HOURS + 4 OF VIDEO
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CLASSIC ANA LOGU VINTAGE DIG E TO ITAL
July 2015 / CM218
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Get the greatest hardware ever – all in your DAW! Patch in the very best retro synth emulations
Perfect your mix with tape, tube & console plugins
Master the astounding Moog sim Monark
2 FREE PLUGINS
NEW
EXCLUS GIVEAWAIVE YS
audiothing minibit cm
Bleepin’ brilliant old-school chiptune synth for PC/Mac
Lindell Audio 6X-500 CM
2GB
Beautiful PC/Mac retro preamp with sweet EQ
Future vs. Retro duo-pack from the sampling kingpins
SAMPLE PACK
UAD 8.0 + 21 MORE REVIEWS
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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 p18.
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Ever since Steinberg’s 1996 debut of their Virtual Studio Technology – better known as VST – there’s been no end of developers intent on filling our virtual studios with the greatest gear in music production history, with plugins emulating everything from classic analogue synths and mixing consoles, to vintage digital effects units and even retro videogame sound chips. Indeed, owning the actual hardware now seems a ridiculous inconvenience. But for the collector of virtual vintage gear, questions remain. What pieces of gear are the most coveted, and what do they do, exactly? Which are the most accurate software recreations of them? And how do you dial them in to get that sound right in your DAW? You’re holding the answer to these questions – and many more – in your very hands: welcome to our special Virtual Vintage issue, packed with retrothemed tutorials, videos and articles! We’ve even colluded with three top developers to bring you not one but two VST/AU plugins and a super-slick 2GB pack of future-meets-retro samples. I hope you’ll agree that this is itself destined for the issue of annals of history, but for now, let’s live in the moment and…
Enjoy the issue
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Issue 218 JULY 2015
contents
Cover feature
Producer masterclass
55 S ONNY WHARTON
Take an in-studio masterclass with the producer who’s caught the ear of Carl Cox and Norman Cook
VIRTUAL VINTAGE
Tutorial
Fill your virtual studio with legendary instruments and effects, p36
59 TUBES ’N’ TAPE
Everything you need to know about vintage circuits in the search for an analogue sound
/experts
Tutorial 65 8 -BIT track Builder Build a bleepin’ brilliant chiptune track with us
78
easy guide: finding a song’s key
80
esigner sounds: d old-skool rave stabs
GEEK TECHNIQUE: prog rock learnings
84
4 / Computer Music / July 2015
r beat: d beat displacement
71 H OW TO USE MONARK
Interview 86 BORIS BLANK
82
Tutorial
This Swiss producer talks about a life’s worth of sound, and his experience as one half of cult group Yello
Get to grips with Native Instruments’ Minimoog
Download
Our software, samples, videos* and tutorial files are also available to download! Head to vault.computermusic.co.uk on your PC or Mac’s web browser, and you’ll be asked to
register and answer two questions to prove you’ve got the mag to get access to our content. You can sign in any time to register new issues and download more.
* 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.
download This issue’s exclusive free content from Computer Music
AudioThing miniBit CM Insert your cassette and load this chiptune synth on your home computer, p10
Reviews 94
Universal Audio UAD 8.0
96
tracktion 6
98
k ush audio electra dsp
100 acon digital equalize 102 synchro arts revoice pro 3 PLUS 17 MORE products reviewed
Lindell Audio 6X-500 CM
The classic, warming tone of an analogue preamp and EQ is all yours, p14
Samples Get the Future vs Retro pack from Sample Magic on your machine, p16
Tutorial videos There’s a video to watch – 43 in total! – whenever you see this icon in a tutorial See a rundown of all this month’s videos over the page
Essentials 24
n ews
29
what’s on your drive?
