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Issue 135
June 2014

Review

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Welcome MT

Expert Panel
Studio Hardware John Pickford
John is a studio engineer with over 25 years of
expe ience. He is a keen sound recording h storian
and has a passion for valve-driven ana og e
equipment and classic record ng techn q es.

Mixing/Mastering/Logic Mark Cousins

Mark specialises in sound design and cinematic
pro uctions. He has recorded with orchestras
across Europe and is heavily involved in
soundtrack composit on.

Careers Editor Rob Boffard

Rob Boffard is a sound designer with a
background in TV and radio work. He is a Reason
evangelist, and when not writing for Music Tech he
releases hip-hop music under the name Rob One.

Digital/Composition Andy Price

With a masters in songwriting and a vast interest
in music history and recording techniques, Andy
wor s daily on Musi ech.net as well as regula ly
con ributing to the magazine.

Recording & Guitar Tech Huw Price

A recording engi eer since 1987, Huw has worked
with David Bowie, My Bloody Valentine, Primal
Scream, Depeche Mode, Nick Cave, Heidi Berry,
Fad Gadget and countless others.

Sco ing/Orchestral Keith Gemmell

Keith specialises in areas where traditional
music-making meets music technology, ncluding
orchestral and jazz sam le l b aries, acoustic
virtual instruments and notation software.

Ableton Live & DJing Liam OMullane

Liam has worked as a D&B scratch DJ as well as
releasing dubstep, D&B and hardcore tracks. His
passio is to master the production styles of the
latest genres using Live.

Reason & Mobile Hol in Jo es

As well as teaching music technology, producing
a d wri ing sou dtracks, ol i is an expert on
everything A ple, mobile or com uter-re ated, as
well as being an accomplished ey oard player.

Electronic Music Alex Holmes

Alex has been a computer musician for 15 years,
having a keen passion for beats, bass and a l
forms of e ectronic music. es cu re tly nvolved
in three d f erent dance music projects.

Cubase Tim Hallas

Tims a music technology consultant and
education expert. As Cubase Editor e will be
bringing you a range of echnique features or he
popular AW over the coming months.

Many, many years ago I had a go at building my

own piece of studio gear. It was for an
electronics course and the item in question
was a MIDI interface for a Sinclair ZX Spectrum
(see I told you it was many years ago). And it
worked! Well, long enough to be judged a pass
by my course tutor, before it blew up, taking the computer
with it. It cost me a ZX Spectrum, but I got a qualication
out of it
Luckily, my job has allowed me to get to know people who know a lot more
about putting DIY gear together than I do. And, even more luckily, there are plenty
of ready-to-assemble electronic kits out there for us all to try. (Even more luckily
still, there arent many ZX Spectrums left to try them out with.)
Huw is our expert and this month, on p13, he has written an overview of what
you can do DIY-wise in your studio: anything from assembling a simple lead to
building a synth. Surprisingly it is all easy enough and you could save a fortune and
end up with some great gear. Well be looking at several DIY projects over the
coming months thatll cover some very different, but essential, studio items. I
reckon even I could some of them a go. So lock up your classic computers, Im
going in
Andy Jones Senior Editor
Email andy.jones@anthem-publishing.com
Send your tweets @AndyJonesMT (although dont expect much tweeting from me)
Read my blogs at www.musictech.net

Pro Tools Mike Hillie

Mike spent five years at Metropolis Studios,
wor ing alongside some of the best-known ix
a d mastering engineers in the world. He is now
buildi g his own studio in south London.

VISIT OUR WEBSITE!

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

Check outoude
Beginners Gui.net
at musictech

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MAGAZINE June 2014

|3

MTContents

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MTContents
Issue 135

June 2014

13 DIYTECH!

Buil your own studio gear for a fraction of the cost!

From cables to pre amps:do it yourself

Feature

40

DIY Kit review

21

HOW TO RECORD PT 2 Korg MS20 kit

The gear and the skills you need to record

lead vocals
4 | June 2014

MAGAZINE

The rst of our DIY projects is a great

one Korgs classic synth!

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Contents MT

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p68
p83

006 | ADVANCE
What weve been doing this month,
and its a trip to the greatest studio
ever built: Abbey Road.

The Latest Reviews

NORD LEAD A1

MT Issue 135 Full listings

p71

p87

EZ drummer 2 | Universal Audio Apollo Twin

Arturia KeyLab | Softube Console 1 | Sontronics Aria

013 | COVER DIY!

Build your own studio gear: the
guide and your rst project PLUS:
Korgs MS20 built and reviewed
LANDMARK RECORDINGS
029 | Bjrk Homogenic: the
background story of one of the
ice queens greatest releases

DAW Tutorials

BECOMEAPOWERUSERPART10
p48

p58

THE PROFESS ONALS

034 | Neil Davidge The inside
track from the pros. This month:
from Massive Attack to Halo 4
TECHNIQUE
040 | How to record: Part 2
The best way to record lead vocals
044 | NEW SERIES Contemporary
Production Techniques part 1:
Side-chain compression
Become a power user Part 10
048 | In Apple Logic Pro
054 | In Ableton Live
058 | In Steinberg Cubase
090| Subscribe and get free digital
editions, plus save 35%
REVIEWS
064 | Elektron Analog Keys
Analogue performance synth

p54

068 | Nord Lead A1 is this Nords

best analogue-sounding synth?
071 | UA Apollo Twin interface

Landmarks

New Series

29 CONTEMPORARY

MUSICPRODUCTION
44

075 | Sontronics Aria mic

077 | EZ drummer 2 drum library
081 | Nektar Impact 49 keyboard
083 | Softu e Console 1 channel
strip and hardware controller
087 | A&H Qu-24 mixer
091 | Symphobia Orchestrator
093| Mini Reviews
098 | On your MT DVD
DV 135 4GB+ PC&Mac
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VIDEO TUTORIALS//1.5HRS+

//TODD TERJE
DECONSTRUCTED

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VIDEO TUTORIALS//35 MINS

//BITWIG & FX
IN ABLETON LIVE
MAGAZINE June 2014

|5

MTAdvance

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MTAdvance
Round-ups

Analysis

Industry insight

THE DAY WE
WENT TO ABBEY

Thismonth,wewereinvitedalongtothefirstofanew
seriesoftalksexploringalegendarystudios history
andlegacy.Andy Price hasmore

hat rst struck me when walking into Abbey

Roads Studio Two was the smell a little
reminiscent of an old school gymnasium,
there was something very lived in and well
worn about the decor. It remains (purposefully) pretty
much unchanged from how it appears in the
countless black and white photographs dating back
the 60s. However things have changed somewhat
from those days in terms of the music recording
gear, as the impressive AMS Neve console that
dominates the control room illustrates
I was there to attend the rst of a six-day series of
talks, called The Sound Of Abbey Road featuring the
former Abbey Road engineer Ken Scott (who we talked to at
length last month). The talk was hosted by Brian Kehew and
Kevin Ryan, authors of the encyclopedic Recording The
Beatles and explored the history of recording techniques and

FORMORE
OFTHE
LATESTNEWS
CHECKOUT
MUSICTECH.NET

But,ofcourse,wemust
addressthemop-topped
elephantintheroom
the evolution of the gear used at Abbey Road.
It also gave us a great insight into the early history of the
studio. Initially the converted Georgian townhouse building
was opened as EMI Studios back in 1931 by the Gramophone
Company where it played host to a wide variety of classical
and big band set ups. They recorded mainly in Studio One,
the largest of the three studios, purpose-built on the space
where the original garden was located.
Kevin and Brian used some of the authentic gear to
demonstrate how sounds were recorded in these edgling,
pre-electronic days. Giant acoustic horns were used to
capture sound which would then be pressed directly on to a
wax cutter. Artists would have to gather around the horns to
reach optimum sound levels which often required orchestras
to squeeze together to be heard on the nal record!
The talks then discussed the advent of electronic
technology, the prevalence of BTR tape machines at Abbey
Road and the use of a vast range early equipment from the

6 | June 2014

Abbey Road, Studio Two: Perhaps

the most famous studio in the
world played host to The Sound
Of Abbey Road.

MAGAZINE

40s, 50s and 60s, including the Altec RS124 compressor,

the Fairchild 660 limiter and the RS-56S UTC EQ which
were all out to view. Also out were several pianos used
throughout the studios history and still widely used
to this day because of their unique acoustic sound.

A rock and roll beginning

Studio Two rst acquired its reputation for producing

rock and roll when Cliff Richard and the Shadows
recorded Move It in 1958, the UKs very rst home-grown
rock and roll hit. Since then it has become known
predominantly as the rock studio and over the decades,
artists such as Pink Floyd, Kate Bush, Elton John, Oasis and
Adele have recorded there. Studio One is the largest
purpose-built recording studio in the world and is generally
considered the orchestral studio. It is now used mainly to
record some of the biggest lm scores, which is now the
primary source of income for the studio. Film franchises such
as Star Wars, Harry Potter and The Lord Of The Rings all had
their soundtracks recorded at Abbey Road, as did last years
Oscar winning smash Gravity.

Abbey Road Studios

from the outside,
originally a Georgian
townhouse and now a
TARDIS-like maze of
musical history.

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Advance MT

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ABBEY ROAD GEAR

On display and occasionally demonstrated by Brian, Kevin and Ken were a variety
of classic instruments and tech from Abbey Roads long history...

Studio Three is the smallest studio and was historically

used for smaller ensembles and bands, it is now primarily
used for smaller projects, band tracking and was responsible
for some of the very rst 5.1 surround-sound mixes.
But, of course, we must address the mop-topped
elephant in the room. Abbey Road will eternally be
associated with those four unsung heroes from the north of
England. Back in 1963 a rather cocky, but undeniably
talented, quartet named The Beatles (look them up!)
recorded their very rst LP in one afternoon with former
Goon producer George Martin. They went on to record their
entire decade-spanning output at EMI Studios, music that
would shape the hearts and minds of a generation and
re-dene not just music but popular culture as a whole. Their
myriad out-of-the-box approaches to production are covered
in several lengthy tomes and Brian, Kevin and Ken brought
some of these incredibly-important sessions to life with a
creative use of archive sound clips and musical analysis.

Acoustic Horn & Microphones

BTR Tape Machine - Circa 1964

Hammond RT-3 Organ (as used by The Beatles)

Steinway Grand Piano (ditto)

REDD.17 desk

EMI Digital Mixer

The studio instrument

Put simply, The Beatles were the rst band to think of the
studio as an instrument and utilised a huge variety of
approaches when creating songs. Although its a clich to
mention their 1967 opus, the production of Sgt Pepper
reects this approach. Using a variety of delicately spliced-up
tape loops when creating Being For The Benet Of Mr Kite, for
instance, was painstaking work, all motivated by a desire to

The day was a real joy

for retro-gear heads.
Well worn kit like this
vintage EMI mixer was
all on display.

create fusions of sound unheard of in pop.

The great Beatle-engineer Ken Scott remembered some
of these approaches when he chatted to us last issue. He
recounted a particular anecdote during the production of The
White Album which illustrates The Beatles unconventional
approach.I made a joke to John Lennon one day about doing
some recording in this tiny little closet room by the side of
the control room. When I mentioned it he just looked over,
stared at it and didnt say anything. Then the next day he
came in and said:Right were going to record a new number,
its called Yer Blues and were going to do it in there, pointing
to the small room. The track was recorded in there, all the
band members squashed in, completely live with no
separation between anything. You can imagine how much
spill there was with them all just in this tiny room!
The success of The Beatles nal LP Abbey Road resulted
in the studio ofcially changing its name to Abbey Road
Studios, to reect the almost mythical status the studio now
had in the hearts, minds and ears of a generation.
This was a fantastic day out and the talk was engaging,
educational and entertaining. It was truly spine-tingling to
wander around the mythical studio where so much
important music was created. MT

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Advance MT

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WIN! A THERMIONIC CULTURE THE

PHOENIX HG15 WORTH 1,892!

Yourchancetowinnearlytwogrands worthofqualityhardwareaswehaveaThermionic
CultureThePhoenixHG15high-gainvalvecompressorupforgrabsforoneluckyreader

ts fair to say that we are huge fans of Thermionic

Culture at MusicTech. All of the companys products
have scored well over the years with most reviewers
loathe to send them back. Take The Phoenix HG15, for
example (You might just be able to after reading this!)
This valve compressor/mic pre was reviewed last month
in the magazine. Its elegantly designed to amplify signals
from most mics (with phantom power provided for
condensers) and has both Presence and Air dials to add
what MusicTechs hardware reviewer described as very
powerful and musical tone enhancement. Theres a
bass-cut switch to reduce the proximity effect of closemicing and a side-chain bass cut prevents the compressor
from over-responding to frequencies below 100Hz. Add EQ
to the mix and The Phoenix HG15 is, as Thermionics Vic
Keary says, as close to a fully-featured channel strip as he
is likely to produce.
In our review John Pickford stated of the various
features:The compressor itself is a delight to set up and
use, having ve stages of Threshold control and six Time
Constant settings, so offering a variety of compression
settings that can be selected swiftly. This control is similar
to that found on the classic Fairchild 660 (and its stereo
counterpart, the 670), surely the most highly revered of all
vintage compressors.
The Phoenix HG15 was also pressed into service at the
mixing stage, when we tried it on kick drum and bass guitar
before strapping it across a frantically-strummed acoustic
guitar track. Here, the compressor really made its mark,
helping the part to sit nicely in the mix level-wise, but still
cut through by making judicious use of the Air and
Presence boosts.
Thermionic Cultures new Phoenix HG15 has a
wonderful, vibey character that will never fail to inject its
mojo into your productions. Once again, Vic and his team

have come up with a product that sounds absolutely

gorgeous while being pleasantly user-friendly you really
cant go wrong with this. It is one of those units that sounds
good on just about anything, imparting its own sonic
charms in a musical and thoroughly-satisfying way.
Pickford concluded:It is a brilliant performer that is
incredibly easy to use. Its ability to accept a microphone
input makes it a natural choice for tracking vocals and all
manner of instruments. When used gently, the sound is
detailed and well-rounded, while driving the unit harder

TheHG15isabrilliant
performeranditissureto
becomeafutureclassic
produces a great punchy sound with plenty of bite. This
outstanding, versatile compressor is sure to become a
future classic.
He then went on to award it MusicTechs highest
possible accolade of 10/10 and the MT Excellence Award.
In order to win The Phoenix HG15, simply head on over to
the review at www.musictech.net, read it, click the
competition link which will take you to the Thermionic
Culture website, answer the simple question there and
thats it! MT

RULES
1. No-one from Anthem Publishing or Thermionic Culture is allowed to
enter. 2. Only one entrant per person. 3. No monetary equivalent is
offered as an alternative. 4. The judges decision is nal. 5. The closing
date is 19th June 2014. 6. Entrants by way of the Thermionic.com
website (via the musictech. et review)

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MAGAZINE June 2013

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DIY Studio Feature MT

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MT Feature DIY Studio

DIYSTUDIO
Kitting out your recording setup with some choice bits of hardware doesnt
necessarily cos as much as you might think.Huw Price does it h s way...

aybe it was your experiences of using classic gear plug-ins that piqued
your interest in the real thing and prompted you to think abo t
integrating some of it into your own recording setup. A factor that often
prevents his dream from becoming reality, however, is cost, but while
many of the plug-in effects ou there may not be cheap, the costs pale
into insignificance when you
investigate the prices of
vintage modules.
The quality of affordable
audio equipment has never
been better, but as always, the
really high-end stuff remains
highly priced. So what can you
do if your gear budget cant keep pace with your increasingly discerning sonic tastes?
One answer is to modi y and uild your own gear. Hardcore sound engineers have
always been as handy with a soldering iron as they are with mixing desks, and its
possible that more DIY audio gear is being made now than ever before.
And its not confined to equalisers and compressors, either: DIY audio enthusiasts
are just as likely to be building microphone preamps, modifying microphones and
constructing their own monitor speakers. Theres even a thriving community of

Its possiblethatmoreDIY
audiogearisbeingmade
nowthaneverbefore

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MT Feature DIY Studio

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synthesizer builders out there. Even so, the DIY studio

scene remains underground and receives little or no
coverage in mainstream audio publications. Try visiting
the sites in our Useful Links box and youll find
in-depth discussions on building, troubleshooting,
fine-tuning and modifying all types of equipment. Youll
also find people selling components, parts, pre-painted
and punched rackmount faceplates, printed circuit
boards and even full-blown kits.

Making a passive DI box is

another simple and cheap
project. This one has an in ut
link socket along with phase and
ground-lift switching.

Getting started
Theres no better way to hone your soldering skills than
to make your own cables. If you need only one, you
might consider buying a decent-quality pre-made
microphone cable. However, the costs will
quickly mount up f you need

sufficient cables to mic a drum kit or a

whole band. Fortunately, you can buy long
lengths of microphone cable along with male and
female XLR connectors. Within a few hours you can
make up a bunch of microphone cables and save
yourself a lot of money in the process. While youre at it,
why not order up some TRS jack plugs and knock up a
load of patch cables, too, or perhaps some of those

Re-amping electric guitars and

bass is becoming increasingly
popular. Youll need a re-amping
box to do it properly and
commercially produced units
can be expensive. Building your
own is cheap and easy to do.

you feel that way, other owners have too, and

you can often pick up some very useful tips
and new ideas.
You may discover that sound quality can
be enhanced by upgrading plug-in components like
op-amp chips or valves both of which are barely more
challenging than changing a light bulb. You may learn
that the signal caps can be improved and individual
component values changed. As long as you are aware of
the safety issues, you can test your soldering skills by
swapping them out.
Before long the DIY bug will probably bite you.
Progressing from modifications and upgrades to
building your own equipment is the logical next step.
Easy projects might include building your own
headphone splitter, passive DI box or guitar/bass

Upgradingisanotherarea
in which novice DIY-erscan
enjoybigrewards
XLR-to-jack cables that we all need from time to time?
Before long youll have sizeable a collection of cables
that can cope with any eventuality.
Upgrading is another area in which novice DIY-ers
can enjoy big rewards for little outlay. Most audio gear is
built to a budget, so manufacturers arent always able to
use the finest components. If you have a piece of
equipment that you like but also feel could be improved,
go online and do some research. The chances are that if

14 | June 2014

MAGAZINE

Before you start building microphone preamps, try modding one.

The Shure M67 is a discrete four-channel mic mixer with
transformer-balanced inputs that can be converted to four individual
outputs. These are inexpensive and easy to nd, and they have an
unmistakably chewy vintage tone.

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DIY Studio Feature MT

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re-amping interface. These are all low-cost items, but,
more importantly, theyre low-risk because mains
voltages are not involved.
As you become more experienced you may decide
youre ready to tackle something more challenging. This
is the point at which you may consider building your
own microphone preamps, equalisers and compressors.
There are various ways to go about this. The most
straightforward route is to buy a full-blown kit that
comes with all the circuit boards and components
included and the metalwork already done for you. Most
importantly, the kit should include detailed instructions
and at the end of the process you should have a new
piece of gear that looks as good as it sounds. Although a
kit can save you time and effort, its not the most
cost-effective solution.
Partial kits generally include some pre-fabricated
parts, such as the printed circuit board (PCB) and the
components. However, you may have to source some
yourself, such as the enclosure. You may also be
required to punch holes in the enclosure for XLR sockets,
controls and so forth. A partial kit may therefore work
out slightly cheaper but it will require extra work and
possibly a bit of problem-solving.

From the ground up

Hardcore DIY-ers may consider building their own gear
from scratch. This means starting with a circuit
diagram then figuring out the best possible layout for the
components and wiring. You can even find PCB art work
online and making small PCBs is well within the scope
of the amateur.
Its certainly challenging technically, but scratch
builds can work out a lot cheaper than the complete kits
and youll have the freedom to construct your device in
the way you think best. Locating the various parts and
components can often take as much time as the build
itself, and if you need to source from more than one

Adrian Hare, from Threecircles

Recording Studio (www.
threecircles.co.uk), is turning
this box into an 1176 compressor
clone. You can follow the
progress on his blog.

supplier, additional postage costs will be incurred. So

lets have a look at the options that are available for
various types of project.

Microphone preamps
If you have built up a decent collection of plug-ins, you
may already have the tools to sculpt, process and control
the sound once its inside the box. But what about
ensuring that the quality of the sounds you are putting
onto your hard disc are of a comparable quality?
Many budding constructors start their DIY audio
odyssey by building a high-quality microphone preamp.
The criteria for deciding on the type of preamp you
want to build are exactly the same as if you were
buying one off the shelf. For example, do you need high

Youll havethefreedom to
construct your device in the
wayyouthinkbest

Hamptone dual-channel mic

preamp kits are available in
valve and solid-state versions. If
youre planning to build a
high-end mic amp from scratch,
this could be a good way to start.

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MT Feature DIY Studio

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gain with low noise, switchable bass roll-off,

attenuation pads? If you do, choose a kit or a project that
fits the bill.
Although it may be tempting to dive in at the deep end
by building a valve preamp, you should be aware of the
dangers. Proper valve circuits run at high voltages and
there is a risk of injury (or worse) if you do not fully
understand how to work safely. Even experienced techs
suffer shocks from time to time.
Besides which, many of the classic preamps were
discrete, solid-state designs that used transistors. The
voltages (and risks) are lower, the components are
cheaper and they can sound fantastic. You might decide
that you can use your mic-amp budget more effectively
by building eight discrete solid-state mic preamps rather
than one or two valve ones.

Equalisers
Traditional engineering wisdom states that you should
always endeavor to get the sound right before you hit the
record button. Theres only so much you can achieve by
moving microphones, and most of us prefer to have a
decent equaliser at our disposal.
Pultec equalisers are legendary for their sound
quality and they are very popular as DIY projects. They
are quite simple to build, parts are readily available and
theres plenty of information online. Gyraf Audio has a
very well laid-out project on its website, along with a link
to a vendor that supplies the necessary PCBs.

The make-up gain boards for a

two-channel Pultec equaliser
clone. The PCBs came from
Gustav at PCB Grinder (www.
pcbgrinder.com), which also
supplies kits of components to
complete your projects.

Many of the classic desk equalisers are also readily

available in kit form. We have found kit suppliers for
Calrec PQ1549, Neve 1073, API, Helios and Harrison
equaliser clones. So would-be equaliser-builders are
spoiled for choice.

Itmightbetemptingtodiveinat
thedeependbutyoushouldbe
awareofthedangers

16 | June 2014

MAGAZINE

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As with preamps, think about what you need.
Pultec-type EQs have wonderful sonic qualities but arent
ideally suited to precise notch filtering when you need
control over problem frequencies. Equalisers with three
or more parametric bands and Q settings are more
powerful, but they may not sound as sweet or natural.

Compressors
A decent compressor can be a vital stage in any
recording chain and can lift a very good sound into the
realm of the sublime. Many of the compressor kits

Neumann stopped making the

valve U47 decades ago, but its
still the Neumann most
engineers want.

Condenser mics can often be

improved by correcting errors on
the factory circuit board
require builders to follow a setup and alignment
procedure before they will work properly. If you buy a
kit, full details will be provided in the instructions and
you will need to be able to follow those instructions and
work methodically.
You may find that specialist equipment, such as an
oscilloscope, will be required. If youre serious about DIY
audio, youll probably end up buying one anyway.
Alternatively, you may be able to find a friendly local
tech who can perform the alignment procedure for you.

Mic & Mod also sells

a kit for DIY mic
builders to make an
AKG C12 clone with a
dedicated PSU.

