Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2020 i Future Music

WELCOME Audio upcycling As I write this, the annual NAMM show is wrapping up in California, bringing the curtain down on the year’s most significant outpouring of new instruments and studio gear (hence this issue’s bumper news section!) What trends can we divine from 2020’s forthcoming releases? Well, it looks like every MIDI controller has to have a sequencer built into it now (I can live with that), and synth brands are embracing the power of analogue-digital hybrids. With all this gear news, it can be easy to feel like your current setup is dated or inadequate, but it’s important to remember you don’t need the latest gear to make great music. It’s all about making the most of what you have. In a sense, that’s the heart of this…

The NAMM Show Moog’s Subsequent 25 updates the Sub Phatty for modern studios We first got word that Moog might have a new synth on the way thanks to a leak back in December, and now the US synth icons have confirmed the arrival of their latest, the Subsequent 25. As its name suggests this new instrument shares a lineage with Moog’s Subsequent 37 and its predecessor the Sub 37, although its closest relative is 2013’s Sub Phatty, which it replaces in Moog’s line-up. The Subsequent 25 is a two-note paraphonic analogue synth paired with a 25-note keyboard, making it the most compact of Moog’s current crop of non-modular synths. It packs two oscillators, which are accompanied by an additional sub oscillator and noise generator. These can be used in…

The NAMM Show Nektar’s Aura beatmaker takes aim at Maschine and Push Nektar’s Aura is a beat- and performance-focused pad controller and MIDI sequencer that looks like it has some pretty advanced features. In fact, with a TFT colour display and tight plugin and DAW integration – plus the added option to sequence your MIDI hardware – it has the potential to one day sit at the hub of your studio. With a look undeniably reminiscent of NI’s Maschine, Aura is focused around 16 RGB-lit pressure-sensitive pads that support a flexible pad repeat mode. This enables you to use pad pressure to control velocity while changing repeat rates with the RGB LED buttons, making it easy to create dynamic rolls. Customisable parameters available include Repeat Rate, Gate, Accent Interval, Accent…

Waves OVox is a synth/effects processor you can play with your voice Operating both standalone and as a plugin, OVox gives you a wide range of vocal effects – vocoder, talkbox, harmoniser, pitch/tune, vocal arpeggiation and more – and promises great results in no time at all. Apparently the key to all of this is Waves’ Organic ReSynthesis technology, which breaks down your vocal signal into amplitube, pitch and formant elements. These are then resynthesised in order to create the new signal, and all of this happens without any discernible artefacts occuring, we’re assured. There’s no routing involved, and while you can use OVox in combination with a MIDI controller, this is entirely optional; your voice is all that’s required to trigger automatic chords, harmonies or scales, thanks to the…

Universal Audio’s LUNA is a free DAW for Apollo owners In an audacious move Universal Audio have announced the LUNA Recording System. As far as we can tell, this is nothing short of a free DAW for users of their Apollo and Arrow audio interfaces, and that could be very big news indeed. The first thing to consider is the main LUNA Application, which, as you’d expect, offers super-tight integration with UA’s interfaces. In fact, we’re told that it enables you to record through DSP-powered UAD plugins with no discernible latency; this is thanks to the new Accelerated Realtime Monitoring feature. UA suggest that this provides performance and reliability on a par with $10k+ DSP-assisted recording systems, and all from the comfort of your home studio. Next, we have LUNA…

Could Bassline DB-01 be the acid machine of your dreams? Few synth brands do grit and aggression as well as Erica Synths, so their latest, Bassline DB-01, has us especially excited. At first glance this might look like another analogue 303-clone – with a single analogue oscillator and resonant, envelope-controlled filter it’s sure to tick all those acid house boxes – but dig into the specs and there are some interesting features here. First up, is the inclusion of the switchable low-/band-pass filter from the company’s Acidbox range. This Polivoks-inspired 12dB filter packs a serious resonant punch, and sounds great when driven hard. To make the most of this, the DB-01 has a one-knob overdrive that promises “even more destructive sound”. There’s a BBD-based detune effect too, for adding extra…

