FREE
597
89 VST/AU FOLEY PLUGINS EXCLUSIVE
GUITAR AMP
FACTORY Samples COLLECTION
PLUGIN FOR PC AND MAC
BASSLINE HOUSE SPECIAL
MOFAUX
IN THE STUDIO
TRACK-BUILDER
TUTORIALS
August 2019 / CM271
80s
synth
sounds
SOUND DESIGN
CLASSIC
Take a trip back in time with our old-school synthesis course
8GB
18GB
RAVE SOUNDS
DOWNLOAD DVD
TECHNIQUE
FREE VST/AU/AAX EFFECT
AMPLIFIKATION 2 CM INTERVIEW
ROGER SANCHEZ
The legendary house DJ/producer talks tech
Get authentic tones with Kuassa’s guitar amp plugin for PC and Mac VOL. 67
FREE SOUNDWARE
PRO SAMPLES FOLEY FACTORY 1.9GB of sounds for your tracks
FREE PLUGIN COLLECTION
89
INSTRUMENTS
AND EFFECTS
DE-HARSH YOUR mIXES! Get smoother songs in seconds
MUSIC THEORY TIPS Harmonising 101
intro / computer music <
Download See page 5 to find out how to download this issue’s exclusive content
HOW TO USE
download
We’ve got a new system for downloading files. Whenever you see this icon, you can grab the files on your PC or Mac by going to filesilo.co.uk/computermusic. Tutorials featuring this icon make use of our own Plugins – find out all about them on p107.
Tutorial
Files
This icon means there are extra files to help you follow a tutorial feature: project files, audio examples, etc. There’s extra video content wherever you see this icon.
computermusic.co.uk
WWW
computermusic@futurenet.com facebook.com/computer.music.mag twitter.com/computermusicuk youtube.com/computermusicmag instagram.com/computermusicmag
CMU271.dvd_cover.indd 1
5/13/19 2:58 PM
8GB
Subscribe to Computer Music!
DVD DVD SDNUOS YTILAUQ-ORP
NOITCELLOC SNIGULP MC
76 .LOV
YELOF YROTCAF
See p40
FREE VST/AU/AAX EFFECT
BG9.1 MC 2 NOITAK2IFICM AMPLIFIKATION LPMA wt s’assauK fo 2 noisreV Get Kuassa’s SEauthentic LPMAStonesniwith !sruoy si mis pma ratiug yrotcaFplugin yeloF guitar amp for PC and Mac kcaP BG1 sretsampooL VOL. 67
STNEMURTSNI SNIGULP MC EROM 88 !SULP DVD SIHT NO DEDULCNI STCEFFE DNA
FREE ,tSOUNDWARE netnoc sti ro ecaf retni s’csid ruoy gnisu tuoba y reuq a evah uoy fI ?SMELBORP
VOL. 67
PRO SAMPLES FOLEY FACTORY 1.9GB of sounds
t roppus ’sredaer ruo tisiv esaelp ,csid ruoy ot gnitaler seussi lacinhcet yna ro snoitulos dnif nac uoy erehw t roppus/ ku.oc.tenerutuf.w w w ta etisbew ot liame na gnidnes yb su tcatnoc ,ylevitanretlA .smelborp nommoc ynam ot taht eton esaelP .tuo uoy pleh ll’ew dna moc.tenerutuf@cisumretupmoc ruoy fo tneve ylekilnu eht nI .enohpelet eht revo t roppus lacinhcet evig t’nac ew 82 nihtiw noisrev gnikrow ,wen a uoy dnes ll’ew ,degamad yllacisyhp gnieb csid
drah ruoy ot DVD eht morf sredlof deriuqer yna ypoc uoy dnemmocer eW .syad .e s u e r o f e b e v i r d for your tracks
FREE PLUGIN COLLECTION
89
ylhguoroht neeb sah csid sihT MOR-DVD GNITUPMOC ERUTUF A SI SIHT ew ,eraw t fos wen lla htiw sa tub ,noitcudorp fo segats lla ta detset dna dennacs taht dnemmocer osla eW .esu erofeb rekcehc suriv a nur uoy taht dnemmocer llits erutuF .csid siht gnisu erofeb ksid drah ruoy fo pukcab etad-ot-pu na evah uoy ssol ro/dna egamad ,noitpursid yna rof y tilibisnopser tpecca tonnac gnihsilbuP eht ro ,DVD siht gnisu elihw rucco yam taht metsys retupmoc ro atad ruoy ot yna gnillatsni erofeb rotartsinimda krow ten ruoy tlusnoC .ti no atad dna smargorp .CP dekrow ten a no eraw t fos
