BPM TEch JulAug '11

LATEST IN DJ, MUSIC AND PRODUCTION GEAR

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UG’11 JUL|A

We review...

Behringer iNUKE Power Amps NUMARK NS6 FL Studio 10 JBL EON 515XT Emulator Gear news TUTORIALS...

Ableton Live Harmonic Distortion Autotune: Sound like T-Pain www.proaudio.co.za

ALL ABOUT THE

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JUL/AUG ‘11 EDITION 56

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EDITORS NOTE & INFO COVER FEATURE: BEHRINGER INUKE POWER AMPS COVER FEATURE: BEHRINGER INUKE POWER AMPS REVIEW: JBL EON515XT REVIEW: FL STUDIO 10 REVIEW: FL STUDIO 10 GEAR NEWS GEAR NEWS REVIEW: EMULATOR TOUCHSCREEN DJ REVIEW: NUMARK NS6 PRODUCTION TIPS: HARMONIC DISTORTION TUTORIAL: ABLETON - CREATING A BASS SOUND WITH OPERATOR TUTORIAL: HOW TO AUTOTUNE AND SOUND LIKE T-PAIN TUTORIAL: HOW TO AUTOTUNE AND SOUND LIKE T-PAIN

EDITOR’S NOTE his edition of BPM Tech sees us vary our reviews somewhat – we’ve been heavy on the DJ gear of late but one can tend to forget that without the sound systems... well we’d have no sound right? Good sound is key to any successful event but alas often seems to be the last priority amongst venue owners and promoters. There’s no excuse either, as technology becomes more affordable and simply gets better and better.

Witness the all new iNUKE series from Behringer. These featherweight power amps are proof that a lot of oomph can be packed into a compact and portable package with no features lacking. Read all about it in our cover feature.

JBL have also upped the ante somewhat and again, technology is at play here as their new EON515XT loudspeakers bear testament to this. With essentially the same components – and some new added features – the EON’s have just got louder thanks to some tweaking and improving on their technologies. Check it out on page 6.

We’ve also been inundated with requests – many of them on our Facebook wall – to review the new FL Studio 10.

Dave Skinz takes us through all the new advances of this

T

hugely underestimated and massively popular music making program on page 8 & 9.

Speaking of technology, Numark have listened to their customers and introduced a new, sleeker, slimmer, more portable version of the NS7 aptly called the NS6. You can read our review of this on page 16 and then something new and novel is the Emulator – the first touch-screen midi controller for Traktor. I had the pleasure of test driving this baby and had lots of fun. This review you will find on page 14.

Elsewhere we have some super cool tutorials; How to use Autotune to get those robotic vocals, which I personally cannot stand, but seems to be very popular in R&B and hip hop. We also show you how to get a big bass sound out of Ableton’s Operator and Jon Shaw teaches us a thing or two about Harmonic Distortion in his production tips masterclass.

Enough reading material to keep you busy for a while...

Enjoy!

Don’t forget to visit www.bpmmag.co.za for daily gear news.

DAVE MAC Editor-in-Chief

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COVER FEATURE BPM Report

Behringer iNUKE

”... by carefully selecting transistors with extremely high slew rates and optimizing other proprietary parts of the circuitry, these amps react instantly to even the most demanding electronic bass impulses.”

Watts, plus all the features most professional audio engineers ask for; NU1000: Ultra-Lightweight High-Density 1000-Watt Power Amplifier. Delivers 2 x 520 Watts into 2 Ohms; 2 x 300 Watts into 4 Ohms; 1000 Watts into 4 Ohms (bridge mode) and weighs less than 3.2 Kg's.

NU3000: Ultra-Lightweight High-Density 3000-Watt Power Amplifier. Delivers 2 x 1600 Watts into 2 Ohms; 2 x 900 Watts into 4 Ohms; 3000 Watts into 4 Ohms (bridge mode) and weighs less than 3.2 Kg’s.

NU6000: Ultra-Lightweight High-Density 6000-Watt Power Amplifier. Delivers 2 x 3000 Watts into 4 Ohms, 2 x 1500 Watts into 8 Ohms and weighs less than 3.7 Kg’s.

What Is It? The new iNUKE series is Behringer’s brand new range of power amplifiers that have caused some serious waves in sound reinforcement circles. Boasting high-density Class-D technology and switch-mode power supplies, the reason for the widespread excitement is that these amplifiers pack high output power into a very, very light rack-mountable package.

All models feature combination XLR / 1/4” TRS input connectors, integrated limiters, a built-in subwoofer/satellite crossover and professional twist-lock speaker connectors.

For sound engineers requiring highlevel control capability, Behringer iNUKE

DSP Series amplifiers come with built-in DSP and 24-bit/96 kHz converters for high quality signal integrity across an extremely broad dynamic range. DSP functions include a sophisticated delay, crossover, EQ (8 parametric, 2 dynamic), and dynamics processing with lockable security settings.

A convenient front panel LCD display provides access to setup and adjustment parameters directly at the amplifier, without the need for a PC. Additionally, all iNUKE DSP models can be set up, monitored and controlled via a front panel USB connector.