The Liven 8bit Warps: a portable chiptune synth Designed with live performance in mind, Soundware's Liven 8bit Warps specialises in retro chiptune sounds, but its creators claim that its sonic potential is wide enough to be used in all manner of electronic genres. It comes with a built-in step sequencer, meaning that it’s a self-contained groove creation tool, and with four wave memory synth engines (Warp, Attack, Morph and FM). Other features include filters and effects, and there are 16 knobs for hands-on control. The sequencer, meanwhile, offers parameter locks for each step, and there’s also a looper. Techy retro-fetishists will love it. Currently being pitched on Kickstarter, a pledge of ¥18,000 or more (around £126) will potentially secure you a unit in June.…

Feature CREATIVE RESAMPLING This month, we’re turning our critical eye to the creativity and inspiration which can come from resampling. We’ll explore exactly what this term means, what resampling can do and why it forms such a significant part of the production process for so many musicians, irrespective of the musical genres they favour. We’ll explore the pros and cons of using your DAW’s audio capabilities compared to triggering resampled sounds from dedicated samplers, as well as having a look at some of the latest software developments which are facilitating creative resampling in new and innovative ways. What we’ll discover is that resampling provides a means for sound creation which is different from programming synths, or loading pre-existing samples into sample playback engines. If personalising the sounds you reach for…

Creative Resampling Atmospheric drone beds Sometimes the best bits happen after the MIDI stops. Here we’re using Regenerating Delay to ‘sustain’ synth textures before resampling them 01 > We’re starting with an atmospheric sound from Absynth 5. Then we’re inserting several effects; UAD’s EP-34 Tape Echo, SoundToys’ FilterFreak, FabFilter’s Pro-R Reverb, Waves’ H-Delay and SoundToys’ Devil-Loc Deluxe. We’re setting high Feedback levels in the Delays to get the sound ‘regenerating’. So long after the MIDI trigger ends, the sound continues with its own atmosphere. 02 > We set up a second sound, this time adding Waves H-Delay with a non-tempo sync’d, ping-pong delay. The high Feedback level keeps the sound ‘sustaining’. Next comes a FilterFreak treatment where the cutoff frequency is modulated by the input level. Lastly, a second round…

Add reversed audio slices to your leads Let’s find out how we can add atmospheric reversed slices to lead sounds, to add something extra to melody lines In this walkthrough, we’ve got a basic melody line sitting atop an atmospheric, chilled-out track. Set against the washy bed and blissed-out groove, the lead sound is quite harsh and percussive, so this is a technique designed to bring some of that chilled-out feel to the lead line. Once we’ve sampled the lead as an audio file, we can reverse it. We want to maintain the correct position of each note of the melody, so instead of reversing the whole line ‘as one’, we chop it up first, to ensure the first note doesn’t become the last and vice versa. Having done this,…

The Track Processing replayed samples in Ableton Live See how BB accentuates his replayed sample parts using Live’s effects and third-party plugins 01 > Don’t Wanna Dance features replayed horn and piano parts from Double Exposure’s disco-tastic I Got The Hots (For Ya), which Thibaud puts into a group in Ableton Live. “First I used EQ to make the horn’s highs slightly lower,” he begins. “I had FabFilter Pro-MB multiband compressor on the highs as well, as some of the frequencies were quite aggressive!” 02 > Thibaud uses Ableton Live’s stock delay plugin automated as a spin-delay effect in order to assist transition between sections. “I have some Auto Filter automation to bring the piano in,” he reveals to us. “I use Native Instruments RC-24 reverb with automation on it…

Producer’s Guide To Discover granular synthesis in Pigments 2 Create exciting new tonalities with the preset samples and breathe new life into your own library 01 > With your project open and Pigments in an instrument slot, open up the UI and make sure you are in the Synth tab, which has two engines. Disable the second then head back to the first, changing the type from Analog to Sample, then click on the library icon (which looks like a row of books, with one at an angle). 02 > This section of Pigments is home to an extensive assortment of samples. To the top right of the library you can see a folder icon, where you can load your own sounds, but we’ll use a preset (the Hull Breach…

Detroit techno Three software solutions for Detroit-inspired techno 1 u-he Repro The Sequential Circuits Pro-One has been described as the unsung hero of early Detroit techno, by all accounts a favourite of Juan Atkins and certainly capable of some suitably powerful basslines. Vintage originals fetch big bucks, but the cheaper alternative is u-he’s outstanding Repro plugin (which also does a fine imitation of the polyphonic Prophet-5). 2 D16 Drumazon If Drumazon crops up a lot in our genre guides it’s simply because the Roland TR-909 which it emulates is such a colossus of electronic music. With original 909s now worth a small fortune, it’s lucky we can turn to such an excellent emulation as Drumazon, which has long been an FM favourite. There’s no better starting point than a good…

