Computer Music 230 (Sampler) by Future PLC

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FREEWARE 2016 Make a heavy trap beat in 10 easy steps

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THE BEST SYNTHS | MIX TOOLS | EFFECTS | SAMPLES + MORE!

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SOUND DESIGN MIXING MUSIC THEORY + MORE

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Techno masterclass with Pig&Dan

m e t r o n o m e click

undo /redo

delete

quan t i s e

duplicate double

record arm track

select

mute,

solo,

volume, p a n , sends, stop clip

More functions than you might think. All at your finger tips.

More than just 64 pads. The easiest way to take full control of Ableton. Launchpad Pro keeps you in your element by unlocking the essential tools you need to create music in a simple, intuitive and fluid way. Switch on a click track and play an expressive synth line or dynamic drum beat with Pro’s velocity and pressure sensitive RGB pads. Instantly quantise, create new clips, hit record and overdub. Duplicate or delete as you go, undo your mistakes, redo your mistakes that weren’t mistakes and double your clip length on the fly. Use Pro’s dynamic volume, pan and send controls to get the mix just right without ever looking up. Spend more time producing and less time clicking.

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welcome Every once in a while, our blend of software, samples and tutorials comes together to form a truly exceptional issue of Computer Music… And this is one of ’em! First off, how would you like the latest D16 Group plugin for free? You got it! Frontier is all yours this month, and it’s no cutdown or demo – this is the full thing. An instant contender for our best ever giveaway, if you like this superb mixing/mastering limiter even half as much as I do, you’ll be in mixdown heaven within minutes of installation. Speaking of free software, it can’t have escaped your attention that this issue is dedicated to the stuff. Our first Ultimate Freeware issue ( 214) was a huge success, so now it’s time for the 2016 edition, showcasing the very best free releases from the last year, along with tutorials firmly focused on getting pro results with free plugins. I’ll tell you what else is free: the 8GB DVD strapped to the front of this issue’s print edition! We figured you might like a physical copy of your Frontier plugin to have and to hold, and while we were at it, we filled the disc Plugins suite and Part with the rest of the 1 of our Sample Essentials collection (don’t miss our Part 2 DVD next month!). You’ll find an exclusive selection of sounds from top samplists ModeAudio, an all-new pack from us in the form of Ultimate Hi-Hats, and a 2GB classic from our archives, Ethnic Textures. All of this lovely content is available to download via our Vault, too, of course. Have fun with your freebies and…

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Lee du-Caine Editor

Issue 230 JUNE 2016 > make music now / ultimate freeware 2016

contents Producer masterclass

Cover feature

ULTIMATE

FREEWARE 2016

Expand your production toolkit for no charge whatsoever – get started on p36 57 PIG&DAN

See what goes into their high-calibre productions, and find out how they got to where they are today

Tutorial

/experts 36 / COMPUTER MUSIC / June 2016

CMU230.t_free_opener.indd 36

05/04/2016 10:15

63 TRAP TRACK BUILDER

TRAP TECHNIQUES

Make short work it all, from 808 beats and bass to synth leads and glitches

asy guide: e secondary dominants

GEEK TECHNIQUE: mixing for free

esigner sounds: d trip-hop groove

r beat: d custom house loops

Tutorial

Interview

69 how to use SPAN

86 SC ANNER

Go deep below the surface of this awesome analyser

Reviews

Essentials

celemony melodyne

news

roland sound canvas va

what’s on your drive

tracktion biotek

burning question

DMG Audio limitless

100 D16 group devastor 2

next issue

PLUS 24 MORE products reviewed

back issues

4 / Computer Music / June 2016

Get inspired by the prolific producer’s years in music

114

BLAST FROM THE PAST: Teletronix La-2a

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DOWNLOAD EXCLUSIVE Tutorial videos High-quality videos to guide you through our tutorials. Wherever you see the icon on the left, there’s a video version to watch

D16 Group Frontier Take your mixes up a notch with this superb self-adaptive limiter. Check it out on p10

Sample Essentials Part 1 MODEAUDIO CM COLLECTION

See this issue’s entire video content on the next pages

1GB of samples featuring the cream of the crop from the top samplists’ releases

Tutorial files

ULTIMATE HI-HATS

A folder full of audio examples, synth patches and project files to help you follow our tutorials