Fairchilds are the most highly

regarded and highly priced of
all the classic compressors.
Even in kit form they are far
from cheap and you would
really need some skills to
build one. This Fairchild clone
was built from a PCB supplied
by Drip Electronics.

Microphones
Although some daring enthusiasts do build microphones
from scratch including the body and head basket most
are content to upgrade microphones they already own
with superior components.
The easiest mics to work on are arguably ribbons and
many choose to install a more expensive output
transformer. Condenser microphones can often be
dramatically improved by correcting errors on the
factory circuit board, installing better-sounding signal
capacitors, and reconfiguring the preamp/impedanceconverting circuit. Serious modders may install new
capsules and output transformers, too.
If youre working on a valve microphone, you may
achieve improvements by upgrading the valve or
changing it to a type thats a better match for the preamp.
We covered this in Issue 118 (January, 2013) in a feature
on the Alctron HST-11A.
Its also very easy to get hold of component kits to
make Neumann U87, U67, U47FET and M49 clone circuit
boards. These can be retrofitted to a variety of readily
available Chinese-made budget condensers. Mic & Mod
sells upgrade kits for various mics, including a kit for
turning an Alctron HST-11A into an AKG C12 clone. Also
check out companies such as Microphone Parts and
Classic Vintage Microphone PCB Kits.
Kits are even available for those wishing to build
exact replicas of classic large-capsule Neumann and
AKG valve mics. Since these models are no longer
available from the original manufacturers, its arguably
fair game. Check out IOAudio, Equinox Systems,
Beezneez, Flea Microphones, Mic & Mod, Wagner
Microphones and Tab-Funkenwerk.

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MAGAZINE June 2014

| 17

MT Feature DIY St dio

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MT Pro Advice Before you build...

REQUIRED SKILL SET

SAFETY WARNING

FURTHER READING

You will need to be able to identify

components, orientate
electrolytic capacitors and follow
a circuit diagram. You will also
need to know how to solder and
how to diagnose faults. Most
importantly of all, you must
appreciate and understand the
physical dangers involved in
working with electronics. If you
have never tackled something like
this before, wed suggest honing
your skills with some cheaper and
easier projects.

As always, we should caution you

that working with valve
electronics presents the
possibility of receiving a
potentially fatal electric shock.
Always ensure that the power
supply is switched off whenever
you are working on the circuit
board or touching components. If
you are testing for voltage
readings or faults, the power will
need to be switched on, so ensure
you keep one hand firmly placed
in your pocket while probing.

http://gyraf.dk
www.groupdiy.com
www.diyrecordingequipment.com

www.diyaudio.com
www.tangible-technology.com

Synthesizers

IPL Acoustics sells several

transmission-line
speaker kits. Heres one
under construction.

Monitor speakers
The DIY speaker scene is more of an offshoot from the
murky world of old-school hi-fi enthusiasts. Even so,
there are some remarkably good-sounding speaker kits
out there, providing youre not after active monitors with
onboard equalisation adjustment and DSP features.
The choice is vast, stretching from small nearfields to
large transmission-line designs. You can also choose
between ported and infinite-baffle cabinets, and if you
have any qualms about using hi-fi speakers for mixing,
its worth remembering that most records were mixed on
hi-fi speakers until fairly recently and many still are.
Of all the DIY projects detailed here, DIY speaker kits
offer some of the best bang for your buck. Many feature
drive units found in very expensive commercial speakers
and crossover components tend to be high-quality too.
The electronics are generally very straightforward and
since the tricky woodwork is done for you, assembling a
pair of monitors is likely to take hours rather than weeks.
As for sorting out amplification, since active
monitors became the industry standard it has become
easier to find high-quality power amps at very
affordable prices. This correspondent has assembled
several IPL Acoustics kits, and you can also check out
DIY Sound Group and Dayton Audio.
Most speaker kits arrive with the cabinets in
flat-pack form and you will need to glue them together.
Others arrive with the cabinet pre-built, or you can buy
the drive units and crossover components along with
instructions for building the cabinets yourself.

18 | June 2014

MAGAZINE

If DIY preamps and

microphones seem a bit
left-field, DIY synthesizer builders must be
almost steam punk. Few of us will be able to afford an
original Moog Modular, EMS, Oberheim or even an
SH-101 these days, so its unsurprising that some
intrepid musicians have extended their interest in
electronic music to the actual electronics.
The range of projects out
there is pretty amazing,
spanning everything from
cheap little Theremin projects
that you can buy on eBay to
full-on clones of classic
synths such as the ARP 2600.
Some of the modular designs
are worth considering
because they are Lunchboxcompatible and you can build
and add modules as funds
allow. Its worth visiting the
Doepfer website if only to
check out the photo gallery of

Do it my way
There are both pros and cons to DIY audio. For instance,
you would be well advised to refrain from working on
any piece of gear that is still covered by warranty. As
soon as you take a screwdriver to the chassis your
warranty will be null and void. Building stuff can be a
messy and time-consuming undertaking and not
everything will work straight away.
It can be pretty soul-destroying when you have
invested a lot of time and money in a project and the only
sound you can get out of it is a prodigious hum. Even so,
fault-finding is all part of it and well be discussing
trouble-shooting strategies as we go along.
So heres where the fun begins. Well be running DIY
feature articles from time to time featuring kits, scratch
build projects and typical upgrades. If you have any
suggestions for the areas youd like us to cover, just write
in and tell us well see what we can cook up. In the
meantime, turn to p20 for project number 1! MT

WorldMags.net

together? Check out Doepfers

range of synth modules.

WorldMags.net

New baby
The Genelec family expands with the new 8010
Producers and recording musicians everywhere rely on Genelec 8000 Series monitors for
the unadulterated truth about their mixes. But what happens when youre away from the
studio?
Now you can pop a pair of the new 8010s in your bag and youll always have access to
consistently accurate, industry-standard Genelec 8000 Series monitoring, wherever you
find yourself working.
Visit the Genelec family of monitors and see the new baby at www.genelec.com

www.genelec.com
UK distribution by Source www.sourcedistribution.co.uk/genelec T: 020 8962 5080
facebook.com/sourcedistribution
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twitter.com/sourcedist

WorldMags.net

THE NEW GOLD STANDARD IN STRINGS

JUST GOT DEEPER...

r
MA
ul

SYMPHONIC

VOLUME 2

www.spitfireaudio.com
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Korg MS-20 Kit Reviews MT

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MTDIY Studio: MS-20

In-depth review

Hands-on guide

KORG

Experience required: novice

Excellence

Innovation

MS-20 Kit
WelcometothefirstofourDIYstudiotutorials eviews.Andwe
have ebonafideKorgMS-20 eissuesomanysynthenthusiasts
havebeenwait ng o .Huw Pr ce cons cts
Details
Price 1295.99
Contact Korg UK
Web
www.korguk.com

KeyFeatures
O A full-size MS20 that you can
assemble
O Both early and
late filters are
provided
O Overseen by the
engineers of the
original
O External signal
processor (ESP)
O Extremely
flexible
patching
O MIDI IN and USB
O AC adaptor
O Every detail
replicated

Value

riginally made between 1978

and 1983, the Korg MS-20
analogue synth has become
a cult classic. Like many
heritage companies Korg has been
besieged with requests for a reissue
and both the software version and the
downsized MS-20 Mini have been
warm y received.
Now, at last, theres a fully-blown
MS-20 reissue. Korg as gone to great
engths to replicate t e original
circuitry and, where original
components were no longer available,
replacements were selected after
ex ens ve test ng.
Early lters were irtier and more
aggressive t an the later l ers and the
reissue c ntai s both types. Theres
tradi iona IDI and USB c nnectivity
too b t ere s a catch, because the
MS-20 reissue comes as a kit hat you
have to asse le yo rse f. H w hard
ca it e? ets nd ou

Step 1 - Unpacking
The MS20 is quite unlike the model car
or aeroplane kits many of us will
remember from our childhoods. The
box it ships in is sizeable and weighs
20Kg. Once opened up we see that
everything is carefully packaged up in
neat containers and, like a box of
c ocola es, there is more than one
layer were starting to get just a lit le
bit excited already!
Take your time whe youre
removing all the parts from t e ox
because its easy to overlook smaller
ite s. Wed a so a v se ga nst
hrowing any of he packagi g away
u til the it is c m letely assembled
st in case yo miss s me hi g!
The top ayer conta ns he MS2 s
keyboard, patchbay, k obs a d power

supply. Other packe s contain copious

quantities of nuts, was ers, feet and
rubber grommets. We also nd the
pitch-wheel module alo g with boards
for MIDI connections, patchbay and
the lters.
Two differences between t e
original and the reissue are
immediately apparent. First y the
reissues su plied mains cable
c nects to a 12v DC external power
supp y. Secondly t e circuit boards
ave sur ace- o ted co onen s. A
grea deal of mo ern audio gear is
made t is way, but this s one area
tha may concern pur s s.
he bottom laye con a ns all the
arts for building the MS20s
e c osure and eigh patch ca les. The

Lay the parts out carefully before you begin

assembling the kit and check everything is there.

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MAGAZINE

| June 2014 | 21

MTReviews Korg MS-20 Kit

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With the side panels

on,the kit starts
looking like a synth.
The mod wheel
attaches to the left
side panel.

control panel looks particularly

impressive but all the punched holes
remind me that a fair amount of nut
tightening will be required before this
synth is ready to re up.
As well as containing assembly
instructions, the kit also includes an
owners manual and a booklet
containing Sample Settings. According
to the instructions the only tools
required are a cross-head screwdriver
and a box end wrench.

contact Korg immediately.

Step 3 mod wheel

attachment and shielding the
sides of the keyboard
Like the originals the reissue version
of the MS20 has plastic side panels. To
properly shield the electronics, metal
shield plates are stuck to the side
panels with double sided tape. The
wheel assembly slots into place on the
left side panel and two screws secure

Wed suggestreadingtheinstructions
butthisisnttooonerousasthereareonly
14pages,soitonlytakes10minutes
Step 2 Getting organised

Heres the rear jack

board in position
with the keyboard
cables connected

Wed suggest reading the instructions

in their entirety before getting started.
Fortunately this isnt too onerous
because there are only 14 pages and
they are dominated by large and clear
diagrams. In all it took about ten
minutes to read them.
The rst thing you should do is
verify all the parts are present and
correct. Page two of the instructions
contains a parts list with pictures of
the components and quantities where
appropriate. If at this stage you
discover that some parts are missing,

it in position. All the supplied screws

are identical in size, which makes this
aspect of the build simpler than your
average Ikea chest of drawers.

Step 4 attaching the feet and

the keyboard
The base panel is ipped upside down
and the four rubber feet are attached.
Although there are several holes in
this panel, only four of them are wide
enough to accommodate the foot
shafts. To lock them in place, simply
push down on the centre section with
a screwdriver.
Fitting the keyboard requires a bit
more ingenuity. The sloping section of
the base is the front and it has two

Make certain that the LEDs push through the

holes in the front panel.

22 | June 2014

MAGAZINE

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tags that line up with cut outs in the

keyboard frame. Line up the tags with
the cut outs, then slide the keyboard
assembly to the right and it will be
held loosely in place.
Lift up the bass end of the
keyboard and turn it around to expose
the base plate. Locate one of the eight
screw holes that secure the keyboard,
insert a screw and tighten it most of
the way up. This should hold the
keyboard assembly in position yet still
provide a little wiggle room while you
insert the remaining screws. Only once
they are all started in their correct
holes should you complete tightening
them up.

Step 5 rear jack board

The rear jack board contains the MIDI,
USB and power sockets, with two
screws securing it to the rear, right
corner of the base plate. The keyboard
has multiple cables terminating in two
multi-pin connectors. Simply bend the
cable retainers away from the
keyboard, twist the cables together
and connect them to the
corresponding sockets on the rear
jack board.
All the multi-pin connectors are
colour coded. The sockets on all the
boards are labelled correspondingly to
ensure that the correct connector is
inserted and that its the right way
around. The connectors are quite tight
so they do need a rm push before
theyll seat fully. If possible, place a
couple of ngers underneath the
circuit board to provide some support
as you push in the connectors.
This board may be the deciding
factor for choosing an MS20 reissue
over a vintage example. The originals
presented problems for sequencers
because they didnt have MIDI
connectivity and they didnt even run
on conventional CV/Gate protocols.

Step 6 side panels

This bit is where things start to get

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MTReviews Korg MS-20 Kit

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The small VR board also

attaches to the front
panel.

Before tting the patch

board,place the clear
plastic spacer over the
jack sockets and use the
nuts to hold it in place.

exciting because the kit suddenly

begins to take on the appearance of a
synthesiser. The side panels of the unit
have locating pins that align with
holes in the base, so theyre easy to
position and two screws x each one
in place.

Step 7 attaching the big VR

board
The front panel is a thing of beauty
and wed advise you to handle it
carefully to avoid inicting any

to hold the VR board in position then

nger tighten all the other nuts.
Korg thoughtfully xed a soft layer
of plastic onto the underside of the
spanner thats provided. This is
intended to prevent the control panel
from getting scratched. You may
choose to tighten the nuts with a
socket instead, but work carefully and
dont rush. Also remember that the
nuts dont need to be ultra tight.

Step 8 - attaching the small VR

Thesoundqualityisphenomenal.The
calibreofthesynthyouaregettingfor
justoveragrandisjustincredible
damage. Ensure that your work
surface is free from debris before
starting this procedure and begin by
inserting all ten rubber grommets.
Brackets are attached to the ends
of the panel before the large VR board
is put in place. When positioning the
VR board, you must ensure that the
LED indicators line up with the holes in
the front panel and push through.
Once in position, nger tighten a nut
on the control pots from each corner

EXPERTOPINIONHUWGETSAN
EMMY-AWARDWINNERINTOJUDGEIT
We didnt want to appear biased because we had built the
thing,so we handed over our completed MS-20 to Emmy
award-winning media composer and analogue synth
acionado Dave Gale.Heres what he had to say.
It has to be said that the architecture is a bit weird,
especially things like having the Hold rather than Attack
control at the top of the envelope lter section.Many
features will only work if you physically plug them in on
the patchbay,including the mod wheel and the
momentary switch.
The patchbay is hard to fathom and its cluttered,but I
love the section along the bottom of the patchbay that
allows you to do things to external sounds and process clock
signals then feed them elsewhere.It is fussy about clocks
and if the signal is a bit hot it doesnt chase it terribly well.
I love that its a proper recreation of the MS-20,but
because of that it doesnt work on a one volt per octave CV
and gate.It works on a Hertz per volt principle so theres little
interfaceable gear for it.So the fact that it has MIDI in is just
superb because you dont have to mess about with some
crazy gizmo to get it working.
Some people have criticised it for noisy output,
especially the headphones.But thats because its an

24 | June 2014

MAGAZINE

board and the power switch

The procedure for attaching the small
VR board is the same as the big VR
board (described above) but there are
no LEDs to worry about this time.
Care must be taken when installing
the power switch/volume control
because the locating tag must push
through the slot in the front panel to
prevent it from spinning around. Both
these items are xed with different
sized nuts.

authentic MS-20 and they always were.In terms of the

nuances of the MS-20s sound,you have both a high-pass
and low-pass lter that are completely independent of each
other and theyre completely sweepable.Theyre violent if
you want them to be and when you dial in the resonance they
can bite your head off.
Like many users I favour the early lter because its
dirtier and grungier but the later one is a bit sweeter.When
you cut out with the low pass lter and add some resonance,
the bottom end doesnt collapse like it does on other synths.
The sound quality is phenomenal.
Theres something to be said for synths like this one
where you can turn it on and never be quite sure what youre
going to get.For me synthesisers should have character,and
although I love Roland synths,they do sound tame in
comparison.The MS-20 doesnt have the envelope speed of
something like a Pro One so its not as good for drum sounds,
but its still extraordinarily fat sounding.
I also think the build quality of the kit is better than the
MS-20 Mini.You really can rest your hand on the top and ride
the cut off with your thumb as youre playing without the
control knob wobbling around.Korg seems to have nailed
this analogue oscillator thing and I love the way you can
offset the tuning of the oscillators.Thats a really popular
trick with the Scando Techno boys.The calibre of synth
youre getting for just over a grand is just incredible.

WorldMags.net

Step 9 attaching the panel

jack board
Before tting this board a clear plastic
spacer sheet must be placed over the
jack sockets. The instructions are
superb throughout the complete build,
but this is the one area where things
are a little vague because its easy to
miss the bit that tells you to place nuts
over each and every jack socket to
hold the spacer in position.
If you get this bit wrong, though,
youll know it, as youll be wondering
why you have 30 or so nuts left over!
Once again, ensure that the LEDs
push through their holes in the front
panel and place a washer and nut at
each corner to hold the board in
position. Adding all the remaining
washers and nuts takes a while, and
its easy to miss one when theyre
being tightened up.
The cables from the power switch
feed through a hole in the circuit board
and four multi-pin connections are
made from the switch unit and the
VR boards.

Step 10 nishing touches

The fully-loaded control panel drops
down onto the top of the unit, but you
must take care that the thin shields on
the side panels dont get bent or
damaged. Once its in position, four
side screws secure the panel and all
the remaining multi-pin connections
are made.
The MS-20 Kit instructions offer
good detail on how to twist the cables
together. The cable clips at the rear
of the kits keyboard unit are re-used

Remaining connections are made,including

the cables from the mod wheel.

Korg MS-20 Kit Reviews MT

WorldMags.net
to hold the wheel assembly cables
neatly in place.
Eight screws secure the rear panel
and, as always, ensure that the screws
are started in their threads before
t ghtening them all up. All that remains
is to push the knobs onto their pot
shafts and your MS20 should be up
and running.

Conclusion
In total assembly will take around two
to three hours. The instruct ons are
excellent and theres even a
tro bleshooting guide, but fortunately
we di nt need it. The basic start-up

guide is useful oo because it explains

the auto power off fu ction and
descr bes how to hold down eys
to switch between early and late
lter types.
Technical know how, solder ng
ab lity and a understanding of
electronics are not required to
co str ct t is MS20 Ki so its ideal or
a eginners DI projec .
Eve so, t sho ld e (and indee
is ) a very sat s yi g undertak ng f r
e perie ced c structors too. J s
take your ti e, be met odical and
do let the exci ement get the be ter
of you. MT

Alternatives
As far as were aware,its unprecedented for a
major musical equipment corporation to reissue
an iconic product in self-assembly form.It would
be l ke Fender selling a Stratocaster kit and still
putting the decal on the headstock.If an MS-20 is what you want,theres
the opt on of buying a vintage example for similar money to the ki ,but
you l only get one set o lters and MIDI connectivity wont be included
unless the unit has been modied.Youll also be taking chances with
re iab l ty.The Korg MS-20 ini (499) is well regarded but it hasnt got
the feel or v be o the reissue.Alternatively you could c ec out t e virtual
MS-20 rom Korgs egacy Collection ($49.99).

MT Verdict
+ The resulting synth is superb
+ It sounds awesome
+ Beginners and experts alike will
love putting it together
+ Great satisfaction after you have
completed it
+ Easy-to-understand instructions
+ No experience needed
+ just a screwdriver and wrench
+ Its an MS-20!
- Nowt
This MS-20 reissue is the real deal.
You can run it old school or hook it
up to your MIDI setup, plus you get
both sets of lters. And building it
yourself makes it even more fun.

All the knobs have been

pushed into position
and the project is
complete.

10/10

Bass Station II is an exceptional synth. For 399 you could buy

a couple of high-end synth plug-ins. Dont. Buy this instead. 10/10.

Andy Jones, MusicTech, October 2013

The Bass Station II is a synth with personality that produces
ripping, gnashy solos as readily as solid analogue bass.
I reckon Novation have a winner!

Paul Nagle, Sound On Sound, September 2013

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www.novationmusic.com/bassstationII

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WorldMags.net

The Single Source

Pro-Audio Supplier

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Bjrk, Homogenic Landmark Productions MT

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Landmark
Productions No30

The tracks
1: Hunter
2:Joga
3: Unravel
4: Bachelorette
5: All Neon Like
6: 5 Years
7: Immature
8: Alarm Call
9: Pluto
10: All Is Full Of Love

BJRK-HOMOGENIC

ProducersBjrk,MarkBell,MarkusDravs,GuySigsworth,HowieBEngineerStevePrice
Homogenic marked the moment when Icelandic experimentalist Bjrk evolved from a
kooky dance-pixie into an electronic titan. Andy Price explores this landmark album

jrk had more than made an impression on the

mainstream by 1997. Her magnicent debut solo record
had been superseded by the more adventurous follow-up
Post which, although displaying signicant musical
chops, still kept one foot rmly in the commercial pop pond.
Mainstream hits such as her oft-lampooned cover of Betty
Huttons Its Oh So Quiet bothered the British singles charts
while high-prole relationships kept her hot property in the
tabloids. However this was not a position that Bjrk had
particularly longed for. Having to deal with the darker sides of

being a public gure from a psychologically-damaged stalker

posting a sulphuric acid bomb to her London home before
committing suicide, to the headline (and hair) grabbing
incident at Bangkok International Airport were deeply
unsettling for the young artist to deal with. For her, music had
always been the sole priority.
Bjrk approached the writing process of her third album with
a very specic creative mind-set. She wanted the record to have
what she dened as a simple sound and reect the landscape of
her homeland, Iceland. Using a variety of electronic instruments

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MAGAZINE June 2014

| 29

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Bjrk, Homogenic Landmark Productions MT

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and new, fresh approaches to composition, Bjrk
worked closely with audio engineer Markus Dravs on
the initial sessions for the album which took place at
her home studio at Maida Vale. Together they planned
and devised the bare bones of the record before the
sudden surge in media attention brought on by the
bomb incident. This, combined with her desire to
retreat from the London electronic scene, convinced
her to relocate to the Spanish studio of her drummer
Trevor Morais. It was there, at El Cortijo Studios in
Malaga where she would record and produce all of the
ensuing album, Homogenic.
Bjrk decided not to re-enrol producer Nellee
Hooper who had produced her two previous albums,
and instead enlisted a cabal of close musical friends
and associates to co-produce the album with her. Aside
from Markus Dravs the most signicant creative
collaborator on Homogenic was Mark Bell, formerly of
Shefeld electronic dance duo LFO, an outt that had a
fundamental inuence on the Euro techno genre. Mark
would help Bjrk translate her sometimes more
left-eld compositional ideas as he recounted in an
interview with Groove Magazine in 2001
(Songwriting) is different every time with her.
Sometimes it comes from a freeform session, a melody
that she hums to me, some basic chord structure or the
lyrics. Its always fun and she hasnt any
preconceptions about genre so we take it wherever it
wants to go.
Also part of the production team was Scottish
trip-hop expert Howie B who previously worked with

Shewantedtherecordtohave
asimplesoundandreflectthe
landscapeofIceland
Bjrk on Post and songwriter and producer Guy
Sigsworth. Dravs would later say When you work with
Bjrk, you are one of her closest relatives, youre almost
like her brother.
For many of the tracks that make up Homogenic
Bjrk would initially compose melodies individually
either in her head, spontaneously or on paper, and
would then use her small Casio keyboard to work out
string parts and various forms of musical backing. She
and her team would then work through each piece from
a rhythmic standpoint which was occasionally fraught
with difculty, especially when Bjrk would add
unusual timing signature changes into her naturallyborn compositions. Bell and Bjrk quickly developed a
strong rapport and would work very closely on each
track Could you make the bass-line more furry? was
an oft-reported request of Bjrks to Bell during the
making of Homogenic.
The militaristic rhythms, darkly imperious bass
line, reversed accordion and counterpointed ethereal
vocals that make up opening track Hunter set the scene
for what is to come. Its a tense composition that nds
Bjrk in a completely new landscape to any she had
been in before. Joga sees Bjrk experimenting with a
combination of Baroque and classical styles, with huge
towering volcanic beats and exquisite string