There are six models in the range in total all sporting cool-running and lightweight Class-D technology with output ratings ranging from 1,000 – 6,000

NU1000DSP: Ultra-Lightweight, HighDensity 1000-Watt Power Amplifier with DSP Control and USB Interface. Delivers 2 x 520 Watts into 2 Ohms; 2 x 300 Watts into 4 Ohms; 1000 Watts into 4 Ohms (bridge mode) and weighs less than 3.7 Kg’s.

NU3000DSP: Ultra-Lightweight, HighDensity 3000-Watt Power Amplifier with DSP Control and USB Interface. Delivers 2 x 1600 Watts into 2 Ohms; 2 x 900 Watts into 4 Ohms; 3000 Watts into 4 Ohms (bridge mode) and weighs less than 3.7 Kg’s.

NU6000DSP: Ultra-Lightweight, HighDensity 6000-Watt Power Amplifier with DSP Control and USB Interface. Delivers 2 x 3000 Watts into 4 Ohms, 2 x 1500 Watts into 8 Ohms and weighs less than 5.5 Kg’s.

Power Amplifiers

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COVER FEATURE

Anatomy As you can probably tell the model names and numbers signal the specification of each amplifier. The 1000, 3000 and 6000 denotes the maximum signal power of each amp (not RMS) and they’re each available as standard power amps or with built in DSP hence the added DSP on the end of some model names. The iNUKE DSP models can be set-up, monitored and controlled via a front panel USB connector, while a front panel LCD display provides direct access to setup and adjustment parameters without the need for a PC. Also included are combination XLR / ¼-inch TRS input connectors, integrated limiters, a built-in subwoofer/satellite crossover, and twistlock speaker connectors in lightweight, rack-mountable packages.

Other features found on both the standard range and DSP series include switches that enable iNUKE amps to work in either dual mono, stereo or mono bridge mode. There is also a builtin crossover switch to set the amp in biamp mode which will then send low frequency content to passive subwoofers, while the high frequency output is channelled to full range loudspeakers. A limiter on/off switch a c t i v a t e s t h e b u i l t- i n o v e r l o a d protection.

The PC remote Editor software comes with a host of handy features by simply connecting your DSP iNUKE via USB. The GUI is nicely laid out – very intuitive and allows one to set all DSP functions and parameters. Aside from selecting operating mode (Dual Mono, Stereo, Bi Amp 1 or 2 or bridge mode) you can also set very precise I/O levels via the 22 virtual LED indicators. What’s more the GUI also delivers graphical feedback for Filter/Crossover, Parametric EQ and Dynamic EQ (level dependent equalization). Basically without leaving your chair you can setup and monitor your iNUKE at all times. The system can also be locked from the editor – a very important option for rental installations to halt any pesky tampering.

Verdict Behringer is without a doubt one of the most popular brands in South Africa, proof of which is easy to be seen in so many installation and sound reinforcement applications. Their success is built on value for money or

‘bang-for-your-buck’ and whilst the brand is not without its detractors, the buying public have the final say and there is no denying just how many Behringer products are out there being used daily.

There have been some questions raised with regards to the high density class-D technology but Behringer claim to have spent years fine-tuning this to give these amps the extra ‘oomph.’ They say that by carefully selecting transistors with extremely high slew rates and optimizing other proprietary parts of the circuitry, these amps react instantly to even the most demanding electronic bass impulses. Combining this with state-of-the-art switching-mode power supplies makes for amplifiers with mega punch. The iNUKE series is a massive leap forward in the power amp stakes for the brand – the series is very nice looking in a classy professional way, comes standard with a good features list across

the range and the DSP models add genuine sophistication and class. But of course the most impressive feature of all is the power vs. weight ratio and sound installers and rental companies will love the ‘featherweight’ design, the ease of use and the versatility of the iNUKE Power amps. Expect to see these in use everywhere!

To watch the promotional videos for the iNUKE series scan the tag below on your phone or go to www.bpmmag.co.za

Distributor: Pro Audio | 011-822 1430 | www.proaudio.co.za

JBL EON 515XT

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REVIEW

By Damien Albetto

At Namm this year JBL launched what they have dubbed 'their toughest, smartest and most impressive EON ever.'

We decided to take a closer look at this new addition to see what all the fuss is about...

Anatomy JBL loudspeakers are always good looking and the new edition to the EON product line - the EON 515XT is no exception. Significantly this year will see them produce their one millionth EON loudspeaker, a clear indication of the popularity of this range worldwide.

The 515XT is the next generation EON and the product range has stepped up a few notches both in performance and features. Straight out the box the first thing that impresses is the reminder of how light the 515 has always been. Weighing in at a very manageable 14.8 kg’s with multiple handles all sporting rubber grips, it certainly scores high in the portability stakes. One of the adjectives used to describe the 515XT’s looks is ‘discreet,’ and whilst it does not differ too much from its predecessor, the all black facia and discreet (there’s that word) JBL logo (now black, not orange) does make for a handsome package bound to blend in more so than ever.

As has been proven many times over looks aren’t everything but they count for quite a bit when purchase decisions are being made, so having a good looking set of cabs goes a long way towards desirability of the product.

This setup is a self powered 15 inch, two-way, bass-reflex system driven by Crown® Hybrid Class-D amplifier technology. The power rating is 625 watts – that’s 525 on the sub and 100 watts on the tweeter giving it a solid 175 watt advantage over the 515. Turning the loudspeaker around reveals a handy selection of features that are an improvement too. It comes with a basic 3 channel mixer and all three of these channels cater for 14 inch jack input with one also offering dual XLR input.

