Future Music

patched up

There’s no doubt that the whole concept of modular synthesis has had a significant resurgence in recent years. It is, of course, nothing new – Bob Moog was developing modular synthesisers in the mid-1960s. In the past five or so years though, modular rigs have started popping up in studios, at clubnights and on stage more and more. Part of the reason behind this is probably accessibility – with the rise of Eurorack and increasing volume of brands getting in on the modular game, patchable synths are cheaper and easier to get hold of than they used to be. With the power of modern computers, software modular setups are a serious reality these days too. Plugins such as Bitwig Studio, Phase Plant and Massive X allow elements to be rearranged and…

future music

Editor Si Truss, simon.truss@futurenet.com Reviews Editor/Online Content Manager Simon Arblaster, simon.arblaster@futurenet.com Managing Editor Kate Puttick, kate.puttick@futurenet.com Art Editor Phil Cheesbrough, philip.cheesbrough@futurenet.com BIG THANKS TO… Bruce Aisher, Joe Rossitter, Phil Wise, Danny Turner, Hamish Mackintosh, Roy Spencer, Oli Bell, Adam Gasson, Joe Branston, Daniel Byrne, Jon Musgrave, Dan ‘JD73’ Goldman, Mark Gyver, Adam Lee, Greg Scarth, Catherine Hood, Olly Curtis, Robbie Stamp, Tom Jones, Tim Cant, Kulsoom Middleton MARKETING Direct Marketing Executive: Will Hardy PRODUCTION & DISTRIBUTION Production Controller: Fran Twentyman Production Manager: Mark Constance Printed in the UK by: William Gibbons & Sons Ltd on behalf of Future CIRCULATION Head of Newstrade: Tim Mathers MANAGEMENT Chief Content Officer: Aaron Asadi Brand Director, Music: Stuart Williams Content Director: Scott Rowley Head of Art & Design: Rodney Dive Group Art Editor: Graham Dalzell…

archive

AMBIENT SOUNDS PT.1 ’90s Ambient (562 samples)Ambient Dawn (490 samples) AMBIENT SOUNDS PT.2 Majestic Bells & Mallets (444 samples)Spring Reverb & Tape Delay (533 samples) ATMOSPHERES &BACKGROUNDS Atmospheric Beds (369 samples)Noise, Crackle & Hiss (512 samples)Sounds of the City (371 samples) CLASSIC SYNTHS PT.1 Analogue Polys (625 samples)SH Collection (500 samples) CLASSIC SYNTHS PT.2 Analogue Poly Chord Hits (342 samples)Classic Synths: ’80s, ’90s, ’00s (678 samples)Hardware Arps (511 samples) CREATIVE DRUMS Cyborg Beats (514 samples)Lo-Fi Sampling (555 samples)Obscure Drum Machines (517 samples)Overloaded Beats (889 samples) ESSENTIAL DRUMS 808 and 909 (39 samples)Ultimate Cymbals (503 samples)Ultimate Kick Bundle (505 samples)Ultimate Snares & Claps (676 samples)Vintage Drum Machine Hits(548 samples) FX & TRANSITIONS PT.1 Filter Fun (496 samples)Gates ‘N’ Sidechains (287 samples)Total Transitions (260 samples) FX & TRANSITIONS PT.2 Destroyed synths (519 samples)Sci-Fi FX (501 samples) HIP-HOP, FUNK & SOUL Cosmic Soul (386 samples)Funk Keys (279 samples)Hip-Hop Drum Machines (387 samples)Minimal…

flex synth adds preset power to fl studio 20.5

Sound design sessions are all well and good, but there are times when you just want great sounds as soon as you open your DAW. That’s the thinking behind Flex, a new preset-based softsynth that comes free with FL Studio version 20.5. Simplicity may be the watchword here, but the engine that powers Flex is said to have plenty of advanced stuff going on. It blends subtractive, wavetable, multisample, FM and AM-based synthesis, but you can take charge of this pretty easily by using eight patch-specific macro sliders. You can go beyond these by tweaking the filter, envelope and effect controls, and you can also choose between a variety of Analysis views (like waveform, spectrogram, vectorscope and frequency histogram). You can find the sound that you’re looking for using the tag-based preset browser,…

presonus hit a wider sweet spot with eris xt monitors

PreSonus have released their Eris XT active studio monitor speakers, which are designed to offer a wider sweet spot and more focused vertical dispersion than previous models. This is, we’re told, thanks to a new custom elliptical waveguide design that promises superior high-frequency response and 100-degree horizontal dispersion. The 60-degree vertical dispersion, meanwhile, is designed to minimise early reflections and create a more consistent response both on- and off-axis. PreSonus say that the end result for listeners should be greater detail and depth and a more consistent experience in any mix environment. Larger enclosures, meanwhile, should mean extended low-frequency response. There are two models in the range: the Eris E5 XT priced at $150 and Eris E8 XT at $250. Minilogue gets microtuning Korg’s Minilogue XD may have been getting all the press recently, but…

“analogue drum machines are as important as plugins” gheist

Spanning the realms of electronic production and live performance, Berlin four-piece Gheist stand out among the city’s often dark and serious club scene by making electronic music with a melodic, human heart. With their own label, radio show and a busy schedule of both live and DJ dates, 2019 is shaping up as a busy one for the band. We found out more... When did you start making music, and how did you first get started? “Individually, we all started making music as kids. All of us had the opportunity to learn different instruments from an early age. As a group we started to produce and write music in different constellations about 10 years ago. In the beginning we were very much into alternative and electronica, but also had a thing for…