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According to one annoying pop singer, it’s all about the bass… and this is truer than ever for this special low-end-focused issue of ! No matter what subgenre you produce, or on what system your music is designed to be listened to, low-end weight and clarity are of paramount importance. So whether you’re after pure sine power to shake subwoofers, classic synthesised low-end for smoothness, or funky bass guitar to get toes tappin’, our 100% Bass guide (starting on p20) is for you! Next up, we jump straight into a special three-part DnB artist special: across 16 pages and a trio of in-depth videos, you’ll discover next-level mastering tips from Bristol basshead Break; uncover creative strategies with neuro whizz InsideInfo; and see BCee and Villem (aka The Vanguard Project) team up to build a liquid DnB banger from scratch. Plus, we’ve got plenty of extra bass tips from Phace & Mefjus and Hugo Massien (page 56) – phew! After that, learn how to wield your three new Audified effects – worth a sweet $49 – like a mixing master (p58); balance bottom-end like a pro in our Low-End Mixing Tactics feature (p63); and welcome Shogun Audio rising star Ed:it to the CM Experts hotseat (p74). So, as we head off to rustle up some extra-special content for next month’s landmark 250th edition, I’ll leave you to…
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Issue 249 november 2017
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Cover feature
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86
Producer Masterclass Put the focus on the low end with this issue’s deep tutorials, kicking off on p20
38 break Get the DnB guru’s mastering and track-fixing techniques in this huge in-studio video tutorial
44 insideinfo Discover the neuro master’s creative habits, workflow secrets and more in this exclusive video session
Features 20 100% BASS Get the knowledge you need for better bass
50 THE Vanguard project
56 bass tips from the pros
Watch BCee and Villem collaborate and finish a track at lightning speed
Artists reveal their strategies for heavyweight subs
63 low-end mixing tactics Refine and perfect your bass to work in place
Interview 78 thomas gold We find out how Frank Thomas Knebel-Janssen makes his tunes and get his tips for better production
/experts
Reviews
Your guides for the ever-expanding world of production are here 72 easy guide Tune up your bassline’s notes with some music theory
72
90 toontrack superior drummer 3
74 s tudio strategies
94 Essentials 10 news 14 freeware news 16 What’s on your hard drive? 36 SUBSCRIBE 84 back issues 106 NEXT MONTH 114 Boss dr-110
94 ik multimedia syntronik
Build a unique bass sound with DnB young gun Ed:it
96 eventide ultratap
76 dr beat Get the piano roll secrets for tying drums and bass together
86 Native instruments maschine mk3
90
74
4 / Computer Music / November 2017
99 audio damage quatromod 101 MINI REVIEWS
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Create your baddest bass sounds yet with our comprehensive guide to low-end sound design
Read the full article on p20
1 Bass guitar – recording and mixing basics
2
5 Iconic Minimoog three-oscillator bass
7 Fusion bass with Logic’s Retro Synth
8 Crafting a gritty wavetable bass patch
9 Punchy, powerful 16th-note bass
10 Putting together a gliding, detuned Reese bass
11 A responsive keytracking Reese bass
12 Filtered supersaw Reese bass
13 Six unusual tactics for bass design
Stacks of tone
6 / Computer Music / November 2017
3
Character-building EQ
4
Buzz cut
BREAK Read the full article on p38
The techie bass wizard gives us a snapshot into the workflow behind so many great tracks
The DnB legend shows us how he masters a track and screens a premaster for potential problems
insideinfo Read the full article on p44
vanguard project Read the full article on p50
See how they get tunes done on the double
November 2017 / Computer Music / 7
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LOW-END
MIXING TACTICS
1 Arrangement and editing hacks for better bass
