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WelcomeMT
MAGAZINE December 2013 | 3
Many years ago I sent a cassette of my music off
to a music library inthe hope that it wouldend
upinaTVprogramme onone of the three
channels of the time. There were very fewsuch
library companies aroundthenandI remember
there was a certainstigma attachedto them.
Library music was associatedwiththe sort of blandller
music that soundtrackedthe night-time, withCeefax
providing the images. So evenif my music hadbeen
accepted(it wasnt clearly not blandenough, I Iike to
think) Idhave hadmixedfeelings
Nowthe world of library music has changed beyond recognition. Ceefax has
gone, the bland ller music has gone... all replaced by actual programmes that
people really do watch throughout the night across hundreds of TVchannels. Also,
the video games industry is bigger than ever, more production companies are
producing more dramas and documentaries so more people than ever before are
producing content that needs exciting music. Everyone glued to a screen which
seems to be pretty much the whole world these days expects a pumping
soundtrack and that soundtrack could have been produced by you. That stigma I
possibly imagined, has completely vanished
So if you are not already involved in library music production, then the ideal
feature awaits on p12. Rob Boffard talks about howto produce the music and,
importantly, we also list some of the companies to get in touch with and detail the
sort of music they are after. After reading the feature Imsorely tempted to give it
another go myself. Nowwhere is that cassette?
AndyJones Senior Editor
Email andy.jones@anthem-publishing.com
Sendyour tweets @AndyJonesMT(although dont expect much tweeting fromme)
Readmy blogs at www.musictech.net
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Expert Panel
CubaseTimHallas
Timsamusictechnologyconsultantand
educationexpert. AsCubaseEditorhewill be
bringingyouarangeoftechniquefeaturesforthe
popularDAWoverthecomingmonths.
Mixing/Mastering/LogicMarkCousins
Markspecialisesinsounddesignandcinematic
productions. Hehasrecordedwithorchestras
acrossEuropeandisheavilyinvolvedin
soundtrackcomposition.
Recording&GuitarTechHuwPrice
Arecordingengineersince1987, Huwhasworked
withDavidBowie, MyBloodyValentine, Primal
Scream, DepecheMode, NickCave, Heidi Berry,
FadGadgetandcountlessothers.
Scoring/Orchestral KeithGemmell
Keithspecialisesinareaswheretraditional
music-makingmeetsmusictechnology, including
orchestral andjazzsamplelibraries, acoustic
virtual instrumentsandnotationsoftware.
AbletonLive&DJingLiamOMullane
LiamhasworkedasaD&BscratchDJaswell as
releasingdubstep, D&Bandhardcoretracks. His
passionistomastertheproductionstylesofthe
latestgenresusingLive.
Reason&MobileHollinJones
Aswell asteachingmusictechnology, producing
andwritingsoundtracks, Hollinisanexperton
everythingApple, mobileorcomputer-related, as
well asbeinganaccomplishedkeyboardplayer.
ElectronicMusicAlexHolmes
Alexhasbeenacomputermusicianfor15years,
havingakeenpassionforbeats, bassandall
formsofelectronicmusic. Hescurrentlyinvolved
inthreedifferentdancemusicprojects.
StudioHardwareJohnPickford
Johnisastudioengineerwithover25yearsof
experience. Heisakeensoundrecordinghistorian
andhasapassionforvalve-drivenanalogue
equipmentandclassicrecordingtechniques.
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12GETPAIDFOR
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Advance
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Issue129 December 2013
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Re-recordingaclassicalbumwiththe
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MTContents
4 | December 2013 MAGAZINE
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GenreFocus
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ContentsMT
MAGAZINE December 2013 | 5
any given application so that it doesnt mess with the
audio engine if you hide your DAWfor a fewminutes to write
an email.
Music onthe move
Apples MacBook Pros are hugely popular with musicians and
the specs are nowso goodthat for many people they are a
true desktopreplacement. As of November 2013, they were
all ttedwith Retina displays (the MacBook Airs dont as yet)
andwhile these are gorgeous, some apps havent yet been
updatedto take advantage of them. Put simply, this means
t a higher screen resolution, graphics can
htly fuzzy andblocky. Most DAWs dont
y support Retina yet after all, it exists only
me Macs, andMacs are only a proportion
all music machines in use. In my
experience, the fuzzy graphics are more of
an annoyance than a genuine hindrance.
In truth, however, many things have yet to
be optimisedfor Retina screens
including most websites andnon-music
apps for the same reason. As the
technology spreads (some Windows
laptops offer similarly high-resolution
screens now), youdhope to see more
Retina-compatible graphics around. As it
is, many third-party plug-ins look slightly
blocky. Apples own Logic ProXis pretty
odin this respect, though its legacy
ins havent yet been optimised, which
little remiss...
MTAdvance
Round-ups Analysis&comment Industryinsight
Appleslatestoperatingsystemhashittheweband
itsnowfree. Butshouldmusiciansdiveinorhang
back?HollinJonesoffershisopinion...
Mac OSX can nowconsider itself a fully mature
operating systemand it can be found at the
beating heart of many peoples studio setups.
Innitely more stable and powerful nowthan OS9
and its ilk ever were in their day, its telling that gripes tend
to be limited to relative trivialities like translucent menu
bars, when not so long ago an Extensions conict could
take down a days worth of sessions or even fry your
machine completely. Mavericks is an evolution of Mountain
Lion thats seen an awful lot of tinkering under the hood,
with the aimof improving performance, resource
management and battery life in laptops. Lets look at what
the key issues for musicians are
Whats new?
First off, any Mac that can run OSX10.8 shouldrun 10.9 in
the same way. In fact, even if your Mac is a fewyears oldor a
little underpowered, you may well see a performance boost
fromthe newsystem, as features like memory compression,
AppNapandSafari Power Saver are all designedto reduce
systemstrainandprioritise foregroundapps. This is a great
stepforwardfor musicians, since your DAWloadedwith some
heavy-duty plug-ins can easily start to eat upRAMandCPU
power, and the last thing you want is Sa
irritating power-sapping animatedadin
windowin the background. Resource
management has become a huge issue
andthe vast majority of Macs I see that
are supposedly on their last legs
are actually just chronically short
of memory.
Memory compression in
Mavericks is a particularly big plus
for musicians. Previously, apps
couldfail to release RAMproperly
even after they hadbeen closed
down, resulting in excessive
swap-le usage andgeneral system
slowdown. Mavericks is amazingly
goodat managing andallocating
memory andthe results are much bette
performance fromthe hardware you alr
have. Incidentally, you can disable AppN
OSXMAVERICKS
FORMUSICIANS
a
INFO
AppNapcanput
backgroundappstosleep, but it
canbedisabledluckilyfor
musicianswhodont want whole
projectsunloadedwhenplaced
intothebackgroundfor awhile.
b
RAM
RAMusageisprobablythe
singlemost limitingfactor inany
musicsetupandMaverickshas
advancedwaysof allocatingRAM
tominimiseswapping, which
slowsyoudown.
a
Applesmuch-
anticipatedMavericks
OSisnowwithus
anditsfree...
MTAdvance
6 | December 2013 MAGAZINE
Lookbefore youleap
Andso we come to the question of
whether you shouldupgrade or not.
Its not a cost issue any more since
Mavericks is free, andnot so much
a hardware one either since it
shouldeke out extra performance
on existing hardware. There are
the usual caveats about not
upgrading in the middle of existing
projects or if youre unsure about
compatibility of your key apps and
plug-ins. Developers take time to update
drivers, plug-ins andapps for compatibility with a
newOS, since Apple tends to tinker right upuntil release
date. Check with the makers of your specic kit, andhang re
if theyre not ofcially supportedas yet. Oldkit may stop
working if it has become unsupported, but it might work too,
so its a bit of a gamble.
The performance optimisations in Mavericks are
excellent and will denitely benet musicians of all avours.
We can all use more power, and tantalising features in the
latest MBPhardware such as ABVthat can send audio and
video through Ethernet connections hint at what may be
coming in the future. Despite constant claims that Apple is
dumbing-down its apps and forgetting pros in its quest to
sell iPhones (an argument with which I have some sympathy),
Mavericks shows that the Mac is still the premiumplatform
for content-creation, and Apple understands that we want
power and lots of it. As ever, developers will play catch-up
but eventually it will all settle down. The future of the Mac
seems to be in fairly safe hands.
FORMORE
OFTHE
LATESTNEWS
CHECKOUT
MUSICTECH.NET
Send us your music
and get it rated!
Your music to be rated by the MusicTech teamand
industry experts
This month were launching a brand-newservice where you
sendus links to your music andwe rate it. Simple, eh?Well
critique your music ourselves and also put it infront of our
industry contacts, who will offer feedback, too. If youwant to do
library music, for example, well get some of our contacts from
our great feature onp12 to proffer advice.
But the best thing or most terrifying, whatever your
perspective is that the critique will be done onour website
andvia the magazine so that everyone can hear your tunes and
readthe ensuing and highly constructive, we might add
criticism. Well put links to your music on our home page at
www.musictech.net and, where possible, put a different
selection on the DVDso everyone can joinin and see if they
agree or disagree with the expert feedback.
If youwant the industry andus tocritique your tunes,
simply email your music (mp3s or links) toandy.price@
anthem-publishing.com
To celebrate the termstarting inJanuary, Point Blank is
offering one lucky MusicTechreader the chance to winone
of its Pro-Producer courses.
Point Blank Music School has been voted Best Music
Production &DJ School. Based inShoreditch, London, this is the
centre of the electronic music universe, withmusic andmedia
companies spilling out fromOld Street in whats knownas
Silicon Roundabout. Youcan learnmusic production, sound
engineering, music business, singing, radio production, DJ skills
andlmproduction fromtopBritishmusic producers andmedia
professionals, with regular visits fromlegends in boththe music
andmedia industries. Whether youstudy online or inthe college
in London, your tutors are UKproducers including Grammy
Award-winners, Ivor Novello-winning songwriters, producers
andremixers.
The competition courses runover a number of weeks but
involve study fromhome, so anyone can enter. Inorder to win,
simply check out the courses at www.pointblankonline.net/
courses/pro-producer-courses.phpandchoose a course.
Then simply email us
editorial@
anthem-
publishing.com
explaining why you
want to go on that
course. The most
interesting wins!
Checkout the full
range of PB
courses online at:
www.point
blanklondon.com
or www.point
blankonline.net
WinaPoint Blank
courseworth395!
c
AVBSUPPORT
Hintsat possible
futureproductsfor
advancedaudioandvideo
networkingover Ethernet.
d
ENERGY
Mavericksisdesignedtodirect as
muchpower andasmanyresourcesas
possibletowardstheappsyouareusing,
andnot thoseinthebackground.
b
c
d
AdvanceMT
MAGAZINE December 2013 | 7
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AdvanceMT
MAGAZINE December 2013 | 9
12 | December 2013 MAGAZINE
MT Feature Get Paidfor Your Music
MAGAZINE December 2013 | 13
Get Paidfor Your MusicFeatureMT
T
here are a lot of names for library music, such as sync, production
music, stock music... In general terms, it refers to the use of music in
TV and film, in video games, on the radio, in online videos
anywhere that requires a little dose of music to shine. But
irrespective of what its called, it remains one of the most underused
weapons in any producers arsenal and a good way to make additional income
from your productions. A single hit can make a musicians name; think about the
use of Imogen Heaps Hide And Seek in the television series The OC. And anyone
can make library music (were going to stick with this term for now to avoid
confusion), so although there are a few things to bear in mind, youre not going
to be using any production techniques that differ from what youre doing
already: chances are that youve already made some music that could work in a
library, and which would also be quite comfortable sitting under the credits of a
hot newTV series.
Of course, theres also
bad news when youre
trying to make a living
from music, theres always
bad news. While it can be
a nice way to generate
income and cement a
reputation, cracking the
library music safe is a very tough job. Youll face immense competition, a
massive industry that can often be rather set in its ways, and like any producer
youll often have to fight to get paid! More importantly, you have to get used to
the fact that once your music is being used, its no longer your own. Youre not
releasing a track under your own name; its going out under the name of a
production company.
In this feature were going to walk you through everything to do with library
music how its made, where its used, who uses it (and why). Well chat to
composers, library owners and music supervisors, finding out what they do and
getting their tips on how to get called back again and again. Weve also built our
own library track from scratch a classical monster that would quite happily
work in the credits sequence of any Viking or crusader film. Well use it to break
down the things you need to remember when creating a library track, including
Librarymusiccanbeagoodway
tomakeadditionalincomefrom
yourproductions
MTMasterclass Career Opportunities
Fact:youremorelikelytomakeadecent incomefromsyncmusicthatsmusicinfilm,TV
andvideogamesthanyouever will withchart fame.Another fact:itseasier thanyou
might thinktoget into.RobBoffardhastheadviceandthecontactsyoull need
14 | December 2013 MAGAZINE
MT Feature Get Paidfor Your Music
how to create shorter versions and how to separate
out stems, and at the end, well turn it over to a
music library to see whether it passes muster.
Inprocess
Lets say that you want to get in on the library-music
game. Youve got a bunch of tracks together a good
demo that shows off your versatility and musical
chops. First step is to find a home for it. In most
cases, that means going to a music library, which is
where the term gets its name from. A music library is
just that: a library of music, sorted by styles, tempo,
length, keywords and whatever other metadata can
be dreamed up. Today, nearly all library companies
are online, although quite a few still create CDs of
music to send out to industry contacts.
If it works out well, the library bigwigs like what
you present, and offer to put you on their roster. That
means your tracks will appear on their website,
MTStep-by-Step Buildingalibrarytrack
01
Were going to showyouhowto buildan
example library track fromscratch. In
this case, were going to be building a track
for lmsomething that couldbe usedfor a
trailer or, better yet, over the opening credits.
But since we dont knowwhere its going to
be used, we have to keepit exible, andwere
going to go over a fewways of doing that. We
built the track inProTools, relying primarily
onNative Instruments Kontakt sample
libraries, as well as Battery 4 for the drums.
04
One thing youll notice is that our track
has very clear divisions betweeneach
set of four bars. This is deliberate once you
sell your track, youmay get a call froman
in-house engineer wanting youto remix your
material, or wanting to do it themselves. Yes,
it sucks its hardto let someone else ddle
withwhat youve made but it does happen,
so keeping eachsegment as a self-contained
unit will make it easier if it does (not to
mentionmaking your sequencing a breeze).
02
Agoodway to builda library track is to
have anidea of what it might be usedfor
this will helpguide youwhenyoure
sequencing it. For example, since weve
envisagedthis track being laidunder a credits
sequence, we needa slightly subduedintro
sectionbefore our maintheme kicks in. Our
intro is sparse, withjust the lowhorns and
some incremental percussionelements. Weve
pannedthe drums out to increase the stereo
eld, adding to the cinematic feel.
