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Issue 337
Making the future since 1992
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Working to picture | Sam pler plugins | Eurorack rhythm s & more
r e g g i b to y a w r s u d o n y u h o c s t h t Pa n y s r e t t e b d n a ON TEST
Dreadbox & Polyend Medusa Roland System 500 Yamaha MODX and more!
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Editor Si Truss, simon.truss@futurenet.com Reviews Editor/Online Content Manager Simon Arblaster, simon.arblaster@futurenet.com Managing Editor Kate Puttick, kate.puttick@futurenet.com Art Editor Phil Cheesbrough, philip.cheesbrough@futurenet.com BIG THANKS TO… Joe Rossitter, Danny Turner, Hamish Mackintosh, Jono Buchanan, Bruce Aisher, Dan ‘JD73’ Goldman, James Russell, Roy Spencer, Leo Maymind, Oli Bell, Ben Wilson, Will Ireland, Jon Musgrave, Richard Ecclestone, Mark Gyver, Adam Lee, Catherine Hood, Tom Jones, Olly Curtis, Robbie Stamp ADVERTISING For Ad enquiries please contact: Steven Pyatt, steven.pyatt@futurenet.com Steve Hymas, steve.hymas@futurenet.com MARKETING Direct Marketing Executive: Will Hardy PRODUCTION & DISTRIBUTION Production Controller: Fran Twentyman Production Manager: Mark Constance Printed in the UK by: William Gibbons & Sons Ltd on behalf of Future Distributed in the UK by: Marketforce (UK), 2nd Floor, 5 Churchill Place, Canary Wharf, London, E14 5HU Tel: +44 (0) 203 787 9001 CIRCULATION Head of Newstrade: Tim Mathers SUBSCRIPTIONS UK reader order line and enquiries: 0844 848 2852 Overseas reader order line and enquiries: +44 (0)1604 251045 Online enquiries: www.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk Email: futuremusic@myfavouritemagazines.co.uk LICENSING International Licensing Director: Matt Ellis, matt.ellis@futurenet.com Tel: +44 (0)1225 442244 MANAGEMENT Chief Content Officer: Aaron Asadi Group Editor-In-Chief: Daniel Griffiths Head of Art & Design: Rodney Dive Group Art Editor: Graham Dalzell
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Patched perfection
This time ten years ago, semi-modular synths were something of a rarity – a relic of the bygone pre-digital age, resigned to the realm of vintage collectables. Flash forward and patchable synths are suddenly everywhere, and more affordable than ever. This resurgent popularity is probably the result of several factors – the affordability of analogue technology, a trickle down from the popularity of Eurorack, better analogue emulation in the plugin realm – but whatever the cause, their return to prominence is definitely a cause for celebration. The beauty of semi-modulars is their ability to straddle the divide between accessibility and complexity. With a pre-routed, subtractive synth engine, anybody can create and edit sounds with ease, but the addition of a patchbay opens up the road to more complex, creative and weirder sound design tricks. Why not modulate the filter cutoff with an audio rate oscillator? Randomise elements with a little sample and hold? Link up an external instrument as an additional sound source...? The world is your (semi-)oyster. In this issue’s cover feature, we’re delving into semimodulars in both hardware and plugin form, to help you get more creative and design bigger, better sounds. We hope you enjoy the issue.
If you submit material to us, you warrant that you own the material and/or have the necessary rights/ permissions to supply the material and you automatically grant Future and its licensees a licence to publish your submission in whole or in part in any/all issues and/or editions of publications, in any format published worldwide and on associated websites, social media channels and associated products. Any material you submit is sent at your own risk and, although every care is taken, neither Future nor its employees, agents, subcontractors or licensees shall be liable for loss or damage. We assume all unsolicited material is for publication unless otherwise stated, and reserve the right to edit, amend, adapt all submissions.
