766MB OF SAMPLES | TOP 40 SYNTHS | BASS STATION II FIRST LOOK | 20 PAGES OF TUTORIALS

Issue 124 July 2013

4GB+ www.musictech.net

Issue 124
July 2013

MASTER YOUR SYNTHS

The magazine for producers, engineers and recording musicians

CREATE HUGE LEADS, DEEP DUBSTEP & MASSIVE PADS

PLUS The 40 greatest synths in the world!
Hardware Software
Apps Freeware

20 PAGES OF
TUTORIALS
PRO TOOLS FREE PLUG-INS
CUBASE HARMONIES
REASON HARDWARE The Latest Reviews
LIVE BASS DESIGN
LOGIC DRUMS BASS Moog Sub Phatty, Discovery
STATION II Pro, Zynaptiq Unfilter
EXCLUSIVE
GLUE FLAP

HANDS-ON DVD124 4GB+ PC&Mac

PREVIEW SAMPLE LOOPS//ROYALTY FREE & EXCLUSIVE

DVD124 4GB+ PC&Mac //FUTURE

SAMPLES
Future Transition FX & Sweeps (24-bit/44.1kHz WAV,
Kontakt, EXS24, NN-XT, Structure)
TUTORIALS & VIDEOS
Point Blank Music School Ableton Live Push Challenge,
Kate Simko Logic Masterclass (MOV)
TRANSITION
FX & SWEEPS
Equinox Sounds Funk & Jazz MIDI Construction Rob Papen The Secrets of Subtractive Synthesis
Kits (MIDI) (MP4, MOV)
Issue 124 July 2013Samples Tasters (24-bit/44.1kHz WAV)
5.99
Prime Loops Taster Pack (24-bit/44.1kHz ACID WAV) LoopBlog Producertech Maschine with Logic
Pro (MOV)

DEMOS LoopBlog Producertech Novation Launchkey

Sound Radix Pi (PC, Mac)
KiloHearts Disperser (PC, Mac)
Voxengo Shinechilla (PC, Mac)
FREEWARE
Saltline Lisc-step (PC)
www.musictech.net
Review (MOV)
LoopBlog DSP Project How to Build an Acoustic
Diffuser (MOV) 766MB of adrenalin-fuelled futuristic
LoopBlog Plugin Boutique Cableguys Volume Shaper 3
Overview (MOV) sweeps, metallic rising drones and
TUTORIALS
pulsating LFO workouts

Sleepy Time DSP Lisp (PC) Logic Pro

Cubase
VIDEO TUTORIALS//60+MINS SAMPLES LOOPS//148MB ROYALTY FREE
PROMOTIONAL
AMS Neve 1073N (MOV)
Anymode PDJ DJ Pad (MOV)
Ableton Live
Reason
Pro Tools //ABLETON LIVE //CUTTING-EDGE
Sound Radix Pi (MOV)
Sugar Bytes Turnado iPad Edition (MOV)
Incredible Synths
PUSH CHALLENGE SYNTH LOOPS
Waldorf Rocket Synthesizer (MOV)
8DIO 8Dioboe (MOV) MIDI LOOPS//ROYALTY FREE & EXCLUSIVE VIDEO TUTORIALS//15+MINS
Synth Promo Videos (MOV)
//FUNK & JAZZ //ROB PAPENS
MIDI LOOPS SYNTH SECRETS
www.musictech.net
COPYRIGHT ANTHEM PUBLISHING 2013

GLUE FLAP
ATH-M50
More Colour In Your Mix

Audio-Technicas acclaimed ATH-M50 studio monitor

headphones deliver natural response throughout the
entire frequency range, without hyping or diminishing
sounds along the way. Wherever your passion for music
leads you, listen for more.
Now offered in a new limited-edition red, in addition to the original black and
white models.
Natural response ideal for professional monitoring and mixing
Collapsible design for easy portability and convenient storage
Proprietary 45 mm large-aperture drivers with neodymium magnet systems
Closed-back cushioned earcups for isolation
Adjustable padded headband for comfort during long mixing/recording sessions

www.audio-technica.com
 Welcome MT

Expert Panel
Meet the team of experts
behind the magazine
Cubase Tim Hallas
Tims a music technology consultant and
education expert. As Cubase Editor he will be
bringing you a range of technique features for the
popular DAW over the coming months.
Kraftwerk, Hammersmith Odeon, 1981. Thats
Mixing/Mastering/Logic Mark Cousins
Mark specialises in sound design and cinematic when I fell in love with the synthesizer
productions. He has recorded with orchestras
across Europe and is heavily involved in
(although it was actually a vocoder and a drum
soundtrack composition. machine from the track Numbers, but lets not
split hairs I was only 14). It was one of those
Recording & Guitar Tech Huw Price
A recording engineer since 1987, Huw has worked life-changing moments that you use the word
with David Bowie, My Bloody Valentine, Primal
Scream, Depeche Mode, Nick Cave, Heidi Berry,
literally about a lot when recalling it. And with that rather
Fad Gadget and countless others. robotic vision of the future firmly lodged in that young
Scoring/Orchestral Keith Gemmell brain, I went on to spend half my student grant on a synth.
Keith specialises in areas where traditional (For younger readers a student grant was a rather quaint
music-making meets music technology, including
orchestral and jazz sample libraries, acoustic cash sum students used to get to spend on beans on toast
virtual instruments and notation software. while they studied. A much thinner me bought a Roland
Ableton Live & DJing Liam OMullane D-20 with his arguably the first ever workstation,
Liam has worked as a D&B scratch DJ as well as although the only arguments Ive ever had on that have
releasing dubstep, D&B and hardcore tracks. His
passion is to learn the production styles of the been with Korg M1 fans.)
latest genres using Live. Ive now spent the last three decades veering between hardware synth setups,
software setups, mixes of the two and, more recently of course, app-based setups.
Reason & Mobile Hollin Jones But all the time the sound of the circuit has been lodged up top in the music I listen
As well as teaching music technology, producing
and writing soundtracks, Hollin is an expert on to and produce plus pretty much everything I write about. One of my kids is even
everything Apple, mobile or computer-related, as called OSCar. So it was only a matter of time before this rather special issue of
well as being an accomplished keyboard player.
MusicTech was going to happen, and pretty much every page is stamped with some
Electronic Music Alex Holmes kind of synth specialness from our exclusive hands-on action with the Bass
Alex has been a computer musician for 15 years, Station II right through to my review of the Moog Sub Phatty. Not to mention our
having a keen passion for beats, bass and all
massive tutorial on creating huge synth sounds and the 40 best synths in the world
forms of electronic music. Hes currently involved
in three different dance music projects. today. So I would say weve pulled out all the stops, but isnt that organ-speak? More
like weve pushed the envelope, LFO and filter.
Studio Hardware John Pickford Kraftwerk, envelopes, OSCar and an argument over two 1988 workstations. If
John is a studio engineer with over 25 years of
experience. He is a keen sound recording historian
youve ever read a more geeky page of magazine then please let me know
and has a passion for valve-driven analogue
equipment and classic recording techniques. Andy Jones Senior Editor
andy.jones@anthem-publishing.com
Pro Tools Mike Hillier
Mike spent five years at Metropolis Studios,
working alongside some of the best-known mix
and mastering engineers in the world. He is now
building his own studio in south London.

VISIT OUR WEBSITE!

Head to our constantly updated website
for the latest news, reviews and 10 years
worth of quality content musictech.net

DONT MISS
OUR GREAT
SUBS OFFER!
Bag yourself a
Studiospares S580
vocal mic worth 47
when you subscribe
see page 64 for
full details.

magazine July 2013 |3

MT Contents

MT Contents
Issue 124 July 2013

12 THE WORLDS
BEST SYNTHS
Whether hardware, software or mobile,
we round up our top synth choices

MT Interview

06 30
Advance

DOWN & DIRTY

We visit Novations HQ and get hands-on
Rob Papen
The visionary sound designer
with the much-anticipated Bass Station II and synth guru talks to MT

4 | July 2013 magazine

 Contents MT

p83
p66
MT Issue 124 Full listings
006 | Advance Opinion,
predictions and upcoming reviews,
including a Bass Station II first look
The Latest Reviews 012 | Cover Feature
p86 The worlds greatest hardware,

SUB PHATTY
Waldorf Rocket | Avantone CV12
software and mobile synths
revealed and why...
INTERVIEWS
& CV28 | Sound Radix Pi | 030 | Industry Guru Synth guru
and sound designer Rob Papen
p81
032 | Landmark Productions
Software Tutorials The Human League Reproduction

HARMONIES, MIXING DRUMS, PT PLUG-

TECHNIQUE
034 | Cover Feature Create unique

INS, BASS DESIGN, REASON HARDWARE

and cutting-edge synth sounds
044 | Cubase 7 Creating
convincing harmonies
048 | Live 9 Bass design with the
Operator synth
p52
052 | Logic Pro 9 Processing and
p44 mixing drums
056 | Pro Tools 10 Free plug-ins to
augment your PT setup
060 | Reason 7 Using MIDI
hardware with Reason
064 | Subscribe to MusicTech and
p48 receive a Studiospares S580 mic
worth 47!
REVIEWS
p56 066 | Moog Sub Phatty
p60 071 | Zynaptiq UNFILTER
072 | discoDSP Discovery Pro
074 | 8DIO 8Dioboe
077 | sE Electronics Magneto

Tutorial 079 | Adam F5

CREATING SIGNATURE
081 | Sound Radix Pi Phase
Interactions Mixer
083 | Waldorf Rocket

SYNTH SOUNDS
084 | AMS Neve 1073N
086 | Avantone CV12 & CV28
089 | Mini Reviews
096 | Next Month in MT
098 | On your MT DVD
GLUE FLAP

DVD124 4GB+ PC&Mac

SAMPLE LOOPS//ROYALTY FREE & EXCLUSIVE

DVD124 4GB+ PC&Mac //FUTURE

SAMPLES
Future Transition FX & Sweeps (24-bit/44.1kHz WAV,
Kontakt, EXS24, NN-XT, Structure)
TUTORIALS & VIDEOS
Point Blank Music School Ableton Live Push Challenge,
Kate Simko Logic Masterclass (MOV)
TRANSITION
FX & SWEEPS
Equinox Sounds Funk & Jazz MIDI Construction Rob Papen The Secrets of Subtractive Synthesis
Kits (MIDI) (MP4, MOV)

34
Prime Loops Taster Pack (24-bit/44.1kHz ACID WAV) LoopBlog Producertech Maschine with Logic
Samples Tasters (24-bit/44.1kHz WAV) Pro (MOV)
LoopBlog Producertech Novation Launchkey
DEMOS Review (MOV)
Sound Radix Pi (PC, Mac)
KiloHearts Disperser (PC, Mac)
LoopBlog DSP Project How to Build an Acoustic
Diffuser (MOV) 766MB of adrenalin-fuelled futuristic
Voxengo Shinechilla (PC, Mac) LoopBlog Plugin Boutique Cableguys Volume Shaper 3
Overview (MOV) sweeps, metallic rising drones and
FREEWARE
Saltline Lisc-step (PC) TUTORIALS
pulsating LFO workouts
Sleepy Time DSP Lisp (PC) Logic Pro
Cubase
PROMOTIONAL Ableton Live
VIDEO TUTORIALS//60+MINS SAMPLES LOOPS//148MB ROYALTY FREE
AMS Neve 1073N (MOV)
Anymode PDJ DJ Pad (MOV)
Reason
Pro Tools //ABLETON LIVE //CUTTING-EDGE
Sound Radix Pi (MOV)
Sugar Bytes Turnado iPad Edition (MOV)
Incredible Synths
PUSH CHALLENGE SYNTH LOOPS
Waldorf Rocket Synthesizer (MOV)
8DIO 8Dioboe (MOV) MIDI LOOPS//ROYALTY FREE & EXCLUSIVE VIDEO TUTORIALS//15+MINS
Synth Promo Videos (MOV)
//FUNK & JAZZ //ROB PAPENS
COPYRIGHT ANTHEM PUBLISHING 2013
MIDI LOOPS SYNTH SECRETS

GLUE FLAP

magazine July 2013 |5

MT Advance
MTAdvance
Round-ups Analysis & comment
NOVATION BASS STATION II
EXCLUSIVE FIRST LOOK
To open our synth special, what better than a visit to
Novations HQ to get hands-on with a very black-
looking Bass Station II? Andy Jones reports
Weve just visited Novations HQ to have an exclusive
first look at the companys new Bass Station II a
synth that has been turning heads and making
headlines since its announcement at Frankfurt
Musikmesse in April. The synth, designed by veteran synth
pioneer Chris Huggett (also responsible for the OSCar and
Wasp synths), is a follow-up, albeit a rather slow one, to
1993s original Bass Station, a synth that answered the
demands of the acid house scene of the time.
We first saw the Bass Station II at Frankfurt and it has
certainly moved on, not least because it is now a very
cool-looking black. Novations Nick Bookman and Giles
Orford were on hand to talk us through the latest
developments: Since Frankfurt the synth has had about 80
to 100 firmware changes, says Nick, and were now at the
stage where were narrowing down the masses of presets we
have to the best 64, which well ship with the unit this
summer along with 64 user presets.
The architecture of the synth is similar to the original. Its
audio path is analogue but sources are digitally
controlled, so the filter is analogue but
under digital control, likewise
The Bass Station II:
Instrumentalists will make it
do whatever they want it to do and it
can do a lot.
6 | July 2013 magazine
Industry insight
the modulation sources. There are two oscillators with four
waveforms each and a sub oscillator with a fixed narrow or
square pulse that follows the pitch of oscillator 1. A noise
generator and ring modulation complete the sound sources.
Bass Station II has two filters: Classic and Acid. The
Classic is similar to the original Bass Stations, a state-
variable filter with two slopes, but unlike the original it has
high- and band-pass shapes (see below for more on the Acid
filter). Connections include a line out, headphones, a line in
for processing external signals, sustain pedal in, MIDI in/out
and a USB port that supplies power and MIDI but not audio.
The TB-303 has a distinct filter.
Ours has the same topology not
a clone but it really does evoke
the acid sound
The synth is monophonic and mono so very much has
bass written all over it, although, of course, thats not to say
it cant be used for other sounds. First and foremost it
is a bass synth and the presets will reflect that,
says Giles, but instrumentalists will make it do
whatever they want it to do and it can do a
lot. So we will focus on basses as far as the
presets that ship with it, but there could
be more banks released down the line.
Its been 21 years since the
announcement of the original
Bass Station, so why has it been
so long for the follow-up?
Theres been a
resurgence of interest in
analogue synths over
the last couple of years,
says Giles. After a period
when we did very well with
VA synths, people then went on
to use a lot of soft synths, but now theres
definitely a move to people wanting something a bit
more tangible. Its fair to say that the original Bass Station
had a lot of fans and we were always getting asked to do a
follow-up so the timing was right and we finally succumbed
to the pressure. Weve added several features and really
believe it significantly moves the synth up a few levels.
 Advance MT

MT Navigation Bass Station II

OSCILLATORS MIXER DISTORTION
a Select from four
b Where to blend the
c Within an
waveforms plus sources sound sources: two effects section you
and destinations for the oscillators, ring, noise and a get a Distortion circuit
two LFOs. sub linked to oscillator 1. to add a bit more dirt.

b
a

c
e

COOL BLUE LIGHTS
d Not technically a feature that makes a jot of
difference to music production, but whats not to
like about the cool blue lights beneath the pitch
and mod wheels?
f
ENVELOPES BLUE, GREY OR BLACK
e Switchable between standard
f Bass Station II was grey,
amp envelope (for volume over time) now its black but the final
and mod (pitch for the mod env) plus colour is still TBC. The plate
a combination of the two. beneath is bright blue maybe
the final colour?

We first saw the Bass Station II but it really does evoke that acid characteristic. We wanted
to go beyond what the original Bass Station had and this

at Frankfurt and it has certainly certainly does that.

Following this comprehensive introduction to the new

moved on, not least because it is Bass Station we were treated to a demo of its various
presets, including the 303 sounds and a stack of different

now a very cool-looking black basses and very impressive they were too. What was
memorable about the original was how big the sound was
despite coming from such a small unit, and this certainly
One of the things that could have stalled the project replicated that surprise feeling. Nick also included a demo
was access to the abundance of analogue components of the step sequencer (which enables you to store four
needed to bring a synth like this to market in what is
FOR MORE sequences, each with 32 steps to trigger very much like

now a very digital age: It was a risk we had to
consider, says Nick. The main component we
needed was an OTA operational transconductance
amplifier. These are getting rarer, but we managed
to secure a supply of them.
And another big addition to the Bass Station II is
that of the Acid filter, a circuit designed to give the
synth a TB-303-like edge: Its a sound that is still in
demand even after all this time, says Nick. The 303 has a
particular filter type so weve designed a circuit with a
similar topology called the diode ladder and it has a
particular frequency characteristic that allows us to get
close to the acid sound. Its not a clone it is our design
OF THE
an arpeggiated sequence). We were certainly
impressed, but you can judge for yourselves as the
LATEST NEWS full demo is on our website at www.musictech.net.
Were even more keen to get one in and put it through
CHECK OUT its paces ourselves, so look out for the full review in a
couple of issues time and online.
MUSICTECH.NET One last question, then: are we going to see a new
Drum Station any time soon?
Nothing is planned at the moment, says Nick, but never
say never!
Price 399
Web www.novationmusic.com www.musictech.net

magazine July 2013 |7

 Advance MT

The Irish Are Coming!

MusicTech meets the Irish companies set to blaze a
music technology trail over the coming year...
Predicting the future of music-making is becoming harder.
Apps are improving to tempt us away from the studio, hardware

MT helps Audio- quality soars to keep us in the studio, while computers are so
powerful that we sit between the two making music on a laptop.

Technica launch Its great, then, that we often get the scoops on new developments
so you can read about them here first.

Me And My 510
Ten Audio-Technica mics are up for grabs just tell us
how youll use them!
We love ideas that might promote more unusual music-
making activities, so when Audio-Technica came to us with this
one we jumped at the chance to run with it. Basically, AT is
offering ten readers an ATM510 mic simply for telling us how
youll use it if you win. The winning ten will get the chance to mic
up their entire studio or band with AT gear to the value of 1,000
simply by blogging about their ATM510 via MusicTech.net. The
best of the blogs win the AT gear. Easy, eh?
When he reviewed the mic last month, Mike Hillier concluded:
The ATM510 is a great-sounding microphone easily a match
for the SM58, so its clearly a mic thats at home in whatever
situation it finds itself in. If you fancy a chance to win one of the
ten mics simply tell us how youll use it by visiting our home page
(www.musictech.net). Fill in the entry form and go for it!
Web www.musictech.net/510compo
A couple of weeks ago we were invited to Dublin by Enterprise
Ireland for a Showcase of Innovation in Irish Music Technology,
where we met eight start-up companies from the countrys
burgeoning tech scene.
Companies included Seevl (technology that profiles your
musical trends for easy access to new music); Huggity (huge
hi-res photos of concert crowds allowing fans to tag and share
experiences); Mobanode (an app for festivals); and TicketFriend
(expanding the ticketing experience for fans and promoters).
More interestingly from a music-creation point of view is
WholeWorldBand. This is an app conceived by Kevin Godley
(10cc and Godley & Creme) that allows you to record a seed
track that others can join and play along to. Its video-based and
several high-profile artists have recorded seeds, including
Ronnie Wood and Gemma Hayes. Importantly, it claims to offer
an income from released tracks and for people paying to play.
Next up is 45sound, a way of getting decent-quality audio on
video footage shot by fans at gigs. Before you complain that this
will encourage more people to film gigs rather than enjoy them,
stick with us. The idea is that fans help bands create videos and
that the filming could then be limited to just one or two tracks so
the rest of the concert is not destroyed by the usual arm-raising

MusicTechs crazy phone action. Which is worth the ticket price alone in our book...
Riffstations concept is simple: play any track in and the

summer giveaway
software analyses it and comes up with all the information you
need tempo, chord changes etc to learn it by playing along.
Its guitar-orientated so you see the chords to play and can slow
it down to make learning easier. With tie-ups to YouTube, expect
If you havent checked out MusicTech on an iPad, now is to see this one soon (and an upcoming review).
certainly the time to do it. Not only is the app itself Finally, we have Soundwave, an app that effectively works out
Photography by Jamie Tanner, The Sixpence Studio

completely free, but for a limited period if you subscribe for at what the world is listening to. It enables you to connect to
least six issues youll get three back issues completely free! like-minded friends, share info on new music, or even pinpoint
Thats a mere 16.99 for nine issues, which has to be great the trending music in specific locations. With Apple impressed
value in anyones book! by the tech back end, its imminent launch could be a biggie.
The offer is available through www.pocketmags.com. Just Remember: you read it here first.
search for MusicTech and download your free app today. The More info from www.enterprise-ireland.com
back issues included are 120, 121 and 122 (MarchMay 2013).
Among the highlights are Mark Cousins in-depth guide to
composing music to picture, an insight into mobile music-
making technology present and future, our recommendations
for monitors to suit all budgets, plus all the usual tutorials,
reviews and industry news.

Above: Kevin Godley

entertained with
WholeWorldBand.
Left: The rest of
the delegates.

magazine July 2013 |9

MT Advance

PHALANX
Company Vengeance-Sound Price TBC
First impressions The Vengeance Producer Suite is getting
considerably bigger with the addition of this latest Sampler
plug-in. If its anything like previous releases from Vengeance
it should offer the dance music producer all the tools they
need for a fast yet creative workflow. Were just getting into
it now and so far, so good!
Contact info@vengeance-sound.com
Web www. vengeance-sound.com

OCEAN WAY STUDIOS

Company Universal Audio Price $349
First impressions UAD-2 card owners already have an amazing range of plug-ins
to choose from for tracking, mix processing and mastering. This release is
somewhat different, though, aiming to model the fabled tones and vintage mics
of Ocean Way Studios, one of the worlds most famous recording venues. Its been
developed in conjunction with well-respected engineer/producer and Ocean Way
owner Allen Sides and UA is a company that actually delivers on the hype, so this
looks to be very promising.
Contact Source Distribution 020 8962 5080 Web www.uaudio.com

DIGITAL PERFORMER 8 WAVELAB 8

Company MOTU Price 349 Company Steinberg Price 448
First impressions MOTUs once First impressions So many DAWS are
Mac-only DAW has finally made the capable of undertaking mastering
duties these days that you might ask

MTTest Bench
move to Windows (7 and 8). Is it too
late in the game to acquire a new
following among the PC set, or will
the enticing new features and tools of
version 8 see off the competition?
Well be taking it for a test drive soon
and will report back.
Contact Musictrack 01767 313447
Web www.motu.com
why you would spend yet more
money on a dedicated piece of
mastering software. Weve already
downloaded and installed WaveLab 8
Upcoming hardware and software releases so well let you know how it fares after
under the scrutiny of Music Techs experts weve put its tools and features to
now read the full reviews next issue! work on some mixes of our own.
Contact via website
Web www. steinberg.net

AMPLE GUITAR T
Company Ample Sound Co Price $169
First impressions Weve been checking out the audio examples
on Ample Sounds website and reckon this promises to be a
very convincing solution for anyone needing pro-sounding
guitar parts but lacks a performer, great guitar and the
necessary mics. Well let you know how it performs in terms of
authenticity and ease of use as soon as we can.
Contact via website
Web www.amplesound.net

10 | July 2013 magazine

 MusicTech MAGAZINE

02476 36 98 98
MT Feature The worlds greatest synths

MT Cover Feature Synths & Synthesis

THE WORLDS
GREATEST
SYNTHS
From warm and resonant analogue waves to complex digital sound design, theres no
shortage of choice when it comes to software and hardware synthesizers and you
dont always need deep pockets to enjoy them. Alex Holmes explores your options.

12 | July 2013 magazine

 The Worlds Greatest Synths The worlds greatest synths Feature MT

T
he actual birth date of the synthesizer is hard to pin-point as so many
technological developments were made in the early 1900s, but the
building blocks for subtractive synthesis as we know it appeared around
the 30s and 40s. Fast-forward to 1960 when Harald Bode created the
first modular synthesizer and youve got the template for subsequent
designs by Donald Buchla and Bob Moog. These early modulars were so large they
filled a room and resembled some sort of space-craft launch console, which by
todays standards seems rather excessive as you can get the same sound-design
capabilities from something that fits in your pocket!
Over the next couple of
decades synths got smaller
and more advanced, with the
introduction of MIDI, digital
There can be no greater thrill
control and the subsequent
explosion in software and
than getting hands-on with a synth
VSTs. You have only to look
back at the development of
and crafting a unique sound
musical styles over the last
40 years to hear how influential the synthesizer has been in shaping our musical
landscape, from the analogue-sounding 70s and the crisp, digital 80s to the detailed
sound design of recent times due to the use of complex modern soft synths.
But what is it about the synthesizer that makes us love it so? As producers and
composers, there can be no greater thrill than getting hands-on with a synth and
crafting a unique sound from scratch that you can call your own. However, with so
many potential products on the market, choosing the right one for the job can be a
daunting task. With that in mind, weve rounded up what we believe to be the
cream of the crop, highlighting both hardware and software synths that will suit
all tastes and budgets. Whether youre after an affordable analogue unit, a
complex, modern beast or a tactile iPad synth for live use, read on...

magazine July 2013 | 13

MT Feature The worlds greatest synths

Hardware synths
D
espite the huge number of software synths
available, there is still a massive market for
more expensive hardware synths. This is in
part due to the gratification of instant
feedback when tweaking knobs and sliders, along
with circuitry and operating systems that have been
optimised for a single job. Its much easier to get lost
while sound-designing using a piece of hardware, as
youre not so easily distracted by other effects and
plug-ins, and touching controls directly feels much
more intuitive than using a mouse to fine-tune
parameters. You may also be buying a hardware synth
for its analogue circuitry something that cant quite
be matched by software or simply to integrate a
quality keyboard into your studio and live setup.
This is one of the first things you need to consider
when choosing a hardware synth: do you already have
a controller keyboard that you intend to use with your
new synth module, or do you require a built-in
keyboard? Many synths come in both rackmount and
keyboard formats, and although you may not think
you need keys, having a self-contained unit can make
things much easier when performing live. It also
means you dont have to go via a computer to use the
synth if your controller has only a USB connection.
That said, many of the keyboard-less units have a
small footprint, so if space is an issue, this may be
the way to go. The other thing to consider is whether
you want a polyphonic workstation or just a
stripped-back, monophonic analogue monster.
And you might consider building your own
modular system from individual units, but
dont blame us if you have to eat rice for a
year to afford it! Finally, youll note the
lack of a Nord Lead in our top 10. This
is because the 3 has recently been
superseded by the 4, which well
be reviewing next issue.

