music tech july 2013

ww

w.m

usictech.netIssue 124 July 2013

The magazine for producers, engineers and recording musicians

www.musictech.net

Issue 124 July 2013 5.99

GLUE FLAP

GLUE FLAP

DVD124 4GB+ PC&Mac

COPYRIGHT ANTHEM PUBLISHING 2013

//FUTURE TRANSITION FX & SWEEPS

DVD124 4GB+ PC&Mac

SAMPLE LOOPS//ROYALTY FREE & EXCLUSIVE

766MB of adrenalin-fuelled futuristic sweeps, metallic rising drones and pulsating LFO workouts

MIDI LOOPS//ROYALTY FREE & EXCLUSIVE VIDEO TUTORIALS//15+MINS

//ABLETON LIVE PUSH CHALLENGE

//CUTTING-EDGE SYNTH LOOPS

//FUNK & JAZZ MIDI LOOPS

//ROB PAPENS SYNTH SECRETS

VIDEO TUTORIALS//60+MINS SAMPLES LOOPS//148MB ROYALTY FREE

SAMPLESFuture Transition FX & Sweeps (24-bit/44.1kHz WAV,

Kontakt, EXS24, NN-XT, Structure)Equinox Sounds Funk & Jazz MIDI Construction

Kits (MIDI)Prime Loops Taster Pack (24-bit/44.1kHz ACID WAV)

Samples Tasters (24-bit/44.1kHz WAV)

DEMOSSound Radix Pi (PC, Mac)

KiloHearts Disperser (PC, Mac)Voxengo Shinechilla (PC, Mac)

FREEWARESaltline Lisc-step (PC)

Sleepy Time DSP Lisp (PC)

PROMOTIONALAMS Neve 1073N (MOV)

Anymode PDJ DJ Pad (MOV)Sound Radix Pi (MOV)

Sugar Bytes Turnado iPad Edition (MOV)Waldorf Rocket Synthesizer (MOV)

8DIO 8Dioboe (MOV)Synth Promo Videos (MOV)

TUTORIALS & VIDEOSPoint Blank Music School Ableton Live Push Challenge,

Kate Simko Logic Masterclass (MOV)Rob Papen The Secrets of Subtractive Synthesis

(MP4, MOV)LoopBlog Producertech Maschine with Logic

Pro (MOV)LoopBlog Producertech Novation Launchkey

Review (MOV)LoopBlog DSP Project How to Build an Acoustic

Diffuser (MOV)LoopBlog Plugin Boutique Cableguys Volume Shaper 3

Overview (MOV)

TUTORIALSLogic ProCubase

Ableton LiveReason

Pro ToolsIncredible Synths

4GB+ www.musictech.net

Issue 124July 2013

766MB OF SAMPLES | TOP 40 SYNTHS | BASS STATION II FIRST LOOK | 20 PAGES OF TUTORIALS

The Latest Reviews

Moog Sub Phatty, Discovery Pro, Zynaptiq Unfilter

MASTER YOUR SYNTHSCREATE HUGE LEADS, DEEP DUBSTEP & MASSIVE PADS

BASS STATION II

EXCLUSIVE HANDS-ON PREVIEW

PRO TOOLS FREE PLUG-INSCUBASE HARMONIES REASON HARDWARE LIVE BASS DESIGNLOGIC DRUMS

CREATE HUGE LEADS, DEEP DUBSTEP & MASSIVE PADSPLUS The 40 greatest synths in the world!

Hardware SoftwareApps Freeware

PAGES OF TUTORIALS20

Welcome MT

magazine July 2013 | 3

Kraftwerk, Hammersmith Odeon, 1981. Thats when I fell in love with the synthesizer (although it was actually a vocoder and a drum machine from the track Numbers, but lets not split hairs I was only 14). It was one of those life-changing moments that you use the word

literally about a lot when recalling it. And with that rather robotic vision of the future firmly lodged in that young brain, I went on to spend half my student grant on a synth. (For younger readers a student grant was a rather quaint cash sum students used to get to spend on beans on toast while they studied. A much thinner me bought a Roland D-20 with his arguably the first ever workstation, although the only arguments Ive ever had on that have been with Korg M1 fans.)