31
burning question
32
Subscribe
52
next issue
64
back issues
Tutorial files 114
BLAST FROM THE PAST: Ensoniq Mirage
A folder full of audio examples, presets and project files to help you follow our tutorials
CM Plugins
Our exclusive collection of free plugins for Mac and PC. See what’s available on p18
July 2015 / Computer Music / 5
video
Download this issue’s video tutorial content onto your PC/Mac via our handy Vault – it’s at vault.computermusic.co.uk
VIRTUAL VINTAGE
1 Basic modulated patch with Arturia Moog Modular V
2 Sample-and-hold, ringmodulated Oddity 2 sounds
3 Classic 80s wavetable synthesis with PPG Wave 3.V
4 Custom additive waves with GForce impOSCar 2
7 A tour of XILS-lab’s PolyKB II synth
8 Emulating classic Roland x0x-box units with plugins
The gear of yesteryear replicated in software form – see and hear the classics across 16 videos Read the full article on p36
5 Gritty digital patch design with SQ8L
6 Classic squelchy EMSstyle FX with XILS 3 CM
9 Classic Lexicon and Eventide effects
10 Creating a monumental digital pad with Korg M1
11 Authentic resampled hoovers with ReDominator
12 Buchla-style modular mayhem with Aalto CM
13 70s string machine pads with Cheeze Machine
14 Building a mix-n-match supersynth with u-he DIVA
15 Emulating Yamaha’s DX7 in software with NI FM8
16 Korg Wavestation patch-morphing
6 / Computer Music / July 2015
video Producer Masterclass*
8-BIT TRACK BUILDER We reduce the bit-depth and build a chiptune track, pixel by pixel Read the full article on p65
1 Setting up an FL Studio project for a chiptune track
SONNY WHARTON See how he made his reminiscent rave track Raindance in this exclusive in-studio video Read the full article on p55
AudioTHING MINIBIT CM This retro low-bit synth is a chip off the old block – and it’s all yours! Read the full article on p10
1
2 Classic bouncing chip bass with octave drops
3 Creating a chiptune drum beat with samples
4 Pitch-modulated chiptune lead lines
5 Livening up a chiptune lead with extreme bends
LINDELL Plugins 6X-500 CM How to use your new retro preamp plugin Read the full article on p14
AudioThing miniBit CM
2 Building sounds with miniBit CM * 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
6 Simulated chiptune 7 Playthrough of delay with low-velocity notes Ableton Live version
BONUS Pulse-width mod SID-style chip leads
BONUS Avoiding phasing issues with basic chip tones
July 2015 / Computer Music / 7
video FUTURE VS RETRO
HOW to USE
MONARK
Read the full article on p71
Get the entire lowdown on NI’s Minimoog emulation
Build a track with your Sample Magic samples Read the full article on p16
TUBES ’N’ TAPE Get deep into the circuits behind some classic gear
Read the full article on p59
1 Loading and saving Snapshots in Monark
2 Monark’s Oscillators panel explained
1 The characteristics of tubes, tape and more
2 Simulating analogue recording/mixing chains
3 The mixer panel, selfresonance and feedback
4 Understanding the Filter & Amp panel
3 The old-school Dolby trick for an airy treble sheen
4 Correct gainstaging for analogue-emulating plugins
5 Exploring Monark’s Control panel
6 A tour of Monark’s General section
/experts EASY GUIDE
Designer sounds
GEEK TECHNIQUE
DR BEAT
Finding a song’s key
old-skool rave stabs
prog rock learnings
beat displacement
It’s simple once you know how – isn’t it about time you learned how to do it?
