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String theory
The latest update to GForce’s Virtual String Machine software brings a tapestry of classic sounds to the table
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Modalics: A mindset for swift success
We’ve been fans since the quirky, pizza-inspired Beat Scholar first landed in 2022. Just over a year later, and Modalics’ product stable has ballooned with further excellence. The two co-founders explain their story…
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INPHONIK RYM2612
There’s flavour in abundance with this month’s free software, taking its cues from the iconic sounds of classic video game consoles
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VOCAL EFFECTS
Never mind AI, this month we’re getting the robots involved in production, as we demystify vocoders, talkboxes, hard-tuning and harmonisers!
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Vocoders & talkboxes
The most classic robot vocal effects are typically either a vocoder or a talkbox. But what’s the difference between the two?
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Hard harmonies
That hard-tuned, robot-like sound, first popularised by Cher, has now become something of a staple in modern pop
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Building effected vocals
Knowing where to use vocal processing, could make or break your track. You may well be drawn to reading this feature based on the fact that you make a type of music that will benefit from one of these forms of vocal processing. The undeniable fact is that many of these processed elements have become intrinsically linked with certain styles of music. While also encouraging creativity, knowing where to use these effects is fairly vital – though rules are there to be broken!
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Vocal effect buyer’s guide
Whether you are looking to apply some vintage vocoder to your track or to Prismize-up your vocal, here is the best crop of plugins to consider, for everything from a vintage to a super-modern sound
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KÖLSCH
Danish house and techno artist Kölsch’s latest album, I Talk To Water, incorporates recordings by his late musician father, and explores the emotional weight of grief; a sonically dense masterclass by a multi-million-streamed artist at the height of his creative powers. We found out more about its conception
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#04 Sequencer-based drone building with BazilleCM
Continuing our deep-dive into the standout tools in our CM Plugin Suite, we shed some light on drone-making using BazilleCM’s sequencer section
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#3 Recreate Kraftwerk’s iconic Autobahn
This year marks an incredible 50 years since Kraftwerk released Autobahn, the track that brought electronic music to the masses, and even the charts
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#06 How to use classic dance sounds in deep house
Let’s look at creating organ and piano sounds for our tracks – two staples of the deep house genre
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#19 Understanding EQ
Understanding EQ is key to getting a perfect, well-balanced mix, and this month we study the fundamentals of the process
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CATCHING FLIES
Manipulating samples into abstract new forms, while keeping a keen melodic sense firmly in his grasp, Catching Flies has emerged with a creative identity all of his own. Led by the circularity of tidal ebbs and flows, his latest release, Tides, shifts between moods, fusing lush string ornamentation with dynamic undercurrents
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Freqport Freqtube FT-1 £899
Fancy adding some analogue impurity to your DAW? For Roland Schmidt it’s high time to turn on, plug-in and freq out…
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Oeksound Bloom £169
Bloom is an adaptive EQ that will make your music sound better. Andy Jones says it’s harder to explain how it actually works than to just use it
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Minimal Audio Current $199 or $10-15/month
Deftly side-stepping the subscription saga, Andy Jones has spent some quality time with Minimal Audio’s dexterous flagship. Here’s his findings…
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Arturia V Collection X €499
Arturia’s mighty V Collection reaches generation X, but now its focus is not just on classic keyboards but new ones too. Andy Jones Xplains
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Sugar Bytes Effectrix 2 €129
16 years after the release of the original, Sugar Bytes has finally updated this multi-effect sequencer but, asks Andy Jones, is v2 worth the wait?
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Cherry Audio Synthesizer Expander Module (SEM) Free (!)
It’s hard to resist another seminal classic from Cherry Audio, says Roland Schmidt, but at a bargain price of zero, are they selling themselves short?
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GForce Software Axxess £33
Recreating a classic (though not very obvious) ARP synth with characteristic aplomb. Andy Jones gets Axxess all areas…
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Antares Vocal Reverb £125
From the makers of the infamous Auto-Tune comes a vocal reverb plugin with added AI. Does Roland Schmidt believe in reverb love after love?
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Steinberg Nuendo 13 £859
Like a fine wine, Steinberg Nuendo just keeps getting better with age, says Stuart Adams – if only we all could look so good after 24 years!
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Chilled keys and dub
This month we’re building up our bedrock of chilled-vibed samples with a lush keys selection, and our new dub pack will fit well in any delay-heavy project
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Classic samples Psychedelic samples
Here’s the outcome of our cosmic quest beyond the veil of reality in the form of two recent (but still, ‘classic’!) sample packs…