future music 244 sampler
DESCRIPTION
Featuring the most in-depth reviews by respected industry professionals and news on all the latest hardware and software releases. There's also interviews with musicians at the cutting edge of technology, providing you with all the advice, music and free samples you need to get the most out of your existing set-up and improve your music making.TRANSCRIPT
Technique and technology for making music
Issue 244Making the future since 1992
1568NEW SAMPLES
Trance and Bassline samplesUK Street R'n'B AND MORE
DVDINSIDE
ElektronO
ctatrack|Steve
Mac
|MatPlayford
|Cakewalk
Z3TA+2|Synth
Bass
|Logic,Liveand
Cubasetutorials
|Allen&
Heath
XoneD
B:4
|BehringerB
1031A|AN
DM
OR
EIssue
244|O
ctober2011|U
KEdition
Steve MacHow to make a dancefloor-ready trackFull video and audio parts on DVD!
IN THE STUDIOLearn Logic,Live&Cubasewith our DVD!
The technique and technology behindthis year's freshest sets Featuring…
Ibiza 2011GoesHi-Tech
Mat Playford
CUTTINGEDGE!
FM244 October 2011 £5.99
Cakewalk Z3TA+2Rupert Neve 5017
Steinberg HALion 4Korg Wavedrum Mini
Allen & Heath Xone DB:4Behringer B1031A monitorsEventide Space AND MORE
REVIEWED INSIDE
ElektronOctatrackSlice 'n' dice yourmusicwiththe next-level of sampling!
REVIEWED INSIDEREVIEWED INSIDE
PLUS Funkagenda & Alex Niggemann
SYNTHBASS!
Bigger sounds! Better lines!WE SHOW YOUHOW INSIDE!
WORLD EXCLUSIVE REVIEW
music making for technology and Technique
Issue 244 future the Making 1992 since
1568NEW SAMPLES
samples Bassline and TranceUK Street R'n'B AND MORE
Steve Mactrack oor-ready dancefl a make to How
Full video and audio parts on DVD!
CUTTING
Ibiza 2011
3
NewArrivalsWe love it when a new trulyinnovative product comes along.Don’t get us wrong, we’re all for thenext super-synth packed with ‘hitmaking’ presets as much as thenext producer in a hurry, but whensomething appears that genuinelystirs the imagination it makes ustruly glad to be making FutureMusic. The Elektron Octatrack is
such a product. Trust us. Until you’ve seen and heard whatit can do – and do on-the-fly with a few simple controls –then you’re missing out. Thankfully our massive review onpage 80 and audio examples on the disc will get you mostof the way there. Don’t miss them.
Our Pro Producer’s Guide To Synth Bass on page 34 isan exhaustive guide to making and taming the big bassthat today’s tracks demand. And with 39 audio examplesof the techniques in action waiting for you on the disc,we’re certain that you’ll be making better music because ofit. Likewise, our regular Logic, Live and Cubase sections,Knowledge Base regulars and unique Get That Soundfeature. No other mag gives you more tutorials and ammoon DVD, all ready for making great music.
There’s just space to thank Steve Mac for a brilliantsession on the disc (and see his amazing studio on page44). And respect to Mat Playford who’s state-of-the art DJrig (on page 60) is certain to inspire and excite. Cheers!
Daniel Griffiths, [email protected]
Welcome
Greg Scarthmusic scientist
Greg won the battleto review the ElektronOctatrack this month.His chopped up,reversed and warbledreworking of his
entire back catalogue is scheduledfor release in 2014.
expert contributors this month…
Dan ‘JD73’ Goldmanmusician, producer
The Jazz Doctor (hereally is a Dr – of Jazz)can producefrequencies otherless-qualified musicianscan only dream about.
He’s the brains and ears behind oursuperb Synth Bass feature on page 34.
Roy SpencerDJ, writer
As the regular penbehind our ClassicAlbum feature (page16) Roy is our go-to guyfor anecdotes and talltales. And as alter ego
DJ Moneyshot, he’s also the idealcandidate to pour praise on Allen &Heath’s superb Xone DB:4 on page 86.
Future Publishing Ltd.Beauford Court, 30 Monmouth Street, Bath, BA1 2BWTel: 01225 442244 Fax: 01225 822793Email: [email protected]
EDITORIAL
EditorDaniel Griffiths, [email protected] EditorChris Barker, [email protected] EditorPhil Cheesbrough, [email protected] EditorWill Seelig, [email protected] EditorDeclan McGlynn, [email protected]
BIGTHANKSTO…Jono Buchanan, Danny Scott, Dan ‘JD73’ Goldman, Marcus Campbell, Greg Scarth,Robbie Stamp, Bruce Aisher, Ian Shepherd, Roy Spencer, Martin Delaney, Tom Jones,Joe Branston, Dave Caudrey, Joe Branston, Andy Short, Oli Bell, Doug Kraul
Group Senior Editor: Julie TolleyGroup Art Editor: Rodney DiveCreative Director: Robin AbbottEditorial Director: Jim Douglas
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© Future Publishing Limited 2009. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may beused or reproduced without the written permission of the publisher. Future PublishingLimited (company number 2008885) is registered in England and Wales. The registeredoffice of Future Publishing Limited is at Beauford Court, 30 Monmouth Street, BathBA1 2BW. All information contained in this magazine is for information only and is, asfar as we are aware, correct at the time of going to press. Future cannot accept anyresponsibility for errors or inaccuracies in such information. Readers are advised tocontact manufacturers and retailers directly with regard to the price of products/servicesreferred to in this magazine. If you submit unsolicited material to us, you automaticallygrant Future a licence to publish your submission in whole or in part in all editions of themagazine, including licensed editions worldwide and in any physical or digital formatthroughout the world. Any material you submit is sent at your risk and, although everycare is taken, neither Future nor its employees, agents or subcontractors shall be liablefor loss or damage.