A classic, layered rave stab to tweak to your own specifications
We go on a modern musical odyssey with our resident mix guru
The doc shows us how to push the grid beyond convention
Read Readthe thefull full article articleon onp80 pxx
Read the full article on p82
Read the full article on p78 8 / Computer Music / July 2015
Read the full Read the full article on p84 article on pxx
> download / audiothing minibit cm
>Exclusive full software
AudioThing
miniBit CM
download Get the plugin, the video and the Tutorial Files on PC/Mac at vault.computermusic.co.uk
Cast your ears back to the age of bleeps and bloops with this brilliant AU/VST chiptune synth – yours free with this issue of The lo-fi bleeps and timeless melodies of 80s videogames provided the soundtrack to many a childhood, making so-called chip music just as evocative as the expensive sound of smooth Moogs, lavish Oberheims and extravagant walls of modular gear. Software and soundware wizards AudioThing – the minds behind our beautifully smooth, analogueesque ValveFilter CM plugin – understand this, and they’ve brought the feel-good vibes of classic 8-bit videogame music to
your DAW with miniBit CM, a VST/ AU plugin just for readers! It’s a monophonic, singleoscillator synth with resonant lowpass filter, LFO, bitcrusher, sample rate reducer and sequencer, and a single-window approach that’s the antithesis of overwhelming, ‘do-itall’ soft-synths. As you’ll discover, miniBit CM oozes personality and is an absolute joy to program; its simplicity and lo-fi character mean you’ll be creating bitcrushed basses, 80s videogame FX, SIDstyle sequences, digital drums and
randomise/sequence Generate random new settings, and use the in-built sequencer
more, all in a flash. Synth experts will be dialling in inspiring sounds in no time, while beginners can grasp the basics of synthesis. miniBit CM aims for grit, noise and character rather than the usual clean and clear tones. Its 15 single-cycle sampled waveforms produce obvious aliasing, and there’s plenty of dirt and grit from the onboard Crusher section. While it’s obviously useful for creating full-on chiptune epics fan, it can create sounds that’ll slot into any style of electronic music, and it
LFO SECTION Modulate one of 4 parameters with of 4 wave shapes
comes with 50 exclusive presets. If you’re smitten by miniBit CM’s retro charms, don’t miss the full version, miniBit, which features extras like a sub-oscillator, Poly and Mono modes with glide, a switchable low- and high-pass filter, delay effect, additional LFO features and six sequencer lanes instead of three. More info on this, plus AudioThing’s other excellent plugins (such as Frostbite, Valve Exciter and Valve Filter VF-1) and their instrument libraries, can be found at www.audiothing.net.
save/delete Create or delete a patch
ADSR envelope Shape the synth’s amplitude for each note
Filter Two-pole low-pass filter with resonance control
10 / Computer Music / July 2015
WAVEFORM SELECT Choose one of the synth’s 15 single-cycle sampled waveforms
Tune Transpose the oscillator between -24 and +24 semitones
bitcrush/downsample Choose between 2 and 8 bits, and 1x to 50x sample rate reduction
audiothing minibit cm / download < > Step by step 1. Getting started with miniBit CM
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miniBit CM comes in VST and AAX formats for PC, and VST, AU and AAX formats for Mac. To install the plugin, open the AudioThing miniBit CM folder (found on the DVD included with the print edition or downloadable from vault.computermusic.co.uk), then locate the PC or Mac installer. Double-click it and follow the simple installation procedure.
Let’s look at the Oscillator section. Initialise the synth by selecting the 00-Init patch. Click in the blue Waveform window and a menu of 15 waveforms appears, ranging from traditional triangle, square, saw and sine tones to more eccentric wave shapes such as nasal synths, FM-style tones and even motor noise. The waveforms aren’t bandlimited, so they produce obvious aliasing, giving the synth a crunchy, lo-fi personality.
miniBit CM’s LFO can modulate one of four Destinations: Pitch, Cutoff, Volume and SampleRate. Select one from the Destination dropdown, change the Waveshape (Sine, Triangle, Saw, Square or Sample & Hold), then set the LFO’s Rate (toggled between free-running and tempo-synced in the top-left) and Amount with the dials. We’ll set Rate to 85%, Wave to Sine, Destination to Pitch and Amount to 75% for a chirpy vibrato effect.
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After installing miniBit CM, fire up a fresh project in your DAW of choice – we’re using Logic Pro X – and load an instance of the plugin on a new software instrument or MIDI track. The synth features a monophonic, single-oscillator architecture with traditional ADSR volume envelope, a low-pass filter with resonance, a tempo-syncable or free-running LFO, a bitcrusher and three-part sequencer.
Level and transpose the synth with the Volume and Tune knobs, and try out the waveforms – we settle on Duck. The ADSR envelope, at the top-right of the plugin, shapes the oscillator’s volume response over time. To create short, plucky notes, pull the Sustain back to minimum, then set a fast Decay time of around 10%. A Release of about 30% adds more tail to the stab.
To emulate the lo-fi vibe of 80s videogame music, a bitcrusher and sample rate reducer sit after the filter in the signal path. Their controls are found in the Crusher section. The number of Bits can be set between 2 and 8 bits, and the sample rate ranges between 1x and 50x downsampling. Set Bits to 7 and SampleRate to 6x for a touch of digital fuzz.
