for traditional audio companies. There are a lot of businesses that need people who can dive into the guts of sound and acoustics. As Florian Grote of Native Instruments says, the automotive industry is often in need of people who understand DSP, as is the telecoms industry. We’d never advocate becoming a corporate drone for a car company (because, really, who wants to do that?) but as a source of freelance income or a way to build your skills it’s definitely worth looking at. ●

Code breakers Do you need to code? If you’re in the business of designing software or hardware, then yes. We wish there was a way around it, but there isn’t. Sure, the people we’ve spoken to for this feature have said that knowing programming languages such as C++ or Python aren’t absolutely essential, but, honestly, you’d have a very hard time finding

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MT Feature Get a job in the audio industry

Pro Tip ● If you want to build guitars for a living, first you have to know how to play them. If you want to build synths, same deal. And if you want to build software synths you absolutely have to know how they work. If you haven’t been spending your time messing around with synths and effects, and if you’re not sure what the difference is between the different types of oscillator, then you’re already behind the curve. It’s easier than ever to get ahead, though (especially with this mag in your hands), so make sure your knowledge is up to scratch.

work if you can’t do a bit of code compiling. It comes down to choice: if a company is looking at hiring you or someone who has your skills plus a coding background, they’re going to go for the second guy. Even if you’re doing a job that doesn’t involve tinkering with the guts of the instrument, having a knowledge of coding still helps. C++ is an excellent place to start, as many companies still use it to build their programs. We’ve dealt with some very basic C++ in this guide but if you’re willing to spend time with it you’ll find that it gives you a real edge no matter what job you’re applying for. Another thing worth knowing is DSP theory, especially if you’re interested in the engineering side of things. DSP – Digital Signal Processing – is a very technical and complex body of knowledge that involves understanding how signals are changed, and the mathematical principals that underlie them. Unlike coding this isn’t something we’d necessarily recommend for everyone who wants to work in audio

MT Step-by-Step C++

If you’re serious about working in audio software design you could do worse than learn the programming language C++. It’s complex, but it’s easy to get started. First, you’ll need a compiler, ie, something that enables you to put together your code. For Macs there’s a free Apple compiler called Xcode, which you can download off the App Store, but there are plenty of other compilers available if it isn’t to your taste. Once you’ve got one, it’s time to start coding!

C++ is a tricky language. It demands accuracy: MusicTech, in C++, is very different from simply musictech. Open Xcode and create a new project with the Command Line Tool, making sure the selected language is C++. This default project is already loaded with the standard C++ intro program, Hello World. Click the Play button on the top left to build and run the program. Hello World will pop up on the bottom bar. Now we’re going to do some basic editing.

Click on the main.cpp file on the left. This will pop up Hello World’s code. Select the text, and then erase it all – go on, trust us. Insert the following: #include . That links your program right at the start to the operating system’s code bank. You need that. What we’re going to do next is construct a very simple program designed to output a specific sentence, and to do so everything needs to be in exactly the right place.

Leave a line, then add in int main(). On the next line type {. You’ll close the code with the same symbol reversed, and anything inside these brackets constitutes your code. On the next line we’re going to input the meat of our code: the statement. We want it to say ‘MTM Is Amazing’, so we need three things: the statement, the operator and the string. Altogether, they look like this: std::cout Audio Mixdown and a dialogue box will appear with all the various options. Make sure that Stereo Out is selected on the output options on the left. I recommend Wave File as a sensible file type. CD quality is 16-bit/44.1kHz, but if it’s going on for further mastering it will be worth using 24-bit. Choose your file name and the location and click Export.

The first process in mixing down is to make sure that the levels are set correctly. What we don’t want is the track to peak and create distortion. Check the MixConsole (F3) and look at both the channels and the Stereo Out fader and make sure they are not going above 0dB at any point. The channels are a little more flexible than the Stereo Out and can cope with minute peaking.

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At this stage adjust the main Stereo Output so that it is peaking as close to 0dB as possible. To see what the peak of the track is throughout, set the meter to Peak Hold by Right/Ctrl+Clicking on it and then listen to the whole track and make a note of the maximum volume level. Reduce or raise the output by this amount to get the level as close to 0dB as possible.

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Head back to the Arrange window and select the area of the project that you want to mix down by dragging your mouse round it or pressing Ctrl+A to Select All. If you have any tracks you want muted make sure you do that now, and then press P to set the left and right markers.

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MT Technique Mixing down and uploading

MT Step-by-Step Distributing your music

 

In this instance, as the project is being distributed directly to the internet, it might be worth having some mastering plug-ins in the signal chain. If you had a limiter or multiband compressor on the Stereo Out track, reactivate them by clicking on the yellow bypass circles in the MixConsole. Otherwise add them on the Insert panel – each has some presets for mastering that can be used.

 

Cubase then launches your default browser and goes directly to the SoundCloud website with a dedicated login page. Once there, SoundCloud will ask you to give permission for Cubase to link to your online account. Fill in your login details and press Connect to complete the link. Cubase will directly send the file to the SoundCloud webservers and your track will be ready to go soon after.

 

Cubase also offers export in other formats that are less common but still useful for distributing music. FLAC is an (allegedly) lossless compressed format for streaming and downloading. Many artist’s own download pages offer the FLAC format and this is a good feature to have within Cubase. Simply choose this as your output format and select the level of compression you want.

When it comes to distributing your music you can do this direct from Cubase in certain instances. Begin by repeating the above processes and prepare your tracks for mixdown as normal, then set the left and right markers.

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The easiest platform to upload to is SoundCloud, as Cubase supports this natively from the Audio Mixdown window. From here, at the bottom, click on the Post Process dropdown menu and select Upload to SoundCloud. For this I would again recommend exporting as a wave file at 16-bit for easier conversion. Then, as before, click on Export and it will bounce the file before upload begins.

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Once on the website, SoundCloud asks you to fill in the standard details about the track including title, cover image and a description. It also includes the licence information if it’s a cover version, etc. The track defaults to Private, but select Public if you want to get your music out there. Then press Save and the file is ready to be shared with the world.

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21/07/2014 13:17

Contemporary Production Technique MT

New Series Contemporary Production Techniques

The multiple-buss method Mixing into a single stereo buss isn’t the only approach. Mike Hillier looks at how to work with stems and multiple busses…

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he stereo buss techniques we looked at last month get a complete overhaul in this workshop, as we look at using a combination of busses in parallel to achieve an altogether different approach to mixing. Perhaps the most famous exponent of the multi-buss method is Michael Brauer, whose ‘Brauerize’ technique uses an incredibly complex combination of five mix busses (four processed and one clean), alongside six additional parallel aux busses. This setup enables Brauer to work incredibly quickly and deliver exceptional mixes, but it’s specific to his hardware collection. Your own multi-buss techniques can be as simple or as complicated as you require. Similarly, you can use whatever plug-ins or hardware effects you have available to you.

Easy rider The simplest way of using a multi-buss technique is simply to create a number of stem busses, each with their own

Your own multi-buss techniques can be as simple or as complicated as you require processing setups. So a basic pop/rock song might have a drums buss, a guitars buss, a pads/keys buss and a vocal buss, which could each feed into the final stereo buss with its own processing if you require more. This is a fairly common technique, but it can be a little rigid and can leave you questioning where some instruments should go. The bass, for instance, could be routed to its own buss, the guitars buss, or the drums buss. An alternative approach is to route things to busses based on their properties rather than simply the type of

PRO TIP Michael Brauer’s ‘Brauerize’ technique not only uses multiple busses for routing audio, but also six send effects (one stereo and five mono) which any signal can be quickly sent to. Each of these send effects is actually just another compressor, which Michael uses for parallel processing, and by having each of the six on a send effect he can quickly bring up each of the six processors one at a time to see what each one adds to the sound. You can emulate this in the DAW very easily by simply using six (or however many you want) more buss channels assigned to your favourite plug-in or hardware compressors, and then bringing each one up on a send.

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Contemporary Production Technique MT

MT Step-by-Step Mixing with instrument busses

Route each channel to one of the output stems. We’ve done some sub-mixing on the drums, but otherwise everything is routed to one of these busses instead of going straight to the outputs.

 

Now there’s signal going through the busses, tweak each processor. It can be useful to keep multiple processors open, as any change to one may necessitate a change to another.

 

With the processing sorted you can adjust the relative levels straight from the buss faders. Bringing up one channel will not have a direct consequence on the others, but you will have to ensure you don’t peak your master outputs.

We added: Flux BitterSweet and UAD FATSO Jr on drums, EQ and compression on bass, EQ and 1176 emulation on acoustic guitars, compression on electric guitars, and the Eventide UltraChannel on vox.

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If one instrument is pushing the compressor more than the rest, such as a kick drum pumping the drum buss compressor, it can be useful to try and tame it before it hits the buss. Place a compressor or limiter to tame the peaks before they trigger the buss compression.

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Create busses for each group of instruments and place these at the end of the session. We’ve used six: drums, bass, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, vox and FX. Assign an input buss to each.

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instrument, and while this may often be the same in many cases it can split up similar instruments in a more musical manner. For instance, all the high percussive elements with fast transients would be sent to one buss, while low fasttransient material could be sent to another. Similarly, slower, less transient material could be separated by frequency across two or more busses. This way you can tune the processing on each buss to both its transient nature and position in the spectrum. This method also tends to group

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most of the drum kit and percussive elements with the bass guitar or synth, which can help to create a solid rhythmic foundation. This way a fast pizzicato part played on the same instrument as a slower legato part will be sent to two different busses. A string section could be separated out into two or more different busses and may end up sharing a buss with the guitars and keys depending on their musical properties. Finally, it is important to consider that instruments need not only be sent to a single buss. We have had a lot of magazine September 2014

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Contemporary Production Technique MT

success sending the bass guitar to both the guitar and drums buss in a simple rock mix. This method can become difficult to stay on top of, especially if you want to bring the instrument up or down in the mix without altering the behaviour of either buss. But it can also help the instruments to sit together and work as a mix. In this example, the bass will come up in the mix as either the guitars or the drums come down, as the buss compression on either channel starts working less hard and

will drop out slightly as the instruments come in and push the compressor into gain reduction. One of the key advantages of multi-buss processing over a single master buss stage is that you can pick and choose the types of compressor to suit the nature of the instrument. Some compressors will add a sonic signature simply by passing audio through them and no gain reduction will be required. This way you can select your favourite low-end processor for the drums or bass, while something with more top-end sheen can be kept available for vocals. MT

MT Step-by-Step Changing the buss assignments

With fewer busses, elements are combined differently. The FX go to the vox buss, the bass and electric guitars go to the slow buss, and acoustic guitars are routed with the drums to the transient buss.

 

To make the bass pump in time with the drums, route some of the signal into the transient buss. By using a Send you can also control the relative levels separately.

 

With single channels being sent to multiple busses, balancing becomes tricky; but with the right blend every instrument should have its place. The buss processing should take some of the strain out of the mix, with each compressor helping the instruments sit together.

We’ve added the transient shaping tool and FATSO Jr on the transient buss; the slow buss has a UAD Pultec MEQ-5 and a UAD Fairchild 670; and the vocal buss has a Maag EQ4 and UAD LA-2A.

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With everything routed it can take a while to get the processors properly tuned. You now have to not only consider all the different elements that are making up each buss, but also the different functions of busses that carry a duplicate of a single channel.

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Instead of creating stems by instrument type, this time create busses based on the musical properties. We’ve set up one for transient material, one for slower material and another for vocals.

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MT Technique Automation and remote control

Reason Become a Reason Power User

Automation and remote control

Getting hands-on control of your projects and automating tracks are both great ways to add interest and depth, as Hollin Jones explains…

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efore software became the most common medium for recording and producing music, automation of your instruments, effects and mixes used to be a complex procedure and something found only in high-end kit and professional studios. Sure, you could send MIDI messages to switch instrument presets at certain points, but as for varying controls such as dry/wet settings? You pretty much had to do it by hand during mixdown – a nervous moment for any engineer.

On the disc Accompanying project file included on the DVD

Practically anything can be automated, from your mixer to the most obscure effect dial

while. This enables you to quickly and easily map hardware MIDI controllers to any parameter inside a project. There’s also surface locking, which enables a specific hardware device to be linked to a specific unit in the rack. Imagine, for example, that you wanted one MIDI controller to be permanently connected to your mixer, or to a drum machine, but a second controller to follow MIDI focus and thus control whatever you selected. With Remote this is easy to set up, and any changes that you make in hardware can be captured as automation data. Since nobody is perfect you easily can go and edit this data after recording to get exactly the kind of fader movement or filter sweep that you want. Connecting multiple MIDI devices to a single computer running Reason is also a good way to have several people performing at the same time using a single Reason project. MT

Working in software introduced a much easier way to achieve parameter automation. Since your mixer and many of your effects existed inside your DAW rather than outside it, you could get far more control over how things changed over time. A few versions back, Reason switched to a vector-based automation system and now handles parameter changes using automation subtracks connected to regular lanes in the mixer. Practically anything can be automated from your mixer right down to the most obscure synth or effect dial. Tied in with all this is the Remote system, which Reason has had for a

FOCUS ON… ROUTING One of Reason’s oldest but least-known tricks is its Keyboard Control mode, which can be switched on from the Options window. This is more basic than Remote but it does enable you to assign computer keys to certain parameters on any selected module. If you activate the Edit mode, you will see some of the controls on the selected device gain a small yellow arrow. Double-click on one of these, tap a computer key, and that key is now assigned to that parameter. Since a key tap is not a variable control you are only able to set buttons to on or off, or set dials and faders to 0% or 100% values using the keyboard, but it’s still pretty useful nonetheless.

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Automation and remote control Technique MT

MT Step-by-Step Creating automation data

 

To manually add an automation lane or to draw automation data in by hand, open a track in Edit mode and then go to the Track Parameter Automation dropdown menu in the top-left corner of the sequencer. Click on it and this will show you all automatable parameters for the device.

 

Automation is quite easy to edit. In Edit view, use the Pointer tool to select a keypoint. You will see the value boxes above the lane which enable you to set an exact position and numerical value for any given point. If you select multiple points you will be able to change them all to the same value by entering data into these boxes.

 

For devices such as effects units that don’t have a note lane by default, you can either perform some automation to instantly record-enable it, or right-click on the device in the rack and choose Create Track For… the device. The latter method is more useful if you want to draw changes by hand, the former if you just want to grab a control and start automating.

Devices that already have a note lane in the sequencer have default automation lanes that are viewable by entering Edit mode. So, for example, here we have enabled parameter automation recording for a sampler and then moved the mod and aftertouch wheels with Record enabled, and automation has been recorded.

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Here we have chosen to enable Amp Env Attack and then used the Pencil tool to draw in automation. Notice that because the parameter we have enabled is not one of the standard performance controllers but something we have specifically enabled, it gains its own dedicated lane in the sequencer.

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Automation data exists independently from the note clip to which it is originally attached, and as a result it can be moved or copied and pasted independently. Here, for example, we have enabled automation on another device and then copied and pasted our original data to the new lane. This is a quick way to duplicate exact sets of parameter changes across different devices.

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MT Technique Automation and remote control

MT Step-by-Step Creating automation data… cont’d

 

When automating you will often want to achieve a much smoother ramp or curve than you can manage by hand. In these cases, go into the automation lane for the parameter you want – here it’s a fader – and click to add one point at the place you want the change to start.

 

To temporarily suspend automation of any parameter, locate its lane in the sequencer and deactivate the yellow ‘On’ button so it is no longer lit. To delete all automation for a track, click the ‘X’ button just next to this, or delete clips individually by selecting them and hitting backspace.

