Low end theory

When clubs and gig venues finally reopened after

FutureMusic

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

Akai release the first keyboardequipped MPC

MPC Key 61 puts Akai’s iconic beatmaker format into a standalone keyboard workstation

Generate new musical ideas in Ableton Live

What tool can I use in Ableton Live to tune my drum samples so they fit better with the rest of my sounds?

Orbital In Sides Internal/FFRR, 1996

© Kenny McCracken Words by Roy Spencer P

SUB BASS

The lowest of the low frequencies are what gives a club track its power – that notorious, chest rattling bass pressure. But subs can be notoriously hard to monitor, and even harder to mix. Let’s explore the production techniques behind nailing a high-class low end…

TB-303 (and its clones)

Iconic, legendary and influential, but notoriously awkward to program. Let’s explore the ins and outs of coaxing acid lines from a 303 – whether real, cloned or emulated

Michael Diamond

Diamond tells us the story behind Third Culture and shares his music-making tips

OBJEKT

Ingenious producer TJ Hertz resumes his longstanding white label series with Objekt #5. Danny Turner charts his innovative approach to tech

BRAXE + FALCON

Cousins Alain Braxe and Stéphane Quême have joined forces for a new EP. Danny Turner learns how modular synths inspired them

MACHINEDRUM

The US producer tells Matt Mullen about the “eyeopening, game-changing experience” of mixing his latest Tstewart album in Dolby Atmos

WORDCOLOUR

Nicholas Worrall tells Matt Mullen about the collaborative processes and detailed sound design behind his immaculate new album

Monitor sub bass in a home studio setup

s Look at the bass performance in your

Sub bass in 12 tracks

As music technology has evolved, boundary pushing musicians have explored ever-lower frequencies, broadening the scope of what can be achieved with a powerful ‘sub’. Let’s take a musical trip through top-class low-end tracks

JFB

The three-time DMC champion reveals all about his world-beating scratch skills at this year’s Brighton Music Conference

Roland AIRA Compact Series £175 each

Bruce Aisher sees if Roland’s AIRA Compact range can pack the same punch as their larger siblings

Soma Labs Rumble of Ancient Times £138

Rob Redman finds this 8-bit-inspired synth and sequencer a handy companion in his epic sound design journeys

Novation Launchkey 88 Mk3 £380

Novation’s Mk3 keyboard controller range now has an 88-key model. Jon Musgrave plugs up the new Launchkey 88

Austrian Audio Hi-X15 £89

How does Austrian Audio’s budget offering compare with their award-winning premium models? Simon Fellows plugs in

Focusrite Clarett+ OctoPre £710

Need more mic inputs and already have a suitably equipped interface? This unit could be ideal, says  Jon Musgrave

Beyerdynamic M 70 Pro X £219

Need a videocasting mic that sounds and looks the part? Jon Musgrave may have just the thing

Moog Etherwave Theremin £859

With new controller features and a mic stand adaptor, Moog’s Theremin has had a refresh. Charlotte Sterland tries it out

Toolroom Academy Infinite £39

Si Truss tests out the debut effect plugin from the brains behind venerated house label Toolroom

Spitfire Audio – Gaika – War Island £29

>As well as collaborating with many media-oriented composers,

Native Instruments – Ashlight 1.5 Update £179

>We looked at NI’s Ashlight granular synthesisbased instrument

Audiotent – Decimal Standard: €53. Deluxe: €81

The Audiotent studio magicians get right to the

Knobula Kickain £320

Rob Redman gets his kick-drum-side-chain-compression fix

iZotope Neutron 4

>Back for its fourth version, Neutron is iZotope’s

Korg Minilogue £428

Given its sub-£500 price point, Korg’s fourvoice analogue poly was revolutionary when it arrived. Si Truss asks if it’s achieved modern classic status…

STUDIO HEADPHONES

Austrian Audio Hi-X15 £89 Full Review: FM386 |