Sound Magazine www.Wusik.com
December 2006 #008
ArtVera NewAge Collection Vol.5 HQ Synthetica Volume 2 G&S Acoustic Drum kit Skylife sample-robot set Dirty fm tutorial
controlled chaos Modularity The Compulsive Tire-Kicker Making money Yamaha cs-10 Synthesizer
and much more...
Letter from the Editor
Sound Magazine
Editorial:
We are proud to present a new issue. Again with new articles and sounds.
Magazine Layout: MoniKe Editors: WilliamK and MoniKe
We are also thankful for the comments we received -- PLEASE KEEP THEM COMING. Email us at mag@wusik.com
WilliamK: Synth Romance, Creating Sound, Mastering Tips, What's New and The Voices. www.william-k.com
ArtVera has done the final volume of her NewAge Collection. As always, better than ever. Test this set out. You may well find yourself using them more and more. Skylife, creators of the SampleRobot software, also included some sounds, all sampled with their software. The HQ Synthetica set continues with Volume Two. Those sounds are big, so use disk streaming to lower loading time. We would like to thank again the whole of the WSM contributors list. We can´t say this enough to them. Our hope has been that WSM would grow in pace with Wusikstation itself, and they have played a big part in this happening. As the magazine's range continues to broaden, we will need an ever broadening range of topics. So, if you think you might like to contribute, please contact me by email (williamk@wusik.com). A hearty holidays' greeting from both, myself and MoniKe! It will be a new year when you receive issue #009!
Dilom - aka DamBros: Sound Track of Noah's Arc Special thanks to Claudia Picchi.
Antonio Grazioli - aka Autodafe: Yamaha CS-10 Synthesizer. www.autodafe.net
Peter 'Ray' Savage - aka Funkychickendance: The Compulsive Tire-Kicker.
Bruce David: Modularity: Not an Analogue Concept.
Roy Queenan @ Redshift Audio: Driving in Circles and Making Money. www.redshiftaudio.com
Zachariah Weckter: Controlled Chaos. www.strict-9.com
Art Vera: Sounds: NewAge Collection Volume Five. www.artvera-music.com
Rick Christy - aka grymmjack: www.designermonkey.us
Proof-Reading: Bruce David.
WilliamK and MoniKe
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Wusik Sound Magazine
In This Issue: #008 - December 2006
Controlled Chaos
Sound Track of Noah's Arc by DamBros
by Zachariah Weckter
Creating Sounds Bad FM! Bad! by WilliamK
Driving in Circles by Roy Queenan
Mastering Tips Freeze and Backup by WilliamK The Compulsive Tire-Kicker 's Eclectic Month by Funkychickendance
Modularity Not an Analogue Concept by Bruce David
Yamaha CS-10 Synthesizer by Autodafe
and more...
Making Money Through Music and Midi by Roy Queenan
Oops...
11
Tips & Tricks
11
Ask William
23
What's New
23
What's On Your Amp
35
The Voices
36
The Synth Romance
42
Sound List
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Sound Track of Noah's Arc by DamBros Well, some people who know electronic music much more than I, complained about the references I made regarding the composers in my last article. They considered them too concise and flawed, with which I totally agree. In reality, it wasn’t my intention to encircle the whole universe in discussion, but just some of the well known names in the recent past, and only those who came closer to most known classical categories. Of course, I know and admire the compositions and performances of Jean Michel Jarre and Vangelis, for example, but they are not the only ones. There are many others. I remember well Walter Carlos and Switched-on Bach as well as the Well – Tempered Synthesizer. And also his/her excellent work, now known as Wendy Carlos, in the anthological soundtrack of Clockwork Orange. The list of composers would be too long and wouldn’t meet the objectives of
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Wusik Sound Magazine
Sound Track of Noah's Arc
these articles. Having said this, the discussion is ended. Let’s get to business. I continue suggesting alternative compositions, based on the works of classical and popular composers. An interesting work would be to give a new interpretation to two distinct works that used themes in separate parts: Morning, Noon and Night in Viena and Four Seasons. Morning, Noon and Night in Viena, by Francesco Ezechiele Ermenegildo Cavaliere Suppé Demelli, born in the city of Spalato ( today Split) in Dalmacia in 1819. He was known by the name Franz Von Suppé and produced hundreds of compositions amongst which were greatly successful operettas. Of these operettas, we can highlight the openings of Light Cavalry and Poet and Peasant which remain for posterity and are frequently performed up to today. Poet and Peasant was performed for the first time in the Josefstadt Theatre in
Wusik Sound Magazine
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Sound Track of Noah's Arc
February of 1844. The remake of this piece could have a different treatment if it portrayed the same Vienna in 2006 with all the noises of today during the morning, afternoon and night. The difference would be very big if we consider the way of life, the transportation, and the sound of the city itself. This would be a comparison that showed the great difference between the Vienna of the past and of today. With regard to Four Seasons, I imagine the difference that Antonio Vivaldi would find between adapting the ambiance from where he lived in Venice about 1723 and what he would hear in the present time, being that Venice was relatively small and simple. Today it’s one of the most visited landmarks. The four concerts are applauded still today and provoked a declaration from the great thinker Goethe, according to whom “Nature and art combine themselves far beyond our imagination.”
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Sound Track of Noah's Arc
Now moving away from the classical pieces, but still maintaining the rhythm of my writing, a theme ready for a joyful musical madness came to mind (and why not say comical), like the ones I most like to listen to. What if we showed up in Noah’s Ark right at the feeding time, a few seconds before all the animals would be in a total silence? All of a sudden a duck quacks and others follow, quacking one after the other. Then comes the "baaahhh" of sheep, one after the other. After that the crow, horses, pigs, lions, and so on, until disorder nears chaos with Noah’s voice mixing in and the noises of the food being served. After awhile the sounds start to weaken and are replaced by the multiple chewing sounds of the animals with characteristic sounds of each one ( hay, corn, seeds, etc…), burps, munchs, moaning until everything starts returning to normal and ends with an orchestration of sighs and snores (imagine elephants, monkeys, birds, turtles, zebras, rhinos, chicken, hummingbirds all snoring in synchrony ….)
Well, that’s all for now. I hope to see you again in the next edition.
Wusik Sound Magazine
7
C r e a t i n g S o u n d s Intermediate
Bad FM! Bad! by WilliamK 8
Wusik Sound Magazine
C r e a t i n g S o u n d s Before you start, don't expect clean FM sounds. This is the Dirty FM Tutorial. Wusikstation doesn't do the real FM sounds like the old DX7/TX81Z synths did. But, with some hacks, you can get some pretty good LoFi FM Sounds.
We included a new waveform called SineFM.wav with the magazine install. That has a sine sound going from 0 to 180 degree FM modulation (kinda' like the SawPW file) What does that mean? Well, that now you can use this waveform to create some pretty crazy LoFi FM sounds.
You can find some preset examples under "Presets\Wusik Sound Magazine\Issue 0008\Dirty FM."
Wusik Sound Magazine
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C r e a t i n g S o u n d s
T
his tutorial will show how to create a bass FM sound. Start with the Init patch.