Touching controls feels more

intuitive than using a mouse to
fine-tune parameters
MT Technology The analogue sound and modular setups NOVATION
MININOVA
While some will choose to continually strive for cutting-edge and unique new sounds, others seek out Price 299 Contact
Novation 01494 462246
the familiar warm tones of true analogue hardware. Theres just something indescribable about the
MiniNova is designed for
feeling of being blasted in the face by a pure-analogue square-wave bass line through a large PA that use both in the studio and
cant be matched by even the most complex of squealing digital synths. The only real drawback apart on stage, with the sound
from the price is that youre often fairly limited by the layout and feature set of these analogue engine of the Ultranova but
hardware synths. One option is to build your own modular system from individual units, so you can in a smaller, lighter form.
choose exactly how many oscillators, envelopes, LFOs and filter types you have, then patch them The 37 keys are bit too
small for chord work, but
together in ways limited only by your imagination. This means that you can mix and match a range of
there are plenty of controls
different-sounding units to build a system thats unique to you, and, money permitting, change and for tweaking, plus an
modify the modules as your programming skills improve. arpeggiator and a Chord
Companies such as Modcan, Doepfer, Curetronic and Synthesizers.com offer a range of different mode. Other features
modules as well as cabinets to house and power them. Doepfer even makes a module that offers MIDI include the ability to route
via USB, so you can still get things working with your computer if you so desire. If you want to build a external audio through the
more unique instrument there are smaller, more boutique companies such as The Harvestman effects section, a mic input
for use with the synths
(www.theharvestman.org) and Livewire Electronics making
vocoder and VocalTune
specialist modules such as the Vulcan Modulator. functions, and an excellent
There are currently three main modular formats: the Animate mode in which
Frac-Rack, Eurorack and MOTM/Synthesizers.com snapshots of a preset can
solutions, which have different-size modules, power be triggered by hitting one
supplies and patch input sizes. Ideally, youll make your of the eight pads. The
MiniNova is a superb-
life a lot easier if you pick one and stick to that, and its
sounding synth that has
worth considering how much space youve got as the the bonus of coming with a
Eurorack and Frac-Rack systems are a little smaller. A software editor that can
good starting point would be to check out run inside your DAW. Also
www.modularplanner.co.uk, which enables you to try out worth noting is that
various setups by dragging modules from different MiniNova and Ultranova
owners can currently
companies onto a virtual rack. It will also usefully inform
download a Supernova
you how much of a dent your dream modular monster sound pack for free.
A relatively modest modular system
will make on your bank balance. Web
from Modcan comprising 12 units.
www.novationmusic.com

14 | July 2013 magazine

 The worlds greatest synths Feature MT

MT Buyers Guide Ten of the best

MOOG MINIMOOG VOYAGER XL
Price 4,549 Contact Source Distribution 020 8962 5080
Moog celebrated its 40th anniversary with this ultimate
version of its Minimoog Voyager, which ups the keyboard to 61
notes and throws in a CV patchbay, additional ribbon controller
and second LFO. Anyone familiar with the Minimoog layout will
be right at home there are the usual three super-fat
oscillators, smooth ladder filter and external audio in. Its
monophonic and doesnt include any form of arpeggiator or FX,
but the Voyager XL is the still the Rolls-Royce of synths.
Web www.moogmusic.com
MOOG MINITAUR
Price 499 Contact Source Distribution 020 8962 5080
If youre after the Moog sound but want something a little
smaller and more affordable, you might want to check out
the Minitaur a monophonic analogue bass synthesizer
with two oscillators, an incredibly smooth and fat filter,
two envelope generators for modulating the filter and amp,
plus two LFOs hardwired to the VCO and VCF. Each knob on
the front panel has a one knob per function design,
making sound design quick and easy. An extended set of
parameters and preset management system can be
accessed from the editor software when connected to a
computer via USB. The Minitaur is tremendous fun to play
and capable of producing some gorgeous, earth-shaking
basses, while the CV and audio inputs mean its also more
capable than it may first appear.
Web www.moogmusic.com

KORG KRONOS
Price 1,999 (61-key) Contact Korg 01908 304601
Since the original M1 Korg has been at the forefront of the workstation keyboard world,
and its latest offering, Kronos, is no exception. Available with three different sizes of
keyboard, Kronos boasts a wealth of connections and features, from the ability to stream
audio direct to your DAW via USB to the internal 30GB SSD drive, large touchscreen and
multiple faders, dials and controls. You have the option of nine different sound engines,
which can be routed through 16 simultaneous effects to create a massive range of lush
and powerful sounds. Add to this a comprehensive onboard sequencer with 16 MIDI and 16
ARTURIA MINIBRUTE audio tracks plus Korgs amazing KARMA system for generating new phrases on-the-fly
Price 449 Contact Source Distribution 020 8962 5080 and youve got a highly complex but powerful system.
The MiniBrute marks the surprise entry of software Web www.korg.com
experts Arturia into the world of analogue synths, and
features a pure analogue signal path with a single VCO and
flexible Steiner-Parker multimode filter. Other unique
features include a Brute Factor control that can be used to
add crunchy feedback saturation to your sounds, an
Ultrasaw for generating shimmering sawtooths, and a
Metalizer for adding triangle harmonics. When you factor
in the USB connectivity, arpeggiator and external audio
input you actually have an interesting sound-shaping
machine thats much more capable than its single-
oscillator design might have you believe. The filter is
particularly exquisite, with the BP and HP modes allowing
for some MS-20-style resonant squeals.
Web www.arturia.com

magazine July 2013 | 15

MT Feature The worlds greatest synths

MT Buyers Guide Ten of the best, continued DSI TEMPEST

Price 1,405 Contact DSI +1 707 963 7006
Tempest is a six-voice analogue/digital hybrid drum
machine designed by pioneers Dave Smith and Roger Linn.
Each drum kit consists of 16 sounds, with each sound
using two analogue oscillators and two digital. Theres also
a large bank of digital waveforms with samples taken from
the Prophet VS, alongside one-shot samples from the 808,
909, LM-1, the LinnDrum and more. Tempest features
extensive modulation options and can also function as an
excellent monophonic synth. Although you cant process
YAMAHA MOX8 external audio, the 16 touch-sensitive drum pads, two
Price 1,254 Contact Yamaha 0844 811 1116 slider controls, intuitive sequencer, master buss
For those of you looking for the main functions of the compressor and distortion help to seal the deal.
Motif series but not in a position to make the kind of Web www.davesmithinstruments.com
investment required, Yamaha has released a scaled-
down version in the shape of the MOX8 and MOX6. The
combination of a USB audio interface, step sequencer,
real-time controllers and MIDI via USB alongside the
versatile sound set makes it an ideal production
machine in conjunction with a DAW. A Category search
function makes it easy to browse through the 1,127
voices, with Song and Pattern modes for fleshing out
your ideas. Theres also a powerful arpeggiator with
6,720 types, an excellent FX section and a software
editor that can turn the MOX into a VSTi.
Web www.yamaha.com

ROLAND GAIA SH-01

Price 549 Contact Roland 01792 702701
Gaia is Rolands follow-up to the SH-201, with 37 full-size keys, a host of
real-time controls and two USB sockets one for storing patches and one
for streaming audio to a computer. The presets are mainly geared towards
dance and electronica bowel-shaking basses, acid leads and hard
techno sequences alongside more restrained pads and bleeps. Despite
lacking a screen, the clever layout and colour-coded buttons and controls
make editing the oscillators, filter and four effects fairly intuitive. Theres
also an arpeggiator, phrase recorder and assignable D-Beam controller for
hands-free sound-shaping.
Web www.roland.co.uk
ACCESS VIRUS TI2 POLAR
Price 2,441 Contact via website
The Virus sound has been with us for years and has DSI MOPHO
indeed, as Access claims, shaped the sound of music. KEYBOARD
Whether you access this sound from within the Polar Price 645 Contact
(shown), the Snow or even through the TC Electronic DSI +1 707 963 7006
PowerCore you will instantly be blown away by the The Mopho Keyboard is the
depth, sonic interest and ageless beauty of it. TI stands much-needed progression
for Total Integration in that the synth can be used on from the Mopho desktop
its own or can act like a virtual instrument in your synth, which gave us a
desktop environment. A great idea that hasnt always single lush voice from the
worked 100% smoothly. Nevertheless, the Virus is a Dave Smith Prophet 08. It
sure-fire classic, but dont expect to find it discounted comes in an all-metal case
anywhere, such is its greatness with a 32-note, velocity-
Web www.access-music.de sensitive/aftertouch-
enabled keyboard with two
digitally controlled
analogue oscillators, each
of which has a sub-
oscillator. Theres also a 4 x
16-step sequencer and an
arpeggiator that can be
comfortably edited to
create fat-sounding synth
patterns or complex,
sweeping pads. The Mopho
Keyboard is a superbly
built, great-sounding and
easy-to-use mono synth.
Web www.
davesmithinstruments.
com

16 | July 2013 magazine

1073N mono microphone preamplifier & EQ module
The standout microphone preamplifier,
now standalone.
The award-winning Neve 1073 mic preamp & EQ is the
undoubted mic preamp unit of choice. No other mic
preamp can match the sheer quality of recording results
or achievements throughout the last 40 years.
Originally supplied in Neve consoles, the classic 1073
delivered that special Neve sound to recordings and
became instantly sought after. Inventive audio engineers
who craved that essential sound removed classic 1073
modules from old Neve consoles and inserted them into
racks, to allow them to be easily used in studios and
locations that didn't have Neve consoles available.
The new 1073N module changes the game completely.
Retaining the same circuit design, premium quality (and
unique) components, physical size and the incredible
sonic performance as the classic 1073, the new 1073N
module introduces extra features to make it even better.
Input and output connectors, a DI input, phantom
power and an external PSU allow the 1073N to be
used anywhere mains power is available. There is no
need for a rack or a compatible console to plug it into.
And if you do have a rack or compatible console, the
1073N can be plugged into these too as it retains the
original rear connector in addition to the new rear
connectors. The best of both the old and the new.
Perfect for location recording, small project studios
or large commercial studios, the new 1073N delivers
instant results in an elegant standalone & mobile
package with minimal preparation or adjustment.
Simply place the 1073N on a surface, apply power,
connect to a recorder and plug in a microphone,
instrument or line level audio source and inject the
legendary Neve sound into your recordings.
MT Feature The worlds greatest synths

Software synths
T
he rise of software synths has been nothing
less than meteoric, with thousands of
developers large and small offering up their
take on synthesis techniques alongside new
and innovative designs. Whereas hardware synths are
limited in terms of number of oscillators, filters and
other components, in the software world we can
combine a huge number of such elements, perhaps
excessively stacking oscillators for massive-sounding
waveforms. Although an analogue-modelled Minimoog
soft synth might not equal its hardware counterpart,
consider the fact that you can layer up multiple
instances and also use it in polyphonic mode.
However, while many companies look to offer more
flexible, software versions of classic synths, others
endeavour to create new techniques for sound-design
using resynthesis, convolution and granular
techniques. Instruments such as iZotopes Iris enable
you to select a portion of an audio file from a
spectrogram display using an array of drawing tools,
then use this as an oscillator sound source. Theres
also Camel Audios Alchemy, which has a powerful
additive synthesis engine that can accurately
resynthesise audio, allowing you to manipulate it in
ways that are impossible with sampling alone. If
youre looking for an instrument for cutting-edge
sound design, these kinds of soft synths are good
starting points as they excel at creating complex and
detailed sounds. However, if youre intending to write
warm, analogue-sounding house, you might find
these textures a little too complicated and end up
cluttering your mix. Ultimately, youll probably
want to select several synths for different
tasks. Just be wary of mixing and
matching too many different flavours
of synthesis together as you may
end up confusing your listener
and yourself!

Thousands of developers large

and small are offering their take
on synthesis techniques
NI RAZOR
MT Technology Types of synthesis Price 99 Contact
2twenty2 0845 299 4222
There are many types of synthesis beyond traditional subtractive techniques, and there are plenty of Razor has been designed
by German producer
synths out there that offer a whole range in a single unit or software instrument. The most common
Errorsmith in conjunction
types are additive synthesis, which builds sounds by adding waveforms together, and frequency with Native Instruments
modulation (FM), which uses one or more oscillators to modulate the tonal and amplitude and works with the latest
characteristics of another oscillator. These types excel at brash, digital-sounding bells and metallic version of Reaktor and the
sounds, and are also capable of creating more complex waveforms than subtractive techniques alone. free Reaktor Player. At first
Native Instruments FM8 is a prime example of a modern FM synth and is capable of some incredibly glance Razor looks much
like a traditional
rich and detailed sounds. Beyond this we have things like phase-distortion synthesis (which is fairly
subtractive synthesizer,
similar to FM), physical modelling, which uses a set of equations and algorithms to simulate a real having two oscillators, a
instrument, and wavetable and sample-based synthesis. Things get more interesting, though, when you filter section, envelopes,
get into the realms of granular synthesis, which works on the same principles as sampling, but the audio LFOs and effects. However,
file is split into tiny pieces called grains and replayed in a different order at varying speeds and volumes. behind the scenes it is
Low-speed playback results in dissonant soundscapes or clouds, and high speeds in a note or unique creating and sculpting its
timbre. There are plenty of granular synths and processors available, from the freeware HourGlass, by output purely in the
additive domain, using 320
Xenakios, to Steinbergs Padshop Pro, and these are perfect for creating dark soundtrack ambiences.
partials to assemble
Some companies claim to have come up with new sounds on a harmonic-by-
techniques, not least Tone2, whose recent inventions harmonic basis. Overall,
include Harmonic Content Morphing (HCM) Synthesis, Razors sound is edgy and
Impulse Modelling Synthesis (IMS) and Fractal digital but not at the
Synthesis. Although these can seem like buzz terms, in expense of power, depth or
beauty and it comes with
Tone2s case they are genuine innovations in design.
a range of presets catering
That said, although the results could arguably be called for everything from heavy
unique, its not something that will leap out of the dubstep wobbles to eerie
speakers like nothing youve heard before. And this is pads. On the downside, the
probably the most important point to remember when well-designed GUI and
getting exited about the latest gadget or technique: unique additive-style
output comes at the cost of
ultimately, its your own skill at designing sounds that
a high CPU hit.
will create something interesting and new, not the Steinbergs Padshop Pro is granular Web www.native-
technology that powers it. synthesis in a single, easy-to-use package. instruments.com

18 | July 2013 magazine

 The worlds greatest synths Feature MT

MT Buyers Guide Ten of the best

FXPANSION TREMOR
Price 99 Contact Sonic8 08701 657456
Tremor is an analogue-modelled drum synth with eight voices and a grid-based pattern
sequencer. Each of the voices is based on a specially tuned D:CAM oscillator with eight
partials that behave either like a membrane or a harmonic source. A sub-oscillator and
stereo noise source can be mixed in with the signal, which is then directed into a
multimode filter with both pre- and post-filter drive stages. Any of the parameters can be
modulated by a range of sources, and the 32-step pattern sequencer contains some
interesting features, such as the ability to add randomness to your groove.
Web www.fxpansion.com

IZOTOPE IRIS
Price 129 Contact Time+Space 01837 55200
Iris is a little different from your average synth as its a sampling resynthesizer that uses
sampled digital audio to generate sound. There are three sample layers available per patch
as well as a Sub layer that lets you add lower frequencies to a sound, plus a main display
that shows either a waveform or a spectrogram view. Iris works by enabling you to select
parts of a sound, both from its waveform and also within its spectrum, using the same
technology that you find in RX, with a comprehensive set of tools that let you home in on a
particular part of a sound. This intuitive synth is an amazing resource for sound designers,
and layering up samples makes it easy to create breathtaking sound effects.
Web www.timespace.com

U-HE DIVA
Price 138.04 Contact via website
Diva is based on a number of modules
that closely model components of
classic synths from Moog, Roland and
Korg. You can mix and match each
section, with options for voltage- or
digitally controlled oscillators and
envelopes, plus a selection of
multimode, ladder, cascade and bite
filters. This opens up a wide range of
combinations and its easy to get
great-sounding results. Along the
bottom is the Global section, from
where you can set up and tweak LFOs,
tuning, amp, pan, voice stacking and
much more, as well as selecting from
two FX slots including phasing, chorus,
reverb and delay. Diva consumes a fair
amount of CPU in high-quality mode,
but represents the current pinnacle of
analogue-modelled sound.
Web www.u-he.com

TONE2 RAYBLASTER
Price $199 Contact via website
Rayblaster is based on Impulse Modeling Synthesis and aims
to offer more of a synth behaviour to a form of sound
manipulation that usually lacks any serious real-time controls.
Each of the two oscillators is focused around an eye-catching
waveform display and starts from one or two audio files. There
are plenty of factory options here as well as the option to
import your own waves, which can be anything from
instrument waveforms to vocals, sound FX or drum
loops. The central area of the synth lets you twist your
sounds with formant and tuning controls, and
theres a highly flexible arp/gate section to the
right. You might not always know what youll
get from this synth but you can guarantee
that the results will always be unique.
Web www.tone2.com

magazine July 2013 | 19

MT Feature The worlds greatest synths

MT Buyers Guide Ten of the best, continued...

SONIC ACADEMY ANA
Price 49.99 Contact
customerservice@sonicacademy.com
Sonic Academy tutors Phil Johnston and Bryan Spence
have created a synth that aims to balance features, sound
quality and ease of use in a single, reasonably priced
package. ANA comes with Analog, Advanced Noise and
Attack oscillator types, plus 23 filter types including some
especially tasty vintage and saturated models. Other
features include three envelopes, a graphical envelope,
two LFOs, two modulation slots and built-in effects.
Web www.sonicacademy.com
SUGARBYTES CYCLOP
Price 119 Contact Sugar Bytes +49 306 092 0395
Fans of Skrillex, Boys Noize and Knife Party should be sure to check out Cyclop, as its a
one-stop shop for creating twisted complextro bass and lead lines. Theres a stack of
features and oscillator types including Saw Regiment (for super-saw waves), Analog Sync
(for classic wave, sync and pulse sounds), a dual-carrier FM source, Transformer (for
granular/wavetable tones), Spectromat (an additive synth) and Phase Stressor (phase
distortion). Theres also a large knob on the left for controlling wobbles and another on the
right for FX, which can be switched using the automation lanes section for creating
instant, complex-sounding patterns.
Web www.sugar-bytes.com
XILS-LAB OXIUM
Price 99 Contact via website
Oxium is a performance synthesizer
sporting a fast and intuitive interface while
offering creative modulation options such
as Le Masque, ported from the companys
Le Masque: Delay plug-in. Many of the
functions are based around what XILS-lab
refers to as a Flower design, with the two
cumulative oscillators allowing you to select
up to four waveforms located around a
central tuning knob. Simply exploring
waveform layering, unison modes, stereo spread and
stereo tuning can result in some monstrous, thick lead sounds in just a few
mouse clicks. The LFOs also benefit from the stacked waveform design, allowing for some
interesting modulation curves.
Web www.xils-lab.com

ROB PAPEN BLADE

Price 89 Contact Time+Space 01837 55200
Blade is Rob Papens latest synth creation, which aims to combine the
complexity of additive synthesis with a more typical synth layout. The main
section is the Harmolator oscillator, which has nine parameters for
controlling the additive synthesis, plus there are also the usual envelopes,
LFOs and filters alongside a superb FX section that can help to shape
mix-ready sounds. Another unique feature is the ability to set up
modulations on an X/Y pad and record your movements, which is great for
complex pad and soundscape design.
Web www.timespace.com

NI MASSIVE
Price 199 Contact 2twenty2 0845 299 4222
While wed like to include only one soft synth from each company, its hard
to when it comes to Native Instruments as it has such a rich portfolio
FM8 and Reaktor were also in the running. Massive is certainly the
analogue to Razors edgy digital, the two together offering a great
spectrum of sound. Huge basses and leads are what you get; the very
elements that can make or break a track and in this case most definitely
the former. With more than 1,300 sounds to choose from you certainly
wont go wanting. Put simply: all the highs and lows you will ever need.
Web www.native-instruments.com

20 | July 2013 magazine

 The original Bass Station was a cult hit in 1993, finding its way
onto countless early dance music classics. Its now back: bigger,
fatter and bassier. With a fully analogue signal path featuring two
oscillators, a sub-oscillator, two filters, overdrive, arpeggiator,
step sequencer and much much more - Bass Station II is set to
blow a new generation of subwoofers...

www.novationmusic.com/bassstationII
MT Feature The worlds greatest synths

Mobile synths
T
ablet and mobile synthesizers are becoming
increasingly ubiquitous and more capable,
as developers find new and innovative ways
to best utilise the touchscreen medium. For
the most part were seeing the same kinds of
high-quality synths that we find in the computer
world, albeit with slightly larger controls.
As the iPad has developed, more and more
companies are offering surprisingly complete DAWs
in which multiple instances of instruments can be
combined to create the ultimate, portable composition
tool. This has taken a giant leap in recent months
thanks to the release of Audiobus, which lets apps
talk to each other and allows you to feed the audio
output of one app into another, offering much more
advanced sound-design possibilities. However, the
areas in which the best apps excel is in the innovative
use of new interfaces and touch control. Synths like
Moogs Animoog simply couldnt exist on any other
medium, and its the options for tactile control and
performance that ultimately make this a more
expressive synth than many of its computer-based
counterparts. This being the case there are several
things to consider when choosing a mobile synth. If
youre after just a high-quality sketch pad on which
to draft your ideas youll probably want to go with a
more traditional subtractive-style synth. On the other
hand, if youre sick of traditional techniques and are
seeking inspiration, you might want to explore some
of the more avant-garde apps that will have you
thinking about programming in a different way.
Finally, you may also want to consider how the
synth might work in a live
situation and whether it would be
easy to edit while on stage, with
some, such as Korgs iPolysix,
offering two X/Y Kaoss pads for
quick modulation control.

As the iPad has developed,

more companies are offering
surprisingly complete DAWs
MOOG MUSIC
MT Technology The future of synthesis ANIMOOG
Price 10.49 (Apple/
Theres no way to predict exactly which directions synthesis will take in the future, and its highly Blackberry)
possible that someone will come up with something mind-bendingly different that wed never have Contact via website
dreamed of. However, there are definitely a few things that we can see happening over the next few Animoog is powered by
years. Firstly, analogue emulations will continue to get better as the ability of computers to crunch Moogs new Anisotropic
Synthesis Engine (ASE),
numbers improves. Hopefully, though, this will be used in new and interesting ways that dont seek
which enables users to
simply to copy the designs of yesteryear. Its only a matter of time until one of the big guns finally move through an X/Y space
delivers on our dreams and brings out a true polyphonic analogue hardware synth (were looking at you, and morph between
Moog, and we dont care if it costs as much as a car!). different timbres captured
Dave Smiths new Prophet 12 is on the right track but its not 100% analogue. Someone will also make from a range of classic
a hardware synth with an iPad Dock for complex editing, arps and sequencing, offering the best of both Moog kit. The main screen
worlds. This could potentially have a pure analogue output from the unit or could be routed through the features a keyboard on
which each key essentially
iPad for additional processing. As were becoming more accustomed to touchscreens and multi-touch
acts like a ribbon controller,
gestures we can see this being incorporated into synths as a way of controlling multiple parameters with allowing polyphonic
as many fingers as possible, along with hands-free control using technology similar to Microsofts Kinect modulation of individual
system. This could also lead to exciting new interfaces where you push different shapes together to form notes. Theres also a
sounds. Were already seeing a lot of cheaper mini-synths and DIY kits, and it would be great if these glorious X/Y pad where the
smaller companies adopted a standard along the lines of the 500-Series Lunchbox for interfacing wave morphing takes
place. What makes this
modules on a smaller scale. Wed love to see a mini-modular whereby items like the Korg Monotrons
such a joy to use is the
could be slotted together to build a larger, more complex system. Similarly, visual feedback; each time
you could have a modular iPhone/iPad system where each one does its you strike a key a coloured
own processing, with individual oscillators, filters, modulators and FX. dot dances across a
In the more immediate future its analogue all the way. Last predefined path on the
month we looked at some of the new synth releases coming up grid, which can be
modulated by a range of
the Bass Station II (see also p6), the trio of Korg Volcas and the
sources. Other features
Nord Lead 4, all announced at Frankfurt. The first two are pure include envelopes, LFOs
analogue, while the latter Nord represents the best of virtual and 4-pole filter, making it a
Bass Station II: analogue, so for the forseeable future were looking to the past in unique, expressive synth.
re-worked for the
21st century. terms of sound. Well be reviewing these in upcoming issues.
Web
www.moogmusic.com

22 | July 2013 magazine

 The worlds greatest synths Feature MT

MT Buyers Guide Ten of the best

WAY OUT WARE SYNTHX

Price 2.99 (Apple App Store) Contact via website
SynthX is a touch-based performance synth that uses vertical lines or a harmonic
grid to represent the notes you can play via a set of specific scales. The analogue-
modelled sounds can then be processed through a range of effects. Interestingly,
it allows the user to pass real-time audio into the iPad to make use of this
processing as well. Theres an excellent selection of presets, from aggressive
synth guitar tones with digital crunch to subby basses, 70s funk and sci-fi sounds.
Web www.wayoutware.com

ARTURIA IMINI
Price 6.99Contact via website
iMini is a re-creation of Arturias Minimoog soft synth,
itself a copy of the classic Moog hardware. The app
re-creates the three oscillators, mixer, noise generator,
filter and envelopes of the original but, this being
software, there are additional effects, performance
tools and a Poly switch to increase polyphony. Purists
would argue that the clean sound cant compete with a
real Moog synth, but the 500+ presets are still excellent
and include deep basses, smooth leads and other
classic 70s synth sounds.
Web www.arturia.com

KORG iMS-20 BLIP INTERACTIVE

Price 20.99 (Apple App Store) Contact via website NANOSTUDIO
Korg has crammed a whole load of features into this Price 9.99 (Apple App
app, with an MS-20 synthesizer, six-part drum Store) Contact via website
machine, analogue sequencer, mixer and song/pattern NanoStudio remains one of
composer. At its heart is the classic MS-20 monosynth our favourite tools for
BLEEPSTREET SUNRIZER SYNTH
complete with patchbay and fat analogue sound. There creating tracks while sitting
Price 6.99 (Apple App Store) Contact via website
is a small keyboard at the bottom that can be enlarged, on a bus. This complete
Sunrizer is an iPad-only app with a front end that will
along with two Kaoss Pads for better real-time control. virtual studio contains a
appeal to fans of the Roland JP-8000. It delivers some
One out of 14 possible inserts effects can be added to comprehensive MIDI
strong trance-like lead lines, too, with an emulation of
each synth and drum sound, alongside another for use sequencer with
the supersaw wave so you wont be disappointed. Core
with the mixer. Highlights include EQ, compression, automation, mixer section
MIDI is supported and internal recordings can be pasted
Talking Modulator, valve distortion and bit-crushing with high-quality insert FX,
into other apps. Sadly, there isnt an onboard sequencer,
effects. With an SQ-10-style analogue sequencer and a and TRG-16 drum sampler.
so we had to make full use of the onboard arpeggiator.
pattern and song arranger that can accommodate up to The star of the show,
The filter types are varied and overall it has quite a
256 bars, this app could potentially be all you need to though, is the dual-
forward sound due to the tube saturation added at the
create a full-sounding track. oscillator Eden synth,
output. The effects include distortion, chorus, EQ and
Web www.korg.co.uk which is well laid-out and
stereo delay, and the bottom end is quite thunderous.
offers a wealth of
Web www.beepstreet.com
modulation/programming
options. You can also load in
samples, which, when
combined with
NanoStudios audio editor,
makes sampling, re-
sampling and processing
easy tasks and the
perfect means to create
your own unique sounds. An
in-app purchase allows you
to add ten more instrument
channels to the original five,
making this is a great tool
for layered composition.
Web
www.blipinteractive.co.uk

magazine July 2013 | 23

MT Feature The worlds greatest synths

MT Buyers Guide Ten of the best, continued...

TEMPORUBATO NLOGSYNTH PRO

Price 6.99 (Apple App Store) Contact via website
This single-part synth has four oscillators, PWM, ring
mod and FM synthesis, plus plenty of modulation and
performance options including an X/Y pad and
arpeggiator. We were quite surprised by the sounds
available, from crunchy 303s to new-age digital sounds
and ethereal, glassy pads. The onboard reverb and
delay helps to add depth and ambience, while a
waveshaper distortion provides a modern Virus or
Vangaurd-style sound.
Web www.temporubato.com
KORG IPOLYSIX
Price 20.99 (Apple App Store)
Contact Korg 01908 304601
This app consists of two virtual
Polysix synths, two Polyseq
sequencers to drive them, a drum
machine and mixer. It also includes
user-friendly features such as
SoundCloud integration, AudioCopy
and WIST (Wireless Sync-Start
Technology), allowing you to sync to
other devices. The two synths are
based on the original Polysix from the
early 80s, and the drum machine
features big, chunky sounds sampled
from the same unit. Although the
preset library is small, this
encourages you to program patches,
which is where the real fun begins.
Web www.korg.com
PROPELLERHEAD REBIRTH
Price 10.49 (Apple App Store)
Contact Sound Technology
01462 480000
ReBirth is a back-to-basics setup
with two TB-303 synths alongside a
TR-808 and TR-909 drum machine. All
of these machines feature their own
pattern or step-based sequencers,
with further processing available via a
compressor, a pattern-based low/
band-pass filter, delay and distortion.
The larger iPad display is much more
suitable for an app with so much
detail, and having the whole program
fit on one screen makes it easier to
see whats going on. Those who enjoy
making progressive, pattern-based
music with classic sounds will love it.
Web www.propellerheads.se

REACTABLE SYSTEMS REACTABLE

MOBILE
Price 6.99 (Apple App Store) Contact via website
Based on the table-top synth championed by the likes
of Bjrk, the iOS version of Reactable offers visually
stunning ways to control various sound generators,
effects and mod controllers, otherwise known as
Blocks. The layout is based around the central blue
circle with a white circular pulse representing the
project tempo. Dragging Blocks into the circle activates
them, which unfortunately makes for some rough-
sounding transitions. The editing options for each Block
are also a little tricky to grasp, but over time things
become more instinctive.
Web www.reactable.com

24 | July 2013 magazine

MT Feature The worlds greatest synths

Freeware synths
Y
ou might be on a tight budget, but you download for free is quite staggering. Quality varies
neednt miss out on some great synths: the enormously, so weve rounded up our ten favourites,
freeware community has been happily trying to include as many for both Mac and PC as
programming some excellent plug-in possible. Several are emulations of classic hardware,
instruments and effects over the last couple of and one or two are becoming classics in their own
decades and the number of synths that you can now right, so get clicking and try this lot for free

MT Buyers Guide Ten of the best

CRYSTAL Mac/PC WOLLO DRONE PC

One of the best Mac and PC One of the top-rated synths at the
freeware synths out there (and now excellent Plug-in Boutique (www.
available for iOS for $4.99) Crystal pluginboutique.com) and we
has been at the top of the freeware certainly agree. Its a Juno-style
charts for many a year and won its analogue synthesizer with some
large fan base through great great sounds and enough
sounds featuring subtractive and polyphony to build some great
FM synthesis, so has a wide and walls of electronics.
varied palette. Web www.wollo.com/vst.htm
Web www.greenoak.com

FREEALPHA Mac/PC
This is a cut-down version of LinPlugs Alpha synthesizer and is essentially
an advert for it but so what? Its a proper, fully functional synth that is
very capable and fat-sounding thanks to dual-waveform oscillators, a
multimode filter and a great modulation matrix that lets you hook up mod
sources to various destinations. You get a wide variety of sounds
programmed by the pros one of the best freebies out there.
Web www.linplug.com

MINIMOGUE VA PC
Continuing the theme of free synths based on classics, heres one based
on one of the best of all the Minimoog. And when this synth sticks to its
guns, producing those original sounds, it scores highly. Basses are deep,
leads piercing and, all told, its hard to believe its free. If you want to find
out what the fuss is about regarding the Mini, its all here Voltkitchen, the
developers, is also responsible for the Arppe2600va, which is based on the
ARP2600 (www.glenstegner.com). Its rather good, too.
Web http://home.no/gunnare

SYNTH1 Mac/PC CAKEWALK/RGC

Like Crystal, Synth1 is widely AUDIO TRIANGLE II PC
regarded as one of the best Simple to use, easy to
freeware synths of all time and understand and as synthy as
it does sound incredible as you can get, Triangle II is a
long as you explore and play great giveaway. You can tell it
with it. Its presets dont show it was put together by
off to its best, but start professionals (originally RGC
programming yourself easy Audio before they were
for anyone familiar with snapped up by DAW
analogue synths and you will specialists Cakewalk) and you
achieve wonderful results. get a wide variety of sounds to
Web www.geocities.jp/ suit many genres of music.
daichi1969/softsynth Web www.cakewalk.com