welcome Music production’s a funny business. Although today’s technology allows us to design futuristic noises that were impossible to create only a few years ago, there’s something about the classic sounds and sonics of yesteryear that we still just can’t get enough of. On paper, our modern computers, DAWs and plugins are infinitely more powerful and reliable than tape, voltages, valves and circuits, but the imperfections of said primitive equipment trigger a feeling of nostalgia that’s impossible to leave in the past. Indeed, a big part of contemporary music production is recreating the sounds of ‘vintage’ with software – whether that means crafting entire retrothemed masterpieces, or just referencing some oldschool flavour in our present-day tunes. To backwards engineer the creative limitations imposed by old gear, though, you need a solid understanding of how it made the sounds that it did – which is exactly what our 15-page tutorial feature, starting on p22, will give you. Armed with just a computer, a DAW, some basic software and this edition of , you’ll be able to produce music spanning four seminal decades of sound design – all from the comfort of your home studio chair.
“The imperfections of said primitive equipment trigger a feeling of nostalgia”
INSTRUMENTS
AND EFFECTS 9102 tsuguA/172MC UE eht ni edaM
89
AND EFFECTS INSTRUMENTS Made in the EU CM271/August 2019
for your tracks
Where to get
PROBLEMS? If you have a query about using your disc’s interface or its content, or any technical issues relating to your disc, please visit our readers’ support website at www.futurenet.co.uk/support where you can find solutions to many common problems. Alternatively, contact us by sending an email to computermusic@futurenet.com and we’ll help you out. Please note that we can’t give technical support over the telephone. In the unlikely event of your disc being physically damaged, we’ll send you a new, working version within 28 days. We recommend you copy any required folders from the DVD to your hard drive before use.
VOL. 67
FREE SOUNDWARE
THIS IS A FUTURE COMPUTING DVD-ROM This disc 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 disk before using this disc. Future Publishing cannot accept responsibility for any disruption, damage and/or loss to your data or computer system that may occur while using this DVD, or the programs and data on it. Consult your network administrator before installing any software on a networked PC.
FACTORY 1.9GB of sounds FOLEY PRO SAMPLES
FREE PLUGIN COLLECTION
guitar amp plugin for PC and Mac Get authentic tones with Kuassa’s PLUS! 88 MORE CM PLUGINS INSTRUMENTS AND EFFECTS INCLUDED ON THIS DVD
Version 2 of Kuassa’s twin guitar amp sim is yours!