05
Once were done, we addjust a touchof
compressionandcorrective EQto eachof
our instruments. Weve kept things very
low-key if theres going to be a voiceover on
our track, whoever does the mix will want to
scoopout some vocal frequencies for
themselves to make room. Ingeneral, youcan
treat the mix of a library track as youwouldany
other song; the only real rule is to be as gentle
as possible withthe processing.
03
We want our track to buildover time, so
our strings come ingradually rather
thanall at once. To make things as lushas
possible weve layeredour strings, giventhem
a dose of reverbandplayedwithenvelope
values to make themsoundnatural. They
dont start the track: we like the horns leading
the charge, whichkeeps things nice and
dramatic, but youmay want to leadwith
something entirely different, suchas an
heroic horntheme or a synthline.
06
Make absolutely sure that your track is
compatible inmono itll helpto avoid
those nasty calls froma music supervisor
wondering why her perfect track for the
credits-roll goes screwy whenshe plays it
througha single channel. Use a phase meter
like that foundiniZotopes Ozone to
check the stereo spread, andensure that you
export your track inmono as well as stereo.
That way, youll eliminate any issues before
they become real problems.
available to listen to. Maybe they ask you to make
more, or focus on a specific style that they can hear
youre good at.
Someone hears your track and likes it. They
contact the music library and ask to license the track
ie, to purchase its use for a specific purpose.
Depending on what the track is being used for, you
could end up being paid a few quid for the use of a
track in a small radio ad, for example or a hell of a
lot of money if a company like Electronic Arts wants
it for the next Dead Space (very unlikely, we should
point out, but nonetheless a possibility!).
In addition, youre also paid by the MCPS/PRS
(Mechanical-Copyright Protection Society/
Performing Right Society). Theyre the organisations
that collect money when music is used, and if theyre
doing their job, youll get paid there as well. Well
deal with them in more detail a little later.
PROTIP
NETWORKING
What youdooutsidethe
studioisjust asimportant as
what youdoinside. Whileits
perfectlyacceptabletowork
withemail, youll ndthat
your career asalibrarymusic
producer progressesmuch
faster if youget out of the
studioandphysicallygoand
meet people. Takesometime
tondeventswhereindustry
professionalshangout. Even
if youdreadnetworking,
simplyhangingout inthese
placesandbuyingsomeone
adrinkor twocouldleadto
anynumber of jobscoming
your way.
Get Paidfor Your Music MT
They may want it exclusively, or they may want
you to tweak a few things. If you become well-known
enough, companies may begin asking specifically for
your services. Music supervisors who are in charge
of selecting music for film and television may
commission you to produce something especially for
them. You may be signed on a freelance basis to work
on a particular project. Sometimes, music used in
this fashion may have nothing to do with a library at
all it could simply be a piece of your music that
someone has come to you to use.
Very obviously, this is an extremely simplified
version of what actually happens, but, in general,
thats how the industry works.
Its a demo
You might reasonably ask the question of why you
should have a library representing you in the first
place. Think of this like writing a novel. The music
libraries are like literary agents: they form the
middlemen between you (the writer) and the people
wholl use your music (the publishing company).
They have the industry contacts, know-how and
sales expertise you might not have. You have the
musical skills they need.
Putting together a demo of your material to send
to potential music libraries isnt as easy as slapping
a few tracks together and firing them off. There are a
few key things to bear in mind. Remember: libraries
get tracks from producers all the time. Their inboxes
are full of the stuff. To make yours stand out, there
are a few things that youll need to do.
You need to spend some time finding the right
libraries for you. Before you even think of submitting,
you should know who their clients are, what styles
they offer, and how you could fit into their roster. In
Becomewell-knownenoughand
companiesmaybeginasking
specificallyforyourservices
PROTIP
BEREALISTIC
Chancesareyourenot going
tobescoringthenext Ridley
Scott lmright away. It will
takealittlebit of timefor you
tobuildupthecontactsand
musical qualitynecessary
toget thereallybigjobs. But
theresnothingtostopyou
startingsmall: target things
likeindielms, small games
developersparticularly
mobilegamesdevelopers
andanycompanythat
regularlycreatesvideosor
radioads. It might not be
veryglamorous, but theres
alwaysachancethat your
musiccouldenduponthe
next Cut TheRope.
buildaprofileandgetyournameknown.
MT Feature Get Paidfor Your Music
www.shure.co.uk
addition, make sure that
youre aware of current
trends within the
industry if you plan to
write music for national
radio ads, you should be
listening to as much
national radio as your
time permits.
When getting your
tracks together, you should
aim for nine to ten tracks th
showcase a wide variety of
genres. If you produce only electro-house, well, good
for you, but it really narrows down what you can do
with your music. If, however, youre confident with
your DAW and your instruments and you can put
together music from a wide variety of genres, youve
already made huge strides towards getting noticed.
A busy producer is likely to spend very little time
flicking through your tracks. Keep them short and
make sure that the main ideas and audio elements
are communicated right away. You want anyone
istening to have a feel
or the mood, style and
temp of your tracks
within seconds of
clicking play.
Put your songs online
somewhere like
SoundCloud is ideal. It
should be a single place
where someone can
ccess the music you want
them to hear. Beyond that, all
youll need to do is write a friendly email
(personalised, not blanket, if you please) telling why
they should check you out and what youve got to
offer. This is a good time to mention those industry
trends you looked up earlier.
Gettin money
Licensing laws and
procedures vary
from country to
country. While every
country will have an
organisation
dedicated to helping
you get paid, were
going to focus on the
UK in this feature.
Knowwhoyourclientsare,
whatstylestheyoffer, andhow
youcouldfitintotheirroster
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Youneedawebsite. Wetrust
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istheamount of hosting
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escalatereallyquickly.
Shoparoundalittlebit for
awebsiteplanthat gives
younot onlyenoughstorage
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enoughstoragefor future
onesaswell. Thereareplenty
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Either way, get onit: nothing
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Findareliableandflexibleinternetserviceproviderto
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Get Paidfor Your Music MT
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MTIndustryInsight Thelibraryproducer
Barry Short came up with a unique way of getting his
music into productions.
If youve listened to any UKradio or watched any
local TV, chances are youve heard some of Barry
Shorts stuff. He runs Shorties Music, his own library,
and its rather unique: anyone who wants to use a
track fromit can do so, for free...
Its sort of niche, he says. Everyone would love to
be making loads and loads of money fromhaving an
MCPSlibrary, with everyone using it and you sitting
back and seeing the royalties coming in. In reality, it
isnt that simple. It costs you to set up for an MCPS
library, and you have to work to distribute it big
overheads. I didnt have the bank balance to do that.
Shorties Music supplies 30-second tracks created
by Barry himself and available for download online. If
youre making aTV or radio commercial, you can use
these for free all Barry asks is that those who want
his tracks register with him(also free) and supply
details to PRSso he can collect royalties. Dozens of
companies have taken himup on his offer.
On the surface, its madness, but it gives Barry an
enormous amount of freedomand gives himaccess
to a market that cant always afford production music
frombigger libraries:A lot of stations dont have the
PRSblanket license, whereas when a group had one of
those, they could use any music fromthe MCPS
libraries they
wanted. Fewer and
fewer stations
started to have that
luxury; they were
trying to nd
alternatives. Now,
you could
download a track
for $25 or
whatever, royalty-free,
but they tended to be a
bit shit and really,
whos got the budget?
The sheer range of music on offer at Shorties is a
perfect example of why it pays to have variety in your
music. While his library doesnt earn Barry an
enormous amount of money, PRSstill pays hima few
hundred quid every quarter.
Strangely, his advice to producers newto the game
is to think carefully before going down a route similar
to his:There are people out there who would be
willing to take on your stuff, but they do take quite a
big cut. If theyve got everything established, then Id
suggest going with themrst. That way you can get
feedback and see which tracks are popular and what
people are using.
PROTIP
THENEEDFORSPEED
Speedneedstobeyour
watchword. If aclient calls
youat 6pmwantingtwoor
threeworkableideasby
9amthenext day, youneed
tobesurethat youcanstep
uptothechallenge. Workon
gettingtoknowyour DAW
backtofront, sothat youcan
leapinandstart composing
themoment ajobcomes
throughwithout havingto
ddlearoundwithsettings
andPreferences. If youcan
demonstratethat youcan
pull off thejobonatight
deadline, clientswill come
backtoyouagainandagain.
distributinghisworkdoesmake
himmoney, butmaynotbe
suitableforeveryone.
MTStep-by-Step Creatingdifferent-lengthversions
01
So nowweve got our library track a
nice, fat orchestral monster. Perfect for
a movie credits sequence. But what if the
producers want to use the track elsewhere?
What if theyve decidedto track the trailer as
well?Or aten-secondsting for anadvert
thatll play onastreaming service?Any library
worthits salt will ask for different versions,
sothats what were going todohere.
04
Timefor aten-secondclip, for areally
short radioad. Inmany ways this is
easier thancreating a30-secondversion, as
youdont havetoworry about any build-up
whatsoever. Wevetreatedours likethemain
sectionof thetrack, funnelling everything into
ahugewall of noisethat climaxes witha
crashing cymbal followedby ahornfade-out.
Let theelements of your track dictatewhat
youdo, andwhether youwant tofollowour
exampleor put inthebareminimum.
02
Our original track is just over twominutes.
Lets create a 30-secondversion. To do
this, were going to have to sequence things
carefully, truncating our long intro andmaking
sure we include all the relevant elements of
the track. As youcansee, we bring inour main
strings almost immediately, without waiting for
any sort of build-up, but weve still left a very
short intro, whichhelps us to create a sense of
anticipation. So far so good.
05
Inextremely rare cases youmight be
askedto make something shorter ve
seconds, for example. Whenthat happens, pick
the elements thatll leave the greatest
impressioninthe shortest space of time. In
this case we have time only for the cymbal
crash, the horns andthe drumrolls. Inaddition,
weve bumpedour maindrumroll upa few
seconds, bringing it inright after the rst
crash. To maximise the impact weve removed
our last three kick drumhits.
03
It may be worthhaving a different mix
for a shorter versionof your track. For
example, inthis case weve chosento fade-in
our vocal choir over the rst four bars it felt
a little jarring to have themcome infull-blast
at the start. Similarly, weve endedthe track
withfading horns as opposedto a cymbal
crash. Alot of this is downto taste if
possible, get some guidance fromthe library
or music supervisor youre creating it for.
06
While we havent done it here, bear in
mindthat youmay also be askedto
compose a muchlonger versionof your track,
or combine tracks for a medley. Inmany ways
this is a goodthing as it gives youa lot more
space to try out some freshideas. When
youre putting your track together, make sure
youkeepa recordof every experiment youtry,
evenif youthink youll never use it you
never knowhowuseful it might become.
18 | December 2013 MAGAZINE
MT Feature Get Paidfor Your Music
The Mechanical-Copyright Protection Society and
the Performing Right Society have done their very
best to merge into a single body accessed through a
single website (www.prsformusic.com), but try as
they might, theyre still dealing with two different
types of bringing in money from music, and
untangling who pays you what, when and how much
can often be frustrating.
Definitely consider signing up with the PRS part
of the programme. Theres a small fee around 30
to join up. PRS collects royalties for performance
every time a track of yours is played; the amount
varies depending on when and where this happens.
They pay out quarterly, and you have to have a
minimum of 30 in royalties before you can get paid.
The MCPS is somewhat trickier. They deal with
what happens when your track is reproduced
recorded onto CD, say, or downloaded online. They
have a different set of rates and payout schemes
from PRS and they also collect the mechanical fee
the fee paid to license the track and distribute it to
the publisher and writer (the library and you). This is
then split, depending on what youve agreed with
your particular library.
Not all libraries are signed up to MCPS: some,
such as Synctracks (which weve spoken to elsewhere
in this article) are PRS-only. Its worth checking very
carefully what arrangements your library has before
signing over your music to it. And of course, if you
dont actually go through a library if, for example,
a TV producer has sought you out directly to get one
of your songs on their show then youll almost
certainly be paid a flat rate, along with royalties
from PRS in those quarterly segments. In addition,
some libraries specialise in royalty-free music,
which lets users download a track for a one-off fee.
For these, obviously, you can expect a single flat rate.
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A
lthough most users will spend their time
playing with the Arpeggiator, Logic Pro Xs MIDI
plug-ins systemoffers some intriguing new
ways of looking at MIDI data within your Logic
projects. As youll see in this tutorial, the
application of MIDI plug-ins oats part-way between live,
on-the-y MIDI editing and a more creative role that almost
touches on a generative approach to music-making.
Certainly, its an exciting newway of looking at your
composition process, and a great way of extracting real
musical potential fromnewer plug-ins such as DrumKit
Design and Retro Synth.
To explore the full potential of the MIDI plug-ins system,
this tutorial examines three practical applications. The rst
application looks at an important part of the MIDI plug-ins
concept that of real-timeperformance tweaking.
Although its possible to edit MIDI data using the Piano
Roll, MIDI plug-ins offer an intriguing newway of tweaking
your MIDI data, especially when it comes to plug-ins like the
Velocity Processor. As well see, the results can be
transformative, and certainly demonstrate that you
shouldnt think of MIDI as being merely a sequence of note
data.
Froma creative standpoint, MIDI plug-ins are a dream
come true for musicians working in the eld of dance music.
Rather than programming or performing note data from
scratch, you can use features such as the Arpeggiator, Chord
Trigger and Note Repeater as a means of actually creating
your musical parts. For example, what might start as just a
single note could end up as complex patterns of rhythmic
chords, or swatches of notes ying around a given chord
sequence. As with the extremes of audio processing, you
soon start to realise that what you do with an input is as
important as the source itself!
Although this tutorial covers all the dening techniques
of using MIDI plug-ins, its worth remembering that this is
just the tip of the iceberg in terms of what you can achieve,
especially when it comes to the Scripter plug-in. Ultimately,
MIDI plug-ins are an exciting part of the Logic universe, and
something that all styles of music can actively exploit in one
way or another. MT
Thistutorial isendorsedbyPoint BlankMusicSchool, whichspecialisesin
coursesonproduction, soundengineering, themusicbusiness, singing,
radioproduction, DJskillsandlmproduction, all runbytopBritishmusic
producersandmediaprofessionals, withregular visitsfromlegendsin
musicandmedia.
All stylesofmusiccanactively
exploitMIDIplug-insinone
wayoranother
Mastering
MIDIplug-ins
Accompanying
projectfileincluded
ontheDVD
Aswell astheArpeggiator, LogicProXsMIDI plug-inssystemhashost of powerful features
upitssleeve. MarkCousinsgetspluggedin.
FOCUSON THESCRIPTERPLUG-IN
If yourefeelingreallybrave, itsworthtakingacloser lookat theScripter
plug-in. Inessence, theScripter providesameansfor Logicuserstocreate
their ownMIDI plug-insusingasimpleJavaScript editingsystem.Toget a
better ideaof what youcanachieve, takealookat someof thepresets
includedwiththeScripter plug-in, someof whichreplicatefeaturesfound
inthemainMIDI plug-inslist, whileothershint at unexploredpossibilities,
liketheHarpeggiator. Interestingly, theopen-sourceapproachmight be
usedinconjunctionwithsamplelibraries, wherethird-partydevelopers
couldcreate Scripter presetstofacilitatecomplextriggeringtasks.