So for example you can plug any line instrument, mic and dj mixer straight in the back. Each input has its own volume control.

Whilst the 515 has fixed EQ, the XT sports both a bass and treble control which means being able to tailor the sound somewhat, depending on your environment and the music being played. The loudspeaker also has a useful XLR out loop-thru for daisy chaining speakers. But probably the most significant enhancement that

should impress is the increase in input sensitivity by a massive 10 dB. This means better support for line inputs such as keyboards, drum machines or DJ mixers. SPL is also up a bit at 132 dB which by any standard is massively efficient. Bottom line – it’s loud! Now, one would think the 175 watt increase in output power may signify a change in amplification but in fact the XT is driven by the same Crown Class-D as the 515.

What has changed is the overall optimisation of all the internal workings. Bottom line: Better design, higher efficiency.

From a practical perspective as mentioned earlier, its light, has multiple rubberised handles and can be pole mounted, stood up on the floor or used as a monitor thanks to its angled cabinet.

either like the sound of them or you don’t.” I think the EON series on a whole has gone a long way to silence detractors and the 515XT is indeed the complete package. Loud, efficient and very versatile the only complaints will be from those who own the 515’s as they eye out the XT longingly. Sound wise the tops seem brighter and the bottom end tighter than its predecessor and that’s with no EQ fiddling. It’s a great speaker at a great price. Simple as that! Expect to see tons of these around and about in the next few months.

Verdict JBL often causes more debate than most speaker systems partly due to their immense popularity and partly because as a good friend and sound connoisseur often reminds me, “you

SA Distributor: Wild and Marr (Pty) Ltd 011-974 0633 | 021-787 9378 | 031-564 3877 | www.wildandmarr.co.za Expect to pay: R 10,950-00 each excl. VAT

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MUSIC PRODUCTION SOFTWARE

By Dave Skinz

FL Studio 10 interface is visible and the Channel Settings window shrinks down. The Channel Settings is also where you get to control the automation of effects, instruments and envelopes so it can get quite busy; busy enough to warrant a second monitor. Most, if not all of your functions are accessed through rightclicks to bring up extensive drop-down menus that seem to fill the screen very quickly.

So what’s new?

What Is It? FL Studio and its previous guise of Fruity Loops have always been lauded as one of the easiest and quickest ways to produce quality electronic music without making the process frustrating.

Many people might have preferred the funky Fruity Loops moniker but after a disagreement with everybody ’s favourite breakfast bird Toucan Sam, I personally think that Belgian based Image-Line software made the right move to rename the product and subsequently improve and professionalize the brand image.

It certainly has removed a lot of the negative stigmas that tended to float around when producers mentioned that they were using FL to produce their tunes, and in fact a large portion of local producers here in South Africa clicked their first major releases in FL and continue to roll out the hits using the package. So while in the past many of the “formally trained” music producers tended to take a pessimistic view of the package the results always tend to speak for themselves.

One of the unwritten rules in music production is to quickly get your ideas out the package and work through as much of the concept as you possibly can while the inspiration grips you. I can count myself amongst the thousands of producers out there who have a hefty section in their folder of unfinished projects due to frustrations, inability to do what you can hear in your head or that you just didn't have the time to see the track through its conclusion. Sure there will come the day when you go

back through that folder of half built dreams but they never seem as grandiose as they were the day they popped into your head.

So what can you do in FL studio?

Well, pretty much anything that you can do in any of the major DAW's out there.

Composition, arranging, recording, editing, mixing and mastering can all be manipulated in FL Studio 10, and if you have a favoured plug-in or sound, FL Studio is fully VST and DXi compatible.

In fact one of the new additions to version 10 is that it now supports both 32 and 64-bit plugins through a “bridged” mode.

FL Studio still operates on the premise of loops and sequences through its system of playlists and patterns. Your patterns are built through variable length step sequences containing instruments or generators that you drag and drop from the browser which groups all the instruments and effects quite comprehensively. Each pattern is then saved and arranged using the playlist to trigger different patterns to form a structured song.

You can program your patterns by using either the Piano Roll or Step Sequencer and if you click on any instrument or generator in the pattern you open up its Channel Settings.

Within Channel Settings you have the ability to manipulate any settings you might need from synthesis parameters to arpeggiator timings to actual timestretching, processing and looping of audio samples. If you open up a VST its

Quite a bit really; the biggest noticeable change is that the program runs a lot smoother thanks to better management of the memory and improved ASIO performance but the way you work within the software has also been streamlined to make the experience quicker and easier.

In the Piano Roll for example you can utilize a function called Magic Lasso from the drop down menu to assist you with note alignment by giving you visual representations of the waveform behind the notes. Another cool feature is the Riff Machine which allows you to create complex MIDI parts from simple inputs like chords. Actually there are loads of other new additions to really assist you with building chords and chord progressions even if you aren't a virtuoso musician.

There are stacks of new synths and sample based acoustic instruments too and Auto-Save is now included so you can set FL Studio to save your precious project every 5 to 15 minutes. Devices like Newtone assist you with pitch correction and time stretching for audio or MIDI and Patcher lets you build and save effects chains to use again in other projects without having to rebuild it every single time. There's even a built in visualiser.