Getty

Former LFO
co-frontman
Mark Bell took a
large role in the
production of
Homogenic

arrangements (provided late in the production process

by the Icelandic String Octet) that paint a sonic picture
of the geographical beauty of her homeland and is the
real conceptual heart of the record. She likened Joga to
a sort of National Anthem. This track like no other
showcases Bjrks mastery of fusing the right elements
to creative emotive and powerful music the soaring
vocals, cinematic and richly-orchestrated string
sections are saturated with beats that some have
described as being akin to proto-dubstep.
Continuing the cycle
The next track, Unravel, makes signicant nods to her
Icelandic heritage as well. Using a vocal technique
which folklore specialist Njall Sigurason compares to
that of traditional Icelandic choirmen, Bjrk half-sings
and half-speaks her way through a track which
Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke would later say is
one the most beautiful songs Ive ever heard.
Bachelorette was originally written for an
abandoned lm project and contains lyrics from her
good friend, the Icelandic poet Sjon. The song
conceptually continues a song-cycle begun with the
tracks Human Behaviour on her album Debut and
Isobel from Post which lyrically concern the arc of a
character called Isobel. Bjrk would elaborate on how
Bachelorette tted into the Isobel-cycle. She is leaving
the forest and she decides to go to the city to have a
normal life. She tries her best and it doesnt work out
and she comes back to the forest and she is happier
there. Clearly one doesnt have to look far to see the
parallels with Bjrk herself. The song would include a
range of live instruments in the mix and alongside the

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MAGAZINE June 2014

| 31

MTLandmark Productions Bjrk, Homogenic

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fucking Buddhist, but this is enlightenment, Bjrk
expresses in this track, while multi-layered vocals
weave in and out, merging together like an aural
mind-scape. Eventually the track falls into a relatively
straightforward groove.
The climactic song Pluto is as aggressive as Bjrk
has ever been, a completely explosive resolution to the
tension that the instrumental juxtaposition found in
the previous eight tracks had created in the listener.
Industrial overdrive and manic, screaming vocals
dene this track. The hauntingly-beautiful All Is Full
Of Love then quietly draws the albums to a close,
inspired by the idea of mechanical people (as the songs
video would make clear) it also featured clavichord and
a nal bow for the Icelandic String Octet.
The album was almost universally critically
acclaimed upon release. The NME said Homogenic was
a stinging triumph for the spirit of adventure which
succinctly explains why the album still stands tall
today as Bjrks most beloved work for both fans and
critics alike.
The albums iconic cover art features Bjrk dressed
in an Alexander McQueen-designed costume that is
simultaneously futuristic yet traditionally oriental.
Bjrk looked back on the overall themes of Homogenic
in an interview with Pitchfork in 2007 where she said
Homogenic was different, it was quite an aggressive
album. Id gone through ve years of doing ve billion
interviews and being stalked. A lot of really happy

Rex Features

Homogenic set the

standard for Bjrks
eclectic career.

beats and strings, they included alp horn, accordion,

timpani and timbales.
The gentle and contemplative All Neon Like follows
with Bells trademark ambient drum and bass rhythms
punctuating the increasingly visual and fascinating
lyrics (including the delightfully incomprehensible Ill
cut a slit open and a luminous beam feeds you, honey!)
5 Years includes stand-out 8-bit MIDI keys and
electronic, stompy drum programming. Later the
emotive Icelandic String Octet return to engage in what
sounds like the audio equivalent of a duel with the
harsh, treated drums while Bjrk herself pushes her
vocals to the limit of emotion and drama. Immature
features a textured landscape constructed from
various samples and highly-treated synthesiser loops
oating on soft chordal pads. Once again Bjrks voice
is the standout instrument here, winding its way
through the mixs peppered assault course of elements
with varying degrees of power, emotion and dexterity.
The most conventional song on the record has to be
Alarm Call, certainly in terms of instrumentation and
melody but not in terms of lyrical content Im no

The Players:

32 | June 2014

MAGAZINE

Shewouldlaterexploredenser
themesbutHomogeniccemented
herasafearlessexplorer
experiences, too, it wasnt all bad. I was under a lot of
pressure that I had never experienced before, so
Homogenic was very much like the sleeve art. We were
trying to make this person that was under a lot of
restraint like long manicure, neck piece, headpiece,
contact lenses still trying to keep the strength.
Although Bjrk would later explore denser and more
deeply dened sonic landscapes with albums such as
2001s lushly arranged Vespertine and 2004s vocally
dexterous Medulla, it was Homegenic which cemented
Bjrk as a fearless explorer of new musical frontiers.
By merging organic instrumentation with electronic to
create an album so richly rewarding, Bjrk proved to
the world that she was quite a unique artist to be
reckoned with. MT

Bjrk

Mark Bell

Markus Dravs

Howie B

After the success of

Debut and Post, Bjrk
retreated from the
limelight, recruiting a
team of diverse
collaborators and
crafting the dense but
personal masterpiece,
Homogenic.

Former co-star of
Shefeld electro
pio eers LFO turned
house producer, Bell
worked closely with
Bjrk to translate her
ideas into the layered
compositions they
would become a d had
quite possibly the
largest hand in
production duties.

Markus Dravs and

Bjrk sketched out
Homogenics concept
at her London-based
studio. Dravs would
have free reign to
compose and
experiment alongside
Bjrks own ideas.

Long-time creative
collaborator Howie B
returned to work with
Bjrk on this record,
the two became close
and would eventually
become a couple.

WorldMags.net

WorldMags.net

The audio workstation that redened the industry

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Plug into epic processing power with the all new Avid audio engine.
Turbocharge sessions with 64-bit performance.
Deliver mixes 150x faster with ofine bounce.

Welcome to the new standard.

See whats new: www.avid.com/protools11

2014 Avid Technology, Inc. All rights reserved. Product features, specications, system requirements, and availability are subject to change without notice. Avid,
the Avid logo, and Pro Tools are trademarks or registered trademarks of Avid Technology, Inc. in the U.S. and other countries. All other trademarks contained herein
are the property of their respective owners.

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MT Interview The Professionals

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MT Interview Neil Davidge

In the rst of a new series o interviews wit people enjoying a successful career in the
aud o industry, producer and lm scorer Neil Davidge revea s how listening can he p n
any studio situation, and that gear isnt everything

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The Professionals Interview MT

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eil Davidge teamed up with Massive Attacks 3D for the best part of two
decades, working on much of the bands outp t in the roles of writer,
arranger and producer. He has also worked as a remixer, composer and
producer on tracks by Snoop Dog, Primal Scream, Elizabeth Frazer,
David Bowie, Craig Armstrong and many other high profile art sts. His
music has backed ad campaigns by everyone from Jaguar to Adidas and his move
into movie and game soundtracks has seen him score some big screen action
including Miami Vice and Halo 4.
Davidges debut solo album, Slo Light, featuring Sandie Shaw, Cate Le Bon,
Karima Francis and more, is out now.

THE PERSON
Mu
usicTech: How did you get into music making and production?
Neil Davidge: Im Bristolian and proud. I started messing with tape recorders and
home-made instruments at school with friends until we eventually decided on a
name for a band and figured we should really buy some proper instruments. I took
to the bass at first but, after a while, shifted to the guitar and eventually singing as
well as writing and arranging most of the material.
After signing a record deal I bought a 16-track recorder, a mixing desk, an A ari
ST and a rather large hard drive (300MB cost me 3k back then!). Then I began to
record, produce and write with and for various artists, b t principally the band DNA
who had a hit with the Suzanne Vega song Toms Diner. So began my pop period.
I then worked with a bunch of mainstream artis s including the Minogue sisters
and although, for the first time in my life, I was earning money from my passion I
found myself disillusioned and losing that passion with each painful vocal take. I
made the break eventually and then produced a stoner rock band from Bristol who
Id helped get signed to RCA.

I was earning money from my

passion but losing that passion
with every painful vocal take
It was on these sessions that I met 3D (Robert Del Naja) from Massive Attack
and got talking about gigs and favourite albums and found we had much n
common. Soon after I joined them on a session for a track for the Batman Forever
soundtrack and from there began working with the band full time on what was to
become their third album, Mezzanine. I co-wrote an co-produced three studio
albums and a number of side projects and film scores over the next 18 years with
the band, working most closely with 3D.
I was keen not to let things get stale and towards the end of the album
Heliogoland I told Robert that I wanted to do my own thing and we amicably split our
business interests and I set up a studio on the other side of town. My intention was
to focus on scoring movies. Id already scored the movie Push as well as co-scoring
Clash Of The Titans, but my first project in the new studio was for the game Halo 4.
Just prior to securing the game Id begun working on a solo alb m and after the two
years it took to complete the score, I then set about finishing my first solo album,
Slo Light. Since then Ive scored the movie Good People and Im currently scoring
Monsters: Dark Continent [sequel to the film Monsters].
MT: What is your overall philosophy or trademark when it comes to music
production and composition?
ND: Music communicates emotion more directly than any other artistic medium.
Music is not just melody and rhythm, its also sounds and textures, associations,
and experiences. I combine electronics, sound design and real instruments in order
to create a unique and deep emotional connection with the listener. Im also a nice
guy and work really hard.

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MT Interview The Professionals

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MT: Talk us through one of your production processes

that you tend to use most often and that perhaps
defines your sound over others
ND: I have no tricks and no secret processes and
instead take each project on its own unique merits. I
trust in my gut instincts and those I work with and
my wealth of life experiences and studio
experiences to nudge me in the right direction. In turn,
these help me to nudge the people I work with or for in
the right direction.
MT: Describe your sound?
ND: I really dont think I can or want to.

THE ROLE
MT:The role of producer seems to be a many and
varied one. How do you define it?
ND: The underlining role of the producer is to
assess what the project needs and make
sure those needs are met, if not by himself
then by others. This includes battling
record companies to make sure the artist
makes the record they want to make
while at the same time making sure
the artist themselves dont
sabotage their own career.
MT: What would you say your
input is in a typical project?
ND: Writing, producing, arranging,
inspiring and directing musicians;
overseeing programmers; getting
into the head of the artist or main
creatives; organising sessions;
and dealing with the money men.
MT: Over the years what advice
have you picked up from
working in the music industry
that you can pass on?
ND: Its important to listen to
the advice of others, hear
whats useful to you and at
the same time to be

Trust your instincts and those

you work with to move in the
right direction

confident in your own instincts enough to politely

disregard it without having a crisis. No artist, producer,
composer or engineer with any kind of sustained
career has gotten there alone, each has had to work
closely with others. I listen to everyone, from the
musicians to the cleaner.
MT: And from working in the studio?
ND: That what you know comes second to what you
feel. If you stop listening with your intellect and
instead listen with your gut then magic happens and
ideas flow. The other thing is, its not about the gear,
its about ideas. I can do pretty much anything in my
studio but some days Ive got no ideas and no amount
of gear is gonna save me.

THE GEAR
MT
T: So, talking of the gear, tell us a little
about your studio: the main components,
how it came together and so on
ND: I have a 5th floor converted
apartment studio with three writing
rooms in the heart of Bristol. I have a
co-arranger (Drew) and programmer
(Tom). We each run Pro Tools on Mac
Pros with a wide selection of
plug-ins including UAD, Waves,
GRM, Ohm Force, Sonnox and
SoundToys. Drew and I both run
VSL Ensemble Pro on satellite
Mac Pros for our Kontakt
sample libraries (Spitfire Audio,
Soniccouture, Heavyocity,
Project Sam and many others).
We have a selection of
instruments, guitars, basses,
drums and percussion, a cello, a
kantele, an ARP 2600, Moog
Prodigy, Arturia MiniBrute as
well as various soft synths
including the complete
Arturia set and various from
Native Instruments.
Outboard these days is

IfyougivemeoneEQ,atone
generatorandD-Verbthen Iwill
giveyouanorchestra
36 | June 2014

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The Professionals Interview MT

WorldMags.net
A typical project can involve
anything from organising
musicians to sorting the
money men

ND: I usually try to find a sound that inspires me first

it can be anything: melodic instrument, drum sound,
sonic or voice. I start there, then improvise, find a core
idea and build on it without passing judgement too
much and allow the process of creativity to find space
and its feet.
MT:Tell us about your latest release, the thinking
behind it and why people should get it. Plug away!
ND: The album is called Slo Light. I wanted to make the
most honest and authentic record I could. Ive been
making music for other people for a long time and I
wanted to see what would happen if I was the sole
decision maker and free myself from having to run
things past someone else. You should get it because
its very good.

mainly mic pres from Focusrite and Calrec all other

processing is done in the box. Ive had many set-ups
over the years, starting with a 4-track cassette tape
recorder to a full SSL G series studio with a load of
outboard, but these days I prefer the flexibility of
working in the box.

MT: What have you got planned for the near future?
ND: Finishing this score and then taking a break. Ive
barely had a day off in the last year, even worked over
new year this year so a holiday of some sort would be
most welcome! After that I need to start planning how
to present the album live. MT

MT: What are your favourite sound generating studio

tools synths, guitars and so on and why?
ND: That changes from day to day and project to
project but I always have fun with the ARP and the
kantele played with four e-bows always seems to end
up with me having a few hours worth of audio to trawl
through. I like surprises and I like unpredictable stuff
it feeds my creativity.

More from:
Neil at Abbey Road studios.

http://www.neildavidge.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neil_Davidge

MT: And outboard what plug-ins or outboard do you

find most creative and most useful in the studio on a
day to day basis?
ND: The UAD stuff is generally great-sounding their
emulations of classic studio gear stacks up really well
against the real thing with the added bonus of instant
recall. I use the Sonnox EQ as an everyday EQ. More
creative plugs are the GRM collection and I love the
Waves stomp box plugs too. All of the above give me
limitless power to mash up and sculpt but if you give
me one EQ, a tone generator and [Pro Tools] D-Verb,
then Ill give you an orchestra.
MT: What is on your wish list studio gear wise?
ND: Pro Tools HDX, hopefully soon.
MT: What would you like to see developed in terms of
studio technology and why?
ND: The one downside of using computers and
software is latency, especially when playing over an
already stacked-out session. Theres nothing that kills
the vibe more than when you wanna play something
new in and then your whole session spazzes out. Id
like to see software developers pay more attention to
latency when youre creating music rather than when
youre simply mixing it. Also, it does annoy me a bit
that the knobs on gear emulations arent optimised
more for using a mouse, it can really put me off using
an otherwise great sounding plug-in.

THE LATEST PROJECT

MT: When working on your own music, how does a
track come together? What inspires and what comes
first in the song?

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WorldMags.net

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WorldMags.net

Music is Our Passion

www.thomann.de

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MT How to record

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MTHow to record...
Lead vocals Part 2

Last month, in the rst of a major new series on recording, Jo n Pickford looked at how
planning and preparing will elp create the right atmosphere for reco ding a great ead vocal
performance. ow he explores t e tools and methods required to capture the perfect ta e
40 | Ju e 2014

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How to record MT

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several mics, its a good idea to set up two or three

different models and have the singer sing a few
lines into each in order to find out which one best
suits the voice, remembering to make your choice
quickly so as not to tire the singer and lose
momentum. Once the selection has been made, fine
tuning of the tone can be made by optimising the
position of the mic in relation to the vocalists
mouth. There are three factors to cons der here:
firstly, the distance between the singer and the
microphone wil have a huge influence on the final
sound. Very close micing, with a distance between
2 and 3 inches (5 to 8 centimetres) might work to
capture a very soft and intimate performance,
revealing every nuance including mouth noises.
However, in many cases such close micing can
induce unwanted plosive pops and increase
sibilance. Also, especially when a card oid pick-up
pattern is employed, low frequencies will be

So, you have prepared your recording

space, free from extraneous noise and
acoustically well-damped. Now you can
think about choosing the best
microphone for the job. The most
popular type of mic for vocal recording is a
large-diaphragm condenser, as these tend to have a
more detailed sound and wider frequency response
in comparison to dynamic types. Thats not to say
that you cant achieve excellent results with a
dynamic mic; many hit records feature vocals
recorded with an inexpensive Shure SM58. Having
said that, hand-held microphone recording is best
avoided unless thats the only way the singer can
perform, and if your stand-mounted vocal mic has
a shock mount, do use it as this will further
decrease noise from mechanical vibrations.
Many condenser mics have selectable pick-up

Themostpopularmicforvocals
recordingisalargediaphragm
condenserforadetailedsound
patterns, the three main types being cardioid,
figure 8 and omni-directional (hyper-cardioid is an
increasingly popular fourth option). However, most
engineers select the cardioid option for recording
vocals as this usually gives the best vocal to
room-sound balance. Ribbon mics can sound lovely
in the right circumstances but they are delicate
beasts that can easily be damaged by wind
pressure, so are not an ideal choice for loud vocal
work. Also, ribbons are bi-directional (figure 8) so
will pick up more of the room-sound than a
cardioid condenser or dynamic mic.
If you are lucky enough to have the choice of

CONTACTS
AKG
01462 480000
www.soundtech.co.uk
AUDIO TECHNICA
0113 277 1441
www.audio-technica.com
SE ELECTRONICS
0845 500 2500
www.seelectronics.com

The Audio Technica ATM510 is

a great vocal mic and very
reasonably priced at
around 90.

MT Step-by-Step Microphone Selection and Positioning

Choose the microphone that best suits

the vocalists voice and the style of
track being recorded. Large-diaphragm
condensers are usually preferred although
singers with a very bright sound often sound
better with a dynamic mic. If possible, set-up
two or three mics and have the vocalist sing
briey into each at a starting distance of
around 6 inches to nd the best voice/mic
position. Unless you want a particularly
roomy effect, use a cardioid pick-up pattern.

01

Determine which side of the vocalists

mouth produces the better tone by
moving the microphone from side to side or,
alternatively, ask the singer to step to the left
and then right of the mic. Next, experiment
with the height of the mic. Increasing the
height will generally produce a fuller sound,
adding body and richness to thin-so nding
voices, while lowering the mic can restore
denition and brighten-up wooly-edged voices.

02

WorldMags.net

Fine-tune the optimum distance

between the singer and the mic during
the rst vocal run-through. or an intimatesounding vocal try a close-miced method; 3
or 4 inches (7 to 10 centimetres) will give a
sound with lots of detail but also a full
bottom-end, particularly when using a
cardioid pick-up pattern. Louder vocals are
better captured at between 6 and 10 inches.
Always use a pop-shield between the singer
and mic to prevent unwanted popping.

03

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MT How to record

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increased due to the proximity effec . A the other

extreme, with distances greater than 12 inches (30
centimetres), more of the natural room sound will
be captured. Occasionally, these room reflections
can be used to create a desirable effect David
Bowies vocal on Heroes for example was recorde
with three mics: a standard close mic along with
two amb ent mics at a distance of 20 and 50 feet,
with a gate employed to open t e ambient mics
during t e oudest passages. Us ally hough, a
dis nce somewhere between 4 and 0 inc es (10 to
25 centimetres is a good starting place or a

Asageneralprinciple,
thelouderthevocal,
hefurtherawayyo
canplacethemic
natural-so nding vocal that can e
processed wi amb ent e ects s ch as
reverb and dela d ring m x g. As a
ge eral incipl , e oud r e v c l, the
f rther you an p ace the mic.
he secon factor to d ermi e is whic
side of your vo a ists mout produces the
bes soun . Its tempti g to place t e
microphone irec y in front of the singe ,
however, we a l sing ( r speak) w h
emphas s on either the left or right side o
our mouths o som egree and
usually one side wil soun
brighter than the other. Try
moving the mic from side to
side in order to get he best

sE make some great vocal mics

(below) plus the Reexion
Filter (right) designed
especially for vocalists.

possible tone. Thirdly, experiment with the

height of the microphone in relation to the
singers head, as this wi l also present tonal
variations. Its a common misconception
that positioning the mic above the s ngers
mouth produces a brig ter sound while
lowering the mic will bring out a more
chesty quality, when actually the opposite is
true; increa e the height or a fuller sound
and lower it for treble em asis. Positioni g
the m c of -centre has the added advantage of
reducing ps and wind noises from the mouth,
spe king of which...
Its always advisable to use some orm of pop/
w nd-shield e ween the singer and microphone.
Some mics come with a foam wind- hield that its
over the micro hone itse f, however, he e arent very
ffective at reducing pops and will likely
com r mise t e tre e-re ponse of the
microp one. Far better is to use a

MT Step-by-Step Monitoring On Headphones

Feeding the vocalist a good headphone

mix will make the difference between
capturing a pitch-perfect performance and
an uninspired, at-sounding take. Create a
dedicated headphone mix a d feed that to
he singers cans rat er than just feeding
hrough the control-room monitor mix. isten
on headphones with t e same mix so t at
you know w at the singer is heari g. Once
you have achieved the desired sound
cont nue monitoring on cans o know exactly
w at the singer is heari g.

01

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MAGAZINE

The vocalist will not necessarily need to

hear everything thats been recorded,
especially if its a busy track. Priorit se
instruments such as bass guitar, kick and
snare drums, which contain the fundamental
elements of tune and rhythm.This should help
with pitching and keep the singer locked-in to
t e groove of t e trac . Add a little reverb to
t e cans to crea e atmosp ere but dont over
do it a s ort reverb-t me sually works best.
And dont record the reverb o to the vocal
track as it ca be re oved la er.

02

WorldMags.net

Keep the headphone mix at a

reasonable volume. If the mix is too
loud, the singer may perceive some notes to
be either sharp or at when they are not, and
in an attempt to correct this will end up
s nging off-key. Sustained loud headphone
mon toring can be quite tiring as well as
poten ially damaging to the ears. Also, if he
s ger prefers t mo itor w t one side on t e
cans removed, the sound from the unused
speake might leak into the vocal mic.