 

If you select Options>Remote Override Edit Mode you can quickly assign any hardware controller to any automatable parameter anywhere in Reason, independently of the Surface Locking setup. This is excellent for quickly ‘grabbing’ a fader for example and recording automation with it.

Automating the main mixer works in much the same kind of way. Either move a control while recording is active, or right-click on any mixer parameter and choose Edit Automation (even if none currently exists). This will jump you to an active automation lane in the sequencer related specifically to the parameter you selected.

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Locate the point you want the transition to end and this time click to add a second point, then switch to the Pointer tool and drag the point up or down. This will create a smooth ramp of values. Using Reason’s automation cleanup facility you can also control how many superfluous points are removed.

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To lock a MIDI device to a unit in the rack, go to Options>Surface Locking and select the MIDI device from the list. Then from the Lock To menu, select the device to assign. You might, for example, want to lock a MIDI drum pad to an instance of Kong or something with faders to your mixer.

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LEARNFROM PRO

MUSI CPRODUCERS E N R O L L I N GN O WF O RS E P T E MB E R2 0 1 4 . R E S E R V EY O U RP L A C EN O W W W W .PO IN TB LAN K LO N D O N .C O M +4 F o rc o u r s ee n q u i r i e sc a l l 4 ( 0 ) 2 07 7 2 94 8 8 4o re ma i l a d v i c e @p o i n t b l a n k l o n d o n . c o m

MT Technique How to produce… Dirty Dubstep

Technique How to produce…

Dirty Dubstep Part 3 Rome wasn’t built in a day, and good craft takes time and patience. Liam O’Mullane and Christopher Pearson share more tips on creative exploration and the important decision making required when shaping initial ideas into full song sections.

O

ur first two instalments have taken you through being mindful of various production techniques and creative possibilities when carving your own sound in the dirty dubstep business. If you’ve been with us so far you should have a balancedsounding song section for both drums and bass. Our next process is to develop these ideas and extend their playable duration. We’ll then look at exploring other foreground and background melodic information to take the song elsewhere and aid arrangement while musically guiding the listener. We’ll continue to develop our sound as we move further towards the final stage of mixing but remember that things can change; so whether it’s an instrument sound, or an over-laboured pattern you’ve programmed, don’t be afraid to throw away bad ideas if they simply don’t do justice to the

There are many approaches you can take when it comes to expanding ideas BLURRED LINES

Much like the sample-based melting pot that was jungle in the 1990s, dubstep is also a musical genre that constantly borrows the vibes of other, often classic, genres. This can help create a distinct musical element for the listener to latch onto, and it is open territory that’s well worth exploring. The influences of trance and hardstyle are very popular right now, encouraging heavy use of synth arps, dense musical-sounding pads, hard distorted lead synths and triplet rhythms. Skrillex has used obvious dub reggae influences in tracks such as Make It Bun Dem and Ragga Bomb, Zomboy’s Survivors shows influence of techno and metal, and it’s impossible to avoid the scourge of trance and chip-tune influenced tracks in any mainstream charts these days. But this all goes to show that experimentation can not only work for a song, it can also be the seed to start the next new sub-genre. The only thing tying these elements together is the unified focus on a heavy bass drop and a snare on the third beat – aside from this you’re free to explore new musical hybrids as you like. If you’re not sure on where to take this, open up your preferred music resource and have a listening session on a particular genre. This could be a genre already proving successful in musical charts around the globe or a nod back to older times – whatever it is, you can find inspiration by listening. Electro swing is a great example of fusing new and old, so don’t be afraid to dig out music that hasn’t glimpsed the mainstream for a long time. Then look at emulating the style of sounds available, or just the compositional style and feel, replacing older sounds with a new-age, synthetic equivalent.

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On the disc Accompanying example audio files included on the DVD

work you’ve done already. For example, our bass idea might be completely re-worked by the final part in this series, so be prepared to take your time and be open to a change in direction if you create something that raises the game of your song. If a new idea works, just go with it and do what you must to get all other elements up to this new standard. But if some sounds are good but not right for the track, be efficient with your efforts and save them out as presets to use another time or bounce them as audio to store as samples. If you’ve done this several times already you’ll be piling up your own arsenal of sounds to cherry-pick the next time around. Great for when you need quick inspiration. Whereas parts one and two of this series have focused more on the technicalities of music production, it’s possible and sometimes favourable to revisit simpler and often overlooked techniques. There’s a lot of creative potential in working with sounds at their most fundamental level, i.e. their notes, and using endless effects chains will degrade the quality of your sound source. So take note of the simpler things in life where possible and put to use our tips on musicality and further editing your initial ideas.

Open your mind There are many approaches to take when it comes to extending your initial ideas. When exploring variation, some techniques can quickly become quite complex and place a fair amount of strain on your computer if you’re piling on effects or using various sound sources, so we’ll start with the least CPU-hungry options. Feel free to start wherever the track takes you, but we’ll focus on drum patterns first. Aside from adding the usual eight- or 16-bar fills to break up each phrase of your bassline, it can be good practice to edit the groove of your drums in a repeat of your initial pattern to alter the feel of the drum and bass combination already established. This technique works well when the bass plays a second repeat of itself, as the drum changes can be enough to keep the listener engaged. In our example track we changed the position of the kick drum for our second section to hit in unison with the bass instead of a beat later as before, thereby altering the groove to emphasise the bass. This type of editing instantly changes much more than just the kick

MAGAZINE

06/08/2014 16:30

How to produce… Dirty Dubstep Technique MT

placement – it has the power to change the groove of the whole track when done with care and is a very simple edit to implement. Similarly, try to change the position of bass notes around the drums to get a feel for how they can play off of each other and create new rhythms or to extend the section in focus. When it comes to bass parts, if you’re keeping your instruments live, or even programming a sampler from sounds you’ve committed to audio already, there’ll be a handful of new sweet spots to discover through the exploration of pitch and parameter manipulation. As well as trying to vary the notes of an existing riff for musical change as it progresses, explore the extremes of high or low octave notes to dramatically change an instrument’s timbre. A bass will often break-up below a certain pitch and this effect can be used as an occasional accenting tool as it has a differing power when compared to the instrument playing in its strongest area of pitch. Higher pitched notes can be a good way to add a dynamic too, as the instrument that is usually more bass orientated can suddenly gain a lot of midrange information and a dramatic shift in character.

Leads,pads and ambience

From intense, driving bass drops to the slightest of ambient sections, music needs dynamics. Take time to think about these contrasts and how they can complement each other. Our example track sports a main lead sound that is very simple in its creation – just saw waves in a synth that have been detuned and distorted with soft saturation and embellished with reverb. After the reverb, compression really helped to give a sense of size to the patch by emphasising and swelling over time. This technique is best used when melodic content isn’t overly complex, as it allows time for the reverb to be heard. In addition to large leads you might want to consider backing and overlaying them with delicate arpeggiated synths and other lighter, more ambient sounds. A simple way to create strings is to use a monophonic synthesizer with a relatively simple sine, triangle or saw wave pitched up high to emulate a bow stroking a string. Add a little movement from a modulation wheel or slow LFO for vibrato to add more depth to the final result. Next, adding a long-tailed reverb as an insert or send with around 75-80% wet on the mix can give a quite realistic single-string sound. Multiplying this patch and creating chords across tracks can lead to you creating your very own, rather convincing, string ensembles, especially if you use panning and/or mid/side processing to place each string in its own space.

Chopping and changing Though cutting, moving, inserting and reversing are all techniques you’re probably familiar with when working on audio files, look to approach your MIDI patterns in much the same way. Dance music as a whole is based around sounds being looped and stuttered in a variety of ways, and this should therefore be how you see your MIDI patterns. MIDI clips can be edited to small quantized-sized lengths, so try slicing them up and re-ordering them as you would an audio

  Musicality plays a big role in even the most seemingly unmusical dubstep tracks  file. Repeat some of these smaller parts for a looped effect, or try moving a small number of notes from part of your existing idea to paste into a different location within a new clip, i.e. start the pattern from beat three rather than beat one. From here, write new parts around them so there’s a mix of new and already established material for the listener to latch onto. Again, this seemingly simple technique can help your elements progress through a track without getting too complex from the production side of things. Remember: MIDI should not be overlooked in favour of effects chains. This editing technique can be applied to automation as well and works particularly well when altering the placement of rhythmic data. It’s pretty much like playing around with the triggering and speed of an LFO or envelope on a synth – copy a highlighted portion of data from here to there, change its shape, extend its duration (if your DAW supports this) and so on. Copying automation from other areas of your song can also be handy for recreating certain sweet spots between parameters to then edit and move on from. For example, you might have two or three distinct timbres that you’ve created

Although we only used two layers to create our choral pad sound we managed to create a sense of depth and movement by picking the right sounds that would modulate each other through phase when detuned.

through automation for one instrument, and you can copy the automation from these sections to new ideas so you’re starting from the same tone. Don’t forget that too many automation lanes can be a real headache to deal with, so we always advise the use of macros to group particular parameters together and make them much easier to manage effectively. Re-edits can apply to the instruments themselves as well, and we often take an existing instrument, duplicate it to a new track and then edit it to take it to another timbre. This can help create a new layer to embellish what’s already there, or even help you find a completely new instrument that might complement the first when not over-layered. Keeping all automation intact helps to gel new layers together, and from there subtle automation edits can start to give even more movement between layers. Just be careful, as this can soon result in tens of instruments with processing chains being active at the same time, which will put a lot of load on your computer.

The knowledge Musicality plays a big role in even the most seemingly unmusical-sounding dubstep tracks. Although some songs will go for a heavy musical section that stands apart from the bass drop there’s also room for some musicality to aid the bass section no matter how ugly it may appear to be on the surface. Even when a track appears to be made of purely horrible sounds and noises, they need to have some musical relationship to each other or they just won’t gel. Drums can be pitched musically, and riser sounds and other effects can carry forms of musical pitch to help the listener get a sense of key without even realising. Even seemingly disassociated magazine September 2014

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MT Technique How to produce… Dirty Dubstep

Focus On… Vocal mangling

Vocals are a common feature in dubstep tracks these days, and fall into two main camps: fully performed vocals and lyrics, which are generally left to be heard in the state the performer intended; or heavily manipulated vocal parts that sound nothing like the original recordings. The latter approach requires quite a lot of trial and error but the fruits of your labour can result in a critical hook line for your track, so it’s often time well spent. You can search for vocal samples from a variety of sample packs to begin these techniques, but we prefer to get the mic out and do a continuous recording session while we explore different vocal ideas to use. These can be anything from spoken word ideas, singing, or general weird noises which on their own won’t sound like much to work with. The key element here is to try and get as much timbrel range out of your vocals as possible, as this will give you more to work with. Also explore the duration of your sounds so you have a few variations to work with. Once your audio is ready to use, first explore pitch transposition to see if the vocal recordings slot better into your current production aesthetic when pitched up or down. If you have the option to also play with the formants of your sound through your available transposing tools, this can yield large timbrel shifts and get you into the ‘alien voice’ territory as well. This is quite handy when we need to remove the embarrassment factor of hearing our own voices! We like to add mix processing here too, especially if these vocals are home grown. So we’ll add compression, EQ and some master buss-like processing as well, and this will then be rendered down to audio. The idea is to make this vocal sound like we’ve sampled it from elsewhere so that it has that richness of sound from the outset to work with. Next it’s time to chop the audio up, and this can be done on an audio track or after slicing it into a MIDI sampler if preferred. The main requirement is that you can sequence individual slices and then move the start point of each slice’s content. We want to sequence an interesting rhythm first, then move the content of each event to find the best place for each vocal sound to start – with audio tracks this is called slip-editing, and just moving the start marker for each slice in a sampler creates the same effect. Also make good use of pitch and direction, as vowels can take on a completely different tone when reversed. When you have an interesting pattern going, explore pitch alongside the start point of each sound. You want something that’s musically interesting here, so you might want to edit pitch to create a melody line of sorts. Remember that less can be more, so don’t just fill up each bar in your pattern with a constant barrage of vocal edits – leave space for other sounds to come through the mix. Once you’ve established an idea that seems to work in your track it’s time to add more texture, and we do this through further effects processing. You can punch in certain effects to be sequenced as part of your pattern using automation, so for instance, a ring-mod only turns on for one slice of your overall vocal pattern, etc. The more creative you can be here, the better. Use dry/wet controls to balance out your processing if you want to retain some of the original vocal character for an overall consistency in timbre between samples, but the type of effects you choose is completely fair game.

When it comes to vocal manipulation, it’s not often that we’ll stumble across a good pattern and idea straight away. Like all aspects of heavy sound-design, follow this process until you have something of interest – edit, process, bounce, and repeat as necessary.

bass sounds should have a harmonic relationship with each other, as our ears need this to make sense of it. This is why some tracks, although well produced on the surface, still don’t seem to sound completely in the pocket – a common occurrence in electronic genres, and something to keep an ear out for. You don’t need to understand music theory to pitch your sounds in the right place, though, just explore the potential pitch of each sound (trial octaves too) and then decide which sounds best. Musicality is also an important aspect of the mix process; after all, musical notes are divided by frequency, so choosing the right pitch will mean you’re letting the mix take care of itself to a certain extent. Don’t introduce sounds that need major mix correction, and be wary of building up frequency conflicts in the mix – key is key here!

Anything goes There’s no set rule when it comes to adding musical layers to accompany your bass, and we’ve kept things pretty sparse in our example track – we have a prominent lead synth of a few chords tied together. To

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IMAGE BOX

When extending your bass ideas it’s easy to assume this needs to be done with editing alone, but there’s no reason why you can’t continue to make use of your instrument’s sweet-spots through a controller to jam out new ideas for where your sounds can go.

keep the timing interesting we’ve used a less-thanpredictable point for chord changes. We highlight this by changing the drums’ groove in some sections to match. We’ve also used heavy sidechain compression from the drums, so although they are long and sustained they actually only play at full volume for a very brief moment in time. This makes the drums, bass parts and melodic content all interact with each other for a sense of sonic and musical dynamics. The chords you hear on the intro are actually the initial ideas we developed, but it made more sense to keep them sparser in the main drop to simplify and create space, so we confined the busier content to the intro and breakdowns to help fill things out. We’ve also added an arpeggiated synth part over our lead, which again began its life as a continuous sequence while we figured out the best notes to use. Then, later in the arrangement, we stripped it back to play less frequently, giving it more impact when it does play. Its notes help to highlight the lead further whilst also creeping into the upper register of the mix. Musical elements can have just as much interaction with your drums as bass parts do, so be mindful of

  There are no set rules when it comes to adding musical layers to accompany your bass where you place each new sound. Groove is an easy thing to lose if you don’t stay focussed and keep that bin handy for dropping ideas if they don’t aid the track. Experimentation is key to finding complementary parts that help inspire progression.

Come together On listening to our track’s basses, lead and arp as a whole sequence you’ll notice that all of the separate elements work together to create a single, cohesive musical phrase. The idea here is that you should be able to hum along to your track through most of its

magazine

06/08/2014 16:30

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MT Technique How to produce… Dirty Dubstep

sections, no matter what style of sounds you’ve used. It’s important to note that without this ‘hum’ approach you might find an audience to be disengaged. It seems people need some form of musicality to connect with, but this doesn’t mean it needs to be directly obvious. For instance, employing simple techniques such as tuning the drums and finding musical content through your choice of FX can help to really solidify a track into a particular key. Even though these methods may be subtle, do still aim to create a full musical phrase with them by using different sounds and sections. This makes a big difference to whether or not listeners find a track engaging.