Foley Factory Loopmasters 1GB Pack
SAMPLES
AMPLIFIKATION 2 CM AMPLIFIKATION 2 CM
76 .LOV
1.9GB
FREE VST/AU/AAX EFFECT
in stores and online
FOLEY FACTORY
myfavouritemagazines.com
VOL. 67
PRO-QUALITY SOUNDS
DVD
8GB
CMU271.dvd_cover.indd 1
CM PLUGINS COLLECTION
DVD
Zinio for PC, Mac, Android, iPad & more zinio.com
iOS app store
Google Play
for iPad, iPhone & iPod touch
for Android & Chrome for PC/Mac
computermusic.co.uk/cmdigital
play.google.com
5/13/19 2:58 PM
Enjoy the issue
Joe Rossitter Editor
Issue 271 AUGUST 2019
contents
Cover feature
SOUND DESIGN Four decades of synthesis and sampling explored, p22
42 Producer Masterclass 42 MOFAUX Brighton’s bassline house up-andcomer reveals the process behind Haters, produced in Logic Pro
52 KUASSA AMPLIFIKATION 2 CM How to use this month’s free guitar amp plugin
56 DE-HARSH YOUR MIXES Prevent and fix this common mixdown issue
64 BASSLINE TRACK-BUILDER Follow along and create a 4/4 club banger
80 ROGER SANCHEZ The New York house pioneer shares his pearls of wisdom from three decades in the industry
Free samples 104 FOLEY FACTORY Bring the outside world into your beats with these free samples
Reviews
/experts Your guides to the ever-expanding world of production are here How to harmonise a melody with Dave Clews
90
Interview
Features
74 easy guide
88
74
Essentials
88 BRAINWORX BX_OBERHAUSEN
10 news
90 VALHALLA DSP VALHALLA DELAY
16 What’s on your hard drive?
92 ARTURIA 3 compressors
40 SUBSCRIBE
94 XLN AUDIO XO 968ROB PAPEN RP-REVERSE
76 s tudio strategies
80
14 freeware news
79 CM FOCUS 114 B last from the past: YAMAHA CS-40M
101 Mini reviews
ACM tutor Shea Stedford’s multi-DAW workflow
78 dr beat Using filters to enliven drums with Ronan Macdonald
76
4 / Computer Music / August 2019
114
Your FileSilo downloads
The home of great downloads, exclusive to your favourite magazines Secure and safe online access, from anywhere
Get this month’s content from our website Plugins
Install and use Amplifikation 2 CM, plus our cm Plugins collection
Free access for every reader – print and digital Download only the files you want, when you want
Samples
Download this month’s exclusive packs and power up your tunes
All the downloads from all your issues, in one place
VOL. 67
Get started
FOLEY FACTORY
Tutorial Videos
See and hear exactly how it’s done with our expert video guides
Tutorial Files
Follow along in your DAW with WAVs, project files, MIDI clips and more
01
Register your FileSilo account and log in. Even if you have a subscriber ID, you’ll still have to unlock each mag separately or migrate your old Vault account (see step 3)
02 Log in at filesilo.co.uk/computermusic Register this issue for instant access to our plugins, samples, videos and files on your desktop computer
Free for digital readers, too!
Head back to the Computer Music page (filesilo.co.uk/computermusic) and choose an issue to unlock. You’ll need to answer one question to prove you’ve purchased the issue
Read on your tablet, download on your computer
03
You can migrate your old Vault account over to FileSilo to retain the issues you’ve added – head to filesilo.co.uk/vault and enter your Vault email address. Reset your password via the email you receive, and log in
video Download this month’s videos: filesilo.co.uk/computermusic
RETRO SOUND DESIGN
Craft classic sounds in your DAW with our expert video tutorials Read the full article on p22
1 Creating the Doctor Who sting with ring modulation
3 Pulsing drone with Phonec CM
5 Bouncing synthpop bass with TAL-Bassline-101
8 Hyper arps with Plogue Chipsounds
12 Hoover time with NI Massive and Kontakt
13 Designing an old-school Reese bass
BASSLINE TRACK-BUILDER Follow along and create an entire bassline house track in Ableton Live
Read the full article on p64
1 Building a beat
2 Programming bass
3 Vocal chops
5 Intro and breakdown
6 Build-up FX
7 Track playthrough
6 / Computer Music / August 2019
video DE-HARSH YOUR MIXES Get smoother songs in seconds Read the full article on p56
Producer Masterclass
MOFAUX
1 Sound selection tips
Exclusive in-studio video session Note: this video is only available using the link on page 43 Read the full article on p42
2 Arrangement strategies
AMPLIFIKATION 2 CM Find out how to use this issue’s free guitar amp plugin from modelling pros Kuassa
Read Read the thefull fullarticle articleon onp52 pxx
1 Amplifikation 2 CM
EASY GUIDE
3 De-essing and EQ
studio strategies
HARMONISING A MULTI-DAW WORKFLOW MELODY
DR BEAT
MOVING FILTERS
/experts
Our resident music production gurus walk you through their specialist field every Read month the full
article on pxx
Read the full article on p74
Read the full Read the full article on p76 article on pxx
Read the full article on p78
