Back to live

The return of live music and clubs has

Bitwig Studio 4 promises to unlock ‘new musical timelines’

Version 4 brings new sequencing and probability  tools, plus native support for Apple Silicon

Splice now works better with your DAW

> Hot on the heels of the

Black Corporation are bringing back the Jupiter-8

> Black Corporation, makers of Deckard's Dream, Xerxes

Apple bring Spatial Audio tools to Logic Pro

> Announced last month, Apple’s Spatial Audio technology

Arturia’s FX Collection 2 bundles 22 ‘audio effects that you’ll actually use’

> Arturia have unveiled version 2 of their

Sub Focus

RAM Records, 2009

The Quiet Drift

Western Vinyl ALBUM OF THE MONTH The Quiet

A Night At The Baths

Disciples Multidisciplinary artist Ruth Mascelli has always been

Chronology

Erased Tapes Chronology was Qasim Naqvi’s first release

Hinged

Maarja Nuut © Vic Lentaigne RECOMMENDED Maarja Nuut

REFRESH YOUR LIVE SETUP

As worldwide restrictions begin to ease and the live music sector eyes a tentative return, it’s time to refresh your live rig – we’ll help you get gig-ready with essential tips and musthave gear

Maschine+

Want to ditch the laptop without losing all the conveniences of a DAW? NI’s standalone Maschine might just be the perfect middle ground

MPC One/Live II

Akai’s latest MPCs are fully standalone, broadly powerful, and play surprisingly well with analogue synths and modular gear

GIGGING TIPS FOR KEYBOARDISTS

> As a keyboardist you want to

KeyStep Pro

The new flagship for Arturia’s Step range is a sequencing powerhouse – great with modular gear, MIDI hardware, software, or a combo of them all!

SQ-64

A modern take on the old-school analogue sequencer format, Korg’s compact, convenient multi-channel unit could be what your live set needs

Circuit Tracks

The handy compact groovebox gets even more useful thanks to a pair of external sequencing tracks. Could it be your new live hub?

Wavestate & Opsix

These digital synths put a modern spin on vintage sound engines – great for retro synthwave vibes with modern, performance-friendly conveniences

REWIND! A POST-LOCKDOWN DJ REFRESHER

> Grab your records and headphones –

Sunroof

Sunroof duo Gareth Jones and Daniel Miller have finally released their debut electronic album 40 years after they first became friends. Danny Turner reveals how the iconic producers’ modular jams finally saw fruition

THE TRACK

Leading producers go in-depth on the sounds, ideas and techniques behind their latest releases

Hitting the road with modular gear

Rob Redman delves into the forgotten world of live music, exposing some key tools and techniques to help you win over the gigging masses

“My studio wouldn’t be complete without at least a couple outboard synths or keyboards”

MNDSGN LA-based producer Ringgo Ancheta, aka Mndsgn, is

BEC Trusting The Mystery

Second State Audio, 2021 VIDEO ON FILESILO Berlin-based techno

Creating Trusting The Mystery’s banging beats

Rebecca uses Live’s built-in effects to get the most out of her beefy kick drums and tom

Elkka

Rising UK house producer Elkka has evolved from struggling singer/songwriter to creating a truly distinctive sound. Danny Turner discusses her metamorphosis and newly released EP

Erika de Casier

The Portuguese-Danish singer-songwriter and producer with a flare for ‘feelgood’ chats to Kate Puttick about the joys of learning

Trap

A genre? A movement? A key element of hip-hop? This month we explore the roots of the modern trap sound

Three classic trap production techniques

808 kick bass 1 Key to the

Novation Circuit Rhythm £360

Hot on the heels of the impressive Circuit Tracks, Novation add a sampler to their groovebox range. Si Truss gets into the rhythm

Marantz MPM-4000U £80

Plug and play podcasting mics have never been more popular. Jon Musgrave hooks up this latest design from Marantz Pro

MULTI-EFFECTS

These plugins offer most of the effects you could possibly need in one single place, but which ones are worth the investment?

Wavefonix 3340 VCO £229 and 1847 VCDO £159

Should this pair of oscillators earn a place in your rack? Rob Redman takes them for a spin

Korg NC-Q1 £299

Can noise cancelling headphones help you hear yourself in the DJ booth? Jon Musgrave sizes up this new smart design from Korg

Austrian Audio Hi-X65 £319

Critical listening on headphones can be a bit hit and miss. Jon Musgrave sizes up this new Austrian-made design

Arturia Pigments 3 €199

Chris Hughes explores the next evolution of the powerhouse soft synth from Arturia

IK Multimedia MixBox

MixBox is a custom channel strip plugin that

UVI - Super-7 €79

Roland’s MKS-7 ‘Super Quartet’ was a curiosity which

Vadim – Tropical Dancehall £34.95

Daddy Vad is a beatmaking icon who has

Generate new musical ideas in Ableton Live

PROBLEM: Looking for melodic inspiration? Live 11’s comping can help you come up with new, inspiring melodic lines

NEW ENTRY

Bitwig Studio 4 $399 Full Review: Soon Now

HIGH-END SYNTHS

Sequential Pro 3 from £1,459 Full Review: FM366

STANDALONE MUSIC MAKERS

Roland Verselab MV-1 £599 Full Review: FM371 |

HARDWARE SEQUENCERS

Korg SQ-64 £269 Full Review: FM367 | An

SOFTSYNTHS

NEW ENTRY Arturia Pigments 3 €199 Full Review:

SEMI-MODULAR SYNTHS

Moog Matriarch £1,979 Full Review: FM355 The Matriarch