Amember of theAuditBureauofCirculations
ArtistsFrom p60We head toIbiza to meet MatPlayford, Funkagendaand Alex Niggemann
FeatureFromp34 Tackle that
bottom end as weexplain how to get themost from your synth
bass programming
PackedDVDp6Steve Mac talks youthrough a brand newtrack and gives you thestems to check out,exclusively on our DVD!
ReviewsFromp79We exclusively
test Elekton’santicipated Octatrackperformance sampler
4
Issue 244 | October 2011 | UK Edition
ContentsSteveMac44 The producer, remixer,
DJ and gear collectorgives us an extended tour ofhis incredible studio and talksabout his varied career so far
ON THE DVD
5
DVDCONTENTS
VDCONTENTSTSTReviewsON THE DVDl
Elektron Octatrack
80 A completely original takeon performance sampling.
Allen & Heath Xone DB:4
86A cutting-edge, DSP-packedDJ mixer with plenty to offer.
ON THE DVDl
Cakewalk Z3TA+ 2
88 A soft synth classic comes ofage with lots of new features.
ON THE DVDl
RND Portico 5017
90 A mic pre from the labs atRupert Neve.
Korg Wavedrum Mini
92 Compact beats and aportable piezo mic trigger
too. Korg’s latest gets a bashing.
ON THE DVDlXILS-labs Synthix
94 A virtual multi-layeredpolyphonic synthesizer.
ON THE DVDl
Eventide Space
96 A stomp box containing someextraordinary reverbs.
ON THE DVDl
Alesis PerformancePad Pro
98 A must-have for the studioand stage? We find out…
ON THE DVDl
Vengeance MasteringSuite Stereo Bundle
100 A bundle of impressivetools to tweak your mix.
Behringer Truth B1031A
102 Mellow yellows or bargainboomer? You want the
Truth? You can’t handle the Truth!
ON THE DVDl
Steinberg HALion 4
105 An updated mega samplerfrom Steinberg. But does
it offer enough for the money?
ON THE DVDl
Spitfire Audio Albion
106 Finally, a professionalstring library for a
sensible price?
FilterKomplete 8
10 An enormous package ofproducer goods gets unveiled.
One of which comes on its own HDD.
Focusrite Control 2808
12 Analogue summing mixermeets ethernet-equipped
DAW controller and software bundle.
Producer Sessions Live
14 See the line up for ouramazing production
weekender at SAE London!
Classic Album
16 CJ Bolland discusses thejourney that resulted in his
classic album, The Analogue Theatre.
Studiofile
20 The excellent 80 HertzStudios – a brand new
Mancunian facility – opens its doorsto the Future Music team.
TechniqueON THE DVDl
Cubase Tips
52 We jack into Cubase as weexplore VST Amp Rack.
Knowledge Base:Pitch Correction
54 We talk you through thehistory of pitch correction.
ON THE DVDl
Logic Tips
68 Move beyond the presetswith some simple tricks.
ON THE DVDl
Knowledge Base:Roland RE-201
72 The legendary Tape Echogets its story told.
ON THE DVDl
Ableton Live Tips
74 Creating beats using MIDIand audio in Ableton Live.
FeaturesON THE DVDl
Synth Bass
34 Program and understand thefundamentals for pro bass.
ON THE DVDl
Steve Mac
44 He’s remixed over 300 tracksand has the studio most of us
dream about. We meet the formerRhythm Master and House legend.
ON THE DVDlGet That Sound
58How to recreate the sound ofDaft Punk’s Robot Rock.
ON THE DVDlWe Love… Synths
60We meet Mat Playford andhis amazing DIY live rig.
REGULARS
108Mini Reviews110Q&As
The issue…
p102BehringerTruth B1031A
p94XILS-labsSynthix
p90Rupert NeveDesigns Portico
Filter | ClassicAlbum
16
THE
CLASSICALBUM
CJ BollandThe AnalogueTheatreFFRR, 1996
through Universal. I was heavilyinfluenced with what was coming outof the UK, what with The ChemicalBrothers and Prodigy, the wholeBreaks thing. I wanted to experimentmore with that.”
Around the time he bumped intoan old friend, Kris Vanderheyden– known as Insider, back in the day– and the pair realised they were bothinto these new sounds coming out ofour fair isle, and sat down to bouncesome ideas around in the studio. Theyworked with Pop song structures,moved away generally from thatfour-to-the-floor big room sound, andexperimented with Breaks.
