Índex per June 2021 a Computer Music

How did you get into music software? VM “I was always a musician [see pic!]. My father had a good old Cubase and Atari ST, and when I was 10 I started programming, and pretty much knew it was going to be my livelihood. In university we had lots of projects, and I usually did something that I wanted myself. I was making music with keyboards, but had trouble with drums, so I created MDrummer, a silly version at least. It took literally years to get somewhere; it was a very rocky beginning, but eventually the first MDrummer sold, then a second and it eventually started working well. I thought I was going to start and end with MDrummer, but here we are!” What makes MeldaProduction software stand out? VM…

Time to module up! Now to the exciting bit, with the modules that are going to form your signal path and generate some sounds. As these are our first steps, we’re going to keep it simple and examine a basic system, much like a hardware monosynth, but with greater flexibility. The starting point is the oscillator; the argument between analogue and digital continues to rage, even in Eurorack circles. However, the reality is that it simply doesn’t matter, as long as you are getting the sound that you want. Many larger Eurorack systems benefit from a blend of the two together, and certainly digital oscillators will offer more functionality, as a rule. Analogue oscillators might sound slightly fuller in tone, in certain scenarios, but will offer less tonal contrast in…

While we’re very enthusiastic about Eurorack at Computer Music, we thought we’d speak to someone who threw themselves into Eurorack some years back and now owns one of the largest Eurorack systems in the world, with over 125 VCOS and 80 filters! Lester Barnes is a successful award-winning media composer, with a huge passion for modular, and Eurorack in particular. We asked him for some pointers, by first taking him back to his early days of Eurorack exploration. cm: What was the first Eurorack module or system you purchased? LB: My first system was a Doepfer system in a 6U case, which was just an early vocoder system. It didn’t even have any VCOs, but I bought it for an advert I was doing at the time, where they wanted…

We’ll start with the beats 1 Even though Ryan already had some samples ready, he normally kicks things off with the beats which is what we’ll do. There’s a lot going on – so much so that Logic is struggling – but we’ll focus on the kick. 2 And as he does every time, Ryan start with a bit of low cut at around 40Hz to stop the kick and the bass fighting each other. Then a little bit of a notch out at 300Hz which got rid of a “bit of the woody knockiness” plus some roll off at the top. 3 A second kick channel is used to bring in an identical kick drum at the end of certain phrases, on which Ryan applies a filter to cut…

When you combine techno with the elements of dub music, you get dub techno. One of the sounds that became a classic within the genre is a synth chord stab, most often voiced as a minor chord to create a moody and emotional feel to the music. There are some notable pieces of equipment that played a big role in defining the dub genre, the most famous being the Roland RE-201. We can simulate the characteristics of this hardware inside modern software plugins and get very close. Delay timing plays a big part of the signature dub sound and dotted divisions are the go-to setting for the genre. The hardware tape delay units were all analogue, with no synchronisation options. Having the timing un-synced within your plug will take you…

OB-E’s MIDI Sequencer is inspired by Oberheim’s original add-on eight-step sequencer module (MS-1) and to be true to the original, OB-E’s SEM 8 Output mode uses the eighth SEM for your sequence, leaving the remaining SEMs to play live. However, far more interesting is All mode, which, if used in conjunction with the Cont playback setting, activates all eight SEMs in order, one-SEM-per-sequence step. Whichever Output mode you use, each sequence step has a dedicated Gate and Velocity setting, and there are five overall sequence styles (Modes) including a chord option. There are a few ways to input sequence notes, including manually and via MIDI. You can also control the sequence starting pitch using a DAW MIDI part or drag the MIDI for the sequence from OB-E back into your…

Fledgling developer Caelum Audio have already impressed with their free cassette tape plugin (now Tape Cassette 2). Their latest endeavour, Tape Pro (VST3, AU), takes the tape concept to the next level, expanding the IR and saturation-based plugin into a fully flexible tape emulation with delay. Tape Pro is arranged in seven sections – Saturation, Response, Wow, Flutter, Delay, Noise and Output – and has stereo VU-style meters plus an animated open reel tape deck graphic. Two further displays provide feedback for both the saturation curve and tape impulse response, and the latter also shows in real time the effects of the accompanied High Loss setting. Tape Pro has two fundamental settings: Saturation Type, for which there are six choices, and tape Response Type, where you’ll find up to 12…