SEQUENCER AND ARPEGGIATOR No modern synth should be without a decent sequencer and arpeggiator. The Argon 8 gives you both with a solid amount of control. Firstly, the real-time polyphonic sequencer can hold up to 512 notes over 16 steps and also has four animation (modulation) lanes into which you can record parameter tweaks to keep things engaging. You can also just record modulation/knob tweak data in to use the sequencer as a mod source for evolving sounds. Sequences can be independent or linked to a particular patch as needed (like the MatrixBrute). There’s also a couple of cool features, including Sequence Loop (where you highlight a particular area within a sequence to loop), or Sequence Hold, basically an instant beat repeat effect. Sequence steps are handily shown by the…

KEY FEATURES – THE 3620 KEYBOARD One great thing about Korg’s ARP 2600 re-issue is the re-imagined duophonic 3620 keyboard. Everything that made the original a must-have is here, with some tasty add-ons. As with the original 3620, this one offers 49 full-sized keys in a Tolexed sized case. Like many of its era, the old version’s keys were little more than switches that sent gate signals. Korg have, however, added aftertouch (albeit no velocity). Aftertouch seems to be a mechanical function, as the black keys require a bit more pressure. What else is new here? There’s now a latching arpeggiator, which is a simple thing, but it can also act as a 128-note sequencer. Alas, sequencer memory is somewhat volatile. The LFO has been retained. You get three waveshapes…

Arturia AudioFuse 8pre Arturia AudioFuse 8Pre £630 Rob Redman assesses Arturia’s venture into the domain of rack audio interfaces The market for audio interfaces is fairly awash with options so it may surprise some to find Arturia releasing the AudioFuse 8Pre. However this one hits above its weight in a couple of key areas. First off is the physical object itself, which is a 1U unit which cleverly has rack-mount ears which can be mounted at 90 degrees, to provide a good desktop solution (raising the controls off the desk for easy access). It’s a solidly built device, housing eight channels of XLR/TRS inputs, two of which are on the front, with a switch for line-level instruments like guitars or basses. The front panel also provides a single headphone out…

SOUNDS & SAMPLES Spitfire Audio – BBC Symphony Orchestra £899 Spitfire have always been an ambitious and forward-thinking company, and develop many products in collaboration with important names in the composing and production arena. However, even Hans Zimmer can’t quite compete with the 90-year heritage of the BBC Symphony Orchestra (BBCSO). It is therefore unsurprising that the latest Spitfire product has arrived with such fanfare. As expected, BBCSO was recorded at the famed BBC Maida Vale Studios. Originally built for roller skating, the building was taken over by the BBC in the 1930s to house multiple studios – including the legendary BBC Radiophonic Workshop – and has played host to numerous bands, as well as various BBC ensembles in the intervening years. Sadly, over the next few years, all the…

Gear Guide AFFORDABLE SYNTHS Modal Argon 8 £579 Full Review: FM354 A very versatile sound engine, which covers lots of territory – from warm analogue to cold industrial. Another great British synth! Korg Wavestate £699 Full Review: FM353 The price might be pushing what we’d usually call ‘affordable’ but with 64 stereo voices and a multi-timbral sound engine you get a lot for your money here. And it sounds great too! Novation Circuit £250 Review: FM299 A broad range of sounds with a fluid and intuitive workflow all adds up to make Circuit a winner. Its sequencer is absolutely killer too. Arturia MicroFreak £279 Review: FM345 If you’re looking to go beyond regular analogue synths and expand your sonic palette with an affordable creative tool, MicroFreak should be top of…

2HP’s Lunchbox is a tasty mini Eurorack case to take on your “modular picnics” 2HP have unveiled the Lunchbox, a cute little Eurorack case that you’ll be able to buy on its own or stuffed with tasty modular morsels. This 42HP case comes fully powered and with a latchable lid, and thanks to its carry handle, can be played with pretty much anywhere. If you want something that’ll run out of the box, you can choose to have one of 2HP’s Picnic Basket, Synth Voice, Drum Machine or Effects Box systems installed. Otherwise, you can fill the Lunchbox with your own modules. Expected in March, the Lunchbox’s price is still to be decided, but you can find out more on the 2HP website.…

