Onomatopéias e interjeições em histórias em quadrinhos em ...
Em 052010
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Em 052010
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EXPRESS THROUGH TOUCHIMPRESS THROUGH SOUND
©2009 CASIO AMERICA, INC.
FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT WWW.PRIVIAPIANO.COM
Privia redefines the digital piano category by introducing the PX-330
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If You’ve Got Questions About Music Gear…
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22 4700(((((((888800) 22888000) 22
There’s no way around it. When you’re looking at new gear, you’re going to have questions. So you start your research. Problem is, scouring the Web, reading reviews, and crawling forums all takes valuable time away from what matters most: your music. That’s why you call Sweetwater fi rst. Here, you speak with an industry-experienced pro who knows the gear, uses it, and trains on new releases every week — someone with real-world answers to your questions. We can help you design the rig that’s right for your music. Factor in our fast FREE Shipping, FREE Tech Support, and FREE 2-year Warranty, and you’ll know Sweetwater is your one-stop gear resource, here to keep you charging full speed toward your creative goals.
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LOWESTPossible
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Theree’s’s no way around it. When yoou’re lookking at new gear, you’re gooing to have questions. So you startyour researcchh. P Problemem i is,s, s scoc urinngg the Web, reading revviews, and crawwliling forums all takes valuable timeaway from whatt m tattet rs most:t your music. Thah t’t’s hwhy you callll SSwe tetwater fi rst. Here, you speak with anindustry-experienced pro who knows the gear, uses it, and trains on new releases every week — someonewith real world answers to your questions. We can help you design the rig that s right for your music. Factorwith real-world answers to your questions We can help you design the rig that’s right for your music Factorin our fast FREE Shipping, FREE Tech Support, and FREE 2-year Warranty, and you’ll know Sweetwater is your one-stop gear resource, here to keep you charging full speed toward your creative goals.
Sweetwater has the can’t-beat combination of service,selection, and know-how you won’t find anywhere else!
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6 | EMUSICIAN.COM | 05.10
28 BIG SOUNDS
IN SMALL PACKAGESSometimes you need a
big analog sound, but
only have room, or bud-
get, for a small synth. In
this article, we examine
four affordable, all-in-one tabletop modules from Doepfer, Dave
Smith Instruments, and Tom Oberheim.
18 PRO/FILE: Time to GoJónsi of Iceland’s Sigur Rós goes solo
with the help of clever collaborators.
20 TECH PAGE: Movin’ and Groovin’This exoskeleton lets dancers control
MIDI devices by waving their arms.
38 MAKING TRACKS: Why Not Remix Yourself?
Convert your abandoned songs to loop
construction kits and get inspired.
40 SOUND DESIGN WORKSHOP: Anything Goes
Csound is a powerful tool for synthesis
and experimental composing, and it
is free.
42 D.I.Y. MUSICIAN: The New RadioHow to get your music heard on
podcasts.
44 COMPOSER SPOTLIGHT: Coast to Coast
Jason Moss composes music for film and
television from his home studio.
66 BACK TALK: Q&A: Steve JordanDrummer/producer Steve Jordan talks
about his home-studio setup and getting
good drum sounds.
22 PRODUCTION VALUES: INTERNATIONAL HIT MANProducer and songwriter RedOne played a major role in develop-
ing Lady Gaga’s multi-Platinum sound. He also produced the
remake of “We Are the World,” and was working with Michael
Jackson on developing new material just before the singer’s
tragic demise. EM talked to RedOne to find out his production
techniques, his gear choices, and how he coaxes the best perfor-
mances from the artists he works with.
34 MAKING MUSIC WITH WINDOWS 7After the flop of its Vista OS, Microsoft has come back strong with Windows 7. Many
music-making Windows users have stayed with the tried-and-true XP through the
Vista era, but now are evaluating whether to take the plunge into Windows 7. EM
contributor Brian Smithers compared Windows 7 and XP for running music apps,
and he offers his observations, tips, and advice on who should upgrade.
MAY 2010 VOL. 26, NO. 5
EM (ISSN 0884-4720) is published monthly by Penton Media, Inc.,
9800 Metcalf Ave., Overland Park, KS 66212 (www.penton.com). This
is Volume 26, Issue 5, May 2010. One-year (12 issues) subscrip-
tion is $24. Canada is $30. All other international is $50. Prices
subject to change. Periodicals postage paid at Shawnee Mission,
KS, and additional mailing offices. Canadian GST #129597951.
Canadian Post International Publications Mail Product (Canadian
Distribution) Sales Agreement No. 40612608. Canadian return
address: Bleuchip International, P.O. Box 25542, London, ON N6C
6B2. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to EM, P.O. Box 15605,
North Hollywood, CA 91615.
8 FIRST TAKE
10 FRONT PANEL
12 WHAT’S NEW
16 PRODUCT HITS FROM MUSIKMESSE/PROLIGHT + SOUND 2010
61 MARKETPLACE
63 CLASSIFIEDS
46 NATIVE INSTRUMENTS KOMPLETE 6 (MAC/WIN) software instruments and effects bundle
50 FOCUSRITE SAFFIRE PRO 24 DSP FireWire audio/MIDI interface w/DSP
54 FABFILTER PRO-C 1.12 (MAC/WIN) compressor plug-in
57 QUICK PICKS
WAVES VOCAL RIDER 7.0.1.2 (MAC/WIN) automatic level-control plug-in
AUDIOBRO LA SCORING STRINGS 1.1 (MAC/WIN) orchestral string samples
SOUNDLIB G-PLAYER 1.2.1 (MAC/WIN) Giga sample player
COVER STORY: B
ILL
SCH
WO
B
22
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8 | EMUSICIAN.COM | 05.10
Brave New WorldAs we all are acutely aware, digital technology and the Internet are causing massive changes to the
music business. The ability of individuals to post and download music files on the Web has had a huge
impact. The business model of the major labels has been seriously eroded, and many of the related
services that were once under the record companies’ control have been decentralized and democra-
tized—most notably, distribution.
Having the ability to distribute your music via the Net is a wonderful thing, but it is also a double-
edged sword. Like them or not, the major labels served a gate-keeping function that ensured a certain
level of quality in the albums released and kept a limit on their number. Now that anyone can put
out an album, the proverbial haystack has grown exponentially, and the ability to market oneself has
become even more crucial. Not only do you now need to be a skilled musician and producer, you need
to be able to have considerable marketing chops, especially of the Internet variety.
To help you with marketing yourself online, we’re debuting a new column
called “D.I.Y. Musician.” Each month, Jason Feehan and Randy Chertkow—
who are independent musicians themselves, and who are the authors of the
book The Indie Band Survival Guide: The Complete Manual for the Do-It-Yourself
Musician—will offer tips and advice for the self-promoting musician.
When asked to describe their experience, Feehan and Chertkow wrote
the following: “Everything we write about is based on ideas and practices we
have actually used with our own indie band, Beatnik Turtle, which has been
together for 13 years and has released 18 albums. We’ve licensed our music
to ABC Family/Disney for a commercial campaign, written a theme song to a
TV show that was regularly broadcast to 26 million homes, licensed a music
video to Spike TV/Viacom, created an entire album for a game company, and
performed live multiple times at Chicago’s famous Second City. Also, we’ve written and recorded 365
songs and released one for each day of 2007 as a podcast from our website, TheSongOfTheDay.com.
And we’ve done all of it without a music label.”
Their first column, which you’ll find on p. 42 of this issue, looks at opportunities for exposure
through placing your music on podcasts (aka, “The New Radio”).
But as they say on late-night TV, “But wait, there’s more.” Also debuting this month is “Composer
Spotlight,” which is written by EM’s own Sarah Benzuly. In this column, Sarah will be interviewing
recording musicians who have been working on composing for film, TV, and games. She’ll be concen-
trating on how they’ve gotten the work and what gear they like to use. This month, she talks to Jason
Moss of the music company Super Sonic Noise.
Starting in the June issue, we’ve got a lot more exciting changes coming in EM’s column lineup,
so stay tuned.
Mike Levine
Editor
MA
RLA
CO
HEN
®
EMUSICIAN.COM A PENTON MEDIA PUBLICATION
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CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Gino Robair, Michael Cooper, Marty Cutler, Dennis Miller, Larry the O, George Petersen, Scott Wilkinson
ONLINE AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Brad Erpelding, [email protected]
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10 | EMUSICIAN.COM | 05.10
f you’re a fan of Native Instruments Reaktor, or even if you’re one of the users of the
Komplete 6 bundle who ignores Reaktor, the Vortex ($29) ensemble from Twisted
Tools (twistedtools.com) is worth checking out. You can also download a demo
version along with some useful free ensembles from the Freebies section. For lack of a
more succinct description, Vortex is a 6-track controller sequencer for granular sample
playback. If that doesn’t convince you, consider that many notable sound designers
including Richard Devine, Mike Huckaby, and Glitchmachines have contributed to the
more than 264MB of sample content that comes with Vortex.
Each Vortex track has four 16-step controller lanes, and the value of each step
is set with a bar graph. The azure Gate lanes control sample triggering with playback
synched to your song’s tempo. Because steps without a bar graph have no eff ect, leaving
gate steps empty lets playback continue on through the sample. The orange Roll lane
eff ects a granular stutter with the bar-height controlling its speed. The purple and green
Mod lanes have no default function; you can use them as controllers without aff ecting
other aspects of playback. You can assign
any of the controller lanes to modulate
any of the front-panel knobs: sample
select (from a 128-sample map), start,
and length; grain stretching and size; pitch-envelope amount and decay; and output
pan and amplitude. You can assign either of two LFOs, programmed on a separate page,
to modulate the knobs.
Vortex also has an 8-step scene sequencer. Each scene holds a complete track-
sequencer setup, and any scene-sequencer step can recall one of eight Scenes (labeled A
through H). That lets you fashion long, complex arrangements, and because the Reaktor
plug-in tracks your DAW’s song position, Vortex arrangements stay in sync with your song
(see Web Clip 1). Global and selective copy, paste, and randomize options, along with a
robust MIDI Learn implementation round out Vortex’s bag of tricks. Spend some time with
the presets and bundled samples, and you’ll quickly get caught in the vortex.
MIDI controller not working the way you want? You don’t have to go all Moldover on it. (Th ough that’s not a bad idea; see Fig. 1.) Instead, customize your controller’s out-put with software that remaps the MIDI data on the fly. Bome Midi Translator (bome.com; approximately $81) is the Rand
McNally of MIDI mapping pro-grams. At the 2010 NAMM show, developer Florian Bömers even used it to remap a Wacom graphics tablet to control Native Instruments Traktor, adding the precision of pen-based input to his DJ moves.
Midi Translator also converts MIDI to computer keystrokes,
allowing you to, say, advance a PowerPoint presentation from a drum pad, or control a fl ight-simulator game from your mod wheel. Timer support lets you repeat an action multiple times with a delay—transmit a series of Ctrl-Down Arrow keystrokes to iTunes to create a fadeout,
for example. —David Battino, Batmosphere.com
FIG. 1: Moldover (moldover.com)
deconstructs M-Audio Oxygen 8 keyboards
to put the controls where you want.
BIG SOUNDS IN SMALL PACKAGESWatch videos that show the four
synths from this month’s cover story—
the Tom Oberheim SEM, the Dave
Smith instruments Mopho and Tetra,
and the Doepfer Dark Energy—in action.
MUSIKMESSE 2010Check out our exclusive
videos of new-product debuts
from the Musikmesse/
Prolight + Sound show.
LISTEN TO AN EXAMPLE FROM VORTEX EMUSICIAN.COM/BONUS_MATERIAL
BIL
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THIS MONTH’S SOUNDTRACK
1105.10 | EMUSICIAN.COM |
This group of albums, which includes two compilation CDs, comprises both live
and studio recordings, and an assortment of genres including funk, blues, rock,
and electronica.
JONNY LANG: LIVE AT THE RYMAN
(CONCORD RECORDS)
Lang dials up a powerful set of blues, rock, and R&B in his fi rst album release since 2006. The playing and singing is top-notch, and the live pro-duction is in-your-face.
MAKING TRACKS: WHY NOT REMIX YOURSELF?Download a custom EM construction
kit from Peace Love Productions, which
contains eight loops (two acoustic
guitars, ambient glimmer, pad, bass,
kick/snare, ride, and sub-kick).
STANTON MOORE: GROOVE ALCHEMY (TELARC)
Galactic drummer and New Orleans groove master Stanton Moore traces the roots of funk drumming on this new CD, which pays homage to such greats as Clyde Stubblefi eld, Jabo Starks, and Zigaboo Modeliste. Drummers take note: An accompanying instructional book and DVD are also available.
VARIOUS ARTISTS: GUITAR MASTERS VOL. 3
AND 4: LES PAUL DEDICATION (BHP MUSIC)
Producer/guitarist Brian Tarquin rounded up a slew of guitar legends to play on this 2-CD set, which honors the adventurous guitar-playing spirit of the late Les Paul. Mixing newly recorded tracks and rare old tracks, the CD features Paul, Jeff Beck, Allan Holdsworth, Steve Vai, Leslie West, and many others.
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TO: G
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BACK TALK: STEVE JORDANListen to a podcast interview with
the veteran drummer/producer,
in which he goes in depth about
drum miking, working with John
Mayer, and more.
