MusicTech Focus - Logic Pro X Summer 2015

OVER 1GB OF SAMPLES
FREE AND 2 HOURS OF VIDEO
LOGIC PRO X SUMMER 2015 THE IN-DEPTH GUIDE FOR THE CREATIVE MUSICIAN
LOGIC PRO X 2015

SUMMER
THE IN-DEPTH GUIDE FOR THE CREATIVE MUSICIAN
POWER UP IN
LOGIC PRO X
TODAY
42 PAGES OF WORKSHOPS
HOW TO SET UP SAVE TIME

IMPROVE WORKFLOW RECORD ANYTHING
COMPOSING TIPS MIXING ADVICE
LOGIC FEATURES IN DEPTH
1.1GB
SAMPLES
+ 2.5 HRS VIDEO
The Best Features
TOP 50 STUDIO
ESSENTIALS
50 great apps
for music making
GUIDES TO MIX AND MASTER
DVD inside 4GB+
2.5 HOURS OF
TUITION VIDEOS,
1GB+ OF SAMPLES
ISBN 978-1-909590-19-9
9 781909 590199
Logic Pro X
2015
8.99
www.musictech.net
The Best Gear
WORK IN A STUDIO
Compiled by the Logic Pro Xperts from MusicTech

MTF39.cover.indd 1
18/05/2015 14:42
Possibly the
best EQ plugin
on the market
Computer Music Magazine (CM212)
An equalizer is probably the tool you use most while mixing and mastering, so you
need the best of the best! With FabFilter Pro-Q 2, you get the highest possible sound
quality and a gorgeous, innovative interface with unrivalled ease of use.
www.fabfilter.com
1500403 Fabfilter tijdschrift advertenties A4.indd 2
03/04/15 12:58
Welcome MTF
Welcome
to Logic Pro X Summer 2015, this years second
Focus from MusicTech dedicated to Logic Pro X.
Dont worry if you didnt pick up Volume 1 as this
special is designed to be used very much as a
standalone guide to your favourite music software
so weve really pulled the stops out to bring you
everything you need to level up as a Logic
producer.
First up we
have all-new
workshops which cover everything from beefing up your kicks
and bass to recording audio into Logic in three real world
situations. Weve also included several workflow tutorials to
help you speed up and become a power user, plus there are
more general features to help you in your music making world:
from the best apps for your mobile device to running a pro
studio. You cant ask for more than that or a wider variety of
helpful features, all designed to turn you into a Logic super producer.
(Id even say its better than Volume 1, but then I would.)
Enjoy this special issue and keep that music coming
Andy Jones Senior Editor, MusicTech & MusicTech.net
Email: andy.jones@anthem-publishing.com
(Also, contact me to Show Off Your Logic-based Studio - see pages 42 and 58 for more!)
The features are

designed to turn you
into a Logic super
producer
Contributors
Mark Cousins, Keith Gemmell, Alex Holmes,
Hollin Jones, Huw Price
MUSICTECH FOCUS MAGAZINE
www.musictech.net
Anthem Publishing Ltd
Suite 6, Piccadilly House
London Road, Bath BA1 6PL
Tel +44 (0) 1225 489984
Fax +44 (0) 1225 489980
editorial@anthem-publishing.com
Senior Editor Andy Jones
andy.jones@anthem-publishing.com
Art Editor Debra Barber
debra.barber@anthem-publishing.com
Digital Editor Andy Price
andy.price@anthem-publishing.com
Multimedia Editor Alex Holmes
alex.holmes@anthem-publishing.com
Business Dev. Manager Di Marsh
di.marsh@anthem-publishing.com
Art Director Jenny Cook

jenny.cook@anthem-publishing.com
All content copyright Anthem Publishing Ltd

2014 and 2015, all rights reserved. While we
make every effort to ensure that the factual
content of MusicTech Focus is correct we
cannot take any responsibility nor be held
accountable for any factual errors printed.
Managing Director Jon Bickley

jon.bickley@anthem-publishing.com
Please make every effort to check quoted

prices and product specifications with
manufacturers prior to purchase. No part of
this publication may be reproduced, stored in
a retrieval system or resold without the prior
consent of Anthem Publishing Ltd.
Licensing enquiries Jon Bickley

+44 (0) 1225 489984
www.anthem-publishing.com
MusicTech Focus recognises all copyrights

contained within this issue. Where possible we
acknowledge the copyright holder.
Publisher Simon Lewis

simon.lewis@anthem-publishing.com
Printed by Polestar UK Print Ltd

Tel +44 (0) 1582 678900
TEXTING
MUSIC TECH TERMS
AND CONDITIONS
By entering
MusicTech
competitions you
are agreeing to
receive details of
future promotions
from Anthem
Publishing Limited
and related third
parties. If you do not
want to receive this
information please
text NO INFO at the
end of your message.
Texts will be charged
at the specified price
plus one message
at your standard
network tariff rate.
Distributed by Marketforce (UK) Ltd

The Blue Fin Building, 110 Southwark St,
London SE1 0SU Tel +44 (0) 20 3148 3300
Subscriptions to MusicTech Magazine
Tel +44 (0) 870 444 8468
Price (12 issues) 59.99
UK basic annual rate
FOCUS Ableton Live 8 Volume 2
MTF39.welcome.indd 3
| 03
18/05/2015 14:50
MTF Contents
Issue 39
Logic Pro X 2015 Vol. 2
THE ULTIMATE
GUIDE TO
LOGIC PRO X
We have everything you need to become a Logic expert: from setting up

and saving time, through recording with three typical set-ups, right up to
composing and mixing. And we also look in depth at some of the
softwares best loved plug-ins so you can become
the ultimate Logic power user
MTF Workshops
Start here
Set up and save time
in Logicp6
Logic in
p46-p56
depth
Get the best from Logics extras as
we take look at its effects, the B3
organ and the Compressor
plugin. Master the software now.
4 | Logic Pro X 2015 Vol. 2
MTF39.contents.indd 4
record
into Logic, three ways! p16
compose & mix

All the advice you need p78-88
FOCUS
18/05/2015 14:51
Contents MTF
MTF Feature
Run a studio!
Make cash from your gear or get
a dream studio job p6
MTF39 Logic 2015 Full listings

WORKSHOPS:
006 | Setting up and saving time:
The guide to speedy workflow
016 | Recording into Logic: Three
typical recording scenarios detailed
046 | FX Routing: serial & parallel
050 | B3 Organ: the inside guide
054 | The Compressor: in depth
078 | Articulation and expression
081 | Adding emotion with legato
084 | Action scoring with drums
088 | Kicks and bass in dance
FEATURES
028 | Running a pro studio
All you need to know to work in a
recording studio or rent yours out
MTF Feature
The 50 Apps
068 | The 50 Best Music Apps p1

Make music on the move now.
TUTORIALS: BLUFFERS GUIDES
For making music on

the move, revealed
right here p68
060 | to delay
063 | to mixing and mastering
MTF BUYERS GUIDES
014 | 6 Of The Best: keyboards
044 | 6 Of The Best: Soft synths
094 | 6 Of The Best: Software
Bluffers Guide
Mastering,
mixing
and delay
explained
p60 & p63
126 | 6 Of The Best: Hardware

MTF REVIEWS
096 | iZotope RX4 audio processor
098 | BS Mystica vocal library
099 | AMT The Riser plugin effect
100 | Dynaudio MB MkIII monitors
102 | Melda MPower synth
103 | Vienna Solo Voices library
104 | iZotope Ozone software
105 | Munro Sonic Egg monitors
106 | Fabfilter Pro-Q2 EQ plugin
107 | iZotope iRis 2 processor
108 | Tannoy 402/802 monitors
110 | NI Rounds soft synth
MTF 6 Of The Best
The best keyboards,

soft synths, hardware
and software revealed
p14, p44, p94 & p126
111 | Cappriccio orchestra sampling

112 | CineSymphony Lite library
113 | ATH-M70x headphones
114 | Virtual CZ synth
116 | Alesis V&Vi keyboards
120 | Apogee Ensemble interface
121-129 | Mini Reviews
REGULARS
42 & 58 | Show Off Your Studio
130 | On your MTF DVD
FOCUS Logic Pro X 2015 Vol. 2
MTF39.contents.indd 5
|5
18/05/2015 12:18
MTF Technique Setting up and saving time
Logic Pro X MusicTech Focus 2015 Vol. 2 Workshops
Level Beginner
Setting up and saving

time in Logic Pro X
Setting up a Template project with a few tweaks here and there could save you time in the
future and increase your workflow. Andy Jones says pay attention, you will do this only
once and will hopefully help you take the steps to become a Logic power user
hose readers of a certain age might remember a

(terrible) sitcom where an actor with a (terrible)
French accent would say pay attention because I
will say this only once. Well, thats me, but
without the terrible accent. Because if you follow
this tutorial, you should have to do everything just once
and then hopefully your future Logic life will be easier. The
idea is that its for beginners to Logic but Im willing to bet
that even seasoned users might pick up a thing or two and
say quietly to themselves why didnt I do that years ago?,
so I urge you to all give it a go. You only need read the
following pages once (and they wont self
destruct afterwards sorry, mixing my
metaphoric analogies there).
So what were going to do is simply
set up a project in Logic Pro X. Now thats
easy, you might think simply select one
of the default ones that Logic offers you
when you choose to start a new project
and you are away, right? You are correct,
that is one way of doing it, but were
going beyond that First up well show
you how to tailor a project to your set-up.
Then well move on to making a project
work for you and your music and, along
the way, well make sure you create it as
a Template Project file for every time you use Logic. This is an
ideal scenario for the majority of us who use Logic Pro X in the
same way and for the same kinds of music production,
Stick with us and well tell you

how to set-up a project file that
you can return to and use again
and again to save time when
composing music
FOCUS ON YOUR AUDIO

INTERFACE
You will need a decent audio interface when
recording with Logic and our tutorial helps you
assign and set up a Template project for use with
one. Weve used a Focusrite Saffire Pro in our
example but there are many more available,
specd to how you record and play back. You can
get really simple ones that allow a couple of
tracks to be recorded and played back, or
complex multi input and output interfaces that
allow entire band performances to be recorded
into Logic for editing later. MusicTech has several
recommendations which weve rounded up in our
6 Of The Best in this issue. You should also check
out the tutorial later in this issue that deals with
how to set interfaces of different input and
output combinations up within Logic for a variety
of recording situations: from simple singersongwriter set-ups to recording a live band. (See
pages 16 to 25 for more.)
MTF39.Tut Setting up a project.indd 6
FOCUS
15/05/2015 09:10
Setting up and saving time Technique MTF
MTF Step-by-Step 1. Starting out
Open Logic Pro X and make sure you have no projects open.
Select File > New to open a new project. Here we can choose New
From Template or Empty Project. We will create a new Template file
as the ones shown in Logics standard list are not customised

to our needs (yet!). Thats what were going to end up with but for
now simply select Empty Project.
Before opening up our new, empty project we should set up our

audio parameters in the check box below. Select your audio input
device and sample rate from the drop down menus on the left.
And then our audio output device from the drop down menu on
the right. This is obviously the same device and in our case we
are using a Focusrite Saffire so were selecting Saffire.
We can also select the projects tempo and key in this main menu
(beneath the Template types) but for now well leave the values as
they are as we can change them later.
Now we choose the track types that our project is going to

consist of. You get several choices including Drummer and
External MIDI but our main ones will be Software Instrument and
Audio, the latter as shown.
01
03
05
whenever we boot the software up to compose.
Beyond start-up
But were also moving beyond this start-up phase and will
investigate some of the time-saving aspects of Logic Pro
some of the shortcuts and the key commands that will save
you time down the line. Well also look at some of the other
02
04
06
Logic features that could speed up your workflow by

providing a more intuitive environment which will, we think,
make your Logic experience much more fulfilling.
So stick with us while we guide you through the process
of setting up a project, tailoring it to suit you and your music,
creating templates and speeding up your workflow. Youll
hopefully end up with a project file that you can return to
|7
15/05/2015 09:10
again and again to save time when composing music. And if

you are an experienced user, who knows, you might see
Logic in a new light, and you might save time too.
First up, well start from scratch
and eventually be in a position to call it your own and save it

as your own Template file to load up later whenever you start
a new project. For now, though, its a case of opening a blank
page ready to work on
1. Starting out
2. Linking an interface/soundcard
Well start our project in a normal manner but clear the decks
to start an empty Template Project. Youll gradually build it up
and add instruments, recording options, effects and the like,
You can do this later (in Logic you can do pretty much
everything later if you want) but its just as easy to set this up
now. Youll have to make sure that any audio tracks you create
MTF Step-by-Step 2. Linking an interface/soundcard
We need to check that the physical inputs of our soundcard are

assigned to the right tracks we are creating. In this case we want
this track to be our record input so have assigned it to 1 on the Saffire.
This is the input that we will be recording into Logic from i.e.
whatever instrument we have plugged into channel 1 of our
interface. In our case we simply have the mono input from a synth.
Similarly we may as well check our main outputs are assigned to

our monitors via our soundcard. Here they are channels 1 and 2
out. For more on selecting interface channels see p16 onwards.
On our soundcard, the monitor outputs 1 and 2 are assigned to

the main monitors shown connected here. Our main inputs and
outputs for our project are now set and our interface assigned.
Now press Create and you can see that our audio track is created
in the main window. If we hit the mixer icon (top left) we can see
our track and its Input is set to channel 1 on our interface.
Before we create multiple tracks in a Template check

Preferences > Audio to make sure the interface is set as our audio
in and out and our Buffer Size sits at 128.
01
03
05
02
04
06
FOCUS
15/05/2015 09:10
3. Project settings
are talking to the interface you have connected (see p6). That
is, if you want to record audio from the outside world like a
guitar or keyboard youll need to make sure you plug your
instrument in to the correct socket and link that to the audio
track in Logic that you create.
Similarly you want the main outputs of Logic linked to the
speakers that you have connected to the outputs of your
interface. All of this is included and you should only have to
do this here (very often it will already be set up for you).
At this stage its worth looking at some of the global

parameters for your new Logic Template project. As well as
setting options like the Global Sample Rate, here you can also
configure things like your metronome, your tempo, project key
and other aspects of Logic production that you might want to
set up as standards in whatever projects you use in the
future. Set it up once, right here and right now, and youll
never have to bother with it again!
MTF Step-by-Step 3. Project settings
For the start of our project we should check Global Project

Settings by opening up the File > Project Settings menu. Well go
to the Audio option and select 48kHz as our Project Sample Rate.
There are several other options you can edit in Project Settings
including Metronome clicks and the Count-in For Recording. We
like 2 bars so have set it accordingly.
As we are recording audio on this track we can now set it up with

effects from a standard list of supplied presets in Logic. Hit the
library icon to show a list of instruments and channels strip settings.
As weve got a synth plugged in to channel 1s input we choose

synthesizer from the library presets which then adds a selection
of commonly used effects to that input channel.
Choose Stereo Acoustic Guitar, for example, and Logic adds some
delays and a gentle EQ. Its a fast way of setting a Project up and
you can easily come back and edit the effects later as shown.
Now were going to add more tracks. You can simply add with the
+ icon as shown which will take you back to Step 6 and allow you
to choose track type.
01
03
05
02
04
06
|9
15/05/2015 09:10
MTF Step-by-Step 4. Adding tracks
When adding tracks simply repeat from Step 6 on p7. Better still,
if you are adding similar Audio tracks then select Other > New
Track With Duplicate Settings to add a track with the same properties.
You can quickly create a project of tracks with similar properties.

Weve set three synth audio inputs up for a multi-instrument
session. The only thing weve had to change is the i/p channels: 1 to 3.
We can now quickly add tracks that can carry audio for all of the
band either as standalone audio tracks or as recording tracks.
Here weve added vocals and guitar. Make sure you rename each track.
Once you are happy with all of your recording tracks add some
standard audio tracks to load samples or other audio you might
have on your hard drive like beats or basslines.
Thats the audio side of the project sorted with both audio
recording, audio playing and the interface set up. Now time to add
software instruments. Press + and select the Software Instrument tab.
An electric piano will load as a typical software instrument. To

change it you can simply select the instrument in the mixer and
select an instrument from your collection. Here we have ES2.
01
03
05
One very neat option next is to set the track up youve

created as a specific instrument type. In Logic you can add
preset effects and other parameters onto tracks so if, for
example, you want to record an external guitar onto the audio
track weve created, select it from the library and the preset
will add typical effects that acoustic guitar recordists might
use when recording that instrument. Its very useful and weve
chosen the synthesiser option for ours.
02
04
06
4. Adding tracks
Now we get to the final stage of the main Template Project
build where we add tracks and flesh it out so it becomes a
song framework that you can load every time and one that
will be ready for those inspirational moments when you just
want to make music quickly.
First up you can add other audio tracks either to record
external instruments on or to load other audio in (samples
FOCUS
15/05/2015 09:10
MTF Step-by-Step 4. Adding tracks and finishing the Template
In a similar way to the audio tracks you can choose to simply copy
an existing instrument track with exactly the same parameters or
create them from scratch with new instruments like we have here.
To save time again you can copy track settings rather than
everything, so if you like those guitar effects we had earlier when
we created a guitar audio input track for recording you can copy them.
Simply go to the track you like the settings of and hit the Setting
tab. A drop down menu appears, select Copy Channel Settings. All
of the effects will be copied.
Now go to another channel, in this case the synth track we

created earlier. Hit the Setting tab in this channel and paste the
settings, copying effects from an audio to an instrument track fast!
Once you are happy with the numbers of audio (record and play)
tracks you have and the selection of software instruments within
your Template, save it in Save As Template.
Now every time you start a new project in Logic you can return to
this Template, an empty piece of paper on a sketchpad ready to
fill with your music!
07
09
11
and so on) from your hard drive. These can be created from
scratch or you can copy existing tracks (but make sure to
adjust the input channel if you are recording instruments into
different inputs on your interface).
Then its time to add software instrument tracks which
enable you to load in your virtual instruments and sound
libraries. Again the beauty of setting these up now is to save
08
10
12
time later and to make sure all of your favourites are on hand
when you load in your Project Template file.
Weve also listed another speedy method of quickly
copying those favourite effects configurations. So if you like
Logics presets for the audio track set-up, as explained earlier,
you can quickly copy these effects settings to any tracks you
set up, audio or otherwise.
| 11
15/05/2015 09:10
Once you are done creating your standardised Template

project, save it ready to load up every time you start a new
song in Logic. Now all of your favourite instruments are ready
and external instrument tracks set up to record.
allow you to do is set up your favourite Logic window

combinations and save them to be recalled simply by hitting
the number keys 1 through 9. So you might have your main
Project overview on Screenset 1, instantly recalled by
pressing key 1, then you might have your audio editing
windows set up on Screenset 2, instantly recalled by hitting
key 2 and so on. The options are unlimited but wed
recommend using Logic for a while before you decide which
sets are your ultimate favourites but certainly try the
5. Screensets
Another feature that really helps workflow is the Logic
Screenset and you should set some of these up within your
Template Project to save time later. Basically what these
MTF Step-by-Step 5. Using screensets
Screensets are a great way to save time and customise your

project. Here is our Template Project as we created it. Well use
this as our base screenset so Lock it in as Screenset number 1.
With it now saved we can go off and set up other Screensets for
commonly used parts of our production process. We can set
anything up but first press 2 to start a new one and get this screen.
You might want your first Screensets to be for selecting

instruments so simply open the main Library folder and select
Lock. Now its ready for recall when you load Screenset 2 by hitting 2.
Or you might want to have one Screenset dedicated to audio file

management. Here we have the Browser open so you can load,
save and get an overview of your audio by loading Screenset 3 (hit 3).
Many people use the Screensets in Logic to make track editing

easier so have ones with the MIDI data of a track open and ready
to tweak or dedicated to audio editing (shown).
There are infinite possibilities simply open whatever windows,

instruments or tabs you want. Here our Screenset is set up
simply to deal with bass, both audio and MIDI, and with effects too!
01
03
05
02
04
06
FOCUS
15/05/2015 09:10
tutorial below left just to get a feel of what you can do as

these are great time savers.
modifier (shift, alt etc.) and button. At a simple stroke or

combination of strokes, you can perform virtually anything
without needing to resort to a mouse click, thus saving time.
In Logic, these are all listed, easily editable and you can
import your favourites from other software too.
We hope that these simple set-up and workflow tutorials
will help you work more efficiently within Logic and allow you
to get straight down to the art of music production with
minimum fuss (and that you only need read this once!). MTF
6. Using key commands

Finally we move on to the most common way of saving time
when using DAWs and a function that has been around since
the very earliest sequencer: the key command. Put simply,
these let you carry out important (and no so important)
functions at the press of a button, or a combination of
MTF Step-by-Step 6. Using key commands
Key commands speed up your workflow by taking many common

functions away from your mouse, so a quick press will do things
like record (button R). Open them from the Logic > KC > Edit menu.
Here you get all of the Key Commands listed by category. Weve
opened the most common Key Commands from the Global tab
which shows, among others, what keys control the transport functions.
As well as showing the key you need to hit to perform the

command you get the Modifier (Shift or other key combo) and
what value is needed to assign this to an optional MIDI controller.
As we are in Edit Mode, if you are unhappy with any of the current
commands, simply highlight the command you want (or search
for it using the tool, top right) and press Learn By Key Label.
Now the combination of key and modifier that you press will be
assigned to that function. It may be taken by another key
command in which case the above will appear which you can overrule.
Its also very easy to import key commands from other software
so if you are used to Logic 9s key commands, load them in via the
Options menu within Key Commands.
01
03
05
02
04
06
| 13
15/05/2015 09:10
MTF Buyers Guide Six of the best
Six of the best

Hardware
Software
Mobile Tech
Accessories
Welcome to the MusicTech Focus Buyers Guide where we round

up some of the best products recently reviewed in the magazine.
This time: a range of hardware controllers, from small to
do-it-all, from Komplete to mobile
BEST Komplete deal
NI Komplete
Kontrol
Details
Price 429 to 599
Contact via website
Web www.nativeinstruments.com
inner of not one,

but two MusicTech
Gear Of The Year
Awards (Best Controller
and Best Innovation), Komplete Kontrol
is the complete deal if you own NIs
Komplete software. As well as being a
superbly built keyboard range, it
utilises amazing screens and Light
Guide, where keys on the keyboard are
lit with different colours to either help
your playing or to replicate the
keyboard zones in your current
Komplete instrument. Superb!
Reviewer Andy Jones said: Native
Instruments is designing incredibly
good-looking products that are solving
problems we quite often dont know
we have, and concluded: Komplete
Kontrol brings Kontakt and Reaktor
software to life. Essential if you have
Komplete and after seeing them in
tandem, youll consider both as the
ultimate music production package.
BEST Something for everyone
Alesis V/Vi ranges
here are two ranges to choose

from here, but with the V and
Vi ranges from Alesis you
really do get a keyboard to
match most playing styles and studio
uses. The V range is slim and
surprisingly playable, whereas the Vi
range comes packed with controllers
and pads. Something for every
MT146.6OTB.indd 14
pocket too, as the prices for both

ranges go from 65 to 130. Andy
Jones concluded: Wed recommend
the Vi range overall as the cash outlay
isnt that much extra. The VI61 is a
particularly good steal. Superb
keyboard range for the money,
offering a proper playing experience
and oodles of control.
Details
Price
V: 65 to 120
Vi: 120 to 179
Contact InMusic
T: +44 01252 896040
Web
www.alesis.com
Details
Price 80
Contact Novation
01494 462246
Web
www.novation
music.com
BEST Mobile
Novation
Launchkey
Mini
he Launchkey Mini is like a

miniature version of the
Launchkey 25. However on
closer inspection it becomes
apparent that Novations focus is on
iPad-based composition. Integration
with the free Launchkey app allows for a
staggering amount of creative control.
The eight assignable rotary dials control
a range of varying parameters that alter
the myriad presets substantially,
resulting in quite a range of sounds and
effects. Reviewer Andy Price said: It is
immense fun to play, offering a huge
range of ideas with little physical space
taken up in-studio and no mains
powering required one of the finest
mobile instruments money can buy. He
concluded: Launchkey Mini packs
quite a punch and is clearly designed
with the modern, trendy and
constantly-moving composer in mind.
FOCUS
13/05/2015 12:11
Six of the best Buyers Guide MTF
BEST Tactile
Korg Taktile
aktile from Korg is a USB

keyboard controller available in
49 and 25 keys, with a Triton
model also available with
sounds from the Korg classic. The
49-key Triton-less version we tested is
among the best keyboard controllers
that adapts to the DAW you use, with
presets available for all of the most
common software sequencers. It also
has a huge number of control and
playing options, making it a great
compact controller useful for a wide
BEST Sounds
Arturia
Keylab
range of applications. Reviewer Andy

Jones said: It has those great real-time
options and superb DAW integration,
and I havent even mentioned the
software bundle which includes Korgs
M1 Le software, EZ drummer Lite,
Lounge Lizard Session, an Ableton Live
discount coupon and Reason Limited,
which is enough to get anyone going
from scratch. Taktile has set the bar
high a great package and
performance tool. Much more than a
typical keyboard controller.
Details
Price 279
Contact Korg UK:
01908 304600
Web
www.korg.com
A huge number of control options

making it a great compact controller for a
wide range of applications
Details
Price 209
(89.95 upgrade)
Contact T&S:
01837 55200
Web www.time
space.com
eyboard controllers arent

exactly known for their sounds
as theyre usually, well, purely
controllers. Most of the time,
that is. Arturias Keylab range changes
things, however, by offering access to the
companys back catalogue of heritage
sounds a whole range of classic synths
and instruments. We had a few
reservations when reviewing it originally
but it has since been updated and now
includes a full version of Bitwig Studio.
Reviewer Andy Jones said: This hybrid
keyboard/synth is a great idea with a
rock solid controller and some amazing
sounds.
BEST Live controller
Akai APC Key 25
Details
Price 99.99
Contact InMusic:
01252 896040
Web
www.akaipro.com
kais latest controller is the

APC Key 25, the only APC
model with a keyboard. It
manages to fit a surprising
amount of functionality in and will
certainly be of interest to Live users. Its
insanely portable and very light indeed.
Its also pre-mapped for Live, and youll
find that the controls map across
beautifully, with red outlines appearing

in the software to denote what youre
currently controlling. Hollin Jones said:
Its tiny footprint means its good for
those pressed for space, or for working
on the move, and concluded: A
surprisingly versatile Live controller
considering its extreme portability.
Having a keyboard is a great bonus.
MT146.6OTB.indd 15
| 15
13/05/2015 12:11
MTF Technique Recording single and multiple audio tracks into Logic
Logic Pro X MusicTech Focus 2015 Vol.2 Workshops
Level Beginner
Recording single and

multiple audio tracks
Getting the sounds from multiple instruments and microphones into Logic can be daunting.
Andy Jones looks at three typical Logic recording set ups, from simple singer/songwriter to
full on band set-ups, taking in his MIDI synth set-up along the way
ack in the day, if you wanted to record multiple

tracks of audio, say, from choirs singing or bands
playing, you had a couple of choices depending
on the recorder you were using. Humble
four-track recorders, for example, would
obviously let you record up to four tracks simultaneously but
were very often used to record either a stereo pair of tracks or
mono tracks and then bounce the initial recording down to
stereo, thus freeing up more tracks to record on. This would
go on until the quality, frankly, suffered, so bigger multitrack
machines came along to handle 16 and 32 tracks of
recording, either for simultaneous recording or using the
bounce method to build up huge arrangements.
Digital track by track

The advent of the DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) has meant
unlimited audio tracks within your computer (depending on
the processor of the machine you use and the software)
which is great! You can build songs and
tracks to your hearts content ending up
with numbers of audio tracks unheard of
back in the 60s and 70s (and probably very
messy and overdone arrangements, but
thats another story). But you still have to
get that audio into your machine and, in
order to do that, you can still use very
similar practices to those old multitrack
methods. These days, though, rather than
it depending on how many recording
tracks your recorder can handle, its all about how many
channels your interface can handle. But fear not, even with
the most basic of interfaces, you can still build up multiple
Rather than it being about the

number of channels your recorder
has, its about the number of
channels your interface has
tracks fairly easily, quickly and cheaply.
In this tutorial were going to look at getting audio into
Logic in three very typical real-world
FOCUS ON CABLES
If you want to record your audio efforts into Logic
Pro X you will need cables possibly lots of them.
Here are a few of main ones to consider. Quarter
inch (6.3mm) TS cables are used for guitars and
mono signals, while quarter inch TRS (Tip Ring
Sleeve, balanced and 6.3mm) jacks are used for
stereo signals. Minijack cables (stereo, 3.5mm)
are the half-sized headphone versions of these
while RCA phono jacks are the kinds of hi-fi
connections you get, good for connecting CD
players and the like to your mixer. Finally, for now,
you get XLR male and female connectors which are
secure, 2cm in diameter cables and are very good
for live cabling, monitors
and microphones.
MTF39.Tut Recording into Logic.indd 16
FOCUS
13/05/2015 15:13
Recording single and multiple audio tracks into Logic Technique MTF
MTF Step-by-Step 1. Singer/songwriter set-up
Weve chosen the Focusrite Saffire Pro 26 as our mid-level option

for recording audio for a singer/songwriter. It has six inputs (plus
ADAT ins) plus, importantly, lots of flexibility when it comes to outputs.
These include a couple of headphone outputs which are

especially useful for singing situations so both the recorder and
singer can monitor what is going in and out of the unit.
Connect up the unit by way of the FireWire interface. If you are

using Thunderbolt you will need a connector as shown to go from
the supplied FireWire lead to your Mac. Its not supplied and costs 25.
An interface like the Saffire has inputs around both back and
front which is really useful. Here weve connected up the inputs
from our keyboard to inputs one and two around the front.
Now boot up Logic as normal. Switch on your interface and the

software will usually automatically detect the new interface and
Initialise the Core Audio as shown, to set it up. We say usually
Interfaces have a habit of not always talking directly to your DAW

straight away, so you might need to restart your DAW or interface
for them to admit the other one is there. Failing that, go to the Audio
Preferences menu in Logic and select Saffire as your In and Out.
01
03
05
situations using a variety of interfaces. With all three

approaches youll see that the process is actually fairly
simple. Sadly, though, the number of channels you can
record simultaneously still depends on the amount of
money you spend more expensive interfaces tend to have
more inputs to your DAW but we will see that, even with a
smaller mid-priced interface for the singer/songwriter
02
04
06
set-up you can handle multiple tracks.

Well then move on to how you can connect bigger
set-ups to Logic, like a MIDI-based hardware synth set-up
as hardware synths are very much back in vogue at the
moment. Then well look at multiple instrument/band
set-ups. Well use a different interface for each of the three
scenarios but, like we say, the principles are the same.
| 17
13/05/2015 15:14
The singer/songwriter mid-price set-up
an award-winning range of interfaces for the entry-level to

mid-experienced user or producer and weighs in at 299.
You can get much cheaper Saffires (159 for the Pro 14, for
example) but the recording methods and software are the
same for whichever one in the range that you choose and
are, software aside, the same principals you will use with
any interface of this type that you choose.
Youll need to make the right connections. Make sure
Well assume that our example singer/songwriter is recording

fairly basic songs at a reasonably budget end of the scale.
But, fortunately, when it comes to recording into your
computer, budget doesnt mean lacking any more as you
can get pretty decent mid-priced interfaces that will suit any
songwriter with a keyboard, microphone or guitar.
Weve chosen Focusrites Saffire Pro 26 which is part of
MTF Step-by-Step 1. Singer/songwriter set-up (cont)
Now its time to check out the supplied interface software. In the
case of Saffire, its Saffire MixControl. You shouldnt need to do
too much as its just routing software that should set itself up.
As with all software its always best to have the latest version. We
found that a lot of the above issues were resolved by
downloading this (free from Focusrite) and v3.5 at the time of writing.
Before you start recording, youll need to hear your output so will
need to connect your monitors. This can be done at any stage but
do it either with the output levels set at zero or the interface off.
Connect your inputs using the front panel (as shown in step 4
with our keyboard) or, singers, plug your mic into one of the mic
inputs, in this case around the back.
Check that your input levels arent peaking in the red so distorting
but ensure that you are getting the maximum signal at source, so
adjust these levels both within MixControl software
and on your interface. In this case were recording our keyboard

via the front of the unit and it is peaking at less than 0dB to allow
some headroom when we come to editing the recording.
07
09
11
08
10
12
FOCUS
13/05/2015 15:14
Logic sees the interface (not always easy) and that the
outputs are connected to your monitors correctly. Then
youll need to engage the best recording practice with
supplied software (most interfaces come with their own
audio routing software and in the Saffire ranges case it is
called Saffire MixControl) and then you are ready to go.
Well show you how to record a tune track by track using
this more simple set-up so you end up with multiple tracks
to play with and arrange. In our example we show how to

connect a microphone or keyboard to record and then layer
tracks together. Once you understand the first few steps, you
can then repeat them for multiple track recording.
Track by track
Saffire Pro 26 allows multiple recording but well just use two
channels to record keyboards and one to record vocals, and
MTF Step-by-Step 1. Singer/songwriter set-up (cont)
In Logic, create a track to record on (Track > New Audio Track). In

our case its Audio Track 4. Arm it ready to record but before you
hit the red button
just time to check one last time that the input signal isnt
peaking. Go down to the mixer section and check the level at
Audio 4 and adjust on the interface if necessary.
When you are happy with the level hit record. Weve soloed the
recorded track as we have other elements in our song that we
dont want to rerecord at the same time we just want the keyboard.
So the recorded keyboard part is now in Logic as shown on Track

4. Create another Track (in our case 8) to record your next part.
This can be either another keys part of vocal.
Weve chosen a vocal track so plug the mic in jack 1 on the back,
(see step 10). We want to hear the keyboard part (4) to sing along
to. However if its playing it will be recorded too. Plug headphones in!
MixControl allows you to route what you have already recorded to

phones so you can sing your vocal along at the same time
without recording what youve already laid down.
13
15
17
14
16
18
| 19
13/05/2015 15:14
MTF Step-by-Step Singer/songwriter set-up (cont)
In the previous step we routed the DAW output to the headphones

in MixControl. Now we switch the DAW output off to the main mix
so you cant hear what youve already recorded, just your vocal.
Record you vocal while listening to the keyboard part in your

headphones to start building up your song. Now you have two
parts recorded with a relatively simple interface.
Now its simply a case of repeating parts 16 to 20. Create another

audio track (in this case 9), monitor what youve already recorded
on headphones and record a new audio part.
You could keep on going forever using this method a simple and
cheap solution to multiple track recording. The Saffire has
multiple inputs so you can record multiple takes, even simultaneously.
So you could have recorded the singing and vocals at the same
time over multiple tracks but our method was simpler. Besides
you can only control four levels at the same time from the front panel.
In the next tutorial we will show you how multiple inputs can be
recorded easily. For now its time to mix all of those recordings
into an arrangement!
19
21
23
not simultaneously. In this way well show you how to record

track by track, principles that can be applied and used with
even cheaper interfaces in this and other ranges. Youll see
that you can get away with not having that many ins and outs
but build up complex recordings.
The first thing to do is to get the interface talking to Logic
Pro X, then record a track and then, importantly, record
further tracks monitoring on headphones so that you can
20
22
24
hear what you have already recorded and record further

tracks by playing along to it.
Saffire Pro 26 (and all Saffires) use Saffire MixControl
software to enable this kind of recording and routing but
most interfaces will allow you to do this and record in this
way so, if you understand the principles in this first tutorial,
you should be able to master the ins and outs of most
interfaces, even if they are produced by other manufacturers.
FOCUS
13/05/2015 15:14
MTF Step-by-Step 2. Simultaneous multitrack synth recording
Weve chosen the Presonus Studio Live 16:0:2 mixer/interface to

use as our simultaneous recording interface. Itll be a familiar
sight to old school mixer users and it is incredibly flexible.
This interface is very much like an old school analogue mixer

around the back as well in fact consider it as one if you like
with FireWire interfacing as the connectivity option.
The interface will come with a FireWire cable but, as with the
smaller Saffire interface, an extra Thunderbolt connector will be
needed (25) to connect to newer Macs like the MacBook Pro shown.
At the mixer end simply connect the FireWire cable to one of the
two slots (make sure the mixer is powered down and ideally your
Mac asleep while you do it).
With the mixer/interface turned off (or the output levels muted)
connect your speakers/monitors to the main or monitor outputs
(depending on your routing). Switch both interface and Logic on.
Make sure you have the latest Presonus Universal Control

software installed (1.7.2 at time of writing) as this is the software
interface between Logic and your hardware interface and used for
routing all of the audio.
01
03
05
We wont show you how to add effects or arrange what

you record but we do detail how to set levels so you dont
record at too low or high an input level. (Low signals can be
boosted but high levels distort and cant often be retrieved
and used).
So that is how a singer/songwriter can make use of a
cheap entry to mid-priced interface with Logic. Next up well
02
04
06
be looking at a higher end interface which looks very much

like an old fashioned traditional mixer.
2. Simultaneous multitrack recording

Recording track by track is great if you are on your own or
acting as the engineer for an acoustic singer, for example, but
if you want to record record multiple audio parts from a
| 21
13/05/2015 15:14
studio MIDI set-up then you might want to record everything

playing at the same time. Thats when a multi-input output
interface/mixer like the Presonus StudioLive 16:0:2 comes
into the recording equation. This is far more than just an
interface, offering full fader control over multiple audio
inputs, plus effects, recall of mixer settings, auxiliary effects
(so you can add your own in) and much more, so should offer
everything you need to record multiple signals in one take.
Record everything from an entire practice session with no

swapping of inputs, bouncing, multiple takes, just plug in,
press record and sit back. Well thats the theory anyway
Same, but different

Actually the Presonus 16:0:2 works with Logic Pro X in a very
similar way to the Saffire Pro FireWire interface. Connect it up
and Logic will pick it up. You will need to have the latest
MTF Step-by-Step 2. Simultaneous multitrack synth recording (cont)
As with the Saffire the Presonus should automatically be picked

up by Logic as a new FireWire interface. You may need to go to the
Audio options and select Presonus.
The Presonus Universal Control software is like the Saffire

MixControl software we used earlier in that it lets you route your
audio anywhere, although it has many more options too.
The software replicates all you do on the real mixer and also the
signals going into the unit. So if we connect a separate signal into
input 3 in this case a synth it shows on screen.
In order to hear this in Logic, though, we need to connect it to an

audio channel. So select a spare channel and assign its input to
input 3. Then you can hear the synth.
Well take this a few steps further by creating extra audio tracks
which we will use to record external audio from our three synths
simultaneously. Add these using Add Track under the Track menu.
So we now have created extra mono audio tracks so rename

them Input 3, 4 etc so you know they are the ones you will be
using later as our record tracks.
07
09
11
08
10
12
FOCUS
13/05/2015 15:14
version of the interfacing software installed which you can

download for free from the Presonus website (v1.7.2). Once
installed, this software replicates everything you do with the
hardware so any physical movement, for example of faders
etc, is replicated on screen.
With multiple instrument inputs around the back of the
unit you will have enough to record a multiple MIDI
instrument MIDI set-up. However you need to set up multiple
audio input channels in Logic and assign each of these to a

physical input on the Presonus first. Were leaving channels 1
and 2 to the DAW input (so everything else we do in Logic is
automatically assigned to these two inputs) and using
channels 3 to 6 as our example multiple input channels. Well
physically connect input signals from MIDI keyboards to
these to show how to record multiple tracks simultaneously.
So, first create these audio tracks in Logic, rename them
MTF Step-by-Step 2. Simultaneous multitrack synth recording (cont)
You now need to physically arm each of these extra input tracks
in Logic as you did Input 3 in Step 10. Assign each one to the
physical inputs on the Presonus. Weve armed inputs 3 to 6 as shown.
Now connect your synths to the interface. Were taking two outs
from our Nord Lead to inputs 3 and 4 of the Presonus and two
mono outs from our analogue synths to inputs 5 and 6.
As we are recording three synths, well create three new MIDI

tracks one for each so we can first record each keyboards
MIDI data and then edit it later.
Record what you want to on each synths MIDI channel as shown.

Weve just done bass lines for each synth just as an example
pattern (using the same pattern for each MIDI part for simplicity!).
Now place the physical input audio tracks that correspond to

each MIDI track beneath the corresponding MIDI track, so in this
case audio tracks 3, 4, 5 and 6 go beneath MIDI tracks 1 to 3.
Now simply arm the audio input tracks (3 to 6) and record the
audio on these tracks. The MIDI triggered audio for each synth is
recorded simultaneously. Easier than you thought, right?
13
15
17
14
16
18
| 23
13/05/2015 15:14
MTF Step-by-Step 3. Recording a band
Now we turn our attention to recording a full band and an

interface that deals more with a live or jamming environment, the
Presonus StudioLive RM 16AI.
In a similar way to the previous interface the RM16AI has

physical inputs that your band can plug into. These are XLR
inputs which take inputs directly from your instruments
or via DI boxes from the likes of BSS. These take the instrument
levels from your guitars/basses etc and match the impedance to
the XLR input on the mixer, converting unbalanced i/p to balanced o/p.
The software with the RM 16AI is similar again to that found in

the Focusrite in that it is routing software that enables you to
channel your audio through Logic. Its called UC Surface.
The beauty of this interface and software is that it is compatible

not only with your Mac and PC but also your touch device so you
can control audio levels from your iPad!
Time to connect you band either by way of DI boxes or directly

(depending on whether your signal is balanced or not). Connect
to the input channels starting with 1 and 2 as shown.
01
03
05
Input 3 to Input 6 and then go to the Input icon on each channel, make
it mono, and select the Presonus input channel (3 to 8) which assigns
the physical input on the interface to each Logic input channel. Now, the
input signal from any instrument you physically connect to channels 3 to
6 around the back of the Presonus should be audible (and visible come
to that) within Logic. We are now ready to record! We now physically
connect our synths with mono jacks (they are analogues with mono outs
02
04
06
plus one stereo set from a Nord) and then trigger them via
MIDI. Well record the MIDI parts into Logic and then play
them back, recording the resulting audio simultaneously.
Connect your synths up via MIDI to the Presonus. Firstly we
record the MIDI parts for each synth which are just the notes
that you are playing and their duration. You will be able to
hear each sound but were not going to record the audio yet,
FOCUS
13/05/2015 15:14
MTF Step-by-Step 3. Recording a band (cont.d)
Now its time to turn our attention once again to Logic and its a
similar process to before, setting up audio tracks ready to record
the band. Create some tracks with the drop down Track menu.
As in the previous tutorials you need to assign these audio tracks

in Logic to the physical inputs of your interface so make the
audio tracks inputs and assign them to, say, inputs 1 to 8.
What your band plays should be audible through these inputs and
you can record the tracks simultaneously. Be sure to arm the
tracks in Logic and be prepared to solo so you dont record too much!
The comping feature in Logic Pro X really comes into its own
when recording individual band members as it allows multiple
takes to be made and you simply select the best one.
07
09
so set up six MIDI or instrument tracks and call them MIDI 3

to MIDI 8. Record your MIDI parts on each of these tracks.
Recording in MIDI enables you to edit and change notes if you
make mistakes or play out of time. Once you are happy with
your MIDI tracks and weve kept ours simple with basic
bass lines on each you can record the audio from each. Arm
those audio tracks you made earlier and hit record and play
back your MIDI tracks. Voila, multtitrack audio recording!
3. Band and live recordings

In the above example weve used synths to act like a virtual
band. Now, finally, lets look at a set-up designed more for
proper band recordings. Well use a Presonus StudioLive,
this time the rack mount RM16AI with XLR inputs, aimed
more at live use and for band members to plug in to.
Use our connection guide on the first page of this tutorial
to decide which connecting lead and input you will use. Mics
use XLR connectors, guitars and mono synths will use mono
14-inch TS jacks. You might need DI boxes from the likes of
Art or BSS which match unbalanced to balanced inputs and
impedances and convert jack to XLR.
In the previous example, we recorded a bunch of synths
playing via MIDI so needed to record the MIDI parts of each.
This time its simpler: just get your band to plug in and play.
You need to set up some audio tracks as before within Logic
08
10
so, set up, say, eight tracks called inputs 3 to inputs 8.