The very first result was Sugar isSweeter. “It set the tone for thealbum,” says Bolland. “It felt good. Iwasn’t too sure what the recordcompany would make of it, as I wasknown for Techno and now I wasdoing this new stuff called Breaks.This was before Prodigy’s big success.They were a big band, but this wasbefore Breaks had almost become anmainstream thing and accepted. Butthe label heard what we were doingand basically said ‘give us some moreof this’, so we knew that we were onthe right track.”
In a bid to show his heritage andnot betray his roots, Bolland worked afew Techno monsters in his AnalogueTheatre. The Prophet is as epic as thedialogue it samples from the film, TheLast Temptation of Christ. WhileCounterpoint provides just that fromall those Breaks.
The album dropped and it madeBolland a top biller. He says salesbobbed between 2-300,000. Thesingles selling more. Sugar is Sweetersales were ridiculous,” he says. TheProphet sold like 400,000, and thatwas 12” singles! It might not havesold as much as Metallica, but for usthat was big figures. Big, big figures.”
It wasn’t his goal to findmainstream success. He just wantedto experiment. “With Techno, it wasall centred around the 909 beat, andthe four-four beat, and it was allstraight for the clubs,” he says. “Iwas coming from five or six years fromwhat we called ‘the underground’. Allof a sudden radio and music TV weregetting interested. All of a sudden itdidn’t all have to be about puristunderground Techno. I could try stuffwith vocals and normal songstructures. It was a fun, but scaryexperience. The scariest part waswhen Universal said ‘do that again’.
I was like ‘do what? We just sat downand had a laugh’. How do you sitdown and write a Pop album? Godknows, but it was fun.”
Track by trackwithCJBollandObsidion“I love big theme tunes from movies.I also really love the band, Art ofNoise. So I took some sounds fromsome old Art of Noise records that Ihad, and generated the beats fromthat. I basically wanted to dosomething with big strings, almostmovie-like, and add fat drums to it.
“The drums were more Breakbeatthan the usual four-four I’d beenknown for, so this was a good track toopen with to show the new direction.This was the start of me being morethan just a Dance producer. I had thefreedom to write whatever came intomy head, and not have to constantlythink, ‘will they Dance to this?’ Ididn’t have to worry about it.
“It was all about a huge pair ofspeakers and tweaking the knobs. Ifthe sound we were making glued usagainst the opposite wall we knew wewere doing it right.”
Pesticide“This is a little more banging anddarker. It’s a product of growing up inthe eighties and having the SovietUnion threat hanging over us.
“Musically, I was really influencedby people like Aphex Twin and stufflike that. I really gravitated towardshis dark edge. I also grew up withElectronic Body Music and New Waveand Cold Wave… These darkElectronic styles. It seemed that youcould do that again, but with aslightly more danceable feel to it.
“The pad sounds were probablyfrom Korg’s WaveStation. Not thepresets. I could never sleep if I endedup using presets [laughs]. I’d spendages tinkering to get the right sounds.It always starts that way in thosesample-based synths, like theWaveStation or Kurzweil. You mightstart with a preset, nearest to whereyou wanna go, then you tweak it untilit sounds just right.”
The Analogue Theatre“‘The Analogue Theatre’ name isreally silly. It comes from this live gigI did before we released the album.We had this old pair of stage curtains
F ans of CJ Bolland probablyspat out their popcorn whenthey heard The AnalogueTheatre. Most of it was
Breakbeat. The militant four-four thudof his previous output on the Technolabel, R&S, were notably absent onthe album’s biggest single, Sugar isSweeter. In fact there was singing onit. It was a Pop song. It was clearly
influenced by The Chemical Brothers.It was catchy as hell. It soared upinternational charts.
Along with talking in theaudience, smoking, and using mobilephones, surely this was all frownedupon in a Techno producer’s theatre?
“I’d just left R&S Records,” saysBolland, “and it was my first albumsigned to a major label, FFRR,
Take your seats as Roy Spencerraises the curtain on a BelgianTechno master’s hugely successfultake on Breaks
ClassicAlbum|Filter
17
The ChemicalBrothersExit Planet DustThe Brothers work it out ontheir classic debut. A hugeinfluence on CJ Bolland, andthe benchmark for Breaks.ADD THESE TO YOUR PLAYLIST:Leave Home; Chemical Beats
Aphex TwinVentolin E.PDistorted drums from theCornish beat warper. The KungKung Ka’s expertly crafted onhere made an impact in TheAnalogue Theatre.ADD THESE TO YOUR PLAYLIST:Ventolin (Salbutamol Mix); Ventolin(Plain-An-Gwarry Mix)
Front 242No CommentSuperb Belgian Electronic BodyMusic, a genre that defined ageneration, and seeped intoBolland’s work.ADD THESE TO YOUR PLAYLIST:Commando Mix; Special Forces
The ProdigyMusic for the JiltedGenerationLiam Howlett’s IndustrialBreakbeat can be heardechoing through The AnalogueTheatre. Bolland definitely wentfull throttle after hearing this.ADD THESE TO YOUR PLAYLIST:Voodoo People; Full Throttle
CJ BollandClassics ‘89-’94Get the skinny on the Technopioneer’s early career in thishandy, pocket-sized CD! Theperfect intro before going intoThe Analogue Theatre.ADD THESE TO YOUR PLAYLIST:Neural Paradox; Horsepower
LIKE IT? TRY THESE…
and we thought it would look cool ifwe set up all this old modular gearbehind the curtains, so when weopened them to play it would look likethis crazy theatre piece. We said itwas like this analogue theatre, andthen the name stuck.