1
Turn on layers 1 and 2 and load the SineFM waveform. (located under "SoundSets\Waveforms", after you installed this issue's SoundSets). Do this step, then copy and paste layer 1 to layer 2 (right-click on an empty part of the GUI to see a list of options, including Copy and Paste)
2
Link both layer's envelopes. Set Sustain to zero and Decay to almost middle. Turn up Release a bit to around 30.
3
Set the volume of layer 2 all the way down to zero.
4
Unlink both layers' envelopes. Set layer 1 velocity to zero and layer 2 velocity all the way up.
5
Use the ModMatrix to send "O2 x Env" to "O1 Loop Position" - set Min to 6, Max to 80 and Amt to 127.
Y
ou can already hear the FM sound, but it's too noisy.(aliases).
20.
6
Turn on Layer 1 Filter and set Res to
7
Add a new ModMatrix entry: "O2 x Env" to "O1 Filter1 Freq" - set Min to 0, Max to 80 and Amt to 127.
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N
ow it's much cleaner but still "strange." It sounds quantized.
O
pen the Config Page (right-click on an empty part of the GUI to see a list of options) and set MOD MATRIX FAST to YES.
N
ow we have it. See how the velocity affects the sound.
Wusikstation V3
TT ii pp ss
&TT rr ii cc kk ss
M
ost users don't even realize this, but you can totally customize your collection of presets. (V2/V3 only)
Starting this month, we will present a new story in every issue. Its all about the misshapenness on our life when comes down to technologies. This month's story by WilliamK
J
ust use Windows Explorer to open the "Wusikstation DATA" folder, located in program files/Wusik.com. Within this folder, browse to the "Presets" directory. Now create something like "User Presets" or whatever you want. You can even use "Favorites" if you want (it should be there already).
O
nce there, you can create any number of sub-directories and categorize your presets in any way you want. For example, you can create a folder called "Most Used" and inside it divide presets by several sub-directories like: Bass, Pads, Drums. Or you even separate presets by a rank system, creating directories from "5 stars" to "1 star". Wusikstation will read any number of leveldown directories. Also, since you are only dealing with the WusikPRST files, which are very small in size, you won't end up with tons of extra HD space used. You don't need to worry about the sounds, since only preset files link to those. Therefore you can have multiple presets using the same sound without taking more disk room.
by Williamk
More than 10 years ago, I was working in a computer store building computers from separate parts. I started a new machine: motherboard, processor, memory, HD, ... all put together in an empty case. I took care of the cable mess by arranging everything in a very time-consuming way. It was all set. I just needed to plug a test monitor and fire it up. No go... the screen was blank. There were no error messages, no beeps (some motherboards will beep if something is wrong). Nothing. I looked at the case lights. They were all on. The HD light blinked, the HD started to spin, but nothing else happened; nobody home. Ok, time to find out what was going on. I replaced the memory-clips: nothing. I replaced the processor: nothing. I replaced the HD: nothing. Finally, I replaced the motherboard: still nothing. Ok, it had to be the power-supply. I got a new case: nothing. At this time, I didn't even realized that I had a totally new computer already, since I had replaced EVERYTHING. So what was going on? I had already spent 4 hours on this, when I should have done it in 30 minutes. As I started to get very upset, I saw that the power supplies we got were all 220V. So the case lights and HD would work, but not the motherboard. At least I didn't blow anything. I just switched to 110V and it started to work. What a day! Sometimes its the simplest things that catch us up. Wusik Sound Magazine 11
Controlled Chaos
by Zachariah Weckter
Over the last few years technology has advanced by leaps and bounds. One of the greatest advantages for computer musicians is that computers have become immensely powerful and can carry out just about any demand we make on them. Some of these tasks we could only dream of less than a decade ago. In this time frame, we have seen powerful applications and tools become more and more affordable.
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Controlled Chaos T
his offers much more power to musicbased programs and allows us to carry out complex tasks with just a few clicks of a mouse. However, there are some tasks that just simply need more flexibility. Here we will go over the most popular (and not so popular) tools to control all of our tweaking, mangling, sound shaping, and playback tasks.
T
here are many types of controllers available, but choosing the right one for your needs can get a bit overwhelming, especially if you’re relatively new to the game. For simplicity's sake, we’ll break the controllers into two categories: keyboards and control surfaces.
T
he standard keyboard controller allows you to bang out notes, chords, or drum sequences with standard “piano” type keys and record them into your host sequencer of choice. A keyboard is the most common type of controller and can range from 1 octave all the way up to 88 keys.
U-CONTROL UMX25
T
he knobs here can be assigned to any parameter, providing the software (or hardware) allows for it. The buttons above the mod wheel provide for “octave jumping” up and down the scale. Rotary encoders are more suitable for control surfaces, which will be explained in more depth a little later. However, as the manufacturers continue to combine features the line begins to blur.
I
f you’re a skilled keyboard player, you’ll probably need more than just a couple of octaves. There are many options to choose from, but most controllers include a pitch bend and modulation wheel as standard features, with either assignable to control almost any parameter you like. When choosing your controller, be sure to take note of the style of keys that unit contains. For example some controllers offer smaller “half-sized” keys which might be difficult for you to play if you’re used to using full sized keys to perform. This style of key requires a bit more precision when playing and could be found to be troublesome. Weighted keys are favorable if you want the keyboard to feel like a piano, as they perform very much in the same manner as pressing the key on a traditional piano.
TMK88 88 KEY MIDI CONTROLLER
A
standard controller is a viable option if you just want to record notes or tap out rhythm sections or sequences, and for it to provide you with bank select buttons to maneuver up and down the scale. Above you’ll see a standard two octave controller with 8 rotary assignable knobs.
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Controlled Chaos B
efore you begin your quest of choosing which controller is best suited to your specific needs, let’s start with the basics of keyed control. In the simplest form, a key will send a “note on” value when pressed down, and subsequently a “note off” value when the key is released. These signals are routed from your control device into your computer (or other device) via a MIDI, USB or FireWire interface cable. The receiving device then takes that command and sends it to the parameter specified for that specific signal. Simultaneously, you can send multiple commands by pressing one key.
MIDTECH MIDICONTROL 2 88 KEY CONTROLLER
C
ontrol surfaces usually don’t include a keyboard, although a lot of manufactures have combined the two for total integration of control.
T
hese devices are designed for hands on control of your DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) and software instruments, but thanks to the MIDI protocol, they are just as useful with both hardware and software instruments alike. Many manufacturers have created control surfaces for specific tasks, such as the M-Audio X-Session, which is geared towards DJ's. Control surfaces in their most common form will have an array of rotary knobs, sliders and buttons, usually fully programmable, for users to assign with any application they choose. Many include a “total recall” of sorts for assigning multiple sets of instructions for different applications, which can then be switched back and forth at the touch of a button. Others are specifically designed with DAW control in mind, which can make an editing/mixing session far less complicated without having to fidget the sliders using a mouse.
T
he “action” of the keys is an important factor to consider when choosing your controller. Velocity sensitive or “hammer action” keys will send a signal to the device you are controlling telling it how hard or fast you press the key down. This is usually routed to the amplitude of the projected sound, but it can be routed to most other parameters as well. Aftertouch sensitivity will send a signal depending on how hard the key is held down after the note on value is sent. This parameter is normally assigned to the breath control but, there again, it is completely configurable.
