STUDIO
HOW TO USE
MASSIVE
ACOUSTICS
4+ HOURS OF TUTORIAL VIDEOS
January 2015 / CM212
MODERN Get the ultimate audio finish – louder, clearer and better than ever! EQUALISING DYNAMICS STEREO IMAGE MULTIBAND LOUDNESS
FREE PLUGIN!
GRINDMACHINE CM
GUITAR AMP SIMULATOR
PRO SAMPLES
500
loops, hits, FX & more from the Canadian bass music boss
NI KOMPLETE KONTROL, OZONE 6 + MORE reviews
intro / computer music <
welcome HOW TO USE download
Wherever you see this icon, there’s downloadable content such as videos, software, samples and tutorial files. See the Contents on the next page for how to download. Tutorials featuring this icon make use of our own Plugins – find out all about them on p14.
Tutorial
Files
This icon means there are extra files to help you follow a tutorial feature.
There’s extra video content wherever you see this icon.
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With your mix perfected, the final step is to master it, to maximise its sonic potential and make it sound every bit as awesome as your favourite commercial releases. There’s no end of plugins designed for this very task, from the iconic, all-in-one packages like iZotope Ozone 6 (reviewed on p94) and IK Multimedia T-RackS down to focussed, single-purpose plugins and even highquality free offerings such as our own Plugins. However, it’s the art and science of mastering that are truly the keys to unlocking the elusive “last 10%” – that perfect balance of clarity, punch, width, depth and loudness that can make a track stand up to the best in its genre. But where can you learn this craft? Right here in , of course, with our mighty Modern Mastering guide! It’s packed with all the tutorials and advice you need to make your best masters ever, starting on p42. On a more synthetic note, our Curve 2 CM synth just got boosted up to v2.5, which introduces slick new Sallen-Key filters and more. Install the update now from the DVD or Vault, and don’t miss our video breaking down the new features! Now all that’s left for you to do is…
Enjoy the issue
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Issue 212 JANUARY 2015
contents
Cover feature
Producer masterclass 63 B rodanse
We’ve blagged our way into the duo’s London studio to shed some light on their production techniques
Feature
modern
mastering Take a trip to a pro mastering engineer’s studio, then absorb our expert techniques. All starting on p42
67 S tudio acoustics
How does the sound in your studio work? What’s stopping your speakers from performing at their best? We explain the problems and reveal their solutions
Tutorial
74 how to use massive
Whether you’re a first-time user or a pro looking for a brush-up, we’ll help you get the most out of this classic and deeply powerful soft synth
Regulars 80
GEEK TECHNIQUE: TIME PARADOXES
82
asy guide: The e CHORD LADDER
84
esigner d Sounds: spectral BASSlines
Round-up
Interview
32
86 ri chie hawtin
stocking fillers
Reviews
Essentials
94
iZotope Ozone 6
20
inbox
96
NI komplete Kontrol S series
22
n ews
98
nI komplete 10
29
back issues
100 U-he bazille
31
burning question
102
AMS Neve rmx16 digital reverb
36
Subscribe
PLUS 13 MORE products reviewed
61
next issue
4 / Computer Music / January 2015
Talking production, gear, and playing live with the techno superstar
Bag the best computer music swag this Crimbo
114
BLAST FROM THE PAST: mellotron
This issue’s exclusive free content from Computer Music
download grindmachine cm A killer guitar amp sim from Audio Assault is yours with this issue – ear defenders not included. See p10
Tutorial videos 35 high-quality videos to guide you through our tutorials. Wherever you see the below icon, there’s a video version to watch
SAM PLES Canadian production wizard Bwana delivers 502 tasty and creative sounds. Check it out on p12
Tutorial files
CM Plugins
A folder full of audio examples, synth patches and project files to help you follow our tutorials
Our exclusive collection of free plugins for Mac and PC. See what’s available on p14
Download Our fantastic software, samples, videos* and tutorial files are now available to download! To get access, head to vault.computermusic.co.uk on your PC or Mac’s web browser. You’ll be asked to register and answer a few simple questions to prove that you’ve got the mag. You’ll then be given access to our content! You can sign in any time to register new issues and download more content. Brodanse crack open Love Somebody to show us how it was made. Check out the video on p63
* The Producer Masterclass video is not currently available as a download, though a solution to this is being worked on. Apple Newsstand readers can still watch the video via built-in internet streaming – just hit the Play Video button on the page.