“We thought we were cool[laughs]. Most of it was fake. It wasliterally built in the studio by us tofatten up the scenery on stage. Iremember Speedy J, an old pal from
Holland, came up to me and said‘Wow, what is this machine? I’venever seen it before. I must have it’.I had to say ‘Dude, it’s fake. Look,there’s a piece hanging out the backthere that is from an old kettle!”
On Line“This was actually named after mygirlfriend. Her name was speltL-I-N-E, like Lynne. It was a little bitof a pun, because it tied in with thestart of the Internet era. When I write
stuff for women it gets a bit sloppy, sohas a bit of a melancholic feel to it.
“I think this came quite early onin the recording sessions. When Iwrite stuff like that it normally comesat the start when I haven’t reallythought too much about what I’mgoing to do in an album. When I justkinda let myself go I end up makingreally melancholic, downy stuff.
“My working regime was nevernine-to-five. I normally start work
about two or three in the afternoon. IfI’m vibing, it can go onto six or seventhe next morning. Inevitably it wouldgo on way into the night.”
The Prophet“This was the very last track wemade. I had a little panic momentafter I’d finished the album and Irealised that it was nearly allBreakbeat [laughs]. There was no linkto where I’d come from to where I amnow, so I wanted to do one phat
Techno track. I found that soundpretty early on. I just played this littlemelody over a four-four kick drum.
“As soon as I had that little hook Iknew it sounded good, but it wasn’tfunky enough, so I underscored itwith another sound that bounced offit. Now it was melodic and Funky.Then it was a matter of making itsound big by adding some hi-hats,snares and crashes, and more of thatfamous Willem Defoe dialogue
sample from themovie, The LastTemptation ofChrist. It was apretty straight-forward job… Iwish more were.”[laughs]
People of the Universe“That was, very honestly, inspired byThe Chemical Brothers. I’d justbought their album, Exit Planet Dust,and I was blown away by it. We didn’tsteal anything from it, we just vibedoff it. It was a case of going ‘Wow, Iwant to make something that soundslike this too’. It was a case of gimmeone of those beats, put an Acid lineon it, distort the fuck out of it andjust tweak it as we go along. This wasone of those tracks where we didn’t
That trackwas, very honestly,inspired by TheChemical Brothers.
I’d just bought their album
In TheStudioWith…CJBolland“The album was made in TheBedside Lab. It was prettymuch where it says it was, inmy bedroom. I was still livingwith my Mam and Dad. I hada pretty substantial amount ofgear. If I wanted to recordvocals or whatever, I had touse Kris Vanderheyden’sstudio in Brussels.
“My setup included aSoundTracs Solitaire32-channel mixing desk, my
E-mu Emulator III, twoEmulator IV samplers, aKurzweil K2500, rack version.I also had a Memorymoog, aPolymoog, a Minimoog and awhole bunch of Junos, like the106, a 60… What else? Ohyeah, two Roland TB-303s, a TR-909, a 606, a626, a 727 and 707… Thewhole catalogue [laughs]. Ialso had an SH-101. Prettymuch the whole Roland series.
I also had a modular setupwith the Korg MS series, too.Besides that I built bits andbobs, and had old guitarpeddles and stuff.Software-wise, it was Cubase.
“The most important thingfor me was my samplers andthe Emulators, especially theEmulator III. It had the properanalogue filters on it. It justhas this sound. I’d alwaysused it, even at R&S, Everyone
else seemed to be using anAkai S-1000, which was agreat machine, but they didn’thave these beautiful littlefilters on like the E-mu.
“I used to love samplingthings from movies, like bigchord sections off thesoundtrack and sticking themthrough the filters until theywere unrecognisable. Then itjust created this reallydifferent sound.”
Filter | ClassicAlbum
18
even program an arrangement on it. Itwas just played in live to a taperecording we did for about half anhour and then edited it down.
“It was one, which you didn’tthink about too much. You justrecorded it, with fingers on mutemuttons and effects and auxiliarieson the mixing desk, tweaking as wewent along, then edit at the end.”
There Can Be Only One“This was a weird one, because it wasbased on a remix I did of the UtahSaints when I was on R&S. Usuallywhen I do remixes for someone I findat least one or two elements that Iuse that inspire me to do my ownversion. I found it hard to find anybits that I could use to turn it into aTechno tune, so I ended up writing acompletely new piece of music. ThenFFRR hesitated to put it out. I thinkthey only put it out on a White Label.
“Funnily enough, when I signed tothem six months later, they said‘we’ve still got this tune of yours, soyou want to put it out?’ I agreed, onlyif I could tweak it a bit more and do anewer version, based on my original.”
