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If there’s one technique that music software has put on the music production map, it’s sidechaining. Sure, it can be achieved using hardware, but the ease with which software allows us to apply it – and to as many tracks as our CPUs can handle – has seen its status transformed from esoteric trick to super-essential studio staple. Nowadays, it’s rare to see a mix that doesn’t use sidechaining in some capacity, be it for those evereffective outrageous pumping effects, invisible mix improvements, or crazy creative interactions. Clearly, today’s producer needs to be a master in all three disciplines, and across 14 technique-packed pages and just as many expert videos, we’re going to make you one with our epic Sidechain Secrets masterclass. In fact, sidechaining has seeped into other parts of the mag, being referenced in our Designer Sounds, Geek Technique and Ten Treble Tweaks features. It wasn’t planned that way, though – it’s simply how those tutorials came together, proving just how all-pervasive and adaptable sidechaining really is. Enjoy the improvement these techniques will bring to your mixes, and above all…
Enjoy the issue
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Issue 219 August 2015
contents Producer masterclass
Cover feature
SECRETS Get your mixes moving like they should with these essential and otherwise impossible signalrouting tricks, p34
55 NEONLIGHT
See how they make their very own brand of DnB in this in-studio masterclass session
Tutorial 59 T EN TREBLE Tweaks
Get your high-end sounding as sweet as it can with this treasure trove of expert advice
/experts
Tutorial 65 H OW TO USE SATURN
Master the features of FabFilter’s multiband distortion plugin
72
asy guide: e Polychords
74
esigner sounds: d analogue kicks
Interview 80 Paul van Dyk
76
GEEK TECHNIQUE: voice from the future
78
r beat: d double kick drums
4 / Computer Music / August 2015
The trance legend talks about what gear he uses to make his massive hits
Download
Our fantastic software, samples, videos* and tutorial files are available to download! Head to vault.computermusic.co.uk on your PC or Mac’s web browser, then 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 also register other issues and download their content.
* 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/dvd This issue’s exclusive free content from Computer Music
SunRuys CM Introducing this versatile and powerful compressor – yours for free with this issue. See what it can do on p10
Samples
Reviews 90
Cakewalk rapture pro
92
exponential audio excalibur
94
s onarworks reference 3
96
waves butch vig vocals
98
plogue chipspeech
PLUS 21 MORE products reviewed
Take your tunes way back in time with this massive collection of totally mega sounds, p14
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 See this issue’s full video content over the next pages
Essentials 22
news
27
what’s on your drive?
29
burning question
30
Subscribe
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next issue
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back issues
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BLAST FROM THE PAST: Eventide H910
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 p16
August 2015 / Computer Music / 5
video
Get this month’s videos on your cover disc, or download them onto your PC/Mac at vault.computermusic.co.uk
SECRETS
1 An introduction to sidechaining
2 Sidechain setup in Live (see below for more DAWs)
3 Classic pumping sidechain compression
4 Using ghost sidechain triggers for precise control
6 Mix control with sidechain compression
7
8 Trance gating and reverb stops with sidechain gating
10 Sidechain-controlled filtering and distortion
11 Frequency-specific sidechaining in action
Go far beyond the basic pump and learn the tricks and techniques behind today’s greatest mixes
Read the full article on p34
5 Sidechaining reverb and delay for definition
9 Custom drum loops with sidechained dynamics
Selective sidechaining
12 Mix interactions and ‘manual’ sidechain distortion
Sidechain setup Head to the Vault to download our bonus videos on setting up sidechain routing in multiple major DAWs Logic Pro X 13 Five unusual sidechaining plugins
14 Chiptune-style echoes using sidechained delays
6 / Computer Music / August 2015
Cubase Pro 8
PLUS! Bitwig Studio, Reaper, Reason and more
Maschine
video Producer Masterclass*
audioD3CK SUNRUYS CM
NEONLIGHT
Treat your tracks with this issue’s free compressor
We’ve signed you up for a one-hour session in their Leipzig studio
Read the full article on p10
10
Read the full article on p55
2 Using an analyser to assist precision EQing 1 Treble enhancement using saturation plugins
2 Smoothing harsh treble with tape emulations
3 Various EQ shapes for treble boosting
4 Notching out problem treble frequencies with EQ
5 Adding digital treble grit with bitcrushing
6 Frequency-conscious dynamics for treble control
8 Treble enhancement plugins used in parallel
9 Manipulating transients to smooth out treble
10 Adding treble with white noise layers
TREble tweaks
Smooth and enhance your highs with our tips Read the full article on p59
7 Smoother distorted treble with pre- and post-EQ
* 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.
August 2015 / Computer Music / 7
video Grab this issue’s videos on the
DVD or via Vault download!