M-AUDIO X-SESSION
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C
ertain control devices have been designed for use with specific DAW's, such as Steinberg’s Houston and Logic Control, but due to the advent of MIDI mapping, one can control either with a little bit of work. Certain control surfaces also incorporate motorized knobs and faders for total recall of specific mixing setups, (e.g., Behringer B-control series) which not only is helpful when resuming a saved mix, but will also make your friends jaws drop when they start moving on their own!
Controlled Chaos TASCAM FW-1082
also offer control over instruments like Wusicstation and Cakewalks Z3TA.
A
lesis has released their Air FX unit, which offers midi control by simply moving your hand over the unit, thereby controlling the x and y axes. By moving your hand up and down you can control the z axis. Another odd, yet excellent, device is the Redsound Darkstar XP synth. This little device has a x-y joystick smack dab in the center of it.
A
THE BEHRINGER B CONTROL SERIES
nother style of MIDI controller, highly overlooked, is the drum pad controller. These controllers allow you to tap out rhythms that might be a bit tricky to play on a regular keyboard. Korg have integrated this into their line of midi controllers (see the box out at the end of this article). Guitar players can rejoice at the invention of the MIDI capable guitar, which works like a standard MIDI keyboard only played like a regular guitar. They are really rather expensive so, unfortunately, I haven’t had the pleasure of trying one out. I’m sure one could find new uses for it. Last, but not least, there are wind controllers which can send MIDI information about the breath-levels of the player. These aren’t as readily available, but I’m sure you could find one without breaking the bank.
NOVATION X-STATION 25
A
few not-so-commonly used devices are x-y controllers, such as the Korg Kaoss Pad. These devices are touch sensitive and can be used on a number of different VI's (virtual instruments), straight out of the box. These devices not only provide serious sound mangling capabilities, but Wusik Sound Magazine 15
Controlled Chaos A
s stated previously, many manufacturers have combined control surfaces with keyboards in order to provide full hands on control. These devices have of course been readily accepted and are excellent tools for digital music creation. The Novation ReMote series features 24 buttons, 8 knobs, a x-y pad, a joystick for pitch bend and modulation, 8 encoders, and 8 sliders. Furthermore, controllers are being developed now with audio interfaces, such as the Novation X Station, which actually changes their status as “MIDI controller” to a full-fledged synth! Moving forward we will see more and more of these MIDI controllers featuring their own sound cards, audio input devices, audio output devices, FX units and MIDI ports, all in one slick little package.
C
hances are, you already have a MIDI device at your disposal. Most synth's from 1984 and on were fitted with MIDI in's and out's. So if you don’t want to shell out more money for a software controller, why not pick up an older synth on eBay for half price? A lot of synth's have the ability to control their software counterparts. My main control surface is actually a Korg prophecy. If I need to use more than 5 knobs I simply rig my Virus B into MIDI port 2 and I’m off. If by chance that doesn’t cut it, I will use my Korg MS-2000, which has 32 knobs, use the Prophecy for my keying needs (not to mention that sweet ribbon controller), and I use a Kaoss pad for x-y control. I own two Korg Electribes: The EM-1 and the ER-1 both serve well as hardware rhythm machines, but I can also use them for beat creation on the road. Load up a drum patch in, say for instance, Wusikstation, route the MIDI cable in and press play… instant drum mayhem!
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Controlled Chaos Still want a MIDI controller, then? Here are 5 on my wish list this year‌ Controller
Specifications
Manufacturer
Price (US $)
Novation x-station 25
Virtual synthesizer control panel layout 8-voice polyphonic KS sound source 44.1/48 KHz 24-bit simultaneous audio I/O Multi-FX processor 24 buttons, 8 knobs, 8 encoders and 8 sliders USB or Battery Powered Available in 25, 49 or 61 key configurations.
Novation
(25 key) $599
Korg Kontrol 49
Eight assignable sliders and eight knobs, 16 trigger pads for drumming or samples, vector joystick librarian software included makes setup easy USB powered
KORG
$500
CME UF8
88 velocity & Aftertouch sensitive weighted keys 8 knobs 9 faders Draw bar Volume & sustain pedal inputs Master stop, record, play rew & ff buttons MIDI in & out USB powered Audio expansion option
CME
$699
Alesis Photon X25
Axyz Controller Dome with 3D control ten 360° knobs, ten buttons, and three active layers 25-key, velocity-sensitive keyboard Audio out @ 24-bit, 44.1/48 kHz 20 editable, storable configurations
ALESIS
$299
Novation ReMote LE 49
49 full size velocity sensitive keys x/y pad, 9 rotary dials, 9 function switches Battery or external powered Joystick pitch bend/modwheel MIDI in/out/thru
Novation
$399
Wusik Sound Magazine 17
by Roy Queenan
Over history, especially recently, technology has fueled the direction of music. Looking at the significant milestones in the evolution of music, this becomes evident. 18 Wusik Sound Magazine
T
he electric guitar, analog and fm synthesis, solid state circuitry, MIDI, and ADAT are a few technologies that drastically shaped the sound of music, and the way that it was and is recorded. More recent influences in the making of music include Karl Steinberg and Manfred Rürup’s MIDI computer sequencer interface, disk-based recording, and realtime audio plugins. The past ten years have given the world its biggest technological leap forward in music ever. Today, it isn’t necessarily the new tools that hold electronic musicians captive, but the enhancements of those tools. For instance, the quality and type of reverb compression and EQ available, preset management, GUI customization. etc., have musician’s minds well past the fact that software does these things in the virtual realm. We are no longer amazed merely by the fact that we can do these things. It’s the frills that now concern us.
W
ith all of the new toys, both real and virtual, available to today’s musician, logic would lead one toward assuming that not only the fidelity of music would improve, but the music itself should benefit. It is, after all, much easier to achieve many of the past’s tedious recording tasks. We can actually do things that were impossible to do in the Twentieth Century (realtime pitch correction comes to mind). Somehow, though, the quality of the tools has surpassed the quality of the music. The average Pop song is much simpler than it used to be, both musically and creatively. Genre heroes are sparse compared to previous musical milestone eras, and innovative production techniques have been replaced by the melding of clashing types of music.
H
ow did this happen? All of this great stuff, and nothing new to do with it? There is a lot of good music being made today, but when compared to the past, and what would be considered meager musical accommodations by today’s standards, modern music falls short.
P
opular music is always a good barometer to judge the state of music
in a particular time, on multiple levels. It is what is accepted by the masses as “good”,in general. So, how does today’s Pop music compare to yesterday’s Pop? I happen to be among those that say, “Not well.” My reasoning centers around two factors: (1) there are no technical pioneers who compareto the last big eras in music, and (2) there are no creative pioneers that compare to those the last big eras in that facet of music.
T
he time period between 1988, and 1991, almost twenty years ago, still influences the music that we hear today. The artists and production techniques that appeared in that time frame are arguably responsible for the birth of Krunk, Trance, Jungle, and many of our current sub-genres in music.
T
he Ultramagnetic MC’s, in 1988, released a small-time rap record called “Ego Trippin’”. The record introduced hip-hop, and later, the rest of the musical world to break beats. The song contained a two-bar loop of “Synthetic Substitution,” by Melvin Bliss. In the same month, Eric B. and Rakim released “Eric B. is President,” produced by Marly Marl. That song contained no breaks. It was a rather poor interpolation of James Brown’s “Funky President”, with drums sampled from The Honey Drippers’ “Impeach the President.” I can remember the enlightenment in finding out how this was done. These two techniques began to influence rap and R&B so much that R&B producers and rap music producers became indistinguishable.
