CATEGORIES

Toontrack Cinematic Pads - EZ Keys Expansion pack £129 PC MAC
Computer Music

Toontrack Cinematic Pads - EZ Keys Expansion pack £129 PC MAC

With sound design running through its core, Toontrack’s latest visit to the flicks brings complex pads to a DAW near you!

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3 mins  |
October 2021
XILS-lab KaoX €179 PC MAC
Computer Music

XILS-lab KaoX €179 PC MAC

FM synthesis is associated with certain typical sounds, but maybe this new synth can expand that palette. Will you order some Kaox?

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3 mins  |
October 2021
Ten Great Things About The Minimoog
Computer Music

Ten Great Things About The Minimoog

Some of the greatest songs, artists and icons that all owe a huge debt to Bob Moog’s wonderful mono

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7 mins  |
September 2021
ARP Odyssey v GForce Oddity v ARP Odyssei
Computer Music

ARP Odyssey v GForce Oddity v ARP Odyssei

Our second mono to take on its equivalent desktop and iOS software is the ‘other’ 70s classic, the ARP Odyssey. This not only went toe to toe with the Minimoog in that decade, but featured in many a synth pop classic (thanks to just one man), and its forefathers even took on a bunch of aliens, twice… and won!

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10+ mins  |
September 2021
ADE FENTON
Computer Music

ADE FENTON

As Gary Numan’s producer, Ade Fenton can take some credit in the electronic pioneer’s recent return to the top of the album charts. Here, Fenton reveals the process behind this collaboration and the multiple synths in his own setup: “I’m a massive gear whore with a gazillion plugins!”

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10 mins  |
September 2021
MARSHALL JEFFERSO
Computer Music

MARSHALL JEFFERSO

The Godfather of House has been locked in his studio with his computer for over a year. The result? Some new music from Ten City, and their first single in 25 years! Jefferson marshalls the troops…

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10+ mins  |
September 2021
Ten Great ARP appearances
Computer Music

Ten Great ARP appearances

OK, not all of these are directly about the ARP Odyssey, but some are just too good not to mention…

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9 mins  |
September 2021
CLASSIC SYNTH V SOFTSYNTH
Computer Music

CLASSIC SYNTH V SOFTSYNTH

This month, we grapple with the eternal question, the big Kahuna, the chicken and egg of the music tech world: classic synth versus softsynth…

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3 mins  |
September 2021
Ten Great Things about the Roland SH-101
Computer Music

Ten Great Things about the Roland SH-101

The 101 made quite an impact both in music and culture. Here are our favourite ten SH-101 moments

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6 mins  |
September 2021
Roland SH-101
Computer Music

Roland SH-101

In the 1980s, the price of synthesisers started to plummet (albeit from a fairly astronomical height). One of the first and definitely the most famous – and one you could also wear – was produced by one of the big Japanese names cashing in on the synth craze, and became one of the most iconic monos ever. Enter the Roland SH-101…

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10+ mins  |
September 2021
Moog Minimoog
Computer Music

Moog Minimoog

It is incredibly fitting that the very first synth for inspection and consideration in our battle of the platforms is arguably the most famous and desired of all monosynths. The Minimoog might not require introduction, but it is certainly worth considering why it garners the reputation that it does, while continuing to be a highly-inspirational object of desire for studio musicians, performers and enthusiasts alike. Enter the legend…

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10+ mins  |
September 2021
15 questions with…JORJA CHALMERS
Computer Music

15 questions with…JORJA CHALMERS

From learning piano at age five to teaching music in her teens, Jorja Chalmers was almost destined to be involved in music in some way. Yet even she couldn’t have predicted what followed, and now she has become an in-demand touring musician with the likes of Bryan Ferry and Take That, and a solo artist producing exceptional and mesmerising works…

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6 mins  |
September 2021
Audiomodern Opacity II £88.99
Computer Music

Audiomodern Opacity II £88.99

Craving expressive guitar textures, but lacking the nouse to conjure them? This suite presents a six-string universe ready to explore…

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3 mins  |
August 2021
MAX FOR LIVE
Computer Music

MAX FOR LIVE

Like Reaktor, Max by Cycling ’74 is a visual programming tool but, unlike Reaktor, it is not in-and-of-itself dedicated to creating audio processors, and has capabilities that extend into many different fields: image and video processing, hardware control, and more. So, in reality, Max is more like a combination of an IDE (Interactive Development Environment – a software suite that assists with code development) and a runtime environment in which programs created with Max – referred to as “patchers” – can run.