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The synth comes bundled with 50 exclusive factory presets, handcrafted and categorised to showcase the synth’s characterful synthesis capabilities. Scan through presets with the browser menu’s left and right arrows, or click the menu to select one. Play notes on your MIDI keyboard or in the piano roll while auditioning patches, and note the varied range of sounds on offer. Click the disk and cross icons to save or delete a preset.
A subtractive synth such as miniBit CM is based around the filtering of harmonically-rich waveforms to create interesting timbres, and so the oscillator feeds into a resonant two-pole low-pass filter. Sweep the Cutoff knob to set the filter’s frequency, and increase the emphasis around this frequency with the Resonance knob. We’ll set a Cutoff of 3kHz and a Resonance value of 45%.
The synth’s eight-step, tempo-synced Sequencer opens the door to plenty more programming possibilities. Click the top-left icon (that looks like a series of bars) to open the section in a new window. To set the sequencer’s clocked rate, click the section’s top-right tab and select a speed of between 1 bar and 1/32 Triplets; we’ll choose the fastest setting.
July 2015 / Computer Music / 11
> download / audiothing minibit cm > Step by step 1. Getting started with miniBit CM (continued)
10
The sequencer features three possible destinations, each with its own step grid. Click one of the three destination headings on the left – Pitch, Volume and S.Rate – to activate it, then click and drag up or down in the steps to change their values.
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Although miniBit CM is monophonic (it can only play one note at once), we can get chiptune-style chord stabs using the super-fast pitch sequences exploited to great effect by 80s game composers. Program a minor chord in the Pitch sequencer – activate the lane, and set step values of 0, +3, +7, +12, 0, +3, +7, +12. The blue die button randomises the sequence.
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Click out of the sequencer to return to the main synth. Ctrl-/Cmd-click on a knob to return it to its default value. Shiftclick a parameter to reveal a menu, select MIDI Learn, then wiggle a control on your MIDI device to assign it to that parameter (remove the assignment from the rightclick menu). Again, the blue die randomises the synth’s settings.
> Step by step 2. Rebuilding and exploring miniBit CM’s presets
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Let’s recreate some of miniBit CM’s preset sounds from scratch. We’ll begin by synthesising a digital ‘wasp’ effect: start with a blank canvas by selecting the 00-Init patch. In the Oscillator section, choose the Pulse 12.5 waveform, then Tune the patch to +12 semitones. Set the filter Resonance to 20% for more top-end bite.
Activate the Pitch and S.Rate lanes, then alter their step values, too. Interesting polyrhythms can be combined to give the impression of a crunchy lo-fi percussion loop, and as the Noise oscillator is a looped sample, pitch changes result in interesting, cool stepped timbres.
12 / Computer Music / July 2015
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Some irregular pitch modulation will turn this static tone into a warbling wasp. Set an LFO Amount of 72%, toggle the top-left tempo sync button, set the LFO Rate to 1/32T, then select the Sample & Hold waveform. Play up and down the keyboard to hear the irritating insect sound, and wobble your keyboard’s pitch wheel for more realism.
Now for the familiar ‘yoi’ bitcrushed bass. Start with a Square waveform tuned to -12 semitones. Set SampleRate to 16x, then set a filter Cutoff of 212Hz with a Resonance value of 62%. Modulate the Cutoff with a sine LFO at an Amount of 75%, and sweep the synced LFO Rate to create a speed-changing ‘wobble’ effect.
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Now we’ll craft a crunchy drum loop sequence: initialise the synth, select the Noise waveform, then pitch the sampled oscillator up to +24 semitones. Set filter Resonance to 20% and Bits to 3 for dirt. Set the sequencer’s Speed to 1/16, then activate the Volume lane and change step values to create a rhythmic pattern.
Now, a circuit-bent synth pattern: start with the Matrix waveform tuned to -12. Set filter Cutoff to 2kHz and Resonance to 60%. Set Bits to 4 and SampleRate to 4x. Assign a square LFO to modulate the Cutoff at a speed of 1/16. Copy the Pitch and Volume sequencer values shown for some stuttering robo-glitchiness.
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