N
ot much later, the British group, Soul II Soul, introduced the world to another new sound that held dance music hostage for quite a while. “Keep on Movin’” provided the world with a specificly mild swing beat over a sample of the Biz Markie song “Pickin’ Boogers.” The strings and bass in the song were great, but they didn’t achieve the influence that was garnered by the song’s beat. No less than thirty songs, over the next decade, by artists like Shanice, Enigma, Sybil, Lisa Stansfield, Susan Vega and Ruby Turner, reproduced the exact same beat. Now, that is a real genre definer! Wusik Sound Magazine 19
The basis for Techno, Jungle and Ambient styles of music in a single package.
S
oon after the rap producers, such as DJ Premier, DJ Mark the 45 King, and A Tribe Called Quest took advantage of samplers in a new way. Instead of just looping a beat, which led to sloppy timing, they began to chop the loops up into individual pieces. One technique was to separate the loop at each hi-hat, or at each kick, and snare, and then sequence the samples in the same fashion that they were originally played live. Another technique was to chop the loop into equal eighth or sixteenth-note pieces, and sequence them in uniform order. Both of these techniques were time consuming, but they allowed the producer control of tempo without changing the pitch of the sample, or vice-versa. This also enabled quantization of the individual parts of the loop. Now, if a drum hit was off time it was no big deal.
T
he rap producers didn’t stop with drum loops. Bass lines, and other instrument parts were given the same treatment. In the case of A Tribe called Quest, this was done so well that the separation of the samples from source to source is virtually undetectible.
A
t the same time, a small time label in Chicago, known as Trax Records, was releasing songs that would quickly change dance music. It isn’t easy to say what came first, but the song with real influence was Marshall Jefferson’s “Move Your Body.” “Gotta have house! --music --all night long!” A Roland TR-707, and those unforgettable live-played piano chords, defined a new kind of music. This may have been the first real new type of music since Motown. Eventually, Roland’s TR-909 did the heavy lifting for the 707, and house music became more refined and multifaceted, but this was true innovation.
N
ot to be outdone, a group of dance music fellows known as 808 State, introduced a song called “Pacific.” The amount of influence that this one song offered to dance music, from a production standpoint, is truly massive. Pacific was house music, but not quite. It contained elements of hip-hop, but in a different way. A totally twisted iteration of the “Funky Drummer” loop played forward and backward at a, for then, furious pace. A sampled pad chord over “bird chirp” effects and a saxophone drenched in reverb created music with a deep mood. Some versions of the song had Roland’s afterthought TB-303 providing the slipping bass line. So, in one song, there it is: 20 Wusik Sound Magazine
A
ll of the techniques and styles of music from that era in time erased what was “Pop” music, and became the new versions of Pop. Rap and R&B actually were the new Pop, and music might now have a hundred sub-genres. Pop music is finally regaining its distinct identity with a wave of pretty-boy rock, and half dressed, producer driven female singers. But the music is still based on the innovations introduced almost twenty years ago. The music is cleaner, and the production is precise, so again, why aren’t the songs that much better?
M
odern software and hardware have provided a considerable means of luxury for music makers. You can now buy prelooped original material, plug it into one of many format-ready production toys, and squeeze out something musical in a matter of minutes. Even do-it-yourselfer's have their hard or soft workstation chop up their loops for them. There is little need to make one’s own sounds anymore (go ahead, cringe). Many synths come with over a thousand sounds. If a singer’s note is flat, or sharp, no sweat, AutoTune, music’s miracle worker, will fix it. All of these things are good. They make the course of creating music easier. But in the hands of the masses, undoubtedly, many have abandoned the development of their creativity in exchange for fast music. The result could be compared to the outcome of frozen pizza placed in a microwave.
J
uxtapose a mega producer, such as Jermaine Dupree, against the producers of the former era. Dupree’s songs are, at best, separated at birth, if not direct clones of one another. Examples of his repetition based upon
lack of creative skills would be the significant similarity between many songs produced by him. Are Mariah Carey’s “Don’t Forget About Us” and “We Belong Together” just remixes of Ciara and Bow Wow’s “Like You”? Toss in the slow motion version of these songs: Usher’s “Lovers and Friends,” produced by Lil’ Jon. Timbaland must be held to the same scrutiny. Check out “Jigga What,” which he produced for Jay-Z, against “Cheers to You,” by Playa, another Timbaland track.This is not in disrespect to the producers mentioned. In fact, many say that Timbaland’s sound is very unique. But, if he’s at the top of today’s list of creative contributors in Pop music, the genre fallsshort when compared to Rick Rubinor Steve Lilly white (who has lasted three decades).
E
ffort is not talent, but what would our music sound like if we were putting the same amount of effort in, as was required in the past, due to a lack of technology. Would things be so perfectly packaged? Is it possible to ignore that urge to cut and paste, or leave a take imperfect because quantizing would ruin it’s feel? Does my music really need to sound like something currently on the radio? Or should I sit down, take some time, and write a good song?
mainstream. But, again, when comparing today’s popular artists to the artists of that era (70’s-80’s) the majority of the latter era doesn’t compare well. Ironically, the quality of songwriting started to take a dive in the era that gave us such great new production techniques. Could there be a correlation between technology and creativity? Perhaps many of us are just nostalgic. Perhaps it is that our brains really do need more of a workout than we give them when taking advantage of the ease with which a computer helps us make music.
W
ith all of that said, much of the current Pop music heard is catchy, and well crafted. Personally, I like a lot of what I hear, but I don’t believe that it has kept pace with the quantum leap in the abilities of music’s current power tools.
M
aybe the improveme nts in technology will slow down, giving our creativity a chance to keep pace.
U
A
ll of our current crop of technology helps very little in the writing and arranging of good songs. Songs by Billy Joel, Ray Charles, Bootsy Collins, Joe Jackson and Rod Temperton can’t be touched in creativity by today’s Pop. There are currently good songwriters. Imogean Heap is one, who is sadly ignored by the
ntil then, I’m closing my eyes, thinking of innovative and creative music….I’m in the 80’s again...the seventies again… artistic heaven.
Wusik Sound Magazine 21
Mastering Tips Freeze and T
by WilliamK
Backup
he other day I was restoring some songs that I saved using the old .BUN (Cakewalk Bundle) format, only to notice that some used several special samples for a sound card that I no longer have. There's no program that converts those samples to any new format I could play. I could open those in Sound-Forge as RAW waveforms, but I would have to re-loop and re-create all the sets. No way, I'm not going to do that.
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o my advice this month, is to freeze all your tracks before making a backup of your songs. If you have external hardware, record the audio too. This way, if in the future you open the file again and something is missing, you still have the complete song.
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ith SONAR its very easy to save a file with all the track information and audio along with it. Just select each track with a right click and use the freeze option. After you do that for all tracks, save them as a Cakewalk Bundle file. (.CWB) The file will keep all MIDI and VSTi information, in case you eventually need to un-freeze any tracks.
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Ask WilliamK ?