All the familiar plugins like Stytrus have also been juiced up to allow a greater magnification of envelopes to really add more depth to your synths, samplers and effects.

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MUSIC PRODUCTION SOFTWARE

The easiest way from your brain to the speakers.

Who should own one?

Anyone looking for an electronic music production program with no experience in putting beats and melodies together. Also any of the producers out there who get frustrated working in the “bigger” DAW packages would enjoy the workflow in FL 10. If budget is a constraint FL Studio caters for all sizes of pockets. The entry level Fruity package is 700 odd Rand, the Producer Edition retails at R 1,700 and the all inclusive Signature Bundle will only set you back around R 3,000!

When you start to feel limited by the basic package you can step up to a more hardcore version online without having to purchase all over again with a simple upgrade path. Also bear in mind that with FL, you have access to Lifetime upgrades so you will never need to spend the bucks to upgrade to the latest version when it hits the shelves; you will always have access to the tier of program level you originally purchased. For the older users a small fee of $39 will move you up to the Lifetime upgrades.

If you are looking to do any recording remember that only the Producer or Signature Editions are enabled for this feature. Also anyone with an older machine (is there anybody still running Windows 2000?) will enjoy running FL as the requirements are only 512 MB of RAM and 500 MB of hard drive space with a 2 GB AMD or Pentium 3 processor but obviously the newer machines will run the software significantly quicker and smoother both in 32 or 64-bit versions. Unfortunately Mac users will still have to run Boot Camp on their machines to use FL Studio.

The Verdict FL Studio does exactly what it claims to do and that is to be the fastest way from your brain to the speakers. The price point is extremely reasonable especially when compared to the competition out there and even more so when you throw lifetime upgrades into the pot. With the improvements to ASIO and memory usage this really puts this into the upper echelons of music production platforms.

I certainly wouldn't use FL Studio to record a full band or orchestra per se, but to put together beats and melodies it truly is a dream to work with. There isn't a huge jump from FL Studio 9 to 10 but the workflow is much more fluid and there are added tools within the Piano Roll, Channel Settings, Playlist and Mixer that make the experience an even more streamlined one.

Another interesting little feature that not many people know about is the ability to run FL as a ReWire within a “larger” DAW

system so if you have a lower version or don't particularly like the recording interface you can still access the sounds and effects you've grown to love so much within a DAW you might be more familiar with such as Cubase or Ableton for example.

It's hard to knock a system like FL Studio 10 that has so many strong points. But don’t just take my word for it; check out the fully working downloadable demos to find out for yourself.

Price: R 700 - R 3000 | Supplier: Tuerk Music Technology | Tel: (011) 792-8402 Web: www.tuerkmusic.co.za / www.flstudio.com

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GEAR & INDUSTRY NEWS

Steinberg introduces entry level Cubase Elements Need the bells, without all the whistles?

Cubase Elements 6, the latest addition to the Cubase product family is shipping, offering a comprehensive feature set at an exceptional price of R 1,195 Including VAT. Based on the core technologies of Steinberg’s music production system Cubase 6, the entry-level Elements edition offers intuitive song-writing and recording tools along with great-sounding instruments and effects. We love the simplicity of “The Project Assistant” which makes setting up Cubase & getting those ideas down a breeze!

Top Features: ! Based on proven Cubase technology used by professionals around the world ! Award-winning 32-bit floating-point Steinberg audio engine with flexible routing and fully automatic delay compensation ! Supports up to 64 MIDI and 48 audio tracks simultaneously in DVD quality (24-bit/96 kHz) ! Includes outstanding virtual instruments: HALion Sonic SE workstation, MPC-style Groove Agent ONE drum machine, Prologue synthesizer ! Comes ready with 33 audio effect processors, including PitchCorrect for vocal intonation correction and the greatsounding AmpSimulator ! Cross-platform 32-/64-bit for Windows and Mac OS X Intel Tuerk Music Technologies | (011) 792 8402 | www.tuerkmusic.co.za

Behringer's new Nox series of DJ mixers now available in South Africa Renowned pro audio manufacturer Behringer has released five new DJ mixers as part of their NOX series and the feedback has been really good so far. Built to connect directly to your computer and take your music straight into the digital realm, these mixers allow you to record and play any digital music file with your PC or Mac computer without the need for any special drivers. The NOX606 packs a whopping 6 channels, the NOX1010 has five, the NOX303 has three, and the NOX202 and NOX404 each have two channels.

All mixers include the infinium "contact-free" VCA Crossfader, their legendary XENYX mic and premiumgrade phono preamps, and beat-syncable FX for years of unbeatable performance.

NOX mixers offer RCA inputs for turntables, tape decks and CD players and also feature mic inputs with exceptional XENYX mic preamps.

In addition the mixers include USB connectivity so you can access your MP3 library or digitize your own creative mix, directly via your computer and provide superb tone control, thanks to a 3-band EQ and full-kill filters, Gain control and precise level meter per channel.

Whether you're throwing multiple elements into the mix, or just keeping it simple, there's a USB-ready NOX Series mixer that's ideal for you.

All NOX Series models feature super-smooth channel faders and the infinium 'contact-free' VCA-controlled crossfader for the utmost in reliability and smooth audio performance. The user-adjustable crossfader curves let you quickly adapt to various mixing styles.

