Wusik Sound Magazine July 2008 Vol II Issue 05
Wusik Magazine
July 2008
Sony Creative Software: Artist Integrated Quartet by Ginno 'g.no' Legaspi
Artist Integrated Quartet
Every time my friends and I talk about music, I'm excited to tell them there is no better time to make music than now. Even some of my musician friends have caught my infectious enthusiasm for computer music technology. And why shouldn't they. Computers are getting faster and faster, everyday. Storage and computer memory (RAM) are inexpensive - so you can have multiples of those in your system. Nowadays, with a couple of grand, anyone can assemble a nice, decent personal studio. It doesn't even have to be fancy or expensive, as long as the studio serves its purpose.
The folks at Sony Creative Software have been releasing loop libraries since their flagship audio looping software, ACID Pro, came out in 1998. With these loops you have a great tool for sparking up creativity and adding flavor to any composition. Quite simply, they are an indispensable tool for musicians willing to compliment their songs with loops. When it comes to constructing a remix from scratch, Acid loops are also a producer's best friend. The loops can be used as socalled 'building blocks' to lay the foundation for a remix.
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Being a desktop musician allows me to fire up my PC and record music in an instant. Not to mention that digital MIDI and audio manipulation are much more flexible than, say, working with analog equipment. The fact that cheap gear is quickly within reach, and that it can motivate people to
record songs "DIY�, is awesome. Less than 20 years ago, building a studio with computers and software would have cost an arm and a leg ...either that, or borrow another mortgage from a bank. But now, producers, desktop musicians and remixers, who are just starting out, are flooded with an abundance of choices and can get into recording easily.
July 2008
Artist Integrated Quartet
Creatively, the clever guys at Sony have pushed the loop library concept even further, by releasing a quartet library called, “Artist Integration Series” (or “AI” for short). The loops in the series were designed and implemented to work seamlessly with each other. The concept is dead easy: Each library includes 15 'sessions' - packets of loops, where pro artists have played over ACID projects made with loops from other AI library sessions. The 'tight-lock' AI sets were recorded to work with any loop combinations, or as standalone.
Let's look individually…
at
the
libraries
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July 2008
The Best of SIGGI BALDURSON: The Drum Loops: Produced by Brian Daly, this is the first release of the AI series. The loops were hand picked and compiled by Tony Franklin to serve as an inspiration and backbone for his other library, “Not Just Another Pretty Bass” (see below). Featuring 611 MB of content, you'll find 914 WAV files of groovy loops, along with inspiring killer chops and tasty fills. Siggi's fluid and funky playing style makes this library so refreshing. Totally amazing content. Some 'one-shot' folders include tons of drum hits, such as kicks, snares, toms and cymbals. The processed loops sound great, and you'll find them useful for your electronic track productions.
The series comprises four libraries, namely: “The Best of Siggi Baldursson: The Drum Loops”, “Tony Franklin: Not Just Another Pretty Bass”, “Parthenon Huxley's Six String Orchestra” and “Matt Fink: StarVu Session Keys”. Think of it as having a virtual band with popular musicians playing over your compositions. With this series in your arsenal of daily composing tools you can yield quick results you will be able to compose much faster.
Artist Integrated Quartet
TONY FRANKLIN: Not Just Another Pretty Bass: Not Just Anther Pretty Bass is a 778 MB loop library collection that has Franklin’s signature playing stamped on it. With the help of his custom Fender P Bass and SWR Amplification rig, he was able to record 1,051 WAV loops in pristine 44.1khz/24-bit mono ACIDized WAV. Tony Franklin's performance is top notch here, as he incorporates various tones and chops, giving the loops an 'edgy' rock vibe. His fingers slip smoothly and effortlessly across the fretless bass, with a commanding sound. The fifteen Session folders include clean and thunderous bass loops, with a hint of distortion. Just lovely. Or should I say, “gritty”. In the Session 05 folder, there are some interesting loops that were effected with wahwah, filtering, delay and various other processing. This Premium package includes a second set disc, containing Windows Media and QuicktTime format videos, in which Tony Franklin explains the recording process for Not Just Another Pretty Bass.