This top collection is simply brimming with hats of every imaginable flavour

ETHNIC TEXTURES Take a new sonic journey with this pack of 1819 out-there loops, multisamples and patches Take a closer look on p14

ETHNIC TEXTURES TEXTURES ETHNIC

CM Plugins Our exclusive collection of free plugins for Mac and PC. See what’s available on p18

This digital content has been thoroughly scanned and tested at all stages of production, but as with all new software, we still recommend that you run a virus checker before use. We also recommend that you have an up-to-date backup of your hard drive before using the content. Future cannot accept responsibility for any disruption, damage and/or loss to your data or computer system that may occur while using this magazine’s programs and/or data. Consult your network administrator before installing any software on a networked computer. If you have problems using our Vault download system, please contact vaultsupport@futurenet.com.

June 2016 / Computer Music / 5

video This issue is absolutely teeming with video tutorials – grab them all on your PC/Mac at vault.computermusic.co.uk

ULTIMATE FREEWARE 2016 See and hear the year’s best free software releases across these 15 video tutorials

Read the full article on p36

Alter/Ego by Plogue

2 Orion Sound Module by SampleScience

3 Ample Guitar M Lite II by AmpleSound

Thump by Metric Halo

6 A1TriggerGate by Alex Hilton

7 MOscilloscope by MeldaProduction

8 MBitFun by MeldaProduction

Protoverb by u-he

Snapins by kiloHearts

11 FuzzPlus3 by Audio Damage

12 Defacer by Audio Assault

13 TAL-Reverb-4 by Togu Audio Line

Tablewarp2 by Plogue

15 Canary by Black Rooster Audio

Helm by Matt Tytel

6 / Computer Music / June 2016

video Get on over to vault.computermusic.co.uk to get our expert tutorial videos downloaded onto your PC or Mac Producer Masterclass*

D16 GROUP FRONTIER This amazing limiter by the legendary audio wizards is yours for free with this issue – check out how it works, and hear it in action in these two videos Read the full article on p10

PIG&DAN The production duo lift the lid on how they created their track Holly in this in-studio video masterclass 1 Installing and getting started with Frontier

download

2 Practical production techniques with Frontier

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

Read the full article on p57

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. See page 58 for viewing instructions, or watch on Apple Newsstand via built-in internet streaming.

June 2016 / Computer Music / 7

video Our expert techniques and freeware walkthroughs are waiting for you in video form at vault.computermusic.co.uk HOW to USE

SPAN Our in-depth analysis of Voxengo’s audio visualisation plugin

The top bar

2 The FFT Spectrum Analyser

SPAN’s settings

Spectrum Mode Editor

SPAN Plus

Read the full article on p69

SPAN’s statistics

/experts EASY GUIDE

Designer sounds

GEEK TECHNIQUE

DR BEAT

SECONDARY DOMINANTS

Trip-hop groove

mixing for free

Custom house loops

Use these crafty chords to full effect with Dave Clews’ advice

Break shows us how to design the genre’s beats, bass and lead sounds

Owen’s got the proof that a pro mix doesn’t require paid-for plugins

Create your own sampled loops to bulk up your sample folder

Read the full article on p76 8 / Computer Music / June 2016

Read Readthe thefull full article articleon onp78 pxx

Read the full article on p80

Read the full Read the full article on p82 article on pxx

video See page 5 for more information about our Vault download system, and start enjoying all this issue’s videos right now

10 TRAP TECHNIQUES Take control of the genre’s techie sound as we show you how to craft beats, bass, synth sounds and edits using nothing but freely available plugins Read the full article on p63

2 Adding harmonics to an 808 kick

Building a custom 808

3 Rhythmic hi-hat rolls with an arpeggiator

4 Trap-style snare and clap rhythms

5 Pitching snare fills with sampler automation

6 Creating pitchshifted vocal one-shots

7 Lazy, gliding lead lines with Dune CM

8 Crafting glitchy edits and turnarounds

9 Sidechain compression to create space and pump

10 Intense build-ups and laidback drops

download

June 2016 / Computer Music / 9

dvd/download / d16 group frontier

>Free software

D16 Group

Frontier Boldly take your mix dynamics into uncharted territories with D16 Group’s self-adaptive mixing/mastering limiter – yours with this issue In the arena of music software developers, few can rival the heritage and success of Polish plugin pros D16 Group, who’ve earned their esteemed reputation by creating realistic software replicas of classic Roland hardware synths and drum machines, as well as prestigious mixing effects and creative tools. To celebrate D16’s tenth anniversary, their latest lustrous mixing plugin is free to Computer Music readers. All hail: Frontier is here! The latest addition to D16’s SilverLine squad of effects, Frontier is a multipurpose, selfadaptive mixing and mastering device that’s sure to become a mainstay of your projects. A limiter is essentially a compressor with a