LogicProX BecomeaLogicPower User
Poweredby
New
Series
Part4
MT Technique MasteringMIDI plug-ins
44 | December 2013 MAGAZINE
MTStep-by-Step UsingMIDI plug-ins
01
Inthis rst example were going to explore howa single MIDI
plug-incanhave a signicant affect onthe musicality of a
performance. The starting point is a basic drumsequence routedto
DrumKit Designer. Instantiate theVelocity Processor into the MIDI FX
Slot foundtowards the topof the channel strip. Note the green
colouring to indicate that its a MIDI plug-in.
02
All MIDI plug-ins work by changing the MIDI data streaminreal
time just like anaudio plug-inmodies anaudio signal. Inthis
case, theVelocity Processor is working withvelocity data, applying a
formof MIDI compressionto the data stream. As a result, notice how
the dynamics of the drumperformance have immediately changed.
03
Nowlets start adapting some of the parameters to see what
happens whenwe use theVelocity Processor. Increasing the
Ratio, for example, increases the strengthof velocity reductionover
andabove the threshold. Notice howthe performance becomes
immediately quieter, as well as having the dynamic range of velocities
reducedslightly.
05
As anexample of something radically different, try using an
expander-like setting withtheVelocity Processor. Use a lowRatio
(0.125), a negative Make Up(-110) andthenexperiment withthe
Threshold. Tune theThresholdcorrectly andits almost like parts of the
performance are removedintheir entirety, lending the drumtrack a
simpler, more direct feel.
04
Try adapting theThresholdnext andlistento what it achieves. At
lower settings, the performance becomes quieter andorientated
towards a single dynamic. Raising theThresholdmakes a louder
performance, withthe reductiondirectedmore towards the louder
hits. Finally, try increasing the Make Upto restore any lost level.
06
The Comp/Expmode always delivers great results, but its also
interesting to note the other modes available withtheVelocity
Processor. Add/Scale is aninteresting alternative for simple
modications. Use Scale at around69%, for example, to bring inthe
extremes of the performance, so that bothloudandquiet velocities are
brought more in-line withanaverage setting.
MasteringMIDI plug-insTechniqueMT
MAGAZINE December 2013 | 45
MTStep-by-Step Multipleplug-ins
01
Just as withaudio plug-ins, we canuse multiple MIDI plug-ins in
a cumulative fashion, eachplug-inadding to the results of the
last. Using multiple plug-ins, yousoonstart to see the real potential of
the MIDI plug-ins system. Inthis case, start by instantiating the Chord
Trigger plug-inacross the Retro Synthinstance ontrack two.
02
The ChordTrigger plug-inis similar to the oldChordMemorizer
object foundinthe Environment. By pressing the Learnkey you
canmapa givenchordshape, either using the mouse (clicking onthe
notes inthe lower orange keyboard) or simply playing a chordonthe
keyboard. The chordwill nowtrack the keyboardchromatically.
03
Following onfromthe ChordTrigger, try instantiating the Note
Repeater plug-in. The Note Repeater is a formof MIDI delay line,
playing a repeat of the original input several beat divisions later. Inthis
case, set the Repeat count to 3 andthe delay time to 1/8d. Now, from
just a single note, we hear three perfectly formedchords!
05
To addanother element into the equation, try instantiating the
Modulator as the next device inthe chain. Rather thanmodifying
existing data, the Modulator creates newMIDI CCinformation, using a
free-running LFO, for example, or anenvelope triggeredfromnote
events. Inthis case, the default setting produces a simple tempo-
syncedLFOmovement.
04
The two most intriguing controls of the Note Repeater have to be
theTranspose andVelocity Rampparameters. Transpose shifts
the chordpositionfor eachrepeat, so that a +12 setting, for example,
shifts eachrepeat upanoctave. The best is theVelocity Rampcontrol,
whichweve set to 85%so that eachrepeat is slightly quieter.
06
As withall of the MIDI plug-ins, its well worthbeing clear onhow
your eventual virtual instrument responds to the data youcreate
whether its velocity data or MIDI CCcommands. Retro Synth, for
example, has velocity sensitivity pre-wiredto its amplier andlter,
but youcanalso addother modulators suchas the modulation
wheel via the Settings page.
MT Technique MasteringMIDI plug-ins
46 | December 2013 MAGAZINE
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MTStep-by-Step Randomizer&Arpeggiator
01
The last example pushedthe MIDI plug-ins concept to an
extreme, to the point at whichthe music is almost completely
formedby the MIDI plug-ins. Working againwiththe Retro Synthtrack,
remove all the existing MIDI plug-ins andplace aninstance of the
Arpeggiator onthe rst insert. Use the default 1/16 rate for now.
02
The key component in this exercise is the Randomizer plug-in,
which were going to use twice in the MIDI signal path. Placed
after the Arpeggiator, the Randomizers default setting is achieving
what we needat this stage, taking the existingat velocity messages
fromthe Arpeggiators output andrandomising over the full MIDI
range of 0127.
03
FollowtheVelocity Randomizer withandanother Randomizer
instance, but this time change the Event Type fromVelocity to
Note Number. Notice howthe pitchwildly varies for eachstep. Try
tailoring this by setting the Randomparameter to around30 (this is
almost three octaves) witha slight weighting towards Highvalues. This
is a goodexample of tailored randomness!
05
Nowtry going back to the Arpeggiator andexperimenting with
the Input Type. Move over to Gridandcreate a pseudo-random
rhythmso that were not just dealing withswathes of 16th-notes. Also
try some steps withthe Chordmode active andtry holding downmore
thanone note to kick-start the sequence.
04
Randomnotes are ne, but theyre not very musical! To solve this
problem, try placing aninstance of theTransposer plug-inafter
the two Ramdomizers. As well as transposing MIDI data, the
Transposer is also useful inthat it canprovide scale-correction. Try the
Cant Go Wrong setting or programyour ownpreferredscale type.
06
Setting the nal result inthe right context is animportant part of
the task. As withthe secondexercise, make sure that Retro Synth
is responding to your controller informationadding a touchof lter
movement withvelocity, for example, as well as some resonance. Delay
andreverbare also important, creating space andevenmore
movement inthe sequence.
MT Technique MasteringMIDI plug-ins
48 | December 2013 MAGAZINE
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9
A
lthoughit was only back in
2009that we reviewedthe
rst Maschine release, it feels
like the optionof making
music withMaschine has beenaround
for alot longer. There have beenvarious
hardware updates andmany signicant
software updates since, but Maschines
core purpose has remainedthe same:
its ahardware/software-based
groove-productionsystem(most
features canbe controlledfromthe
hardware) andsimplicity is key to the
user experience.
While the systemis designedwith
hardware inmind, youcanuse the
software without the controller handy
whentravelling withjust alaptop. Its
also worthnoting that iMaschine for iOS
has beenintegratedinto the Maschine
family as well, so youcansketchout
ideas onahand-helddevice then
import theminto Maschine onyour
computer for further development.
As well as having various hardware
options to choose frominthe Maschine
range, until the latest 2.0software
release that were looking at here,
upgrades have beenfree to owners of
hardware fromany generation.
Althoughthe latest upgrade does come
at acost, most of the 1.x updates have
receivedsignicant changes. If youlook
at what other major music-making
software packages offer, its easy to see
that NI arguably gives the best
user-loyalty. We also imagine well see
the same free updates for 2.0inthe
future. Althoughwell discuss whats
newfor all users of v2.0, our mainfocus
is onthe Maschine Studio hardware
andthe potential to do away withyour
computer display altogether.
Inthe Studio
Before Maschine Studio, youhada
choice of either the regular-size
Maschine or the smaller Maschine
Mikro, but
LiamO MullanegetshishandsonNIslatestgroove-production
studioandgetsatruehardwareexperiencewithasoftinterior
fromthe moment youget Maschine
Studio out of the box youcantell that
this is the Big Daddy of themall, taking
upthe desk space of a more classic,
fully hardware-basedgroove-
productionsystem. The two gloriousTFT
screens are a big change fromthe
monochromatic screens of the other
models, but withthis feature comes the
responsibility of taking care of them
we imagine that just sliding this unit
into any oldbag couldpotentially cause
a lot of surface scratches, so wedadvise
investing ina suitable paddedbag or
case if youplanontravelling withit.
Alevel meter withdedicatedbuttons
sits onthe topright of the unit, andthe
dedicatedbuttonaspect is something
hat sets Maschine Studio above other
models. The 16drumpads are the same
s those onother Maschine MK2
odels, but theres anoticeable lack of
ending betweenthem. This is
because Studio has most multi-
functionoptions coveredelsewhere by a
dedicatedbuttonrather thanrelying on
giving the drumpads many other
functions another aspect that helps to
improve workow.
Whenwe sawapre-productionunit
afewmonths back, we were amazedby
the screendisplays, but our next areaof
attractionwas the jog dial. This is
surroundedby relevant functionkeys
andis acontrol that oozes the feel of a
classic sampler. Its the only click-based
encoder onthe unit, making it useful for
any grid-basedmovements as well as
general ner adjustments. We must
also mentionthe bright white circle
aroundthe dial, as its striking inboth
dark andlight conditions andcanonly
be describedasTron-like.
Newfor all
Before reporting onour experiences of
making a track withStudio, lets look at
whats newinthe 2.0software update.
NI has built this newsoftware fromthe
groundupto remove certainrestrictions
that the previous architecture imposed.
Most notably, the audio engine is more
efcient andnowhas multi-core CPU
support to make the most of your
computers resources, while the
software comes witha healthy library
that has growninsize by 2GBsince v1.0.
Many different styles of music are
coveredandquite a fewof the included
plug-ins like a goodchunk of computing
KeyFeatures
2colourTFT
screens
8GB+content
Includes
Massive,
Reaktor, Prism,
Scarbeeand
more
MaschineDrum
Synth(new)
Standaloneand
plug-inmodes
Canrunas
VST, AUorAAX
plug-in
2footswitch
connections
5-pinMIDI in, 3
MIDI outs
UseiMachine,
MPC, WAV, AIFF,
REXfileformats
Details
Price 999. 2.0
softwareupgrade
toexisting
MASCHINEusers
99(freeupgradefor
purchasesmadeafter
1October)
Contact2twenty2
08452994222
Web
www.native-
instruments.com
elackof anaudiointerfaceinaproduct at thisprice
will annoysome, but it doesat least offer much
moreMIDI connectivitythanyour current
interfacemost likelydoes.
9/10
MTReviews
Hardware Software MobileTechnology Samples
NATIVEINSTRUMENTS
MaschineStudio
MTReviewsNativeInstrumentsMaschineStudio
82 | December 2013 MAGAZINE
power, so efciency is important here.
We experiencedvery low-latency
performance onour bottom-of-the-
range MacBook Pro, without needing to
alter any settings until we were well into
the song-writing process.
But its not just computational
improvements we have to talk about:
the biggest update interms of bundled
features is the arrival of the new
Maschine DrumSynthmodules. Based
betweenbothacoustic modelling and
drumsynthesis, these are great
additions to analready extensive drum
library. Eachdrumtype has starting
characteristics to choose from. For
instance, kicks have names like Bold,
whichdeliver various varieties of
forward-sounding tones; Maple gives a
lot of choice for modelling alive drum
kit; andSubis great for 808-esque
oor-rumblers andso on. The sound
quality of these is excellent and, more
importantly, they have consistent
quality as youtravel throughparameter
changes. This is something NI is keento
highlight, andwe canconrmthat there
are no deadspots as youexplore
parameters. This makes it very easy to
create drumvariationby automating
these controls over time without
worrying about losing presence or
power. Snares, claps, toms, shakers and
other percussionare all available and
the tonal range of the controls is vast.
We spent a lot of time playing with
these andwere sure youwill lose
yourself inthemtoo.
Althoughwere focusing onthe
combinationof the newMaschine 2.0
software alongside Maschine Studio, its
important to note that the softwares
functionality does not differ inthe
slightest for other Maschine hardware
users. We decidedto put the Maschine
Studios screen-ledcontrol to the test
andworkedpurely instandalone mode.
This involvedahardenedrule to never
use the computer screenduring the
process of creating asong, working
purely fromthe hardwares feedback.
Groove-maker
As well as working without the
computer screen, we also decidedto
proceedwithout consulting the manual.
Acknowledging NIs claims of simplicity,
it really is easy to grasphoweverything
works. Sounds can nowbe stored
across an innite number of groups,
which holdupto 16 sounds each. The
newsidechaining function is similarly
easy to understand: simply select a
soundor groupto be usedas the
external key-input fromthe plug-in to
be triggered. The number of insert
plug-ins per soundandgroupis now
limitedonly by your computing power,
andthis applies to auxiliary tracks as
well. The small graphical images that
represent your effects andinstruments
are very useful to helpyou understand
whats going on as you add, bypass,
move andgenerally explore sonic
possibilities with plug-ins. This also
works in tandemwith the newmixer
view, which makes it easier to navigate
as you mix andbalance your work.
Programming patterns fromasound
per pad, playing sounds like akeyboard
across pads andstepsequencing are all
easy to gure out, performandedit. The
sequencing andarrangement aspect is
vastly different inStudios case as you
wouldpreviously have to look at the
computer screento understandwhat
was going on. Sample-editing also
benets fromthe high-enddisplays and
youcanzoominonthe smallest detail
to carefully edit asample or loopslice.
Not everything is quite as uid,
though. For instance, external VSTs not
made by NI cannot yet be loadedfrom
the hardware. Also, pressure sensitivity
(aftertouch) canbe usedonly for note-
repeat velocity control. Its afeature that
is otherwise not onoffer for any other
element of the Maschine library. We
discussedthis withthe NI teamand
they do have thoughts onhowthey can
resolve theVSTissue inaway that will
seamlessly integrate into the Studio
experience, but theres no ofcial word
as yet. If youswitchMaschine Studio
into MIDI mode youcanoutput
aftertouchCCdataper pad, but this is a
user-denable aspect of using the
hardware. Onthe one hand, it offers alot
of potential power, but at the same time
it cannot be classedas part of the
otherwise uidStudio experience.
By the endof our time withMaschine
Studio we canreport that we hada
mostly positive experience andthat we
managedto work completely without
the computer screenfromstart to nish
(at least whenusing the integrated
library content). This makes what is
quite big nancial investment attractive
to those who are sick of looking at
computer screens every time they make
music. It will also meanthat live
performers cando away withalaptop
onstage. As aperformer youcaninstead
concentrate onthe essential visual
elements infront of you.