Wusik Magazine July 2008
Artist Integrated Quartet
MATT FINK: Starvu Session Keys:
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July 2008
When it comes to rock, funk and R&B, Matt Fink's name always comes up as one of the great talents who helped define the sound of Prince – that magic sound that placed Prince's bands - The Revolution, and New Power Generation - as two of the most successful groups of the 80's and 90's. I must admit that I'm a fan of Prince and his albums - such as the chart-topping “Purple Rain” and double CD “Sign O' The Times”. I remember back when I was a teenager that I used to borrow my friend's cassette tapes of both albums and crank them up whenever I played them. Both albums are now constantly rotated in my car's CD changer. I thought those albums featured superb songs that were produced just right. The arrangements and instrumentation are also killers. Although Prince mostly played the instruments on his albums, Matt Fink co-wrote songs, lent his keyboard chops, and toured with Prince during the 80's. “StarVu Session Keys” is Matt Fink's second loop library release for Sony. This Premium AI library has 652 files of 44.1khz/24bit samples, packed with mostly rock-oriented loops that are fitting for the other AI libraries. Although he does show some of his funk side here and there, Matt doesn't lose focus of what the library is all about - to compliment the other AI libraries. What inspired him to record this set was the innovative work that Tony and Siggi put in to their libraries. When I audition the loops
in Acid Pro (sequencer), they have that 'live' feel. They don’t sound bland and lifeless. It's rich and very organic-sounding. It's apparent that the vintage gear he used during the recording session (Wurlitzer piano, Hammond B3, Fender Rhodes and Moog synthesizer) brought an interesting, retro kind of vibe that spiced up this library. On the other side of the token, the modern sounds, such as synth strings, digital choir, filtered pad, gated pad, synth arp, etc, were generated courtesy of virtual instruments like Virus Indigo, Native Instruments' Pro-53, etc. This 2-CD library is huge, with 1.3+ GB of royalty-free WAVs.
Artist Integrated Quartet
PARTHENON HUXLEY'S SIX STRING ORCHESTRA: Many have hailed Parthenon Huxley as an accomplished master songwriter, and an underrated guitarist in the world of pop/rock. His various solo album releases have been praised by various publications, and gained him reputation as a songwriter who creates 'ear-tingling' hooks.
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Although this may be “icing on the cake” to Huxley’s many-musical journey and the accomplishments he already has, Sony enlisted his services as a key player for the AI Quartet libraries. The result: “Parthenon Huxley's Six-String Orchestra” - a guitar loop library with pop sensibilities and hearty rock vibe. P. Hux envisioned this library having that consistent rock approach, and it shows. With 831 WAV files of 44.1khz/24-bit samples, you'll find plenty of clean and distorted guitar loops, packed with searing solos, solid creamy chords and other useful guitar noises for your own rock productions. The loops aren't over processed with effects, so there is room to manipulate them to your own taste.
This 1.3+ GB library features samples made with vintage guitars and classic hardware - only which can deliver such a wonderful tone. The library is divided into 15 session folders in which different guitars were used. The Gibson SG, Fender Telecaster and Stratocaster, plugged thru a 2x12 Matchless Chieftain, are my main loop favorites. His chops in these loop folders show undeniable mastery of the six-stringed instrument.
July 2008
Artist Integrated Quartet
I was surprised that each AI library can stand on its own, without the aid of
Contact:
another. Plenty of the loops are superb for
intros,
outros,
and
building
Sony Creative Software sonycreativesoftware.com
transitions between sections of a song. Take your pick. With the AI Quartet you
List Price:
have a perfect four-of-a-kind loop library
-
- each prepared and played by veteran,
-
eclectic musicians - available on your desktop. Not only that, but the artists
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themselves were passionate and excited about creating their libraries. The actual product exhibits spirited performances that echo their hard work.
Once you
audition the loops you will be hooked and inspired to make your own music. Also, kudos to Sony for adding extensive liner notes to the Premium collection that are
Wusik Magazine
July 2008
very informative.
-
The Best of Siggi Baldursson $59.95 Tony Franklin: Not Just Another Pretty Bass - $99.95 Parthenon Huxley's Six-String Orchestra - $99.95 Matt Fink: StarVu Session Keys - $99.95
Format: ACID WAV, 44.1khz/24-bit (except for The Best of Siggi Baldursson, which is 44.1khz/16-bit). Compatible with programs such as Live, Sonar, Cubase, Logic, Soundtrack and GarageBand 2
Artist Integrated Quartet
Wusik Magazine July 2008
PSP Audioware Vintage Warmer 2 and
Mix Pack 2 by A. Arsov
Wusik Magazine
July 2008
Essential tool 1 – PSP Vintage Warmer 2 There are only a few effects on the market that nearly everyone uses. Vintage Warmer 2 is definitively one of them. No matter which genre your music, the final result is always the same - digital. You record it in a computer and, because the computer is a digital medium, the final result always sounds somehow digital. A bit static and lifeless, and without crispy additions on the highs. The solution for this disease? Thankfully, there are few effects on the market that return this missing analogue shine to your tracks. The most known, most used and popular one, is definitively PSP Vintage Warmer 2.
PSP Audioware Vintage Warmer 2 and Mix Pack 2
Why? Because it sounds good. In short. Just put it on a track and everything will sound more cheerful - even some depressive downtempo track. PSP Vintage Warmer 2 is also a compressor and limiter, complete with tape simulation - so it’s a complete makeover and facelift for your sound. It is not overpriced, comes with plenty of useful presets, looks good, is easy to tweak and gives immediate, instant results. That's that.