Ive now spent the last three decades veering between hardware synth setups, software setups, mixes of the two and, more recently of course, app-based setups. But all the time the sound of the circuit has been lodged up top in the music I listen to and produce plus pretty much everything I write about. One of my kids is even called OSCar. So it was only a matter of time before this rather special issue of MusicTech was going to happen, and pretty much every page is stamped with some kind of synth specialness from our exclusive hands-on action with the Bass Station II right through to my review of the Moog Sub Phatty. Not to mention our massive tutorial on creating huge synth sounds and the 40 best synths in the world today. So I would say weve pulled out all the stops, but isnt that organ-speak? More like weve pushed the envelope, LFO and filter.

Kraftwerk, envelopes, OSCar and an argument over two 1988 workstations. If youve ever read a more geeky page of magazine then please let me know

Andy Jones Senior [email protected]

DONT MISS OUR GREAT SUBS OFFER! Bag yourself a Studiospares S580 vocal mic worth 47 when you subscribe see page 64 for full details.

Expert Panel

Cubase Tim Hallas Tims a music technology consultant and education expert. As Cubase Editor he will be bringing you a range of technique features for the popular DAW over the coming months.

Mixing/Mastering/Logic Mark Cousins Mark specialises in sound design and cinematic productions. He has recorded with orchestras across Europe and is heavily involved in soundtrack composition.

Recording & Guitar Tech Huw Price A recording engineer since 1987, Huw has worked with David Bowie, My Bloody Valentine, Primal Scream, Depeche Mode, Nick Cave, Heidi Berry, Fad Gadget and countless others.

Scoring/Orchestral Keith Gemmell Keith specialises in areas where traditional music-making meets music technology, including orchestral and jazz sample libraries, acoustic virtual instruments and notation software.

Ableton Live & DJing Liam OMullaneLiam has worked as a D&B scratch DJ as well as releasing dubstep, D&B and hardcore tracks. His passion is to learn the production styles of the latest genres using Live.

Reason & Mobile Hollin Jones As well as teaching music technology, producing and writing soundtracks, Hollin is an expert on everything Apple, mobile or computer-related, as well as being an accomplished keyboard player.

Electronic Music Alex Holmes Alex has been a computer musician for 15 years, having a keen passion for beats, bass and all forms of electronic music. Hes currently involved in three different dance music projects.

Studio Hardware John Pickford John is a studio engineer with over 25 years of experience. He is a keen sound recording historian and has a passion for valve-driven analogue equipment and classic recording techniques.

Pro Tools Mike Hillier Mike spent five years at Metropolis Studios, working alongside some of the best-known mix and mastering engineers in the world. He is now building his own studio in south London.

Meet the team of experts behind the magazine

Pro Tools Mike HillierMike spent five years at Metropolis Studios, working alongside some of the best-known mix and mastering engineers in the world. He is now building his own studio in south London.

VISIT OUR WEBSITE!Head to our constantly updated website for the latest news, reviews and 10 years worth of quality content musictech.net

Whether hardware, software or mobile, we round up our top synth choices

12 THE WORLDS BEST SYNTHS

Advance

06 30 MT Interview

MT ContentsIssue 124 July 2013

Rob PapenThe visionary sound designer and synth guru talks to MT

DOWN & DIRTYWe visit Novations HQ and get hands-on with the much-anticipated Bass Station II

4 | July 2013 magazine

MT Contents

MT Issue 124 Full listings

006 | Advance Opinion, predictions and upcoming reviews, including a Bass Station II first look

012 | Cover Feature The worlds greatest hardware, software and mobile synths revealed and why...

INTERVIEWS 030 | Industry Guru Synth guru and sound designer Rob Papen

032 | Landmark Productions The Human League Reproduction

TECHNIQUE 034 | Cover Feature Create unique and cutting-edge synth sounds

044 | Cubase 7 Creating convincing harmonies

048 | Live 9 Bass design with the Operator synth

052 | Logic Pro 9 Processing and mixing drums

056 | Pro Tools 10 Free plug-ins to augment your PT setup

060 | Reason 7 Using MIDI hardware with Reason

064 | Subscribe to MusicTech and receive a Studiospares S580 mic worth 47!