Whether youre performing onstage
or composing elsewhere, Maschine
Studio offers atrue hardware
experience plus all the advantages that
software brings. NI has well andtruly
usheredinaneweraof hardware
control andcomposition. MT
MethodSpot
Note-repeat is
oftenusedasa
drum- or melody-
inputtingdevice
andlittlemore.Try
somethingcreative
withit bysettingup
adrumsoundwith
one-shot triggering
andcreatepreset
note-repeat ratesof
128, 128Tand128D
toplaywith.These
will repeat asound
fast enoughto
generatea
grindy-sounding
synthtone.Youcan
manipulateits
character further by
switchingbetween
ratesandchanging
thegatelengthof
thesample.Thejog
dial canalsobe
usedtochangethe
samplespitchas
youplayfor yet
morevariationin
tone, thenyoucan
set upMaschineto
re-sampleand
capturesomeof
your newsoundsas
youimprovise.
NI haswellandtrulyushered
inaneweraofhardwarecontrol
andcomposition
Alternatives
Themost obviouscompetitor inthehardware/
software-hybridworldisAKAIsRenaissance
(699), whichisagreat deal cheaper andincludes
itsownaudiointerface.Thisisalsoapowerful unit, but without the
benet of colour TFTscreensit feelsalittlebit likecomparingapples
withorangesintermsof displaydetail andfunctionality.
Themulti-coloured
drumpadsarethe
sameasthoseon
theMaschineMK2.
Theyhaveagreat
feel tothemandare
incrediblysensitive
for dynamiccontrol.
MTVerdict
+Fewer multi-functionbuttons to
deal with
+TFTscreens are clutter-free
+Newmixer view
+Excellent range of instruments,
samples andeffects
+Maschine DrumSynths
soundfantastic
+Highly responsive drumpads
+Solid, low-latency performance
- Extra features require external
power adaptor
- Nointernal audiointerface
- Twoaux sends per sound/group
- Nouseof padpressure-sensitivity
intheMaschinelibrary
Ahardwareandsoftwarecombo
that feels likehardware. The
screens andlarger rangeof
dedicatedbuttons seriously
improveworkowandthenew
features of Maschine2.0marka
promising newerafor the
Maschinefamily.
9/10
NativeInstrumentsMaschineStudioReviewsMT
MAGAZINE December 2013 | 83
M
-Audios rst entries inthe
Axiomrange offeredalot of
compact controls ina
typical MIDI controller
footprint. Fast-forwardto this latest AIR
release, though, andthe format has
changedquite abit infact, the rst
thing we noticedwhenwe took this
25-key controller out of its box was its
sheer size. This is because most other
controllers out there either have drum
pads placedintwo rows, or shrink each
pads size to accommodate abatchof
16while keeping the depthof the unit
fairly shallow. The Air eschews such
compromise, having adepththat
measures just over 42cm. This allows
for 16full-size MPC-style pads and
gives it more of afull-onsynthfeel than
that of atypical MIDI controller.
Clear spread
Were reviewing the 25-key model, but
larger spreads of 49and61keys are
available. The drumpads are pressure-
sensitive andthe light-actionkeys also
feature aftertouch. This gives the user
more ways to express themselves,
rather thanhaving just velocity-
sensitivity to play with. Eight endless
encoders andasingle medium-throw
fader are includedinthe 25-key model,
but nine faders are featuredonboththe
49- and69-key options. Asides fromthe
pitchwheel, modwheel, octave-
switching andthe large raisedLCDin
the centre, the rest of the smaller
buttons are for specic operating
modes, whichwell get to inaminute.
The rear of the unit includes 5-pin
MIDI I/O, so this can act as an interface
for external hardware MIDI gear; if you
KeyFeatures
IncludesLive
LiteandIgnite
sequencing
software
Expressionand
sustainpedal
inputs
5-pinMIDI I/O
Velocityand
aftertouch/
pressure-
sensitivekeys
anddrumpads
HyperControl
Mixmodeand
Inst/Mixmodes
Details
Price 250
Contact
inMusicBrands
01252896010
Web
www.m-audio.com
run it froma power supply it couldbe
wireddirectly to other hardware for live
use, without the needfor a computer.
Connections for expression andsustain
pedals are also included.
More control
The AIRs padsection is interesting as it
includes three different banks that can
be cycledthroughusing a single button.
The pads note output can be custom-
mappedin Edit mode, whichis really
handy if you want to jamwith sounds or
samples that arent necessarily in
chromatic order. Adrum-roll function is
also included, andthe repeat rate can
be controlledvia functionkeys on the
main keyboard. The pads feel solid
enough but theres a bit of give in the
centre of the casing, which gives a
slightly different feel to the pads on the
lower left. This also makes the
pressure-sensitivity slightly uneven.
Note length andswing for drumroll can
be controlledusing the cursor keys in
the central control panel. Having
note-length/gate adjustment is great
as you dont always want to use just
drumsounds with a roll feature. For
instance, it offers creative control when
working with momentary sample-
playback or melodic instruments.
HyperControl is anewname for
M-Audios previous DirectLink mode and
it allows for automatic mapping setup
withyour choice of DAW. We managedto
set it upquickly withCubase 7and
couldimmediately cycle through
controlling the mixer levels, pan,
instruments andeffects by switching
throughvarious modes onthe AIR. We
also triedit withAbletonLive 9andhad
asimilarly painless experience, so this
couldreally helpyour workowif you
wouldrather use the controller more
thanthe mouse as youwork.
Play time
We usedthe Axiomto input various
ideas into Live andto navigate around
both Session andArrangement Views,
nding a goodlevel of control available.
Dedicatedtransport controls are
always a boon in any software when
working with a linear arrangement
page, andgenerally we foundthe other
controls on the unit were also quite
easy to become familiar with.
This unit isnt pitchedinthe budget
price range, but it delivers onthe kinds
of features youdexpect at this level. The
knobs, buttons andpitch/modulation
wheels all feel solidto work with, and
the drumpads andkeys are OK, but
dont feel quite upto the standardof the
other features. As usual, wed
recommendyoutry themfor yourself
before youbuy. However, considering
the features this unit offers (it includes
Live Lite as well as the full Ignite DAW
package), its goodvalue for money and
couldbe agoodrst investment for
those just starting upastudio. MT
Alternatives
For aroundthesamemoney
astheAIR25youcanbuyan
Impulse25(240) fromNovation.Upthisto
300andyoucouldhave49keysandnine
faders,withthecompromiseof havingonly
eight drumpads.Bothmodelsalsoinclude
abuilt-inarpeggiator andhavearmfeel to
thekeyboard.ArturiasAnalogExperience
Laboratory(429) isanicepackagethat
includesemulatedsoundsfrommanyclassic
analoguesynths,but it doesnt featureas
manydrumpadsor thehigher level of control
mappingthat theAIRor Impulseproductsoffer.
M-AUDIO
AxiomAIR25
TheAIRrangecontinuestoexpandliterally... LiamOMullane
checksoutM-Audioslatestandlargestflagshipcontrollers.
MTVerdict
+HyperControl functions
+Size gives it a sense of purpose
+Canoperate as standalone
MIDI controller
+Drum-roll feature has a fewgood
creative possibilities
+Includes Ignite DAWsoftware
+Drumpadnote-assignments are
practical touse
+Keyboardfeels light
- Casing designslightly awedfor
universal drum-padfeel
- Large size makes it less portable
Therearealot of features herefor
theprice, most of whicharehighin
quality. As arst investment, the
bundledsoftwarerepresents an
economical way tohelpabeginner
get off theground.
7/10
84 | December 2013 MAGAZINE
MTReviewsM-AudioAxiomAIR25
M
aking music with other
people can be both
creative and educational.
Ive learned many good
and bad! ways in which to work while
writing music with other people and
seeing howthey operate. It has been a
while nowsince the internet started to
change the way we can interact and
therefore collaborate with each other
in theold days you were forced to
share projects via analogue or digital
media and physically get themfrom
one location to another. If you wanted
to discuss any changes, youd need to
pick up the phone and talk to the
people involved. In todays internet-
orientated world, of course, you can
simply drop project data into a
le-sharing systemsuch as Dropbox
and use existing communication tools
such as Facebook or Skype to discuss
ideas as you work.
However, a problemthats inherent
with either of these approaches is the
rather touchy matter of project
compatibility. If youre lucky or wise
(and theres often a ne line between
the two in these kinds of situations),
you will be using exactly the same
software as everyone else involved in
the project. If this isnt the case, though,
you will need to either constantly
commit to audio to pass parts back and
forth, or keep things much more exible
by working solely with MIDI.
Another approach, of course, is to
use one of the fewonline DAWsystems
that are available. Sadly, though, these
tend to be comparatively basic in terms
of features and functionality so they
will often feel somewhat limiting to
more advanced users or experienced
musicians. But aside fromthe various
audio-streaming services out there,
Collaborationisntnewinonlinemusic-making, butOhmStudio
maywellchangethewayyoudoit. LiamOMullanerevealswhy
this has been about as advanced as
you could get when programming
music is involved.
Anewera of collaboration
The other important factor with the
methods already mentioned is that
none of themallows for multi-user
editing of the same project at the same
time. This is why OhmStudio has been
causing such a stir. Although Ableton
announced plans for a similar function
in Live a fewyears ago, its yet to appear.
BitWig Studio also announced this as a
feature in the rst promo video a while
back. Were still waiting for a release
date on BitWig and this feature has
been pushed back to thefuture
features category on its makers
website. So again, this may or may not
materialise. It seems that OhmForce,
then, has come up with OhmStudio at
a time when people are obviously
hungry for a higher level of
collaboration and we need to nd out
whether it does the job or not.
Humaninteraction
Fromthe free version of OhmStudio
upwards to Pro andProXXL, you can
immediately start collaborating after
installing the main software. The
software may be installedlocally on
your computer, but your project data
will live in the Cloud, so an internet
connection is neededat all times.
Once loggedin you are greetedby
the Dashboarddisplay. This is a
dedicatedarea for creating projects,
tagging themas you woulda music le,
setting their privacy or public settings
andgenerally interacting with others. A
Chat area lets you talk with other Ohm
Studio users or directly with specic
project members. These are also
available in the main project area
where youll do your music-making
andcan be incredibly useful for a
number of reasons. With themyou can
get to knowothers, their interests and
work with them. You can also relay
messages to each other as you work on
a project (the rst of which will almost
inevitably be:Oi! What are you doing?
Imediting this part at the moment!). A
Sticky Notes systemis also included
within the project, so as with
Itsthecommunityaspectthat
will reallysetthisapartfrom
anythingyouveusedbefore
KeyFeatures
Integratedchat
andprofile
facilities
16-/24-bit
recording
MIDI import/
export
Track-by-track/
masterbuss
audioexport
ThoroughHelp
functionality
Supports
third-partyVST
plug-insand
collaborative
bounce
Details
PriceOhmStudio0.
OhmStudioPro39.
OhmStudioProXXL
99
Contact contact@
ohmstudio.com
Web
www.ohmstudio.com
Thevariousdifferent rectanglesintheSequence
Overviewat thetopof thescreenenableyoutosee
whereeachcollaborator iscurrentlyworking
withintheproject.
ForPC
&Mac
$ 9/10
OHMFORCE
OhmStudio
MTReviewsOhmForceOhmStudio
86 | December 2013 MAGAZINE
SoundCloudcomments, you can add
notes to the timeline to let each other
knowyour thoughts.
Before we get into the specics of
the project window, its features and
howit may function when comparedto
your current DAWof choice, lets look at
what you get with the free andother
two purchasable versions. OhmStudio
includes most of the core functions
includedin the Pro andProXXL
editions; the main attraction of those is
additional plug-ins (andOhmForce
tells us that youll never have to pay for
subsequent upgrades, which is a rarity
these days).
OhmStudio includes an amp
simulator, reverb, a large palette of
sounds (via the UVI-basedcollection of
instruments) andtwo OhmForce-
basedlters. You are also limitedto
recording at 16-bit andproject export is
restrictedto compressedaudio only.
This alone is likely to encourage you to
upgrade at some point. All versions
include a base pack plug-in collection
for compression, ange andvocoding.
Pro andProXXLextends this collection
with additional effects andsynths that
are too numerous to list here. But the
more you spend, the more of a rounded
plug-in package you get. In all versions,
however, youcan use third-party
plug-ins, which can be usedlive
between all who own them. If this isnt
the case, a clever collaborative bounce
function lets you free themto share the
resulting audio.
Another factor to be aware of with
OhmStudio is the ten-project maximum
for free users. This includes anything
youve created, joinedor beenamember
of. This is asimultaneous limitation,
though, so youjust leave projects to
make space for others as needed. If
youre going to get serious about
collaborating, the server canbe
upgradedto increase your limit to 200.
The commitment canbe onamonthly,
quarterly or annual basis andcosts: 9,
8and7per monthrespectively.
Multiple users
Weve been using OhmStudio
extensively during the beta stage until
its current release and it has proven
itself to be a genuinely unique way of
working. The main project windowhas
a mixer view, plug-in list, Help view,
Module view(for audio routing) and a
main editing window. Weve recorded
our own audio tracks, sequenced audio
samples, recorded MIDI and performed
a variety of other editing tasks
numerous times. We found a good
basic level of control and many
professional DAWfeatures are
included, yet cycle recording isnt, so
you cant compile or just edit out the
best take, which we admit is a pain. We
have been told by OhmForce that this
and various other higher-end features
will be coming in forthcoming updates,
so its something to look out for.
The collaborationexperience itself is
bizarre, mainly because project datais
representedonthe collaborators
screens inreal time. I likenit to how
gamers felt whenrst experiencing
real-time online gaming.
There isnt too muchof ateething
periodfor anyone newto the interface
as it shares many commonshortcut
keys, has asimple-to-understand
layout andavery useful Helpsystem,
andyoucanalways ask onthe public
chatroomfor helpor invite themto look
at your problemas well.
After using OhmStudio for awhile
its the community aspect that will really
start to set this apart fromanything
youve usedbefore. Its avery capable
tool for working withpeople youalready
know, but there is so muchto be gained
frombeing social, especially if youre
sick of working onyour own!
Whenit comes to mixing there are
advancedfeatures suchas drag-and-
dropinsert FX, aux channels and
sub-grouping viathe modular routing
view. This makes it more advancedthan
alot of other software, especially as
most if its features are includedfor free
there are evenadvancedchannel strip
controls like integratedM/Scontrol.
However whenwe rst startedto use it,
functions like zoomwere initially abit
ddly, but giventime youbecome uid.
The future is here
So OhmStudio is potentially free and
offers the rst pro-grade optionfor
multiple editing of aproject. But if you
also want something that does
everything your DAWcando, youwill be
disappointedandmay be missing the
point. Beginner andintermediate users
will ndOhmStudios features ample;
advancedusers will love the fact they
canuse existing plug-ins fromtheir rig
while working withanyone else. We
foundafewbugs (whichare being
ironedout) but these canalmost be
forgiveninsuchanambitious and
future-thinking piece of software. Its a
huge stepforwardinencouraging
people to work together andwe cant
argue withthat so if youve ever
consideredon-line collaboration, then
try it, simple as that. MT
MethodSpot
If youwant to
collaboratebut
dont want tohave
toabandonyour
DAWof choice, you
canuseOhmStudio
asatool tohelp
separatethe
compositional and
mixing/production
stagesof making
music. Byworking
together and
discussingideasvia
theprojectsChat
window, itseasyto
construct the
frameworkof a
songwhile
temporarilyusing
thesoundswithin
OhmStudio.You
canthenexport the
MIDI datafromthe
project alongwith
anyaudioyoumay
want tokeepand
import it intoyour
DAWtodevelop, mix
andnish.