Back in issue 215 we claimed that the world was going through turmoil. Well, what did we know?! To get you through whatever your current troubles, be they COVID, Megxit or just not enough hard drive space (and we know which we’re more stressed out by), we’ve dug out these calming sounds from Robbie and Ollie, who chant us through them now… Robbie from Cyclick Samples said: “This collection takes a spiritual turn with a collection of church organs and choirs, Eastern percussion and a chunk of throat singing… or at least an approximation thereof. “There are three organs – two church pipe and one drawbar – along with two choir sounds (‘Oh’ and ‘Ah’). These instruments are used to create a set of eight chords across five keys that…

Software bundle makers really do understand what needs to be highlighted about their particular piles of titles: value! You know, then, that when you buy a piece of hardware by certain manufacturers and it has a ‘software bundle thrown in’ that it will probably be worth a fortune. Similarly, with a ‘best of’ bundle a la Arturia’s V-Collection or NI’s Komplete, you simply understand that you’ll save thousands over buying the titles individually. Well, we’ve mentioned the major ones that are available, but this month we have news of two updated titles that might well have slipped under your radar. The first, Presonus’ Studio Magic 2021, is a Mac and PC bundle that goes straight for the cash jugular, delivering over a thousand bucks’ (Presonus are American, don’t you know)…

Jimmy Edgar signed to Warp Records at just 18 and has released four albums blending electro, funk, hip hop and techno, not to mention DJing across the world. He has used every type of tech imaginable, from custom software, to pure analogue hardware. Here he goes more EQ than compression, as he tackles our 15 questions… 1 How did you get into music? JE: “Hello, I’m Jimmy. I became interested in music because it was reflective of my highest excitement. I love the whole process of creation and having fun with visual aesthetic. It’s amazing because I am always learning too!” 2 When and how would you say you became successful, or at least able to make a living from music? JE: “I see success as the freedom to do…

01 Connect MIDI to DAW Before we start out making any sound, let’s connect up the MIDI Input to our Eurorack system. The mmMidi module has a MIDI connection lead which terminates in a MIDI socket, but other similar modules may have a 5-pin DIN socket on the front. Make a connection to the MIDI In on your chosen MIDI module, from the appropriate MIDI Output from your DAW. This will probably also require the setting of a corresponding instrument in your DAW, sending MIDI over to your MIDI interface. 02 VCO to Filter Next we’ll start with the first of our audio connections. Think of your basic Eurorack system as a commercial synth, but all of the elements need to be soldered together. That’s why we use patch cables,…

Doepfer A-100 system Modules and cases from £49 (total system cost around £500) We’ve already mentioned Doepfer extensively in our feature, and for very good reason. As the company that is responsible for lighting the touch-paper on the Eurorack revolution, they continue to provide great quality products, at exceptionally enticing pricing. Their A-100 system eco-sphere begins with low-cost cases and builds up to a bewildering array of modules, with a leaning toward the more subtractive way of thinking. There are better modules out there, but as a place to begin your journey, they are a tough act to beat. doepfer.de Make Noise Individual modules from £119 (total system cost around £1050) We have concentrated pretty heavily on systems and modules which are at the more traditional end of synthesis, so…

With so many streams under his belt, plus those dance number ones, Ryan has clearly got his music out there. So what is his advice for spreading the word about your tunes? “A common feeling is that you really need a manager, agent, tour manager and a whole team straight away,” he says. “I’d say don’t rush into that sort of thing, it’s important that the people you work with share the same passion for your music. And in terms of sending demos to labels, make sure that you are aware of what the label are currently releasing so that you’re making the right decisions with who you’re sending to. Don’t send demos cc-ing 20 different labels in the same email; make sure you mail them individually and maybe comment…