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10+ mins  |
August 2021
15 questions with… LORAINE JAMES
Computer Music

15 questions with… LORAINE JAMES

Electronic producer Loraine James had just produced what many critics cited as the ‘album of the year’ when a certain pandemic hit… and all with a 50-quid keyboard and freeware. What to do? Produce your way out of a pandemic with another album of the year, that’s what…

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5 mins  |
August 2021
JMG Sound Orbitron €129/£110
Computer Music

JMG Sound Orbitron €129/£110

Providing an original method of effecting your sonics, Orbitron’s fresh concept conjures living, breathing modulation. Is it a hit?

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3 mins  |
August 2021
BUILD YOUR OWN PLUGINS
Computer Music

BUILD YOUR OWN PLUGINS

Creating your own instruments and effects is surely the best way to get a completely custom sound. In this feature we detail three of the best ways to build DIY synths and effects

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10+ mins  |
August 2021
15 questions with… RURAL TAPES
Computer Music

15 questions with… RURAL TAPES

Arne Kjelsrud Mathisen’s Rural Tapes project has attracted collaborators like ex R.E.M. stars Peter Buck and Scott McCaughey plus Hot Chip’s Alexis Taylor. But in this studio the computer is used for just one thing: recording…

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10 mins  |
August 2021
Ochestral Tools Tom Holkenborg Percussion
Computer Music

Ochestral Tools Tom Holkenborg Percussion

Orchestral Tools Tom Holkenborg Percussion is the latest fruit of a team-up that previously brought us the remarkable Junkie XL Brass. We speak with Tom Holkenborg about what we can expect from this innovative new library

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4 mins  |
August 2021
Chris Bergstrom: live ‘n' Dandy
Computer Music

Chris Bergstrom: live ‘n' Dandy

Chris Bergstrom is front of house manager for The Dandy Warhols. Here he shares some lockdown experiences and knowledge for any live musicians and engineers…

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6 mins  |
August 2021
MELDA MSOUNDFACTORY
Computer Music

MELDA MSOUNDFACTORY

Melda’s MSoundFactory is the latest plugin-creation platform and is also behind your free plugin in this issue. Here’s how to get up and running with this ‘one plugin to rule them all’ and also some more detail on how the free plugin was created…

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8 mins  |
August 2021
Toontrack Gospel EZX & EBX Expansion packs €75
Computer Music

Toontrack Gospel EZX & EBX Expansion packs €75

In the search for new bass and drum grooves that will move the spirit, we go to Church and get Gospel with Toontrack

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3 mins  |
August 2021
Ro-ro-ro your synth…
Computer Music

Ro-ro-ro your synth…

Roland get their software act together but there’s plenty more in 106 land

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5 mins  |
July 2021
Computer Music

Waves Vocal Bender £110

This appealing vocal mangler lets you give music’s most essential instrument the colour and dexterity modern pop production demands

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5 mins  |
July 2021
Computer Music

Solid State Logic UF8 - £1199

DAW controllers let us take direct control over our projects – can SSL’s new UF8 bridge the gap between software and hardware?

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5 mins  |
July 2021
LAU.RA
Computer Music

LAU.RA

Laura Bettinson’s multifaceted career has found the Midlands-hailing artist leaping seamlessly from the technicolor avant-garde pop of FEMME and the cerebral intensity of Ultraísta to the fresh, wonky electronica of lau.ra. On the heels of a slew of new singles, we ask what initiated her new direction, and discover how lockdown has fuelled a new studio approach

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10+ mins  |
July 2021
Computer Music

Leapwing Audio Al Schmitt - £139

Bottling the sonic signature of the sadly departed producer, Leapwing Audio’s latest plugin promises the sound of a legend…

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5 mins  |
July 2021
Cableguys DriveShaper - €39
Computer Music

Cableguys DriveShaper - €39

Analogue-style distortion and creative wavefolding make this a pulsating box of gritty filth… which is far more pleasant than it sounds

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3 mins  |
July 2021
SHE'S GOT CLAWS
Computer Music

SHE'S GOT CLAWS

With a sound that melds ominous synth textures with effect-driven bass guitar, yet simultaneously leaves space for sparkling, transcendent pop hooks, She’s Got Claws haven’t let a pandemic stand in the way of a fierce new record, co-produced by OMD legend Andy McCluskey

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10 mins  |
July 2021
Computer Music

Arturia Pigments 3 - €99

The Pigments powerhouse gets upgraded to v3, adding more engines, more waveforms and more effects. Have we reached saturation point?

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5 mins  |
July 2021