03

How to record MT

WorldMags.net
pop-shield placed in front of the mic. If you dont
own a commercially available pop-shield you can
improvise by sing some s ocking material
stretched over a metal coat-hanger.
One of the most important aspec s of vocal
recording is ensuring that the singer has a good
headphone mix. It won do to just send your
monitor mix to the cans, you need to set-up a
de icate m x tha has the right amount of
fundamental tune and r y hm o help the

Somepreferto
monitor hroughone
can.JohnLennon
hadonepermanently
disconnected
vocalist pitch correctly and stay in the groove of
the track; bass guitar and kick drums are good
for this. A little reverb added to the vocal
foldback is usually helpfu but make sure the
reverb is not recorde along with the voca . If
possible, wear headphones with an identi al mix o
monitor what t e singer is hearing, making sure
that the level is not to high, as o erly-loud

Another ne mic: the

C414 from AKG.

headphone mixes can affect the singers ability to

pitch properly. Some vocalists prefer to monitor
through just one side of a set of cans Jo n
Lennon preferred this method and had his own
set with one channel permanently disconnected.
With this in mind, if the singer wants to use this
me hod, mute the unused side to prevent
unwanted spill leaking into the vocal mic.
Many engineers like to compress the vocal
track as its being recorded. Care must be taken
here as once compression is applied cant be
ta en off. You may be better off riding the vocal
fader if there are just a few loud peaks an leave
compression for the final mixdown. If you do
compress as you record, be quite gentle wi h a
compression ratio of around 2:1 and aim for no
more t at 5 or 6 dB of compression on the loudest
parts. Remember, you can always experiment with
heavier compression at the mixing stage. This also
applies to other processes suc as gating, which
can ruin an otherwise good ta e if its not
correctly set-up. Capture the performance fir t
then you can try-o t various effects and
treatments in a non-destructive way.
Nex month we will explore how to treat
vocal once t ey have been recorded, including
how to compile (comp), a great per ormance from
several recorded akes; how to de-ess an over
sibilant vocal and how best o u e effects suc as
reverb, delay, com ression and equalization o help
the vocal si n the final mix. MT

WorldMags.net

MT

Contemporary Production Techn ques

WorldMags.net

New Series Contemporary Production Techniques

Welcome to a new MusicTech series. Mike Hillier g ides you through todays most
cutting-e ge and effective product on techniques, and kicks things off with side-c aining
ere often asked about specic production
techniques here at MusicTech, and not
necessarily those specic to particu ar
DAWs. So, in response, were starting a
new series about some of todays most
commonly-used (or indee secret!) production techniques
those that are both dening ge res an making music
what it is today. Were illustrating them wit Pro Tools bu
even if you dont ow hat DAW you should be able to use
t e ech iques s own within yo r sof ware of choice
To kick things off M ke i lier is a king
side-chaining a d duc ing and diving

Werestartingaseriesont e
productio techniquest at
aredefininggenresa d
making usicwhat
it stoday

t
tech iq e t a has bee s d f r wh e n w b
lso
o e t at
i l ver
pul r.
B se d g e kic dr
t th i e-c a of
c mpres r pl ce acros n inst m t,
i stru e t
ca be ma e
u
i respo se o e k k. T is ea es
o gr y mcd a i , r g e
o t st i
a s
ex ti g u d .
o ea s m r r m f r th
ick
m i t e mix, h
i
it is o po u r t e
da ce s
e, ere a r ng i k
m , as ve , se ial
to t
i .
of t
f o use s t i ec i u
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s th i e- a n f
e is

t
us dirt di
a
ec
s .
e,
eed
d a
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get s mi r s lts
ma
a
r
s, i l
g e
mic I I
g-i i r
l ,
d i
b ri
r

Dynamics processors, both har ware an software,

of en ave an addi ional si e-c ain nput w ich can
of e go overloo ed, b t can be e to chieve a variety
of dvance product on tec niques. In bro dcast,
c mpressor si e-c a ns ve long bee use to ac ieve
a c i g e ec , red c ng t e e el of the m sic wh le
t e D is s eaking. This same trick as a so bee sed n
usic p oduc io , for nstance d ck a g ita par
h le the vocalis is s ngin . I
e nce orld,
especially, t
tec ique is incre ibly popular, duc i
t e nstr mental p r s i es on e to he kick r

PRO TIP
Many dynamics processors,including the Dyn III,have an internal
side-chain instead of or in addition to the external side-cha n.This
splits the incoming signa and enables you to process the signal go ng
to the side-chain internally. he most common technique here is to
lter out low- requencies,so the compressor isnt triggered by an
excess of low-frequency energy.When used on busses,especially the
master buss, his can produce a much smoother,more natural
compression as it isnt not being triggered by every kick drum beat.
Side-c ain lters can also be used to create de-essers,by
focussing on o ly the s bilant region of the vocal and compressing the
signa on y when this region crosses the t resho .

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Contemporary roduction Techniques

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MT

MT Step-by-Step Getting a pumping sound

Send the instruments you want to pump in time with the kick to a
group buss. Its best not to send everything, but to specify
specic soun s that wi l benet, such as bass and pads.

On the kick track add a mono send, but dont bother bringing the
return back on its own aux channel. Were just going to use it to
co trol the compressor side-chain.

Add an instance of a dynamics compressor/limiter (here its

Dynamics III in Pro Tools) to the group buss. And in the side-chain
key menu at the top left select the ick SC buss we created.

The side-chain is now routed to the compressor, but the

compressor is still not listening to it. In the side-chain section at
the top right, click the key icon to engage he side-chain.

The threshold control will now respond to the incoming

side-chain. Set the ratio at 4:1 and lower t e threshold until
youre getting a fair amount of compression (6-12dB).

Finally set the attack and release to time the pumping effect to
the rhythm of the track. A ast attack will bring the signal down,
quickly making room for the kick, while the release should be timed to
create a rhyt mic pumping effect.

01

03

05

drum to get a big pumping synth sou d. Be carefu with what

you send to the compressor to be pumped though. We often
hear artists sending t eir entire instrument buss to be
pumped through the co pressor, when a couple of simple
choice eleme ts would make for a far more excit ng and
i teresting sound.
A other common tric for side-chain dynamics is to beef
up the sound of kick dr ms with a gated sine wave. Th s time
the kick dru is sent to the side-chain of gate rather than
a compressor. A sub-har onic freq ency is the sent to the

02

04

06

gates a dio i ut, which ca be tu ed to he key of the

song, or to add dept to the f n amen al of t e kick. Now
whe t e kick drum crosses the gate thres o he g te wi l
open, letting he sub-har o ic s ne wave thr ug , n then
close again once t e kick drops bel w t e thres ld,
e sur ng he sub-h rmo ies a e only prese t at t e sa e
t me as he kic drum.
By c refully setti g the att ck, o /hys ere is a d
release controls o
e te it possible to s pe the
a plitude vel e of t e sin wave to lose y res
le

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MT

Contemporary Production Techn ques

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that of a kick. Fast attack and slightly slower releases will

produce the most natural sounds, altho gh if you set the
attack too fast you will create a high-frequency ticking
sound as it opens, which may or may not be useful in
accenting the kick rum.
This same rick can be use o toms and, by substitut ng
a p nk noise waveform for the sine wave, it can be used on
snares too. It can also be used to create n automated
gating effect on other instrume ts. Try gati g a synth or
v ca part to tr gger of the i-ha rhyt m. The extures tha

you can create wit t ese sounds can e qu te i teresting,

and dont always eed the orig nal sound to be prese t in
t e x. Usi g e h - at to trigger a gate o a syn h, for
example, can e sed to replace e h - at at ern en i ely,
or as s bsti ute for i in di fere t secti of e song.
T s ef ec is oft easi r to produ e, n
o na u al
so din tha si g patte n sequence , r
oma ion
cont l a ga e. e ave recorded tap i g on
esk
se s
a trig er o a ga e o
a
ccas ons, owin t e des
ta p ng cha el w l ever eac t e al m i se . MT

MT Step-by-Step Beefing it up with a sine

Add a new mono Aux channel next to your kick, and add an
instance of (in Pro Tools) Signal Generator followed by Dynamics
III Expander/Gate.

02

Set the Signal Generator to a sub-harmonic sine wave.You can

tune this to your track, but is best around the 30-50 z range.

Similar to the side-chain compression earlier, set your dynamics

gate to key from the kick SC channel and enable the side-chain.

04

We want to completely gate the signal when the kick isnt

triggering it, so set the Range to f ll (-80dB) and the ra io to 100:1

01

03

Set the threshold to trigger only on the peaks of the kick, so that
the gate isnt open for very long.This enables us to better shape
he sub ick with the attack and release.

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Finally, when setting the attack and release were controlling the
speed at which the gate opens and closes, allowing the sine
wave through in response to the kick.Th s shapes the envelope of our
new sub kick.

06

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WorldMags.net

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MT Technique Advanced MIDI editing in Logic

WorldMags.net
Powered by

Logic Pro X Become a Logic Power User

AdvancedMIDI
editinginLogic
Power
Series
Pt. 10

Logics heritage as a MIDI sequencer really shines when it comes to adopting a speedier
and more creative approach to editing MIDI data. Mark Cousins takes note

ne of the key skills of producing music in the

virtual domain is MIDI editing: rening the
all-important musical data used to drive the
virtual instruments in your Logic project. All too
often, though, its easy to overlook the ability to
edit and rene MIDI data to be distracted by an alltogether more alluring world of instrument plug-ins and
effects but in truth, the way that you handle and
manipulate MIDI data can be as creative as any part of the
production process. Handling MIDI data in a uid way, and
understanding the myriad of creative possibilities that can
be applied to it, can transform your music in a profound way.

On the disc
Accompanying
project file included
on the VD

Its easytobedistractedby
alluringplug-ins,butediting
MIDIisacreativeprocess

menu-driven ways that Logic can transform your MIDI data,

often applying a process that could take an eternity to carry
out by hand. Ultimately, the combination of improved note
selection, along with some handy menu-driven
transformations gives you more freedom to be creative with
your MIDI data, whether youre editing a complex drum
pattern, moving different musical lines around a virtual
orchestra or using controller data to make your music more
dynamic. Enjoy the tutorial! MT
This tutorial is endorsed by Point Blank Music School which
specialises in courses on production, sound engineering, the
music business, singing, radio production, DJ skills and lm
production, all run by top British music producers and media
professionals, with regular visits from legends in music and
media. www.pointblanklondon.com

Rather than exploring Logics MIDI editing features in a

laboured way, weve decided to take a look at a variety of
techniques and possibilities with MIDI editing that might
suggest new ways of working, or a more balanced use of all
Logics features. At rst, we explore the link between the
Inspector and the Piano Roll editor, two of the primary
means of editing MIDI data in Logic, as well as seeing the
potential importance of normalizing some of your edits
along the way.
One of the key overarching themes in this workshop is
the idea of intelligent selection selecting multiple MIDI
notes using a few simple keyboard shortcuts rather than
highlighting them on a note-by-note basis. With many MIDI
performances often containing tens, or even hundreds of
notes, its often the speed and efciency that you select
notes that can make a real difference to how quickly your
MIDI edits are applied.
Beyond note selection, we also look some unique

FOCUS ON SCALE QUANTIZING

One of the more intriguing elements of the Piano Roll editor is Scale Quantize,which
works as a form of pitch-correction tool on MIDI information.Selected notes can be set
to a user-dene scale like Major or Natural Minor as well as a chosen key.One
immediately-interesting application is to use o e of the more unusual scale types like
South-East Asian or Dorian to see how it transforms your music.Another possib lity
worth exploring is the combinat on of MIDI Transforms Ra dom Pitch combined wit
Scale Correction,which transforms an otherwise atona collection of random notes into
something that could be considered music.

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Advanced MIDI editing in Logic Technique MT

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MT Step-by-Step Improved Drum Editing

In this rst example were going to explore some possibilities

with editing drums, starting with the hi-hat pattern.The
Inspector is often the rst port of call with many MIDI edits in this
case, applying a straight 1/16th quantize and xing the dynamics
using the extended region parameters as part of the oating region
inspector, alt + R - so that the velocity is at.

Editing between the Inspector and the Piano Roll editor can get a
bit complicated when youre moving between the two layers of
editing, so its often useful to normalize the region parameters, making
the region edits permanent. Ctrl click on the region and from the MIDI
sub menu select Normalize Region Parameters.The quantize and
dynamics changes are now hard-written.

One of the key ideas behind more efcient MIDI editing is the
idea of intelligent selection. One of the best examples is arguably
the menu option Select > Same Subposition, or Shift + P. In the case of
the hi-hat we can select the accents for one bar, then initiate the Same
Subposition command to have Logic select the remaining bars.

With the notes selected, we can now use the Velocity slider as
part of the Piano Rolls local inspector to increase or decrease
their relative level. If we want to adjust the level of the other notes in
the pattern we can use the Invert Selection function Shift + I to
shift our current selection accordingly.

If youre working between multiple regions, its worth

remembering the Set Note Color function as part of the Piano
Roll editor. In this example, try selecting all the drum-based regions
and then open the Piano Roll editor. Now switch the colour setting
using the menu option View > Set Note Color > By Region Color.

Another useful tool for MIDI drum editing is the Nudge feature,
which enables you incrementally shift the position of one or more
notes using the left and right arrow keys in conjunction with the Alt
modier.Youll need to set the nudge value (Move > Set Nudge Value to
> Division) to ensure its set to a division for 1/16th movements.

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MT Technique Advanced MIDI editing in Logic

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MT Step-by-Step Dealing with MIDI chords

The next few examples explore some interesting techniques in

relatio to worki g w th chords. One really useful tool in this
context is the Force Legato feature, found under Trim > Note End to
Following Notes (Shift + \).Try t is on the Cinemati Stri gs regio and
see how the note length is change to make a smoo h tra sition.

One useful skill with chord sequences is the ability to split-out

the notes to different instruments in this case, doubling the
bottom two notes on clarinet and the top note on ute.To start, copy
the strings to the c arinet, open the region and use the menu option
Select > Highest Notes (Shift + Up Arrow).

With the top notes selected, press mute (Ctrl + M) to silence

them. Copy the region over to the ute, selected the muted notes
(Shift + M), un-mute, Invert the selection (Shift + I) and then mute.
While this seems complicated, it actually ill strates how a few simple
key presses can transform your MIDI Data.

An interesting alterative to the technique described here is the

menu option Functions > Set MIDI Channel to Voice Number,
whic divides a chord between a series of MIDI channels.This is we l
worth do ng with the View > Set Note Co or > By MIDI Channe enabled,
so that you can see the MIDI assignment by colour.

Try applying the Set MIDI Channel to Voice Number function on

the Hammond track. In this case, the notes end up being divided
among the t ree differe t organ manuals (Upper, Pedals and Lower).
You can achieve some interesting effects chang ng t e drawbar set i g
between the three man als, colouring each part of the chord in a
differen way.

If youre intending you use your separated note data with other
virtual instruments, it might be worth using the contextual menu
item MIDI > Separate by MIDI Channel. Once applied, your original
sequence data will be split into three reg ons, one for each voice of the
chord, each of wh ch can be mapped to a separate virtual nstrument.

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MT Technique Advanced MIDI editing in Logic

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MT Step-by-Step Getting creative controller data and beyond

The MIDI Draw area at the bottom of the Piano Roll editor is
where you can access the MIDI controller data and, of course,
MIDI velocity settings.This view is particularly useful if you use the
note data by Region Colour view, although its also handy in that you
get a detailed overview of the respective velocity level between notes.

Using the drop-down menu in the local inspector, you move

between any one of the 127 assignable MIDI controllers. Working
with the synth bass track, for example, we can use the modulation to
controller the lter cutoff. Use either the pointer tool to add new nodes
or the pencil tool to draw freehand.

One of the key points to note about the MIDI Draw area is that you
can access the same information at arrange-level. From the
Tracks Area, use the local menu item View > MIDI Draw > Modulation.
You should now see controller data directly from the arrangement,
although youll need to make sure the vertical scaling is suitably large.

When it comes to modifying MIDI data, theres a host of

possibilities to be found under the Functions menu in the Piano
Roll editor, especially under the MIDI Transform sub-menu. Whenever
you apply a transform, Logic will take you through to MIDI Transform
dialogue. Click on Select and Operate to initiate the transform.

Working with the Synth Bass part, theres a number of interesting

transforms we can apply. Fixed Note Length adds a more
machine-like feel to the sequence, especially if we then reduce the
note length by half (effectively creating notes 1/32nd in duration). Also
try Random Velocity as this is mapped through to the Filter.

Going back to the drums, one of my favourite MIDI transforms is

the Humanize option, which adds small amounts time drift and
velocity randomisation to mimic the style of a human performance.
The great thing here is that you can add Humanize progressively
making the performance looser each time.

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MT Technique Mixing tools and techniques

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Ableton Live Become a Live Power User

Mixingtools
andtechniques
Power
Series
Part 10

When it comes to mixing, Live offers both classic and contemporary mixing
tools for a variety of sonic options. Liam OMullane walks you through his
main choices of devices and editing tools to make your mixes shine

ixing is a process that can happen in one or

two stages of the music production process.
The rst stage is creative and composition
based, where people may mix as they go.
Here theyll solely concentrate on mixing as
the track comes together with possibly a separate
tweaking stage at the end.
The second stage is after the composition is complete
and sounds are in place, to then mix with a subjective
outlook. Some people will ignore major mix decisions until
this stage as it gives them the most mix options as
possible while they only have their mix engineering hats on.

On the disc
Accompanying
project file included
on the VD

Itisagoodideatotryand
separateyourmixingstage
fromyourcreativestage
Although mixing has creative sound design aspects, it also
has many practical tasks and assessments that need to be
carried out. With your creative hat on, you can nd this
difcult to do, so if you stop to take care of these matters,
it can have a negative affect on your creative workow. So

FOCUS ON EXPANDING YOUR GO O TOOLS

The library of audio effects in Lives browser offers a good range of funct onal and
creative mixing tools to choose from.EQ Eight and Compressor/Glue Compressor are
the most obvious choices for frequency and dynamics control,but there are many
other devices w ich are worth exploring for frequent mixing tasks.
Alt ough you can use a low- and igh-cut EQ to bracket a sounds frequency range
using an EQ Eight,a Cabinet dev ce can ac ieve a similar effect with much more added
character.This is partially due to its narrower frequency bandwidth that creates a
telep one ike effect.But this ca be balanced wit t e orig nal s gnal using the dry/
we control to return a sense of delity.The ra ge of the bandwidt estric ion,or
brac et, s selecte through the spea er setting.Transient smear ng is at its mos
affect ve when you se ect a dyna ic mic from t e micropho e
list and exp ore its posit o .
Cabi et ad s a element o
ynamic control as part of its
processing as wel ,bu other
options ike Saturator and Dyna ic
Tube ev ces can do this w i e
of eri g a di feren character. se a
careful balance o drive and out ut
you can eit er go for a
ully-processe an clipped soun ,
or balance t e dry/wet amount or a
balance o t e origina signa to re a n
some ynamics.
Re uxs Bit Reduct o ca be used
to red ce a soun s ynamic range,but it wi l

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there is a good reason to separate these two mixing

processes if you can.
To help commit to this separation, its worth rendering
out all of your tracks to new audio. This helps you decide
when youre truly ready to mix, while also removing the
temptation to tamper with compositional aspects during
the mixing stage. Rendering out your audio also frees up
computer resources which means more processing power
for plug-ins. Finally, if you intend to send your work out to
be mixed by an engineer, this process will create les that
they can use.
To export your projects tracks to new individual audio
les, highlight the duration of the whole song and then
select Export Audio/Video from the File menu. This opens
up a large range of options and we recommend you remain
at Lives native bit-depth of 32-bits, and stay at the same
sample rate youre working at. The sample rate youre
currently using is signied by having a small speaker icon
next to it. The only other option that needs conguring for
this task is the Rendered Track menu (all other options
should be disabled). Select Individual Tracks for rendering
and then select a new, clean, mix project folder to put
them in after clicking the Export button. You will now have
a new le for every track which can be imported into a new
project. Until next time, happy mixing MT

create a dir ,lo- c aracteristic.T is ca be usef l or g v ng o e or wo sounds

disti ct to e of the r own i the ix.Harmonics can also be intro uced usi g
Downsample when set o se ts Sof mode.Use a very s all amount to ntroduce a
gl ss so nding top-en for d l sou ds.
Wh tever tool end up e ng your favo rites,save some time nd c eate a
efa lt processing c a n by Rig PC] / Ctr Mac] + c i i g o a tracks name. ere
you can save de u open ng state or future e
IDI or a di tr c s.A ter loa i g
in yo r pre erred m x-too s o track,se ec S v As De u
IDI or A io ra
respe t vely. o al new trac s wi l e reated wit t is chai of
ev ce pre- oaded.

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Mixing tools and techniques Technique MT

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MT Step-by-Step Processing, side-chaining and automation

Although Lives Compressor Device is perfectly functional, Glue

Compressor can be used to add some character for dynamic
processing. Glue is a great channel, group and mix buss compressor
with its SSL-like smoothing effect. Enable the Soft Clip function and
explore driving the signal using the Makeup gain for a hot sound.You
can always then use the dry/wet dial to make this a parallel effect.

If you need to remove unwanted sounds, try editing the unwanted

portions out rather than using a gate device.This offers a higher
level of individual control to tidy up audio over a more set and forget
approach used with a gate. After highlighting the portions you dont
want, delete them, then select Show Fades from the Create menu.You
can now drag these start and end fades to suit each audio event.

As compression is the process of level control, you can also

control dynamics using Lives editing functions.You can automate
volume, but this limits you for making level adjustments down the line.
Instead, add a Utility Device at the end of the Tracks processing chain,
then automate its gain parameter. For more natural automation
changes, hit Alt on automation lines to drag and create curves.

Use an EQ Eight before any processing to remove unwanted

frequencies. Add another at the end of the chain for re-balancing
the frequency curve of a sound. Check unnecessary bottom-end that
needs removing using the analyser on the rst EQ.The second EQs
analyser monitors how your processing is affecting the frequency
content useful when trying to ll out holes in your mix.

Many devices have the ability to be side-chained, so respond to

the amplitude levels of an external signal. Most people only use
these on single or grouped sounds, overlooking the option to
dynamically control ambience effects.Try adding a compressor to
each Return Track and set them to take Audio From the drum group.
This make your mix move with a pumping, rhythmic sound.

Those with Live Suite can get creative with side-chaining using
its Max For Live based Envelope Follower. Place this on the track
to be the source sound for side-chaining, then click map before
clicking a parameter you wish to control.This moves in time with the
audio events on the track with the device on. Use a multimap device to
multiply and started mapping this source to various destinations.

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Mixing tools and techniques Technique MT

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MT Step-by-Step Advanced and unique processing

An Overdrive device is useful for thickening up the harmonic

content of a sound. First, nd the right frequency area and width
of focus using the devices bandpass lter.Then control the density of
distortion using drive and its brightness using tone. Finally, compress
the signal as required using the dynamic amount, then dry/wet can
blend the processed signal to taste.

Another option for thickening up specic frequencies is the Vinyl

Distortion Device.The tracing model graph can be used in much
the same way as the bandpass lter on an overdrive device. Its the
pinch graph below where things get interesting as harmonics are
distributed across the stereo plane, making it useful for also
enhancing its stereo width.

We discussed setting up mid and side processing using Audio

Racks in Part 5 of this series.This simple process lets you add
different processing to the middle (mono) and sides (stereo difference)
for a higher level of control.To get used to how these sound, after
setting-up, solo each one and play with their respective balance to
hear which part of the sound each chain represents.

If you have a stereo signal, a good way to enhance how stereo it

sounds is to compress both the mid and sides of the signal
separately.This way you can reduce the dynamic range of the sides so
the stereo aspect of the signal is more consistent in volume. Raising the
level of the sides will then make the sound more stereo than mono.

Another good place to consider processing mid and side signals

on their own is for ambience effects.Try using a different reverb
device, or Max For Live Convolution Reverb on each signal with unique
settings.This creates a much deeper and engaging ambience
soundeld. A shorter decay time on the middle and longer on the side
works well for an enhanced sense of stereo spread.

Lives Vocoder device can function as a noise based exciter. With

the carrier set to noise, the reverb-like noise effect can have its
decay time altered using the release value. After setting the device to
40 Bands for the best delity along with a maximum frequency range,
explore the depth and formant controls to tune its noise to best suit the
source sound and EQ it to taste drawing into the lter bank.