What inspired you to become the company you are today: close to the community, with always an open ear, and sensible prices, etc...? When I started working in this market, years ago, one thing I noticed was that most companies didn't have good, fast, reliable support. I remember the old IBM OS Warp days. One time I had a problem with the program so I called support and spent hours talking with a tech-guy that helped me out. Thanks to the Internet, now it was possible to get the same support via email, which is much easier for companies and at a lower cost. But somehow, most big companies still struggle with getting back to users in a short period of time. There are times you don't want to wait a day or two to get a reply, you want in it 5 minutes or even less. That was one thing I wanted to change. Also, about prices, I don't get why so much simple stuff is out there at high prices. I had to create something affordable that I would want to buy myself. I'm also very open to comments, but that has also gotten me in a lot of trouble. Everybody has an opinion about everything. Sometimes that can get very hard to manage; especially when half the user base wants one thing and the rest wants another complicating deal. You have to pick a side and stick to it, even if the other half will get upset with you. Sometimes there's no Plan C and you have to deal with that.
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! What's New @ Wusik
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"Wusikstation V3.0.9c Released"
VST Host Preset-List will now act like a full directory preset browser. Now the key-strokes will only affect the OnFocus Window. All keys that are not used by the VST will be sent back to the main VST window when using the File-Browser. New option for the File-Browser: FocusBack OnPresetLoad. Fixed problems with LIVE, FL and other hosts that sends a SetProgram after a preset is loaded. Fixed a problem on closing the file-browser by clicking on the "x" button. (random crash) Removed wrong warning from the update installer.
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"Special WSM Offer"
Subscribe before December 31st and receive the future Wusikstation V4 Update Free.
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If you were given the power to develop an advanced piece of software, what would it be?
"The Ultimate Wusikstation Group-Buy"
I miss a really good drum-sequencer that loads samples. Not just sample-playback, but with a good sequencer, like the TR707 had, with the option to set 16th/32nd/64th steps. And one that is easy to use. I also love adventure games, like the old Sam & Max or Day of The Tentacle. I wish I could have the time to create one of my own. I did start a big game project 14 years ago but, due to lack of funding, I had to drop it. It was like Myst, but with a twist.
Until December 31st, we will be running our latest Wusikstation V3 VSTi Group-Buy Ever. With up to 50% discounts plus extra sounds and freebies. Visit the following page for more information: www.wusik.com/w/wsgb.html
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Wusik Sound Magazine 23
Modularity: Not an Analogue Concept by Bruce David
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Modularity
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common mistake in the music world is to understand modularity as the same thing as early analogue synthesis; i.e., "modular synthesizer." But in fact, the two have little to do with each other but form. Early giants like Robert Moog understood both well, but in no way equated the two. Moog had degrees in Physics and Engineering so he was very familiar with the world shaking concepts that came out of Bauhaus in Germany during the 1920's and 30's. He patterned the structure of his modular systems after these concepts and, yes, as a limit of the times, his synthesizers were analogue.
With a bit of experimentation, other valuable assets were realized about modularity, the most important being the flexibility of rearrangement that it presents.
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odularity in modern design was heralded by a design project in Germany, Bauhaus, after the devastation of World War I. Germany, broke and without means, began a study/project to find ways to most effectively use what they did have to rebuild. The leadership of this effort came to be known as Bau - haus (design house) and revolutionized the industrial world's thinking about materials and their use in functional devices. Most every piece of furniture, room design, or
architectural construction you have seen that is commonly termed "modern" was inspired by, or is a copy of, Bauhaus design and came from their work in the early 1920's. A part of their effort was to study the very nature of design itself. Mentored by the slogan "form follows function" they discovered an entirely new notion of beauty in art: the ultimate beauty of a thing is that is does what it does well without further frills. Thus the stark simplicity of metal lamp shades, a mere sphere with a small section removed to allow for a bulb. In one gesture of design the enormous structural strength of the sphere is merged with a stark but elegant simplicity to create a functional object that works very well: form follows function. This concept rapidly spread in Europe and found another home in Scandinavian design with the added socialist notion that everything should be available to everyone; a new slogan emerged out of the Royal Danish School of Design: "More beautiful things for everyday use."
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n their quest for maximum efficiency for the least price, the European design schools recognized that component failure is an unavoidable factor to be recognized in even inaugural designs. If a unit has a component fail, the entire unit is thereby rendered inoperative until repair -IF IT'S A UNITARY DESIGN. But if the unit is in itself made of independent modules, somehow linked together to form an operating whole, a single module may be removed or replaced without the loss of the balance of the unit: MODULARITY. With a bit of experimentation, other valuable assets were realized about modularity, the most important being the flexibility of rearrangement
Wusik Sound Magazine 25
Modularity that it presents. If I have a series of modules performing a task, and these modules each have more than one possible function, depending on how they are linked, their value increases significantly. For example, an LFO in a music system can be linked to an amplifier for tremolo, pitch control for vibrato, a panner for ping-pong, etc. This, of course, can be accomplished by switching in an all-in-one unit, but the component failure problem is not solved by that arrangement.
The price of major league hardware for music production remains out of reach for most home studio users.
T
he irony of the absence of modularity in modern music equipment is that most of the "workstations" or all-in-one units are in fact modular on the engineering level. That is, they are comprised of individual circuit boards performing limited, specialized functions but just packaged into a single box. Take for example. Yamaha's Motif series synths. Their massive list of functions in fact correspond to a list of hardware items (effects, mixer, tone generators) with which we are also familiar in their individually packaged forms. But as a marketing convenience, not a functional convenience, they are put together in
26 Wusik Sound Magazine
one box. For traveling road musicians this might make sense, though modular repair would be a big advantage to them on the road, if it was of the "snap-in" variety. But for the average home studio enthusiast, it makes no sense at all. Subminiaturization from Japan has reached the level of astounding in cell phones through laptops. So why can't I have a hardware modular system at home that sounds like the Motif series but fits in a large bean can? Marketing! To this day, while the market is 75% home studios, the leadership is driven by the professional music market. So, the natural alternative has come about -- concentration on computer software, which is immediately available in home studios.
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o in what way is modular different from analogue? They actually have no necessary connection at all. Any modular system in this time, software or hardware, should avail itself of every possible sound production option. Programs like Synthedit, for example, do so and are truly modular. The illusion that they might be otherwise is fostered by the VSTi's that users make with them, in the form of all-in-one synth's. I have created a modular system within Synthedit that has available to it classic analogue subtractive synthesis, additive, vector SF/WAV synthesis, and a host of effects from filters to reverb, all simply removable and re-installable at will to control the demon of cpu usage. And that is exactly where hardware and software part ways in terms of effectiveness.
Modularity
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he price of major league hardware for music production remains out of reach for most home studio users. The daily increasing power and effectiveness of computers for music production and their declining costs makes them the dominant means. But for those of us who worked their way up through the hardware ranks by mortgaging the house, car, dog, parrot, and apple tree, computers are a giant step backward. The Yamaha Motif Rack has 128 notes polyphony! My software modular, if I'm clever with planning, has 8. And at this point cost re-enters the issue because if I go wild with computer hardware, I might squeeze out 16 before notes get cut off due to polyphony -- BUT AT WHAT COST? Thus, another "trade-off" due to marketing. Computer speed and memory improvements are being fed us a nibble at a time to control the market; not out of function.
