welcome

In the DIY spirit of our cover feature this month, I’m not going to bother writing an intro for the issue, but let you construct your own ‘Welcome’* out of the following phrases. The best wins a magazine editor job. Good luck!

DAW updates a plenty…

Bitwig the 4th, Reason’s dozen and 11’s all round everywhere else

Tron and non Tron too

IK Multimedia have released SampleTron 2 which gives

Arturia: 22 effects you’ll actually use?

We do like a good bundle here and

Ins & outs

APPLE’S AUDIO BOOST Apple have added more reasons

App watch

We report on the latest devs in phone and tablet music making. Easy!

Get with the programmers

A musician, producer, engineer, collector and sound designer for SounDevice Digital. And, no, not that one…

10 years back

Our monthly shake-of-thehead at our younger selves’ news choices…

Ochestral Tools Tom Holkenborg Percussion

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

BUILD YOUR OWN PLUGINS

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

REAKTOR

Reaktor is a visual programming environment dedicated to

Know your FX

Building synths in Reaktor is quite an accessible

MAX FOR LIVE

Like Reaktor, Max by Cycling ’74 is a

MIDI sequencer

One great feature of Live is its extensive

MELDA MSOUNDFACTORY

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

15 questions with…

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

RURAL TAPES

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

Gear and performance

Playing live requires a considerable amount of courage, thoughtful preparation, and of course, some investment in the right (reliable) tech. Let’s explore the technical setup considerations, and other factors, that could transform your gig into a showstopper…

Growing your audience

You may be putting on some exhilarating live shows, but if you’re not effectively nurturing and analysing your new fans, you may as well stay in your studio. If audience management on top of everything else feels too much, here are some hints

The future of live

Being a live performer means a very different thing in 2021 than it did even five years ago. With the increasing pace of internet speed, you can stream a show for thousands of people straight from your home studio. But does new technology increase the risk of losing that vital live experience, or does this all lead somewhere even more exciting?

Live-tailored DAWs

Vital environments for your computer-based live performing

Atmosphere-enhancing kit

Improve the vibe of your shows with special lighting and effects

The best live microphones

If you’re a live singer, clarity and durability in a mic are both essential

Best live hardware

Build out your rig, or ditch the computer entirely and run your shows with some of these options…

Best live software control

Stop gawping at the screen and get performing!

Chris Bergstrom: live ‘n’ Dandy

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

#13 Heartbreaker chords

Sprinkle a little magic, wonder and even soul into your chord progressions with this neat music theory device…

#03 U-he Zebra CM talking filter

If synths could talk, what would they say? OK, we can’t answer that, but the Zebra filter, with its impressive Formant filter, comes close

#11 Rising FX from scratch

Discover the sound design techniques behind rising FX

Tone2 Warlock $69

Warlock is Tone2’s attempt to deliver a power and workflow combination that is a rare partnership in softsynth design. And it’s damn cheap too…

Orchestral Tools Tallinn €399 PC MAC

Tallinn is an orchestral library with a murderous plot twist and subtitles, ideal for your Scandi-Noir atmosphere. Does it make a killing?

Audiomodern Opacity II £88.99 PC MAC

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

UVI 8-Bit Synth €99 PC MAC

Recapturing the endearing charm of classic arcade machines, 8-Bit Synth may seem gimmicky at first, but a vibrant instrument lurks within

Multi FX

One plugin to do it all, or just one plugin that seems to? Here are six of the best effects with multiple ambitions

JMG Sound Orbitron €129/£110 PC MAC

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

Gospel EZX & EBX Expansion packs €75

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

MELDA CM PLUCK

We have a free Melda plugin this issue, but while getting it, you could end up with 39 more! Time to enter the MSoundFactory

New breaks samples

It’s a breaks-themed sample collection this issue with two all-new packs and loads of classics! Get them on the DVD or download direct at filesilo.co.uk

Loopmasters cm297 samples

01 LM Hypnotic House & Techno 2 02