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MT Technique Routing hardware and software into Cubase

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Cubase Become a Cubase Powe User

Routinghardwar
&softwareintoCubase
Power
Ser es
Pt. 10

With more new hardware coming out and lots of classic hardware available Tim Hallas
looks at how your DAW can become the perfect hardware/software environment

hen working with Cubase, one of the biggest

problems that I come across, particularly when
working on the older versions I nd in schools,
is that the variety of sounds was not always as
comparable with other DAWs. Now were in version 7.5, the
selection is much greater, but as musicians we are always
looking for the most appropriate sounds available rather
than just settling for what is available.

On the disc
Accompanying
project file included
on the VD

Developersmaythinkyoucan
doitallintheboxbuttheres alot
ofhardwaretotemptyouout
I am a bit of a gear-head and have in my studio a
number of very nice external MIDI devices from the true
analogue of my Moog Little Phatty to the most digital and
modern sounds of my Roland V-Synth via a whole stack of
drum machines and other gadgets I rarely use. They all have
their appeal and I use the appropriate one at the
appropriate time. So, although
Cubase does now have a
range of decent sounds
within the MediaBay, this
month we will be looking

at how to incorporate sounds from external devices into

projects via MIDI and how to capture the audio back in.
As well as using external devices, many users of Cubase
may well be familiar with linking the software to other
programs through the ReWire protocol. Both Reason and
Live work with ReWire and can be controlled by a master
DAW and in this article we look at how to set this up within
Cubase. (Hollin or Liam will be able to write in more detail
about the Reason or Live side of the protocol, but for now I
will focus on the Cubase side.)
The need to link the software to these external devices
and pieces of software is less common now that all of the
major DAWs are trying to make their programs all-in-one
boxes. However, while they try and do that, theres been a
growing number of hardware releases over recent years to
tempt us back to the outside so it is still important that we
understand how to use these features in the software. And
you never know when youll want that old rack synth in the
loft back in your set-up, so heres how to best marry
hardware and software and also to ReWire
other software into Cubase. MT

DEVICESETUP
I have noticed an unfortunate
habit within certain devices that
feature USB MIDI as part of their
setup of also grabbing the audio
output as well.My Little Phatty
is gui ty of th s,and no matter
what I do, cant get it to allow
audio from both computer and
synth to play at once via in-buil
USB.The only way I have got
round this is by using traditional
5-pin DIN M DI connections.
These ight seem antiquated,
but actua ly using a MIDI hub
such as my old M-Audio 8x8
MIDISport a lows me to connect
multiple devices with very litt e
prob em and o ogging of
audio parameters at the same
time as the ealing w th all that
important IDI data.I hen
capture the audio as described
above with no problem.

58 | June 2014

MAGAZINE

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Routing hardware and software into Cubase Technique

WorldMags.net
MT Step-by-Step Reaching outside of the box

To begin routing MIDI information to an external MIDI track, you

need to have a true MIDI track rather than a Software Instrument
track. Load one of these by selecting Project> Add Track> MIDI.This will
bring up a dialogue box to choose how many tracks you want.These
are different to Instrument tracks as Instrument tracks are more of a
hybrid MIDI/Audio track.

Once your track is loaded you need to route it to the external

device that it will be controlling.They can be found in the
drop- down box in the Channel Inspector panel on the left hand side.
Once the output is selected, choose which MIDI channel you want to
output on from 1 to 16 so that there is no muddled MIDI data
between tracks.

At this stage your external device should be receiving MIDI data,

and assuming it is connected to an amplier of some variety, it
should be making sound.You can now provide it with any MIDI data that
a software instrument would receive, including note data and
automation via Continuous Controller information.

If you are integrating the sounds generated into a project that is

running audio and other devices, there needs to be some way of
collating all of these sounds which traditionally would have been
done via a mixer and we can do the same in Cubase via the
MixConsole and Arrange window in the software by taking an audio
feed into the computer.

By adding an audio track into the Arrange window (Project> Add

Track> Audio) and routing the input from your interface to that
channel you can capture the audio. Connect the output of your external
device to the audio input and simply hit record.The computer will send
the output of the MIDI to the device and then capture the audio as it is
recorded back in.

There is potential that this capture might be minutely behind

the project, but I have never noticed it enough to be a problem. If
you want to adjust it within the Arrange window, re-align the captured
audio with the beat or the original MIDI data until it is back in time with
the project.

01

03

05

02

04

06

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MAGAZINE June

2014 | 59

MT Technique Routing hardware and software into Cubase

WorldMags.net

MT Step-by-Step Reaching other software via ReWire

The ReWire protocol is a temperamental beast and requires the

software to be opened up in the correct order. Start by opening
Cubase, but not opening a project.Then open Reason (or other
software) and it should say ReWire Slave Mode as the audio device.
Open your Reason project and then the Cubase project to makes sure
that all the conduits link correctly between the pieces of software.

When working with ReWire, although the whole process remains

within the box rather than leaving the computer as it does with
an external MIDI device, we still need to use a MIDI track rather than an
Instrument track. So start by creating one in Cubase by following the
instructions above but dont yet route to the output or channel.

For this I shall be describing working with Reason, but it works

similarly in other ReWire slaves. At this point there will be no
sound, as although you have the software link, it is not yet turned on to
allow sound through. By selecting Devices> *device* Rewire this opens
up a dialogue box to select all the outputs available Ill come to this
shortly. Start with L+R mix.

You now need to assign tracks to instruments between the

pieces of software start by selecting the sound source you
want to use in the slave and setting up the instrument.Then in Cubase,
the instrument you have just loaded will appear as a device in the
external MIDI tracks available.You can now play and record the MIDI
data between Cubase and the slave.

If you then want to import the information back into Cubase, it is

easier than with external MIDI devices as it can be done inside
the box. Decide how you want to capture the audio, either as mix or
individual parts for further processing. If the former, export the audio
from the ReWire program or by soloing the ReWire mix in Cubase and
exporting that and then re-import it into Cubase onto an audio track.

If you want to capture individual sounds, route the outputs of

each instrument in Reason into channels on the Hardware
Interface.Then in Cubase go back in the Reason ReWire box and turn
on those channels that have instruments connected to them.Then
within the Arrange window, solo that individual track and export the
audio and then repeat the process of export and import above.

01

03

05

60 | June 2014

MAGAZINE

02

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MTReviews Elektron Analog Keys

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MTReviews
Hardware

Software

Mobile Technology

Samples

ELEKTRON

Analog Keys
With more performance features than a circus, Analog Keys is aimed at everyone from live
players to analogue bofns. But does it spread itself to thinly? Andy Jones is on the keys
Details
Price 1,449
Contact Elektron
+46 317 437 440
Web
www.elektron.se

64 | June 2014

e love Elektron lets get

that out of the way.The
company does things its
way and doesnt really
seem to care what anyone thinks. It
produces great hardware beat and
synth machines which are, as Stella
Artois would say, reassuringly
expensive.Too expensive? you might
say, but Im a rm believer that every
industry needs something that you can
aspire to buy. Not that Elektron is in the
supercar league where no-one can
afford the gear, but it is set in a strata
where you have to be serious about
what you are doing in order to consider
buying it, which means in an
admittedly snobby way no riff-raff
here, so consequently you wont nd
Elektron sounds everywhere.
Which is good.
Having said that, the gear really
does have to deliver the goods for the
money being asked for it, and in the
Machinedrum, the Monomachine, the
Analog Four (on which this unit is
based, and reviewed back in April 2013
indeed for more on this synths
architecture read that review) and the
Octatrack, its a case of so far, so great.
They do what you want and a whole lot
more, but they do cost
MAGAZINE

Analog Keys is a four-part analogue

synth with digital control, effects, a step
sequencer, a 37-note semi-weighted
keyboard, MIDI control capabilities plus
some neat sound-morphing by way of a
joystick. In fact, it is lled with features
for the composer and performer but,
more interestingly for the studio user, is
its forthcoming Overbridge feature.
This will enable the synth to be seen
as a virtual synth within your DAW, thus
offering the best in hardware combined
with the ease of use of a software
instrument. It will be one of the rst
analogue synths to be able to sit within
a DAW environment like this, but note
that I have said will twice as,
unfortunately, this promised feature will
not be with us until Q4 this year. When it
does come out, though, it will also bring
full, bi-directional USB audio and total
recall of the analogue parameters.
Great stuff, but as I write this were only
just in Q2, so we have a while to wait

Front panel
Because this analogue synth is digitally
controllable and comes packed with
features that you wont nd on a
standard analogue synth, dont expect a
standard front panel.There are rotaries
(10, far right) for controlling parameters,

WorldMags.net

for sure, but they can control multiple

parameters. The panel is set up with an
emphasis on the on-board sequencer
with its four selectable tracks on the far
left (plus effect and CV/gate tracks) and
16 trigger buttons in a row along the
bottom near the keyboard. The keys
above are used to select patterns or
sounds from potentially 4,000+ on offer.

Architecture
The manual, then, goes straight into the
data architecture of the synth so its
worth a quick run down of how it works.
You start with the basic sound, and
four of these make a Kit (including
effects and CV settings). A Pattern is a
sequence of note data as you might
expect and you can have 128 of these
available across eight banks (16 in
each). A Chain stay with us is a
sequence of patterns; 64 of these are
available which then go to build up
Songs. Finally a Project is the whole
thing including up to 128 Patterns and
Kits; 16 songs, four Global settings and
the 128 sounds in the sound pool. If this
all sounds over the top, maybe it is, but
when was Elektron ever going to do
anything by the book?
For now, just get your head around
the fact that there are tons of building

Elektron Analog Keys Reviews MT

WorldMags.net
Alternatives
For an analogue synth sound there are literally hundreds of
options available,so Ill just go through a couple that Ive reviewed.
These are the Novation BassStation II (399) which is surprisingly exible,
great fun and veers very much towards a classic acid sound.The Moog Sub Phatty
(849) has an incredibly-rich tone but can also be very contemporary in its outlook indeed
many of its (only) 16 presets seem made for modern dance music.Both are only monotimbral and
monophonic.The Nord Lead 4 (1549) has lots of sy thesis types (including a virtual analogue).It
isnt true analogue but I mention it as it sits in a similar price point,and is four part multitimbral (like
the Analog Keys).It comes with a rich choice of performance options which I think are better
implemented too.It doesnt sound as analogue but you get more polyphony (20 notes).

blocks here for song creation and for

getting ideas down. Sounds combine
with Kits (effectively multi set-ups) to
make Patterns to make Songs and
Projects may contain multiple ideas
and Songs (up to 16). Its just a different
way of thinking for the traditional DAW
user basically you can do everything
you need to do within one box, its just
that box is not a computer. And, by and
large, as well as an ideas generator, this
structure is aimed at the performer.

Sounds
As the sounds are at the very core of
the architecture, its time to spend
some time stepping through them.This
is best done by loading in a Kit of four
sounds. You can select the Track
number, one to four on the left, to play
the sounds that make up the Kit, and
then use the Sound Selection dial on
each part to change the sound that
makes up the Kit. Its also worth having
some Patterns ready to trigger as you
audition the sounds as these are linked
to the Kits so when you change the
sounds within a Kit, the Pattern will
simply play these new sounds in place
of the old so you can audition the
sounds in context.
As you go through the sounds it
feels a bit random, at rst.There arent
that many large groups by sound type
(although you can search by sound type
to get them clustered together) so its
all a bit surprising, but I actually like
that. Who wants to delve through
500 bass sounds in one

go? So you go from incredible Vangelis

-type pads with one preset to attempts
at English trumpets the next.The
former is brilliant, the latter please
stop doing brass on synths synths
should be used to make new sounds!
Having said that, there is a delicate
English Horn preset that demonstrated
enough subtlety to be very inspiring

and can say that the arse on this fella is

easily as big.
Theres plenty of lo- effect type
presets to dig into too. Later in bank B
there are all sorts of alien-like textures,
plenty of bizarre movement and loads
of depth. Indeed, with some of the
sounds the combination of great preset
with effects often meant I thought I was
playing a multitimbral performance
rather than a single preset sound.
From the literature, I (mis)
understood that there were supposed
to be 4,000+ sounds in the Drive Sound
Library. However that is not the case.
There are 256 each in banks A and B
and the rest, in banks C to P are empty
slots for you to ll. A little disappointing
but Im not complaining too much. Less

Youcandoeverythingyou
wantinthebox,its justthat
boxisnotacomputer
indeed. This synth sounds best off road.
Indeed, the sounds that really work
well are the more fantastical ones: the
pads, the dirty rhythmic ones and the
sequenced ones. These not only show
off the power of the analogue engine
but how dramatic the effects can be.
Theres some pure joy to be had dialling
up the Vangelis-a-like pad, the dirty,
quirky Hatcher2; and the other-worldly
Kraksong. Basses too are full, large and
beefy. Ive had the pleasure of reviewing
a couple of big-bottomed synths over
the last year in the form of the
Novation Bass Station 2 and
Moog Sub Phatty

KeyFeatures
O 4 voice 2
analogue
oscillators per
voice
O 2 analogue
filters per voice
O 1 analogue
overdrive circuit
per voice
O 37 key
semi-weighted
keyboard with
aftertouch
O Up to 4096
Sounds +drive
storage
O Dedicated MIDI
controller mode
O Step sequencer
with parameter
locks
O Dedicated
CV/Gate and FX
sequencer tracks
O Reverb, delay,
chorus send FX
O Connections:
headphone, 2
x main outs, 4 x
stereo outs, 2 x
external ins, 2
x dual CV/Gate
outs. USB 2.0

is more when you have this high a

quality engine and set of presets.
Which is where my albeit small
problem lies. Analog Keys is often about
performance, sure, and all about
building blocks as a scratch pad
composer. Im not a live performer but
can see that there are oodles of
features for the player. I dont think they
are particularly well implemented in all

We love the Elektron design ethos.The

company designed an analogue synth but made
it look incredibly modern not retro at a l and it
ts in well with the companys other products.

WorldMags.net

MAGAZINE June 2014

| 65

MT Reviews Elektron Analog Keys

WorldMags.net

MT Navigation Analog Keys front panel

SOUND
MORPHING
We didnt have
time to touch
upon this much in
the review but
use this joystick
to morph
between sounds.
Its a feature
weve loved since
owning a
Yamaha SY22
back in the day!

ROTARIES
While these
arent tied to any
particular
parameter, they do
tend to edit the
most common
parameters, so
when a sound is
d alled up you will
usually nd they
allow you access to
the parts you want
to edit.

b TRIGGER
KEYS
These are used for
step sequencing
and real-time
sequencing so, as
the patterns cycle
around, you can
program them.
They are also
used to select
sounds and
patterns.

d
GLOBAL
The layers
within Analog Keys
may be a little
confusing at rst,
but heres where you
select them
(includ ng Kit,
Pattern, Song and
Track).

Give me that update! In six months

time this could well be the synth Ive been
waiting all of my life for

inputs for routing external signals i to the Analog Keys MIDI In /Thru/Out; and a comprehe s ve CV/Gate section. Flexible!

cases. To play a Pattern, for example,

you have to hit two keys simultaneously
and then another to choose the pattern
and then hit play. Why not use the big
dial to do this instead? Turn dial, click,
simple. And the Sound section has
Sound Manager and Sound Browser
options that essentially do the same
thing. So some things are dead
straightforward while others
unnecessarily complicated.
Its almost like two people have
come at this from completely different
drawing boards and both met half way.
Method Spot
Creating patterns is relatively easy on the
Analog Keys. You can use Grid Recording
whereby you switch on or off one of the 16 Trig
buttons as it cycles (like step recording) to
input notes or parameters, or Live Recording
where you play i real time as the pattern
cycles aroun . The rst is better for easier
input and accuracy and its also easy to c ange
soun as you program away. This is real y the
guts of the Analog Keys a d you s ould give it
a go to hear the potential.

66 | June 2014

MAGAZINE

Do we want a great sounding 4-part

analogue synth with digital control? Or
do we want a great performance synth?
Theyve opted for both, but I think one
design occasionally gets in the way of
the other.
Which means that the bits that I
absolutely love and I really do i.e. the
synth engine and the noises it makes,
are almost hidden behind the bluster of
various performance modes and
complexity. OK Ive admitted Im no
performer so would rather use this
within my DAW set-up, probably
ignoring most of the machines
potential. But as I said at the start of
this review, there is more to come in six
months time: a software update that
will make this unique: an analogue
synth which you can control like a VST,
with USB audio. Now thats a synth that
Ive been waiting for
So, live performers? This is a synth
for you. Scratch-pad hardware
sequencer people? Likewise. But expect

WorldMags.net

a steep learning curve because Analog

Keys is typical Elektron. They dont
make it easy or cheap, but if you have
the cash and are prepared to invest
time then you will reap more rewards
with this than any other piece of
hardware. Theyre essentially testing
your mind and your wallet. Can you
pass the nancial and mental test? Are
you good enough to own an Elektron
machine? If Im honest, Im not. Not in its
current incarnation.
Give me the engine and the sounds,
that will do. And give me that update,
because in six months time this could
well be the synth Ive been waiting for
all my life MT

MT Verdict
+ Amazing sound engine
+ Inspiring presets
+ Lovely design (as are all Elektron
machines)
+ Simple track layout makes Kit
editing easy
+ Lots of modulation features
+ In six months time theres a big
update
+ Fantastic effect and CV track
features
- Some ease of use issues
- Over complex architecture
- Big update in six months time
Its almost a machine that does too
much, but concentrate on one thing
at a time and youll reap rewards,
and in Q4 of this year, this could
well be THE synth to own.

8/10

WorldMags.net

WorldMags.net

MTReviews Nord Lead A1

WorldMags.net

NORD

Choice

Edit
Ed
itor
tor
ors
s Ch
Choiice
ce

/1

Lead A1

TheLeadA1isanaccessibleanalogue-modellingsynth,butNord
hasalsounleashedacreativemonster,asAndy Jones discovers
Details
Price 1,249 (Lead
A1R will cost 1,049
and ships end May)
Contact Sound
Technology
01462 480000
Web www.
nordkeyboards.com

KeyFeatures
O 4-part multitimbral
O 26 voices of
polyphony
O Programs: 8x50,
performances:
4x50
O 8 oscillator
configurations
O Analogue
and digital
waveforms
O LFO with 5
waveforms
O 12, 24 dB lowpass, high-pass
and band-pass
filters
O Filter
simulations of
ini and TB-303
O Effects:
ensemble,
chorus, phaser,
flanger, ring
modulator, drive
O USB MIDI
O Four outputs;
pan on front
panel

68 | June 2014

ot long after the release of

the Nord Lead 4 (reviewed in
MT128) the Nord Lead A1
was announced to some
surprise at the Winter NAMM show.
With the name and the simplied front
panel it denitely seemed to be pushing
the analogue-modelling side of things
so lets look at the concept
The A1 is designed as an analoguemodelling synth, yes, but theres more to
it than that.The interface is streamlined
to allow for fast-track programming in
that it moves away from the slightly
more complex architecture of the Lead 4
and straight into the bare bones of
analogue programming. (Not that I
thought the 4 was particularly tough to
master indeed, I thought many of its
hands-on performance features were
out of this world. See my review at www.
musictech.net).
The A1s design comes from the fact
that people wanted something to
program quickly and effectively. But
dont think cut down as, if anything, the
synthesis engine is supposedly more
analogue-sounding than that on the 4,
as it has an all-new core that recreates
a total analog signal path with uncanny
realism and also features some new
and clever tweaks to make things more

interesting and instantly hands on.

The new stuff

The most important of these are what
Nord call Oscillator Conguration
Shortcuts. These are quick ways of
setting up complex oscillator
congurations the heart of your
analogue-modelled sounds. So you get
eight preset variations with many sub
variations all ready to go.
As the building blocks, these are
important so are: Pitch, which simply
adjusts the pitch of oscillator 1; Shape
adds extra wave shaping via the
on-board waveforms (of which there are
47 to choose from); Sync adds a hard
sync by way of the additional oscillator;
Noise adds, you guessed it, noise;
Detune adds the second oscillator; Sub
Mix adds a second with waveform (with
Sine,Tri Saw and Square shape options);
FM adds the classic FM conguration
where osc 1 is the carrier and 2 the
modulator; and nally AM adds amp
modulation by way of osc 2.
Other new features include a Like
feature, that simply allows you to store a
sound you are working on in a

temporary location. Sounds obvious, but

how often have you liked something but
have wanted to move it on to something
else and lost that initial inspirational
sound? Here you keep that rst version
(saved in one of 50 temporary slots) and
simply come back to it later.Theres also
a Multi Focus feature that controls all
four sound slots that make up a
performance so you can, for example,
change all four sounds in real time.
Getting back to the main sonic
architecture, the lter section from the
NL4 is, fortunately, largely retained with
the 12 and 24dB low pass, high pass,
and band pass options; plus the superb
diode and ladder lters (on the NL4)
that emulate those from the Minimoog
and the TB-303 synthesizers; and nally
you get the drive dial for even more dirt.
The A1s LFO has a choice of
waveforms and a 3-stage ADR/ASR
Modulation Envelope and LFO rate can
be syncd to the master clock.Two new
effects ensemble and chorus model
vintage synths like the ARP and Solina.
These are in addition to the reverb,
delay, ring modulation, phaser, anger,
and drive available independently on
each slot on the A1.
So, new features, a lot of retained
features but a whole new engine and
some new effects.Thats got to mean its
time to try those sounds, right? Sort of

OK, lets not

Like the NL4, there are no groups of
sounds found in any particular slots

Looks simple,and small,compared to the

Nord Lead 4,but (not very far) beneath the A1s
front panel lies creative genius

MAGAZINE

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Nord Lead A1 Reviews MT

WorldMags.net
Performancefeatures

its all pretty random.

But what comes across is a set of
preset sounds that is more unied than
those on the NL4; not as varied,
obviously, but a collection that hangs
together better, all around a similar core
engine. Oddly, because they are more
focussed they come across as a little
more useable to me, but I am a fan of
this kind of sound the sound of the
pure synthesizer rather than the type
where you literally get all the bells and
whistles added.Thats not to say its
better than the Nord Lead 4, just more
an expert in one eld rather than
spreading itself over many.

The Nord Lead A1R is,not surprisingly,the rack

version of the A1 and out at the end of May.It
costs a couple of hundred pounds less.

obvious things like dial the lter and

resonance controls (yes, I am using the
303 lter at this point). But the real fun
comes when I switch between the
Oscillator Congurations that prove to
be the A1s secret weapon.Youre not
just changing the sound, sometimes you
are composing as you progress. Switch
between some of the harmonic
waveform variations, for example, and
you nd yourself creating note
sequences which change note as the

Imnotgoingtotalkaboutthe
presets,somethingthats never
happenedbefore
So, right about here, I should detail
those many excellent leads,
arpeggiations, plus the deepest virtual
analogue basses you will ever hear and
all of that amazing analogue movement.

But STOP!
because Im not going to talk about
the presets, and thats never happened
before. What would have been an easy
bit of writing deep basses here,
searing leads there and so on and so
forth is simply not going to happen in
this review.The A1 is virtual analogue,
and its Nord, so you know theyre good
presets, ok? And the truth is the A1 has
them by the bucket load, but its what
you do with them that counts, and
counts more than ever before
As I stepped through each preset,
preparing to describe them for you, I
found myself doing something rather
unusual: programming. And exploring. I
began pressing the hold key, triggering
an arpeggiation and simply dialing dials.
And this is where the A1 turns from your
average preset buster, into what it
should be used for: creation!
So I have a sound playing pretty
much any of the presets on offer. I play
with the lter drive for extra dirt. I then
change the lter type for bite. Everything
is sounding great so far. I then do more

conguration changes. Its hard to

explain but what you end up with are
melodic riffs which change in both note
and timbre all inspiring stuff!
Hit the Osc Contrl dial and you can
make the results scream or become
more mellow. Hit the lter and
resonance again and you have
something altogether more expected,
maybe, but in combination with what
youve just done with the oscillators, you
can get some very different stuff indeed.
Its analogue magic! I urge you just to
play with the dials. Its here that you also
realize why theyve put that Like feature
in youll ll the 50 spaces very quickly.