Si Truss, Editor simon.truss@futurenet.com 5
Contents | This Issue
FM | CONTENTS
40
ON STAGE WITH: Maribou State UK electronic duo show off their impressive live rig and tell us about new album Kingdoms In Colour
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This Issue | Contents
88 94
100 102
62
IN the studio with: Danny Byrd The UK drum & bass king shows us around his central Bath studio
reviews
TECHNIQUE
80 Dreadbox & Polyend Medusa
28
In-depth tests of all the latest gear
Essential production advice and ideas
INCLUDES VIDEOl
84 Analogue Solutions Generator
Semi-Modular Masterclass Patch your way to killer synth sounds
88 Roland System 500 Series Modules
57
92 Roundup: MIDI Processors
INCLUDES VIDEOl
94 Yamaha MODX 98 Head To Head: Sound Devices MixPre Series 100 Mackie Onyx Producer 2.2 102 iZotope RX 7 104 Sounds & Samples
Producer’s Guide Working To Picture
80
REVIEW: Dreadbox & Polyend Medusa Does this hybrid analogue/digital synth from the two specialists leave us stock still in awe?
92 84
70
INCLUDES VIDEOl
Toolkit Virtual Samplers
78
INCLUDES VIDEOl
Modular Monthly Pattern Creation And Manipulation
7
Contents The Vault | This YourIssue Bonus Content
FM | FILESILO
Your bonus content…
filesilo.co.uk/futuremusic This issue’s bonus samples, videos, audio and bonus archive samples are all available to access via FileSilo. At the link above, log in or register, then unlock over 10GB of goodies!
Sample Packs
Exclusive new sounds with every issue groove criminals present…
Sub Bass Weight
Add some low-end power with this pack of speaker-shaking loops, hits and multisampled instruments
VIDEO & AUDIO
Hear the gear first with our demos video AND AUDIO
> Semi-Modular Masterclass > Toolkit: Samplers > Modular Monthly: Abstract Data ADE-33
> Producer’s Guide: Working To Picture > Novation SL Mk3 preview > FM Sample Archive
cyclick samples present…
Radio-Ready Drums
Bright, bold beats processed to perfection, ready to punch through your next pop production
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ACCESS THE FM SAMPLE ARCHIVE!
Download the ‘Sample Archive’ packs and get over 10GB of loops, hits and instruments from our back catalogue of high-quality and royalty-free samples. From vintage synths and beats to esoteric sounds and FX – think of it as our best of. All the samples you need to create great music!
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50 INCLUDES VIDEOl
THE TRACK: OC & Verde, Indica Ben O’Connor and Jon Verde discuss their latest track’s conception
This Issue | Contents
28
FEATURE: Semi-Modular Masterclass A guide to mastering semi-modular sound design, with hardware and plugin guides and essential techniques explained
74
INTERVIEW: Thomas Dolby The new wave icon tells us about his latest tour and the cutting edge technology that brought it about
20 17 16 14
features
Expert tips, techniques and tutorials 20 Classic Album: Steel Pulse, Handsworth Revolution 26 Album Reviews 28 Semi-Modular Masterclass
62
15
In The Studio With: Danny Byrd
57 Producer’s Guide: Working To Picture
FILTER
Watch our videos www.youtube.com/ futuremusicmagazine
All the latest gear from around the world 12 Novation SL Mk3
70 Toolkit: Virtual Samplers
15 Make Noise RenĂŠ
74 Interview: Thomas Dolby
17 Loop Cloud 3.0
108 Gear Guide
Find us online at www.futuremusic.co.uk
Follow us on Twitter @futuremusicmag
16 Akai Fire
Join us on Facebook www.facebook.com/ futuremusicmagazine 9
Contents | This Issue
BONUS samples
See this month’s selection of free demos at filesilo.co.uk/futuremusic
01
02 03
04
05 06 loopmasters.com 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08
Loopmasters DJ Patife & Vangeliez Pres Brazilian Drum & Bass RV Samplepacks Designer Funk Guitars Loopmasters Pres. Textural Techno Famous Audio Presents Soulful Trap Sonic Mechanics Swooqy PresentsFuture Trap Melodies Loopmasters Pres. Hip Hop & Rap Loopmasters Pres. Dramatic Cinema 2 Sample Diggers Dub Technique
07 08
10
9000
Filter | The Future Of Music
FM | FILTER
highlights… 14 Mutable Instruments Tides
12
16 Akai Fire
17 Loopcloud 3.0
20 Classic Album: Steel Pulse