Inhoudsopgave van March 2023 - Computer Music

total control Expression and music have always gone hand-in-hand, and while the humble MIDI keyboard has served us well as the bedrock of our computer music infrastructure, even greater means to explore sounds are available now. Scanning the range of MPE controllers, unusual wearable devices and real-instrument-aping performance tools, it’s becoming more clear that this manner of control will likely transform musical approaches over the next few decades. So, where exactly are we, and what can we expect? It’s not just about the keyboards anymore From squidgy keys to wearable rings, bounceable beat-makers and distance-sensing crystal balls, the array of unusual MIDI control options today is expanding exponentially. With the ratification of the MIDI Polyphonic Expression (MPE) protocol in January 2018, the floodgates were well and truly opened to nuanced…

total control As computer musicians, we can’t deny the fact that we’ve occasionally glanced across at our real-world instrument-toting colleagues with more than a whiff of envy. Sure, with our hefty plugin arsenals, sample libraries and pristine-sounding virtual instruments we can assemble astonishingly dense tracks and lush aural worlds. But the immediacy of say, an accomplished acoustic guitarist, picking up their instrument and immediately navigating their way around every possible nuance of a note, zoning in and becoming one with their instrument via the ability to deploy natural per-note vibrato, bending and feel-based expressiveness makes us more than a little dissatisfied with the basic up/down of our MIDI controller’s mod wheels. To bridge this all-important gap between performer and music, greater emphasis on per-note articulation is required. Previously, if you…

total control The most extraordinary controllers all start with an initial idea. Whether it be re-thinking the entire approach to MIDI expression, harnessing multi-directionality or being led by an astounding new design philosophy. Launching anything that goes against the grain is a big risk. Designers concoct their unique vision, developers and engineers then spend years assembling and perfecting the technology and finally, marketing and press relations teams have to convince us that this astounding new product is worth our cash. It’s tough, particularly with a marketplace unaccustomed to too much change. When it comes to futuristic control options, this is perhaps doubly difficult. Yet, innovative companies, such as Embodme, have forged ahead with their visions, guided by the absolute belief that what they’re making will enhance the creative processes of…

There was a time when music technology would only allow the sequencing of a few notes. A far cry from the DAWs of today, the limit of four, eight or even 16 notes (if you were lucky) was very much the norm. As with all things creative, the level of technology was never an issue for creating great music. This note-based limitation gave rise to a number of tracks, beginning in the ’70s, where a short sequence of notes would be constructed, and run the duration of the track. This was debatably most notable throughout the ’80s; ask an artist like Howard Jones, and he will tell you about many a hit song that featured a synth riff repeating continuously. This technique was by no means limited to the annals…

make music now A trap that it’s all too easy for the aspiring music producer to fall into is that of creating mixdowns that only work well on one kind of playback system. It’s an infuriating problem, as we tend to assume that once we’ve got our productions up to a standard where they sound great on one system, they’ll also sound good on headphones, in the car, or anywhere else. Sadly, this isn’t the case, and we often find ourselves becoming so focused on the requirements of a particular type of system that we fail to consider how a project will sound in other contexts. This leads to disappointment when we test our music out elsewhere. While there’s no substitute for experience in this type of scenario, the good…

For those not rhythmically inclined, beat-programming can often be an arduous process. While some opt for a robotic, metronomic approach, those who crave the type of humanity and improvisation in their patterns that a real drummer can bring to table very often find themselves spending far too long trying to coax their drum sounds to get a life. Results can be mixed. It’s for these people that new company Modalics have framed Beat Scholar, their debut plugin. Founded by well-versed industry specialist Eyal Amir and respected bass playing heavyweight Or Lubianiker, Modalics’ first release is founded on a new spin on the beat-slicing concept. Instead of slicing a sample sound into constituent, playable beats, Modalics slice up each beat within a set pattern, keeping the set rhythm intact, yet suffusing…

Working on music with proper portable studio monitors while you travel might be the stuff of dreams for some of you… but probably nightmares to your fellow travelling companions. But if this is you, then you are one of the target audiences for KRK’s new GoAux range of monitors. The monitors are pictured in some of the company’s marketing material being used in a private jet with few other passengers, and certainly not on the number 14 bus to Camden, so maybe this demographic could be a small one. Of course the other target audience for such mobile monitors is the travelling DJ/producer – a potentially much bigger sector. These people might want to work on (and listen to) music in the much more polite surroundings of a hotel room.…