If you have seen the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding, then I presume you remember the fellow (I think it was the bride's uncle) who said he could
If you want just an ordinary tape simulation… Add a “Track Tape Slow” preset. But that's only one of the many presets, and as the names of some other presets suggest, Vintage Warmer 2 is also a useful addition to the master track. Some of the presets are for guitar, some for a bass. The rest, with more common names, work well with drum tracks and are not bad for vocals, either. I’ve found that some of them can beat a shit out of dance kicks. Oops, ma’am - pardon my French! Maybe you won’t use PSP Vintage Warmer 2 on every track, but it definitively makes a difference to every track on which you use it.
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All things we mentioned above are part of a big secret, of how to achieve massive success. As you see, it is a pretty simple recipe for succeeding. Just be the best in the line and selling results will follow.
cure everything just using window cleaner. Cold, wounds, cancer ...everything. It was a pretty bizarre moment in that movie, but one thing is for sure - if this movie was made into a musical, I'm sure this guy would use a PSP Vintage Warmer 2 instead of that window cleaner. It cures everything.
July 2008
PSP Audioware Vintage Warmer 2 and Mix Pack 2 More details, please
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July 2008
The graphical interface, complete with retro knobs and two old school Vu meters, is simple and contains all the controllers we need for fine-tuning an effect. At the middle of the interface is a big “Drive” knob - for controlling the input level to the limiter. To the
left and right are all the lesser or more standard compressor controls, along with some more exotic ones. Like the “Ceiling” knob, for setting a maximum working level other than 0dB. ”Speed”, for controlling the attack and release – for example, you can set it to mimic analogue tape compression. There are also knobs named “High”
PSP Audioware Vintage Warmer 2 and Mix Pack 2 and “Low” for setting shelving equalization frequencies. Next to the Release and Ceiling knobs are three buttons for auto release, extended release and brick wall limiter control. At the bottom of the main window we find the On/Off switch, Mono/Stereo switch, and Link switch (for linking the right and left channels), Fat switch (for
over-sampling option – a great addition to version 2 but it also doubles CPU usage) and finally a Single / Multi band switch (for changing the mode of compressor). Set to “Multi” it works as a three-band, soft knee compressor/limiter. On the rear panel are a few more exotic controllers but, to tell you the truth, the presets are so well programmed that there is no big need for additional tweaking and finetuning. The only drawn back is that some of the presets can sound a bit over processed. But that's what the “Mix” knob is for; put it on 70% instead of 100%, and everything will be just perfect.
Wusik Magazine July 2008
PSP Audioware Vintage Warmer 2 and Mix Pack 2
Warm conclusions PSP Vintage Warmer 2 is like real tape but on a budget - and it comes with many excellent options. But do you need a tape simulator? Well, almost all producers use PSP Vintage Warmer 2, so the answer is probably, “Yes”. It is not an essential tool for producing bad mixes, but if you intend to make good ones, then this is definitively one of the essential tools for reaching that goal. It's up to you. I mixed without PSP Vintage Warmer 2 in the past, and I survived. But I have to admit; the mixing process became much, much easier and faster with it.
Wusik Magazine
July 2008
Essential tool 2 – PSP Mixpack 2 A collection of useful plug-ins. They are not as unique as PSP Vintage Warmer, but still; they are easy to use, buffed with plenty of very useful presets, and give such a good musical result, that they easily deserve the “essential” status.
PSP MixPack 2 contains: PSP Mixbass 2 to fatten your low end; PSP MixTreble 2 for enhancing the high range; PSP MixSaturator 2 for emulating tape and valve circuits; PSP MixPressor 2 is a high quality analogue compressor; and PSP MixGate 2 is a newcomer to this updated version of effects. There are a lot of competitors to these effects but, after just a day or two of using them, I noticed that almost all the effects from this pack became my first choice in my mixing process. With a good selection of included controllers, along with right-to-the-point presets, all the effects from the pack proved themselves as huge time savers. For example, mixing a bass is always a bit of a problematic process but, with PSP MixBass 2, it became a lot easier to find a “right and tight” place for the bass. The plugin contains a compress, character and punch section, covering the whole range of frequencies, and it sounds good on many materials - not just on basses. Try it with your drum loops and you will love it immediately.
PSP Audioware Vintage Warmer 2 and Mix Pack 2
PSP MixTreble 2 is a life saver for most plucked instruments. I presume it could also be used on many other instruments, but I use-it-and-abuse-it a lot with my old acoustic guitar. Now it sounds like it was when it was new. Okay, almost. It is just an effect, not a dead awakener. And it is needless to say that the Hiss removal section is more than a welcome addition to such an effect. PSP MixPressor 2 is a compressor of choice. If you choose a Drum preset. then this preset will work well with drums. Sounds obvious. But trust me - with most other compressors - often, it is not so obvious. Yet, MixPressor 2 simply does its job. The end result is a clean, compressed sound with good definition.