Conclusion
Which brings me too quickly to the end
with little time spent on the other A1
features. Mutator and Morph are
touched upon in the box above and add
more fun to the sound creation side of
things, and in Performance mode, read
the above and multiply by four!
As to the A1 as a concept, I have to
admit that I was initially a little
confused as to where it ts in. But
ultimately that doesnt really matter as
overall it is simply one of the most
creative synths I have come across
because you get so much instant, easy,
hands-on, real-time and dramatic

The Nord Lead A1 features some great performance aspects that al ow

you to change the sounds in real time by icking the odd switch or mod
wheel.The Morph function,so common on other Nord keyboards,is also
present on the A1.It is great and allows you to control several parameters
a the same time usually by mod w eel or velocity o gradually (or
quic ly) morp a sound.Impu se orph,the more instant,button-pus
variation of t is,available on the Nord Lead 4,is ot included on the A1.
Mutator is on the A1 t ough! This is one of my favo rite features on
the Nord Lead 4 and allows you to instantly progra
ew so nds based
on an original preset.So dial up a sound you like,choose a Process
strengt of betwee 1 a d 5 (5 g v ng you the most dramat c sonic
variation) it Execute and you wi l get a new version of the original soun .
Yo ca continue o create variat ons o t e origina preset nsta tly (or
variat o s of e so nds you crea e fro it r even generate a random
version. ust keep going unti yo get somet ing you ike great fu and
a s perb way of sonica ly exploring without *wh sper* rea ly know ng
what you re doi g.

access to any sound.The oscillator

congurations are a genius way of
changing the whole architecture at the
twist of a dial and, used with the other
controls and Morph feature, are simply
inspiring. I will use the A1 with my DAW
constantly in record mode so I can
revisit whatever I capture to use as
ideas for songs going forward.
So I am genuinely surprised by the
A1. Its come from nowhere a totally
unexpected synth from Nord with one of
the most instant feature sets Ive ever
used. And while its smaller than the
Nord Lead 4 (in physical and sonic
terms) I cant help thinking that its
simplicity, its creativity and its quality
will win it many friends. Nord might have
trouble marketing it, but the A1 stands
on its own, and is my kind of synth, as
you can probably tell. If you have an
analogue heart, hold a note, dial some
dials and after ve minutes, youll be
won over too MT

MT Verdict
+ A creative joy
+ Will turn you into a programmer
+ Loads of great presets
+ but you are not relying on them
+ as its so easy to create your
own sounds
+ A genuine surprise
- Manual not great (tells you to turn
to the page you are already on for
more info!)
- Not immediately obvious where it
sits in the Nord range
- Narrow in focus
- Youll run out of Like spaces
pretty quickly!
A synth that came from nowhere
and is creative, addictive, simple
and a joy to use.The NL4 was
excellent.This is like a best of for
people with valves as organs and
wave-shapes as heartbeats.You
can program a synth.This synth

WorldMags.net

9/10

Alternatives
There are lots of
virtual and proper
analogue synths to
choose from.At the
risk of repeating
myself from the
Elektron review,two
pages ago,at t e
cheap end you have
the monophonic
Novation Bass
Station II (399),
which does
screaming basses
and leads very well
indeed.The
aforementioned
Elektron Analog
Keys shares some
analogue sounds
and performance
aspects but is that
bit pricier and more
complex.You also
have to mention the
Nord Lead 4.You get
bags more sound
types as it veers
away from the pure
analogue,but it
does offer more
variation (for more
cash at 1559).
But none of t ese
w ll put a creative
smile on your face
like the A1.

MAGAZINE June 2014

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WorldMags.net

Flanger & Chorus

Are You Sleek

Enough?

Delay

Shifter

Grains

Reverb

We are Uhbik. We are all-powerful. Stereo & Surround.

Tremolo

Phaser

Filter

Equaliser

Uhbik is a bundle of 9 effect units:A silky-smooth reverb, a tremolo/gater with rhythm and swing, a anger/chorus that
does thru-zero, the deepest ever phaser - and a granular machine that will totally destroy your expectations...

All modulation effects can sync to host tempo, including the frequency shifter - imagine perfectly synced barber-pole
phasing! Then theres a transparent EQ, a rich tape delay, a super crunchy lter.They all sound as great as they look.
Uhbik is the ultimate choice for creative processing, from subtle to spectacular.
Grab the demo for all common plug-in formats and platforms here*:

www.u-he.com
Urs Heckmann - Audio Software
*while youre at it, check out the award winning Zebra,ACE, Filterscape and More Feedback Machine too. Same developer, same website, same fun factor.

WorldMags.net

UAD Apollo Twin Reviews MT

WorldMags.net

MacBook Air have two Thunderbolt

ports so this shouldnt be a problem.
On the rear panel you will nd
Thunderbolt, a power switch and a
locking PSU input which is a nice touch,
plus combo mic/line inputs, stereo
monitor outs, two further line outs and
an optical input. Theres no MIDI
unfortunately though its hard to see
where MIDI ports could have been
placed without making the box larger.
On the front edge is a jack input for
plugging in an instrument and also a
headphone port.
The top surface of the Twin is an
exercise in elegant simplicity, the same
kind of approach that Apogee takes
with its higher-end Mac audio
interfaces. In the centre is a large,
innite level knob which is used to set
the level of whatever parameter is
currently selected. It can also be
pressed to function as a switch to ip
between input channels or to quickly
mute when in monitor mode. On the left
youll see channels 1 and 2 together
with a simple LED level meter and a
switch to toggle between mic and line
inputs for each. A Link button lets you
connect the two to act as a stereo pair.

UNIVERSAL AUDIO

Quick controls

Apollo Twin
Producingmusicinasmallspaceoronthemovedoesntmean
compromisingonquality,asHollinJonesdiscoversafterputting
UADsApolloTwinthroughitspaces

niversal Audio is well known

for its high-end audio
interfaces and range of
DSP-powered audio effects
that model some of the most legendary
hardware processing units ever
produced. Its latest release is the Apollo
Twin, a 2x6 Thunderbolt audio interface
for Mac with on-board processing and
the same top-ight internal electronics
as its bigger brother, the rack
mountable Apollo.The focus here is
more on portability, but without
compromising on quality. Its important
to remember that youre not just buying
I/O here, you get an internal brain as
well in the form of one or two cores for
running the companys plug-ins.

Fit and nish

The Apollo Twin is smaller than you
might imagine but extremely solid and
rather fetching to look at. Finished in

sleek metal, it is extensively ported

underneath and gets warm (though not
especially hot) during use because of
the signicant quantity of electronics
contained within. It connects to your
Mac (Windows is not currently
supported) over a Thunderbolt cable
but this doesnt carry power due to the
complexity of the device, so it must be
powered from the mains via the
bundled adaptor.
You dont get a Thunderbolt cable in
the box which is a bit of a shame. Its
true that they are signicantly more
expensive than USB or FireWire cables
and correspondingly more advanced
and powerful but if you dont already
have one youll have to factor an extra
30 or so in to your purchase price.
Theres only a single Thunderbolt port
on the Twin itself so you wont be able to
daisy chain devices through it, though
all new Macs except the 11-inch

Details
Manufacturer
Universal Audio
Price Apollo Twin Han
Solo: 699 inc VAT
Apollo Twin Dynamic
Duo: 899 inc VAT
Distributor Source
Distribution
Contact
020 8962 5080
Webwww.uaudio.com
System requirements
Mac with Thunderbolt
port
OS X 10.8 or 10.9
2GB disk space
Thunderbolt cable

On the right, a Monitor button lets you

quickly jump between working with the
monitor output and headphone levels
and theres a contextual level meter for
each. Running along the base of the
unit is a row of buttons and in addition
to the Link button already mentioned
you can quickly toggle input selection, a
low cut lter, phantom power, a pad
switch and a polarity switch.The simple
and approachable design workow
makes the hardware a breeze to use,
and even a beginner should be able to
gure out how to connect things quickly
and easily. Internally, the Twin operates
at up to 24-bit, 192kHz and has
premium quality mic / line preamps as
well as Unison technology for modelling
classic tube and transformer-based
mic preamps in software.
In order to get up and running, youll
need to download the UAD installer
appropriate to your version of OS X,
which installs multiple plug-ins, though
youll only be able to use the ones you

HANDSON
By ofoading the processing
requirements of its own effects
onto the DSP hardware in the int
UAD effects without taxing yo r computers own processor.This is
especially useful if you are on a lower or m d range machine, or want to
reserve your native CPU power for ot er instruments and effects, the
vast majority of w ich wil ru off your internal CPU.

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MAGAZINE June 2014

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WorldMags.net

Power tools
for your music
Solidly built, creative, and hands-on. Whatever music you make, an Arturia product will be your creative powerhouse for synth,
control, and beat production. Find out more at arturia.com

BEAT PRODUCTION

Lightning fast, user-friendly beat

production
Fully-loaded with hundreds of
drum
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works standalone or as
aSoftware
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COMPACT CONTROL

Includes Analog Lab software

5000+
editable vintage synth
sounds at your fingertips

16 encoders & velocity sensitive

pads, plus pitch & mod strips

Ultra-affordable & iPad

compatible,
works on Mac or PC

MASTER CONTROL

Includes Analog Lab software

5000+
editable vintage synth
sounds at your fingertips
25, 49 and 61 key versions with
hands-on
software editing control
Rugged construction, built for life
on
the road

ANALOG SYNTHESIS

All-analog heart with a

devastating,
modern-classic tone
Complex oscillator and a truly
outstanding
sounding filter
Pure, hands-on sound creation
no
menus or shared controls

Exclusively distributed in the UK & Ireland by Source www.sourcedistribution.co.uk/arturia T: 020 8962 5080
facebook.com/sourcedistribution

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iPad is a registered trademark of Apple Inc.

twitter.com/sourcedist

UAD Apollo Twin Reviews MT

WorldMags.net
effects since these will also run on the
onboard DSP, so its a relatively
affordable way of getting into that
whole world.

Software control

Apollo Twin comes bundled with UA plug-ins,

so its a cheap way of getting these quality
effects,and they wont add to your CP load.

authorize. The Twin comes with the

Realtime Analog Classics bundle which
includes guitar and bass emulations
from Softube as well as UAs 610 Tube
Preamp and EQ. You also get Legacy
versions of the 1176SE/LN classic
limiting ampliers, Pultec Pro EQs,
Teletronix LA-2A Classic Leveling
Amplier, CS-1 Precision Channel and
Realverb Pro reverb unit. Running on
the Twins own SHARC-based DSP,
these processors provide a great set of
tools for everyday tracking and mixing
applications and theres no noticeable
latency when using them either for
recording or when mixing.
Loaded in your DAW just like regular
plug-ins, they dont tax your computers
CPU and the bandwidth of Thunderbolt
is easily sufcient to re data back and
forth. There are limits, of course, and
some plug-ins use more power than
others, so a list of how many instances
of each plug can be run on the solo or
duo Twin models can be found on UADs
website. Owning the Twin opens the
door to purchasing any of UADs other

As is often the case with smaller

hardware units, its possible to delve
much deeper into routing and
conguration by using a software
console. For the Twin this is a
comprehensive set of tools that work
with the box connected and that
provides a detailed view of exactly
whats going on. It essentially shows you
all the routing and setup options
available at the same time, in a friendly
software window that lets you remote
control the operation of the box.
Inserts can be added, channels
linked, levels set, monitoring controlled
and theres even the option to use aux
and virtual channels. Virtual channels,
of which there are four, let you route
DAW tracks through the console for
more processing and greater exibility.
There are also two independent stereo
Aux busses. In the Console settings you
can congure reference levels, delay
compensation and the sample rate
settings up to 192kHz. Helpfully, you
can easily save setups so its simple to
switch, for example, between a vocal
session preset or a live performance
one. The UAD Meter and Control Panel
app lets you view CPU usage, check for
updates and manage and buy any
plug-ins you choose.

KeyFeatures
O Solo or Duo
SHARC
processors
O 2 mic / line inputs
O 2 analogue line
outs, 2 monitor
outs
O Thunderbolt port
O 24-bit, 192kHz
operation
O Hi-z in,
headphone out
O Lockable power
input
O Realtime
processing
O AU, VST, RTAS and
AAX64 plug-in
formats
O Realtime Analog
Classics Bundle
O Software console

understand the signal path from end to

end. From the developers point of view,
its also a useful security measure to tie
authorisations to hardware.
Add to this the fact that not
everyones Mac is top-end and you need
your native CPU to run your DAW, your
OS and other third-party instruments
and effects, and the appeal of
ofoading high quality audio processing
to an external, latency-free box which
also happens to be your interface
becomes clearer. This is an exquisitely
made audio interface that also happens
to expand your computers processing
abilities and opens the door to the
world of UAD plugs. For anyone who is
serious about audio delity, it denitely
punches above its weight. MT
Alternatives
Apogee makes some similarly high-end audio
interfaces for the Mac including the Quartet at
1,099 which, although lacking DSP-powered
plug-ins, has more I/O with four ins and eight
outs as well as MIDI, iOS compatibility and
USB2, making it more widely compatible wit
o er Macs. UAD also makes the original
Apollo, a rack mountable unit with 18/24 I/O
and FW800 with the option to add a
Thunderbolt card. It comes in duo and quad
processor vers ons though as you might
expect, costs more than the Twin, starting at
around 1,669.

Twin turbo?
The Apollo Twin is a beautifullydesigned audio interface that works
seamlessly and offers pristine audio
recording quality over a single
Thunderbolt cable. As a desktop unit its
small and unobtrusive but cleverly put
together so you can access the most
important parameters with a couple of
button presses. Much more than that,
you get access to the world of UADs
DSP-driven plug-ins, highly renowned
for their character and delity.
You might ask why, with modern
CPUs like Intels i7 being hugely
powerful already, you would need
separate DSP processing when it costs
more money. The dual processor Twin
costs more than the single, though its
arguably a better investment given the
extra power. If you dont want access to
UADs plugs, you can probably stick with
your native effects.They do sound great
though, and designing them specically
for the SHARC processors lets UAD
optimize them as fully as possible and

WorldMags.net

MT Verdict
+ Solid, compact build
+ Beautifully designed, great
workow
+ Easy to understand
+ Excellent audio quality
+ Top-ight circuitry
+ Bundled plugs are great for
tracking, mixing
+ Software console allows for
detailed setup
+ Add plug-ins as required
+ Good integrated recording and
monitoring solution
- No MIDI
- No Thunderbolt cable supplied
A serious little box that punches
above its weight and offers
excellent recording and monitoring
capabilities as well as access to
UADs plug-in universe.

9/10
MAGAZINE June 2014

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Sontronics Aria Reviews MT

WorldMags.net
lift.The Aria is xed cardioid but the rear
diaphragm means that pattern
switching could have been an option.

Design philosophy
Sontronics has adopted a distinct
philosophy when it comes to
microphone design. Trevor Coley from
Sontronics says that they seek to create
application specic mics to help the
end user. This is an acknowledgement
that many of the great sounds people
associate with classic condenser
microphones were only realised after a
fair amount of processing.
Many of todays recordists havent
had professional training, and may not
have access to the signal processors
required to nesse raw microphone
sounds. So Coleys approach is to create
mics that sound right for specic

/1
SONTRONICS

Aria

Designedforvocals,SontronicsAria
looksclassyandhasanimpressive
rangeofaccessories,singsHuw Price
Details

KeyFeatures
O Response: 20Hz
to 20KHz
O Sensitivity: 18mV/
Pa -33dB 1.5dB
(0dB=1V/Pa
1000Hz)
O Polar Pattern:
Cardioid
O Pad: -10dB
O Filter: 75Hz
O Impedance: <200
Ohms
O Equivalent Noise
Level: 18dB
(A-weighted)
O Max SPL for 0.5%
THD@1000Hz:
125dB
O Power Supply:
SPS-2 115/230V
O Connector: 8 in
screw on

low mid boost only becomes obvious

when placed within a hand span of the
talent. We also noticed that the cardioid
pattern is fairly wide, so the off-axis
response is forgiving for singers who
struggle to stay on mic and its possible
to achieve dry, up-front vocal sounds
without lter-type screens.
The Aria isnt a cheap microphone so
it may be seen as an extravagance if its
only suitable for vocals. Fortunately its

Shippingwithalovelyboxand
superbflightcaseitsSontronics
classiestofferingyet

Choice

Price 899
Contact
01202 236862
www.sontronics.com

Alternatives
The Avantone CV12 (400) is a nine
pattern valve microphone with -10 dB
pad and 80Hz LF roll off switches and a
Russian made 6072A tube.The Peluso
P12 (999) is inspired by the AKG C12
but it has nine polar patterns.
Assembled in the USA,the output
transformer is a custom unit made by
Tom Reichenbach of CineMag Transformers.

y Sontronics standards, the

new Aria is borderline
conservative in appearance,
but we think its all the better
for it.The cylindrical body has a chubby
5cm diameter and a very attractive
silver-metallic nish with a greenish
tinge.The company logo is cut into the
metalwork and highlighted in black,
with a contrasting silver ring separating
the body from the screw on base.
The head grille looks like a hybrid of
the classic AKG C12 and a tapered
Neumann design.The outer mesh is
nice and chunky with at least one ne
extra layer on the inside. Its also nickel
plated, which gives the Aria a very classy
appearance and nothing obstructs the
capsule itself.
Although the capsule is well
protected, its still possible to see that it
has AKG-style edge termination rather
than a Neumann-style centre tap. So
wed expect an extended high frequency
response with some degree of presence

applications in this case, vocals.

The design process took over three
years because Sontronics wanted to
avoid simply rehashing a classic mic.
Extended tests were carried out with
top engineers like Paul Epworth and
several in-house guys at Abbey Road.
Sontronics selected a JJ-branded
valve made by Tesla in the Slovak
Republic.The often-overlooked power
supply is a complete revision from past
designs with extra mains ltering to
reject external interference.
Interestingly, some of the technology
used is taken from power supply
designs used for hospital equipment.

On the vox
We jumped straight into some vocal
tests and we were not disappointed.
The Aria has a breathy presence,
attering yet well-controlled mids,
ample cut and denition and no
low-end boominess. We encountered
no sibilance issues whatsoever.
We sensed theres a degree of very
low frequency roll off way below the
vocal frequency range thats intended
to eliminate rumble and undesirable low
frequency content.This may
disadvantage the Aria as a bass or kick
drum mic, but its the frequency range
that many pro engineers habitually lter
off when recording other instruments.
The Aria particularly excelled when
we used it up close. Proximity induced

WorldMags.net

a very capable all rounder too, with the

silky and shimmering highs providing
impressive detail resolution for delicate
acoustic guitar picking, percussion and
even clean electric guitar.
Shipping in a lovely engraved
wooden box with a generous length of
quality interconnect cable and superb
ight case, wed say that this is
Sontronics classiest offering yet.The
excellent military-grade screw on
connectors are also a massive step up
from the imsy multi-pin Cannon
connectors that come with so many
modern valve microphones. MT

MT Verdict
+ Excellent detail resolution
+ Bright but smooth sound
+ Subtly attering mids
+ One-stop solution for vocals
+ Fine build quality
+ HPF and pad switching
+ Stand clip included
+ Fine accessories
+ Low noise
+ Lifetime warranty
- Cardioid only
- Bulky suspension mount
A superb-sounding valve condenser
with a airy, detailed tone, high build
quality and great looks. Fixed
cardioid pickup is the only
compromise.

9/10
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EZdrummer 2 Reviews MT

WorldMags.net

TOONTRACK

Choice

EZDRUMMER 2

For PC
& Mac

ToontrackslatestrevisionofEZdrummerhasplentyofboldand
innovativenewfeatures.MarkCousinsfindstheperfectbeat.

ver the last ve years the

virtual drummer has evolved
from an instrument that (at
best) sounded like a real kit, to
a tool that forms the backbone of your
rhythm section. So weve come to
expect more from our virtual drumming
software not just a collection of MIDI
loops, but integrated mixing software,
kit customization and more besides.
Even the off-the-shelf DAW has got in
on the act, with Logic Pro Xs Drummer
feature being one of the best integrated
solutions weve seen, so any virtual
drumming software offering something
new has a lot of work on its hands!

EZ does it
As one of the more cost-effective
solutions on the market,Toontracks
EZdrummer has built up both a large
user base and accompanying sound
library. Borrowing many features from
Superior Drummer 2.0, EZdrummer
offered immediate, great-sounding
results with the minimum of fuss.
However, with the world of virtual
drumming moving so fast, it was clearly
time for a refresh providing a tool that
still had the same immediacy as
EZdrummer but with a host of features
that made the end result even more
closer to a real drummer!
EZdrummer 2, therefore, has a
wealth of new features under its sleeve,
not to mention a new set of core drum
sounds. Importantly, for those that have

assembled a large library of expansion

packs for EZdrummer, its worth noting
that existing libraries will load
themselves into the new engine,
complete with updated graphics, mixer
settings, and of course, the allimportant MIDI grooves.
EZdrummer 2s core library is
divided between modern and vintage,
with the modern kit being recorded
through a Neve 88R and TG12345
consoles, while the vintage drums were
tracked through a rare REDD console.
All the kits covering selections from
DW, Gretsch, Yamaha, Ludwig, Sonor,
Tama and Brady where recorded by
Chuck Ainley at Mark Knopers British
Grove Studios. Alongside the main kit
sounds, theres also a sprinkling of
percussion sounds including shakers,
tambourines and claps which add
extra avour to the main kit.

Subsequent edits, therefore, require

extensive editing in your DAW, often on
a note-by-note basis.
As with Logic Pro Xs Drummer
feature, EZdrummer 2 realises that
means of sequencing the drums is as
important as the sounds themselves.
As a result, EZdrummer 2 includes a
number of tools from a more intuitive
means of nding and selecting grooves,
through to the ability to modify them on
a musical level that makes the
process of drum sequencing innitely
quicker, without sacricing your
all-important creative input.
Looking rst at the selection
process, easily the most ingenious and
revolutionary features has to be the

Alternatives
XLN Audios Addictive Drums (179) is popular,
easy-to-use virtual drumming solution, with a
range of drum kits and MIDI grooves. As with
many other virtual drumming solutions, the
notion with Addictive Drums is that chosen
loops are dragged-and-dropped into to your
DAW for further e iting and renement. On
the plus side, you get access to more internal
signal processing options, although this
arguably adds complicat on to t ose that
simply want a great sound with the minimum
of f ss. Compared against the shiny new
EZdrummer 2, though, its showing its age,
especially with respect to the loop browsing.

Finding your groove

Although well return to the sound of the
kits later on, arguably the most useful
improvements to EZdrummer relate to
the use and selection of the MIDI
grooves and, latterly, the means of
sequencing these loops into a complete
performance. Of course, the majority of
virtual drumming software (and the
original EZdrummer) offers little more
than a means of browsing integrated
MIDI content, with the resultant song
being created by dropping the MIDI
loops over to a track on your DAW.