OhmStudiofreesusfromthe
limitationswemaynothave
evenbeenawareof
Alternatives
For real-time, online, multi-user collaboration, Ohm
Studioistheonlyseriousoptionwevecomeacross.
SteinbergaddedtheVSTConnect Performer feature
inversion7of Cubase(488), whichallowsa
performer elsewhereintheworldtorecord
themselvestoyour ownCubaseproject. If
collaborativesequencingisyour thing, theclosest
optionwevefoundareonlineDAWssuchasSoundationStudiofrom
PowerFXSystemsAB, of whichthereisafreeeditionavailable.This
makesaccessingacollaborativeproject veryeasy, but itsquitesimplein
termsof featuresandonlyoneuser canaccesstheproject at atime.
TheDashboardarea
isyour portal for the
communication
sideof things. Here
youcanopenlytalk
withother members
or privatelychat
about project-
specicwork.
MTVerdict
+Profeatures
+Privacy settings
+Advancedpanandmid/side
controls per rack
+Users canbuilda prole tond
like-mindedpeople
+Collaborative freeze works
aroundthe problemof third-
party plug-ins
- Noofine versionavailable yet
- Nocycle basedrecording
- OrganisedVSTfolders not
detected
- Plug-incollectioncouldbe more
comprehensive
Aneweraof onlinecollaboration
has begunthat will satisfy most
peoples needs andcouldopenup
many newpossibilities toall. We
seeabright futureaheadfor Ohm
Studioandwholeheartedly
encourageyoutogiveit awhirl.
9/10
OhmForceOhmStudioReviewsMT
MAGAZINE December 2013 | 87
E
veninaworldof pristine digital
recording, its not uncommonto
ndaudio quality degradedin
some way, whether through
highlevels of noise, mains hum, clicks,
crackles or arange of other audio
gremlins. The task of audio restoration,
therefore, is something fewof us can
completely avoid, while for others
notably, those working inforensic audio
or amastering engineer re-mastering
vintage recordings the ability to coax
audio back into amore listenable form
is aday-to-day necessity.
Alongside solutions fromCedar and
Sonnox, iZotopes RXhas received
plenty of praise over the years for its
audio-restoration abilities. RXs
strength is in the diversity of tools it
offers, making it suitable not just for
vinyl restoration (using the familiar
click- andcrackle-removal algorithms)
but also a range of audio-restoration
activities, including de-clipping and
spectral repair. In short, RXis a veritable
Swiss Army knife of audio restoration,
which is why the latest version RX3
has garneredplenty of interest in
post-production circles.
Three G
RX3 works as both a standalone
application andas a series of plug-ins
covering many of its principal repair
functions. While the plug-ins are a
welcome addition for those not wanting
to leave the comfort of their DAW,
theres little doubt that RX3 really
shines when youre using it as an
application. The RX3 environment is
designedspecically for the task of
audio restoration, with a prominent
spectrogram/waveformdisplay
alongside various modules foundalong
the right-handside of the interface.
Time andspace
One of the key qualities of RX3 is its
ability to select audio in both the
time- andfrequency-baseddomains,
which explains why the spectral display
is so important to RX3s operation.
Rather than just highlighting the audio
over a given timeframe, therefore, you
can use a variety of selection tools to
grabjust a part of the frequency
spectrumacross the whole audio le,
for example, or magic-wand a specic
harmonic or number of harmonics
iZotopesaudio-restorationtool gainsnewmodulesandevenmore
spectral prowess. MarkCousinsappliessomeforensicanalysis.
within a given sound. While this
approach isnt completely unique, its
clear that RX3 has been built fromthe
groundupwith this functionality in
mind, making audio editing akin to
picture editing in Photoshop.
Reverbkiller
Some of the biggest interest in RX3
stems fromits newmodules most
notably, the Dereverb and the all-new
Dialogue Denoiser. The Dereverb
module can performthe seemingly
impossible task of reverb-removal,
offering the ability to attenuate or
enhance the reverberant components
of a signal. As with all audio-restoration
tasks, it works best when the Dereverb
module is given a slice of audio to
learn characteristics from(in this case
a portion of audio with discernible
direct and reverberant elements), but
even with a relatively reverb-heavy
sound, the module performed an
admirable job, even if it was just to
tame the reverb.
AlthoughRX3comes withahighly
effective Denoise module, its also
interesting to note the additionof the
newDialogue Denoiser. The Dialogue
Denoiser uses asimilar formof
noise-reductiontechnology to the
Denoiser modules, but is optimised
specically for the task of dialogue
removal. One of the principal
differences betweenthe two modules is
the number of frequency bands used
64bands insteadof the thousands
usedfor FFT-basednoise reduction
whicharguably results inareduction
of bell-like artefacts andalso means
that the module canrunwithzero
latency. As the bandpositioning is
optimisedfor dialogue, the results are
quick andeffective, making the Dialogue
Denoiser agreat tool for dialogue mixing
inpost-production.
Of course, for more challenging noise
problems across awide range of audio
sources, the Denoiser is probably the
better choice of module to use.
Ultimately, though, its great to see
iZotope understanding the diverse
requirements of noise reduction, and
appreciating that one tool might not be
ideal for every application.
RXhasreceivedplentyof
praiseovertheyearsforits
audio-restorationabilities
iZOTOPE
RX3Advanced
KeyFeatures
7repairmodules
8utilitymodules
Plug-inand
standalone
operation
iZotope64-bit
SRC
MBIT+dithering
iZotopeRadius
forchanging
timeandpitch
Details
PriceRX3Advanced
909. RX3259
Contact Time+Space
0183755200
Web
www.izotope.com
ForPC
&Mac
9/10
MTReviewsiZotopeRX3Advanced
88 | December 2013 MAGAZINE
Beyondthese key newfeatures,
though, theres plenty of depth to RX3,
some of which is derivedfromearlier
versions but augmentedby a host of
newworkowimprovements. One
interesting development is the newle
format an RXdocument that you
can use to save your work. The key
advantage of the RXdocument format
is that the undo states remain in place
andremainundoable even after the
le has been subsequently closedand
reopened. Given the destructive nature
of ofine audio restoration, this is a
welcome newaddition.
For newusers, there are plenty of
powerful features in RX3 present from
the older version of the application that
are worth identifying. Modules such as
Deconstruct (which separates the
signal into tonal and noisy component)
as well as the Declip function really
indicate the spectral prowess of RX3,
often performing audio feats that many
would have previously thought
practically impossible. The batch-
processing feature also means that
repetitive tasks can be kept to a
minimum, which is essential for busy
sound designers needing to work with
hundreds of sound les in the same
way for a given project.
Ultimately, the deeper you explore
the RX3 universe the more you begin to
realise what it can achieve. For
example, using RX3s ability to select
elements on a spectral level combined
with support for third-party VSTand
Audio Units plug-ins really takes the
application to a whole newlevel. In our
experiments, we achievedsome great
results feeding spectral parts of a vocal
through various modules in Native
Instruments Guitar Rig. Indeed, you
soon realise that theres far more to RX
3 than just audio-restoration activities!
Although theres a clear bias
towards RX3 as a standalone
application, its goodto see eight
plug-ins also includedwith the
package, covering the Declicker,
Declipper, Decrackler, Denoiser, Hum
Removal, Spectral Repair, Dereverband
Dialogue Denoiser modules. For music
applications where ofine le
rendering is much less important and
real-time plug-in operation is essential
the ability to use RX3s repair tools in
plug-in formis welcome.
Cleanslate
Although its easy to dismiss RX3 as
just another audio-restoration tool, its
clear that iZotopes intentions are far
greater than this broad-brush
description might suggest. For those of
a creative persuasion, RX3s spectral
approach is an eye-opening windowon
a newway of working with sound,
making it a very unique and interesting
tool for sound-design. Whether youre
using the Deconstruct module, for
example, or literally painting with
spectral sound, theres an opportunity
for sound designers working in the
games or lmindustries to get plenty of
mileage fromRX3.
Lookedat purely fromanaudio-
restorationangle, RX3has afair degree
of competitiontheres Cedar at the
very topendof the market, but also
plug-ins fromthe likes of Sonnox and
Waves. Inkeeping withmany of these
products, RX3is apremiumproduct
withaprice tag to match, but as with
the older versionof the application,
iZotope has thoughtfully offeredRX3in
two avours: the fully-edgedRX3
Advanced, whichincludes all the
modules andoptions weve described,
andaslimmed-downRX3, whichomits
the DereverbandDialogue Denoiser
modules andsome of the other less
essential features.
Along withOzone andInsight,
iZotope has producedarange of
impressive, professional products that
demonstrate ameticulous attentionto
detail withrespect to audio quality. RX3
is ashining example of this
methodology inaction, providing
forensic-level analysis and
deconstructionof your audio that no
other plug-insolutioncancurrently
match. Moving onfromRX2, its also
pleasing to see the applicationreceiving
atimely facelift andvariousunder the
bonnet performance tweaks, all of
whichmake RX3anefcient and
productive audio tool. MT
MethodSpot
Alongsidethehost
ofrepair modules,
RX3alsoincludesa
number of useful
Utilitymodulesthat
cover variousaudio
tasks, including
equalization,
gain-changing, M/S
operationsand
phasealignment,
amongother things.
Of particular note
aretheDithering
options, which
includesiZotopes
ownMBIT+
dithering
technology, and
TimeandPitch
controls, whichuse
iZotopesRadius
time-stretchingand
pitch-shifting
technologies.These
arebothpowerful
anduseful tools
that havemany
applications
beyondthat of
audiorestoration.
iZotopehasproducedarange
ofproductsthatdemonstrate
meticulousattentiontodetail
Alternatives
If youremainlyafter thebasicaudio-restoration
toolsinplug-informat, SonnoxsRestore(1,195) is
agoodalternative.TheSonnoxplug-insarereally
intuitivetouseanddoanexcellent jobintheir
application, but theyrestill ontheexpensiveside.
Ultimately, though, youneedtoturntoadedicated
audio-editingapplicationtoreplicatesomeof the
spectral-editingfeaturesofferedinRX3. Inthat
case, SteinbergsWaveLab8(448) includesaspectral-editingmodein
additiontoitsmaintime-basedwaveformediting.
FormerlyafeaturelimitedtoRX2Advanced, plug-inhostingisnowincludedasastandardfeature
inRX3.Youcanalsousethird-partyplug-instoapplyaudioprocessingtofrequencyselections.
MTVerdict
+Powerful spectrum-basedsound
editing package
+Great newDialogue Denoiser
+Dereverbis surprisingly effective
+More thanjust anaudio-
restorationtool
- Full versionis expensive
- Steeplearning curve
iZotopes RX3is oneof thenest
audio-restorationsystems
currently available, but its scope
andcreativepotential is
considerably greater thanyou
might rst imagine.
9/10
MTReviewsiZotopeRX3Advanced
90 | December 2013 MAGAZINE
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24-bit/192 kHz USB 2.0 audio interface with 6x4 analog I/O and MIDI
4 Class-A D-PRE mic preamps
Rugged full-metal casing for ultimate durability
Latency-free DSP-powered monitoring with effects
Cross-platform compatibility with Mac OS X and Windows, runs with iPad www.steinberg.net/ur44
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E
arlier this year, Novation
revealedthe LaunchpadS, a
bells-and-whistles versionof
the original Launchpadthat
includedFLStudio support, brighter
pads andamuchsmoother experience
all round, so it was something of a
surprise to hear of yet another iteration
of the Launchpadsome ve months
later. This latest, re-sizedmodel was
revealedas part of atrilogy of
announcements that expanded
Novations Launchrange. The compact
MIDI keyboardLaunchkey Mini was also
announced, as was the mixer/controller
LaunchControl (well be bringing you
reviews of bothinupcoming issues).
Novation promotedthe trio with a
slick andfocusedmarketing campaign
that emphasisedthe appeal of
composing in the great outdoors, the
companys target audience being the
iPadGeneration a roaming horde of
homeless nomads who never know
when inspiration may strike, be they on
a park bench, in a taxi or halfway upa
ight of stairs.
The LaunchpadMini is perhaps the
most user-friendly of the three, andone
that is perfectly suitedto this kindof on-
the-go music-making, yet also works
just as well inahome studio context.
Like its siblings it features 64 bright,
three-colour pads (arranged8 x 8) that
activate loops, effects andsounds, with
a lightning-fast response time (despite
not being velocity-sensitive). The
customisable performance buttons
that run down either side are labelled
AHand18. The unit draws power
KeyFeatures
185 x185x
16mm
428glighter
thananiPad!
Drawsbuss
powerfromiPad
orMac/PC
Fastresponse
time
64LEDpads
16performance
buttons
Details
Price 79/$99/98
Contact Focusrite
01494462246
Web
http://uk.
novationmusic.com
Minimumsystem
requirements
PCWindows7
MacOSX10.7
iPad2orlateris
recommended, iOS5
fromyour iPador computer, so leads
that wouldnullify its mobile nature are
absent. While the LaunchpadMini
uidly connects withLive, FLStudio and
DJ software such as Serato and
Numerology, whats integral to the iPad
Generation ethos is the interaction with
the (free) Launchpadfor iPadapp.
Connecting to the iPadis
straightforward, but you will needto
purchase the iPadCamera Connection
Kit (25), which mind-bogglingly isnt
includedin the box.
Pads toPad
Once connectedto your iPad,
LaunchpadMini becomes aversatile
instrument, triggering the Launchpad
apps vast range of loops andsamples
that come courtesy of Loopmasters,
althoughwitharecent appupdate, its
nowpossible to addyour ownto the
app. Youcanimport WAVandAIFF
samples organisedby bpmviaa
DropBox account to create whatever
libraries youwant.
Inastudio environment the
LaunchpadMini works well, boasting
effortless integrationwithLive 9. Clip
andscene triggering inLive is adoddle;
controlling volumes/sends feels natural
andis anorganic way of interacting with
your projects. The LaunchpadMini
comes withAbletonLive Lite, so if youre
newto the DAWyouwont feel left out.
Noticeably, Novationhas done away
withthe Abletonbranding that the
LaunchpadSsported, going insteadfor
its ownlogo andimagery. Users of FL
will enjoy using the Minis gridto
activate loops andsamples; youalso get
packs of customoverlay stickers to
make things more straightforwardfor
bothFLandLive. Adding the Launchkey
Mini to your studio setupvery much
completes the Novationjigsaw;
however, the LaunchpadMini is auseful
standalone tool as it is.