It’s time to welcome Dave Gale to the pages of Computer Music, replacing the now-retired Scot Solida as our Expert Guide to all things synth. And with specific instructions to go back to basics and to utilise the mighty Suite, he’s doing just that… Regardless of which kind of music you are making with softsynths, understanding the signal flow of the instrument you are using is crucial to mastering how to make a sound, and truly own it. The starting point for this signal, in any musical context, will be the point where the sound begins or emanates. In the case of a guitar, it’s a string being plucked or strummed, but in the case of a synthesiser, it is, of course, the oscillator. Most softsynths will operate in a…

WARPED KEYS Warped Keys It’s a mangled keyboard theme with this issue’s two new sample packs. First up, Robbie from Cyclick Samples explains how he put together his incredible Warped Keys collection… “No keyboard was left untouched by the sonic warping of pedals, valve amps, mics and their preamps. Some loops are more warped than others, and they all maintain a solid musicality as opposed to a more abstracted ‘warping’. “The starting point was recording lines for three instruments (Arturia’s Clavinet, Rhodes and Wurlitzer piano) with three per tempo, each in a different key. A relatively basic instrument sound was used, and this was fed from the DAW to a Little Labs Redeye reamp box which preceded an effects pedal chain: Mutron III and Boss GE-7 and CS-3 following to…

Snarl is a 17-year-old producer who is lighting up dance music with tracks more at home in Ibiza rather than his native Essex. In fact his debut was named after the famed island of dance dreams, and more recent releases have led him to be labelled as dance music’s saviour. And it all stems from making tracks on an on-line DAW called Soundation… 1 Tell us how you got into music production in the first place? Snarl: “My family seems to have always had an association with making music and I guess I caught that gene too. All genres of music have influenced me, from Muse to Daft Punk and that eclectic mix definitely had seeped into the music that I make now. At high school, I had a great…

Eurorack has taken the music production world by storm over recent years. The hardware modular synth format essentially lets you create your own custom synthesiser by assembling modules that control various aspects of the synth signal flow yourself. The idea is that you might well end up with a collection of sounds that no other musician on the planet has. But how can you safely explore this phenomenon from the comfort of your own computer? Well, you’ve come to the right place, as this feature is designed to cover everything Eurorack! Introduction Eurorack is a truly creative beast, and it’s one that has many heads and viewpoints. Many of these are specific to the sort of music you may wish to make, but we have to address the modular-elephantine-beast in…

Erica Synths Pico System II £1279 The Pico range from Erica Synths is specifically designed to be compact, allowing a complete system to be crammed into a small case which is just 24cm wide. Each module is a mere 3HP in size, which can sometimes make tweaking your sound a little fiddly, but the trade-off is a very complete system, which consists of two different types of oscillator, Polivoksinspired filter, two drum modules and even an onboard sequencer. This means that the Pico is a true stand-alone system, which allows for complete performance, a little like a groove box. It represents excellent value for money, which can also be fitted into another modular case, for future expansion possibilities. ericasynths.lv Moog Mother 32 £599 The Mother 32 offers a…

Big mug Possibly the most essential item in any studio. The larger the better, obviously Roland TR-8S Cracking drum machine from Roland that emulates all their classics. Recently voted best budget drum machine by our sister mag Future Music Warm Audio WA-76 A great hardware emulation – at an even better price – of the classic 1176 compressor Behind Ryan! There’s an Akai controller and UA interface on Ryan’s desk – you can see them in action on video! Apple Logic Ryan and Armand Van Helden’s collab put the strain on Apple’s finest and you can see how their track comes together on video Focals (Not!) Ryan generally uses some great Focal monitors, but has these Adams set up at the moment. (We spot the Focals on a shelf!) Novation…

The term ‘chromatic mediants’ probably isn’t something you’ll have come across very often in your songwriting pursuits, but working these mysterious creatures into progressions can be a useful way to expand your palette of chords beyond the realms of your regular, day-to-day diatonic triads. So what is a chromatic mediant anyway? In music theory, diatonic means ‘in the key’, while chromatic means ‘not in the key’. So if you have the scale of C major, which contains the notes C, D, E, F, G, A and B, those notes are all diatonic to the key of C major. Something like a G# note, however, is not in the key of C major, so in this context G# is described as chromatic. The same thing goes for chords – when in…