MT Step-by-Step Three steps to better instrumentation

Time to face the change In dubstep it’s common to make fundamental changes to sections after 16, 32 or 64 bars. A good place to start replicating this type of arrangement can come from copying an earlier section and making edits, such as cutting all musical elements to let the bass lead the track for a while. You can also go for an A/B format that moves between one main bass idea and another while editing each repeat to give them unique variation. Our example is quite progressive in terms of the song sections we have so far, but this could change. We have an intro section, breakdown, main drop, second edit and a middle-eight section to change the feel of the track and introduce a new focal element. To create the latter we studied the musical notes used throughout our intro and main sections, then copied the drums over to a new section. Here we added a new main arpeggiated synth in the same key but altered the melody to fill the frequency range and kept our bass elements minimal. This new section is used as a prelude to the breakdown, delivering a softer entrance to the upcoming ambience. Sections like this can often be used by DJs to mix out of tracks – another thing to keep in mind, and something we’ll cover more in depth when looking at finalising our arrangement. Alongside the new melody line we recorded and mangled some vocals to add a new texture to the track. This took quite a while due to experimenting with a mass of editing techniques, but we ended up with an interesting-sounding alien vocal part. All of this experimental play gave us a slightly percussive vocal element that we could carry through to the breakdown. In fact, we might later develop this by overlaying percussion to highlight this section further.

 

Try not to get too distracted with the idea of having a vast range of instruments to work with. We prefer to get stuck into a few instruments at parameter level and explore automation editing in much the same way as we work with MIDI. Copy, paste, insert, stretch and edit automation and you’ll be surprised by how much range is available from each instrument.

01

 

It’s easy to get stuck in a jam with automation when trying to create a lot of different tones from a handful of synths. If you can, try to map parameters to macros or snapshots so it’s easier to automate them.

02

Destination anywhere… We’ve covered drums, bass and musicality through parts one to three, and you should now have at least a rough idea of where your track is heading or even what it will sound like on completion. There’s still much to do before we reach the finishing post, though, and part four of our dirty dubstep series will look at the arrangement, bridging song sections with effects, build-ups, and breakdowns, and adding any other sounds required to aid the arrangement. Then we’ll finally look at mixing and pre-mastering. MT

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Different DAWs offer different levels of MIDI editing functionality, which can be used to manipulate your existing ideas for variation. Cubase (pictured here) has some of the most comprehensive tools for this task, but most DAWs will offer features such as reverse, flip and the ability to re-scale the duration of a highlighted number of notes.

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06/08/2014 16:30

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07/08/2014 10:38

MT Reviews Aira System -1

MT Reviews Hardware

Software

Mobile Technology

Samples Innovation

For PC & Mac

ROLAND

Aira System-1

While the world and his wife went mad for the acid side of the Roland Aira range, it might well be System-1 that steals the show. Andy Jones plugs in. And out… Details Price £499 (includes free SH-101 Plug Out) Contact 01792 702701 Web www.roland.co.uk

Key Features ● 8 presets on the hardware ● 100 presets in the SH-101 ● Monophonic ● 10 Scatter effects; 10 depths

A

h, the heady days of Aira. As fans of music gear and technology I think we’ll all look back on those days at the start of 2014 – days of secrecy, of hype, of mystery – with some fondness. It’s not every day in any industry where you can feel people get genuinely excited by forthcoming products in the same way people did ‘back then’. And to be involved, albeit as helping create the hype, was exciting, to say the least… To those who don’t have a clue what I’m talking about – Aira what? – where were you between December and February?! We’re talking about a secret range of Roland hardware products that was revealed to music technology journalists as being pretty much what the world had been waiting for in terms of Roland hardware – i.e. reborn TB-303 bass and TR-808 beats machines – and then those journalists were told to keep

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their traps shut under pain of death until the big unveil date. What followed was childish excitement, hushed discussion about ‘secret rooms’, and general girlish squealing, giggling and breath-holding in a ‘I know but can’t say anything’ kind of way. And that was just me… And the hype spread. I wrote a story about being one of the first journalists to see Aira – I was just passing the secret hotel room where they were on display – and it attracted more hits at musictech.net than the final review! Roland lapped up every inch of it all, of course. It wanted a range of products to turn the company’s fortunes around and by all accounts it’s done that with the TR-8 and TB-3 garnering great reviews in MusicTech and consequently selling loads. But while the TB-3 and TR-8 were taking all the acid glory in that ‘secret’

demo room, a small keyboard called System-1 was also unveiled. But at the time everyone wanted to hear the TB-3’s bass and the TR-8’s 808 and 909 beats. Few were that interested in the brightly lit Tron-like synth playing a bit-part left of stage, knocking on the door of the launch party while the 3 and 8 got all the drinks and the girls. But, in fact, System-1 had me more excited than the TB-3 and TR-8 because it was touted as a synth that could be upgraded via optional ‘Plug Outs’ to turn it into other Roland classic synths, which interestingly can then be used, via the hardware, as virtual instruments within your software DAW. And of these, the System 100 was mentioned, one of many Roland ‘hallowed be thy name’ classics, which surely everyone wants, right? Or is it just me, the person who wanted to be in the Human League before they were famous and didn’t have girls? Anyway, I digress. Basically System-1 may be the synth knocking and waiting to come in, but when those party goers realize quite how cool it could be, well, it will be surrounded by

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06/08/2014 16:16

Aira System -1 Reviews MT

Alternatives We’d be foolish not to recommend using soft synths as alternatives as there are plenty of free and paid-for ones out there, and many are based on Roland classics. However there’s little available in terms of a hardware shell that can be updated with software. Perhaps the closest is the Arturia KeyLab range reviewed last month that costs between £189 and £649 and ships with thousands of presets from Arturia’s classic software collection. An alternative to using System-1 in Plug Out monosynth mode is Novation’s BassStation II, one of the finest monos around.

8 a distorted moving effect. Something for everyone, yes, but only if you know another seven people. One other negative: I don’t much like the keyboard. It’s a bit spongey, flat and, while I’m no Richard Clayderman, I can see some players having issues.

On to the positives

Original adverts for the Roland SH-101 revealed a wide variety of uses for the portable synth. Personally we weren’t fans of the strap-on nature of the synth but the fact you could take it skiing was obviously a massive advantage…

cocktail-drinking lovelies, laughing at its every punchline.

And here it is In use, you have to explain System-1 on three different levels. First up it’s a synth in its own right, with a sound engine, effects and (limited) presets. It comes with standard effects and those Scatter effects that are also present on the TB-3 and TR-8. Next up you’ll use System-1 to control the Plug Out synth as a plug-in within your DAW. Use it this way and it’s just like any software synth with a hardware controller. Roland is shipping System-1 with a free Plug Out which was recently announced as the SH-101. More on this later. Thirdly, in use, there is Plug Out mode where you simply download sounds from the software SH-101 into the hardware unit. This is very easy: simply click the Plug Out icon, select your sounds and download them. Sadly you can only download eight into the hardware but you can then disconnect it and use the System-1 synth

independently of the computer, so play it live, or take it to another studio. So let’s look at System-1 as a synth in its own right. The keyboard does make its own noises – just not that

System-1 lights up nicely, not in a garish ‘look at me’ TR-8 way, just a light green understated way, but with every knob and slider lit. This is an important factor for the Plug Outs as only controls relevant to them will light, which will obviously differ for each synth you ‘Plug Out’. Next up we have the Scatter effects. This is the same set of cool effects that comes with the TB-3 and TR-8 and is implemented slightly differently as this is a keyboard and not a drum machine or bass producer. Here you still get 10 effects and levels of up to 10 for each, but they are only implemented with the arpeggiator on. The actual Scatter effect is selected with an inner dial and its level by the rather cool surrounding pitch dial. Effect wise these are better used on shorter bass-like notes. They are not quite as dramatic and in your face as the beat Scatters on the TR-8 but work

  System-1 had me more excited than the TB-3 and TR-8 because it was touted as a synth that could be upgraded  many of them – and you can do a lot to them. With just eight sounds – yes eight, I couldn’t quite believe it either – it is still a fully-fledged synth, albeit with fewer crumbs to make a meal of from the off. They’re good sounds, don’t get me wrong. I’ll describe each one. You start with a fierce ‘ai’ vocal sound, all distorted and nasty. Then you get a nice, buzzing lead followed by a rounded bass. Number 4 is a simple, shortattack, punchy analogue lead; number 5, more a swirling-attitude lead; 6 a proper big bass; 7 an ambient pad and

well if you adjust other parameters simultaneously, like the filter and resonant knobs for more obvious builds and falls (although if, like me, you have only two hands, you’ll need to use the Key Hold button to keep notes playing). Other notable sonic changes can be made with other, more ‘standard’ effects, which include reverb and delay and a dramatic Crusher and Tone shaper on the Amp stage. Other than that the layout is a fairly standard affair for an analogue synth, with dual oscillators, magazine September 2014

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MT Reviews Aira System -1

Roland might consider when System-2 rolls around?!

Future Classics While we don’t know what future Plug Outs for System-1 will be I’ve heard that they will all be based on monophonic Roland classics. The reason for the monophony is down to System-1’s hardware processor power rather than anything else. Once the power available to run them increases so will the polyphony – just like the old days of synths! Of course all of this is largely irrelevant if you are simply running the Plug Out as a software plug-in, as you can simply stack them together to increase polyphony, but used in Plug Out/hardware mode it does seem the existing hardware will always be monophonic. So whether we’ll see a larger System-2 keyboard for extra polyphony remains to be seen but we’re certainly looking forward to a Jupiter-8 emulation when the power becomes available. And a

an LFO, mixer, and filter and amp envelope stages.

The plug out And so to the first plug-out, the SH-101 that ships with System-1. The original hardware synth was released in 1982 and won many a fan with its deep basses and searing leads including Aphex Twin, Thomas Dolby, Jean Michel Jarre and Vince Clarke. It was also released in different colours, which you can emulate in the software here with red, grey or blue options. Usefully you can also select a System-1 option that shows you how the controls are translated to the hardware, i.e. which are and are not used (those not used are greyed out). Sound-wise I have to say I’m impressed. There’s more effect programmed on the

So, what do we think?

JV-1080 while you’re at it, Roland! For the more immediate Plug Out future you can safely assume the likes of the SH-2 and System 100 will be among the first releases (the latter presumably with some kind of modular implementation), and they are expected to sell for around £100 each.

presets than you’ll find on the original but these are easily removed if you want a truer sonic emulation. Basses are very punchy and there’s a great kick drum that could be used as the backbone of any dance track. Many of the leads are very good as well. Prog Lead 2 and SY Reso Chord are two personal favourites – slightly unstable and buzzy but a sound that will cut through. In fact ‘cutting through’ mixes is what the original became known for and this certainly stands up on that score. As a software emulation of the original hardware, then, this is really very good and just like the real thing (with a bit of tweaking). Indeed the only thing that it doesn’t emulate from the original unit is the ability to wear it, holding it like a guitar complete with strap. Maybe a strap, handle and battery option is something

We’ll forgive the spongey keyboard as this isn’t designed for Jamie Cullum, it’s for the EDM guys – triggering will do, playing properly is not needed. I can’t help thinking, though, that having more presets when using it in hardware/ plug-out mode would have been great. The ones on offer hint at what System-1’s synth engine is capable of and I’d have loved to hear more dreamy pads à la number 7. It’s not even like I can program more with the engine on offer and add them to the eight supplied as there are only eight locations, so any I do produce will have to overwrite the eight already there! Of course, this isn’t an issue if you are using the synth as a DAW plug-in as you can use multiple instances, but in Plug Out mode more presets would mean you really are getting two synth engines for the price of one. The rest of the Aira range has just had significant software updates so I’m hoping we’ll see more presets added in the future. And as it is, for a shade under £500 you are getting a simple synth and a Roland classic plus the flexibility of being able to use it in both DAW plug-in and live Plug Out mode. You’re also getting a base machine that is future-proof and ready to load up more Roland classics as and when they come, so this should be a purchase decision made not only on the system as is but with an eye on future developments as well. MT

MT Verdict + Great-sounding SH-101 emulation + System-1 is a nice synth on its own + Scatter effects add a lot of sonic weight + Flexible Plug Out system means you can take sounds anywhere + Like the different colours - Only has a few presets available in Plug Out mode - Synth is monophonic-only in Plug Out mode - Spongey keyboard won’t be to everyone’s taste System-1 as a hardware synth on its own lacks power and presets, but with the SH-101 Plug Out you have a good and flexible bundle and are secure in the knowledge that you’ll be covered for Roland classic releases for some time to come.

7/10

64 | September 2014

MT138.review system1.indd 64

MAGAZINE

06/08/2014 16:16

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MT Reviews The Rooster 2

THERMIONIC CULTURE

The Rooster 2

Excellence

10/10

Thermionic Culture revisits one of its classics, and MusicTech hardware guru John Pickford finds himself reaching for his wallet. Again. Details Price £1,845 plus VAT Contact Thermionic Culture 01279 414770 Web www. thermionicculture. com

Key Features ● All-valve signal path ● Sowter transformerbalanced ins and outs ● Attitude control with two types of distortion ● Versatile EQ section ● Low noise, high gain and high output level

T

hermionic Culture recently celebrated their 15th anniversary with the launch of two special limited edition products, one of which – the Phoenix HG15 compressor – received a glowing 10/10 from this reviewer, who liked it so much he bought it. Now, TC main man Vic Keary has revisited the awardwinning Rooster, one of the company’s best-selling products. Like its predecessor, the Rooster 2 is a two-channel pure-valve preamplifier capable of accepting microphone and line-level inputs as well as providing an unbalanced, high-impedance DI input socket on each channel for connecting instruments such as guitars and keyboards. The unit also offers some of the most musically satisfying EQ curves you are ever likely to hear, alongside the renowned ‘Attitude’ harmonic distortion control, more of which later. Straight from the box the unit impresses with its smart looks and solid construction. Each channel has a row of high-quality rotary pots and switches that are very pleasing to the touch. The pots are UK-made Omeg conductive polymer types, sealed to provide long life and eliminate DC crackle, while the rotary switches are premium Alpha types from Taiwan. High-quality Sowter transformerbalanced input and output stages are employed, and basic LED metering is provided to read the output level of the unit after the output level control, enabling the user to monitor the output level feeding any unit (such as a compressor, for example) that immediately follows in the signal chain. The preamp now offers a massive 87dB of gain on the microphone input, 8dB more than the earlier units. This, however, is with the unit operating at full blast with the Attitude control set to maximum. This makes the distortion characteristics of the Attitude control even more effective, giving a healthy dose of the gritty power available from the company’s Culture Vulture distortion

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unit. At the lowest Attitude setting, the unit provides 56dB of clean mic gain, which is plenty for any microphone, including insensitive designs such as our Coles 4038 ribbon mic.