26 | July 2013 magazine

 The worlds greatest synths Feature MT

SOLICITO MUSICA DAHORNET Mac/PC

SUPERTRON PC Based on the Wasp synth from the
Any title with the word Tron in it 70s, one of the first affordable
works for us, but this freebie is synths (affordable because it was
an electronica marvel, too. The basically a bit rubbish unless you
best thing about it is that its wanted buzzing-bee noises). With
step features add a lot of stacks of presets that really will
movement to proceedings, with rock your productions, forget the
lots of arpeggiation all round. If original and bask in the glory of
you like your synths beefy, retro this one instead.
and macho, look no further. Web http://nusofting.liqihsynth.
Web http://solcitomusica. com/freeplugins.html
blogspot.com.ar

TAL-BASSLINE Mac/PC
Anyone familiar with classic synths will know exactly which one this is
attempting to emulate: the Roland SH-101. The simple signal path will
appeal to synth newbies, while the sounds themselves will appeal to
both veterans and dance-heads alike fat basses, searing leads and
some real dirt. Its a shame you cant add a handle and play it while on the
move, just like the original.
Web http://kunz.corrupt.ch/products/tal-bassline

TUBEOHM ALPHA-RAY PC
Alpha-Ray is a relatively new (well, relative to Crystal and Synth1)
ten-voice synth with plenty of features, lots of controls and a lovely
looking fascia. Its got some great atmospheric sounds, too, many with
plenty of movement and atmosphere. Controls and features are typical
VA and the whole thing can be livened up with optional effects, which at
just 4.95 are well worth the outlay.
Web www.tubeohm.com

Final thoughts
G
etting carried away when buying synth is
all too easy some enthusiasts build up
whole rooms of old keyboards and racks.
And while this is all well and good, its
worth thinking about whether youre buying all this
kit and software simply for the love of exploring
synthesis itself or to actually make music. If its the
latter, you should ask yourself whether youve truly
got all you can from your current synths, and
whether youve learned them inside out.
Having a couple of go-to instruments that you can
program well will lead you to be more creative with
your sound design, thus lending your music a more
unique edge than if youre simply using and tweaking
presets made by someone else. It will also help with
your workflow, as theres no worse a mood-killer than
having to plough through a manual when you get
stuck. On the topic of workflow, if you find youre
working with an older hardware synth that doesnt
play well with your DAW, you might consider
multisampling your favourite sounds and building a
sample instrument. Granted, youll lose a lot of
control over the modulation of the sound, but this is
made up for by the speed with which youll be able to
load up the patches, and youll also open up a whole
range of other sound-shaping possibilities.
Weve covered a lot of different options here, but
the best thing to do is try them out for yourself by
downloading a few demos or getting down to your
local dealer. Make sure you consider the sound
quality, but, more importantly, how well you gel with
the editing process. Most synths will probably take a
while to learn, but you ideally want a system that
feels intuitive and fun, otherwise it doesnt matter
how good it sounds as you wont want to use it. Also,
have a think about what style of music you want to
write and read up on what tools your favourite
artists are using. Once youve considered all these
things you should be ready to part with some cash
and get tweaking! MT

magazine July 2013 | 27

MT Industry Guru Rob Papen
Industry
Guru
Rob Papen
In a world with possibly too many virtual synths,
one man has established and maintained an
enviable reputation for quality and unique products...
T
here can be few computer-based musicians,
composers or producers who havent heard
of Rob Papen. Widely regarded as something
of a visionary in the worlds of sound design
and software synthesis, his products have become
staple tools in countless home and commercial
studios thanks both to their unique, inspirational
sounds as well as the successful marriage of
innovative approaches to workflow and more
traditional methodology.
Indeed, it was back in December 2005 that Robs
first release after the acclaimed Albino (now
sadly discontinued) graced our review pages. That
was BLUE, a virtual analogue-digital hybrid that
set the standard for everything that was to follow.
But what was the genesis of Robs devotion to
synthesis, and how has he managed to maintain the
innovation and quality that his products have become
renowned for the world over? We talk to the man
himself to find out...
MT Give us a brief history of your company.
RP My company was formed in 1997 but I was already
releasing sound sets in the early 90s. I created factory
patches for Access, Waldorf, Ensoniq and a lot of stuff
for E-mu. With the rise of processing power, the virtual
world opened new doors for me. In 2006, alongside my
developer, Jon Ayres, I formed RPCX and together we
built all the current Rob Papen products. We are still a
small company, but we have passion and we continue to
do our own thing.
MT What was your original goal and have you managed
to achieve it yet?
RP There is always something to
achieve, but the original goal was
to make useful and great sounds
with a musical cutting edge. The
goals changed from making great
presets for various brands to
becoming a brand of my own, with
new and fresh ideas. There are
plenty of ideas still in my head, but
many of them are not ready yet.
MT: Which have been your most
successful software products?
RP All of them have done very well,
except perhaps for RG [Rhythm
30 | July 2013 magazine
The 4 Element Synth is Robs
comprehensive guide to
subtractive synthesis,
complete with 10 hours of
accompanying video material.
Rob demonstrates the ring mod
talents of the Yamaha CS-50.
The D-Beam controller on the Jupiter-80 offers Rob some
tantalisingly interesting sound-design opportunities.
Guitar synth]. But that is a one-trick pony and not
always useful in each song. However, what it does
do well is very cool.
The most popular is Predator, since it is a great
go-to synthesizer that covers every musical style.
SubBoomBass is also on countless tracks and has
become very popular. BLUE is our deep synth that
combines FM and subtractive synthesis this has
many fans. Punch became popular because it
combines samples with top-notch synthesis and
sounds just like its name suggests! Of course,
Blade is our latest baby and overall I am surprised
that many synth players picked it up so easily. It
has some new ideas which always means you have
to wait to see if musicians pick it up. The FX range is
also very popular; RP-Distort, RP-Delay and RP-Verb
are loved by many top artists, including George
Michael and Rob Fabrie.
MT If you were asked to make certain sounds, how
would you go about it?
RP First I explain that a good sound is part of a good
song, but this good sound is not always a good sound
in your own song. Great sounds in a bad song dont
stop it from being a bad song. Some people are maybe
too focused on sounding the same as their favourite
music or musical legends. So be inspired by your
examples and legends and do your own thing. Music is
magic and cant be calculated; good music is
something that just happens.
MT Similarly, what is the biggest production mistake
that you hear and what is your cure-all advice for it?
RP Our part of music-making has a
trap called technique. Our style of
music-making can easily lead to
forgetting the music flow and too
much focus on technique! The
people who listen to music do not
care if you made it with Logic or
Ableton or Cubase or Fruity Loops
or Reason and so on they listen to
music and that is where the heart
should be!
Very often, songs that are
worked at endlessly end up being
nothing special. Songs made in a
flow that come together quite fast
tend to be the gems.
 Xxxxxxx Industry Guru MT

The DIY modular setup gets a workout, with Rob explaining the ins
and outs (literally!) of patching.

MT Whats your take on the never-ending desire for

companies to produce software that accurately
models analogue kit?
RP Analogue sounds analogue, and I have plenty of old
stuff here to check things out and compare it to digital
I dont see it as Holy Grail as others maybe do. Still,
many synthesizers like the Minimoog, Jupiter-8 and
so on are my benchmarks. For me it is more down to
audio quality and the sound that comes out of the
Buy a MiniNova or ultraNova and get your
speakers. Analogue has a certain magic, especially in
the high frequencies as it is not limited by the sample
rates of digital synthesizers.
For me, analogue sounds different and I focus more
on what is possible today. Analogue has certain
FREE
behaviours which are nice for the sound, so we use this
knowledge, but we dont use this for our marketing as
other companies do.
SUPERNOVA
With SubBoomBass or Predator you can make
fantastic Minimoog-style basses that are as solid as a
rock in a music track. Inside Predator I have a few
SoundPack
Jupiter-8 pad sounds; I dont put the real Jupiter-8 on
and emulate those settings, Im happy to take the feel
of those settings I would have previously done on the
real synth and keep them inside Predator. Ive made
Already own a MiniNova or UltraNova?
plenty of Oberheim-inspired sounds in Predator as
Celebrate Novations 21 years of INNOVATION
well. Ive never heard a digital synth that sounds
exactly the same as my analogue gear, but thats not and download your FREE SupERNOVA Soundpack
necessarily a problem I mean, does it make your www.novationmusic.com
music sound bad?

MT What software or hardware products have really

excited you over the last couple of years?
RP I was very excited about Blade, because it is so
different from other synthesizers. Because it involves
a certain level of trial and error while programming it,
it encourages you to make new and unique sounds. I
love it that analogue is back in hardware form: Moog
Music, Dave Smith Instruments, Synthesizers.com,
MacBeth Synthesizers and many others being active
is a great thing. They had a hard time in the world after
the release of the Yamaha DX7 and all the sample-
based workstations, so its nice to see analogue
finally coming back.

MT Finally, a gratuitous plug for your company and any

upcoming products!
RP We are currently working on a very cool new
product called Prisma, as well as new presets for our
existing products. MT

magazine June 2013 | 31

MT Landmark Productions The Human League Reproduction
Landmark
Productions No20
REPRODUCTION
THE HUMAN LEAGUE
Engineers The Human League & Bob Last
Producer Colin Thurston
As its synth month here at MusicTech, our
Landmark Production simply has to be one
of the first all-synth albums from one of
the first all-synth bands
T
he Human League hit their pop stride in
1981, exploding into millions of homes
with the album Dare and the huge hit Dont
You Want Me? But thats boring and you
probably knew that. Far more interesting are the
recordings the band made, albeit under a different
incarnation, back in the 1970s. These tracks veered
from the hugely experimental Dignity Of Labour
(think Tangerine Dream on a downer) to the now
classic Being Boiled (several versions of a track
that would later become a hit), connected all the
way by a completely electronic, futuristic and, it has
to be said, bleak sound.
So while Dare might be The Leagues landmark in
terms of sales, the real landmarks are the first two
albums: Reproduction and Travelogue. These were the
sounds of a band Phil Oakey, Martyn Ware, Ian Craig
Marsh and visuals man Philip Adrian Wright
wrestling with experimentation versus pop success
and accidentally coming up with two of the first
completely synthetic albums ever made and, indeed,
two of the finest
Reproduction, then, is more of a landmark simply
because it came first. With a striking cover depicting a
couple of girls dancing with a man (on glass, over
some babies, as you do) ironic now, given the later
line-up of The League it certainly looks striking. And
while the albums sound was and arguably still is
cutting-edge, the studio technology of the time
certainly wasnt
Can you imagine a world without MIDI for a
start? laughs Martyn Ware. Our first recording setup
was a stereo tape machine, a microphone, two synths
and thats it literally! The only way we could create
multitrack recording was to record on one side of the
stereo and then bounce, adding at the same time onto
the next track, which of course would degrade it to a
certain extent.
Which makes the final results on Reproduction all
the more staggering were talking complex
arrangements, big beefy beats and even a fulsome
32 | July 2013 magazine
electronic version of one of the most soulful tracks
ever in their cover of Youve Lost That Loving Feeling.
Theres even a four-four single Empire State Human
that really should have been massive, so to hear it
was all recorded without even a digit of MIDI or a
track of multi is extraordinary.
Its even more unbelievable that the band managed
to tease so many different sounds out of such a
limited setup (see below for just how limited!). The
opening track Almost Medieval conjures up some
medieval pictures with an opening melody and
suitably almost medieval synth patch. The
aforementioned Youve Lost That Loving Feeling has a
big dripping bass that underpins a wonderfully
sparse arrangement (probably simply because it had
to be given the lack of instrumentation and multitrack
facilities). Theres even a bit of sampling as a London
Weekend Television (remember that?) presenter
introduces Circus Of Death, although its not
sampling as we know it more like a straight
recording of a TV.
Synth action
As its our synth issue weve got to touch on all
those classics the band used back in the day, but
before we get to ask, Martyn reveals
I was asked recently have you got a studio
full of analogue synths? and I said well, really,
all I have now is the original Roland System 100
and the rest is virtual.
Alongside the System 100 the band simply
used a Korg 770 and Roland Jupiter 4. The Korg
770 is a 1976 monophonic synth very basic but
Reproduction
was recorded at still capable of making some odd noises. The
Workshop Studio, Jupiter 4, on the other hand, was one of the first
Sheffield, in 1979.
polyphonic synths (the first produced by Roland) and
went on to be used by Martyn on Heaven 17s first
album Penthouse & Pavements, when the two bands
went their separate ways after Travelogue came out.
The fact that he didnt hang on to it but did keep the
System 100 certainly implies that the latter remains
one of his favourites
Yes, absolutely, he replies, just because it taught
me so much, by its modular and patchable nature it
taught me how to create my own sounds from scratch,
really, which is an important thing; the process of
sound design. So, almost by default, using it was akin
to a university course! On the job. Nowadays, of
course, the equivalent is to start with presets.
Finally, the band did play many of the tracks from
both Reproduction and Travelogue live back in the
late 70s incredible considering the early synths and
technology used so what are the chances of the old
line-up getting together to revisit both of these
ground-breaking albums?
Ive been trying to persuade Phil to do this for
about eight years! says Martyn. But, unfortunately,
hes not having it. I think his concern is that thered be
no role for the girls [from the newer line-up] in it.
Adrian wouldnt be involved anyway because he and
Phil dont get on, but Ian would come out of
retirement and Id be extremely keen to do it. I do feel
like its unfinished business.
 THE LIBRARIES THAT DEFINE CINEMATIC

SYMPHOBIA SYMPHOBIA 2 ORCHESTRAL ESSENTIALS TRUE STRIKE TRUE STRIKE 2 ORCHESTRAL BRASS CLASSIC
True symphonic ensemble recordings True symphonic ensemble legatos The essential Cinematic orchestral Cinematic world Classical brass sections
and intense orchestral effects and intense orchestral effects film scoring tool percussion and effects percussion & solo instruments

ProjectSAM adv LUM+6 - SOS MUSIC TECH 21,0x29,7mm - v4.indd 1 11-03-13 12:55
MT Technique Creating unique synth sounds
Production Step-by-Step
Creating unique
and cutting-edge
synth sounds
Making your music stand out from the crowd is a lot easier if you start with some sounds
you can truly call your own. Rob Boffard shows you how.
G
etting a decent sound from a soft synth
doesnt exactly take a lot of work. A tweak or
two here, a few nudges to the LFO there, a
little messing around with the filters and...
boom! Youve got a workable sound. Its
almost too easy, in all honesty. And thanks to the sheer
number of synths available these days, youre never
more than a minute or two away from some wonderful,
inspirational noises.
But of course, when everyones doing it, its all too easy
to get lost in the ever-growing crowd of soundalikes.
Exactly how do you make your synth sounds stand out?
How can you make sure that youre not just labelled
Generic Dubstep Artist No 567?
Wed love to say that we have the one-size-fits-all,
magic-wand solution to these questions. Unfortunately,
we dont. What we do have, though, is a set of techniques
34 | July 2013 magazine
On the disc
Accompanying
project file included
on the DVD
to create some truly amazing, monster synth sounds that
will help your track to stand out from all the others. In
this tutorial were going to use a variety of synths to
create a lead, a bass line and a pad sound that will
simply blow your mind. Youll find that these techniques
which dont rely on anything too complicated or
Youre never more than a
minute or two away from some
wonderful, inspirational noises
unfamiliar, incidentally are highly customisable as well.
Youre at step three of the bass line walkthrough and
think you know better? We encourage you to crack on!
In control
Lets do a quick refresher course. Were
not going to delve into the basics here
we trust that if youve got to this point
youre reasonably familiar with what an
oscillator is but we are going to
spend a little time talking about how to
apply certain techniques.
For example: an oscillator makes
noise, yes? And multiple oscillators
make a bigger noise. But what a lot of
musicians dont always realise is that
to get your noise even bigger you need
to detune your oscillators. This isnt
just about selecting different
PRO TIP
Remember to view your sounds in the context
of your mix, not just as individual sounds. The
greatest synth sounds are always those which
complement surrounding instrumentation
think MGMTs Kids. You can spend your time
building an absolutely enormous, whopping
monster of a synth, but if it takes up the entire
frequency spectrum, youre going to find it very difficult to put other
elements in there. So when youre experimenting, always keep in mind
what else youll be doing with the track.
 Creating unique synth sounds Technique MT

MT Navigation Native Instruments Massive

OSCILLATORS LOW-FREQUENCY OSCILLATORS
a These are the bread and butter of any amazing synth sound, so be sure to
b Think about whether you want subtle vibrato or a wobbling demon of
spend a little time tweaking and detuning them. modulation. This largely depends on the kind of track youre making.

c
a

FILTERS NOISE
c No fun until theyre automated or modulated. An automated filter cutoff
d Dont forget about white and pink noise. It might be a little pedestrian on its own, but
can turn even a pedestrian synth sound into an amazing one. when used effectively it can kick your sound up a notch.

A detuned synth will have a PRO TIP

Dont try too hard to be original you can handicap yourself by

bigger and more colourful tone trying to find a synth sound that no one has used before. While its
possible to do this especially with something like Synplant
youre better off getting a great sound that bares a passing

than one that has been left alone resemblance to something someone else has done. After all, most
dubstep is built on a fluctuating, wobbling growl, and that element
alone results in thousands of very different tracks. Focus on
making a great track, not just a great sound.

waveforms, although, of course, that always helps things

along. Its about taking the pitch of your oscillators and
making them different.
There are a few ways of doing this. You could push
them apart by a few semitones or cents for a slightly
warmer and thicker sound, or you could detune them by
whole octaves, which will give you a vastly different
result. In all cases, a detuned synth will have a much
bigger and more colourful tone than one that has been
left alone. You can get immensely technical with this
different octaves and semitones will have different
relationships with each other, and you can use finely
tuned intervals to re-create classic instruments. This is
probably another tutorial altogether, although if you get
deep into your synths, its well worth checking out.
Its worth quickly revisiting LFOs as well. It might be
instinctive to always apply an LFO to your sound it gives
movement, and movement is almost always desirable
but you may want to look carefully at how you apply it.
You can get immensely creative with LFOs, chaining them

magazine July 2013 | 35

MT Technique Creating unique synth sounds

together and having them modulate each other to create
amazing effects. But simply because you can doesnt
mean you should; its always worth remembering that the
oscillators are the bread and butter of your sound, and in
some cases youll want to mess with them as little as
possible. Keep in mind the sound youre aiming for and
youll stay on the right track.
this is definitely something you should be spending time
on. Try, for example, using LFOs to modulate the cutoff
frequency and the resonance in opposite directions, very
quickly. Itll sound odd to start, but with a little tweaking
you can achieve some incredible results.
Preset puzzle
One of the most exasperating debates still raging among

One of the most exasperating

synth aficionados concerns presets. Drop into practically
any online forum and youll find two camps: one which

debates still raging among synth

says that you should delete the presets the moment you
install the program in order to aid learning and

aficionados concerns presets

Finally, lets turn our attention to filters. You should
really, really fall in love with modulating your filters.
Whether its only a little creating some subtle
movement or the full whack to give a sweeping tone,
exploration, and another that says you should freely use
presets to create your music.
Heres the thing: while were not completely down with
the latter camp, we cannot think of a single instance
when youd be justified in simply deleting the presets of
your chosen synth. These are sounds that have been
created not only by the people who built the plug-in and
therefore know it inside out, but usually by extremely

MT Step-by-Step The biggest dubstep bass ever

Were going to make one of the most
01 monstrous dubstep growls known to
man. Were going to do it in Reason, where the
Malstrm synth is just perfect for this sort of
thing. Create a Combinator and load it with an
initialised (reset) Malstrm, two Scream units
and a reverb of your choice. Draw some notes
into the sequencer and by the way, it really
helps if you have a drum beat to set the
rhythm, as we do here.
Lets start with the oscillators. Set Osc A
02 to a sine wave and Osc B to Throat. Play
around with the Shift, Motion and envelope
values until youve got something sounding
reasonably fat, then adjust the Throat synths
Index to taste. Weve added some legato,
polyphony and portamento as well, though
thats entirely up to you. This part of the
process is all down to personal taste, so spend
some time experimenting.
Its sounding OK, but it could be a lot
03 better. Lets do some final adjustments
before we move onto effects. Some Shaper
(on Saturate, with the Amount set to around
halfway) and a little LFO will do it. Were
looking for consistent sound here, so go easy
on the LFO as were trying to avoid it jumping
around all over the place. Finally, spend a
little time tweaking the filters just enough
to give it a bit of flavour.

Time to add some Scream. Set both to
04 Overdrive, with the Damage quite high.
The parameters on the first Scream can be
set to full, while the second can have its P1
and P2 knobs around the halfway mark.
Tweak the EQ of each to your liking. The Res
and Scale knobs can both be halfway too,
but wed suggest setting the Auto of Scream
1 to 60 and Scream 2 to 0, and selecting
different Types.
Reverb can be set largely to your taste.
05 Wed recommend no more than the tiniest
touch of Dampness here, just enough to
saturate things. More important are your
Combinator controls. Select the Malstrm,
then tell Rotary 1 to target the Osc B Index, and
Rotary 2 to target the Pitch Bend Range
(although be aware that if youre ever going to
experiment, this is the best place). With this all
set, theres only thing left to do: automate.
Wed suggest automating the rotary
06 knobs you picked in the previous step,
as this can give you control over a wide range
of parameters. Try setting it to Write, playing
the track and going nuts! One final note:
when youre mixing, be careful, because this
is a bass line that will take up a lot of space.
Use sidechaining and careful EQ to mix it in.

36 | July 2013 magazine

#32731 - Genelec M MT_Layout 05/06/2013 17:43 Page 1

M Series
Reference monitoring
for musicians

Pictured right:
M Series M030 and M040

Genelec's new M Series monitors bring world class studio Innovative, environmentally friendly design with rigid wood fibre
monitoring to recording musicians everywhere. Natural Composite Enclosure and Laminar Integral Bass Port

Accurate, revealing and sonically neutral with ultra-low Energy saving power management makes the M Series cost
distortion and excellent bass response effective to run

Rear panel XLR, jack and phono inputs for easy connectivity
Simple room response controls ensure the best possible
sound in YOUR room

Find out more at www.genelec.com/music-creation

Exclusively distributed in the UK by Source www.sourcedistribution.co.uk/genelec T: 020 8962 5080

facebook.com/sourcedistribution twitter.com/sourcedist
 Creating unique synth sounds Technique MT

skilled external musicians as well. Youre going to ditch all
their work because of some high-faluting ideals about
forcing yourself to learn? No, youre not.
You can use these presets as inspiration for what can
be accomplished. You can reverse-engineer them to
understand the finer workings of your synth. Perhaps
For a very reasonable sum you
can find yourself a VST that will give
you sounds to be proud of
most importantly, though, you can use them as a
launchpad for your own endeavours, tweaking them
further to create new and better sounds. While wed say
that using presets as they come to make music is
arguably a little bit on the boring side, theres nothing to
prevent you from using them in myriad creative and
interesting ways. Deleting them is not creative and it
certainly isnt interesting.
Pick your weapon
The quality of soft synths has shot through the
atmosphere in recent years. For a very reasonable sum of
money you can find yourself in possession of a VST that
will almost certainly give you sounds to be proud of. It
becomes difficult to recommend soft synths simply
because there are so many different styles available,
some of a very specialised bent. What we can do,
however, is explain why we chose the synths weve used
in this tutorial, as well as shine a light on some slightly
more unusual synths that are available.
Lets start with Native Instruments Massive, arguably
the most popular synth on the planet. Its the flagship of
the NI stable and come to think of it, stable is a good
way to describe it, because this is a synth whose
operation is rock-solid. Massive stands out not only

MT Step-by-Step Take the lead

Building a synth lead for a track is easy.
01 Boot up a synth and hit any high key on
your controller. There you have a lead. But
making a truly fantastic one takes a little bit
of work. Were going to use Native
Instruments Massive to build our lead, as
there are very few synths that offer the level
of tweaking and control that Massive does.
Boot up your DAW, load Massive into an
instrument track and draw in a MIDI note.
Detuned oscillators are absolutely key to
02 a good lead, but theres a trick to it. Get
three of them going and detune the first two
about ten cents each (so -0.20 and +0.20, for
example). Take the third and detune it by a
whole octave, taking it up to 12.00. Nothing will
create a fatter sound than a little bit of
detuning, but this particular trick can turn it
into something truly extraordinary.
Envelopes are important in this instance
03 as well, but Massive lets us do some
amazing things with them. Find an envelope
you like a falling one with a fast attack and
short decay works well, if you need
inspiration and assign it to the Intensity
values on your oscillators. Hold and drag the
little number in the box until the blue line
circles the knob, then adjust the values until
youre getting something truly special.

Pull a different envelope to the filter
04 section, which youve loaded with a
low-pass filter. Assign it to the Cutoff and
start tweaking, making sure youve pulled the
blue line all the way around the knob. Its best
to do this with your lead playing so you can
hear the effect. The beauty of this is that you
now have two different envelopes affecting
your lead in different ways, which gives a
huge range of colour to your sound.
There is only one thing to say with regard
05 to adding LFOs: as many as possible.
When it comes to really kicking your sound into
the stratosphere, youll want to try assigning
some fast and slow LFOs to different parts of
your synth. We particularly like taking a sine
wave LFO, attaching it to two oscillator amps
and pulling them in opposite directions, as in
the picture above.
Sounding OK, but there are a couple of
06 things you can do to push it further.
Remember those detuned oscillators? They
love distortion, so add some in. A little reverb,
too, would be nice. And dont forget to layer
up your notes, which will have the effect of
fattening the sound even further. Wed
suggest spacing out a few lengths apart, as
in the picture, which will give a depth of
timbre to your sound.

magazine July 2013 | 39

MT Technique Unique synth sounds

because of its intuitive and easy user interface, but for
the sheer flexibility and control it gives the user. Its
incredibly easy to get envelopes, LFO and voicing to
modulate any aspect of the sound, and as a result, the
sounds it makes can be truly spectacular.
motion controls to create sweeping, epic audio. Weve
also relied on the synths found in Reason specifically,
the Malstrm wavetable synth. Its a testament to the
programs quality that its trademark synths have hardly
changed in almost a decade.
That covers the mainstream, but its worth highlighting

Find the synths that give you the

a couple of other funky contenders just for the variety
they give you. Chief among these is Synplant, by Sonic

most jaw-dropping sounds and

Charge. You wont find a more peculiar synth you literally
grow the branches of your sound from a single seed. You

which you can have a blast with

Were suckers for classic synths here at MusicTech,
and given how far soft synth emulations have come itd
be remiss of us not to include one. We love Arturias
Minimoog V. While its knobs may be a tad fiddly, the
sounds it makes are simply out of this world. Weve used
it to create our pad sounds, relying on its extensive
can clone your sound into a new seed whenever you like,
as well as delving into its genome structure (read:
fine-tune its parameters). There are few synths that are
this much fun to use. We also like u-hes ACE. Its a little
old now, but its premise Any Cable Everywhere means
you have an almost infinite number of sounds to create.
The point is this: these are fantastic synths, but theyre
just the ones we like. Go out and try as many as you can.
Find the ones that give you the most jaw-dropping
sounds and which you can have a blast working with.

MT Step-by-Step Cool pads

The key to a great pad is movement
01 but movement over a lengthy period of
time rather than immediate, in-your-face
jittering that you might find in a lead or bass.
Were going to use the Minimoog V soft synth
to create one of these pads. To begin with, we
start as you might expect with some
detuned oscillators. Were going for a very
warm, full sound, and the more this is done
early on, the easier itll be to build an
awesome pad.
An LFO is a great way to introduce
02 movement, but for a truly magnificent
pad youll need to know where to apply it. Wed
suggest one of two strategies: either get a
super-slow LFO (sine wave, maybe) and send it
to the filter cutoff at a high rate, or use many
LFOs sent to multiple parameters at low
individual rates. The latter can give you a really
clean, precise pad sound, while the former is
good for warmth and depth.
If your synth has a vector section or
03 something similar, youre really in
business. The Minimoog incorporates a
motion section allowing for on-the-fly
automation, and we can use that to really
widen the movement and evolution of our
pad. To use it, we assign it to the Pan Mod,
then draw in a curve which will get our pad
moving left to right over time. This widening of
the stereo field is crucial to a good pad.

Envelopes are less important in a pad
04 than you might think. As long as you
have a reasonably slow attack and release
youll be fine. If you really want to make a
difference, try playing around with the
sustain and decay settings. There are no hard
and fast rules here just go with what
sounds good, and dont get too hung up on
trying to get things exactly right.
Pads love unusual effects. The Minimoog
05 V has a vocal filter which enables us to
add a little human element to our cycling pad,
which is perfect if youre looking for something
a little more off-the-wall. And dont forget to
add in chorus, delay and reverb, too the latter
in particular can really saturate a pad and warm
it up, so dont be afraid to push the dry/wet
knob a little harder than you normally might.
So far, weve focused on a long, evolving
06 sound. But what if youre going for short,
sharp pads? These are actually reasonably
straightforward to make. Youll need to play
with the envelope values, creating a fast
attack and a medium decay and release, and
you probably wont be able to rely as much on
modulation as you would normally, but its
still no more than an envelope-tweak away.

40 | July 2013 magazine

 INSPIRE. CREATE. PRODUCE.

INSTRUMENTS AND EffECTS fOR yOUR MUSIC

CUbASE - PRO TOOlS - lOgIC - fRUITy lOOPS - AblETON lIVE - SONAR

FR
DEMEOE

40%
OFF enDS 31ST JULy 2013 A collection of multi-
sampled instruments that
captures the great retro
Sets the industry standard
sounds of classic Rock,
in digital drum production
R&B, Soul, Funk, Country,
with an unrivaled extensive
and Jazz tracks from the
feature list and phenomenally
1960s and 1970s.
realistic drum sounds.

