Computer Music Autumn 2022

I’d like to say that the first drum machine that I ever programmed was a Roland TR-909 that I picked up for £50 in a car boot sale in the early 80s, and then sold last week for the price of a small semi-detached house in west London. I’d like to say that. The truth is, that it was an Alesis HR16, in a box that was shaped like a telephone (rumoured to be that shape because Alesis found a job lot of old telephones in a skip, although I might have just made that up). To be honest, it was actually a rather joyous thing and a machine with extreme sample pitching, a feature (kind of) carried forward to my long-time favourite piece of drum software, Microtonic. As ever…

The summer drought is here, but… … while most news is as dry as your local reservoir, there are new plugins! We’re not software developers, but we like to assume that most spend way too long in front of their computers, designing great plugins for you and us to play with. So, at the first sign of sunshine, they’re off to the local park to lose the studio tan. That would explain the pretty low output of news over the last couple of months as most of Europe – where the majority of programmers reside – sweltered in record temperatures. Well, that’s the kind of scenario taking shape in our heads anyway. The reality is, there is some news which we’ll detail now! (Plugins probably created by developers imprisoned in…

Pure Upright We almost take for granted that our iOS devices can function as high-quality ‘acoustic’ sound modules – no mean feat, it has to be said - but e-instruments think they’ve come up with something special in the shape of Pure Upright, a meticulously multisampled upright piano. The GUI features the ‘pure’ piano tone at the centre, and variations on this can be dialled in via the Morph Pad. You can also adjust the levels of pedal and key noise and tweak your tone with reverb, EQ and delay. Pure Upright runs standalone and as an AUv3 plugin, and also supports the IDAM standard for direct connection to a Mac. It went on sale for the intro price of $15, rising to $30 on 6 September. e-instruments.com VirSyn Tera…

We were having a smashing time in Autumn 2012 as we showed you how to break tracks apart in CM183. Software technology that enables you to isolate vocals, beats and other parts has moved on markedly over the past decade, but ‘borrowing’ a sample from someone else’s track definitely still very much represents copyright infringement Elsewhere, Dutch DJ/producer Afrojack told us: “I usually work alphabetically, so most of my drums come from Alesis, Akai and Boss.” That’s one way of picking your gear, we suppose. In the reviews section, we checked out Auria, arguably the first pro DAW for the iPad, though its lack of MIDI at the time was an omission that’s since been rectified. It was full marks, meanwhile, for Gary Garritan’s Classic Pipe Organs – not an…

news Cherry Audio’s Miniverse (formerly Minimode) is a fantastic recreation of the 1971 synth they can’t mention (Minimoog). And we loved it, giving it a full 10/10 a couple of issues back. It’s quite exciting news, then, that Cherry Audio and MRB have exploded the concept into Miniverse Module Collection, 14 new software modules to be used on the Voltage Modular platform. You get ‘standard’ oscillator, filter, glide and more modules plus poly versions so you can expand your Mini sound into a 16-note poly one. It costs $59 (currently $39 if you’re quick), with a 50% discount for customers who previously bought the Miniverse instrument. Deal! cherryaudio.com…

FLAT EDGE OF GLORY? The 2022 iPad may, it’s said, finally herald a redesign, with the new model potentially getting the flat-edged look of high end models. There are still expected to be bezels round the screen, though we’ll know for sure if the new tablet is announced in September. VISION OF THE FUTURE? If you’re a metaverse cynic, maybe there’s a chance you could be won over by PianoVision, an augmented reality app that lets you learn to play using a connected MIDI keyboard or, thanks to the built-in ‘Air Piano’, any flat surface. Available for Oculus headsets. LET’S GET PHYSICAL Yamaha are bringing tactility to digital music with their ‘Stepping out of the slate’ collection, a set of physical products that works with your phone. There’s a turntable,…