SA Distributor: Pro Audio | Tel: +27(011) 822-1430 | www.proaudio.co.za Continued on Pg 12 ...

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Continued from Pg 10 ...

GEAR & INDUSTRY NEWS

Beyerdynamic DT 1350 headphones Closed supraaural headphone for control and monitoring applications, musicians and DJ's In a marked departure from traditional Beyerdynamic headphone design, the striking aesthetics of the new DT 1350 make it stand out from the crowd, delivering a professional, timeless quality that is both attractive and rugged.

A combination of highly efficient ambient noise reduction and an impressive maximum sound pressure level (129 dB) make the DT 1350 an ideal compact over-ear headphone for audio engineers, musicians and DJ’s. Regardless of whether you are a sound engineer monitoring PA systems, a live musician or a DJ; the DT 1350 delivers every time. The Tesla drivers offer an enormous degree of efficiency with extremely low levels of distortion, allowing the DT 1350 to produce a perfectly balanced, analytical sound even at the highest volumes. The removable ear cushions, combined with a flexible split headband design ensure the headphones sit securely and remain comfortable even during prolonged periods of use. The swivelling ear cups (90°) also allow “single-ear” monitoring.

SA Distributor: Technology Innovated Distribution Tel: +27 10 5000 111 | www.tidistribution.co.za

AIAIAI: TMA-1 Headphones The name TMA-1 refers to the extremely long-lived, black monolith mentioned in Arthur C. Clarke's novel 2001 - A Space Odyssey - a fitting name for this rugged, matte-black and incredibly reliable headphone. The TMA-1 is made in collaboration with 25 professional and renowned DJs including Warp's own Hudson Mohawke. The one-piece headband is made of a strong, durable and pliant matte nylon material, which provides full flexibility when wearing and positioning the headphones during Dj’ing, and at the same time renders the TMA-1 virtually unbreakable. The inner parts are sheltered by the headphone-cup made out of a resistant ABS material. The 40mm dual-diaphragm high-definition drivers deliver high definition, full-spectrum sound providing you with crystal clarity and an accurate sound on all frequencies.

Quotes: "Really good sounding sturdy headphones. Probably the best on the market...” Hudson Mohawke "In general they're louder and more focused than my beloved HD25s, and that's great. They're also nice and smooth without being flat. I like the options of cable and ear cushion as well.”

James Murphy "I'm using them as my main DJ headphones now..." Kode 9 SA Distributor: Rolling Thunder | + 2721 557 8630 | www.rollingthunder.co.za

Gemini Introduces FirstMix-USB DJ Controller for Aspiring DJs

* laptop not included Gemini have unveiled the FirstMix USB DJ Controller for aspiring DJs. This easy to use, yet feature rich controller with two touch sensitive jog wheels allows anyone to scratch like a pro. A “Best in Show” winner at the 2011 Winter NAMM show, FirstMix connects via USB and allows users to DJ using their iTunes or other music libraries.

FirstMix ships with Cross LE DJ software from MixVibes and is also compatible with Traktor, Virtual DJ and Algoriddim’s DJAY and other popular DJ software. “We took many of the best features from our Gemini professional DJ products and integrated them into FirstMix for anyone who is interested in a fun and easy way to get started as a digital DJ,” says Mark Wilder, Vice President of Marketing for GCI Technologies. “FirstMix lets you ‘scratch’ right out of the box and gives you the tools you need to put together a great party mix.”

Other key features include the ability to seamlessly mix songs together, spice up tracks with effects, play music in reverse, adjust bass and treble output and record your set.

Priced at R 1,295 incl. VAT the FirstMix is the newest addition to Gemini’s Digital DJ Controller line and is now available in South Africa.

SA Distributor: Audiosure | 011 - 7904600 021 - 5551617 | 031 – 5699260 | 051 – 4304455

VISIT us at MEDIATECH 2011 on Stands B31 & B33

www.audiosure.co.za

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DJ GEAR

By Dave Mac

Emulator Touchscreen DJ

The world of digital DJ’ing seems to be pushing the envelope at every possible turn what with the numerous iPhone DJ and production apps recently announced and of course the iPad DJ viral video that’s been circulating on the web has got many people excited. What makes the iPad DJ app comparable to Emulator is that both are based on touchscreen technology but beyond that they really are two very different animals...

What Is It? Emulator is a multi-touch midi controller PC software program that enables one to control DJ software via a large transparent touchscreen. The full rig consists of the aforementioned software, either a 32 or 42 inch transparent screen, a stand for the screen and a projector to project the PC DJ software onto the screen.

Currently it works with Traktor Pro 2 although we are told that soon Serato, Virtual DJ and Ableton emulations will also be available.

To set the system up one simply plugs the projector into your laptop or PC dual screen output and the Touchscreen into an available USB port on said laptop/PC. Thus two functions are being achieved; 1 the Traktor DJ software is projected onto the big see-through screen and 2, via the USB connection the Touchscreen now becomes your midi controller to control the DJ software. The layout of Traktor Pro 2 is very similar on the big screen to the standard version – enough so that anybody using the program should have no difficulty getting their groove on pretty quickly – but it is essentially an overlay and not a direct mirror image of the standard version.

Nonetheless it has been well thought out and is easily enough navigable for anybody familiar with the program.