T
here is not reason a hardware synth cannot be modular, tiny, contain virtually every type of synthesis as desired, and be durable except marketing/manufacturing manipulation. Much in the way that the computer industry manipulates the market with speed and memory, manufacturers of hardware music production equipment manipulate it by features and system structures.
I cannot help wonder what would happen if we all just stopped buying until we got a better product. A hint might be seen in the the "dot com" market crash of five years ago that was caused by new product releases exceeding the market's Willingness to absorb it.
Wusik Sound Magazine 27
by Autodafe
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Tech Talk
T
he CS-10 is a medium-sized instrument with a very simple structure: 1 oscillator, 1 LFO, 1 filter , 1 VCA, and a 3-octave keyboard. Most of the other members of the CS series follow this basic configuration, varying the number of keys, oscillators and filters available.
T
he CS-10 has only one VCO, which is a bad news. The good news about it is that you can mix a pulse waveform with a sawtooth waveform and noise/external signal, so it can “mimic” more than just one “poor” VCO. The oscillator has a selector for footage (2', 4', 8', 16', 32', 64’) and has PWM.
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t also has LFO modulation. The LFO doesn’t have many options, just a sine or a sawtooth wave. The LFO speed can be set globally with a knob.
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he filter is a multimode filter, allowing low pass, high pass, and band pass…It has the usual cutoff/resonace controls and nothing more exotic. It can be modulated by the LFO and by its own ADR env. The filter env has a quite strange “initial level” knob and an “attack level” knob which allow you to set the env offset and attack level.
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T
he VCA, just like the filter, can be modulated by the LFO and by its own env (an ADSR type this time). The VCA allows you to play legato, switching between “Trigger S” and “Trigger M” which stand for single or multi trigger. Depending on this selection, a new env is restarted when a new key is pressed, or only one is generated. All envelopes have a “5x” switch to drastically alter the speed of the envelope itself which can result in a very fast env, another unusual feature.
T
he synth has portamento (this can be set with a lever on the left of the keys) and quite a strange implementation of pitch bend (+/- 12 semitones) in the form of a small lever, typical of the CS family.
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ll this stuff is housed in an all-black metal enclosure with plastic sides, similar to the synths in the series. Other models had the more usual wooden sides which are wonderful, in my opinion, but maybe not as “sexy” as this black beauty.
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External World
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o need to add that the synth has no MIDI control. Nevertheless, the CS-10 has quite a lot of connections on the back panel. It has an external input which can be mixed with other waveforms and fed into the filter.
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ost important, it has full CV/gate connections. It has a “Key Volt” in and out (this is the CV) and a “Trigger” in and out as well (this is the Gate). This abundance of CV/gate controls is quite unusual on a synth of this size. The sad news is that Yamaha, like Korg, used Hz/volt triggering instead of the more common volt/octave. However, if you hook it to a suitable MIDI/CV Converter (Kenton’s for example) there’s no big deal in playing it from your computer sequencer. This makes it very versatile, both in the studio or during live performances. As an example, the WusikStation samples that I have included in my article have been recorded using Samplerobot (www.samplerobot.com), with the CS-10 connected to my PC MIDI interface thru a Kenton Pro-Solo CV unit.
So, how does it sound?
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he CS-10 is capable of some really nice and powerful sounds. It excels in deep and squelchy basses and leads, besides all that windy and whirly effects that can be produced with extreme settings. Of course, being monophonic is a great limitation in term of other sounds (pads and so on), but the only VCO is very warm and the filter has a nice “action” with a powerful resonance control. I personally like fiddling with the HPF using sounds with an higher content of basses, with resonance set to maximum (of course) !
Conclusion
Availability
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ollectability is relatively “standard” for this synth. The CS-10 is not one of the rarest synths of all time, and can be found at around 400 USD, probably less. I found mine in the US for $400 and had it shipped (in the original meaning of this word: by ship over water) to me. Gosh, it took about 4 months. I thought it was lost but one day the mailman arrived with a big cardboard box!
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ll in all this is a “black beauty;” a nice and affordable 100% analog synth
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y the way, you can still find the owner’s manual at Yamaha’s site. Go and download it. It is a nice source of information about the synth itself.
Wusik Sound Magazine 31
Making Money through Music and Midi by Roy Queenan
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Making Money
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he situation is standard – we need money. Like it or not, most people are driven, to some degree, by the need for money. Musicians have been afflicted by the need to make music. The ideal scenario is to be able to pacify the need for money by making music. This, however, is a hard thing to do with real consistency. The fact is, only the smallest minority of musicians can support themselves through music exclusively. The best and most driven engineers, producers, and artists can even become wealthy as a bi-product of a career in music. But what of the rest of us? We may never become rich, but with creativity, a solid set of skills, and possibly clever salesmanship, music might provide some extra cash.
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f you can tell yourself the truth, you should be able to figure out what you can, and cannot do. From the catalog of the “can do’s” write a list of ways that these may generate money. From that list, decide what you may be willing to do. If you can’t think of anything, you may be ignoring some money making avenues. Your talent and gear can be useful assets. Here are some ways that you can use them to get paid.
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S
ell Your Sounds - You may al-
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ell Your MIDI – Who says loops
ready have a stockpile of unfinished projects that have laid still for years. Separating the individual elements of the project, and breaking those elements up into single, dual or four-bar chunks is the beginning of developing your own loop library. You can do the same thing if you’ve sampled your old synths or instruments for use in a particular sampler or program. People are always looking for sounds and companies are always looking for high quality material. Don’t forget about all of those synth patches that you’ve made over the years either. Not everyone makes their own patches. Many people buy them. This is where you come in…
have to be audio? Midi provides the user with the ability to choose which sounds will play through a loop. The user can also edit a midi loop at the note level, and control the various features of the specific midi device making the noise, such as resonance, panning, etc. Midi may be old tech, but everyone has it and uses it. Cash in on it.
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e For Hire – If you have engineer-
ing or mixing skills or know Pro Tools inside-and-out, make it known. You should be in demand, locally. Put those skills to use! Give local studios your contact info, and rates. Developing a few good relationships with studio managers and, afterward, loyal artists could be the key to fat pockets.
ell Your Skills – I not only sell
sounds that I’ve created, but I purchase the raw material from local area artists. A “guitar-for-hire” doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to know “Freebird”, and “Smoke on the Water”, anymore. Musicians who can hold/ play steady notes, or who have good timing can be very valuable in the development of sound and loop libraries. It may be worth it to contact developers, local artists, and studios to see if they’re interested.
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roduce and Write – Taking on
artists as a producer is certainly the slow road but if you can get your money up front, and don’t care what happens to your music once it has left you, go for it. A word of advice though – be discriminating. Don’t necessarily sell your tracks to the highest bidder. Listen to the artists that are buying your material. The ones that have the talent and vision to do something great with a track and/or lyrics will be your best advertisement.
Wusik Sound Magazine 33
Making Money
L
et Others Produce – Are you the
one guy in town with a Hartmann Neuron or a JoMoX SunSyn? If you have a decent sequencing/multitrack environment, you might want to lease time to others for the purpose of production. If you have something unique, people will line up and pay to play with it. Take advantage of that.
G
o Live – Multitrack recording on
location, and the susequent editing of the performance, takes real effort and know-how. Your friends’ bands will love you and pay you for this great service, as would local schools.