HOW to USE
SATURN
Get to grips with FabFilter’s awesome multiband distortion
Read the full article on p65
1 Basic features and functions of FabFilter Saturn
2 The distortion styles of FabFilter Saturn
3 Multiband configuration in FabFilter Saturn
4 Mid/side and sidechaining in Saturn
5 FabFilter Saturn’s band controls
6 Saturn’s powerful modulation system
/experts EASY GUIDE
Designer sounds
GEEK TECHNIQUE
DR BEAT
Polychords
Analogue kicks
voice from the future
Double kick drums
Dave Clews’ how-to on combining chords for sophisticated results
InsideInfo mixes up 808-style goodness to tweak to your spec
Forget the vocal sound of today! Get tomorrow’s in Owen’s expert tutorial
Kick your beats into overdrive with Ronan’s metal masterclass
Read the full article on p72 8 / Computer Music / August 2015
Readthe thefull full Read article on p74 article on pxx
Read the full article on p76
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audioD3CK
SunRuys CM
download Get the plugin, the video and the Tutorial Files on PC/Mac at vault.computermusic.co.uk
Rise and shine with this beautiful bus compressor, equally adept at mixing and mastering duties, and all yours with this issue of Computer Music magazine Though designed to perform broadly the same function – reducing the dynamic range of audio material – compressors come in many different forms, offer a variety of controls and have a wide range of useful and creative applications. Some are perfect for adding body to vocals, others punch to drums, and others for pulling group and master bus audio together. This month’s awesome exclusive plugin – SunRuys CM, by audioD3CK – is designed for the latter purpose but is by no means restricted to it.
Far from your average bus compressor, along with level metering and the expected threshold, ratio and attack/release controls, you’ll find such features as a parallel processing ‘mix’ control and additional options for mono operation, linear-phase or polyphase operation, oversampling, four different character modes and even individual settings for offline and real-time operation. Perhaps the most distinctive feature of SunRuys CM is the unconventional signal path design,
Input meter Displays the incoming signal level to avoid overloading and help determine the amount of compression required
using an unusual feedbackfeedforward hybrid. Developer Jan Schlieper explains how it came about: “While playing with a prototype for an envelope follower, I tried both topologies and wanted it to sound somewhere in between. “I wanted a mixture between the grabbiness of the feedforward design and the grooviness of feedback implementation.” The resulting plugin therefore imparts a distinctive thickening character that consequently rewards experimentation with numerous signal types.
Top bar Presets and advanced settings, plus functions like undo, snapshot and a control to mix in up to 100% of the dry signal on output
If you like what you hear when you treat your tracks to SunRuys CM, put the full version of SunRuys on your “to demo” list right away. It features a Knee control, external sidechaining, sidechain high-pass, variable stereo link, and mid/side operation. Between them, these enhance both the bus and channel compression capabilities. This and other terrific audioD3CK plugins such as the burly Krucz maximiser (8/10, 209) and ST-R-I-P analogue-inspired channel strip (8/10, 212) are available from audio.d3ck.net.
Threshold Sets the signal level at which SunRuys CM starts compressing signals. It goes down to a very low -50dB!
Attack Control how quickly the compression responds to the signal. Longer times retain punch, while shorter times prevent peaks breaching the threshold
Reduction meter Displays the amount of gain reduction taking place, getting into the red when you’re really pushing things hard
Makeup This gain control can be used to compensate for the loss of level caused by compression… or just to add some level to the signal
Release Controls how quickly the reduction level decreases once the signal drops below the threshold. A fast release will create noticeable pumping or distortion while slower times offer smoother operation
Bottom bar This bar houses Help descriptions of highlighted parameters and a value display for them where applicable 10 / Computer Music / August 2015
Ratio Sets the amount of compression applied to signals when they cross over the threshold and is capable of subtle compression or full-on limiting
Mixture Allows you to move smoothly between relative blends of the dry and wet signal for softer and more subtle processing
sunruys cm / the
dvd <
> Step by step Installing and using audioD3CK SunRuys CM
Tutorial
Files
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Installing SunRuys CM is a doddle. There’s no authorisation involved; simply locate the installer on the cover DVD or at vault.computermusic.co.uk, and double-click it to run the installer. Now open your DAW of choice – we’re using Ableton Live, but any that supports VST, AU, RTAS or AAX will do the trick.
Now raise the Ratio slowly up to 25:1. Notice how, at first, this simply pulls the loop together, until eventually, it squashes the loudest transient signals (the kick and snare) until they distort and then eventually the whole loop begins to distort a little. This isn’t always a bad thing, as distortion adds harmonics and character, but we need to sort the kick and snare.
Now let’s take some time to familiarise ourselves with the plugin’s other functions. Take a look at the main interface. As you’ve probably already noticed, when you hover over a control, a description of what it does appears at the bottom of the display. For all front-panel value-based parameters, the current value is also displayed.