Tone on the range A vast variety of tones can be coaxed by making judicious use of the input and output level controls, which, when used in conjunction with the Attitude control offer everything from a full-bodied valve sound through to an overdriven tone with plenty of bite and dirt. The cleanest sounds can be obtained by setting the output level to maximum, the Attitude control to its lowest position, and then adjusting the input level. As you might expect, the

more third-order harmonic distortion (the Pentode setting is noticeably more aggressive and fuzzy compared to Triode). While we’re mentioning valve types it’s worth pointing out that the original unit’s 1287/ECC81 input valve has been replaced with a Sovtek 12AX7/ ECC83 type; the output tube is a PCF 80. A Low Pass Filter (LPF) can be switched in after the distortion valve to reduce harsh high-frequency distortion effects – useful to retain raunch and edge without excessive top-end fizz. As you would expect, the preamp section provides switches to select mic or line-level input sources, reverse polarity (phase) and engage 48V phantom power. The phantom power switch is a springloaded locking device,

To say that we were impressed with this unit would be a huge understatement more aggressive tones are produced by selecting the full amount of Attitude and dialling in more input gain to drive the RTC 5654 ‘distortion’ valve. Incidentally, the 5654 replaces the 5725 valve that was used in the original Rooster. This valve can be switched between Triode or Pentode mode, with Triode offering mainly second-order harmonic distortion and Pentode giving

which prevents it being engaged accidentally when using ribbon mics – just be sure to check that it isn’t engaged before a ribbon mic is plugged in. Unlike many preamps there is no padding provided, but by making use of the relative input/output levels this shouldn’t be problematic. Moving on to the EQ section there are three continuously variable rotary

MAGAZINE

06/08/2014 16:18

The Rooster 2 Reviews MT

Method Spot

Alternatives

For a vintage flavour on lead vocals, set the output control to around medium and adjust the input gain to achieve good level. Switch the Attitude control to position 4 and experiment with both Triode and Pentode modes for the right amount of edge. A touch of mid-lift (try 4kHz) will help the sound stand out in the mix.

pots that control Bass Lift, Mid/Hi Lift and Mid Cut, along with a six-position rotary switch for Bass Cut. This EQ is a joy to use, providing a powerful range of EQ curves that shape flat signals in a sonically flattering way. It’s not a forensic tool for taming nasty frequency spikes – parametric or graphic EQs are better suited to that task – rather, it’s a superb tone enhancer designed to bring out the best in both individual sound sources and stereo mixes. Looking at each control in turn, the Bass Lift features a vari-slope curve that peaks at 60Hz. At low amounts of boost the bass-lift gives a fairly broad shelving-type EQ curve, with higher levels of boost accentuating the lowest frequencies. The Mid/High Lift offers three options of broad boost, with switchable mid-frequencies peaking at either 2.5kHz or 4kHz, while the top end is another vari-slope curve peaking at 10kHz at full-boost. Mid Cut features a bell-shaped curve, centred on 700Hz, which becomes noticeably sharp (the curve, not the sound) at maximum cut. The Bass Cut offers five options of low-end attenuation ranging from high-pass filters to shelving-type curves. It would have been useful to be able to bypass the EQ for comparison purposes, however this is not possible as the equalisers are in different parts of the circuit and the Attitude control, which is an integral part of the

Vertigo Sound’s VSP-2 1976 mic preamp (£2,250) is a solid-state design that uses Jensen JT-16 transformers and features a 100% discrete twin op-amp circuit. The unit includes a DI input although no EQ is provided. For a less expensive transistor unit, try Lindell’s 18Xs MkII (£649). It’s a single-channel mic-pre that features a Pultec-style passive equalizer.

Rooster’s sound, has to be kept in circuit, designer Vic Keary tells us. He is, however, looking into the possibility of incorporating an EQ bypass on the Line stage to enable comparison when the unit is used during the mixing process.

Let there be drums First job for the Rooster was to track a stereo pair of drum mics set up in the Glyn Johns method. For this session we also used the Phoenix HG15 for the bass-drum mic and our Early Bird mic-pre for snare along with a room mic, making for an exclusively Thermionic Culture drum kit recording. The stereo pair comprised a valve Neumann U 67 on the left channel, positioned near the floor tom, and a Coles 4038 high above the centre of the snare drum. The 4038 ribbon mic needed a fair bit more input gain than the U 67, and also a good few dB of top boost. Both channels were improved with a touch of mid-cut and, with the Attitude controls set to position 4 in Triode mode, a punchy drum sound with space and depth was achieved when panned into stereo. Later, when overdubbing a Fender P bass playing through a Bassman amp mic’d with a Neumann 47 Fet, the Rooster enhanced the bass tone when the Bass Lift and Bass Cut controls were used simultaneously. This is a brilliant feature, reminiscent of the low-end trick performed on the classic Pultec EQP-1A, producing a big, fat

bottom end without unwanted congestion or boom. Vocals also sounded fantastic through the Rooster, especially with a bit of Attitude dialled in. The effect, at times, was similar to analogue tape compression, producing a classic edgy, hot vocal sound. During the review period the Rooster was used to track various sources, including our vintage Vox Continental organ plugged into the DI input. Again, the Attitude control was employed to impart a wonderfully present yet warm sound that would be impossible to achieve with a standard DI box. To say that we were impressed with this unit would be a huge understatement. Even by Thermionic Culture’s standards this is a truly special product. The preamp has a fabulously big, open sound with bags of character. Even without touching the EQ the range of tonal options available by tweaking the input and output parameters and experimenting with the Attitude control is phenomenal. The EQ section is very well thought-out and it’s possible to apply heavy doses of EQ without mangling the sound. This is a first-rate tracking device that needn’t sit idle during mixdown, as the delicious EQ and Attitude can breathe life into the dullest sounds. The Rooster 2 is a superb sounding preamplifier with a rock ’n’ roll heart. MT

MT Verdict + Wonderful valve sound + Great variety of preamp tones + Powerful and musical EQ + Lovely analogue saturation + Excellent build quality - No EQ bypass facility Nothing compares to a top-quality valve preamp, especially when recording digitally, and the Rooster 2 is up there with the very best products available. A wide variety of tones can be coaxed from the unit ranging, from clean, sweet and open to downright dirty. The EQ is a fabulous sonic-shaper and TC’s unique Attitude control adds an extra dose of tape-like analogue goodness when recording in the digital domain.

10/10

magazine September 2014

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Fender Passport Studio Reviews MT

Alternatives This is one of those rare occasions where we can’t suggest any direct alternatives because the product is fairly unique. However, if the portability aspect is less of a priority and you don’t mind boxing them up for transportation, you could consider more conventional monitors such as the ADAM ARTist 3 (£230 each), Avantone MixCubes (£387 pair) or Focal Alpha 50 (£200 each). Interestingly the Focal CMS 50 is available in pairs with a dedicated carry bag, but the bundle costs £870.

switches for frequency adjustment. The phones socket mutes the speakers and the aux and left/right inputs can be used simultaneously. So you could split the output of a preamp and connect one side to the Passport Studio’s aux input for zero-latency monitoring.

Lock and load

FENDER FOCAL

Choice

Passport Studio

9/10 9 9/ 10

Is this monitor system, which can be carried in one hand, the perfect lightweight solution for engineers on the move? Huw Price checks in… Details Price £490 (pair) Contact Fender GBI 01342 331700 Web www.fender.com

Key Features ● Frequency response: 50Hz-20kHz ● Input: TRS jacks and/or stereo mini jack ● Total onboard power: 75W per channel ● Onboard equalisation: +1.5 dB at 75Hz and 7.5KHz ● Midrange: 5in Polyglass cone ● Tweeter: 1in TNB inverted dome ● Dimensions: 45.7cm x 35.6cm x 21cm ● System weight: 8.4kg

T

his is the product that would have been perfect back in the days of the jobbing freelance sound engineer. Many of us would box up our preferred monitors and drag them from studio to studio to get some sense of continuity from an endless succession of control rooms. These days many pro engineers and mixers tend to work out of their own studios, but Fender obviously believes that enough of us are still nomadic to justify the development of a fully portable monitor system. What’s more, they have collaborated with one of Europe’s most respected studio monitor manufacturers to do it. Like many computer-style monitor speaker setups, the amplification is contained in the left enclosure and the right speaker links up via a TRS jack cable. The spare space that’s available in the right enclosure accommodates the power and link cables when the speakers are not in use and each enclosure gets a rear cover plate that’s held in position magnetically.

Drive time According to Fender UK the amplifier and driver technology comes from

Focal, and the woofers and tweeters get 50W and 25W each, respectively. The literature states that the ‘Passport Studio houses a world-renowned Focal driver’, which seems to suggest that the same drivers are used in other Focal monitors. We contacted Focal to ask for clarification and were told that the woofer was developed by their R&D team for Fender and it’s an ‘exclusive technology’. However, the inverted dome aluminium/magnesium TNB tweeter is the same unit that is used in Focal’s CMS range. The 5in woofer does have certain Focal features because its Polyglass cone is made by applying molten glass microballs onto a cellulose pulp cone to combine excellent paper damping with glass rigidity. It’s claimed that the rigidity index exceeds even that of single-skin Kevlar and is almost ten times superior to polypropylene. The back panel of the left speaker accommodates balanced inputs for left and right as well as the link output and power switch. Protected by a recess under the speaker baffle there’s a volume control plus two mini jack sockets for auxillary input and headphone output, and three-way

The bass end packs a lot of punch and there’s plenty of it when you consider that these are medium/small nearfields. There’s also a pleasing absence of port chuffing although some roll off can be detected below 50Hz along with a slight lift in the upper bass. Despite sharing the same tweeter, the Passport Studio can’t match the CMS-40 for openness, and the treble sounds a little muted even with the treble boost on. Even so, the Passport Studio system has a smooth and easy-going sound with full midrange, although we did suspect there was a bit of resonance around the 1K region. Judged purely as studio monitors, the level of detail and solidity of the imaging is certainly commensurate with the price point. However, more conventional competitors might offer an extra degree of user adjustment. The defining feature is that Passport Studio system can be locked together and transported without the need to preserve the original packaging or buy a flight case. Then you simply split them, set them up and they’re good to go. This is a cleverly designed, carefully thought out and affordable product that fills a niche in the market. MT

MT Verdict + Quick and convenient portability + Real-world features + Ample power + Smooth sound - Slight midrange colouration - Lacks airiness in the treble An interesting concept that’s well executed and priced – and they sound pretty good too.

9/10

MAGAZINE September 2014

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06/08/2014 16:00

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M-Audio Trigger Finger Pro Reviews MT

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M-AUDIO

Innovation

Trigger Finger Pro

M-Audio’s much-loved controller has had a serious upgrade, but what’s new? Hollin Jones explores the Trigger Finger Pro… Details Price: £299.99 Distributor: InMusic Contact: Via website Web: www.m-audio.com Minimum system requirements: Windows 7 or higher Mac OS X 10.7.5 or higher 2GB RAM Dual-core CPU 8GB space for full install

Key Features ● 16 illuminated multi-coloured pads ● Large backlit display ● Built-in step sequencer ● 8GB bundled sounds, loops and instruments ● USB and hardware MIDI ports ● Buss-powered ● Arsenal hub software ● DAW control

M

-Audio’s original Trigger Finger was a popular MIDI pad and controller device that helped to kickstart the whole ‘hands-on’ performance phenomenon, as more and more people started to play live with laptops. Technology doesn’t stand still for long, though, and now the company has released the Trigger Finger Pro, a much-expanded and upgraded device that’s a bit of a quantum leap forward from its predecessor. Designed to be used both in the studio and on stage, or even without a computer for some tasks, it has quite a few potential users in its sights.

Getting started The device is class compliant but you will need to download the Arsenal software and other content to get the most out of it, which means creating an account online and downloading around 3GB of files (though the actual hub software only accounts for about 400MB of this and can be downloaded separately). The hardware unit itself is solid but lightweight and would slip easily enough into a backpack, and has an adjustable metal stand for

positioning as you want. It powers over USB or via an optional power supply unit, and there’s also a conventional MIDI port. It’s this, combined with the onboard sequencer, that enables the device to act without the need for a computer if set up that way. The front panel is where most of the action takes place and there are 16 touch-sensitive pads and four pad banks for a total of 64 pads. These are backlit and feel responsive and fun to play, especially for beats, and to help you achieve creative performances there are specialised controls, such as Roll. To the left are four knobs and faders that have four control banks for a total of 16 possible parameters. Under this is a DAW control joypad and elsewhere is a range of contextual controls for navigating the device and interacting with the large backlit LCD screen, which has various modes for working with your software. Along the base of the hardware is a colour-coded 64-step sequencer that’s assignable to any MIDI-triggered instrument.

Fire up the big guns M-Audio’s secret weapon in all this is Arsenal, a software application that runs on your Mac or PC and acts as a hub for loading plug-in instruments and managing MIDI mapping. It can run either in standalone mode, in which case it is ideal for performing live without needing to have a DAW running, or it can run as a plug-in inside your existing DAW. M-Audio provides templates for controlling a range of popular VST instruments (including all of Native Instruments’) plus a good selection of others. You can set the Trigger Finger Pro to control your DAW as well by following the usual control surface setup procedure for your sequencer, and then putting the box into the relevant mode. Arsenal enables you to navigate and search all your plug-ins easily and also features tagging support so you can quickly zap straight to the presets you want. You can save setlists of patches for live performances and also, of course, view and edit plug-in interfaces and settings through the app. You can also load, save and edit plug-in maps as well and there’s MIDI Learn for customising setups. In addition your purchase gives you 8GB of production software and samples that can be triggered by the device. AIR Drums by AIR Music Tech is a virtual drum module and the same company also supplies Hybrid 3, a multi-talented synth that covers sounds from analogue through to futuristic. You

Measuring up NI’s Maschine 2 is pretty comparable in its aims and sells for £499. The software is more advanced in some ways, offering a self-contained sequencing environment, sampler and a bunch of its own effects, and it can run as a standalone app or a plug-in, as can Arsenal. Maschine offers better integration with NI’s own range of virtual instruments, which isn’t really a surprise, but only standard integration with third-party ones.

also get 2.5GB of instrumental loops, drum kits and one-shot sounds, and finally there’s a 5GB drum and percussion library by Prime Loops comprising over 2000 sounds. The whole setup took a little while to iron out when getting up and running, and there was also some fiddling involved in getting the hardware to control Logic after setting it up using the Mackie control protocol, but it did eventually work. The Arsenal app crashed once or twice but this is likely due to outdated plug-ins on the system, which in truth can bring down almost any app. On the whole, the experience was good once it settled down and things locked together well. You might think that what M-Audio is aiming at here is not dissimilar to what Native Instruments does with its Maschine 2 controller, and you may have a point. Where NI offers perhaps a smoother integration with its software, M-Audio provides a hardware step sequencer and some faders. Both can host plug-ins, and run as a plug-in themselves in standalone mode, though Arsenal’s probably better at actually navigating third-party plug-ins. The M-Audio unit is also rather less expensive, which will be important for some people. Ultimately, this is a fun and flexible MIDI controller. MT

MT Verdict + Lightweight but well built + Good selection of bundled content + Arsenal enables you to host VSTs with no DAW running + Standalone and plug-in operation + Great for live performance + Hands-on control of instruments + Very playable - Setup can be a little fiddly - There is a learning curve A powerful and playable controller with some great bundled content that is equally at home on stage or in the studio.

8/10

MAGAZINE September 2014

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NEWSFLASH: u-he pushes free synthesizer onto unsuspecting victims!

Zebralette is FREEWARE Spectral oscillator playground offering: Freehand Wavetable Drawing, Spline-based Spectrum Morphing, Additive and Subtractive Synthesis, Phase Distortion, Spectral Expansion, Wave Scrambler, Polyphonic Phaser, Harmonic Chop/Lift, Sync Mojo & much more Why are we advertising freeware? Our devilish plan is to get you hooked on Zebralette first, then sell you Zebra2. Although Zebralette has just one Zebra2 oscillator, you have everything you need to make some amazing sounds. Sounds that can be loaded into Zebra2 later. And should you eventually decide to upgrade, you will already know everything about Zebra2`s main oscillators. Megasaw? Zebralette also goes to eleven. Because those oscillators are so powerful, Zebralette is a great little synth in its own right. It has the same pristine audio quality as the mighty Zebra2. Try out the new presets and see for yourself! Grab your fully functional Zebralette for all common plug-in formats and platforms here*:

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sE RF SPACE Reviews MT

Alternatives There are several alternatives to the sE Reflection Filter range, however they are all simply based around a sheet of acoustic foam and none have the layers of material and air gaps that block not only more of the reflections but also over a wider frequency range. This, alongside the vertical diffusion pillars, gives the RF SPACE a huge advantage over competitors.