Kung Kung Ka“There was a track on Richard James’Aphex Twin album called Ventolinthat I loved. I used to sing it all thetime, but if you wanted to sing it youhad to mimic the distorted drums onit, as that was the closest thing it had
to a hook, and they went ‘kung kungka’. We used to just walk around allday going ‘kung kung ka’, which wasgreat. Then I made this tune that hada similar beat, so I called it that, as itwas our little running joke in thestudio. It was fast becoming our
1 He used toroad-test all thetunes in the
clubs in Belgium. “I’dplay the DATs of thenew stuff I had, thengo back and tweakthem further.”
2 It took a whilefor Breaks tomake it over to
Belgium. “I got kickedout of many clubs forplaying it, believe me.”
3 Sugar isSweeterstarted as an
instrumental, untilNikkie, from Jade 4 U,popped by the studioand just had to laydown some vocals.
4 The vocals onSugar isSweeter were
recorded throughheadphones, as therewere no mics in thestudio. That first takeis the one you hear onthe finished track.
5 The Prophet isstill an anthemfor Bolland.
“People still come tothe DJ booth holdingtheir mobile phones upwith ‘The Prophet’texted in and loads ofexclamation marks.”
FiveEssentialFactsAbout…CJBollandandTheAnalogueTheatre
WANT TOKNOWMORE?For more info on CJ, his latest news andhis discography, visit his official website atcjbolland.com
NEED TO KNOW
reference to all Breakbeat music. If ithad caught on it could have becomea whole new style. We’d talk to eachother saying, ‘You hear the new trackby so-and-so?’ and they’d go, ‘No.What is it Techno or Kung Kung Ka?’
Counterpoint“That was just back on the bigTechno tip, with that classic off time
cymbal. It was this big, Raveydancefloor tune. It was lying aroundbefore I started the album. It was thisunfinished thing I kept coming backto. It has a haunting melody. I alwaysliked those types of refrains. Thingsthat aren’t too happy. I get a little
tickle in my stomach when I hearthose melodies. I’ve never reallylearnt music. I still can’t read it. I justtrust my ears. I know my way roundmy synths and samplers and stuff.Things like compression, I neverreally used. First off, they were reallyexpensive then. For the same money Iwould go and buy another big fatsynthesizer. It wasn’t until a lot later
on that I startedrealising howuseful they were.”
Sugar isSweeter“The first track Isat down to makefor this album
was actually Sugar is Sweeter. I had alittle Breakbeat groove, which I addedbass sounds to from the Juno, thenran that through some guitar pedalsto give it this big distortion sound,which comes in on the intro. Then Iworked on the structure on it for a bit
with Kris Vanderheyden, and he saidhe had a wicked sample for themiddle, and it turned out to be TheBeatles. It was from I Am The Walrus,the big Mellotron breakdown. We juststuck that in, as is.
“It stayed like that for ages really,until we realised that we couldn’tclear that sample. I think MichaelJackson owned the rights at the timeand we couldn’t get it. We ended upusing it, but I smashed it upcompletely with filters and anothermelody. It actually was a lot lesscheesy than having the originalsample in there on its own.
“It took a while for people to get itover here. Sugar is Sweeter went tonumber one in the US. Six in the UK.It didn’t even chart in Belgium. Noteven the top 100.” [laughs]
“A few months back I justfinished production andprogramming on the newalbum from the Belgian Rockband, dEUS. They’ll betouring shortly, and the newalbum is coming out in
September. I also do anotherproject with the singer/songwriter from dEUS, TomBarman, called Magus. Wehave a new album coming up,which is 80% done. We’vebeen working with a lot of
international guests. The leadsingle features Tom Smithfrom Editors, but I’m notgoing to spill any more beans,as it’s not coming out till earlynext year. In the meantimeI’ve just started a project with
someone you’ve probablynever heard of called MauroPawlowski. It’s going to bereally freaky as the shit he’sinto is insane. He does theweirdest, darkest, evilestmusic, so I just thought thatwould be fun. It’s definitelynot for the mainstream.
“Production-wise, I stillprefer Cubase, but for theRock stuff I produce it’sobviously Pro Tools. Softsynth-wise, apart fromReaktor, which is insanelygood, I use all the Arturiaones. From NI I really like theFM8. Massive is good for whatit’s for, but I try and stay awayfrom that, because you end upsounding like everyone else.As good as it is, I think it’spretty over-used. I still like myhardware. I like to keep theanalogue theatre open, so tospeak, but we’ve since lost thecurtains.” [laughs]
HereandNowwithCJBolland
Sugar is Sweeterwent to numberone in theUS. Six in theUK. Itdidn’t even chart in Belgium
Technique | Logic9
68
currently very much in vogue in Popproduction, yet turning down its cutofffrequency produces very little sonicvariation. I’m showing you why that’s thecase and how to resolve this particularissue. Then, I’ve gone on to show you twosubtle ways in which you can personalise apreset without touching any of the ‘key’sound-adjusting parameters. With a littledetune and a modified pitch-bend setting,this sound becomes much more flexible.