Strategies for a heavyweight bass sound in every mix
2 Magic subs with a bass enhancer plugin
InValve 2
Effects
Three free effects worth $49 are all yours this month
4
Super-solid subs
5
Midrange management
2 Getting started with Audified inValve Effects 6 Advanced bass EQing for a killer low end
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Read the full article on p58 EASY GUIDE
bassline theory
/experts
3 Mixing a track using Audified effects
Dave Clews has you covered musically with his low-end theory
DR Beat
drums and bass Program the two elements to work better together
Our resident music production gurus walk you through their specialist field every month
Read the full article on p72
8 / Computer Music / November 2017
Read Read the the full full article article on on p76 pxx
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New releases • comment • industry happenings
Reverb round-up This month sees five new unorthodox space designers to drench your signals The state of plugin reverbs back in the late 90s and early 00s was a sorry one. Unrealistic, grainy echoes and metallic, ringing tails were the best our feeble Pentium CPUs could muster. Things are very different now, of course, with a whole vista of pristine-quality space simulations to explore. But where do we go from here? Once you’ve hit peak reverb, what’s left to conquer? These five new unconventional ’verbs may hold the answers…
Rob Papen RP-Verb 2
We dubbed the original RP-Verb “a sound design powerhouse” in our review (9/10, 146). The headline addition for RP-Verb 2 (£119) is the Reverser section, for temposynced reverse reverb effects. New modulation sources include Envelope Follower, Envelope and LFO, routable in the also-new Mod Matrix. There are fresh Distortion algorithms, too. Unless your name is Morty, this certainly ain’t your grandpa’s reverb. URL www.timespace.com
PSP Audioware Nexcellence
Unlike conventional spring hardware, oldschool necklace reverbs feature loosehanging rather than stretched springs. It’s a reverb flavour you don’t see much in the virtual world – but PSP’s Nexcellence ($155) tackles it head on. It features two spring sets, usable simultaneously. You get decay time, predelay and filtering, alongside switchable density (Shiny, Dense or Sparse), stereo adjustment, input limiting, and more. URL www.pspaudiware.com 10 / Computer Music / November 2017
Audiority XenoVerb
Outwardly, this is the plainest reverb on the page – but you should never judge a plug by its cover. XenoVerb (€50) sports 10 algorithms: Room, Hall, Plate 1/2 and Springy should be self-explanatory. From there, things diverge from the norm. Glass (FDN) is a “modern highly diffusive and transparent reverb”, while Flow is a “creative reverb based on 90s hardware processors.” Shimmer features pitchshifted feedback for an “evolving harmonising soundscape”, while Bode does likewise with frequency shifting, for “metallic resonances and drones”. Finally, Formant slaps a formant filter before the reverb. URL www.audiority.com
SoundSpot Oracle
With an animated interface that’s a sight to behold, does Oracle (£130) have the
creative power to match its funky visuals? Very possibly! There’s just one reverb algorithm, but you can process the tail with stereo imaging, filtering, distortion, tremolo, flanging and compression. The slick GUI is also said to work well with touchscreens like Slate Media Technology’s Raven. URL www.soundspot.audio
Nuspace Aeko
A last-minute squeeze into our round-up, Aeko (£37) could be the weirdest of the lot. At heart, it’s an eight-tap delay. Each tap can be fully positioned in a spherical 3D space, with global settings for rotating all taps, modulation, tremolo, and even transient adjustment. So where’s the ’verb? Crank up the Swell and Blur to “smoosh” and cross-mix echoes, transforming them into reverb tails. Far-out! URL www.nuspaceaudio.com
news <
App watch We report on the latest developments in phone and tablet music making
iZotope aspire to inspire with their first ever consumer hardware product: a standalone recorder!