Assign these to the Presonus input channels within Logic.
Before you record, set levels on each track so you dont
distort, arm the tracks in Logic and go! In many ways this is
the simplest operation because you are recording the live
performance in one take, no messing, warts and all. Sure
you can go back and make certain changes to what you
record but this is very much an instant recording process
and great for capturing everything from a fruitful studio
writing or jamming session right through to a complete
live gig multitrack recording how it was always
supposed to be!
Three way recording

We hope weve given you some idea on how to use Logic as
your multitrack recorder for three very typical real-world
recording situations. Everyone from singer-songwriter,
through studio boffin to live band can employ Logic as their
recording medium and the same principles of plugging in,
setting levels and routing audio can be applied to each
scenario, so we hope weve given you a flavour and idea of
how to employ them.
Happy recording whatever your set-up, and be sure to
send what you produce in to MusicTech so we can hear how
you are getting on. MTF
| 25
13/05/2015 15:14
THONTRGER
MusicTech.indd 3
30.04.2015 14:17:16
Musi
7:16
THON CASES produced by thomann profi equipment www.thomann.de
MusicTech.indd 4
30.04.2015 14:17:18
MTF Feature How to run a pro studio
MT145.cover feat(Pro Studio).indd 28
FOCUS
18/05/2015 14:57
How to run a pro studio Feature MTF
How to run
a pro studio
MTF Feature
Running a professional studio is a dream to all of us, so how do

you get in the door of a pro set up or even run your own facility as
a money-making operation? Rob Boffard has the answers
f you make music, and you want to do it for the rest

of your life, then youll almost certainly be well on
your way to making it a career. By now, youve got
your DAW and your favourite plug-ins, youve got
some tracks under your belt, and youve probably
unleashed your music on the world already.
Most producers tend to rely on their own set up,
and wed venture that most who start out dont have
A gig working in a pro studio

is a great way to l earn more
about equipment and audio
what could be termed professional studios its far
more likely that theyll be operating out of a bedroom
somewhere. But for some, this isnt quite enough, and
thats where the world of pro studios comes in.
For many producers and engineers, a gig working in
a pro studio environment is not only a handy source of
income, but a great way to learn more about
equipment and audio. But how do you get in the door?
What kind of jobs are there? And how do you set up
your own studio one that can actually receive paying
clients? MusicTech is here to answer those questions,
and plenty more, in our guide to working in
professional studios.
Jobbing producer
Lets tackle existing pro studios first. And by the way,
when we say pro studio, we mean a space that is open

to external clients to record in, that pays recording
engineers and operates as a business.
Very few studios have their own in-house dedicated
producers as in, someone whose sole purpose it is to
make music. These talents tend to be freelance,
brought in as and when theyre needed for particular
projects. If a studio is lucky enough to have someone
with musical talent, theyll almost always have a dual
role, such as an engineer or an equipment technician.
Lets take a closer look at these roles, and how you
actually get to take on some of them.
Starting at the bottom of the totem pole, theres the
runner. This is by far the most common way to gain
access to a job in a pro studio, and its a job you wont
like. Youll be lucky if you even get to touch the
equipment at first. Your job is to make the tea, fetch
and carry, send out for burgers for the band members,
and keep the place clean. If youre trusted, you might
get tasked with some of the more boring audio jobs
such as bouncing out long sessions, or editing breaths
out of takes. The job is poorly paid, if its paid at all.
Why would you do this? Because theres no better
way to learn the nuts and bolts of studio work. Being a
runner is an established start to this particular career
path, and although youll hate it, its worth doing.
Next up the totem pole are the assistant engineers,
sometimes called junior engineers, who work directly
with the lead engineer to record the sessions. Theyre
responsible for making sure the engineer has
everything they need, audio-wise. They set up the live
room, check cable connections, man the patch bay,
write labels below faders, and keep the DAW sessions
| 29
18/05/2015 14:58
Aaron Railey Starting out
ordered. Not every studio has the luxury of assistants,

but there are still plenty of them around.
The engineer position is probably where you want
to be. The runner and the assistants are responsible
for the smooth operation of the clients recording and
mix sessions, but the engineer is the one who decides
how things sound. As an engineer, youre at the
controls of the desk. More importantly, youre in
control of a session, and responsible for keeping the
client happy with regards to their sound. You have to
manage your assistants, have an in-depth knowledge
of the studio equipment youre using, and in general
terms, have a rock solid pair of ears.
Even as an engineer, you may be operating under a
producer, who could be calling the shots. And of
course, therell be other people above you: studio
managers, HR directors, publicity people (if your studio
is big enough), accountants and more. Like anything
else, professional studios are a corporate environment,
so expect them to function as such from time to time.
Equipment check
You have to be thrown right

into the sound world, and learn
how to do it as you go
AARON RAILEY isnt a runner anymore
hes a little older now, and a little
further removed from the lowest rung
on the audio totem pole. But he still
looks back on his time as a runner with
fondness, as it helped him get the
grounding that he needed for a solid
audio career.
Railey started out at 16 years old,
working with American engineer
Jonathan Kuehlin in North Carolina.
My family already knew Jonathan, he
says. I was still in high school, and I
showed an interest. He was running his
studio, but he was also playing music
at a local church, and thats how we
connected. He took me under his wing,
and showed me how things worked
around the studio, how sound worked,
the machines, the gear.
Kuehlins studio may have been in a
house rather than a dedicated space,
but it was a professional set up, with a
full control room and plenty of gear.
Railey spent four years working under
Kuehlin, and soon found himself
familiar with all the nuts and bolts of
working in a studio. He quickly
progressed past being a runner, and
began handling clients himself.
Depending on the client, I worked
quite closely on the creative side,
helping them write out what they were

looking for, he says. During recording,
what Jonathan had me do was set up
the microphones, pick the right ones,
and get the studio prepared so we
could just start recording. Things like
patchwork, setting up new sessions,
and when the clients came in. Usually
they wouldnt need a run through, but
wed do a sound check.
Jonathan is an amazing teacher,
and a lot of what I retained was
because of how he explained it back
then. By the time I could run a live rig by
myself, Id been there for about two and
a half years.
The toughest thing, Railey found,
wasnt the endless busy work or the
dirty jobs. It was relating to the clients,
and making sure they could realise
their creative visions. Railey, who now
works in live sound in Seattle, says that
despite the difficult parts, he couldnt
think of a better way of starting out in
the industry. I think its invaluable. Its
like learning a language, and the best
way to learn a language is immersion,
to go to the country and learn how to
speak with the people. You have to be
thrown right into the sound world, and
learn how to do it as you go. There
wasnt a better way for me to learn.
If youre reading this magazine, then the chances are

you have a pretty good idea about how sound and
music-making equipment work. A base knowledge is
always good if youre angling for a job at a pro studio,
but you may want to know more about which pieces of
equipment are particularly essential. (This comes with
the caveat that if youre new, and going for a runner
position, then you wont be expected to know as much.
For the time being, lets assume youve applied for an
assistant producer role, and go from there.)
You need to have an idea of how a mixing desk (or
console) works. Wed venture that there isnt a single
pro studio out there that doesnt still have a good-size
console in it, and its absolutely essential to know
what all the faders and knobs do. This doesnt mean
you have to have an expert knowledge of the inner
workings of all consoles ever made theyre big and
expensive, these things, and chances to play around
on them are rare. But you will be expected to know the
functions of the faders, the EQ section, how a
patchbay works, and how sends work. You can figure
most of this out using the digital mixer in your chosen
DAW (the one in Reason 8 is an excellent emulation of
a desk), and when you land the job, the lead engineer
will take you through the ins and outs of your studios
desk. If he or she has to explain to you how something
like EQ works, you may be in the wrong profession.
While were talking DAWs, Pro Tools is still the most
common in pro studios, so learn how it works. Logic
Pro X is another good one to have knowledge on.
Its not essential to know how outboard gear works
as there are so many different kinds a general
understanding of effects and mixing would be useful
though. You should also familiarise yourself with mic
technique i.e. how to mic a guitar, the different types of
mics, and how many to use on a drum kit. One of the
most common tests for any new studio jockey starts
with the dreaded five words, Go mic up the drums
So how do I get in?

Damn good question. Like any creative industry,
FOCUS
18/05/2015 14:57
SEEING RED
Get Online Feature MT
competition is tough to get into a studio. There are only

so many studios, and as the financial crunch bites
harder (and never seems to go away) fewer studios are
taking on full-time engineers. There really are no solid
rules here job markets fluctuate, and the audio
industry is no exception. We mentioned the runner
position earlier. This is probably one of the easiest
ways to get a foot in the door either as a paid runner,
or as an unpaid studio intern. Turnover among runners
is high, and studios prize good ones, so theyre always
on the lookout for new talent
Its quite rare to see jobs advertised at this level.
The best way to get in is to research the kind of studios
youd like to work in, find out who runs them and
approach them directly. As long as youre polite, the
worst they can tell you is no. And you will, by the way,
get told no quite a lot. Everyone does. Just roll with it.
Lets look at another scenario. What if youre a
relatively experienced freelance engineer and youre
looking to find a more permanent home? Lets assume,
for arguments sake, that you dont have a prior
relationship with the studio youre looking to work at.
How do you get them to notice you?
Standard job-hunting principles apply here. Its not
just about a spell-checked CV and a decent interview
suit. Youll need to do as much research as possible,
preferably by talking (discreetly) to past clients, as
well as engineers who have worked there previously.
One of the best ways in is to present yourself as a
solution to a problem theyre having. Perhaps theyre
looking to expand their client list, and you have some
useful contacts from past work, or maybe theyre
looking to branch out into a field you have experience
in. If you can identify a problem and present yourself
as a solution, you instantly become more valuable. And
a killer demo helps, too (see p25).
Most jobs come through existing contacts. Jobs
open up, engineers are required, and if youve taken
the time to get to know people at industry events and
online, then your name could be mentioned.
When we see red we are far from angry.

In fact we are over the moon with both
The Phoenix HG15 and The Culture Vulture super 15
receiving awards. We must be doing something right!
THE PHOENIX HG15

A super-sounding mic amp and compressor with
some eq thrown in, so effectively a channel strip with the
unique Phoenix sound. 48v supplied, Air, Presence and HPF eqs.
Side chain bass cut switch. Two can be coupled for stereo
THE CULTURE VULTURE super 15

All valve pro stereo distortion/enhancer.
Can just warm a sound or Destroy it.
Loads more tonal variations on this model plus new eqs.
Can now be ordered with balanced inputs AND outputs (XLRs)
and now for something with a little

Attitude . . .
Union dues
Money is important obviously so lets look at what
youll be paid, should you be lucky enough to snag one
of these positions.
You need you

absolutely need to
have an idea of how a
mixing desk works
First, though, we need to talk about unions. The
main one youll need to know about is The
Broadcasting, Entertainment, Cinematograph and
Theatre Union (BECTU). Their website (www.bectu.org.
uk) has a wealth of information on the industry, and
they also have a very handy ratecard for freelance
engineers. If youre not a member, its well worth
becoming one.
THE LITTLE RED BUSTARD

16 input all valve summing mixer.
She may be smaller than her big Fat brother, but shes feisty and
will fully drive your DAW! Clean yet warm until the Attitude
is boosted and musical 2nd harmonics are added.
The eyes may glow red when the output is high.
The Air control adds a nice silky sheen to the mix.
Channels are switched in pairs. 13-16 may be sent to centre.
A terrific summing mixer bringing

NATURALITY to a mix.
FOCUS Logic
MAGAZINEPro
February
X 2015 Vol.
2015
2
| 31
18/05/2015 14:57
MTF Step-by-Step Multi-track session
In this example, were going to take a complex multi-track session

and get it organised so that a client (or another engineer) will be
able to see whats going on. This kind of thing can seem basic, but youd
be amazed at how much easier it will make a project when things are
properly arranged. Sessions can often end up riddled with
abbreviations, orphan audio takes, dead markers and much more
besides, and untangling it all can be a nightmare not what you want
when clients are around.
Track names are first. As you can see, things in this example are
messy. We have four different vocals, all labelled vox, which does
no-one any favours. If youre going to start mixing, you need to be able
to see at a glance what and where everything is. So lets take a
moment to rename things in a logical fashion, making sure that
anybody looking at a track can immediately see what it is. Many
projects can often involve the handover of a session to another
producer or engineer, so this is a crucial step.
03
Clip colour is important as well. With everything a uniform beige,

it can be hard to find the take you need and in sessions where
time is a factor, this can be a right royal pain in the backside. Most
DAWs provide the option for colouring audio and MIDI tracks, and you
can develop your own system for colour-coding. For example, all vocal
tracks could be red, and all percussion tracks could be green. Again: it
sounds simple, and it is, but it makes an enormous difference for
anyone working on the session, including you.
Two words: mix busses. By grouping all your vocals, all your drums
and all your other instruments not just by colour but by
placement, youll quickly be able to control the levels of elements in
the mix. Note that placement and naming are important here too.
Weve named our vocals bus Vox Bus, and weve placed it right next to
our vocal tracks (some engineers prefer their busses nestled up next
to their master fader). Well also make sure its the same colour as our
vocal tracks, which will make identifying it easier.
Should you print your stems? Possibly. In this example, were

using Reason if we were sending the session to someone else
to work on, it would definitely make sense to do so, as its not as
common as, say, Pro Tools. Some DAWs offer the ability to output all
tracks as separate files, but if not, get ready for some time-consuming,
busy work. Make sure none of your tracks are clipping, that they are all
the same length, and that they have a few seconds of silence at the
very end.
File names are important both for the session and for any
stems you print. Go for consistency. In this case, our file name is
MainArp_TheReason_Printed in other words, instrument, track
name, then what it actually is. Following this logic, the session name
would be saved as TheReason_Session. Such a simple thing, but you
have no idea how many sessions get hamstrung because of things like
failing to label parts properly. Put all these simple tricks into practice,
and your clients will love you whether youre full-time or freelance.
01
05
02
04
06
FOCUS
18/05/2015 14:58
The reality, though, is that salaries vary wildly both

depending on the size of the studio, and the location.
Skill is also a factor, and an engineer with a reputation
is likely to command a higher salary than one without.
Well use UK salaries as a baseline here and these
come with a caveat that they are very general.
Runners, unsurprisingly, earn very little. Plenty we
know have worked at or slightly above minimum wage,
while the lucky ones can earn between 15-18,000
annually. For engineers, that number rises slightly as
well it should, since its a reasonably skilled position.
Assistant engineers tend to earn within the 2230,000 range, depending on what studio theyre at and
whether theyre a first or second assistant. A big studio
in London, for example, will pay a little more than a tiny
One of the best ways in is to

present yourself as a solution
to a problem
outfit in Norwich. Lead engineers can earn considerably
more, particularly if they develop that all-important
reputation. Upwards of 35,000 is not uncommon, and
it rises even higher if you become proficient in a
particular field, such as mastering, or mixing for video
games. Progressing to this level can, obviously, take
some time, but its very achievable.

If youre a full-time employee, tax will automatically
be deducted from your payslip each month. Things are
a little more complicated if youre self-employed
however and remember, even if youre working at a
single place for a full 40-hour-plus week, businesses
are allowed to keep you as a contractor for a year
before they have to take you on payroll. So make sure
your tax is straight. We talk about self-employed tax
stuff below.
Remember to negotiate, too after all, nobody
knows your skills better than you, and the big mistake
people make, in any industry, is taking the first offer
they get without question. If in doubt, go away and
think about it for a bit, and try talking to other
engineers to find out what theyre earning. Once again,
the more research you do, the easier this will all get.
Going solo
There is, of course, an alternative to all this: doing it on
your own. Theres nothing to stop you from setting up
your own studio and running things yourself. For many
engineers and producers, this is, in fact, preferable to
being tied to a single studio, and you can potentially
earn much more (if youre good enough) than you
would if you had a full-time gig.
Of course, its not quite as simple as just hanging
out your shingle. Theres a lot that goes into being
freelance, and a lot you need to think about.
Focal Alpha
For the producer inside you.
Whether youre an, engineer, producer, writer or DJ, the most important gear in your studio
is your monitors. But the good ones are usually so expensive! Introducing the new Alpha
50, 65 & 80. Designed with brand new, Focal-manufactured drivers: aluminium inverted
dome tweeter c/w new 5, 6.5 & 8 polyglass woofers, all powered by dual Class AB amps.
NEVER BEFORE HAS THIS PERFORMANCE BEEN AVAILABLE IN THIS PRICE RANGE.

www.scvdistribution.co.uk
Distributed by SCV Distribution: Call 03301 222500 for your nearest dealer
In stock now at: Absolute Music, Dawsons, Dolphin Music, Funky Junk, GAK, Gear4Music, Giraffe Audio, Guitar Guitar, Juno Records, Kazbar Systems, KMR,
Music Maker (Dublin), Music Matter, Production Room, PMT, Red Dog Music, Rubadub, Scan Computers, Studioxchange,
Westend
DJ,
Westend
Production.
FOCUS Logic
MAGAZINE
Pro
February
X 2015
Vol.
2015
2
| 33
18/05/2015 14:58
Lets talk about equipment first. Its very tempting

to go out and blow your life savings on audio gear,
assuming that it will be useful at some unspecified
point in the future. The reality is that while gear is
important, in many cases its secondary to the space
youre going to work in. You could have the best
monitor speakers in the world, but if your room is
terrible, your mixes will be too. One of the first things
you should do before you strike out freelance is to
make sure you have the space that is either already
acoustically proofed or can be acoustically proofed.
Once youve done that, you can begin investing in some
audio equipment.
To be perfectly honest, you dont have to shell out
for expensive pieces of outboard gear at first. While
these things are certainly good to have, you can do so
much with just a laptop, an interface, a good pair of
headphones and two monitor speakers that you
shouldnt worry about breaking the bank. Obviously, if
you have the money to invest in equipment, then do so
by all means, but if youre on a budget, then that
money is best spent getting your space ready. Your
ears will thank you, we promise.
And while youre at it make sure you pick a space
that you feel comfortable working in. Think about every
task youre going to be doing there. Do you have a room
that will be used solely for mixing and making music?
Will you be doing admin tasks in there as well? Will you
be receiving clients in this room, or do you have a
separate space? Remember, this is a room youre going
to spend an awful lot of time in, so its definitely worth
making sure that you actually like being there in the
first place.
Nuts and bolts

Were going to assume that you have the mixing and
production skills to survive in this industry and if you
dont, there are plenty of other articles in this
magazine that will help you get there.
Were afraid that now we have to talk about
something boring: paying taxes and finding clients.
Well do our best to make it as pain-free as possible.
Youll need to tell HMRC that youre self-employed.
This is as simple as heading to their website and
registering, although youll need to provide the P45 slip
your employer gave you when you left your last job
(dont worry if you dont have one!). Once thats done,
youll be expected to pay income tax and National
Insurance on an annual basis. You can either do this
yourself, using HMRCs website, or you can get an
accountant to do it for you (most will charge between
150 and 300).
There are a couple of tips and tricks help you get
the most out of tax although they come with the
warning that we are not tax professionals, and we take
absolutely zero responsibility for anything to do with
your finances! Now that thats out of the way, check
this out: you can write expenses off to tax, meaning
that when your final tax bill is calculated, you can
deduct them, and end up paying less tax overall. That
means if you invest in that kick-ass new Novation
synth youve been eyeing up, then youre quite entitled
to deduct it from your tax as a business expense. You
Mikko Gordon At the coalface
There are certain bits of gear

that I love, but its your ears and
the room that are important
MIKKO GORDONs career is enviable, to
say the least. After graduating from
Goldsmiths, University of London, he
began freelancing as an engineer
almost immediately, running a small
studio with a friend. His skills got him
noticed soon after, and he ended up
working closely with Radiohead
producer Nigel Godrich. Hes produced
for artists like Femme, and mixed for
Atoms For Peace and Pendulum. These
days, Gordon knows the studio
business inside and out.
I was already quite aware that
studios werent making a lot of money,
he says of his early days, so we set
[our studio] up as a space where we
could work and do projects. We hired it
out commercially, but it was mainly
word of mouth. It was just to have a
base for us. The days of opening a
studio, putting out an ad and saying,
come and use our space, are over,
unless youve got serious funds.
Gordon now has his own set up an
outbuilding in his garden, which he has
customised to his liking. It doesnt stop
him travelling to other studios to work
with different artists. His day-to-day
schedule varies, but he says he likes to
schedule his mixing in the mornings. In
the afternoon, hell spend time with
clients, working through songs or

producing new ones.
Like any freelancer, Gordon has to
have certain equipment but he says
that his gear is less important than his
space, and his ability to listen: I think
people get really fixated on gear.
Theyre tools, just like a builder has. Its
kind of funny in the audio industry, we
spend all this time talking about
equipment, but a builder never talks
about which hammer is better. Nice
gear is great, and there are certain bits
of gear that I love and which make life a
lot easier, but its your ears and the
room that are important.
In many ways, Gordon says, he
prefers his own set up to that of some
big studios which see a lot of heavy
use. One of the things Ive noticed
more and more in studios is that
maintenance standards are going
down, he says. Sometimes in big
studios, youve got channels not
working, or crackling, and thats kind of
frustrating, and a sign of budgets being
tighter all round.
Gordon has become a name in his
own right hes part of the growing
trend among engineers to take on
external management, which helps him
focus on the creative side of his work.
FOCUS
18/05/2015 14:58
need to be quite careful

with what you do this
with youre not going to
be able to write off
takeaway kebabs, for
example but any
expense that is essential
to running your business
is fair game, and that
can include utility bills
as well.
Also: remember that
theres a tax threshold. In
2015, the UK tax
threshold is 10,000
whats known as your
personal allowance
which means you will
only pay tax once you
cross that particular
threshold.
Now lets talk about
clients. As in: how you get
them, and how you retain
them. The first one is the
The sad reality is that you may

need to work for free, at first,
simply to build up a reel
tricky one, especially if youre just starting off your
career. A lot of it will come down to networking and
word of mouth, and you can do yourself a huge favour
by attending industry events, asking questions, and
being open and friendly to absolutely everyone you
meet, from receptionists to label managers. But you
also need to show a good body of work, and that can
sometimes be tricky, particularly if youre an engineer
who doesnt produce.
The sad reality is that you may need to work for
free, at first, simply to build up a reel. You should be
absolutely clear with yourself at the start regarding
how long youre going to do this for. After all, youve got
skills, you know what youre doing, and you should be
being paid for your work. But theres nothing wrong
with helping mix or produce a bands album for a credit
if youre just starting out.
Retaining clients is a lot easier. As long as you do
exactly what you say you will, on time and on budget,
then youll keep getting used. Clients are going to be
demanding and forgetful and sometimes stupid, and
you have to take that in your stride. This is the kind of
thing, fortunately, that becomes second nature after a
year or two in the business. By then, hopefully, youll
have a long list of satisfied clients, and have a fully
booked week, every week.
None of this is easy. Whether youre holding down a
job in a professional studio, running your own one, or
simply being a freelance gun for hire, there are going to
be times when its incredibly tough. As long as youre
Above: RAK Studios aka the

best studio in the UK has been
home to an impressive roster of
clients, from Mary J Blige and
Jessie J to Paul McCartney and
Primal Scream.
having fun, and as long as youre getting to do what you

love, then its all worth it. Trust us.
Pro tips
Be on time. We cant stress this enough. Musicians are
sensitive enough without a studios engineering staff
not bothering to turn up. And by on time, we mean
arriving a good deal of time before the musicians show.
When they arrive, the studio should be as ready as it
can be. This is a rule that applies absolutely
everywhere on the totem pole of studio jobs, because
nothing will irritate a client more than an engineer or a
runner with poor timekeeping.
This applies more to lead engineers than other jobs,
but you need to be able to keep control of a session.
When youre behind a desk, you should never be
flustered, never at a loss. You should be calm,
confident and controlled. Recording sessions are
complicated, and screw-ups happen. You will not
make things easier by screaming at people,
particularly if people, rather than equipment, are the
source of the problem. Hip-hop producer and engineer
Dr Dre was notorious for simply leaving if the
musicians werent behaving. The message was clear:
were here to work.
Its become more and more common for engineers
to have their own manager, or management team. If
youre good, and highly in-demand, then simply
keeping up with the business of dealing with work
requests can become insurmountable. A manager will
help bring in work, deal with clients and handle
payments. Just remember that they dont come for
free theyll take a cut of your fees. You should also be
sure to hire someone you trust, as the music industry
is full of stories of dodgy managers. If this is a route
you choose to take, youd better be damn sure you can
depend on whoever you pick.
FOCUS
18/05/2015 14:58
Singer-Songwriter Ben Montague
New M-Series...
...same sonic signature
The new M-Series headphones from Audio-Technica

feature the same sonic signature of the original and
critically acclaimed ATH-M50, across the whole range.
Continuing to offer exceptionally accurate audio and
outstanding comfort, now with detachable cables for
the new ATH-M50x and ATH-M40x models.
Recording, Mixing, DJing, Live or simply on the road,
the new M-Series continues to deliver, everywhere.
www.eu.audio-technica.com
ATH-M20x
ATH-M30x
ATH-M40x
ATH-M50x
MTF Step-by-Step Prepping a studio
Lets talk about how to get a studio ready for a recording session,
from the perspective of an assistant engineer (or a particularly
trusted runner). The first thing to do, before you even enter the studio,
is research. Whos going to be at the session? For how long? What do
they require? Do they have any special requests you need to be aware
of? Whats happening afterwards? You need to know these things
without having to refer to email, and although not every session will be
a complicated one, theyll all run smoothly if youre prepared.
Time to sort your equipment. This is everything from mics and

amps, to guitars and other instruments. Youll need to clear the
studio of any unwanted equipment (youre probably shocked to hear
that studios get cluttered and dirty) and replace it with the gear you
need. Usually, that means a trip to the studios storeroom in some
cases, several trips. But its better to have more equipment there than
less, as you dont want to go back to the storeroom during recording if
you can afford it.
03
Nows the time to make sure that all the equipment is good to go,
and that its set up to record. By this, we mean micing the drums,
tuning the drum heads and the guitars, and testing the mics. Its good
to have another assistant in the studio who can help with this, as it
then becomes easier to check that everythings ship-shape. This is
also the stage when you may need to coordinate a few people, as there
could be (for example) guitar techs on hand. Be sure to get the DAW up
and running as well.
What if equipment is broken? If it is, you want to find out now,

rather than in the middle of a session. XLR cables are often the
first to go, as they take a fair amount of abuse. Ditto for any sensitive
condenser microphones they pick up sound with amazing detail, but
theyre often quite fragile. Knowing about these problem areas
beforehand can really speed things up, and if you can handle these
problems before they become a big deal, the producer (and the band)
will thank you.
Details time. Are all the connections working properly? Have the
input devices been tested? Are all your plug-in licences up to date
(nothing is more irritating than a random box popping up on screen
during the session)? Are your backup drives in place? Has the desk
been set up correctly? Are the channels a mess of tape, or have they
been clearly labelled? Above all: do you have enough pens? Some of
the best engineers and producers in the business are also the most
meticulous. Make sure you are, too.
Once thats all done, its time to think about receiving your clients.
Make sure youve got food and water to hand and if you havent,
send a runner to get some. You dont want clients wasting time, if they
can help it you want them relaxed, calm and ready to go. They get
there to that point by having everything they need, and if youre the
assistant, that means its part of your job. By this point, the lead
engineer or producer will be in the house, so chat to them to make sure
theyre okay too.
01
05
02
04
06
FOCUS
18/05/2015 14:59
Avanto
Bryan Gallant Running the show
Because hes done every job there

is, he can relate to everyone who
works in the studios
Running The Warehouse Studio in downtown
Vancouver is a big job. Its a massive complex
owned by Bryan Adams, with four studios, a
huge live room and more gear than you can
possibly imagine. Controlling this rats nest
of engineers, runners, assistants and clients
who include AC/DC, Metallica, Nirvana,
R.E.M and Slayer takes a lot of work. To do
it, you need someone like BRYAN GALLANT.
Gallant is a rake-thin, bearded chap
whose office is on the ground floor of the
building. Hes been at the studios from the
very start of his career. I started as a
runner, he says, making coffee, doing
dishes, getting lunch. I worked my way up
quite quickly from runner to assistant, which
was nice. I was able to get some engineering

experience right away. But I decided at some
point that I didnt like where my career was
going. The life style wasnt necessarily for
me, I guess. I wasnt really sure what I
wanted to do, but ended up leaving
engineering and working in archiving,
transferring a lot of old tapes over to Pro
Tools, and cataloguing, things like that.
It wasnt long before Gallant was offered
the job of managing the whole shebang. His
day-to-day job includes scheduling, booking
clients, working with artists the lot. Things
like organising this microphone here, he
says, pointing to a big box in the corner of the
room, that we had sent out for Michael
Bubl to test out. Its not technical, because
we have a full tech staff, but its an allencompassing kind of position.
Hes a big advocate of his particular
career path, saying that because hes done

every job there is, he can relate to everyone
who works in the studios: I know what its
like to be in the control room at such and
such an hour, and I know all of our clients,
and how they behave. Ive been on the other
side of the door.
But although Gallant has a healthy
respect for engineers, he says that it wasnt a
path for him proof that one doesnt need to
be a console guru to make it to the top. Hes
far more interested in managing people and
in the intricate operations that are needed to
keep the studio afloat.
I care about the whole building, he says.
I care about what weve done, what were
doing, and what were going to be doing. I
think about people. I think about what were
doing with our business, and how we can
make our business better.
Avantone CV12 Large Diaphragm

Multi Pattern Valve Microphone.
The CV12s design, character and performance is comparable to some of the fine
vintage valve mics of the 1950s & 1960s but at a fraction of the cost!
Also available by Avantone
CK-1
CK-7
CK-6
CK1 Pencil FET
CK7 Multi pattern FET
Large diaphragm FET

www.scvdistribution.co.uk
Distributed by SCV Distribution: Call 03301 222500 for your nearest dealer
MT145.cover
feat(Pro
Studio).indd
39
Avantone
CV-12
Half Page
VJ 4-2-15.indd
1
FOCUS Logic
MAGAZINE
Pro March
X 2015 Vol.
2015
2
| 39
18/05/2015 15:15
14:58
05/02/2015
Phil Sisson Hiring and firing
The most important thing is

that engineers can deal with the
clients that we work with
Like Bryan Gallant, PHIL SISSON is
right at the top. He manages the
seminal Strongroom in London, home
to records from Skrillex, Placebo, Emeli
Sand and more but he says his
favourite part of the job is dealing with
the people.
This is despite the fact that
Strongroom doesnt have a huge
full-time staff list. I dont spend a huge
amount of time dealing with HR
issues, Sisson says. Theres myself,
Eva who does the bookings, Marcus the
facilities manager who looks after the
nuts and bolts, we have two technical
staff, and we have an apprentice and
theyre the salaried staff. There arent
that many people to look after. Were
part of a bigger company [Air Studios].
We used to have a dedicated HR person
we dont anymore, but it is almost a
full time job.
Many of the engineers who work at
Strongroom are freelancers. Sisson
says that finding new people is all
about nurturing relationships and
relying on recommendations from
trusted sources.
The last person we added to the
freelance roster came to us from
another studio that had just closed
down, and she came with some
recommendations from people we

knew. It just so happened that a couple
of the freelancers we had been using
often had moved on to other things, so
she came along at just the right time.
She had already worked in another
studio that does very similar stuff to us,
and thats what were looking for with
freelancers: that they know how to deal
with clients. Obviously its important
that their technical skills are good, but
the most important thing is that they
can deal with the clients that we work
with. They know how to behave in the
studio and they know what to expect.
That was a really easy appointment,
because shed already done the job,
albeit in a different studio, and she
came along at exactly the right time.
Phil has never had to fire anyone, or
pull anyone out of a session, but it
would certainly be his job to do so if the
need arose. He says that hes well
aware of how competitive the industry
is, and says that anybody looking to
work in it should be ready for anything:
It has to be one of the most difficult
things to get into. You have to be
prepared to put in long hours and
sacrifice your social life, but it can be
done. You just need to get off your
backside and start doing it.
There are plenty of other jobs in studios besides

engineering or producing. Many studios, particularly
big ones, have their own workshops where they can
repair and customise kit. If youre a dab hand with
electronics, theres nothing to stop you from trying to
find a role there. And as weve mentioned, all studios
need their human infrastructure PR, HR, payroll,
office manager. What were saying is: if youre trying to
get in on the action, make sure you use your existing
skills and qualifications, and consider every option.
Own your own studio? Keep it clean. This applies
even if you arent receiving clients. Unless youre a
dedicated creative who absolutely has to work in a
messy environment, then youll find that your mind
gets just as messy as the space. A single cleaning
session once a day where you clean out the old coffee
cups and takeaway boxes will make a real difference
to your work. We know this sounds obvious, and even a
bit maternal, but if you get into the habit of doing it,
you will thank us.
Theres nothing that says you have to strike out on
your own. If you can find another engineer or producer
willing to go in with you, youll find that youre able to
split the cost quite happily. You dont even have to have
the same business; you could just agree to share the
same space, and both contribute to the costs. One
thing though: make sure you get the terms of your
relationship down in writing, including what will
happen if things go sour. Do this no matter how good a
friend this person is.
Its worth investing in infrastructure. By this, we
mean a solid internet connection, extra hard drives
(possibly a cloud drive) and a secure FTP server to
send and download large files. Often these things can
be achieved with a minimal amount of hassle, and at
very low cost. Something like WeTransfer offers a solid
budget option for transferring files, and if youre a paid
customer, you can customise it to your hearts content.
And dont forget to pay attention to things like your
website, branding and logo and getting professionals
to handle all of the above when necessary.
Owning your own studio as a freelance engineer
and producer is exactly the same as going freelance in
any other field. And the big piece of advice that gets
given to anybody going freelance is this: emergency
funding. Make sure youve got enough to cover your
expenses and thats all your expenses, from rent to
car to electricity to business expenses for at least
three months before you start. Even for the most
well-connected people, going solo can be hard, simply
because it can take time to get paid. This is a fantastic
thing to do for a living, but its not worth starving for.
Your hours are going to be long. Whether youre a
full-time employee or solo freelancer, youre going to
have weekends, evenings, and even early mornings
where youre chained to the mixing desk. Thats the
reality of the industry, which doesnt always operate
under 9-to-5 rules. Knowing this, its quite easy to get
sucked into an unhealthy lifestyle, and that can affect
the quality of your work. Make sure you take care of
yourself before anything else, and in some cases, its
okay to say no to a piece of work that you know isnt
going to be worth it. Good luck! MTF
FOCUS
18/05/2015 14:58
MTF Step-by-Step A killer demo
If youre a freelancer, or looking to land a full-time position, a

demo reel of your production, sound design and engineering skills
should be a top priority. Its too easy to fall into the trap of simply
displaying a collection of Soundcloud clips online. While this is a good
start, youll find that you get much better results if you combine your
skills into a single package, with one link, that you can give to anybody
who wants it. Create an Electronic Press Pack like the one shown.
Even then, a randomly-arranged mix of your work wont do you

any favours. You need to make the best out of it, and have it be
memorable. The first step, obviously, is to pick your best work. Only
select the songs, sound effects and mixes that are your absolute best,
where you were firing on all cylinders. Youre aiming to keep it short
no longer than one and a half minutes (two at a push). You want to
wow the listener straight away.
03
Choosing the order in which things are arranged is crucial. If you

can, start small, with things like sound design elements and
vocals, then progress to track segments that youve mixed or
produced. Build to a climax, and keep each segment short and sweet.
There should be none of what broadcasters refer to as dead air. And by
the way, if youre just starting out and dont have a portfolio yet, just
make one yourself. You dont need clients to put together a package
that shows off what you can do, although clients always help.
One of the most interesting ways to put this all together,

assuming youve got a microphone and are comfortable using
your own voice, is to narrate the demo, creating a story for the listener
to get into. Be as creative as possible you can process your voice to
show off your mixing skills, chop it up and create a track from it, or just
tell the listener exactly what theyre hearing (in as few words as
possible, of course!). Doing this puts your own personality on the
demo, and makes it memorable.
When youre mixing all of this together, dont forget to actually do

some mixing. Even if youre using previously-mastered work,
youre going to end up with a lot of pieces of audio at different loudness
levels. Make sure everything is balanced before you bounce it down
and you might want to consider adding some very light compression
or limiting as well. You want this thing to be loud, punchy and powerful,
and you shouldnt be afraid of pushing things a little more than you
normally might.
Now you need to think about how to deliver it. Sure, you could
simply give out a website link but even a single page on your
site can have multiple parts in its address. You should aim for the
simplest address possible: something that could fit on a business
card, in a tweet, or in an email. Services such as bit.ly will shorten
URLs, while tinyurl.com will let you create a custom address. Just do
us a favour, and dont bother with QR codes. Theyre the worst thing
ever invented.
01
05
02
04
06
| 41
18/05/2015 14:58
MTF Show off your (Logic) studio
Show off
your (Logic)
studio part 1
Its one of our most popular features
where we ask MusicTech Focus
readers to show off their Logic-based
studios. Simple as that!
Here are three of the best
Francisco enjoys his relationship

with his machines
Francisco Garcia
Interviewee: Francisco Garcia
Contact: misteremagic@hotmail.com
What are the key components in
your studio?
A powerful Apple iMac, Logic Pro 9,
UAD Apollo Quad interface including
lots of plug-ins; Moog Little Phatty;
Korg MS-20; Roland TR-8 drum
machine; Arturia and Korgs Legacy
collection; M-Audio Project Mix
control; Yamaha monitors and more!
Why do you use Logic?
Ive been a Logic user since the v2.x
and its still my main DAW (now v9)
in the studio. Logic does the best job
if you work with MIDI and Audio. For
live performances I work with
Ableton Live.
What is your favourite piece of
gear in the studio?
My Moog Little Phatty beast
always such a warm sounding bass
and it simply adds something special
to the tracks. You can basically dry
your hair with a Moog bass, this is
how much powerful the machine is!
How often are you in your studio?
Being a father I had to change your
MTF39 SOYS pt1.indd 42
priorities therefore I spend much less

time in the studio now but I try to
work faster and more efficiently. I
gguess its around 20 hours a week,
sometimes more. Im also working on
my Anthology album but it may take
a while to finish the project which
will be released on Vertige Records.
How do you use your studio?
For composing, recording and mixing.
I enjoy inviting musicians and
organizing crazy recordings and jam
sessions. You never know what can
come out of a jam. Sometimes you
can try for hours to make a good
sound on your own, and then one
person can come in and then the
magic happens!
Perfect or room for improvement?
I think I spend far too much time at
one spot, creating a sound, on a track
section, mixing, searching within
sample libraries etc. So nothing is
really annoying but perhaps I have
too many options. I miss the time of
the Amiga 2000. Making music back
in the day was simply straight
forward. No internet, no plug-ins and

nothing could stop you. It was a real
relationship between the machine,
the music and yourself.
What is next on your shopping list?
For the past eight years I have been
using the M-Audio Project Mix (now
with discontinued support ) as my
main audio/MIDI control. It may be
the right time now to upgrade for
example to Avids Artist Control
which now supports the latest
versions of OSX.
Dream piece of gear?
I have always liked 80s movies,
music and synths. One day I will get
a Roland Juno 106, Jupiter 8, Korg
Polysix, Korg MonoPoly and, why
not, also a LinnDrum.
One piece of advice?
Maybe just to start with one
powerful hardware sampler. Make
it work! Period.
And finally, your philosophy?
No music, no life.
FOCUS
13/05/2015 12:16
Show off your (Logic) studio MTF
Wilson Floris
Bass Lab
Interviewee: Steven Comeau (steven@basslabstudio.com)
Interviewee: Wilson Flores
Web: www.basslabstudio.com
E: blair1065@yahoo.com
A compact set-up built inside

shipping containers
Start simple,
be patient
*****
Type of studio?
Technically a home studio, but its
built inside a couple of shipping
containers that I welded together in
my backyard.
What are the key components?
An Apple Mac Pro, Event Opal
monitors, Apogee Ensemble, Vintech
X73, Benchmark Audio DAC1 and a
Wacom Cintiq.
Its not because I have a great love of
Apple, in fact I dislike them intensely
as a company, I just have an even
greater dislike for using Ableton Live
as a production tool.
What is your favourite piece of
gear and why?
My Event Opals. Its a joy to listen to
music through them.
How long do you spend in the
studio each week?
The question should be how much
time do I spend outside the studio in
a week?!
How do you use it?
I specialise in electronic music. I do
a fair bit of mixing, remixing and
mastering of clients work.
Is the studio perfect or is there
room for improvement?
There is always room for
improvement but I feel the studio

sounds as good as one built inside
two shipping containers can sound.
Next on your studio shopping list?
I have just returned from Burning
Man [a week-long event in the
Nevada desert focussed around art
and radical self-expression] and any
money I have would be better spent
on rehab and physiotherapy! That
being said, Im sure to fall prey to
some new plug-in within a short
period of time. Nothing planned as of
yet, though.
What is your dream piece of gear
and why?
I have always lusted for a Prophet VS
Rack. Not sure exactly why, but the
sound of it makes my inner angstridden teenager want to write bad
industrial music.
Do you have any advice for people
starting out?
Buy the best you can, and save and
put off purchases if you have to. In
the long run youll save bags of cash
from not having to upgrade or fix
good-quality gear. Spend this saved
money on procuring an attractive
and charming partner who will help
lure you outside of your studio and
experience this thing people are
always talking about called life
your work will improve dramatically
from this!
Main studio components?