ON THE DVDl
> Trance leads are back in favour in Popproduction but that doesn’t mean you have
THE EXPERT
JonoBuchanancomposer,producer
Jono is acomposerandproducer
who married Logic in1999. They livetogether in Londonwithin their sonsGarageBand andMainStage.
It’s tempting to kick back and find the sound you’reafter be found by surfing lists. However, you don’tneed extensive synth knowledge to strike outbeyond a preset and radically change a sound intosomething unique. Jono Buchanan is your guide.
LOGIC ESSENTIALS
GoingBeyondThePresets
inLogicPro9
unlock a plug-in’s potential. However, one ofthe first parameters people do learn about isfilter cutoff as it produces such arecognisable sound. In this first video, I’veloaded an ES2 preset whose sound is
Personalised ES2 lead
1 One of the main reasons why peoplestick with presets is that they don’tknow their way around a synth’s
parameters and therefore aren’t sure how to
Simply lengthening drum sounds can add a lot of weight
Getting creative with an ‘in-vogue’ sound
69
VIDEO ON THE DVDEO ON THTHT E DVDVD DVDV
to stick with the sound of a preset. A fewtweaks and a new sound is born.
Ultrabeat sound lengthening
3 Of all of the parameters availablewithin synthesizers in terms ofwhat’s possible, volume might not
sound like the most life-changing. After all,pitch change or tone change immediately
leap out as more dramatic effects and yetthe weight which can be added to a soundwhen its volume intensity is changed can bedramatic and impactful.
In this video, I’m looking at how easy itis to begin to produce drum sounds whichare perfect for half-speed Dubstepproductions simply by altering the amplifierenvelope routings assigned to individual
drum sounds within Ultrabeat. So, I’mstarting with the default kit and adjustingthe drum lengths of the kick and twoseparate snare drums so that they moreclosely match the envelope shape of thedefault clap, which is longer.
With longer durations but also a louderaverage volume through the decay stage ofeach sound, each takes on much more
2Pop and Danceproducers are alwayslooking for killersounds to act ashooks within theirproductions
– infectious noises which stick intheir listener’s heads to get themdancing or, better still, out therebuying a record! These types of
sounds need to be sufficientlydifferent from others out there actingas hooks in other tracks, so you’dassume that extensive synthesisknowledge would be required to godeep into an instrument to produce aweird and wonderful sound. This canwork, of course, yet something catchyand immediate doesn’t need to behours of programming away.
I’m firing up the ES2 and loadingthe ‘Fat Analog’ synth sequencepreset. I’m leaving the whole soundentirely as it is at the load stage,except that I’m setting up a routingto feed velocity directly into the pitchstage of all three oscillators. Thismeans that notes played ‘hard’ willbe high in pitch and gentlyperformed notes will be lower. While
this makes it impossible to accuratelycontrol pitch, the result is great – andwith some Glide to bend from onenote to the next, a sweeping, bubbly,super-Poppy sequence is born.
ON THE DVDl
> Go beyond conventional melodicprogramming by routing velocity topitch for instant hooks.
Velocity toPitch
Velocity controlledpitch can giveunpredictable results
Imperfect Pitch
Technique | Logic9
70
the way will produce some thrilling resultsand there’s a ready-made playground in themiddle of the GUI which should tease outsome remarkable sounds in the form of the‘Material’ square. On the DVD, I’ve recordeda simple pad/drone and used automation tobring this aspect of the sound to life. Theresult is an evocative soundscape, achievedwith the bare minimum of fuss. That wasn’tso hard, was it?!
ON THE DVDl
> Sculpture is complex but that doesn’tmean that a single parameter change can’tmake a huge sonic difference.
Random FM blasts
5 The EFM1 is a much overlookedLogic synth, partly because FMsynthesizers produce sounds in
different ways to subtractive synths and sosome people are put off with theterminology they face when they boot upFM synths. Still, you don’t have to knowwhat modulators, carriers or even frequencymodulation is to produce some great soundsand, in combination with setting upautomation mode, you can create angular,spiky sounds which will sit nicely as dronesunderneath tracks you program.
On the DVD, I’ve selected a pad soundand manipulated some ‘known’ parametersfirst – I’ve changed the amplifier envelopeso that the sound starts and stops quickly.Thereafter, I’ve simply held down a chord,extended it and, without worrying too muchabout the result, recorded automation datain for the FM amount, as well as for theHarmonic dial for both the Modulator andCarrier. The results are sonically startling.Activate Automation and off you go.
ON THE DVDl
> The EFM1 responds well to randomautomated ‘blasts’.
Wobbly pianos
6 ‘Looking beyond the presets’ canextend to sample instrumentmanipulation as much as it does to
sound sources which are produced entirely
weight, without a single additionalparameter being modified.
ON THE DVDl
> Fill out Ultrabeat sounds by lengtheningenvelope shapes. Great for half-timeDubstep drum parts.
Evolving soundscapes
4 If you’re keen to get into the kindsof productions which usesoundscapes – IDM, film
soundtracks, or ambient to name but three– Sculpture will become an important
weapon for you. However, it isunquestionably Logic’s most complexsound-generating synthesizer and it’s part ofthe human condition than when faced withcomplexity, most of us tend to look for asimple way out! It’s perhaps no surprise,then, that Sculpture comes stacked withpreset starting points.