/1

Details
Manufacturer
Toontrack
Price 99
Contact Time + Space
01837 55200
Web
www.toontrack.com

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MTReviews EZdrummer 2

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HANDSON
Rather than simply adapting the existing MIDI data, the Amount
parameter ses a special algorithm to either add or subtract notes from
the existing performance. As such, Amount can be thought of as an
intelligent control, adding additional beats particu arly ghost notes
that a drummer would play to add density a d movement to the
pattern. Even a di g new parts of the kit works in th s way, adap ing the
existing IDI groove in a way the mimics a real performance.

The kits in
EZdrummer 2
offer a wide range
of sounds for various
genre types.

Tap 2 Find option found under the

search tab. Rather than wading through
thousands of MIDI les by name,Tap 2
Find lets you suggest a basic rhythm,
which EZdrummer 2 uses to nd an
appropriate series of matches from its
library. You suggest a rhythm by
recording a short two-bar loop, either
by tapping on an attached MIDI
keyboard, or by clicking on the drum kit
elements on the interface. Once youve
inputted your suggestion, EZdrummer 2
nds a series of best match loops
ready for your approval.

Song smith
Once youve found a basic loop, youd
expect to drag-and-drop the MIDI le
over to your DAW, but in EZdrummer 2s
case, we can use its own integral song
track to piece together a complete
performance. Dragging the loops into
the Song Creator, for example, instructs
EX Drummer 2 to create a series of
variations, covering Intro, Verse, Bridge,
Pre Chorus and an Ending, which can
then be organised onto the track lane.
Alternatively, drag the various library
loops onto the song track, assuming
you want a more radical change
between the sections of the song.
The advantage of keeping the song
sequence inside EZdrummer 2 is that
you get more editing options to rene
the drum phrases in a quick, intuitive
way. Clicking on a region in the track
lane, therefore, lets you edit the MIDI

78 | June 2014

MAGAZINE

performance using the kit as a visual

guide, rather than having to reposition
MIDI notes in a DAWs Piano Roll editor.
For example, the Power Hand lets you
re-position the driving force of the
pattern (usually the hi-hat) to a new
part of the kit like the ride cymbal, for
example, or a oor tom. Likewise, an
Opening Hit assignment also lets you
mark the start of the phrase, usually
with something like the crash cymbal.
You can also add new additional kit
elements into the phrase, as well as
adjusting the density and velocity level
on a drum-by-drum basis. For example,
selecting one or more toms will add
some tom movement, while you could
tweak the Snare Amount control to add
more ghost notes, and maybe lower its
velocity slightly for less power on the
upbeat.You can also augment the
pattern with three percussion sources
clap, shaker and tambourine again,
simply by clicking on, and adjusting the
relative icon and its parameter set.
When youre nished, simply export
the song as a MIDI le (or drag-anddrop it into your sequencer), or export
as an audio le, assuming youre using
EZdrummer 2 in its standalone mode.

KeyFeatures
O New audio
engine
O Improved groove
browser
O An all-new sound
library
O Song creator
O Tap 2 Find

Sound of the drums

As youd expect, the sound of the two
kits covers a suitably broad enough
spectrum to make them versatile
across a range of genres.The Modern
Kit sounds tight and focused, but add
some room ambience and the sound
becomes pleasing looser. Likewise, the

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Vintage kit seems softer on its

transients, which when combined some
natural room ambience, really helps
produce a natural lifelike sound.
Although the mixer offers full control
over the level of each kit elements, you
dont get the same level of edibility
when it comes to the application of
signal processing. Ultimately,
EZdrummer 2 is designed as a tool with
immediacy in mind, and in that respect
the handy macro controls over
controls like Dynamics, Reverb Time
and Mic Bleed provide enough control
without getting bogged down in detail.
Should you really nd the need to
process sounds using you own choice of
EQ and so on, theres always the option
of running the individual channels out
to discrete outputs in your DAWs mixer.

An EZ life
With so many great sounding virtual
drumming solutions, its interesting to
see how much attention is now being
diverted to the usability and musicality
of the instrument as well as its sonic
performance. Aspects like the Tap 2
Find feature, therefore, as well as the
powerful integral sequencing features,
really mark EZdrummer 2 out from the
crowd, and certainly offer a host of
intuitive musical possibilities that go
above and beyond what weve come to
expect from a virtual drummer. More
than just an update, EZdrummer 2
denes the next generation of virtual
drumming software that many will seek
to emulate. MT

MT Verdict
+ Powerful and intuitive virtual
drumming
+ Musical control set
+ Nice balance between
contemporary and vintage kits
+ Works with previous EZX libraries
- Limited access to internal signal
processing
The new kits sound great, but its
the much-improved browser and
exible internal sequencing
features that really sets
EZdrummer 2 apart from the
competition.

9/10

umek & loopmasters

WorldMags.net
present: artist series
sample pack. available at
www.umek.si and
www.loopmasters.com.
use promo code umk20 to
get 20% off.

WorldMags.net

www.umek.si

THE TRUTH

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Perceptions may vary but there is only one truth. So if you want your mix to sound good when its not, choose another monitor.
Yamahas industry standard HS range delivers the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, without apology.
So youll know that when it sounds right, it IS right and the job is done.

UK.YAMAHA.COM

WorldMags.net

Nektar Impact LX49 Reviews MT

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Value

Alternatives
Novations SL49 at 319 (street price) is more
expensive but has a similar set of hardware
controls.One of the major differences is in its
level of visua feedback w ich is much more
etailed,meaning that setting parameters
on h ngs like software instruments is more
precise,if thats something that partic larly
suits your workow.

NEKTAR

Impact LX49
MIDIcontrolisastapleofanymodern
musicproductionenvironment.Hollin
JonesroadteststhenewNektar
ImpactLX49/61
Details
Kit Impact LX 49 / 61
Manufacturer Nektar
Price
Impact LX25: 89.99
Impact LX49: 109.99
Impact LX61: 139.99
Distributor Nektar
Contact via website
Web www.
nektartech.com

SB MIDI keyboards are a

vital component of music
production setups. Youll
spend an inordinate
amount of time using them to input
beats and melodies into your DAW so
its important to nd one that suits you.
Nektar has been making a name for
itself with affordable MIDI controllers
that come with proper DAW integration
for a plug and play experience, which is
what most people ideally want. Its
latest is the Impact series: a 25-, 49and 61-key controller. Here we review
the 49-key, though the specs of the 61
are the same only with more piano keys.

Making an impact
KeyFeatures
O 49 or 61 velocity
sensitive, synth
action keys
O 4velocitycurves,
3 fixed
O Pitch bend,
mod, octave
and transpose
controls
O Optional foot
switch input
O 8 pads with Note
Learn
O 8 pots, 9 faders,
9 buttons
O Transport
controls
O Installers for all
major DAWs

The Impact is USB buss powered and

also sends MIDI down the same
connection. Round the back things are
pretty straightforward, with a USB port,
power switch and foot switch/sustain
jack pedal input socket. Plug the
keyboard into your Mac or PC and it
springs into life, though to get the most
out of it you will denitely want to
download the DAW installer les to add
specic support for your software of
choice. This is slightly ddly, with a few
hoops to jump through on the website
and you have to register before you can
get at the les. Once downloaded you
can install specic support for Digital
Performer, GarageBand, Logic, Cubase,
Nuendo, Reaper, Sonar, Reason and

Studio One. The keyboard actually

comes with a copy of Studio One Artist
on disc, and theres the option to
download it from Presonus website
after registration, for owners of newer
computers that lack optical drives.
The keyboard itself has full size,
velocity sensitive and semi-weighted
keys which offer a good combination of
playability and portability.They feel
responsive and realistic enough for
piano or synth-style playing but without
making the unit as a whole overly heavy.
There are four selectable velocity
curves available as well as three xed
curves, and the regulation pitch-bend
and modulation wheels. To the left of
the keyboard are quick octave and
transpose buttons, very useful for
changing settings mid-performance
without having to dig around in any sub
menus to nd the controls. These
buttons can actually have their function
altered to send out program change
messages, change the global MIDI
channel or select one of the ve user
presets so theyre more exible than
they appear at rst glance.

Pad control
Over to the right of the front panel are
eight velocity-sensitive pads which can
be assigned any MIDI note number or cc
message and can thus be used both for
playing and as toggle buttons. A Pad
Learn mode lets you choose a pad, play
a note on the keyboard and link the two,
and four pad maps can be stored on
board. There are eight variable knobs to
tweak parameters and theres a set of
transport controls that doubles up with
other functions like set L and R locators,
Undo and Click on/off when combined
with the Shift button. Visual feedback is
via a simple but serviceable LED screen.
To the left is a bank of nine faders
and buttons which are generally used
for mixing in your DAW and, indeed,
pressing the Mixer button from the
central area should assign these, with
the Bank buttons letting you scroll
around the mixer.The pots become
panner controls in this mode and the
ninth fader is always assigned to the
currently selected channel, a helpful

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touch. Further controls in the centre

include an Instrument button to call up
the GUI of the currently selected
software instrument, track navigation
and patch selection buttons.

Impact?
We tested the Impact 49 with Logic,
Cubase and Reason on the Mac and, on
the whole, it was picked up as expected
after installing the support les and the
shortcut buttons like Mixer. Instrument
and patch and bank selection also did
what they were supposed to do. It might
sound odd to claim this as a victory, but
MIDI mapping can be a notoriously aky
thing. Luckily here its not, and Nektar
has done a great job of matching the
hardware controls to the software.You
can set up your own custom controls
and maps, of course, and these are
remembered even when the unit is
powered off. As ever with basic screens,
theres the occasional bit of guesswork
as to what youre looking at but its not
exactly the end of the world and overall
this is a solid workhorse of a MIDI
controller that will be at home in any
music production setup. MT

MT Verdict
+ Solid, workhorse MIDI controller
+ Good synth key action
+ USB powered
+ Good selection of real-time
controls
+ Well integrated with leading
DAWs
+ Some user customization
available
+ Affordable
+ Good build quality
- Visual feedback a little basic
- Obtaining installer could be
slightly easier
- No hardware MIDI ports for
incorporating external gear
A straightforward and affordable
MIDI controller with good build
quality and crucially, tight DAW
integration for easier control.

8/10
MAGAZINE June 2014

| 81

WorldMags.net

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>0;/ *69, *6<9:,:

Softube Console 1 Reviews MT

WorldMags.net

SOFTUBE

Console 1
Softubehaslaunchedahybridhardware/softwaremixingsystem.
MikeHillierfindsoutifthisistheone
Details
Manufacturer
Softube
Price $1149
Contact Softube
sales@softube.com
Web
www.softube.com
Minimum System
Requirements
PC
Windows support to
come
Mac
Mac OSX 10.7, VST,
AU or AAX host (32 or
64-bit), spare USB 2.0
port, 1200x800 screen
resolution

e rst saw the Console 1

over a year ago, at
Musikmesse 2013, and
the concept was creating
quite a lot of buzz around the halls.
Since then Softube has been hard at
work rening and perfecting the
Console 1, ready for release.
Unlike most control surfaces the
Console 1 does not use a variation of
MIDI, such as HUI, to control your DAW
and plug-ins. In fact, it doesnt even
attempt to control your DAW and
plug-ins at all. Instead the Console 1 is
designed only to control its own plug-in.
However, the Console 1 plug-in is a
complete channel-strip designed to be
placed as an insert on all your channels,
enabling you to perform your entire mix
from the Console 1 hardware, without
having to resort to mouse or keyboard.

Console action
KeyFeatures
O USB control
surface
O SSL 4000 E
channel strip
emulation
O Transient shaper

The plug-in itself is slightly unusual in

that the plug-in window only shows
some very basic controls the channel
number and a solo safe button.You can
show the state of parameters from the
plug-in window, but its a bit small and
ddly. Instead, Console 1 has a separate

unique GUI layer, which pops up taking

over the whole screen showing all the
parameters. This can be resized, for
example, to the size of your other
plug-ins so you can show several
simultaneously. We did nd that if you
click on the GUI at any point then your
DAW is no longer the active application,
and so your key commands no longer
work including even basic controls

a parameter on the hardware, or push

one of the buttons. It is a shame the
controls arent touch sensitive, as you
have to start twisting a knob, or push a
button to bring up the GUI, but you can
just press the Display button, which
doesnt affect any of the parameters.
Along the top of the controller are a
series of buttons, 1 through 20, that are
used to switch the controller from one
channel to the next. Whichever channel
is active here is the channel that the
controller will be assigned to, not the
active plug-in in your DAW.This can get
a little confusing at rst, but soon
becomes second nature.
Its not always easy to know what
instrument is on what numbered
channel, so Console 1 enables you to
name your channels in the plug-in.
This means typing in the name of
each channel a second time
(assuming youve named all your
channels in your DAW you have,
havent you?).The exception to this is in
Presonus Studio One 2, and soon in
Cubase and Nuendo, where the DAW
provides the name to the Console 1
plug-in, saving you the time. Softube
tell us they hope to roll out this
functionality to more DAWs, but this
requires changes to be made to the
DAW software as well as the Console 1
software, so is dependent on the DAW
designers as much as it is to Softube.

A walk down the strip

Console 1 has ve primary sections,
rst an input section which has an
input gain, high- and low-pass lters,
and polarity switch. This then feeds the
Shape, EQ and Compressor sections,
and nally into an output stage which
has Drive controls, pan/balance,
volume and solo/mute switches.This is

BasedontheSSL4000E,
thereisnt truelike-for-like
functionalityitdoesmore
like start/stop.Thankfully, you should
never have much call to click on this GUI
as all controls can be accessed from
the hardware. Furthermore, it isnt
strictly necessary to have the GUI open
at all, as there is some visual feedback
on the hardware. Our favourite way to
work, once wed got used to the Console
1 was with the display in Auto mode
this mode shows and hides the GUI
layer automatically whenever you alter

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a fairly comprehensive channel-strip,

and the Console 1 even enables you to
route the lters to only the dynamics
side-chain and not the direct signal,
and to change the processing order,
placing the EQ before, between, or after
the Shape and Compressor modules.
The console strip in Console 1 is
based on an SSL 4000 E studio console,
but modules can be swapped out for
any of Softubes other EQ and dynamics
MAGAZINE June 2014

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MTReviews Softube Console 1

WorldMags.net
Alternatives
The Console 1 brings a unique hybrid approach to mixing, but you can get
great results by using any hardware controller.The Avid MC Control is
one of the most advanced, using the EuCon protocol rather than a MIDI
based system, such as HUI. But HUI systems shouldnt be overlooked,
a d the newly announced Behringer X ouch is certainly one to consider.

characteristics of this Drive distortion,

from bassier distortions to one end and
more high-end distortions to the other.

Fingers on the buzzer

After working for some time with Console 1,it became much like using a real mixing console with you
becoming less reliant on the computer screen and just working with the hardware no bad thing

modules. Unlike the other modules

however, the SSL E channel-strip wont
be available outside of Console 1. While
based on the SSL 4000 E, there isnt
true like-for-like functionality and in
most cases there is actually greater
functionality in the Console 1 than in a
true SSL 4000 E channel-strip.The
Shape module, for example, misses the
range knob of the SSL 4000 gate,
doesnt have the fast-attack option, and
provides soft- and hard-knee modes
instead of the hardwares Expand and
Gate modes which change the ratio.
But it also adds a transient shaper,
which is unique to Softube, and makes
up for the missing gate features.
The EQ is based on the E 242 black
knob EQ module which was developed
in 1983 with Sir George Martin for his
SSL console at AIR studios.The 242 EQ
is known for its aggressive tonal
controls, with plenty of available gain,
and steep ltering. This is the EQ design
that SSL continues to use on its
E-Series EQ modules.The Console 1
captures the aggression of these curves
fantastically, and even enables you to
switch the high- and low-bands into
additional lters, which can be very

lters for keying the sidechain again

an option not available on the original.
The compressor section includes a
mix knob, enabling you to achieve quick
parallel compression without the need
for additional channels again a
feature not present on the original
consoles. The SSL channel compressor
is a fantastic and versatile tool, which
can be used to tame almost any
incoming signal. With a low ratio and
slow attack it can be almost completely
transparent, but increase the attack
and you can get some very aggressive
compression. On stereo channels the
compressor doesnt quite have the glue
that the later G-series compressor was
famous for, but it has a similar vibe, and
mixing into the Console 1 across your
drums buss can get them sounding
punchy with very little compression on
any individual channels.
To emulate the harmonics and
non-linearities of the SSL 4000 E
consoles, Console 1 has additional
Drive and Character controls on the
output section. Pushing the Drive
control emulates driving the line-amps
of the SSL console hard, while the
Character control changes the tonal

Our initial experiences with the Console

1 left us a little perplexed as to why
Softube had chosen such a tough route,
designing a controller that used its own
application layer, rather than just a
simple MIDI controller designed for the
plug-in. But as we got a few mixes
under out belt with this system, the
controller become a part of our
workow.The initial set up is a little
ddly, but this should get better over
time as more DAWs support the system
directly, and once youre set up and the
software is on every channel. It
becomes much more like mixing on a
real console. You dont notice the screen
as much, and you get used to switching
the channel on the Console 1 hardware
and just working, without ever letting go
to use the keyboard/mouse, except for
the odd additional plug-in much as
you might work with a real console,
adding occasional plug-ins to your mix
as and when you need them.
Automating becomes simpler as you
can now grab a bunch of controls
simultaneously and draw in your
automation, straight to your DAW the
best of all worlds.The addition of a
fader instead of the output volume
knob might have made the Console 1 a
little more like the real thing, especially
for automating levels, but were happy
using the it alongside our existing
controllers to bring a little extra
hands-on depth, without the physical
space required for a full console. MT

MT Verdict
+ Great tactile response
+ SSL 4000 E emulation
+ Expands with Softube plug-ins
+ Great transient shaper built-in
- Time consuming to set up
- Limited to Softube plug-ins
- Limited to EQ and dynamics
- No fader
Softube has developed an
interesting and fun to use mixing
controller, putting the most used
controls back at your ngertips.

8/10
84 | June 2014

MAGAZINE

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Allen & Heath Qu-24 Reviews MT

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ALLEN & HEATH

Qu-24

Choice

/1

FollowingonfromtheQu-16,Allen&Heathhas
expandedtherangewiththeQu-24. MikeHillierstepsup.
Details
Manufacturer
Allen & Heath
Price 2,199
Contact Audio
Technica
0113 277 1441
Web www.allenheath.com

KeyFeatures
O 24 mono inputs
O 3 stereo inputs
O 4 iLive stereo FX
engines
O 800x480
touchscreen
O Multitrack record
over USB
O DAW MIDI control
O Recallable
automated faders
O iPad app

e recently took a look at

Allen & Heaths Qu-16
mixer and were very
impressed with the
sound, features and workow of the
console. Following quickly in the
Qu-16s footsteps is the new Qu-24
a 24-channel version of the console
boasting 24 analogue mono inputs,
three analogue stereo inputs and a
staggering 24 analogue outputs, plus
an additional talkback mic input and
AES, USB and dSnake digital outputs.
The layout on the top panel is similar
to the Qu-16, with the same 800x480
touchscreen and the SuperStrip
section providing access to all the main
parameters for the active channel with
one knob for each parameter. However,
the Qu-24 has not been constrained by
the decision to t the console into a 19
rack like the Qu-24, so there is a little
more room on the top panel and Allen &
Heath has even included a blank space
with a small lip, which could be used for
storing notes or an iPad running the
Qu-Pad control software.
The similarity in design makes it very
easy for anyone who has used the
Qu-16 to quickly move up to a Qu-24
and get working with no need to learn
new skills. The SuperStrip is well laid
out with plenty of space between the
knobs, so theres little to no risk of
accidentally knocking the wrong knob.

The well lit on/off buttons showing

which parts of the strip are in use on
the active channel make it very easy to
use, even in a dark environment without
a lamp although, it becomes
impossible to read any of the markings
on the panel, so unless you already
know what every knob does wed
suggest you get a lamp.Thankfully the
Qu-24 already has a dedicated 4-pin
XLR lamp socket on the rear, ready for
use with compatible gooseneck lamps.

control of whatever function has been

targeted with the touchscreen. So to
change the compression ratio, you rst
select the channel you want to alter,
then on the touchscreen select the
compressor and highlight the ratio,
giving control to the encoder. To change
the attack and release, push on the
attack and release parameters on the
screen and the multi-function encoder
switches to those. Switch to the gate
attack by selecting the gate on the
touchscreen and then the attack
parameter. This can be a little slow and
ddly to set up, but once youve got
everything how you want it, the only
parameter youll likely want to alter
again will be the threshold, which is
always accessible from the SuperStrip.
If you compare this to having to work
with dozens of racks of outboard gear,

Comparethistoworkingwith
dozensofracksofoutboardand
itissimplerandfaster
Working fast
Once youre into a live mix, the
SuperStrip approach to the built-in
effects is a great and really fast way of
working, enabling you to quickly set the
gain, pan, high-pass lter cut-off, EQ,
and compression- and gate-thresholds.
You can make quick adjustments on the
y, but for power-users this will be quite
limiting especially on the compressor
and gate sections. To delve deeper one
has to use the touchscreen and the
single multi-function rotary encoder.
This encoder will automatically take

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remembering where each channel is

patched in, it is simpler and faster.
Their are four different compressor
modes built into the compressor
module. The rst two are manual
modes: Manual Peak and Manual RMS.
Manual Peak responds to transients
which cross the threshold and can be
used in a similar fashion to a brickwall
limiter when set with a high ratio and
fast attack and release settings.
Manual RMS responds to the average
level and is more useful as a moderate
channel compressor. The Manual RMS
MAGAZINE June 2014

| 87

WorldMags.net

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Allen & Heath Qu-24 Reviews MT

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all our FX Sends assigned to the rst

Mute Group.

Stuck in the box

Around the back of the Qu-24 we see it is jam-packed with connections.There are 24 analogue mono inputs,three analogue
stereo ins and 24 analogue outs.Also notable on the desk are the talkback mic in and AES,USB and dSnake digital outputs.

is the default compressor on each

channel. The remaining two modes
have automatic attack and release
characteristics. The Auto Slow Opto
behaves like an optical compressor,
with slow attack and release
characteristics and was a favourite of
ours on live vocals, enabling us to get a
consistent vocal sound from our
system. The nal mode is the Auto
Punchbag which has a faster, VCA-like,

must then turn up the Master fader for

this FX buss, which controls the overall
FX send, and then switch the faders to
show the second layer to turn up the FX
return. Staying on top of all of this can
be quite time-consuming, making it
awkward to quickly mute the effects at
the end of a song while the artist talks
to the crowd.
Alternatively, you can patch some
effects to a specic channel, avoiding

Theeffectsthemselvessound
fantasticbutsettingthemup
canbealittletricky
auto response a good starting point
with drums for users not overly familiar
with attack and release settings who
want to avoid the two manual modes.

Effects options
Alternatives
For smaller venues
and personal rigs
the Allen & Heath
Qu-16 we looked at
in MTM 133 is a
great console,with
many of the
features of the
Qu-24,but only
16-inputs.The
Behringer X32 has
proven incredibly
popular since its
launch with many
similar features,
and a history which
takes in Behringers
recent purchase of
Midas.