What else do I need?

It’s important to understand that Emulator is essentially a DJ midi controller – the only difference being that one uses the Touchscreen to control Traktor as opposed to knobs and sliders. This means you will still need a suitable DJ Soundcard with headphone monitoring capability, a PC or laptop and a copy of Traktor Pro 2.

Who should own one?

Verdict

From experience I have learnt never to entirely assume how a new piece of tech will be used or by whom. We all have a wonderfully inventive way of using technology these days. I don’t know if it’ll prove a practical solution for your average DJ to lug around with him to gigs. Just watching DJ’s trying to find space in the DJ booth for their standard laptop/controller combinations in flight cases is amusing enough. Trying to set this up quickly at a club for a 2 hour set could prove a bit much, however don’t be surprised if it does start popping up. I see this more as a presentation tool ideal for gigs that require a large dose of visual interaction which makes it perfect for DJ’s wanting to do demos, corporate gigs and is great for video and TV. Mobile DJ owners may also be very interested in this product as it would be a huge hit at wedding gigs or lavish birthday bashes. The visual aspect is not to be underestimated and with the added feature of being able to write messages (freehand) and display images on the transparent screen whilst Dj’ing this makes it a great visual tool.

It works, simple as that! It took me less than 5 minutes to get used to the Touchscreen control (I am a seasoned Traktor user) and whilst there is obviously a little bit of latency compared with tactile knobs and sliders, I was truly amazed at how easy Emulator is to use.

All the Traktor features are available in more or less the same layout save a few different locations like the FX and Hot cues but other than that it’s almost identical. The more time one spends with it, the more one realises how much thought has gone into making Emulator a genuine controller application and not just a novelty. Whilst not cheap (it is new technology) it’s comparable to two top of the range DJ Media players and a decent mixer and offers a different visual experience for the DJ. At the moment it only works on PC (Windows 7) but a MAC version is due out within weeks. If it sounds interesting to you I would try it out but be warned... you may just get hooked!

Distributor: Rolling Thunder | 021-5578630 | www.rollingthunder.co.za Expect to pay: Between R 40,000 & R 75,000 version dependant.

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DJ GEAR

By Dave Skinz

Numark NS6

Lightweight Contender for DJ Controller of the Year.

What Is It? The Numark NS6 is a compact MIDI controller, Audio Interface and Digital DJ Mixer designed in conjunction with the brains at Serato HQ. So whilst a fair section of the NS6 has been modeled on its “bigger” brother the now legendary NS7, Numark have taken a lot of DJ feedback related to that device to improve the overall experience on the NS6.

One of the best features on the NS6 are the dual touch sensitive metal 6” platters with an unprecedented 3600 ticks of resolution per revolution allowing much more fine control when scratching, cueing and pitch bending with a red ring marker around each platter so as to be able to monitor your relative scratch position if you prefer watching the platter than the monitor.

With all that extra resolution data the 214 pieces of MIDI info on the NS6 had to consequently be upgraded to 14-bit which also improves all the communication between the NS6's hardware and the custom Serato software package.

Which leads us to another of the new major adaptations the NS6 benefits from and that is a native four deck setup and layout courtesy of a custom version of Serato specifically adapted for the NS6. This translates to super quick setup times and less potential performance problems. The custom version includes some real clever additions to the software one of which is a dual effects section to really brighten up your performance and allow a much more layered approach to your mixing that can also be routed to your analog kit as well.

The strip search bar sounds as fun as its name implies and lets you drag your finger along the bar to move your track along its timeline, but when you combine this with another new innovative feature in skip, you can now jump to any point in the song without missing a beat! Now if you're worried about staying in bar you could rather make use of the forward thinking loop and cue sections to really let looping and shifting loops on the fly become a much easier process. 5 hot-cue buttons below each platter really let you be creative with the way you wish to jump around your cue points and loops can

be divided, multiplied, shifted, stuttered and edited each with their own set of buttons for those varied functions. All of this amazing looping and cueing wizardry is assisted by beat gridding in the software to really tighten track loops that would otherwise be extremely tricky to lock down.

There are specialized crate browsing and loading functions to ensure that all you need to do on your computer is look at the screen. With all this amazing software functionality one does tend to forget that the NS6 is also a fully kitted 24-bit audio mixer as well, with four channels of inputs, two of which are switchable phono inputs for decks and four for CDJ's or line inputs that can run independent of a computer.

This does mean that the NS6 will need more power than conventional USB's can offer so you will need to plug the NS6 into a power source. Audio output is sent through a set of balanced XLR connections for pro output quality and additional RCA outputs are available for master output and another set for booth. Mini and Jack headphones ports are also available if you forgot your headphone adaptor at home.

Who Should Own One? First off, anyone that owns or owned an NS7 and complained about its weight.

Which at 20 + kilos, means that if it was being carted around in a flightcase you had to hand it over the baggage handlers at the airport. The NS6 however tips the scales at a very lean 6.4 kg which is also a lot lighter than some of the competitors’ products.

The NS6 should be considered very carefully amongst all the top end MIDI/Audio and Mixer controllers on offer out there, not just for the amazing functionality but also for Numark's build quality.

The Verdict A definite front runner for the best DJ controller combo out at the moment.