We rst got our hands onthe newly
announcedinstruments inthe Launch
family at the Novationstandat this
years BPMShowandhadawonderfully
funtime, triggering loops withthe
LaunchpadMini while constructing
elegant melody, leadandbass lines with
the Launchkey Mini, thentweaking
lters andeffects withLaunchControl.
The harmony betweenthe instruments
inthe Launchfamily is something that
Novationhas beenkeento trumpet, and
whenall three are working together you
canunderstandwhy. The three
instruments, althoughall goodintheir
ownright, click together well, resulting
inahighly versatile control systemthat
inspires newmethods of composition
andperformance possibilities.
One downside of the smaller pads is
that they couldbe more difcult to
trigger those withbigger ngers might
needto be careful not to trigger two at
once. But overall our experience with
the LaunchpadMini was agoodone. Its
remarkably simple to use and
undeniably fun, practical andintuitive,
withplenty of options to satisfy your
creativity evenonthe stairs! MT
Alternatives
TheLaunchpadS(150) was
alreadyveryportablebut
haslarger padsthat make
performingmuchsimpler.AbletonsPush(429)
isverymuchthederigueur Livecontroller
andhasaridiculousamount of exibility.The
QuNeo,fromKeithMcMillen,(199) isanother
controller that featuresagreater rangeof
optionsthantheLaunchpadMini.
NOVATION
LaunchpadMini
NovationsnewslimlineLaunchpadisaimedattheiPad
Generation. AndyPricegetsmobile
MTVerdict
+Live andFLStudiointegration
+Compact size
+Nopower leadrequired
+Impressive bankof
performance-aiding effects
+Colourful LEDs useful for
low-lighting scenarios
- iPadCCKnot included
- Requires more precisionto
operate ina live environment
thanits bigger brothers
Awickedly funmobilecontroller,
withall thefeatures of its larger
paddedbrothers but for afraction
of thesize.
8/10
NovationLaunchpadMini ReviewsMT
MAGAZINE December 2013 | 93
W
hile it may not feature in
the headlines quite as
oftenas some other DAWs,
Cakewalks Sonar has a
lineage that canbe tracedback many
years, to whenworking withdigital
audio oncomputers rst became
possible. For some years it suffered
fromanoutdatedandconfusing
interface, but withtheX1version
receivedacomplete graphical overhaul
to complement the under-the-hood
changes that hadalready takenplace.
Nowat versionX3, Sonars newlook and
feel is very well established, and
Cakewalk has beenable to turnits
attentionto other areas of the software.
Diving deep
Sonar is Windows-only andthat seems
unlikely to change, but it does have a
reputation for being one of the most
technologically advancedDAWs around,
permanently at the cutting edge of the
latest CPUandOSdevelopments. The
systemrequirements have risen a little,
specically in that Windows 7 or 8
(32- or 64-bit) is nowrequiredandXP
andVista are no longer ofcially
supported. Thats fair enough, since
theres no excuse not to be running at
least Windows 7 given its performance
andusability enhancements if youre
making music in any kindof serious
way. Youll needan Intel Core 2 Duo at
2.67GHz or AMDPhenomquad-core
2.4GHz and2GBRAMas a base, but, as
ever, a faster systemwill give you a
smoother ride. The minimal install is
4.5GBandthe full whack of all content
is 20GB, which is actually not bad
comparedto some of the others.
Sonar has long beenone of the most
catch-all DAWs, having abewildering
array of tools andfeatures, andthat
traditionis continuedhere. Youget
unlimitedaudio andMIDI tracks, a
maximumsample rate of 384kHz anda
maximumbit rate of 64bits, as well as
Cakewalkneverrestsforlongandnowitsbackwiththebrand-
newSonarX3. HollinJonesdivesdeeptofindoutwhatsnew.
64-bit internal mix engine resolution.
Interestingly, these core features are
sharedacross all three versions of
Sonar, so evenif youopt for the
entry-level X3versionyoustill get them.
Some features are reservedfor the
Studio andProducer editions, though
the difference is pretty muchthat with
Producer youget all of the plug-ins; in
the other versions theres amore
moderate selection.
We praisedSonars newSkylight
interface when it was revealeda couple
of years ago andit remains a vast
improvement on thebadolddays of
cluttered, confusing graphics. Here it
has receivedmany small tweaks and
enhancements, though nothing that
couldbe classedas a major overhaul.
There isnt space to discuss everything
that Sonar does so well concentrate on
whats new(a full explanation of its
many talents is on Cakewalks website).
Sufce it to say, its a comprehensive
music-production environment.
Truly unlimited
The rst of the big newfeatures comes
in the formof a newaudio-comping
system. Perhaps a little overdue, this is
nonetheless welcome andstreamlines
the process of recording multiple takes
then compositing the pieces together.
Sonars Smart Tool is particularly handy
here (as elsewhere) because it is able to
automatically switch mode depending
on where you place the cursor. Comping
is well implementedandslots nicely
into your workow.
VST3 is nowsupportedacross all
versions of Sonar. VST3 has many
advantages such as the ability to
suspendplug-ins when they are not
processing sound, thus saving
resources andVST2 and3 plug-ins
are shown in separate browser folders.
Whats particularly nice is that
Sonar nowautomatically detects new
plug-ins, meaning no re-scanning, and
it will always swapto aVST3 version of
a plug-in usedin a project if both are
available. Sonars 64-bit audio engine,
Sonarhasareputationforbeing
oneofthemosttechnologically
advancedDAWsaround
CAKEWALK
SonarX3Producer
KeyFeatures
Unlimitedaudio
andMIDI tracks
Skylight
interface
Newcomping
workflow
Full VST3
support
64-bitdouble-
precisionaudio
engine
GobblerCloud
saving/sharing
Addictive
Drums
(Producer)
Touchsupport
LoungeLizard
Session
(Producer)
Overloudamp
sim
Melodyne
Essential with
ARA
Masteringtools
Details
Price SonarX379
SonarX3Studio169
SonarX3Producer
385
Contact Roland
01792702701
Web
www.cakewalk.com
Minimumsystem
requirements
PCWindows7, Intel
Core2Duo2.67GHz/
AMDPhenomQuad
Core2.4GHz
PC
TheMatrixViewletsyouorganiseaudioandMIDI
loops, phrasesandone-shotsintocellsand
columnsfor real-timetriggering.
9/10
MTReviewsCakewalkSonar X3Producer
94 | December 2013 MAGAZINE
renownedfor its quality and
performance, is nowavailable in every
version of the software.
DAWs are increasingly gaining
online le-sharing capabilities and
Sonar is no different. In addition to
SoundCloud upload of nished tracks
you nowget integratedYouTube upload
as well. For more collaborative working
theres nowGobbler integration from
inside the app. This lets you upload
entire projects complete with audio
les frominside Sonar and also back
up incrementally as you go (you get 5GB
of storage with a free account). You can
do some of this with Dropbox, but the
difference here is that its built right
into the toolbar. It also keeps track of
your les even if theyre not all stored in
a single folder.
Track colours can nowbe
customised, andalthough this might
soundtrivial, its actually really helpful
for managing larger projects. When you
apply colour to a buss, Sonar auto-
colours connectedtracks, andall of the
colours can be customised.
Choose your weapon
Formhere on, many of the changes are
specic to the Studio and/or Producer
editions since they are plug-in-related
(a full list is available online). The
Melodyne Essential plug-in is now
integratedinto Sonar X3 Studio and
Producer andenables advancedaudio
pitch-correction, time-stretching and
audio-to-MIDI conversion in your
projects. By supporting Audio Random
Access technology, Cakewalk has
placedMelodyne directly into the
software simply click to start working
with it, no extra editor windowis
requiredto open. To convert audio to
MIDI, just dropan audio cliponto a MIDI
track. Its really nicely implementedand
will save many users a great deal of
time. Both the Studio andProducer
editions also get the NomadFactory
BlueTubes FXbundle, a comprehensive
studio mixing suite of 19 processors
inspiredby vintage gear.
The Producer edition comes with the
full set of plug-ins andthere are some
noteworthy newmodels to be found.
The QuadCurve EQZoom, for example,
is a gorgeous-looking EQplug-in with a
large interface andbuilt-in spectral
analyser. It expands fromthe mixer and
provides slick andintuitive control over
the frequencies of any sound.
TheTape Emulator sits in the
ProChannel andadds the warmth of
classic tape machines to your tracks.
Tone2s BiFilter 2 brings 47 models of
lter ranging fromvintage to futuristic
to any project andthe full version of
Addictive Drums nowships with the
Producer edition of Sonar X3. Its easy to
use andoffers some great-sounding
drumkits as well as more than 100
presets by pro drummers.
There are also more new
instruments, such as Lounge Lizard
Session, a compact electric piano
emulator fromrenowneddevelopers
AAS. The Rhodes models are lush,
authentic andperfect for all kinds of
music. Last but not least is Strum
Acoustic Session, a physically modelled
guitar instrument that you can play
directly fromyour keyboard. Fully
tweakable, it boasts integratedeffects
andmix controls.
Upscope?
As well as the newplug-ins already
mentioned, Sonar Studio and
especially Producer also ships with
the same huge selection of instruments
andeffects that have been bundledfor
a while, covering practically all
eventualities. With every newversion
you accrue even more instruments and
effects, meaning that by this point
Sonar offers arguably the most
comprehensive set of plug-ins within
any DAW. For the most part they are
highly usable, andyou get everything
fromheavy synths through classical
pianos to guitars andbeats. The effects
are similarly plentiful andcan be
expandedvia the ProChannel system.
Workowin Sonar is goodandthe
Skylight interface makes everything
both powerful andapproachable,
particularly in regardto the extensive
use of dockable windows. Tools and
functions are easily accessible andX3
has hadmany small tweaks that
iron-out the interface even further. The
integration of Melodyne, colour-coding
of channels andcompediting features
are all welcome additions, andthe new
plug-ins in the Producer edition will nd
a home in any setup.
Considering the attractive price, the
Producer editionseems like excellent
value whenyoufactor inthe bundled
content. Evenif youopt for one of the
other versions youre still getting almost
all the core technology, andthat will
keepyour music-making fast and
productive for some time to come. MT
AddictiveDrums
nowshipswith
Sonar X3Producer.
MethodSpot
Sonar isoneof the
veryfewDAWsthat
istouch-enabled. Of
course, for thisyou
will needa
touch-capablePC
suchastheHPEnvy
seriesaswell as
Windows8. If you
havethehardware
youwill ndthat
manypartsof Sonar
canbeoperated
usingyour ngers
rather thana
mouse.Thisisa
reallyinteresting
waytointeract with
thesoftware,
thoughfor best
resultsyouwill
needtoreturnto
themouseand
keyboardsomeof
thetime.
Alternatives
SteinbergsCubase7isdual-platformand, like
Sonar, comesinthreeversions. It hasagood
selectionof plug-insandinstrumentsanda
friendlyapproachtoworkow.ThenewMixConsoleishighly
customisableandsupportsVST3, videoplaybackandadvancedscoring.
Overall, youprobablyget morebundledcontent withSonar, but thetwo
appshaveadistinctlydifferent lookandfeel, sothismight besomething
that inuencesyour decision.
Producer andStudioeditionsincludetheStudioMixingSuiteaset of 19dynamic, EQandeffects
processorsfromNomadFactory, suchasthe3DTempoDelayshownhere.
MTVerdict
+Astonishingly complete
music-productionsolution
+Tons of great bundledcontent
+Skylight interface approachable
+Goodworkowoverall
+ARAMelodyne integrationon
StudioandProducer works well
+ProChannel is powerful
+Great tape/console emulators
+ACTcontroller technology
+VSTenhancements inc. VST3
+64-bit mix engine
+Cloudintegrationfromtoolbar
+ARAandComping are great
+Audiosnap
- Installationslightly long-winded
- Touch-control is not designedto
replace your mouse
Aworthy updatetoacompleteDAW
for PCusers. Loads of content and
all thetools youcouldpossibly
needtorecord, edit, programand
mix music.
9/10
CakewalkSonar X3Producer ReviewsMT
MAGAZINE December 2013 | 95
T
his year shall henceforthbe
knownas the year of the synth,
as weve seenanear endless
streamof shiny newunits
deliveredto the MTofce. Reviewing
duties have mostly fallento editor Andy
andyours truly, withrecent knob-
twiddling time being spent onthe
Waldorf Rocket andthe KorgVolca
synths. Not long after we were wonover
by the Rockets tactile, hands-on
controls, Waldorf is back withthe
long-awaitedPulse 2analogue
synthesizer. The rack-mountable Pulse
1was releasedback in1996, andwas
praisedfor its solid, powerful and
upfront sound, but this time Waldorf
has shrunk everything downto aslightly
weighty but compact desktopunit
housedinasturdy metal casing.
Mini me
Despite its size, the Pulse 2 is a
oscillators, each capable of playing
different combinations of waves,
including saw, square, triangle, PWM
andAPW(anAlternate Pulse Wave with
more constant energy anda suban
octave below). There are also four
unison modes that play monophonic or
polyphonic clusters of eight pulse
oscillators, plus two paraphonic modes
(as foundon the Rocket, where chords
can be played, but they share the same
envelopes). On topof this, you also have
PWMcross-modulation for creating
rich andcomplex sounds, oscillator
sync andthe ability to use osc 3 as a
Waldorfslong-awaitedfollow-uptothePulseishere, butdoesit
deliverthesamepowerful sound?AlexHolmesdelvesinside...
the oscillators can yielda massive
range of sounds that exceeds what
most analogue mono synths are
capable of. Andalthough it can be tricky
playing tight-sounding chords in
paraphonic mode because of the
sharedenvelopes, this is nonetheless a
fantastic addition that opens upmany
possibilities froma music-writing
perspective, whichis what really counts.
Next upwe have the multi-mode
analogue lter with24dBand12dB
low-pass, 12dBhigh-pass and
band-pass modes for sculpting the
sound. Its afairly robust lter that
doesnt lose too muchgirthwhenyou
crank the resonance, andit also goes
into self-oscillation, whicheffectively
adds asine wave to your sonic arsenal.
Other features include two envelopes
withdifferent trigger andloopmodes
for the lter andamp, two LFOs (one
withmultiple syncable shapes andone
withjust atriangle), plus glide withfour
modes. Finally, youcanaddanoise
oscillator, control volume, velocity and
pan, andfeedthe whole signal through
either atube or fuzz overdrive for added
grit. Althoughthis distortionis anice
additionfromasound-design
perspective, we foundit alittle difcult
to dial inthe saturationsweet spot
without losing some of the tasty
analogue character. However, youcan
achieve apleasing, more subtle
distortionsimply by raising the volume
of the individual oscillators, whichwill in
turnhit the lter alittle harder.