PSP MixGate 2 is a nice gate, but I have to admit: I spent a little more time than expected becoming familiar with it. Maybe it’s just my fault,
PSP & PSP PSP Vintage Warmer 2 and PSP MixPack 2 come in 3 major formats: VST, RTAS and Mac versions. Thanks to the American government, the US dollar is cheap these days, so the price is more than European-friendly. And my dear American friends, to tell you the truth, this price is even American friendly: $149 US for PSP Vintage Warmer 2 and $199 US for PSP Mixpack 2. While PSP Vintage Warmer is a musthave, PSP Mixpack 2 is more than highly recommended. Download the demos and try them for yourself. If I can paraphrase one Slovenian band, “It was love at first lay.” Period.
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PSP MixSaturator 2 is a tape or valve simulator – the same as is used in Vintage Warmer 2, so it also shares the same high standard.
because I'm not used to working with a gate in this way. While most of the presets are for drums, I usually use a gate for the guitar …so I presume we haven't spoken the same language at all.
July 2008
Totally
, Free by LeRoi Keiller
Forget thin. Forget fat free. I know what you REALLY want. You want PHAT. And you want it for free. Since the dawn of digital audio, many an audiophile has complained over the lack of “phat” in their digital diet. And rightly so. In music, thin sucks. And though modern digital audio can produce a truly “sweet” sound, we want more than digital dessert. We want to sink our teeth into a nice, thick, juicy piece of fat. Okay, maybe not fat. What I really mean is PHAT! So what can put the phat back, and for FREE?
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July 2008
Well, my favourite free sound phattener is a tiny morsel…
Totally
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CamelPhatFree Now, I don’t know if you can find a phat-free camel (although I did), but this lean little VST sure can make a flat sound, phat. I like it on drum beats. It adds 100 pounds. Plus, the result is more “live“ or “real“. Just leave it off the cymbals as they’re usually best left clean. It’s called, Liposuction“
“Reverse
CamelPhatFree ‘puts the phat back’ by combining a phat saturation algorithm (tube-like effect) with pumping compression. And it does it all from one slider (labelled “Compression”). You can use CamelPhatFree on various audio sources - even lead vocals (if you don’t mind dirtying them up). Try it on various instruments. Experiment. But there is one problem. plugin is MONO. “Aaaarrrgghhh!!“
The
Yeah, I feel your pain. Often I’ve *yearned* to put this little phatty on my stereo mix or stereo drums. Alas, when I do, it causes a disturbance in the Force everything ends up mono. There’s a trick to achieving stereo though (by using two of these in parallel one on the left channel and one on the right) - but that’s another story. Besides, there is also CamelCrusher, featured further below. The good news is this: CamelPhatFree is sooo simple, even a phat-free camel can use it. I know, because I did tests. I did. I found and herded as many phatfree camels as possible, gave each of them a laptop and microphone, and let them loose with CamelPhatFree. The result? None of them had problems moving the phat Compression slider with their hooves. And the recordings of their belches, spits and farts? …even PHATTER than normal …and also more disgusting. But anyway, I completely digress.
Wusik Magazine July 2008
Totally
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CONTROLS : CamelPhatFree has 3 sliders: 1. Master Mix. Generally, set this to 100%, as it will give you the full effect - 100% phat ;) 2. Distortion. This adds serious dirt to your audio, but you get a similar sound from the Compression slider (next) - so I tend to leave Distortion at 0%. But it‘s your choice. 3. Compression. This is the wonderful slider that “pumps phat” back into your mix - beefy, dirty, phat.
Wusik Magazine
July 2008
Suggested Settings: It’s a matter of taste, but I like to set the Compression between 7 -
12. “7” gives a gentle but very obvious warmth (suits vocals, bass, drums), while “12” gives strong pump and punch (for max phat drums). Download CamelPhatFree: Windows: http://camelaudio.com/CamelPhat Free.zip Mac: http://camelaudio.com/CamelPhat Free.sit Website: http://camelaudio.com
So what’s the next best thing to CamelPhatFree but in STEREO? Enter...