August 2019 / Computer Music / 7
NEW VIDEOS ON THE CHANNEL subscribe for: Exclusive hands-on sessions with the latest software
Producer Masterclass: Heist | Part 1 of 2
bit.ly/heistpt1
Classic Producer Masterclass archives videos from the 650+ videos, with more added every month CM Hands-On with Loopmasters Loopcloud 4.0
bit.ly/cmloop4
How To Mic An Electric Guitar or Bass Amp
bit.ly/howtomicamp
youtube.com/ComputerMusicMag
> news
New releases • comment • industry happenings
MIND Music Labs & Steinberg unite Software becomes hardware in Retrologue, the ultimate port For us, one of the undoubted highlights of this year’s Superbooth synthesis expo in Berlin was getting the opportunity to check out the first fruits of the recently-announced collaboration between German software titans Steinberg and bold upstarts MIND Music Labs. The latter’s ELK MusicOS is a Linuxbased operating system capable of running VST plugins and Reason Rack Extensions on Intel and ARM CPUs embedded in dedicated hardware systems, thereby effectively enabling plugin developers to turn their creations into dedicated ultra low-latency hardware devices. As a proof of concept, the two companies have managed to get Steinberg’s well regarded Retrologue 2 virtual instrument running in a bespoke desktop-format synth, making the dream of the ‘physical plugin’ an impressive reality. “We immediately saw the potential of ELK MusicOS, and that’s why we added it to the official VST SDK,” commented Steinberg’s senior marketing manager, Florian Haack. “The development of the ‘Powered by ELK’ Retrologue 2 hardware prototype has further strengthened our belief that, with the help of ELK MusicOS, VST can become a standard for not only software, but also for hardware.”
With the plugin version running inside, the hardware Retrologue 2 redefines the term “hybrid synth’
MIND Music Labs CEO Michele Benincaso added his own thoughts on the subject: “Plugins and software synths have brought amazing power and flexibility to computerbased recording, but now musicians want to harness all that power without the computer. There are times when you want to twist real knobs, rather than wiggle a mouse. It’s really exciting to be empowering those users with ELK MusicOS.”
Having attracted the attention of two major players in the shape of Steinberg and Propellerhead, MIND Music Labs are actively courting the broader music software community. So if this corporeal Retrologue 2 proves itself to be compelling in the eyes of enough other developers, it really could be the start of something quite big. More news as we get it. mindmusiclabs.com
Ableton CV Tools
Also debuting at Superbooth, a new pack of ten devices for the forthcoming Live 10.1 promises to give users of Eurorack systems and Ableton’s DAW everything they need to get the two talking. With a compatible DC-coupled audio interface hooked up, you’ll be able to sequence CV-controlled synths and drum machines, clock your modular gear to Live and vice versa, apply modulation and much more. With a launch date yet to be announced, CV Tools will be free for owners of Live 10 Suite and Live Standard, plus Max For Live. CV Envelope Follower: just one of the ten tools in Ableton’s CV Tools
10 / Computer Music / August 2019
ableton.com
news <
App watch We report on the latest developments in phone and tablet music making
Octachron Pro Tools 2019 brings many much-awaited changes to the professionals’ choice DAW
Pro Tools 2019
Avid used this year’s Superbooth to announce the release of Pro Tools 2019, the latest version of their ‘industry standard’ DAW. At the top of the new features list is a doubling of the maximum MIDI track count from 512 to 1024, which film score composers will be particularly enthused by. Better late than never is the ability to “make updates to tracks and timeline sections during playback without interruption”,
allowing changes to be applied to effects, loop points, presets, etc, during playback – something users of other DAWs have taken for granted for years, of course. Tracks can also be named as they’re created, and are now automatically named for you based on track type if not, and full compatibility with macOS 10.14 Mojave has been put in place. Pro Tools 2019 costs £499 to buy outright, with subscription options also available. avid.com
Native Instruments Modular Icons
The first new release in Native Instruments’ Play Series of high-quality but easy-to-use Kontakt Player libraries since its launch alongside Kontakt 6, Modular Icons puts over 100 multisampled modular synth patches at your fingertips. Put together in partnership with the Bob Moog Foundation, Modular Icons’ source samples were provided by no less than Jean-Michel Jarre, Mark Isham, Benge and Steve Porcaro, amongst others, using a roster of instruments including the ARP 2500, Roland System 700, a Buchla modular, Keith Emerson’s custom Moog modular, and the legendary TONTO (allegedly the most expensive synth in the world). With the primary thrust of the Play series
