TOOLS OF THE TRADE

welcome

DOWNLOAD See page 83 to find out how

It’s a hat-trick of vintage synths

Just when you thought we’d run out of synth emulations, three more pop up

UVI mix the best of both worlds

Is it a synth or an orchestra? It’s

Arturia have even more effects you’ll actually use

Arturia have announced FX Collection 3, a suite

Steinberg launch VST Live

Perhaps recognising that we’re all a bit fed

Akai’s new keyboard brings software to hardware

Akai’s VIP system used in their controller keyboards

App watch

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

Techivation’s new T-Exciter

T-Exciter is the name of a new exciter

Focusrite focus on the podcasting market

Who hasn’t got a podcast, right? Well, us

Melda’s mighty amps

MeldaProduction have announced MTurboAmp, described as “a mighty

What a waste

We’re liking the name of Softube’s latest plugin.

Novum sound Dawesome

Tracktion, the makers of the fantastic Waveform DAW

Antares release Vocal EQ

Antares, the developers of your favourite automatic vocal

SampleScience’s Stylo – can you tell what it is yet?

This is the slot in Computer Music where

INS & OUTS

CLAP TO THE FUTURE? You might wonder why

10 years back

Our monthly shake-of-the head at our earlier selves’ news choices…

ANALOGUE DIRT

Your digital mixes may well be too perfect! Here’s our guide to bringing some humanity back into your productions and how to get deep, down and dirty with some ‘analogue’ processing

Why analogue is better

So we know that digital processing can be

The evolution of distortion

Professional audio gear is designed to give acceptable

The classic analogue recording signal path

Before we go about emulating the quirks of

The Pro Producer’s Guide To Analogue

Getting a distorted analogue sound is a great way to add filth to digital productions. Here’s a look at the classic analogue signal chain and how to recreate it in your DAW

Go analogue on a budget with the Plugins

Over the following pages we’ll reveal how you can get perfect analogue dirt in your mixes, for free, using plugins from the Computer Music Plugin Suite. Here are some of the highlights of the Suite including plenty of analogue-style superstars

> Step by step Emulating analogue gear with filtering and EQ

TUTORIAL FILES 1> It can be tempting to

Five classic analogue-style EQs

SoundToys Sie-Q $99 Clearly not content to slap

> Step by step Sending sounds back in time for the ultimate analogue journey

TUTORIAL FILES 1> Let’s go all-out and send

>And in reverse order…

You may have noticed that we created most

Saturation in the mix

Saturation is a defining factor in ‘that analogue

Three of the best vinyl and noise plugins

AudioThing Vinyl Strip 226 » 9/10 » $59

> Step by step Essential noise layering

TUTORIAL FILES 1> Back in the day, producers

> Step by step Creating pitch-wavering analogue chords

TUTORIAL FILES 1> Let’s reverse-engineer the imperfections of

Zebra CM go-getta bass

Creating a square bass with movement is a cool commercial trick. Let’s widen the pulse of Zebra CM’s oscillators, David Guetta-style

BASS, IN ITS PLACE!

Creating a great bass sound is of course

Getting a great bass tone

In this tutorial you’ll learn how to get a great sound for your bass, straight from your audio interface

WILLIAM ORBIT

After working with Madonna, U2, Blur, Robbie Williams and Britney Spears, William Orbit’s career went on hold after battling with drugs and his confidence. The joy of painting and a beginner’s guide to Pro Tools got his mojo back and now he is about to release his first new album in eight years

CINEMATIC BEATS

Enormous drum and percussion sounds are the order of the day as we turn our attention to producing blockbuster beats suitable for a Hollywood epic

Nicky Romero/Cableguys Kickstart 2 €14

If you want pumping sidechain effects, a dedicated plugin is a must and this one’s just had a tasty update

Cherry Audio Minimode $59.00

Endorsing the fact that “everyone should have a Minimoog”, Cherry Audio re-mode the early 70s classic into a highly desirable plugin form

Caelum Audio Flux Pro £50

Can an affordable plugin deliver compelling multi effects? This latest offering from Caelum Audio could be the one

Arturia V Collection 9 £419

The reputed resource of software synths gets an update. We should all be looking to complete our collections as we upgrade to version 9

Røde NTH-100 £145

Can Røde’s first attempt at producing headphones be anywhere near as good as the company’s microphones? Let’s find out…

Best tablets for music production

We’ve updated our iPad tablet roundup by including other devices that use both the Android and Windows operating systems. Here are some of the best tablets that you can make music with today

Buyer ’s advice

Choosing a tablet device for music making gives

Apple iPad Pro 12.9-inch (5th gen, 2021) £999

STARTING PRICE: $1,099/£999/€1,199 | OPERATING SYSTEM :

iPad Pro 11-inch (5th generation, 2021) £749

STARTING PRICE : $799/£749/€879 | OPERATING SYSTEM:

Computer Music choice

As we explain in the Buyer’s Advice section,

Yoga Tab 13 £699

STARTING PRICE: $629/£699/€729 | OPERATING SYSTEM: Android

Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra £999

STARTING PRICE: $1,099/£999/€1,150 | OPERATING SYSTEM: Android

Surface Pro 8 £999

STARTING PRICE: $1,099/£999/€1,099 | OPERATING SYSTEM: Windows

iPad mini (6th generation,2021) £479

STARTING PRICE: $499/£479/€549 | OPERATING SYSTEM:

iPad Air (5th generation, 2022) £569

STARTING PRICE : $599/£569/€679 | OPERATING SYSTEM

iPad (9th generation) £319

STARTING PRICE: $329/£319/€379 | OPERATING SYSTEM: iPadOS

ThinkPad X1 Yoga £1,729

STARTING PRICE: $1,526/£1,729 | OPERATING SYSTEM: Windows

FLUX MINI 2 CM

A long-time CM Suite staple, this multimode filter/amplitude plugin gets a refresh this issue. Let’s learn more about how it works…

KIRNU CREAM CM

Kirnu’s classic Cream CM gets an update this month. We show you how to get up and running and take you through its main features

Filthy samples!

It’s a filthy theme this issue so we’ve got two new packs of dirty samples plus experimental and found sound classics. Get them at FileSilo or WeTransfer

EXPERIMENTAL SOUNDSCAPES GET THE WHITE COAT

We’ve gone back to issue 164 to get

FOUND SOUND SAMPLES

LOOK OUT THERE!

Loopmasters 311 samples

This month’s demo sample selection highlighting Loopmasters’ latest releases