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each – Giving lessons on Multitrack
recording within particular programs is becoming more popular. In the tradition of so many instrument teachers – keep ‘em coming back. After all your students won’t be able to absorb everything at once.
T
he above suggestions present only some of the opportunities to make money through music. You may have to learn how to sell your ideas to other people. You may also need to endure less than ideal performances, clients and venues. Some of your opportunities will not represent what you got into music for, anyway, but neither does your day job.
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What's on
Funkychickendance Motor City Edition
your Amp O
ne of the minor blessings of a long commute by car is that you get a chance to review a lot of music, and go back through your CD collection in the search for things you’ve forgotten. Another blessing is – unless you own some ritzy limo – car stereo systems tend to be moderately lo-fi, and cars are noisy at freeway speed. That has directed my choice towards all kinds of simple & loud noises lately. Most classical music doesn’t make the cut, and precious little jazz. It has to be highly compressed music, ideally with a lot of bass and drums. And, not soporific.
period. You can hear the origins of our music here. I’m waiting for the uncut On The Corner Sessions. Now, that’ll be really amazing.
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F
S
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rom the last month or so, the following impressed me enough for more than one listen apiece:
nakefarm: Songs From My Funeral. Who’s ever heard of this band? Two alt folkies with assorted helpers, and a taste for really shaking up old, depressing folksongs with loops, drum machines, clanking and whining guitars, and a lot of modern production. From 1999. Beth Orton, it’s not. Best track: The amazingly creepy and funky All The Pretty Horses. Available on Amazon for $0.01.
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aptain Beefheart & His Magic Band: Trout Mask Replica. What more can I say? This is the pure art, total genius record of the 20th century. Recorded in 1968, and still sounding as fresh as tomorrow. Lyrics and music, beyond comparison. And produced by…
rank Zappa. Tinseltown Rebellion. FZ is rarely out of rotation with me. This is a superb 1980s disc with a great band. Easy Meat is the most amazing track.
alvin Singh: Back To Mine. Excellent chillout compilation my daughter gave me. Remarkable production: it was hearing stuff like this that got me to abandon ‘conventional’ music altogether.
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lvis Costello & The Attractions: Get Happy! Recorded in Amsterdam in 1980, very drunk and in a hurry, this has been expanded by Rhino to 50 tracks, with outtakes and unheard versions. EC’s theoretical tribute to soul and R&B forms, with a band that’s tight in both senses and a fantastic Nick Lowe production. We need more music like this. EC’s outtakes are better than most musicians’ product.
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iles Davis: Live At The Cellar Door (6CD box). Every box in this CBS reissue series is described as ‘the greatest Miles Davis band.’ But this was certainly a hot one, from the Bitch’s Brew Wusik Sound Magazine 35
s a e d i y r a n Visio K m a i l l i W by just saw the new Nintendo release, the Wii system; very easy to use. They even showcase some videos on the Internet with people that never used a video-game having a good time. That's how easy it is. Yes, I'm a Nintendo fan, so I also loved the new system, not to mention that it appeals to everybody. Maybe even my parents could play Golf with me now.
ut I also started to wonder why someone can't create a similar thing for the computer world. You may say, "Willy, are you nuts? Computers were never so easy to use! Remember the old days?" That's true, but again, we can still walk the extra mile towards a true personal computer. A computer that anyone could turn on and start using right away. But not only that, something that could be easy to fix (perhaps easily installable plug-in boards), easy to backup and so on. 36 Wusik Sound Magazine
pple and Microsoft sure work hard to make the operating systems of Mac's and PC's easier to use. But we still have to worry about too many things: viruses, firewalls, backups, hardware failures, software that just doesn't work right ...
he idea of a central, Internet-based computer is sure not so crazy anymore. I already talked about this in the past issue, but towards music. Google had something like that in mind some years ago. I'm not sure what happened to the project. You see reflections of this scheme in Internet products like iTunes, which also shows it's not so hard to do. The main problem still persists, though, that people still want the most powerful possible machines for gaming from home and other things. But what about low-level users? There are many individuals who just want to send emails, browse the Internet, type some texts, control finances, check the bank balance, and all the simple things that could be done with a Pentium-100. Heck, I remember doing all those with my IBM-386 without problems.
o what can we expect for the future? I can't say, as the main problem is that such a project would need much more appeal for financing. No big company would go for something that could only fit a small percentage of the market. Maybe we will see more and more small companies taking care of those jobs. There's already several out there. What I picture is a total solution. You pay a monthly fee and in return you have a small device, with a LCD screen, that you can put in your living room. With this, you can browse the Internet and do all the things you need to do online. The system keeps a backup of everything on a special server, so if your hardware fails, they just replace it. You login again and all your stuff is still there. Also, the subscription covers all updates to the system, an anti-virus system and firewall protection. The vendor worries about the major things in the data center, where all the servers are housed.
How does that sound? Maybe not so crazy after all.
Companion PreOrder now and save 50% Three new Tools for Wusikstation V3 - Sample Editor - Sample Converter - Multi Preset VSTi Wusik Sound Magazine 37
The Compulsive Tire-Kicker's by Funkychickendance
Some months, I lose track of what my ‘cheapness gene’ tries to tell me, and end up acquiring a more expensive kit than I budget for. So, this month I have to confess (sorry!) I picked up a used copy of NI’s Reaktor 5, which has provided quite a bit of entertainment. But, respecting the idea that we Wusikstation folk tend to gravitate toward cheaper treats, I’m going to confine my column to some really pleasant surprises that await you, if you shop around….
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The Compulsive Tire-Kicker
I
n drum circles, you often hear people describe ethnic percussion as ‘pots and pans,’ just as you sometimes here this term applied to clumsy playing. But what it you could actually play, well, pots and pans? I’m sure that, ever since we were kids, we’ve all enjoyed tapping along on the Tupperware, pinging notes off glasses with a knife, that kind of thing. Well, now someone has finally put together the mother and father of all kitchen utensil sample sets. And the great news is that this 300MB set (700 samples) costs you $4.95…find it on eBay, under Welsh’s Kitchen Kits www.synthesizer-cookbook.com
T
he guy behind it is kinda' famous – he’s Fred Walsh, author of a well-know ‘cook book’ of generic synthesizer settings, designed to help newbies (and, frankly, idiots like me) figure out what the various waveforms and settings can be made to yield. All I can tell you is that whatever drum platform you use, or whatever sampler or rompler, grab this sample set and get busy: pots,
pans, glasses, all categorized by size and materials. Stick them in (say) DK+ or RM IV, and off you go. They’re standard 16-bit WAVs, so they play nicely with Wusikstation, too.