Waves Submarine
Doubling up on your average sub synth, Waves’ new plugin effect sports a pair of subharmonic generators for tracking the incoming audio one and two octaves below its fundamental frequency. Submarine uses
An 8-track MIDI drum sequencer that works alone or as an AuV3, Octachron gives you up to 32 steps with a flexible clock divider, custom time signatures and eight chainable patterns. You can parameter lock velocity, trigger probability, ratcheting and CC, and create polyrhythms by adjusting track lengths. As well as sequencing other apps/AUs, it works with external hardware, too. $4.99. numericalaudio.com
Stellr
being to present great sounds out of the box for quick customisation, editing is done using a set of intuitive macros, rather than a comprehensive control set, but a built-in step sequencer facilitates programming of “evolving analog patterns” right from within Kontakt or Kontakt Player itself. Native Instruments’ Modular Icons is available now, priced at £44. native-instruments.com
the company’s proprietary Organic ReSynthesis engine to break down and reconstruct the input in order to create “brand new sub frequencies which retain the exact pitch and time of the original signal”. Any area within the 20-240Hz range can be targeted for use as the subharmonic source, so you can bolster just the kick drum, say, or specific notes in a bassline. Saturation and compression are also on the cards, for beefing things up if required. You can get Submarine now for Mac and PC, priced $79. waves.com
This new effect combines pitch shifting, delay and reverb to create a classic shimmer effect, adding an otherworldly ambience. It comes with 15 presets, but you can create endless others via the randomise button. Plenty for tweakers, too: the pitchshifter can be fine-tuned or snapped to the nearest semitone, there are two separate delays that can be used together for feedback and you can get busy with the LFO. $4.99. vatanator.com
Sugar Bytes Factory
Originally a desktop plugin, Factory has made the jump to iPad. For big, complex sounds, it’s got you covered. There are two oscillators, each offering ten wavegenerating models, but it’s in the chunky modulation matrix that things get interesting. You’ll also find four sequencers, 11 filter models and three multi-effects. Free to download, but $17.99 as an IAP for the full feature set. sugar-bytes.de/factory-ipad August 2019 / Computer Music / 11
9000
> news
Get with the programmers The co-founder and Customer Support Manager of pureMix and Process.Audio pours some Sugar on us
Process.Audio
How did Process.Audio come to be? GC “When Fab Dupont and I met ten years ago in New York, Fab was already becoming a well-known producer and I was learning more about mixing and recording. We both knew it was hard to get proper training in that realm, so we created pureMix to share what we knew with the world. Two years ago, we started making plugins for all pureMixers. It took us two years to build a team of DSP wizards, acquire the appropriate equipment and make the right technological choices. Not to mention the website, R&D, etc…”
What sets Sugar apart from other ‘mastering assistant’ plugins? GC “First, Sugar won’t assist you in any way: you’re still in control of the flavours you dial in. We think of it as a colour palette. Those colours have been carefully selected over the years, and at least one will be useful to you. Sugar is designed to work super fast: instantiate plugins, push faders up where you feel like you’re missing something, add a hint of saturation. Like it? Move on. Also, Sugar works in parallel with all its band crossovers and internal DSP processing being linear phase. We can’t stress enough how important that is. That’s why Sugar sounds so good on any source. It never becomes a phase shifting party. And it doesn’t ruin your bass or kick drum low end by digging a hole in it…”
Guillaume Chadaillac
One key Sugar feature is the minimal user input allowed and required. Was this always the goal, or did early versions offer different amounts of control? GC “It was always the goal. The big guys work fast. They never agonise over too many knobs. They use tools that are reliable, sound great and let them achieve the sound they’re after as fast as possible. Too many knobs kill your workflow. Process’ goal is to make tools that never let you forget about the music.”