Akai MiniAk and APC40; Korg
EM-1; Arturia Spark LE, MiniLab,
MicroBrute; Moog Slim Phatty.
Which DAW and why?
Ableton Live 8: its awesome for
creating remixes and live jamming.
Logic Pro X: great for electronic
music, hip hop beats, etc.
Favourite piece of gear and why?
My favourite has to be the Moog Slim
Phatty synthesizer, because its
analogue and I grew up listening to
analogue gear.
How long do you spend in the studio?
About 3-5 hours.
How do you use the studio?
At the present time its just for fun.
Its in my living room I wish I had a
separate room.
Id love a mixer with an audio
interface, so that I can have more
control over inputs.
Dream piece of gear?
A violin, or cello I just love the
sound and would love to learn to play
them both.
Any advice to people starting out?
Start simple, be patient, and never
get rid of old equipment. MTF
| 43
13/05/2015 12:16
Six of the best

Hardware
Software
Mobile Technology
Samples
Welcome to part 2 (of 4) of the MusicTech Focus Buyers Guide

where we round up the best products recently reviewed in the
magazine. In this part we have a whole range of different software
synths: from great all-rounders to iOS must-haves
BEST All-rounder
Rob Papen
Blue II
Details
Price 109
(upgrade 35)
Contact T&S:
01837 55200
Web www.
timespace.com
he original was released a mere

decade ago which seems a
lifetime in the history of
software synthesis, but last
years update to Blue (the appropriately
version-ed Blue II) was a massive hit
largely down to its interface, its
numerous synthesis options and
stacks of sounds. With effectively 12
engines under the bonnet, taking in FM,
subtractive, wave-shaping and phase
distortion synthesis, plus a good couple
of thousand sounds theres almost too
much to keep you occupied here
Reviewer Andy Jones said: Rob
Papen has put so much into Blue II that
he clearly wants it to be the only synth
youll ever need so it could be my go to
synth for years to come (I cant believe I
used the expression go to). He
concluded: Blue II is any synth you
want it to be. A worthy successor to
the original and one that will have you
tweaking and playing for many a year.
BEST Hybrid
Native Instruments
Rounds
eaturing both an analogue

and digital synth engine with
up to eight sounds each,
Rounds is an initially
straightforward beast to tame but
has a lot of depth and, when you start
to animate those sounds, some
superb sonics. It will take work to
make your own patches but you will
see that Rounds is capable of some
stunning results, said Hollin Jones,
and concluded: A complex,
powerful synth that provides huge
sounds and creates clever,
dynamic sequences.
MT145.6OTB.indd 44
Details
Price
89 (or part of
Komplete 10)
Contact via website
Web
www.nativeinstruments.com
BEST Mobile synth(s)
Korg
Gadget
ruly, the iOS generation of

synths deserves its own Six Of
The Best category, which well
surely come to but, for now,
Gadget represents not one but a whole
suite of synths on your iPad 2 or higher
so is one of the best synth packages
you can get for the platform.
You get a sequencer to pull them all
together (up to 20 tracks depending on
how new your iPad is) and a whole
range of gadgets (instruments of an
electronic nature) named after cities.
You can pick it up and make a banging
tune in minutes, said reviewer Hollin
Jones, but there is a depth of
programming and editing features as
well. For this many well-designed and
cool sounding synths, the price is
certainly fair.
He then concluded: Gadget is a
fresh take on iPad synthesis and
sequencing from Korg. It is simple
enough to use but powerful enough
and fun, with some excellent sounds.
FOCUS
15/05/2015 09:29
BEST Classic
Plug-in Boutique
VirtualCZ
Details
Price 59.95
Contact Plug-in
Boutique:
01273 692313
Web
www.plugin
boutique.com
here are, of course, many soft

synths that attempt to recreate
classic analogue hardware
from the 60s, 70s and 80s. You
can get classic Moogs, ARPs, Prophets,
Rolands and Korgs but one of the
best is VirtualCZ as it brings back a
more obscure range in the form of the
Casio CZ. The originals used phase
distortion synthesis that gave them
If you are sick of a sea of analogue

emulations then this is simply a must
buy. Its also the steal of the year
Details
Price 209
(89.95 upgrade)
Contact T&S on
01837 55200
Web www.
timespace.com
BEST Audio mangler
BEST Depth!
Melda
MPower
Synth
his is not one for beginners to

soft synthesis. Featuring
multiple oscillators, effects,
modulation routing options,
and lots of building block utilities this is
pretty much any synth you want it to
be. Reviewer Hollin Jones said: Its a
serious synth that rewards some
investment of effort but, crucially, it
sounds great, before concluding: An
extraordinarily powerful synth with
literally endless programmability
options. Good presets, but design your
own sounds to get the most out of it.
Details
IZotope Iris 2
hen does an audio sampler
become a synth? When it
has the modulation
features and synthesis
options that Iris offers, thats when. The
latest version of IZotopes software
features five complex LFOs and 20
oscillator shapes to enable you to
extract and synthesise audio over and
both an analogue and digital edge and

resulted in a surprisingly varied sound.
Virtual CZ has the lot reviewer Andy
Jones said: If you are sick of a sea of
classic analogue emulations then this is
a must buy. Its accessible, flexible and a
hugely inspirational synth a must buy
to increase your sonic palette.
And at just 59.95 it is quite simply
the steal of the year. Get it now!
Price 199
Web
www.melda
production.com
over again. Alex Holmes said: The true

value of this instrument is capturing
your own sounds and transforming them
into playable music, a task made even
more flexible with the new modulation
system. This is a fantastic package and
a unique instrument that is more
flexible than ever the sound library is
worth the asking price alone
MT145.6OTB.indd 45
| 45
15/05/2015 09:29
MTF Technique Creative FX Routing
Technique Logic Pro X 2015 Vol. 2 workshops
Powered by
Creative FX Routing
Taking a more creative approach to FX routing can bring new life
to an otherwise tired collection of plug-ins. Mark Cousins
explores this new sonic route
n the search for music perfection, most of us look for

the killer plug-in that makes everything sound good
whether its some form of magical compressor, the
ultimate reverb, or a boutique EQ. In truth, though, its
often where and how we use our plug-ins that
transforms an ordinary mix into something truly
exceptional. Rather than simply inserting one plug-in after
another, isnt it about time you thought more about the
routing and ordering of your plug-ins? Indeed, look more
inquisitively at the signal path in your mix using inserts,
busses and a combination of both parallel and serial
processing and you may find that your music becomes all
the better for it.
On the disc
Accompanying
project file included
on the DVD
Look more at the signal path in

your mix and you might find that
your music becomes better
Channel tunnel
Most plug-ins tend to get placed into a channels insert
path using the ever-expanding series of slots just beneath
the Input assignment. From an operational standpoint, this
approach makes sense, especially in respect to tagging an
instrument with its own combination of plug-ins. What you
see, therefore, is a simple serial signal path where one
plug-ins output flows into the next plug-ins input. The
effect of the processing is cumulative, with each plug-in
adding to the overall effect achieved.
Even in this simple setup, its worth remembering that
the order of the plug-ins has a big effect on the result
achieved. Place a reverb halfway down the insert path, for
example, and every plug-in after will affect both the dry
signal and the reverberated. Likewise, EQ before
compression (rather than after) can affect how a
compressor behaves, especially when large amounts of
boost are used. Ultimately, none of this wrong (indeed, it
might well be the effect that youre after), but its important
to remember some alternative approaches.
Parallel dimension
The second most common way of using plug-ins is with a
buss send combined with a separate auxiliary channel.
Typically speaking, the use of buss sends/aux channels is
primarily reserved for ambience effects like reverb or delay,
with the main advantage being that any number of
channels can be routed through to the effect, with an
individual buss send pot controlling the respective level.
What weve described here is an example of a parallel
routing, with the reverb or delay running in tandem with the
main channel fader.
A key advantage of parallel processing is that we can
create some further distinction between where and how
signals get processed. In the reverb example, plug-ins on
our channel insert path only affect the dry signal, whereas
plug-ins on the reverbs aux fader only process the reverb
tail. An equalizer after the reverb, therefore, can be used to
colour the timbre of the reverb without having any effect
on the main signal thats on the channel path.
Having understood the principle differences between
serial and parallel processing, therefore, lets start to
imagine the myriad of ways plug-ins can be applied. Firstly,
it isnt the case that aux channels are only for reverb and
delay. Plug-ins like compression and distortion work
particularly well in a parallel setup, using the return level
(on the aux fader) to set a balance between processed and
unprocessed signal. You can also achieve some interesting
results placing a filter (either low or high-pass) on the aux
channel ahead of the compression or distortion, so that
the mojo enhancement is only applied to a specific
frequency band.
FOCUS ON DECLUTTERING YOUR MIXER

If youre working on a laptop its increasingly easy for Logic Pro Xs mixer to engulf your
screen, blocking your view of the all-important arrangement window. One solution is to
par down some of the additional graphic elements and make the mixer closer to what it
was in Logic Pro 9. On the whole, I prefer a mixer without Gain Reduction meters
(especially if youre using lots of third party compressors), EQ thumbnails, MIDI effects
and Track Icons. You can find all of these options under the Mixers local menu View >
Channel Strip Components, as well as the option View > Hide Legend that removes the
function labels on the left-hand side of the mixer.
MTF39.TUT Logic Pro X(FX).indd 46
FOCUS
14/05/2015 09:32
Creative FX Routing Technique MTF
MTF Step-by-Step FX Routing
Effects placed across inserts paths work cumulatively in other

words, each plug-in adds to the output of the previous insert. In
this example therefore, the compressor compresses both the EQd
drums and the reverb as its the last plug-in in the insert path.
Using the aux sends system we have the option of splitting off
our effects, running them separately from the main channel
insert path. With the reverb separate, the compressor isnt
compressing the reverb, just the sound of the EQd drums.
While we tend to perceive aux sends as being used for reverb

and delay, they can be turned to a range of FX applications. The
best example is parallel compression, whereby compression is
applied via the aux sends, rather than inserts.
Create sends for both the guitar and drums and instantiate a
compressor across the newly-created auxiliary channel. On the
compressor, ensure theres plenty of gain reduction being applied with a fast attack, medium release and 10:1 ratio.
Blend-in the desired amount of signal from the aux channel, so

that you add body to the drums and guitars. Varying the sends
from the individual channels adapts the body-enhancing effect,
maybe placing more emphasis on the drums and less on the guitar.
Now lets take a look at processing the guitar using dual

amplifiers. Change the guitars output assignment to Buss 3 this will create a new auxiliary channel. Add another using the Mixers
local menu: Options > Create New Auxiliary Channels.
01
03
05
Expanding horizons
If youre using parallel processing a lot, its well worth
noting the routing options both in respect of channels and
aux faders. Rather than using a buss send, you can route
one or more channels directly through to a buss using the
channels output assignment. Whats particularly
interesting, though, is that any number of aux channels can
02
04
06
be set to the same buss assignment, letting you create

multiple parallel paths running at the same time.
In the walkthroughs that follow, well see how we can
use this feature to create a parallel guitar amplifier
configuration whereby a single input source is routed to
two parallel aux channels, each with their own FX path and
guitar amplifier. In effect, the setup mimics the sound of
FOCUS
Logic Pro X 2015 Vol. 2 | 47
14/05/2015 09:32
MTF Technique Creative FX Routing
Mixing it up
splitting a guitar and sending it through two separate

amps in the same room, each with a slightly different FX
chain and amplifier settings. This parallel configuration is
impossible to create using Amp Designer and Pedalboard
alone, and, thanks to the routing (rather than simply
duplicating a pre-recorded audio track) its possible to be
played through live.
Rather than thinking of plug-ins as cumulative processing,

therefore, start to think about how they might individual
contribute to the overall sound, and how they might want to
interact with one another. For example, do you want to
compress the sound of the reverb? Do you want the delay
taps with or without reverb on them? Often these small but
MTF Step-by-Step FX Routing...cond
Make sure both auxiliary channels are set to Buss 3. On the first
buss setup a combination of a tape delay and an amp setting of
your choice. Set the Delay to its Sync setting, the time to 1/16th with
just a small amount of feedback.
Duplicate the settings from the first buss (were labeled as Amp
L) to the second (Amp R). Most importantly change the delay
setting to 1/8th, and then make some small changes to the amp, like
mic position and a bit more drive.
Pan the amps hard left and right. As the difference between the
amps is subtle, we achieve a pleasant widening effect. The delay
effect is more dramatic, though, with a distinct movement between
the speakers courtesy of the different delay times.
To place both amps in a virtual room, create a new buss send

(to Buss 4) from the two auxiliary channels. Instantiate a
reverb across the newly-created auxiliary channel with a small
chamber setting.
Because of the way weve created the routing, you always have
the option of monitoring through the plug-ins live. Of course,
with the alternative method where the finished audio track is simply
multiplied this isnt possible.
The next example explores the possibilities of parallel multiband

distortion, using two buss sends from the Drums and
Compressed Drums channels. Create two aux faders both set to the
same buss input Buss 5, in this case.
07
09
11
08
10
12
FOCUS
14/05/2015 09:32
Creative FX Routing Technique MTF
important decisions can have a big effect on the

effectiveness of your mix and, more specifically, the
distinction you create between instruments and sonic
features in your soundstage.
Obviously, the walkthroughs here only begin to scratch
the surface of a more creative approach to FX routing. Each
plug-in in Logic brings new possibilities in both parallel and
serial operation, so its well worth contrasting the use of

plug-ins applied across channel inserts with an approach
that incorporates elements of parallel processing using the
aux channels. Most importantly, you may well find that
some of your most neglected plug-ins gain a new lease of
life used in a more creative way, often creating effects that
you didnt think possible. MTF
MTF Step-by-Step FX Routing...cond
Lets now look specifically at the low-end part of our parallel

multiband distortion. Start by positioning a High Cut (around
350Hz) using the Single Band EQ. Use a steep curve, at 48dB/Oct, to
ensure a sharp cutoff point.
Repeat the same process, this time applying a cut to low-end so

that were just left with high frequencies. Start with a frequency
setting around 2150Hz, or 2KHz, and adjust the slope to achieve a
sharp attenuation.
Solo the low-end aux channel and instantiate a distortion

plug-in, like the Distortion II. Experiment with the type of
distortion (Class AB1 soft, in this example) and adjust the amount of
Drive to set the amount of body you want to add.
Now solo the high end and find a tone of distortion that
complements the sound youre trying to achieve. You might use a
different distortion model, or change the amount of drive to create the
right amount of sizzle.
The final step is to balance the amount of parallel multiband

distortion you want mixed with the input. The effect works best
in discrete amounts, just adding a small about of body from the
low-end or a touch of sizzle.
The only downside of a more creative approach to FX routing is a

complicated mixer. Try colour coding the related aux channels,
so you can see which FX returns are working in tandem to produce a
parallel effect.
13
15
17
14
16
18
FOCUS
14/05/2015 09:32
MTF Technique Vintage B3 in depth
Powered by
Vintage B3 in depth
Logic Pro Xs Vintage B3 faithfully captures the classic Hammond
Organ sound, complete with drawbars. Mark Cousins unlocks its
hidden depths
ogic Pro Xs Vintage B3 organ is arguably one of the

most comprehensive Hammond emulations
available, with a host of features and an incredibly
authentic sound. Although immediate enough to
use at first glance especially thanks to the chunky
re-designed interface introduced in Logic Pro X the Vintage
B3 takes some time to master. If you do though, you will have
a wealth of sounds at your disposal from cheeky retro
organ sounds, to wall-of-sound Hammond chords that could
fill Wembley stadium.
To sound of the Hammond organ, and thus Logic Pro Xs
Vintage B3, is defined by the principle of drawbars. In effect,
the Hammond works as a form of primitive additive
On the disc
Accompanying
on the DVD
Use just a few drawbars to

create a simple sound; pull out
all the stops to hear it at full tilt
synthesizer, whereby a keyboard player can mix together a
number of different harmonics to create a composite sound.
The harmonics are represented by a series of drawbars, each
working at a different pitch. By pulling the drawbars out to
you, you can shape the sound using just a few drawbars to
create a relatively pure sound, or pulling out all the stops to
hear the distinctive wail at full tilt.
The best way to understand the Vintage B3 is to
appreciate the sound of each drawbar, which is handily
colour coded between even and odd-ordered harmonics, on
white and black drawbars respectively, as well as two
subharmonics indicated in brown. Its well worth a look on
the Internet to find some Hammond enthusiast sites, which
will often list classic Hammond sounds in numeric form
like 88 8200 000. Rather than being a phone number, the
numbers refer to the drawbar positions, so the
aforementioned 88 8200 000 would indicate that the first 3
drawbars are pulled out to 8, and the 4th to 2.
keyboard, the original Hammond has two separate

keyboards (known as manuals) as well as a series of bass
pedals that effectively forms the third manual. Each manual
has its own set of drawbars (hence the Main page on the
Vintage B3 having a separate set of drawbars for the Upper,
Lower and Pedals manuals respectively) allowing the player
to build a performance from a number of different timbres.
The left-hand, for example, could play chords on the lower
manual using a relatively simple sound while the right-hand
solod using an all-stops-out patch.
Obviously, if youre after a truly authentic Hammond
performance youll need to work between all three manuals,
which can be difficult as most of us just use a single MIDI
keyboard. The Vintage B3 offers two solutions to this
problem. Firstly, you can choose to run the plug-in in Split
mode, whereby the manuals are divided across the full
range of keyboard. If youre particularly ambidextrous and
have 88 notes to play with, Split is a viable solution.
Otherwise, use the Multi mode and have the manuals
spread across the first three MIDI channels. Create three
tracks in Logic (incrementally assigned to the Vintage B3s
first three MIDI channels) so as to access each Manual and
recording performance data assigned to it.
Organ Donor
Beyond the drawbars, therere plenty of other ways to tweak
the sound of the Vintage B3. The original Hammond came
with its own Vibrato and Chorus effect, replicated with the
two rocker switches on the Vintage B3s Main page. Theres
also the much-loved percussion effect, which added a small
2nd or 3rd harmonic plonk at the start of a note. The
percussion effect sounds great on solo Hammond
lines, as well as being the key
ingredient
Find the manual

One factor that might confuse a newcomer to the Vintage B3
is the concept of Manuals. Rather than having a single
BECOMING AN EXPERT
The host of options included on the Vintage B3s Expert page can appear daunting, but its
well worth exploring some of the more useful parameters. Arguably the most valuable
section relates to the Condition of the organ, as for many, the classic sound of a B3 organ
isnt exactly an instrument in tip-top condition. Given its electromagnetic inconsistencies,
one key characteristic of older B3s is leakage between the drawbars, which created a
unique form of high-pitched whine. Try adjusting Drawbar Leak to hear this in action, as
well as modifying the Click parameter to emulate the odd dusty keyboard contact.
MTF39.TUT Logic Pro X(B3).indd 50
FOCUS
14/05/2015 15:26
Vintage B3 in depth Technique MTF
MTF Step-by-Step Vintage B3 in depth
The main principle behind the Vintage B3 is the drawbar system,

with each drawbar representing a different harmonic in the
harmonic series. The drawbars work like inverted faders, so that
pulling the drawbar towards you raises the level of that harmonic.
Its important to get to know the sound of each drawbar. Start by

turning down all the other drawbars in the Upper Manual and
then raise the 8 drawbar to its highest setting. The 8 is the
fundamental, as a concert A sounds at 440Hz.
Now experiment by adding different proportions of the 4, 2 and

1 drawbars. These add even-ordered harmonics, moving up an
octave each time. The sound is relatively pure, although it becomes
brighter as you add the upper drawbars into the mix.
The two brown drawbars beneath the 8 stop add subharmomics

to the note, adding body and warmth to the sound. Indeed, a
good vanilla Hammond sound is the first 3 drawbars pulled out (88
8000 000) to their maximum setting.
The black drawbars add odd harmonics, which tend to have a

more nasal-like tone when used on their own. Added selectively
to the basic 88 8000 000 patch, the 2 2/3, 1 3/5 and 1 1/3 stops add
some distinctive colour the upper harmonics.
When you want a really full-bodied organ sound, theres no other

option but to pull out all the stops and have all the drawbars on
their maximum setting. This provides a rich, pipe organic-like tone
that will cut through any mix.
01
03
05
of the quintessential House Organ Bass where the use of

the 3rd harmonic creates a form of parallel harmonic
motion.
The final essential ingredient is, of course, the Leslie
speaker, originally built as an optional add-on for
Hammond players in the 50s and 60s. Indeed, if youre
interested in recreating a retro Vox Continental-like organ
02
04
06
sound, its well worth exploring the Vintage B3 with the

Leslie speaker in its Off position. Without the Leslie, the
Vintage B3 sounds cheaper, and distinctly less Hammondlike, although you can still run it through one of the amp
choices in Amp Designer if you want a touch of speaker
colouration.
When you do engage the Leslie speaker, the Vintage B3
FOCUS
14/05/2015 15:26
MTF Technique Vintage B3 in depth
takes on that classic swirling tone, mimicking the

acoustic effect of a Leslie speaker being spun around
continuously. At the bottom of the interface youll also find
the distinctive switch that moves between a Slow and Fast
rotation speed. The Leslie speaker works best when moved
between Slow and Fast speed settings, especially thanks
to the inertia effect as it moves between the two speeds. If
you want to control this dynamically, switch the MIDI

mapping to Native Instrument B4D (under the Expert Tab)
so that the Mod Wheel can control the Leslie speaker.
Like any instrument, the Vintage B3 is a musical tool
that deserves to be played. However, rather than just
flicking between the presets included in Logic, get your
hands on the drawbars and start to experience the unique
MTF Step-by-Step Vintage B3 in depth...cond
The Vibrato/Chorus controls in the bottom left emulate the

original lo-fi scanner vibrato effect included in the original. There
are three variations for each effect (Vibrato or Chorus) selectable with
the Type control, and a switch to set which manual has the effect.
Depending on the age and condition of the instrument, distortion

played a big part in the distinctive growling sound of the B3. Try
experimenting with the drive using less distortion on light,
shimmering chord sequences, and more for searing lead line.
Percussion adds a distinctive edge to the front of the note, and

is a key component in the classic house music organ bass
sound. Set Percussion to On, Volume to Norm, Time to Fast and use
the 3rd Harmonic.
One often forgotten feature of the Hammond was its in-built

preset switching system using the lower reverse-coloured keys.
Press the Presets tab in the lower right-hand corner to see this active
on the Virtual B3, with a small icon to indicate the setting.
Pressing the Select By Keyboard Option lets you move between

presets using the MIDI keys C#0 to B0. You can also do this with
the note held down, which create some interesting steeped timbral
shifts that can be quantized in time with your track.
No Hammond sound would be complete without the addition of

a Leslie speaker, which can be found under the Rotor Cabinet
tab. You can bypass the Cabinet completely using the On/Off button,
and also move between two speeds using the Rotation control.
07
09
11
08
10
12
FOCUS
14/05/2015 15:26
Vintage B3 in depth Technique MTF
Hammond to continue its contribution to music making. MTF

This tutorial is endorsed by Point Blank Music School, which specialises in
courses onproduction, sound engineering, the music business, singing, radio
production, DJ skills and film production, all run by top British music
producers and media professionals, with regular visits from legends in
music and media.
More info here: www.pointblanklondon.com
range of tones and qualities that can be extracted from the

instrument. Once you appreciate the sound of each
drawbar (and how they can work together) youll start to
see why so many keyboard players regard the Hammond as
such a versatile and expressive instrument. The Vintage B3,
therefore, is a marvellous tribute to the design of the
original instrument, and a great way for the sound of the
MTF Step-by-Step Vintage B3 in depth...cond
A key attribute of the Leslie sound is the balance between the

mics placed on the Horn and Drum. In effect, the Balance control
works like a form of treble and bass control, while the individual
Stereo Width parameter lets you define the stereoness of the spin.
The Vintage B3 includes both modeled and IR-based versions of

the Leslie, with the Real Cabinet option being the most intuitive
to use. With the Real Cabinet you can switch between three mic types
as well as move between micing from the front or rear.
The best way of accessing all three manuals is to use the Multi
option found under the Split tab (located in bottom right-hand
corner of the Main page). Split assigns each manual Upper, Lower
and Bass Pedals to a different MIDI channel.
Youll need to create a unique track lane for each Manual. To do

this, set the track to MIDI Channel 1 and then choose the menu
option Track > Other > New Track with Next MIDI Channel. Do this
twice to have three Manuals accessible.
13
15
Now record each Manual as a separate pass (which is useful if

youre not a keyboard-playing genius!). Its also worth changing
the MIDI mapping to Native Instrument B4D (under the Expert Tab) so
that the Mod Wheel can control the Leslie speaker.
17
14
16
Effects tab is the final icing on the cake. Reverb can be

18 The
applied both pre and post the speaker emulation. Use a pre
setting for a more retro sound, or post if you want a more studiolike sound.
FOCUS
14/05/2015 15:26
MTF Technique The Compressor
Powered by
The Compressor
With a revised GUI as part of Logic Pro X 10.1, the Compressor has
never been easier to use. Mark Cousins delves deeper to
demonstrate its dynamic dexterity
ne of the most useful improvements included

with the release of Logic Pro X 10.1 has been
the redesigned Compressor, arguably one of
the most important plug-ins in Logics arsenal
of software outboard effects.
While the functionality of the latest compressor
incarnation hasnt changed too greatly from the original
version, its redesigned GUI offers some key functional
improvements in terms of the plug-ins day-to-day
operation. It also highlights some key sonic differences
between it and the seven other compressor models on
offer in Logic. With this in mind, we thought a revised and
On the disc
Accompanying
on the DVD
Thanks to its revised GUI, its

never been easier to exploit the
number of sounds it offers
in-depth look at Logic Pro Xs Compressor plug-in was
perhaps well overdue
Crossing the threshold

The basics of compression, of course, revolve around the
interaction between threshold and ratio. Signals that
exceed a given threshold are attenuated at an amount
defined by the ratio. Put simply, the compressor
attenuates loud signals, effectively reducing the
dynamic range of the input. As a result of this process a
signal will potentially benefit from increased loudness,
as well as an increased amount of body and sustain.
Setting the Threshold and Ratio on Logic Pro Xs
Compressor is easy thanks to the reactive and visuallystriking Gain Reduction Meter. Begin by setting the
strength of compression you want varying from a soft
and subtle 1.4:1, through to harder-edged compression
at 5:1 and almost limiting at 12:1.
Starting from a high threshold setting, lowering the
threshold will result in more compression being applied,
indicated by the aforementioned Gain Reduction meter.
SIDE CHAIN FEATURES

The Side Chain section of the compressor contains a number of
powerful features most notably, frequency-conscious compression.
Try setting a steep roll-off above 8kHz using the LP mode in the EQ
section (you can always use the Filter Listen button to hear what this
is like). Once active, the filtering makes the compressor particularly
sensitive to the low end. Try this on a drum loop, and notice how the
kick drum can really dictate the movement of the compressor,
creating a noticeable pumping effect over the loop. Likewise, you can
always reverse this process (using the HP mode) if you feel the bass
drum is having too much impact on the compression taking place.
MTF39.TUT Logic Pro X(Compressor).indd 54
Ideally, you want to achieve some movement both in and

out of the Gain Reduction, so that the signal has time being
both compressed and un-compressed.
Gaining the advantage

As you set the compression, note how Compressors Auto
Gain compensates for any Gain Reduction thats taken
place, letting you hear the result of your Threshold/Ratio
settings without having to constantly adjust the output
Make-Up control. That said I often find that the gain
Make-Up, though great for auditioning purposes, can be
over generous in its output settings. Once youve found
your desired Threshold and Ratio, therefore, consider
switching Auto Gain to Off and then manually adjusting the
Make Up control to ensure consistent output levels with
and without compression.
One area that can cause confusion is the Attack and
Release settings. Thanks to the new Graph Display feature,
though, Logic Pro Xs Compressor is a breeze to set up.
Mapped against the transients of the input, the Graph
displays the movements of the compressor over time. As
such, its easy to see how the Attack and Release move in
relation to the input. A slower attack, for example (which is
more forgiving on transients) is easy to fine-tune in relation
to the attack transients on the graph. Likewise a softer
release is easy to set as you can almost see the
compressor breathing in relation to the dynamic
envelope of the input.
Mode behaviour
One aspect of the Compressor thats become more
apparent is the role and sonic contribution of the model
parameter. Previously, only cryptic model names
distinguished the different types of compressor you
could select. Now the change in model is reflected in
GUI itself, with clear visual similarities to hardware
compressors. The Studio VCA, for example, has a
distinct Focusrite-like look behind it, while the Vintage
VCA is eerily reminiscent of an SSL compressor. On the
whole, look towards the FET and Opto compressors if
youre after a more characterful vintage sound, while
various VCA models balance a more retro performance
with sonic accuracy. Though blander in character,
Platinum Digital is a precision tool with plenty of
transparency.
Going deeper
Beyond the basics covered here, theres plenty of
additional functionality to be discovered from such a
flexible production tool. To the right of the interface are
the Output and Side Chain tools that really extend the
FOCUS
14/05/2015 15:26
The Compressor Technique MTF
MTF Step-by-Step Compressor
Load an instance of the Compressor plug-in across the drums on

track 1, or a track in your mix. At the top you can select the
desired compression model. Platinum Digital is clean, while the other
designs add various forms of analogue-like behaviour.
The key characteristics of compression are formed by the

interaction of Threshold and Ratio. Start by increasing Threshold
to 0dB and then select your desired ratio. 2:1 is a good medium
starting point for a transparent and effective sounding compression.
With the Ratio established, lower the Threshold and notice how
Gain Reduction (measured on the VU meter) starts to be applied.
The lower the threshold, the more compression (or Gain Reduction) is
applied, resulting in a kit that sounds increasingly squashed.
As a point of comparison, try the same setup using a higher

Ratio, like 8:1. In this example, note how much more Gain
Reduction is being applied in response to the signal exceeding the
given Threshold. The result is a more heavy-handed compression.
Technically speaking, the output of compression is a signal with

less amplitude, so its important that Gain is restored at the end
of the process. Logics Auto Gain applies Make Up automatically,
letting you hear the output of the compressor in context.
An alternative way of viewing the compression can be found on

the Graph screen. Here you can see the Input/Output graph on
the left-hand side, as well as a history of the Gain Reduction applied
to the waveform on the right.
01
03
05
functionality and sound of the compressor. The Output

section, for example, includes a built-in Limiter (which is
great tool for catching problem transients that slip through
the net) as well as a Mix control that lets you explore the
sonic possibilities of Parallel compression, whereby a
hard-acting compression is softened by reintroducing
some of the un-compressed signal.
02
04
06
Although there are some great third-party modeled

compressors available, theres little doubt that Logics own
compressor is both versatile and sonically effective.
Thanks to the Compressors revised GUI, its never been
easy to understand and exploit the variety of sounds it has
to offer - from soft and subtle gain reduction, to something
far more extreme and hard acting. MTF
FOCUS
14/05/2015 15:26
MTF Technique The Compressor
MTF Step-by-Step Compressor...cond
The Attack and Release controls govern the movement of the

compressor, which can be seen pictorially on the Graph display.
Try temporarily reducing Attack to its lowest setting and notice how
the Transients are sharply attenuated.
Remove the Releases auto setting and experiment with Release

times. Using a slightly slower setting (around 500ms) makes the
compression appear more pumpy. The Graph display really helps
here, so that your eyes and ears can work together.
While were here, its worth picking up on the Knee parameter.

The Knee governs the transition between no compression being
applied and gain reduction being introduced. Lower Knee settings
create a more defined kink in the Input/Output graph.
Use the Limiter to control any stray transients that slip through
the net. With only an on/off control and threshold, the Limiter
isnt the most subtle dynamic tool, but it can provide another layer of
dynamic control without using another plug-in.
The Output section also contains a mix control, which is useful if

you want to experiment with parallel compression. Start by
setting a fast-acting hard compression using the Studio FET model
(quick attack, 8:1 ratio and plenty of gain reduction!).
The Mix controls set the balance between compressed and

un-compressed signal. Increasing the amount of Input restores
some of the transient energy lost by the heavy-handed gain reduction,
while still retaining the extra body added by the compression.
07
09
11
08
10
12
FOCUS
14/05/2015 15:26
Logic Pro X?
EDIT FASTER
(Your keyboard has been nominated for a few awards too!)
10% OFF CODE: MUTECH78

WWW.EDITORSKEYS.COM
MTF Show off your (Logic) studio
Show off your (Logic)

studio part 2
Its another installment of our most
popular MusicTech Focus feature
where you simply show off your
Logic Pro studios! Here are three
more corkers
Silicone Music Productions: a
professional home studio
Silicone Music Productions

Interviewee: Gustavo A. Sacchetti
Contact: www.siliconemusic.com / email info@siliconemusic.com
Because the versatility you get with
MIDI and audio editing is great. The
virtual audio instruments have an
excellent quality and the libraries
and effects are superb.
Dive motion picture soundtrack.
Favourite gear and why?

The Trident mixer for its warmth and
effects. Another would be the AKG
ADR 68k reverb it has an amazing
depth and an even greater versatility.
What is next on your studio

shopping list and why?
The Pendulum Audio OCL-2, which I

Perfection doesnt exist and theres
always something more that I want
to get
have already reserved, and a Rupert

Neve II prototype.
Advice?
The most important tool to master is
the ear, as Paco de Luca used to say.
In the end all that matters is what
the musician wants to express, and
one has to learn how to capture that
moment perfectly.
What do you use your studio for?

I have worked on two productions
for Alejandro Sanz, Ive worked for
Paco de Luca, produced
Argentinian rock bands and I also
have a song on James Camerons The
FOCUS
13/05/2015 12:18
Show off your (Logic) studio MTF
Stylex Studio
Arclite Productions
Interviewee: Alan Bleay
Interviewee: Carlos Lpez
Contact: ableay@arcliteproductions.com
Contact: www.stylexstudio.com
contacto@stylexstudio.com
Get a good set of monitors
The Trident is the central hub of

Arclite Productions
Home or away?
Its custom built and attached to my
house. Travel consists of walking out
the back door and into the studio.
Kit list?
The desk is a Trident Series 75
console, with four SSL 4000 E
preamps; two SSL 500 series channel
strips, a Heritage Audio 1073 and a
Focusrite RED 7. We have loads of
vintage and new outboard including
a Roland Space Echo, WEM Copicat,
two 1176 compressors, SSL Buss
compressor clone, DBX compressors
and gates and a Roland DEP 5.
Various keyboards include a Philips
Philicorda, Yamaha DX100, two
Roland MKS-7s, Roland JV-1080,
Novation Bass Station, Arturia
Mini- and MicroBrute, Yamaha A300,
and a Korg MS20-mini. Monitors are
KRK V8s, Dynaudio Acoustic BM 5As,
Auratone 5Cs and AR18s.
Favourite gear and why?
Our Trident Series 75 console so
warm with so much character.
How often do you use the studio?
Over 70 hours a week.
What do you use your studio for?
Recording, songwriting, producing
bands, and writing and composing
production music.
Any good stories?

One you can actually print was when
I recorded audio for a theatre
production. It turned out to be
Felicity Kendal and Simon Callow
and it was very weird hearing their
voices coming out of our monitors
and seeing them staring at me
through the glass. They were lovely,
by the way.
Apart from a massive live room to
put all our backline in, I could always
do with more kit. I have a list of 500
items I really want, and a set of
high-end ribbon mics.
What is next on your shopping list?
Probably an sE Z5600a II tube mic. I
have heard great things about it and
could do with another vocal mic as
an alternative to the U87.
What is your dream piece of gear?
The GML 8200 Parametric EQ. It
sounds so sweet on at the top end, is
great to mix through, but obviously
very expensive.
Any advice?
Buy a high-end mic (like a U87) and a
high-end preamp (Neve 1073). All
your audio, especially vocals, will
sound great. So dont compromise on
the audio path.
What are the key components?

Mac Pro, Adam S3XV, Yamaha
HS80M, Avid Artist Mix & Artist
Control, Mackie Big Knob, RME
Fireface 800, Focusrite OctoPre
Dynamic II, SSL XLogic Alpha,
Maselec MLA-3, Avalon 737 & 737sp,
Empirical Labs EL8-X Distressor,
Neumann U 87, Sennheiser drum and
guitar kit, Shure SM57, AKG C4000 &
D112, Rde NT5 matched pair,
Traktor S4, American Audio HTD 4.5.
I have been using it for years and feel
comfortable with it.
Favourite piece of gear and why?
My pair of Adam S3XV monitors.
They make a defined and clean sound.
How do you use your studio?
Im recording bands and single
artists. We do professional mixing
and mastering, and produce
soundtracks for films, TV and video
games. We make different styles of
instrumental music and also clean
and digitise old tapes and vinyl.
A new hardware limiter. Were
thinking about an SSL limiter.
Dream piece of gear and why?
An SSL mixer!
What advice do you have?
Get a good pair of speakers. They are
the most important items when you
start a new studio. MTF
| 59
13/05/2015 12:18
MTF Feature A bluffers guide to delay
Reason uses a DDL-1 Digital

Delay. Here, the time control is
a simple digital display which
we can switch between steps
and milliseconds.
MTF Feature Music Technology
A BLUFFERS
GUIDE TO DELAY
From simple slap-backs and multi-repeats through to live looping
and layering, delay is an endlessly creative effect. Rob Boffard
echoes that sentiment with his essential advice
elay is the crazy uncle of effects. Youre never quite sure whether to
invite him around. Sure, he might be delightful company, the life of the
party, but he could equally be crude, embarrassing and highly
inappropriate. Thats delay. It doesnt have the subtlety of reverb or the
trackenhancing power of compression, and in the wrong hands it can
be a total disaster. But used correctly it can create some truly miraculous effects.
One of the major advantages with delay is that you can hear its effect
immediately. In fact its actually one of the easiest effects to get to grips with,
MT143.feat Bluffer's Guide.2aj.indd 60
Powered by
FOCUS
18/05/2015 12:19
A bluffers guide to delay Feature MTF
mainly because the

standard set of controls
have immediately
recognisable results.
This isnt like
compression where you
have to listen hard when
adjusting the attack
ratio or the threshold.
The real skill comes in
knowing exactly how
much delay to apply to
any given element of
your track.
And again
The feedback controls how many copies of our delayed signal will be produced. It doesnt look it, but
were pushing it quite hard here.
Delay is very simple to

understand. Its an echo, with a fancy name. (Or, historically, echo is based on
analogue tape and delay usually on digital technology.)
What were talking about here is a version of the original audio signal played
back after a set period of time. It can be played back any number of times and
the spaces between each playback can be as long or as short as you want. Really,
thats it. Shout your name into a canyon and youve just experienced delay.
Early recording engineers quickly cottoned on to delay as a powerful creative
effect. They use magnetic reel-to-reel tape heads to achieve it, adjusting the
heads to create the delays they needed in the sound. The actual process was quite
simple but the problem was that the longer the delay got the more complex the
hardware needed to be and the more tape heads needed to be involved. As a
result, delay took a little bit of time to mature. Oh sure, there was plenty of it in
the 60s and 70s, but its only really been with the advent of digital technology
that the full possibilities of delay have been explored.
Theres a big difference between analogue and digital delays, both in
complexity and character. An analogue delay that is, one that comes from or is
based on tape technology will offer fewer ways of controlling the sound but
will often sound warmer and richer than youd expect. The latter might not
necessarily be true of a digital delay, but what you will get with this version of
the effect is a huge
number of ways to
control the sound.
Delay is very simple to

understand. Its an echo,
with a fancy name
Control system
Tech terms
TIME: The length
between each iteration
of a delay. Longer ones
will be more noticeable,
while shorter ones
will create a more
subtle effect.
FEEDBACK: The
number of copies a
signal has. The more
there are, the longer the
sound will continue for.
PRE-DELAY: The
amount of time between
the original signal and
the first delayed copy.
Has some surprising
creative uses.
TAPE HEAD: The
original piece of
hardware used to create
delays. You often see
emulations of this in
digital plug-ins.
Lets take a look at

typical delay controls.
The most obviously
important one is the
time control. You might see it labelled differently on some plug-ins, but the effect
is broadly the same. This is what controls the amount of space between each
copy of the original sound (well call these copies delays for the sake of clarity).
In most cases youll see this read out using milliseconds, but most plug-ins
also offer options to sync it to your tracks BPM useful if you want to keep the
delays in time with your beat. You often see this expressed using time signatures,
such as 1/4 or 1/16. Most times, the easiest way to get the delay you want (or the
one in time with your track) is to play around with the control until it fits.
The second one is the feedback control. The time control is all about the
spaces between the delays, but the feedback is all about how many of them there
are. A feedback level that is really low will see only one or two delays being
played, while one that is really high could have delays that continue forever. This
can sometimes be a real problem, but well come back to it in a little while.
Its these time and feedback controls that make a delay plug-in. You cant have
one without them, but there are other controls you may wish to pay attention to.
Chief among these is pre-delay. Essentially, this shortens or lengthens the
| 61
18/05/2015 12:19
MTF Feature A bluffers guide to delay
time between the original sound and the first delay.

At first glance, it doesnt seem particularly useful,
but in certain situations, such as when it is used in
minuscule amounts, it can strengthen the impression
a listener has of the delay. Youre not likely to use it
on the first go but its pretty useful once you get the
hang of it.
Then theres the wet/dry mix parameter. This
controls how much of the delay you hear in the track
in relation to your original dry sound. Your instinct
might be to work this all the way up to 100%, but the
resulting sound will quickly overwhelm anything
else in your track. As with all the other controls, its
best to fine-tune things at a lower rate.
Beyond that theres not a lot you really need to
worry about in terms of other controls. Youll get the
odd collection of filters and EQs, but those are there
to sharpen the overall sound rather than create it in
the first place.
A tape delay emulator in Logic. As you can see there are plenty of other controls to alter your delay,
including an EQ and an LFO.
Delay is an effect that

demands to pushed in weird and
wonderful directions
Direct effect
So how do you go about actually using this effect?
Lets start with something subtle. Yes, we did use
the drunken uncle analogy earlier, but lets pretend
hes got his mouth full of food. One of the best ways
to thicken the vocal and give it more presence in the
mix is to double-track it: have the vocalist record the
same lines twice, or have a backing singer do it, and
lay them on top of each other. But sometimes your
vocalist has gone home, or you dont have enough
money to hire a backing singer. A tiny bit of delay,
placed judiciously on some vocals, will create a
slight chorus effect. You need to be incredibly subtle
with this, making tiny adjustments to the time and
Delay units can often be exceedingly complex in terms of parameters to control, as is the case with this
fantastically detailed Logic plug-in, the Delay Designer.
feedback controls, but its a great tactic.