ExPANSION PACkS fOR SUPERIOR DRUMMER

50%
OFF
enDS 31ST JULy 2013 neW yORK neW yORK
STUDIOS STUDIOS
MUSIC
CITy
CUSTOM ROOTS ROOTS
AnD BRUSHeS, RODS STICKS
THe MeTAL
FOUnDRy
Vir2 - FRaCTURED
Creative and esoteric
presentations of
acoustic guitars.
Vir2 - ELECTI6ITY
The ultimate virtual electric
guitar instrument.
Vir2 - STUDIO KIT BUILDER
Create your perfect kit from
hundreds of drums and a host
of powerful features.
VOL 2 VOL 3 USA VInTAGe MALLeTS

Let sonic mayhem ensue.

One of the most

versatile and sonically
impressive distortion
plugins around.
Computer Music

Inspired by the Minimoog D 1971 and the Minimoog Voyager

XL 2011, UltraMini puts these renowned synths right at your
fingertips giving you a rich, authentic sound and experience.

STUTTER EDIT aLLOY 2 IRIS DIgITaL SYnSaTIOnS DaRKLIghT IIX UVX-3P

Play effects like an instrument Six powerful mixing tools Sample-based synthesizer that Delivers classic synth Inspired by the most Virtual synth inspired
with this innovative tool for for fast results and a harnesses the power of both inspiration and a new take mythical computer music by the Roland JX-3P
both studio and stage. professional sound. your eyes and ears on the 90s sound. instrument of the 80s. analog synth.

fIND OUT MORE AT

www.tiMEspacE.cOM

i124_timespace.indd 1 04/06/2013 13:56

MusicTech.indd 1 29.05.2013 08:30:58
MusicTech.indd 2 29.05.2013 08:31:31
MT Technique Harmonies in Cubase
Cubase Tutorial
Harmonies
in Cubase
Cubase is blessed with all the necessary talents
for generating convincing harmony parts even
if you arent. Tim Hallas shows you how.
T
echnology offers us a unique approach to
making and recording music as its no longer
necessary to enlist the services of
bandmates to fill the roles of drummer,
guitarist, bass player and so on, or studio
staff to man tape machines and mixing desks. Indeed, a
single person equipped with the necessary software
and hardware can perform all those roles on their own.
But this solitary approach has downsides, too: creating
complex arrangements and interaction between
instruments is now all down to you alone, and an
authentic-sounding performance becomes harder to
physically re-create. You wont, however, fall out with
said bandmates over creative differences...
And on the subject of musical interaction, anyone
who has worked in a band will know that one of the
hardest skills to develop and from personal
experience one of the last is the ability to create/
perform harmony lines, and vocal harmonies in
particular. Even for those of us who are sufficiently
blessed to be natural multi-instrumentalists and
vocalists, the ability to create harmonies takes no small
The ability to create harmonies
takes no small measure of
knowledge and skill
1
44 | July 2013 magazine
PRO TIP
When working with harmonies
in Cubase you can of course
use the traditional route and
look at the notation view. Many
people forget about the score
functions within Cubase, but
they can be used to generate
harmonies by clicking in the
musical notes and using Chord
Track to follow them.
Alternatively, write the
harmonies into a MIDI part for
instrumental lines.
2
Create a Chord
Track by
selecting
Project>Add
Track>Chord
Track. It will
appear in the
Arrange area.
On the disc
Cubase project
file included on
the DVD
measure of knowledge and skill not to
mention practice. But if you dont fall into that camp,
dont despair: Cubase has been equipped for some time
with the kinds of tools youll need to create convincing
harmonies and in version 7 its even easier.
Making tracks
One of the most talked-about new features in Cubase 7
is the Chord Track, and with it the ability to generate
harmonies for both MIDI and audio tracks from its
chords. Now, Hollin Jones explored its capabilities only
a few months ago (Issue 119, February 2013) so I wont
repeat too much of what he wrote, but a quick recap is
worthwhile before we move on.
Once you have recorded the audio part you want to
harmonise you need to make sure that Cubase knows
what the chords below should be to enable its under-
the-hood algorithms to operate accurately. Start by
adding a Chord Track: select Project>Add Track>Chord
Track and it will appear in the Arrange window. 1
To add chords, select the Pencil tool and draw in
chords at the locations you want them, clicking on each
again to select the chord that you want. 2
Once the chords are in place you are ready for the
clever bit. Select the segment of audio you want to
harmonise if you havent trimmed the chunk you want,
 Harmonies in Cubase Technique MT

3
4

Choose Generate Harmony Voices from the Audio menu and

specify the number of harmonies you want. These will be
displayed in the Arrange window.

do so now, either with the Scissors tool or via the blocks

at the end of each chunk in the Arrange window. If you
dont do this now, Cubase will generate harmonies for
the entire take (which you may want, but if you dont, it
will take a long time to process and will have to be
edited later anyway). Once selected, choose Audio>
Generate Harmony Voices 3 ; Cubase will ask you how
many harmonies you would like and create that number
of parts, based on the chords in the Chord Track.
Your newly created harmonies should now be
displayed in the Arrange window and, depending on the
source material, they should be relatively similar in
musical shape to the original part. 4 However, to my
ears at least the parts do sound very processed and
auto-tuned, but when mixed appropriately within a
track their synthetic qualities arent that obvious and
you should find that the original line masks any such
shortcomings. By default Cubase presents them all at
an equal volume, so you may need to balance the
volumes of the parts against one another as well as the
original to make the whole sound more natural.
Something I enjoy doing is creating harmonies of
harmonies. This is different from creating more
harmonies from the original melody via the dropdown
menus and gives quite different results. When created
from the original melody, all of the resulting shapes will
be based around it, but if you create harmonies from a
harmony select one of the harmonies youve already
created and repeat the process described above
Cubase generates different shapes that can fill out a
track and add texture.
PRO TIP
Cubase has some pitch tools
within the Inserts that can
also be used for harmony
generation the pitchcorrect
plug-in, for example, can be
set to generate some degree
of harmony, but it does require
automating the Transpose
slider from the Arrange
window so it follows the chord
correctly. Its a bit rough-and-
ready, but a handy workaround
if youre desperate.
Once you have isolated the section you want to use,
create a new audio track by clicking on Project>Add
Track>Audio Track and choosing one with the same
settings as the original audio youre working with. Once
its in the Arrange window, copy ([Ctrl]/[Cmd]+[C]) and
paste ([Ctrl]/[Cmd]+[V]) the original audio recording
onto the new track. 5 Its this duplicated part youll be
working with.
Double-click on the copy to open the Sample Editor
and gain access to the advanced audio-editing tools.
Click on the Vari-Audio tab to the left of the window and
select Pitch & Warp to analyse the pitches within the
file. 6 The waveform in the main part of the window will
now contain blocks similar to the Piano Roll for MIDI
overlaid on the waveform; this is next to a piano
keyboard for pitch reference.
Before you move the notes into different positions,
select the blocks in the main window and, in the menu
to the left, move the Quantise Pitch slider by the desired
amount to make the original pitches as accurate as
possible. This can also be done

Custom harmonies
The harmonies that Cubase creates are what music
theorists would describe as standard SATB (Soprano,
Alto, Treble, Bass) harmonies, but there might be
occasions when you want a very specific harmony line.
This might be one that doesnt follow the chord
structure behind it, for example, or jumps between the
various standard lines. This is possible in Cubase, but
the process is not as straightforward.
Start off in the same way, recording an audio track
into the Arrange window and selecting the piece you
want to work with. As we saw earlier, shorter sections
are easier to work with, in terms of both the required
processing power and head space of the operator!

magazine July 2013 | 45

MT Technique Harmonies in Cubase
Adjust the Quantise Pitch slider by the
desired amount to make the original
pitches as accurate as possible.
individually rather than en masse. 7 Once the pitches
have been quantised, listen to the part to make sure it
has been done correctly; if not, use the editing tools to
the left to correct individual note lengths and pitches.
Once the part is as you want it you are ready to
create your own custom harmonies. To simply get your
ear in, start by dragging the notes into a simple pattern
of major and minor thirds above and below the original
melody based on the chords this should be pretty
easy. Once you have done this, more adventurous
harmonies can be created. If you can hear a particular
line in your head, move the blocks to match it. 8
The MIDI method
Going beyond using audio alone for generating
harmonies, lets turn our attention to using MIDI as a
source. Arguably the most obvious target for this
technique is vocals, but it can work just as well with
other instruments they have to be monophonic, but
its a handy technique to know if you need to create a
string section and have only one violin (or any other
instrument, for that matter). Rather than copying the
tracks and editing them you can add some software
instruments and create harmonies using these.
Start by opening the Sample Editor displaying your
original audio and analyse it as before. Once thats
done, click on Extract MIDI 9 ; select Paste to New
Track in the resulting pop-up window. 10 A new MIDI
track will be created in the Arrange window which you
can then link to a software instrument, either via VST
Instruments or by copying the MIDI file to an
9 11
Extracted MIDI is
placed on a new
MIDI track
displayed in the
Arrange area.
46 | July 2013 magazine
8
Using MIDI is a handy technique
if you need to create a string
section and have only one violin
Instrument track. 11 The resulting note data can then
be edited into harmonies either musically or by
following the Chord Track. The advantage of this
approach is that the data, being MIDI, can be moved
around without unwanted audio characteristics
appearing; it can also be copied multiple times. Again,
as is the case when working with audio, although the
sound wont be quite the same as the original, it can,
with appropriate mixing techniques, be blended into
the track seamlessly. I have used this technique of
mixed audio/virtual instruments many times for
professional work and it sounds fine.
Perfect harmony
Now you have an insight into the various ways of
generating harmonies within Cubase, I encourage you to
head off and develop a range of parts within your music.
Although the parts often sound quite artificial in
isolation, in context they work well and can really give a
track a lift. And while getting the results to sound good
takes almost as much work as recording the track itself,
it does mean that your computer does the hard work
rather than you having to teach your musicians all the
various parts. So, lets go harmonise... MT
10
Professional multi-channel recording for Mac, iPad & iPhone

One Duet
Microphone, 2 IN x 2 OUT 2 IN x 4 OUT Audio Interface,
Audio Interface, Headphone Amp Headphone Amp, MIDI Interface

Quartet
4 IN x 8 OUT Audio Interface, Monitor Controller, MIDI Interface

Find your nearest UK Apogee Specialist:

www.sonic-distribution.com/apogee-ios
MT Technique Bass design with Operator
Ableton Live Tutorial
Bass design
with Operator
Operator offers a great deal more
than just FM leads and pads.
Liam OMullane has the low-down.
W
ith the topic of this months lead
feature being synths, we thought wed
show you around Lives very own hybrid
synth, Operator. Although its name
comes from the FM synthesis-based
term for an oscillator, Operator can function both as an
additive and subtractive synth. In fact, given the less
than predictable nature of the alternative Analog synth
(which is, of course, part of an analogue synths charm),
we tend to reach for Operator to create any synth-like
sounds when we want 100% predictability. On that note,
well look at it as a subtractive synth first to keep things
simple while investigating its features.
Got rithm
The four divided sections to either side of Operators
central display are called Shells. After clicking the
bottom right-hand Shell this Global Shell will reveal 11
colourful algorithm symbols across the top of the
central display. Although they look like the puzzle
pieces from Tetris, they are in fact routing diagrams
flowing from top to bottom. 1
We tend to reach for Operator to
create synth-like sounds when we
want 100% predictability
The central display is key to seeing more detail for each
Shell when you click on them. This is also where you
select MIDI and modulation assignments.
48 | July 2013 magazine
On the disc
Ableton Live
project file included
on the DVD
PRO TIP
Subtractive and additive
synthesis can usually benefit
from some modulated filtering
from the filters own envelope
or the LFO (when assigned).
For FM work, try using it as an
EQ to hold back excessive top
end with a low-pass filter.
All of the algorithms apart from the very last one on
the right are either FM-based or a mixture of FM and
subtractive synthesis, so we need to click the horizontal
shape on the far right. This represents each oscillator
running in parallel to each other (ie, not modulating
each other like an FM synth).
Operators four oscillators are the four Shells to the
left-hand side. The Coarse parameter sets ratios of the
input MIDI note, so if youre playing a concert-pitch A3
and the first oscillator is set to a ratio of 1/1 you will hear
A3 being played back. The technique of layering up a
second oscillator an octave above the first can therefore
be achieved by turning up oscillator B and setting it to
2/1. As some ratios are odd, like 3/1, theres also a
predefined selection of harmonics on offer. To tune an
oscillator to a specific note, use Coarse to find the
nearest note below the one youre after, then use Fine to
sweep up to the desired semitone. Although its named
Fine, it offers a full octave range and isnt limited to
semitone adjustments as its calibrated in cents, making
it useful for detuning oscillators to thicken a sound.
You can view either oscillator or envelope info at the
top of the central display; oscillator type is available to
the lower right. Lets go through the layout by making a
Reese bass. Select a Saw D waveform for oscillators A
and B from the dropdown waveform list (see Image 6,
bottom right). Set their Level parameter to 0dB and raise
the Fine control for oscillator B up towards 25 cents. As
long as youre playing MIDI notes between C1 and C2
this should already be quite nasty-sounding. To give it
more bottom end, raise the level of oscillator C but leave
it set to its default sine wave as this pure wave is perfect
for reinforcing your existing sound. Need even more
weight? Raise the level of oscillator D and set its Ratio to
0.5 for a lower octave of sine power. Now re-balance the
sounds using the Level control on each oscillator. 2
The LFO Shell to the upper right is set up by default
to control the pitch for all oscillators via its Dest.A
section. To give this Reese more of a Hoover-esque rave
stab tone, set the LFO waveform to SwDown (Saw
Down) from the first pop-down menu. Choose Sync from
the next menu (LFO Range) and set a Rate of 1 bar. Now
raise the Amount while pressing keys higher than C2 to
get that familiar descending Hoover bass. 3
2

4 before backing off to a suitable amount.
The LFO can be assigned to many other modulation
destinations via Dest.B. In most cases youll want to
disable its default assignment in Dest.B by clicking the
A, B, C and D buttons. Although the filter cutoff can be
assigned here, setting its Depth to 100% wont move the
cutoff from its minimum to full. A workaround to
achieve a full-range cutoff sweep is to assign Dest.B to
filter cutoff. With both assignments set to 100% and the
LFO set to SwDown, you can achieve that tight and
defined rhythmic modulation sound that has been
recently made famous by the artist Datsik. 4
Returning to the Hoover-esque sound for a moment,
you can get a more authentic upwards and downwards
pitch change over time by using the Pitch Envelope in
the next Shell down from Filter. With a positive setting
between 1050%, shape the envelope to create a
medium attack slope and longer decay time. 5
Additive approaches
If you move the mouse over the central display when an
oscillator Shell is in focus you can draw in harmonic
partials on the Waveform Editor. This is where Operator
behaves like an additive synth, letting you decide which
harmonics are present and at what volume. Try setting
the harmonic amount to 16 (the uppermost block to the
right of the Editor) and draw in a combination of
harmonics. Weve gone for just a few lower harmonics
as this will be our bottom-end oscillator. 6
Weve then edited oscillator B and right/[Ctrl]-clicked
on the waveform display to set it to odd harmonics only.
We can now create an upper frequency layer that has
the odd harmonic characteristic of a square wave. 7
As were still using the subtractive synthesis
algorithm meaning that oscillators arent modulating
each other you can choose to feed back oscillators on
themselves. Explore the Feedback amount below the
oscillator-type menu. Harmonically rich oscillators are
sensitive to this control so small amounts will make a
big difference between distortion and noise. Weve gone
for 6% before the sound breaks up too much. This is now
a sonically interesting layer that we can modulate. 8
Perfect harmony
Each oscillator has an envelope that modulates its level
like any normal synth, letting us slowly introduce this
higher harmonic layer with a slow attack stage. These
Bass design with Operator Technique MT
6
7
Modulation can be used for subtle or dramatic
effects like most audio parameter settings, use the
most extreme settings to fine-tune parameters
two oscillators alone with a little vibrato from the LFO
can create a nice, organ-style bass that gains a harder
edge over time. 9
Envelopes can also be looped for creating rhythmic
modulation shapes. The bottom right of the oscillators
central display has a Loop pop-up menu: select Sync,
then set Repeat to 1/12 for a triplet feel. 10
As long as Lives main transport is playing, the
envelope will now begin to repeat. Just make sure that
the envelopes shape is short enough so it can be heard
changing before it loops around again. Experiment with
the Time<Vel amount to the right of the envelopes
Release amount as this will shorten or lengthen the
envelope duration via MIDI note velocity. A negative
value will shorten the duration with lower velocities,
which makes sense to us when playing expressively
from a MIDI controller. 11
Frequency modulation
Of all the available algorithms, the backwards-shaped
L is the most relevant for getting started with FM for
creating bass parts. 12 The bottom part of the L holds
the two oscillators you hear directly. The block colours
correlate to the oscillator colour, so here, oscillator A in
yellow is on its own, without any other oscillators above
it. This means that no oscillators above are there to
PRO TIP modulate it, so its a subtractive oscillator. Well use this
Many sounds can be given an for a bottom-end sine wave.
extra dimension through
octave-based pitch-bending.
Just set Pitch to
+12 or +24
semitones from
the central
display for the
Global Shell.
magazine July 2013 | 49
MT Technique Bass design with Operator
8 9
10
Assigning modulators to velocity enables you
to easily program in variation within your
General MIDI Editor page.
Oscillator B, however, has two other oscillators wired
into it in series. The pitch of oscillator D at the top will
modulate oscillator C, then the resulting sound will be
used to modulate oscillator B. In simple terms,
oscillators D and C are acting like an LFO to the pitch of
oscillator B, but the rates are very fast (in the audible
musical range) so the rate is fast enough to add new,
audible pitch changes to oscillator B.
With oscillator A remaining at a Coarse ratio of 1,
raise the Level to full for oscillator B after setting its
Coarse ratio to 2. Youll now have two sine waves an
octave apart. Next, increase the Level of oscillator C
and youll start to hear a dramatic change to oscillator
Bs output. Change the Coarse ratio to be lower and
youll hear a watery, super-fast tremolo effect; move it
upwards and the sound will become increasingly
metallic in tone. Now explore the Level control to hear
how this acts more like a timbre control than a simple
fade-in and out. Using this oscillators envelope for
Level control or the LFO suddenly opens up a lot of
drastic tonal change. Welcome to the wonderful world
of FM synthesis!
Know your limitations
FM can create some incredibly high frequencies so
high, in fact, that they reach the limitations of the
devices sample rate. These are pushed back into the
audible spectrum in a non-harmonically related way
this is called aliasing. When set up correctly this can
create dense clusters of information, which is great for
cymbal sounds, bells and anything else that isnt
12
13
The Algorithm menu
lets you choose from
various oscillator
routing options. Just
click the different shape
and immediately hear a
difference in your patch.
50 | July 2013 magazine
11
particularly musically tuneful. For bass, try copying
these settings with only sine waves to shape the
aliasing effect into a vowel-like sound. 13
Down and dirty
FM synthesis can also generate some really nasty bass
tones if you carefully tune each modulator by ear to
create a non-harmonic that has a slightly discernible
pitch. This time well use the very left algorithm to
create a layer for higher frequencies that we can run in
parallel with a sine wave from another instance of
Operator for the low end.
The first thing to do is to choose an interesting
waveform for oscillator A as this is where your sound
begins. Weve gone for the SW8 wave (saw wave) to
provide a bright sound, then weve chosen an odd-
harmonics-based sound for oscillator B with the Sq8
wave. This creates a very demonic beehive-type of
sound when detuned a little and applied with a low
Level. Weve then added a sine very high up in the
register with a ratio of 39 to create a very high, buzzy
tone. Finally, to lose a little definition weve added a
noise oscillator for D and applied it very lightly. 14
Of all the options here, FM needs to be approached
with some restraint, adding one oscillator at a time as
its very easy to go from a solid, desirable sound to
something thats just fatiguing to the ear. So take the
time to switch oscillators on and off as you go, checking
that youre not going too far. Then, when youve made a
sound, explore switching algorithms as this can often
yield some very surprising results. MT
14
MT Technique Mixing drums in Logic

Logic Pro Tutorial On the disc

Mixing drums Logic project

file included on
the DVD

in Logic
Logics signal-processing tools can transform an
average drum recording into a powerful, polished
kit sound. Mark Cousins shows you how.

T
here are numerous ways in which a drum kit
PRO TIP
can be mixed and each is perfectly viable
If youre suffering
some engineers might adopt a loose sound from a lot of
that favours overheads, for example, while bleed between
the elements of
others might gate and compress each part of
your kit, consider
the kit to create a super-tight feel. Although the precise using the Strip
objectives of each approach differs somewhat, there Silence command found under
the Audio local menu. Strip
are some broad overarching principles that span all of Silence will automatically edit
these different methods, especially in respect to the your recording, so that each but you should also try applying these same techniques
application of processing such as compression and hit becomes its own region to any drum recordings you have, as the results should
and the bleed is removed.
equalisation. Applying these practices within the largely be comparable.
realms of Logic reveals how adept the system is at
mixing, offering a precise and flexible set of sonic tools Kick into action
to meld an otherwise incoherent collection of sources The foundation of a mixed drum kit is arguably the kick
into a finished, polished kit sound. and snare, and in this respect the application of both
In this tutorial, therefore, were going to explore compression and equalisation are vital as a means of
drum mixing using Logics primary mixing tools sitting the sounds correctly. When youre using
namely, the Compressor, Channel EQ and Space compression or equalisation, for that matter try to
Designer plug-ins as well as seeing how a touch of be clear on your objectives rather than just applying
creative routing can make a significant improvement to them because its the right thing to do. In this example,
the overall sound of your kit. The recordings included on we want to ensure that the transient details of the kick
the coverdisc cover kick, snare, hi-hat and overheads, drum are enhanced, giving it a tight sound that
translates well through small speakers.

The application of compression Lets start by instantiating a Compressor across the

kick channel. On the whole, my favoured Circuit Type for

and EQ are vital as a means of all drum mixing is the FET option. The FET Circuit Type
delivers a musical response that really suits drum

sitting sounds correctly sounds, and, when pushed, can exhibit a pleasingly fast

The Compressors FET Circuit Type delivers a

musical response that suits drum sounds.

52 | July 2013 magazine


Attenuate the main snare hits and enhance the ghost
notes to add interest and drive to the drum pattern.
attack time in response to aggressive transient
reduction (although that isnt our objective here). The
key parameters in relation to the kick compression are
a relatively slow attack time (80ms) combined with a
responsively fast release time (around 57ms). Set the
ratio to around 4:1 and the threshold to -29dB to
achieve around 6dB of gain reduction. 1
Set in this way, the compression has a deliberately
laissez-faire approach to the transients of the kick
drum, instead directing its energies towards the body
of the sound. Try adding around 6dB of gain make-up to
account for the gain reduction youve applied, and
listen to the results before and after the compression.
Notice how the kick is much tighter, with the slap of the
beater being particularly prominent. Adding
equalisation should be the icing on the cake, further
accentuating the beater with a 4.5dB boost at 3,500Hz
as well as adding a more rounded bottom with a
similarly sized boost at 80Hz. 2
Snared prey
In theory, the same transient enhancement could be
applied to the snare (using a combination of a slow
attack and fast release), but on this track we want to
explore a different objective. One of the most pleasing
aspects of the snare in this performance is the use of
ghost notes, used to add interest to the snare pattern
and drive the groove further. With this
compression setting, therefore, we want to
attenuate the main snare hits and enhance
the ghost notes. Set attack to 12ms, the
release to 100ms (or whatever feels natural
with the tempo of the song), the ratio to 3.2:1
and threshold to -28.5dB to yield around 6dB
of gain reduction. 3
As with the kick drum, restore the gain to
make up for the lost level and compare the
results both before and after. Notice how the
ghost notes are brought up in level, as well as
the snare having slightly more body. You can
also tighten up the sound by treating it to a
little EQ, applying a high-pass filter around
68Hz, adding some warmth at 220Hz, and a
touch more bite with a boost at 8,900Hz. To
get a better understanding of the snares
frequency range you can always use the
3
PRO TIP
The Compressors extended
parameter set includes a Side
Chain Filter, which is useful
when youre compressing the
kit as a whole. Use the
high-pass filter to roll off any
excessive pumping from the
kick. Remember, though, that
youre affecting only the key to
the compressor, not the actual
audio path.
Mixing drums in Logic Technique MT
built-in analyser. Notice the peaks in our snare at
around 220Hz and 500Hz, which form a big part of the
snares timbre. 4
Head case
When it comes to the overheads, its worth lending a
critical ear to their stereo width, as all too often this is
left the same as the original recording. Instantiating the
MultiMeter in Goniometer mode is the best way of
visualising the use of stereo, either patching the plug-in
across the main output fader or the second insert path
of the overheads channel strip. 5
Use the Direction Mixer as a means of controlling
the stereo width of the overheads, adjusting the Spread
control to a figure lower than 1.0 to narrow the width, or
setting it to greater than 1.0 to push the sides of the kit
further out from the centre of the stage (although this is
often at the expense of mono compatibility, so be
careful). Although super-wide presentation might seem
like a good idea, youll often achieve a more powerful
sound by reducing the stereo width. In the context of
the whole mix, it might also be that you dont need the
kit to spread the full width of the soundstage, so having
some control is always good option. 6
Of course, an option at this stage is to explore the
application of compression across the overheads, but
instead, lets take a look at a two-stage
approach to compression. As well as
compressing individual channels, its worth
exploring compression across the drums as
a whole. As well as gaining a degree of
dynamic control, youll also lock together
the sound of the kit audio glue, in other
words. To do this, youll first need route the
entirety of the kit to a spare buss (Logics
Bus 1, in our case), using the output
assignment for all the drum channels. 7
With the entirety of the kit across the
buss, instantiate a new compressor across
the drum submix. Use the FET Circuit Type
and attack and release settings similar to
the snare compression attack 13.5ms,
release 86ms. Use a lower ratio around
2.3:1 as this time we want to massage the
kit, and nudge down the threshold to
around -26dB to yield around 4dB of
magazine July 2013 | 53
MT Technique Mixing drums in Logic
Route the entire kit to a spare buss,
using the output assignment for all
the drum channels.
compression. Of course, the precise threshold figure
will vary depending on how hard youre driving the buss,
and indeed, its interesting to note how the compression
changes across the drum buss as you rebalance the
relative levels of the channel faders. 8
Space race
The application of reverb has always been of benefit to
drum mixing, even if its just to add a subtle sense of
ambience and acoustic space. Whats interesting here
is to look at different ways in which we can introduce
ambience into the equation for example, what mics
we choose as a source for the reverb and how the reverb
gets routed to the final mix.
To start with, lets create a number of buss sends
(routed to buss 2) for all the source drum tracks, as well
as a new reverb across aux master 2. Space Designers
03 Small Spaces folder is probably the best choice for
drums, with plenty to choose from in the 01 Rooms
folder (weve chosen the Live Stage, for example). Set
the buss sends to 0dB for all of the channels and try
switching the sends in and out using the [Alt] key.
Contrast the reverb being fed from just the kick and
snare, for example, against the reverb fed from the
overheads. Probably the most natural sound comes
from using the overheads, but dont be afraid to
experiment with other options. 9
Whats particularly relevant here is the choice of
routing. At the moment, the drums are being routed
directly to the main stereo output, which sounds
sonically pleasing as the reverb seems to nicely envelop
7 8
54 | July 2013 magazine
the sound of the compressed kit. Another option is to
route the reverb return to the drum submix buss. This
has merit for two reasons: firstly, the compression is
subjected to the same compression as the kit, arguably
locking the kit and room together; secondly, any
adjustment to the drum submix also has a knock-on
effect on the level of reverb in the mix. Of course, if you
do decide that you like the reverb separate from the
drum buss, consider setting up a fader group for the two
aux master faders. 10
Drum magic
Hopefully, this tutorial has introduced you to some of
the key concepts of mixing drums in Logic and, in
particular, the importance of having a clear rationale
behind what youre doing. A compressor, for example,
can achieve a lot more than just dynamic control, so its
worth delving a little deeper to see what you can
achieve. Likewise, the way that you route signals is
often just as important as any of the plug-in settings, so
experimentation (and careful listening) is key.
Its well worth exploring further, therefore,
particularly in respect to previous tutorials that have
touched on drum production and mixing. For example,
drum replacement which we covered in plenty of
detail in Issue 67s tutorial on multitrack drum editing
is an invaluable means of enhancing an otherwise
lacklustre drum sound, enabling you to swap-out or
double parts of the drum kit. Certainly, if you cant
achieve what you want using compression and EQ, it
might be the only recourse. MT
Set up a fader group for the two aux
master faders if you decide you want the
reverb separate from the drum buss.
10
PLUG INTO THE HOME OF Students are supported
by excellent teaching
ISI Report 2013

ELECTRONIC MUSIC I took a course at Point Blank.