iZotope Spire Studio An unexpected move here from audio software legends iZotope, Spire Studio is a portable, wireless “recording studio”. This battery-operated device, bedecked with LEDs and in-built speakers, is ready to record “right out of the box”, with an onboard mic that sets record levels automatically; headphone output; eight tracks; and effects like reverb and amp simulation. Two combo inputs handle
external mics and instruments, while the touch-sensitive LED display is used to adjust levels and select and mute tracks. The Spire iOS app connects via Wi-Fi “for deeper editing”, controlling the effects, sharing projects, and exporting stems for use in any DAW. Spire Studio is out this autumn, initially in the US only, priced $349. URL www.izotope.com
Korg’s iMono/Poly app didn’t exactly come as a surprise – the company had already emulated the Mono/Poly as part of their Legacy Collection for desktop – but it’s still a very welcome addition for iPhone and iPad. This is a four-VCO monophonic synth that can also be used polyphonically. All the functionality of the original has made it to your touchscreen. You also get two multieffects units and eight virtual patches. The introductory price is £19.99/$19.99. www.korg.com
IK Multimedia Ampeg SVX 2 Heavy in more ways than one, Ampeg bass amplification strikes awe into bassists and roadies alike, for quite different reasons. Back in 2006, we dubbed IK’s official Ampeg SVX suite “the best way to sculpt massive bass sounds without being issued an ASBO.” What could be better? Well, perhaps this sequel… Unexpectedly, v2 includes fewer amps and cabs than v1 – and zero pedals. That’s because it’s more an expansion, featuring three new amp/cab setups. Amps are the blue ’n’ silver SVT-VR, recreating the growling 70s rock stalwart; the “black line” V-4B, known for valve-powered grind; and the B-15N, a remake of the classic 60s combo. Cabs comprise the colossal SVT-810AV aka
“The Fridge”; the SVT-212AV, with “fast transient response”; and the B-15N, “reminiscent of the good-old 60s”. Ampeg SVX 2 costs €119; €59 to upgrade; and €180 for the SVX 1 & 2 bundle. URL www.ikmultimedia.com
In more 80s hardware-emulating news, Elliott Garage has released the EGDR606, an iOS version of Roland’s TR-606 drum machine. Though not as well known as the 909 or 808, this still has its fair share of fans, and Elliott’s version retains the original’s look and feel. You have parameter editing for each piece in the ‘kit’, plus a 16-step sequencer and 16 programmable patterns. Audiobus, Ableton Link, Inter-App Audio and Korg Wist are all supported, too. EGDR606 can be purchased for £1.99/$1.99. www.elliottgarage.com
brainworx bx_console G
Last month, we reported on bx_console E, an unofficial SSL 4000E channel strip emulation from emulation aficianados brainworx. Now it has an identically featured sibling recreating the console’s successor, the 4000G. Again, you get the classic four-band parametric EQ, high/low filters, compression and expansion, with modern additions like dry/wet mix, THD control for adjustable saturation, and more. Every channel (optionally) has slight variances in its modelled components, for further realism. The E and G consoles certainly sound different in real life, so we’re keen to see (well, hear!) how this translates to the virtual world. bx_console G is $359. URL www.plugin-alliance.com
If you’re looking for a synth that you can’t really go wrong with, try Klevgrand’s SyndtSphere, a remake of the company’s Syndt instrument that has a rather unusual GUI. The interface can be rotated, and as you move around, you automatically morph between the 70-odd presets. And that’s it. Available now, SyndtSphere costs £1.99/$1.99 on iOS and is free on desktop. klevgrand.se
November 2017 / Computer Music / 11
> news
Get with the programmers The Indonesian amp modellers have been working on something a lot less virtual in recent months When you’re modelling an amp, do you observe the components and try to ‘recreate’ them individually, or is it more of a modelling/convolution process? AA “We model our guitar amp algorithms on electronic schemas, but we chop all the processing stages into blocks. This way, we can achieve the best sonic quality possible while keeping the CPU usage low – it’s always a balance between sound quality and processing power. “In analogue modelling, some parts need to be altered to sound good in the digital domain, so we put extra effort into the final tweaks. That’s why we prefer our modelling to be called ‘inspired by’ rather than ‘based on’ certain hardware. Many times, we’ve recreated schematics from a PCB and changed the components to make the algorithm just right. “For the cabinets, we use convolution – it’s still the tried and true method for achieving the characteristics of speakers. But for the future, we’re researching a more dynamic method for convolution modelling.”