Roger Linn LinnStrument £1,399 One of the originators of five-dimensional control surfaces, Roger Linn’s LinnStrument contains rows of illuminated squares which can be assigned to consecutive semitones, and tuned to match that of a real instrument, leading to a robust, real-instrument-like pitch with a glide-able playing surface. Finger movements can alter modulation effects, meaning the LinnStrument can be used a number of ways. www.rogerlinndesign.com ROLI Seaboard Rise 2 £1,099 The latest version of the MPE flagship, the squidgy-notes of the Seaboard Rise 2 integrate perfectly with ROLI’s bespoke Equator 2 synth, granting 5D expression control via striking, gliding, sliding, lifting and pressing. Using the Seaboard’s patented keyboard allows users to explore far more avenues of sound than conventional MIDI control. It’s also lightweight and gig-ready. www.roli.com Embodme Erae Touch £750…

total control At the time of its launch, Apple’s iPad made many of us weak-at-the-knees with its promise of keyboard-free music-making. Apple’s tablet was all set to fulfil the fantasies of many of us who dreamed of a type of interfacing with our DAW akin to Tom Cruise in Minority Report – swiping, zooming and pinching our way around the music production environment of tomorrow. For a range of reasons, that elementary change just didn’t happen. But that’s not to say that the iPad didn’t deliver in spades when it came to music-making fare over the next few years. There were inviting, touchable DAWs such as FL Studio Mobile and the tablet’s take on Garageband, surprisingly deep synths such as Korg’s Gadget 2 and Audiokit Synth One. While fluid beat…

Equalisation (EQ) is one of the most important mixing tools, yet also one that’s quite easy to get wrong. But there are a few simple methods that can really improve your chances of success. Let’s assume you already understand that an EQ includes various different shaped filters that allow you to boost and cut selected frequencies or frequency ranges. You’ll typically find a pretty flexible EQ pre-assigned to all channels in your DAW and that in itself is a big invitation to get EQing. Even so, there is no requirement to EQ everything, and many would argue that you should use the minimum amount of EQ you can. As ever in music production, there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach. Sometimes raw recorded sounds such as a multi-miced drum…

EastWest’s penchant for pro-level orchestral libraries and malleable vocal suites has made their software stable a comfortable go-to for many working in the industry. While aimed at serving the needs of modern composers first and foremost, EastWest’s latest in a growing line of more colourful releases gazes warmly back to an age of more basic instrument sampling. It was a time when analogue synth and string machines, such as the Oberheim OBX, the ARP Solina and the Roland Jupiter-6 were among the most innovative-sounding instruments around. Their scintillating, epic character defined the soundtracks of countless iconic films and tracks from the likes of Giorgio Moroder, Joy Division and Pink Floyd. Intending to emulate the qualities of string ensembles and Hammond organs, the wonky, expansive nature of these synthesised voices instead…

The clue, as they say, is all in the name. Eventide’s Physion has been updated to MkII, and it’s got some pretty clever technology going on, drawing on similar concepts to Eventide’s innovatory Split EQ plugin. Make like a tree… While this plugin is packed to the brim with some very usable and showy presets, it’s worth stepping back to understand exactly what’s going on. Upon first launch, Physion MkII displays three lines, which are distinct working areas. The initial audio signal enters at the point of the middle layer, which is described as a Structural Split. It is this layer that provides the essence of the plugin. In concept, the signal can be split into transient-based or tonal colours. In separating these elements, you can then dictate how much…

Audiotent Nitrate Standard: €53 Deluxe: €81 107 hand-crafted presets for Knif Audio’s Knifonium – The awesome monophonic synthesizer powered by a colossal 26 vacuum tubes. The Audiotent knobtwiddlers have wrestled some monster noises out of the software, offering up a library that covers a wide variety of tones and textures. Scroll through the phat basses, lead lines, keys, pads and epic arps, and you’ll be itching to build tracks around the whopper sounds on hand. Plump for the Deluxe edition and you’re gifted, as usual, with all the matching MIDI, for extra creative options. www.audiotent.com 8/10 Loopmasters Antman Wonder: Sketches £24.95 Booming sub basslines, skipping trap drums, and free jazz flows and cosmic key flipping a-plenty in this sonically rich and neck-snapping set of future beats and forward-thinking hip-hop. The…

Cycling Modulation Robbie at Cyclick Samples takes us through his batch of all-new ring modulation samples “The use of ring modulation as an audio effect goes back to the start of electronic music. First time users may struggle to make sense of how to use it, often ending up frustrated by the atonal Dalek noises it can bestow upon sources (unless you’re looking to sound like a Dalek). With familiarity comes an appreciation of the unique sound qualities the humble ring mod can summon up, from its natural home in (modular) synthesis to its application to guitars, drums and even acoustic instruments (via mics). “For this sample pack guitars and drums have been enhanced, warped and distorted using the classic Moogerfooger MF-102 Ring Modulator, which though sadly discontinued lives on…