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CamelCrusher This is Camel Audio’s more recent contribution to the free VST world. In fact, it supersedes CamelPhatFree (which is more or less discontinued - but not as far as I‘m concerned!). CamelCrusher has phattening compression similar to CamelPhatFree but is stereo and has extra functions, as follow listed:
, Free
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Distortion: ON/OFF button; TUBE knob (to apply tube effect); MECH knob (to apply various amounts of “mechanical sound” - somewhat like a bit crusher). Compressor: ON/OFF button; AMOUNT knob (how much compression to apply); PHAT MODE button (to switch on or off an extra phattening effect). NOTE: This compressor effect sounds phat even with PHAT MODE turned OFF, but PHAT MODE adds a more grinding, gritty, rough phat. I prefer it switched off, as it sounds more like CamelPhatFree’s phat compression. Filter: ON/OFF button; CUTOFF knob (to set the frequency where high frequencies roll off); RES knob (to apply resonance) Master: ON/OFF button (OFF is like a BYPASS - no effect is applied); VOLUME knob (for overall output volume of the effect); MIX knob (for how much overall effect to apply to the audio)
July 2008
Totally
, Free
I like this plug-in. However, I’m not absolutely sure the phat compressor sounds as good as CamelPhatFree. It could be that CamelPhatFree sounds better because it’s mono; mono generally sounds punchier than stereospread audio. However, I’ll let you compare the two plugins and decide for yourself. :) Note: I tried to get our phat free camels to test this plug-in as well, but none of them would do it. They were traumatized by the name “CamelCrusher” and were terrified it would actually crush them. My gosh, camels are stupid. (Sorry to any camels reading this.)
Download CamelCrusher:
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July 2008
Windows & Mac: http://camelaudio.com/camelcrus her.php
Endorphin Five words describe Endorphin: “Lean phat.” (Sorry, that’s only three words) This is a fantastic dual-band compressor. It sounds smooth and transparent. If phatter sound is what you want (hey, isn‘t that what this article is about?), just engage Endorphin’s saturation slider. Labelled “decomp/sat”, the effect is subtle but pleasing - it’s smooth and not at all dirty like a lot of tube/saturation plug-ins (whether free or commercial). Endorphin gives you the added choice of “tight“ or “soft“ saturation. I prefer the latter, as it sounds smoother and more natural to my ears, but “tight“ is sometimes good on drums. A saturation meter is included to show how much saturation is being applied.
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With this plugin… Just like a real “endorphin“, your music will leap from the water, swim around, and… no, hang on, that’s a “dolphin“. Dang.
Available for PC and Mac, download Endorphin for free.
you
can
Try it out, and check out the included manual.
Okay, moving right along… Endorphin has plenty of controls and features to discuss, but I won‘t cover them in this article. Really, I just want you to know that this compressor exists, and it does a great job. It is particularly good for warming up vocals.
Download Endorphin: Website: http://digitalfishphones.com Note: At the website, Endorphin is available from the left menu. Wusik Magazine July 2008
Totally
, Free
Dominion Dominion is similar to a compressor, but it isn’t one. It “shape[s] the envelope of a signal, giving you total control of the signal's attack & sustain phase…“ (to quote the developer). It comes with adjustable saturation and exciter effects. Dominion’s saturation effect is subtle but audible, and pleasing to the ear. Although it won’t make your audio “mega phat”, the plugin will produce good, punchy results.
The exciter effect is a nice addition. It is not the best I’ve heard, but it is decent enough and you may find it useful. The down side: Like the real thing, “Dominion” is quite stupid and may make you cry… no, wait… that’s a “dumb onion“. [ image: dominion-plugin.jpg ]
Download Dominion:
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July 2008
Website: http://digitalfishphones.com Note: At the website, Dominion is available from the left menu.
Totally
SoundGoodizer Youwashock
, Free
/
Known as SoundGoodizer in FL Studio, or as YouWaShock elsewhere, this one-knob wonder can maximize your sound to the hilt. Based on ImageLine’s Maximus plugin, it enhances high and low frequencies, and adds punch. Four sound modes are available from four directly accessible buttons. Each mode sounds very different from the other, most obviously in tone. While the SoundGoodizer doesn’t necessarily make audio ‘phat’ (as in thick phat), it does what it does do, well. And it sounds pro. Or should I say, it helps make your music sound pro. Add it to your bag of tricks, for sure. Download SoundGoodizer:
SoundGoodizer is available in FL Studio as a proprietary plugin with a different look to YouWaShock. Interestingly, it also sounds *slightly* different. You can download or purchase FL Studio from http://FlavaStudio.com or from the developers at http://flstudio.com
Download YouWaShock: http://flavastudio.com/youwashock.ht mlhttp://flavastudio.com/youwashock .html
Wusik Magazine July 2008
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PHAT SUMMARY Whether they emulate tubes, audio tape, or something else, there are a lot of so-called sound-phattening plugins out there. Some are costly, some are free. But you DON’T always get what you pay for, especially when a free little plugin like CamelPhatFree can produce a more convincing PHAT sound than most pro units. Rated P for Phatness:
Wusik Magazine
July 2008
- CamelPhatFree - easy, proven, 100% phat, free, mono - 1 slider is all you need - CamelCrusher - stereo, 95% phat, free - Endorphin - stereo, 2-band, transparent, smooth, phatcapable, free
- Dominion - stereo, w/ exciter, punchy ‘compression‘, phatcapable, free - YouWaShock, aka SoundGoodizer stereo, maximizes audio, enhances hi’s and lo’s, punchy compression - 1 dial does it all If I had to choose… If I had to recommend only 3 of the above plugins, they would be: CamelPhatFree, Endorphin and YouWaShock (SoundGoodizer). PhatFree for its P-rated Phatness. Endorphin for its versatile, transparent and smooth compression. SoundGoodizer / YouWaShock for its simple, profound effect on audio.