The KeyLab Essential 88 is an 88-note controller at a wallet-friendly price Arturia have added a new 88-note model to their KeyLab Essential range. Described as “one of the most affordable 88-note controllers on the market”, this latest KeyLab looks a great option for those who want the flexibility of a full-range keyboard without shelling out for something priced at the high end. As with other KeyLab controllers, there’s tight integration with Arturia’s own Analog Lab application, which hosts an assortment of vintage synth, piano and organ emulations powered by the brand’s excellent V Collection software suite. The KeyLab Essential 88 is also designed for use with major DAWs, and incorporates MCU/HUI compatibility. The controller also includes a Chord Play mode, for simple arrangement and triggering of chords and is…

The NAMM Show Novation’s new Launchpad Pro comes with a MIDI sequencer for controlling your plugins and hardware Having released the Launchpad X and updated Launchpad Mini MIDI pad controllers in 2019, Novation have now turned their attention to the flagship Launchpad Pro, announcing a Mk3 edition. As before, this is great for working with Ableton Live: it offers controls for clip and scene launching, transport, quantising and duplicating, while access to the tap tempo, Print To Clip and Capture MIDI features are now onboard, too. Chord Mode lets you build and play chords straight from the grid. But there’s more: Launchpad Pro now contains a powerful MIDI sequencer that can be used to drive both your plugins and hardware gear. Setups can be configured in Novation’s Components software, and…

SSL’s new budget audio interfaces promise studio quality at affordable prices Pro audio specialists Solid State Logic are stepping into the home recording market with two affordable audio interfaces: SSL 2 and SSL 2+. Both promise “class-leading” mic preamps, a Legacy 4K enhancement mode that’s inspired by the classic SSL 4000 series consoles, and studio-quality monitoring. They also ship with a generous bundle of included software. Operating at 24-bit/192kHz, the SSL 2 is a 2-in/2-out interface that features a pair of analogue mic preamps, a headphone output, a simple monitor mix control and balanced monitor outputs that promise impressive dynamic range. Elsewhere, the aforementioned Legacy 4K mode is designed to add some SSL 4000-style analogue character and sparkle to the inputs. The SSL 2+ adds another headphone output with independent…

4ms unveil the Ensemble Oscillator 4ms’s latest oscillator module looks like exactly the kind of weird and wonderful sound source that modular systems are great for. This polyphonic complex oscillator voice combines additive synthesis, FM, wave-folding, phase distortion and more to create harmonically rich, evolving sounds and unique textures. An onboard scale mode and memory should make this a great tool for inspiring melodic patterns and triggering chord progressions. And it sounds great! The Ensemble Oscillator is due to arrive in April priced at $299.…

Pioneer DJ take on the Xone:96 with their DJM-V10 mixer Pioneer DJ’s new six-channel DJM-V10 mixer is something of a left turn for the brand, seeing them step away from the established design of their NXS range in favour of something that appears to be taking aim at Allen & Heath’s popular Xone:96. As with the 96 – and also the Richie Hawtin-designed Model 1 – the DJM-V10 features an eye-watering amount of connectivity designed for maximum flexibility in a club environment. Alongside the six analogue mixer channels are three send/return channels, plus a flexible array of master, booth, headphone and other I/O options. The mixer is also DVS-ready for rekordbox, Serato and Traktor, and is equipped with two USB ports for seamless digital changeovers. Most interesting, however, are the…

Advertorial | Steinberg AXR4 interface Bring your studio setup to life with Steinberg’s AXR4 interface With their flagship AXR4, Steinberg have raised the bar for what we can expect from modern audio interfaces. Combining professional audio quality, a ton of flexibility and innovative DSP tools, the AXR4 is the ideal tool for pro studios, solo producers and recording musicians alike. The AXR4 is a 28/24 interface, available in Thunderbolt 2 or USB 3.0 models, with 12 physical inputs, four of which are front panel Neutrik combo inputs boasting Rupert Neve Designs-powered SILK preamps. Combined with the eight TRS inputs on the rear, plus eight TRS outputs, there’s plenty of I/O to handle all your recording needs, whether that involves synths and drum machines, recording a band or applying external processing…