The FX engine in the Qu-24 has four

slots where you can place send effects.
There are a wide range of effects to
choose from for each slot, including a
variety of reverbs, delays and
modulation effects.The effects
themselves sound fantastic, with plenty
of options for manipulation and there is
even a graphic EQ after each one on the
channel return for tuning your effects.
However, setting up the effects can get
a little tricky as you must rst switch
the faders from controlling the level
going to the LR Master buss to the FX
buss. This will bring all the faders down
and you can now use the faders as
Send controls going to the FX buss.You

the whole Send set up scenario, or you

can patch an effect as a direct insert,
but neither of these provides a good
solution to muting effects between
songs. A master FX Mute switch would
be a much better solution.
To get around this limitation the
Qu-24 has four Mute groups to which
any channel, effects send or return or
stereo group can be assigned. Muting
the group is then done from the Home
screen using the touchscreen. However,
in practice, we never leave the Qu-24 on
the Home screen and so this process
would still involve several button
presses. Instead we assigned the rst
four SoftKeys to the four Mute Groups,
creating four instant
Mute buttons on the
front panel, with

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One of the aws in the design of the

Qu-24, like the Qu-16, is the lack of
analogue insert points.The built-in
effects engine replace the need for
insert points, and on the smaller Qu-16
we would see that as a logical
assumption, but on the larger Qu-24 its
a notable oversight. And owners with an
existing investment in outboard
hardware wont necessarily want to
replace it all with the built-in digital
effects engine, no matter how good it is.
Outboard send effects can be used by
using up one or more of the 10 mix outs,
but it would be nice to place your own
EQ and compression across an insert.
Other than this, though, the Qu-24 is
an incredible desk and one we hope
nd its way into small- to mediumsized venues. Its not as intuitive as an
analogue console, but all the extra
features and the fairly fast learning
curve mean that it will be a huge
improvement in the sonic quality of
performances in these sized venues
over much of the competition. MT

MT Verdict
+ 24 mic inputs
+ iLive digital effects
+ EQ and Dynamics on every
channel
+ 800x480 touchscreen
+ iPad app
- Limited dynamics control
- Control of one channel at a time
- No inserts
The Qu-24 looks set to quickly
become a favourite small venue
live console.

9/10

MAGAZINE June 2014

| 89

SU S
BS P
CR EC
IPT IA
ION L
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Symphobia Orchestrator Reviews MT

WorldMags.net
Alternatives

Cinesamples CineOrch ($99) offers a

range of sampled chords,Tutti oc aves
and so on, although importantly, it
should be noted that none ave been
sample with the legato technique used in Orchestrator. Ignoring the
lack of legato, though, its sti l a usable library t at ets you ll out an
orchestral soundstage with minimal ef ort.

sustains, chords and staccatos that can

be accessed as individual instruments,
or as part of an impressive collection of
multi instruments. These demonstrate
the full symphonic potential, creating a
full orchestral sound palette, with
dynamics from just a single pass on a
keyboard. If youve experienced any of
the excellent multis found in Lumina,
youll know what to expect.

Easy Orchestra

SYMPHOBIA

Orchestrator

For PC
& Mac

ProjectSAMsnewSymphobiaColoursseriestakesamore
affordable,focusedapproachtocinematicsampling.
MarkCousinsmeetstheOrchestrator
Details
Manufacturer
ProjectSAM
Price 169
Contact Time + Space
01837 55200
Web
www.projectsam.com
Requirements
Kontakt 5.3 or
Kontakt Player 5.3
requires OS X 10.7
or higher (Mac) or
Windows 7 or 8

aving created some of the

nest sample-based
orchestral instruments of the
last 10 years, ProjectSAM has
an enviable reputation at delivering a
truly cinematic sound, arguably best
encapsulated in the companys
excellent Symphobia series. However,
none of the Symphobia instruments
have been particularly affordable, but
the Symphobia Colours series changes
this by offering smaller, more focused
libraries that build on the concepts
developed throughout the originals.

The Orchestrator
KeyFeatures
O Orchestrated
major and minor
chords
O Recorded for 2
ensembles
O Double
basses & choir
basses Dark
Basses legato
instrument
O 3-Layer mod
wheel dynamics
O Bonus tremolo
chords, flageolet
sustains and
staccato
instruments

Symphobia Colours includes two

instruments: Orchestrator, on test here,
and Animator, which well look at in a
future issue. With both, the scope is
smaller than were used to and focuses
on a particular technique or facet of the
orchestral sound palette. In
Orchestrators case, the concept is
rmly on legato chords sampled with
strings and choir, and wind and brass
combinations alongside other
value-added content (some ported
from the original Symphobia series)
that helps extend the musical potential.
Monophonic true legato should be a

familiar concept to any musicians

working with orchestral samples, but
the possibilities of legato chords may
be a new experience. With monophonic
lines, a true legato instrument uses a
transitional sample to move from one
note to the next, capturing the realistic
portamento-like effect as one note
slides to the next. With chords, the
concept is similar, but here ProjectSAM
has sampled the transition from a C to
an F, for example, or from Am to Fm.

As with many of these orchestral

libraries, theres a balance to strike
between some ingenious sampling that
delivers hyper-realistic results, and a
tool that connes and restricts your
musical creativity. In some respects,
Orchestrator is somewhat prescriptive
in the result it creates with aspects
like the chord voicing and instrument
selection somewhat dened for you. It
might have been nice to have strings
separate from choir, although the
combination of wind and brass is
certainly a nice pairing with plenty of
musical potential! Theres little doubt
that Orchestrator can deliver excellent
results, with the performance legatos
really adding to the realism. There are
also some great serendipitous results
to be had when playing Orchestrators
chords in a free-form way.
Ultimately, Orchestrator forms part
of a palette of tools and techniques,
something that enhances and expands
an existing orchestral soundstage,
rather than a one-stop-shop for the
entirety of your composition process. MT

Symphonic chords
The concept and sound of Orchestrator
is immediately apparent.The keyboard
is divided between major chords across
one octave and minor chords in another
simply move between the appropriate
single notes and Orchestrator will
produce a smooth, sumptuous
transition between the different chords.
The Mod Wheel can be used to add
dynamic movement (great for a
crescendo and diminuendo over the
length of the chord) and you can also
move between three different
microphones sets to change the
perspective of the orchestra.
You also get a collection of legato
double basses, plus various non-legato

WorldMags.net

MT Verdict
+ Fantastic true legato chords
+ Expressive dynamics
+ Full symphonic sound in one pass
+ Flexible mic sets
- Prescriptive voicing
- Strings and choir combined
- Some content ported from
Symphobia
A unique application of the legato
concept applied on chords
Orchestrator creates a deep and
expressive symphonic sound with
relatively little effort.

8/10
MAGAZINE June 2014

| 91

WorldMags.net

distributed by Audio-Technica

WorldMags.net

Reviews MT

WorldMags.net
Chris Octane Presents Drum & Bass Core
Manufacturer Loopmasters

Innovation

Price 29.95 (download)

Contact info@loopmasters.com
Web www.loopmasters.com

he latest artist pack from

Loopmasters sees producer
Chris Octane delve into the
darkest recesses of his studio
for a unique collection of twisted neuro
bass lines, glitched-out drum and
bass-style breaks, and moody pads,
leads and fx.
Theres around 1GB worth of loops
and hits, presented in Wav, Apple Loops
and REX2 formats, with other options
also available from the Loopmasters
website. Most of the loops are divided
into bass, breaks, music, and perc
folders, with a further folder containing
10 construction kits of short tracks and
drum ideas. From the off, its clear to
see that Octane is a bit of a scientist
when it comes to production and sound
design, as every loop and sound is
meticulously worked over and crafted.
The bass loops are particularly
impressive, with unique and warped
riffs in constant movement and

Choice

KeyFeatures
O Breaks, bass,
music loops
O Drum/inst hits,
121 patches
O 24-bit Wav,
Apple Loops
and REX2, or
Live and ReFill

,
effects to give maximum impact
through the speakers. Some also have
separate layers alongside the full bass
loop, which gives an interesting insight
into the production process. On to the
drum and percussion loops and theres
a surprising amount of variety, from
140bpm glitch dubstep grooves, to
faster 170bpm live breaks, with plenty
of original and quirky rhythms and
sounds thrown into the mix. Also of
interest are the music loops that
combine deeply spooky and eerily

The Experts (see p3)

Rob Boffard, ark o sins, Keith
Ge mell, im allas, Mik i lier, Hollin
Jo es, And
c ug l , J h
ck or ,
H
Price, Liam OMul ane
MUSIC TECH MAGAZINE
www.musictech.net
Anthem Publishing Ltd
Suite 6 Piccadilly House
London Road Bath BA1 6 L
Te +44 (0) 1225 489984
Fax +44 (0) 1225 489980
Publisher Simon Lewis
simon.lewis@anthem-publishing.com
Editorial Director Paul Pettengale
paul.pettengale@ant em-publ shing.com
Senior Ed tor Andy Jones
andy.jones@ant em-publ s ing.com
Art Editor Kai Wood
kai.wood@anthem-publishing.com
Digital Editor Andy Price
andy.price@anthem-publishing.com
Designer Nice Andy Saunders
Multimedia Editor Alex Holmes
alex.hol es@anthem-pub ish ng. om
Business Developmen a ager
Di Marsh
di. arsh@ant em-publ s ing.co
Marketing Manager Alex Godfrey
alex.godfrey@anthe -p blishi g.com
Marketi g Assista Ka e Doyle
kate.doyle@a the - blishing.co

Cover Image iSt c

h to

a a i g Direc r J n B ckley
jo . ickley@anthem-p blis ing.com
Ar Director en Cook
je ny.coo ant emls

beautiful pads, with more snarling and

raspy synth lines.
Alongside the loops youll nd a
large collection of bass and lead hits
and multisamples, plus fx, percussion,
and a superb folder of crunchy and
interestingly-processed drum hits.
There are plenty of rhythmic variations
on the same bass and lead sounds,
which offer an easy way to craft
complex neuro bass patterns. However,
at times, as with the rest of the pack, we
found some of the sounds to be a little
too complex and evolving, arguably
making it hard to process further and
make your own.
Although the unique programming
and heavy processing in this pack may
prove a little too off-the-wall for some
users, this is the very denition of
cutting-edge production. MT

MT Verdict
Occasionally overly complex but,
overall, a dark and original
masterclass of exquisite
production and inspiring hard
-edged sounds and loops.

9/10

147 -4187, is
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TEXTING
MUSIC TECH TERMS
AND CONDITIONS
By entering
MusicTech
competitions you
are agreeing to
receive details of
future promotions
from Anthem
Publishing Limited
and related third
parties. If you do not
want to receive this
information please
text NO INFO at the
end of your message.
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MAGAZINE June 2014

| 93

MTReviews

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Unusual Percussion Samples

Manufacturer Prime Loops
Price 14.95 (download)
Contact via website
Web www.primeloops.com

ith such a large amount of

music around, it can be
difcult to stand out with
original tracks. One
solution is to ditch or supplement
traditional drums with more esoteric
sound effects to craft unique grooves.
Unusual Percussion Samples from
Prime Loops serves up a library of over
200 found sound loops and hits, with
over 200MB worth of audio.
Everything is played in live, with the
percussion loops divided into folders of
box, bucket, computer case, ower pot,
keys, lamp, shoes, stapler, suitcase, and
other. Most of the grooves themselves
are fairly short and simple, but there
are generally several variations on each

Value

KeyFeatures
O Over 200MB
O 200 loops and
one-shots
O Acid Wav, Apple
Loops, REX2,
Live and ReFill

instrument so youll
robably end up chopping
things up and combining
patterns. You can expect to
nd conga style grooves
played on the bucket, box
and suitcase; pitched
sounds on ower pots and
lamps; and some superb
alternatives to your
standard shaker or
tambourine played using a
keys and a stapler! There
are also some great industrialsounding rhythms pounded out on a
computer case, which could be good for
composers looking for something a
little different for an action scene cue.
As mentioned you may have to get
creative if you want to extend the short
loops out into full tracks. Most have
been recorded with a little ambience for
a live feel, although you could remove

Trance 2.0

this product
is,at the very
least,the best
in its class.

Excellence

Contact info@sonicacademy.com
Value

Web www.sonicacademy.com

94 | June 2014

MAGAZINE

A useful collection of organic

sounding loops and hits that could
be used in the place of more
traditional percussion or drum
instruments to add a lot of interest
to your tracks.

Excellence Lets be honest

Price 34.99 3 months 99.99 one year

MT Verdict

8/10

MT Reviews What our ratings mean

Manufacturer Sonic Academy

rance is a genre thats existed

since the early 90s which has
evolved in many ways.Trance
2.0 covers the more popular yet
still credible sound of todays trance
and the track being produced in the
series is on par with current releases.
A collection of ve free videos called
Rewinds are available to all that cover
the basic aspects of starting a track.
These track ideas are then expanded in
the subscriber-only videos.
The series is presented by Phil
Johnston and Chris Agnelli who do a
good job of presenting their sessions in
a radio show type of way. Phil takes the
hands-on control of engineering while
Chris presents and probes Phil for more
in-depth details on techniques. Both
tutors are clearly experienced in
producing this style of music which is
reected in the working methods on
show, their reection on what needs to
be done and the nal level of quality.
All of the Rewind videos take the
approach of analysing a handful of
respectable commercial releases and

this with a transient/envelope plug-in.

The playing is slightly sloppy in
places, which again adds to the organic
feel, but you may want to use quantise
if youre writing tighter-sounding tracks.
Youll also nd a small handful of
heavily-effected versions, but this isnt
really explored in any real depth. Finally,
theres a folder of excellent one-shots to
play in your own unique rhythms.
This is a simple but excellent value
pack that could be used to spice up a
variety of genres. If your tracks are
sounding a little too obvious, then this
could be just the ticket to inject some
subtle originality. MT

then s ow you ow to create s m ar.

Ableton Live projects are included
but rely heavily on plug-ins, so a users
experience will vary on how useful
these are. Drums, bass, pads, leads and
SFX are all covered here at a basic, but
high standard level of production.
The main 2.0 videos go into more
detail and explain the aspects needed
for creating a full arrangement.Theres
time spent auditioning keys, sounds
and ideas to make sure each decision is
the right one for the track being
created. With guide vocal creation,
mixing, mastering, and then a second
mixdown being covered in-depth, this is
a great educational package for anyone
trying to nail the 2.0 sound. MT

Attractively
priced as well
as capable of
delivering
great results.

Choice

Innovation

A very good
product one
that we would
single out.
Indicates a step
forward in the
implementation
or application of
a technology.

EXCELLENCE AWARD 10/10

The best in its class.This product produces superb results, is well
implemented and sensibly priced.
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.

MT Verdict
A well-presented and technique
-lled series with emphasis on how
to use specic techniques for
creating Trance 2.0.

10/10

OURREVIEWSPOLICY
At MT we take our reviews very seriously indeed. We aim to offer
you nothing but the best information and expert op nion,helping
you to make t e right purchasing dec sions.Our reviewers are
experts in t eir eld and talk to the manufacturers throughout the
reviewing process to ens re accuracy.

WorldMags.net

WorldMags.net

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WorldMags.net

FIRST WITH REVIEWS

FIRST WITH NEWS
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EVERYWHERE

UR

Q
Q
Q
Q
Q

24-bit/192 kHz USB 2.0 audio interface with 6x4 analog I/O and MIDI
4 Class-A D-PRE mic preamps
Rugged full-metal casing for ultimate durability
Latency-free DSP-powered monitoring with effects
Cross-platform compatibility with Mac OS X and Windows, runs with iPad

WorldMags.net

www.steinberg.net/ur44

MT Your Disc

WorldMags.net

DVD135 4GB+ PC&Mac

YourDisc

Welcome to Junes MusicTech DVD. Weve got a

massive pack of cutting-edge bass hits, trance
kits and an eclectic mix of Loopmasters samples.
There are also pro videos, the latest demos, and
workshop files to go with this months tutorials.
Size 68MB Format 24-bit/44.1kHz WAV,
EXS24, NN-XT, Kontakt, Structure
Its interesting to witness how things change
n both electronic music as certain styles
come in and out of fashion. Weve noticed a
definite move from sustained bass sounds to
more hard and percussive hits so sample
maestro Richard James has concocted a
collection of 215 percussive bass hits: from
garage organ style hits, and dark dissonant
strikes, to more obviously pitched, hardedged synth hits, perfect for heavy techno
tracks or EDM. A large range of soft synths
and post processing was used to make sure
each sound will sit perfectly in the mix.

SAMPLE HITS//ROYALTY FREE & EXCLUSIVE

//BASS
STABS
& HITS
SAMPLES HITS//ROYALTY FREE & EXCLUSIVE

VIDEO FEATURE//70MINS+

//TRANCE
DRUM KIT

SSL SIGMA,
UAD APOLLO

Size 62MB Format 16-bit/44.1kHz WAV

This months exclusive free sample pack from
Equinox Sounds comes in the form of 300 top-notch
one-shot drum samples for producing all types of
trance music, with folders of claps, snares, kicks,
cymbals, hats and percussion, all in 16-bit, 44.1 kHz
quality. Many of the claps and snares are tight and
hard with heavily-compressed hits, and the kicks
have a punchy sound to cut through the mix. There
are several effected hits to add interest. All sounds
can be easily loaded into your sampler or mixed and
matched to build the ultimate trance drum patches.
Web www.equinoxsounds.com

Size 783 MB Format MOV, WAV, MP3

We have got a bumper selection of promotional video and
audio so you can see and hear the latest kit in action. Theres the
high-end SSL Sigma analogue summing box (see next issue for
the review), Elektrons polyphonic Analog Keys, and Universal
Audios compact and affordable Apollo Twin interface with Unison
amp emulation technology. Youll also find videos showing Arturia
Keylab, PreSonus Eris Monitors (next issue), Toontrack
EZdrummer 2, VSL Dimension Strings, and the latest orchestral
libraries from ProjectSAM. Plus we have audio demos of
Garritans new Abbey Road Studios CFX Concert Grand Piano,
and Native Instruments Supercharger GT compressor/saturator.

DEMO//SOFTWARE

//SOFTWARE
NATIVE INSTRUMENTS
SUPERCHARGER GT
(Windows, Mac OSX)

SINEVIBES HEXONATOR
(Windows, Mac OSX)

Compressor plug-in inspired by

the tube-driven sound of
boutique hardware. Dedicated
saturation modes allow for fine
tuning warm sounds.
www.native-instruments.com

NATIVE INSTRUMENTS
MOLEKULAR
(Windows, Mac OSX)
A complex, modular multi-effects
system for Reaktor 5 and 5 Player
with 35 creative, futuristic effects
(delay, stutter, glitch, resonator,
flanger, chorus, and more), 16 mod
sources, routing and a morphing field.
www.native-instruments.com

MAGAZINE

FULL//SOFTWARE

SERANO HORUS
(Windows, Mac OSX)

DEMO//SOFTWARE

98 | June 2014

A unique spectral effect built on six tuned resonators for

creating organic melodic textures, chord progressions, or
ambient drones from any signal source. It also includes a
multi-mode filter, chord sequencer with up to 32 steps, and two
modulators with multiple waveforms and adjustable chaos.

DEMO//SOFTWARE

Create inspiring pads with this poly synth, stringmachine instrument. Features include four oscillators,
64-voice polyphony, chorus, phaser, auto-wah, stereo
delay, static formant filter and low-pass filter, LFO, and
full MIDI learn.. http://bserrano.free.fr

EMBERTONE CANJO
(Windows, Mac OSX requires Kontakt 4.2.4+)
Create beautiful plucked melodies or rich cinematic
ambiences with this unique, sampled string instrument for
Kontakt. Canjo can be played with muted, fingered and
picked styles, with flexible articulation control and a
powerful arpeggiator. www.embertone.com

FULL//SOF WARE

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WorldMags.net

Your Disc MT

SAMPLE LOOPS//ROYALTY-FREE

Size 218 MB Format 24bit/44.1 kHz WAV

An eclectic bunch of free instrument, vocal, beats
and bass samples from Loopmasters latest and greatest
releases. There are dark and mysterious pads and
punishing drum and bass breaks and synths courtesy of
producer Octane and his Drum & Bass Core pack. Youll
find shimmering neon melodies and chilled beats taken
from Atalanta Chill 2, and Underground City FX, and
dubbed out Latin-American rhythms and synths from Nu
Cumbria. And finally, live and electronic drums taken
from Live Disco Electro Beats, and a mix of male and
female, lead and backing vocals from Iconical Vocal
Acapellas 3.
Web www.loopmasters.com

//OCTANE DNB,
DISCO BEATS
& MORE
DVD13
35 4GB+ PCC&Maac
SAMPLE HITS//ROYALT
LTY FREE
E & EXCL
CLUS
U IV
VE

PLUS
PL
US
S
If your DVD is missing
please contact your newsagent

Hundreds of dark bass hits

and synth stabs perfectt for
house, techno and EDM
M
SAMPLES HITS//ROYALTY FREE & EXCLUSIVE

TR
RANCE
ANCE DR
AN
DRUM
UM
M
HIITS
TS & 215
2115 MB
MB OF
OF
LOOP
LO
OPMA
OP
MA
AS
ST
TER
ERS
S
SA
AMP
MPLE
L S
LE
SAMPLE
ES LOO
LO PS
PS//ROY
ROYALT
ALTY
Y FRE
FREE
E

//300 TRANCE KIT

T //215MB DNB,
SAMPLES
DIISCO AND MORE
VIDEO TUTORIALS/
//1.5HRS
/ H +

V EO
VID
O TUT
T TORI
O ALS
ORI
AL
L //35
3 MIN
MINS
S

//TODD
D TERJJE
DECONST
TRUCTED

//BITWIG & FX
IN ABLETON LIVE

VIDEO TUTORIALS//1.5HRS+

//TODD TERJE
DECONSTRUCTED
Size 1.77 GB Format MOV
Norwegian Producer Todd Terje has been
producing masterful summer disco jams for over
10 years. The good people at Point Blank Music
School have seen fit to deconstruct his excellent
Delorean Dynamite track, using Ableton Live to
rebuild its constituent parts. Plus we have course tutor Ski
Oakenfold offering up tips for vocal comping in Logic X, and an in-depth
look at the complex new modular effects plug-in from Native Instruments,
Molekular. As ever, for best performance, be sure to copy all the videos to
your hard drive before viewing. Web www.pointblanklondon.com

VIDEO FEATURE//35 MINS

//BITWIG & FX IN LIVE

Size 739 MB Format MOV
Another Loop+ helping of studio know-how. Dance
producer Dom Kane looks around BitWig and Rob Jones
presents a break down of the BIGKICK plug-in from
PluginBoutique.com. For Ableton users, certified trainer
Keith Mills offers some nifty tips for creating
atmospheric FX in Live, plus producer Dan Larsson talks
about his new Ableton Operator preset collection. Finally,
trailers for Niche Audios PrimaTech Maschine and Live
pack, and for BIGKICK from PluginBoutique.com.
Web www.loopmasters.com/loopplus/

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MAGAZINE June 2014

| 99

www.solidstatelogic.com

WorldMags.net

SSL SIG

Remote Controlled Analogue Summing.

Because nothing inside your DAW is analogue.

SSL SuperAnalogue summing unit controlled by DAW mix automation
Studio monitor controller with front panel & MIDI remote control
Separate iPad friendly remote control software

Clever, cool, effective and affordable hybrid studio technology

by Solid State Logic. The worlds leading pro audio innovator.

Audio Innovation. This is SSL.

TECHNOLOGY

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Distributed in the UK and Eire by Sound Technology Ltd

01462 480000 | www.soundtech.co.uk | info@soundtech.co.uk