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If you’re looking for commercial phattener…
, Free
a
Try pro plugins like “PSP Vintage Warmer 2”, “CamelPhat 3” or “Maximus“. ABOUT THE AUTHOR VintageWarmer 2 (http://pspaudioware.com/plugins /vintage.html) is a high quality mastering compressor with warm tube/tape emulation. CamelPhat 3 (http://camelaudio.com/camelpha t.php) is a complex commercial version of CamelPhatFree and CamelCrusher. Maximus (http://flavastudio.com/maximus. html), on which SoundGoodizer and YouWaShock are based, is a multi-band maximizer VST with Limiter, Compressor, Noise Gate, Expander, Ducker and De-esser.
LeRoi is a keyboard player and song writer, with a love for creating music on the computer. Whether it’s pop, rock, or something else, LeRoi enjoys putting it together using his favourite music apps; FL Studio Producer Edition or Reaper. You can contact LeRoi (about anything nice ;) at: leroi at flavastudio dot com His web site: http://FlavaStudio.com
Wusik Magazine July 2008
July 2008 Wusik Magazine
Scuzzphut Phatbeatz by A. Arsov
Scuzzphut Phatbeatz Finally we have it. A cheap and powerful drum sampler. The free ones are always lacking some essential feature, such as in place sample preview from a browser, or they only have one audio output, or they are without any additional effects. To put it another way: These drum samplers are like a small blanket; try to pull it up to your neck and your legs stick out ‌and the other way around; legs in, shoulders out. There’s always something missing. And what's wrong with the good ones? Well, they lack a human price tag. They beat the last penny out of your wallet. I presume that's why they call them beat machines.
Gentle pat your wallet
Back to the phat
Meanwhile, Phatbeatz could be yours for just 44 Euro or $69 US. That's more than a fair price for such an efficient little fellow.
Installation is not exactly a piece of cake; there is a file which needs to be copied to a sequencer's directory and, when starting Phatbeatz for the first time, you need to set default directories for your loops library. After that, just follow the signs, and life becomes much easier. The main graphical window is intuitive and well arranged you don't need to be a Doctor of Computers and Music Science to manage it. The GUI's upper part is mainly filled with sampler trumpery, while the lower is more-or-less for trifling with a pattern sequencer and effects section.
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The first thing you'll notice is a nice retro-looking graphical interface. It is like a hybrid of a fancy car from the late 50's and the front of a radio from the late 60's. When I saw it, I loved it immediately. Yes, love at first sight - just like when you see a gorgeous, stylish Fiat 500 amongst big Cadillacs or other road monsters.
July 2008
Scuzzphut Phatbeatz The Phatparts
Wusik Magazine
July 2008
Phatbeatz comes packed with 60 goodsounding, versatile drum kits that can be browsed on the fly. It has ten sample slots, six outputs, “in place” sample preview, and an automatic loop tuning function. For the price, you can't expect “multi-layering sample function in a single cell” as the big drum brothers have, but it’s a breeze to incorporate a loop in the pattern sequencer and sync it to the host’s tempo. I can't remember when I had so much fun with a pattern sequencer - combining drum loops with other beats – since I discovered
Hammerhead (threechords.com/hammerhead) for the first time, years ago. Talking about pattern sequencers these days, it is hard to find one that is more intuitive. Five rows and 16 steps of buttons are always visible. With on-screen narrow keys, it is easy to reach the next five rows or another 16 steps, for making more complex drum patterns. All the included kits are inspiring. So, in combination with the pattern sequencer, it is not hard to make fresh loops on the fly - even if you are not all that talented as a beat programmer.
Scuzzphut Phatbeatz The Phatparts 2 The top part of the Phatbeatz screen contains various controls - for selecting the output, controlling the volume, pan, decay, and pitch, or for selecting the choke, mute, solo and sync. The last control is for synchronizing acidized loops - you just enter the number of steps for a chosen loop (for example, 16 steps for a bar).
Loading, making, saving and browsing the kits is dead easy. Furthermore, basically every kit is saved as a text file. So it is easy to edit it with Notepad, should anything go wrong with your personal sample library. At the bottom of the screen are three small buttons, for applying effects to outputs one, two and three. Output one is for the compressor and equalizer, while outputs two and three both have an independent pair of delay and filter effects.
Phat summary Phatbeatz is the fresh, reinvented, “missing link” in drum VST evolution. It is the most useful and joyful drum sampler, on a tin budget. It is like a Swiss Army knife of the drum VST world; take it out of a pocket and everyone will be impressed at all the functions hidden within such a little tool.