Okay now hes finished chewing, and hes ready
to tell another inappropriate story. Fortunately, this
one is quite good. You can use delay in all sorts of
creative ways thats kind of what its there for. You
can create whats known as slapback delay, which
came about in the 50s and which U2 guitarist The
Edge helped make popular again in the 80s. Youll
know it when you hear it, trust us. In fact, several
delay plug-ins even include this as a preset, and
there are even plug-ins specifically designed for
slapback delay. Note that you may sometimes see
this called slapback echo. Same thing.
Then theres stereo delay. You can hear this in the
work of artists such as Run the Jewels (El-P and
Killer Mike). What this effect does is send alternating
delays to the left and right channels of the mix,
creating an interesting sound space. It is particularly
effective if tempo-synced to the track and, as long as
it isnt used too much, can be a lot of fun to listen to.
And you remember that infinite feedback we
mentioned earlier? If you have a sound with a delay
effect on it and it has a short time and a very long
feedback, youll get an infinitely looping,
increasingly dense version of the sound. That can, if
youre not careful, overload your speakers and even
crash your system. Dont get it twisted, though: if
you know what youre doing you can create a
swirling soundscape, one you could potentially
re-sample and create a whole new track out of. This
is quite hard to do, but its certainly possible.
What it all comes down to is this: delay is an
effect that begs to be played with, and that demands
to be pushed in weird and wonderful directions. If
you let it, itll take you into some very strange places,
but ones that will produce some amazing ideas. MTF
This feature was endorsed by SSR which has been
providing professional education training in the
audio engineering industry for over 30 years. With
campuses in London, Manchester, Jakarta and
Singapore, SSR has gained a healthy reputation
within the music industry for producing well
trained, professional graduates across the globe.
FOCUS
18/05/2015 12:19
A bluffers guide to Mixing and Mastering Feature MTF
MTF Feature Music Technology
A BLUFFERS GUIDE
TO MIXING AND
MASTERING
A mixer in Cubase. This is a

relatively simple song, with
three elements. Note the
difference between the
individual track channels, and
the master fader.
Think mixing and mastering are one and the same? Gen up with
Rob Boffard who explains everything you need to know
ou may already be familiar with what it means to mix a song, even if

youve never tried it yourself. And at some point, youre going to want
to stop noodling around with that synth line and actually turn your
track into something people might want to listen to.
But there is an additional step. Mixing might seem like a relatively
straightforward idea just balancing the tracks together so they sound good. But
not only is there a lot more to it than that, theres also the additional step of
mastering. When youre a rookie producer, it can often be quite confusing, and
the distinction between mixing and mastering isnt always easy to make out. In
this guide were going to show you the difference between them, and what each
step consists of.
Powered by
Spot the difference

Lets break down the exact difference between mixing and mastering. Mixing is,
as weve already mentioned, the art of making your songs sound good. By the
time you reach this stage, youve finished composing the elements of your song,
and arranging them just how you like them. Now, you need to take those
elements, and make sure they sound good when theyre played together. You do
this by controlling their levels, their pan position, and the strength of the effects
on them. At this stage, youre working with a number of different tracks (bass,
lead guitar, kick drum, etc). Each of these tracks will have its own settings. At the
end of the process, you will (hopefully) have a song that sounds good, and one
which you can bounce down into a single file.
FOCUS
MT145.Bluffers Guide pp63-65.indd 63
13/05/2015 15:17
MTF Feature A bluffers guide to Mixing and Mastering
Mastering is where it
gets a little trickier. You
see, that audio file might
sound good on a basic
level, and its individual
elements might be
balanced perfectly to
your ears, but its not
quite ready to go out
into the wide world just
yet. If youve preserved
the dynamics of your
mix, then it wont be
loud enough to compete
with other songs. It will
sound good, but not
great. What mastering
does is sharpen up the
overall sound of the
song, bringing out
certain sonic elements of
it to make it appear
punchier, warmer and
richer. And it keeps the
volume consistent throughout, meaning that it will
be at home on any sound system on earth. Obviously,
theres a lot more to it than this, but thats the
general idea.
Simply put, look at it like this: mixing is like
painting. You mix different colours together to paint
your masterpiece, adjusting their hue and tone until
youve got an image that youre satisfied with.
Mastering is about taking that canvas and hanging
it in a frame. The right frame will complement the
painting within it, picking up the different colours
and enhancing them, and showing off the painting
as a professional product that can stand up in any
gallery in the world. You can exhibit a painting
without frame, but theres absolutely no reason to
do so. And if youre a painter and you disagree, go
away and stop messing with our analogy.
In the mix
Mastering, as well see, is a little bit of a dark art, so
lets talk about mixing first before we get to the
complicated bit. If nothing else, its something you
can try right now, in your DAW.
Take a look at the faders first. These control the
overall level of each track in a song. Push the faders
too high on any given track, and it will clip, or
distort, overloading the channel. This is a little bit of
a hangover from the analogue days, when too much
level could literally fry a channel, but even in the
digital domain, its an excellent idea, essential even,
to keep your tracks below this point. By the way,
youll notice that all faders run backwards from
0dB. Wed explain why, but the maths involved is just
horrific.
So at its most basic, mixing is about balancing
these levels so that all tracks can be heard, and no
sounds are being masked. If, for example, your
64 | March
Logic Pro
2015
X 2015 Vol.MAGAZINE
2
Here, were using a compressor to sharpen up our acoustic guitar. EQ, compression, level balancing and
panning are all useful tools for mixing.
Tech terms
CLIPPING: The point
at which the sound on a
track will distort. A tiny
bit of clipping is
not usually a huge
problem in the digital
realm, but should be
avoided anyway.
HEADROOM: The
amount of space
between where the
track peaks, and the
clipping point of 0dB.
Its always good to have
headroom, no matter
what youre mixing.
DYNAMICS: The
relative loudness of
different elements in
a song, or the relative
loudness of different
songs in an album. A
range of dynamics is
good, but does need to
be controlled.
MASTER FADER: The
fader which handles all
the sounds in a song,
and governs the overall
song level.
bassline is hiding your kick drum, then the first step

is to lower the level of the bass slightly, and see if
that helps.
Theres also a channel known as the master fader,
or master out. This fader tracks the overall level of
the song. If you play a sound in your DAW, youll see
it reflected here. Its a good idea to keep this below
0dB as well. What youre looking for is to have the
levels in this fader peaking at just below its clipping
point a level of -3dB is usually a good place to aim
for. This gives the track whats known as headroom,
and itll become important when we talk about
mastering. (By the way, heres a quick tip: before you
start mixing, pull the master fader down a few dB.
Youll find it gives you a lot more room to breathe
when you are mixing, and afterwards, you can pull it
up so that the overall level is at around -3dB.)
Of course, there are plenty more tools available
to make your individual tracks sound good. You can
pan them left and right, positioning them at
different places in the stereo field. You can equalise
and compress them, sharpening their individual
characteristics. Mixing is something that takes
years to master, but as long as youve got the basic
principles down, youll be able to get a handle on it
really quickly.
Whos the master?

Mastering is a little different. Chances are, youll
mix at least some of your songs yourself. Getting a
well mixed song is a perfectly achievable goal, as
long as you have some good monitor speakers and a
good room to mix in. But mastering? Thats a whole
different ballgame. Its possible to master your own
music at home, and there are companies like Izotope
FOCUS
13/05/2015 15:17
A bluffers guide to Mixing and Mastering Feature MTF
and Waves that will happily sell you some excellent

software to do just that, and which make the process
of mastering relatively easy to grasp. But if youre
just starting out, we cannot emphasise this enough:
get someone else to master your music.
To recap: mastering is the process of taking a
song, or a set of songs, and subtly sharpening them
up. Mastering will make them louder, evening out the
dynamics across them. They will make sure that all
songs on an album have a consistent sound and level.
Mastering will also address issues like fades, making
sure that theyre consistent, and add metadata to the
songs. By the time a piece of music comes out of a
mastering studio, it should be ready to compete with
any track on the radio.
Most professional mastering engineers do this by
playing your song through some seriously high end
gear. Theyre looking for complete transparency: they
want to hear exactly whats going on in the mix, as it
helps them isolate areas they could improve, or
elements they think should be more prominent. Once
A limiter, or maximizer, is usually the final tool in the mastering chain. It locks in the dynamics of a
track, setting it at a uniform loudness.
We cannot emphasise this

enough: at first, get someone
else to master your music
theyve done this, they use even more sophisticated
EQs, compressors and limiters to polish up each
song. (Interestingly enough, the term mastering
comes from when engineers would put a song on to a
Izotope Ozone is a high-profile, reasonably pricey digital mastering plug-in, and is the kind of tool
engineers might use to master a track.
master disc, from which all subsequent copies would

be made.)
This is only part of the reason that you want to
use an external mastering engineer for your songs.
In short, a mastering engineer will bring a fresh set
of ears to your project. He or she will know how to
make you sound really, really good. Good mastering
engineers are highly sought-after, highly skilled
individuals, and for very good reasons. It takes an
amazing set of ears and a dedication to find details
to become one. They often have access to gear known
for imparting pleasing audio qualities to anything
put through it. All of these are very good reasons to
trust your mastering engineer.
If you want to make them your friend, then we
strongly suggest doing the following: clearly label
each of your songs. Make sure there are no effects
at all on your master fader. Make sure youve left
enough headroom in your song (-3dB, remember?) for
the engineer to work with; those three decibels are
going to give them the space they need to make your
songs louder. And if the engineer tells you to go back
and remix certain things, do it. Theyll be able to
hear problems that you might not pick up.
And again: theres nothing to stop you doing this
yourself. In fact, wed recommend trying it out, as its
a good way to grasp exactly what is happening when
a song is mastered. Just remember that on a basic
home setup, the result is going to be nowhere near as
good as it would if you put the song through a
professional mastering studio. MTF
This feature was endorsed by SSR which has been
providing professional education training in the
audio engineering industry for over 30 years. With
campuses in London, Manchester, Jakarta and
Singapore, SSR has gained a healthy reputation
within the music industry for producing well
trained, professional graduates across the globe.
FOCUS
13/05/2015 15:17
Dani
Da
niel
el F., pro
rodu
duct
ct man
ana
agger
e gu
uiitta
ar
MusicTech.indd 1
30.04.2015 14:16:05
Musi
6:05
MusicTech.indd 2
30.04.2015 14:16:22
MTF Feature The 50 best music-making apps
MTF Feature
THE 50 BEST
MUSIC-MAKING
APPS
We bring you one of our biggest ever features on mobile
music making as we round up the 50 best apps for
music production on your phone and tablet
ts one of the biggest articles we

have ever produced a mammoth
feature on mobile music
production. In it, we look at the
best apps for music making on
your phone or tablet and reveal the
50 best mobile synth, DAW, vocal,
controller, education and, best of all,
free apps! Where possible we have
tried to include different platforms
in each category. So read on for the
mobile must-have 50
MT141.cover feat.indd 68
FOCUS
13/05/2015 11:04
The 50 best music-making apps Feature MTF
TOP 10 DAW apps
The closest thing to fully-blown DAWS and

complete studios for recording or making music
APPLE
GarageBand
(iOS)
Apple is giving GarageBand away free

as part of the iOS package or via iTunes,
so it makes two of our Top Tens. If you
dont have it then its obviously well
worth a download. It only comes with
eight instruments as standard but 2.99
gets you the full works, and what an
amazing app it is. GarageBand features
proper virtual instruments such as
guitars and pianos although you
neednt be skilled in either to play them
and with 250 loops thrown in you can
easily be assembling songs in no time,
especially with the smart options that
help you assemble melodies and beats.
All genres covered, no experience
needed, easy to use and free!
BLIP
Interactive
NanoStudio
(iOS)
NanoStudio was one of the first
music-making apps on the market.
Within it you can combine up to six
instruments (expandable to 16)
including the rather fabulous Eden
16-voice synth. Theres sampling and
pad triggering via the TRG-16 plus a
sequencer that enables up to 64 tracks
to be assembled (if you buy the
expansion). With a nice range of effects,
NanoStudio is well suited to the
mid-experienced musician.
Web www.blipinteractive.co.uk
Price 9.99
Web www.apple.com
Price Free/2.99
HARMONIC
DOG
MultiTrack
DAW
(iOS)
With little in the way of compositional
options that is instruments or bundled
loops Harmonic Dog concentrates on
recording and does it well. It also looks
great, the waveforms especially, and
there are several effect options both per
track and globally. You can even do a
little mastering to make your tunes
sound more pro should you wish.
Youll want to upgrade to get the
maximum track capacity but doing so
will only cost you a total of 12.48.
Web www.harmonicdog.com
Price 6.99
IMAGE-LINE
FL Studio
Mobile HD
(iOS and
Android)
With 133 instruments, FL Studio Mobile
HD definitely veers more towards quick
composition than the likes of Auria and
MultiTrack DAW, which concentrate
more on recording. You compose either
by using a virtual keyboard, piano roll
editor or a very intuitive step sequencer.
Its pretty hard not to get some decent
tunes going within minutes and this is
probably the app to go for if you are
new to music making, as it has
everything you need on just a few
screens. Its arguably more for loopbased composers within electronic or
dance genres than GarageBand, but
for instant rewards theres little better.
Web www.image-line.com
Price 13.99
SOUND
TRENDS
Studio.HD
(iOS)
This loop-based app is aimed at anyone
who wants to get ideas and tunes
together quickly and who doesnt mind
using loops to do it. Sure you can record
your own playing and do this three
times per track over eight tracks
resulting in 24 playback tracks but
with 900 loops on offer across a variety
of genres youll be very tempted just to
assemble music that way. There are a
decent range of nifty effects that you
can use on each channel but there are
some limitations in mixing too,
although at just 6.99 its one of the
cheapest options to get some quick
tunes together.
Web www.soundtrends.com
Price 6.99
STEINBERG
Cubasis
(iOS)
Like GarageBand, Cubasis is put

together by a company that knows its
music software. Steinberg has been at it
for years, which definitely shows here.
This is an incredibly slick music
production app and more like a
professional music-making package
than many others on these pages, and
Cubasis also boasts incredibly intuitive
touch controls. It is therefore quick to
find your way around create tracks
easily and select instruments and
effects in an instant. Its pricey, and
could do with more synths, but you
really can get pro results and its ideal
for all genres and musical abilities.
Web www.steinberg.net
Price 34.99
| 69
13/05/2015 11:06
TOP 10 DAW apps cont...
WAVEMACHINE
LABS
Auria
(iOS)
One of the first quality recording apps

for the iPad and still one of the best.
Auria features quality channel strips on
each of its 48 playback channels with
effects bundled in by high-quality
third-party companies such as PSP
Audio (and there are many more
optional effects to buy too). Theres little
to get excited about on the composing
side as this app concentrates purely on
high-quality recording and on that
score is the most pro app here and is
the ideal choice if
you are in a band
and want to
record gigs or
studio sessions.
Web www.
auriaapp.com
Price 34.99
4 POCKETS
Meteor Multitrack
Recorder (iOS)
With a traditional mixer this is more of
a recording app, but there are
instruments and effects for producing
complete in-the-box tunes. Meteor is a
very rounded music-making package
and suitable to slightly more
experienced producers in any genre.
Web www.4Pockets.com
Price 13.99
INTUA
BeatMaker2
(iOS and Andoid)
BeatMaker was one of the first proper
mobile apps, and while BeatMaker2 has
extensive drum machine action its
developed into a complete music
making package with instruments,
samples and effects. Well look at the
drum side of things in detail next month
Web www.intua.net
Price 6.99
KORG
Gadget
(iOS)
Not strictly an all-round studio app as

audio is not an option just yet, but how
can you resist a package that enables
you to combine 17 synths and drum
machines, up to 35 tracks (on newer
iPads) and some of the coolest looking,
well, gadgets around? The emphasis is
very much on electronic music
production and you cant add audio
(yet). Korg will be getting
a few mentions in
these lists but this is
like a best of
amazing sounding
synths and drums
and a very easy-touse environment to
put it all together.
Web www.korg.co.uk
Price 27.49
TOP 10 Synth apps
The app market for synthesizers is hotter than ever with emulations of
classics synths alongside modular madness. Here are our ten best
ARTURIA
iMini
(iOS)
Over a year since its release and this
classic Minimoog emulation is still as
great-sounding as ever, with a front
panel that is easy to use, equalling a
synth that is easy to program. It
comes with a huge variety of presets,
a little randomly ordered at first but
then you realise you can load them by
programmer and type very easily.
Theres a glorious performance page
where you can modify parameters in
real time using X/Y grids, plus chorus
and delay effects and a neat
adjustable keyboard. Arguably it
could be more accurate sonically but,
hey, what Arturia has added is a
bonus to the sound overall, which is
both right and varied. Superb.
Web www.arturia.com
Price 6.99
BEEPSTREET
SUNRIZER
(iOS)
Were trying not to do too many

emulations of classic synths here but
this is a worthy inclusion and not a
total emulation, although owners of
the highly regarded Roland JP-8000
will be happy when they give this one
a go. It uses SuperSaw waveforms,
and these are combined with analogue
modelled oscillators, loads of
modulation and filtering meaning the
resulting sound is right up there with
pretty much every mobile synth out
there (and way beyond some). It might
be more dance orientated but the
original was slap-bang in the middle
of rave, and this pays homage to it
while supplying enough sounds for
more up-to-date genres.
Web www.beepstreet.com
Price 6.99
JASUTO
(iOS and
Android)
Interestingly with Jasuto and

Reactable the Android and iOS
platforms are blessed with (at least)
two modular synth-type apps where
you drag and link modules to create
various sounds, sequences and so on.
Jasuto comes with more than 75 of
these nodes plus (thankfully) 200+
examples, so you dont have to do any
work if you are a non-synth head. And
some of these really are something to
behold: giant bulbous creations all
pulsing and shimmering with wave
options to adjust parameters in time.
Jasuto might just have the edge in
terms of prettiness, but big fingers on
both of these apps could be a
problem. But then arent they always?
Web www.jasuto.com
Price 2.99
FOCUS
13/05/2015 11:07
TOP 10 Synth apps cont...
KORG
iMS-20
(iOS)
As well as software versions of the
MS-20 there are even newer hardware
releases including a mini keys and
build-your-own! Which all must mean
that this is a great synth. iMS-20
doesnt disappoint but you might be a
little overawed at first, as it does look
pretty daunting and Korg has added a
lot. You can patch things together,
route audio and effects in and out or
generally just have fun with the
sequencer, the pattern producer and a
fantastic drum module.
Web www.korg.co.uk Price 20.99
2BEAT
Oscilab
(iOS and Android)
Hard to categorise this as just a synth
as its really a groove box and more.
But it features so many instant soundshaping and swiping options that it
shows a great way forward for
hands-on mobile synthesis. There are
28 wave shapers, a synth, a drum
machine and 36 instruments. You go
into each section and adjust as it
loops. Adjust the waveforms, for
example, add some beats and then
instrument notes to flesh it out.
Inspiring stuff.
Web www.2beat.io Price 6.99
MOOG MUSIC
Animoog
(iOS and
Blackberry)
It is refreshing that a company with a
track record as good as Moogs in
producing hardware hasnt just done
a software emulation of its synths
(but that would be very cool too).
Animoog is powered by an Anistropic
Synthesis Engine (or ASE) and the idea
is to move through an X/Y space to
morph between classic Moog sounds
using an X/Y pad. With excellent
touch feedback and those superb
sounds, its a joy to use.
Web www.moogmusic.com
Price 20.99
PROPELLERHEAD Thor
(iOS)
We love a bit of marketing speak.

Apparently Thor is simply the most
powerful synth ever created; an
unstoppable monster of a sound
generator that utilizes synthesizer
technology from the last 40 years. Its
a shame that lines like that do get in
the way sometimes as Thor really is a
very good synth, transferring the bulk
of the power and character of the
original into the iPad for some
breathtaking sound. With over 1000
presets and a synth engine based
around six different oscillators and
four filters you really do get an
incredible range of sounds
Web www.propellerheads.se
Price 10.49
STEINBERG
Nanologue
(iOS)
If you want something free then we

have a whole section of free apps in
this issue, but this one didnt make
it because we could include it here!
Nanologue is Steinbergs surprisingly
good analogue synth emulation. We
say surprisingly good because
initially its just that a bog-standard
synth but what it does it does very
well. Big monophonic sounds, cool
interface and very easy to use. If you
are new to analogue synthesis you
cant go wrong with this. Its not
trying to be
clever but it
can be big!
Web www.
steinberg.
net
Price Free
REACTABLE
(iOS and
Android)
Originally a research project the

Reactable caught the eye of many
musicians who loved the concept,
which was essentially moving blocks
over a scanner to synthesise sound.
One was Bjrk who took a prototype
of it on tour, successfully combining
the visuals (it looked amazing), with
hands-on real-time synthesis. Now
the blocks have been turned into
virtual touch elements, easily linked
together to produce very interesting
results when dragged into a central
pulsing area. Reactable really does
show what touch operation is all
about dont expect to be making
songs straight away but it is great for
hours of noodling.
Web www.reactable.com
Price 6.99
WALDORF
Nave
(iOS)
Waldorf has a great reputation in

wavetable synthesis, and while Nave
may look fairly simple its engine
contains some of the finest factory
wavetables from Waldorfs Blofeld
and soon to be legendary if they
arent already Wave and Microwave
synths. Theres more, however, as Nave
has a couple of wavetable oscillators
and an Uberoscillator to fatten things
up. Theres a shedload of other
features as some of the biggest names
in modern synthesis were involved,
including Axel Hartmann. As such
then, Nave delivers the sonics but
might be for the more experienced
synth head. Spend time with it and
you will be very well rewarded.
Web www.waldorf-music.info
Price 13.99
| 71
13/05/2015 11:16
TOP 10 Controller/Performance apps
There are a large number of apps specifically designed to control music

software and hardware. Here are the best
TKFX
(iOS and
Android)
TKFX is a controller for Traktor Pros

effects that runs on iPad and Android
devices and gives you remote control of
the effects in real time. Greatly
expanding on the control available to
you using the mouse in Traktor itself, it
uses MIDI mapping to enable an X/Y
grid, and you can assign different
parameters to both axes as well as
holding the effect on, flipping between
decks and slots and controlling overall
dry / wet levels. To enable this you have
to install a small, free app on your Mac
or PC that acts as a MIDI server
between the two. It supports both
wireless and wired network connections
and you unlock access to more of
Traktors effects via in-app purchases.
Web www.tkfxapp.com
Price Free, with in-app purchases
Livkontrol
(iOS and
Android)
Ableton Live is one of the DAWs that

best suits remote control from a mobile
device thanks to its clip-launch style of
performance. Install the support files
on your Mac or PC and Livkontrol for
iOS and Android will discover your copy
of Live (8.26 or higher) and give you
hands-on control over your sessions.
Theres the Launchpad interface for
launching clips, a scrollable Track
Detail, and a Clip Composer to work
with MIDI clips remotely. Theres also
MIDI sliders for varying parameters,
and MIDI pads for composition. Live
responds especially well to remote
input, and with this app you can control
your sessions and actually play and edit
MIDI live as well.
Web www.livkontrol.com
Price Free, Standard and Pro versions
HEXLER.
NET
TouchOSC
(iOS and
Android)
TouchOSC for iOS and Android is an
open programming environment app
that isnt tied to any particular software
but instead enables you to create setups
to control anything that can accept the
Osc or MIDI protocols, which covers a
huge range of applications. You can
choose custom sets of controls and
make assignments, building unique
maps to do exactly what you want. It
supports both wireless and wired MIDI
and is officially supported by Logic Pro,
as well as a range of other DAWs and
more experimental music packages.
Theres a downloadable editor for OS X,
Windows and Linux that enables you to
create and customise layouts more
easily from your desktop computer.
Web www.hexler.net
Price 2.99
NATIVE
INSTRUMENTS
Traktor DJ
(iOS)
When NI does mobile apps it tends to
do them really well. Traktor DJ for iPad
and iPhone takes the essence of the
much bigger Traktor Pro software and
places it into a touch environment. The
results are amazing: incredibly accurate
beat detection and sync capabilities,
slice freezing and easy library and
playlist navigation. You get a bunch of
effects that can be controlled via
integrated X/Y pads and the whole
thing feels really slick. You dont have to
be an experienced DJ to give a great
performance and you can even record
the output of the app as a regular audio
file. Features like the Superslicer mean
its more of a performance tool its not
just for spinning tracks.
Web www.native-instruments.com
Price 2.99
LIINE
Lemur
(iOS)
The touch interface is perfect for certain

kinds of control, and before iPads and
iPhones came out it was restricted to
very high-end hardware. Now for a tiny
fraction of those kinds of costs you can
get the same experience. Lemur enables
you to build any control interface you
can think of for software that can
receive MIDI or OSC input signal. That
includes DAWs, DJ software, VJ apps,
stage lighting and loads more. A highly
advanced system, it lets you script
custom widgets with multitouch
support and has complex sequencing
objects and an in-app editor (iPad only)
to design and edit templates on-the-fly.
Fully skinnable, its found fans among
some of the leading electronic artists.
Web www.liine.net
Price 17.49
STEINBERG
Cubase iC
Pro
(iOS and
Android)
Steinberg has been very active in
developing a range of iOS applications
that tie in with its flagship Cubase
software. Cubase iC Pro (theres also a
free version available) runs on iPhone
and iPad as well as Android and is
beautifully designed, giving you a
detailed overview of your project as well
as hands-on navigation controls. You
can mix, and you also get to set up to
four individual headphone feeds using
Cubases control room features, and any
performer with their own device can
adjust their own mix independently.
There are customisable key commands
and macros, and you can record- and
monitor-enable tracks from anywhere
on the Wi-Fi network.
Web www.steinberg.net
Price 11.99
FOCUS
13/05/2015 11:10
IK
MULTIMEDIA
DJ Rig
(iOS)
Designed to work in conjunction with
IKs iRig Mix, DJ Rig is a familiarlooking DJ app with two virtual
turntables and several modes of
operation. Each of its decks can operate
in waveform, turntable or CD Digital
Jog modes to suit your performance
style. You get all the tempo and sync
features youd expect as well as a drift
meter, direct cue with multiple cue
points, three-band kill EQ and access to
the iPads music library. Theres also
IKs X-Sync feature that syncs the
tempo of tracks from the iPad with
songs from external sources when used
with an iRig Mix. Theres AutoMix for
when you want to go to the bar and a
loop surface as well as onboard effects.
Web www.ikmultimedia.com
Price Free; full version 17.99
APPLE Logic
Remote (iOS)
As is often the case, Apple is so big it can

afford to give away some remarkably
powerful apps in order to drive hardware
sales. For musicians thats a pretty good
deal, and Logic Remote is a really
excellent app for iPad that works with
Logic Pro X, MainStage 3 and GarageBand.
You can play any Logic or GarageBand
instrument remotely on a virtual keyboard

or fretboard, play beats on virtual pads
and even strum chords. Navigate projects
using transport controls and markers,
punch recording in and out from
anywhere on a network and remotely
change patches and trigger key
commands. Its an amazing and free
extension to your studio setup.
Web www.apple.com/uk/logic-pro/
Price Free
You get the kind of functionality from your iPad

that a decade ago would have cost thousands
HUMATIC
TouchDAW
(Android)
NEYRINCK
V-Control Pro (iOS)
V-Control Pro is a multitouch control
surface that supports a wide range of
apps running on your Mac or PC. It uses
Wi-Fi to control transport, editing and
mixing and also provides control of
sends, automation, groups, plug-ins,
transport, I/O assignment and more
depending on the app you are
controlling. Remarkably, it can connect
to almost any music app: Pro Tools,
Logic, Live, Cubase, Sonar, Reason, Digital

Performer and Reaper among them. And it
can also control Adobe Premiere and Final
Cut Pro. It may be among the more
expensive apps around but it gives you
the kind of functionality from your iPad
that just a decade ago would have cost
thousands of pounds.
Web www.neyrinck.com
Price 34.99
This Android-only MIDI control app

supports Cubase, Logic, Pro Tools, FL
Studio, Reason and a range of other
DAWs. You get mixer and transport
functionality and the app can send
MMC in parallel with, or instead of,
DAW control. Theres a multitouch MIDI
keyboard and launchpads, a MIDI mixer,
configurable X/Y pads and the app
works both over wired and wireless
connections and hooks into Apples
Network MIDI implementation. Its an
inexpensive way to open up your studio
setup to wireless control from your
Android device and can be configured to
work as you wish. Theres a limited free
version for testing and then you can opt
to buy the unlimited version.
Web www.humatic.de
Price 3.80; Free demo available
| 73
13/05/2015 11:18
MTF Feature 50 best music-making apps
TOP 10 FREE apps
Yes, you can get something for nothing and it can be great. In fact you can
get ten somethings for nothing, and here they are!
SoundCloud
(iOS and
Android)
The SoundCloud app

runs on your iOS or
Android device and not
only provides a way to
listen to content from the
audio-hosting website and curate your
own playlists and collections, but also
record directly from your device into
the cloud. So if you are out and about or
making field recordings you can use
your devices built-in mic and capture
the sound around you directly into your
account. SoundCloud is pretty much the
standard audio hosting site for most
people these days and also provides
some apps to help you sell and market
your music.
Web www.soundcloud.com
Price Free
RETRONYMS
Tabletop
(iOS)
Tabletop is a modular environment that

lets you mix and match different
devices such as samplers, mixers,
effects, synths and more. You get 14
devices for free and can add extras via
in-app purchases. Its an advanced but
relatively approachable system and up
to 43 devices are available, with
support for Tabletop-ready apps such as
iMPC, iMini and iProphet. Theres a
piano-roll editor and pads for
programming and editing MIDI,
quantization, MIDI learn and mapping,
Core MIDI support and the ability to
hook up compatible MIDI hardware.
More devices and features tend to get
added over time so Tabletop is an
organic, expanding environment.
Web www.retronyms.com
Price Free; added in-app purchases
APPLE
GarageBand
(iOS)
GarageBand for iOS is free when you

buy any new iOS device, otherwise it
costs 2.99, and for that it works on
iPad and iPhone for a single payment.
Its ludicrously cheap considering what
you get: multiple virtual instruments,
auto-playing tools for strumming
guitars and playing chords, guitar amps
and live recording through effects, a
sampler and a cool mixing environment.
You can record lots of tracks (though
not unlimited) and when youre done
either mix down your file or export the
raw project data out to GarageBand on
the Mac for further editing. As such its
a great way to start an idea on the move
then continue work back at home.
Web www.apple.com
Price Free or 2.99
Drum Guru
(iOS and
Android)
Drum Guru for iOS and Android is a

training app for drum enthusiasts of all
skill levels, and features lessons
delivered in video and audio format by
some of the worlds leading drummers.
Theres a half-speed option so you can
break down whats actually going on,
and musical notation and transcription
of each lesson that can be viewed while
watching the video. Interactive practice
mode enables you to play along with or
without a click, looped and at different
tempos. Lessons are divided into packs
of 8-10, categorised by style and skill
level. You can add more lessons for not
very much money via in-app purchase
in the style you want to learn.
Web www.drumguru.com
Price Free
NOVATION
Launchpad
(iOS)
The Lauchpad app for iOS comes free

with eight ready-to-play sessions, and
additional features such as audio
import are available after in-app
purchases. For 4.99 its probably worth
unlocking audio import as it will really
broaden the scope of what you can
achieve: you get an 8x6 grid for
launching up to eight loops at once, a
range of effects on iPad including
repeater and synced filters, and on the
iPhone theres filter, stutter, gating and
delay. You can perform, mix and match
and trigger loops and record your
performance, then share it online or to
another app via Audiobus. You can also
connect one of Novations controller devices
via the USB Camera Connection kit.
Web www.novationmusic.com
Price Free
REVONTULET
STUDIO
Walk Band
(Android)
This popular app for Android gives you
a range of virtual instruments to play
on the move. Theres a virtual piano
with single or dual rows, two-player
mode, along with pressure sensitivity,
key-width adjustment and five keyboard
sounds. You can record MIDI and audio
and set your recordings as a ringtone.
The virtual guitar has chord mode and
three model types, and there are also
five drum kits that you can play using
virtual pads. Bass and synths round off
the package, and theres support for
external MIDI keyboards over USB
MIDI. Its possible to add more
instruments through in-app purchases.
If youre after a free way to play music
on the move, this could be for you.
Web play.google.com
Price Free
FOCUS
13/05/2015 11:15
TOP 10 FREE apps cont...
IK
MULTIMEDIA
AmpliTube
Free
(iOS)
AmpliTube Free for iOS brings a
beautifully designed set of guitar
processors to your mobile device and it
works using either the built-in mic or a
connected interface to get sound into
and out of the hardware. You get four
simultaneous stomp boxes, an amp
head, cab and mix and you can add
more gear by purchasing in-app. Theres
a single-track recorder, again
expandable to eight with master
effects if you choose, and a tuner and
loop drummer module to play along to.
Inter-app audio and Audiobus are
supported for touring sound
internally and imported songs can be
slowed down for you to learn them
more easily.
Price Free
Musical Piano
FREE
(Android)
This free, ad-supported app gives you a
virtual piano and keyboard with various
options as well as eight bundled MIDI
piano instruments. You can pay to
upgrade the app, which unlocks 128
instruments, wireless playback and
piano recording.
Web play.google.com
Price Free
IK MULTIMEDIA
iRig Recorder FREE
(iOS and Android)

The app is designed to
work with IKs iRig Mic
models but will work with
any mic. If you want to
record on the move and
then clean up and upload
your sounds, try it now.
Price Free
Hokusai
Audio Editor
(iOS)
This audio editor for iOS supports

multiple tracks, and you can edit them
side by side, mix together, export to
WAV or MP4 format and send them to
your computer, DropBox or to another
app inside your device. You swipe and
zoom to select areas of audio clips, and
live scrubbing means you can hear the
sound as you move your finger across
the waveform. Theres full undo support
and a set of bundled processing tools
includes fades, normalization, reverse
and basic synthesis. Upgrading to the
paid version adds audio copy and paste,
grain synthesis, noise gating, timestretching, pitch-bend and a host of
other effects including filtering, reverb
and modulation.
Web App Store
Price Free
TOP 5 Vocal apps
Five mobile apps designed

with the singer in mind
IK
MULTIMEDIA
VocaLive
(iOS)
VocaLive gives you a suite of 12
real-time professional vocal effects as
well as recording capability that can be
combined into a chain of any four at
once. 50 presets are included and the
effects include Pitch Fix, Choir (a
three-part harmonizer), Morph for
formant shifting, De-Esser and Doubler.
There are also seven studio effects
including reverb, delay, EQ and
compression. The single-track recorder
can be expanded up to eight tracks with
in-app purchases, and a Voice Cancel
feature lets you remove the vocal parts
from existing tracks and sing along to
them. Its MIDI controllable and
supports Audiobus for routing vocal
parts in from other apps.
Price 6.99
ANTARES
Auto Tune
(iOS)
Antares has been at the cutting edge of

pitch correction and auto-tuning on the
desktop for years, so it was natural that
they would eventually bring that
technology to the mobile arena. The idea
is that you plumb your iPhone or iPad in
between your mic and the mixing desk
or your audio interface and make
settings on the device for how the pitch
is to be corrected. Use gentle settings
for subtle correction or flip into full
robot mode to get the well-known
stepped effect. Its Audiobus
compatible so you can use it to
process vocal parts that you have
already recorded, and has multiple
scales available for more accurate
pitch correction.
Web www.antarestech.com
Price 2.99
VIRSYN
Harmony
Voice
(iOS)
Harmony Voice is a pitch-shifter and
harmonizer that can add up to four
voices to your sung signal based on keys
that you play on a keyboard, and also
comes with automatic tuning correction.
It works with formants, so you can turn
a female voice into a male one and vice
versa. Choose automatic or manual
harmonisation, change voice character
and play back racks from your iTunes
library. Theres onboard reverb, delay
and chorus to process the signal, and
Audiobus support along with an audio
recorder with a metronome and support
for MIDI input devices. Connect to other
apps or use it as an effect between your
mic and computer-based recording
setup and create harmonies with ease.
Web www.virsyn.net
Price 2.99
| 75
13/05/2015 11:12
MTF Feature The

The50
Hollywood
best music-making
sound
apps
TOP 5 Learn Music apps
Brush up on your technique, learn a new

instrument, or simply work on your musicality
TOP 5 Vocal apps cont
QNEO
Voice Synth
(iOS)
Voice Synth is a nifty tool for real-time

vocoding. In fact it has three 24-band
live vocoders, AutoPitch, a multiple
voice harmony arranger, pitch and
formant shifter, an onboard sampler,
24-band EQ, multiple studio effects and
a spectrum stroboscope. You can import
vocal files or route sound in from the
mic or via inter-app audio. Use the
built-in virtual keyboard to control the
notes that are generated by the
vocoder and even use inter-app MIDI to
control it from a different app. There are
100 factory presets and you can
record and export your performances.
Advanced pitch-shifting enables you
to change your voice into almost
any style.
Web www.voicesynth.com
Price 6.99
This is a portable
warm-up studio for
performing vocalists
and public speakers,
designed by a wellknown vocal trainer. 12
warm-up exercises are
included as audio files and you
can play these to get your pipes ready
for the big performance. Warm-ups are
a crucial part of any performance and
something that a lot of vocalists dont
take seriously. With these exercises to
hand theres no excuse for damaging
your voice by not limbering up first.
You can also opt to download
extra exercises via in-app purchases
at any time.
Web play.google.com
Price 1.18
Better Ears for iPad is an educational

music and ear training program, which
helps you grow your musical skills.
There are ten different exercises
included, starting from interval
recognition all the way to chord
progressions. You can choose from a
range of exercises performed by up to
six different instruments. It comes with
a virtual keyboard and fretboard so you
can enter notes yourself, and has four
skill levels from beginner through to
professional. Theres support for
building your own courses and syncing
between devices amongst other things.
Music theory is often overlooked but it
can really help you to get a better
understanding of how music works.
Web App Store
Price 10.49
STEINWAY & SONS

Etude 2.0
(iOS and Android)
VocalEase
(iOS and
Android)
Better Ears
(iOS and
Android)
This app for iPad lets you find a song

from the in-app music store, download
it, and see keys to press at each
moment. You can slow it down and even
practice each hand separately. Theres a
built-in MIDI synth, onscreen keyboard,
and sheet music or piano roll views.
Web www.etudeapp.com
Price Free; buy songs for 1.99 each
MAHALO
Learn Piano HD
(iOS/Android)
This app, with content from piano tutor

Peter Darling, shows you everything
from hand exercises through basic
playing skills and much more. The app
itself is small, but you can download
videos through it to greatly expand the
range of lessons you have access to.
Web www.mahalo.com
Price 1.49
Songsterr
Tabs and
Chords
(iOS and
Android)
Songsterr for iOS and Android is a tab
player with instant access to realistic
playback of 90,000 songs (500,000 tab
tracks) from Songsterr.com. You can
search tabs by keyword or browse by
tags and popularity, and it supports
guitar, bass and drums. Theres
alternative Chord view, half-speed
playback, a realistic guitar engine and
tabs for multiple instruments, as well
as looping, solo, offline mode and
syncing. Theres a tuner and background
audio support so you can play along
using a compatible effect app. Happily
its also all legit so when you access a
tab the original composer will get a
small royalty payment.
Web www.songsterr.com
Price App free; subscription is 2.99
per month
Guitar Jam
Tracks: Scale
Trainer &
Practice Buddy
(iOS/Android)
This app for iOS and Android lets you
learn guitar scales and solo to five
great-sounding jam tracks right from
your device, adding more styles and
scales with the in-app store. The
easy-to-read scale charts show you
exactly where to put your fingers to
start sounding like a pro. Several keys
and scales are included as well as styles
such as acoustic blues, jazz and modern
rock. Simply pick a key to start playing
the track, then tap Chords to see what
chords are being played, or tap Scales to
see the scale charts for that key.
Practice is one of the hardest things to
motivate yourself to do but its an
essential part of improving, and this
app can really help.
Web www.ninebuzz.com
Price 1.49 (offers in-app purchases)
FOCUS
13/05/2015 11:15
Read
on any device,
anytime!
Download your FREE app today

FREE PREVIEW ISSUE
SINGLE ISSUES JUST 2.99
SUBSCRIBE FOR JUST 16.99
Search Music Tech magazine and download your FREE app today
MT App ad A4.indd 1
18/05/2015 09:19
MTF Technique Articulation switching
Technique Producing Music To Picture Part 4
Powered by
Requirements
Our Producing
Music To Picture
feature is illustrated
using Logic but you
can apply the
principles to
whatever
DAW you use.
Articulation
switching
Creating an expressive, sample-based music score

requires an informed understanding of articulation
switching. Mark Cousins shows you how
iven the range of emotions and actions a

composer needs to enhance, its no surprise
that sample libraries are packed with a variety
of different articulations that have become an
essential part of the screen music tool set. For
the uninitiated, articulations cover a range of playing
styles, so that, rather than providing just a single violin
sample, a string library will present the principal
instrument performed in a variety of ways: often including
short and long notes, legato phrasing, pizz, tremolo, trills,
On the disc
Accompanying
on the DVD
The greater the range of

articulations, the more interest
you can inject into your score
col legno and so on. Put simply, the greater the range of
articulations, the more colour and interest you can inject
into your score moving between languid melodic lines, for
example, to sharp and spiky pizzicato.
In these workshops were concentrating on exploring
the techniques used by media composers as a means of
extracting the full expressive potential of sample-based
instruments. In this workshop, were going to look
specifically at the art of articulation switching: using
keyswitching, split individual brushes and even velocity to
control how a part is performed in the virtual domain.
but unless youre particularly ambidextrous, theres usually

a degree of editing after the event to refine what youve
performed. Another point worth considering is the position
of the keyswitches, possibly moving them back by a few
ticks so that the engine has a small amount of time to
switch the sample ahead of the note. Dont worry if a note
is still sounding, though, as the switch only happens when
the next played note starts.
While embedded keyswitching is an easy solution, it
can be tricky to keep tabs on the use of articulations from
an arrangement level. In this case, consider running a
separate track lane for the keyswitching, so that its clear
to see whats happening outside of a MIDI region in the
Piano Roll editor. Colour coding and naming the
articulation can also help, potentially making it much
speedier to copy or reposition articulations (even between
instruments) as you begin to arrange the cue as a whole.
You can still edit the two regions together (by selecting
both regions before you open the Piano Roll editor), if you
still want to see the notes alongside the keyswitches.
Many brushes
As we saw in a previous workshop, its still worth using
individual articulations (referred to as split patches, or
individual brushes) assigned to discrete MIDI channels as
a means of moving between different performance
styles. You have the option of
Key facts
The main technique used to move between different
articulations is keyswitching, whereby keys at either end of
the keyboard are used to move between articulations
on-the-fly. Keyswitching is certainly an intuitive solution,
letting you record a complete performance in the one pass,
LOGICAL EDITING
The use of velocity-based articulation switching makes it useful to apply either
Cubases Logical MIDI editor or the MIDI Transform Editor in Logic Pro X. Both of these
solutions are forms of conditional, text-based MIDI editors in other words, MIDI
editing is applied as a series of text-based instructions, rather than using a mouse.
Here, the process starts by selecting all the notes, followed by an operation that fixes
to the Velocity to a default value of 40. These text-based editors can perform a wide
range of tasks that relate to music to picture work from humanising a rigid
performance, to creating pseudo-random percussion sequences so theyre well
worth closer inspection.
MT146.TUT Logic.indd 78
FOCUS
13/05/2015 12:14
Articulation switching Technique MTF
MTF Step-by-Step Keyswitching
A keyswitched instrument uses an array of keys at either the

bottom or top-end of the keyboard to move between a number of
articulations. In this example, the keyswitch keys are labelled in red,
with the current selected articulation in yellow.
If youre a good keyboard player, its possible to play the musical

line and record the keyswitches live. Here you can see the
resultant musical sequence, with the keyswitching at the bottom of
the Piano Roll editor.
Even the best performances might need some tweaking in the

Piano Roll editor: either to edit misplaced keyswitches, add new
keyswitch events, or move the keyswitches back slightly so that you
ensure Kontakt triggers the correct sample ahead of the note.
Editing keyswitch events in the Piano Roll has its advantages,

but it can be tricky to see whats happening on an arrangement
level. Another strategy is to run a parallel keyswitch track lane,
creating a new track assigned to the same instrument.
To keep the articulation usage clear, consider colour coding your

regions, as well as naming them. Once set in this way, its easy to
move or duplicate them around your session, confident that the
correct samples will be triggered at the appropriate time.
As we saw in last months workshop, another approach to

moving between articulations is to use a separate MIDI channel
for each different sound. In this case, three violin articulations have
been split between three MIDI channels.
01
03
05
applying the switching either at part level (using an event

list editor and moving different notes between different
MIDI channel assignments), or at arrangement level (using a
discrete arrangement track for each articulation).
Not all libraries use keyswitching, though, as a number of
other solutions make creative use of other facets of the MIDI
protocol, notably Velocity and MIDI Controllers. Velocity, for
example, can often be used as means of moving between
different note lengths, so that a staccato is triggered on high
velocities, or that progressive longer articulations are
02
04
06
triggered as you play harder. With a little thought, you can

adapt how you work with your DAW to best match the
switching technique. In the case of Velocity, using a MIDI
transform editor to fix the velocities makes subsequent
editing far easier and consistent.
Expressive scoring
As weve seen theres no one perfect solution to articulation
switching, and indeed, its often best to use elements of all
the techniques, adapting your workflow to the demands of
FOCUS Logic Pro X 2015 Vol. 2 |
79
13/05/2015 12:14
MTF Technique Articulation switching
the music, or the technicalities of the library youre working

with. Its also worth experimenting to see what techniques
work best with your compositional style you might, for
example, like the improved mixing potential of running
articulations as separate brushes, or simply prefer playing
everything live. Either way, its reassuring to note how
flexible modern sound libraries have become, often
providing a number of different solutions for moving
between articulations.
Check out the next workshop where I explore the

deliberate omission here: dynamics and legato
performances. Combining the practices explored here with
the techniques there arguably forms the complete palette of
techniques for expressive sample-based scoring. MTF
This tutorial is endorsed by Point Blank. With courses in London, Online and
now LA, Point Blank is The Global Music School. You can study sound to picture
on their Music Production Diploma courses, with pro industry tutors.
MTF Step-by-Step Keyswitching contd
Moving between articulations assigned to different MIDI

channels can be achieved in two ways. One solution, where youre
moving between articulations quickly, is to use an Event list selecting
the notes and then assigning them to the corresponding MIDI channel.
Much like the first example, using multiple track lanes is the best
solution if you need to keep tabs on articulation usage from an
arrangement perspective. Create new tracks, each assigned to the
same instrument but with an incremental channel assignment.
To trigger different articulations, either record on the

corresponding track lane, or edit an existing region, moving the
edited section onto the desired sample set. To keep the arrangement
clear, consider collapsing the tracks into the same Track Stack.
Keyswitching isnt the only technique used by sound libraries.