HYBRID: DISAPPEAR HERE (DISTINCTIVE RECORDS)
The Welsh electronic-dance group duo expands to a trio with addition of singer/songwriter Charlotte James. The result is a more song-based approach, but one that’s still full of cool grooves and interest-ing sonic textures.
HEAR EXCERPTS FROM THE SOUNDTRACK CDS EMUSICIAN.COM/BONUS_MATERIAL
VARIOUS ARTISTS: EXPO
(UNDERCOVER CULTURE/
NEOCHA)
A compilation of songs from China’s underground electronic music scene that was put together by
U.S.-based Shanghai Restoration Project and Neocha, a Chinese online music community. The material is well produced and interest-ing, and the disc presents many of these artists with their fi rst expo-sure to Western audiences.
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12 | EMUSICIAN.COM | 05.10
By George Petersen
CAMEL AUDIO ALCHEMY PLAYER
Want the sounds of Alchemy, but
don’t need to create your own presets?
Alchemy Player (Mac/Win, $59) from Camel Audio (camelaudio.com) is free
with the purchase of any Alchemy soundbank, which turns any bank into
a standalone instrument. Two new soundbanks—Cinematic and Dance
& Trance—expand the company’s current offerings to seven, including
sounds from Biolabs, BigTone, and Junkie XL. Alchemy Player has 150 pre-
sets and 360MB of samples from the full factory library, including evolv-
ing soundscapes, lush pads, and pulsing arpeggios, with additive, spectral,
granular, sampling and VA synthesis, as well as 16 performance controls for real-time tweaking and
automation. Upgrading to the full version of Alchemy (with 600 presets and 3GB of samples) is $199.
TANNOY REVEAL MONITORSTannoy (tannoy.com) introduces new versions of its Reveal studio near-fi eld monitors, slated to ship this month.
The Reveal 501a ($249 MSRP), the Reveal 601a ($349 MSRP), and the passive Reveal 601p ($179 MSRP) are all com-
pact front-ported designs featuring a wideband tweeter that extends response to 30kHz and a shaped front baffl e
to minimize diffraction. The 501a has an integrated 60-watt amplifi er and a
5-inch woofer for response down to 64Hz; the 601a pairs a 6.5-inch woofer
with 90W of amplifi cation for response down to 60Hz. Both have balanced
XLR and unbalanced inputs, and rear-mounted volume controls. For users who prefer their own amplifi ers, the
601p has a 6.5-inch woofer with the same 1-inch soft-dome tweeter for a response of 63Hz to 30kHz.
E-MU LONGBOARD 61 AND SHORTBOARD 49 The Longboard 61 ($399) and Shortboard 49 ($349)
from E-mu Systems (emu.com) are 61- or 49-note key-
boards offering world-class sounds, 128-voice poly-
phony, onboard effects, and a USB/MIDI controller
with aftertouch in one instrument. Sounds include
grand pianos, electric pianos, B3s, clavinets, Solina/Moog/OB/Prophet/Juno/TB synth
leads and basses, and General MIDI patches. Six controller knobs, pitch and mod wheels, a
controller pedal, a footswitch, and octave-transpose buttons provide live control of fi lters, LFOs, and amplifi ers.
The units can be powered via USB, external DC, or onboard batteries, and both include E-mu’s new Pipeline
wireless stereo audio system.
THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT
PLAYBACK MAGIC
QUITE REVEALING
1305.10 | EMUSICIAN.COM |
NATIVE INSTRUMENTS ALICIA’S KEYS
Now shipping from Native Instruments (native-instruments.
com) is Alicia’s Keys (Mac/Win, $119), a software re-creation
of the Grammy-winning artist’s own custom Yamaha C3 Neo
grand piano in the Kontakt 4 sampler platform. Recorded
in Keys’ personal studio by her engineer, Ann Mincieli, and
sampling expert Thomas Scarbee using high-end studio
gear and vintage mics, the result is 17GB of high-resolution
samples with 12 discrete velocity layers per note, and
sophisticated emulation of crucial sonic aspects such as
key release, sustain pedal functionality, and sympathetic
resonance. The software can be used with the included free
Kontakt Player, or it can be loaded into the full-featured pro
Kontakt 4 sampler for in-depth sound editing.
GRAMMY-WINNING PIANO SOUND
Alesis MultiMix 6 USBDesigned for the desktop recording envi-
ronment, the Alesis (alesis.com) MultiMix
6 USB ($99) is a compact 6-channel mixer
that outputs line-level analog audio, as
well as stereo 16-bit, 44.1kHz digital audio
over USB for simple connection to any PC
or Mac. All six inputs can accept ¼-inch
line signal; channel 1 also has a high-
impedance switch for connecting a guitar
or bass directly, and channels 1 and 2 have
XLR mic inputs with switchable phan-
tom power. The mic inputs also feature
switchable highpass fi ltering at 75Hz to
eliminate low-frequency rumble, as well as
handling and wind noise. Each channel has
an independent pan control, and channels
1 through 4 provide high- and low-shelving
EQs. Channels 1 and 2 have independent
gain trims, while channels 3/4 and 5/6 are
confi gured as stereo pairs at the level and
pan controls. A stereo headphone output
is also standard.
MINI MIXER, MINI PRICE
RAIN ION STUDIO AND LIVEBOOK STUDIO POWERFUL PCS Optimized for rigorous audio and/or video production are the rackmount Ion Studio
(from $1,899) and the LiveBook Studio (from $2,499) laptops—two high-performance
PCs from Rain Computers (rainrecording.com). Offered with three processor choices
(up to 2GHz Intel “Clarksfi eld” Core i7 quad-core), a 500GB hard drive, and up to 8GB
of RAM, LiveBook Studio also features a 15.4-inch WXGA HD widescreen display, three
FireWire ports, three USB 2.0 ports, and a PCI Express cardslot. Ion Studio runs on four
2.8GHz or 3.4GHz AMD Phenom II quad-core CPUs, up to 16GB of RAM, and up 8TB of
disk storage, and it comes with six USB ports; up to fi ve FireWire ports; fi ve PCIe slots;
two PCI-X (legacy) slots; and ATI Radeon HD 4200 or HD 4650, or Nvidia Quadro FX
1700 graphics. Ion Studio options are numerous, ranging from Blu-ray drives to solid-
state drives (SSD).
14 | EMUSICIAN.COM | 05.10
Producer Loops Trance Elevation
Volume 2
Trance Elevation Volume 2 ($45.86, download)
is the second in Producer Loops’ (producerloops.
com) series of trance-oriented sample collec-
tions. The library, which totals 5GB across all for-
mats, comprises 10 construction kits provided
as 24-bit, 44.1kHz Acidized WAV,
REX, Apple Loops,
and Propellerhead
Reason ReFill files.
Dry and wet ver-
sions, along with
unlooped clips with
long reverb or delay
tails, are provided
for many of the
loops. Synth leads
and pads are rendered in
up-, down-, and flat-filter versions for con-
structing build, roll, and decay parts. Users can
also incorporate their own virtual instruments
using the included MIDI files for many of the
lead, pad, and bass parts (see Web Clip 1). Trance
Elevation Volume 2 producer Jonathan Blakoe of
Static Blue has remixed for the likes of Armin Van
Buuren, Sunny Lax, and Adam Szabo. The con-
struction kits of 30 to 50 loops are all 138bpm in
C, Bb, Eb, Ab, Gb, or D. They include a demo mix
along with bass, drum mixes and parts, straight
and arpeggiated leads, and effects.
Big Fish Audio Nashville Sessions
Looking for authentic Country sounds? Big Fish
Audio (bigfishaudio.com) Nashville Sessions
($99.95, DVD) has you covered. The library of
24-bit, 44.1kHz WAV and REX files includes 22
construction kits, along with 148 extra loops,
ranging from 85bpm to 150bpm in keys C, G, D, A,
and E—7.5GB for all formats. A typical kit contains
a preview and from
40 to 60 instru-
ment loops featur-
ing guitar (acoustic,
rhythm, lead, and
pedal steel), drums,
bass, piano, man-
dolin, and fiddle
(see Web Clip 2).
Nashville Sessions
was written and produced by Steve Sechi, Eric
Masse, and Jesse Terry, and features experienced
session players Steve Sinatra (drums), Adam
Popick (bass), Charlie Hutto (guitars), Jonathan
Lawson (mandolin and fiddle), and Tom Camp
(pedal steel and piano).
Impact Soundworks Shreddage
Impact Soundworks (impactsoundworks.com)
developed its new electric-guitar library to
Sound Advice
JZ VINTAGE V67
JZ Microphones (jzmic.com) releases the second in its Vintage
Series of mics that emulate the tone of classic models. Modeled
to sound like a Neumann
U 67, the new V67 ($1,999) has
a single cardioid pickup pattern
and uses transistors instead
of tubes so no external power
supply is required. Like its sib-
ling V47 model unveiled earlier
this year, the V67 has a compact
flask-shaped body that allows
for tight placements, and an
internal shock-mounting sys-
tem protects its large, double-
diaphragm, gold-sputtered
condenser capsule. The V67
also features a rotational swivel
mount with nearly 360 degrees
of rotation. Specs include a
maximum sound pressure level
handling of 134dB and a low
self-noise of 6dBA.
NEW TWIST ON SOMETHING OLD
ADAM AX SERIES MONITORS
Boasting redesigned cabi-
nets, new woofers and
amps, and the X-ART rib-
bon tweeter, the four new
A X Series monitors from
ADA M (adam-audio.com)
are the ultracompact A3X
(4.5-inch LF driver, 25W x2;
$299); the high-performance
A5X (5.5-inch mid/woofer,
50W x2; $499); the 7X (7-inch
mid/woofer, 50W/100W;
$599); and the A8X sys-
tems (8.5-inch mid/woofer,
50W/150W; $899). AX Series
woofers feature larger voice-
coils and more power for
greater linear excursion and
higher output. All models have beveled upper corners to minimize
reflections and front porting.
AFFORDABLE ADAMS
HEAR EXAMPLES FROM THESE SOUND LIBRARIES EMUSICIAN.COM/BONUS_MATERIAL
By Len Sasso
1505.10 | EMUSICIAN.COM |
deliver convincing rock and metal rhythm-
guitar parts without resorting to loops,
keyswitches, or complicated MIDI con-
trols. Shreddage ($49, download for Native
Instruments Kontakt 2 or later) was recorded
in 24-bit/44.1kHz resolution through an Avalon
DI box from a classic metal guitar played by
Sixto Sounds’ Juan Medrano. The library cap-
tures a variety of articulations: power chords,
open sustains, mutes (palm, fast, half, and
power-chord), squeals, chokes, scrapes, slides,
s q u e a k s , a n d
fret noise. Most
instruments fea-
ture up and down
strikes and eight
round-robin sam-
ples to mitigate
the machine-gun
effect. In addition
to individual instruments for the various artic-
ulations, you’ll find several multis designed for
load-and-play double-tracked performance. For
example, one setup puts power chords under
your left hand and open sustains under your
right, with velocity transitioning from mutes
to full sustain (see Web Clip 3). Double-track
instruments are routed to two Kontakt outputs
for independent amping, and presets for popu-
lar amp/cabinet simulators are included.
Wave Alchemy Drum Tools 01
Whether you’re building drum tracks from the
ground up or engaging in a little creative drum
replacement, Drum Tools 01 (about $60, down-
load) from Wave Alchemy (wavealchemy.co.uk)
might have just the sounds you’re looking for.
This 24- and 16-bit, 44.1kHz techno- and house-
oriented sample library delivers 1,950 hand-
crafted electronic drum sounds culled from a
variety of drum machines, synths, field record-
ings, and recorded acoustic drum and percus-
sion instruments (see Web Clip 4). Many of the
sounds are layered and processed. Electronic
sources include modern units such as the
Future Retro XS,
Nord Lead 3, and
Jomox Xbase
999, and vin-
tage analog gear
such as the ARP
Odyssey, Roland
TB and TR Series,
and Korg MS-20.
Outboard gear
used in processing the samples includes the
Thermionic Culture Vulture, various Moog filters
and envelopes, and SSL E Series EQ and compres-
sion. Drum Tools 01 includes patches for most
popular samplers and an Ableton Live 8 Pack.
SONIVOX EIGHTY-EIGHT Conceived and designed as an exceptional
virtual embodiment of a Steinway CD 327
grand is the Eighty Eight Grand Piano (Mac/Win, $199) virtual instrument from
Sonivox (sonivoxmi.com). Recorded using high-end A /D converters and pre-
amps, the plug-in features more than 11GB of content with 35 piano and pad
presets; onboard EQ, reverb and limiting; up to 16 velocity layers per key; and an
easy split editor for setting pad and combination instrument ranges. The instru-
ment can be used standalone or with VST, RTAS, or AU hosts.
KORG MR-2 HANDHELD DSD RECORDER
Korg (korg.com) expands its ultrahigh-
fidelity, 2.8MHz sampling rate DSD
recorder line with the MR-2 (price TBA),
a compact unit with built-in X/Y stereo
condenser microphones. An addi-
tional jack enables connection to a
favorite external mic. The pocket-
sized MR-2 writes data directly
to removeable SD/SDHC cards
(up to 32GB), or data can be
transferred to computer via
the onboard USB 2 port. Using the
included AudioGate software, original DSD
recording can be repurposed into nearly any audio
format with minimal fidelity loss. For job-specific record-
ing, the MR-2 can also record in any of the popular multi-bit
formats, from MP2 and MP3 up to 24-bit/192kHz. The MR-2
ships this summer.