January 2015 / Computer Music / 5
video
Get these videos on your PC/Mac at vault.computermusic.co.uk MASTERING Masterclass Ready to master? Learn first-hand from professional mastering 7 Ebit expliqu engineer JP Braddock Dessintures nimpore
8 Aliberibero molupta quidelliquod quo 1 Introduction
9
Tur sa qui ant, inctamet labo. 2 Load in, levelling and equal loudness
3 Mastering hardware and transfer path overview
5 Mid-side, tonal and dynamic enhancement
6
7
1 Preparing a mix for mastering
2 Referencing, levelling and equal loudness
3 Cleaning up a mix at the mastering stage
4 Broad tonal tilting with mastering EQ
5
6 Mid/side master processing
7 ‘Manual’ compression with level adjustments
8 Adding average weight with parallel compression
9 ’Gelling’ a mix with master bus compression
10 Master limiting techniques
11 Mastering a track with plugins
Read the full article on p42
4 Corrective processing with multiband compression
and overview
Soft clipping and limiting
Summary
MODERN MASTERING Get the ultimate studio polish in software with these 11 expert videos Read this section from p50
Master ‘feathering’ EQ
6 / Computer Music / January 2015
video AUDIO ASSAULT GRINDMACHINE cm
Producer Masterclass*
Plug in and rock out with this issue’s free software giveaway – we showcase its features in this video
BRODANSE See how the duo’s track Love Somebody came into being in this Producer Masterclass studio session Read the full article on p10
EASY GUIDE: THE CHORD LADDER Stuck for inspiration when it comes to chord progressions? Here’s a quick trick you can use
Read the full article on p82
Read the full article on p63
GEEK TECHNIQUE
Designer sounds
Work more groove into your beats – here’s how a few subtle changes can liven up a rhythm
Paul ‘InsideInfo’ Bondy brushes up his basslines using iZotope’s Iris synth
Read the full article on p80
STUDIO ACOUSTICS See room measurement software in action and learn how to make sense of it all Read the full article on p67
Read the full article on p84 1 Building a classic house groove in MIDI
BONUS VIDEO
CABLEGUYS CURVE 2.5 cm This Plugin staple has just been updated – see what’s new in version 2.5
2 Thinking outside the grid
January 2015 / Computer Music / 7
video We’ve stuffed over three hours of video into this issue. Get it on your PC/Mac at vault.computermusic.co.uk HOW to USE
MASSIVE Battling with Native Instruments’ monster synth? Tame the beast with these ten expert videos 1 The basics of Native Instruments Massive
Read the full article on p74
download
2 Massive’s wavetable oscillators
3 Further oscillator functions of Massive
4 Setting up filters in Massive
5 Massive’s routing faders and other sliders
6 Keytracking options in Massive
7 Massive’s modulation system
8 Configuring macros in Massive
BONUS
BONUS Massive’s routing section
Our fantastic software, samples, videos and tutorial files are now available to download! To get access to this content, go to vault.computermusic.co.uk on your PC or Mac’s web browser. You’ll be asked to register and answer a few simple questions to prove that you’ve got the mag. You’ll then be given access to our content! You can sign in any time to
8 / Computer Music / January 2015
Massive’s effects
register new issues and download more content. For more info, see our Vault FAQ: bit.ly/cmvaultfaq * Please note that the Producer Masterclass video is not available as a download via our Vault, though Apple Newsstand users can watch the video via built-in internet streaming.