Kuassa
Arie Ardiansyah
What were the biggest challenges you faced when creating your new Efektor bundle of guitar pedals? AA “The biggest challenge is picking and tuning the pedals themselves, to cover the sound of each while keeping a significantly different range between them all. The pedals have only slight tonal differences, and that’s mostly seen in their parameter positions.” A lot of readers won’t be using amp sims on guitar recordings. Do you have any tips for people who want to use an amp sim plugin on synths and other electronic instruments and sources? AA “Some of us are electronic music producers too, and we still use amp sims on synth tracks. For example, robotic guitar leads à la Daft Punk are easily achieveable using a monophonic saw synth plugged into Amplifikation CM. Whistling vocal chops – Jack Ü-style – can be achieved using a cranked-up amp sim with the cabinets turned off. Or use Cerberus Bass Amp on your synth bass for added presence and to make it sit better in the mix.”
“In analogue modelling, some parts need to be altered to sound good in the digital domain”
You moved slightly out of guitar-only effects when you came out with your well-received EVE plugin EQs and Kratos Maximizer. Are you planning to release any more plugins for non-guitarists? AA “We’re currently more into guitarist-oriented plugins at this time, but studio effects are definitely still on our agenda!” So what’s next for Kuassa? AA “Our upcoming product, Anymo Essential Guitar, is (surprisingly for us) an electro-acoustic guitar. We teamed up with the designer to develop a forward-thinking guitar which gives an authentic classic wooden guitar tonality and a head-turning quality in term of looks. In the future, this Anymo Essential Guitar will be powered with our range of effects to get the best of both worlds – Digital and Acoustic – to enrich sonic possibilities.” URL www.kuassa.com 12 / Computer Music / November 2017
IK Multimedia iRig Keys I/O & Mic HD 2
After an “all-in-one music production station that goes anywhere you want"? That’s how IK describe iRig Keys I/O, a keyboard-cumaudio interface available in 25- (€244) and 49-key (€366) varieties. You get two touch sliders; 24-bit/96k operation; transport controls; five knobs and eight pads; mic/line/instrument input; stereo and headphone outs; and more. It’s compatible with iPhone, iPad, PC and Mac. Also new is iRig Mic HD 2 (€159), a handheld USB mic running up to 24-bit/96kHz with integrated headphone output. It’s for PC, Mac and Apple iDevices. URL www.ikmultimedia.com
Kuassa Efektor Modulation Bundle
After last month’s Efektor distortion pedal suite, Kuassa have released the Efektor Modulation Bundle. CH3604 Chorus is partly inspired by classic Roland doubling effects, offering three modes: Ensemble, Dimension, Tribunal. The FL3606 Flanger features Royal ("vintage” flanging), Jet ("supersonic jet howl or cool spacey stereo image") and Electro (we’re guessing an Electric Mistress-alike) modes. PH3605 Phaser has Phase One, Dual Phase and Multi Phase styles; Tremolo seems the most normal of the bunch, with Sine, Square and Triangle options. They’re $30 each. URL www.kuassa.com
Beatskillz LoopBazaar
The latest to get in on the cloud-based sample library game are Beatskillz, the developers of plugins such as Reelight, Slam Dawg and That Thing. Created in collaboration with Stagecraft Software, the LoopBazaar plugin itself is free to download and allows users to browse a collection of 270,000+ loops. Up to five loops can be auditioned at once, tempo-synced to your project, with no sign-up or payment necessary. When you do register, you get $25 of credit for free, and can then purchase loops starting at 99c apiece, allowing them to be downloaded for use direct in your DAW. URL loopbazaar.com
Blue Cat Audio Late Replies
Bog-standard delays are fun enough, but even a basic filter in the feedback loop radically ramps up the creative potential. But what if you could stick any effect in the feedback loop? Step forward, Late Replies! Blue Cat’s new ’un is “a fullfeatured delay machine with unlimited powers”, featuring an eight-tap pattern module, and two nested feedback loops. Each tap or loop has 4 insert slots for hosting the 25 built-in effects (EQ, filtering, pitch/ frequency shifting, bitcrushers, waveshapers… and more delays!) and even third-party VST/ AU plugins. Insanity, right? Go mad for $129. URL www.bluecataudio.com
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