REVIEWS 066 | Moog Sub Phatty

071 | Zynaptiq UNFILTER

072 | discoDSP Discovery Pro

074 | 8DIO 8Dioboe

077 | sE Electronics Magneto

079 | Adam F5

081 | Sound Radix Pi Phase Interactions Mixer

083 | Waldorf Rocket

084 | AMS Neve 1073N

086 | Avantone CV12 & CV28

089 | Mini Reviews

096 | Next Month in MT

098 | On your MT DVD

Software Tutorials

p52

p56

CREATING SIGNATURE SYNTH SOUNDS

Tutorial

34

GLUE FLAP

GLUE FLAP

DVD124 4GB+ PC&Mac

COPYRIGHT ANTHEM PUBLISHING 2013

//FUTURE TRANSITION FX & SWEEPS

DVD124 4GB+ PC&Mac

SAMPLE LOOPS//ROYALTY FREE & EXCLUSIVE

766MB of adrenalin-fuelled futuristic sweeps, metallic rising drones and pulsating LFO workouts

MIDI LOOPS//ROYALTY FREE & EXCLUSIVE VIDEO TUTORIALS//15+MINS

//ABLETON LIVE PUSH CHALLENGE

//CUTTING-EDGE SYNTH LOOPS

//FUNK & JAZZ MIDI LOOPS

//ROB PAPENS SYNTH SECRETS

VIDEO TUTORIALS//60+MINS SAMPLES LOOPS//148MB ROYALTY FREE

SAMPLESFuture Transition FX & Sweeps (24-bit/44.1kHz WAV,

Kontakt, EXS24, NN-XT, Structure)Equinox Sounds Funk & Jazz MIDI Construction

Kits (MIDI)Prime Loops Taster Pack (24-bit/44.1kHz ACID WAV)

Samples Tasters (24-bit/44.1kHz WAV)

DEMOSSound Radix Pi (PC, Mac)

KiloHearts Disperser (PC, Mac)Voxengo Shinechilla (PC, Mac)

FREEWARESaltline Lisc-step (PC)

Sleepy Time DSP Lisp (PC)

PROMOTIONALAMS Neve 1073N (MOV)

Anymode PDJ DJ Pad (MOV)Sound Radix Pi (MOV)

Sugar Bytes Turnado iPad Edition (MOV)Waldorf Rocket Synthesizer (MOV)

8DIO 8Dioboe (MOV)Synth Promo Videos (MOV)

TUTORIALS & VIDEOSPoint Blank Music School Ableton Live Push Challenge,

Kate Simko Logic Masterclass (MOV)Rob Papen The Secrets of Subtractive Synthesis

(MP4, MOV)LoopBlog Producertech Maschine with Logic

Pro (MOV)LoopBlog Producertech Novation Launchkey

Review (MOV)LoopBlog DSP Project How to Build an Acoustic

Diffuser (MOV)LoopBlog Plugin Boutique Cableguys Volume Shaper 3

Overview (MOV)

TUTORIALSLogic ProCubase

Ableton LiveReason

Pro ToolsIncredible Synths

HARMONIES, MIXING DRUMS, PT PLUG-INS, BASS DESIGN, REASON HARDWARE

p48

p44

p60

p66

p83

The Latest Reviews

SUB PHATTYWaldorf Rocket | Avantone CV12 & CV28 | Sound Radix Pi |

p81

p86

Contents MT


the modulation sources. There are two oscillators with four waveforms each and a sub oscillator with a fixed narrow or square pulse that follows the pitch of oscillator 1. A noise generator and ring modulation complete the sound sources.

Bass Station II has two filters: Classic and Acid. The Classic is similar to the original Bass Stations, a state-variable filter with two slopes, but unlike the original it has high- and band-pass shapes (see below for more on the Acid filter). Connections include a line out, headphones, a line in for processing external signals, sustain pedal in, MIDI in/out and a USB port that supplies power and MIDI but not audio.

The synth is monophonic and mono so very much has bass written all over it, although, of course, thats not to say

it cant be used for other sounds. First and foremost it is a bass synth and the presets will reflect that,

says Giles, but instrumentalists will make it do whatever they want it to do and it can do a

lot. So we will focus on basses as far as the presets that ship with it, but there could

be more banks released down the line.Its been 21 years since the

announcement of the original Bass Station, so why has it been

so long for the follow-up?Theres been a

resurgence of interest in analogue synths over the last couple of years,

says Giles. After a period when we did very well with

VA synths, people then went on to use a lot of soft synths, but now theres

definitely a move to people wanting something a bit more tangible. Its fair to say that the original Bass Station had a lot of fans and we were always getting asked to do a follow-up so the timing was right and we finally succumbed to the pressure. Weve added several features and really believe it significantly moves the synth up a few levels.