> download / audio assault grindmachine cm
>Exclusive full software
Audio Assault
download Get the plugin, the video and the tutorial files on PC/Mac at vault.computermusic.co.uk
GrindMachine CM Dial in immense, earth-shattering distortion with our latest incredible software giveaway, a hard-rockin’, pedal-to-the-metal guitar amp sim Distortion comes in myriad forms, but the ultimate embodiment of high-gain, skullexploding insanity can only be the towering amp stacks synonymous with rock and metal guitar. Plug in, strike a chord, and expect to be aurally assaulted by a tone that is as musically articulate as it is sonically devastating. Oof! There are tons of guitar amp simulations out there, but the sheer number of controls, pedals, amps and cabs that many present
can make it a tedious chore to hit upon such truly mighty sounds… Enter GrindMachine CM! A superior source of rock solid guitar sounds, this all-new Plugin easily nails those killer tones in all their towering, monolithic glory, ready to slice straight through your mix. It’s ideal for all heavy genres, from hard rock and classic metal to today’s most punishing and frenetic extreme genres. With emulations of five weighty amplifiers and ten similarly heavy
speaker cabinets, you’ve got 50 combinations to explore. Next, shape the tone with the amps’ knobs and tighten down-tuned guitars with the Djentbox overdrive pedal. DSP demons Audio Assault have carefully tuned GrindMachine CM to deliver terrific, mix-ready tones with minimum fuss, so it’s all as intuitive to use as real guitar gear, with no need for complex controls. A noise gate on the input and highand low-pass output filters further ensure ready-to-rock results.
Not a guitarist? Not a problem! Guitar gear has long been used to distort synths, drums, vocals, and more, so don’t be afraid to use GrindMachine CM for any purpose. Head on over to Audio Assault’s website to see their other plugins, including the BassGrinder bass amp, and the full version of GrindMachine with its 15 amps and 22 cabs. These normally set you back $30 each, but until Christmas, all their plugins are half price – that’s $15 apiece! www.audio-assault.com
NOISE GATE Turn this up to kill unwanted noise between notes
input/volume Set the all-important input level, and the overall output volume
HP/LP Apply post-filtering to control runaway bass and subdue harsh treble gain Want more distortion? Crank this up!
DEPTH & PRESENCE More dynamic than regular EQ, turning these up increases bass punch/thump and treble bite respectively
eq Sculpt your sound with typical guitar amp bass, mid and treble knobs
Amplifier Select from one of five ripping rock and metal amps, each with its own tone and feel 10 / Computer Music / January 2015
cab bypass Disables the plugin’s own cabinet sim for a DI’ed tone, or for when you want to use another cab sim plugin djentbox Click to access the overdrive pedal, tuned for djent-style low-end tightness
cabinet Ten crushing cabs available, for a wide tonal palette
audio assault grindmachine cm / download < > Step by step Getting started with GrindMachine CM
Tutorial
Files
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Installation is very straightforward. Simply run the GrindMachineCM.pkg file on Mac, or if you’re using Windows, run GrindMachineCM Installer.exe. Follow the instructions, and the plugin will be installed automatically. Load up your DAW, and you can now find it in the list of VST or AU effects plugins. Set the project tempo to 170bpm, which is the tempo of the demo track we’ll use in this tutorial.
The Volume control simply sets the output level, while the HP and LP knobs control the cutoff frequency of high-pass and low-pass filters on the output – very useful for taming overt bass or harsh treble. On the far upper-right we find the Gate – turn this up to automatically silence the signal when it falls below a certain level, thus removing background noise from any gaps during playing.
To really put the pedal to the metal, click the Djentbox area to show the Djentbox overdrive pedal, which is placed before the amp in the processing chain. This pedal is designed to clean up the lowend of down-tuned guitars – click the ‘stomp’ pedal to turn it on, then set Gain to drive the sound as hard as desired, Djent to focus the pedal’s low-end filtering, and Volume to level the output.
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Like a real guitar amp, GrindMachine CM is a mono effect, so make a mono track and add the plugin. You can play and record through the amp in real time, but for demonstrational purposes, we’re using pre-recorded files, so drag Rhythm L1.wav from the Tutorial Files folder onto this track, and put Bass.wav and Drums.wav onto new stereo tracks.
Now let’s check out the amp controls – if you’ve used a real guitar amp before, you’ll be right at home with them. Gain sets the amount of distortion, while the Bass, Mid and Treble knobs apply EQ in those ranges. Try pulling down the Mid knob for a classic scooped metal tone. The Depth and Presence knobs further enhance the bass and treble respectively, but in a more dynamically responsive fashion.
That’s it as far as controls go, but let’s apply a little production know-how to improve the tone further. First off, we can get a wide, speaker-filling sound using double tracking. Dial in a sound that you like, then duplicate the track and delete all audio from the copy. Load Rhythm R1.wav – a different take of the exact same guitar part – onto the new track, and pan the guitar tracks hard left and hard right.