It was awesome!
STUDY IN LONDON OR ONLINE. ENROL NOW! Claude VonStroke

W W W. P O I N T B L A N K LO N D O N . C O M
For course enquiries call +44(0)20 7729 4884 or email luke@pointblanklondon.com
MT Technique Free plug-ins for Pro Tools
Pro Tools Tutorial
Free plug-ins
for Pro Tools
Want to augment Pro Tools plug-in
arsenal but not sure where to start?
Mike Hillier is your guide.
O
ne of the criticisms often levelled at Pro
Tools is that there are fewer free plug-ins
for it by comparison to those available for
other hosts using the VST or AU plug-in
formats, and to a large extent this is true.
Hundreds of free plug-ins in both VST and AU format
can be readily found and downloaded, but they can be
as much of a hindrance as an aid to creativity. It is
usually far more useful to have just one or two quality
plug-ins that you can rely on and that you know well
rather than having hundreds of plug-ins that you dont.
The plug-ins bundled with Pro Tools 10 are a great
starting point for your collection, covering all the basic
mixing and mastering requirements. Adding third-party
plug-ins is mostly a matter of preference, but there are
several free plug-ins we would recommend you seek
out irrespective of any others you may have.
Softube Saturation Knob
Available as a free download from forms.avid.com/
forms/AAXpluginoffer2012, Saturation Knob is an
analogue modelling distortion plug-in. 1 Despite
There are several free plug-ins
we recommend irrespective of
any others you may have
56 | July 2013 magazine
PRO TIP
While it is very easy to
duplicate a track and use
Brainworx bx_solo to create
the sum and difference
channels for an M/S matrix,
youll still need to buss the
channels back together and
add the difference channel
out-of-phase to one side to
get your L/R stereo again. See
the tutorial in Issue 122 (May
2013) for details.
On the disc
Pro Tools project
file included on
the DVD
appearing fairly simple, its
actually a very useful tool, having a single large
knob for dialling in gain and a Saturation Type switch
that can be used to flavour the saturation. In the
Neutral position the saturation is applied equally
across the spectrum; however, in the Keep Low position
the low end is kept clean while the high end is
saturated. Conversely, in the Keep High position the
high end is kept clean while the low end is saturated.
This deceptively simple feature makes Saturation Knob
an incredibly useful plug-in.
Copy and open the Pro Tools project file on the
coverdisc and youll see a simple synth bass and drum
loop. Add the Saturation Knob to the synth bass and
dial it up. Subtle low settings can be used to simply add
a little energy to a part, but in this instance were going
to dial it right up to around 4050% 2 to really get
some drive from the plug-in. Dont worry about the clip
light illuminating: were looking to deliver a highly
clipped, overly saturated signal. Keeping the Saturation
Type switch in Neutral creates a gloriously dirty synth
bass, but the low end can lack a little weight. Switch to
Keep Low 3 mode and the low frequencies will be
When soloed, the Saturation effect can often
seem too much, but in a dense mix it can be just
right for bringing certain instruments to the fore.

4 excellent tool for
Add a gate before Thump to
control the shape of the material
feeding the envelope followers
pushed through untouched, leaving all the weight and
clarity in the low end while still providing a dirty,
aggressive synth tone through the mids.
You can perform a similar trick on the drum loop,
which will create a filthy drum tone, but leaving the lows
clean will enable the kick to continue delivering the
necessary weight.
Metric Halo Thump
Like Saturation Knob, Thump 4 from Metric Halo is an
AAX-only plug-in available direct from Avids website at
apps.avid.com/metric-halo. Thump is a subharmonic
synthesizer designed to enhance or even replace kick
drum tracks or to generate synth bass parts. Unlike a
conventional synthesizer, Thump isnt triggered by MIDI
data, but by the amplitude of the incoming audio signal.
An amplitude follower triggers an amplitude and pitch
envelope in a similar way to the classic sidechained
gate on a 40Hz sine wave trick. The difference here is
that not only does the sidechain trigger the gate
to open, it also triggers a pitch envelope, which
opens up possibilities for far more interesting
sounds than a standard gate.
A real drum generates a pitch when hit, but as
the skin is stretched the pitch rises, falling again
as the skin tension is reduced. Synthetic drum
machines emulate this with a pitch envelope,
raising and lowering the pitch of the drum as it is
triggered. Thump copies this, enabling you to
generate a much wider range of kick sounds than
using a simple static-pitch sine wave. Whats
more, Thump expands the sonic palette by
providing not one, but two synth oscillators.
Weve included a mono kick loop on an
Inactive channel in the tutorial project folder. This
is the same kick loop as found in the main drum
loop. Make the channel active by right-clicking on
the channel name in the either the Edit or Mix
windows and selecting Make Active from the
PRO TIP
By applying multiple instances
of elysia niveau filter you can
create your own multiband EQ.
Throw in Brainworx bx_
cleansweep V2 and you have a
very advanced EQ section.
Free plug-ins for Pro Tools Technique MT
6
5
Thump is an
incredibly creative
approach to drum
synthesis, and is an
working with
electronic music.
pop-up menu. Add an instance of Thump to the channel.
As this channel is duplicating the kick from the main
drum loop, set Thump to 100% wet. 5
Well start with a single oscillator, so disable the
second oscillator using the button marked Ena. 6 Now
tune the starting pitch, called Atk Freq. Start around
3540Hz and set the Sustain Freq a little higher (around
50Hz). 7 This can all be tuned to taste and will depend
on the space in the mix you are working on and the kick
youre looking to enhance or replace. This sets the
oscillator pitch, but the tempo of the pitch and
amplitude envelope is set using the Envelope Atk,
Envelope Sust, Pitch Atk and Pitch Sust controls. The
two Atk controls set the speed of the envelope attacks
in milliseconds, while the two Sust controls set the
release time in milliseconds. In our example weve set
the amplitude attack moderately fast with a slow
release, while the pitch is set moderately fast on both
attack and release. 8
The full envelope, however, will depend to a large
extent on the material being fed to Thump, so it can be
interesting to add a gate before Thump to control the
shape of the material feeding the envelope followers.
Of course, theres nothing to prevent you from
breaking the rules and setting a lower sustain
frequency than attack frequency and in fact,
some quite useful sounds can be created in this
way. Try adding the second oscillator starting at
50Hz and going down to 1Hz. 9
Brainworx and elysia
The Plugin Alliance has four free plug-ins
available for download from plugin-alliance.com
Brainworx bx_cleansweep V2, Brainworx bx_
solo, elysia niveau filter, and SPL Free Ranger.
Brainworx bx_solo 10 is the most basic, but also
in some ways the most useful. If youve followed
the last few tutorials on M/S processing youll
notice that bx_solo provides some of these
functions, including a single stereo width control
and mid/side monitoring options, enabling
simple set-up of M/S matrices. Try it on the
drums channel to hear the effect.
Brainworx bx_cleansweep V2 11 is another
very simple plug-in providing little more than
very clean high- and low-pass filters. The filter
magazine July 2013 | 57
MT Technique Free plug-ins for Pro Tools

7 8 9
10

11

bx_solo (top) has a single stereo width control and mid/side

monitoring options, enabling simple set-up of M/S matrices.

cutoffs can be controlled from either the two knobs or versa) when the Gain control is set to attenuate. This
PRO TIP
from the joystick, which assigns horizontal motion to can be used for some incredible sonic manipulations,
If youre missing some of your
the high-pass filter (moving up the frequency range as favourite VST or AU plug-ins, it and is worth considering even when combined with a
you move from left to right), and vertical motion to the is possible to host them inside more advanced EQ control. At extreme gain setting the
other plug-ins, such as Nomad
low-pass filter, moving down the frequency range as you niveau filter becomes a more traditional low- or
Factory Magma, which can run
move from top to bottom. both as an AAX plug-in and high-pass filter. These filters can create some
The niveau filter 12 from elysia is a single-band EQ VST host. incredible sounds, as well as make considerable space
based on the filter section of the mpressor compressor. in the mix for other instruments.
While the EQ was designed to work in the sidechain of a
compressor, it can be very effective in a mix. The SPL Free Ranger
plug-in has two main controls: (centre) Frequency and The last freeware plug-in were going to look at in this
tutorial is the SPL Free Ranger 13 , a cut-down version

Free Ranger is comparatively of SPLs Full Ranger plug-in. However, while the Full
Ranger has eight EQ bands, the Free Ranger is limited

restrictive but still a very useful to just four 40Hz, 150Hz, 1.8kHz and 16kHz. While
comparatively restrictive, this is still a very useful EQ

EQ tool to have to hand tool to have to hand. Try applying it to the drums and
boosting at 40Hz to produce a much stronger kick
sound; cutting at 150Hz will create more room in the
Gain. The centre frequency can be adjusted further by mix for the synth bass track. The 1.8kHz band will give a
using the Freq x10 button, which multiplies the centre PRO TIP little more crack to the snare sound, but is a little too
frequency position by 10, so the lowest setting We often add the bx_solo low to bring out the beater attack in the kick. Finally,
becomes 260Hz and the highest becomes 22kHz. This plug-in to our master buss for the 16kHz band can put that all-important air around
monitoring purposes. Creating
provides you with the option of controlling the centre a mono mix like this for the kit. We like to boost this frequency on vocals while
frequency anywhere from 26Hz22kHz. Using the Gain monitoring purposes lets you cutting it elsewhere in the mix, so the air around the kit
to boost the EQ doesnt simply produce a parametric quickly check the mono and vocals really shines. MT
compatibility of your mixes. It
boost around the centre frequency, but instead creates can also be useful when
a balance shift around the centre frequency, with listening to just the sides to
determine what is going on in
higher frequencies being boosted and lower those channels.
frequencies being attenuated at the same time (or vice

12

elysias niveau filter and SPLs Free Ranger may seem basic but both can be very useful in a mix,
13
making them invaluable additions to your plug-in collection.

58 | July 2013 magazine

MT Technique External MIDI hardware in Reason

Reason Tutorial On the disc

Adding MIDI
Reason project
file included on
the DVD

hardware to Reason
Reason 7 can send MIDI to the outside world,
opening up a wealth of creative possibilities in
your studio. Hollin Jones sends the signals.

R
eason has always been very good at getting
PRO TIP
MIDI in from keyboards, control surfaces and
Reason supports
other devices to enable you to play and MIDI clock sync,
program its many instruments. Version 7 which can be
used to
brings a new feature in the form of MIDI out
synchronise the
and its integrated in typical Propellerhead fashion: application to
unobtrusively and efficiently. Before we go into detail external sources
or to sync those
about how it works, lets briefly think about why MIDI sources to
out is such a big step forward for this much-loved DAW. Reason. It also
Although Reason is particularly good at generating has an Offset
option which
sounds and effects virtually, many studios still have a enables you to
lot of MIDI-triggered hardware lying around. Vintage kit correct any latency introduced MIDI and pattern
in the signal chain. Although
such as drum machines and synths are generally editing a breeze. So while this
you may not use this in
equipped with MIDI, and anything more recent like a everyday situations, it is great is all well and good for triggering stuff in the Rack,
workstation definitely will be. Indeed, new hardware for incorporating Reason into imagine if you could also use it to program your classic
more hardware-centric setups
offering MIDI as a means of controlling it is being comprising more unusual kit.
drum machine or vintage keyboard. Well, now you can,
developed all the time. and it doesnt end there. Unless you are running your
Reasons sequencing tools are especially fun and mix through a hardware desk you will almost certainly
powerful to work with, and devices such as the RPG-8, want to record the results of external MIDI triggering
the Matrix Pattern Sequencer and the ReGroove system back into Reason, and this is easy to do using a simple
for real-time groove quantization make it easy to create interface so the whole thing becomes a loop. And
great-sounding parts. And the sequencer itself makes thanks to the new audio-slicing tools, you can turn
recorded parts into REX loops with just a few clicks.

New hardware offering MIDI as a First steps

means of controlling it is being The first thing you will need to do is tell Reason which
MIDI interface to use, which you can do in the

developed all the time Preferences>Advanced section. Most audio interfaces

also have hardware MIDI in/out ports, so make sure that

1
2

Create an External
MIDI Instrument
module and route it
to your hardware via
an interface.

60 | July 2013 magazine

 External MIDI hardware in Reason Technique MT

4
6

Route the hardwares sounds back in to an audio

channel in Reason and you will be able to record,
slice up and work with clips.

you select the relevant interface. 1 If you are using a
MIDI-only interface, choose that. Theres nothing to
prevent you from using separate MIDI and audio
interfaces, though in many cases one unit will do both.
Now go into your project, locate the Create menu and
choose to create an External MIDI Instrument. 2 Once
created, a small module will appear in the Rack.
In the EMIs output selector, choose the MIDI
interface you specified in the Preferences and the
module will be routed to it. 3 Of course, you will also
need to make sure that you have a MIDI cable
connected from your interfaces MIDI out port to the
MIDI in port on your keyboard or drum machine and that
it is set to receive on the correct channel (typically
channel 1 unless you are using several devices). You
may also have to set the instrument to external rather
than local MIDI control and connect its audio outputs to
something so it can make noise.
In many cases this could mean routing it back into
Reason, in which case you need to create a new audio
track. Make sure that this is set to receive audio from
the inputs to which you have connected your
instruments audio outs. 4 With these steps completed
you should find that sending MIDI from the EMI or its
sequencer track triggers the hardware and the resulting
sound plays through the audio channel you just created.
You will probably be able to hear the audio from the
instrument without creating an audio track for it since it
is playing through your interface, but to actually capture
its output you will need to create a track to record it.
PRO TIP
The new Spectrum EQ window
can be called up from any view
in Reason and provides a
much more hands-on way to
control the EQ of any channel
in the mixer. Its contextual
meaning that it can be
assigned to show the EQ
settings for any channel and
has shortcut buttons both on
the Mixer and on audio track
modules in the Rack.
The EMI has a few more tricks up its sleeve apart
from simple triggering, pitch and mod wheels. To the
right-hand side you will see a row of buttons, the first of
which is for sending Program Changes. Click on the up
and down arrows here and you can cycle through
presets on your external kit without having to leave your
chair. As well as being useful for auditioning sounds,
this can be automated like pretty much everything else,
which can be very handy.
All change
Imagine that you want your drum machine to use one
patch for one part of a song but a different one for
another part. Simply automate the Program Change
control by [Alt]-clicking on it and changing the Program
number at the relevant point during playback. The EMI
gets a new automation lane in the sequencer, and you
can use the Pen tool to manually draw in Program
Changes or to edit existing ones.
Here we have told Reason to send a Program
Change from preset 5 to 48 at a specific point. 8 Like
all automation data it can be freely moved, and in this
case its also saved with a project. This means that

Get with the program

Now you need to generate some MIDI notes, which you
can do either by simply playing notes in from a MIDI
keyboard/pad or by connecting an RPG-8 or Matrix to
the EMI device in the Rack. 5 Remember that this will
be sent outside Reason to your external kit, but it
behaves in the same way as if you were triggering one of
Reasons own modules. Matrix data remains virtual until
you choose Edit>Copy Pattern To Track, at which point it
is treated like any other sequencer data. 6
What you now have is an external instrument
effectively integrated into your Reason Rack. It can, of
course, be recorded as audio by hitting record with the
relevant audio track record-enabled and as a bonus
its now automatically sliced-up. 7

magazine July 2013 | 61

MT Technique External MIDI hardware in Reason
Take advantage of Reasons excellent MIDI
programming tools and use them to trigger
your studio hardware. You can also automate
Program Changes and CCs.
on opening a project, Reason will automatically set any
connected external instruments to the correct patch for
the current song position.
The next option down is CC Assign, and the knob is
contextual depending on which of the available CCs you
choose, meaning it can be set independently for each
one. Control messages like these are used for all MIDI
kit to send various types of changes, such as sustain,
velocity, breath and all manner of other parameters that
can be controlled.
In order to see what each CC corresponds to you can
try hovering the mouse over the knob with a specific CC
number selected; alternatively, go to the Track
Parameter Automation dropdown menu in the
sequencer and click on it to see more clearly. 9 You can
customise CC assignment on your hardware by
mapping specific CC numbers to parameters and so set
up custom maps to automate anything you like from
within Reason.
Auto pilot
Automation of CCs works in a very similar way to
Program Changes, except that here you automate the
knob when a specific CC number is selected. [Alt]-click
on the dial or right-click and choose Edit Automation
and an automation lane is created in the sequencer for
that particular CC channel. Any changes that you enter
while recording are now recorded as automation and
can be edited as usual. 10 Since each CC can have its
own automation lane, you can theoretically have more
than 100 parameters being automated for each EM1. In
9 Configure your hardware to map specific CC
62 | July 2013 magazine
8
Incorporate MIDI-triggered
instruments into your productions
with the minimum of fuss
reality you might only need things such as volume,
sustain, pan or filter frequency, but its always useful to
be able to automate these kinds of things on your
external hardware. In fact, its usually far easier than
trying to do any real-time parameter changes on the
hardware itself, and enables you to creatively program
and record the results back into Reason without having
to involve yourself in fiddly menus on your workstation
or drum machine.
Out and about
The External MIDI Instrument module may look small
and somewhat inconsequential, but in actuality it
opens up your Reason system to a whole new world of
easy MIDI programming of external kit and the
recording of its sounds straight back in. Now, therefore,
in addition to all of the excellent bundled instruments
and Rack Extensions, you can incorporate vintage or up-
to-date MIDI-triggered instruments into your
productions with a minimum of fuss and using
equipment that you very probably already own. This is
great news for anyone running Reason, and makes it an
even more powerful tool for working with sound and
MIDI in your studio or on the stage. MT
10
messages to your desired parameters and you can
have more than 100 channels of control automation
going on for every instance of the EMI.
 Mixcraft Pro Studio 6 is your
complete music production
workstation, instantly
turning your computer into
a fully-stocked professional
recording studio.
for Microsoft Windows
Available at Guitar Center
and other fine retailers.
18 virtual instruments, including emulations of some of the
greatest vintage analog synthesizers, organs, and electric pianos
of all time, plus a huge sampled instrument library and an
impressive new collection of acoustic and electric drum sounds.
41 professional-quality effects, including the iZotope Mastering
Essentials suite and the brilliant new Acoustica Studio Reverb.
Over 6000 professionally-produced music loops
in an incredible array of styles and genres.
Mixcraft Pro Studio 6.
New! Download the Mixcraft
Remote App to control Mixcraft
from your mobile device.
 FREE MIC W
YOUR SPECIAL SUBSCRIPTION OFFER:
FREE STUDIOSPARES S580 CARDIOID VOCALIST
MICROPHONE WORTH 47*
FREE DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTION FOR ALL SUBSCRIBERS
SAVE 25% ON THE SHOP PRICE**
PAY JUST 53.90 EVERY 12 ISSUES BY DIRECT DEBIT
NEVER MISS AN ISSUE WITH FREE UK DELIVERY
* Offer available to UK orders only
**25% saving applies to UK Direct Debit and 2 year credit/debit card or cheque orders only

ORDER FORM GIFTP124 OTHER PAYMENT METHODS

BEST
UK Direct Debit 53.90 every 12 issues saving 25% BUY
(please complete the DD mandate opposite) UK 12 issues by credit/debit card or cheque for just 60.95 saving 15%
I would like to buy a gift subscription (please fill in recipients details on a UK 24 issues by credit/debit card or cheque for just 107.80 saving 25%
separate sheet of paper) Sorry, free gift available to UK orders only
Europe - 12 issues by credit/debit card or cheque for just 74
YOUR DETAILS
World - 12 issues by credit/debit card or cheque for just 84
Title Initial Surname
USA/Canada 12 issues by credit/debit card or cheque for just $99
Email address ** USA/Canada call toll free on 800 428 3003 or subscribe online at
Address www.imsnews.com/musictech using code GIFTP123

YOUR PAYMENT DETAILS

Postcode Country n Visa n Mastercard n Maestro n American Express

Tel no. (inc.STD) Card no n n n n nnnn nnnn nnnn nnnn

Valid from n n n n Expiry date n n n n Issue no n n
Mobile**

INSTRUCTION TO YOUR BANK OR BUILDING SOCIETY TO PAY DIRECT DEBIT

Signature(s) Date
Originators Identification Number
n I enclose a cheque made payable to Anthem Publishing Ltd for
1 Name and address of your Bank or Building Society 8n
n 3n
7n1n
8 n
1
To the Manager Bank/Building Society SEND THIS COMPLETED FORM TO
Address Postcode Anthem Publishing Ltd, Freepost RRBS-LRRG-CTBJ,
800 Guillat Avenue, Kent Science Park, Sittingbourne
2 Name of account holder(s) ME9 8GU No stamp required

3 Branch sort code Code GIFTP124 Offer ends 31 August 2013

*Sorry, free gift is available to UK orders only.
nn nn nn ** 25% saving applies to UK Direct Debit and 2 year credit/debit card or cheque orders only. Your
4 Account number subscription will start with the next available issue. Please note that your subscription payments are
nnnnnnnnn based on the number of issues you receive. Details of how to access your free digital subscription
5 Instruction to your Bank/Building Society Please pay Anthem Publishing Direct Debits from will be sent to you with acknowledgement of your subscription order.
the account detailed in this instruction subject to the safeguards assured by the Direct Debit Guarantee. +Please enter this information so that Anthem Publishing Ltd, publisher of Music Tech magazine,
I understand that this instruction may remain with Anthem Publishing and if so, details will be passed can keep you informed of newsletters, special offers and promotions via email or free text
electronically to my Bank or Building Society. messages. You may unsubscribe from these messages at any time.
Anthem Publishing Ltd may contact you with details of our products, services or to undertake
Signature(s) Date research. Please tick here if you prefer not to receive such information by post phone .
We occasionally pass your details on to carefully selected companies whose products and services
we feel may be of interest to you. Please tick here if you prefer not to receive such information by
post phone
 WH
FR YOU
EN
WORTH 47

EE SUB
*

GIF SCR
T IBE
PLUS get a FREE
PLUS get a FREE
digital subscription
when you subscribe
FRioE Ees
Studio spar
S580 Cardioid
Vocalist
Microphone

SAVE
25%
ON THE
COVER PRICE**

3 EASY WAYS TO SUBSCRIBE

CALL US ON
0844 844 0398
8
ORDER ONLINE AT
ANTHEM.SUBSCRIBEONLINE.CO.UK/

COMPLETE
THE ORDER
(overseas
(overseas readers
readers please
please call
call +44
+44 (0)
(0) 1795
1795 592
592 849)
849) MUSIC-TECH-MAGAZINE FORM
QUOTECODE
QUOTE CODEGIFTP124
GIFTP13 USECODE
USE CODEGIFTP124
GIFTP13 OPPOSITE
MT Reviews Moog Sub Phatty

MT Reviews
Hardware Software Mobile Technology Samples

MOOG generator where the better action

lies. This square wave oscillator is

Sub Phatty
locked one octave below that of
oscillator 1s pitch, so dialling it in
creates a huge base for your sound to
sit on and obviously more bass, too!
The latest in Moogs synth arsenal is monophonic, has just 16 Its tempting to dial it in on everything
but its probably best left to the end of
presets, and no screen. Whats not to like, asks Andy Jones... your creations.
The Mixer section simply comprises

T
Details he brand-new Moog Sub Phatty designers have added to give the synth four dials to adjust the levels for each
Price 859 is analogue, monophonic and more interest. At its heart are two main internal generator, so straight to the
Contact Source described as Moogs grittiest oscillators, a sub and a noise generator. Filter section. Here you get a low-pass
Distribution
020 8962 5080
synth yet. This is down to it The two oscillators can move gradually filter with four slope types. The biggest
Web www. being the first Moog to feature a between waveforms (unlike many other knob on the Phatty is Cutoff that dial
moogmusic.com Multidrive circuit, sitting just before the synths, where you switch between you go to, along with Resonance, to
amplifier section, offering a few extra them) so you can sit between two instantly show off acid-stylee.
Key Features stones for the aforementioned grit. This,
25 semi-
weighted keys
combined with a couple of other extras
under the sonic bonnet, gives Sub Sub Phatty is Moogs grittiest
synth as well as one of the
16 presets
Phatty an edgy Moog sound you might
(4 x 4 banks)
Mod sources: want to sell your gran for. Fortunately,
triangle, square,
saw, ramp, SH,
filter envelope
you wont have to because, as well as
being Moogs grittiest synth, its also one companys cheapest
Destinations:
of the companys cheapest yet.
pitch, osc 2 waveforms. Already we have that little Resonance does what it says on the
pitch only, filter, First impressions extra flexibility and weve barely tin: emphasising frequencies at the
waveshape
1 x TS audio in, 1
Out of the box, the quality is clear. Sub started. A Hard Sync button locks cut-off and feeding them back in
x TS out and TRS Phatty is reassuringly heavy, built well oscillator 2s phase to oscillator 1s so basically making any changes you make
headphone out and has a rock-solid feel. I especially that its shape and their combined to the frequency cut-off that bit more
MIDI I/O via DIN
love the end plates and that curved timbre become a lot more interesting, dramatic for instant results.
and USB MIDI
(not audio) back cool, modern but retro all in one. especially when 2s frequency is Filter cut-off can also, of course, be
CV/Gate inputs: Its a subtractive synth with a layout modulated. The Noise source obviously controlled by other factors, including
filter, pitch,
that will be familiar to many but there brings what it says to proceedings but two envelope generators. The EG
volume, KB Gate
are several tweaks that Moogs its perhaps the sub oscillator a fourth Envelope controls how the filter cut-off

66 | July 2013 magazine


is modulated by the shape youve dialled
into the filter envelope ADSR (Attack,
Decay, Sustain, Release) section. Give it
a short attack, for example, and your
note will reach the filter cut-off
frequency quickly. KB Envelope gives
you a similar reaction, but this time
dependent on the note played. Both
offer some fantastic note movement
options over both pitch and time.
The last dial in the Filter section is
the aforementioned Multidrive circuit.
Its quite a simple concept basically, a
drive circuit for added distortion and
aggression placed between the filter
and amp. But add it to the sub oscillator
and those sweepable waves and you
have three factors that already give this
synth some extra sonic character.
Finally, on the right-hand side of the
front panel is a standard ADSR for the
note volume-over-time level and dials
for master and headphone levels (plus a
front-panel headphone socket).
The low-down
The LFO section is the last major one to
cover, and again its simple on the
surface at least. You get five waveform
sources plus the aforementioned filter
envelope so you can get more hands-on
with the LFO shape using the ADSR
dials. The rates at which these oscillate
are determined by the LFO Rate dial,
and what they oscillate pitch, filter
and waveform are determined by the
remaining three dials. The excellent
manual takes you through how these
can be used in practical situations
theres a particularly good pulse wave
MT Navigation Free Phatty software
SUB OSCILLATOR
a A square wave
oscillator locked one
octave below osc 1 the
first element to help give
Phattys deep sound.
LOWER PANEL
b The lower panel in the
free software is dedicated to
the features found in Shift
mode, such as the external
input level dial shown here.
modulation walkthrough that will have
you pushing a waveform to its limits
while remaining in time with the LFO. In
fact, on first use of the Phatty Id
recommend everyone to initiate one of
the presets (ie,so its silent again, this
is clearly detailed in the manual) and
then follow the walkthroughs. Theres
an excellent kick drum one in there that
re-creates a classic 808. I took it further
to create the ultimate bass kick well,
in my mind it was anyway...
Shifting up
Finally, we come to Shift mode. This is
where you can go a lot deeper into the
Sub Phatty programming by adding
functions to existing buttons and dials.
So, for example, in Shift mode the filter
envelope Decay dial becomes an
additional hold parameter, adding a
stage to the ADSR and making it
AHDSR, so your note can linger between
attack and decay. Other additional
features in Shift mode include the
Noise dial changing to control the
external signal input level; the filter and
amplifier envelope Attack dials both
becoming a delay; and the Hard Sync
button becoming an oscillator reset so
they start their cycle when you hit a key,
which results in an edgier sound.
You can also access and change
several other hidden parameters in Shift
mode, such as those filter slopes I
mentioned earlier. In Phattys normal
setup the filter is a classic 24dB per
octave one, while in Shift mode you can
access 6, 12 or 18dB slopes. There are
also additional hidden parameters to
a
b
Moog Sub Phatty Reviews MT
Alternatives
The Arturia MiniBrute (409) is an obvious
alternative in terms of looks if nothing else.
Sound-wise it features only a single oscillator but
does have a Brute Factor control to supply
feedback crunch. It can certainly be filthy but probably not as low and
rounded as the Sub Phatty, although it does have a more varied range of
sounds overall.
Sub Phatty has a
splendid, smooth
access for transposition, legato, glide,
back panel...
the LFO and both envelopes, plus a huge
amount of MIDI and system information.
Shift mode is clever, but constant
reference to the manual to determine
which dial does what soon becomes
tedious differently coloured labels for
each extra parameter next to the dials
might have made it easier to use.
Everything you change in Shift mode
can be saved with the preset,
something that I havent touched on yet.
The Phatty comes with 16 presets and
you will have to save over them a
simple two-button-press process if
you come up with a great sound. Just 16
presets does sound limiting and Shift
mode is a little clunky. Luckily, Moog has
supplied free software to add unlimited
c FILTER CUTOFF
A classic Moog low-pass with
four slope types to choose from.
c
d
MULTIDRIVE
d The Grit section!
This drive circuit sits just
before the amp stage and
adds punch and weight.
magazine July 2013 | 67
MT Reviews Moog Sub Phatty
presets and make programming a lot
easier. As you can see in the Free Phatty
software box, the software replicates
the Phatty front panel and shows more
of the Shift mode functions as well as
the load/save preset options. It makes
using all of this extra functionality (and
preset management) a breeze.
Drive time
So what do all of these parameters give
us in terms of sound? It would be very
easy for me to simply say really fat
sounds and move on, but you deserve
more and, in fact, the synth is capable
of more. But first lets concentrate on
the low end. Ive already touched on the
sub oscillator and this will give you
plenty of bottom. Thats not to say that
the two main oscillators are lacking
anything down there, but its the
Multidrive section that really enables
you to add grit and grit is what this
synth is all about.
One of the presets no names
included, but its number three has a
fantastic filter envelope that takes it
from an almost punchy lead to a deep
bass in a second. The grime you get with
it is palpable and its all from the
Multidrive there is almost no sub
oscillator on it as it simply isnt needed
(well, there wasnt until I got my hands
on it!). The next preset is all bass; again,
a lot from the Multidrive and this time
with heaps of sub, short attack times
and long releases for a sound that could
be the backbone of any bass tune.
Other sounds include a fantastic
punchy, almost metallic bass that was
produced, on further discovery, by two
pulse waveforms, plenty of sub for a
massive analogue finish and almost no
Multidrive. It would have been nice to
have different banks of 16 different
presets to load in to really hear what the
At 859 the Sub Phatty might seem a little on the expensive side, but for the legendary Moog sound
and the companys enviable heritage its actually a bit of a bargain...
68 | July 2013 magazine
synth is capable of from the off but I
suspect that these will come with
updates to the software.
All of which leads me to conclude
that the bass is big, yes, but the Sub is
capable of more than that. Within the 16
presets are superb examples of this,
both the biggest basses you can
imagine along with incredibly punchy
leads. Once again I ask you to reach for
the manual and tweak, tweak and Not only does the
tweak some more. Try their examples come across sounds you will want to Sub Phatty sound
gorgeous, it looks
and delve into Shift mode for the extra return to. And I really do see its home gorgeous, too...
programmability that it brings because within a creative programming
you will get great results very quickly. environment like this, something to take
your sounds higher, and in that respect
Sounds right it fills its tight brief superbly and your
It would be easy to focus on negatives sounds will benefit hugely.
with the Sub Phatty. Certainly, the lack of And the word your is probably the
a screen will put many post-1985-synth crux of Moogs argument and, to a
users off, as will the number of presets certain extent, mine. If you want your
and their selection. But hook it up to a sound to be the same as that produced
Its the Multidrive section that really
enables you to add grit and grit is
what this synth is all about
computer and both negatives are pretty by everyone else with a similar set of VA
much negated and who doesnt use a soft synths, look elsewhere. But if you
computer in music-making these days? want one item to take elements of your
And, sure, the keyboards not exactly a sonics to another level and make you
playing vehicle two octaves does not a stand out that little bit, the Sub Phatty is
Richard Clayderman make but do you a great option. It might cost to do that
need more than that to play bass or 859 is not cheap for any synth these
lead? These sounds are where this days but it once cost a lot more to
synths strengths lie, so it will be used for make music and that resulted in people Method Spot
playing either bass or occasional tearing being more creative with their kit. So We havent covered
leads, not both simultaneously. perhaps if we spend more on higher- the fact that you
can put external
The Sub Phatty excels at sound quality beasts like the Sub Phatty we signals through the
creation and manipulation exact and might get more original results and Sub Phattys
architecture. Simply
effective tweaking, dramatic dialling rediscover our creative selves in the
connect your input
and almost constant saving as you process. I can only dream... MT signal with a
standard TS jack.
Make sure you have
MT Verdict your levels low by
keeping both your
+ Stunning sound input signal low at
+ Easy signal flow source and the
+ Great drive circuit and bassy input level low. This
sub oscillator cant be done from
the front panel
+ Extra layer of options for deep
straightaway
programmability youll have to
+ Easy preset management within enter Shift mode or
the software use the software
(weve highlighted
- Could have done with more where it is in the
banks to show off the sounds Free Phatty
software box on the
A boutique synth that will give you previous page) then
gradually raise the
some great lows and punchy highs.
levels and enjoy
Use it in conjunction with the getting hands-on
accompanying software and you with Sub Phattys
wont look back... features with, well,
8/10 pretty much any
signal you want.
B M L
MANUFACTURED IN
G R E AT B R I TA I N B Y