Whole track sampling: start again! Let’s use the start of one track as the inspiration for a new sonic layer. Welcome to the joys of easy whole-track sampling Most of the time, we reach for sampled instruments to form a single layer of a track we’re working on. We might want to load a sampled lead sound, or a cello section, or a snippet of vocal. But sometimes inspiration can strike when the source sound we capture and process is bigger. Whole track sampling is the process of taking the mix of an entire track and mining it for content. You might simply isolate a hit or a snare, or you might be interested to see if you can find a slow, industrial churning rhythm when a quicker track is…

YOUTUBE THE TRACK Leading producers go in-depth on the sounds, ideas and techniques behind their latest releases Twin Atlantic, Barcelona Sam McTrusty and Ross McNae of rock favourites Twin Atlantic invite us to Glasgow to explore the making of emotionally-charged single Barcelona DON’T MISS: Jack Boston, The Place The DnB producer breaks down his track, featuring vocalist Vanity Jay Jaded, Pancake ft. Ashnikko UK-based house and remix kings talk about their bass-heavy hit Bensley, Hard Times Peter Bennett takes us through his sax-centric track featuring Emer Dineen GRiZ, Mercy feat. Valentina US artist Grant Richard Kwiecinski – aka GRiZ – reveals his secrets DON’T MISS: We’re back in LA for a chat with producer Benjamin Wynn, aka Deru Principleasure shows us the processes behind his debut album, I We…

Analog(ue) essentials Pigments’ Analog engine bears a strong resemblance to a Minimoog, with three oscillators and a noise generator serving as the basis for its sound. As with the Mini, three oscillators with selectable waveforms (sine, triangle, saw, and square) can be tuned and mixed to create thick analogue textures. The global tuning section for this engine includes a drift knob that really helps to warm things up and add a touch of vintage chaos to the pitch of all three oscillators simultaneously. Also in this section is a modern feature – tuning quantisation – that’s available for the global coarse tuning. With this, you can define a scale/mode and sweep the coarse pitch with an envelope or LFO for arpeggio-like effects. Pigments filter section offers further analogue emulation options.…

Producer’s Guide To Create a multipart sample instrument with Pigments 2 Work with different source audio to build complex, keyboard-mapped, sample-based synths 01 > Create a new track and set Pigments as the instrument. Open up the UI and activate Engine 1 only, setting the source type as ‘Sample’. Notice at this point that a default sample has been loaded into slot A (there are six slots, named A-F). We won’t do much of it here but you can still apply the granular settings to your samples, for more complexity and creative possibilities. 02 > Head to slot B, found under the sample waveform viewer and open either a sample of your own or another preset. The aim here is to create easy sounds to play across the keyboard. You…

REVIEWS Modal Electronics Argon 8 £579 Modal always make interesting synths and the Argon 8 carries on that tradition. Dan ‘JD73’ Goldman tries their latest creation… Modal Electronics are a Bristol-based synth design company who already have a solid range of well-respected synths, ranging from their smaller four-voice virtual analogue Skulpt, through the monophonic wavetable-based Craft, to their flagships – the 002 hybrid poly and 008 analogue poly. Having the lower-end and higher-end markets covered with these models, there was an obvious gap in their product line which needed filling with something a little cheaper (but still with bags of power and with a high-quality build and sound in mind). Filling that gap is their latest synth, the digital, polyphonic Argon 8. So what’s the Argon 8 all about then?…

BEHIND THE EDIT BUTTON Press the central Edit button on any of these modules to delve further into the structure of each and how the Tones operate. Broadly speaking, the routing is Wave Generator (the sample) to Time Variant Filter (TVF) to Time Variant Amplifier, with three envelopes (pitch, filter and volume) plus two LFOs offering modulation options. The number of features and extras here is extraordinary, especially as the originals were really just about playing quality samples. The Filter section, for example, lets you select between six types, and tweak around 20 other parameters per Tone. The Modulation section is equally well-implemented, with four drop-down menus of up to 100+ sources, all easily patched to 30-plus destinations. The experience is all about travelling back through history and conjuring up…

GROUPTEST LOCI stand system British company LOCI’s system of modular, clip-together stands could be the ideal response to the desktop synth boom. Let’s get connected… LOCI are a Sheffield-based company whose wooden, modular system of stands might just be the ideal response to the current boom in desktop synths, effects and grooveboxes. Each stand in the range comes as a simple clip-together kit. Construction is very easy – just a case of slotting the basic elements together – and while the box for each displays an example of how the stand can be configured, each has an abundance of potential connection points meaning that there’s a decent amount of flexibility in how each can be set up. They are designed so that multiple stands and accessories can be joined together…