Enter the matrix
don the front
r matrix, with
the side and
steel knobs
bottom. You
have a 128 x
4-character
backlit LCD
screen with a
le of extra
uttons for
navigation. Its
majority of the
a giant preset
more useful
aldorfs
nth, although
Afeature-packedsynththat
couldeasilygivethebigboysa
runfortheirmoney
WALDORF
Pulse2
KeyFeatures
3analogue
oscillatorswith
PWM, APW,
unisonwaves
andmore
Paraphonic
modeforplaying
chords(upto8
notesintotal)
Multimodefilter
with12dB/24dB
low-pass, 12dB
high-passand
band-pass
2LFOs, 2
envelopesand8
slotmodmatrix
MIDI viaUSB,
stereoand
headphoneout,
CV/Gateout
Powerful built-in
arpeggiator
500presetslots
Details
Price 419
Contact HandInHand
01752696633
Webwww.
waldorfmusic.de
9/10
MTReviewsWaldorf Pulse2
96 | December 2013 MAGAZINE
there are a fewexceptions to this that
well come to later. The endless
encoders have been cleverly
programmedto move more quickly
through the settings depending on the
speedwith which theyre turned, which
is great for quick programming but not
so great if youre trying to perform
accurate live lter sweeps andthe like.
You could, of course, hook upthe synth
to a MIDI controller if youre looking to
use it onstage.
Despite the lack of dedicatedknobs,
editing the Pulse 2 is fairly quick due to
the logical layout, while a Shift button
gives access to further global settings,
editing, preset storing andutility pages.
Amodulation matrix page makes better
use of the screen real-estate, with eight
slots anda wealth of sources and
destinations for building complex
patches. There is also a software editor
in the pipeline, which shouldspeed
things upsignicantly.
Perfect patterns
One of the Pulse 2s many aces up its
sleeve is its comprehensive built-in
arpeggiator, which thankfully also lls
the screen with its many parameters.
You have the usual control over tempo,
beat division, range and direction mode
via the main steel knobs, plus step
duration, swing, delay and pattern
length and a grid with glides and
accents on the main screen. This allows
for some fairly complex patterns to be
saved alongside your preset, which can
then be recalled while working on other
patches. In fact, the Pulse 2 has a total
of 500 preset locations, with some of
the best making excellent use of the
arpeggiator. It can take a while to
navigate to a specic preset, but
searching by category helps to speed
things up, and the majority of the
included patches are varied and well
designed, perfectly showing off the
units capabilities. As a nice additional
touch, one of the presets is a random
generator for those moments when
inspiration runs dry. Our only gripe with
the arpeggiator is that the internal
tempo can bizarrely be set only to
even BPMnumbers. We also had a few
issues syncing with Logic via USB, but
this has been sorted in an OSupdate.
Alook aroundthe back will reveal
another hiddengem, as youcanactually
output CV/Gate messages (inbothV/
octave andHz/V), meaning youcould
use the Pulse as aMIDI hubto control
older analogue kit. Youcanalso adjust
various parameters suchas CVtune to
take into account tuning differences
betweenthe synths, plus youcouldalso
drive your oldgear using the arpeggiator,
andcanevenmodulate the CVout from
the modmatrix. Other nice features
include alegacy mode, whichswitches
controller numbers back to their old
Pulse 1assignments so youcan
transfer oldpatches across viaMIDI
dump, as well as amenuitemthat will
re-tune the lter incase it drifts out of
line over time.
We were especially excitedto nd
out that theres space for aneffects
boardto be addedat alater date.
Exactly what this will be is currently
kept rmly under lock andkey, but even
just ahigh-quality delay wouldbe a
fantastic addition.
Alive andwell
The rst time we redupthe Pulse 2 we
were immediately struck by howbright
andlively it sounds. The resonant
oscillators give out a far more
aggressive andclinical soundthan
something like a Moog, but thats not to
say its a badthing. Its still a beautiful
andrich analogue sound, just more
renedandcontrolled. Its particularly
goodat big, tight bass sounds, andits
solidnature means it wouldarguably sit
better in the mix than a softer and
warmer synth equivalent.
As mentionedearlier, the smooth
stainless-steel dials are goodto
programwith, but there is a sense of
disconnection when comparedto
one-knob-per-function synths. You
almost feel like youre programming a
soft-synth, but luckily your ears tell you
otherwise. Also, its worth mentioning
that one of the knobs occasionally
stoppedworking properly, but this
seemedto be a very rare occurrence.
Finger onthe Pulse
Despite its quirks andthe sometimes
ddly editing, the Pulse 2is really rather
special. Inatime whenwere seeing an
endless streamof warm-sounding and
predictable subtractive analogue
synths, the Pulses exible oscillators
offer something alittle different. Rather
thanseeing it as analternative, it sits
nicely alongside the warmer synths,
adding additional colour to your palette.
Whether youre looking to buy your rst
hardware synthandare after something
versatile but affordable, or planon
adding to your collection, we highly
recommendgoing to your local dealer
andgiving the Pulse 2ago the sound
might just take youby surprise. MT
MethodSpot
Waldorf hasalready
releasedseveral
rmwareupdates
for thePulse2that
addresscertain
issuestheunit had
at launch. Luckily,
updatingisaseasy
asdownloadingthe
updater programor
MIDI lefromthe
Waldorf site, and
runningit onyour
computer whilethe
synthisconnected
viaUSB. Roughlya
minutelater and
youregoodtogo
just remember to
re-tunethelter
viatheUtilitymenu.
Pulse2sitsnicelyalongsidethe
warmersynths, addingadditional
colourtoyourpalette
Alternatives
Thereisnowplentyof competitioninthe
mid-pricehardwaresynthmarket.TheDSI
Evolver (399) isarguablymorefeature-packed,
havingbuilt-ineffectsandbothdigital and
analogueoscillatorsbut not atrueanaloguesignal path. Alternatively, for
alittlemore, theDSI Tetra(559) hastruefour-voiceanaloguepolyphony.
Youmight alsoconsider WaldorfsRocket (185), whichfeaturestwo
exibleoscillatorsandaparaphonicmode.
ConnectivityincludesUSB, MIDI I/O, external analoguesignal input, lineout andheadphoneoutput
alongsideCVout (supportingboththeV/octaveandHz/Vstandards) andGateout.
MTVerdict
+Bright, lively analogue sound
+Highly versatile oscillators
+Paraphonic mode allows chords
ona monosynth
+Well-featuredarpeggiator
+CV/Gate out canbe usedto
control other synths
- Editing is a little ddly
- Endless encoder dials canmake
youfeel a little disconnected
- Arpeggiator tempodoesnt allow
odd-number BPMs
Arich, complex andbeautiful-
sounding synththat may besmall
andalittleddly, but certainly
packs areal punch.
9/10
Waldorf Pulse2ReviewsMT
MAGAZINE December 2013 | 97
www.musictech.net
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FIRSTWITHREVIEWS
FIRSTWITHNEWS
HAVEYOUCLICKED?
T
he AdvancedTransmissionLine
(ATL) cabinet is aPMCstaple,
but the twotwo Series has
features that represent abit of
adeparture. By andlarge, PMChas
maintainedthat acoustic issues are not
its responsibility, andconsequently
didnt provide EQ-adjustment controls.
Thats all well andgoodif youspend
your life working intreatedacoustic
environments, but most of us nd
ourselves recording andmixing in
less-than-perfect rooms fromtime to
time. So the big news is that the twotwo
series has equalisationadjustment; the
evenbigger news is that the signal is
processeddigitally. Infact, the twotwo
Series are the only PMCnearelds to
feature EQadjustment other thanthe
ultra-high-endAMLSeries monitors.
Analogue anddigital
The twotwo.6 accepts analogue and
AES3 digital inputs upto 192kHz.
Analogue signals pass through a gain
stage that shouldbe adjustedto utilise
the full scale of the 24-bit A/Dconverter
that follows. Next in line is the DSP
controller for volume, driver response,
EQ, crossover andoverloadprotection,
after which the signal is convertedback
to analogue to feedtwo Class-Dpower
amps, with 50Wand150Wallocatedto
the tweeter andwoofer respectively.
After sample-rate conversionthe
digital signal is sent directly to the DSP
stage. The overloadprotectionis
KeyFeatures
Black/bluefinish
Crossover
frequency:
1.8kHz
Dimensions: 406
x194x364mm
(HWD)
Driveunits: 6.5
inchLF, 27mm
softdomeHF
Frequency
response:
4025kHz
Amplification:
200WClassD
Weight: 8.4kg
Details
Price 4192/pair
Contact HHB
02089625000
Webwww.pmc-
speakers.com
interesting because it reacts only to
transient peaks, rather thanapplying a
blanket limiter to the programme
material. Once again, the DSPstage
makes this possible.
High- andlow-frequency shelving
adjustments can be made in 0.125dB
increments. The shelf frequencies are
1kHz and500Hz. You can also set a
low-frequency slope at ve frequency
points with a 6dB/octave lter. The
twotwo.6 has four push-buttons for
adjusting settings, along with a small
LCDscreen onthe back panel to let you
see what youre doing.
Two or more twotwo Series speakers
can be connectedvia In/Thru RJ45
sockets. The rst speaker in the chain
provides volume data anddigital audio
to subsequent speakers, andan
optional remote control (due for release
later this year) can be connectedto its
In socket.
The manual is replete with
placement tips anddiagrams. The
twotwo.6s can be usedupright or
placedon their sides. In both cases, the
offset tweeter must be positioned
towards the centre, so the left speaker
in sideways mode becomes the right
speaker in upright mode.
Openwide
Effortless clarity is the order of the day.
We hadour usual monitors set upright
alongside the twotwo.6s andby
comparison they soundedmufedand
indistinct for the recordtheyre not,
but the twotwo.6s just took things to
another level of transparency.
The detail resolutionis phenomenal.
One of our reference tracks features a
jazz guitarist who occasionally taps the
topof his pickups withhis plectrum
while playing. This barely noticeable
detail soundedclear andobvious.
Bass content is handledsmoothly
andevenly withnot evenatrace of wind
or mechanical noise. Inour roomthe
response appearedto start rolling off at
around50Hz, but the twotwo.6s were
still able to reproduce clear bass tones
downto 30Hz. Watchthis space,
because PMCtells us that amatching
subwoofer is scheduledfor release.
If we were to get really picky about
the bass we might say that some
speakers may convey the rhythmic
aspects of dubby bass lines with
marginally more speedandtightness,
but were really talking about large and
expensive innite-bafe types.
The principal reasonthe twotwo-6s
are outstanding is that nothing stands
out. Theres no low-midhump, forward
midrange or glassy treble sheenandthe
balance remains constant regardless of
level. The depthof the soundstage is
incredible andleft/right imaging is
about as crispas it gets. If youprefer
listening to your speakers rather than
listening to the music, these may not be
for you. But if youwant aclear and
neutral windowinto whats going on
withyour mix, the twotwo-6s deliver
everything youcouldask for. MT
Alternatives
PMCisprettymuchout there
onitsownasalarge-scale
manufacturer of compact
transmission-linemonitors.
Other modelsincludethe
twotwo.5andtwotwo.8.If youfancybuilding
your ownpassivetransmission-linespeaker,
IPLAcousticsoffersseveral kits(344727/
pair).DSPsignal processingisbecomingmore
commoninmonitorsandother manufacturers
usingthistechnologyincludePreSonus,
GenelecandEVEAudio.
PMC
twotwo.6
PMCacceptstherealitiesofmodernmusicproductionwithnew
monitorsfeaturingDSPEQadjustment. HuwPricetriesthemout.
9/10
MTVerdict
+Outstanding clarity
+Pinpoint imaging
+Extendedbass
+Analogue anddigital inputs
+OnboardEQ
- Power switchat rear
- Noautostandby
- Nooptical digital input
Outstanding soundquality with
DSP-controlledequalisationand
extendedbass response.
9/10
PMCtwotwo.6ReviewsMT
MAGAZINE December 2013 | 99
A
phex, along with API, was
among the rst manufacturer
to take advantage of the
500-Series format with its
versions of the 602 Aphex Aural Exciter,
the EQF-1 andEQF-2, back in the early
80s. Nowthat the format has achieved
such popularity, its no surprise to see
the company back with a range of new
modules, as well as an upcoming
USB-equippedrack.
Preamps
Three of the newmodules shippedto us
by Aphex are mic preamps, comprising
the two-channel Dual RPAvalve
preampandtwo mono solid-state
preamps with different transformer
options, theJ Pre andAPre.
The Dual RPAtakes a unique,
patentedapproach to valve
amplication inspiredby the Aphex
Channel and207Dpreamps. This
technology, which the company has
dubbedReective Plate Amplication,
is actually a hybriddesign employing a
discrete, transformerless solid-state
front endfeeding a 12AT7 valve output
stage running on low-voltage power
rails. Asingle 12AT7 valve amplies
both channels at xedgain, with a
single triode stage for each. The Dual
RPAalso features Aphexs unique Mic
Limiter technology, which limits the
signal before the preampstage,
ensuring that the preampisnt
overdriven by high-transient inputs.
The APre andJ Pre are largely
similar the APre using acustom
Cinemag input transformer, theJ Pre
using aJensenJT-11K8input
transformer. Bothhave aJensen
JT-11DLoutput transformer. Like the
Dual RPA, theJ Pre also utilises Aphexs
Mic Limiter at the front to limit the
incoming signal before the preamp
stage. Aphex also claims there are other
differences inthe circuitry betweenthe
APre andJ Pre, designedto give a
slightly different avour to each.
We began testing the preamps on
vocals, using a Shure SM58, and were
impressed with the response of each
preamp. The Dual RPA brought out the
proximity effect quite strongly so we
engaged the 75Hz high-pass lter,
which really cleaned up the signal,
revealing a smooth, rich sound that
Aphexhaslaunchedarangeof500-Seriesmodules, comprising
threepreamps, EQ, compressorandexciter. MikeHillierplugsin.
was strong in the lower-mids and
exhibited none of the brittle harshness
usually associated with low-voltage
valve designs. However, neither did it
have the silky warmth of more
expensive valve designs. The A Pre
performed admirably on vocals:
everything was clear and the lowend
still beneted fromthe engaging of the
high-pass lter, but not as noticeably
as the Dual RPA. The low-mids seemed
a little less pronounced, too, with a
slight nasal quality around 2kHz a
common complaint of ours when
working with the SM58.
Of the three, though, it was theJ Pre
that we likedmost. It hada similar
quality to the APre but with slightly
more polish. On softer vocalists the
Dual RPAmight have edgedit over the
J Pre, but on this specic male voice the
J Pre was a clear winner.
Switching to a Sontronics STC-1
with an omni capsule andan acoustic
guitar we again optedfor theJ Pre. The
APre arguably pickedout a little more
detail fromthe strings, while the Dual
RPAagain brought subtle colouration
that wouldsuit some recordings, but
theJ Pre hadthe focus in all the right
places. The low-mids were big but not
boomy andthe topendwas smooth
perfect for strummedfolk guitar. The A
Pre, on the other hand, may be a better
choice for capturing a more detailed
pickedperformance.