S P I T F I R E
THE BRIT ISH MODUL AR LIBRARY
C AT N o . 3 0 1

Sable strings

1 SPITFIREAUDIO.COM
A4_print.indd 3 3/12/12 2:56 PM

For PC
ZYNAPTIQ & Mac Excellence
10/10
UNFILTER
With a proven track record to date, can Zynaptiq work its voodoo
magic again with this latest release? Liam OMullane tries it out.
T
Details he advent of digital has been
Price 372 both a positive and negative
Contact via website force in the music industry. On
Web one hand, it offered a new level
www.zynaptiq.com
of clarity and dynamic range when first
introduced, but it has also been
responsible for the more smashed
sound that has characterised various
genres in modern times. A recent saving
grace for the reputation of digital is its
ability to challenge the rules of what can
and cant be done polyphonic pitch
manipulation of a pre-mixed audio file
being one. Both Celemonys Melodyne
and Zynaptiqs PITCHMAP can do this,
and when first announced everyone
thought it was snake oil, but they have
both since proved that some rules can
indeed be broken.
Although Celemonys efforts are
fantastic, Zynaptiq hasnt stopped there
weve already reviewed the companys trackball-style faders. These remain
UNVEIL plug-in, which enables you to
remove or reduce the amount of reverb
in a pre-mixed file. This was another
Key Features task we all thought couldnt be done
VST/AU/RTAS/
AAX and
until Zynaptiq proved us wrong, and
although UNFILTER may not sound as
standalone
formats
revolutionary as the previous two
Static or
releases, it does offer new ways to
adaptive
behaviour approach audio processing.
Trackball
sliders for main
functionality
Mix and match
Built-in limiter Many of us will have tried to make a bad
Internal bias recording sound good or match one
or normal
EQ modes
recorded mic signal with another when
necessary through broad or narrow
Innovation
additive or subtractive EQ work. Of
course, its always better to get it right
at source and when possible re-record
the signal, but this isnt always an
option for a variety of reasons: the
performance may have been a one-off,
or so good that you cant possible
recapture the vibe. The sound source
may also be a sample, meaning youre
definitely stuck with what youve got. So
whether youve got a sub-par piece of
dialogue, a poorly miced signal with
comb filtering or audio thats less than
ideal due to being ripped from the
internet, UNFILTER could be the tool to
help get you a more full-bodied sound.
Filter fun
Like UNVEIL, the bread-and-butter
controls of UNFILTER are in the Process
section, depicted by iconic Zynaptiq
easy to adjust while taking up less GUI
space than traditional sliders.
The main graphical display shows a
few different pieces of information:
input signal, output signal and transfer
function, all shown via a spectral shape
to indicate what is going on as you work.
These really help you understand how
the unfiltering process works.
A Learn section analyses the
incoming audio to estimate what
filtering has been applied to the original
signal. It then creates a Transfer
Function shape to undo it. This is also
quite easy to grasp thanks to the
Zynaptiq UNFILTER Reviews MT
Alternatives
As there is nothing currently on the market
to directly compare UNFILTER to, here are
some other options you may want to consider.
Dynamic Spectrum Mapper V2 ($329) from Pro
Audio DSP could be an alternative option as
it enables you to apply a dynamic frequency
curve to an audio source. MAutoEqualizer
(199) from MeldaProduction is also worth
checking out for EQ matching tasks.
graphical display feedback as the
Transfer Function changes shape in
front of your eyes.
A click-and-shape EQ curve sits over
this display which can be used in the
regular manner to re-balance the
frequency content of the original sound.
Alternatively, it can be used as a bias
control to direct the focus of the
Transfer Function. This is key to focusing
on where new information needs to be
added to restore heavily filtered sounds.
Magic moves
Once installed, we jumped in at the
deep end and tried the most extreme
unfiltering you can think of: a low-pass-
filtered breakbeat with no higher-mid
information, just thuds from the kick,
snare and hi-hat. We filtered this
ourselves so we knew what the original
should sound like.
After some experimenting with the
Learn function to ensure it dynamically
followed the drum parts in real time, we
achieved a very close approximation of
the full break before filtering. Even the
higher-end character of the kick, snare
and hi-hat were accurately emulated,
which is an incredible feat. We tried it
on all manner of sub-par dialogue and
instrument recordings and achieved
full-bodied tones without noticeable
side effects until pushed to extremes.
In general, the tonal quality of
UNFILTER is its second charm,
alongside its ability to fabricate large
chunks of missing frequency
information. This opens up many new
options for repair and creative EQ work
across a broad range of disciplines. MT
MT Verdict
+ Achieves subtle to extreme
frequency restoration very well
+ Extreme settings in the wrong
direction create unique starting
points for sound design
+ Load/save impulse responses
- Very CPU-intensive
Another unique processor is born.
Useful for less sexy tidy-up jobs
and those who want to explore new
sonic possibilities.
10/10
magazine July 2013 | 71
MT Reviews discoDSP Discovery Pro
discoDSP
Discovery Pro
In a crowded world of cutting-edge synths and analogue emulations,
Liam OMullane finds something that sits somehere in the middle...
W
Details ere in a time when a lot of
Price 119 the digital hardware of the
Contact via website 90s and early 00s has
Web gained legendary status.
www.discodsp.com
The Virus range from Access Music and
Nord Lead from Clavia, for example, are
digital hardware synths that originally
Key Features
32/64-bit AU
aimed to re-create some of the
& VST desirable tones of the analogue era, but
WAV & SF2 ended up carving a niche all of their
import
own, with their sounds gracing
Morph
assignments countless records. This offering,
for two-state Discovery Pro, is an offshoot of the
preset fading original Discovery virtual synth from
Key-split
functionality
discoDSP, which was based on the Nord
for layers Lead 2, and a quick glance between the
Stacking Nord and DP shows the similarities.
function for
easy layer
Accordingly, a flick through the presets
auditioning will bring you many of the bass, arp,
Gate and lead and pad sounds youd need to
modulation
make a 90s retro dance track. But
step sequencer
Import Nord before you start thinking one-trick pony,
Lead SysEx theres more to DP than just the sound
presets
of a modern classic.
Building blocks
Nord Lead owners may want to skip this
section, but for those of you who arent
familiar with the iconic red hardware
synth, heres DPs main architecture. To
the left of the GUI are two LFOs, buttons
to access the four synth layers available
per programme, and an attack/decay
staged mod envelope. The middle panel
has two oscillators that have FM and
ring mod capabilities. Amp and filter
ADSR envelopes are placed to the
right-hand side along with the filter
section. These emulate filters for Moogs
72 | July 2013 magazine
For PC
& Mac
and the Nord Lead, all of which sound
superb. Our favourite, however, is the
Phaser 8tp, which has a very aggressive
edge, sounding like a unique form of FM
when pushed hard.
Nord Lead owners out there will be
pleased to hear that your hardware will
almost 100 per cent directly control the
same controls in DP, giving you
immediate familiarity with the software.
For other controllers, MIDI isnt
click-and-learn, so unless your DAW
makes this an easy task, you may find it
slow and tedious to implement.
Small is...
Topping our list of functionality gripes is
the size of DPs GUI quite small
overall, and very small in certain places.
For instance, the lights for the
modulation target or waveform shape
of LFO 1 are either a click-the-button-
to-cycle affair, or you can click on the
small red indicator lights to pick one
setting in particular. This should make
things fast to implement, but as the
light is only a few pixels wide it often
requires a few attempts to successfully
engage. Whats more, most functionality
apart from the main parameters is
hidden in menus and sub-menus. In the
drag-and-drop methodology of today,
this approach makes for a clunky,
non-fluid user experience.
Twos company
The two oscillators may seem simple
but the waveforms are rich and make
for some excellent subtractive or FM
Alternatives
There arent any commercially
released Nord Lead copycat
plug-ins we can compare DP to the only
virtual Nord Lead we can find is the freeware
Synth1 created by Ichiro Toda, but as freeware,
updates have been slow to appear and you
may have to sift through the developers
Japanese website if you have any issues. For
aggressive and deep sounds with a unique
edge you could try Gladiator 2 (138) from
Tone2 or Predator (149) from Rob Papen.
Both of these have a unique edginess and can
deliver a variety of sounds.
tones. There isnt a mod matrix so its a
take what youre given approach for
assignments and routing. This isnt
always a negative, though, as it can
push you to squeeze more out of less.
Power of three
The feature that distinguishes this as
being more than just a Nord clone,
though, is a third oscillator hidden in
the lower right-hand section under the
Wave tab. This enables you to load in
waveform samples and can run in
parallel to the existing oscillator sounds
or be used as an FM modulation source.
This is where unique textures are in
abundance. Like the main preset library,
theres a huge library of waveforms
included that covers classic synths plus
much more. A Pad Freeze mode can
also be enabled for ethereal pads. It
spectrally spreads the waveform and
works really well for FM modulation as
well as lush pads.
The layering options in DP are
nothing unique by comparison to other
synths, but a new stacking option does
make it easier to audition the preset
library for a single layer only. Unique
sounds are therefore quite easy to
create, even though youre working from
a library the combinations are
endless. This is possibly the only
workflow-friendly feature we can shout
about which is a shame, as this is an
otherwise excellent-sounding synth. MT
MT Verdict
+ Can cut through or fill out a mix
like a true Nord Lead
+ Wave oscillator section opens up
a lot of sonic options
+ Excellent filter section
+ Efficient CPU consumption
- Some buttons are far too small
- Menu-driven system
- Delay effect only
DP wouldnt be our go-to instrument
purely due to workflow issues. But
as an occasional colour to paint
with, it may be worth the pain.
7/10
 LS-12/14
Record Loud

LS is more
The LS-14 has a long list of strong features, its
build quality is first class, and its simple to use.
Olympus has done it again.
(Jerry Ibbotson, AudioMedia 2013)

www.olympus.co.uk/audio

12799 LS-12_14 AM3.indd 1 14/03/2013 12:14

MT Reviews 8DIO 8Dioboe
For PC
& Mac
8DIO PRODUCTIONS
8Dioboe
8DIOs virtual instruments can be heard on many a film soundtrack.
Can its latest make the grade? Keith Gemmell finds out.
F
Details ew instruments carry a lyrical
Price $139 melody above a full orchestra
(download only) better than the oboe Ennio
Contact via website
Morricones Gabriels Oboe is a
Web www.8dio.com
perfect example. To reproduce the
emotional intensity of such a solo using
a sampled oboe is no mean feat, and
finding an instrument thats up to the
job is equally difficult. Colin OMalley
Key Features and Troels Folmann reckon theyve
Emotional cracked it, though, with their latest
sampling virtual instrument, the 8Dioboe. Their
approach
aim was to capture the raw emotional
Single
instrument intensity of a top-class performance.
patch Absolutely no crossfading of dynamic
Fluid legato layers was used in the programming, a
Expressive
technique that they feel is
control
fundamentally flawed.
Go solo
With just a single instrument patch for
Kontakt 5 and only four keyswitched
articulations (sustains, marcato
expressivo, marcato short and
staccatissimo), 8Dioboe is brilliantly
simple to get to grips with. Legato can
be triggered on or off by pressing a
sustain pedal. When its on you can
choose which articulation to play both
before and after the legato intervals,
which provides a great deal of phrasing
flexibility. Staccatissimo, for instance,
works well with legato for grace notes.
When legato is switched off the
instrument becomes polyphonic
particularly handy if youre sketching
out two oboe parts sectionally.
74 | July 2013 magazine
Choice
9/10
9
9/10
Oboes are tricky instruments to
sample. The instrument is tiring to play
for extended periods and sampling
sessions can be tough on the player. The
results can all too easily sound choppy,
particularly across the wider legato
intervals. Being fully aware of this, Colin
and Troels sampled the oboe with a
natural flow into vibrato.
By way of a test we played a few
different notes and held them for their
duration, which in the case of sustain is
about ten seconds. In each case the
vibrato creeps in after about two
seconds and intensifies a little before
returning to a non-vibrato sound and
fading down to silence. For most solo
oboe work particularly for slow
melodies this approach works
beautifully and the results are very
close to how a real performer would play
the instrument expressively. The
marcato expressivo articulations with
shorter durations generally proved to be
the most useful.
Again, like the articulations, the
controls are minimal, comprising three
rotary knobs for Dynamics, Expression
and Legato speed. These are set by
default to CC1, CC11 and CC16
respectively but can be changed.
As mentioned earlier, crossfading is
a dirty word at 8DIO, so, instead,
dynamics are dealt with using the mod
wheel (CC1), which brings into play
filters and volume curves. This
eliminates the risk of chorusing and
Alternatives
Solo oboes are not easily sourced,
but Wallander Instruments
includes nine physically modelled
oboes in its Woodwinds &
Saxophones collection ($329).
Going beyond just woodwind, UVIs truly
extraordinary collection of IRCAM Solo
Instruments ($399) includes a modern oboe.
VSL has a French oboe full (110), extended
(60) and standard (51) available from Best
Service (www.bestservice.de).
phasing sometimes caused by
crossfading between dynamic layers. It
works very well, especially when used in
conjunction with Expression (CC11). The
trick here is to duplicate CC1 as CC11
and have them work in tandem. Using
Expression within a Dynamic curve can
also be very effective.
Two microphone positions are
available close and room. The spot
mic, as you would expect, is very
detailed and intimate. The room mic, too,
provides plenty of detail and we are
advised to use this option most of the
time. For a touch of reverb, a third option
is the room mic processed through an
early reflection reverb chain.
Express yourself
Tonally, 8Dioboe is rich and assertive,
just the ticket for a solo instrument of
this kind. However, we found it a touch
harsh for passages of a sweeter kind
and it wouldnt be our first choice if
anything of a baroque nature was
required. For writing and recording film
music, though, its ideal, especially for
slower tunes where the use of
expression is paramount.
If you own an orchestral library then
the chances are that you already have a
decent solo oboe to hand thats suitable
for classical work and general
orchestral use. They may or may not
satisfy your expectations in an
expressive sense, that is. If not, then its
worth paying a visit to 8DIOs website,
where you can listen to several demos.
When it comes to solo instruments, its
always good to have a choice. MT
MT Verdict
+ Brilliantly simple to use
+ Fluid legato
+ Natural flow into/out of vibrato
+ Expressive dynamic control
- Minimal articulations
A clever, well implemented virtual
oboe with a vibrant tone thats
ideally suited to film work.
Brilliantly simple to use.
9/10
#32742 - UA Apollo 16 MT_Layout 30/04/2013 16:08 Page 1

Raising the standard. Again.

Apollo and Apollo 16. The worlds most acclaimed audio

interface is now a series. With ultra high-resolution 192 kHz
sound, Realtime UAD Processing, Thunderbolt connectivity*,
and multi-unit cascading for up to 32 x 32 channels of
analogue I/O. Apollo is raising the standard, again.

uaudio.com/apollo

2013 Universal Audio Inc. All features and specifications subject to change.
*Apollo and Apollo 16 interfaces are Mac/Win7 compatible; Thunderbolt Option card is Mac-only. Individual UAD Powered Plug-Ins sold separately.

Exclusively distributed in the UK and Ireland by Source www.sourcedistribution.co.uk/uaudio T: 020 8962 5080

facebook.com/sourcedistribution twitter.com/sourcedist
 TAKING AUDIO TO PERFECTION
NEWLY AVAILABLE IN WAVELAB 8:
Powerful loudspeaker management system
Advanced EBU-loudness measurement and processing
iZotope MBIT+ dither, Voxengo CurveEQ and Brickwall Limiter
SuperClip, plug-in management and refined user interface
New transport panel and extensive meta data support
More than 150 new features and enhancements
All product and company names are and of their respective holders. All rights reserved. All specifications are subject to change without notice. 2013 Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH

Learn more at www.steinberg.net/wavelab8


SE ELECTRONICS
Magneto
sEs latest mic aims to satisfy the every
need of the project and home studio
owner. Mike Hillier sounds it out.
A
Details nnounced at this years
Price 79 Musikmesse, the sE Magneto
Contact is the latest large-diaphragm
Sonic Distribution
0845 500 2500
condenser to emerge from the
Web www. sE stable. Designed and manufactured
seelectronics.com at sEs cutting-edge factory in China, the
Magneto utilises a new back-electret
capsule design and joins the X1 and X1R
in sEs entry-level range.
Mics at this price point dont tend to
come with too many accessories, and in
this case you dont get a fancy wood box
or flightcase or even a shockmount, just
simple foam packing and a swivel clip.
Other than the colour, the mic housing
looks a little like the X1s; however,
closer inspection reveals that the grille
Key Features has been slightly remodelled, with more
Large- of a rounded taper than the X1.
diaphragm
To keep the price down the
back-electret
capsule electronics inside the Magneto are fairly
Frequency simple built-in pads and high-pass
response:
filters are omitted. It should be able to
20Hz20kHz
Max SPL: 140dB handle high SPLs without distorting,
though, having a quoted max SPL of
sE Electronics Magneto Reviews MT
140dB 15dB higher than the X1. The
back-electret design means the capsule
itself has a constant static charge, but
phantom power is required to power the
internal preamp, although because it
isnt charging the capsule, the mic can
operate with as little as 12 volts.
Down to business
On male vocals the Magneto has an
open, natural character. The high end is
smooth and unhyped, while the mid
frequencies display none of the nasal
qualities prevalent in many low-budget
condensers. If youre upgrading from a
dynamic such as the Shure SM58, the
Magneto will be a huge leap up in
quality on vocals. The signal is clearer,
more open and considerably more
lifelike. This is typical of large-
diaphragm condensers, which are
For home and project studio
owners the Magneto represents
a great investment
commonly used for vocals in the studio
as they cut through the mix with less EQ
than dynamic mics, and in general
reveal far more detail in the vocal.
Many entry-level condensers exhibit
a boost in the top end, which in isolation
can make one mic seem like a better
choice than another. The bright, open
character seems to enhance vocals in
isolation, but often makes them harder
to place in the mix. The Magneto doesnt
make this mistake and has a more
restrained sound, which while not
particularly exciting on its own will
make for less brittle-sounding mixes
when used for recording multiple tracks.
Fret work
On acoustic guitar, the Magneto again
produced a very usable, open and
natural sound. Pointed towards the
12th fret as a mono mic, it captured
plenty of string detail without too much
fingering noise, and we were able to
angle the mic to capture just the right
amount of body without any boominess
coming from the sound hole. However,
the low end didnt have the boldness
that we often associate with large-
diaphragm condensers, and there was
a slight muddiness in the low-mids that
we had to notch out with EQ.
Similarly, on an electric guitar
cabinet there seemed to be a slight
muddiness in the low-mids, but other
than that the Magneto produced a
Alternatives
The Magneto is a very inexpensive
microphone and easily outperforms
most similarly priced condenser mics
weve come across. Costing a little more at
around 99, the sE X1 comes across a little
more bold-sounding, with a big low end and
bright, clear tops. It also has a built-in pad and
high-pass filter.
strong, forward tone, capturing all the
detail of the amp. Paired with an SM57,
both pushed right up to the grille, the
tone became bigger and bolder, and
would provide a fantastic, solid
foundation for a rhythm track.
Mic matters
For small home and project studio
owners working to a very tight budget
the Magneto represents a great
investment its open, natural and
balanced character will work well on a
wide variety of sources. While it doesnt
have the high-end sheen of some
large-diaphragm condensers or the
low-end weight of others, its neutral,
reserved flavour means it can be used
to layer multiple instruments without
problematic frequency build-up in any
area. This makes it a greater starter
microphone, keeping you going until you
can build up a mic cabinet where mic
selection becomes varied enough that
layering is no longer a requirement.
However, once you do have a more
extensive mic cabinet the Magneto is
likely to get less and less use. It is a
workhorse, a jack-of-all-trades and
that is both its strength and its
weakness. There may always be a
better mic for the task, but whatever
task you give it, the Magneto is likely to
perform admirably. MT
MT Verdict
+ Inexpensive
+ Neutral sound
+ Great workhorse
- No shockmount
- Doesnt stand out
Considering its price, Magneto is an
excellent mic, easily outperforming
similarly priced mics and even
some costing twice as much.
8/10
magazine July 2013 | 77
ss britad3:Layout 1 30/05/2013 12:58 Page 1

Digital Village Thomann

Studiospares

The UKs single source supplier.

CELEBRATING
1983 2013

YEARS OF EXCELLENCE

ADAM Choice
9/10
9
9/10
F5
Adams F-Series hits a price point below
the successful AX-Series, but can it still
do the business? Huw Price is all ears...
A
Details dams new F-Series
Price 349/pair comprises a pair of two-way
Contact ported nearfield monitors,
Adam 0207 737 3777
the F5 and F7 (we reviewed
Web www.adam-
audio.com the bigger F7 in Issue 120, March 2013,
and it scored a very respectable 9/10),
plus a dedicated subwoofer designated
the SubF. Were informed that the
F-Series is designed in the tradition of
the legendary Adam professional
Key Features monitors. The aim is to focus on the
Input essence of Adam speakers at a new,
connectors: lower price point.
XLR/TRS & RCA
Frequency
Retailing for around 155 each, the
response: F5 makes the ambition to own a set of
52Hz50kHz Adam monitors a more realistic
Woofer:
25W RMS
prospect for project studio owners.
Measuring 290 x 185 x 230mm (HWD)
Tweeter:
25W RMS theyre compact enough for smaller
Weight: 6.8kg environments yet at 6.8kg theyre
reassuringly weighty. Other suggested
applications include desktops, mobile
facilities, post-production edit bays
and connection to MP3 players and
gaming consoles.
Adam speakers wouldnt be Adams
without the companys signature X-ART
tweeter aka Air Motion Transformer. It is
slightly smaller than the X-ART tweeter
used in the AX series, and described as
the next step in this continuous
evolution in tweeter design. A 5-inch
woofer made from carbon and paper
and a 25mm voice coil handle the lows.
Input connections can be made via
an XLR/TRS socket or an RCA. Power
switching is located on the rear panel
but the F5 automatically switches to
standby mode after a short period of
inactivity and switches back to
operating mode when it receives an
incoming audio signal.
Setup can be horizontal or vertical
and the rear panels have M6 screw
threads for wall/stand-mounting.
Controls are fairly minimal, with plus or
minus 6dB adjustment at 5kHz and
300Hz. Theres a centre-detented Level
control (- to +6dB) plus a high-pass
filter switch set at 80Hz that should be
activated when the F5s are being used
in conjunction with a subwoofer.
Given its very competitive price
point, the F5 is a remarkable and
accomplished monitor
Despite the fact that Adam is
trumpeting the affordability of these
monitors, their appearance is so
consistent with many of Adams other
monitors that you cant tell their price
point just by looking. Of course this is a
good thing, but the crucial test is
whether you can tell by listening.
Great expectations
The answer to that has to be not really.
Having become very familiar with Adam
monitors over the last few years we
tend to expect a relatively bright tonal
characteristic with impressive clarity
and sharply defined imaging. So were
pleased to report that the F5s fully lived
up to expectations.
Our previous experiences with
Adams has also led us to expect a
certain degree of port-chuffing, which
is the sound generated by air
turbulence at the opening of the
cabinet ports. To be fair this was absent
from the last set of non-F-Series
Adams we reviewed (the A77X) and
chuffing is absent again. Perhaps the
waveguide and oval port have helped in
this regard, but whatever the cure, it
seems Adam has overcome this issue.
For a long time now the Focal CMS
40 has set our benchmark standard for
small nearfield monitors. They score
Adam F5 Reviews MT
Alternatives
Competition in this area of
the active nearfield monitor
marker is fierce. By and large,
all of the options are two-way
units with magnetic shielding
and ported cabinets. Here are some examples
(detailed specs are easy to find online):
Yamaha HS50M (127), Mackie MR5 MK2
(140), KRK RP6 RoKit G2 (151), Monkey
Banana Turbo 4 (162).
over the F5s in terms of smoothness,
refinement and low-level detail, but its
a close-run thing and its also worth
bearing in mind that the F5s are not far
off half the price.
So, Brownie points are awarded for
clarity, imaging and bass extension
just make sure that the high-pass filter
is switched off if youre not using a
subwoofer. By comparison to some
monitors the F5s may seem a bit lean in
the midrange. Having said that, however,
it could be attributed to the fact that
lots of small-box nearfield monitors
tend to have relatively forward mids.
So its more an observation than a
criticism, but a familiarisation period
may be required before you can judge
snare and vocal levels with precision.
However, we also noticed that very
low-frequency dubby bass lines tended
to drag a little with the F5s. The
frequency content is there, remaining
strong down to around the 50Hz mark,
but the rhythmic integrity of fast,
low-frequency parts does become a bit
lost. Even so, given its very competitive
price point, the F5 is a remarkable and
accomplished monitor. MT
MT Verdict
+ Very transparent sound
+ Excellent imaging
+ No port-chuffing
+ Auto standby mode
+ No bass hype
- Slightly slow low bass response
- Power switches at rear
- Not magnetically shielded
Adam looks and Adam sound
quality at an entry-level price. We
expect the F5 will be a big success.
9/10
magazine July 2013 | 79
 NEWSFLASH:
u-he pushes free synthesizer
onto unsuspecting victims!

Zebralette is FREEWARE
Spectral oscillator playground offering:

Freehand Wavetable Drawing, Spline-based Spectrum Morphing,

Additive and Subtractive Synthesis, Phase Distortion, Spectral Expansion,
Wave Scrambler, Polyphonic Phaser, Harmonic Chop/Lift, Sync Mojo & much more

Why are we advertising freeware? Our devilish plan is to get you hooked on Zebralette rst, then sell you Zebra2.

Although Zebralette has just one Zebra2 oscillator, you have everything you need to make some amazing sounds.
Sounds that can be loaded into Zebra2 later. And should you eventually decide to upgrade, you will already know
everything about Zebra2`s main oscillators. Megasaw? Zebralette also goes to eleven. Because those oscillators are so
powerful, Zebralette is a great little synth in its own right. It has the same pristine audio quality as the mighty Zebra2.
Try out the new presets and see for yourself!

Grab your fully functional Zebralette for all common plug-in formats and platforms here*:

www.u-he.com

Urs Heckmann - Audio Software

*while youre at it, why not check out the award-winning ACE, Uhbik, Filterscape and More Feedback Machine too. Same developer, same website, same fun factor.