It really is Phat inspiration on a budget.
July 2008
Visit scuzzphut.com, download the demo, and you will soon understand what I'm talking about.
Wusik Magazine
I would praise it forever and ever, if only I could find more time for writing. But you should forgive me, because I'm totally occupied playing with my little Phatbeatz. Hey, I’m making loops for my next project.
Wusik Magazine
July 2008
by Squibs
Q Q Q QT 3 3 WR WT No, I haven’t fallen asleep on the keyboard. The above is how you play “I like to move it” on a QWERTY keyboard. I know this because I’ve just been doodling with the economically named “PW-STR1” patch in AXS v3.00, for Windows. This tracker/analog synth/sampler dates back to 1998 and is so old skool it should come with a hood ornament on a gold chain. The product is completely free for download from: http://resolutionaudio.nl AXS could prove an interesting way of wringing the last drop of blood from any ancient PC you might have lying around. I’m a big believer in using a limited production environment to keep the mind focused, and AXS provides the tools you need to write dance tracks. Parts of the interface seem a little baffling at first, but “sticking with it” will pay dividends.
AXS is ridiculously low on CPU; my quad-core registered just 1%
I must admit, when the idea of this article was pitched to me, I was terrified. I had been in at the forefront of modern PC music making, 15 years ago. I had learned about making the various components of a track in different programs, non-realtime effects rendering, and how to assemble all the components into a coherent whole afterwards. I was happy tweaking IRQ settings for ISA sound cards and step sequencing with a QWERTY keyboard. But trackers always confused me and I stayed well away. Now, 15 years later, I think it may be time to give trackers another chance. The first thing to note is that AXS is basically a DOS application, skinned for Windows. The manual is even full of references to older technologies. Who remembers the Gravis Ultrasound soundcards? This program was written in the days when programmers had to write handlers for every soundcard they wanted to support - before the PC industry got wise to the fact that soundcards were becoming ubiquitous and standards were required. The second thing to
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The installation is just a case of downloading the zip (I suggest you get the program and manual zips), and extracting it to a folder of your choice.
playing back a full techno song. Conversely, there is big latency (50-100ms) when playing the synth. So AXS will be useful for sequencing, rather than jamming.
JUly 2008
note is that it’s a beta, so there may be bugs. Third note: The last update was Sept 2001 which is like the Iron Age, in PC terms.
Wusik Magazine
July 2008
Interaction with the program doesn’t follow the conventional Windows route, and you won’t find a menu bar. There are two screens of information - you can toggle between them using the F5 and F6 keys.
The first screen features a conventional 2-Oscillator subtractive synth. There are 7 instruments or “parts” (each part can access a different preset in the same bank of 128 presets), as well as a sampler bank with 128 patches. The second screen features the tracker sequencer and its controls, sampler controls, a basic help window, and a file browser for loading songs,
samples, etc. However, we won’t focus on this screen until the next part of the tutorial. The synth has two oscillators, each with the usual selection of waveforms plus a pulse width slider. There’s an anti-aliasing option which yields better sound quality, and a mix knob to balance the two oscillators‘ outputs. Oscillator 2 also has course and fine tuning, allowing you to detune it from Oscillator 1 by up to 3 octaves, in either direction. You can also add an amount of ring modulation to the combined oscillator signal. There is an ADSR envelope for pitch, filter and amp.
The effects section is small but sensible. The lack of a chorus is the only disappointment (but there are ways and means, as you will later discover). There’s a toggle to set the
There are two LFOs used to modulate certain parameters. LFO1 can control filter, amplitude, oscillator pitch (1 or 2), oscillator 1 pulse width, oscillator mix and LFO 2’s rate. LFO 2 can control the same parameters, but can also modulate oscillator 2’s pulse width. Both LFOs utilise different waveforms (though both have a sine wave) and both have knobs for their LFO rate and amount. So let’s see what noises we can wrestle out of it. First of all, audition some presets using the up/down scroller in the presets section, and play notes on the QWERTY keyboard. Next, try pressing the “random” button a few times to get a feel for some of the quirkier sounds the synth can make. I’m going to attempt to program an
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The pitch envelope allows for all sorts of slides; from subtle slides, to silly laser effects that slide over several octaves in pitch - as determined by the pitch gain knob. The effect does nothing if the knob is centered. The filter envelope allows you to select from a 12dB or 24dB/octave low pass filter, a high pass, band pass, and band reject filter. It is capable of keyboard tracking and velocity tracking, and there’s a slider for filter cut-off and resonance. The amplitude envelope has a distortion knob to give your waveform some grit.
patch to monophonic, and another for portamento, allowing one note to slide in pitch to another, with the slide’s duration controlled by a knob. We have reverb and delay, but only one can be active at any given time. The reverb has an “off” setting and 15 “algorithms” that really just progressively lengthen the reverb time. The delay may be synced to tempo with the BPM sync toggle. It also has quarter and triplet settings, and feedback, to determine how long the delay will last until it fades to silence. Plus there’s a pan knob which controls the time offset between the left and right delay lines.