T
alking of drums, like William, I must confess to a certain disposition towards drum loops, under the right circumstances. (Maybe it’ll be cured one day, but I picked it up in my Sony ACID days). What sucks – to use the correct technical term – about many drum loop collections is the amount of over-processing applied. Drenched in reverb, heavily compressed, they can leave you with little room to maneuver in your own mix. If that problem gets to you, give the extensive collection at www.betamonkeymusic.com a try. They specialize in well-played drums, in massive banks, at pretty fair prices. Recently, I picked up their Rock Hard Funk and Odd Time Meltdown collections on a special offer, and I have to say, they work beautifully in a lot of musical contexts. Of course, if you don’t dig loops, you won’t get excited, but I thought you ought to know…
Wusik Sound Magazine 39
The Compulsive Tire-Kicker
C
loser to home in the Wusikstation family cluster, you might be interested in a couple of new ManyTone sets: one’s an impressive upright jazz bass – just about the best I’ve ever encountered – and the other is an Ovation acoustic bass guitar, for those who like that kind of sound. They both come in a variety of formats, and I’ve run them mostly in Manyguitar, myself. At an introductory $39, they’re not exactly a giveaway but they’re worth it. And if you’re a new buyer, you get to grab their amazing Sitar from the free area of the site.
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plan to talk about weird and ethnic instruments in quite a lot of detail next month, but here’s something worth checking out, if you love that interface between the strange and the authentic. A German company called SoundBytes has pretty much finalized a remarkable recreation of the medieval drone instrument, the HurdyGurdy. For those who don’t know, the hurdy-gurdy was a drone string instrument with multiple strings driven by a rotating wheel cranked with a handle; a sort of mechanical violin section, if you like. A few piano-like keys offered some melody possibilities; very pentatonic and simple.
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A
ndreas Sumerauer is the amicable guy behind SoundBytes and he specializes in highly authentic recreations – this one is no exception. As it’s been under development for a while, I had no particular reason to focus on it until an announcement this month of a related beta product called Sympathizer. Sympathizer brings this concept of a concerto of drones to broader applicability. Check the website for some rather convincing transitions engineered via Sympathizer, changing a drum pattern into a simulation of a rhythm guitar part. It all goes to show what we’ve always suspected: there is only sound or silence. Some of the noise-like sounds we associate with adventurous players using fancy electronics were also staples of the medieval troubadours.
The Compulsive Tire-Kicker
I
’d hoped to round out this column with a discussion of a new synth from our pals at NUSofting, called Acidome. As it stands – in beta – it’s a rather nice piece of work, applying additive concepts, allowing you to draw your own wave patterns, in fact, doing a whole lot of revolutionary things at the usual budget pricing we’ve come to love. But, for now, it remains in beta due to some
nagging bug issues that crop up in some hosts. I’ve run it satisfactorily in Fruit-Loops (a popular VST Host/Sequencer), and you can pick up a test copy on Luigi’s KVR forum if you want to give it a whirl. With a promised 384 presets (already!) from a host of well-known sound designers, this is one I want to see succeed. Give it a month or two, and I suspect it will. Till then, it’s not being offered commercially, but "only for friends," as Luigi puts it.
Wusik Sound Magazine 41
The Synth Romance by WilliamK
Is That Too Much Reverb? S
ome people say that I should be called "Mr. Reverb", as all my songs have way too much reverberation. I didn't think so until I started to listen to some older songs I did. It's strange, but now I listen to those and think they were totally right. Most of my new Dark Ages series uses less reverb and echo, but it's still over the top.
T
he problem with the reverberation effect is that it can make anything sound great. But when you use too much in a song, you get a tune that only sounds good with headphones. Try to listen to it with good speakers and at a fair distance or even in your car stereo. You will hear how confusing the sound can get.
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The Synth Romance
Why was the Reverb effect created anyway?
S
imple, to emulate the sound of a small or big spaces. The first commercial synths only had a dry sound. Some even had a chorus or flanger, but no Reverb. When you play with a band or an orchestra, you get the natural ambience of the space. But with a synth you get just the pure, raw sound, like a mosquito in your ear. So, engineers created a device that could reproduce such reverberation sound, making the dry sound become alive as if you were playing in a cathedral, stadium, or just a small space.
T
he first device was actually the tapeecho. It had a continuous tape and it could record and play at the same time. Taking the record head away from the play head would determinate the echo time. Then a feedback loop would take the play-head sound back to the record-head while mixing the two together with the original input signal. Those devices were very noisy and had a very distinct sound.
But what happens if you do the same thing in your bedroom?
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t sounds dull. But what if you play several instruments in the same stadium? It will sound a mess. That's why when a band plays in a place that has too much ambience, echo, or reverberation, they use a special device to kill those bouncy sounds. That's the job of the sound-engineer.
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f you want to test a melody, try playing your songs after removing the effects. If it sounds bad, it means that you were hiding the problems with effects. A song should sound good even when played by a dry piano. The next time I work on a track I will keep these things in mind, teaching myself how to produce tracks that can be played with or without reverb and still sound great.
L
atter on, the first spring-reverb was created, which was just like the name: a big spring coil inside a plastic or metallic tube; a small speaker in one end and a mike on the other. Once you played a sound inside this tube, it would reverberate on the spring, producing a longer decay sound. It is just like shouting inside a piano. Try it sometime if you can. Actually, a piano could be used for the ultimate spring-reverber, as it has several "springs", but in this case they are the piano wires.
So, getting back to the point, people started to use too much reverb to enlarge sounds; to make a two instrument song sound like an orchestra. And sometimes, even to hide a poor track under tons of echo and reverberation.
T
ry this: get a pure sine waveform, add a deep silky reverberation to its sound, then start playing random notes slowly. There you go, you have yourself a masterpiece now. I know it's silly, but it works. Next imagine this, you are singing in a big stadium. The echo is all there. Your voice alone sounds great.
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G&S CW-Drum Kit (Acoustic Drums) Sampled by Salvador Pelaez - Music Producer at www.gsrstudio.com For complete detailed information, visit: www.gscwdrums.com Converted to WusikSND format by Grymmjack (http://designermonkey.rekkerd.org/) 450 Meg - 2 Presets/Kits included Location: Presets\Wusik Sound Magazine\Issue 0008\G&S CW-Drum Kit
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ArtVera NewAge Collection Volume 5 (final) 109 SoundSets - 127 Meg - 80 Presets www.artvera-music.com Location: Presets\Wusik Sound Magazine\Artvera NewAge Collection\Volume 05 Also, all presets from ALL volumes categorized: Presets\Wusik Sound Magazine\Artvera NewAge Collection\All Volumes (this requires all previous volumes, by default they are not installed, you have to select that during installation)
HQ Synthetica Volume 2 by WilliamK - www.william-k.com This is the second volume of our special High Quality (HQ) Synth Sounds. (check the previous issue for detailed information) 11 SoundSets - 306 Meg - 16 presets Location: Presets\Wusik Sound Magazine\HQ Synthetica\Volume 01
LiquidBrad's Stictwitz Set 11 SoundSets - 12 Meg - 18 Presets Location: Presets\Wusik Sound Magazine\Issue 0008\LiquidBrad's Stictwitz
Yamaha CS10 Sounds by Autodafe - www.autodafe.net 10 SoundSets - 35 Meg - 15 Presets Location: Presets\Wusik Sound Magazine\Issue 0008\Yamaha CS10
Dirty FM Tutorial Presets:
Skylife contributed with a small set of sounds, all sampled with SampleRobot. www.samplerobot.com (they support the WusikSND format) 29 SoundSets - 155 Meg - 29 Presets Location: Presets\Wusik Sound Magazine\Issue 0008\Samples by Sample Robot
6 Presets Location: Presets\Wusik Sound Magazine\Issue 0008\Dirty FM One new Waveform located under: SoundSets\Waveforms\SineFM.wav
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