Getting beyond these is much morestraight-forward than you might think,though don’t expect to be accuratelymaking the sounds you can hear in yourhead straightaway with Scultpure.Fortunately, the ‘mistakes’ you make along
Osc detuning is atried-and-tested wayto fatten your sounds
Tune In
7One really simpleway to change apreset intosomething bigger,fatter and wider isto detune multiple
oscillators across different octaves.I’ve started by loading the ‘3Oscillator Hook’ sound from theES2 synth and playing in a simple
melodic part. To create a hookwhich can really cut through a mix,I’ve then detuned each oscillatorso that one is an octave higher andanother is an octave lower.
Suddenly, the three separatevoices are much more apparentand because each is playing backat its own pitch, it’s almost asthough three different synths are
playing back the same melody.Blend in some Glide, so that eachnote bends from one note to thenext and you’ve got somethingmuch more interesting.
ON THE DVDl
> Fatten up your synth hook lineswith oscillators detuned acrossthree octaves.
OscillatorOctaves
EFM’s unique sounds can be perfect for layering
71
Logic9 |Technique
providing plenty of bottom-end thump but,as yet, no wobble.
However, once I’ve chosen the right LFOwaveform shape and I’ve selected a tripletquarter-note speed for it, it’s a simplematter to route this into the sound’s cutofffrequency and, hey presto, my sound is inthe right ball-park. Through the video, we’llalso have a look at how to switch off otherparameters which might be ‘fighting’ anyrouting you choose to set up.
ON THE DVDl
> Just because Logic’s synths don’t contain‘Dubstep’ bass starting points doesn’t meanthey can’t be yours with a few simple clicks.
in the electronic domain, as this videoshows. I’ve loaded the preset ‘YamahaGrand Piano’ sound for the EXS24 to startwith and then I’ve set up LFO2 so that it’sclocked to the tempo of my Logicarrangement and is producing oscillations(up and down ramps) in 16th notes. To startwith, I’ve routed this movement to the filtercutoff and I’ve dropped the overall tone sothat the sound is darker than in its presetform. This works nicely, producing a slightlyspooky result. The spookiness is developedfurther when a second routing takes thisLFO movement into the sound’s pitch toproduce a weird vibrato effect.
Add some Tape Delay with its wow andflutter options activated and the soundceases to resemble a piano and becomessomething new, dark and evocative.
ON THE DVDl
> Add a clocked LFO to sampled pianosounds and very soon the word ‘piano’ nolonger applies.
Pads to sequences
8 Sequence sounds tend to be short,spiky little sounds which allow youto introduce a rhythmic component
to emphasize the harmonic progression ofyour track. Pad sounds also do this but lackthe dynamism of sequence parts; as theytend to attack more slowly, feature highsustain levels and long release times, theydon’t tend to respond well if they’re givenbusy sequences to play.
However, as this video shows,manipulating a pad sound to become asequence part is easy – it simply meansfamiliarising yourself with the amplifierenvelope settings. I’ve started by loadingthe ‘Purity’ pad sound for the ES2 andthrough the video, I’ve turned this into amuted sequence sound, before automatingthe envelope parameters to allow the soundto open out again and become a pad for amore sustained section I’ve recordedtowards the end of the sequence.
ON THE DVDl
> Lush pads and spiky sequence soundsmight not sound as though they’d share
many key sound parameters but this videomight change your mind.
Simple Dubstep bass
9 Dubstep is the genre to haveemerged most forcefully fromunderground roots into the
commercial mainstream within the pastcouple of years and plenty of new plug-insare offering Dubstep presets these days.
As Logic’s preset banks were con-structed long before the style becamepopular, you might yearn for someready-made patches to launch you into thegenre. However, if it’s the genre-definingwobbly bass sounds that you’re after, youmight be surprised how easy it is tomanipulate a preset to get within touchingdistance of that sound.
On the video, I’ve loaded the PluckedBass preset for Logic’s ES1 synth which is
NEXT ISSUEAmong other things, Jono will be looking at Logic’sarpeggiation possibilities in our next issue. FM245on sale 27th September
10While these videos haveencouraged you to see that youdon’t need to understand everysingle parameter of a synth to beable to manipulate a preset in newand interesting ways, it’s equallytrue that a preset can be a greatlaunch-pad for an alternative form
of sonic exploration. In this video,I’ve loaded a preset and recorded asequence for it withoutmanipulating a single parameter.
That said, the mission is still toproduce something new, so insteadof relying on synth parameters, I’mchopping the pad sound whichoriginated in Sculpture into 16thnotes before creating a couple ofpoints where the regular rhythm isbroken up into shorter notes. ThenI’m turning to Logic’s Autofilterplug-in to manipulate the tone of
my new sequence to producesomething new.
The overall idea becomes thatit’s so easy to turn even a presetsound into something new and it’sso exciting to experiment, thatthere really is no excuse for relyingon the same sounds available toevery user.
ON THE DVDl
> When in doubt, cheat! Audiotricks and effects can also radicallyreshape preset starting points.