JUly 2008
evocative polyphonic lead/pad sound with plenty of movement, to try to illustrate how versatile and full this little 2-Osc beauty can be.
patch on which to gradually build our masterpiece.
Okay. Deep breath guys. And begin…
Select the third (pulse ) waveform for osc1 and push the pulse width slider up to full. Select the pulse waveform for oscillator two also, and set the mix knob in the Mix area to the center. Now, to thicken up the sound, we will make the second oscillator a little different, by setting the pulse width to about 90 and the fine tuning to 74. (The latter will slightly detune Osc2 from Osc1, giving us the beginning of that chorus effect we‘re missing.) The semi (or coarse) tuning should remain at the center position. Play a note and adjust Osc2’s pulse width and fine tuning to your own taste until you have something that sounds full, without seeming out of tune.
Wusik Magazine
July 2008
Let’s start by turning the mix knob, in the mix section, all the way down - so we hear only oscillator one. Ensure that the ring mix knob is all the way down. In the Osc1 area, select the second (triangle) waveform. Now, turn off the LFOs (switch the destination of both to none). Bring all the knobs in the FX section back to the 0 position. Disable mono and porta, select reverb and toggle the down button next to the reverb algorithm until the display left of it, reads “OFF”. In the pitch envelope: Zero out the sliders, bring the pitch gain to center, and toggle the osc1 and osc2 “LED”s to off. In the filter envelope: Select LP12, put the frequency slider fully up and the resonance slider fully down. In the amp envelope: Set the attack, decay and release sliders (numbered 1, 3 and 4) to zero and move the sustain slider all the way up to 127. Set distort to off, and amp gain to about half way. Phew. Still with me? Now, start playing your QWERTY keyboard! You should be hearing an unadulterated polyphonic triangle waveform. It isn’t going to set the world on fire, but it’s a good starting
Let’s try for something a little beefier…
Moving on to the Effects section… Let’s get a nice rhythmic ping-pong delay going. Toggle delay on, by clicking the LED until it glows. Ensure BPM sync is selected. Dial up 100 on both FX send and feedback, for a very pronounced delay, with a long decay. Dial up 2/4 for your delay time and scroll the delay pan all the way to the right, to create a pronounced rhythmic panned delay. Play for a moment, and adjust any of the delay parameters to tweak the delay to your own ends. Now it’s time for the LFOs to shine.
An LFO modulates a parameter at low speed using the selected waveform. AXS offers many destinations for its twin LFOs. How about routing LFO1 to the amplitude envelope to create a tremolo? To do this, select amplitude as the destination for LFO1, and choose a sine wave shape. Select a rate of 110 and an amount of about 50. Hold down a chord and adjust these parameters until you hear a setting you like. It is also worthwhile playing with the sliders and amplitude envelope at this point. Reshaping the ADSR envelope will alter the nature of the tremolo. In particular, try bringing the release slider (number 4) to a value in excess of 100, to keep the notes going for a while after we release the keys. Combine this with a short attack of about 10 and a fairly large sustain and release - sliders 1, 2 and 3, respectively. This gives us a slightly lazy, dreamy feel, as the notes take a small period to “bite” and a further period, after we release them, to decay. And, just for giggles, why not dial up some distortion for extra “beef” and harmonics? But you might want to turn your speakers down a little, before playing.
Finally, let’s EQ our patch. It sounds good on its own, but there’s a lot of bass which has the potential to steal the thunder from a bass line or kick drum. This patch is more suited to lead and pad work, so let’s get rid of some of the unwanted low end. In the filter envelope: Toggle the HP LED on, move the filter gain knob to center, and toggle on Vel2Filt and Vel2Amp. Set the cut-off to about 30, while resonance can stay at 0. And we’re done! To store our patch, we first name it. Click on the current patch name in the presets area. When you see the square cursor appear over the letter that you clicked on, you may edit the patch’s name using the keyboard. Hit Enter when done, click the store button, choose the preset number you’d like to hold your preset, and click store again. I did find a bug where the preset was lost after the program restarted. So you may wish to investigate how to save user banks of sounds to a file - that way, you can be sure you’ve saved your work for later use. I will cover this, and other AXS functionality, next month. That’s it. tutorial.
I hope you enjoyed this
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We’ll select Osc1 pitch as the destination for LFO2. Remember that Osc2 is already detuned high and we don’t want that going any further out of tune relative to Osc1. By modulating Osc1, we are detuning it below and above its center “in-tune” detent. As it goes above center tuning, it approaches the tuning of
Osc2. This rhythmic tuning fattens the sound and is a cheap substitute for a chorus effect. A rate of 64 and amount of 40 is a good starting point.
JUly 2008