The build quality is great and the custom 4 deck Serato software with all its extra built in functions for looping and cueing really set the NS6 apart from its overweight brother the NS7. Just take a look at YouTube for videos of the NS6 at work and you are sure to be astounded. Overlook the NS6 at your own peril.

R

Price: R 12,000-00 | Supplier: Viva Afrika | Tel: (011) 250-3280 Web: www.numark.com

featuring products from:

Featuring live demos of Numark’s range of DJ gear:

CONTROLLERS: Mixtrack Pro | NS6 | Omnicontrol | lDJ2GO

CD/MP3 PLAYERS: NDX200 | NDX 400 | NDX800

HEADPHONES: HF125 | PHXUSB | Redwave & more...

Dino Bravo on the decks daily from 11h00-12h00 & 14h00 - 15h00

For trade enquiries or to find your closest retailer call (011) 250 3280 | luis@hybrid.co.za | marco@hybrid.co.za | bernard@hybrid.co.za

Viva Afrika presents the Aero Series2. The new generation of D.A.S. line array systems designed to possess the qualities needed to dominate the ever-changing and fiercely competitive world of sound touring.

Demo 1 - Aero 8a

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Demo 3 - Aero 50

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Aero 8a

Aero 12a

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6 per side | 4 x LX218 Subs

6 per side | 8 x LX218 Subs

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Join us for daily demos of the DAS Aero Line Array Systems 12h15 - 12h30 & 15h00 - 15h30 daily - Wed, 20 July, Thurs 21 July & Fri 22 July

www.hybrid.co.za

By AbletonLife.com

20 | BPM

ABLETON TUTORIAL

O

How to Program a Bass Sound in Ableton's Operator

perator may not be the first synth you would consider for bass in Ableton Live (usually that’s reserved for the much fatter “Analog”). However, with minimal tweaking, you can program your own, smooth bass sounds in a matter of minutes.

Operator…I’m looking for an Oscillator…

Operator’s 4 oscillators make it easy to sculpt straight forward bass sounds. Even loading up a copy of Operator (with its default Sine wave on OSC1 enabled) and playing a few notes in the C0 – C1 range can shake the house.

Operator’s 4 customizable Oscillators to help sculpt your bass sounds.

However, you probably want a better starting point for your bass sounds, here is how.

Step 1) – Drop a copy of Operator onto a new MIDI track.

Step 2) – Bass sounds usually require mono phony (only one note triggered at a time. Do this by clicking on the “Global Shell” (1) section and in the middle panel (2) change the voice count to 1.

Bass sounds are usually Monophonic.

Be sure to change the voice count from 6 to 1 in the “Global Shell”.

Step 3) – Next, click on the Oscillator #2 panel (1) and bring the level knob up to about -8.0dB and the coarse knob up to 2. Make sure to activate this oscillator by clicking on the “B” on the right side.

Under Oscillator 2 bring the dB up to -8.0dB and the coarse knob up to 2

Step 4) – With Oscillator #2 still selected, locate the middle panel and change the “Sustain” level (1) to about -20dB and the wave type (2) to Sq3.

Operator’s “Sustain” and “Wave” settings.

Step 5) – Click right above Oscillator #2 to select Oscillator #3. Repeat steps 3 and 4, only this time change Oscillator #3′s level knob to -10dB and under wave type select “Sq16″. Again, be sure to activate Oscillator #3 by clicking the “C” on the right side of it.

The settings for Operator’s Oscillator #3

Step 6) – Last, we are going to locate Operator’s “Filter” section (1) and bring the frequency knob to around 400. This helps smooth off some of the highs, allowing the bass to occupy only the lower frequency range. Don’t forget to click on the small square to the left and activate it (it will turn orange when activated).

Cutting the highs with Operator’s filter section helps carve a sonic spot for our bass (400Hz and below).

PRODUCTION TIPS

By Jonathan G Shaw

21| BPM TUTORIAL

Tricks from the Pro's 7:

Harmonic Distortion

alutations and greetings BPMings! This time we look at all things distorted (a pun, perhaps?). The era of analogue tape is behind us, and the benefits of digital are now clear. The trick, though, to getting that sought after analogue and “international” sound is now on.

It all started for me when I realised my masters weren’t quite as loud as international ones. I sought high and low for the reason why but no one was able to tell me. I stumbled upon an internet forum (www.gearslutz.com) where someone was talking about soft clipping. Soft clipping is, in effect, raising the level of digital audio so that its amplitude is effectively chopped off resulting in distortion. This is what you do when you push up the master fader so the track gets louder because you’re cutting off the waveform peaks. This is problematic because it’s uncontrollable and often just grating. Pro Tools comes with something called Lo-Fi which has a distortion setting that soft clips for the same effect.

Unfortunately you can’t control the gain and it sounds blatant. Not so good for mastering but its great on bass, if you want to get it to punch through. It increases overall RMS (average volume) in a way that has left me unimpressed with traditional compression.

I also use this little gizmo on synths, guitars and vocals which causes them to jump right out of the mix and keep out of the way of other things. Used sparingly, you don’t pick up the “added harmonics” from the distortion.

This, I realised, was exactly what I was hearing in international tracks, when things sounded cleanly separated (it’s the little known secret used by mix engineers, as mentioned on Gearslutz). I found a great soft clipper from UAD called the Precision Maximizer that does the same thing and is controllable for masters.