Like a growing number of other libraries, CineBrass uses velocity
as a means of moving between shorter and longer note articulations,
with the sustain pedal used for triggering legato.
Although its possible to use velocity-based articulation

switching on-the-fly, a degree of tweaking needs to be applied.
In this sequence, velocity has first been levelled, with selected notes
triggering longer articulations with higher velocities.
The final piece of the puzzle is the addition of sustain pedal as a

means of triggering the legato phrase. As well see more of next
month, the modulation wheel becomes the principal tool for dynamics,
rather than the traditional velocity-based approach.
07
09
11
08
10
12
FOCUS
13/05/2015 12:14
Legato and dynamics Technique MTF
Technique Producing Music To Picture, Part 5
Powered by
Requirements
Our Producing
Music To Picture
using Logic but you
can apply the
principals to
whatever
DAW you use.
Legato and
Dynamics
Adding an expressive legato line to your score can really give your
music an emotional edge. Mark Cousins picks up his bow and
continues his music to picture series
s we saw in previous Music To Picture

workshops, the key to an effective score often
lies in the expression that you can inject into
the performance. Rather than the score being a
series of one-dimensional music lines, each
part can be sculptured to match the action perfectly on
screen maybe moving between a sumptuous romantic
legato line, for example, to a furious spicatto sequence
underpinning an action sequence. If youre in any doubt,
look at the expression and colour in a John Williams score,
On the disc
Accompanying
on the DVD
For a truly expressive musical

line, you might want to consider
using a legato instrument
and note how he uses numerous articulations and a wide
range of dynamics to inject life into his music.
When youre working with sample-based virtual
instruments, the expressive characteristics are defined
into ways initially, by the use of keyswitched articulations
to move between radically different playing styles (which
we explored in the last music-to-picture workshop),
followed by the use of MIDI CC data and legato transitions
to shape the expression over the duration of a note or
phrase. Having selected the broad playing style, therefore,
we need to form the expression of the part something
that can really help the music breathe and come to life, as
well as adding even more colour to the score.
options and MIDI CC mapping varying from one library to

another. Arguably, the most important expressive quality is
dynamics moving between a subtle pianissimo to a much
more aggressive fortissimo. With an expressive score, the
use of MIDI CC messages will shape each note so that a
phrase might begin from the softest pianissimo, crescendo
over the shape of the melody, and then gradually fade
towards the end of the phrase.
On the whole, it makes sense to record the musical line
using a static Vanilla dynamic setting, so that you can
concentrate on the notes themselves rather than how
theyre performed at this stage. Once the part is recorded,
consider creating a parallel track lane and then recording
the dynamic movements as a separate pass (using a MIDI
controller, or your modulation wheel). Try to think like a real
player and how they might shape the phrase adding
small movements, or more expressive gestures.
Leg up
For a truly realistic expressive musical line, you might want
to consider using a dedicated legato instrument. Legato
instruments trigger a transitional sample based on the
interval between the two notes. For the legato transition to
be triggered correctly, youll need to
ensure that
Ground control
For most of the longer musical articulations (like sustain,
tremolo, flautando, legato) expression is added using a
number of MIDI CC messages, with the exact number of
MIDI CC ASSIGNMENTS
Where theyre used, most Kontakt-based instruments enable you to
reassign MIDI controllers. Try establishing a set of MIDI CC messages that
you use all the time, by first assigning them to a MIDI controller keyboard
and then reprogramming your instrument accordingly, before saving them
(as a new Kontakt instrument) in their altered form. If your MIDI controller
is rather basic, there are some ingenious workarounds. Use Logics
Environment feature to re-map Mod Wheel movement to a new controller
message types as it enters Logic. Alternatively, record the moves as Mod
Wheel data but then use an Event List editor, or text-based Logic/
Transform editor, to remap accordingly.
| 81
13/05/2015 12:00
MTF Technique Legato and dynamics
MTF Step-by-Step Legato and dynamics
Legato instruments require overlapping notes to trigger a

transitional sample between the notes. Either manually check
each note, or select the whole sequence and proportionately adjust it
so that all the notes are slightly longer.
If youre working with a wind or brass legato line, ensure you

account for the occasional breath, rather than having a
continuous legato. Also, you might want to bring all the notes back by
1/32nd if the instrument has a slow attack.
Expressive qualities of your virtual instrument (such as vibrato,

dynamics, a legato time) are usually by an accompanying MIDI
CC number, like modulation wheel. Set up your controller for this
mapping, or re-map the routing via the instruments interface.
The most realistic results tend to come from performed

movements of your MIDI controller assignments. Start by
creating a different track lane for each expressive element in this
case, dynamics, vibrato and legato speed.
Having played the part with a fixed dynamic, now comes the
point where you can think more about the performance. Shape
the dynamics using softer note entries, a gentle undulation across
bars and a gradual diminuendo over the end of the phrase.
Next comes vibrato. Try to think like a real player and how they
might add vibrato to improve the emotive qualities of the melody.
Float around halfway adding more vibrato for particularly emotive
parts of the line.
01
03
05
the notes within the sequence overlap slightly. Either select

all the notes in the sequence (apart from the last note) and
increase their duration, or simply take a look through the
sequence and adjust any notes that dont overlap.
Depending on your library, it might also be that youll find
a MIDI controller (much like dynamics) is used to define the
speed of the legato transition. On the whole, fast transitions
work best as youre playing the line in, or for fast moving
passages, while longer settings create a more naturalistic,
portamento-like transition between notes. For the most
02
04
06
emotive results, reserve the slowest transitions for

pronounced interval jumps within the sequence.
Alongside dynamics and legato speed, you might find a
MIDI controller for sampled vibrato, moving between
samples devoid of a played vibrato, and those with a defined
vibrato effect. Again, think about the shape of the phrase
and how a real player would inject emotion into the
performance. While such exhaustive MIDI CC usage can take
time to record, its worth remembering that you can copy the
movements around the rest of the section, almost like youre
FOCUS
13/05/2015 12:00
Legato and dynamics Technique MTF
conducting the violins, violas, cellos and double basses at

the same time.
support the picture rather than dominate it) with the

interest added in the way the music is performed. By
exploiting the full sonic and expressive potential of your
sample libraries you can ensure that your music is given the
right amount of emotion and colour it deserves. MTF
Expressive scoring
Between our investigation of articulation switching last
month and this months exploration of expression and
legato transitions, you have all the key components of an
expressive music-to-picture score. Often, the best scores
are relatively simple on a musical level (your music should
MTF Step-by-Step Legato and dynamics contd
Legato speed is a subtle but important feature. Distinct intervals

tend to suit a slower speed, where theres a more noticeable glide
between notes. Use a faster speed where the rhythmic precision in the
phrase is more important.
Once youve recorded a series of moves with one instrument,

theres no reason why these movements cant be used with other
instruments in the ensemble. In this case, the expressive qualities of
Violin 1 have been directly copied on to Violin 2.
If youre happy with the expression youve recorded, you could

choose to merge the regions as one, so that the MIDI CC data sits
with the note information. This might be particularly important as your
arrangement becomes denser.
Even if the data is written into the region, you can still use your
DAWs Piano Roll editor to view and edit the MIDI CC data. The
advantage here is that we can see the controller movements right
alongside the note data.
As well as viewing MIDI CC data within the region, some DAWs

also enable you to view the MIDI CC movements at arrangement
level. In Logic, for example, MIDI Draw lets you edit MIDI CC data
displayed directly on the region.
If you need to remove any embedded data, the Event List editor
can also come in useful. Selecting Similar Events highlights all
the dynamics moves (assigned to the modulation wheel), which can
then be deleted or moved to a new location.
07
09
11
08
10
12
| 83
13/05/2015 12:01
MTF Technique Action scoring with drums
Powered by
Technique Producing music to picture, Part 6
Action scoring
with drums
Requirements
Our Producing
Music To Picture
using Logic but you
can apply the
principals to
whatever
DAW you use.
Cinematic percussion often forms the driving force to the

music that supports an action scene. Mark Cousins
creates an epic drum score
aving explored the mechanics of writing

music to picture, we thought it was about
time we explored the process from a more
creative standpoint. In this workshop were
going to take a look at scoring an action
sequence, with particular reference to use of drums and
percussion. Broadly speaking, the sound that were
exploring is termed as cinematic percussion built from a
battery of percussion sources: like Taikos, Concert Toms
and Orchestral Bass Drums. This powerful cinematic
On the disc
Accompanying
on the DVD
Broadly speaking, the sound

that were exploring is termed as
cinematic percussion
percussion sound tends to dominate trailer soundtracks
and the work of modern composers such as Hans Zimmer.
Layer cake
One of the key characteristics of cinematic percussion is
the blend of three instrument layers, each forming a
distinct part of the frequency spectrum. The first layer is
that of high-end percussion like shakers, bamboo sticks,
hi-hats and so-called ticki sounds that really help
define the movement of the cue. Even if the cue becomes
particularly stripped-down, its often the high-end
percussion that carries through the duration of the track.
Equally, it might be that the cue starts in a subtle way,
initially just working with the high-end percussion, with the
more powerful layers added as the action picks up.
Moving up through the frequency spectrum we hit the
mid-range percussion. As a rule, the mid-range percussion
isnt quite as frenetic as the high-end percussion, although
theres still a distinct sense of movement, but with less

need to fill every 16th division. Traditionally speaking, the
principle sound choice here is Concert Toms, but theres
also plenty to explore using a variety of ethnic drums
(ideally without too much low-end), snare drums and
mid-sized Taikos or Daikos. Ultimately, the aim of the mid
range is provide power and drive to the pattern, often
entering as the action steps up a gear.
Going deep
The final part of the spectrum covers the low-end, using
deeper Taikos, Orchestral Bass Drums and so on. Given the
depth of the sound, its important the pattern isnt too
frenetic, otherwise the bottom-end of the mix will just
become cluttered. Having created movement with the
high-end, alongside power and energy with the mid-range,
the low-end is all about creating an epic scale to the
result, arguably forming the final, crucial piece of the
cinematic sound. The deeper Taiko, the grander its scale,
and the more cinematic your cue becomes!
To unite the three different bands of percussion, well
find a consistent accent pattern across each instrument
group. This clear use of accenting helps define the feel,
contrasting between a sequence that places the accents
distinctly on the beat, against an alternative pattern
that makes a distinctive use
of syncopation
POWER PERCUSSION
Over-compressing your percussion tracks can have a negative effect on
their transient energy, which is important in respect to how the drums cut
through the mix. As an alternative, consider the use of parallel
compression, which can add body and energy to your percussion track
without sacrificing the transients. Use an aux send to route a proportion
of your chosen sound/s through to a compressor instantiated across a
bus. Set up the compressor to apply compression in a heavy-handed way
(fast attack, medium release, 6:1 ratio), which you can bleed back into the
mix to create the desired amount of body.
FOCUS
13/05/2015 12:08
Action scoring with drums Technique MTF
MTF Step-by-Step Action scoring with drums
Working on the principle of a three-part instrument grouping

low, mid and high were going to start with the fast-moving
high-end percussion. For the sound source, were using one of the
Tikitaka Hybrid sounds from Native Instruments Action Strikes.
The high-end percussion should form the fastest movement in

this case, creating a 16th movement. You need to define where
the accents fall so that the pattern has a rhythmic shape. In this case,
weve accented groups of three, and then the last two quavers.
To give the sequence more interest, weve created a second

duplicate track, assigned to a different high-end percussion
source. You can keep the pattern largely the same, or alter it slightly,
although you still want to preserve the 16th movement.
Its well worth creating some stereo dimensionality to the

high-end percussion. Start by panning both parts off-centre to
create some width. Weve also added a stereo delay effect using two
mono delays, set to different timings and panned hard left and right.
Lets move up the frequency spectrum and take a look at the

mid-range percussion. The sound source here is Bombos, from
Spitfire Audios Hans Zimmer Percussion. Balance the different mic
sets (C, R and S) to create a sound with plenty of ambience.
For the musical sequence you should create a pattern with

slightly less movement than the high-end percussion part,
carrying through the same accent pattern. Weve also added some
interest at the end with a short flam into the next bar.
01
03
05
using off-beat accents. Varying the accents throughout the

cue can also be good way to develop your music, maybe
moving from a simple on-the-beat feel to a more syncopated
alternative to reflect a change in the picture.
Production tricks
The use of a variety of different production effects can help
define the three percussion bands. With the use of stereo,
for example, imagine your mix fanning out staying
centre-focused in the low-end, widening in the mid-range,
02
04
06
and then using the extremes of left and right as you move up
to the high-end percussion. Instrument doubling (using two
types of shaker, for example, or a combination of Djembes
and Toms) can help define this. If you decide to double
instruments, consider small amounts of randomisation or
delay offsets in your MIDI data so that it sounds like
multiple players rather than a duplicate MIDI part.
The use of reverb and compression can also help define
the various layers of percussion. Directing more
compression towards the mid-range elements can real help
| 85
13/05/2015 12:09
MTF Technique Action scoring with drums
drive the cue forward, whereas a light-handed approached

on the high-end preserves important transient details. With
reverb, use shorter settings for the faster moving elements,
while the slower moving low-end can really benefit from a
back of the hall reverb setting to add a real sense of scale.
sound palette, adding further interest and energy into the

mix. In many ways, its this dynamic combination of epic
percussion, synth sounds and a splash of orchestra that
defines modern cinema, and its a combination that well be
exploring in much more detail over the coming months. MTF
Coming soon
Following on from this exploration of cinematic percussion,
well taker a look at how synths can integrate with this
MTF Step-by-Step Action scoring with drums contd
Doubling the part up on Toms helps add scale to the sequence.

However, to get the feel of a drum ensemble weve applied some
soft humanisation randomising note position, velocity and length to
create subtle variation between the parts.
The mid-range percussion carries of lot of the power and energy

in the sequence, so its worth enhancing this with the application
of compression. Weve used a compressor with plenty of character and
grit, working on a 4:1 ratio.
The bottom-end of your drum track should be pinned-down with

instruments like Taikos (like this example from SD3), or big
orchestral bass drums. Keep the pattern simple, though, only playing
on or around the accents you defined with the high-end percussion.
Doubling the low-end percussion can get messy, but you might
want to experiment with compression (in this case, Fairchild
compression) as well as scale-enhancing effects such as Sonnoxs
Oxford Inflator. Try to preserve transient detail, but enhance the power.
Differentiate the use of reverb between the different layers. The

low-end percussion really benefits from a big, spacious reverb
setting. As you move up to the mids, though, use a shorter setting so
that the reverb doesnt interfere with the power of the pattern.
Having created the basic pattern, the next step is to contour it

throughout the duration of the cue, matching the action on
screen. Bring the layers in and out accordingly, add dynamic stops and
also consider moving between a 4/4 and 12/8 pulse.
07
09
11
08
10
12
FOCUS
13/05/2015 12:09
SOUNDS THAT MOVE.
SOUND THAT TRAVELS.
Photo: Radek Barczak - EMUZYK.pl
Facebook.com/fendergbi
Twitter.com/fendergbi
2014 Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. FENDER and PASSPORT are registered trademarks of FMIC. All rights reserved.
fender.com/passport-studio
THE NEW FENDER PASSPORT STUDIO
THE WORLDS FIRST PORTABLE STUDIO

MONITORING SYSTEM
2014_Fender_Passport Studio_AD The Music Trades 2_210x297_3mm bld.indd 1
27/10/2014 12:26
MTF Technique Matching kicks and bass in modern house
Technique Logic Pro X 2015 vol.2 workshops
Powered by
Requirements
Matching kicks
and bass in
modern house
Getting your track thumping in the club is easier said than done
when youve got a big kick and sub heavy bassline fighting for
attention. Alex Holmes shows how to get the best out of both
n the past, creating a bassline for a house music track

was a relatively simple affair; you start with a
pounding, sub-heavy kick, and layer in a higher bass
sound to work around it while attempting to avoid
overlapping frequencies. However, in recent years,
house music has merged somewhat with the big bass
On the disc
Accompanying
on the DVD
Clubbers ask a lot of the low

end expecting a thundering kick
and trouser-shaking bassline
sounds of garage and jungle, creating something of a
dilemma for the b-line loving house producer. Clubbers
now ask a lot more of the low-end of a track, expecting
both a thundering kick to pound their insides and a trouser
shaking, sub-heavy bassline to shake their behinds to. The
question is: how does one go about squeezing both into the
limited frequency space available? The answer is, of
course: with difficulty! However, with a balance of very
careful sequencing, EQ cuts, envelope shaping and
sidechaining, it can be done.
One of the most important choices youll make is what
kick drum sound to use. Most of us have built up a fairly
extensive collection of kicks over time, either through those
bundled with your DAW, or through extra sample packs. In
fact, something as simple as choosing a kick drum can be
an incredibly daunting task when youre presented with
hundreds (or even thousands) of options. Its also possible,
and highly recommended, that you revisit your choice once
youve built up the rest of your track and added in the other
instruments, as a heavy, dull and thuddy kick might work
really well with the bass when solod, but could get lost
once you add the rest of your drum and instrument
elements on top. You can either try working out whats
lacking in the kick sound and layer in a higher or lower
element, or try auditioning kicks to find something more
appropriate. Dont be afraid to do this once youre quite far
into a track, especially if youre struggling with a final mix
down. Simply changing the kick can magically fix some
problematic clashes. You might consider investing in a kick
drum specific software instruments such as Sonic
Academys KICK (24.95), or Plugin Boutiques BigKick
(39.95), which will allow you to refine the finer details of
the sound without having to pick a new one from scratch.
Smack my pitch up
Two other big considerations are the placement of notes
and the pitch of the kick itself. One of the easiest ways to
avoid issues is to place the bass notes away from the 4/4
kick pattern, but this will limit your options somewhat.
Once youve worked out the tonic of the
bass pattern, you
FOCUS ON - KICK ARRANGEMENT

Dont be afraid to use different kicks in different sections of your track.
The intro to a track will be a solid chunk of 4/4 kicks that can easily be
mixed in with another tune. However, when your weighty bassline drops
alongside the kick later in the track, you might find that youre better off
reining in the kick to sit better with the bass. Either through automation,
or duplicating the kick track and making edits, you could experiment
with EQ and the decay/release portion of the kick sound to create a
tighter, more harmonious bottom end. Youll probably have to make
subtle sacrifices to both the kick and the bass, but ultimately your goal
is to simply fill out the sub frequency portion of the track.
MTF39.TUT Logic.indd 88
FOCUS
13/05/2015 12:20
Matching kicks and bass in modern house Technique MTF
MTF Step-by-Step Creating Tight Kicks
Lets start by taking two different kick sounds and tightening

them up to use alongside a bass line. Load up the House Kit in
Ultrabeat and listen to the Kick 1 and Kick 3 samples on the C1 and
D1 keys.
Kick 1 has a brighter, more live sounding top end. First, switch off
the oscillator section at the top so that youre just hearing the
sample. Then bring the pitch of the sample down to around F#2. We
can fine tune this later.
Next turn your attention to the amp envelope and turn the decay
down to 270ms. Again, we can fine tune this alongside the bass,
but as a guide you want it short enough to be tight, but not so short
that you lose all the weight.
Finally, use the Channel EQ to add a bump in the low end, and to
reign in some of that top end energy. You can tweak once you
have the rest of the track in place, but pulling back some tops will
allow space for claps and hats.
Lets do something similar with Kick 3. Bring the pitch of the

sample down to A2, pull in the envelope decay to around 250ms
and switch off the Sustain button which should combine to give you a
less boomy sound.
Were going to want to EQ this sound a little differently, so you

might want to duplicate the track for now. Pull out a fair bit of
the low-mid knock, which will have the effect of shifting the weight to
the low-end.
01
03
05
could try tuning your kick a 5th or 7th up (or down) so that
its still harmonically in tune, but so the main weight of
each isnt on top of each other. However, in practice,
although this can sometimes work, it can also lead to
clashes if your bassline moves up and down a lot. One way
around this is to find a big, fat kick sound that has a wide
02
04
06
frequency spread and no discernible pitch. For example, if

youre struggling to layer a booming 808 kick with a sub
bass, try switching it to a 909 kick, as this has more of a
thud sound than a pitched boom.
Most of the issues that youll encounter when trying to
get your kick and bass working together will come from
FOCUS
13/05/2015 12:20
MTF Technique Matching kicks and bass in modern house
clashing frequencies below 100Hz. We often work with a

separate sub bass sound to our main, characterful top
bass, as this allows you to fine tune the relationship
between the kick and sub and also means that you can
apply sidechaining techniques to the low and high bass
elements. As Logics Multiband compressor lacks a
sidechain input and is looking a little long in the tooth these

days, you might consider some extra tools to help you
achieve transparent separation. Our current favourites are
Fab Filters Pro-MB dynamic EQ (129) that lets you focus
the sidechain input signal on to a specific band, and Waves
Factorys Track Spacer 2 (59), which allows you to feed
MTF Step-by-Step Matching Kicks and Bass
Now weve got our two tight kicks, lets add a simple 4/4 pattern
on each plus a bass groove. Weve chosen the Retro Synth
BASS_SubForLayering preset and pulled down the filter envelope to
tighten the release.
Theres a small clicking sound that could potentially interfere

with the other drum elements. We could increase the amp attack
to get rid of this, but have opted to roll off some top EQ to make sure
the sub remains punchy.
After previewing both kicks, Kick 3 works best, but weve pulled
back on the EQ dips to allow the low-mids to poke through over
the sub a bit more. Weve also rolled off some super lows with a HP
filter up to 40Hz.
Although it sounds solid we want a bit more excitement in the

kick, so weve taken a high pass filter up to 345Hz on Kick 1 and
layered it on top of the main sound to create a more full range kick.
The next step to carve out more space is to set up a sidechain so

that we can pump the sub a little along with the kick. As the
main kick is an instrument track, we send a pre-fader signal to a buss.
We now set up a compressor on the sub channel with the buss

as a sidechain input and adjust the threshold, ratio, attack and
release to get things pumping. As were layering a top bass, we can be
fairly heavy handed here.
07
09
11
08
10
12
FOCUS
13/05/2015 12:20
Matching kicks and bass in modern house Technique MTF
solid, then the rest of the mix should be relatively easy. MTF
This tutorial is endorsed by Point Blank Music School, which specialises in
courses onproduction, sound engineering, the music business, singing, radio
production, DJ skills and film production, all run by top British music
producers and media professionals, with regular visits from legends in music
and media. www.pointblanklondon.com
your kick signal directly into the plug-in so that only the
frequencies that are present are ducked from the bass. To
help things gel, you could also feed both the kick and the
bass signals to a buss where they can be treated as a
single entity. This will probably be the back bone of the
entire track, so if you can get these two elements sounding
MTF Step-by-Step Busses, Compression and Glue
To add a simple top layer, we duplicated the sub track, then

made some tweaks to the sound to make a brighter and more
interesting version. As this is a higher sound, we can add some chorus
to increase the width.
To keep this sound in check, weve rolled off the lows below
100Hz, and dialed in some moderate compression. Weve also
got the duplicated sidechain compression from the sub, but have
pulled it back a bit so its more subtle.
We now want to tie the parts together so the next step is to send
both of the bass sounds to a buss, and both of the kick channels
to a separate buss. That way we can process them as a whole.
On the bass buss, weve added a brightening EQ, subtle drive,

tight room reverb and high frequency widening, and on the kick
buss some brightening EQ, gentle compression and a little drive.
Depending on what other elements are added next, we might

now send both busses to a kick and bass buss. For simplicity,
lets just add an SSL-style glue compressor to the master output to
duck two or three dB and gel the two together.
One final tip and a great way to test the clarity of the low end, is
to cut out all the highs on the master output using a LP filter, and
listen to whether you can hear both the sub and the thump of the kick.
13
15
17
14
16
18
FOCUS
13/05/2015 12:20
SUBSCRIBE TO MUSICTECH MAGAZINE
CHOOSE YOUR SUBSCRIPTION PACKAGE

THE BUNDLE SUBSCRIPTION
FREE Launch Control from Novation (UK only)

Save 33%
Just 72 with annual UK Direct Debit
Free delivery to your door
Access to the app through iTunes, Kindle
Fire and Android devices
Code DPSBUN145
OR...
THE PRINT-ONLY SUBSCRIPTION
FREE Launch Control from Novation (UK only)

Save 33%
Just 55 with annual UK Direct Debit
Free delivery to your door
Code DPSPR145
For overseas pricing please visit anthem.subscribeonline.co.uk/musictech

MT.Subs DPS.indd 48
18/05/2015 09:33
FREE Novation
Launch Control
PLUS SAVE33%
WHEN YOU WO
R
T
H
SUBSCRIBE 62.99
Launch Control is a robust, compact controller with 16 assignable knobs and eight pads - ideal for
hands-on control of your mixer, instruments and effects. Designed to partner with Novation
Launchpad, Launch Control works with all major music software and with your iPad. Use Launch
Control's pads to fire off samples while you use the knobs to tweak filters, levels, and effects controls.
2 EASY WAYS TO SUBSCRIBE

anthem.subscribeonline.co.uk
/musictech
ENTERING CODE DPSBUN145 (bundle)
OR DPSPR145 (print only)
0844 844 0398
Overseas readers +44 1795 592849

QUOTING CODE DPSBUN145 (bundle)
or DPSPR145 (print only)
OFFER ENDS 31 MAY 2015 Your subscription will start with the next available issue. There are 12 issues in a year. *UK-only saving. UK savings are calculated against the
cover price x 12 issues. The UK bundle saving is based on buying 12 print copies in a shop and 12 single digital copies. Europe and ROW cover prices vary so savings cannot
be calculated. The free gift is only available to UK Direct Debit orders. Gifts are subject to availability. We reserve the right to substitute the gift with an alternative of similar
value. Details of how to access your digital editions will be sent to you with acknowledgement of your subscription order. Please provide your email address for this. Your email
address will be used to communicate to you about your subscription, as well as latest offers and promotions from MusicTech, it's sister publications, and Novation products.
MT.Subs DPS.indd 49
18/05/2015 09:33
Six of the best

Hardware
Software
Mobile Technology
Samples
Its the third of our MusicTech Focus Buyers Guides where we

round up the best products recently reviewed in the magazine.
This time: six of the most unusual pieces of software, from risers
to bass, to glass
Details
Price $149
Issue MT136
Contact via
website
Web www.
meterplugs.com
BEST TENSION BUILDER
AMT The
Riser
Details
Price 47.99
Issue MT140
Contact via
website
Web
www.
airmusictech.com
lug-ins for specific tasks are

not uncommon, of course, but
a plug-in designed for a very
specific task within specific
genres is. The Riser is designed as a
transitions plug-in to offer those
extreme dynamics in music where you
get the lulls and then the big rises,
which inevitably lead to the song
crashing back in for impact. This
plug-in deals with the rise part in many
different ways, and can even act as an
instrument in its own right. Reviewer
Hollin Jones said: Although it is perfect
for electronic transitions, you can get
even more creative by slowing things
down and getting a more ethereal,
pulsing sound out of it.
He concluded: Its
well worth a look for the
creative possibilities
The Riser offers.
BEST PERCEPTION
MeterPlugs
Perception
BEST PERCUSSION HARDENER
MeldaProduction
MTransient
Details
ransient processing is
concerned with enhancing the
prominence of certain aspects
of a track, often the percussive
elements. MTransient is different in
that it has more options and lets you
get really hands on. It uses tube
saturation and works well with both
acoustic and electronic sounds. Hollin
Jones says:
For the price this is a powerful
plug-in with a great depth of features
that will add punch and drive to your
tracks. Its a great transient designer
for controlling rhythmic material.
MT143.6 of the best.indd 94
Price 59
Issue MT139
Contact
via website
Web www.
meldaproduction.com
ynamic Range Day was an

event set up by mastering
engineer Ian Shepherd to
highlight the benefits of a
good range in mastered tracks rather
than layering oodles of compression.
Putting his money where his mouth is
he designed Perception with the help
of MeterPlugs. Its a plug-in that syncs
dry and processed signals, balances
loudness and compares levels. On the
face of it that doesnt sound like much
but Mike Hillier said:
Perception is more than a metering
plug-in, it is a tool to aid listening. Were
convinced that not only has it had a
positive effect on our recent mastering
output, but it has also improved our
efficiency, enabling us to get our
masters where we want them faster.
The final verdict was: Its rare that
a plug-in that doesnt do anything to
the audio would get us so excited, but
Perception is one such rarity.
FOCUS
15/05/2015 09:23
BEST BASS
DopeVST
Bass Engine
he concept is pretty simple,

said reviewer Hollin Jones, to
give you some of the best and
most classic bass sounds from
the last three decades of hip-hop
without burying you with soundtweaking options. Ive lost count of the
number of times I would have traded
ten oscillator controls for a patch that
just sounded brilliant right away
without me having to do anything to it.

And thats DopeVST Bass Engine just
great bass
Hollin concluded: DopeVST Bass
Engine is very simple but also very
effective. The plug-in is a nononsense collection of hip-hopready basses. Fat, warm and
earthshaking, these are the basses
youve been looking for.
Details
Price 50
Issue MT138
Contact via website
Web
www.dopevst.com
It has some real gems up

its sleeve that will delight
those looking for something
a little bit different
BEST FOR SUBTLETY
Brainworx
bx_refinement
BEST SMASHING!
Spitfire Audio
Kings Cross
Kitchenware Glass
Details
Price 49
Issue MT141
Contact via website
Web
www.spitfireaudio.com
s sample libraries get more

and more bespoke were
seeing some very unusual
recordings and collections.
This library was recorded at Spitfires
own Kings Cross-based studio hence
the first part of the name and
comprises recordings of, well, as it
says, kitchenware
So you get all sorts of sound sources
covering an array of glass objects, from
wine glasses to cordial glasses, even a

rather fetching cafetire Its a
surprisingly delicate and musical
collection with Mark Cousins noting: It
is a real delight to see Spitfire taking a
more creative, left-field approach. This
rewards detailed exploration and has
plenty of musical potential.
It has some real gems up its sleeve
that will delight those people looking
for something a bit different.
nstead of trying to pile on the warmth

bx_refinement attempts to take out the
aspects that make a mix sound harsh
and aggressive, ultimately arriving at a
similar, pleasant-sounding conclusion.
Thats the theory. And, by God, it works!
Alex Holmes said:
A finely-tuned
processor that is
simple on the
surface, but the
results speak for
themselves.
Instant sonic
improvement to
audio that can
help you achieve a
more roundersounding mix.
Details
Price $199
Issue MT138
Contact via website
Web www.plugin-alliance.com
MT143.6 of the best.indd 95
| 95
15/05/2015 09:23
MTF Reviews iZotope RX 4 Advanced
MTF Reviews
Hardware
Software
Mobile Technology
Samples
iZOTOPE
RX 4 Advanced
Adding a host of new modules, can iZotope really
improve on the prowess of RX 3? Mark Cousins
finds out what version 4 has to offer
ver its last three generations

iZotopes RX has developed an
enviable reputation among
many sound engineers,
especially those working in the field of
post-production. Over the years, theres
been a variety of audio restoration
solutions some in plug-in form,
others based on an off-line audio editor
but like Native Instruments Kontakt
dominance of sampling, RX seems to
have become the go-to solution for
many audio professionals. Its success
can be explained in a number of ways,
but the fact that it so effortlessly
straddles both plug-in and standalone
operation has meant RX could fit into a
variety of different workflows with
relative ease.
In truth, it doesnt seem that long
ago since we reviewed RX 3, but with
the introduction of RX 4 iZotope is keen
MT140.Rev.RX4.indd 96
to retain RXs position as an essential

post-production toolkit. At first glance,
therefore, RX 4 isnt graced with a
dramatic facelift or an endless list of
new and glamorous features that might
grab your attention. Look more closely,
though, and youll see that iZotope has
thoughtfully evolved RX in a way that
closely matches the needs of many
audio professionals. RX 4 may not be a
game changer, therefore, but it certainly
contains some new treats that you
wont want to be without.
Restoration home
As with previous versions of the
application, RX 4 comes in two principle
flavours the standard edition, RX 4,
and a feature-rich version called RX 4
Advanced. Before you get too excited,
though, its worth noting that theres a
big difference in the pricing (around
Choice
9/10
9
9/
10
Details
Price 729 (RX 4
Advanced), 215 (RX 4)
Contact Time + Space
01837 55200
Web
www.izotope.com
Key Features
Dialogue
Denoiser
Spectral Repair
Leveler & Clip
Gain
Loudness
Ambience Match
EQ Match
500, to be precise), putting RX 4

distinctly in the professional tool price
bracket. While RX 4 lacks some of the
tools of RX 4 Advanced, its certainly
not short on features, so it might be
worth a detailed look at the features
comparison list before you make your
choice. For the purposes of the
review, though, well be concentrating
on RX 4 Advanced.
For newcomers its well worth noting
the key points of RX 4s design and
workflow. One central philosophy,
defined from its earliest version, was
the idea of spectral editing. While this
isnt entirely unique, the fact that RX
was designed from the ground up as a
spectral audio editor lends it a distinct
Photoshop-like quality to its operation,
where you work with sound both from a
visual and aural perspective.
Rather than selecting and modifying
sound purely based on time, therefore,
RX lets you lasso parts of the audio
spectrum, whether its a small breath
noise, or a complete slice of the
frequency range. More than just being a
gimmick, though, the ability to work in
the spectral domain is what makes RX
so effective, enabling you to direct the
correction to a specific segment of the
audio both in relation to time and
frequency. By being selective, RX is
proportionately more transparent than
other non-spectral alternatives, which
in the world of audio restoration makes
a big difference to the quality of the
end result.
ZX spectrum
With the spectral editing concept in
place, RX then lets you tweak your
audio using a number of processing
modules, including: Declip, Denoise,
Dereverb, Time & Pitch, and Spectral
Repair. As an off-line audio editor,
transformations are rendered to the
audio clip, but thanks to a stepped
undo history (that can even be recalled
after youve saved the file), theres no
need to fear that youll permanently
damage the file in any way.
For those that prefer working solely
in their DAW, RX has always provided a
number of plug-ins that replicate many
of the key modules used in the
application. One distinct shift thats
come with the introduction of RX 4 is
FOCUS
30/04/2015 09:53
iZotope RX 4 Advanced Reviews MTF
the new RX Connect plug-in, which

attempts to provide a direct bridge
between your DAW and RX 4 as a
standalone application. Exact
integration varies between DAWs, with
the system seemingly at its best in Pro
Tools. With the Connect system active,
audio regions can be transferred
directly to RX 4 (via Pro Tools
AudioSuite menu), either for analysis
purposes or as a round trip for audio
restoration tasks. Ultimately, it makes
the process of moving between the two
applications more seamless, rather
than having to choose the plug-in route.
New modules
As youd expect, theres a variety of new
modules and audio enhancement
features introduced in RX 4, including
non-destructive Clip Gain, Leveler,
Loudness, EQ Match and Ambience
Match. One interesting development
from a workflow perspective is the
non-destructive Clip Gain, which
enables you to create a series of nodes
to control the amplitude of your audio
clip. Its a simple feature, but one that
makes a big difference to the workflow
in RX 4, especially when youre working
with problematic dialogue.
Alternatives
balancing out the dynamic range of

tracks, especially in relation to
increasing the levels of quieter parts of
the mix.
Other new modules seem largely
directed at the post-production
fraternity, including a Loudness module
(which uses a limiter rather than the
gain adjustment approach of Leveler),
EQ Match and Ambience Match. In the
case of Ambience Match its worth
noting that the Ambience isnt reverb
but the residual noise floor between
different audio clips. Ultimately, you
can see how many of the new features
specifically relate to dialogue
restoration and editing, although given
the inherent versatility of RX 4 their
application can extend across a wide
variety of sonic surgery tasks.
If youre principally interested in audio

restoration using your DAW, then Sonnoxs
Restore (1,195) is well worth closer
investigation. The suite is comprised of three
plug-ins - DeClicker, DeBuzzer and DeNoiser
so it doesnt cover the breadth of RX 4,
especially in relation to the newer dynamics
modules such as Leveler and Loudness. An
alternative for Spectral editing is Steinbergs
WaveLab 8.5 (448), which is a good all-round
audio editor, including some spectral analysis
and editing features.
Clean sweep
RX 4 may not be a gigantic leap on from
the features included in RX 3, but it
does demonstrate iZotopes intention
to provide the ultimate fix-it tool for a
range of audio dilemmas. New features
such as the Clip Gain really transform
RX 4s usefulness, making RX 3 seem
surprisingly limited when we stepped
back to compare the older version. The
Like Kontakts dominance of sampling,

RX seems to have become the go-to
solution for many audio professionals
Working in conjunction with Clip
Gain is the Leveler module that lets you
apply a form of automated gain control,
much like a compressor or expander.
The unique slant here, though, is that
the output is in the form of a re-drawn
Clip Gain curve, letting you tweak and
refine the gain changes as you see fit.
Beyond the obvious dialogue
applications, it was also interesting to
hear the Leveler applied in a music
production context, used as a means of
The Dialogue Denoiser is great for cleaning up

vocal takes.
Leveler also proved to be a real winner

and a viable additional means of
controlling dynamics that contrasts
well with traditional tools such as a
compressor and upwards expander.
The hard decision for potential
customers, though, is reconciling the
price difference between the two
versions. Given the wealth of whats
included in the standard RX 4, its clear
that iZotope has priced the
application competitively, making it a
justifiable purchase for those who want
to dabble in RXs spectral-based audio
RX 4 can be used in plug-in or standalone

mode, so will fit in well with your workflow.
Method Spot
Differing levels of
background noise
can cause problems
between dialogue
takes. Usually a
small amount of
wild track is
recorded to cover
these issues, but in
situations where
this isnt available
you can use RX 4s
Match Ambience to
synthesize new
background noise.
Match Ambience
works in a similar
way to Noise
Removal, where the
software learns a
fingerprint from a
source recording.
The Noise
Fingerprint is
then used to
generate the
required wild track.
editing. Even though the standard RX 4

misses out on many of the new
modules theres still a wealth of
creative and technical possibilities that
RX 4 has to offer.
Compared to the standard edition,
RX 4 Advanced is a more significant
investment, although the addition of
Insight, iZotopes comprehensive
metering suite plug-in (itself worth
295), certainly makes it all the more
tempting. Knowing just how many
professionals have come to use RXs
powers on an almost daily basis its
clear to see that the new improvements
in RX 4 will be a welcome addition to
their workflow. Ultimately, few other
tools can rescue irrevocably damaged
audio like RX 4 does, and for that fact
alone its a tool few professional users
will want to be without. MTF
MTF Verdict
+ Leveler and Clip Gain really aid
workflow
+ Connect system improves DAW
integration
+ Perfect for a range of postproduction tasks
+ Spectral-level precision and
transparency
- New modules biased towards RX
4 Advanced
- Connect integration varies
between DAWs
iZotopes RX 4 continues to lead the
way as the most versatile audio
restoration tool around, saving
countless damaged audio files from
a one-way trip to the bin!
9/10
MT140.Rev.RX4.indd 97
| 97
30/04/2015 09:53
MTF Reviews Best Service Mystica
Alternatives
Im getting tired of
recommending Best
Services own Shevannai,
but in this case it really
does stand next to
Mystica as a true option.
Cantus will offer the
male equivalent but
Shevannai is female so
closer (even though its in Elvish. Or Elven).
Check out the big sample CD companies for
other Gregorian vocal collections too.
BEST SERVICE
Mystica
Eduardo Tarilonte records eight female vocalists to serve up yet

another fantastical treat. Andy Jones is in heaven
duardo Tarilonte has been the

subject of a MusicTech
interview before because we
have been so impressed with
the three previous libraries in this, what
some may call, the Best Service
Fantasy series. The vocal story so far is
elves (Shevannai, brilliant); monks
(Cantus, also great); and the dark ages/
Renaissance (Altus, another cracker).
The rather mystical theme is continued
here with Mystica, and this time
Eduardo has recorded eight female
vocalists; the results lie very much in
the same period as Cantus, but
obviously male rather than female.
Indeed, from the Best Service website
Mystica has been designed very much
as the partner to Cantus as it says of
the recording: the library forms a
perfectly matched mixed choir when
being combined with Cantus. Therefore,
Mystica has been recorded under
identical conditions in Spanish KBYO
Recording Studios, located in Granada,
using eight selected Neumann
microphones and Avalon preamps.
ET at home
Eduardo is clearly at home recording
vocalists and, as with all of his
previous libraries, the vocals here are
sublime. The library includes the now
usual word builder where you can
combine syllables into words and
phrases to make Gregorian-style
passages. And, as weve said before,
MT140.REV Mystica.indd 98
whether these words or sentences

make any sense is neither here nor
there, as they sound so good.
The library is set out in three folders:
The Voice, FX and Soundscapes. Load
The Voice folder and you have two
presets: Phrases and Chamber Choir.
The first is four banks (selectable by red
keys in the now famous Kontakt style)
of either 24 or 26 phrases played over
two octaves or more. Here you could
make complete passages and chants
again the recording is spot on, and
the reverb just right (though adjustable
up and down to dry) with other
controls including expression, envelope
and speed.
The Chamber Choir preset breaks it
down to words (24 on the green notes)
and vowels (on red) all played at
different pitches (on blue). Here you
also get Word Builder, which contains
120 syllables for you to place in any
order to make complex words or
complete phrases.
Evil FX
The second folder is FX, not present in
all of Eduardos other collections, and
you can soon see why as its used very
well with the female voice, covering
some eerie vocal effects, (rising and
falling) emotional laments, cackling
laughter, spell casting and so on. This is
where the library takes a darker turn
and its a good counterpoint to the
nicey nicey Gregorian stuff.
Key Features
Eight vocalist
Numen
Ensemble
5GB
Five Gregorian
legatos (a,e,i o,u)
24 words, three
articulations
Words split into
120 syllables
100 Gregorian
vocal phrases
12 soundscapes
Details
Price 159
Contact Best Service
+49 (0) 89 45228920
Web
www.bestservice.de
Minimum system
requirements
PC: Windows 7
Mac: OS X 10.7
So now its a case of Good 1 versus