ADVICE Heaviest-sounding MIDI triggerable bass modules? Here’s a good selection which can be triggered over MIDI from a keyboard, pad controller or bass guitar with MIDI converter box: Moog Minitaur or Sirin, Waldorf Pulse 2, Moog Slim Phatty, Korg Volca Bass. These all have plenty of low-end grunt and girth to really give that deep, low extended power that can shake rooms and your audience! Can I use artificial intelligence to write a song for me? > We’re seeing artificial intelligence and machine learning being used with increasing frequency in music software – particularly in the areas of mixing and mastering. There are several plugins out there that are designed to make ‘suggestions’ when it comes to mix settings – iZotope have done a lot of work in this area…

GEAR GUIDE SEMI-MODULAR SYNTHS Dreadbox NYX 2 €539 Full Review: FM352 Dual filters and some great routing, modulation and patching possibilities make this more than just another semi-modular. The modulated reverb is great for drones and FX too. Korg ARP 2600 FS $3,899 Full Review: FM354 This limited reissue isn’t cheap, but it is a loving recreation of a legend that lets modern musicians experience a brand new ARP 2600 with none of the quirks of a vintage unit. Korg Volca Modular £190 Review: FM342 A West Coast synth in a compact package. It may be fiddly and a little complicated, but if you’re willing to give in to its experimental ethos, the Modular is endless fun. Pittsburgh Modular Microvolt 3900 $629 Review: FM341 A characterful semi-modular that wears its…

Gear Guide SOFTSYNTHS Kilohearts Phase Plant from €169 Full Review: FM350 Phase Plant’s modular architecture is an incredible resource for conjuring real and otherworldly sounds. A powerful, flexible synth in every way! Native Instruments Massive X £179 Full Review: FM348 A long time in the making, NI’s follow-up to the most successful softsynth of all time doesn’t disappoint. There are still some rough edges at launch, but it sounds exceptional. Arturia Pigments $199 Review: FM342 With a multipart synth engine, sequencer and lots of creative tools, there’s a lot going on in this latest synth powerhouse. Xfer Records Serum $189 This flexible, powerful wavetable synth has quickly risen through the ranks to knock Massive and Sylenth off the top of the ‘synth every producer must own’ list. Audiaire Zone £99…

FILTER Is the MPC One the backpack-sized beatmaker you’ve been waiting for? Akai have unveiled the MPC One, a new standalone production tool that slots in as the smallest – and most affordable – of the company’s current crop of hardware beatmakers It’s fair to say the past decade has seen a few twists and turns for Akai’s iconic MPC line. In 2012, the range morphed from its traditional ‘all-in-one-box’ format to become a hybrid controller-software system more akin to NI Maschine. In 2017, however, the MPC returned to its standalone roots with the impressive MPC Live and its behemoth sibling the MPC X. The One now joins that range as a more compact and wallet-friendly counterpart to the MPC Live. Much of what impressed us about the MPC Live…

The NAMM Show Sequential’s Pro 3 brings the best of analogue and digital It’s been a while since we’ve seen a new synth from Dave Smith’s Sequential brand, so we were hoping for something big at this year’s NAMM show. We weren’t disappointed. The Pro 3, is a three-oscillator paraphonic synth that combines both analogue and digital components. There are two analogue oscs each with saw, triangle and variable-width pulse waves. These are joined by a DSP-powered digital oscillator that can produce 32 types of morphing wavetable, along with analogue oscillator emulations and a supersaw mode. This DSP oscillator can also function as a complex wavetable LFO for interesting modulation possibilities. There’s also an additional noise generator, plus controls for hard sync, per-oscillator glide and a Slop feature for adding…

The NAMM Show Could Arturia’s KeyStep Pro MIDI keyboard be your new studio hub? Arturia have announced the latest addition to their controller range, the KeyStep Pro – a 37-key MIDI keyboard equipped with a multitrack sequencer and plenty of I/O options. As its name suggests, this new controller combines elements of Arturia’s existing KeyStep and BeatStep Pro devices. Much like the latter of those, the KeyStep Pro is designed for use with both hardware and software, combining MIDI, USB and analogue CV/gate outputs, allowing for connection to hardware instruments, modular systems and plugins/DAWs simultaneously. The 37-note keyboard is equipped with both velocity sensitivity and aftertouch. There are pitch and mod touchstrips placed to the left of the keyboard for extra expression, plus a sustain pedal input on the rear.…