S

FATSO Beside overall level, there is a particular texture and excitement that analogue tape provides audio (it soft saturates it). Saturation is essentially harmonic distortion (it adds overtones to the sound) throughout the audio spectrum. It gives a fuzzier sound as opposed to soft clipping that has fewer harmonics and is more transparent. UAD offers FATSO which allows you to control

LO FI

PRECISION MAXIMIZER the characteristics of tape, as well as the recent Studer A800 which is an actual tape machine emulation. If you want that warm, mixed sound, these are essential. iZotope Trash and guitar amp simulators provide a good tone too.

Lastly, record your audio through tube equipment for some initial tone but always track it as clean as possible. And, remember, you want people saying “wow that’s so warm and kicks” and not “it’s so distorted and ugly”.

Play long and prosper!

Resistance to better sound is futile!

STUDER

Jonathan Shaw is a professional record producer who has worked with a multitude of artists and record labels in a freelance capacity. Outside this, he lectures music business at the University of the Witwatersrand and provides business consultation to the music industry. jshaw@smstudios.co.za

22 | BPM

TUTORIAL

How to Autotune Your Vocals using ou may assume that it takes a masterful engineer and a lot of money in hard effects to get that autotuned sound, but that’s not the case: using only a few steps and a simple plugin you will be well on your way. In this tutorial we’ll go one step further and show you how to create an autotuning effect that sounds as good as the pros.

This tutorial assumes basic knowledge of VST effects and FL Studio. You will need Antares AutoTune VST or a similar autotuning VST to perform this effect correctly, and of course, a microphone that is able to record into FL Studio. Besides that plugin, we will be using the effects packaged with FL Studio to finish shaping the sound.

Y Step 1

Make sure you’ve purchased Antares AutoTune, a similar VST, or have picked up the demo. If you’re weary of purchasing this product, we’ve found that if you are working with any sort of vocals it pays for itself almost immediately.

We are going to set up a mixer channel in FL Studio to pick up our microphone. Ours is on Blobusound Channel 2, so I select that accordingly.

If done correctly, you should have activity on the input meter.

If not, you’re going to need to check your ASIO/WDM settings, or make sure that you have a soundcard or interface that can support a microphone input.

Assuming you have activity coming in and that you can hear yourself, load Antares AutoTune onto the first slot of the mixer. Notice any difference? You probably can’t–we need to change some settings before going further.

Step 2 At this point, you’re going to want to change the “Input Type” at the top. This helps the tuning engine accurately adjust the incoming signal (in this case, your voice) to “tune” correctly.

We are going to manipulate the tuning engine by changing it to “Alto/Tenor Voice”. This will trick the AutoTuner into shifting your voice upwards, and “filling in” your missed notes with a synthesized “voice.”

With the input type changed, it is now time to change the key and scale. T-Pain’s hit song ‘Buy U A Drank’ is in B-flat minor, so we’ll change the key to B-flat and the scale to minor.

You may notice some difference here, but the key to real autotuned vocals is to change the “Retuning” threshold to as fast as possible, in this case “0.” With it down at zero, when your voice fluctuates from note to note, it detects what note your voice is in, then jumps it to the next note in the scale, keeping it in key. With these basic settings in place, you should be singing your robotic heart out.

Step 2

Step 3 The spirit of this effect is to sound a little more robotic, so what we are going to do now is further create that robotic/artificial sound using other effects. These effects will change from microphone to microphone, so it is important to experiment until you get the sound you’re looking for.

The next thing in our FX chain after the auto-tuner is going to be an EQ plugin. We’ll be using this EQ to brighten up the highs, and exaggerate the artificial effect. Using EQUO, we’ve boosted all of the frequencies past 2.5kHz to about 400%.

This exaggerated EQ will add even more definition to the robotic effect. This may produce too much brightness on nicer microphones, so you may want to start at 400% and work your way down until you’ve got a reasonably bright vocal.

Step 3

23 | BPM

TUTORIAL

FL Studio to sound like T-Pain

BPM Tutorial

Step 4 Step 5

Step 4

Step 6

After the EQUO, we’ll add a Reverb effect to the chain. This we’ve placed at about 50% volume to make sure that it isn’t too overpowering on the vocals.

After the Fruity Reverb, we’ll add what is probably the most important and delicate effect in the chain, a chorus.

Refer to the settings snapshot to recreate this wonderful effect: it will give your vocal plenty of depth, and it has convinced many a listener that an expensive mic is being used.

Step 5 Optional: At this point, we’ve found that inserting the Soundgoodizer plug-in after the Reverb works very, very well on autotuned vocals. Give it a shot in the effects chain to get some interesting effects due to Soundgoodizer’s limiter.

It also keeps the volume level high and limited, which adds to the artificial sound.

Step 6 chain. Notice that we’ve used some pretty crazy volume/mix values for the effects. Sometimes an effect becomes too overpowering at full volume, so experiment with turning it down until you achieve a nice balance.

To smooth everything out after the Fruity Delay Bank, we’ll throw a Fruity Compressor onto the channel and you are recording-ready and set to sound like T-Pain!

Step 7 Moving on from there, our next effect is the Fruity Delay Bank. We’ve kept this one simple, and it will create a little more atmosphere along with the Reverb that was added earlier in the

Step 7

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