TheDual RPAtakesaunique
approachtovalveamplification
inspiredbytheAphexChannel
APHEX
500-Seriesmodules
KeyFeatures
Approvedbythe
VPRAlliance
Analogue
circuitry
3different
preampoptions
Details
Price Comp500325
Dual RPA500520
APre500325
JPre500390
EQF500325
EXBB500162
Contact MSL
Professional
02071180133
Web
www.aphex.com
Aphex500-SeriesmodulesReviewsMT
MAGAZINE December 2013 | 101
Finally, we testedthe three preamps
as instrument inputs. Each has a
1/4-inch Hi-Zinput on the front, so we
pluggedin a bass guitar anddrove the
units a little harder to see what sounds
we couldget. Again, theJ Pre was our
favourite, providing a strong, deep
punch with a smooth midrange that
couldbe easily EQedto provide a range
of great bass sounds. The Dual RPAhad
less lowendthan theJ Pre but a
stronger, more pushedmidrange, which
wouldreally shine in mixes where the
kick was carrying a lot of the sub-
frequency information. However, we felt
that the topendof the Dual RPAwas a
little brittle comparedto the other two,
andwedprobably want to lter this a
little stronger.
EQ
The EQF500 is a three-bandsemi-
parametric analogue EQwith high- and
low-bandlters. Its basedon the
original EQF2 module from1982 but
with modern components (including a
JensenJT-11DLoutput transformer)
andan improvedlayout to make using
EQeasier than ever. The high andlow
bands of the EQdefault to shelving-
style EQ, but can be switchedto
peaking EQ. There is no variable Q; Qis
xedat one octave at maximumboost
andthe lters are xedat 12dB/octave.
The lters andEQcanbe bypassed
separately, whichis auseful touch,
enabling youto experiment withyour
settings andquickly bypass either the
lters or EQwithout affecting the other.
The EQF500is agreat tool the
lters are smoothandincredibly useful
whentracking, especially when
combining the EQF500witha
compressor like the Comp500as they
enable youto roll off the frequencies
youdont want before the mix hits the
compressor, ensuring unwanted
frequencies dont trigger compression.
The semi-parametric bands are
simple andeffective andtheres no
harshness inany of the bands when
boosting. However, without any control
over the Qit is difcult to notch-out
specic problemfrequencies. Instead,
the EQFshouldbe thought of as more of
ageneral tone-shaper while tracking,
leaving more specic EQing to the mix.
Tracking avocal throughtheJ Pre
into the EQFwe were able to tightenup
the performance, removing low-end
rumble fromthe bottomwiththe
high-pass lter, bringing out the clarity
withahigh-endshelf, andadding alittle
more weight withthe lowfrequency set
to peaking rather thanshelving.
Onacoustic guitar we appliedboth
lters to top-and-tail the soundinto the
mix, andagainusedthe low-frequency
bands to bring out weight inthe bottom
end. The mids were thencut around
2kHz to leave more roomfor the vocal.
Dialling inthe EQcurve youwant is
quick andeasy, andwhile anextramid
bandandbetter Qcontrol wouldprove
useful insome cases, for most tracking
we prefer to go withonly asmall amount
of EQanyway, leaving most of the tonal
shaping until later inthe mix.
Compressor
The Comp500 is an optical compressor
with a customopto-cell, again
employing aJensenJT-11DLoutput
transformer. The opto-cell has been
designedto respondas fast as possible
for an optical compressor, but Aphex
has built a Release control into the unit
to slowdown the response andbehave
more like classic optical compressors,
such as theTeletronix LA-2A.
Optical compressors are versatile
units, andits great to see one available
inthe 500-Series format at this price.
Onvocals, withaslowrelease, the Comp
500canhelpsmoothout aperformance
without it sounding overly compressed;
at faster settings it canbe usedto
handle the dynamics alittle better
without sounding too spiky, but we
foundthis also brought out some of the
unwantedvocal sounds that were kept
lowinthe mix at slower release settings.
Unlike some other optical units weve
used, the Comp500doesnt impose a
strong soundof its own, andtheres only
asmall amount of top-endroll-off. The
unit also comes withastereo link switch
that will make it possible to use two
Comp500s onyour drums or mix buss.
Exciter
The EXBB500combines the latest
iterationof Aphex Aural Exciter andBig
Bottomtechnologies inasingle mono
500-Series module. The Aural Exciter
enhances the highendof the signal
while the Big Bottomdoes asimilar trick
inthe lowend. Usefully, it responds
dynamically, enhancing the lowend
more as the level drops andbacking off
whenthe input rises, ensuring that the
bottomendremains consistent.
The Big Bottomis great for adding
depthto akick or bass instrument,
especially if the recording lacks inthis
dimension. It canbe auseful alternative
to the NS-10subkick mic trick. We also
enjoyedusing it onsome sampledhorn
parts we were mixing. The Big Bottom
brought out agrowl inthe samples that
made themmore realistic thanthe
samples ontheir own.
By contrast, the Aural Exciter
brought out mostly noise andbleed
fromother instruments onour kick
channel, but placedonthe vocal it
helpedto raise the air aroundthe voice,
enhancing not only the clarity but the
sense of space. It wouldbe very easy to
overuse aproduct like this apply it on
too many channels andany benet is
lost as the tracks once more mask each
other. But whenusedsparingly onvocal
or aleadguitar it canbe sensational.
Eachof these modules has its own
uses andmerits, but its together that
they become most useful. Link one or
other of the preamps withthe EQ,
compressor andEXBBandyouhave an
incredibly versatile channel strip. The
EXBB, though, is unique, andwe cansee
plenty of engineers wanting to
incorporate it intheir racks. MT
MethodSpot
TheBigBottom
processor isagreat
tool for putting
somelowendinto
your kick. Weoften
ndthat after being
compressedbythe
drumsbussthat the
lowendcanstart to
disappear slightly.
Tobringit backwe
processedthebuss
intoM/Sandput
theBigBottomon
themidchannel
beforeprocessing
backintostereo.
Thisensuredthat
thelow-end
enhancement was
kept tothecentre
andnot spreadout
acrossthestereo
eld, creatinga
stronger, more
stablemix. Be
careful tokeepthe
phasealignedwhen
doingthis, asany
latencywill disrupt
thestereoimage.
Eachofthesemoduleshasits
ownuses, butitstogetherthat
theybecomemostuseful
Alternatives
Onceyouhavea500-Seriesframe, theoptions
availabletoyouarehuge. Someof our favourite
preamps, EQsandcompressorsarenowall
availablefor the500-Series, but fewcanmatch
theAphexmodulesonprice.TheLindell Audio
modules, however, aresimilarlypriced, andtheEQ
andcompressor inparticular offer quitedifferent avoursfromthe
Aphexoptionswevereviewedhere.
MTVerdict
+Three different preampavours
+Optical compression
+Stereolinkoptiononcompressor
+Exciter andBig Bottomunits ina
single module
- NostereolinkonEXBB500
- FixedQEQ
TheAphex 500-Series modules
makeagreat additiontoany rack.
Whether usedindividually or
together tocreateacustom
channel strip, they all havetheir
ownplaceinthestudio.
8/10
MTReviewsAphex500-Seriesmodules
102 | December 2013 MAGAZINE
100%PURE
ABLETONLIVE
DVD. Digital version5.99.
Available at WHSmith(UK), Barnes &Noble (USA) andall good
bookstores inAustralia, Canada, andthroughout Europe.
Or order online at www.musictech.net/tag/focus
104 | December 2013 MAGAZINE
MTReviews
Manufacturer Loopmasters
Price 29.95
Contact info@loopmasters.com
Web www.loopmasters.com
A
fter the human voice, and
possibly the violin, the piano
is one of the most
emotionally chargedmusical
instruments, capable of making grown
men andwomen cry with its vast
dynamic range, rich harmonies and
layeredmelodies. Atmospheric Pianos
is a newpack fromLoopmasters that
features 129 emotionally chargedpiano
loops andriffs in WAV, MIDI andREX
formats, with an Apple Loops version
available separately.
The pack has been written and
performedby musician, producer,
songwriter andmusical director Sarah
DeCourcy, who has workedwith some
of the biggest names in popandhas
playedthe piano since the age of three.
Theres around570MBof 24-bit audio
in total spreadacross four folders, with
duplicate loops in separate MIDI and
REXfolders. While theres
a fair amount of stylistic
variety, the overall mood
is fairly serious, with
tempos ranging from
75120BPM.
All of the samples
were performedon
DeCourcys top-end
electric piano, which
gives thema clear and
relatively upfront sound. You could
argue that the electric piano is
somewhat colder-sounding than a real
upright or concert instrument, but
given the emotional andmoody nature
of the harmonies andthe playing style,
this works well.
DeCourcys playing is tight, but with
a goodsense of weight to adda human
touch to the riffs. First upare the atmos
andFXloops, which have been treated
with a liberal dose of reverb, delay and
reverse effects, giving thema modern
feel. We then have the chords, melodies
andriffs, which contain a range of rich
progressions, arpeggiatedphrases and
strong octaves, with gooduse of
invertedchords to create longer and
less repetitive loops. Our only gripe is
that the tails on some are cut short to
make themt the bars, andsome of the
electric piano sounds are a little thin,
although this may t well in a fuller-
sounding arrangement. However, all
these things can be resolvedby using
the MIDI les andyour own choice of
instrument andeffects.
Its rare that a piano andkeyboard
pack avoids cheesy chordprogressions
andmelodies, but nearly everything
here is packedwith drama, making it a
perfect choice for media composers
working on thoughtful productions or
more mature popandRnBartists
looking for a song-starting riff. MT
Manufacturer PrimeLoops
Price 19.95
Contact info@primeloops.com
Web www.primeloops.com
W
eve seen plenty of drum
libraries over the years,
fromthe variedexpansion
packs for Superior
Drummer andEZdrummer to live
grooves fromthe likes of Beta
Monkey Music andThe
LoopLoft. However, the
majority of these packs
focus on the soundof
more traditional kits for
metal, funk, soul or rock.
Essential Studio
Drums, newfromPrime
Loops, takes a different
approach, with a heavily
processedlive sound
that has been specially
engineeredto work with
electronic music styles.
The teamtook a
classic Pearl Export kit
and ran it through Neve
channel strips, Thermionic Culture
compressors and PrismConverters to
create an incredibly tight and powerful
sound that is used for all the loops in
the pack. The hats and cymbals will
rattle your eardrums, the kick is solid
and heavy but with plenty of space for
a large bass line, while the cracking
snare will cut through your mix like
butter. We hate to think howmany
drumsticks were broken during the
aking of this loud and
punchy pack!
Youll nda total of
57 drumgrooves and21
lls spreadacross four
folders of 100, 110, 120
and128BPM. Each le
has both dry andwet
versions, andthe whole
collection is available in
your choice of WAV, Apple
Loops, REX2, Live Pack,
andReFill formats.
The actual grooves
themselves are relatively
straight andsafe,
without a great deal of
variation bar a fewmore interesting
tom-basedrhythms. You couldargue,
though, that this solidity wouldwork
well for dance music styles as you
probably dont want anything overly
complicated.
Ideally, we wouldhave likedto see
more versions of the same groove, both
with andwithout hats andcymbals, to
aidin building an arrangement. We
especially enjoyedthe blistering lls,
though, which wouldbe perfect for
anyone looking to addsome excitement
to the dropon a harder-edgedbreaks or
DnBtrack. In addition to those already
mentionedyou also get a collection of
35 heavy-sounding one-shots, with
several variations for each kit piece.
Although this isnt a massively
exible library, it has its own unique,
brutal soundandwouldbe a good
choice for adding a live, energetic edge
to electro punk, breaks or other
electronic genres. MT
AtmosphericPianos
MTVerdict
Abeautiful andmaturepiano
collectionthats packedwith
inspiring andemotional riffs for use
inanumber of genres. Theaddition
of MIDI andREXles massively
opens uptheexibility of thepack.
9/10
KeyFeatures
570MBof24-bit
WAVsorApple
Loops
Alsoincludes
REX2andMIDI
versions
75120BPM
Writtenand
performedby
SarahDeCourcy
Performedona
top-endelectric
piano
MTVerdict
Apackof simplebut solidgrooves,
withablistering, snappy and
upfront drumsound.
8/10
KeyFeatures
420MB+of
24-bitaudio
57groovesand
21fills(with
dryandwet
versions)
35one-shots
InspiredbyThe
Prodigyand
TheChemical
Brothers
Essential StudioDrums
9/10
ReviewsMT
Manufacturer PrimeLoops
Price 14.95
Contact info@primeloops.com
Web www.primeloops.com
F
romscary moments in
lms to epic musical
intros, the dramatic
impact sample can be
usedto addweight and
excitement in a number of
wildly varying situations. Heavy
Impacts is a newpack from
Prime Loops thats packedwith
sinister strikes for you to use in
your productions: fromindustrial
metallic blows to rumbling tremors and
dissonant orchestral hits.
The 270MBpack contains 178
samples in total andcomes in WAVand
Apple Loops formats. Being a hit library,
theres not a huge amount of variety, but
the pack is dividedinto four sections to
helpdifferentiate between samples.
First upwe have DistortedImpacts,
which contains big sounds suggestive
of large explosions or heavy machinery.
Some are more
distortedthan others,
with the added
saturation only
contributing to the
perceivedsize. Each
sample has been
carefully sound-
designedand
comprises several
ayers, froman initial
whoosh to echoing and
ecaying textures.
sightly cleaner and
smaller Noisy Impacts, which have a
little more detail andvariety, andthe
Subsonic Impacts, whichfocus on
longer, low-endrumbles andtonal
synth noises. Where things get more
interesting, however, is in the Orchestral
Impacts folder, where we have a range
of creepy short andlong, dissonant and
percussive hits. Theres a sub-folder
calledHorns FromHell, which features
epic andsinister lowhorn noises
resembling those foundin the
memorable soundtrack to the recent
Prometheus trailer. There are also some
excellent chromatic piano andstring
impacts with layeredpercussive strikes,
which couldbe loadedinto a sampler
andplayedontopof a track or piece.
This is a nice touch that opens upthe
creative possibilities of the library.
Heavy Impacts is a simple and
concise pack that does exactly what
you wouldexpect of it. Theres nothing
especially original or surprising to be
found, but the sounds are solidand
eminently usable. The sounddesign is
also top-notch throughout, meaning
that any of these samples couldbe
usedin both cinematic lmandgame
projects, or for adding a sense of
sinister drama to your musical tracks,
especially if youre writing more
aggressive styles of dubstep,
moombahcore or neuro DnB. MT
MTVerdict
Aconciseandhigh-quality
collectionof carefully craftedhits.
Everything hereis big, weighty and
alittlebit sinister.
8/10
HeavyImpacts
KeyFeatures
270MBof
24-bitaudio
178samplesin
WAVorApple
Loopsformats
Big-sounding
cinematichits
Distorted,
Noisy, Subsonic
andOrchestral
folders
Expertlylayered
andsound-
designed
$
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