Control Input Sets which part of the stereo signal (Left, Right or Mid) Frontier uses to detect incoming level

Release Set how quickly a limited signal returns to its original level once it drops below the threshold

ratio of 20:1 or more – but this isn’t the run-ofthe-mill clean, ‘brickwall’ variety that you’ve seen a million times already. In addition to reducing peaks and increasing loudness, Frontier gives you numerous flavour-inducing possibilities thanks to its internal Soft Clip algorithm, which can be used in conjunction with the other parameters to add drive and distortion. This makes Frontier perfect for a multitude of applications: reduce peaks, increase loudness, prevent channel overload, gel submixes and groups together, help parts cut through a mix, or characterfully smash signals to the point of harmonic distortion. If Frontier gets you pumped for D16’s plugins,

Options Access the menu and determine default processing quality & MIDI CC

Threshold Sets the point at which limiting takes place and determines the postlimiter make-up gain

10 / Computer Music / June 2016

download Get the plugin and the video tutorial on your PC/Mac at vault.computermusic.co.uk

don’t miss the next issue of Computer Music, where we’ll have an in-depth tutorial dedicated to getting the most from D16’s SilverLine effects. We’ll also reveal the details of an amazing offer that could net you another free D16 plugin! If you can’t wait, head straight to D16’s website to check out the rest of their range, which includes the ace flanger Antresol (10/10, 222), acclaimed Decimort 2 bitcrusher (10/10, 229), and multiband distortion Devastor 2 (9/10, 230); not to mention the stunning virtual Roland-alikes Nepheton (TR-808, 8/10, 116), Drumazon (TR-909, 9/10, 112), Phoscyon (TB303) and LuSH-101 (9/10, 186). www.d16.pl

Soft-clip Engages a soft-clip algorithm that begins to apply smooth, analogue-style clipping to the signal as it approaches 0dB

Reduction meter See the amount of gain reduction, particularly handy when you’re after transparent loudness

Output volume Additional output gain, useful for applying creative distortion or for careful gain staging

d16 group frontier /

dvd/download <

> Step by step Installing and getting started with D16 Group Frontier

Frontier is supplied in VST and AAX format for PC; and VST, AU and AAX for Mac. To install it, download the installer at vault.computermusic.co.uk (or find it on the DVD included with the print edition) and follow the installation instructions. To authorise Frontier, you’ll need access to the internet either on your studio computer or elsewhere. See the text file included with the installers for foolproof activation instructions.

The real-time Gain Reduction meter displays any gain reduction being applied. Naturally, it’s visibly triggered by loud peaks such as kick drums. When using Frontier for creative distortion, you can largely ignore the meter, but when adding volume to busses and masters, a level of about -6dB is safe, and anything in the red is heavily colouring your sound.

The Output knob can also add distortion, when used in conjunction with the Soft Clip option. Engage Soft Clip, raise the Output gradually to 12dB, and notice how the sound acquires a distorted tone. Even with Soft Clip engaged, the plugin’s output can reach as high as +3dB when the levels are pushed. If we disable Soft Clip now, the signal instantly leaps up and over our channel’s 0dB point.

At the very bottom of Frontier’s interface, click where it says Normal/ Normal to edit the Real-time and Offline quality options, ranging from Draft (most efficient CPU usage) to Ultra (best quality, highest CPU). We choose Ultra for both, as Frontier is quite CPU-light. This affects only the current instance of Frontier (you can set a global default in the Settings menu). Now load Frontier demo 1.wav in a fresh DAW project at 122bpm.

The next important control is Release. Three settings – Fast, Medium and Slow – dictate how swiftly the gain reduction eases off after the signal drops back below the threshold. Hear how this affects a loop with a heavy kick in the video version of this tutorial. When set to Fast, the overall level is higher with distortion creeping in. At Slow, the loop is cleaner and bumps with the kick.