Lumatone: the coolest isomorphic MIDI keyboard we’ve ever seen We’ve seen isomorphic keyboards before, but we doubt that there’s ever been one that looks quite as nice as Lumatone. This marries ancient music theory concepts with some state-of-the-art design. Designed for microtonal composers and isomorphic keyboard enthusiasts in general – and, yes, they do exist – Lumatone offers 275 velocity-sensitive diagonal keys, each of which can have its MIDI note and LED colour programmed individually. These gradually rise to make them more playable. There are ten onboard preset buttons, and the unit has a premium anodised aluminium case. And that’s about it as far as the design goes, but the Lumatone could open up a whole world of potential. Its isomorphic layout can be mapped to any tuning and you…

Qu-Bit unleash a quartet of new modules Qu-Bit Electronix have four new modules to show off. First is Aurora, a stereo spectral reverb with a phase vocoder engine. With a freeze function and reverb that goes to infinite feedback, it promises to be a great tool for shimmering textures. Next up is Data Bender, which is described as “a circuit bent digital audio buffer”. This offers up to five minutes of stereo sampling time, and can liven up audio with effects such as tape machine glitches, CD-style skipping, software crashes and more. Surface is a multitimbral, eight-voice poly physical modelling voice. Sounds produced range from “plucked strings and marimbas, all the way to FM drums”. Cascade is a ‘ratcheting envelope generator’ with dual outputs, multiple envelope types and a “gravity-based…

AMS Neve are bringing back the RMX16 reverb The AMS RMX16 was a classic ‘80s reverb unit, and now it’s returning as part of AMS Neve’s rack-mounted 500 Series. This reissue promises “all the musicality” of its forebear, offering both its nine original programs and the nine aftermarket ones that were only available to users via a remote control with barcode reader input. These simulate a range of reverb environments, and you have full control over each one. AMS Neve say they have replicated all the sonic characteristics of the original analogue and converter circuitry, though one way that the new version differs is in the inclusion of an OLED display. This displays all parameter data so that you can get an at-a-glance view of the current settings. The AMS…

In the studio with Fatboy Slim “Most of the album was made during the last hurrah of The House of Love. It was my little spare bedroom, overlooking the train tracks of Preston Park station [in Brighton]. “I was using an Atari ST, an Akai S950, and a coupla synths. Most of the musical stuff came out of a Roland SC-70 SoundCanvas – that was for traditional instruments like pianos. Then I had a Midimoog, which did basslines. Then a 303, naturally. And a 909, 808 and a Moog Prodigy – for the wild stuff. “A lot of the tunes were 90% from the S950. And halfway through the album I invested in another, as I told myself I was a professional now, and as I was always running out…

Pitchbend strings It’s not that hard to create a massed string effect which provides dramatic power, but what if you want to create a Sicario-style pitch bend? Listen to The Beast from the late, great Jóhann Jóhannsen’s score for Sicario. Its ‘hook’ is a simple pitchbend across a minor third, which starts as a muffled, distant, brassy/stringy hybrid and grows in power. What’s so great about this sound is that it uses an orchestral pairing and yet does something inherently ‘electronic’. There’s something about the pitchbend which gives an ‘otherworldly’ sound. Through the following three steps, we’ll learn how to make a trick like this work, showing how taking orchestral sounds from a sample library, converting them to audio and then re-sampling them can allow you to spice up even…

Creative Resampling CROSSFADES: EQUAL GAIN AND EQUAL POWER If you’re lining up audio files whose region edges touch, you need to find a way to smoothly transition from one to the next, without the ‘jigsaw piece’ edges producing unwanted clicks. There are two similar (but different) ways to do this. The first uses a standard ‘crossfade’, known as an Equal Gain crossfade, where the first audio file continues to play for a short while after its end point occurs, playing on for the next few milliseconds (or seconds, depending on the fade length). Simultaneously, the adjoining piece of audio will ‘start early’, fading up to its official start point where one region becomes another, exactly like the crossfader control on a DJ’s mixer. The only issue here is that depending…