MT AdvanceRound-ups Analysis & comment Industry insight

To open our synth special, what better than a visit to Novations HQ to get hands-on with a very black-looking Bass Station II? Andy Jones reports

Weve just visited Novations HQ to have an exclusive first look at the companys new Bass Station II a synth that has been turning heads and making headlines since its announcement at Frankfurt Musikmesse in April. The synth, designed by veteran synth pioneer Chris Huggett (also responsible for the OSCar and Wasp synths), is a follow-up, albeit a rather slow one, to 1993s original Bass Station, a synth that answered the demands of the acid house scene of the time.

We first saw the Bass Station II at Frankfurt and it has certainly moved on, not least because it is now a very cool-looking black. Novations Nick Bookman and Giles Orford were on hand to talk us through the latest developments: Since Frankfurt the synth has had about 80 to 100 firmware changes, says Nick, and were now at the stage where were narrowing down the masses of presets we have to the best 64, which well ship with the unit this summer along with 64 user presets.

The architecture of the synth is similar to the original. Its audio path is analogue but sources are digitally controlled, so the filter is analogue but under digital control, likewise

The Bass Station II: Instrumentalists will make it

do whatever they want it to do and it can do a lot.

NOVATION BASS STATION II EXCLUSIVE FIRST LOOK

The TB-303 has a distinct filter. Ours has the same topology not a clone but it really does evoke the acid sound

it cant be used for other sounds. First and foremost it is a bass synth and the presets will reflect that,





so long for the follow-up?

resurgence of interest in analogue synths over the last couple of years,

says Giles. After a period when we did very well with



The architecture of the synth is similar to the original. Its it cant be used for other sounds. First and foremost it is a bass synth and the presets will reflect that,





so long for the follow-up?



The architecture of the synth is similar to the original. Its audio path is analogue but sources are digitally controlled, so the filter is analogue but under digital control, likewise

The Bass Station II: Instrumentalists will make it

do whatever they want it to do and it can do a lot.

MT Advance

6 | July 2013 magazine

One of the things that could have stalled the project was access to the abundance of analogue components needed to bring a synth like this to market in what is now a very digital age: It was a risk we had to consider, says Nick. The main component we needed was an OTA operational transconductance amplifier. These are getting rarer, but we managed to secure a supply of them.

And another big addition to the Bass Station II is that of the Acid filter, a circuit designed to give the synth a TB-303-like edge: Its a sound that is still in demand even after all this time, says Nick. The 303 has a particular filter type so weve designed a circuit with a similar topology called the diode ladder and it has a particular frequency characteristic that allows us to get close to the acid sound. Its not a clone it is our design

but it really does evoke that acid characteristic. We wanted to go beyond what the original Bass Station had and this certainly does that.

Following this comprehensive introduction to the new Bass Station we were treated to a demo of its various presets, including the 303 sounds and a stack of different basses and very impressive they were too. What was memorable about the original was how big the sound was despite coming from such a small unit, and this certainly replicated that surprise feeling. Nick also included a demo

of the step sequencer (which enables you to store four sequences, each with 32 steps to trigger very much like

an arpeggiated sequence). We were certainly impressed, but you can judge for yourselves as the full demo is on our website at www.musictech.net. Were even more keen to get one in and put it through its paces ourselves, so look out for the full review in a

couple of issues time and online.One last question, then: are we going to see a new

Drum Station any time soon?Nothing is planned at the moment, says Nick, but never

say never!

Price 399

Web www.novationmusic.com www.musictech.net

We first saw the Bass Station II at Frankfurt and it has certainly moved on, not least because it is now a very cool-looking black

FOR MORE OF THE

LATEST NEWSCHECK OUT

MUSICTECH.NET

MT Navigation Bass Station II

a OSCILLATORSSelect from four waveforms plus sources and destinations for the two LFOs.

d COOL BLUE LIGHTSNot technically a feature that makes a jot of difference to music production, but whats not to like about the cool blue lights beneath the pitch and mod wheels?

b MIXERWhere to blend the sound sources: two oscillators, ring, noise and a sub linked to oscillator 1.

e ENVELOPESSwitchable between standard amp envelope (for volume over time) and mod (pitch for the mod env) plus a combination of the two.

ba

d

e

c DISTORTIONWithin an effects section you get a Distortion circuit to add a bit more dirt.

c

f BLUE, GREY OR BLACKBass Station II was grey, now its black but the final colour is still TBC. The plate beneath is bright blue maybe the final colour?

f

Advance MT


music tech july 2013

Documents