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Play the track, and turn your attention to GrindMachine CM’s interface. The first thing to do is set the Input volume on GrindMachine CM to ensure that it’s receiving a sufficiently strong signal. In this case, we can safely crank Input all the way up without the signal meter turning red, which would indicate overloading. As with all of GrindMachine CM’s controls, hold Shift to make finer adjustments.
There are five amplifier models to choose from via the lower-left selector, each with its own distinctive look and sound, but the same control set. A guitar amp is nothing without a speaker cabinet to get the air moving, of course, and on the lower-right, you’ll find the Cabinet selector, featuring ten killer cabs. If you prefer to use your own cabinet simulator plugin, you can disable this section altogether with the adjacent switch.
We now have a super-wide guitar sound. To make it even thicker, duplicate both tracks, and again, delete the audio off these fresh copies. Now load Rhythm L2 and Rhythm R2 onto them for a quad-tracked tone, featuring four separate takes stacked together. Finally, route the four tracks to a group bus to apply EQ, compression, and so on, to them all in one go. See how in our video!
January 2015 / Computer Music / 11
> download / samples
VIP Series samples
Bwana
The rising Canadian star delivers 502 samples that showcase his impressive talents 502 vip SAMPLES 50 Atmospheres & FX 76 Bass Loops & One-shots 20 Chord Stabs 60 Chords 10 Drones 82 Drum Construction Loops 89 Drum Hits 45 Percussion Loops & One-shots 25 Pads 25 Synth Loops 20 Synth One-shots
Nathan Micay may have only been making music for three years, but in that time he’s released four EPs on labels including Aus Music and Somethinksounds. From his Toronto studio, he’s remixed bands such as Arthur Beatrice and Dog is Dead, and even managed to get out into the fresh air, DJing throughout Europe, the UK and, of course, Canada. His highlight? Performing a threehour set at Montreal’s Piknic Electronik. Computer Music: How would you describe the type of music you make? NM: “If you’d asked me that during my first two years of operation, I would probably have said ‘bass music’. I used to love to dissect vocals and make really airy backdrops with a large emphasis on bass. My first two EPs really centered around sampled R&B vocals and were all over the place BPM-wise. However, over the last year, I’ve really found my true calling in exploring and using the sounds of the mid
download Download these VIP Series samples on your PC/Mac at vault.computermusic.co.uk
2000s – prog-house, techno and trance – in a more modern setting. My latest EP for Aus Music was described as ‘Balearic’.” : How did you make this sample pack? What gear and software did you use? NM: “I approached the sample pack in a few ways. I don’t have very much gear, so rather than just sitting down and recording synths for a few hours with slight modulations, I knew I had to get creative. I started off recording sounds from the few pieces of kit I had at the time (a Korg MS2000, a Korg M1 and a Volca Bass). Once I had enough sequences in Ableton as audio waves on the grid, I just began to manipulate it in any way I could think of. I converted sounds into MIDI and used Ableton’s amazing (and often under-utilised) MIDI plugins to make great arps and sequences. I then tried reversing, layering and other weird things I often do in my own tracks to make the most of the sounds. I also recorded my own voice quite a bit in this pack. “The drums are often live recordings; others I made from Ableton’s Operator or with layers of samples I’ve had in my library the past few years.” : What’s your ‘desert island’ piece of software or hardware? NM: “That would have to be Ableton Live! I work almost exclusively with samples, and I just love the efficiency Ableton’s design offers for my workflow. Over the last year, however, I’ve slowly begun to see the power of hardware, particularly during the mixdown process. I’ve always said that composition is more important than the technical side of a song or track, but watching some of the gear I’ve had access to over the last year (LX-8 Distressor, SSL compressor and EQs) has really blown me away. So ask again in a year and it might be a different answer!” : What, in your opinion, makes a good sample pack? NM: “Variety. And quality in that variety. Sample packs were an essential tool for me when I first started making music, and I still use them now if a sound catches my ear. My favourite samples are always synth or drum sequences with tons of space and potential for the sounds to be cut up and used in tons of different ways. But when I do use a sample, you can usually hardly recognise it in my finished product – with that in mind, I wanted to offer up samples that have the same potential to be changed.”
12 / Computer Music / January 2015