Choice

sE

RF SPACE

9/10 9 9/ 10

Is sE’s new version of its multi award-winning reflection filter out of this world? Mike Hillier prepares for lift-off…

C

Details Price £299 Contact Sonic Distribution 0845 500 2500 Web www.seelectronics. com

ontrolling the ambience on a signal is one of the key jobs of any tracking engineer. Even in great-sounding rooms engineers will likely pull out a bunch of baffles to control the ambience as they are recording. But for many small studio owners, having large baffles on hand when you need to close down the reflections is not an easy option. The original RF Pro sought to ease this problem by creating a portable solution that could be quickly set up and positioned to reduce room reflections while capturing a stunning clean, dry performance. Now, eight years later, sE has taken another look at the reflection filter and come up with the SPACE (Specialised Portable Acoustic Control Environment).

Rocket science

Key Features ● Ten layers of Multi-Layer Air Gap technology ● Seven vertical pillars to aid diffusion ● Newly designed clamp ● Three-year warranty

The SPACE takes the basic concept of the RF Pro’s multiple layers and air gaps and extends the surface area to envelop more of the microphone and prevent a greater degree of room reflections from reaching the microphone. The design uses ten layers of sE’s patented Multi-Layer Air Gap technology material with seven vertical pillars. These pillars deepen the air gaps, capturing more low-end material and adding some random diffusion. Compare this with many of the alternatives, which usually consist of nothing more than a sheet of foam, and you can see that sE has really put a lot of work into the Reflection Filter range. In order to make SPACE a more useful and easy-to-use tool than the previous models, sE has redesigned the

mounting mechanism. The clamp can now be tilted and locked at an angle, making it easier to use the SPACE as a filter around instruments as well as on a vertical stand for vocals. However, because of the nature of putting the enclosure around the back of the microphone it still works best with side-address mics (which hang vertically) rather than end-address units, which tend to start poking the back of the chamber, especially when you add the XLR connector.

No-one can hear you scream We started our testing with a vocal in an already fairly well-controlled room. The difference was subtle but still noticeable without any processing on the vocal, and it became more apparent as we started to apply a little compression to the signal. With the RF SPACE in place the compressed signal retained its close, dry, intimate emotion; without it, the compressed signal brought up the room, placing our vocal just a touch further back. Switching from our treated control room to the kitchen – a very live room with a tiled floor and plenty of flat wooden surfaces – the difference between recording with the RF SPACE and without it became more obvious. The live room sound can be a great trick, and we’ve often used it for exactly that reason, just as we’ve heard of other engineers using bathrooms or purpose-built stone rooms for similar effects. However, with the RF SPACE the room took an altogether different vibe and we were impressed at how much

the room was controlled. It still wasn’t as dry as the controlled room with the RF SPACE, though, which shows you that even with the filter in place the room is still going to have an impact. However, it did take much of the life out of the room and would have made it easy to place as a dry vocal, as opposed to the obviously live version without it. Switching to acoustic guitar, the option of being able to angle the RF SPACE made it easy to place and angle the mic at the guitar without too much hassle. We like to use sE’s RNR1 Rupert Neve ribbon mic on acoustic guitar, which has a figure-of-eight polar pattern. With the RF SPACE the signal we captured was clean and clear, with a more direct, focused sound than without it. Because the filter prevents signals from hitting the walls and bouncing back onto the rear of the ribbon, the figure-of-eight capsule sounded more like a cardioid but still had all the gorgeous qualities we’ve come to love of ribbon mics.

The final frontier The RF SPACE does a great job of cutting down room reflections. We’re often telling you the importance of room treatment with respect to mixing, but the tracking environment is important too – arguably more so. If you record in a project studio where the room acoustics are less than perfect this is an almost essential purchase. But even in studios with fantastic treatment and portable baffles, the ability to quickly switch the acoustics makes this a great addition. MT

MT Verdict + Blocks reflections in poorly treated rooms + Improved stand mechanics - Not easy to fit end-address microphones in the enclosure The RF SPACE is an easy-to-use solution that will improve poorly controlled rooms, but can still find a use tightening up well-treated spaces too.

9/10

MAGAZINE September 2014

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JamUp Pro XT Reviews MT

For PC & Mac

POSITIVE GRID

JamUp Pro XT Using an iPad or iPhone for guitar processing is no longer a novelty. Hollin Jones gets jamming… Details Price £6.99 Distributor Positive Grid Contact via website Web www.positivegrid. com Minimum system requirements iPod Touch 4/5, iPhone 4/5, iPad 2 or higher

Key Features ● Real-time guitar and bass processing ● Run seven amp and effects models at once ● Drag-and-drop signal chain creation ● Six amps and 16 effects as standard ● Add more via inapp purchases ● Two-track recorder expandable to eight ● Phrase sampler ● iTunes Jams ● Live mode ● MIDI control

C

alifornian developer Positive Grid is making something of a name for itself with wellreceived products such as the Final Touch mastering suite, BIAS amps and various hardware accessories for iOS. Its latest is an update to the JamUp guitar processing app that runs on all recent iOS devices. JamUp Pro XT is certainly among the more capable of the many guitar simulation apps out there, offering an all-in-one performance and recording tool for guitarists in all genres.

Heavyweight app It’s quite a sizeable download from the App Store – a shade under 500MB – so this may be an issue if you are on one of the lower capacity iOS devices. It runs on an iPhone 4, iPad 2 and iPod Touch 4 or higher, which encompasses a fair few devices. As ever, a newer A7-based device will give you a smoother ride. It’s designed to work seamlessly with Positive Grid’s own iOS guitar interfaces and Bluetooth foot controller, and it will also work with all the major third-party iOS audio and MIDI interfaces (a list is provided on the website). There’s the standard stuff you’d expect, such as a

built-in tuner and metronome, as well as Audio Copy and Paste functionality. JamUp Pro XT has six amp models and 16 stomp box and rack effects including distortion, compression, delay, tremolo and spring reverb, and these can be dragged and dropped into a chain with great ease, or swapped out by tapping on them and choosing a replacement module. With a module selected in Amp/FX view, a large control area appears at the base of the window for you to tweak the effect or amp. Tap into Live view and you get a grid of big, helpful buttons that enable you to switch between presets on the fly – perfect for live performance. If you hook a Bluetooth controller up, its stomp buttons will correspond to these pads so you can switch sounds without using your hands. The presets can be managed and tweaked using the Preset section and there are three banks of four pads. Interestingly the app has quite extensive MIDI control, which can be activated in the Settings section. You can view which parameters are assigned to which MIDI CC numbers and also use MIDI learn to reassign them to any CC of your choice, so it would be easy to set up custom controller maps in a few simple steps.

Gear racks JamUp Pro XT can actually hold up to 46 amps and 40 effects, but to get them all you have to buy expansion packs via in-app purchases. There are nine of these covering various musical styles from acoustic to metal, priced at £6.99 each, and a £2.99 expansion to enable the full eight-track recorder (by default you get two tracks). You can run up to seven amp and effect models at any one time and there’s also a handy phrase sampler with loop recording and overdub that can also load tracks you have previously recorded from Audio Paste and from your onboard iTunes library. Material that you record here can be shared via email, to iTunes or SoundCloud directly from the app. For instant gratification you get a Jam section where it’s possible to load a song from your onboard iPod library and then play it back or loop it using A/B points as you play along. To help you learn a part it’s possible to change the playback speed and pitch of the track as well as its volume, so this is useful for mastering tricky guitar solos.

Jam tomorrow Once you have created some great signal chains of amps and effects you

Alternatives IK Multimedia’s AmpliTube for iOS is a not-dissimilar kind of app. It’s arguably slightly less slick than the drag-and-drop interface of JamUp, but is feature-rich in other ways. It too offers in-app purchases and these include officially-sanctioned packs from the likes of Slash, Jimi Hendrix and Orange. Like JamUp, there’s a free version available with some of the functionality so you can try before you buy.

can share them using the company’s ToneSharing cloud system, and download patches from other users. You can also back up your presets directly to Dropbox from inside the app and sign in to ToneSharing via Facebook. The Settings menu enables you to specify channels to use for audio input and output and there’s an ultra low latency mode for those with more recent hardware. You can turn background audio on or off, which is useful for keeping the processing going even if you leap into another app deliberately or by accident. JamUp now integrates with the company’s other major guitar app, BIAS, meaning that you can use your own unique customcreated amps from BIAS inside JamUp. This is a great tool for iOS guitarists and bassists, providing a very userfriendly way to build effects chains, play live, jam, practice and even record. The music library integration is good and the drag-and-drop interaction, as in Positive Grid’s other apps, is a joy to use. We’re past the point where taking an iPad or even an iPhone on stage seems gimmicky: apps like this paired with modern iOS hardware are a much easier solution for performers than hauling round a battered bag full of pedals and a truck full of amps. MT

MT Verdict + Excellent solution for iOS guitarists + Great performance features + Amazing tone + Highly tweakable + Jam along with songs + Assignable MIDI learn features are good + Use amps you created in BIAS + Add expansion packs that suit your tastes - Expansion packs could come down in price a little A powerful and fun guitar and bass processing suite for iOS with great live performance features and some clever MIDI tricks too.

8/10

MAGAZINE September 2014

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Sonokinetic Grosso Reviews MT

Method spot A feature unique to Grosso is the Bar Sync option, which is triggered on and off using the E6 velocitysensitive keyswitch. When switched on, Grosso’s scripting will read and remember the bar position in your DAW. For example, if you trigger a phrase on beat one of a bar, the phrase will play from the beginning. Trigger the phrase from beat three of the bar and the phrase will cut in at beat three instead, missing out the first two beats.

Innovation

SONOKINETIC

Grosso

Choice

9/10 9 9/ 10

Sonokinetic rate Grosso as their best orchestral phrase-based instrument yet. Keith Gemmell cues it up. Details Price €299 Contact via website Web www. sonokinetic.net Minimum System Requirements Kontakt 5

Key Features ● 16- and 24-bit versions ● Six recorded orchestral sections ● Four recorded microphone positions ● Customdesigned GUI with score display ● Time Machine Pro capability ● Custom chord recognition ● Harmonic shift capabilities ● ‘Intelligent’ purging system

S

onokinetic’s last phrasebased orchestral library, Minimal, received such a positive response that a sequel was inevitable, say the developers. Made up of tempo-sync’d orchestral phrases it was an instant hit with composers. Built along similar lines with a section-by-section approach, their latest product, Grosso, is a grand orchestral sample library for scoring action, epic fantasy and chase scenes. Being resource-hungry software, the content is available in both 16-bit and 24-bit versions.

Orchestral grandeur The library is grouped into five separate Kontakt patches – strings, woodwinds, brass, percussion and choir. Strings and choir are split into low, mid and high sections, and woodwinds and brass into low and high. Percussion is divided into taiko and traditional percussion. There’s also a transition builder for creating woodwind and brass segues. Playing Grosso from a keyboard controller couldn’t be simpler – you just

play major or minor triads, and all inversions are recognized. There’s an abundance of phrases, and you can mix and match different ones from the high, mid and low sections. You can switch them into half- and double-time and they’re chosen using icons that graphically represent their melodic and rhythmic shape. Some may find this method odd (we certainly did at first) because they have no descriptive name, just a numerical one, which is not easy to remember. Unless you have the kind of mind that remembers shapes, finding a particular phrase means auditioning them one by one. If you read music, though, the notation is a click away and you’ll find that far easier to remember. (A complete score containing all the phrases is available from sonokinetic.net, but at extra cost.) Musically the phrases are minimalistic, and most rely heavily on

phrases we discovered the Harmonic Shift feature. Brought over from Minimal and expanded upon, it enables you to play phrases simultaneously in different but related keys. Triads are played, as usual, with the left hand while the right hand executes on-thefly keyswitches that change the phrase or phrases being played by set intervals. It’s a great feature and works brilliantly with two phrases playing simultaneously, one employing the harmonic shift and the other one left unaltered. Default major and minor interval settings have been defined by Sonokinetic but a matrix is provided for setting up user variations. In the main GUI, which is both artistic to look at and functional, all the controls, including the main volume, panning, crossfade times and the different microphone positions, are easily adjusted. Volume for the fields

Anything from light strings to a symphony orchestra at full blast can be scored quickly rhythmic shapes as opposed to melodic lines, which makes them ideal for accompanying action scenes and trailers. That said, they could just as easily be used in other genres. Although recorded in 12/8 time the engine has been configured to work in both 4/4 and 12/8. Compositionally, they have been ingeniously constructed to fit together across the entire orchestra, and the orchestration by Piotr Musial is faultless. As a result, pulsating orchestral backdrops – anything from light strings and delicate woodwinds to a complete symphony orchestra at full blast – can be scored very quickly.

Harmonically rich Just when we began to tire of playing Grosso’s standard major and minor

within a preset is assigned to the mod wheel by default (CC 1) but is easily switched off. Keyswitching plays a major role in Grosso. After all, there are plenty of spare keys available. The playing range is less than two octaves and playing individual notes is not practical. Muting phrases, selecting presets, controlling harmonic shift, tuning, turning release samples on and off and operating other controls is all done with keyswitches. Also, because the instrument is split into separate Kontakt patches, the keyswitches have been laid out in such a way that when several patches are loaded together you can play them all on a single MIDI channel. Four microphone positions are available: Close, Decca Tree, Wide and MAGAZINE September 2014

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MT Reviews Sonokinetic Grosso

Alternatives It’s strings only but NI’s Action Strings (€299) operates on a similar principle to Grosso. Short ostinato phrases are selected with the left hand and pitch is controlled with the right. For variation, you can switch between phrases as you play at any point in the bar – much simpler than Grosso’s Bar Sync method. Sonokinetic’s Minimal, Vivace and Tutti (€200) are also performance sampling libraries, but there’s nothing around at the moment to beat the grandeur, ease of use and scope of Grosso.

Far (balcony). Only two positions can be mixed at once, though, which might be a bit limiting for some people. The default position is just a single Decca Tree but you can mix in one of the other options if necessary. If the 16-bit Lite version is used, a premix from four recorded positions is used instead to save CPU. The hall reverb produces an excellent ambience but it’s not adjustable. If necessary it can be tamed by using just the close microphone. A completely dry sound is, of course, out of the question and in this case not desirable anyway.

In transit A completely separate patch is used for the Transition Builder. It’s used to automatically build brass and woodwind crescendos based on various chords. Percussion fills and a taiko ensemble are also included. Crescendos can be assigned to brass or woodwinds and, similar to the main Grosso instrument phrases, each one displays a graphical representation of the chord intervals that are building up throughout a crescendo. The more complex the graphic, the more notes are added to the crescendo, mostly one at a time, fanfare fashion, and the speed at which they enter can be

78 | September 2014

MT138.review Grosso.indd 78

adjusted. Also, unlike the main instrument phrases, dominant sevenths, diminished, half diminished, augmented and suspended chords can all be played as well. A large number of percussion fills, one-shots, rolls and short crescendos are mapped to the keyboard, as are the taiko and gran cassa samples which are laid out in octaves for two-handed playing. Mixable microphones are not available in the Transition Builder; instead, four positions are available plus a premixed tutti position similar to the one used in the Lite version.