A GRAND SOUND
PETITE POWERHOUSE
16 | EMUSICIAN.COM | 05.10
Musikmesse/Prolight+Sound
A LOOK AT THE HOTTEST PRODUCTS FROM THIS MASSIVE MUSIC-EQUIPMENT SHOW
By Mike Lawson
f you’ve never been to the annual Musikmesse/Prolight + Sound in Frankfurt, Germany, you’ve missed out on one of the world’s
great experiences for musicians and studio gear junkies. Most industry people are familiar with the NAMM show, but Musikmesse takes everything up a few notches, with 2,340 exhibi-tors packed into 16 convention halls and nearly 110,000 visitors from 128 countries.
Besides being in Europe, part of Musikmesse’s allure comes from the show co inciding with Prolight + Sound, which brings pro recording, live sound, and lighting to the mixture of synths, software, DJ gear, gui-tars, drums, strings, pianos, brass, accordions (an entire hall of squeezeboxes!), and more. There’s also continuous live music on multiple stages, events, seminars, and workshops. The show offers a little bit of something for every-one, with a difference—the show is restricted to pros in the music trade the first three days, and it’s open to the general public on the last day.
There was a lot to see in just four days, and here are just a few of the cool toys that caught my eye.
As a Mellotron fan, I was skepti-cal about this one, but the new Digital Mellotron (pricing TBA, mellotron.com) delivers. It’s
loaded with some 100 Mellotron and Chamberlin samples—more sounds are also planned—all reproduced in stunning 24-bit uncompressed PCM format. The new version has a custom wood keyboard with ebony keytops. It’s still in the prototype stage, but hopefully it will ship soon.
The 37-key GAIA SH-01 ($799 MSRP) from Roland (rolandus.com) has a panel layout similar to that of vintage Roland synths, but it offers 64-voice polyphony; multi-effects; three virtual-analog modeling sound engines (each having a dedicated oscillator, filter, amplifier, envelope, and LFO); onboard arpeggiator; and phrase recorder. Also new is Roland’s Lucina AX-09 ($699 MSRP), another 37-key model, but with 150 sounds including synth leads and solo violin. It can be played horizontally or standing using a shoulder strap, running up to four hours on eight NiMH AA batteries.
Korg’s (korg.com) microStation ($850 MSRP) puts a 61-key mini-keyboard, effects, twin arpeggia-tors, and 16-track MIDI recording with easy looping features and Visual
Grid sequencing in a compact package. The microStation’s Enhanced Definition Synthesis-integrated (EDS-i) engine has 480 tweakable programs and 25 drum kits. Programs, combi-nations, and song data can be saved to SD/SDHC media, and included software enables visual patch editing, either standalone or used as a VST/AU/RTAS plug-in instrument inside a DAW.
Designed for live performance, Korg’s PS60 (pricing TBA) has 61 full-sized semi-weighted keys, 440 EDS-i sounds (focused on organ, strings, brass, and synth), 63 built-in effects, and real-time controls (joystick, octave/trans-pose buttons, and footswitch/footpedal jacks). Included is PS60 Editor software for tweaking sounds and using the unit as a synth plug-in.
Elektron’s (electron.se) Octatrack (pricing TBA) lets users cut up and rearrange samples
The Digital Mellotron
re-creates the sound of the classic
original instrument in 24-bit clarity.
Korg’s monotron offers ribbon control and analog filters.
1705.10 | EMUSICIAN.COM |
in real time as completely elastic loops that stay in sync whether pitch-shifted or tempo-altered. Octatrack has eight stereo tracks, four audio inputs, four audio outs, an optical fader (assignable to any parameter), an improved Elektron sequencer, and two effect blocks per track. A CF slot gives access to stored data, and a USB port offers computer connectivity. It is expected to ship in the fourth quarter of 2010.
Recording guitarists will dig Cakewalk’s (cakewalk.com) V-Studio 20 ($299), which combines an 8-fader Mac/PC-compatible DAW worksurface (Mackie Control protocol), a stereo (24-bit/44.1kHz) USB audio interface with onboard Boss-powered COSM DSP guitar and vocals effects, VS-20 Effects Editor (Mac/Win) software, and Win-only Guitar Tracks 32-channel recording application. It’s slated to ship in May 2010.
Overall, the show was slammed full of new DJ devices, but Mixdeck ($699) from Numark (numark.com) really stood out. This universal DJ system supports CDs, USB flash/hard drives, computers, turntables, iPhone/iPods, and a mic input. And the dual decks with touch-sensitive platters, mixing, and onboard effects also func-tion as software controllers, connecting to your PC/Mac via a single USB cable. The $699 street price includes Native Instruments Traktor Numark Edition software.
Steinberg (steinberg.net) previewed its WaveLab 7 (about $800) audio editing and mastering suite for Win and Mac OS X.
Features include a
unique GUI for fast audio-material handling across multiple windows, new VST3 plug-ins and restoration tools, a new CD and DVD-A burning engine, and more. WaveLab 7 ships in the second half of 2010.
New for Universal Audio’s (uaudio.com) UAD-2 platform is the Manley Massive Passive ($299) plug-in, a virtual version of Manley Labs’ popular 2-channel, 4-band equalizer, offering radical tonal shaping, delicate vocal shading, or subtle mastering enhancement. It’s available as part of the new UAD Software Version 5.6 release, which also includes the EMT 140 plate reverb and the Precision Enhancer Hz plug-ins.
Sound Performance Labs’ (spl-usa.com) DrumXchanger ($449 MSRP) is a drum-replacement plug-in (native RTAS, VST, and AU for Mac and PC) that uses SPL’s Transient Designer technology to substitute drum sounds in multitrack sessions regardless of the level they were originally recorded at. Included is a library of 24-bit/96kHz samples, and drum sounds can be entirely replaced or mixed with the original tracks—all in real time with phase-accurate precision.
The Superlux (superlux.com.tw) HD668B ($59 MSRP) semi-open back headphones pro-vided flat, accurate, stunning headphone mix capabilities with a 10Hz to 30kHz response. These were the best cans I tried on at the show.
Ableton fans will want JazzMutant’s (jazzmutant.com) Mu (free) plug-in that offers hands-on, touchscreen control between the Lemur controller and Ableton Live, with
instant integration with any Live set. Simply select any Live device from any track, and Mu brings up a cus-
tom graphical interface that makes controlling multiple parameters quick, easy, and totally intuitive.
Although they’re somewhat extrava-gant, I loved Richter’s (richter-leder.com) $1,000 leather gigbag and extremely high-end guitar straps, which range from $200 to $1,200. Most of these straps cost as much as my guitars! There were a lot of odd things at Musikmesse, but the most bizarre was the Guitdoorbell ($99 MSRP, guitdoorbell.com), a child’s-sized guitar fixed above a doorway that is strummed when the door opens. The included guitar easily removes for regular playing.
My top Musikmesse pick was Korg’s monotron Analog Ribbon Synthesizer ($85 MSRP), a battery-operated, hand-sized unit featuring the company’s MS-10 and MS-20 analog filters with a basic VCO/VCF/LFO circuit. Its simple ribbon controller bor-rows from Korg’s Kaoss line and can produce expressive vibrato and glide effects. Also, any audio source (guitar, digital audio player, etc.) can be patched into monotron’s filter input for more fun. It ships in August.
Musikmesse and Prolight + Sound return to Frankfurt next year, April 6 to 9. Meanwhile, for more Musikmesse fun—including video demos from the show floor—visit emusician.com/musikmesse_2010. Auf Wiedersehen!
Formerly the publisher of MixBooks, author Mike Lawson operates Nashville-based lawsonmusicmedia.com. Universal Audio’s Manley Massive Passive plug-in
Elektron’s Octatrack makes sampling fun and fast.
JazzMutant’s Mu plug-in for Ableton Live control
WATCH VIDEOS AND GET MORE PRODUCT NEWS FROM MUSIKMESSE EMUSICIAN.COM/MUSIKMESSE_2010
18 | EMUSICIAN.COM | 05.10
Time to Go
During his years with Sigur Rós, Jónsi had
conceived songs that didn’t fi t with the
band, so he fi led them away in his head.
For Go, he initially drew from his acoustic
folder and recorded rough demos com-
prising voice, acoustic guitar, and harmo-
nium into Apple Logic Pro on his Apple
iMac, using a Neumann U47 mic. “The
U47 is my favorite mic of all time,” Jónsi
says. “It’s so balanced, beautiful, and
rounded; it’s bright, but not too bright. I
usually don’t like new microphones, but
the top end is unbelievable. I went from
that into a Thermionic Culture Rooster
DI preamp—the Attitude control has
some crazy tube stuff —through a Retro
Instruments Sta-Level tube compres-
sor, a Chandler Limited TG1 limiter, into
an Apogee [Ensemble] audio interface,
which fed into Logic.”
After talking to friends, Jónsi
decided to take his demos to Peter
Katis’ Tarquin Studios in Connecticut.
Looking back on the nearly yearlong
production process, Jónsi says that
even though he didn’t have a clear idea
of what he wanted before, it was through
spontaneous studio collaborations and
“happy accidents” that the music began
to transform.
“It was a bit scary working on a solo
album because I was coming out of this
cocoon from working with Sigur Rós,
a very democratic band,” he says. “At
the same time, it was super-liberating.
Peter, who is a talented engineer, had an
unconventional way of working. He has
a selection of really good microphones,
outboard gear, and preamps, and is
unafraid to distort something if it’s good
for the song—and as a result, brought a
lot of life to the album.”
From April to November, Jónsi and
Katis recorded the acoustic elements—
guitars, strings, brass, wind instru-
ments, pianos, glockenspiel, celeste,
double bass, and drums—into Digidesign
Pro Tools, adding collaborative elements
from arranger Nico Muhly (a Philip
Glass protégé) and Finnish drummer/
percussionist Samuli Kosminen.
“Boy Lilikoi” (see Web Clip 1) started
as a rough demo with acoustic guitar and
voice, but was transformed into an ener-
getic sonic wash with the help of Muhly’s
playful arrangement. Before working in
Tarquin Studios, Jónsi sent rough demos
of the song to Kosminen, who recorded
some ideas and sent them back. “I really
liked what he had done,” Jónsi says. “He is
an amazing, inventive drummer. When we
met in Peter’s studio, he appeared with a
suitcase of trash and toys and played on
everything over the course of six days. It
was really spontaneous. A lot of the drums
were recorded separately, actually: bass
drum with only the beater, cymbals, snare,
and tom-toms, which were layered later.”
Back home in Iceland, Jónsi played
around with the prerecorded studio
pieces, recording additional overdubs and
samples that he created inside Logic. “I
like to [mess] things up, and [one] of my
favorite toys [is] Sugar Bytes’ Effectrix,
which has endless possibilities,” he says.
Many of the songs—such as “Animal
Arithmetic” (see Web Clip 2)—feature up
to 150 layered tracks, which were eventu-
ally mixed together by Tom Elmhirst at
London’s Metropolis Studios.
Home base: Reykjavik, Iceland
DAW of choice: Apple Logic Pro
Must-have gear: Martin acoustic guitar, piano, Apple iMac
Website: jonsi.com
Aft er fronting Icelandic ambient rock band Sigur Rós for more than a decade, guitarist/vocalist Jón “Jónsi” Th or Birgisson set out on a solo adventure last year with the intent of making a low-key acoustic album. But somewhere
along the line, he says, “It just sort of exploded.” Th e result of that explosion is Go, a fully realized sonic tapestry that debuted on XL Recordings in April. Combining acoustic elements with layers of electronic and rock styles, Go off ers an expansive musical palette brought to life by Jónsi alongside some imaginative collaborators.
LISTEN TO EXCERPTS FROM JÓNSI’S NEW ALBUM EMUSICIAN.COM/BONUS_MATERIAL
LILJ
A B
IRG
ISD
OTT
IR
20 | EMUSICIAN.COM | 05.10
Movin’ and Groovin’
usic and dance have been inextricably
intertwined since the dawn of human
history, but these activities have tradi-
tionally been performed by different individuals
skilled in one or the other art form. In my career
as a musician, I’ve provided soundtracks for danc-
ers on numerous occasions, and I’ve always found
it to be a satisfying experience. Yet there is also a
sense of separation from the dancers’ movements,
an uncertainty about exactly how the music will
be manifested visually, especially in improvised
performances.
Wouldn’t it be interesting if dancers could
generate their own music as they move? That’s the
idea behind the GypsyMIDI controller from Sonalog
(sonalog.com), a British company that specializes in
motion capture (mocap), in which the motion of live
actors is captured and applied to animated charac-
ters. This technique has received a lot of attention
lately for its extensive use in the movie Avatar.
Inspired by the San Francisco dance scene
in the late 1990s, Sonalog started experimenting
with its Gypsy Mocap system, which is designed for
3D animation applications. As a company state-
ment says, “We wanted to explore the possibility
of orchestrating and composing music for real-time
performance through body movements and dance.
This was the beginning of the discovery of a diverse
multimedia instrument that promises to add new
dimensions to live performance for visual artists,
DJs, and musicians for years to come.”
GypsyMIDI comprises two main components: a
bodysuit mechanism and a software application for
Mac OS X or Windows. The hardware straps onto a
person’s upper torso and arms (see Fig. 1) and pro-
vides six rotational sensors for each arm: wrist up/
down, wrist rotation, elbow up/down, elbow side to
side, shoulder up/down, and shoulder side to side.
