welcome

Rumour has it that ABBA heard that Computer

Hi-tech to lo-bit. It’s the 80s! Again

No you’re not reading the same story as last issue. The 80s are still here!

App watch

We report on the latest developments in phone and tablet music making

Get with the programmers

We have an update to a legend this issue, produced by a plugin legend. It’s Mr ‘u-he’ himself…

COMPUTER MUSIC 10 years back

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

How we wish we’d downloaded those free Moog apps now…

If, like us, you ‘forgot’ to download all

Ins & outs

I HAVEA DREAM (COME TRUE) Best-known as an

Next issue

Get great guitar… without the hassle

15 questions with… NOGA EREZ

Noga Erez might well be, as one writer in her homeland has described her, ‘the Israeli answer to a Björk’, but it could all have panned out very differently. Growing up as a classical and jazz musician, it was a crash course in Ableton Live that not only gained her a partner, but several world tours, her music backing an Apple ad and a performance at the Olympics…

BACK TO THE 80s

We have a huge set of features to help give your tracks either an 80s retro vibe, or your sounds a very 2021 take on the 1980s. So join us as we revisit a decade that’s still shaping so much of the music we’re making today!

Build a 1980s drum kit in your DAW using free samples

The 1980s is the decade where studio drums

Use arpeggiators to create 1980s melodies

An arpeggiator is a device that splits the

Create classic 1980s live bass

Talking Heads’ Tina Weymouth – back when the

Sample-based bass boomtime

We’ve talked about how great the 1980s were

The MIDI decade

The DX7 embraced the MIDI port in a

Synth pop

Koh Hasebe/Shinko Music/Getty Synths are a vital part of

How to create tape recording effects

Recording in the 1980s was all about tape

Chip tune and trackers

Chip tune is a style of music that

The industrial 80s sound

Martyn Goodacre / Getty What we think of

Artists in an 80s style 1: The Weeknd

In the 90s the 80s were reviled – which is actually quite normal as new generations are always keen to move on into the new decade in terms of fashion. But eventually there was a comeback, which has stuck around for quite a while! The biggest part of this has involved music

Artists in an 80s style 2: Dua Lipa

Dave J Hogan / Getty It’s probably fair

Build your 80s studio

Let’s consider what might have been the 80s-est studio possible: what might have been on offer then, as opposed to what we’d use to reproduce that now. You’d get a more truly 1980s sound by mixing in technology from previous eras, but what the heck, let’s just commit and go full 80s!

Conclusion

What have we learnt? Maybe that limiting yourself

PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTING

Public Service Broadcasting’s blend of rock and electronics along with an extravaganza of samples, documentary visuals and iconic live outings has earned them a huge following. But, after dealing with massive themes like space and Everest, they’re turning their backs on samples and embracing Berlin…

BLANCMANGE

Blancmange might have had their pop success in the 80s but the band’s Neil Arthur is producing more music in the 2020s than ever before, and the latest album, Commercial Break, might well be his best work yet. And that’s just the start of it. There are dozens of other projects in the pipeline, and even one with another 80s synth pop legend, a certain Vince Clarke. And did we mention ABBA?

Alexey Nechaev

The recent Unbound: Worlds Apart ‘Metroidvania’ platform game features some of the most incredible graphics and sublime music ever to grace the gaming world. Award-winning composer Alexey Nechaev reveals the processes behind the soundtrack

U-HE ZEBRA CM

A stalwart of our software suite gets a reboot. Time for a little refresh of our skills as we unleash the beast

2 classic 80s packs!

The Mighty Vault didn’t exist back in the 80s – it would have been the size of a small town. Anyway, here are a couple of classic packs with an 80s vibe…

Vocal reverb guide

Do your vocals sound washed out after reverb? Here are some tips for using reverb to add power to vox, rather than take it away

Zebra CM: a Ghostly Synth

#07

Building macros for performance

#14

Korg Collection 3 $399 PC MAC

Korg’s Collection is updated with three classics from three different eras: the 70s, 90s and 2000s. They didn’t get the 80s Special memo, then…

Spitfire Audio Hammers £249 PC MAC

In a new collaboration between Saw composer Charlie Clouser and Spitfire Audio, percussion has never sounded so brutal

Softube Model 84 €159 PC MAC

As another software rebirth of a vintage classic from 1984 arrives, Softube delves into Greek mythology (via Japan) for inspiration

Avid Sibelius for iPad/iOS

Free or from $6.99 month

Minimal Audio Rift €129

If you’re looking for some inspiration, then this new distortion plugin from Minimal Audio could well be one of the best places to start

Torso Electronics T-1 Algorithmic Sequencer €525

We find out what makes this sturdy piece of hardware Euclidean-ly (is that an acceptable adjective?) tick

UVI Super-7 €7 9

What happens if you weave a karaoke classic into a programmable sample-based instrument? The results from UVI will be Super!

Cinesamples O: Forbes Pipe Organ $149

Cinesamples’ latest Kontakt instrument captures the majesty of the mighty pipe organ, placing the big O right at your fingertips

Soundware round-up

Minimal Audio Emerge $49 Sumptuous sound designs abound

15 Questions with… BON

BON are Yerosha Windrich and Alex Morris, a creative partnership and production duo known for working with projects on Warp Records, Hyperdub and 4AD