To buy or not to buy Many musicians are opposed on principle to the phrase-based approach to composition. After all, the user isn’t really composing, just piecing together someone else’s musical ideas. If you’re in that camp, though, Grosso might just change your point of view. The sheer depth and flexibility of the software is breathtaking, and with so many phrases available across the entire range of the orchestra, hundreds, if not thousands, of combinations are possible if you take the time to experiment. With such a wealth of material at your fingertips, complete

compositions can be achieved with Grosso alone. However, due to the lack of melodic material it’s probably at its best when combined with other libraries and synths. Although instant results are obtainable, even to non-musicians, Grosso should not be dismissed as a one-finger (three fingers, in this case) beginner’s program. Experienced composers and musicians will find it useful, too, because the more musical knowledge you have the deeper you can go with features such as the Harmonic Shift and the Transition Builder. Everything in Grosso has been thoroughly thought through musically, and cleverly implemented for fast scoring. At its most basic it’s very easy to use but has the necessary musical depth to satisfy experienced composers. Mixing is basic but we found it easy enough to blend Grosso with other libraries, and if you need effects and so on you can always dive into Kontakt’s editor. Last but certainly not least, we think that one of the best things about Grosso is its ability to inspire. It’s the kind of software that draws you in and before you know it hours have passed as you experiment with different section combinations, muting some, harmonically shifting others and so on. So if you’re stuck for ideas Grosso might be just what you’re looking for. MT

MT Verdict + It’s inspirational + Fast orchestral scoring + Simple to control + Excellent orchestration - Full PDF score costs extra - Resource hungry - Limited mic mixing Grosso is the most comprehensive orchestral phrase-based composition tool around at the moment – great sound, well orchestrated, and if you’re stuck for ideas, highly inspirational.

9/10

MAGAZINE

06/08/2014 16:13

distributed by Audio-Technica

Session Keys Grand Reviews MT

Choice

9/10 9 9/ 10

For PC & Mac

E-INSTRUMENTS

Session Keys Grand

If you can’t fit a concert grand in your studio, E-Instruments may have the solution. Hollin Jones lifts the lid… Details Price Session Keys Grand S/Y: €99 each; bundle of both instruments: €159 Distributor E-Instruments Contact via website Web www. e-instruments.com Minimum system requirements Free Kontakt 5 player or Kontakt 5.2.1 or higher

Key Features ● Sampled grand pianos ● 24-bit, 44.1 kHz operation ● Kontakt Player ● Mac or PC ● Studio or Concert modes ● Unique Pentamorph controller ● Animator and Smart Chords ● Pad or keyboard playback

R

ecreating grand pianos in software form isn’t a new idea, but as technology improves the level of authenticity and the flexibility of what developers are able to achieve with sampling continues to evolve. E-Instruments makes a range of sampled instruments, and its latest is Session Keys Grand S and Y: two acoustic grands recorded in great detail that aim to put concertready sounds at your fingertips. At just under 5GB apiece they run in the free or full version of the Kontakt player on Mac or PC, requiring the usual authorisation procedure. As ever, files can be offloaded to an external drive to save space on your boot drive.

A grand day out The two instruments have identical feature sets but use recordings of different pianos. Each one also has two modes: Concert and Studio. In Concert mode the recordings were made with an open lid in a concert-style space, and with room mic’ing for a big, expressive feel. Studio mode was

captured with the lid removed, and close mic’ing used to get a dry, intimate sound more suited to contemporary playing styles. You can switch between styles by pressing a single button. Once you’re up and running you will probably want to start with some presets, and there are some excellent patches that automatically dial in settings to create various types of feel and effect. You will of course want to make some tweaks to tailor the pianos to your liking and this is possible using the many onboard controls. The Tonality section provides dials for multiple kinds of resonance, envelope and noise characteristics including pedal and key sounds, and there’s a Reverse knob that enables you to introduce reversed samples into the signal with variable level. An effects section helps to add depth, with three-band EQ, stereo widening, compression, delay and reverb with multiple types all available. It’s easy to make your piano softer or harder, and more dry or wet depending on what you need.

Morph it A more unusual feature is the Pentamorph control. It’s comprised of five points, each of which lends a different feel to the sound. These include Reversed, Aerial, Tonality, Acoustic and Mechanics, and each one does more or less what you’d expect, adding air, mechanical sounds or stripping it back to just the close-mic’d notes. Helpfully you can move the control between these points and thus create a hybrid effect; for example, making a piano that is slightly reversed with plenty of room ambience. It makes it simple to get piano textures as easily as conventional notes, and this is great for soundtrack or sound-design work. For the less advanced player, Session Keys Grand offers something really great to help you create parts you may not be able to achieve yourself. The Animator section provides a number of ‘songs’, which are themselves divided into parts such as chorus, verse and intros and can be played using just one or two fingers. Hold a key and a complex pattern plays back based on the preset you have chosen. Hold a couple of keys and the pattern modifies, and dynamics and complexity can be controlled using the pitchbend and mod wheels. Different patterns can be dropped onto virtual keys to build a quick library for playing back whole sequences. At the base of the Animator section is a set of controls including chord

Alternatives NI’s New York Concert Grand at £59 is another excellent sampled grand piano with a very approachable interface and controls for altering the behaviour of the instrument and the sound it produces. It doesn’t have the assistant features of Session Keys, though, so any playing you do will have to come from you or another MIDI source.

detection (which can be set to be more or less strict), manual complexity and dynamics controls, and swing and quantize dials to add a human element. There’s a half- or double-speed option, and of course all of this can be altered in real time. The patterns on offer are fairly cinematic in nature but are adaptable to a range of different musical uses, and will be tremendously helpful for lending a more professional and musical flair to any production. There’s also a Smart Chord feature that ties in with the Animator. Using this you can play chords and chord variations using piano keys or the pad controller, with humanise and velocity settings also available. Again this enables you to make beautiful, flowing and intricate sequences without really having to be able to play them.

Session on? As a software recreation of grand pianos with all the sound-shaping and tonal controls you would expect, these are excellent performers that will help you to incorporate almost any kind of grand piano sound you like into your tracks, and they’re excellent for solo performance as well. What really adds to the value, though, is the addition of the Smart Chord and Animator sections that open up the possibility of complex musical figures even to those without advanced keyboard skills. MT

MT Verdict + Great sound-shaping options + Pentamorph is very useful + Animator is brilliant for creating sequences + Intelligent and user-friendly design + Attractive pricing + Good for sound design + Onboard effects - Some user control over precise mic positions would be nice A great-sounding and playable piano with excellent sound-shaping controls and innovative generators to help less advanced players.

9/10

MAGAZINE September 2014

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Brainworx bx_refinement Reviews MT

Choice

For PC & Mac

BRAINWORX

bx_refinement As the name suggests, the order of the day here is subtle polishing and embellishment. Alex Holmes gets buffing…

A

lot of the time we talk about how to make tracks and mixes sound warmer and how to add the analogue vibe that makes things nicer to listen to. This is often achieved through stacking up various processors such as vintage EQs and compressors, carefully modelled analogue desks, or tape and tube emulations. However, bx_refinement from Brainworx takes a different approach: instead of trying to pile on the warmth it attempts to take out the aspects that make a mix sound harsh and aggressive, ultimately arriving at a similar, pleasant-sounding conclusion.

Damping down The processor comes in a variety of plug-in formats and can be loaded direct onto a channel or buss, or placed across the entire mix in the mastering chain. On a basic level it is essentially a filter with a fixed curve around the 3/4kHz area, with a large dial for turning up the damping, a soft and hard switch for changing the steepness of the curve, and a mix knob for balancing the dry and wet signals. You also have a useful solo button, which lets you hear

Details

Price $199 Contact via website Web www.pluginalliance.com Minimum System Requirements Pro Tools 9 or higher or a VST/VST3/AUcompatible host. Supports both 32-bit and 64-bit Mac: Intel CPU only, 2GB RAM, OS X 10.6 or higher Windows: Intelcompatible CPU with SSE2 instruction set, 2GB RAM, Windows XP or higher

Key Features ● Finely tuned plug-in for reducing harshness ● Designed by Gebre Waddell of Stonebridge Mastering ● VST, VST3, AU, AAS, RTAS formats ● Works in M/S or just M mode ● Damping, tube saturation and presence controls ● Dynamic and LFO damping modulation

9/10 9 9/ 10

Innovation

the region you’re attenuating, and a switch to choose whether you’re affecting the mid and the side channels or just the mid channel where most of the volume of the mix will likely reside (although which sounds better will depend largely on the source material). Further controls at the bottom enable you to add modulation to the damping, either by adding dynamics to catch the louder peaks and turn it into a dynamic EQ, or by adding an LFO to create warming effects. The latter uses a sine wave to control the damping amount, which can be sync’d to tempo or left to run free, although in practice we found the dynamics modulation to be much more useful. As a nice touch, the tube graphic in the middle of the GUI will light up in response to the damping you add, so you can get additional feedback from your modulation adjustments. Finally,

Alternatives The bx_refinement is quite unique in the way it’s been fine-tuned to transparently achieve the specific task of notching out harshness. However, you could try using a de-esser or multiband dynamics plug-in to get similar results, such as FabFilter’s Pro-MB (£139), or Pro-DS (£124), which are an excellent dynamic EQ and a highly flexible de-esser, respectively. Alternatively, to fulfil the role of saturation, EQ and dynamic taming, you might consider iZotope’s Alloy 2 ($199).

comparison. We tried several more mixes and each led us to the same conclusion: bx_refinement makes things sound better, very quickly and very easily. Therein lies the answer to the asking price: it’s a very specific tool, with settings that have been incredibly fine-tuned to give great results. Care needs to be taken, of course, as overuse could result in a slightly dull and lifeless sound. We’d recommend this more for improving mixes that are already well balanced rather than mixing into it, which will likely add to confusion. It’s hard to say if we’ll still be using this plug-in in six months’ time, as it’s highly possible that in slowly tuning our ears to the

It’s a very specific tool that has been incredibly fine-tuned to give great results to give an extra flavour there’s also a saturation algorithm for subtly bulking out the overall sound, and a presence dial that can add back in some air frequencies via a shelving filter. At this point you may be asking yourself why a single plug-in with a fixed band and limited controls is commanding a $200 asking price. We’ve always been a little sceptical of magic fix-it plug-ins, so approached our testing with a degree of apprehension. First, we tried loading up several finished mixes that we deemed well-balanced and polished, then we added an instance across the entire mix. Flicking through the presets gives an idea of the kind of softening effects that the plug-in is capable of, but we thought best to start subtly, dialling in around 50% damping with gentle dynamic control, a little saturation and presence, and a 60% wet/dry mix. After listening to the track for a while and getting used to the sound, we hit the bypass button and were shocked by how boxy the midrange seemed in

offending frequencies we may start to be more careful about adding them to our mixes in the first place. Even if this is the case, we’d still happily pay the price to learn the lesson and dramatically improve our tracks. MT

MT Verdict + Very easy to use and achieve great results + Transparent sound when used subtly + Retains punch of original material + Has the ability to magically improve mixes previously deemed finished - Fixed frequency for dampening restricts flexibility - Only one saturation model A finely tuned processor that appears simple on the surface, but the results speak for themselves. Instant sonic improvement to audio that can help you achieve a rounder-sounding mix.

9/10

MAGAZINE September 2014

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MT Reviews Best Service Altus

BEST SERVICE

Altus

For PC & Mac

Altus is the third in Best Service and Eduardo Tarilonte’s mystical vocal collections. Can Andy Jones be any more excited? As they said in medieval times, ‘non’. Details Price €149 Contact Best Service +49 (0) 89 45228920 Web www.bestservice.de Minimum system requirements Windows 7 or 8 Mac OS X 10.7 or 10.8 2GB RAM

Key Features ● 1.3GB collection ● Over 3000 samples (44kHz/24-bit) ● Five legatos and portamenti (a, e, i, o, u) ● 26 words, two different articulations (fast and slow) ● Words split into 136 syllables ● 130 phrases ● 15 soundscapes

R

egular readers will know about my not-so-secret love of donning cloaks and loading up Best Service vocal collections. So far I’ve loved Shevannai (The Voice Of Elves) and Cantus (the equivalent with monks), and have become a bit of a closet fan of Eduardo Tarilonte, the vocal sound designer who puts these amazing collections together. Where Shevannai is the stuff of fantasy and Cantus the stuff of monastery, Altus is camped fair and square in the Renaissance period, so completes what you might call a medieval hat-trick. OK, so elves didn’t really exist [eh? Sub-ed] and Gregorian vocals are spread across many a century, but you get my drift. All three of these instruments are fantastical, atmospheric and quite definitely part of a mystical vocal collection – indeed bestservice.de markets them together.

Game of tones Altus concentrates on the countertenor voice and is a collection, as Best Service say, ‘for your Renaissance and Baroque music productions, for films, documentaries, video games and new

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age music.’ As with Eduardo’s other collections it includes words and phrases, in this case using the countertenor José Hernández Pastor as their source. It’s a 1.3GB collection, so not too large, and once loaded into the Kontakt environment Altus has two main folders: The Voice, made up of these word and phrase presets; and Soundscapes, comprising 15 presets. Load up the word preset and you get Wordbuilder, which enables you to choose and put whole words, parts of words and vowel sounds together to make phrases, some of which must mean something, and some of which will end up being pure gobbledegook. There are 26 words, 136 parts, i.e. syllables, and of course five vowel sounds. Putting words and phrases together is easy. Simply click on an empty block and choose from the words or parts with a dropdown menu. Play a key and the parts will be played stringing them all together as you repeatedly hit the note. Instant Renaissance! Within this section you can also click off the Wordbuilder to play the different whole words at various pitches, controlling envelope times, reverb and so on with sliders on screen. Words include the obvious (Agnus, Amen, Corpus) and the not so obvious (Fortuna, Inferno and, er, Gloria). The second preset covers the phrases, of which there are 130 across three key switches. As ever, recordings are pristine and each phrase lasts for usually between five and 10 seconds so

Alternatives There are lots of vocal sample collections to choose from, obviously, but not so many with a fantasy bent nor any with as much flexibility in the word-build department, so it’s Best Service’s own collections that therefore come closest. We’ve mentioned Shevannai (The Voice Of Elves) and Cantus, so it’s really a case of choosing the vocal type (elf, monk or knight) and going for it. Just like a fantasy role-playing video game, then.

than these soundscapes but I love them anyway. With names like Mysterious Lights and Horse Ride To Florence you get mystery by the bucketload, atmosphere by the gallon and imagination like a big long hazy drug trip. In short, they’re brilliant, big textures and I want more. Maybe Best Service could release a collection of these on their own, and lots of them!

Altugether now Again, you can’t fault Altus as a collection that sets out to do something and does it incredibly well. The focus, again, is narrow, which is a huge strength but also a weakness as it obviously isn’t going to appeal to everyone. But as I’ve continued to use Shevannai and Cantus since reviewing them I have found myself turning to them for all sorts of reasons and all sorts of different genres, and have been surprised at how important they have both become, even inspiring new genres of music (my ‘spiritual house’ album will be on sale next year, I promise). Best Service has factum est autem rursum (done it again). Magna opus, fellas! MT

You can’t fault Altus as a collection that sets out to do something and does it well there’s plenty of vocal meat to add to your tunes. The vocal itself is the same person across all words and phrases (the aforementioned José Hernández Pastor) so there’s an argument to say if you don’t get on with his voice you’ll not get along with anything here, so check out the demo on the website first. Personally I find him very agreeable…

Soundscapes This is an area where the other collections have teased you with some of the most beautiful textures you will ever hear, and when I say ‘tease’ I mean they offer them but not that many. Altus is the same – it’s more about the voice

MT Verdict + Superb recording quality + Cool Wordbuilder function + Amazing soundscapes + Evocative phrases - Possibly narrow in focus - Could do with more soundscapes It’s another winner and a hat-trick of atmospheric vocal instruments for Best Service and Eduardo Tarilonte. We bow down to your soundscaping prowess and may you wear your cloaks with pride, as we do.