The Control Input sets whether Frontier uses the Left, Right or Mid (mono) channel when detecting threshold crossing (note that the gain reduction itself always acts on the full stereo signal). This can be used creatively or functionally. Load Frontier Demo 2.wav (which has its kick panned hard left), set The Control Input to Right, and hear how the limiter’s threshold detector ignores the kick.

Frontier’s main control is Threshold. It defaults to -12dB, meaning that any signal level exceeding that point is limited. Gain is then applied automatically behind the scenes – for each dB you reduce the Threshold value by, 1dB of make-up gain is added to the signal level. Raise the Threshold to 0dB and our drum loop appears unprocessed, then pull it right down to see how the signal gets louder and eventually distorts as it’s squashed.

The large Output Volume knob to the right has a number of useful functions. When using Frontier as a master output limiter, it can be set just below 0dB to ensure the output signal is compatible with CDs and converts nicely to MP3 (pro mastering studios recommend a peak signal level of around -0.5 to -0.3dB for optimum MP3 conversion).

All of Frontier’s controls can be mapped to MIDI CC for use with hardware controllers. Right-click any parameter to open the menu (Mac users can also Shift-click). Click Learn and then move your desired MIDI controller to assign a control. You can save and load sets of CC assignments from the menu in the bottom right of the plugin.

June 2016 / Computer Music / 11

dvd/download / d16 group frontier

> Step by step Practical production techniques with D16 Group Frontier

We’re going to take you on a fast tour of our favourite Frontier techniques – hear them in action in the video and audio examples. First, we’re using Frontier on a master mix bus. We dial the Threshold down until we’re getting around 6dB of peak reduction, for a good, solid, playable output level. We’re also sure to select the right Release setting. Here we’ve chosen Medium for a little rhythmic pumping while keeping our transients intact.

Frontier can create a very smooth, fattening saturation effect when the signal is overdriven – ideal when you need to give bite and edge to a signal, and also give it prominence. Here’s a vocal part that’s a little lost in the mix. By overdriving it with Frontier (with a low Threshold setting and Output Volume with Soft Clip), we add both distinctive tonal character and raised RMS level, enabling the vocal to cut through the mix.

Did you know that Frontier makes a fantastic signal-smashing distortion machine? Here we run a techno loop (supplied by D16 Group’s TR-909emulating Drumazon) through Frontier. We pull the Threshold down as low as it will go to create extreme distortion, characteristic of techno. For best effect, we use a copy of the dry kick drum on another parallel channel for a usable mix.

12 / Computer Music / June 2016

Another common limiting technique, particularly on groups and master channels, is to use a series of limiters to achieve maximum loudness while preserving transients and avoiding distortion. Here, we’ve duplicated a Frontier on our master and set the first to Slow Release, for characterful pumping, and set our second to Fast for an even louder overall level that still pumps.

Sometimes we want the nice edge that Frontier’s saturation brings, but the resulting limiting is too much. In this case, we can create a duplicate parallel channel for our vocal and apply heavy limiting to one, to achieve the saturation, then some very light limiting to the other. Now we have a slightly louder vocal and can blend in the saturated signal to give the desired edge.

Extreme limiting can be used to squash transients on a variety of sounds. Here we apply Frontier with an extremely low Threshold to a kick drum, a snare and a ride cymbal. Note how as the transients are flattened, the transients are smoothed. The rides in particular change character, becoming more of a sonic atmosphere than a rhythmic element.

We can use Frontier in combination with any kind of dynamic level-altering device for creative effect. Here we add sidechain pumping prior to a distorting Frontier setting (with a high Output setting and Soft Clip engaged) so that we get saturation at the height of the signal. Used on something like a TB-303 bassline (courtesy of D16 Group’s Phoscyon), the distortion accentuates the pumping in the audible mix.

A great way to pull drums together into a cohesive whole is to route them all through a bus and apply dynamic squashing with Frontier. Here we have an acoustic drum bus, and we pull Frontier’s Threshold down until the drums gel nicely. It’s important to tailor the Release to achieve the desired effect. For a vintage saturation vibe, just lower the Threshold.

Frontier’s Control Input can be a fun creative tool. Here’s Frontier on a drum group. Our kick drum is causing the first Frontier to pump the signal nicely, but we don’t want to actually hear the kick. We pan the kick hard left and set Control Input to L, then create a dual mono signal from the kick-free (but still pumping) right channel. Check it out more fully in the video version of this tutorial!