BounceandChop
Chopping bouncedpresets can keepthings interesting
Cut Copy
Creating Dubstep bassusing Logic’s ES1
Reviews | RupertNeveDesignsPortico5017
90
T he robust curved metalcasing of the 5017 houses atwo-channel preamp(Instrument and Mic) with a
compressor, variable phase control andSilk enhancement. The mobilerecording focus of the unit isaugmented by the power supplyrequirement: 9-15VDC drawing 12W.Though a PSU pack is supplied onecan easily run this off a car battery forall you roadtrippin’ songwriters.
The rear panel features the powersocket/switch, main I/O, ground lift and+48v switches. The two transformerbalanced outputs (TRS and XLR)provide a mic preamp only and ablended main output respectively. TheBlend knob at the front controls thismain output balance between the twochannels. The pre has been designedso that the XLR input can also be usedfor line level sources, as has the frontpanel instrument preamp input (TRS).
Sensible gainThe gain structure of the 5017 is asensible balance of usable range and
electrical conservation so that there isjust enough gain and headroom to getmost pickups and mics to a fullrecording level by the end of the dials.
The instrument input provides30dB of gain while the mic gain is astepped control that provides 66dB in6dB steps. Both amps sacrificenothing in the name of portability andpossess excellent sound quality. Fullfrequency range clarity and a distinctlack of tonal bias create reliably highclass results, and with a variable phasecontrol on the loose this is important:poor phase linearity + phaseadjustment = unholy mess.
The Vari-phase control, whenengaged, adjusts the instrument inputphase relative to the mic input, auseful tool for acoustic/electric guitar/bass recording and re-amping. Incombination with the phase polarityreverse switch there is full scope forfinding the most complimentary phaserelationship between the two sources –they will never be in perfect phase atall frequencies, but there are usually acouple of points where the combinedsound is pleasant. This is simple to useand allows a tonal creativity thatcannot be achieved with EQ. The Silkbutton engages this trademark
harmonic enhancement effect on bothoutputs. Like many harmonic distortioneffects the character is driven more bylow frequencies and wide bandsources, and in these cases there is aslight thickening of the signal withoutdulling it at all. It is subtle butpleasant when audible.
Optical processThe opto-coupler-based compressor isfixed ratio (2:1) with a bypass switchand threshold knob. The timeconstants are also fixed, though movinga jumper on the PCB accesses slowerattack/release responses. Thebehaviour is mostly transparent whenused sparingly, as expected from anoptical compressor regardless of speed,but higher threshold settings canobtain a good percussive characteristicwith the default fast setting. It is asomewhat utilitarian dynamic processthat provides a good degree of subtleand unobtrusive control. Another set ofPCB jumpers can move the compressorout of the blended signal path andapply it solely to the mic preampsignal. Though the two preamps andcompressor have signal present LEDsthere is no power state indicator, andthe white buttons against the lightblue/grey front panel make it hard tosee whether they are in or out.
There is no doubt this is a highquality mic and instrument preampwhich provides a sensible range ofrouting and processing options. Assuch it makes a great practical andcreative tool for mobile musicians,producers and engineers, especiallythanks to the sturdy yet lightweightbuild and low power consumption.
As with all Rupert Neve gear youpay a premium for the quality (andthus the name) so there are cheaperunits providing similar functionality,but having spent some time with the5017 I must admit there fewcomparable for quality per pound.
WHAT IS IT?Mobile mic-pre/DI/compressor
CONTACTWho: Sonic DistributionTel: +44 (0)845 500 2500Web: rupertneve.com
HIGHLIGHTS1 Vari-phase control2 High preamp quality3 Low power consumption
SPECSInputs: 1x XLR (mic), 1x¼” TRS (Inst)Outputs: 1x XLR (MainBlend), 1x ¼” TRS (Miconly), 1x ¼” TRS (Inst Thru)Gain Ranges: 66dB (Mic),30dB (Inst)High-pass Filter: 12dB/octave (Bessel) at 80HzCompressor Ratio: 2:1Compressor Attack/Release: 40ms/40ms(Fast), 100ms/350ms(Slow) – via PCB jumpersMax. Output Level:+23dBu (20Hz to 40kHz)Noise: < -100dBu withunity gain, < -62dBu with66dB gain (measured atmain output, unweighted22Hz-22kHz, terminatedwith 150 )THD+Noise: < 0.001% @1kHz, < 0.002% @ 20HzFreq. Response (LineAmp): -0.2dB @ 10Hz and-3dB @ 160kHz (measuredat main output)Crosstalk: < -90dB @15kHz (channel to channel)Dimensions:165 x 191 x 51mmWeight:3.1kg
RupertNeveDesignsPortico5017 | £954From audio engineering nobility comes recordingmobility as the R&D at RND produce a new shape forthe Portico range. Robbie Stamp inspects
VERDICTBUILD❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚
VALUE❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚
EASE OF USE❚❚❚❚❚❚❚
VERSATILITY❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚
RESULTS❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚
Mobile preamping and recordingmay be its raison d’etre, but this isa high quality studio tool too.
ON THE DVD