8/10

MAGAZINE

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DopeVST Bass Engine Reviews MT

as it looks and uses samples to generate sound. These are stored within the plug-in file itself so can’t be easily separated, but at just 1.7GB per instance they’re not realistically going to present a problem for anyone’s hard drive. There’s an on-screen keyboard or you can of course trigger it from any kind of MIDI control surface and cycle through the 300 bundled presets.

Old skool

Choice

DopeVST

For PC & Mac

9/10 9 9/ 10

Bass Engine Sometimes only a fat bass will do. Hollin Jones gets funky with this hip-hop-based synth plug-in… Details Price £60 Contact via website Web www.dopevst.com Minimum system requirements 1.7GB Disk space 2GB RAM Windows XP or above Mac OS X 10.4 or above

D

opeVST is a relative newcomer to the software development scene, and Bass Engine is just its second release. The concept is pretty simple: to give you some of the best and most classic bass sounds from the last three decades of hip-hop without burying you with sound-tweaking options. Although lots of controls can be a good thing, it isn’t always the case. I’ve lost count of the number of times I would have traded ten oscillator controls for a patch that just sounded brilliant right away without me having to do anything to it. The company identifies this very issue and claims Bass Engine is the antidote to ‘30GB monsters’. But is it?

Down and dirty Key Features ● AU and VST ● 32- or 64-bit ● 300 pre-EQ’d hip-hop basses ● 50 MIDI basslines ● Low CPU usage ● Pitch, pan and volume ● Reverb

Before we get to that, a few words on the technicalities. This plug-in weighs in at around 1.7GB and comes in 32- or 64-bit VST and AU versions for Windows and Mac OS X as appropriate. It’s not massively complex and as such will run on systems as far back as Windows XP and OS X 10.4, and on relatively old processors. Authorisation is via a serial number and is done locally. The instrument itself is as straightforward

DopeVST has identified three eras of hip-hop bass, and the presets are prefixed with 1990s, 2000s or 2010s – 100 of each. This is actually a really useful approach because it cuts down a lot of time spent looking for sounds. Normally your presets will just have names, and not necessarily particularly illuminating ones. Here the preset names, by and large, give a good idea of the kind of bass you’re going to get. The 1990s presets really do sound properly 90s, for those who remember what many consider to be a golden age of hip-hop. So here you get lots of record crackle as part of many of the patches, along with upright basses, Moogs, live electric samples and abstract jazzy basses. The hip-hop of the time involved a lot of sampling of old funk and jazz records and that is replicated in these basses, so it’s all very organic and sounds excellent. Things changed in the 2000s where there was a move towards using hardware bass synths to get a deeper, punchier sound. So, accordingly, the presets here encompass E-mu Mo’Phatt patches, ASR-10 and MPC3000 sampler sounds, subs and fat Triton patches. By the 2010s, things have moved on again and everything has gotten more electronic and club-oriented. So here you will find 15 different 808 sounds, Moog Prodigy subs, Warm MS-20s and all sorts of other heavy, processed basses.

Low blow The bass sounds are really excellent, very usable and just as suitable as DopeVST suggests for all kinds of hip-hop, from classic 90s crate digging to up-to-the-minute club bangers. You won’t want to do much to the sound since they are pre-EQ’d, though you do get a few on-board controls. Probably most useful are attack, decay, sustain and release knobs that enable you to alter the envelope of each sound to make it more or less attacking, for example. There’s a volume control and a fine pitch control, which would be useful

Alternatives Rob Papen’s SubBoomBass is a bass synthesizer that’s probably geared more towards electronic styles, or the newer end of hip-hop at the very least. At €99 it’s affordable and has lots of tweakable controls, so is more suitable for sound design. This may be the opposite of what you want, though, if the immediacy of Bass Engine appeals to you.

for detuning the sound to match some other sampled material. There are also pan and reverb controls, though these are slightly baffling since reverb isn’t an effect you ever really associate with bass sounds, and panning basses off centre is also a pretty unlikely mixing technique. You don’t have to use them, of course, but a distortion stage would probably have been more useful than reverb here. As part of the bundle you also get 50 MIDI parts, in a range of styles and keys that you can import into your DAW. These aren’t particularly groundbreaking but could be useful if your playing skills aren’t too advanced. Bass Engine isn’t really all that complicated. As the developer says, it’s meant to be a collection of highly usable bass instruments for hip-hop, and in that it succeeds brilliantly. For anyone who has spent ages trawling through the preset lists of other, highly capable bass instruments looking for something that worked straight off the bat for hip-hop, this is excellent news. And for the price, 300 sounds, most of which will drop right into your projects, is a great selection. I’m still not entirely sure why it has a reverb stage or a pan control, but maybe that’s not important since you don’t have to use them. As a go-to, no-nonsense source for excellent hip-hop bass sounds, Bass Engine is a bit of a steal. MT

MT Verdict + Excellent sounds for hip-hop + Spans three ages in hip-hop production + Affordable + Low CPU requirements + Plenty of presets + Extremely easy to use + No messing about - Full version of Kontakt 4 required Simple but effective, Bass Engine is a no-nonsense collection of hip-hop-ready basses. Fat, warm and earthshaking, these are the basses you’ve been looking for.

9/10

MAGAZINE September 2014

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Session Horns PRO Reviews MT

NATIVE INSTRUMENTS

Session Horns PRO Writing and arranging for horns is a tricky business if you don’t have the necessary skills, but Session Horns PRO makes it so much easier. Keith Gemmell takes a deep breath…

Choice

Details Price £249 Telephone 0845 5272006 Web www.nativeinstruments.com Minimum system requirements Free Kontakt 5 Player or Kontakt 5 6GB RAM

Key Features ● 30GB of authentic contemporary horns ● 10 sampled instruments ● Customise up to six-piece horn sections ● Intelligent play modes for easeof-use ● Mixer and effects

For PC & Mac

9/10 9 9/ 10

O

n reviewing the initial release of Session Horns we reckoned it did a splendid job of delivering punchy-sounding four-piece horn section licks and riffs for rock, jazz and funk productions, although it didn’t include solo instruments and articulation keyswitching. An expanded version, Session Horns PRO, is now available, this time with a 30GB sound library plus the inclusion of articulations and solo instruments. For background information not included in this review, we recommend that you read the Session Horns review in MT119.

Section building Three file types are available. Performance, Key Switch and Solo. The

Performance folder features phrases and sound sets for a variety of different genres. For example, the Full Horns patch contains two trumpets, two tenor saxophones, a baritone sax and a tenor trombone – a fairly large setup with a powerful modern sound. Vintage Horns, on the other hand, features a Stax/ Motown-style section of two trumpets plus tenor sax and baritone saxophones. Unlike the more basic Session Horns, customised sections can also be built from the ten available instruments, which includes a tuba. If you’re a good keyboard player the horn sections can be played polyphonically, which triggers all the selected instruments. However, this can sound muddy if too many notes are played at once. A better bet might be to use the so-called Smart Voice Setup, which distributes the voices realistically among the notes played. Within a four-note chord the lowest determines the lower range instruments, trombone for example, the next highest controls the instruments with the next highest pitch range, and so on. Add a fifth note and one of the existing notes will be replaced according to the pitch range of the new note. It works brilliantly and should prove a significant time saver, particularly if your brass arranging skills are limited. True polyphonic legato is available, too, for even more realism. Monophonic legato is also an option, of course, along with a choice of two velocitycontrolled keyswitches – enough for general playing and subsequent editing if necessary.

Riffs and licks An upgraded Animator phrase library remains, and, with 200 or so ready-toplay riffs, should prove useful to many. It’s a good feature but obtaining satisfactory results by fitting prerecorded horn phrases around an existing song melody isn’t always easy. The phrases are editable; for example, you can alter the start points and lengths, but we found playing them on a keyboard and switching notes a bit clumsy. However, we switched to a DAW and drew the changes needed in the

Alternatives Vintage Horns ($200) provides all the instruments needed for the classic horn section sounds of R&B, soul and funk bands of the 60s and 70s. MOJO Horn Section ($400) covers plenty of ground with solo instruments, woodwinds and big band lineup. Both can be found at Big Fish Audio.

piano roll, and used this way they have considerable creative potential. Similar to the Performance folder, the Key Switch files provide 16 key switchable articulations for both performance or composition, nine of which can be selected at a time. Perhaps the biggest advantage over the original version, though, is the addition of the Solo folder, which provides access to all the individual instruments and their keyswitches for detailed editing. Although not as intricate as a dedicated solo instrument sample library and not really suitable for big band work, they have just the right sound and character for producing pop, jazz and funky horn lines. Where Session Horns provides many of the features required for fast but small-size horn section writing, especially for musicians with limited arranging experience, Session Horns PRO expands the principle further. An update from Session Horns is available and worth buying for the additional features such as multiple keyswitching, extra instruments and sound sets and, of course, the solo instruments, which make a huge difference when detailed editing is needed. If you haven’t bought the first version and you produce the kind of music where funky horns, both vintage and modern, are an important ingredient, Session Horns PRO ought to be on your shopping list. MT

MT Verdict + Customised sections + Automatic voice distribution from chords + Good articulations + Solo instruments - Phrase player operation is a touch clumsy Versatile and cleverly implemented, Session Horns PRO provides the means to build a soulful horn section from scratch and the tools required to quickly and easily produce funky riffs and phrases. Recommended for both experienced and inexperienced arrangers alike.

9/10

MAGAZINE September 2014

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06/08/2014 16:05

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Mini Reviews MT

Analogue Workshop Vol. 2: Dark Ambient Manufacturer Ian Boddy Price £34.95 Contact [email protected] Web www.timespace.com

A

s good as software synths are, there’s always going to be a hunger for the kinds of weird and wonderful noises that are recognisably taken from creaky old monster hardware synthesizers. Sound designer Ian Boddy has recorded over 300 samples from his collection of vintage analogue and modular synths, covering the darker recesses of ambient and electronic music. It’s a 750MB download and works in Kontakt 4.2.4 or higher, though not in the free Kontakt Player. Even without Kontakt you can access the samples, though obviously this isn’t as flexible. The patches can be opened inside Kontakt but they’re not in library format, so you have to navigate to them using the browser. Dark Ambient is a pretty accurate name for the sounds on offer and they

Choice

9/10 9 9/ 10

Key Features ● 300 samples at 44.1kHz, 24-bit ● Kontakt interface with FX ● Individual samples also accessible ● 500 patches ● Sampled from vintage synths

run the gamut from subsonic drones and pads to strange, evolving atmospheres and percussive synth hits. Grouped into categories, they share a scripted Kontakt interface that enables you to alter various parameters such as LFO, filter, envelope and a range of effects including distortion, phasing, flanging, delay and some reverbs with impulse responses taken directly from classic hardware to complement the synth patches. Patches are provided in raw and treated versions, and the effects are

Midiclock Manufacturer E-RM Price £169 Contact [email protected] Web www.e-rm.de

W

ith the recent resurgence of instrument hardware in the studio and on stage, an inherent desire to incorporate this type of gear with a laptop performance workflow has arisen. When it comes to anything that has its own sequencer on board, or is a sequencer itself, the topic of synchronisation is a hot one. Though software can output MIDI clock to sync various other devices to a laptop, the jury is still out on the stability of software MIDI clocks due to something called MIDI clock jitter. Unlike latency amounts where the delay is constant, jitter is when evenly spaced events or notes from a steady clock signal turn into random ones, which can cause all types of timing issues. Jitter is extremely unsettling for a musician as the inconsistent timing and unpredictable changes from event

Key Features ● Live and Normal tempo switching modes ● Two 5-pin MIDI output ports ● Solid timing performance ● Sturdy case design

to event can make it sometimes impossible to work or play with. Jitter can be reduced using MIDI event time-stamping, but not all DAWs or MIDI drivers use this feature. This is where the midiclock comes in. The midiclock is a small and compact unit that produces a very accurate and stable MIDI clock – reducing MIDI clock jitter from milliseconds to nanoseconds. With two five-pin DIN MIDI outs, the clock can be distributed to two destinations with a possibility of more by using a standard MIDI THRU box. Synchronisation is started and stopped with one button

good. The list of instruments sampled is impressive, including Roland’s System 100-M, Doepfer A-100, VCS3 and a bunch of other stuff you’ve probably never heard of. What we got from playing these patches was an overwhelming sense of how good they would be for the kinds of edgy, minimalist TV and film soundtracks that are so popular these days. Composers will often opt for obscure hardware synths for their textures and tones, and by using this collection you can do much the same without all the hassle of using real hardware. The drones and sweeps are menacing, ethereal and supremely usable for any kind of atmospheric composition work. The collection is very affordable too, and you’re getting access to some great sounds. Check out the website to hear a few of them. MT

MT Verdict This collection is an affordable way to get some authentic and decidedly dark electronic sounds for your soundtracks.

9/10

and there is also an incredibly useful ‘Resync’ button that provides the option to correct any drifting device on the fly without having to stop the clock. Two modes called Normal and Live can set the desired BPM. Just the turn the dial to choose the BPM in Normal mode, then push down to select and switch to the new BPM – great for punching in a fixed tempo change. Live enables you to change the BPM continuously on the fly with all your devices flawlessly marching in sync, so you can create gradual tempo changes over time. We tested the unit using the arpeggiators of a Bass Station II, Virus TI Polar, a Korg Volca Keys pattern sequencer, Bass Bot TT and two laptops running Ableton Live 9 – everything kept beautifully in sync, which isn’t the case when trying to sync directly from software. MT

MT Verdict If you are looking for a costeffective, stable hardware MIDI clock with an extremely useful Resync functionality, the midiclock is definitely worth considering.

8/10

MAGAZINE September 2014

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MT Mini Reviews

Snugs Solo in-ear monitors

Manufacturer Snugs Price £159

Contact [email protected] Web www.snugsearphones.co.uk

I

n-ear monitoring is common place in music production and performance these days, but it’s also associated with great expense. On the cheaper side of things you can invest less than £100 in some reasonably well-fitted earpieces that may work for mobile production work but won’t be a sealed enough fit to combat high levels of external noise, i.e. loud sound sources such as monitoring, drum kits and other amplified sound. Without high levels of noise rejection, you’ll be forced to combat it by ramping up the volume of your in-ear monitoring, which in turn opens up the possibility of hearing damage. On this note, don’t forget that having a sealed earpiece also acts as hearing protection from loud external noise as well. We’ve looked at quite a few different moulded earplugs over the years here at MTM and they generally come in around the £300 mark – so quite an investment. The Snugs Solo earplugs we’ve been testing here are

Key Features

Manufacturer ModeAudio Price £15 (currently reduced to £12) Contact [email protected] Choice

T

hank the lord this isn’t the collection of power tool samples we first feared that it was (although we’re pretty sure some people might actually lap such a collection up). Instead, ModeAudio has recognised the power of the tools you need (see what we did there) to put blistering beats together. So what we have here is initially quite simple: tuned and straight kick sounds, snares, claps and percussion. Which for £15 isn’t bad – we all need a good collection of hits, after all. But that’s not quite the end of it. As is becoming clear with ModeAudio, the company goes just that little bit further to make using its samples and sounds

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Key Features ● Hits: 70 kick, 50 snare, 30 clap, 60 hi-hat, 40 percussion ● 80 tuned kicks ● 10 drum kit sampler patches ● 20 tuned kick sampler patches ● 5 channel strips (drum processing) ● Formats: Logic, Live, WAV, Reason, FLS, Maschine

and plug are easy to detach from one another, and although we had no issues when in use we did have our moulds fly off the headphones a few times when pulling them out of our bag for use. So an extra level of care is required in their handling, unless you don’t mind hunting around on the floor for them in a dark recording studio or live venue environment. The Snug Solos come in a variety of colour choices, and being the tech nerds we are we chose white for left and red for right. This turns out to be very practical, though, as it’s easy to make out which is which by their contrast in colour in even the poorest of lighting conditions. In use, they provide very high levels of noise rejection. We managed to produce laptop music very peacefully on a noisy coach trip and found them to be very useable for a gig as well. MT

MT Verdict

● Custom moulded for any in-ear headphones of your choice ● Variety of one or two colours to choose from ● Visiting impressiontaking service ● Optimum external sound rejection

Power Tools Web modeaudio.com

considerably less in cost and are also moulded around your existing headphones so you can use a monitoring system that you know and trust. The production process involves a visit from one of the many UK-spread audiologists working for Snugs who take your ear impressions, then your headphones to send back with the moulded Solo earpieces. One advantage of these moulds is that they are detachable from your headphones, so there’s no permanent alteration made to your cherished headphones. One disadvantage of this is that the headphone

These moulded in-ear monitors have a great advantage in price, and that you get to choose the headphones you want to use with them. Their weakness is how easy it can be to detach the moulds – with a careful approach, these are an affordable solution that will save your hearing in the long-term.