Zebralette_Ad.indd 1 03.08.2011 13:28:22 Uhr


SOUND RADIX
Innovation
Pi Phase
Interactions Mixer
If phase issues are detrimentally affecting your mixes, it might
be time to reach for the Pi. Alex Holmes chews it over...
S
Details ound Radix has made a name
Price $249 for itself with innovative ideas
Contact via website and useful software tools
Web www. such as the SurferEQ in
soundradix.com
Minimum system
which individual EQ bands can be set to
requirements follow melodies and its latest product
PC Windows XP, is no exception. Pi is a multi-channel
AAX/RTAS/VST- Phase Interactions Mixer that aims to
compatible DAW
Mac OSX 10.6,
minimise the frequency-cancellation
AAX/RTAS/VST/AU- that can occur between instruments
compatible DAW due to phasing issues. If your mix lacks
definition in the low end or the drum
transients arent quite snapping out as
they might, its possible you may have
some phase-cancellation, where the
frequencies of layered sounds are
battling for attention.
Just a phase
The system works by placing Pi as the
last insert on every channel in your
DAW. Each of the instances then speaks
to each other and the phase of each
track is dynamically rotated as the mix
plays out to achieve maximum
correlation, the results of which are
improved mono-compatibility, greater
Key Features
3 grouping
spatial depth and better-defined
modes for transients. You can choose to place
setting up channels into one of 64 possible
related
instruments groups, which enables you to match
Full-range and instruments such as a guitar amp and
low-frequency DI or a set of multitracked drums to
optimisation
modes
achieve the best possible relationships
Clear and within each group. Processing can then
easy-to-use GUI
be set to either balance phase solely
with four modes
of correlation
within the group, or within the group
display and also the rest of the mix. Theres also
Internal, inter- the option to phase-lock the entire
channel, sample-
accurate routing
group. Other controls allow you to select
whether you optimise relationships
For PC
& Mac
across the whole frequency spectrum
or just below 800Hz, with additional
dials for Channel Gain, Group Gain and
Channel Weight (more on these later).
The GUI is well laid-out and easy to
use, with the central window giving
graphical feedback on the 360-degree
phase of each channel, or the different
shifts across the frequency spectrum.
Although this is handy, we occasionally
found it tricky to decipher as things
happen quite quickly, and the display
seems to change depending on which
instances of the plug-in you have open.
Balancing act
To get the most effective results you
ideally want to feed Pi the correctly
balanced volumes for each channel in
the mix, which is why Sound Radix
recommends placing the plug-in
post-fader. As this isnt going to be a
viable option in some DAWs, the
alternative is to keep your faders at
unity gain and use the built-in Channel
Gain control to set the levels of your
mix. This could prove a pain if youre
planning to use Pi at the start of a mix,
but isnt so much of a problem if youve
already set most of your levels.
We loaded up several old mixes and
instantiated multiple instances of Pi to
see what would happen. Its fair to say it
wasnt exactly the eureka moment we
were hoping for, but there was a subtle
increase in punch in the tops of the
drums and the kick and bass, plus a
widening of the 3D image. Usefully,
theres a global on/off switch that
affects all copies of the plug-in and
enables you to A/B the results.
Sound Radix Pi Reviews MT
Alternatives
There are several plug-ins on
the market that can help to
correct phase problems, such
as Sound Radixs own Auto-
Align ($149), Waves InPhase ($200, pictured)
and MeldaProductions MAutoAlign ($65). These
all help to correct problems with multitracked
instruments and to line up out-of-phase tracks.
However, Pi is unique in the way it works on
every channel of a mix and makes adjustments
in real time as the track progresses.
Users of the first release of Pi
reported issues relating to warbling or
wobbling pitch on sustained
instruments when the software was
trying to match one channel to another.
The addition of a Channel Weight dial in
a subsequent update minimised this by
allowing you to assign a channel more
importance, thus reducing how much it
is affected by the others. In practice we
still occasionally found that certain
neighbouring instruments simply
wouldnt play nicely with each other, at
which point you have to decide whether
the increased definition is worth the
subtle pitch artefacts.
Piece of the Pi
We achieved the best results when
using Pi only on select groups of
instruments to aid in separation of
layered sounds, especially on both
multitrack drum stems and electronic
beats. The process of setting up
multiple instances combined with the
large amount of latency incurred by the
plug-in doing its job means that Pi wont
suit everyones workflow. The results are
often very subtle, but if it can get you
that little bit closer to a professional-
sounding mix, its time well spent. Some
purists may argue that phase
relationships are a natural part of many
recordings and to remove them can
result in a sterile mix. However, if youre
after a powerful, modern finish, Pi might
get you one step closer. MT
MT Verdict
+ Helps to improve mix definition
+ Great on layered drums/bass
+ Light on CPU
+ Unique design
- Not especially cheap
- Requires time to set up
- Can cause warbling artefacts
- Adds a large amount of latency
A unique plug-in that wont work on
all material, but when used
carefully can increase the depth
and definition of your tracks, giving
clearer-sounding results.
7/10
magazine July 2013 | 81
COMPAC T STUDIOS

www.tascam.co.uk | www.tascam-europe.com
Even more Portastudio than ever before
DP-32: The 32-track luxury class among Portastudios

32 audio tracks (8 mono, 12 stereo), best-take function

with additional virtual tracks, 40 channels during mix-
down (32 playback channels + 8 input channels), dynamic
and send effects, mastering effects including EQ, compres-
sion and normalisation, CD burner for mastering and
backup, intuitive ease of operation

DP-24
24 tracks on SD/SDHC card, high-contrast LC colour display, dynamic
and send effects, dedicated controls for direct access to EQ, panorama
and effect send channel, CD burner for mastering and backup
DP-03
8 tracks + stereo master track on SD/SDHC card, built-in stereo
condenser microphone, 2 XLR inputs with phantom power, reverb
processor plus mastering effects, CD burner for mastering and
backup

2012 TEAC Corporation. All rights reserved.

All specifications are subject to change without notice.

TEAC UK Limited
Suites 19 & 20, Building 6 | Croxley Green Business Park | Hatters Lane | Watford | Hertfordshire WD18 8TE | UK
Southern Area Sales Manager: Alex Farrell | Mobile: 07779-795656 | Mail: alex.farrell@tascam.co.uk
Northern Area Sales Manager: Russ Fitton | Mobile: 07836-329281 | Mail: russ.fitton@tascam.co.uk | www.tascam.co.uk

WALDORF
Rocket
The Rocket is the latest mini-synth to emerge from the acclaimed
Waldorf stable. Alex Holmes takes it for a test-flight.
C
Details an there ever be too many
Price 199 hardware synths? We would
Contact Hand in Hand argue no, although it seems as
01752 696633
though everyone is going
Web www.
waldorfmusic.de mini-synth crazy at the moment. And
the German synth experts at Waldorf
are no exception, entering the fray with
Key Features
the compact Rocket Synthesizer. The
Monophonic
oscillator Rocket has a digital oscillator (actually
with Ultra eight oscillators), which runs though a
High Density
voltage-controlled, multi-mode
Sawtooth and
unison for analogue filter, and is housed in a sturdy
chord play plastic case with a metal faceplate.
Multimode
analogue
filter with LP/ Blast off
BP/HP and The unit can be powered from the mains
self-oscillating
resonance
or via USB, which can also send and
Arpeggiator, LFO receive MIDI from your computer, but
and envelope not audio. For that you have a slightly
Booster circuit noisy 3.5mm headphone output with a
adds crunchy
saturation dedicated volume control, plus a
USB/mains- thankfully much cleaner 1/4-inch jack
powered, with
output. Slightly baffling is the lack of a
MIDI via USB
volume knob for the main output,
Free iPad editor
app available although how essential this is will
depend on your setup. You also have a
1/4-inch input for processing mono
signals through the tasty filter section,
plus standard 5-pin MIDI I/O sockets.
For modulation theres an LFO with
three shapes for affecting either the
filter or the oscillator, plus a hidden LFO
for vibrato that can be triggered with the
mod wheel. There are also envelopes for
the VCA and VCF, plus an envelope for
the sync, which is ingeniously tucked
into the oscillator section.
Innovation
The analogue filter is a lovely beast,
offering LP, BP and HP modes plus three
settings for keyboard tracking.
Particularly nice is how the LP mode
retains low-end weight even at high
Resonance settings. Other features
include a Glide control you have to
play legato for this to work a Boost on/
off that adds analogue saturation after
the filter, an arpeggiator with three
directions, an octave control and several
preset patterns, and a Launch button
for triggering notes without a keyboard
or sequencer plugged in.
Ground control
Although the oscillator sounds a little
pedestrian, it has a few tricks up its
sleeve. Theres a Wave selector that
enables you to choose from pulse or
sawtooth shapes, plus multi-function
Wave and Tune knobs. Set to pulse, the
Wave knob will change the pulse width
as its turned up to 12 oclock, then begin
to modulate the pulse width and depth
as its turned further.
Similarly, with the sawtooth, the
Wave knob works as an envelope for the
Sync mode, whereby Tune selects the
pitch of the second oscillator. Turning
the Wave knob further brings additional
oscillators into play up to eight for a
big unison sound, with Tune adding
thickness by detuning the extra layers.
Things get really exciting when you
turn the Tune knob further to the right
and the oscillators start to form
Waldorf Rocket Reviews MT
Alternatives
You can pick up a Korg
Monotribe for around 125,
which features a true analogue mono synth
plus drum sounds and a step sequencer, but the
sound design is much more limited. You might
consider the more powerful DSI Mopho (278)
or the feature-packed Shruthi kit synth from
Mutable Instruments (165), although it doesnt
have quite the same number of front-panel
controls or the same immediate gratification.
stepped intervals, with increasingly
more complex chords depending on
how many layers are present. With both
knobs at full you can actually play your
own eight-finger chords (although this
isnt true polyphony as all notes use the
same envelope). In practice this is fine
as long as you press and release the
keys at the same time, although you
have to be fairly accurate otherwise you
get other notes popping in. Even so, this
is a fantastic feature.
Massive attack
A criticism that many will level at the
Rocket is its lack of attack on the
envelope. Although this was a deliberate
design decision, it reduces the
sound-design possibilities, particularly
being able to create pads using the
layered chords. We also occasionally
found the attack a little clicky and would
have preferred a knob to dial in the
perfect amount of saturation instead of
just an on/off switch. Waldorf has now
released a free app allowing you to
tweak and play the synth from the iPad,
as well as load and save presets. We
assume and hope that this will also be
made available soon for Mac and PC.
Small negatives aside, we had a
whale of a time with the Rocket.
Although the digital oscillators lack
warmth, the excellent filter and
saturation provide a bright and lively
sound, and the well thought-out
controls make live tweaking a joy. MT
MT Verdict
+ Well-designed and sturdy
+ Great-sounding and flexible filter
+ Surprisingly versatile oscillator
+ Chord functionality
- No attack envelope
- No master volume knob
- No preset saving
- Post-filter saturation is either all
or nothing
The Rocket might be too limited for
some, but innovative design and a
lively sound make it great fun to
use. The fact that you can play
chords is an unexpected bonus.
8/10
magazine July 2013 | 83
MT Reviews AMS Neve 1073N
AMS NEVE Excellence
10/10
1073N
AMS Neve has revisited the venerable 1073 preamp and EQ
design once more. Mike Hillier charts the changes.
T
Details o the layman it may only be a
Price 1,795 four-digit number, but mutter
Contact AMS Neve ten-seventy-three to a sound
01282 457011 engineer and youll get a
Web www.ams-
neve.com
knowing response. The Neve 1073
preamp has achieved such legendary
Key Features status that even now, 43 years after its
Discrete Class-A launch in 1970, it remains in production
preamp and is the first-choice preamp for many
3-band EQ recording engineers. The transformer-
Built-in Hi-Z
input
balanced inputs and outputs, discrete
Can be chassis- Class-A circuitry, high-pass filter and
mounted or used musical three-band EQ work together to
standalone
create a rich, larger-than-life sound.
It would take a keener eye than ours
to spot the differences between the
1073N and an original by looking at the
front panel alone. However, peek around
the back and anyone familiar with the
original unit is in for a surprise. The
original 1073 had an Amphenol
connector on the rear that provided
power, audio and control connections
when plugged into a console or rack
chassis. The 1073N still has this
connector, but breaks all of the
connections out to their own ports and
has switches to replace controls that
would otherwise be built-in to the
console or chassis. This means that the
1073N can be used in existing
compatible Neve consoles and rack
chassis, but can also be taken out on
the road or installed in a studio without
a compatible chassis just like any other
piece of rack gear.
In order to accommodate these
additional connections AMS Neve has
had to shrink the 1073 circuit
considerably. This is of course possible
with integrated circuits, but the folks at
AMS Neve werent going to sully the
1073 design with anything but discrete
circuitry. To shrink the circuit, therefore,
AMS Neve moved from through-hole
components to smaller surface-mount
84 | July 2013 magazine
components. This enables the circuit to
remain otherwise identical and fully
discrete, while creating enough room for
the additional connectors.
Testing times
We tested the 1073N on an indie rock
song we were recording, shooting it out
against a Neve 1081 and a Classic API
If youre looking for a desert
island preamp, this has to be
on your shortlist
VP28 on kick drum via an Electro-Voice
RE-20 mic. Although very similar-
sounding, the 1073N had a stronger low
end than the 1081, with plenty of
sub-frequencies as well as more
definition in the upper mids, making for
a stronger, punchier kick. Against the
VP28 the Neves demonstrated a
brighter top end and the low-mids were
cleaner. However, it was in the
sub-frequencies where they really
stood out, producing a weightier bottom
end than the tighter-sounding VP28.
To ensure a test fair we kept the
output stages of both the 1081 and
VP28 at unity. However, it is worth noting
that both these preamps could be
driven harder to get preamp saturation
and then attenuated to prevent them
from overdriving the A/D converter,
which gives them a slight advantage if
thats the sound youre after. The 1073N
would have to be used with a rack
chassis or console to gain the passive
attenuation stage, as including this in
the standalone mode would have meant
altering the 1073 circuit something
AMS Neve was unwilling to do.
Alternatives
AMS Neve still manufactures the
original 1073 modules as well
as rackmount chassis for these.
Chassis and clones of the 1073
module are also available from third-
party manufacturers such as BAE. As well as
the original design, AMS Neve makes the 1073
DPA and DPD models, which lack the EQ section
but provide two 1073 preamps in a 1U rack unit.
The DPD model also includes A/D conversion.
More recently, AMS Neve introduced the
1073LB and 1073LBEQ 500-Series modules.
The 1073LB is a mono 1073 preamp without EQ,
while the 1073LBEQ omits the preamp section,
providing only the EQ.
On male vocals, through a Neumann
U87, the 1073N again sounded stunning,
and by engaging the EQ we were able to
radically shape the vocal without the EQ
sounding forced. It isnt as flexible as the
four-band 1081 but it sounds glorious.
Not everyone likes to EQ on the way in,
so the 1073 also accepts line-level
signals, which enables you to use the EQ
as a standalone unit, making the 1073N
doubly useful in the studio.
For our final test we plugged our
bass into the DI input on the rear of the
1073N. This isnt an option on original
1073s or our other preamps, and is one
of the few changes to the original 1073
circuit. The hefty low end and larger-
than-life sound of the Neve again shone.
The bass sounded big, clean and
punchy, a perfect starting point for
almost any situation.
The 1073 circuit is famous for a
reason: it sounds great on everything
you throw at it. The new 1073N variant
brings greater flexibility and is sure to
see the preamp appear in even more
studios than before. If youre looking for
a desert island preamp, this has to be
on your shortlist. MT
MT Verdict
+ Larger-than-life sound
+ Incredibly musical EQ
+ Portable
+ Includes DI input
- No output attenuation
The 1073N brings portability and
extended flexibility to the
legendary 1073 design.
10/10
 PERFORMANCE CAPTURED

16ch mULTITRACK recorder + USB / FireWire interface

Record direct to USB drive digital multitrack from AN analogue desk 16 x16 interface
16 analogue inputs (1/4 TRS jacks) ICE-16 makes multitrack recording easy. Forget all that fiddling
around at the back of clunky HD recorders or messing about with
16 analogue outputs (RCA connectors) soundcard drivers. ICE-16 lets you capture a high quality 16 track
Front USB socket for quick capturing to USB mass storage devices digital recording straight to a USB drive.

Hybrid FireWire (IEEE1394) / USB2.0 16x16 audio interface
Industry standard, broadcast WAV file format
Up to 6 hours of 16 channel audio on a 32GB USB stick
Signal present and peak LED metering on each channel
ICE-16 is also a powerful 16x16 audio interface capable of studio
quality recording over high-speed USB or FireWire, so you can
record and play back multichannel audio with or without your
computer.
Whether its a live band, a studio session, a conference or a
rehearsal, ICE-16 captures the performance.

www.allen-heath.com allenheathofficial allen_heath ALLEN&HEATH

MT Reviews Avantone Pro CV12 & CV28
AVANTONE PRO
CV12 & CV28
Two new multi-pattern valve condensers have emerged from the
Avantone stable. Huw Price puts them through their paces.
B
Details ack in the day, studio
Price CV12 444 engineers invariably referred
CV28 420 to microphones by number, so
Contact SCV London
when a tape op was ordered to
020 8418 1470
Web www. put a 47 on this or a 57 on that it was
avantonepro.com fairly straightforward. For some reason,
many modern retro-style mics share
the same numbers as their forebears,
which gives the potential for confusion.
Key Features
CV12
These Avantone mics are a case in
point, sharing both numbers and looks
12AX7 valve with iconic models from AKGs distant
9 patterns past. However, this may be misleading
CV28
because Avantone tells us that the CV12
6J1B valve
is actually based on the Sony C800G,
Interchangeable
cardioid/ and the CV28s onboard electronics are
hypercardioid/ based around a 6J1B pentode valve
omni capsules
rather than a 12AY7 triode or nuvistor.
Both mics are transformer-balanced
and the CV12s capsule is a Neumann-
style design with centre termination
that feeds a circuit driven by a Chinese
12AX7. This should produce a high
output level, but, depending on the
transformer, mics with 12AX7s may be
quicker to overload.
Rock n roll-off
No worries on that score because the
CV12 trumps much of the competition
with its -10dB pad and switchable
80Hz bass roll-off both of which
should keep the transformer from
saturating. Ditto the CV28.
86 | July 2013 magazine
Choice
9/10
9
9/10
The CV12 has nine polar patterns, all
selectable from the power supply.
Following in the AKG/Schoeps tradition,
the CV28 allows users to swap capsules
to achieve up to three pickup patterns
cardioid, hypercardioid and omni.
All things considered, these are
very impressive packages
for the money
Although they both come in identical
metal cases, the CV28 is like a
scaled-down version of the CV12, with a
correspondingly scaled-down power
supply, shockmount and wood box. All
things considered, these are very
impressive packages for the money.
The valve sound
Valve microphones are generally
associated with fat and coloured sonic
characteristics maybe with a hint of
harmonic overdrive that some might
describe as warmth. However, anyone with each other, probably because the
who has experienced the enhanced
realism and even the occasionally
forensic detail of some of the legendary
small-capsule valve condenser
microphones will know that theres
more to it than that.
We started testing with the CV28 in
cardioid mode and it blew us away. The
tone was very full but also incredibly
detailed and natural. There is a trace of
a lift in the treble, but this just provides
a bit of air and theres no trace of
harshness or metallic ringing. In fact,
this gentle lift corresponded with the
frequency range that wed usually boost
with EQ anyway.
Output level dropped very slightly
with the omnidirectional capsule
installed, but the noise floor is so low
that its of no consequence. The tone
lost a bit of low-mid girth, but if
anything the omni capsule sounded
even more open and transparent. It
also managed to pick up a slight
vibration from one of the tuners on an
acoustic guitar that was inaudible with
the cardioid cap.
The hypercardioid capsule sounded
very different because the high
frequencies were very rolled-off, but we
enjoyed the full mids. The tone
responded really nicely to a bit of EQ,
restoring the treble without detracting
from this capsules chewier mids and
larger-than-life quality.
To provide a bit of context we put the
CV28 up against an Elation KM201 and
an Oktava MK012, both of which can
also be purchased with a variety of
interchangeable capsules. The Elation
is a solid-state microphone that does
an uncanny impersonation of a
Neumann KM84.
The Elation sounded a little softer
than the brighter CV28 but there was
little to choose between them. The
treble characteristics of the CV28 and
the Oktava were similar, but the CV28s
low-mid focus made the Oktava sound
a tad woofy.
CV12
Suitably impressed, we turned our
attention to the CV12. As expected, its
tone differed substantially from the
CV28. For starters, theyre out-of-phase
CV12 has a cathode follower output
that reverses polarity.
Sonically, the CV12 delivers more of
what you might expect from a large-
capsule valve condenser. It has a
rounder and smoother quality through
 Avantone Pro CV12 & CV28 Reviews MT

the mids with a bit more weight but less
transparency. Even so, the CV12 has a
very likeable treble response that
provided ample detail.
Switching to omni mode opens the
midrange right out, with the treble
shining that little bit more. However, if
we were to keep this microphone it
would probably spend most of its life
with the pattern selector set
somewhere between cardioid and
omni. We liked the extra treble sheen
and the way that the bass takes on a
little extra roundness. Figure-8 displays
a bit of a midrange scoop and is the
fairly resistant to plosives, but you
might notice a hint of sibilance with
some vocalists.
Twos company
Its worth considering that a pair of
microphones like these two could
conceivably cover all your condenser
microphone needs. The small-capsule
CV28 does a fine job as an instrument
microphone and the omni capsule
makes it suitable for use as a room mic.
The hypercardioid capsule is a bit of a
secret weapon because, despite
needing a little EQ assistance, it
Alternatives
Valve-driven small-capsule condensers are rare beasts at any
price point, but its clear that the Advanced Audio Microphones
CM-28 ($535) originates from the same factory even if the specs
are slightly different. The Sterling Audio ST44 (205) is another
example, but the circuit board shows some differences.
The CV12 shares certain physical characteristics with the
Alctron HST-11A (160) but the components are higher quality,
the circuit board has been redesigned and the CV12 has pad and HPF
switching. In other words, most of the common upgrades have been done
for you, plus you get extra features.
hesitate to try it in any recording Method Spot
scenario where a little softening and Changing capsules
on the CV28 is easy:
smoothing-out may be required. Then, if
unscrew the
you ever needed to record something in capsule grille
stereo, the CV12 and CV28 can be used housing, unscrew

A pair of mics like these

the incumbent
for mid-and-side stereo. MT capsule and replace
it with the one you

could conceivably cover all your

need. Lastly, screw
MT Verdict the grille housing
back on take care

condenser microphone needs

+ Impressive sound as the threads are
+ Competitively priced fine and may
+ Fine build quality become crossed. If
+ Versatility youre wondering
least natural-sounding of all the provides a very useful contrast to the + Excellent accessories how the CV28 might
sound without its
settings, yet its perfectly usable as other capsules and could be used to roll grille housing we
- Nothing!
well discover later. off the sharp edges. can advise you that
The CV12 certainly distinguished The CV12 may lose out to the CV28 it shields the
Two very serious valve microphones capsule from noise
itself on vocals, generating a full- in sheer fidelity, but it certainly and both at an incredibly as well as knocks,
bodied sound with plenty of low-mid redeems itself with sonic character. competitive price point. and the resulting LF
girth and clearly defined consonants.
As long as you dont get silly, the CV12 is
Although vocal recording may end up
being its main application, we wouldnt
9/10 hum will render the
mic unusable.
3 FREE DIGITAL ISSUES
When you subscribe to the App

Get 9 issues
for the price
of 6 when
you subscribe

PLUS
Subscribe to get 3 ext
issues ra
6 issues for for free!

just $23.99/16.99
Special offer exclusive to
Search Music Tech magazine and download your FREE app today
Offer available to digital subscriptions of 6 or more issues only.
Free digital editions included are issues 120, 121 and 122 of Music Tech.

Shinechilla
Manufacturer Voxengo
Price $59.99
Contact via website
Web www.voxengo.com
D
istortion comes in many
guises, from warm-sounding
tube overdrive to aggressive
and digital-sounding
bit-reduction, but they all share
something in common: the generation
of harmonics based on the input signal.
Shinechilla is a unique creative
distortion plug-in that allows you to
generate and blend 2nd, 3rd and 4th
harmonics with the original dry sound.
The plug-in is available as an Audio
Unit or VST for Mac and Windows, with
plenty of standard Voxengo features
such as a resizable interface, A/B preset
switching, flexible routing (including
surround and M/S modes) and up to 8x
oversampling. Rather than process the
incoming signal as a whole, Shinechilla
divides it into 32 spectral bands and
processes them independently, which
results in less intermodulation
Acoustic
Soundscapes
Manufacturer Big Fish Audio
Price 83.95 (download)
Contact Time+Space 01837 55200
Web www.timespace.com
A
lthough the humble acoustic
guitar is relatively easy to
record and a fairly versatile
instrument, you may need to
broaden your palette if you want to
evoke a wider range of emotions using
stringed instruments. Big Fish Audios
Acoustic Soundscapes does just that,
being a giant collection of not just
guitar loops but mandolin, banjo,
ukulele, upright bass, fiddle, female
vocals and more for creating the kinds
of sounds heard on TV and films such
as True Blood, The Walking Dead and
Brokeback Mountain.
The library contains around 3.6GB of
24-bit audio in ACID WAV, Apple Loops
and REX formats, comprising 945 loops
in total. Rather than opt for the
construction kit layout, the riffs are split
into folders of instruments, with around
Reviews MT
while adding some more
complex 3rd and 4th harmonic
tones to the midrange. Additional
controls allow you to draw in the
threshold of an output
saturation limiter for additional
distortion and the output volume
itself, along with some very
useful solo buttons enabling you
to focus on just the sound of the
extra harmonics.
Although we found the lack of
Innovation an independent control for dry
and wet signals a little
distortion and a more precise frustrating, Shinechilla is an
sound, but unfortunately also a fairly original and fascinating take on
considerable CPU hit. distortion. It wont suit all needs as it
The GUI is well laid-out and very can sound aggressive if overused, but
intuitive, with a large set of 32 frequency for subtly warming bass sounds and for
Key Features
bars showing the spectral content of sound-designing unique pads its a
2nd, 3rd and
4th harmonics the track as it plays. You can draw useful and intriguing tool. MT
generator nodes on a threshold line to specify the
Spectral control
of threshold,
strength and position of the harmonic MT Verdict
harmonic level generation, although care needs to be
Despite a high CPU hit and a
and saturation taken as any signal passing over this tendency to sound harsh if pushed
Stereo and threshold will get nasty very quickly. You
multi-channel
too hard, Shinechilla is a unique
processing then have three further split point take on distortion that offers
Up to 8x envelope lines where you can draw in unparalleled control for adding
multisampling specific harmonics to a sound.
the volume for each of the harmonics,
Easy-to-use and
clear GUI
so you could add some gentle 2nd
harmonic warmth to the bottom end
8/10
Excellence
baritone guitars to twanging banjos and
delicately fingerpicked 12-strings. There
10/10 are also some excellent fiddle and
string riffs, around 100 female vocal
ad-libs, some percussive sounds where
held chords are struck rhythmically, and
four files for each riff various SFX including slides, scrapes
offering variations in and hits. We would definitely
chord progression, recommend that those of you with
intensity and playing Kontakt opt for the Kontakt version,
style. As each is which helps greatly to organise the
named with the BPM mass of instruments, folders and extras
and key, you can fairly with custom GUIs, BPM sync and
easily match up the pre-sliced loops across 35 patches.
different parts if you Acoustic Soundscapes is a superb
want to build up the pack of unassuming, simple and highly
construction kit usable riffs that could easily be
tracks yourself. We dropped into an arrangement or
find this to be a more creative method composed around. Its also an excellent
Key Features of working as youre more likely to take resource for media composers wanting
3.6GB of
24-bit audio
just the odd riff rather than rely on to evoke feelings of middle America and
Apple Loops, using pre-written layers. the Wild West. MT
ACID WAV, REX As weve come to expect from Big
& Stylus RMX
formats
Fish Audio, the quality of the MT Verdict
Huge range of performances and the recording is
A huge collection of evocative loops
plucked and top-notch, with wide stereo micing played on a wide range of string
bowed string techniques offering a big sound and
instruments instruments. We found the simple
Also available just enough hints of captured ambience riffs a pleasure to work with and
with 35 Kontakt to make the instruments feel live. Youll easy to fit into arrangements.
instruments and
a custom GUI
find a large range of sounds, too, from
earthy upright basses and deep
10/10
magazine June 2013 | 89
MT Reviews
Turnado iPad Edition
Manufacturer Sugar Bytes
Price 13.99
Contact info@sugar-bytes.de
Web www.sugar-bytes.de
S
ugar Bytes has ported its
award-winning Turnado
software over to iPad, giving it
a few new additions and some
extra presets from that beatbox
champion and famed Turnado user,
Beardyman, in the process.
First up, a recap of whats on offer.
The main screen of Turnado enables you
to drag any of 24 effects onto eight
MIDI-assignable knobs turning the
knob clockwise triggers the effect;
turning it further adjusts parameters
and applies modulations. Click on the
Edit button and youre presented with
another screen for editing the effects,
with a range of syncable LFOs, step
sequencers and envelope followers. The
effects are excellent, ranging from
filters, distortions and bit-crushers to
rhythmic, glitching buffers, ring mods
and talking vowel filters.
SM White Label East Coast House
Manufacturer Sample Magic
Price 16.90 (individual folders
available separately)
Contact via website
Web www.samplemagic.com
E
ast Coast House is a recent
entry in Sample Magics White
Label series, comprising jackin
drums, pumping bass lines and
classic organ riffs inspired by 90s New
York House and New Jersey Garage.
The pack contains a total of 361
24-bit loops in WAV, Apple Loops and
REX 2 formats, plus 213 drum and chord
one-shots spread across six folders. You
can also choose to purchase each folder
separately, although this would prove
much more expensive.
As weve come to expect, the loops
and sounds have been mixed and
mastered to perfection, nicely balancing
lo-fi 90s crunch with modern
production sheen.
Lets start with the bass loops. These
are big, rounded and with very little top
end to allow space in the mix for other
90 | June 2013 magazine
DJ sets, and you can
control everything via a
MIDI interface or route
So what does MIDI internally in/out.
Excellence the iPad version The app is locked to
10/10
add to this? You portrait mode, with the
get four X/Y pads original GUI in the top
that control two half and the new
effects each, with controls below. This
toggles to select arrangement can be a
Value whether they little fiddly, and it would
$
either snap back be nice to have the
to the off position (bottom left) or option to switch to
remain in the current position, plus a landscape, but the simple double-touch
useful button that instantly switches off zoom function helps greatly when
all effects. You also get a tap tempo editing parameters. Were actually
control in the middle for the tempo- amazed that Sugar Bytes has managed
synced effects (although we found this to cram all of this incredible FX plug-in
Key Features a little temperamental) and an audio into an app that costs so little, and the
Multi-FX and player that can play and record audio new additions only improve on an
performance
app
loops and tracks. already winning formula. MT
Assign any of Its obvious that Sugar Bytes has
24 effects to thought long and hard about how best MT Verdict
8 knobs
to integrate the app into the iPad
New X/Y pads Incredibly, Sugar Bytes has
and audio player workflow, and youll find Audiobus improved on an already excellent
Audiobus support, AudioCopy/Paste, the ability to product. The most comprehensive
support, load tracks from iTunes, plus iTunes file and fun sound-mangling app
AudioCopy/ available and at this price, an
Paste and iTunes sharing for transferring audio to a
absolute no-brainer.
file sharing computer. If youve got some sort of
New presets by
Beardyman
audio interface you can also route audio
in for mangling live performances and
10/10
stabs alongside deeper synth chord
progressions, combining an old-skool
vibe with tight, up-front production. As
with the drums, many of these appear in
Value several versions, so you can work with
$
the individual layers.
Last up on the loops front are some
decent chopped-up vocal snippets that
could be used to add extra flavour to
your grooves. Our favourite part of the
Choice pack, however, is the one-shots, where
9/10
9
9/10
youll find a highly usable collection of
thuddy basses, a blend of both garage
and house-style claps and snares, and
some sizzling lo-fi cymbals. There are
also some superb, deep-sounding chord
one-shots, although youll need to build
your own sampler patches to get the
elements, and while most out of these.
theres not huge variety in the All in all, this is a fantastic pack of
sounds and vibe, the well programmed on-point house sounds that fans of
Key Features grooves are as funky as hell. artists such as Disclosure and Dusky
361 24-bit loops
Next we have the kick-free top loops should consider essential. MT
213 one-shots
and the drums, which include a full mix
Includes WAV,
Apple Loops and plus component parts for maximum MT Verdict
Rex2 formats flexibility. You wont find much out of the A great-value collection of classic
All loops at ordinary here, but theyre characterised
122BPM
house loops and sounds with
by a solid yet spacious sound. infectious jackin grooves and a
Inspired by 90s
New York House Things get a little more interesting modern production punch.
and New Jersey
garage
with the music loops, which include a
variety of garage-style organ and piano
9/10
MT Reviews