Each sensor has an angular resolution of 1 degree and
sends independent MIDI messages to a MIDI Out port
that connects to the computer’s MIDI interface.
Authored in Cycling ’74 Max/MSP, the software
app is called eXo, and it lets you map MIDI messages
to control various parameters such as note on/off,
continuous controllers, pitch bend, etc. Messages
from the sensors can also be used to trigger and
crossfade samples, loops, and other events such as
lighting changes. Once the parameters have been
mapped, you can use GypsyMIDI to control any MIDI
program, including Steinberg Cubase, Ableton Live,
Apple Logic, Digidesign Pro Tools, and Propellerhead
Reason, as well as any VST instrument or effect.
Of course, dancers come in different shapes and
sizes, and GypsyMIDI is highly adjustable to fit various
body types and heights from 5 feet to 6 feet 4 inches.
Sonalog claims that it takes only 2 to 3 minutes to set
it up and less than 1 minute to put it on, which is good
news if you want to don the device in the middle of a per-
formance. Physically fit dancers should have little prob-
lem with the 4.6 pounds it adds to their body weight.
More problematic is the MIDI cable that must
be connected between the mechanism and computer,
which Sonalog says is limited to 15 feet. Even if it
could be much longer, no dancer wants to deal with
a cable in which they could easily get tangled up.
Fortunately, the solution to this problem is relatively
simple: a wireless MIDI system such as M-Audio’s
MidAir, CME’s WIDI-X8, Kenton’s MidiStream, or
Classic MIDI Works’ MIDIjet Pro.
Although GypsyMIDI might look somewhat
ungainly and perhaps a bit Terminator-esque, it opens
up entirely new avenues of artistic expression that
modern dancers are sure to appreciate. I look forward
to seeing and hearing the results of their explorations
with this new creative tool.
COU
RTE
SY S
ON
ALO
G
FIG. 1: The
GypsyMIDI bodysuit
senses rotations in
the wrists, elbows, and
shoulders and sends
corresponding MIDI
messages to trigger
notes, samples, and
loops, as well as control
parameters such as
filter frequencies and
crossfades.
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22 | EMUSICIAN.COM | 05.10
id you know that one of the keys to writ-ing an international hit song is to make it easy to sing? So says producer and
songwriter RedOne. “It has to be melodic and memorable,” he explains, “and those who don’t speak English have to be able to sing [along] with it.” A hit is more likely “if it’s easy, if it’s hooky, and has something that you can grab.”
He should know about international pop hits. In his relatively short career, RedOne has had quite a few, both as a producer and a songwriter. He’s best known as the man behind megastar Lady Gaga’s melodic, electronic pop sound.
A relative unknown in 2006, RedOne’s career has moved very quickly. He was the number one producer on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart for 2009, and the number three songwriter (behind Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga).
Born Nadir Khayat in Morocco, RedOne came to the United States via Sweden, where he had moved to at age 18 to pursue a career as a rock guitar player and singer. He later dis-covered that his real passion was producing and writing pop songs, and he transitioned his career in that direction. After some initial successes in Sweden, he moved to the United States, where his career really took off. He has worked with artists such as Akon, the Backstreet Boys, Enrique Iglesias, and Sean Kingston, but Lady Gaga is by far his biggest success story. He produced and co-wrote many of the songs
on her first two albums: The Fame (Interscope, 2008) and the more recent The Fame Monster (Interscope, 2009; see Fig. 1).
RedOne received five Grammy nomina-tions for his work with Gaga, and won for two of them: Best Dance Recording (“Poker Face”) and Best Electronic/Dance Album (The Fame). In 2009, he worked with Michael Jackson on material for what would have been the late superstar’s next album. And in early 2010, he produced the star-studded new version of “We Are the World,” which was used to raise money for Haitian earthquake victims.
Without a lot of fanfare, RedOne has become one of the top producers in pop. I recently had the opportunity to speak to him about his career, his production methods, and much more.
It was years of nonstop work. That’s the only way, I think. To perfect and to master what you do, you have to spend so many hours, and in my case, I spent years. So it took a little while, but you just get better and better, and just lis-ten to how everybody is sounding, listen to all the styles, and try to master it, to find out why it should sound a specific way for a specific sound. So you’ve got to study that. That’s what I was doing, studying.
No, I was more of a songwriter, sitting together with the producer, who was my friend. I was contributing ideas, but he could make it sound real, and then I was learning, watching, but I was mainly a songwriter. After a while, he gave me a little instruction, and he was like, “Okay, try it yourself.” So I was spending many hours trying to do what I heard in my head, but it was not sound-ing the way I wanted it to. So I had a lot of pressure on me to be better, better, and better. And then I was just studying and trying to make it sound as good as other people did. That’s before you find your own stuff. Because my head is full of ideas. But to make them sound [good], you’ve got to really know what you’re doing, so that whenever you want to do something it sounds the way you have it in your head. It took me a little while, but that’s how it happened.
Yes. It’s like painting something that doesn’t exist. But I’ve been doing it for a little while, so I combine my ideas and the other person’s influ-ences and all of that. And that’s the beauty of it, because every artist has something that’s unique or different.
INTERNATIONAL
KEI
TH M
UN
YO
N
24 | EMUSICIAN.COM | 05.10
INTERNATIONAL HIT MAN
Absolutely. To me, all of this new music is about enjoying what you do. And if that doesn’t exist, if any tension is in the music, then it’s not going to come out right, for me. I’m talking about myself only. If the artist has problems or the producer has problems with the artist, then the music is not going to come out well. And I always try to make the artist feel good because that’s the only way I’m going to get the best out of them. The artist is the artist, and you can’t be the artist when you’re the producer. You’ve just got to get the best out of them, inspire them, and respect them the way they are. And the process makes the artist happy because you’re really respecting what they’re about. And sud-denly, you give them advice or ideas, and they’ll be like, “Absolutely!”
Yes. To me, that’s a big part of it. Besides the knowledge of the music and all of that, it has to go a lot with the spirit. Because it’s very emo-tional, and if the emotion is not existing [in the music], then you don’t get the best results.
Honestly, I don’t have a [particular] technique. I’m just behaving the way I do with everybody. My personality has always been—in my life—trying to make the other person comfortable. When I have a situation that could be awkward, I try to make it easier. And that’s maybe one thing that I added into my production skills, and it’s working. I remember before I was this successful, people said that I had to have more of an “attitude” to get respect—you’ve got to work a certain way. I was like, “No, I’m me.” And that’s the way it is.
I always listen to the artist and try to find out what’s special with them. What’s special about the voice, the tone? On what register they’re best at, how they shine. A lot of times, whether or not a song becomes a hit—even if it’s a good song—has to do with the right key or the right emotion, or the right production. So if you find those qualities that can make an artist shine, that’s what I always focus on, and that’s one of the key things to getting a good result.
I remember telling her that I love that when she sings out, she gets this ’80s voice that’s powerful, which she was using less of before we met. It’s hard for me to show you what it is. But like on “Poker Face,” on the chords, you hear the detail, and when she sings, “Can’t read my, can’t read my”—that kind of voice. I really felt like I brought that out of her. It’s not like my thing; she had it. I just love that tone, and you start adding more and more of those situations where she would sing like that, and it would sound perfect there. I think that’s one of the qualities. And there are still some parts where you think that she needs to go with this crazy attitude. You add them together, and it gives a whole personality to her. Not to take anything from her creativity either.
Of course. I’ve got a portable studio with me wherever we go. [Gaga and myself] wrote “Bad Romance” in a bus, on our way from one country to another.
It’s a computer—a Mac, and [Apple Logic Pro 9], samples, and headphones.
No, only Logic.
It’s easy. It’s very quick to me. I’ve been working with Logic since ’95 or something like that. Before it became Apple, when it was Emagic and all of that. And it’s become easier and easier. To me, Logic is very logical.
I use the Logic plug-ins.
Yeah, compression, effects, delays; I love the delays in Logic. Everything is beautiful.
Yes. If you think about all the hits I did with Gaga, honestly, it was a funny thing. We were working in big rooms, but we were using my equipment. Like my Apple studio speakers, and we were working from my laptop most of the time.
I use Logic inside the computer. [To read more about his use of Logic, see the Online Bonus Material “RedOne Redux.”]
I have my guy who mixes for me, but what I love about him is he doesn’t change my mix. When I’m done with my production, it sounds almost [finished].
FIG. 1: RedOne has played a major production and songwriting
role in both of Lady Gaga’s albums, including the most recent,
The Fame Monster.
COU
RTE
SY I
NTE
RSC
OPE
2505.10 | EMUSICIAN.COM |
If it doesn’t sound right, it’s wrong. That’s how I feel. The whole sound is what I’m creating because I’m mixing a certain way. So that’s why it’s taken me a while to find the right mixer who is going to respect exactly what I’ve done and just take it to a better level.
Rob Orton.
I play everything myself, you know. Unless I need something that I can’t do myself, like strings.
They’re programmed, yes, but they’re all live sounds [samples].
Yes, that’s how I do it. I just sit down and start building and making it sound better and better.
A lot of them are in Logic.
Yeah, absolutely.
Almost every situation I’ve been in, I’m not the only producer. But I’m trying to do less of that. I’m a little bit more focused on trying to work on my own artists.
On both, I did the majority. Honestly, that kind of sound was created when I was with Gaga. So after that, the other producers had to adjust to that. You know?
Yes.
The thing is, whenever I do something, I never feel like, “Oh, it’s a competition.” But I always feel like I want to do the best I can, and that’s all I can do. You get the best out of me, and hopefully I’ll get the singles. Well, I mean with Gaga, thank God it felt like my songs made a difference to her career, and, honestly, in a big way. So, yes, I felt like it was a competition, but it wasn’t like I felt like the competition was affecting me in a certain way. I just try to do the best I can do, every time. Honestly, when I did “Just Dance,” to me, in my head, I tried to top another song that I did with Gaga, which is called “Boys Boys Boys”—the first song we ever did together. And in my head, I was like, “Ah, I’ve got to do better,” because every-one was talking about “Boys Boys Boys.” And I remember a friend of mine kind of joked with me, “I don’t think you can do a better song than ‘Boys Boys Boys’ with those big drums.” I was like, “Yeah, okay.” And I used almost those same big drums and made them sound better.
Absolutely. Because to me, of course the cool beats and cool production [are important], but it has to be a song. It has to be a songwriter’s song—almost like you feel you want to play it on a guitar and it will still sound good. Thank God, a lot of people are doing covers, doing different versions of the songs we’ve done.
The greater the artist is, the less you have to fix. So, to me, you only want to be associated with those kind of artists that you don’t have to fix a lot. Because all the big stars—The Beatles or the Rolling Stones or The Who—they didn’t have fixes like that, they didn’t have Auto-Tune. All due respect for everyone who is using Auto-Tune for different reasons, but for those who need massive pitch correction because they can’t sing, I would prefer to not work [with them]. I am not against tuning, I’m not against Auto-Tune, I’m not against anything like that. But I would only prefer to work with artists who I would have to fix less.
Yeah, honestly, because the more tuning you do, the less character the artist gets. So I believe in the character more than the tuning.
Yeah, exactly. But a little bit off is beautiful. That’s what makes the whole thing. Because if every-thing is 100-percent perfect, then you lose what’s real. And with Gaga, I almost have to fix nothing.
In addition to having
worked very hard to de-
velop his craft, RedOne at-
tributes a lot of his success
as a producer to treating
artists with respect.
KEI
TH M
UN
YO
N
26 | EMUSICIAN.COM | 05.10
INTERNATIONAL HIT MAN
She nails it, and we do it old school. If she does it wrong, she re-records it until we get it right. Instead of, “It’s all right, just do it and we’ll fix it.” No.
No, honestly, I comp. But it’s her singing it; I’m not fixing tuning. I’m using her time in the best way because she’s now big, and she’s very busy. When she comes [to the studio,] I have her do a few verses and then I’ll comp the best of the takes, and then she’ll listen to it, and say, “I can do this better,” and boom, it’s good.
Yes, I love it. It’s unbelievable. I love the loops.
[Yes]. The artist doesn’t think about one word or one line to get nervous about. I just say, “Let’s do this verse and just get into it.” If I hear something that’s so wrong, I’ll stop it, and say, “Focus on this and this and this a little bit more. Okay, perfect.” And then just get into it, get into it, get into it, and then you have many beautiful takes that are alive. Then you comp.
I was working on a lot of [song] ideas.
Yeah, on a lot of stuff, a lot of ideas. We were just moving from one idea to another one. And we were about to go back and revisit everything and take the best ones out of everything. And then, unfortunately…
Yes, he was incredible. It was easy to work with him. He had incredible experience, and he had incredible knowledge about every aspect of music. From production to the sonics of his voice, to how the video should be. Incredible.
I have a really, really good song with Mary J. Blige on her album; it’s going to be a single. I’m finishing up this song, it looks like it’s going to be the second single for Oriente; it’s a rock song. I have mixing for Lady Gaga, and I’m working on my artist called Mohombi—that’s coming out really soon.
It’s very, very global—dance—but it’s global. Rhythmic, very rhythmic.
It was amazing. I mean, what else, what’s bigger? If Billboard gives you producer of the year, what’s better? That’s a recognition forever.
Absolutely, it feels very emotional. You know, it’s like the reality is on paper, it’s there. Of course, I won two Grammys, too. So it’s like incredible.
Mike Levine is EM’s editor and senior media producer.