Evil 1, leaving the third and final
included folder: Soundscapes.
There is more emphasis on the eerie
and dark with these atmospheres
more so than in the other vocal
collections but you can really build
atmosphere and especially tension with
whats on offer, even though, as usual,
Im going to criticise them! Im in danger
of repeating myself as its the only
negative I ever have to say about
Eduardos libraries, and that is that the
soundscapes always take second place.
I know he specialises in vocal
recordings, and I know these are
superb, but so are the soundscapes
(many made up of stacked vocal
effects), so you feel slightly teased and
taunted with just the dozen on offer
here. From memory there were more
with Shevannai, and the soundscapes
are why I turn to that collection again
and again. They simply add another
dimension to titles that could be
considered too focussed on specific
vocal styles. But that is only a minor
quibble. Whats here is great and I am,
lets face it, just being greedy.
Hes done it again

So again, we bow down before Eduardo.
Its another mystical delight. Specific,
yes, but mesmerising, hugely
atmospheric and like the hat-trick
before it, could and should find its way
into a variety of fantastical genres. MTF
MTF Verdict
+ Excellent recording quality
+ Word Generator is great
+ Has a darker edge on the
Soundscapes
+ FX also offer an edgy side
- Narrow focus (again)
Mystica is a female vocal dream
world, full of phrases, chants,
atmosphere, fear and beauty. Its
four out of four for Eduardo and the
Best Service team.
Octo/Decem
FOCUS
30/04/2015 09:50
AIR Music Technology The Riser Reviews MTF
Alternatives
If youre willing to
spend the time you can
program these kinds of
effects using various
different software
synths and your DAW,
though they do take
time to create. You can
also use samples for
transitions but these
will limit how flexibly
you can alter them. The beauty of The Riser is that its a dedicated and fully
tweakable transition instrument, so you can quickly change or automate
the level of modulation, the blend of oscillators and the depth of the
effects with just a few clicks.
Innovation
AIR MUSIC TECHNOLOGY
The Riser
Tired of programming endless sweeps,

rises and falls in your electronic tracks?
Hollin Jones finds out if AIR Music
Technology has the answer
Details
Price
47.99
Contact
Via website
Web
www.airmusictech.
com
Needs
Windows 7 or higher
OS X 10.7.5 or higher
2GB RAM
Key Features
Transition
designer
Three editable
oscillators
Three LFOs
23 filter types
300 presets
Randomizer
MIDI learn
Onboard delay
and reverb
AU, VST and AAX
formats
ne of the key compositional

tricks in many kinds of dance
and other electronic music is
the use of sweeps, rises and
falls to build up to a change in the
dynamics of a song. For the producer,
these are essential to create dynamics
within the track and let listeners know
when the drop is coming. And although
they can be programmed by hand, its
quite fiddly to do over and over again.
Enter The Riser, from German
developer AIR Music Technology. This
software instrument is similar to a few
weve seen recently in that it aims to
give you a shortcut to a type of sound
that gets used a lot in certain kinds of
music, but is based on synthesis and
not sampling. In this case, its described
as a transition designer optimised for
electronic music production, scoring,
and remix work. Although it has a
complement of fully tweakable controls
it also comes with 300 professionally
designed presets grouped by category
and style such as rises and falls, pitch,
mod or atonal character as well as
swells and fades.
The patches are designed to provide
various different kinds of transition,
from filtered swells to whooping sirens
Choice
9/10
9
9/
10
and everything in between. It does this

by generating sound from its three
oscillators: sweep, noise and chord,
each with multiple editable
characteristics. The sweep controls the
direction of the transition, the noise
oscillator adds texture and grit, and
finally the chord oscillator can be used
to match the synths structure to your
songs key, or indeed any key you
specify. Each also has a configurable
filter so you can control the shape of
the signal as soon as it leaves the
oscillator. Three LFOs are available: free
running, tempo synced, and Pumper,
with configurable depth and, where
applicable, rate controls.
Pump it up
Theres a second filter stage with 23
filter types available and control
sections for cutoff and resonance, plus
a distortion stage with variable
distortion modes to add crunch and
bite to the sound. The effects you tend
to use most on these kinds of sounds
are delay and reverb, and there are
appropriate effects built in, with
extensive tempo-sync options available
for the delay section and four reverb
types with controls. You can also vary
the effect blend, and these effects help
the synth sounds to sit comfortably in
your tracks. Panning and width controls
also let you position the sound more
accurately in the stereo field.
You could well find that the bundled
presets contain everything you need,
but you may also want to tweak the

settings to better suit the particular
track youre working on. This is really
easy to do, and although there are a fair
few sections, you interact with them all
in much the same fashion, so the
learning curve is quite gentle. Theres
some clever stuff to help you out too,
such as a randomizer to generate whole
new patches at the touch of a button
and an Invert mode that instantly
changes the direction of the current
transition to provide you with a down to
your up, or vice versa. MIDI learn is
supported too, so you can map
hardware controllers to sections in
order to change pulse settings or effect
levels in real time, for example.
Although targeted at the many
people making uptempo electronic
music, The Riser is an interesting
instrument in its own right. So although
it is perfect for electronic transitions,
you can get even more creative by
slowing things down and getting a more
ethereal, pulsing sound out of it. Some
people will no doubt ask why they
would buy a synth that just did
transitions, so the affordability
definitely helps here, and Id also
suggest that it will save producers a lot
of time automating LFOs and pitchbend CCs. MTF
MTF Verdict
+ Excellent for all kinds of
electronic transitions
+ Easy to learn, fun to use
+ Saves a load of time
+ Could also be used for sound
design
+ Very affordable
+ Beefs up your electronic tracks
- Its best at transitions, so for a
more generalist synth, look
elsewhere
Even if youre doing experimental
stuff its well worth a look for the
creative possibilities it offers.
9/10
MT140.Rev.Riser.indd 99
| 99
30/04/2015 09:52
MTF Reviews Dynaudio BM Compact MkIII
Details
Price Compact MkIII
514 (each)
BM9S II 946
Contact TC Electronic
0800 9178926
Web www.dynaudio.
com
Key Features
BM COMPACT
MKIII
50W LF and 50W
HF RMS
Class D amplifier
with DSP
crossover
116dB SPL peak
power output
Frequency:
49Hz-24kHz
HF, MF, LF
analogue room
filters
High-pass filters
at 60/80Hz
for subwoofer
matching
Input sensitivity
switch
Extended
excursion 5.7in
woofer with pure
aluminium voice
coil
1.1in soft dome
tweeter with
pure aluminium
voice coil
XLR and RCA
inputs
Bundled with
IsoAcoustics
ISO-L8R155
speaker stand
BM9S II
SUBWOOFER
10in woofer with
pure aluminium
voice coil
200W at 4 ohm
Phase
adjustment in 0
/ 180
Auto on/off
Selectable LFE
or slave mode
Discrete LFE
input
Slave output for
linking
Adjustment of
low-pass corner
frequencies (50150Hz)
Frequency
response: 29Hz250Hz
SAT/SUB highpass adjustment
Flat, 60Hz, 80Hz
DYNAUDIO
BM Compact
MkIII
Dynaudio has made plenty of changes for the third
generation BM Series, approaching the redesign
from an overall system point of view. Huw Price
tests the Compact MkIII
he BM Compact MkIII is the

newest and smallest addition
to Dynaudios BM Series. Its
described as a premium
quality, small-format near-field
monitor. A new low frequency driver has
been installed for the Compact, using
technology taken from Dynaudios Air 25
Series, and it features ultra lightweight
aluminium wire and a small aluminium
voice coil for greater excursion.
As a result of a partnership between
IsoAcoustics and Dynaudio, every
MT142.REV Dynamo MKIII.indd 100
monitor in the BM series comes

bundled with a Dynaudio branded
ISO-L8R stand. As well as acoustically
isolating the speakers from any surface
theyre place on, these stands enable
you to adjust the angle of your monitors
to match your listening position.
Dynaudio chose them because they
think theyre the best and most flexible
product on the market and, having
owned a pair for a few years, were not
disputing that assessment. Wallmounting brackets specially designed
for the BM Series are also available, if

thats more your thing.
Audio inputs are made via balanced
XLR or unbalanced RCA, and a
three-position level switch (-10, 0 and
+4dB) is preferred to a rotary volume
control. Accompanying the on/off
theres a power mode switch for auto
sleep or permanent on status.
The bass can be boosted or cut by
2dB at 60Hz or 80Hz, but the Flat
setting is recommended unless youre
using the Compact BM MkIII with a
subwoofer. Although the frequency
points are not specified, the treble can
be adjusted by 1dB either side of flat,
and the midrange can be attenuated by
2dB or 4dB. The Remote socket also
enables users to connect a Dynaudio
Volume Box level controller.
The lowdown
The BM Series includes two
Subwoofers: the BM14S II, and the
smaller BM9S II that was sent for this
review. A 200W Class D amplifier feeds
a 10in woofer in an infinite baffle
enclosure. There are two operating
modes: LFE and Sat/Sub, with different
inputs for each plus a Slave output.
Rotary controls are provided for Gain
and Sub Lowpass with a range from 50-
FOCUS
13/05/2015 11:12
Dynaudio BM Compact MkIII Technique MTF
drums being harder to discern. Lead

vocals also sit noticeably deeper in
the mix than they might on other
monitor systems.
Dynaudios Fred Speckeen
acknowledges these midrange
characteristics but assures us that the
Compacts response is flat when
deployed in acoustically flat rooms and
advises applying the midrange filtering
in less-than-ideal spaces. We found it
helped, but the frequency centre of
the cut seemed slightly above the
problem area.
All together now
150Hz. The Flat/60Hz/80Hz settings of

the high-pass filter correspond to the
Compacts, and theres a polarity switch
to help with system integration.
We performed listening tests in two
stages, with and without the subwoofer.
As a regular stereo pair the Compacts
combine a wide soundstage with the

full low midrange and strong upper
bass that many might associate with
the brand.
The big, impressive, up front and
informative sound is genuinely
pleasurable to experience. However the
The big, impressive, up front and

informative sound is genuinely
pleasurable to experience
Alternatives
The Focal CMS 50 (418 each) and CMS 65
(550 each) can be combined with the Focal
CMS Sub (629). EVE Audio offer the SC207
(458 each) and SC208 (534 each) with a
range of four subwoofers: the TS107, TS108,
TS110 and TS112 (300, 450, 595 and 756).
Compacts sound does have a degree of

character, which may require an
acclimatisation period. For instance,
the fulsome low mids seem to dominate
the upper midrange to some degree,
resulting in mix elements such as room
ambience and the shell tones of snare
Setting up the sub was a breeze and we

set the bass roll-off and high-pass filter
to 80Hz for the Compacts and BM9S II,
respectively. The gain level of the sub
was adjusted by ear, and very little was
needed to achieve a balanced sound.
Sweeping through the bass range with
an oscillator showed that the system
performed smoothly with no peaks or
troughs from 110Hz down to 30Hz.
Although the Compact MkIII is an
accomplished speaker on its own, we
found that the addition of the BM9S
elevated its performance. There was an
immediate improvement in clarity,
image depth and imaging. Most
importantly the midrange detail was
significantly enhanced. The Compact
worked superbly with the BM9S II, so if
your budget will stretch to it, buying the
entire system would definitely be the
preferable option. MTF
MTF Verdict
+ Full system sounds superb
+ Bundled with superb isolator
stands
+ Danish style and build quality
+ EQ adjustment
+ Easy hook-up
+ Auto standby
- Compact needs sub to deliver full
potential
A high quality near-field that works
even better in conjunction with the
matching BM9S subwoofer.
Compact MkIII alone

Compact MkIII + BM9S II
8/10
9/10
MT142.REV Dynamo MKIII.indd 101
| 101
13/05/2015 11:12
MTF Reviews MeldaProduction MPowerSynth
Alternatives
NIs Reaktor 5 at 339 is literally a software design environment, and as
such is a pretty serious proposition, even if it does come with over 70
ensembles. Alternatively you may want to opt for one of the individual
third-party ensemble synths that have been designed to run in Reaktor
Player, the free version. This omits much of the construction technology
while still letting you tweak and play your synths.
MELDAPRODUCTION
whole thing at once, or just the settings

for one filter, and everything inbetween. Its a nice touch that means
you can make subtle changes easily.
macro controls assigned to standard

MIDI controllers, and you can import
more of your own. The presets cover a
wide range of sounds from deep basses
through spiky keys, warm atmospheres
and scary sequences. The sequences
are particularly cool thanks to the
arpeggiator which is able to generate
useable patterns, and you can modify
these or randomize new ones.
Start a tab
Power up
Most of the sound sections are

managed by tabs running along the top.
As well as a global ADSR section youll
find two filter sections with a choice of
over 100 filter types and a noise
section, all with lots of fine detailed
controls. To the far right is an advanced
FX section. A grid matrix lets you load
up multiple effects. This is immensely
powerful and reminiscent of modular
synth systems such as Reaktor, albeit
on a more manageable scale. There are
also utilities and building blocks that
can be introduced to create specific
routings. Each effect has adjustable
settings of its own, and of course theres
randomization options at all levels too.
Along the base is a row of eight
modulators, assignable to pretty much
anything using LFO, envelope or random
generators. Click on any one to open its
control section MIDI learn is fully
supported here too. Theres a
polyphonic arpeggiator in the bottom
right hand corner, with a wide array of
controls including type, velocity, octave,
length and probability. Draw notes in
with the mouse, choose a preset or
randomize it. You can add a limiter to
the output, control oversampling and
A/B a preset as well as storing and
flipping between up to eight different
sounds per instance.
There are 1500 presets grouped into
categories. Each one has at least four
MPowerSynth lives up to the power

part of its name. Theres a vast depth of
programming and editing capacity here:
every section has detailed and almost
infinitely tweakable controls. To get the
most out of it youll need to spend some
time digging around, and if you dont
know much about synthesis youll learn
a lot in the process. Thats not to say its
only for experts: beginners and
intermediate users will find much to
like as well. Its a serious synth that
rewards some investment of effort, but
crucially it sounds great. MTF
MPowerSynth
Melda has a reputation for making
great effects, but how does its first fully
fledged synth sound? Hollin Jones
road tests MPowerSynth
eldaProduction makes a
huge range of effect
plug-ins, and now it has
used its experience
making audio processors to produce
MPowerSynth, its first synthesizer. It
comes in all major formats for Mac and
PC, and theres a free trial version. It
also shares the free-for-life updates of
other Melda stuff.
Get busy
MPowerSynth has an advanced
interface with a ton of functionality.
Sections and controls are arranged
thoughtfully so that youll get to know
your way around in no time. The look is
the same, slightly clinical appearance
of its siblings and with so many
different sections it can feel more like
youre using a whole app than a synth.
As usual its possible to heavily
customize the appearance of the
plug-in using its preferences.
There are three oscillators, including
multiple wave shapes or harmonic
generation, the ability to load your own
samples to use as the basis of sound
generation plus the option to
manipulate the shape. Inside the synth
there are randomizer buttons which you
can use to generate new shapes for
inspiration. These appear at various
levels, so its possible to randomize the
MT144.REV-Melda.indd 102
Details
Price 199
Distributor
MeldaProduction
Contact Via website
Web www.
meldaproduction.
com
Minimum System
Requirements
Windows
Windows XP/Vista/7/8
(32 & 64)
VST/VST3 compatible
host
Mac OS X
Mac OS X (10.5+,
32 & 64)
VST/VST3/AU
compatible host
Intel CPU
Key Features
Multi-platform,
multi-format
Over 1500
presets
Advanced
effects matrix
Over 100 filters
Eight modulator
sections
Configurable
interface
Polyphonic
arpeggiator
Up to 16x
oversampling
Aliasing-free
oscillators
MTF Verdict
+ Incredibly powerful
+ Sounds great
+ Insane depth of programmability
+ Excellent effects section
+ Learn about synthesis
+ Randomizers are very useful
+ Versatile mod section
+ Covers a lot of musical ground
- Rewards some time spent
learning about synthesis
- A lot of pop-out sections
- Some find the look a little clinical
An extraordinarily powerful synth
with literally endless
programmability. Good presets, but
design your own sounds to really
get the most out of it.
8/10
FOCUS
13/05/2015 11:55
Vienna Symphonic Library Vienna Solo Voices Reviews MTF
Alternatives
Zero-G Vocaloid 2 Prima (82) is a virtual female
operatic vocalist modelled on the voice of a
soprano singer synthesized singing.
From the same product range comes Tonio
(49), which covers the tenor and baritone
vocal ranges. The Voice of Rapture category,
from Soundiron, features soprano, tenor and
bass ($119).
Choice
9/10
9
9/
10
VIENNA SYMPHONIC LIBRARY
Vienna Solo Voices

If pop and sampled new age solo
voices dont suit your production, why
not consider classical? Keith Gemmell
raises his voice
everal virtual instruments have

been released lately featuring
solo voices. Most, though, are
only suitable for pop or new age
styles. Classical voices are much harder
to source so where do we look? First
call has to be the Vienna Symphonic
Library. Vienna Choir was released five
years ago and its been a long wait for
the Vienna Solo Voices, which went on
sale at the beginning of this year.
The product is sold in two parts: a
Standard Library and an Extended
Library. Whether you buy the Standard
Library or both together (Full Library),
the entire content of the Full Library will
be installed. Depending on the licence
you buy, the Activation Code unlocks the
corresponding portion of your library.
The vowel sounds AA (aah) are in the
Standard Library, and probably the
most useful. The articulations are aa,
pa, ra, sa and ta. UU (ooh) sounds are
contained in the Extended Library,
which costs extra. Articulations here
are uu, tu, pu, ru, and su. The package
includes the Vienna Instrument player,
both plug-in and standalone versions.
Prima donnas
There are four female voices: coloratura
soprano, soprano, mezzo soprano and
alto. They all sound good and are subtly
Details
Price Standard
Library: 295;
Extended Library
490
Contact
via website
Web
www.vsl.co.at
Minimum System
Requirements
PC Windows 7
(32/64-bit)
Mac OS X 10.8
2GB RAM (4GB
recommended)
Key features
Three soprano
voices (female)
Alto voice
(female)
Tenor, baritone,
bass voices
(male)
AA and UU vowel
sounds
Extensive
articulations
Vienna
Instruments
player
distinctive from each other in tone and

range. Perhaps the best is the
coloratura soprano, which in the real
world is typically chosen for operatic
roles where melodic embellishment
and much agility is required.
The coloratura here is certainly agile
and responds to fast runs and leaps
beautifully. Shes dynamically
responsive, too, with glass shattering
capabilities at her highest and loudest,
but soft enough when required for
cooing a gentle lullaby. This is due, no
doubt, to the careful adjustment of
loudness within each articulations
velocity layers so that low notes sound
softer than the higher ones at the same
velocity level. There are three male
voices too: tenor, baritone and bass
which round up the main vocal
content. Each one of them proved every
bit as good as the female contributions.
Huge cinematic choirs are very
much in vogue at present. Their use is
restricted mainly to background pad
work or chanting and therefore avoid
the scrutiny of upfront listening. It is a
brave developer, then, that dares to
compile a sample library of solo
classical voices where every syllable
will be clearly heard. VSL, though, has
pulled it off here for sure. The results
are really very impressive.
That said, achieving convincing
results requires a lot of work on your
part: extensive user control and careful
editing within the Vienna Instrument
player gets the best sounds.
Fortunately, there are plenty of controls
for editing the individual samples and
delicately shaping the overall

performance of the voices.
Of course, a sampled vocal set is
never going to sound totally realistic, no
matter how good, because of the lack of
words. Some developers go some way
to improving this with word builders but
they rarely sound convincing unless
theyre set way back in the mix.
This is never going to be a massively
popular library but is sure to sell well to
composers of classical music, and will
certainly enhance VSLs existing high
reputation. Solo voices along with a
good choir library can make an
impressive combination, and cinematic
composers who might at first pass this
library by would be wise to give it a
second listen. Incidentally, if you already
own Vienna Choir and like it, youll not
be disappointed with Vienna Solo
Voices. Both libraries operate similarly
and blend very well.
Whistle blower
At this point, its worth mentioning VSLs
other new vocal product, Vienna
Whistler (55). During a recording
session, VSL discovered that one of
their blowers, horn player Marcus
Schmidinger, was a virtuoso whistler. So
they recorded him performing a wide
range of articulations. The result is a
brilliant little virtual instrument thats
great fun to work with and sure to bring
a smile to many a composers face. MTF
MTF Verdict
+ Seven classical voices
+ Excellent coloratura soprano
+ Blends well with Vienna Choir
- Lacks word building
- Standard Library only contains AA
articulations (Extended Library
contains UU articulations)
Being classical, they wont be to
everyones taste but the Vienna
Solo Voices are beautifully sung,
meticulously recorded and, as a
collection of seven individual
singers, the best you can get. Highly
suited to detailed classical work
and, to a lesser extent, for
cinematic work.
9/10
MT145.Rev SoloVoices.indd 103
| 103
13/05/2015 12:06
MTF Reviews iZotope Ozone 6, Ozone 6 Advanced
Alternatives
IK Multimedias
T-RackS Grand
(319) takes a
different approach
and offers a
comprehensive
collection of vintage
and modern
processors aimed
at mastering, with
the option to
expand with new
modules.
Alternatively, you
could look at the
FabFilter Pro
Bundle (449),
which will give you
six phenomenal
plug-ins to cover
most mixing and
mastering bases.
Value
iZotope
Ozone 6,
Ozone 6 Advanced
Has iZotope managed to improve on the already
excellent Ozone 5 Mastering software with its latest
release? Alex Holmes gets his head in the clouds
zone from iZotope has become

a staple of many a producers
plug-in collection, offering
mastering tools in an easy-touse package. Although the move to
version 5 saw a great many
improvements and new features
added, version 6 is possibly the most
dramatic face-lift yet.
Stand by me
The biggest change is that Ozone and
Ozone Advanced can now run in
standalone mode and can also host
other VST and AU plug-ins, so youre no
longer tied to working inside a DAW. You
have six slots available and can easily
drag, drop and rearrange modules,
which is a big improvement on the
previous method.
The same modules are present from
before and include EQ, Post EQ,
Dynamics, Stereo Imager, Exciter, and
Maximizer, but the Reverb module has
been removed entirely. Other new
features include new shapes and a
slider to control the phase of each band
in the EQ module, a streamlined Match
EQ, plus an excellent new Dynamic EQ
module in the Advanced version that
MT142.Rev Ozone.indd 104
enables you to precisely control the

dynamics of a specific band.
The GUI itself has had a complete
overhaul, and many of the features
have been moved around to make
things more intuitive, such as having
the stereo and M/S controls at the side,
and a separate section for dithering.
The regular version of Ozone 6 has
in fact been fleshed out to include
several features that were previously
only available in the Advanced version,
such as the additional Triode and Dual
Triode Exciter modes, and the Transient
Emphasis feature in the Maximizer
module. This makes Ozone 6 a very
attractive proposition to newcomers or
those looking to upgrade from Ozone 5.
Missing in action
Unfortunately, the same cant be said
for Ozone 6 Advanced, which seems to
be a bit of a downgrade. For starters,
the aforementioned Reverb module is
no longer present, and although some
may argue that reverb has no place in
mastering, others would say its an
essential tool. Looking deeper reveals
that the hard and soft mode on the
Maximizer has been removed, theres
only one dither algorithm (MBIT+),

there are no scaling sliders to adjust
the overall amounts of each effect,
there are no presets for the individual
modules (apart from the standalone
plug-in versions), and the preset list is
much smaller.
Also, you can now only have one
snapshot saved, making it harder to
reference multiple tracks; the meter
bridge has now gone (although you still
get the Insight Analysis suite); and the
dynamics module no longer has
gating. There are also some odd
choices, such as re-calibrating the
Exciter, so that its capable of doing
more damage, and also the gain trace
meter on the Maximizer so that its
completely useless for checking
subtle limiting.
Still got it?
Details
Price 149 (Ozone
6), 599.03 (Ozone
6 Advanced), 209
(upgrade from 5 Adv
to 6 Adv)
Contact +44(0) 1837
55200
Web
www.timespace.com
Minimum System
Requirements
Windows 7 or 8
AAX, RTAS/
AudioSuite, VST and
VST 3
OS X 10.7 or later
(Intel-based Macs
only)
AAX, RTAS/
AudioSuite, VST, VST 3
and Audio Unit
Key Features
Mastering
suite with EQ,
dynamics,
exciter, stereo
imaging and
maximizer
Advanced
includes
Dynamic EQ
module and
Insight Metering
Suite
Works as a
plug-in, or in
standalone
mode
Standalone can
host third-party
plug-ins
Crisp new GUI
and intuitive use
In terms of the sound quality, to our

ears, it is possibly a little bit clearer and
more open, but at the cost of a slightly
higher CPU hit.
Ozone 6 is an incredibly well crafted
piece of software that sounds great and
is now even easier to use. If youre new
to mastering or to Ozone, then we have
no hesitation in recommending Ozone 6
to get you started. Were less keen to
recommend it as an upgrade for users
of Ozone 5 Advanced, however, as you
are essentially paying extra to have a
load of key features and flexibility
removed from the program. MTF
MTF Verdict
+ The regular version of Ozone 6 is
great value
+ Standalone version offers a more
streamlined way to master
+ Loading third-party plug-ins
opens up the flexibility
+ Clearer GUI and excellent new
Dynamic EQ Module
+ Insight Metering Suite still a
decent addition
- Reverb Module has been removed
- No module presets
- Several other features removed
from Advanced version
- No MP3 export in standalone
Ozone 6 is still the most intuitive
piece of software for mastering
your tracks at home, with a great
new GUI, crisper sound, and a
useful standalone version. Were
less keen on some of the choices
made to streamline the Advanced
version, but hopefully some can be
added back in a future update.
9/10
Ozone 6 Advanced 7/10
Ozone 6
FOCUS
13/05/2015 11:32
Munro Sonic Egg 150 Reviews MTF
Alternatives
The Egg 150s are a great pair of monitors, but
theyre up against some tough competition at
this price point. Some of our favourites in this
range include the Unity Audio Rock MkII, Focal
SM6 and Genelec 8050s.
MUNRO SONIC
Choice
9/10
9
9/
10
Egg 150
Monitoring System
The Andy Munro-designed Egg
monitoring system is now built in the
UK, Mike Hillier cracks the case
uperficially, the new Munro

Sonic Egg 150 Monitoring
System, although now
manufactured in Britain, is
much the same as the old sE Munro
system of the same name. The
egg-shaped speakers are the same
design, and the same materials. Even
the drivers themselves are the same
model, although its now purchased
through Germany where an extra layer
of quality-control should ensure less
variability between models. In fact the
only real change to the speakers
themselves is the logo on the front and
the sticker on the rear. The system
comes, as before, with its own separate
dedicated power amplifier, and again
this looks to be the same. The amplifier
has Main and Aux channels, a
headphone amp, and a midrange EQ
switch. There are some minor cosmetic
changes to the amp, but they only hint
at the real work which has been done
under the hood.
Brains behind the brawn

Its inside the amp that Munro Sonic
has done all of the work on this revision
of the Egg system. Munro Sonic has
taken advice from users and widened
the midrange notch on the Hard/Soft
control. While it only boosts or cuts the
mids around 2kHz by +/-1.5dB, its now
far less subtle than before, due to this
Details
Price 1999
Contact
Sonic Distribution
0845 500 2500
Web
www.munrosonic.com
extra bandwidth. The two volume knobs

now have a centre detent, which makes
setting the two channels to the same
level for A/Bing easy. Its also useful for
ensuring you always monitor at the
same level. However, we felt that it was
perhaps too loud for regular monitoring
and would have preferred something a
good 10-15dB lower.
On the rear of the amp, Munro Sonic
has added trim pots for high- and
low-filters. The low trim in particular is
very useful for countering room
acoustic issues.
While adding all these features
Munro Sonic has also redesigned the
amp circuitry itself, claiming extra
punch in the low-end. And the thump
when turning the amp off, which
plagued users of the old model, has
been eliminated.
Listen closely
Key Features
6.5in (165mm)
polypropylene
LF driver
1in (25mm) silk
dome HF driver
Four 50W RMS
power amps
Balanced XLR
Main inputs
Unbalanced RCA
Aux inputs
Headphone amp
45Hz-20kHz
frequency
response
HF and LF
calibration
MF control
Weve had a pair of Eggs in our studio

for a few years now, so were pretty
familiar with the sound. Switching over
to the new models isnt a massive step;
the overall tonality is very similar. The
low-end feels more punchy than before:
its not as if there is any more, or that it
extends further, it just seems to
respond faster, which makes the
bottom end sound a little more alive.
This in turn leaves the low-mids
sounding less strained, making it easier
to make fine EQ decisions in this area.
The LED lights which aid in
positioning the speakers perfectly for
your mix position ensure that youre sat
absolutely in the sweet spot. This
results in an exceptional sound field,

with instruments really occupying
specific positions in space around the
studio, seemingly both in front of and
behind the speakers themselves.
We found the old Mid EQ switch to
be a useful tool. The Soft, hi-fi mode,
which cuts the midrange, producing a
subtle smile-curve, made the monitors
easy to listen to for long periods when
writing and coming up with musical
ideas. For mixing and mastering we
kept the switch in its neutral position,
flicking occasionally to the Hard,
mid-forward mode to focus in on the
interaction in the mid-frequencies
between the vocals and guitars. With
the newer wider curves the Eggs are
easier to listen to in the Soft, hi-fi mode.
For writing and producing we see this
as a great benefit.
In Hard mode, more frequencies are
now pushed forward, which makes it a
little trickier to narrow down the
problem frequencies in the 2kHz region,
as the 1kHz region is also pushed. This
will come down to personal preference
however, and our own preference is
likely to switch as we get used to the
new curve.
A good egg
By including the midrange EQ option
the Eggs are able to serve multiple
purposes, making them an excellent
choice for project studios who are on a
budget that might not want to invest in
multiple monitors, but still want a
high-end solution.
Existing owners of Egg Monitoring
Systems are able to upgrade to the new
amp by contacting Munro Sonic directly,
at a cost of 699. Munro Sonic will swap
out the old amp for the new one with a
full two year warranty. MTF
MTF Verdict
+ Tighter, more focussed bass
+ Clearer mid-range
+ Crystal clear imaging
+ Deep soundstage
- No digital input
- Aux channel unbalanced only
The new Egg 150 monitoring system
is a solid improvement on an
already great pair of monitors.
9/10
MT144.REV-Munro.indd 105
| 105
13/05/2015 11:56
MTF Reviews FabFilter Pro-Q 2
Alternatively
EQ matching is starting to become a little
more common with many plug-ins providing
the feature, including Match EQ in Logic and
iZotopes Ozone. For a slightly different take,
Pro Audio DSM V2 does matching using
dynamic EQ, which allows it to capture not
only the spectrum, but also the dynamics of
each band.
FabFilter
Excellence
10/10
Pro-Q 2
FabFilter has quickly become many
digital engineers favourite brand. Mike
Hillier explores its new plug-in EQ.
Details
Price 124
Contact info@
fabfilter.com
Web
www.fabfilter.com
Minimum System
Requirements
PC Windows XP, Vista,
7 or 8, AAX, RTAS or
VST host
Mac Intel processor,
OSX 10.5 or higher, AU,
AAX, RTAS or VST host
e first used FabFilter Pro-Q

in early 2010, when we
predicted that it would
become a staple of our
music production process. Little did we
expect that nearly five years later Pro-Q
is still the first EQ we turn to, for just
about any task, whether mixing or
mastering, subtractive or additive. With
such a great EQ already in their
collection what did FabFilter think
could be done to justify a new version?
Not just a pretty UI
Key Features
Up to 24 bands
Three latency/
phase modes
Up to 96dB/oct
filters
EQ Match
Spectrum Grab
The most striking feature of all

FabFilter plug-ins has been the
incredibly intuitive user interface.
Nothing here has been designed to look
like an old analogue processor.
Everything has been done to take full
advantage of the digital plug-in
paradigm and in Pro-Q2 you can even
change the plug-in size, or jump to
full-screen mode.
A real-time spectrum analyser is
laid underneath the EQ frequency
chart, enabling you to quickly see what
frequencies are present and how your
EQ decisions impact on that. Adding
and altering frequency bands can be
done directly from the frequency chart,
with more detailed options available
from a pop-up window as you click on
the icon for each band. In Pro-Q2
however you can hover over the
frequency chart and freeze it, then click
MT142.Rev Fabfilter.indd 106
on any spike in the chart and Pro-Q2

will automatically add a new EQ band
with the centre-frequency and
bandwidth (Q) already set to match that
of the frequency spike. This makes it
very simple to quickly find and remove
unwanted resonances.
Furthermore you can grab the
frequency curve from a sidechained
signal and then, using the new EQ
match function, shape your own signal
to match that of the incoming one.
We used this to match an
unmastered instrumental to the
mastered full version of a track that
was sent to us, leaving only a little
compression and limiting for us to do to
finish the instrumental master and the
client unable to tell the difference. It
could also be used to match signals
from different recording sessions in the
same track, or to quickly get to a sound
you like by matching a sound you
already have from elsewhere.
We have also found the EQ match
very useful as an educational tool, as it
enables budding engineers to see what
EQ can and cannot achieve, and what
bands are important for what task.
Depending on how close you want the
sound to be when matching you can
dial in more, or fewer EQ bands, up to
24 bands. It is worth noting, however,
that the sidechains will be a mono
signal, so you may want to process the
left and right sides separately.
In addition to these new usability
features, FabFilter has also updated
the EQ algorithms themselves. The new
version can be set to Linear Phase,
Natural Phase or Zero Latency. Each of
these has a very different response
with Natural Phase having the most

pleasing, natural sound. Zero Latency
mode compromises a little smoothness
in the phase response for an EQ that
can be used with no latency issues at
all, while Linear Phase has a huge
latency (around 5,000 samples at
44.1kHz), and some pre-ringing issues
in the low-end, but ensures maximum
phase coherence when working with
multiple miced sources.
The EQ options have been improved
too. Theres a new Tilt shelving filter,
which boosts at one side of the tilt
point, while cutting the other. And the
existing filters now have a selection of
shapes from 12dB/oct up to 96dB/oct.
When applied to a standard bellshaped filter, the 96dB/oct option
squares off the response at the bottom
of the bell, while sharpening the sides.
This has the effect of letting you scoop
big chunks out of the frequency
spectrum without any processing to the
signal at either side of the bell.
Desert Island EQ
For all the eye-catching new features in
Pro-Q2, its the ease-of-use, and great
sounding results that make us keep
coming back to this over many of our
other EQs. Whether its detailed carving
out of problematic resonances, or
broad brush enhancing, Pro-Q2 is more
than up to the task. In Natural Phase
mode the bottom end has enough
weight to stand up alongside any
Pultec-clone/emulation, while the
top-end is so smooth that it is easy to
boost here without much of the
harshness that is often associated with
digital EQs. We have no doubt this time
that Pro-Q2 is set to be our go-to EQ for
some time to come. MTF
MTF Verdict
+ Easy-to-use
+ Great educational tool
+ Powerful EQ options
+ Great natural sounding filters
FabFilter Pro-Q2 is sure to be the
first plug-in we add to almost every
channel on every mix we do for the
next few years. Absolutely brilliant.
10/10
FOCUS
13/05/2015 11:25
iZotope Iris 2 Reviews MTF
Alternatives
There arent really any other options that offer
quite the same feature set as Iris 2. If youre
looking for a visual type of synthesis using
images then you could check out Image-Lines
Harmor (120), or for flexible resynthesis try
Camel Audios Alchemy (179). Both of these
will probably provide better time- and
pitch-stretching, but arent as quick or
intuitive for building found sound patches.
iZotope
Iris 2
Value
Sampling has been around for several

decades, but programs such as Iris are
still finding new ways to work with
audio. Can Iris 2 improve on the
original? Alex Holmes looks deeper
Details
Price 209 (full
version), 89.95
(upgrade)
Contact Time+Space
01837 55200
Web www.timespace.
com
Minimum system
requirements
PC: Windows 7 and 8
(32-bit & 64-bit)
Mac: OS X 10.6 or later
(Intel-based Macs
only)
Key Features
Unique
spectrogrambased sampler
11GB library of
patches and
samples
New highly
flexible
modulation
system
Redesigned,
dynamic GUI
AU, VST, VST3,
AAX, RTAS or
standalone
operation
ris from iZotope turned many a head

when it was released a few years
back, with its novel graphic selection
method offering a new take on
sampling. Instead of merely selecting
broad slabs of audio to build your
instruments you could go in with a
surgeons precision and take tiny
elements using familiar drawing tools
usually found in graphics programs to
make your selection. And now iZotope
is back with a redesigned version
A new lick of paint

The layout and GUI of Iris 2 have been
given a complete overhaul to allow for a
much more flexible, synth-like
modulation system. You now have five
complex LFOs with 20 oscillator
shapes, five envelopes with additional
control over slope curves, eight macro
knobs, and key tracking, velocity,
aftertouch, and mod wheel external
inputs. Each of these can be easily
assigned to any of over 100 parameters
using a simple drag-and-drop system
akin to that used on NIs Massive.
Although you may find yourself having
to jump between different LFO and

envelope tabs to edit settings, its still
one of the most intuitive and elegant
modulation systems weve seen.
Other new features include some
tasty new filter algorithms called New
York and Tokyo, new distortion modes
taken from Trash 2, a global intensity
dial that uses trademark iZotope
compression and limiting to increase
the loudness of the sound, and a small
spectrum analyser view to give a more
visual preview of the output.
For the most part, many of the main
elements remain in place, with the
ability to fill the central spectrogram
view with either a single zoomed audio
file, or all four channels from the audio
pool. You also have the breakout Mix
view to tweak the parameters of each
sample on one screen, but due to the
nature of the new modulation system,
this now lacks control for amp
envelopes and LFOs, which is a shame.
Eye of the beholder

Unfortunately, thats the majority of the
new features. Many hoping for new
drawing tools will be sorely
disappointed, as the main spectral
editing remains exactly the same.
Theres also been no improvement in
the CPU-hungry Radius RT stretching
algorithm, which is now starting to look
a little long in the tooth; and the fact
you can only change the pitch and not
the speed is an added restriction.
However, Iris 2s trump card is the
11GB library of samples and patches
taken from previous packs. Many of the
presets layer multiple samples and
feature good use of modulation and
effects, although some perhaps rely on
the reverb a little too much.
Its a shame then that theres not
some sort of favourites system, as
scrolling through the preset browser

can be a little laborious. Well award
extra points for good use of the macro
controls, though, which make every
preset instantly playable and tweakable as you browse. One deal-breaking
issue for those looking to upgrade from
Iris 1 is that patches made with the
original wont load properly in Iris 2.
However, were told iZotope is working
on a conversion solution as we type.
Greatness still awaits

Of course the true joy and value of this
instrument is in capturing your own
sounds and transforming them into
playable music, melodies and textures;
a task now made even more flexible
with the new modulation system. It
seems odd then that iZotope has
chosen to market Iris 2 as more of a
traditional synth, as this bypasses what
made it unique in the first place. In
many ways we feel reluctant to mark it
down, as the epic sound library alone is
worth the asking price, but its
frustrating that such a potentially
amazing product falls short by failing to
update some key areas. MTF
MTF Verdict
+ Flexible and intuitive new
modulation system
+ Well-designed modular GUI
+ Still an incredibly fun and
creative tool to use
+ Massive patch and sample library
is great value
- Not so great as an upgrade if you
already own the libraries
- Radius RT pitch-shifting needs
updating
- Can be fairly CPU-intensive on
complex patches
- Backwards compatibility issues
with Iris 1 (should be fixed soon)
If youre new to Iris then this is a
fantastic package with a huge
library and a unique instrument
thats more flexible than ever.
However, if you already own Iris 1
and the additional packs, then
theres arguably not a great deal
here worth upgrading for.
8/10
MT144.Rev.iZotopeIris.indd 107
| 107
13/05/2015 11:57
MTF Reviews Tannoy 402 & 802
Details
Price 402: 99 each,
802: 189 each
Contact TC Group
0800 917 8926
Web
www.tannoy.com
Key Features
402
Frequency
response 56Hz48kHz
Max SPL: 101dB
Tweeter: in
soft dome
Woofer: 4in
Total power
output: 50W
Inputs: balanced
XLR, unbalanced
in jack, aux link
mini
HF EQ settings:
-1.5dB HF/
Neutral/+1.5dB
Crossover
frequency:
2.8kHz
Dimensions
(mm): 240 x 147 x
212 (HxWxD)
802
Frequency
response: 42Hz43kHz
Max SPL: 114dB
Tweeter: 1in soft
dome
Woofer: 8in
Bi-amp output
power: RMS
Total power
output: 100W
Inputs: balanced
XLR, unbalanced
in jack, aux link
mini
HF EQ settings:
-1.5dB HF/
neutral/+1.5dB
Crossover
frequency:
1.8kHz
Dimensions
(mm): 390 x 254 x
300 (HxWxD)
TANNOY
Reveal 402 & 802

The new Tannoy Reveal series comprises active
monitors of varying size and power levels that can be
used as studio workhorses or convenient computer
speakers. Huw Price tests the 402 and 802
ts not often that the first thing

that catches our eye when
reviewing a new set of monitors is
a relatively minor feature. But with
the new Tannoy Reveals the woofers are
not only described as being custom
high-efficiency, but they are also poke
resistant. Not something thats usually
a concern of ours, if were honest.
The idea is that if a blunt object
accidentally presses into them they will
spring back rather than remain caved
in. We managed to resist the urge to
test this feature until we had completed
our listening tests, but we can report
that they function as described.
Speak up
Although designed to be used as studio
monitors, the Reveals do have some
features more commonly associated
with computer speakers. Besides the
balanced XLR and unbalanced jack
inputs, theres a stereo mini jack input
for mobile devices. Theres also a
monitor link socket and a 16ft cable to
join one speaker to the other with a
position switch to determine which is
left and right.
MT142.Rev Tannoy+minis.indd 108
Equalisation adjustment is
restricted to a three-way switch with Hi
Boost/Neutral/Hi Cut settings. The 402
has 50W of bi-amp power distributed
evenly between the drive units. The 802
has 100W, with 75W going to the woofer
and 25W to the tweeter. The 802s
Choice
9/10
9
9/
10
a fairly rapid roll-off. You may notice a
peak around the 120Hz mark, but its
pretty much in line with what you would
expect from small, low-budget
near-fields with front ports. We had
expected some wind noise too, but to
Tannoys credit they have managed to
The 402 has ample power,

great looks and impressive
sound quality for its price
crossover frequency is 1.8kHz rather
than 2.8kHz and both monitors have
indented volume controls.
You know things are getting a bit
silly when you can get speakers as good
as the 402s for so little money. Sure you
can pick them up on some deficiencies
here and there if you want to be hyper
critical, but the frequency balance,
imaging and clarity of them create a
very good overall impression.
The bass remains solid and even
down to 50Hz or so, below which theres
engineer out any port chuffing.