“We make tools that never let you forget about the music”
Controversially, Sugar’s crossover frequencies can’t be moved by the user. How did you decide where to place them? GC “Let us explain why we feel we made the right decision. If you’re using Sugar on your mix bus and you feel like it’s lacking some punch, you push the Punch fader and you can hear the punch come in. Whatever Sugar is adding, you’ll perceive it as ‘punch’ because we applied it to the frequencies perceived as ‘punch’. Ditto with warmth mode. We all know it lies around 300-400Hz, but if you start moving those frequencies around, you’re no longer adding ‘warmth’, but wooliness, body, or something else. The adjectives that describe those modes determine where the crossovers should be. If we’d let the users move those crossovers, those adjectives would no longer be relevant. It was a hard choice, but it’s in line with our goal to provide simple tools and avoid endless tweaking.” What’s next for Process.Audio? GC “Many, many more plugins. Two years from now, we’d like our users to be able to download a full bundle that they can use and trust to make great records as fast as possible.” www.process.audio
12 / Computer Music / August 2019
Native Instruments Super 8
More news from NI with the release of Super 8, an eight-voice polyphonic Reaktor 6/ Player instrument that delivers “a modern take on vintage polysynth sounds”. A straightforward interface lets you mix four waveforms in each of Super 8’s two oscillators, before treating them to filtering, modulation, FM and all that other good stuff. More than 350 presets are included, too, all designed to put a new twist on the classic tones of yore. Super 8 is available now for PC and Mac, priced £59. native-instruments.com
Magix Acid Pro Next
The original loop-based PC DAW, the now Magix-owned Acid Pro is looking to reestablish itself with a new version, the headline feature of which is Zynaptiq’s Stem Maker technology. This claims to be able to split mixes up into their individual tracks, which would obviously be a huge deal if it’s proven to work well. Acid Pro Next also includes an MPC-style groove sampler called MIDI Chopper, Celemony’s Melodyne Essentials, and 41 plugin instruments and effects. It can be yours this very day for £299, or £15.99 a month. magix.com
Kuassa Amplifikation Matchlock
Kuassa’s second plugin effect release powered by their 3rd generation Tube Simulation technology (the first being Amplifikation Caliburn), Amplifikation Matchlock takes inspiration from several of Fender’s timelessly relevant combo amps. The Twin Reverb, Super Reverb and Custom Vibrolux Reverb amps have been modelled, each with Clean and Boosted channels, and they’re joined by five cabinets and seven “workhorse” mics, two of which can be freely moved around the cab at a time. Kuassa Amplifikation Matchlock is out now for Mac and PC, at $60. kuassa.com
Loopmasters leave Splice Sounds
In a move that won’t surprise anyone, UK soundware powerhouse Loopmasters has removed all of its content – and that of its many exclusive labels, including Raw Cutz, Singomakers and Ghost Syndicate, among others – from the popular Splice Sounds subscription service. With their Loopcloud librarian and shopfront application getting more powerful with each version update (the latest adds a very impressive audio editor), it would appear that Loopcloud are now fully confident in their ability to compete with Splice. Exciting times ahead. URL loopmasters.com