Future Music

Editor-In-Chief Si Truss, simon.truss@futurenet.com Reviews Editor, Music Technology Simon

Electronic songcraft

We often dedicate a lot of FM to

Drift adds extra MPE-ready synthesis into Ableton Live

Live 11.3 puts the emphasis on expressive instruments for a generous free update

Universal Audio reveals three new UAFX pedals

>Universal Audio has added three new pedals to

Sequential significantly updates the Take 5

>Sequential is doubling up the power of the

Behringer sets its sights on the new media market

>The Behringer 802S and Behringer 502S are the

Bitwig Studio 5 is a modulating monster

>Bitwig has announced Studio 5, the latest version

Sound Particles’ “first ever” 3D synth is a “game changer”, according to Jean-Michel Jarre

>Sound Particles is making quite a few claims

Neumann updates one of the finest studio monitors ever made

>Neumann’s 2010-released KH 120 speaker was, according to

Bastl’s Bestie is a distortionfuelled mini mixer

>Bastl has had skin in the mini mixer

Polyend announces Tracker Mini

>Polish hardware developer Polyend, who produced the innovative

Attica Blues Attica Blues

Mo’ Wax, 1997

Track by track with Attica Blues

Intro Tony: “It opens with the sound of

LIKE IT? TRY THESE…

Carlton McCarthy The Call is Strong Dubby trip-hop,

Nabihah Iqbal, Dreamer

ALBUM OF THE MONTH

ON OUR PLAYLIST

LIVE Orbital, 02 Academy Bristol The Hartnoll brothers’

Piezo, Odd Hooks

Ansia

Clark, Sus Dog

Throttle Records

Wendy Carlos

From laying the foundations of ambient music to advising Bob Moog, Wendy Carlos’ impact cannot be understated

THE MUSIC

Switched-On Bach CBS, 1968 The album that defined

Roland Jupiter-X £2,432

Is the 21st century Jupiter a dream machine to conjure sounds of the past and the future? Or just a box of plugins with some pretty lights on? Dave Clews finds out

Erica Synth Zen Delay Virtual €99

The Ninja Tune-branded sound-mangler comes to the plugin realm. Si Truss asks if it can live up to its hardware counterpart

Control voltages

Before the advent of MIDI, there was only one realistic method for interfacing all of your pieces of equipment with each other. Control voltage, more commonly known as CV and more accurately known as CV/Gate, is a system that uses very simple analogue electrical signals to trigger equipment

Quick effects tips: Part 1

Get more out of your productions with our series of quick-and-dirty effects tips

GEAR GUIDE

DIGITAL POLYSYNTHS ASM Hydrasynth Deluxe £1,489 Review: FM383

Joyce Muniz

The Brazilian producer on her eclectic new album and love of hardware sequencers

JAMES HOLDEN

Ever the innovator, the London-based producer tells Matt Mullen how broken synths, 3D printers and Max for Live helped create his stellar new album

Lewis Thompson

From DJ duo Just Kiddin to work with David Guetta, Becky Hill and more, we meet one of the UK’s most prolific songwriters

NYOKABI KARIUKI

The formally trained composer tells Kate Puttick how sound-journaling opened a world of experimentation to explore on her debut works

Programming the OP-1 Field

Charlotte Sterling sits down with Teenage Engineering’s Jonas Åberg and Tobias von Hofsten to pick up some OP-1 tips

Exploring the OP-1 Field’s creative tools

The updated OP-1 comes stacked with new tools. Here are some of the most essential

OCTAVE ONE

Despite diverging from their techno roots, Octave One tell Danny Turner they’d sooner stop the music than sell their 909

THE SECRETS OF SONGCRAFT

Whether you’re creating dance music, pop or left-field experiments, an understanding of the theory behind what makes a song work can be the difference between a flop and a hit

Why keys matter

Picking the right key is an oftenoverlooked part

Creating a melody

What do you want the tune of your

Breaking the rules of harmony

For every key you can write in, there is an ‘expected’ group of chords which sound ‘right’. Sometimes, breaking this expectation provides a more memorable melody

QUICK TIPS

DON’T: >…feel the need to change the bass

The power of inversions and chord voicing

By inverting the notes of a chord, you can ‘re-voice’ them to add greater lift to a track

Using passing notes to create basslines

Inserting notes between the ‘obvious’ steps in a

Working with melodic suspensions

Delaying the resolution of melody notes produces a powerful musical technique we call a ‘suspension’

Dance music theory in action

Let’s move beyond theory and see how progressions, melodies and composition can be deployed

Frankie Knuckles, The Whistle Song

© Wendell Teodoro/WireImage >A seminal early Chicago house

Deadmau5, Clockwork

© Barry Brecheisen/Getty Images >The root of this,

Floating Points, Last Bloom

© Emma McIntyre/Getty Images >A delicately beautiful amalgam

Modern music theory tools

Learn how to use today’s top theory tools to hit the target or get creative

Roland FP-E50 £864

Is it a piano, a synth, an arranger or something else? Ben Rogerson meets the Roland keyboard that wants to do it all

ADDAC System 714 Vintage Clip £130

Rob Redman warms up with some vintage clipping

Focal ST6 Solo6 £1,149 each

Rich tones for the wealthy? Or invaluable monitors regardless of cost? Listen to reason, urges Simon Fellows

Audient iD24 £300

Charlotte Sterland is spoiled for connectivity choice on this interface from the audiophile-favoured brand

Eve Audio SC2070 £1,058 each

Looking for some pro monitors? Jon Musgrave plugs up the new two-way design from Eve Audio

Herbs and Stones Solid Felt £$499

Rob Redman gets to know this “clever” standalone filter device

SOUNDS & SAMPLES

Soundiron – Voice of Rage 2.0 $119 >We