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT REDONE’S USE OF LOGIC EMUSICIAN.COM/BONUS_MATERIAL
2010
Produced “We Are the World” remake for Haitian
earthquake relief, featuring a star-studded group
of vocalists. The song debuted at #2 on the
Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart and stayed at #1
on the iTunes Music Chart for two weeks.
2009
Wrote and produced “Takin’ Back My Love” for
Enrique Iglesias and Ciara. It reached Top 10 in 11
counties and #3 on the Euro Chart 100 Singles.
Wrote and produced Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face.”
The song reached #1 in 17 countries, was at #1 on
the Pan European Chart for 13 weeks, and went
Platinum or multi-Platinum in eight countries.
Produced Sean Kingston’s “Fire Burning,” which
reached the Top 10 in seven countries.
Produced “Remedy” by Little Boots. The song
got to #6 on the U.K. Singles chart and the
Top 5 in Ireland.
Co-wrote and produced “Love Game” by Lady
Gaga, which hit Top 10 in 12 countries while
garnering Platinum sales in Australia and
double-Platinum in Canada.
Produced This Is Us by the Backstreet Boys,
which debuted in the Top 10 in the United
States and Japan.
Wrote and produced “About a Girl” by
Sugababes. The song became a Top 10 single.
Co-wrote and produced “Bad Romance” by Lady
Gaga, which reached #1 in three countries and
was in the Top 10 in 17 others.
2008
Produced “Run the Show” by Kat DeLuna
featuring Busta Rhymes. The song climbed to
#2 on Billboard Dance Club Play chart and was
in the Top 10 in six European countries.
Produced seven songs on The Block by New Kids
on the Block. The album debuted at #1 on the
Billboard Pop Album chart, #2 on the Billboard
Top 200 Album chart, and #1 in Canada.
Produced Freedom by Akon, which sold 600,000
copies in the United States.
Co-wrote and produced “Just Dance” by Lady Gaga.
The song made it to #1 in seven countries and hit
the Top 10 in 11 others.
2007
Produced “Whine Up” by Kat DeLuna featuring
Elephant Man, which hit #1 on the Billboard
Dance Club Play Chart and #1 on the Billboard
Hot 100 Latin Songs Chart.
2006
Produced “Bamboo,” which was chosen as the
official melody of the FIFA World Cup and was
used as the featured song for FIFA television
broadcasts, advertising campaigns, and branded
cross-promotions.
2005
Co-wrote and produced “Step Up” by Swedish art-
ist Darin. The song debuted at #1 on the Swedish
Singles Chart.
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28 | EMUSICIAN.COM | 05.10
s interest in analog synthesizers continues to increase, more and more manufac-turers are getting into the game. Th e world of modular systems, in particular, is exploding with new products, especially in the Eurorack format.
But whether it’s a keyboard or a rack of modules, an analog synth can take up a lot of room. Sometimes you just need a simple synth voice—an oscillator or two, an LFO, a fi lter, an envelope generator, and a VCA—in a portable package to put that fat bass line, searing lead, or space-age burbling where you want it. Th at’s where a standalone synth module comes in handy.
Th ese modules off er subtractive synthesis in a small footprint, providing the perfect complement to a DJ setup, a laptop rig, digital keyboard workstation, or the digital plug-ins in your DAW. Although all-in-one modules date back to the ’70s, technological advances over the years have allowed manufacturers to make them smaller and more powerful and increase their stability, without sacrifi cing the vintage tone.
In this article, I examine three single-voice, analog-synth modules released in the past few months, as well as a related 4-voice module, all of which are priced less than $1,000 (some considerably so). I admit that comparing the features of these instruments is very much an apples-to-oranges-to-bananas aff air, but this isn’t a shootout to see which synth ranks highest. Rather, I want to show the diff erences in design philosophy because, on top of the sound quality of an instrument, the voice architecture and feature set inspires each musician diff erently.
Let’s begin with the instrument that has the longest pedigree.
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Clockwise from top: Tom Oberheim
SEM, Patch Panel edition; Dave Smith
Instruments Tetra; Doepfer Dark Energy;
and Dave Smith Mopho
30 | EMUSICIAN.COM | 05.10
BIG SOUNDS IN SMALL PACKAGES
Designed in the early ’70s to inexpensively aug-ment monosynths by ARP and Moog, as well as support the company’s digital sequencer, Oberheim’s Synthesizer Expander Module (SEM) offered a basic feature set with a distinc-tive sound that has remained popular over the decades. The instrument’s creator, Tom Oberheim (tomoberheim.com), has finally given in to the pressure of friends and fans by reissuing the SEM, following the original specifications as much as current parts availability would allow. Yet, like any restless developer, he took the design a little fur-ther by adding a few welcome features.
The Tom Oberheim SEM is available in three configurations: the Patch Panel edition ($899; see Fig. 1), the MIDI edition ($899), and the Panel Only edition ($599). I received the Patch Panel edition for this roundup because the MIDI edition wasn’t shipping yet. But that suited me just fine as I prefer to work with patch cords. Because many readers will want to know to what degree the new version resembles the original, I will compare features between the two.
The classic SEM had a straightforward synth-voice architecture, with two VCOs; two 3-stage envelope generators (EGs); a 2-pole
(12dB per octave) multimode, resonant fil-ter; a sine-like LFO that goes into the audio range; and a VCA. The audio and CV I/O were on 3.5mm jacks. The new SEM is exactly the same, with a nearly identical front panel in layout and size. The main physical difference is that the new SEM isn’t as tall as the original, but the left panel adds an extra 2.25 inches to the module’s width. Both have rear panel power switches, and the new version has a rear panel ¼-inch output, which means you don’t need a 3.5mm-to-¼-inch adapter to use the module with a mixer or amp.
The SEM’s front panel has a slightly unusu-al layout. Each VCO can produce a sawtooth or pulse wave, but the waveform is selected in the filter section. The knob is actually a level control: Fully counterclockwise gives you the sawtooth at full volume; at the 12 o’clock set-ting, you get no signal; and the pulse wave is at full volume when the control is fully clockwise. At full level, the VCOs overdrive the filter in a very musical way. Each pulse wave can have its own duty cycle (10 percent to 90 percent), as well as individual pulse-width modulation or frequency modulation using the LFO or EG.
Another interesting design feature is that the knob that selects the filter type is continu-
ously variable, from lowpass through notch to highpass. In the original version, the control would click into bandpass mode in its full counterclockwise position. The update has a separate bandpass switch.
The filter’s cutoff frequency can be mod-ulated (positive or negative) by the LFO, Envelope 2, or an external source. Thankfully, the new SEM has separate controls for fine- and coarse-tuning of the VCOs. The vintage model had dual-concentric pots that stacked the tuning controls. (Fine-tune was on top of the coarse-tune.) Everyone hated them, including Oberheim, because it was easy to accidentally bump an oscillator out of tune.
Original SEM owners would often cus-tomize the synth by making internal features accessible for modulation by adding jacks to the panel, and that’s pretty much what the Patch Panel version offers. Sticking to the 1-volt-per-octave standard for CVs, the panel has 33 passive patch points that allow you to control parameters from external synth sources, pro-cess audio through its filter, send its audio and CVs to other modules, and, of course, inter-connect the various features to broaden the unit’s sound palette. You can make this synth scream with only two patch cords.
So how close does the SEM redux sound to the original? Keep in mind that analog circuitry changes over time, and any 35-year-old synth is going to sound different than how it did when it was built. Yet the new version has that unmistakable SEM sound when compared to my vintage piece (serial number 100). The biggest difference I noticed was the LFO behavior: My vintage module has a slightly different waveform with a longer frequency time at the bottom end. But that might be due to its age.
The filter is largely responsible for the SEM’s signature timbres, and the update has the same growly and aggres-sive character as the original, offering attractively gritty harmonics when the cutoff frequency is swept with the LFO. Use it to create fat, buzzy basses or driving lead lines—it nails the classic sounds (see Web Clips 1a through 1d).
My main beef is that on the pas-sive Patch Panel version, the audio FIG. 1: The Tom Oberheim SEM, Patch Panel edition, adds 33 patch points for increased sonic control.
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inputs do not have a preamp—a clear decision on Oberheim’s part to keep it as much like the original instrument as possible. Consequently, there’s not enough gain to help an external line-level input compete with the internal VCO out-put levels. Not only do you have to keep the VCOs at a low level if you want to combine signals, but you can’t overdrive the filter with an external source.
The MIDI version addresses this issue by adding preamps to the two rear panel ¼-inch audio inputs. According to Oberheim, one input goes through a high-gain preamp (with a level control), while the other input’s gain is merely doubled. However, there are four destinations for the inputs: VCO 1 and 2, the filter, and the VCA.
Of course, the MIDI version also features a MIDI-to-CV converter via a rear panel MIDI port to give you internally patched pitch CV and gate signals. You get a second CV that is assignable to three sources and three destina-tions, selectable note priorities (high, low, and last), LFO reset, keyboard tracking, a porta-mento control, and octave transposition.
Overall, the SEM sounds as good as I had hoped. Although they don’t come cheap, I’d happily purchase a new one before dropping more cash on a vintage model. The multiple patch points are great for interfacing with other synth modules, the controls work well, and the ¼-inch output is handy. But it looks like my wish list includes both models: Although I like the flexibility of the Patch Panel edition, I also want the MIDI features and external signal boost of the MIDI edition.
German synth designer Dieter Doepfer (doepfer.de) takes the single-voice module concept a step further by increasing the inter-nal modulation capabilities while retaining patchability. Dark Energy ($625) is a stand-alone version of the A-111-5 module designed for the Eurorack A-100 system. However, the standalone module augments the front panel I/O nicely by adding a USB/MIDI interface with associated gate and CV out-puts, allowing the unit to cover a wide range
of performance needs (see Fig. 2). Dark Energy is powered by an exter-nal 15V supply and housed in a rugged steel case with stained wooden sides. Its small footprint allowed me to set it conveniently on the top corner of my keyboard controller.
Although Dark Energy crams a lot of features into a small area, it’s fairly easy to use because, like the SEM, all of the parameters are at your finger-tips. The top panel has 16 knobs, 12 3-position switches, and nine 3.5mm patch points (four CVs, a gate, and external audio as inputs; LFO, enve-lope, and audio outputs). Even with all of these controls filling out the top, you still have the option of adding one more knob (more on this in a moment).
The rear panel has the USB and MIDI In ports, a Learn button, and the four CV outputs and gate output on 3.5mm jacks. As you’d expect, Dark Energy is compatible with most modu-lar synths. The instrument ships with a power supply, a pair of 3.5mm patch cables, a 3.5mm-to-¼-inch cable, and a USB cable.
Dark Energy has a fairly standard feature set: a single VCO offering a square wave and a triangle/ramp wave, a resonant 4-pole lowpass VCF, a 4-stage EG, a VCA, and a pair of LFOs. (LFO 1 routes to the VCO and VCA, and LFO 2 goes to the VCO and VCF.) The VCO tops out around 12kHz, and the LFOs go into the audio range. Right off the bat, Dark Energy can create very rich sounds when you mix the pulse wave, the triangle/ramp wave, and an external audio signal.
The MIDI-to-CV converter internally routes CV 1 to the VCO and a gate signal to the EG. While MIDI controls the VCO’s pitch, you can simultaneously patch a CV into the VCO’s frequency input to transpose sequences or add modulation—that’s handy. The CV 2, 3, and 4 outputs derive their signals from MIDI Pitch Bend, Velocity, and Modulation, respec-tively (although CV 4 can be assigned any Continuous Controller using the Learn but-ton). You can patch the CV outputs back into Dark Energy’s inputs or use them with other analog gear—pretty much bread-and-butter stuff. But that’s just the beginning.
FIG. 2: With its FM capabilities, Doepfer Dark Energy packs a lot of punch into a small synth.
32 | EMUSICIAN.COM | 05.10
BIG SOUNDS IN SMALL PACKAGES
The real power of this little brute is in its modulation capabilities (see Web Clips 2a through 2e). To begin with, you can add expo-nential frequency modulation to the VCO from LFO 1 or the EG. However, you can also add exponential and linear frequency modula-tion, simultaneously, to the filter, resulting in an unexpected variety of crystalline and metal-lic sounds. The filter’s FM sources are LFO 1 or the EG for exponential and the VCO’s triangle/ramp wave for linear. The two types of FM can also be used on the sine-like signal of the reso-nating filter. Overall, the filter sounds remark-ably lively, yet it’s fairly easy to get a nasty tone from it when you need some bite.
The manual offers a thorough explanation of the synth’s features, including patching examples. For instance, you can patch a back-panel CV to the front panel to control the filter’s cutoff fre-quency via MIDI. You’ll want to use long patch cables when patching the MIDI CVs to the front so they don’t obscure the top-panel controls. The unit also includes a simple 6-note arpeggiator—notes play in the order you hit them—that synchs to MIDI Clock or an internal clock (which you control with your keyboard’s modulation wheel).
You can link multiple Dark Energy mod-ules into a polyphonic instrument using
internal link connectors; the required cable is included. There is also room for customization within Dark Energy using internal jumpers. For example, you can change the rear-panel CV 4 jack to a second audio output if you don’t want a cable coming from the top panel. You can also add a pot to the front panel to access portamento. (The review unit included this option, and I found it to be a welcome addition when playing Dark Energy with a keyboard.)