SOMETHING MORE… To add more to this cool sound, try invoking the same sort of Random LFO movement toward the filter. First, alter the LfoG1 pot amount, located in the filter section. This sets the amount of modulation from the LFO, which is heading in the direction of the filter. To hear how much effect the LFO will apply to the filter, reduce the Cutoff pot, at which point you’ll start to hear changes in tonal brightness. RESONANT EVIL To add an overtly electronic element and a degree of further tonal interest, increase the Res control in the filter section. This has the effect of resonating the point of filter cutoff, creating a beautiful pulsing tone which constantly moves alongside the waveform. Beware: cranking the Resonance control too far can…

Famously self-defined as a ‘full-contact’ composer, we ask Tom to detail exactly how that process differs from the norm in soundtracking terms: “It’s not only the fact that I want to be turning knobs and playing instruments, but it’s the fact that I want to be in control of every step of the process. When I can, I love to record the orchestra myself. I still mix all my film scores by myself. I still master all my recordings myself. I deliver all these stems to the final product also myself. I want to be in control as much as I can. Every step of the way I feel I can add more identity of what I am as a person. My career started in my late teens as a…

In making Contemporary Drama Toolkit, Samuel Sim and the team at Spitfire have carefully harnessed some astoundingly rich textures from a range of instruments. Sim’s range of award-winning scores have included the recent Netflix fantasy epic The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance and BBC One’s The Victim. He has long been aware of the deadline-pressures that this is aimed to alleviate. Working at Tileyard Studios in North London, Sim would regularly discuss the state of the industry with the neighbouring Thomson and Henson, and the three ultimately decided to collaborate. Their first project, the delightful, harp-bending Chrysalis, was released in 2016. The team’s next foray introduced velocity-triggering. British Drama Toolkit was unveiled in 2018, and its success led the team to spend the next three years expanding on that approach…

Baby Audio Spaced Out $69 10/10 cm293 Like most of the reverbs here, Spaced Out does a bit more than ‘just’ ‘verb. It also has the classic Space Echo in its cross hairs, but takes the whole concept just that bit further. “You get simplicity, creativity and an amazing sound. It does invoke the feeling (at least) of an original Space Echo but takes what that stood for and ramps up the instant creativity stakes even higher. More punch per dollar than just about anything else out there. It is quite brilliant.” babyaud.io D16 Spacerek €79 9/10 cm291 Spacerek fuses “modelled virtual spaces to a dynamic delay network” and is capable of creating both natural and more unique spaces. “Spacerek may not have a flight deck full of…

If there’s one word that has become part of the psyche for any user of a DAW-based composing or production setup, it’s ‘workflow’. We all become reliant, to some degree, on the preset content that ships with both DAWs and softsynth suites, but the ability to expand a package’s horizons with fresh content, could throw a lifeline to the creative process. This is where Tom Wolfe can help, with the new addition of sounds, created using three industry stalwarts; Spectrasonics Omnisphere, Arturia Pigments and u-he Zebra 2. The new Premier Collection complements the existing onboard content, with a fresh suite of sounds with cinematic tendencies. The entire Premier Collection package consists of a whopping 1600 new sounds, with the largest amount of content relating to Omnisphere. These sounds are further…

IS HARDWARE GOING TO KILL SOFTWARE?* New hardware DAWs giving software a run for its money! In quite the reversal of fortunes, there is now a feast of hardware out there that will help you record, arrange and mix entire tunes. But will they make your DAWs redundant?** *No **Of course not but we’ll pretend to give them a fair hearing PLUS! On Test Waves, Leapwing Audio, Cableguys, SSL and more! Masterclass Netsky is on film talking us through a recent star production Top interviews Morcheeba | Ya Tseen Marshall Jefferson…