The best packs of 2023

welcome

We’ve all got our own methods of making

Thirst-quencher

AIR Music Technology release a classic-leaning multi-FX plugin that melds vintage warmth with modern dexterity

The room-shaper

Many effect plugins these days are being designed

App watch

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

A slice of cherry pie

Acustica Audio (maker of our recent giveaway Fire

Ins & outs

IS IT OVER YET? Last month, Reinier

Free SHLD MIDI chord cm pack

Ludovic Drolez’ royalty-free MIDI chords and progressions packs have been widely acclaimed, and – exclusively – he’s given us an enhanced version with more than 140 chord progressions for each key

Digit Music: building an inclusive future

Launching the innovative Cmpsr earlier this year, Digit Music are focused on creating an inclusive model of music production that allows those with physical restrictions to find their way into the joy of musical expression. We wanted to learn more…

Next issue

Techno special dissecting the genre

Keir

Demonstrating astonishing vocal prowess across a salvo of infectious singles, chart-eyed singer Keir is set to be showing up on tastemakers’ radars imminently. We spoke to the southwest-England-hailing powerhouse, alongside his writing partner and producer George Glew to learn about the long process of making his debut album

MAKE BETTER BEATS

This month, we’re going big on beats, the rhythmic backbone of your music, and the element that sets genres apart and gets feet tapping. Over the following 20 pages, we’ll tackle both programming and mixing better beats, with tips for better acoustic and electronic drums (and all without a human drummer in sight)

A (very) brief history of beatmaking

For the last 50 years or more, technology has already been helping us with our beats and has defined how we create them within our DAWs today. Let’s look back and see exactly where it all leaves us in 2023…

Beats in the Suite

We run through some fine freeware drum machines

Beat creation with AI

No feature in any technologically-minded magazine is complete

6of the best free drum plugins

Synsonic BD-909/808 Mac/PC Two for the price of

JESSY LANZA

The Canadian producer adding a strange, techno twist to neo soul

BEATIE WOLFE

Innovative artist, composer and ‘musical weirdo and visionary’ (as described by Vice), Beatie Wolfe has trodden an entirely singular path; from her captivating catalogue of songs, to the multidisciplinary artistic projects that interrogate the human response to music, to posing challenging questions about the existential threat of climate change. We spoke to Beatie at the tail ‐end of her recent imPRINTING installation at London’s Somerset House, to find out more about her latest ventures and the centrality of music to her art and life

10th bass with overdrive

Sometimes you want a bass sound that not only occupies the bottom end, but provides some major harmony. We’ve got both for the price of 1!

Parallel compression

Like the sound your compressor adds but want to retain some of the original signal’s sound? This technique could be for you

Waves StudioVerse £Free PC MAC

Download mix-ready effects chains made by the stars for free and grab yourself a great plugin while you’re at it. Surely there’s a catch…?

Arturia FX Collection 4 €499

Yet another (huge) bundle of plugins from Arturia, but does this latest update do the same for effects as V Collection does for instruments?

Pulsar Digital Pulsar 8200 €149

Classic EQ plugin emulations are plentiful, but this particular design is not so commonplace. Has this ambitious developer hit the mark?

Exonic UK AI Master £79

While the world asks if it’s time to limit AIs’ exposure to humanity, we ask if it’s time to expose AI to limiters? It’s time to automate (meet) your Master

Zynaptiq Orange Vocoder IV $249

The unique sound of the Vocoder is synonymous with the future, and thanks to Zynaptiq, the future’s looking particularly orange…

Universal Audio Capitol Mastering Compressor £349 or subscription

UA’s latest native plugin promises the sound of thousands of hit records, as they model a compressor of which only four were ever built

Soundware round-up

Audiotent Spiral £45 Precisely 107 peerless presets for

>Free software Lunacy Audio CUBE Mini

Are your synths missing the fun factor? This month’s amazing giveaway could be just the solution

cm/video

Download this month’s videos: bit.ly/cm326downloads