The treble sounds smooth and
un-hyped, so we experienced no sense
of fatigue while working with the 402s.
With everything set flat the midrange
did sound just slightly too fat and
fulsome in our semi-damped listening
room, so we decided to try the treble
boost and preferred the result because
the midrange sounded clearer and the
solidity of the stereo imaging improved.
The only downside worth mentioning
is a slight sluggishness to the bass.
FOCUS
13/05/2015 11:34
Tannoy 402 & 802 Reviews MTF
Given the diminutive cabinet size its

certainly deep and powerful enough,
but the upper midrange hump does
seem to slow things down, and very low
basslines dont track quite as well as
they might. Then again, were comparing
the 402s performance with speakers
costing two or three times more.
slightly vague stereo imaging.

These models represent a lot of
speaker for the money. The 402 has
ample power, great looks and
impressive sound quality for its price
point. The 802 also has much to
recommend but it is considerably more
expensive, and having a sonic character
that is perhaps more entertaining than
it is accurate may not suit everybody. MTF
Big brother
The most obvious differences between
the 402 and the 802 are loads more
volume and loads more bass. Other
than that, theres no mistaking the fact
that these speakers come from the
same series. Once again we have an
upper bass hump around 120Hz,
although its slightly less noticeable
because the 802s hump is spread over
a wider frequency range.
Deeper bass goes along with the
larger cabinet. The roll-off starts around
50Hz, or just below, but the slope is far
more gradual and the 802s continue to
push air down to around 35Hz. These
speakers will effortlessly fill a
small-to-medium-sized room with
sound, and the extra volume that they
produce makes it easier to overlook the
MTF Verdict
+ Impressive sound quality
+ Plenty of power
+ Professional look
+ Connectivity options
+ Indented volume control
- Power switch on back
- No auto standby/power saving
- No bass control
- Slight upper bass hump
- Soundstage lacks depth
Alternatives
The 402 goes up against the Yamaha HS5 (121 each), Samson Resolv
SE5 (119 each), PreSonus Eris 5 (124.99 each) and the KRK RP5 RoKit
G3 (239 pair). Meanwhile the 802 mixes it up with the Fostex PM 841
(189 each), Mackie MR8 Mk2 (195 each), KRK RoKit G3 (195 each) and
PreSonus Eris 8 (337 pair).
VolumeShaper 4
Price 30
Contact contact@cableguys.de
olumeShaper 4 is an
LFO-driven modulation
effect that lets you draw up
to 40 points on top of an
oscilloscope display, allowing you
to create tempo-synched gates,
highly-flexible sidechain ducking,
and transient shaping. This latest
version features a streamlined
interface, cloud preset sharing,
plus a new multiband function that
lets you have different volume
shapes on up to three bands. You
can select the crossover frequency
and slope in the bottom left of the
GUI, with a spectrum in the
background to help your decisions.
This allows you to do both
frequency specific ducking and
control, or more wild and creative
effects. You can also take the LFO
speed up into the audio realm for
bit-crushed style distortions, and
trigger via MIDI. Although it would
Key Features
LFO-driven
volume
modulation
effect, AU & VST
3 Adjustable
frequency bands
Up to 40
point drawable
waveshape
Cloud preset
sharing
Trigger via
MIDI
402 9/10
802 8/10
Michael
Schack
Hybrid Beats
Session
Publisher Cableguys
Web www.cableguys.de
Fine-sounding monitors with a

range of connection options and
plenty of power.
Publisher Loopmasters
Price 29.95
Contact info@loopmasters.com
Web www.loopmasters.com
Choice
9/10
9
9/
10
be nice to see a dB reduction meter,

overall this is a highly useful and
creative tool. MTF
MTF Verdict
An incredibly useful plug-in for
controlled sidechain ducking
and more. The new multiband mode offers greater
flexibility and the streamlined
GUI makes it easier to use
than ever.
9/10
his pack features a mix of

drum and bass, dubstep
and breakbeat grooves by
in-demand drummer Michael
Schack. Youll find 18 complete
drum tracks with breaks,
variations and fills ranging from
fast, jazzy shuffles and spacious
DnB grooves, to slower and more
spacious dubstep and hip hop
style patterns. There are also 11
kits with accompanying sampler
patches, and 488 MIDI files that
match up to each of the audio
loops. Every loop here is super
tight, yet still retains a live feel
through the use of expertly
recorded and processed
acoustic drums. MTF
Key Features
DnB, dubstep
and breakbeat
drums by
Michael Schack
Over 1GB of
24-bit audio
488 Loops
plus MIDI, 90 178bpm
98 One-shots
and 11 drum kits
Wav, Apple
Loops, Rex, Live
pack & ReFill,
plus NNXT,
EXS24, HALion
and Kontakt
Choice
9/10
9
9/
10
MTF Verdict
A versatile and expertly
played pack of blistering drum
loops and superb fills, with
the addition of MIDI loops
adding greatly to the flexibility
of the package.
9/10
MT142.Rev Tannoy+minis.indd 109
| 109
13/05/2015 11:34
MTF Reviews Native Instruments Rounds
Alternatives
Rounds has a pretty unique approach to
sequencing its synth engines, but iZotopes
Stutter Edit can let you apply crazy tempo-based
sequencing effects to any sound, not just a synth.
You dont get the same style of control as Rounds
but you do get a ton of other stuff, even though its
an effects processor and controller, not a synth.
Innovation
Choice
NATIVE INSTRUMENTS
Rounds
If building complex synth sequences is

your thing, NI has something new that
will be of interest. Hollin Jones does
the Rounds
lthough the NI website does a

good job of explaining the core
of Rounds, its a complex
instrument, and this is perhaps
reflected in its description as an
advanced sequence synthesizer.
Running inside Reakor 5 or Reaktor
Player 5 it correspondingly works in
standalone and plug-in formats and is
available individually or as a part of
Komplete 10. Despite looking relatively
simple it is actually supremely powerful
and requires a bit of homework to really
understand how it works.
Details
Price 89
Distributor
Native Instruments
Contact Via website
Web www.nativeinstruments.com
Minimum System
Requirements
OS X 10.8 or higher
Windows 7 or higher
4GB RAM
Round up
Rounds has two synth engines, one
analogue and one digital, and you can
design up to eight sounds per engine
then animate them using the Voice
Programmer section (more on this in a
moment). The warm-sounding analogue
engine has two oscillators and the
digital one uses three in conjunction
with a two-pole filter. For each of the 16
slots (eight per engine) you can create
completely different sounds by
tweaking the oscillator, filter, mod and
output controls.
So far, so straightforward. But its
when you go to the Voice Programmer
section that things start to get
interesting. Here you have eight blocks,
each one with four cells. Each cell hosts
MT143.Rev Rounds.indd 110
9/10
9
9/
10
one sound that is denoted by the

number shown next to it, and these can
be assigned by clicking from any of the
16 sounds across the two engines. At
the top are five mode buttons that
determine how the instrument plays
back the sounds. You can switch any of
the sound blocks A-H on or off, and
within each one turn any cell on or off.
In Rotate and Rotate Reset modes,
pressing a note moves between the
cells of a block cyclically with varying
behaviour as it jumps between blocks.
In Random mode, playback jumps
between blocks and cells randomly. In
Layer mode a note plays all enabled
cells of a block at the same time, and in
Zone mode the cells of a block are
confined to individual key zones and
played as monophonic instruments.
In addition to these various modes
theres a variable input polyphony
selector that can be set to monochord,
multichord and unison mode, and each
will affect the way that the other
selected modes respond to note input.
Wait, what?!
Key Features
Two synth
engines
16 sound slots
Eight-part Voice
Programmer
Free cell
assignment
Multiple
playback modes
Onboard effects
Standalone or
plug-in
If this all sounds a bit complex, it kind of

is and it takes a little time to wrap your
head round because its a very unique
way of dealing with sequencing.
Probably the most interesting way to
use Rounds is to set its Progress mode
to Sequence (as opposed to Note or
Time) as this creates a tempo-synced
pattern based on the current settings.
You can choose a resolution for the
pattern as well as a reset value.
Progress mode defines how sound
progresses from one block to another
and you can retrigger sounds. Further,
Morph controls let you morph between
Sound Cells of the same synthesizer
engine type while a sequence is played

or when MIDI note information is
received. This means you can create
smoother transitions and glides
between sound cells for a more organic
and less rhythmic effect.
There are configurable delay and
reverb effects, plus MIDI and Macro
control sections to let you make further
edits to the levels, panning and effects
settings of each sound. The Remote
Octave feature maps on/off
assignments for blocks to the white
keys on your keyboard. Cells get
mapped to black keys and you can turn
them on and off in real time.
Heavy hitter
Rounds is capable of some really fat,
lush synth sounds even before you start
sequencing anything, so even used as a
monosynth its pretty impressive. The
Voice Programmer section is where it
really takes flight, though, with a unique
and incredibly powerful system for
sequencing and morphing the different
sounds, creating dynamic, vibrant
sequences that you can either trust to
the presets by modifying existing
patches or build from scratch.
It will take a bit of work to make your
own patches but once you wrap your
head around how Rounds is built you
will see its capable of some truly
stunning results. Complex sequences,
massive sounds and unparalleled
control make this a serious instrument,
but one that can sound fantastic. MTF
MTF Verdict
+ Uniquely powerful sound
sequencing
+ Massive synth sounds
+ Hugely tweakable
+ Create great sequences
+ Presets are excellent
+ Clever performance features
+ Macro control mode
- There is a learning curve
- Something of a new workflow
paradigm for many users
A complex but very powerful
instrument that provides huge
synth sounds and a clever new way
to create dynamic sequences.
9/10
FOCUS
13/05/2015 11:42
Sonokinetic Capriccio Vigorous Orchestral Sampling Reviews MTF
Alternatives
NIs Action Strings (299) is similar to Grosso,
with short ostinato phrases selected with the
left hand, and pitch controlled with the right.
It is, of course, strings only. Hollywoodwinds
($199) is, as you might expect, wind-only, but
contains runs, phrases, chords, textures, trills,
FX and full ensemble patches.
positions remains a simple matter in

the main GUI. Phrase sample and
release sample volumes remain linked
by default but can now be unlinked and
adjusted independently. Another new
feature is the sample offset function
that can be subtly applied for corrective
use or drastically for creative use, such
as polyrhythms and syncopation.
Excellence
10/10
SONOKINETIC
Capriccio - Vigorous
Orchestral Sampling
Sonokinetic is renowned for its excellent
sample-based orchestral sample
libraries and Capriccio looks like its best
yet. Keith Gemmell gets lively
apriccio is the latest product

in what has become an
evolving line of phrase-based
orchestral sample libraries
from Sonokinetic. First came Vivace,
followed by Minimal and Grosso, all of
which have built a solid reputation with
cinematic composers and producers.
If youre already familiar with these
releases, Grosso in particular, youll
soon get the hang of Capriccio because
both libraries share an almost identical
interface and many features. We
reviewed Grosso in MT138, so well
concentrate mainly on the new features
in Capriccio and the key differences
between the two products.
Pick a phrase
The library is grouped into five separate
categories: Strings, Woodwinds, Brass,
Percussion and Melodic Percussion. Its
worth noting that the Choir and the
Transition Builder have not been carried
over from Grosso.
To find a suitable phrase, graphically
shaped icons are used, which give some
Details
Price 299
Contact
via website
Web
www.sonokinetic.net
Minimum System
Requirements
Kontakt 5
Key features
16 and 24-bit
versions
Five recorded
orchestral
sections
Strings: 52
players
Woodwind:
12 players
Percussion:
Six players
Melodic
percussion:
two players
Brass: 15
players
Four recorded
microphone
positions
idea of its melodic and rhythmic

content. However, with so much
material to choose from in Grosso,
finding something suitable could take
some time. This procedure has been
improved with instant audio auditioning
from the Phrase Picker window. To view
the notes, its a straightforward matter
of clicking and peeking at the short
score thats provided for each pattern.
Once in the Score View, by clicking
another button, you can now drag and
drop Capriccios MIDI data into your
DAW, which not only provides you with a
piano roll view of the phrase but also
the ability to edit the data for use with
other sounds in your composition. This
is a very welcome addition that opens
up all kinds of creative possibilities.
Musically, Capriccio is a
continuation of Grosso with the accent
firmly on the cinematic genres. The
phrases are triggered by playing triads
with the left hand. They can also be
harmonically modified on-the-fly with
the right hand. Capriccio was recorded
in 4/4 time as opposed to Grossos 12/8
time signature, which some users found
frustrating. The phrases provide an
excellent basis for further inspiration,
but entire pieces can be constructed
using just the given material.
Adjusting volume, panning,
crossfade times and microphone
Ups and downs

Runs are a common ingredient of much
of the orchestral cinematic music we
hear today. However, playing them and
getting them to fit an existing tempo is
notoriously difficult. Where Grosso
featured a brass and woodwind
transition builder, Capriccio has a Runs
Instrument for woodwind and strings.
An intelligent engine ensures that runs
of different lengths will be played
together and the woodwinds have a set
of subtle variations. The Runs
Instrument itself is played in a similar
way to the main instrument with major
and minor triads: having them played
for you and fitting the song tempo
exactly is a great help if you happen to
be a budding John Williams.
The big question for existing Grosso
users is, will they benefit from adding
Capriccio to their toolbox? We think yes.
Both programs are brilliantly
implemented, highly inspirational and
share the same basic architecture.
Capriccio, though, is larger with a bigger
sound and a more robust performance.
It also features all new content. For
those new to phrase-based sampling
who want to put their toes in the water,
Capriccio is the best you can get. MTF
MTF Verdict
+ Musically stimulating
+ Runs Instrument
+ Quick scoring
- Full PDF score costs extra
- Resource hungry
- Limited mic mixing
If you compose cinematic
orchestral music and youre
suffering from writers block, spend
half an hour with Capriccio it
works wonders.
10/10
MT145.Rev Sonokinetic.indd 111
| 111
13/05/2015 12:07
MTF Reviews Cinesamples Cine Symphony Lite
Choice
9/10
9
9/
//10
Cinesamples
CineSymphony
LITE
CineSymphony LITE is designed
specifically as a lightweight orchestral
sketchpad for composers on the move.
Keith Gemmell gets scribbling
Details
Publisher
Cinesamples
Price $299
Contact via website
Web www.
cinesamples.com
Minimum System
Requirements
PC: Windows 7, 3GB
RAM
Mac: OS X 10.7, 3GB
RAM
Key Features
Recorded at
Sony Pictures
Essential
orchestral
sections
Composers
sketchpad
Students basic
scoring palette
Light on
computer
resources
ith highly detailed

articulations and realistic
sounds, at least one full
scale orchestral library is a
necessity for most modern composers.
Unfortunately, though, they often
require a couple of powerful computers
plus networking software such as
Bidule or VSLs VE PRO 5. All this, of
course, is of little use if you are a
composer on the move.
Whats needed, then, is a lightweight
orchestral setup for laptop sketching,
but there are not many about.
Recognising a gap in the market,
Cinesamples came up with
CineSymphony LITE. Its simple,
lightweight on computer resources and
runs in NIs free Kontakt Player so,
other than your DAW, no additional
software is required.
Six of the best

The full version of CineSymphony was
recorded at Sony Pictures studio in Los
MT143.Rev.Cine.indd 112
Angeles, and this lite version retains all

of its broad, rich cinematic sound.
Naturally, compromises had to be made
and what we have here is a pre-mixed
ensemble library with six essential
patches: strings arco, strings pizzicato,
brass, woodwind, timpani and
percussion (for clarity and convenience,
from this point on in the review, when
we refer to an instrument were really
referring to an instrument section).
The advantages of this system are a
quick workflow, no worries about
spatial positioning, and low RAM and
CPU demands. The obvious
disadvantages are fewer instruments
and articulations, and no legato.
Neither are there any solo instruments,
but thats also the case with the full
version. However, a set of advanced
controls go a fair way towards
alleviating some of these concerns.
Ensemble-based libraries are fairly
commonplace these days but few of
them provide much flexibility when it
comes to mapping the instruments
across the keyboard. CineSymphony
LITE is different in that respect, and as
part of its advanced controls four dials
are used to tailor the pitch ranges of
the individual instruments.
For example, in the woodwinds
patch you get individual control of the
bassoons, clarinets, oboes and flutes.
Likewise, in the strings you have
controls for basses, cellos, violas and
violins. Each instrument is set to its
strongest pitch range by default and
they overlap gradually as you play
across the keyboard. These can be
changed, however, to other settings
within that range. For instance, altering
an instruments crossfade point by
raising or lowering its pitch range
starting point can thicken or thin the
overall sound considerably.
Make arrangements
A Chord Arranger feature is also
available, which automatically assigns
the notes of a chord to their correct
instruments. For example, a widely
spaced triad for brass will have the top
Alternatively
Theres nothing to quite match CineSymphony
LITE for a lightweight setup, flexibility and
huge sound in the orchestral cinematic line.
ProjectSAM Orchestral Essentials (299) is
perhaps the closest option and covers full
orchestra, string, brass, woodwind ensembles
and percussion. Its not as light as
CineSymphony LITE but its not too heavy,
either, and there are more articulations and a
legato instrument for each ensemble.
notes assigned to trumpet/horn, the

middle note to horn/trombone, and the
lower note to trombone/tuba. There are
three settings, light, medium and heavy,
with one, two and three instruments
assigned per note, respectively, for an
increasingly stronger sound.
All the essential controls for a basic
composition are in evidence, with each
patch containing a set of EQ, delay and
reverb controls plus chorus, flanger,
distortion effects and compression.
Round Robin, sample start, stereo
width, and attack and release controls
are also included.
As a musical sketchpad
CineSymphony LITE is a brilliant tool.
Its simple to use, doesnt require
additional software and provides a very
fast workflow with a remarkably
professional cinematic sound. If you
dont own or have never used an
orchestral library before this is an
excellent choice. Its a very wellworn phrase, but sometimes less
really is more.
Because of its inherent simplicity
we reckon a good many students will
also be attracted to this software,
especially with the Cinesamples
educational discounts, details of
which are available at their website. If
you want to easily conduct your
orchestral affairs on the move, then
look no further. MTF
MTF Verdict
+ Lightweight on computer
resources
+ Rich cinematic sound
+ Pre-mixed ensembles easy to
work with
+ Very effective advanced controls
- Limited articulations
- No legato
- No solo instruments
CineSymphony LITE is a brilliant
full-orchestra sketching tool for
cinematic-style composers on the
move or short on time. With every
section covered it also provides a
great starter kit for students and
beginners. Highly recommended.
9/10
FOCUS
13/05/2015 11:43
Audio Technica ATH-M70x Reviews MTF
Closed vs open
The closed vs open headphone debate is quite
straightforward as far as Im concerned.
Closed headphones offer just that: a closed
environment, offering some cancellation of
noise from the outside world (although not as
much as specific noise-cancelling
headphones) and allow little sound to leak
outwards. Therefore youre sitting almost
within the music, perfect for a mix session to
capture all the detail with little external
aggravation. Open headphones, on the other
hand, leak sound out so can be annoying for
anyone sitting near you and allow a more
immersive experience within your
environment. So, maybe these offer a more
live feel, as if the music or band youre
listening to is playing within the world in which
you exist. Some may like this, but for detailed
mixing its closed for me
AUDIO TECHNICA
ATH-M70x
What could possibly be
better than MusicTechs
headphones of 2014?
Maybe their new big
brother? Andy Jones
gets AT it
eve only just presented

the MusicTech award for
Best Headphones of
2014 to Audio-Technica
for the companys incredible M50x. So it
was a bit of a surprise (and annoyance,
for the person who paid for the award)
when the company recently announced
these, the new top-of-the-M-Series
M70x headphones. Can they be as good
as, or even surpass, the M50s?
Before I answer that, a quick recap
is needed. The M-Series is AudioTechnicas range of phones designed
for studio use with long sessions in
mind, and accuracy and comfort the
main goals. They are ideal for studio
mixing, FOH, DJing, mastering,
post-production and listening, AT says.
The original 50s were a studio
standard, so the replacement last
years (award-winning) M50x wasnt
redesigned; more tweaked and refined
to make it one of the best choices for
headphone mixing (especially at the
price of just 159). They take an
industry standard up a notch, I said last
May, before awarding them 10/10.
These are among the best headphones
you can get for your studio. (And yes it
does feel odd quoting myself.)
Going AT-AT it
The 70 comes in both open- (R70x) and
closed-back (M70x) formats (see box,
top right) and were looking at the latter.
So what have they got over the 50s?
First up theres an extended frequency
Excellence
10/10
Details
Price 299
Contact
Audio-Technica
0113 277 1441
sales@audiotechnica.co.uk
Web
eu.audio-technica.
com/en/
range of 5Hz to 40kHz (compared to the

50s 15Hz to 28kHz). As humans were
only able to hear between 20Hz and
20kHz (less as you age), so you might
think this a moot point. But some argue
that the wider the range available on
playback, the more interplay is enabled
between the frequencies you cant hear
(above and below the usual thresholds)
and those you can hear, offering a more
realistic listening experience.
Other differences are less dramatic.
The M70s are slightly lighter (by 4g!)
and the headband construction is
thinner. They have the same sized driver
(45mm) designed with copper clad
voice coils and rather mysterioussounding rare earth magnets.
Reference time
Key Features
Type: closedback dynamic
Driver diameter:
45mm
Frequency
response:
5Hz to 40kHz
Max i/p power:
2,000mW at 1kHz
Impedance:
35ohms
Weight: 280g
Cables: 1.2m
coiled and
1.2m/3m straight
Since the M50 test Ive been using them

as my reference headphones, not just
for mixing but for testing other
headphones. I have found just one set
of more accurate headphones, a set of
AKGs that never made it to the test
bench for various tedious reasons. And
since those are over 1000, youd expect
a greater level of accuracy. So it makes
sense, for more than one reason, to use
the M50s as a reference in this test. So
how do the big brother M70s compare
with them?
Surprisingly theres a noticeable
difference just putting the 70s on. They
are a little more hugging and
encompassing, fitting my (admittedly
rather big) head better. On to the sound,
and I queued up my usual tracks for

listening tests (from the likes of
Leftfield, Syntax, Talk Talk, The The et
al). Because of the extra frequency
response on the M70s I expected more
bass but actually the opposite is true. If
anything theres now a noticeable
punchiness of the bass on the 70s
compared with the 50s. Its more
defined; perhaps more accurate on
dance music and flatter. You feel you
get a little more bass from the 50s but
that perhaps its ever so slightly
coloured compared with their newborn
older brother. On acoustic music its
less pronounced and the stereo field
width on both models is exceptional.
The 70s really do immerse you in your
music, almost to the point where you lift
your arms up to pick parts out to the left
and the right, so clear is the mix.
So while I still wholeheartedly
recommend the 50s, especially for
extended listening, I think the 70s are a
tad more accurate at the bottom end,
perhaps down to that interplay with the
frequencies we cant hear theres
something in that argument after all! So
I have myself a new set of reference
headphone monitors. I suppose we
could just use Tippex on last years
award for this year? MTF
MTF Verdict
+ Very comfortable
+ Accurate sounding
+ Extended bass adds realism
and punch, not bass muddiness
+ Lovely spread and width to
the sound
+ Solid case and useful leads
+ Good for extended mixing
sessions
The M70s are accurate and great
for long sessions not a common
combination so perfect for
mixing. The best just got better.
10/10
MT144.REV-ATM70.indd 113
| 113
13/05/2015 11:52
MTF Technique Plugin Boutique VirtualCZ
PLUGIN BOUTIQUE
VirtualCZ
Value
Excellence
$ 10/10
All classic synths deserve a software emulation: ARP, Moog,

Prophet and now er Casio. Andy Jones sees (or Cz) why
ve interviewed many hundreds of

musicians over the last two or three
decades and each one of them has
a favourite classic synth or three.
The most common names are, of
course, Moog, Roland (Jupiter, Juno, TB,
TR), Prophet, Korg, Yamaha all the
old favourites. But one name that
comes up more than it should
especially given that its mother
company is now perhaps unfairly
known more for home keyboards than
anything else is the CZ range. Or,
more specifically, the Casio CZ range.
Yes, you might know Casio for the
Da Da Da VL-Tone (or the VL-1 the
mini keyboard used by the huge
German novelty hit-makers Trio). You
might know Casio for the keyboards
with lit keys that we discussed in a
recent MusicTech. Or you might know
Casio for hundreds of keyboards with
on-board speakers and
accompaniment rhythms. Those
properly in the know, though, will know
Casio for the aforementioned CZ range.
And Plugin Boutique, therefore, is
clearly in the know
See? Its easy

The original hardware range employed
phase distortion digital synthesis to
fatten things up. It had up to 16
oscillators (eight on earlier models), and
therefore 16 notes of polyphony
MT140.REV Virtual CZ.indd 114
depending on the sound used. Analogue

fans probably embraced the
architecture because of the resonant
waveforms that gave it an analogue
edge and also the familiar modulators.
Digital fans liked it because it was
simple compared to, say, FM, which was
the backbone of the engine in Yamahas
DX series.
With VirtualCZ, Plugin Boutique has
stuck with many of these features
including the same phase distortion
oscillator and (up to) 8-stage envelope.
The software even acts as a SysEx
editor/librarian if you are lucky enough
to have the original hardware (CZ-1,
CZ-101, CZ-1000, CZ-3000 and
CZ-5000) and, of course, this being
software, you get bonus features too.
These include full graphical displays for
envelopes and velocity settings, 32
notes of polyphony, added effects and a
couple of hundred (great) presets.
See me
The front panel has been designed to be
purely retro, and in that sense you
wonder how much more welcoming it
could have been at the expense of some
of the realism. You get the impression
that should you give VirtualCZ a hug
youll come away with dust up your nose
and feel a need to wash, such is the
original, grey look of its GUI. But many,
of course, will welcome this authenticity
Details
Price 59.95
Contact
Plugin Boutique
+44 (0) 1273 692 313
Web
www.pluginboutique.
com
Minimum system
requirements
PC: Windows XP+,
Intel i5, 4GB RAM
Mac: OS X 10.6+, Intel
i5, 4GB RAM
Key Features
Emulates
original CZ range
synth engine
VST2, VST3, AU
and AAX plug-in
formats
SysEx editor
for original
hardware
Two phase
distortion
oscillators
Six envelope
generators
32-voice
polyphony
200 presets
included, 1000s
available online
and secretly I prefer it marginally to

some kind of souped-up C21 version.
Sound-wise its bang on the money.
Rasping, ravey, phasey, and surprisingly
beefy all the elements that have
made so many people admire the CZ
range over the years. There are some
great squelchy, almost analogue
basses, a fantastically deep jungle sub
bass or two, plenty of up-front lead
sounds and many elements that are
finding favour (again) in todays brasher
and bassier dance music. Just stepping
through the five banks on offer greets
you with everything from heavenly sonic
pads to dirty in-your-face bass.
This variety is thanks largely to the
synths architecture, which is well worth
getting your head around. Lowering the
polyphony by switching to one of the
monophonic modes enables you to
fatten sounds up with unison, and the
8-stage envelopes add enormous
flexibility. It will take a slight shift in
understanding were talking lines of
oscillators and Digitally Controlled
Waveshaping rather than a filter but
you will start to understand how the
engine can produce such varied results
and therefore quickly realise why so
many people hold the originals in such
high esteem. (And its nowhere near as
hard as other digital synthesis methods
such as FM, so be happy to spend the
time learning!)
And talking of the originals, the
presets from all of the CZ range do not
ship directly with the plug-in, but are
widely available online along with many
other downloadable sounds (and on the
developers website).
If youre sick of real analogue, virtual
analogue and a sea of classic analogue
emulations, this is a must-buy, if only to
realise that digital wasnt as bad as we
all made out. This is an accessible,
flexible and, most importantly, a hugely
inspirational synth. And at just 59.95 it
is the steal of the year. Get it now. MTF
MTF Verdict
+ Stunning and surprisingly
varied sounds
+ Youll realise why the originals
are so well regarded
+ As easy as digital synthesis gets
+ Just like the originals
- Just like the originals! (the
interface might be off-putting)
VirtualCZ is a real gem of a synth in
a world that has become obsessed
with analogue. A must-buy to
increase your sonic palette.
10/10
FOCUS
30/04/2015 09:51
An
USiptio
cr
bs
su
r!
fe
of
SAVE
48%
When you subscribe to MT
If youre reading MusicTech from the USA, weve got a special

offer just for you! Take out a subscription today and pay just $99
for 12 issues thats just $8.25 an issue.
SAVE
48%
On the shop price and

get the next 12 issues
for just $99
DIAL
TOLL FREE
800 428 3003

QUOTE CODE DPSPR141
FREE digital
subscription
for all *
b
su scribers
ORDER
ONLINE AT
www.imsnews.com/musictech
QUOTE CODE DPSPR141
Music Tech magazines subscriptions are now handled in North America by IMS News.
Call at local rates, in your hours and pay in US/Canadian dollars.
*You can access your digital subscription at www.exacteditions.com/print/musictech using your unique WEBID, which will be sent to you once you have set up your subscription
and will be included on the covering sheets of your subscription copies each month. If you require confirmation of your WEBID, please call us on 800 428 3003
MT147.US subs.1db.indd 5
18/05/2015 09:45
MTF Reviews Alesis V & Vi ranges
ALESIS
V & Vi ranges
Two new Alesis ranges of USB controller
keyboards boast a pro feel and spec
but almost silly price tags. Andy Jones
gets the Vs
t might have taken the best part of a

year or so to get through, but were
finally getting our hands on the huge
number of products announced by
Akai, Alesis and Numark (all under the
InMusic brand) back at Frankfurt 2014.
Hence, the seeming glut of products by
them in recent issues of MusicTech.
Weve seen DJ gear, interfaces
(aplenty), controllers and clip launchers
so these on the face of it fairly
standard sets of keyboards could have
been lost in the rush. But the V and VI
ranges of USB controllers have a lot
going for them, so weve grabbed one
from each range to put them through
their paces
As usual
Controller keyboards tend to get
released in groups of three these days:
starting with an entry level, compact
25-note; then a mid range 49-key and
then a players 61-note. If the range
proves successful or if it is deemed to
be more for the proper player, an
88-note fully-weighted keyboard may
follow in due course.
We havent got that yet with both of
these new Alesis ranges, but everything
else is present and correct. As well as
all three models in keyboard hardware
you get a good, if not excessive bundle
of software with each model that
MT144.REV-Alesis Vrange.indd 116
Details
Price V25, (65),
V49 (on test, 79),
V61 (119.99)
VI25, (120), VI49
(159), VI61 (179)
Distributor InMusic
Contact
T: +44 01252 896040
Web
www.alesis.com
Key Features
V range
25, 49, 61 fullsized, velocity
sensitive keys
8 backlit, velocity
sensitive pads
4 assignable
rotaries and
buttons
USB MIDI
Sustain input
Ableton Live Lite
9 and Xpand!2
VI range
25, 49, 61
full-sized semiweighted keys
16 backlit velocity
sensitive pads
8/12/16 rotaries
24/36/48
buttons
DAW control
USB MIDI
Sustain input
Ableton Live Lite
9 and Xpand!2
Choice
9/10
9
9/
10
includes Ableton Live Lite and
Expand!2, the former offering the
recording environment and the latter
the sounds with which to enable music
making from the off.
The keyboards will, of course, fully
integrate with your existing software
too. To help set up your various MIDI
parameters, both ranges come with V
Editor software. We tried the VI61
version for Mac and its dead simple to
use as you get the keyboard mapped
out on screen with each section
keyboard, pads, rotaries, switches etc
all easily editable on screen, using the
cursors to step through groups of each.
Wed have liked a simple preset to set
your DAW up but everything is easily
accessible with features such as Roll
Mode which brings more performance
functionality to the pads.
Now its time to have a look at each
range in more detail.
The V range
This range offers similar specs,
throughout, the only real difference
being the number of keys, all of which
are velocity sensitive, full-sized square
front keys. You also get four rotaries;
eight drum pads and four buttons, all of
which are assignable.
Pads and controls are well lit on
power up. The eight pads light up in
blue and are particularly responsive, as
are the buttons. The dials are not too
loose nor tight offering a smooth and
non-continuous action. Both pitch and
mod wheels are small but have a good
Value
quality making accurate pitch and other

parameter control easy.
The main keyboards punch well
above their price point. Theyre not
weighted but are surprisingly
responsive and with plenty of sharp
action to get some dynamics going in
your playing. They certainly have
something about them that youll rarely
if ever find at this price point.
Looks-wise and this is important
as youll use a controller for many years
hopefully (not just for Christmas!)
theyre practical rather than overly
stylish. With more basic numbers of
assignable controls, all three keyboards
require less surface area so lack depth
but this could be a good thing in any
compact situation. Certainly I find Im
constantly moving my controller
around, especially with a laptop as my
main core processor and these are light
enough to do just that. Their lack of
depth means they slot in pretty much
anywhere. Even placing them in front of
said laptop (rather than to the side)
wasnt too disruptive.
The smaller of the three is obviously
well suited to the most compact of set
ups and being buss-powered theyll
all work in mobile situations. But Id
recommend going for either of the
larger ones, because the keyboards are
so good at this price point, so you might
find yourself playing that bit more. Even
though we only had the 49-note to test,
we can see the 61-note really
succeeding in this capacity as a players
choice, for almost silly money.
FOCUS
13/05/2015 11:50
Alesis V & Vi ranges Reviews MTF
The VI range
The VI range of keyboards really takes
things up a notch with a big range of
additional controllers and rotaries. On
each of the models you get 16 backlit
drum pads (doubling those on the V
range) and 8/12/16 assignable rotaries
(as you go up the 25, 49 and 61-note
keyboards in the range). The number of
assignable buttons also increases as
you increase keyboard size: from 24 on
the smallest to 48 on the largest 61VI
(on test here).
The keyboards too go up a notch,
from velocity sensitive to semiweighted with aftertouch. In practice
colours. Theres also a set of DAW

transport controls for some added
extra software control. Again, the
keyboard is buss-powered so you have
that mobile option if need be, but you
also get an additional MIDI Outplus
external PSU socket (although no
power supply was supplied with our
test model).
One other notable point on the
61-note VI is that the pitch and mod
wheels are bigger and more sturdy
giving them a pro feel although the
mod wheel might seem stiff to some.
In all the VI range is aimed more at
the intermediate to serious player, as
The keyboards light up as if to say look

at all of these controls, and there are a
serious amount of options available
the keyboard on the tested 61-note is
great for the money perhaps a little
springy if you are used to the real thing
but certainly very expressive at this
price point.
The keyboards light up in a pleasing
way as if to say, look at all these
controls and there certainly are a
serious amount of options available to
keep anyone who uses plug-ins happy.
The pads this time light up with multi
the keyboards within it truly open up

your softwares parameters to the
outside world allowing pretty much
total control over as much of your
software as you want.
The VI61 on test has a serious
amount of control options and even
though we didnt have the smaller ones
on test we think this one represents the
greatest value as its not even twice the
price of its V-range cousin.
Alternatives how many?!

In many ways, both of these new ranges cover pretty much what every computer musician out there needs: from the mobile
bedroom producer right up to the serious player and performer. But there are other options lots of them. Exactly how many
controller keyboards are there out there in music production land? A serious amount, thats how many, so Ill stick to those
alternatives that Ive looked at or weve featured in MusicTech over the last few months. The first is the Nektar Impakt LX range
(reviewed MT135) available in the standard three sizes from 90 to 140. They have slightly less controls than the VI range but
more than the V so sit somewhere between the two. In MT136 we looked at the Korg Taktile 49 (also available in 25 and 61-note
versions). At 279 its serious money but it integrates well with DAWS, plus it offers more visual feedback on the screen and has
more performance capabilities. Finally we looked at the Arturia Keylab range in MT137. Again you can get 25, 49 and 61-note
versions, and even an 88-key pro one, but they are more expensive, at (street) 149 for the 25, 400 for the 61 and going up to
580 for the 88. To be honest, we were pretty lukewarm with our initial review but, since then, Arturia has teamed up with Bitwig
to offer bundles where you effectively get a copy of Bitwig Studio for free. This, combined with Arturias
already excellent software bundle makes the Keylab range serious contenders if your
budget will stretch that far.
V for victory?
In terms of bang for your buck, we can
thoroughly recommend both ranges.
The V25 and 49 in particular are
fully-featured, mobile keyboards that
you could take on the road and properly
play and control, and are ideally suited
to the budget musician.
And on this point, Alesis has pretty
much nailed the prices for both ranges
although, for me, the VI represents the
greatest value. Sure the good keyboard
action of the V range for this kind of
money is very welcome, and if youre
short of cash then this range is an
attractive proposition.
Yet with the VI range you get a lot
more than double the features, and an
even better keyboard action. So in that
respect wed have to recommend this
range overall, especially as the cash
outlay isnt that much extra. The VI61
the best keyboard across both ranges
is a particularly good steal at 179.
So its a V for very good but a VI if
youve got the cash. In fact, opt for a
smaller VI if youre faced with a cash vs
size quandary. Youll thank us in the
long run just for the extra features that
youll grow in to down the line. MTF
MTF Verdict: Alesis V range

+ Solid keyboard range
+ Nice backlit controls
+ Great keyboard feel at this price
+ Great value
+ Good bundle of software
- Practical build isnt going to win
design awards
Great entry-level range ideal for
beginners or those who want a
secondary mobile studio.
8/10
MTF Verdict: Alesis VI range

+ Lots of control options
+ Great semi-weighted action
+ Fantastic value
+ Good bundle of software
- Practical build isnt going to win
design awards
Superb keyboard range for the
money, offering a proper playing
experience and oodles of control.
9/10
MT144.REV-Alesis Vrange.indd 117
| 117
13/05/2015 11:50
ABLETON LIVE 9
On sale now 8.99 with free DVD. Digital version 5.99.

Available at WHSmith (UK), Barnes & Noble (USA) and all good
bookstores in Australia, Canada, and throughout Europe.
Or order online at www.musictech.net/tag/focus
MTF38.ad.indd 1
18/05/2015 09:29
Summer
Sale
Try
issues
*
for 3
on this fantastic range of magazines!
GET
BOTH
MAGAZINES
IN THIS
PACKAGE
FOOD HEAVEN SERIES
3 FOR 3
THEN 12.30 EVERY 3 ISSUES
STILL SAVING 25%
3 FOR 3
STILL SAVING 25%
3 FOR 3
STILL SAVING 25%
3 FOR 3
STILL SAVING 25%
3 FOR 3
STILL SAVING 25%
BUNDLE UP
& ALSO GET
THE DIGITAL
EDITION
BUNDLE UP
& ALSO GET
THE DIGITAL
EDITION
3 FOR 3
STILL SAVING 25%
3 FOR 3
STILL SAVING 25%
3 FOR 3
STILL SAVING 25%
3 FOR 3
STILL SAVING 25%
3 FOR 3
STILL SAVING 25%
NOT IN THE UK?