RETROSPECTIVE Detroit techno Born in the Motor City in the mid ’80s, the Detroit techno first wave was the hyper-local sound that became a genre Certain genres are inextricably linked to their geographical roots. Whether it’s the ’60s Merseybeat scene, Baltimore club or Viennese waltz, certain styles exist as a direct result of the local environments in which they were born. In dance, it’s hard to think of many genres more closely associated with a specific locale than techno, which exploded out of Detroit in the mid ’80s. Techno didn’t emerge from nowhere. The roots were obvious long before the genre got its name. Growing in tandem with house music in the mid ’80s, Detroit producers drew heavily on electro, funk and European electronic music, inspired by local DJs like…

Roland Cloud SRX and XV module updates Roland Cloud SRX and XV module updates from £18.50 It’s full steam ahead for Roland’s Cloud. Andy Jones checks out the latest four sound modules to reach for the skies Roland’s Cloud service is becoming more of an attractive proposition thanks to the company’s continued additions to the service, of which we have four on test here. The Cloud delivers bone-fide Roland instruments and sound packs in software, within categories like Legendary (for classic synths), Aira (for the newer System-1 and System-8 emulations), Anthology and SRX (for sample-based instruments) and Drum (for soft drum machines including the TR-808 and 909). The instruments are expertly modelled using ACB and DCB (Analog and Digital Circuit Behavior) technology so you get everything from a vintage Jupiter-8…

ROUND-UP Free reverb effect plugins Make space for a few new processors on your hard drive, and widen your sonic horizons without opening your wallet Denis Tihanov OrilRiver A man, a plan, a reverb, Oril. This well thought-through free reverb plugin (Mac/PC VST) offers separate faders for its early reflections and diffuse stages, as well as dry and wet faders to balance its processing (although that dry fader resets when changing presets, making it less effective on a bus). The usual reverby suspects are here, including Decay Time, Pre Delay, etc; plus you get modulation and EQ controls. Reverb algorithms are selected from a list of ‘variations’, with 12 choices for the ER stage and five for the LR stage. With names like “Variation 2” and “Variation 9”, as well…

Capturing ideas with the JD-XA I’m a bit confused by my JD-XA’s sequencer. How do I make a four-bar sequence? The JD-XA is one of our favourite synths but it lacks detailed tutorials for the sequencer. There’s a sequencer primer at bit.ly/roland_seqprimer but we’ll break it down below. The XA’s sequencer is a useful resource when songwriting or capturing ideas quickly. You have 16 parts, four analogue, four digital and eight int/ext/MIDI, all of which can trigger the internal engines or external MIDI and CV. This lets you use the XA not just as a sketchpad for complex ideas (with the native engines) but also to control other MIDI/CV gear. First, make your bass and EP sounds. We like to make a split EP/bass so it can record the EP and…

Gear Guide AUDIO INTERFACES Arturia AudioFuse 8Pre £1,800 Full Review: FM354 All in all, this is an excellent interface with some thoughtful touches. The included software makes it good value too. Antelope Audio Discrete 8 £1,279 Full Review: FM351 An impressive platform: audio conversion is precise and the I/O configuration is deep. The future looks bright for Discrete 8. Universal Audio Apollo x6 £1800 Review: FM340 The new series is, sonically, now a match for any rival interfaces. If you’re tempted by the UAD ecosystem, this is highly recommended. Audient iD4 £120 Review: FM312 This compact interface delivers audio quality and stripped-back functionality for a thoroughly reasonable price. A great budget interface. Arturia AudioFuse £519 Review: FM321 A nicely designed, highly configurable interface ready to have almost any sound source…

Gear Guide DAWS Reason Studios Reason 11 from $69 Full Review: FM350 Having the ability to use Reason’s Rack tools as a plugin is something of a revelation, and the new effects are great. Bitwig Studio 3 $399 Full Review: FM348 A powerful, inspiring update that further cements Bitwig Studio’s stake as the creative producer’s DAW of choice. Steinberg Cubase Pro 10.5 £480 Review FM354 A solid update to a great DAW, though whether you choose to update now will depend on your own workflow and needs. Tracktion Waveform 10 from $199 Review: FM345 Waveform is now friendlier, contains more creative tools and brings workflow ideas you’ll have missed from other DAWs. Ableton Live 10 €349 Review: FM329 Live 10 is a quality update to one of the best DAWs…