System1000M The 1000M features ten

waveforms plus pink and white
noise. More than 500 bundled
Manufacturer Tronsonic/Synth Magic presets cover everything from
Choice 50s sci-fi soundscaping to

9/10
9
9/10
Price 19.99
authentic acid house arpeggios,
Contact via websites with the developers working to
Web www.tronsonic.com provide further banks and
www.synthmagic.co.uk patches for registered users.
However, this is an instrument

K
ylie and Will.i.am, Tom and
Cerys, Frank and Nancy...
theres a long tradition of
musical partnerships to get
die-hard fans wetting themselves with
glee. And now we present to you Synth
Magic and Tronsonic so is this a
match made in heaven or purely a
marriage of convenience?
In a nutshell, Tronsonics design
concept and sampling of waveforms
from authentic vintage analogue
sources has combined with Synth
Magics digital knowhow to produce a
patchless modular-style soft synth.
Cunningly named the System1000M,
this is a sample-based interpretation of
the classic Roland System100M
semi-professional modular synthesizer
that runs under Native Instruments
Kontakt 5.1.
Key Features that demands you look beyond
525+ presets its presets. Its modules can be
Choice of 10 configured to give a vast palette
waveforms plus of analogue-driven timbres and
pink/white noise
Bank 1 recorded
textures, with complex modulation via
to vintage tape the envelopes and LFO section. While The 1000M will inspire the current
for maximum the layout may at first look perplexing generation of music producers while
analogue texture
to the mod-synth novice, its underlying giving the old guard something to
Extensive
random logic becomes clear after just a little celebrate, delivering the depth, sound
modulation experimentation, and a neat colour- and complexity of analogue modulars
capabilities
coding system helps you to keep track but without all the cables, head-
Dual-polarity
keytrack and of what is driving what. scratching or, indeed, the cost. MT
dynamic Among the System1000Ms
pitch-bend
Dual-interval
innovations are a random patch- MT Verdict
section for creation button, a dual-interval section
A well thought-out modular synth
3-oscillator that can generate complex arpeggio emulation that produces an
simulation
variations, a very usable Brit-Grunge astonishing range of analogue-
Extensive
arpeggiator amp simulation, dual-polarity keytrack driven sounds, with plenty of scope
section control, and the ability to set the mod for real-time manipulation.
Vintage-style
effects section
wheel to give anything from micro
detuning to a four-octave sweep.
9/10
Modulator, Distortion, Lofi and Delay

Glitch 2 are useful for simple textural changes.

For more extreme transformations the
Tape Stop, Retrigger and Stretcher can
Manufacturer Illformed mutate your audio into something quite
Price 47.94 different. Gate and Reverse effects are
also included.
Contact via website
What we really like about this
Web www.illformed.com plug-in is the various degrees of
randomisation that can be applied. True

T
here are certain pieces of
software that gain iconic
status, and this can happen for
a variety of reasons. Version 1
of Glitch gained its reputation for two:
firstly, due to its simple sequencer-
based implementation of applying
effects, allowing for immediate, often
drastic sonic change; secondly, it was a
free product! However, it was available
only to Windows users. Version 2,
though, opens up the software to both
Mac OSX and Linux users, and brings a
new feature allowing the use of more
than one effect at a time in parallel.
The distinctive colour scheme is
retained from version 1 but the layout
is now much more logical as it employs
a left-to-right sequencing grid. Each
preset is blank left for the user to
define and contains up to 128 scenes
each; these scenes can be triggered via
92 | June 2013 magazine
MIDI notes. Each scene contains effect
parameter settings and the order in
which they are sequenced, so good
starting points for a scene can easily
be duplicated and subsequently
Key Features modified, giving you an immediately
Flexible grid
broad palette to experiment with. The
divisions and MIDI launching time between scenes
length per scene can also be quantized for mechanically
MIDI note
switching of
perfect triggering.
scenes Nine effects run down the left-hand
Good variety of side which can be punched-in via
effect types
note-like blocks on the grid. These can
Well integrated
random options easily be created, moved and re-sized
for accurate control and predictability.
randomness the type that never
repeats in the same way twice can be
applied from the top sequencing row,
but one-click randomness that then
stays in place can be applied to scenes
in severe or light doses very handy for
practical examples of the old (and
highly underrated) happy accident
technique. A tool like Glitch should be in
anyones armoury regardless of whether
you make music with a heavily edited
sound or just need some subtle
variation to run in the background. MT
MT Verdict
Version 2 represents a great
re-design of an already iconic
audio-manipulation tool. The layout
is much improved, making it even
easier to learn.
8/10
MTM Classifieds www.sae.edu
Put your business in front of 17,282 producers, engineers and recording musicians - call
Reviews MT

sales now! 01225 489987

Alchemy Mobile V2
Acoustic treatment parameter states. The Pro version
allows the remix pad to be controlled via
tilt and inertia, which is even more fun.
Manufacturer Camel Audio The GUI is nicely laid-out,
comfortably straddling the fine line
Price Free app. Pro upgrade 10.49
between sufficient features and not
Contact via website
being too difficult to control via a mobile
Web www.camelaudio.com screen (we tested this on the iPhone
version). Expression can be accessed

SCall 08708700880
ynth appsQuality Professional
are coming in thickAcoustics Panels and Traps at Affordable Prices through velocity by striking the keys at
and fast these days. Some different vertical points the higher up
offer complete levels of control the key you press, the lower the velocity
in terms ofIntroducing GIK 242
patch design panels, available in boxes of three for 162 (including VAT)
and becomes. Patches feature aftertouch,
synthesis, whereas others, like Alchemy making it easy to vary the sound simply
Mobile, give truly excellent sounds from by sliding up and down a held note.
The 242's are ideally mounted at first and secondary reflection points in a room
the outset at the expense of such The main benefit of the Pro version is
and have the same equal absorption as the GIK 244 from 4000Hz down to 250Hz.

EAT. SLEEP. DRINK. LEARN.

in-depth parameter tweaking. that you get the option to save projects,
Even in its most basic form, without which makes sense if youre building up
the Pro upgrade or any additional Drums are controlled via a two-row, song ideas. However, Audiobus and
library purchases, the onboard sounds THE ACADEMY OF CONTEMPORARY MUSIC
Key Features 16-pad layout with accompanying AudioCopy/Paste are supported by the
www.gikacoustics.co.uk +44 (0) 20 7558 8976
WWW.ACM.AC.UK 01483 500 800
really impressed. The app is a four- Remix and controls for volume and tuning. All of the free app so its more than capable for
Sales and Services
track-sequencer affair, with simple X/Y pads
Many add-on
other sounds have more specific spur-of-the-moment work. MT
record and quantize functionality for sound libraries
controls and parameters geared
ENQUIRIES@ACM.AC.UK
getting down ideas as ACM THEloops.
short EachBUILDINGS
RODBORO BRIDGE
available STREET GUILDFORD
to buy towards that SURREY UK GU1
particular 4SBwith
sound, MT Verdict
Acoustic treatmenttrack has an instance Mastering
of the iOS version Well laid-out GUI examples being sliders for oscillator
of Camel Audios desktop Alchemy
synth plug-in. This can be used for
Put your business in
AudioCopy/
Paste
symmetry, filter cutoff, distortion
amount and so on. The most real-time
One of the truly pro-sounding synth
apps out there for iOS. The free app
has most of the features of the Pro

front of 17,282
Audiobus
creating bass lines, leads, pads, support tweakability comes from the X/Y pad version, so be sure to give it a go.
Thoroughly recommended.
Get Your
soundscapes or drums, plus there are Can remotely
control desktop
control and remix morphing section. The
9/10
producers, engineers
all sorts of other sounds on offer for latter lets you seamlessly modulate a
plug-in version

DVD REPLICATION CD Mastered By

music or sound-design purposes. sound by moving around eight

ALL-IN PACKAGE
INCLUDES:
Pink Floyd's Grammy and recording
Building a media room or a studio?
Glass mastering Nominated Engineer. musicians.
PrintingThe
of DVD inlay 4/0Recording
www.TubeMastering.com Workshop
Full Colour Print on disc

Supply of black or clear

call sales now!
Since 1989
07734 422 490
32-TRACK STUDIO AVAILABLE FOR01225 HIRE. 489987
Holger Lagerfeldt
DVD case
Over wrap of DVD case
1000 units @ 835.00 BASED IN WEST LONDON
Furniture Sales and services
Specialises in 2-month, hands-on, part-
Keoda time courses on the latest recording and
production techniquesThe forRecording
beginners andWorkshop
Studio-Furniture advanced in very small groups. Subjects Since 1989

include: microphones, 32-TRACK

EQ, STUDIO
effects,AVAILABLE FOR HIRE.
CD ORconsoles
DVD BASED IN WEST LONDON With thousands of GIK acoustic panels, bass traps and
DUPLICATIONprocessors, multitracking, mixing, MIDI,
Specialises in 2-month, hands-on, part-time courses on installed around the world and with locations in
diffusors
workstations
INCLUDES:
Full Colour Print on disc
synthesis, Cubase,
the latest sampling,
recording and production techniques for
the US and Europe, its clear that GIK Acoustics is the

soundproof
Supply of Plaboxes
stic Wallets
beginners etc
production, and advanced in very small groups. Subjects
#1 choice for recording studios,listening rooms, home
theatres, live auditoriums and churches.
include: microphones, EQ, effects, processors, multi-
50 units @ 69.00
acoustic booths
For prospectus call free:
tracking, 0800MIDI,
mixing, 980synthesis,
7454 Cubase, sampling,
100 units @ 115.00 info@therecordingworkshop.co.uk production, etc
200 @ 205.00recordingworks@btconnect.com
unitsproducts
acoustic For prospectus call free: 0800 980 7454
500 units @ 379.00
K Address.
www.keoda.com recordingworks@btconnect.com
Concessionary rates available
email: info@therecordingworkshop.co.uk magazine June 2013 | 93

108 | August 2012 magazine

MT Reviews

Neon Synths
Manufacturer Prime Loops
Key Features
Price 16.95 520.3MB both production value and the style
Contact via website 80140BPM of melodies they play. Some are
Large range of drenched in digital-sounding
Web www. primeloops.com musical keys
reverb, which works for the era.

T
Authentic
hose of you who recall the 80s
may weep with nostalgia when
browsing this collection of
loops which is a good thing
considering that they aim to capture
the sound of retro artists such as
Electric Youth and Kavinsky. Of course,
these artists pay homage to some of
the best soundtracks of the era
anyone whos watched a classic 80s
teen-angst flick or a futuristic movie of
the time such as Bladerunner will
recognise the musical and production
styles this series is going for.
Ranging from 80140BPM,
arpeggios, bass lines, chords, lead lines
and pads all sound quite authentic in
melodies for There are FM bell patterns, brash
given style brass-sounding leads, portamento
square leads and also more
blip-like, small and delicate melodies.
Nearly all of the loops put you in the Otherwise, if
right headspace on first listen, but for you want some authentic
some reason a few of them are pretty loops to work with or inspire your next
much doppelgangers of some very composition, these are worth a look. MT
recognisable releases. To make matters
worse, an awkward-sounding note is MT Verdict
inserted here or there, presumably to
Successful in giving the listener an
avoid potential copyright issues. This authentic experience of moody 80s
sadly renders them almost unusable as synth music, though some of the
they are both too recognisable yet at the loops are a bit too reminiscent of
same time spoiled by these changed some big tunes for comfort...
notes. However, they represent only a
small percentage of the pack.
7/10

Dubstep-Electro Vol2 MT Reviews What our ratings mean

Excellence Lets be honest Choice A very good

this product product one
Manufacturer reFX For the most part the pack covers is, at the very that we would
Price 55 (NEXUS 2 required) recognisable sounds such as Dutch least, the best single out.
leads, vocalised basses, blips and so in its class.
Contact via website
on, but theres quite a lot of variety to Attractively Indicates a step
Value Innovation
Web www.refx.com choose from. NEXUS is a lot more priced as well forward in the
as capable of implementation
programmable than many users might

T
he production aesthetic of
dubstep and electro can be
quite hard to achieve, even
for a seasoned pro. The
delivering or application of
think, so its perfectly feasible to great results. a technology.
customise the sounds as required, EXCELLENCE AWARD 10/10
offering you even more variety. The best in its class. This product produces superb results, is well
The only thing really lacking implemented and sensibly priced.

task of creating huge sounds
that remain tight and defined
in a punchy mix is no mean
feat, so this pack could be a
welcome helping hand for
users of the ROM synth NEXUS.
NEXUS owners will already know
that the included library and add-on
extensions like this one have a
polished, mixed sound right out of the
box. While loop packs may also deliver
that, they suffer from a lack of
flexibility should users want to make
them their own. At the other end of the
spectrum, synth presets can give you
some superb and flexible sounds, but
they often need additional mix
processing, which requires production
knowledge. And even if you do have
that knowledge, time constraints may
not allow for it, so whichever camp you
here for an out-of-the-box
experience are the
uninspiring mod wheel
assignments. These can be
custom-assigned, but
many of the presets simply put
a low-pass filter to hand in an
increasingly wobbleless world this
could have been set up in a much more
creative way.
Overall, this is a worthwhile
investment for NEXUS owners who
want to work on any electro-influenced
bass music just be prepared to go
under the hood and shape modulation
assignments to suit your needs. MT
MT Verdict
Well-produced synth sounds that
arent as immediately ready for
mod wheel use as wed like.
CHOICE AWARD 9/10
This product comes highly recommended and has an effective
balance of features and performance.
8/10
A recommended product with features, performance and pricing
that meets the needs of its target market.
7/10
A good product but with one or two question marks over ease of
use or price.
6/10
This product has merit, but some improvements or a more
competitive price would bring it closer to its target market.
5/10
Certain oversights in this products design and performance could
limit its usefulness.
4/10
Buyer beware: this is a sliding scale of poor quality, overpricing
and/or disappointing performance.
OUR REVIEWS POLICY
At MT we take our reviews very seriously indeed. We aim to offer
you nothing but the best information and expert opinion, helping
you to make the right purchasing decisions. Our reviewers are

8/10
experts in their field and talk to the manufacturers throughout the
fall in, having great sounds on-tap can reviewing process to ensure accuracy.
always be useful.

94 | June 2013 magazine

dj
music
production
entertainment
technology

EXHIBITION
EXHIBITION
All of the latest electronic
music production, DJ, PA &
lighting gear on display and
available to try out first-hand
in a huge interactive exhibition
2013
EEDUCATION
DUCATION
A huge collection of over 60
inspiring Q&As, informative
seminars and insightful
panel sessions covering
a wide variety of topics
PPERFORMANCE
ERFORMANCE
An eclectic selection of DJ
sets and live performances
from established and
aspiring talent across
multiple stages
NNETWORKING
ETWORKING
The chance to meet with
like-minded DJs, music
producers and entertainment
professionals to share ideas
and make contacts

facebook.com/bpmshow twitter.com/visitbpm
MT Next Month
Whats in
DIGITAL PERFORMER 8
STEINBERG WAVELAB 8
Two of the software old guard reach version 8.
Can they still do battle with the big boys?
Technique
MASTERING
IN REASON
MUSIC TECH MAGAZINE
www.musictech.net
Anthem Publishing Ltd
Suite 6 Piccadilly House
London Road Bath BA1 6PL
Tel +44 (0) 1225 489984
Fax +44 (0) 1225 489980
Publisher Simon Lewis
simon.lewis@anthem-publishing.com
Editorial Director Paul Pettengale
paul.pettengale@anthem-publishing.com
Senior Editor Andy Jones
andy.jones@anthem-publishing.com
Art Editor Kai Wood
kai.wood@anthem-publishing.com
Features Editor Liam OMullane
liam.omullane@anthem-publishing.com
Production Editor Lewis Brangwyn
lewis.brangwyn@anthem-publishing.com
Digital Editor Andy Price
andy.price@anthem-publishing.com
Multimedia Editor Alex Holmes
alex.holmes@anthem-publishing.com
Business Development Manager
Di Marsh
di.marsh@anthem-publishing.com
Marketing Assistant Anna Wilkie
anna.wilkie@anthem-publishing.com
Issue 125 On sale 18 July
Orchestral manoeuvres
on the cheap
Contributors
Rob Boffard, Mark Cousins, Keith
Gemmell, Tim Hallas, Mike Hillier, Hollin
Jones, Andy McLaughlin, John Pickford,
Huw Price
Cover photography Pete Canning
www.viewpoint-photography.co.uk
Managing Director Jon Bickley
jon.bickley@anthem-publishing.com
Art Director Jenny Cook
jenny.cook@anthem-publishing.com
Subscriptions & Back Issues
Tel 0844 844 0398 (UK)
Tel +44 (0)1795 592849 (overseas)
Price (12 issues) 64.95
UK basic annual rate
Printed by Polestar UK Print Limited
+44 (0)1582 678900
Distributed by Marketforce (UK) Ltd,
The Blue Fin Building
110 Southwark Street
London SE1 0SU
Tel +44 (0) 20 3148 3300
Licensing enquiries Jon Bickley
+44 (0) 1225 489984
jon.bickley@anthem-publishing.com
Technology
Music Tech Magazine, ISSN number
1479-4187, is published monthly (12 times
per year) by Anthem Publishing c/o
USACAN Media Dist. Srv. Corp.at 26 Power
Dam Way Suite S1-S3, Plattsburgh, NY
12901 for US$129.99 per year. Periodicals
Postage paid at Plattsburgh, NY and at
additional mailing Offices.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to
Music Tech Magazine c/o International
Media Services, 3330 Pacific Avenue, Suite
500, Virginia Beach, VA 23451-2983
All content copyright Anthem Publishing TEXTING
MUSIC TECH TERMS
Ltd 2013, all rights reserved. While we
AND CONDITIONS
make every effort to ensure that the factual By entering
content of Music Tech Magazine is correct MusicTech
we cannot take any responsibility nor be competitions you
held accouxntable for any factual errors are agreeing to
printed. Please make every effort to check receive details of
quoted prices and product specifications future promotions
with manufacturers prior to purchase. No from Anthem
Publishing Limited
part of this publication may be reproduced,
and related third
stored in a retrieval system or resold parties. If you do not
without the prior consent of Anthem want to receive this
Publishing Ltd. Music Tech Magazine information please
recognises all copyrights contained within text NO INFO at the
this issue. Where possible we acknowledge end of your message.
the copyright holder. Texts will be charged
at the specified price
plus one message
at your standard
network tariff rate.
magazine November 2010 | 98
 THE ULTIMATE

NE
W
!
MUSIC TECHNOLOGY
RESOURCE
1000+ TUTORIALS, 500+ REVIEWS,
450+ FEATURES & INTERVIEWS

PLUS MORE NEW CONTENT EVERY DAY

www.musictech.net
MT Your Disc

This month we bring you whooshes and sweeps to

DVD124 4GB+ PC&Mac sprinkle over your tracks, plus funk and jazz MIDI

YourDisc loops and cutting-edge synth sounds. Youll also find

tutorials and videos covering Push, Live 9, Logic and
more, the latest demos, software and promo videos.

SAMPLE LOOPS//ROYALTY FREE & EXCLUSIVE Size 766MB Format 24-bit/44.1kHz, WAV,

//FUTURE
Kontakt, EXS24, NN-XT, Structure
Transition effects are almost essential in modern
electronic music, and good use of rising and
falling sweeps can really help with the flow of a

TRANSITION
track, leading the listener to the next section
and papering over any cracks. For this months
lead pack, Prague-based producer Richard P
James has called on his trusty SH-101 alongside

FX & SWEEPS
the Access Indigo, Logics built-in synths and a
host of SoundToys plug-ins to produce a range
of pumping noise sweeps, metallic rising drones
and pulsating LFO workouts. Youll find 180
loops at 125BPM, chopped and divided into
folders of 4, 8 and 16 bars.

MIDI LOOPS //ROYALTY FREE & EXCLUSIVE MT PRO TECHNIQUE//15 MINS

//FUNK & //ROB PAPENS

JAZZ MIDI LOOPS SYNTH SECRETS
Size 291K Format MIDI
Following on from last months inspiring MIDI loop
collection, Equinox Sounds turns its attention to funk
and jazz with a whole load of soulful melodies and
grooves. There are 48 loops split across six construction
kits, which include drum rhythms, funky bass lines,
tinkling piano top lines, grooving keys, organs and clavs,
plus gentle, melodic strings and pads. Folders are
named by key and tempo (9299BPM) although, of
course, you can easily import these MIDI loops and
change the speed and pitch as you choose.
Web www.equinoxsounds.com
Size 786MB Format MP4, MOV
To accompany the interview on page 30
weve got a few snippets from Rob Papens
Secrets Of Synthesis book-and-four-DVD combo,
which is one of the most extensive courses
available on subtractive synth programming. First
up, Rob introduces his 4-Element Synth approach, which divides the
main parts of a subtractive sequencer into four separate sections,
following with chapter tasters on waveforms, noise generators,
detuning oscillators and filter types.
Web www.timespace.com

//SOFTWARE
SOUND RADIX PI
(Windows, Mac OSX)
A unique take on phase correction. Place
instances on multiple tracks, then let Pi
dynamically rotate the phase in real time to
achieve maximum correlation, with the
result of improved mono compatibility,
greater spatial depth and better defined
transients. www.soundradix.com
DEMO//SOFTWARE
transients to help give you more headroom, and
can also be used as a creative sound-design tool.
DEMO//SOFTWARE
KILOHEARTS DISPERSER
(Windows, Mac OSX)
Disperser is an innovative
phase-based plug-in that
uses all-pass filters to add
different delay to different
frequencies. It can smear
frequencies and sharp
www.kilohearts.com
DEMO//SOFTWARE
VOXENGO SHINECHILLA
(Windows, Mac OSX)
Shinechilla is an experimental harmonics generator that splits the
audio into 32 bands, then generates 2nd, 3rd and 4th harmonics,
with the ability to blend each back in with the original signal.
www.voxengo.com
SALTLINE LISC-STEP FULL//SOFTWARE
(Windows)
Lisc-step is a state-variable filter with LP, HP, BP and BR
modes that allows the user to create modulated filter
patterns. You can control the cutoff with either an LFO
or a 16-step sequencer with controls for rate, amount,
direction and glide. www.saltline.co.uk
FULL//SOFTWARE
SLEEPY TIME DSP2 LISP
(Windows)
Lisp is an automatic sibilance detection plug-in
that can be used to de-ess your tracks. It uses a
transient-detection algorithm coupled with fast
frequency detection and phase-cancellation
methods to remove unwanted sibilance.
www.sleepytimedsp.com

98 | July 2013 magazine

 Your Disc MT

SAMPLE LOOPS//ROYALTY FREE

Size 148MB Format 24-bit/44.1kHz WAV

//PRIME LOOPS Prime Loops has become something of a specialist

in modern, multi-genre synth loops, offering a huge range
of products in different styles. Weve got tasters from

CUTTING-EDGE seven of its finest synth-based releases, starting with the

retro-tinged Neon Synths pack (reviewed on page 94).

SYNTHS
There are also screaming 303s taken from Acid Synths,
pumping mainroom chords from Electro Synth Sessions,
and tech patterns from Progressive Synths. If youre after
something more urban, there are aggressive basses from
Official Dubstep Synths and bouncy, melodic lines taken
from the Trap Synths and Urban Synths packs.
Web www.primeloops.com

DVD124 4GB+ PC&Mac

Mac

SAMPLE LOOPS//ROYALTY
ROYALTY FREE & EXCLUSIVE

//FUTURE
FUTURE
TRANSITION
FX & SWEEPS If your DVD is missing
please contact your newsagent
766MB of adrenalin-fuelled futuristic
sweeps, metallic rising drones and
pulsating LFO workouts
VIDEO TUTORIALS//60+MINS SAMPLES LOOPS/
LOOPS//148MB
/148MB ROYALTY FREE

//
/ABLETON LIVE //
/CUTTING-EDGE
CUTTING-EDGE
PUSH CHALLENGE SYNTH LOOPS
MIDI LOOPS//ROYALTY FREE & EXCLUSIVE VIDEO TUTORIALS//15+MINS

//FUNK & JAZZ //ROB PAPENS

MIDI LOOPS SYNTH SECRETS

VIDEO TUTORIALS//60+ MINS

//ABLETON PUSH
VIDEO FEATURE//30+ MINS

CHALLENGE //LOOPBLOG
Size 398MB Format MOV
Size 865MB Format MOV
LoopBlog has provided another
London-based Point Blank set its tutor,
helping of the latest producer content videos, including
producer Ski Oakenfull, the task of creating a
a review of the new Novation Launchkey and iPad app
vocal house track in under an hour using only
controllers, two great tutorials on Cable Guys Volume
Push to control Ableton Live. Part 1 sees Oakenfull lay down
Shaper VST plug-in with producer Dom Kane, plus a guide
drums, bass and synth parts to create several sections and record in
to making your own acoustic diffuser treatments for your
vocals, written on the spot by vocalist and former student Viv May.
studio with The DSP Projects Rupert Brown. We also have
Part 2 looks at fleshing out the arrangement. As an added bonus weve
Producertechs Rob Jones taking a look at using
also got highlights from the Kate Simko Logic masterclass, which
Maschines audio and MIDI outputs within Logic.
looks at adding effects to a plucked sound and building a drum groove.
Web www.loopblog.net
Web www.pointblanklondon.com

magazine July 2013 | 99

 NEW!

With innovative new live features, advanced layering and synchronization options,
new filter simulations and powerful effects, the new Nord Lead 4 is a flexible synth
thats just as brilliant on stage as in your studio.

OSCILLATE! Nord Lead 4 is a virtual analogue synthesizer with 2

oscillators per voice and 4 slots. New features include Wavetables with
formants, Hard/Soft Sync, Noise-generator with dedicated filter and a true
Unison-mode for meaty leads!

MODULATE! 2 LFOs and a Modulation Envelope can control anything Nord Lead 4 - 49-key synth version
from filters to effects and even offer very flexible triggering options.

FILTER! Nord Lead 4 features 7 filter types including an extremely steep

48 dB low-pass filter, two amazing simulations of the legendary transistor
and diode ladder-filters and a powerful drive for distorting the sound
internally in the fi lter.

MUTILATE! Colour your sounds with simulated tube amp distortion,

Nord Lead 4R - Rack mountable table-top version
sample-rate reduction, comb-filtering, a talk box-effect and a compressor.
Each slot also features a tweakable delay with analogue-mode plus reverb.

SYNCHRONIZE! Arpeggiators, LFOs and delays can all be

synchronized to the internal Master Clock or an external sequencer.

IMPROVISE! The flexible Morph functionality offers unprecedented

control over your sound while playing. Change multiple parameters at once
- gradually with the mod wheel or velocity - or instantaneously with the
powerful new Impulse Morph buttons. Handmade in Sweden by Clavia DMI AB

Listen to sound demos: Follow us:

Nord Audio Demo 00:00:19

nordkeyboards.com/nordlead4
Listen to the Nord Stage 2 at
www.nordkeyboards.com
facebook.com/nordkeyboards
Distributed in the UK by Sound Technology Ltd | 01462 480000 | www.soundtech.co.uk | info@soundtech.co.uk
TECHNOLOGY