This is your Live

We can sometimes talk about DAWs as if

Erica Synths’ Perkons is a hybrid drum machine that promises to bring the thunder

>Hot on the heels of the excellent LXR-02

Akai unveil affordable new MPC Studio controller

>Akai’s MPC focus has been on the standalone

UDO’s Super 6 gets a compact, keyboard-free counterpart

>UDO have taken the wraps off the Super

The ASM Hydrasynth gets a cute new little sibling

>Ahsun Sound Machines (ASM) have revealed a new,

Dreadbox unveil tiny Nymphes polysynth

>Dreadbox have unveiled Nymphes, a six-voice analogue polysynth

Moog’s latest Sound Studio is a monster semi-modular synth

>Moog have followed up their first two Sound

PWM’s Malevolent is a semi-modular debut that means business

>Malevolent is the debut product from new British

Arturia light the MiniFuse with a new range of “classleading” interfaces

>Having tried their hands at creating mid-to-high-end audio

Sugar Bytes say the Nest DIY MIDI sequencer can make music “with a life of its own”

>Sugar Bytes are making no bones about the

Seefeel Succour

Warp Records, 1995

Theon Cross Intra-I

New Soil

Resina Speechless

130701

Chrissy Physical Release

Hooversound

Makaya McCraven Deciphering The Message

Blue Note Records

ABLETON LIVE at 20

It wouldn’t be too hyperbolic to liken the influence Ableton Live has had on electronic music in the 21st century to that of Roland’s grooveboxes in the 1980s. Live is far from the only software tool around – for every track created in Ableton’s DAW, there are countless others made in the likes of Logic, Cubase or Reason – but just as the TR-808 and TR-909 laid down the blueprint for both the tone and sequencing style of modern electronic drums, so has Ableton Live defined a specific style of music software; one that bridges the gap between recording workspace and instrument in its own right

The history of Live in 10 key updates

1 2001 ABLETON LIVE 1 LAUNCHES Live version 1

Producers share their essential Live 11 tips…

KSHMR “Really understand Audio Effect Racks. They allow

10 innovations inspired by Ableton Live

Ableton Live has spawned an ecosystem of supporting hardware and software, both for Live users, and for electronic musicians in general. Here’s our top ten…

Boys Noize

Alex Ridha’s fifth Boys Noize album aggressively explores the schism between soaring melodies and hard, atonal beats. Danny Turner reveals his modular approach

Korg Opsix

This ‘altered FM’ instrument has a lot of complex processes going on under-the-hood. Discover its most useful features with our crash course

9 tips to help you get more from the Opsix

1 Aftertouch One of the few notable features missing

Operator modes explained

Opsix packs five ‘modes’ for its operators, but what do they actually do? Let’s take a look

Electronica

What’s in a name? That which we call electronica, by any other name would smell as sweet

Generate new musical ideas in Ableton Live

Drum break slicing using Live 11’s comping tools

SOFTSYNTH BUNDLES

Korg Collection 3 $399 Full Review: FM376 |A

DIGITAL POLYSYNTHS

Korg Modwave £699 Full Review: FM373 | Modwave

MIDI KEYBOARDS

Novation SL MkIII from £540 Full Review: FM338

“If I counted the spaces I’ve worked in on this album, it’d be about 15 studios” CID RIM

© Mato Johannik Austrian producer and multi-instrumentalist CID

YOU’RE ALWAYS RIGHT

“Intrinsically a paradox, but I mean it: when

Cypherpunx & Luke Brancaccio Sore Lullaby

Bedrock Recordings

Creating Sore Lullaby’s downtempo version

After creating the house-inflected original version the trio reworked Sore Lullaby into a trip-hop influenced alternative mix

Eris Drew

One of the few DJs still performing with turntables, house producer Eris Drew also uses her Technics as a production tool. Danny Turner delves into her debut album

Proc Fiskal

Siren Spine Sysex, the brilliantly named and equally brilliant sounding second album from Proc Fiskal is a frenetic, joyous treat for the senses. Hamish Mackintosh spoke with hypereditor-in-chief, Joe Powers

Korg Collection 3 $399

This easily-overlooked plugin bundle boasts some of the most iconic instruments of all time. Si Truss takes a third look…

Expert Sleepers FH-2 £249

Rob Redman gets connected with this useful module for converting signals

Focus Alpha 65 Evo £598 per pair

If you’re looking to move up from your budget monitors Jon Musgrave could have just the thing you need

Cableguys NoiseShaper €49

ShaperBox branches out from effects processing with a sample-powered noise generator. Si Truss takes it for a spin

Roland GO:MIXER Pro X $150/£129

Does the latest GO:Mixer Pro have the X factor? Simon Arblaster takes his place in the judge’s chair

TOP SYNTHS FOR 2021 (PART 2)

We continue last month’s survey of the world’s hottest new synths

M-Audio Oxygen Pro Mini £100

A quality mini-key keyboard coupled with plenty of performance features should be a winning combo, says Jon Musgrave

KRK S10.4 subwoofer £350

Looking for some extra bass in your monitoring system? Jon Musgrave fires up this latest yellow-coned beast

Akai MPC 2.10 update Free

Does this free major update to the platform improve the MPC hardware? Simon Arblaster gets stuck in to find out

Vital Audio Vital

> Released last year, Vital has already garnered

Elektron Digitakt £599

Tefty discovers if four years later, the Digitakt has evolved into a classic…

Spitfire Audio – Hammers £249

> Composer and producer Charlie Clouser is known

Roland TR-707 and TR- 727 $149 or as part of Roland Cloud subscription

The Roland TR range of drum machines need

Audiotent – Cuboid £27

> Seven granite-tough construction kits, packed floor to

Soul Surplus – Platinum – Classic Soul From $7.99/mth

> These classy soulful samples are full of

Element One – Sceptre: Drum & Bass £14.95

> Strong showcase of the kind of tight,

Movement Samples – Jazzy LoFi Beats £47.95

> This collection of 100 constructions kits has

Sample Magic – Kolonie: Epilogue Sounds From $7.99/mth

> Vast and varied progressive house and trance-flecked