Computer Music June 2017

“We’re in an era of choice, connectivity and creativity” Although us music-obsessed folks here at cm HQare proud to champion computer-based tune-making, we never shun the use of outboard gear. If anything, we’re excited to live in a world where anyone can make music using any conceivable combination of physical and virtual tools. We’re in an era of choice, connectivity and creativity. That’s why we’re exploring the synergy between modern digital and classic gear this month. First, our cover feature, Punch & Power (p20), shows you how to use both analogue-modelled and digital mixing tools to strike the perfect balance between classic dynamics and modern weight. After that, house pro Alex Arnout makes a track from scratch on video (p42), using his enviable array of classic Roland kit alongside in-the-box mixing – grab…

Step 1 On your PC or Mac, go to vault.computermusic.co.uk, then either register for a new Vault account, or log in if you already have one. Step 2 Click ‘add a magazine’ in the top bar, select the issue you want to add to your Vault (eg, this issue is 243), and answer a few simple security questions. Step 3 Go to ‘my vault’ to see all your mags – click a cover and use the links to download! You can download as much or as little as you like. PLUGIN AF2-10-CM Install and use this issue’s free four-band equaliser plugin from OverTone DSP. Start unpacking it over on p52 SAMPLE PACKS ORCHESTRAL TENSION 500 exclusive brass, string and wind ensemble samples to add emotion to your tracks, p106 LOOPMASTERS BONUS SAMPLES Grab a tailored selection of the best samples from their latest…

PUNCH & POWER Get your sounds to pop like never before with all these videos from this month’s cover feature Read the full article on p20 1 Five easy methods to build punch into your mix 5 Adding punch to drums with amplitude shaping 6 Exploring slow-attack compression for punch 7 Perfecting a mix’s punch with transient shaping 8 Multiband transient shaping to sculpt punch 9 Dialling in frequency-specific snare smash 10 Unsquashing overcompressed sounds 11 Three bassline power-ups 12 Analogue preamp punch 13 Parallel gated distortion for attack 14 Custom compression for consistency 15 Advanced limiter tweaks 17 Using a custom chain of multiple limiters 18 Advanced layering tactics for pro punch 19 Adding pre-punch with reversed layers 20 Precise punch with extreme transient surgery cm Producer Masterclass ALEX ARNOUT The house meister builds a track from cumquam scratch rem , nonseque de verspist dent using his enviable collection of…

It could be an expensive month for lovers of Universal Audio’s DSPpowered UAD-2 plugins, with five new releases. Let’s power on the Apollo Twin and check them out… In recent years, UA have offered improved remakes of several older plugins, and now their official emulation of the iconic SSL 4000 E Channel Strip (£229) gets this treatment. It offers high and low filtering, four-band EQ, gating/expansion and punchy compression. The new version is fully remodelled with “end-to-end circuit emulation”, capturing aspects like the Jensen mic preamp transformers and dbx “gold-can” VCA output. It’s now Unison-ready, so owners of a UA Apollo interface can record through the emulated mic/line preamp stages, with hardware impedance matching. The Moog Multimode Filter Collection (£189) features the all-new Multimode Filter XL and the previous UAD Moog filter…

Before we get into the app news, a quick word on Apple’s new iPad. Its name might not feature a suffix, but this is actually the replacement for the ageing iPad Air 2, and at £339 for the entry-level 32GB version, is now the cheapest Apple tablet. We like the look of it, and we suspect that many musicians will feel the same. www.apple.com You might think that you know what a sequencer looks like, but Seaquence will surely convince you otherwise. This new iPhone, iPad and iPod touch app enables you to make music using not a grid or row of buttons, but a collection of sea creatures, which change their behaviour as you adjust parameters. It sounds like a gimmick, but there’s a polyphonic synthesis module working away behind…

“The games are fully personalised, as the level increases according to your achievements” cm What’s your background in music and in programming? NG “I think I have the programmer mindset. I understand programming… but I don’t write code. We have two great programmers on the SoundGym team, and I think that this ‘programmer mindset’ of mine makes the communication and the idea-to-product process very fluent and effective. Besides being CEO at SoundGym, I’m a musician (producing music under the name Gingold X), and a sound designer. I love synths and technology, and Reaktor is my dreamland, where I can make crazy sonic ideas come true.” cm What inspired you to create SoundGym? NG “I wanted to create a unique environment, where music producers and engineers can get proper audio ear training and improve their…