7/10

in your DAW of choice that little bit easier. So you can download the samples not just as WAVs but as packs especially for Live, FL Studio, Reason and even Maschine. We tried the Logic pack which goes even further: one simple install and your Logic channel strips and EXS sampler are set up for you and there’s a Logic project file to boot up to show

Power Tools off to its fullest. You get a nicely programmed 90bpm MIDI file on loop so you can audition the ten kits and 20 tuned kick kits, and it’s at this point that the collection comes together. The beats are great, and the kits nicely varied – mostly electronic and all powerful. There’s enough kick action to please anyone and lots of additional percussion to fill things out. So like we say, for the money it’s great value just for the 330 samples – £15 is almost silly money even for that. But with the hard work of setting them all up for you taken out of the equation – especially in the Logic environment – this is simply a must buy. Power to the tools! MT

MT Verdict ModeAudio has provided the sounds and even set them all up for you – a superb collection for lazy producers everywhere!

9/10

MAGAZINE

06/08/2014 15:37

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Mini Reviews MT

Beat Scenics Manufacturer ModeAudio Price £15 (currently reduced to £12) Contact [email protected] Web modeaudio.com

T

he next ModeAudio pack we have is Beat Scenics, a collection of loops, percussion and effects inspired by LA’s Beat Scene. Think Route 1 at sunset, laid-back grooves, jazzy progressions, a bit of keyboard noodling – that kind of thing. You get mostly lower tempo’d beat loops all excellently programmed for a chilled hip-hop feel. Each is named – Angel City, SwompFonk, and so on – and comes with variations or fills. With the basslines we did have visions of them being the kind of horrific slap funk lines used to link scenes in US sitcoms but they are mostly electronic, often dirty, and named the same as the beats so

Value

Key Features ● 416MB download ● Loops: 18 bass; 36 drum; 19 synth; 16 instrument; 15 percussion; 16 SFX ● 43 MIDI Loops ● Hits: 10 kick; 14 snare; 6 hi-hat ● Formats: WAV, Reason, Apple, FLS, REX2

you can start matching samples together to make tunes immediately. Some of the synth and instrument loops start taking you on stricter melodic journeys and so will perhaps take you down a more genre-static route, whereas the beats and basslines can be applied to almost any genre. Having said that, some are unusual and very inspiring, so if the idea of LA music at sunset doesn’t appeal –

HD8 DJ

MT Verdict Laid-back, jazzy, hip-hop vibes and also some interesting and inspiring electronic grooves mean this collection could take you down more sonic routes than it initially suggests. Great value too.

8/10

MT Reviews What our ratings mean… Excellence Let’s be honest

Manufacturer Sennheiser

– this product is, at the very least, the best in its class.

Price £299 Contact via website Web en-uk.sennheiser.com

Value

S

ennheiser’s HD 25s have become a favourite headphone choice in DJ circles, and the new HD range is designed to maintain this trend. We have the 8s, the most expensive option (also in the range are the HD7 at £249.99 and the HD6 at £209.99). At just shy of £300 the 8s are not cheap (although we’ll soon be reviewing a set of AKGs at £1100!) but they do street at around £50 less than that. What you instantly get from them, though, is a quality feel and design. Out of the box they are housed in a sturdy plastic protective case that could probably protect you in a nuclear war, but might be a little large for some. They also come with our favourite coiled cable (better for moving around while mixing we feel) plus a straight 3m cable and a spare set of ear pads. The phones fold up nicely and there’s enough movement, both cyclically and vertically, for a variety of monitoring positions and, of course, DJing, for which they are primarily intended. And this could explain the colouration in sound as there is a definite emphasis in

maybe you live in Swindon and it’s raining – there is still stuff here to get plenty of use out of. Usefully, the MIDI files are also supplied, so you can easily apply the great programming to more local soundscapes. Currently the collection is just a dozen of your British pounds, but even at the full £15 it’s well worth a punt. ModeAudio aims to ‘deliver audio tools that sound incredible, are available instantly and that will integrate seamlessly with your favourite music software.’ And on this evidence we find it very hard to argue with that claim. MT

Attractively priced as well as capable of delivering great results.

Choice

Innovation

A very good product – one that we would single out. Indicates a step forward in the implementation or application of a technology.

EXCELLENCE AWARD 10/10 The best in its class. This product produces superb results, is well implemented and sensibly priced.

the bass area, which is not evident on our Audio Technica reference phones (nor those incredibly expensive AKGs!). This could be good in a noisy club environment where bass, such an obviously important element in dance music, could be lost in the din, but for mixing you will have to note it and adjust accordingly. They are comfortable, mind, even after extensive use, so for Djing could well be another HD winner. MT

MT Verdict Cool design, comfortable DJ headphones that could be used for longer mixing sessions but could do with a flatter response for detailed work.

7/10

CHOICE AWARD 9/10 This product comes highly recommended and has an effective balance of features and performance. 8/10 A recommended product with features, performance and pricing that meets the needs of its target market. 7/10 A good product but with one or two question marks over ease of use or price. 6/10 This product has merit, but some improvements or a more competitive price would bring it closer to its target market. 5/10 Certain oversights in this product’s design and performance could limit its usefulness. 4/10 Buyer beware: this is a sliding scale of poor quality, overpricing and/or disappointing performance.

OUR REVIEWS POLICY At MT we take our reviews very seriously indeed. We aim to offer you nothing but the best information and expert opinion, helping you to make the right purchasing decisions. Our reviewers are experts in their field and talk to the manufacturers throughout the reviewing process to ensure accuracy.

MAGAZINE September 2014

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Issue 139 On sale 19 September

RECORD EVERYTHING! A collection of pro tips to help you mic up and record every (OK nearly every) acoustic instrument…

How To Record Vocals

Plus

PROCESSING THE RECORDED VOICE The Experts (see p3) Rob Boffard, Mark Cousins, Keith Gemmell, Tim Hallas, Mike Hillier, Hollin Jones, Andy McLaughlin, John Pickford, Huw Price, Liam O’Mullane MUSIC TECH MAGAZINE www.musictech.net Anthem Publishing Ltd Suite 6 Piccadilly House London Road Bath BA1 6PL Tel +44 (0) 1225 489984 Fax +44 (0) 1225 489980 Publisher Simon Lewis [email protected] Editorial Director Paul Pettengale [email protected] Senior Editor Andy Jones [email protected] Digital Editor Andy Price [email protected] Deputy Digital Editor Alex Mobaraki [email protected] Designer ‘Nice Andy’ Saunders Multimedia Editor Alex Holmes [email protected] Business Development Manager Di Marsh [email protected] Marketing Manager Alex Godfrey [email protected] Marketing Assistant Kate Doyle [email protected]

Cover Image iStockphoto Managing Director Jon Bickley [email protected] Art Director Jenny Cook [email protected] Subscriptions & Back Issues Tel 0844 844 0398 (UK) Tel +44 (0)1795 592849 (overseas) Price (12 issues) £64.95 UK basic annual rate Printed by Polestar UK Print Limited +44 (0)1582 678900 Distributed by Marketforce (UK) Ltd, The Blue Fin Building 110 Southwark Street London SE1 0SU Tel +44 (0) 20 3148 3300 Licensing enquiries Jon Bickley +44 (0) 1225 489984 [email protected] Music Tech Magazine, ISSN number

Elektron Analog Rytm PLUS another Boomstar analogue synth reviewed!

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MAGAZINE November 2010

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MT Your Disc

DVD138 4GB+ PC&Mac

YourDisc

We’ve got the perfect antidote to writer’s block with this exclusive pack of unique-sounding ambient hits and FX, plus a massive, eclectic taster pack from ModeAudio and a fully-featured free sampler instrument!

 

Size 372MB Format 24-bit/44.1kHz WAV Kontakt, EXS24, NN-XT, Structure Convolution processing can be used for much more than just adding reverb to audio, and can really help improve boring in-the-box tracks. In an effort to craft a unique and unusual collection of samples, sound maestro Richard James has plundered the depths of his audio library to create 285 incredible ambiences, bass stabs, percussion hits, and synth FX. Starting with bass notes, found-sound recordings, vocals, synth and modular FX, percussion and more, each sound was painstakingly paired with a huge range of unusual impulse responses and then tamed with EQ and compression to tidy things up.

SAMPLE LOOPS//ROYALTY FREE & EXCLUSIVE

//AMBIENT HITS & EFFECTS SAMPLE HITS//ROYALTY FREE & EXCLUSIVE

FREEWARE SAMPLER //ROYALTY FREE

//TRAP & DIRTY SOUTH DRUMS

//ZAMPLER RX & FREE SOUNDBANKS

 

Size 35MB Format 24-bit/44.1kHz WAV The unique sounds of trap and dirty south fuse raw hip-hop sounds with heavy electronic precision. This month’s pack from Equinox Sounds features 180 top-notch drum one-shot samples divided into four folders of booming 808-style kicks, crunchy claps and snares, punchy percussion, and crispy hats and crashes. There’s everything you need for creating big-sounding trap and dirty south drum tracks, with all files at 24-bit/44.1kHz audio quality and 100% royalty-free. Web www.equinoxsounds.com

//SOFTWARE BRAINWORX BX_REFINEMENT (WINDOWS, MAC OSX)

DEMO//SOFTWARE

A new mixing and mastering tool for removing the harsh edge from tracks without dramatically altering the character of the source, bx_refinement adds a tube-like sound with controls for damping, saturation, presence and more. www.plugin-alliance.com

DEMO//SOFTWARE

SUGAR BYTES EGOIST (Windows, Mac OS X) A unique and fun groove instrument from Sugar Bytes that’s great for beating writer’s block. Slice and re-arrange any sample into 16 blocks, add beats and bass with a beat box and bassline synth, and then sequence amazing effects on a grid. www.sugar-bytes.de

98 | September 2014

MT138.dvd pages.indd 98

 

Size 475MB Format AU, VST Although many DAWs come packaged with some sort of sampler instrument, many are overly complex or lacking in certain features. Zampler RX is an easy-to-use freeware sampler developed by Synapse Audio, beat.de and Pluginboutique that’s packed with useful features including three LFOs, three envelopes, a multimode filter, mod matrix, and built-in arpeggiator and effects. We have a special Loopmasters edition in VST and AU formats that comes with two free soundbanks of Dance Production Sounds, MainRoom and EDM DrumKits, with more add-on packs available soon from Pluginboutique.com. Web www.pluginboutique.com, www.beat.de

DEMO//SOFTWARE PLUGINBOUTIQUE BIGKICK 1.5 (Windows, Mac OS X) Get the perfect kick sound with this new plug-in from Pluginboutique. BigKick features drum synthesis and a large library of attack samples and artist presets, plus drag-and-drop sample creation, a new warmer overdrive, and the ability to play the pitch via the keyboard. www.pluginboutique.com

HORNET SYBILLA PRO (Windows, Mac OS X)

DEMO//SOFTWARE

A highly flexible de-esser plug-in that uses eight key filters with frequency selection and level setting. There are two compression models, independent meters, key listen for each filter, and relative threshold to catch low-level sibilance. www.hornetplugins.com

SINEVIBES ATOM (Mac OS X) Atom is a beautifully simple yet surprisingly deep filter plug-in with five filter types and 12, 24, and 48dB/octave slopes, plus dual modulators with eight waveforms, sync, per-cycle chaos function and shape lag on/off switch. www.sinevibes.com

FULL//SOFTWARE

MAGAZINE

06/08/2014 15:46

Your Disc MT

SAMPLE LOOPS & HITS//ROYALTY-FREE

//LOOPS, HITS, PRESETS & MIDI

 

Size 517MB Format 24-bit/44.1 kHz WAV, MIDI, NI Massive & FM8 We’ve teamed up with ModeAudio to provide a bumper package of cutting-edge samples, hits and presets for you to use in your tracks. You’ll find a treasure trove of glistening synth chords, throbbing basses, analogue hits and FX, found-sound ambiences, chunky drum machine hits, lively guitar riffs, and lo-fi beat grooves taken from a large range of ModeAudio’s latest packs and libraries. To add to the creative potential there are also MIDI loops for the beats and chord riffs where appropriate, and a whole load of futuristic synth presets for Native Instruments’ FM8 and Massive synths. Web www.modeaudio.com

VIDEO TUTORIALS//80 MINS

//STEFANO RITTERI MIXING MASTERCLASS  

Size 691MB Format MOV Point Blank music school visited the studio of producer Stefano Ritteri, who has had releases on Defected, Exploited and Dirtybird Records. The result is three videos that look at how Ritteri approaches mixing and mastering a minimal house track using Cubase and a range of third-party plug-ins. There’s also a 35-minute video with course tutor Sie Medway-Smith (Depeche Mode, U2, Björk) who explains how to prepare your mix, thicken your drums, and get creative with Racks in Ableton Live. Web www.pointblanklondon.com

VIDEO FEATURE//30 MINS

//LOOP+  

Size 571MB Format MOV Loop+ has once again provided amazing must-see videos: DnB producer DLR looks at crafting breaks using Addictive Drums 2; there’s an exclusive look around the Devastor distortion plug-in from D16, and a look at the Digital Revolution retro Kontakt drum player from Wave Alchemy with producer Rob Talbott; and finally there’s a promo of the new House Arrest Maschine and Ableton expansion pack from Niche Audio. Web www.loopmasters.com/loopplus/

MAGAZINE September 2014

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The Lead for Speed

NEW!

Finding your dream sound has never been faster! Smart Oscillators - a single knob gives you instant access to anything from Detune, Shape, Submix and Noise, to FM, AM and Sync.

Follow us: facebook.com/nordkeyboards

Magical Mutator - offers an infinite number of new sounds in seconds.

Unique Like-function takes snapshots of promising sounds while tweaking or using the Mutator.

Meaty Unison - the fattest Unison ever in a Nord synth.

Flexible Filters - including Transistor and Diode Ladder-emulations from two legendary analogue synthesizers.

Stunning Effects - with two brand new vintage Ensemble and Chorus effects.

Nord Lead A1R - rackmountable table-top version

Master Clock - for easy syncronizing of the Arpeggiator, LFO and Delay-effects to each other or to a backing track.

Four Slots - for thick layered sounds, keyboard splits or controlled as 4 separate synths by a sequencer.

Read more and listen to sound demos: Listen to the Nord Stage 2 at www.nordkeyboards.com/a1 www.nordkeyboards.com Nord Audio Demo

00:00:19

TECHNOLOGY

Handmade in Sweden by Clavia DMI AB

Distributed in the UK by Sound Technology Ltd | 01462 480000 | www.soundtech.co.uk | [email protected]