We now offer subscriptions in a variety on currencies for your convenience
and have some great trial offers across the globe*
Europe 3 issues for 8 Australia 3 issues for $15 USA 3 issues for $10
2 EASY WAYS TO ORDER
ONLINE AT
anthem.subscribeonline.co.uk/summersale
(from USA www.imsnews.com)
CALL US ON
0844 322 1256
(USA dial toll free 800 428 3003)
QUOTE
CODE
SSHA15
GREAT REASONS
TO SUBSCRIBE
Get 3 Issues for just 3!*
Then save 25% every 3 issues
thereafter
FREE UK delivery direct to your door
Never miss an issue
*Savings are available to UK Direct Debit orders only. After your first 3 issues, your subscription will continue at the listed price every 3 issues thereafter saving 25% on the
shop price. Your subscription will start with the next available issue. Offer ends 30 September 2015. We publish 12 issues of Guitar & Bass, Music Tech, Italia, Reloved,
Free-From combo and Food Heaven per year. We publish 6 issues of Gluten-Free Heaven, Free-From Heaven, Classic Pop and Vintage Rock per year.
We also have trip offers for readers in North America, Europe and Australia. These offers are calculated in currency specific to that region and after your first 3 issues, your
subscription will continue by continuous credit card payments every 3 issues thereafter, saving 25% in Europe and America and 15% in Australia.
Summer Sale 2015 - House ad A4.indd 1
21/04/2015 08:29
MTF Reviews Apogee Ensemble Thunderbolt
APOGEE
Ensemble
Thunderbolt
Details
Price 2,399
Contact
Sonic Distribution
0845 500 2500
Web
www.apogee.com
Minimum System
Requirements
Mac OS 10.9.3
or greater, Intel
Mac, 4GB RAM,
Thunderbolt port
Key features
Eight mic
preamps with
Advanced
Stepped Gain
Up to 75dB
of gain
Thunderbolt 2
connectivity
Ultra low
latency
Two front-panel
class A jFET
inputs for
guitars
Two front-panel
dual-mode
re-amp outputs
Built-in
talkback mic
Two PurePower
headphone
outputs
10 separately
assignable
analogue inputs
16 analogue
outputs
Core Audio
optimised
DMA engine
Apogee has updated the Ensemble with

Thunderbolt 2 and a host of brand new features.
Mike Hillier scales the heights
he Apogee Ensemble
Thunderbolt is the successor
to the very popular Apogee
Ensemble audio interface. The
flagship new feature is of course the
replacement of the old FireWire
interface with the newer, faster
Thunderbolt interface. However, this is
far from being the only change to the
new Ensemble.
Apple has completely dropped
FireWire in favour of Thunderbolt on
new Macs however, Thunderbolt is
still absent on most consumer PCs.
Some custom PC manufacturers and
many adventurous PC builders have
added Thunderbolt ports, but if they
were hoping to use the Ensemble
theyd best turn away now, as Apogee
has only written Mac OS drivers for
the unit.
The drivers it has written however,
are something special indeed.
Eschewing standard CoreAudio for
custom drivers, Apogee has managed
to get latency down to a staggering
1.1ms at 32 samples.
are on XLR/jack combi ports, while the

last four are XLR only. On top of which,
the first two channels have send and
return insert points on jacks. Analogue
inputs 9 and 10 are actually a single
doubled mono signal from the built-in
talkback mic on the front panel, and 11
and 12 are the front hi-Z inputs, adding
up to a slightly confusing 11 total
analogue inputs.
BNC Worldclock I/O is also included

alongside two Thunderbolt 2 ports
enabling you to daisy-chain the
Ensemble Thunderbolt with other
Thunderbolt devices or a display. Two
headphone ports on the front round
out the connectivity options, each with
its own dedicated level control.
At over 2,000 for the Ensemble
Thunderbolt its a little disappointing to
discover that it doesnt come with a
Thunderbolt cable Sonic Distribution
had to send one over separately.
Thunderbolt cables are still fairly
pricey at the time of writing the Apple
Store stocked a 2m cable for 35 but
leaving one out of a 2,000 device is
unnecessary penny pinching.
Avengers Ensemble!
The Ensemble Thunderbolt can be
controlled directly on the interface.
There are buttons to select each of the
ten analogue inputs (excluding the
talkback), and a dial to adjust gain. To
change settings on an input, hold the
button and you enter a menu, which
you can adjust to change input level,
soft limiting, polarity, filters, etc. The
options change slightly depending on
the input. Additionally, there are four
buttons, assignable in the Maestro
software, which can also be used to
control the hardware. By default they
control mono/stereo playback, meters,
talkback and headphone mute.
The eight mic preamps sound
The results are stunning, with

up to 75dB of gain and an
incredibly low noise floor
Analogue outputs are a little simpler,
with two balanced TRS outputs, a
D-Sub for outputs 3-10 which are all on
the rear, and 11 and 12 are again the
front panel guitar outputs. Additionally
digital I/O on the rear includes two
ADAT/SMUX/SPDIF optical ports in each
direction as well as a pair of co-axial S/
PDIF ports.
incredibly clean. They use what Apogee

calls Advanced Stepped Gain, which
switches between multiple op-amps to
achieve the cleanest possible tone.
While one op-amp might have great
performance at low-levels, it might
start to break up with more gain, so the
Advanced Stepped Gain automatically
switches to a different op-amp
Gather round
The Ensemble Thunderbolt is well
equipped when it comes to I/O. The
back panel houses no less than eight
analogue inputs, the first four of which
MT145.Rev Apogee+Micswapmini.indd 120
FOCUS
13/05/2015 12:03
Apogee Ensemble Thunderbolt Reviews MTF
enabling each chip to only work in its

optimum range. The results are
stunning, with up to 75dB of gain and
an incredibly low noise floor. If youre
looking for colour on your preamps
however, look away. These are clean and
clear all the way.
The guitar inputs are a different
story: to give a more tube amp-like
performance the two guitar inputs use
Class A jFET circuits to subtly enhance
the signal. This is very subtle however,
just enough to make amp simulators
shine, rather than replace them entirely.
The guitar I/O has two modes. The first
and most obvious is to use the outputs
as separate re-amp outputs, sending a
pre-recorded signal out of the DAW at
MicSwap Pro
Publisher Future Moments
Price 13.99
Contact Via website
Web www.micswap.com
s the iPad becomes a genuinely

capable platform for making
music, new kinds of apps are
starting to appear. MicSwap is one of
these: its compatible with any iOS
device that can run iOS 7.1 or higher and
aims to emulate a range of high end
studio microphones.
Its fairly simple to operate: you fire
it up and either use the internal mic or
connect an external one (only available
in the Pro version), or import audio from
another app or from iTunes via file
sharing. You can monitor your input
so headphones here are a must and
then record audio through any of the
virtual mics.
The free version of the app lets you
add individual mics into the mix
through separate purchases at around
99p each. A series of environments is
available too, representing real physical
spaces in which to place your sound.
Alternatively
The Ensemble Thunderbolt has a staggering variety of I/O options, but if
you just need to get audio in and out, the Lynx Aurora 16 has 16 channels
of balanced analogue inputs on D-Sub in both directions and can be
equipped with USB 2, FireWire, Thunderbolt or even Avids DigiLink ports.
The UA Apollo has four mic preamps and eight analogue I/O on TRS jacks,
and can also be equipped with Thunderbolt. Additionally, the Apollo is
equipped with either a Duo or Quad UAD DSP 2 processor.
guitar-level into an amp, or even just a

guitar pedal and back in via the guitar
inputs. The second mode is for
real-time use, and enables you to
simply track the dry, DId signal, while
routing to an amp, using the output as a
thru. Wed love to see more interfaces
incorporating this kind of I/O option, as
we frequently use guitar pedals while
mixing, on sources as varied as drums
and vocals to get some colour that

wouldnt be possible with plug-ins or
conventional recording gear.
The Ensemble Thunderbolt is a
fantastic interface it has plenty of I/O
options, making it ideal for high-end
project studios. With this, and only a
couple of other choice bits of outboard,
you could be very well set up to record
almost anything. MTF
MTF Verdict
+ Clean mic preamps with up to
75dB gain
+ Two guitar I/O for re-amping
+ Built-in talkback
+ Exceptionally low latency
- Mac only
- No MIDI I/O
Choice
9/10
9
9/
10
Key features
Multiple mics and
environments in
Pro version
Record and
perform basic
edits
Export audio
or paste to
compatible apps
Swap mics after
recording
The Ensemble Thunderbolt fills just

about every basic studio I/O
requirement, and with exceptional
quality. This is an interface to be
proud of in your studio.
9/10
Again, these are all bundled with the

Pro version.
Audio is captured internally and you
then get a list of takes, like in a voice
memo or field recording app. From this
list you can perform basic trim edits on
a clip and swap the current mic for any
other model, which would suggest that
the processing is being done as an
insert and is not yet glued down onto
the take. You can also export your
recording from here to a variety of
destinations including SMS, social
media, Soundcloud, iCloud, email or
choose to open it with a compatible app
installed elsewhere on the device. You
can also copy it with Audio Copy and
paste it into a compatible app.
The missing feature here is
Inter-App Audio compatibility, which
would seem like the most obvious use
for it. With the ability to link the app to
GarageBand or something similar, you
could get realtime mic emulation inside
your mobile DAW... MTF
MTF Verdict
An interesting app with some good
mic emulations but needs Inter-App
Audio to really unlock its potential.
7/10
MT145.Rev Apogee+Micswapmini.indd 121
| 121
13/05/2015 12:03
MTF Mini Reviews
Cross DJ HD for iPad

Manufacturer Mixvibes
Price 3.99
Contact Via website
Web www.mixvibes.com
here are plenty of iPad DJ apps

around but the standard for paid
apps is getting pretty high these
days. Mixvibes makes apps for the
desktop, iOS and Android, and CrossDJ
HD is the iPad version of its DJ software.
Very competitively priced at 3.99, it
has a great feature set and runs on any
iPad that can handle iOS7. It has a clean
look and is snappy and responsive,
though theres a fair amount of tapping
small buttons to reveal sections, and
youll want to familiarise yourself with
just where each set of controls is
located. Id really prefer to see a loop on/
off control on the main transport panel
rather than slightly hidden.
You can load tracks from your local
iTunes library and also search and
stream from Soundcloud, which is a
nice touch and works very well. It also
remembers analysis of all tracks so
they only have to be analysed once. The
Key Features
Large wooden
alphorn recorded.
Two mic positions:
close (mono), two
metres (stereo)
408MB sample
pool, 1600 samples
Two versions:
natural and
extended
Growl control
Built-in IR and EQ
Alphorn
Publisher Sonokinetic Ltd.
Price 60
Contact via website
Web www.sonokinetic.net
eve all seen pictures of men in

short trousers playing the
alphorn even if weve never
heard one. They vary in size from one
MT144.REV minisp98.indd 122
main playback screen

can use virtual
turntables or
waveforms with beat
markers, and theres
the expected
scratching technique
available. Beat and
tempo matching work
really well and syncing stuff
up is a breeze, plus there are
independent tempo and EQ controls for
each deck. Theres an automix feature
as well as recording capability, a set of
six sample pads per deck that can be
loaded with your own sounds, and a
cool selection of effects with X/Y pads
for each deck.
You can dig down into the marker,
loop and quantize sections to edit beat
grids and make precise settings, and
theres support for multichannel out as
well as split outs for headphone
Choice
9/10
9
9/
10
Key Features
Two decks,
EQ, scratch and
waveform display
Soundcloud and
iTunes integration
Sampler
Multiple FX
Record your set
Automix option
alpine region to another, have a narrow

bore and can reach around 23 metres in
length. Although theyre made entirely
of wood they sound very much like a
brass instrument. With a wide dynamic
range, anything from soft silky notes to
rattling shouts are possible, and with no
valves, only the notes of the natural
harmonic series can be played.
Sonokinetic sampled a Bavarian
instrument and programmed it for
Kontakt 4.2.4 and up. It can be switched
between a natural version, which plays
from a low F up in octaves, major fifths
and thirds culminating in an off-key
scale of F major, and an extended one
with the missing notes included and the
instrument retuned in Kontakt. As you
can imagine, the latter provides a much
more playable instrument that could
easily provide a solo alternative to the
French horn. Also, being multitimbral,
some sweet sounding pads are
possible, too.
Growling is a feature of alphorn
playing, and to that end theres a
velocity controlled growl section with a
simple threshold control. Reverb is on
by default with level and size controls,
and a basic EQ section is also
included with hi, mid and low frequency
level knobs.
monitoring. MIDI control can be

unlocked for 69p. Cross DJ HD is a cool
DJ app with advanced features and a
slick look. Beat and tempo matching
work brilliantly, and Soundcloud
integration is a nice bonus. MTF
MTF Verdict
A slick and very affordable iPad DJ
solution that performs excellently.
9/10
As youd expect, articulations can be

selected by keyswitching. They can also
be selected by clicking on the splendid
depiction of a wooden horn, which
takes pride of place in the centre of the
interface. They are: sforzando (with a
fall off after the initial swell), marcato
(accented), staccato and sustain.
Sonokinetics products are
noticeably different to most other
samples library producers with titles
that, initially, may appear slightly odd to
some. Who else has sampled the
alphorn, you may wonder? Well Garritan
have in their World collection but its
nowhere as detailed as Sonokinetics
Alphorn, which transforms a very basic
wooden horn, limited to the notes of the
natural harmonic series, into a
sophisticated instrument with full
notation across its range. MTF
MTF Verdict
An excellent recreation of the
ancient alphorn. The basic natural
version is out of tune in places but
thats all part of its charm. The
retuned extended version makes
for a much more enjoyable
multitimbral playing experience.
8/10
FOCUS
13/05/2015 11:46
Mini Reviews MTF
K-Board
Manufacturer
Keith McMillen Instruments
Price $99
Contact MSL Pro: 0207 118 0133
Web www.keithmcmillen.com
ow this is very cool. How

many times have you
wanted the tiniest of
keyboards when youre
composing in the tiniest of areas, or
with the messiest of desks? Something
to play some riffs in while your DAW
loops, to get some ideas down quickly
or simply doodle and have fun with?
And if it has loads of flashing coloured
lights, then all the better! Step forward
K-Board, the latest offering from Keith
McMillen, a designer and musician who
makes the gear he needs we looked at
the Qu-Nexus a few issued back, of
which this is a simplified version and
one go on this, his new K-Board, and
you might find you need it too
K-Board plugs into a USB socket for
your device (Mac, Windows, iOS and
Android) to hopefully see straight away.
Choice
9/10
9
9/
10
Key features
Mac , Windows,
iOS, Android
Two-octave
mini keys
with lights
Sustain,
Velocity, Tilt,
Bend and
Pressure
modes
USB lead
As a Logic/MacBook user I expected

some trouble, as Pro X has been a bit
shaky with some controllers Ive tested,
but it showed up straight away and I
was playing along with one of my
(many) looping ideas immediately.
Whats also very neat about this is
that not only do the keys light up as you
play them but keys and octaves are
shown along with other info. You can
add sustain, toggle velocity, and use the
Tilt or dedicated Bend buttons for pitch.
K-Board is compact and rugged.
Indeed the makers claim that its
indestructible and that you can drive a
car over it although we didnt make
this part of our tests.
It slots very nicely at the front of your
laptop and the lead is long enough to
play it (slightly more) remotely. While we
used it with a laptop running Logic we
can also see this being a hugely popular
choice for musicians using tablets and

iPads even phones as its certainly
mobile enough.
Once in a while a product comes
along where you think, why hasnt
anyone else executed this in such a
successful way before? And K-Board is
one of them.
At the 2015 NAMM show in the
States we also saw different coloured
versions, so if the black one tested here
isnt to your taste there are plenty of
other fun options. Its a must-have for
any mobile musician and anyone
wanting to get ideas down fast. MTF
MTF Verdict
Great idea, fairly cheap and mobile.
Flashing lights and playing keys
have never been so much fun.
9/10
UDG Creator
Laptop stand
The iPad In The

Music Studio
Manufacturer UDG
Manufacturer Hal Leonard
Price 149.95
Price $19.99
Contact via website
Web www.halleonardbooks.com
Web www.udggear.com
DG is making a name for

itself in the studio
community thanks to its
hard cases and useful stands
we gave a great score to one
case a few issues back.
This laptop stand seems like a
great idea especially if your
studio desktop is as crowded as
ours and fits together easily and
is sturdy, although we did feel a
little uneasy about entrusting our
valuable studio centrepiece to a
stand. There are a few issues, as
well. If you rest your hands on your
work surface when using your
touchpad, then using the laptop
here involves lifting your arms, so
itll force you to change the way
you work. Secondly, we couldnt
extend the top to fit a large
MacBook Pro, a popular mobile
Key features
Adjustable
laptop stands
Can be
used for any
controller
Easy to
assemble
choice for musicians. So, great

idea, but check the size of your
laptop before purchasing (and
your arm muscles). MTF
MTF Verdict
Great idea but doesnt fit our
large 15 Mac and you may not
feel comfortable raising your
arms to use it if you are used
to resting them on your desk.
7/10
Key features
220+ pages
Chapters
on apps,
connections,
recording,
distribution
Lots of (black
and white) pics
he latest in Hall Leonards

Quick Pro Guides and at
220+ pages you have to
wonder how thick the Slow
version would be is dedicated to
the device that promised to
revolutionise music making.
Whether thats happening is open
to debate, but if youve ever
wanted to make more of your iPad
in your studio then this is the
definitive book. It has the
interfaces, the apps and the
guides to connecting to pro setups
and marketing and distribution
your tunes. However, getting a
chunky book on such a fastmoving subject might not be your
best option. Of course our Top 50
Apps feature online will be
constantly updated and all the
info is out there already, but its a
great resource nonetheless. MTF
MTF Verdict
Yes, all the information within
it is available online and it will
quickly date, but its the
comprehensive guide to iPad
music making.
7/10
MT145.REV minis.indd 123
| 123
13/05/2015 12:04
MTF Mini Reviews
Rise Designer
Ghetto Funk Presents

Hype Vocals
Publisher Zero-G
Price 69.95
Contact Time+Space 0183755200
Web www.timespace.com
ise Designer from Zero-G is

a Kontakt instrument for
crafting complex rise
effects. Each sound is made up of
a rise and tail element, and each
element is a blend of two sounds
created by Hollywood sound
designer Alessandro Camnasio. It
enables you to control the attack
slope, pitch rise depth, and rise
length, along with a button for
randomising the samples and
switching on unison. There are
also built-in distortion,
compressor and filter effects, plus
reverb and delay send effects. The
presets are divided into a mix of
more electronic sounds, organic
orchestral sounds, and more
complex textures. Rise Designer
doesnt have the variety of NIs
similar offering, but it still provides
an ample library of epic FX. MTF
Key Features
Key Features
540 short vocal

phrases and hooks
70, 86, 105 and
110bpm
640MB of
24-bit/44.1kHz
audio
6 sampler
patches for EXS24,
Kontakt, HALion,
NN-XT and SFZ
Performed by
Dizzy Dustin and
Stanstro
Price 24.95
Riser instrument
with sounds
designed by
Alessandro
Camnasio
Large range
of synthetic and
organic textures to
build your rises
Requires Kontakt
5.3.1 or higher
Custom interface
with random
button, rise length
and unison
Compression,
distortion, filter,
reverb, delay and
gate slicer effects
MTF Verdict
Although many of the presets
sound fairly similar once you
start layering sounds, this is a
well designed instrument for
getting quick cinematic rises
into your tracks.
7/10
f youre looking to add some

vocal energy to your tracks then
this pack from Loopmasters
and Ghetto Funk could be just for
you. Hype Vocals is a collection of
MC-style vocal phrases and
shouts performed by Ugly
Ducklings Dizzy Dustin and
Savant aka Stanstro, and includes
both tempo specific phrases and
single word shouts and hooks. All
the vocals are presented relatively
clean, with an additional folder of
effected hooks, plus a folder of
scratched vocals performed by UK
DMC Champion JFB. Youll also
find the stems for the demo track
that offer a good example of what
can be done by chaining hooks
together. You wont find anything
especially original here, as its
mostly clichd MC shout outs, but

its authentically performed and
well presented with the odd
variation to add flexibility. MTF
MTF Verdict
A solid collection of authentic
MC shouts and hooks, if a little
clichd. If youre willing to get
creative then this could
become a useful tool in your
arsenal for adding hype and
excitement to tracks.
8/10
Dope Ammo & Marvellous Complete Guide to Kontakt

Cain D&B
by Defazed
Fusion Vol2
Publisher Producertech
Price 39.95
Key Features
Price 29.95
Heavy weight
jungle and DnB
samples
787MB of
24-bit/44.1kHz
Audio
53 Sampler
patches for Kontakt,
HALion, EXS24,
NN-XT & SFZ
Over 400 samples
and loops
164 -180bpm
ope Ammos second DnB

pack for Loopmasters sees
the producer team up with
Marvellous Cain. The pack
features 787MB of audio and is
available in WAV, Apple Loops, Live
Pack and Reason ReFill. There are
folders of sub heavy jungle
basslines, raw, chopped up
breakbeats, and dancehallinspired brass and music loops,
plus some shuffling percussion
top loops and fills. Youll also find
saturated bass, synth and FX
one-shots and multisampled
instruments, some edgy drum
hits, and a handful of ragga style
vocal shouts from Shaddy MC and
Gigante. Its refreshing to hear a
simpler and more raw sounding
MT144.REV minis101.indd 124
Key Features
Three hours
of video
19 chapters in
seven modules
Presented by
Defazed
157MB of
accompanying
Kontakt Presets
and Live Projects
Synth-heavy
glitch-hop track
written using
Kontakt & Live
pack that harks back to the

sounds of the late 90s/early 00s
jungle and DnB era.. MTF
MTF Verdict
Strong and simple sounding
production and hooks offer a
raw and infectious take on the
DnB sound, with plenty of
space for further tweaking
and processing.
8/10
Contact via website

Web www.synth-courses.com
his course from Producertech

on the newly created
Synth-Courses.com, takes a
look at the more practical and
creative ways in which you can
use NIs Kontakt to build sounds
and create a track. Written and
presented by producer Defazed,
the course is split into seven
modules that start with a basic
overview, and move on to building
and processing a drum kit,
creating bass, synth and
atmospheric instruments, and
programming and arranging a
track in Ableton Live. Its a stretch
to say that this is a complete guide
to Kontakt, as it doesnt go into
great depth on the finer details of
the sampler, and large portions
focus more on sequencing the
sounds in Ableton Live. However,
what it does do extremely well is

explore some interesting ways to
get creative with building patches,
looping and granular synthesis
using different algorithms. MTF
MTF Verdict
Less a video manual for
Kontakt, and more an
inspiring and creative look
at how to build interesting
synth patches and then use
them in a track.
8/10
FOCUS
13/05/2015 11:45
Mini Reviews MTF
Choice
Mastering
with UAD
Plug-ins
Key features
Mastering
techniques
using UAD
plug-ins
9 videos,
73 minutes
Presented by
Matt Whatley
Includes EQ,
compression,
limiting, stereo
control and
more
Watch online,
download or
stream
Publisher Groove 3
Price $35
Contact via website
Web www.groove3.com
lthough youll never beat a

true hardware mastering
job carried out by a pro, you
can get some great results using
the analogue modelled UAD
plug-ins. Engineer Matt Whatley
and Groove 3 take a look at using a
range of UAD plug-ins including
the Ampex ATR-102, Braniworx BX
EQ, Shadow Hills Mastering
Compressor, API 550A, Tonelux Tilt
EQ, Precision K-Stereo, Precision
Limiter and more. There are nine
chapters in total, with the bulk of
the tutorial working its way
through using different
processors on a single rock track.
Whatley explains each decision as
he explores the plug-ins in
reasonable depth, with well paced

A/B examples so that you can
clearly hear the affected and
bypassed versions. Theres also an
additional video at the end that
looks at how to tackle a mix with
an overly prominent vocal. MTF
MTF Verdict
A well presented, concise and
relatively detailed look at
using a range of UAD plug-ins
to subtly enhance a mix and
create a pro-sounding master.
8/10
Synth Explorer
SH-101
Manufacturer Loopmasters
Price 14.95
olume 2 of the Synth

Explorer collection includes
104 arp and sequencer
loops recorded direct from the
SH-101 with varying degrees of
processing and effects to spice
things up. Its quite refreshing to
have acid style loops at 174bpm
as you dont often hear them at
this tempo, and youre also
presented with plenty at 140bpm
for a more techno friendly speed.
All the loops have a squelchy
rawness, although given that
one of the strengths of analogue is
to have subtle variations over time
it would have been nice if they
were a little longer than just two
bars. Finally, there are some
fantastic bass, synth and FX hits
with accompanying instruments,
plus some fairly average drum
Value
Key features
Loops & hits
created with a
Roland SH-101
377MB of
24-bit/44.1kHz
Audio
122 Sampler
patches for
Kontakt,
HALion, Kong,
EXS24, NN-XT
& SFZ
104 Sequencer
& arp loops at
140 and 175bpm
Varied sounds
the capture the
raw nature of the
original synth
hits, although to be fair this isnt

the instruments forte. MTF
MTF Verdict
A great library of enjoyable
squelches and bleeps for
dubstep, DnB, acid and electro
producers that captures the
raw energy and versatility of
the instrument.
8/10
9/10
9
10
Geode 9/
Melodic
Dubstep &
Beyond
Price 19.95
he Deep Heads label

returns to Loopmasters
with an exquisite pack that
explores the more subtle and
melodic side of dubstep. Producer
Geode has crafted over 300MB of
gritty sub and mid-range bass
loops, crispy beats, breaks and
percussion loops, and deep and
dreamy musical riffs. Theres a fair
bit of variety ranging from slower
95bpm loops up to 178bpm, DnB
style breaks, with a mixture of
dark and light material. Although
the loop count isnt massive, its
backed up by an excellent
collection of drum hits, bass
Key features
332MB of
moody, subtle
loops and hits
Available in WAV,
Apple Loops, Live
and ReFill formats
73 Sampler
patches for EXS24,
HALion, Kong,
Kontakt, NN-XT
and SFZ
95 to 178bpm
Produced by
Geode
sounds, chords and pads, with the

only let down being a folder of
slightly odd FX. The production is
detailed and solid, although at
times a little in-the-box sounding.
Overall this is a good value pack of
interesting, inspiring and original
loops and hits. MTF
MTF Verdict
An inventive and varied
collection of crisp loops and
excellent hits. Its also nice to
hear a dubstep pack with a bit
more subtlety and detail.
9/10
Float Chillwave
Guitars and Loops
Manufacturer Mode Audio
Price 18
Contact via website
Web www.modeaudio.com
Key features
606MB of
24-bit audio
159 guitar,
drum, synth and
bass loops
70 to 122bpm
42 key labelled
MIDI loops
10 hazy chillwave
construction kits
loat is a new pack from

Mode Audio that contains
10 construction kits of
downtempo chillwave tracks
divided into folders of bass,
drums, synths and instruments,
and both affected and dry guitars.
The pack is available in your
choice of Acid WAV, Apple Loops
and REX2, with several additional
patches and projects if you opt for
the Reason or Ableton Live
versions. As a nice bonus, you also
get the bass, drum and synth
loops in MIDI format so you can try
out your own sounds. The bass
and drum loops arent anything to
write home about, and the synth
loops are decent enough. However,
the real star here is the stunning
array of guitar loops, with each kit
featuring several riffs that can be
layered on top of each other. The

dreamy effected versions sound
excellent, and there are also
separate folders for the tails to aid
with flexibility. MTF
MTF Verdict
Very well thought out and
presented pack full of
gorgeous sounding, hazy
guitar riffs, and plenty of
options to aid the
arrangement of your tracks.
8/10
MT145.REV minisP98.indd 125
| 125
13/05/2015 12:05
Six of the best

Hardware
Software
Mobile Technology
Samples
Its the final part of our MusicTech Focus Buyers Guide where we
round up some of the best products recently reviewed in the
magazine. Last time we covered unusual software, so this time its
you guessed it six pieces of great, unusual hardware
BEST Steampunk
Wasaphone
MKII mic
Details
Price 43
Contact via website
Web
www.wasaphone.com
ake an old phone receiver and

house it in a recycled flour
dredger (no, really!), add an XLR
connection and mounting
bracket and you have the Wasaphone
MKII mic. With a limited bandwidth of
200Hz to 2kHz you get a lo-fi gritty
sound, certainly something more
unusual than the results from more
expensive flashy mics from the big
names in microphone technology.
Reviewer Mike Hillier said: For live
use this style of mic is incredibly useful,
enabling you to get a lo-fi vocal tone
with no effort. Instead of using pedals
to get a lo-fi tone, and then hoping to
solve the impedance headache, you
can simply plug-in the Wasaphone
MKII like any other mic. He concluded:
The Wasaphone is a fun and creative
microphone, which inspired us into
several recordings.
BEST Mobile mixing
Fender Passport
Studio speakers
hese are a great set of portable

monitors you can take
anywhere, so theyre ideal for
the jobbing mix engineer who
wants to use a set of monitors that they
know well as a reference when mixing
outside of the studio.
MT144.6OTB.indd 126
Details
Price
99
Contact Korg UK,
01908 304600
Web
www.korguk.com
Reviewer Huw Price was impressed

with them: This is a cleverly designed,
carefully thought out and affordable
product that fills a niche in the market.
He concluded: An interesting concept
thats well executed and priced and
they sound pretty good too.
BEST Body beats
Korg
Cliphit
beat box
Y
Details
Price
490 (per pair)
Contact Fender
01342 331700
Web
www.fender.com
ou want unusual, then this is

unusual, especially as its been
produced by such a huge global
company as Korg. Cliphit is an
egg-shaped electronic drum that you
can beat like a drum, attach a (supplied)
kick trigger for your feet to play the kick
drums, and there are also three
(supplied) trigger clips which you can
attach to any loose clothing or
anything else and hit with any
remaining limbs. Attach those clips to
the desk, to boxes, to literally anything
that you can attach a croc clip to.
The kits are good enough, ranging
from standard, through rock and pop,
we said of the Cliphit. Its another great
curveball from Korg. Before concluding:
Love the idea, and we love Korg for
coming up with this leftfield gear. Its
the ideal device to unleash your finger
and toe beats.
FOCUS
13/05/2015 11:44
BEST Beats
Details
Price 99
Contact Source
Distribution
Web
www.arturia.com
ts not that unusual but there is

something about Arturias
BeatStep that redefines the whole
MIDI control genre. Whether its the
compact nature, the gentle learning
curve or the fact that it becomes so
intuitive to use, were not sure. But we
do know its an excellent piece of kit
and that were looking forward to the
Pro version announced at NAMM.
Arturia
Beatstep
A band needs to practise, but where

to do it without annoying the
neighbours? Anywhere, with Jamhub
Details
Price 420
Contact sales@
scvdistribution.
co.uk
Web www.
scvdistribution.
co.uk
BEST Band gear
JamHub
GreenRoom
f youre in a band youll understand

the need to practise, but where can
you do it without annoying the
neighbours? Well, pretty much
anywhere with JamHubs GreenRoom.
This hub hardware enables up to seven
musicians to plug in and play together
with headphones which will instantly
cheer up your beleaguered neighbours.
The GreenRoom excels at providing

an attractive, compact and convenient
way to rehearse silently at home or on
the move, said reviewer Alex Mobaraki.
He concludes: It combines all the
essential bits of kit necessary to
enable virtually silent ensemble
rehearsals in one well-designed,
compact and lightweight package.
Reviewer Hollin Jones said: Its an

excellent MIDI controller. For triggering
in software its intuitive and fun, and it
also works as a hardware trigger and
sequencer via its old-school outputs.
The set up software is well designed
and the unit is sturdy. He concludes:
Its a great choice for anyone working
with MIDI-triggered instruments, be
they hardware or software.
BEST DIY
DIY R.E.
Colour
he 500 series module concept

is not an unusual one in itself
but this Colour Palette from
DIY Recording Equipment
offers the DIY community something a
little different in that it has space for
three Colour Modules which you
should be able to fit yourself.
Reviewer Mike Hillier said: Colour
is one of the most fun tools
weve played with in
a long time. Youre
doing yourself a
disservice by not
adding one to your
rack. If you have
space in your rack,
its a no brainer.
Details
Price Colour
Palette Kit: 75;
JFT: 19; CTX: 36;
15IPS: 19
Web
www.diyrecording
equipment.com
MT144.6OTB.indd 127
| 127
13/05/2015 11:44
MTF Mini Reviews
Korg Cliphit
Manufacturer Korg
Price 99
Contact via website
Web www.korg.co.uk
ts a bit of a gadget issue this time

at MusicTech Focus, but here is a
different one from Korg and one
that has already made our list of six
unusual hardware items (p126).
Here is a company that for years just
knocked out pretty standard but very
good products that did the job;
keyboards, synths, the odd guitar
products, all great stuff. But for the last
few years Korg seems has gone pretty
bonkers when it comes to new releases.
Were not saying that is a bad thing by
any stretch of the imagination, but
weve seen and reviewed cheap
analogue synths, build-your-own
classic synths, Kaotic devices and now
this, a buskers dream.
Korg Cliphit is basically an egg
shaped electronic drum that is ideal for
your office percussionist. You know the
Innovation
Key Features
Drum module
with four trigger
inputs.
Three clips plus
footpedal supplied
11 drum kits
Headphone jack
Battery or mains
operated
fellow: he sits at his desk thumping

away on his thighs, desk and anything
else that makes noise. Its constant
beatmaking on anything he can tap. But
what he really wants is this: Korgs
Cliphit. This is what anyone with too
much rhythmic energy in their fingers or
feet needs.
The beauty is that you can beat it
like a drum, but also attach a (supplied)
kick trigger for your feet to play the kick
drums, and also three (supplied) trigger
clips which you can attach to any loose
clothing or anything else and hit
with any remaining limbs. The anything
else bit is important here as you can
attach those clips to the
The Carnival (Barrel
Organs, Fairground Treasures)

Choice
9/10
9
9/
10
Key Features
Manufacturer Sonokinetic Ltd.

Price 85
Contact via website
Web www.sonokinetic.net
ack in the days of purely

analogue recording if you had
an unfinished track that
required a touch of extra
magic, lets say an accordion solo, you
either employed a session musician or
hired an instrument and played the part
MT142.REV minis99+101.indd 128
470MB sample
pool; 850 samples
Big and small
organs, four
registers
Octave doubling
Automatic
tempo-synced
trills (major and
minor)
Tempo-synced
runs, five scales
Bespoke reverb
Sampled
bellows noise
yourself. If you did the latter, a wellused, battered and sometimes

unplayable instrument would be likely
to turn up at the studio with a hefty
price tag attached.
Today, just about every instrument
on earth has been sampled and made
available at a reasonable price. Some,
though, still remain hard to find, but a
visit to Sonokinetics website will turn
up a few rarities. Like the barrel organ.
The real thing isnt a playable
instrument but a mechanical device
thats driven either by clockwork, an
electric motor or manually with a
handle. Sonokinetic sampled two of
them, large and small, and created a
playable virtual instrument called The
Carnival. It runs in the open Kontakt
format (4.2.4 or 5) and is not compatible
with the free Kontakt player.
In true Sonokinetic style, the
interface contains all the controls
within a single screen for both organs.
As well as reverb there are controls for
bellows and tempo-synced trills and
runs, a typical feature of barrel organ
aforementioned desk, to boxes, to

literally anything that you can attach a
croc clip to.
Your annoying office percussionist
will suddenly go from irritating mono
tapper to annoying full-on drummer (on
second thoughts, perhaps this is one
person we should keep the Cliphit away
from!). There are 11 drum kits to choose
from with a wide variety of sounds, but
the size and nature of Cliphit means
that you are never going to be playing at
massive volumes or huge quality.
Decent enough for busking, though.
The kits are good enough, ranging
from standard, through rock and pop.
The final EFX kit is a bit annoying and
wed have preferred the ability to play
different sounds by hitting different
parts of the main unit perhaps adding
just a couple of trigger points for kick
and snare? Otherwise its another great
curveball from Korg. MTF
MTF Verdict
Love the idea, and we love Korg for
coming up with this leftfield gear.
Its the ideal device to unleash your
finger and toe beats.
8/10
music. A melody double function is also

available for easy octave doubling.
For authentic sounding music of
this type The Carnival does a brilliant
job, and playing and shaping a
convincing performance is very
straightforward. We particularly liked
the pitchwheel-operated runs function,
which provides a choice of major, minor,
chromatic, pentatonic major and
pentatonic minor scales. The mod
wheel-operated major and minor trills
are rather nifty, too.
There are dozens of sampled organs
around but few will have anything close
to the authentic fairground sound of
The Carnival. Also, having such a unique
sound, this instrument is good for
writing and recording music outside of
the obvious genres. With a little
experimentation some startlingly
original sounds can be conjured up with
this highly enjoyable instrument. MTF
MTF Verdict
A joyful and authentic-sounding
recreation of two Dutch barrel
organs. Great fun to play and
perfect for adding a fairground
atmosphere to your compositions.
9/10
FOCUS
13/05/2015 11:28
FIRST WITH REVIEWS

FIRST WITH NEWS
HAVE YOU CLICKED?
Powered by
Magazine
www.musictech.net
MT .net ad.indd 1
18/05/2015 09:28
MTF On Your DVD
Logic Pro X is an extensive package of instruments

and effects within a DAW that continues to go from
strength to strength, not least with the 10.1 update
that brought a host of new editing features and a
major upgrade to the built-in compressor. However you
use Logic, weve got you covered with the Logic Pro X
Focus DVD. Youll find over two and a half hours of pro
tuition from Groove 3, Point Blank Music School and
Producertech, the freshest software demos, freeware
plug-in tools, and promo videos showing off cuttingedge kit, and also plenty of royalty-free loops and
samples from Loopmasters, Samplephonics and
Equinox Sounds. Finally, we have all the files you need
to follow along with the workshops at home.
MTF On the disc Over 2.5 Hours of pro video tuition
01
DRUM KIT DESIGNER
04
NEW IN LOGIC X 10.1
The experts at Groove 3 have provided a

selection of pro tutorials to help guide you
through Logic X. First we have videos looking
at loop recording, MIDI and working with MIDI
take folders, plus using drum kit designer and
processing individual drums.
A batch of videos from Point Blank

Music School looking at the new features of
Logic X 10.1. There are also tips and tricks for
mixing bass, drums, synths and FX in a dance
music track, and routing and recording notes
from Logic Xs MIDI effects.
MTF39.your disc.4aj.indd 130
02
WORKING WITH AUDIO
05
LOOPMASTERS FREE SAMPLES
Next we have chapters that take a closer

look at editing audio, including creating regions
based on transient selections of a drum beat,
and extracting the tempo from a live, unquantised groove, then time stretching it to
perfectly fit a set bpm.
Loopmasters has provided a heavyweight

collection of loops, with samples from Full
Intention House Republic, Kate Wild Vocal
Hooks & Acapellas, Bass Heavy Trap, Future
Sound of Ambient, Maison Records Real House
Music, and Total Science CIA DnB Vol1.
03
SMART CONTROLS
06
SAMPLEPHONICS FREE SAMPLES
These videos look at the incredibly

useful new features, with a focus on how to
set up Smart Controls with a specific scaling
and range for use with Retro Synth, plus how
to use Smart Controls to control specific
parameters in a folder or summing stack.
A hand-picked library of beats, riffs and

loops in 24-bit WAV format, including chunky
house basslines, ambient electronic beats,
soulful house vocals, complex, analogue
percussion, live tabla grooves, deep house
piano and keys, and glitch top loops.
FOCUS
18/05/2015 09:34
On Your DVD MTF
MTF Your Disc

MTF DVD 39 Logic Pro X 2015 Vol. 2
PROMOTIONAL
VIDEOS
Weve got over 1 GB of

videos showcasing the
latest plug-ins and
hardware including a
range of cutting-edge
synths and software
instruments from
iZotope, Korg,
MeldaProduction, Moog,
Native Instruments,
Roland, Sequential,
Sonokinetic,
Spectrasonics, Teenage
Engineering, and Zero-G .
Youll also find high-end
processing from Sound
Radix, and UAD, plus top
of the range audio
interfaces, studio
monitors and
microphones from
Apogee, Arturia,
Wasaphone, UAD, and
Mackie.
SOFTWARE DEMOS
Although youre spoilt for

choice with Logics built
in instruments and
effects, you may want to
expand your library with
specialist tools. From
cutting edge instruments
and innovative effects, to
analogue modelled
processing tools, weve
rounded up a range of
demo and freeware
software for you to try
out. Youll find synths,
samplers, EQs,
compressors, limiters,
filters, delays, stereo
tools and playable FX
plug-ins to help craft
your tracks.
USING OUR
WORKSHOPS
Whether youre looking to

brush up on your
programming skills, delve
into Logics new features,
or improve you mixes,
weve got you covered
with a host of Logic
workshops. Where
appropriate youll find
hi-res images, project
files and audio on the
disc so you can follow
along at home. Be sure to
copy all the files to your
computer before opening
a project.
AUDIO LOOPS & HITS
Weve got a whole load of

royalty-free samples
from Samplephonics,
Loopmasters, and
Equinox Sounds for you
to use in your tracks. All
files are in 24-bit WAV
format, with a mixture of
ambient, cinematic
textures, heavyweight
beats, soulful vocals, big
synth hooks, analogue
drum grooves, deep piano
and keys riffs, live
percussion and more
across a range of
different genres.
On the disc
YOUR DVD CONTENT FILES
ZIP FILES
To maximise the amount of content we can bring you on
each DVD, the video, tutorial and samples files are
supplied compressed (zipped). Mac users should be
able to decompress ZIP files simply by double-clicking on
them; PC users may need to download a utility such as
WinZip (www.winzip.com).
TUTORIAL FILES
The software tutorials that feature in each issue of MTF
are almost always accompanied by files and audio so you
can work through them on your system. These files are
zipped to reduce the space they occupy on the DVD.
Download them to your hard drive and unzip them to

access the individual files (remembering to eject the DVD
to prevent your computer from slowing down).
WHAT IS ROYALTY-FREE?
Any MTF DVD content marked royalty-free can be used

in your own original compositions (even commercial
ones). You may not, however, resell these samples in any
other form.
DEFECTIVE DISCS
endeavour to supply you with a replacement disc

immediately. Please note that were unable to provide
technical support for the software on the MTF DVD
please check our website at www.musictech.net for any
known problems.
MISSING YOUR DISC?
If your disc is missing, contact us at editorial@anthempublishing.com with your full postal address and the
issue number.
In the unlikely event that your disc is defective, please

return it to: Disc Returns, Anthem Publishing, Suite 6,
Piccadilly House, London, Bath BA1 6PL. We will
FOCUS
MTF39.your disc.4aj.indd 131
18/05/2015 09:35

MusicTech Focus - Logic Pro X Summer 2015

Transféré par

Informations du document

Copyright

Formats disponibles

Partager ce document

Partager ou intégrer le document

Options de partage

Avez-vous trouvé ce document utile ?

Ce contenu est-il inapproprié ?

Droits d'auteur :

Formats disponibles

MusicTech Focus - Logic Pro X Summer 2015

Transféré par

Droits d'auteur :

Formats disponibles

OVER 1GB OF SAMPLES

FREE AND 2 HOURS OF VIDEO

LOGIC PRO X 2015

THE IN-DEPTH GUIDE FOR THE CREATIVE MUSICIAN

HOW TO SET UP SAVE TIME

The Best Features

GUIDES TO MIX AND MASTER

DVD inside 4GB+

The Best Gear

Compiled by the Logic Pro Xperts from MusicTech

1500403 Fabfilter tijdschrift advertenties A4.indd 2

The features are

Art Director Jenny Cook

All content copyright Anthem Publishing Ltd

Managing Director Jon Bickley

Please make every effort to check quoted

Licensing enquiries Jon Bickley

MusicTech Focus recognises all copyrights

Publisher Simon Lewis

Printed by Polestar UK Print Ltd

Distributed by Marketforce (UK) Ltd

FOCUS Ableton Live 8 Volume 2

Logic Pro X 2015 Vol. 2

We have everything you need to become a Logic expert: from setting up

into Logic, three ways! p16

compose & mix

MTF39 Logic 2015 Full listings

068 | The 50 Best Music Apps p1

For making music on

126 | 6 Of The Best: Hardware

MTF 6 Of The Best

The best keyboards,

111 | Cappriccio orchestra sampling

FOCUS Logic Pro X 2015 Vol. 2

MTF Technique Setting up and saving time

Logic Pro X MusicTech Focus 2015 Vol. 2 Workshops

Setting up and saving

hose readers of a certain age might remember a

Stick with us and well tell you

FOCUS ON YOUR AUDIO

6 | Logic Pro X 2015 Vol. 2

MTF39.Tut Setting up a project.indd 6

Setting up and saving time Technique MTF

MTF Step-by-Step 1. Starting out

as the ones shown in Logics standard list are not customised

Before opening up our new, empty project we should set up our

Now we choose the track types that our project is going to

whenever we boot the software up to compose.

Logic features that could speed up your workflow by

MTF39.Tut Setting up a project.indd 7

MTF Technique Setting up and saving time

again and again to save time when composing music. And if

and eventually be in a position to call it your own and save it

MTF Step-by-Step 2. Linking an interface/soundcard

We need to check that the physical inputs of our soundcard are

Similarly we may as well check our main outputs are assigned to

On our soundcard, the monitor outputs 1 and 2 are assigned to

Before we create multiple tracks in a Template check

8 | Logic Pro X 2015 Vol. 2

MTF39.Tut Setting up a project.indd 8

Setting up and saving time Technique MTF

At this stage its worth looking at some of the global

MTF Step-by-Step 3. Project settings

For the start of our project we should check Global Project