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We’re going to try SunRuys CM out on a variety of signals to see how it adds character and pulls sounds together. First let’s dive right in and put it to work on an acoustic drum loop – always a great way to get to know a bus compressor like SunRuys CM. Add the file drumkitdry.wav to a new audio channel, and add an instance of SunRuys CM.
First, add 2dB of Makeup gain to compensate for the overall level reduction being introduced (using the Mixture control to compare the Dry and Wet signals), then try raising the Attack to 50%. This allows the loud attack phase of the kick and snare to punch through uncompressed, reducing the distortion and making the kick and snare punchy again.
Take a look at the top bar buttons next. Far left is Global Power, which enables or disables the processing. Next to it is the Advanced Preferences tab (more on this shortly). Then in the middle we have the Preset controls. The large tab in the middle offers a dropdown preset menu, while the arrows either side allow you to flip through presets.
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Make things easy by setting the tempo to 120bpm and looping proceedings over four bars. We pull the Threshold down and can see by the input meter that from around -15dB (the value is displayed in the bottom right hand corner of the plugin), the signal begins crossing the threshold. If we continue on down to around -35dB, we can get some serious compression happening.
The very heavy compression we’ve added (at this 25:1 Ratio it’s called limiting) has pulled our loop together, brought up the ambient noise and made our loop coherent. But the very fast Release means it’s not giving us that classic compression vibe. Raise the Release to 50% and set the Makeup to 4dB. Now we have some iconic drumsquashing compression.
SunRuys CM doesn’t come with any factory presets, but it’s easy to make your own. Click on the disk icon in the top bar to open the Save dialog, and then save our settings as ‘Squashed Acoustic Drums’. Now click on the Preset dropdown menu to open the User list – our preset is available in there.
August 2015 / Computer Music / 11
> the
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> Step by step Installing and using audioD3CK SunRuys CM (continued)
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To the right of the Save tab is a camera icon. This allows you to save a snapshot of settings, which you can recall by right-clicking or delete by Altclicking. This is handy when you’re experimenting with settings as it means you can always jump back to some nice settings without cluttering up your preset folder all the time. You can also use the undo button to the far right to undo the last action.
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Finally we have options controlling oversampling amount, for greater processing accuracy and reduced aliasing and distortion when pushing the levels. The linearphase option delivers more transparency but adds latency, so Polyphase mode is better for recording or live. Both parameters can be set independently for real-time playback and offline bouncing.
Congas next. Solo them and open the compressor to reveal strong compression, but this time with a fast Attack, which softens the transients. Raise the Attack now to hear the transients return. The effect of the fast attack is to make the loop seem distant – almost as if echoing through city streets – and that actually allows us to give the congas more level and presence in the mix.
12 / Computer Music / August 2015
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The umbrella icon on the top allows you to mix in some of the dry signal with the compressor output. This is slightly different from the Mixture control, which provides a smooth blend between the Dry and Wet signals so as more of one is added there is less of the other. Rather, this Dry signal control adds to the compressor output without any reduction in level of either – it’s more like proper parallel processing.
Let’s hear the plugin in action again. We load the Ableton Live project SunRuysCM.als, which has SunRuys CM applied to most parts, the drum group and the master. Soloing the bass and opening its SunRuys CM reveals fast attack and release coupled with a low threshold and a high ratio. Play the bass now, bypassing and reactivating SunRuys CM to hear the pleasing harmonics added.
SunRuys CM is an ideal bus compressor and, as we saw earlier, great for pulling together drums. But we don’t always want such a full-on, dramatic effect. Solo the drum group now and open its SunRuys CM. Here the dry/wet Mixture has been dialled down to around 35% for a subtle effect that nonetheless pulls things together. Try it on 100% to get some extreme pumping on the go.
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Click Advanced Settings now to look at some of the key options. The top Save option saves the current setup as the default. Signal Is Mono is a nice mono-ing tool which, when used on a stereo track, disregards the right channel and sends the left input to both output channels – handy for basses and kicks. Revision controls a sidechain filter (internal and external), with four options (Classic, Flat, Dark and Soft) to suit different material.
Solo the Ohat track and open its SunRuys CM. It’s got an incredibly low Threshold – guaranteed to crush almost any signal – applied to an otherwise relatively quiet and restrained offbeat open hi-hat. Listen to the difference between the dry and processed signals to hear how a simple offbeat cymbal with a subtle reverb tail becomes a pumping monster hat with real front-end bite.
SunRuys CM can have a powerful effect on individual channels and groups, but to really understand quite what a difference it can make, we bypass all instances of SunRuys CM in our project (we’ve assigned all their bypasses to the computer’s 1 key). Everything is dry and lifeless. Switch the compressors back on, and suddenly our loop has come alive with atmosphere and energy.
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