Audio Damage Quanta 2 £110 Melding analogue and digital synthesis approaches, Quanta 2 is a ten-voice polyphonic granular synth with a complex modulation system. A deep and rewarding synth, Quanta 2 is also a fully-fledged MPE-supporting playground. You can assign any of your MPE controllers’ 5D sources to any of its parameters. www.audiodamage.com Modal Cobalt8 From £500 Modal’s Cobalt8 sports a dense virtual analogue synthesis engine, a 512-step sequencer and a nuanced waveform architecture. With the arrival of MPE support to Modal’s synth range, the blue behemoth can be cracked wide open, allowing graceful note transitions and gesture-based modulation control. www.modalelectronics.com Arturia Pigments 3 £79 Arturia’s multi-hued soft synth engine is one of the most feature-packed non-hardware synth offerings out there, so the ability to tunnel even…

total control So far, we’ve largely talked about multidimensional MIDI control, touchscreen-based interfacing and standalone controllers, yet what it is we’re controlling – our music production environments – remains exactly the same type of screen-based space as it always has been, and a place built with mouse and a keyboard in mind. But what about virtual reality? In the colourful world of VR, our approaches change completely, from both how we use our hands to interact with music, and by how we perceive the software itself. ControlRoom is one such example (still in development). Based around a VR environment, it allows you to synchronise your DAW with a virtual environment, placing you in a new music-focused world, and allowing your body to be the conduit for expressive automation. With ControlRoom,…

atau tanaka An electronic music setup covers anything from a simple MIDI keyboard with a laptop and headphones, to a huge modular setup. But none of this applies for Atau Tanaka, a Japanese-American artist who appears to be pulling sounds out of the air through arm movements, hand gestures, and muscle tension. We talked to Atau about his setup, his extensive history with expressive electronic music, and what’s coming next for music technology. Classical, jazz, electronic… “My musical education was quite traditional. I started off playing the piano as a child, but I got sick of playing classical music in my late teens,” Tanaka tells us when we ask him to tell us a bit about his musical upbringing. “I tried to switch to jazz, but I didn’t have the…

Unlike orchestral themes of old, modern soundtracking largely works around more subtle atmosphere-enhancing approach. What we now recognise as a film’s main theme tends to co-exist among other elements, skittering across a sea of evolving textures. Half-formed fragments of melody are just one consideration of this sound-design-adjacent attitude. It’s one such abstract-minded composer that Spitfire have collaborated with to helm Speculative Memories, a sumptuous new suite of cinematic textures and electroacoustic instruments. The composer in question, Yair Elazar Glotman, has recently written an album by the same title (released, aptly, on Spitfire’s SA Recordings). A beautiful work, Glotman’s LP shows the lush potential of his more outré approach, revolving around double-bass, vocals and modular synth, which this suite presents in fully playable and modifiable glory. Thanks for the memories Divided…

While the various thrills of being in a band tend to outweigh the downsides, one of the biggest burdens is being forced to lug weighty amp heads and cabs from practice room to show, up flights of stairs and into the back of vehicles. But, it has always been a struggle worth enduring. Historically, this was the only way of bringing rich tube-powered warmth and room-swallowing scope to the stage. That’s how things used to be, at any rate. Today, with the capabilities of plugins like Audified’s latest GK Amplification 3 Pro, the option of relying on software modelling to recreate the internals of those top tier amps and cabs is a less taxing option – both financially and physically. GK Amplification 3 Pro is the third in a series…

A few months ago we relaunched our fantastic DopeSonix Beat Machine drum machines. This month we turn to another DopeSonix classic, Bass Engine CM, which is also updated and back on the block. The good news is, much like Beat Machine CM, Bass Engine CM (AU, VST, VST 3) is now a multiple instrument package, comprising two instruments and two packs of MIDI basslines. Bass Engine 1 CM focuses on hip-hop bass sounds across three decades, with presets inspired by vinyl samples, popular sound modules and analogue synths. Meanwhile Bass Engine 2 CM (The Low End Solution) offers up regular and layered 808s, deep subs, and further classic bass sounds including electric bass. Although both are pretty simple instruments to use, the underlying sample and synthesis engine (much like the…

Free DAW with a synth worth $69! It’s time to boost your music-making with a massive tutorial on Tracktion Waveform Free – probably the best free DAW out there – plus a free synth that runs in it, worth $69! We have complete guides to using the DAW and creating music in several genres. PLUS! Keys! Massive roundup of the best MIDI keyboards Genre Masterclass A brand new masterclass for making music in different styles On test Arturia Pigments 4, Orchestral Tools Drones and more…