The main complaint I have is with the MIDI converter: The resolution of the pitch bend and mod wheel data is not very high, resulting in noticeable steps. Connecting my Kenton Pro Solo MkII MIDI-to-CV converter gave me the smooth bends that I wanted, but Dark Energy’s portamento feature no longer worked. Hopefully, the data resolution can be increased with a firmware update. Other than that, the synth’s MIDI functionality is fairly straightforward, and during this roundup, I was happy to let Dark Energy handle my rou-tine MIDI-to-CV needs so I could leave my standalone converter at home.
Overall, Dark Energy is a fun and great-sounding module to work with. Its compact size makes it an excellent patchable synth where portability is a concern, and it is user-
friendly enough for someone just starting out in modular synthesis.
In January, Doepfer announced Dark Time, a 16-step sequencer featuring CV/gate and USB/MIDI I/O. Housed in the same form factor as Dark Energy, it’ll be a nice complement to the synth module when it ships later this year.
The Dave Smith Instruments (DSI ; davesmithinstruments.com) Mopho ($399) is also a monophonic analog module, but it fol-lows a distinctly modern paradigm, with its LED screen, patch-storage capabilities (128 patches in each of its three Banks), and full MIDI support (see Fig. 3). Unlike the other two synths in the article, Mopho doesn’t send or receive control voltages. But its clever design addresses many of the issues that took the fun out of synth programming since the ’80s (menus, menus, menus), while offering the ballsy sound of an analog signal path. It’s easily the most powerful standalone analog synth of its size and price range, yet it gives you real-time access over most of its parameters. Think of it as a MIDI-controlled expander module that fits in your carry-on bag.
Starting with the voice architecture of Prophet ’08—two digitally controlled analog oscillators, a noise generator, a filter, and a VCA—Mopho adds a sub-octave generator to each of the oscillators and an audio input. (Visit emusician.com to read a review of Prophet ’08.) You can choose between ADSR-controlled 2-pole and (resonant) 4-pole lowpass filters—CEM-based filters that hark back to Prophet 5. You can also internally feed the left audio-output channel back into the filter to build extreme textures.
Like Prophet ’08, Mopho includes an arpeggiator and a gated (16x4) step sequencer. A free software editor (Mac/Win) is available online if you want to program the synth from your computer.
This sturdy metal module is about the size of a paperback book and features 12 knobs and six buttons, including the red button labeled Push It!, which can be used as a trigger. (The note it plays is user-assignable.) The four lowest knobs—assigned to filter cutoff, filter FIG. 3: Don’t let its size fool you: Mopho takes the fat sound of a single Prophet ’08 voice one step further.
3305.10 | EMUSICIAN.COM |
resonance, attack, and decay/release—give you immediate control over a patch in an intuitive way. Turn one, and the LCD shows you the parameter and the levels as they’re changed.
The four knobs in the middle of the unit are user-assignable—just hit the Assign Parameters button to their right. (They are pre-assigned with useful functions for each patch.) These allowed me to turn the arpeggiator on and off in real time, as well as change the filter type I was using for a patch. And it’s easy to reassign the knobs on the fly.
The other controls are straightforward and handy: increment/decrement buttons for program and bank; a knob to change the program; a button that takes you immedi-ately into Program Mode/Global Mode; and a Write button for when you want to store your patch. The remaining knobs are for pitch (semitones), output level, and input gain. The rear panel is spartan, offering a pair of ¼-inch outputs, a ¼-inch headphone jack, a ¼-inch audio input, MIDI I/O, and a connector for the power supply.
Like other DSI synths, the factory patches in Mopho are both sexy and useful: sexy in that they show off the wealth of programmability in the unit, and useful in that they are musical while providing a great jumping-off point for experi-
mentation. Although it’s helpful to know some-thing about MIDI and subtractive synthesis to get the most out the instrument, it’s designed so that you can just go for it and tweak parameters. And it’s easy to get back to the original sound if you paint yourself into a corner.
Mopho is capable of some very big and expressive sounds (see Web Clips 3a and 3b). And with the internal arpeggiator and sequenc-er, it provides groove-oriented projects a flexible palette with which to work. But why stop at one voice?
Dave Smith thought it would be an interesting challenge to create a polysynth version of Mopho in roughly the same form factor. Tetra ($799) is exactly that: a 4-voice version of the little yellow monosynth in a case that’s only a half-inch larger and a few ounces heavier than the original (see Fig. 4). Yet it’s only twice the price.
Tetra’s front panel has a similar layout to that of Mopho, but with a few additions that prove handy with a polyphonic synth. The Program/Global button adds Combo to the list, which provides 128 patches that simulta-neously use all four voices, whether as multi-timbral sequences, polyphonic patches, or monophonic stacks. The Edit B/Combo button
lets you create and edit Combos, and the factory patches are a great place to start. (Download the software editor if you want to make it easier to edit.) As it turns out, Tetra’s Program 1 and 2 banks are taken from Prophet ’08, and the key-board’s controls map directly to Tetra’s via MIDI.
Four LEDs ring Tetra’s Push It! but-ton, and each one is assigned to a voice. They light as each voice is triggered in a multitimbral sequence, which I found to be very useful when editing or play-ing a patch.
Tetra’s rear panel also adds some features, such as four ¼-inch outputs that can be set up as Mono, Stereo, or one of two Quad settings so you can separate the voices by output. Another welcome addition is a USB 2.0 port that acts as a bidirectional MIDI interface so you control Tetra directly from your com-puter. And like other DSI synths, Tetra
features a PolyChain port that lets you connect up to four Tetras, connect a Mopho (using its MIDI In port), or use Tetra as an expander for Prophet ’08 (see Web Clips 4a and 4b).
I was not at all surprised to find that Tetra’s factory patches sounded massive, were punchy, and covered a wide variety of musical styles. I particularly enjoyed exploring the sequenced Combo patches, many of which were immediate song-starters for me—they’re very inspiring.
If I had to decide between Mopho and Tetra, it would probably come down to how I wanted to use them more than the cost. Although Tetra isn’t difficult to use, there is more to think about when you’re programming. If I only needed one voice (for basses and lead lines) and was looking for a simple, great-sounding analog module that could store patches, I’d go for Mopho. (By the time you read this, DSI will have released a keyboard version of Mopho.) But if there was even a remote chance that I would play polyphonically or that I wanted to build 4-voice grooves, Tetra is a no-brainer. It’s about as powerful and user-friendly as any ana-log synth module will ever be.
Besides writing his blog, “The Robair Report,” Gino Robair is editorial director for Gearwire.com and a former editor of EM.
FIG. 4: Tetra is a massive-sounding, 4-voice analog synth module that can fit in your backpack.
WATCH VIDEO DEMOS OF THESE SYNTHS EMUSICIAN.COM/BONUS_MATERIAL
34 | EMUSICIAN.COM | 05.10
s musicians and engineers, we often find ourselves torn between the urge to embrace new things and a hard-
earned skepticism of “new and improved” prod-ucts. Nowhere is this more evident than in our lifelong love/hate relationship with computer operating systems. Although the argument over whether Macs or PCs are better for making
music continues to sound more like a religious schism than a technological debate, very few computer musicians pine for the Halcyon days of Mac OS 8 or Windows 3.1. The road forward may occasionally be bumpy, but as the user interface and technical underpinnings evolve, we come to depend on and expect each genera-tion of new features (see Fig. 1).
For most musicians and engineers, Microsoft’s Windows Vista represented one of those major bumps in the road. It was a signifi-cant enough departure from Windows XP that it left both users and manufacturers wondering whether it was worth the trouble. Hardware of every kind—from graphics cards
MAKING MUSIC
WITH
FIG. 1: The
Windows 7 default
interface is bright,
translucent, and
crisp. Settings and
file management
are well-organized
without being
cartoonish.
3505.10 | EMUSICIAN.COM |GET WINDOWS 7 TIPS AND TRICKS EMUSICIAN.COM/BONUS_MATERIAL
to audio interfaces—was subject to incom-patibilities, and some products took a long time to become compatible. Users who upgraded to Vista without carefully checking with vendors for compatible drivers found themselves with inoperable systems, some-times for months. Worse, the initial release of Vista was marred by reports of problems with MIDI timing and audio performance. Microsoft addressed the MIDI issue, and most audio problems were resolved by driver updates, but the bad first impression stuck.
If any product that sells hundreds of millions of copies can be called a flop, Vista would be one, at least in the eyes of most electronic musicians. Whether it fully deserved its reputation or not, it was ignored by many musicians and studios who stayed with Windows XP throughout Vista’s product cycle. Now that Vista has been sup-planted by Windows 7, does it make sense to upgrade?
In an attempt to answer that ques-tion, I upgraded my desktop computer and installed a dual-boot of Windows 7 and Windows XP. With a quad-core Intel Core i7 920 and 6GB of RAM, I thought I had built a screaming system. When I had the oppor-tunity to test a custom-built, liquid-cooled, dual-Xeon beast from Puget Systems, how-ever, I ended up a bit less impressed with my computer-building prowess (see Fig. 2).
One of the biggest frustrations in the Vista transition was hardware incom-patibilities. Upgrading to Vista before your video drivers were updated, for example, could render a system virtu-ally unusable, and waiting for audio hardware drivers to be compatible cre-ated problems for some users. For new computers with newer hardware, this wasn’t ordinarily a problem, but it pre-vented many from moving forward.
All evidence so far suggests that Windows 7 is not plagued by the same sort of compatibility issues as its pre-decessors. The vast majority of prod-ucts from every vendor I’ve researched are supported by Windows 7–ready drivers. Even Avid, a company well-known for being conservative in its embrace of OS updates, has called Digidesign Pro Tools 8.0.3 a “public beta” of Windows 7 compatibility. That’s a fancy way of saying that it works, but the tech support database hasn’t yet been fully developed. So far, I have encountered no problems running Pro Tools 8.0.3 LE or M-Powered under Windows 7 on my two test systems.
Part of the reason for Win7’s improved compatibility is that its driver requirements are essentially the same as those for Vista,
which had departed from XP in significant ways. Jim Cooper, director of marketing for MOTU, puts it like this: “We didn’t have to ship updates for any drivers or instruments when Windows 7 came out. Users could update from Vista to 7 without even run-ning a MOTU updater, for the most part.”
Some 32-bit apps seem to run under 64-bit Win7 just fine—Pro Tools 8.0.3 being a prime example—whereas other apps need updating first. For older programs that don’t
FIG. 2: The Genesis II from Puget Systems boasts two
3.33GHz Intel Xeon processors, 12GB of RAM, an IcyDock remov-
able hard drive bay, and a Puget Hydro CL1 liquid-cooling system.
Running 64-bit Windows 7, it makes an impressive DAW.
36 | EMUSICIAN.COM | 05.10
MAKING MUSIC WITH WINDOWS 7
like Windows 7, you can run them in a virtual XP mode (in Win7 Professional or Ultimate). Regrettably, it didn’t help me with two older disc-burning apps that weren’t running properly in Win7. Perhaps I would have had better luck had I been running the 32-bit version of the OS.
In a perfect world, every OS upgrade would make our computers faster. Unfortunately, this almost never happens. Usability and appear-ance features are what sell an OS version, not raw speed. As users who depend on insanely complex processing and who demand real-time monitoring, however, musicians and engineers do look for performance enhance-ments. The scuttlebutt is that Vista was a particularly bad resource hog, and that Win7 undoes the damage.
I was able to run all three operating sys-tems in 64-bit mode on the Puget Systems Genesis II workstation, and to be honest, the 3.33GHz 8-core machine was so fast that it was diffi cult to max out any of the OS ver-sions. Although in my testing Win7 did seem a bit snappier than its predecessors, I don’t think it’s productive for anyone to look for performance-based reasons to upgrade—or, conversely, not to upgrade. Given that industry support for the discontinued XP x64 is waning and Vista is yesterday’s news, Win7 is simply the only reasonable choice for 64-bit PC computing.
Perhaps the most heralded advantage of 64-bit computing is increased memory addressing. As sample libraries get larger, the 32-bit OS limit of 4GB of RAM feels ever smaller. A 64-bit OS increases that limit to a theoretical maximum of 1TB of RAM. In practice, however, 64-bit Win7 increases it to 16GB for Windows 7 Home Premium and 192GB for Windows 7 (see Fig. 3).
In addition to increased memory sup-port, there are some low-level refine-ments to the kernel, memory, and multi-
tasking that are probably responsible for Win7 avoiding the version bloat that so often plagues OS upgrades. According to Cakewalk CTO Noel Borthwick, “Windows 7 has a smaller disk and memory footprint out of the box as compared to Windows Vista, making it a good choice for an effi cient and lean DAW platform.” He has noted in his blog a couple of specifi c processor and memory bottlenecks that Win7 resolves. Th ese changes mean a lot “to applications like SONAR that rely on multithreaded processing of very small workloads,” he wrote. “SONAR performs more effi ciently at low latency on multicore machines” running Windows 7.
Win7 features the Aero interface introduced in Vista (see Fig. 4). Aero is a combination of
visual window dressing and user interface fea-tures that together can put a signifi cant strain on your computer’s graphics processing. Under Vista, many users chose to turn Aero off as much as possible to recover some pro-cessor cycles. However, Borthwick says that “on any modern graphics card, Aero offl oads a lot to the GPU, so unless your DAW is also competing for the same GPU resources, turn-ing it off may or may not make an appreciable diff erence to performance.”
