CATEGORIES
THE PROFESSIONALS Luis Guerra
Welcome to another in our series of features focussing on composers making money with their computer music making, and not always in ways you might imagine. This time around we feature Luis Guerra who writes music for an incredibly diverse range of media…
YELLE
Jean-Francois Perrier tells us how the French act came to top charts on both sides of ‘le pond’ , how napping is key to any workflow and shares some timeless advice from Phillipe Zdar
IK Multimedia T-RackS 5 Space Delay €120
Classic tape delays add character in weird and wonderful ways. Let’s see how this latest Roland emulation from IK Multimedia shapes up
Delay plugins
We’ve reviewed some wonderful delays over the last 18 months or so. Here are what we consider the very best…
cm/ reader music
A classic Computer Music feature returns in a bi-monthly slot where the focus shifts to you and your music. Will you dare to send your tunes in and get the cm critique? These people did…
Arturia 3 Modulation FX… €199
Classy modulation can transform the sonics of your track. Let’s see what this new bundle – part of the ‘you’ll actually use’ series – has to offer
15 questions with…HOT CHIP
Is it really two decades since Hot Chip first got together? Time for a celebratory album release in the form of a Late Night Tales compilation, and for the band to reveal their studio – and many a Eurorack – secrets
15 questions with… HAIDER
Sheffield-born, Berlin-based producer Haider breaks down and mixes up as many genres as possible. “Keep it moving!”
Anatomy Of The Techno Kick
It’s the first in a new series of production techniques from the experts at Audiotent, with a special guide to producing perfect kicks
What Does 5G Mean For Music?
5G is the next generation of mobile cellular technology. Before you ask, it is not just faster 4G (although it can be up to 20 times quicker). 5G brings with it lower latency figures and higher bandwidths – that is, more data and quicker – and it’s more about what you can do with this extra girth that counts. 5G will mean some obvious improvements – like better sound quality for your streaming music and being able to play properly in time with other musicians online – but there are some other less obvious, yet far more exciting 5G musical possibilities. From enjoying a virtual band on stage to accessing a recording studio on your phone, 5G will transform the way we make and enjoy music, and it might just save the live music industry as we know it.
SYNTH SPECIAL
It’s a super synth special in this month’s Computer Music and we have a fantastic selection of hands-on features to help you make great synth music and create some great sounds…
Beatskillz RetroVolt £99
BeatSkills deliver a sample player with synth ambitions and a plugin simply drenched in nostalgia
K Multimedia iRig Keys 2 Mini €122
IK Multimedia deliver one of their dinkiest computer music-making keyboards, and it might be just what your mobile production needs
Future classic softsynths
We have six all-time classics on p36. Here are six young pretenders from the last two years vying to steal the crown
Baby Audio Parallel Aggressor
Parallel processing is a great way to capture the flavour of heavy processing and this new plugin wants to make it easier than ever before
Softsynths… of all time!
Time to put our heads on the block as we pick the six best software synths… ever (and still available to buy)
Modulation
In this instalment of our synth series, we look at some common mod sources and how to use them to bring your patches to life
15 Questions With… SHAW & GROSSFELDT
Simian Mobile Disco’s Jas Shaw and Bas Grossfeldt make an album completely inspired by a Yamaha Dysclavier. Why not?
Electronic Beats
Last month we looked at how to make your acoustic beats more human, more realistic and less machinelike. This time, we’re going to the electronic side. Leave your humanity at the door
MIXING BEATS
Getting your electronic beats mixed well together can make or break the backbone of your tune
The Filter – pt 2
We’ve shown you what a filter does and how it does it, and now it’s time to put that knowledge to use!
PROGRAMMING SYNTH DRUMS
Once so maligned that the musicians’ unions took them to task, synthesised drums are a staple of modern music. Here's how to program your own using the Plugin Suite…
Novation Launchkey Mk3 £var
Novation’s third incarnation of the Launchkey has a lot going for it if you are a Live user (and the smallest almost offers the most)
D16 Syntorus 2
Chorus has proven to be a tricky effect to create in plugin form. Let’s see if this upgraded classic hits the spot
DUSTY KID
The Italian producer and DJ has released music on some of the most influential labels in the dance music business, and remixed everyone from Armand Van Helden to Booka Shade. And while his studio looks exceptional, he reveals here that it only came about thanks to a major gear clearout. Who needs all that vintage equipment anyway?
15 questions with…MEDUZA
The Milan-based production trio of Meduza have already conquered the world with their huge and multi-award winning hit Piece of Your Heart. Here the trio’s Mattia Vitale reveals the plugins behind the sound
Crafting a bassline
This month, Dave Clews takes you through bassline programming bassics, from both ‘real’ and synth-based approaches
15 questions with… HARRISON
The collaborator to stars including Guetta, Aoki and Hardwell has a studio packed with some of the best hardware on the planet but is now ‘95%’ in the box. Time for Harrison’s 15 answers…
The Easy Guide To Recording Drums
Inject real life into your tracks by recording a real human drummer (no jokes, please) playing actual drums! Follow our walkthroughs and you’ll see how easy and effective it can be
THE PERFECT SNARE DRUM
Now let’s get cracking and take a closer look at the kick drum’s constant companion, the snare