Since the dawn of host-based DAWs, knowing how to manage latency has been as important to electronic musicians as knowing how to wrap cables. Windows 7 continues the development of the Windows Audio Session API (WASAPI) and WaveRT driver format introduced in Vista, which together were intended to provide extremely low-latency
Windows 7 is simply
64-bit PC computing.
FIG. 3: The Tyan
S-7012 motherboard
supports 144GB of
RAM and two Xeon
processors. Windows 7
Professional can take
full advantage of that
and more.
THE ONLY REASONABLE CHOICE FOR
3705.10 | EMUSICIAN.COM |
audio throughput. Reaction from audio devel-opers has been mixed, ranging from MOTU’s decision to support WaveRT in early 2009 to RME Audio’s stated position that WaveRT is “not a pro-audio driver technology” and will never replace ASIO. Although new and better driver technology would have been a great reason to build a DAW on Windows 7, its absence does not diminish the fact that a multi core 64-bit Win7 machine can run far more complex sessions at minimal buffer set-tings than your 4-year-old XP machine.
Easily the most hated feature of Vista was User Account Control. Designed to prevent malicious software from gaining unwelcome access to your computer, it ended up being an intrusive pest that seemed to demand, “Are you sure?” every time you tried to get work done. Windows 7 refines the behavior of UAC so that the user is more in control. You can choose what level of paranoia UAC should exhibit (see Fig. 5). Four levels are available, ranging from “Always notify” to “Never noti-fy” when programs try to make changes to your computer.
Another welcome change is a reduction in those annoying “Windows Logo Testing” nag screens that often pop up when installing software. Installing Pro Tools 8 on Windows 7
saved me from having to click “continue anyway” something like five or six times as compared to XP, and I saved another sev-eral on the 8.0.3 update.
Windows 7 seems to have better perfor-mance for audio applica-tions right out of the box than its predecessors. Eric Thibeault, product specialist for Applied Ac ou s t i c s Sy s t e ms , reports, “So far we have done nothing to ‘tweak’ Windows 7 to optimize it. I’m sure we’ll find some things in the future, but for now it works great out of the box.”
Cakewalk’s Borthwick advises “turning off unnecessary background processes [as with] all Windows versions.”
For mobile musicians, Win7’s improved power management should lead to increased battery life. Users with powerful multicore notebooks will appreciate the new Core Parking feature that essentially sleeps individual cores when they are not needed. However, Borthwick reports that for some users, Core Parking has created audio problems. See the Online Bonus
Material for his link to a Microsoft document that tells how to turn Core Parking off if neces-sary, as well as other tips and tricks.
So, given a choice between a 9-year-old OS for which support is being phased out (XP), a 3-year-old OS that is generally despised and for which support is also starting to be phased out (Vista), and a brand-new OS that has already achieved nearly universal support and seems to be friendly to audio applications and mobile computing (7), how hard is it? MOTU’s Cooper counsels, “If you are running on an older 32-bit slower CPU, stay with XP.” Otherwise, every-one with whom I spoke is confident in recom-mending Windows 7. My own experience on both my desktop and Puget’s Genesis II bears out their optimism. I have had no crashes, no glitches, and no trouble finding software and driver updates for my studio.
If it’s time to upgrade your DAW, build or buy a multicore machine with lots of RAM and a fast hard drive and put 64-bit Windows 7 Home Premium or Professional on it. Install your favorite programs in their 64-bit versions where possible, and don’t look back. Soon, Windows XP will seem as quaint as the Pentium III CPU on which it was designed to run.
Brian Smithers is a longtime EM contributor and the author of Mixing in Pro Tools: Skill Pack, 2nd Edition.
FIG. 4: Vista’s Aero interface is continued in Windows 7. In addition to purely aesthetic considerations, it intro-
duced some new interface behaviors designed to smooth multitasking workflow.
FIG. 5: The hated User Account Control nag screens can be held in check under
Windows 7. The default setting alerts you to when programs try to make changes
but assume any changes you make are intended.
38 | EMUSICIAN.COM | 05.10
Why Not Remix Yourself?
ike many musicians, you probably have
dozens of half-fi nished songs gathering
dust on your hard drive. But dig deeper,
and those abandoned riff s, grooves, and chord
progressions can be a gold mine of inspiration.
After all, something in the original recording
caught your ear enough to make you save it.
One easy way to exploit your old record-
ings is to slice them up into loops that you can
layer into new compositions (see Step-by-Step
Instructions below). For the most fl exibility,
it’s best to work from multitrack recordings, but
I’ve pulled some rousing loops from complete
mixes. The theme on my 2005 Art of Digital
Music DVD soundtrack came from a demo I
recorded back in 1991, enhanced with more
modern sounds.
But the power of loop construction kits real-
ly hit home when tech pundit Sam Levin asked
me to help him whip up a demo of Looptastic,
an iPhone remixing app I helped design (see
Fig. 1). Levin was booked on the Cranky Geeks
show and wanted to impress Head Crank John
Dvorak, who delights in bashing products.
Figuring everyone pays special attention
to his own voice, I sampled Dvorak boasting
and sputtering from an old episode, and then
massaged the syllables into rhythmic loops
in Ableton Live (see “Um’s the Word” from
the February 2008 issue of EM, available at
emusician.com). I also sampled a few bars
of the show’s theme music—a polka riff —and
added my own drum loops and countermelodies
in Ableton Live to create a loop construction kit.
When Levin loaded the kit into Looptastic and
performed a live remix on the show, Dvorak and
the other cranks burst into smiles. They even
replaced the show’s outro with the remix (see
bit.ly/cranktastic).
Loop Before You Leap
How do you create the components for loop
construction kits? “Rule number one is to
keep the performances simple,” says Jason
Donnelly of Peace Love Productions, who
designed almost all the Looptastic factory
loops. “Use one to three notes in a single key
signature. Use only one or two chords, prefer-
ably simple triads. Make most performances
resolve to the root note—that will make loops
from diff erent kits more compatible.”
STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS
STEP 3: Record variations
of selected parts on new
tracks.
STEP 1: Isolate a 4- or 8-bar section of your
song in a DAW, or create a new region.
STEP 2: Identify the hook and
record complementary tracks
(drums, percussion, bass, melodies,
chords, sound eff ects, etc.).
3905.10 | EMUSICIAN.COM |
Doug Morton of Q-Up Arts agrees. “Leave
enough space in the parts to allow users to
create their own custom mix,” he says. “If the
parts are too ‘signature’ or complex, the control
is lessened.”
For most genres, Donnelly creates basic
stems such as drums, bass, percussion, synth,
guitar, brass, and piano. He especially likes
percussion and sound eff ects because “they are
simple layers that can help create fi lls between
part changes. They are also good for creating
intros and breakdowns.”
Donnelly says two variations per loop (an
A and B section) are usually enough. More
than that can complicate layering because
it’s harder to ensure that all the combinations
will mesh. He also favors simple drum beats.
“I will often mix kick and snare as one loop in
Looptastic,” he explains. “I’ll then have a sepa-
rate hi-hat loop that can be added or removed
easily to create a desired dynamic eff ect. Crash
cymbals are good on the downbeat, if you make
the loop long enough to let the decay ring out.”
The longer your loops, the less repetitious
they’re likely to sound. But see Web Clip 1 for
tips on spinning even 4- or 8-bar loops into
exciting performances.
Mixing for Eff ect
“Construction kits to me are mini song ideas,”
Donnelly says. “I often start with a beat because
it’s the backbone and can double as a metro-
nome. The recording process is the same as
recording a full-length song: Mix the track levels
and EQs just as if you were mixing the tune for
an album. Use small amounts of compression
on each track. Adjust levels so the master mix
is just below unity. Add a limiter to the master
channels, set for a slight amount of limiting.”
Regarding eff ects, Donnelly advises, “Use
as little effects processing as possible so
there’s more fl exibility for fi nal production—
unless the eff ect adds a necessary character-
istic, such as tempo-synched delay.”
Morton says he covers the bases by off er-
ing both dry and eff ected versions of loops.
Ableton Live has a slick “render as loop”
feature that wraps echoes and reverb tails
around to the beginning of the loop to pre-
vent ugly cutoff s when the loop repeats. For
other sample editors, Donnelly suggests this
clever workaround: “I always record my per-
formances twice and keep just the second
repetition,” he says. “That gives the loop a
seamless looping point. You will get some
of the eff ect on the fi rst downbeat, but in
most cases that’s not as noticeable as a jerky
loop point.”
So don’t let your abandoned songs
decompose on your hard drive. Instead,
tear them apart and recompose them. You
may be surprised how many new ideas that
brings about.
David Battino (batmosphere.com) thanks
Jason Donnelly of Peace Love Productions
(plploops.com) and Doug Morton of Q-Up Arts
(quparts.com) for their looping tips.
STEP 6: Apply
a fast fade to
the loop end if
necessary.
STEP 4: Adjust levels and apply
eff ects to each track.
FIG. 1: Looptastic Producer (soundtrends.com; $14.99) can mix
up to 20 loops at once. You can load original loops over Wi-Fi or via
AudioPaste from compatible apps.
STEP 5: Export individual tracks,
load into a sampler or looping
program, and listen for glitches.
DOWNLOAD A CUSTOM LOOP CONSTRUCTION KIT AND READ REMIXING TIPS EMUSICIAN.COM/BONUS_MATERIAL
40 | EMUSICIAN.COM | 05.10
Anything Goes
ne of the best-kept secrets in computer-based
sound design is Csound. A powerful tool for syn-
thesis and experimental composing, Csound
(Mac/Win/Linux) is a free download from csounds.com.
Csound will do modular synthesis with an unlimited
number of oscillators, filters, waveshapers, envelope gen-
erators, and so forth. It will do sample playback, granular
synthesis, FM, resynthesis, physical modeling, and even
more esoteric types of synthesis. It comes with hundreds
of specialized modules and has an ultraclean, high-res
sound. You can use it in the studio or play it in real time
with MIDI and mouse-operated knobs and sliders.
Now for the bad news: Csound doesn’t offer a
friendly user interface. You’ll need to learn to create
sounds by typing lines of computer code. The documen-
tation is extensive and cross-linked for easy navigation in
a browser, but it’s often terse and difficult to understand.
Even getting Csound to send audio to your computer’s
audio hardware may require some trial and error.
Several front ends for Csound make the workflow easier.
The QuteCsound interface (Mac/Win, free) is both a code
editor and a playback system. It also allows you to cre-
ate a panel of mouse-controlled sliders. The sliders will
be handy if you’re using Csound in live performance, but
their output won’t be stored in your Csound instruments,
so you can’t easily use them for sound programming.
Also worth a look is a front end called Blue (Mac/
Win/Linux, free). In Blue, you arrange the phrases of a
Csound score on a multitrack timeline that looks and
operates like a conventional sequencer. Blue also has a
piano-roll editor, algorithmic phrase processing, and a
built-in FM synthesizer with a user-friendly front panel.
Neither front end eliminates the need to learn
Csound, which is both a text-based programming lan-
guage and a library of modules called opcodes. The
Csound community has an active mailing list where
experienced users can answer your questions.
Csound’s opcodes have inputs and outputs. The outputs
are on the left, followed by the name of the opcode, fol-
lowed by a list of inputs. Here’s a line of code:
aout oscil kamp, kcps, 1
That line adds an oscillator to your instrument. The
symbol aout is like an audio patch cord. It passes the out-
put of the opcode, called oscil, to the input of any other
opcode in the instrument you’re creating. The inputs to
oscil (like control patch cords) are an amplitude (kamp)
and a frequency (kcps). Those would come from some
other module. Values that begin with k are control sig-
nals. The final value, 1, tells oscil what waveform to use.
Build a mixer using a plus sign. Change the level of
a signal using an asterisk. To mix two audio signals while
controlling their amplitudes, write something like this:
amix = (a1 * klevel1) + (a2 * klevel2)
If that way of working doesn’t intimidate you, you’re
well on your way to Csound mastery.
Patch cords can link multiple Csound instruments
together in performance; you use them like aux effect
sends. Csound also includes a text-based sequencer, in
which you can write music by typing lists of events.
Csound includes several opcodes that do granular syn-
thesis, but even after consulting Richard Boulanger’s
700-page Csound Book, I wasn’t happy with the sound of
my experiments. So I built my own granular synthesizer
from scratch. I created one instrument that would play a
single grain of sound drawn from a sampled waveform,
and another instrument that generated a rapid stream
of note events, triggering the grain instrument.
I used a Csound opcode called random to control
the grains’ length, start point, panning, and amplitude.
I ended up with a babbling cloud of vocal sounds, which
I saved as a WAV file by clicking QuteCsound’s Render
button (see Web Clips 1 through 4).
Csound users often share instrument designs and
complete scores with one another. Patience is required,
but the results are worth the effort.
Jim Aikin writes about electronic music, plays classical
cello, and has a mystery novel looking for a publisher.
The cross-platform
QuteCsound front end for Csound
has syntax coloring, built-in mouse
widgets, one-click audio file render-
ing, an info line, and other useful
features. The code editor is in the
center pane, the manual is on the
right, and Csound’s output (produced
as your file is being played back or
rendered to disk) is at the bottom.
HEAR EXAMPLES FROM CSOUND AND GET THE CODE USED TO CREATE THEM EMUSICIAN.COM/BONUS_MATERIAL
42 | EMUSICIAN.COM | 05.10
So you just finished recording and mas-
tering your latest track, and you know
others will love it as much as you do.
You just need to get it out there. So what’s your
first stop? Radio, right? Not necessarily.
Getting played on radio is an expensive
and time-consuming process. Commercial
radio is all but shut out for those not on a
major label or with beaucoup bucks to spend.
Even college radio—the place on the dial most
open to new music—is difficult to break into.
The good news is that there’s a quicker way to
reach new ears, one that’s easily within your
reach: podcasts.
Podcasts are the new radio of the Internet.
Anyone who ever dreamed of having their own
radio show has started one, and because of this,
you can find podcasts on just about any topic.
Some podcasts have tens or even hundreds of
thousands of listeners. And here’s the kicker:
Podcasters have to get permission to legally
play songs, which most labels rarely grant. As a
result, podcasters are hungry for original music
that they can legally use. If you make yours avail-
able to them, you can get it played and in front of
new audiences with relatively little effort.
There are three methods to get your music
on podcasts. The simplest, and most passive,
is to upload your tunes to a podsafe collective.
These are websites that let podcasters browse
music that is podsafe (that is, music that is
pre-cleared for podcasters to use). In return
for using the music on their show, they’ll plug
your music and often provide a purchase link
for your music on their website. There are two
active podsafe communities that you can use:
musicalley.com and podsafeaudio.com. Once
you read the legalese and decide that you’re
comfortable with it, you can upload your music.
Then, podcasters who use these services can
discover your material based on the keywords
you’ve entered to describe your songs.
Method two is to focus on music podcasts.
These are shows run by true fans who love dis-
covering and exposing new music. Visit sites
such as podcastalley.com or podcastpickle.com
and search the music category for podcasts in
your style. If you find one that fits, go to that
podcast’s website and follow the submission
guidelines. Keep in mind that podcasts with
large audiences are inundated with submis-
sions. Also, submission guidelines vary; some
will have you upload an MP3 and fill in fields
on a webpage, while others will ask you to email
them. Whatever the process, follow it carefully.
Making their life easier raises your chances of
getting played.
But there’s no need to stop with music pod-
casts. Every podcast needs music—even talk
shows. Reach out to these shows and offer
your music directly. Many talk podcasts insert
music as a break in the middle of the show,
and others want themes and beds to talk over.
Search the podcast sites mentioned above for
shows that either interest you or are related
to your music. Talk podcasts rarely have sub-
mission guidelines, so just reach out with
an informal email. Familiarize yourself with
the podcast first, and then offer your music
based on how you think it would complement
the show. Unlike music podcasts, if you get
played, yours is likely to be the only music
featured, which will make it stand out in the
minds of listeners.
When you do get played on a podcast,
cross-promote! Blog about it and link to the
podcast episode on your site. Not only do you
inform your fans, but you expose the podcast
to new listeners, making it easier for you when
you go back to your new podcaster friend in the
future for more plays.
The best part of all is that podcasters that
like your songs often request more of them. Just
think, when was the last time a radio station
asked you for more of your music?
Randy Chertkow and Jason Feehan are authors
of The Indie Band Survival Guide: The Complete
Manual for the Do-It-Yourself Musician and The
D.I.Y. Music Manual, and founders of the open
and free musician resource IndieGuide.com.
The New Radio
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Coast to Coast
Jason Moss didn’t always want to be a
composer; he wanted to be a rock-star
vocalist and guitarist. But while attend-
ing a state college in New Jersey, he began
interning at diff erent music-production compa-
nies in New York City and the composing bug
hit. With the help of mentor Cliff Sarde—with
whom Moss just fi nished an album, Smoke ‘n
Function (Mesa Blue Moon, 2010)—he was able
to hone his chops, with such gigs as work for Fox
Sports, commercials, documentaries (Juvies
and The Business of Being Born), and episodic
TV; you can check out his reels at sister site
reel-exchange.com. EM spoke with Moss just
days before his new site, supersonicnoise.com
(see Fig. 1), was to go live, and talked to him
about his game plan for his composing work,
fi nding new work, and his studio setup.
In 1996, I moved to Phoenix and I really
blossomed there because I was a big fi sh in
a small pond. I became a director of music
for an educational network owned by Simon
and Schuster. I basically started out doing
kids’ music for this Sesame Street-meets-
Discovery Channel network, and it broadcast
educational content live into the classroom.
It was really innovative, and as their pro-
gramming grew, I became their go-to music
guy. And then I started doing outside adver-
tising work, and I’m also a singer, so I did
some session work.
And in 2000, I said, “I’ve done everything
I can here.” It was either back to New York
or L.A. I did an album in 1997 at the Village
Recorder [L.A.] with Cliff [Sarde] producing
it, and I was like, “Oh, my god. The Eagles,
Jackson Browne! Okay, I’m here!” It was that
Southern California vibe that captured me.
So I moved in 2000 and basically lived on a
friend’s couch, and I put my studio up in her
bathroom and started hustling. My fi rst big
gig was the NFL Open on Fox, which ran for
three or four seasons. That’s how I got in with
Fox Sports. I did the Super Bowl opener for
Super Bowl XXXVI and a whole bunch of little
stuff for them.
My school is that of CBGBs; I’m not an edu-
cated, trained guy like half the composers
out there. Half the chords I’m playing, I don’t
even know what I’m playing [laughs]. I don’t
want to think too much while I’m writing;
everybody always thinks too much. That’s
what works for me.
You need to fi gure out how to sell yourself. I
started Moss Man Music, which is one of my
publishing companies, and then I met some
business partners that had a company called
Jason Moss says
his view on gear is
“less is more,” and he
tries to keep as high-
quality a signal path
as possible.
4505.10 | EMUSICIAN.COM |
Super Sonic Music and Super Sonic Media
Group and joined them in 2003. They went
their separate ways and I was basically given
the name—Super Sonic Media Group—and I
turned it into Super Sonic Noise. I was signed
to a music house in Venice [Calif.] called
Machine Head for a few years and they rep-
resented me for commercials, but my TV and
fi lm work were still [under] my own business.
And with Machine Head, I was really
able to grow as a composer and did a tre-
mendous amount of commercials. It was
really an education of a lifetime because
you were basically thrown into the middle of
a fi re without any retardant. I did Super Bowl
spots; every caliber of commercials that I
always dreamt of doing. It’s really helped
my career even to this day, even though I do
maybe a dozen or so commercials a year. The
commercials were really fascinating to work
on. I love short-form and long-form; I’m just
lucky to work in both.
My attitude is this is like an indie label of com-
posers. I have a ton of material in there. I have
a couple of composers who have written for
the catalog. I have some other guys who will
be contributing. But the catalog has just been
released and is being represented by Fuze Artz,
and that’s another company a friend of mine
started. It’s a boutique catalog—about 800
tracks and growing—but it’s really tight. I’ve
also done stuff for Nettwerk, FirstCom and Fox,
and they have some good stuff , but I’m just
focusing on the Super Sonic Noise catalog, as
far as licensing goes.
I love all the Spectrasonics
stuff ; they’re brilliant. I’m an
Apple guy, a Logic guy. I love
[XLN Audio] Addictive Drums;
it’s a brilliant piece of soft-
ware for not a lot of money.
I’m using the Project Sound
stuff , which is great for non-
orchestral guys like me to get
the fl avor.
I have a room in my home; it’s real simple,
modest. If I have to do sessions, I can always
go to a studio. But I can do 90 percent here—
live guitars, bass, acoustic instruments,
vocals. If I have to do ensembles, I’ll go
somewhere else. I just work out of the house
because it doesn’t pay to have the overhead—
unless you’re doing two ABC shows—it’s
just too much of a challenge. Eventually, I
wouldn’t mind looking into a space or build-
ing a larger space on my property. I get a little
stir crazy, but who doesn’t?
Everything’s in the box using Logic [see Fig.
2]. I’ve been using Logic since I was like six
years old [laughs]; I started at [version] 3.4
or 3.5. Back in 1996, my buddy got me into
Logic. From Pro Tools to Logic, I think they’re
all wonderful; it’s basically about how you’re
introduced to it and how comfortable you are
with it. For me, Logic
is just what I know.
It’s like a wife; you’re
comfortable with it.
My system is
six hard drives, a
controller, [Grace
Design] preamps.
Everything is sim-
ple, clean; I think
less is more. My
controller is an old
Roland SPX-60 key-
board. I still have it
because I like using the arpeggiator on it.
The quality of my gear is in my signal path,
for which I use an RME Fireface 800. I just
want to hear things clearly and don’t want
a lot of obstruction; I just want to be able
to record a guitar or any analog instrument
really cleanly.
Oh, sure. YouTube has been really great to be
able to showcase the music for picture jobs.
MySpace, Facebook, and LinkedIn, I’ve used
extensively. I just can’t get on the Twitter
bandwagon because it’s like, “Okay, it’s way
too much now.” When the new site launches,
I want to be able to promote the site and new
work through that. I’ve done a few remixes and
I started a side project called the Cinematic
Noise Orchestra. I started a MySpace page for
that, which has remixes and more electronic
avant-garde music.
Getting work, obviously. But maintaining
consistency of the relationship so there’s a
sense of loyalty. What you want is that John
Williams/Steven Spielberg relationship. This
is your guy, and they’ll come back to you. And
they’ll come back because you do great music
and you deliver, as well as because you’re a
team player, you’re not “in” your ego, and they
like you. It’s really about they enjoy who you
are and what you represent; great music is
the icing on the cake.
FIG. 1: Here’s a page from Moss’ new site, supersonicnoise.com, which
will be live by the time you read this.
WATCH VIDEO SAMPLES OF MOSS’ SCORING WORK EMUSICIAN.COM/BONUS_MATERIAL
FIG. 2: Moss does his music production in Apple Logic Pro. Here’s a screenshot from
a Bounty ad he scored.
46 | EMUSICIAN.COM | 05.10
his latest upgrade of Native Instruments’ (NI) Komplete series continues the tra-dition of delivering all of the company’s
virtual-instrument and effects software in a single, attractively priced bundle. Komplete 6 includes the synths Absynth 5, FM8, and Massive; sample-based instruments Battery 3 and Kontakt 4; the all-purpose effects rack Guitar Rig 4 Pro; and the be-all and end-all of synth, sampler, and effects construction kits, Reaktor 5. The bundle price is lower than the cost of either Reaktor or Kontakt together with any one of the other products, or as Native Instruments likes to put it, “kompletely insane.” Individual product updates are free, and regular low-cost upgrades make it painless to stay up to date with Native Instruments’ newest software.
This year brings a 50-percent price reduction and some significant changes to the lineup. Virtual instruments Akoustik Piano, Elektrik Piano, B4 II, and Pro 53 have been discontinued, although Elektrik Piano is included as a Kontakt 4 instru-ment. (You can purchase Kontakt 4 versions of the sampled pianos in Akoustik Piano separately or as a bundle.) The legacy versions of the discontin-ued instruments still work on all current systems, including Windows 7 and Mac OS X 10.6 Snow
Leopard. I used a 2.66GHz quad-core Mac Pro running OS X Leopard 1.5.8 for this review.
Komplete 6 brings three major upgrades to the table: Absynth 5, Kontakt 4, and Guitar Rig 4 Pro. I’ll give special attention to the first two, and EM editor Mike Levine will cover Guitar Rig 4 Pro in detail in the sidebar of the same name (see p. 48).
All seven products in Komplete 6 are provid-ed in standalone, as well as AU, VST, and RTAS plug-in formats for Mac OS X and Windows. The accompanying sound library offers upward of 7,000 presets and includes 60GB of sample content. The synths share the categorized sound browser introduced in NI Kore 2, whereas Kontakt, Battery, Guitar Rig Pro, and Reaktor offer brows-ing tailored to their individual operation. Kore 2 users have access to all of the Komplete 6 presets from within Kore, but it can take some work to keep these two databases in sync.
Soft synths FM8, Massive, and Absynth come close to covering the bases in synthesis tech-niques. Both FM 8 and Absynth are also provided as effects plug-ins for processing external audio. FM8 is an enhanced version of NI’s first emula-
software instruments and effects bundle
$559 (MSRP)
$169 upgrade (MSRP)
PROS: Top-notch collection of instruments and
effects. Enormous sound library with categorized
browsing. Kore 2 integration. Low-cost
upgrade path.
CONS: Komplete mastery takes some effort.
FEATURES
EASE OF USE
QUALITY OF SOUNDS
VALUE
native-instruments.com
Amazing; as good as it gets with current technology
Clearly above average; very desirable
Good; meets expectations
Somewhat disappointing but usable
Unacceptably flawed
4705.10 | EMUSICIAN.COM |
tion of the Yamaha DX7, the FM7. You can dive down to the operator level on the Expert page to design your own FM8 sound from the ground up, DX7 style. Alternatively, you can pick one of the 960 factory presets and control its essentials from the Master page, add Eff ects on the eff ects page, throw in some arpeggiation, and tweak it further, as well as morph it with three other sounds on the Easy/Morph page. You’ll fi nd a full review of FM8 in the September 2007 EM(this and all other referenced reviews are avail-able at emusician.com).
Massive, reviewed in the May 2007 EM, is the newest NI synth. It is a subtractive synth that features anti-aliased wavetable oscillators with an adaptable scheme for morphing through the waveforms in the wavetable. You can con-tinuously adjust the feed to the second of its two fi lters between the source mix and the output of the fi rst fi lter. Th e signal path off ers many other options, including a variety of feedback routings, branch points, and eff ects permuta-tions. The audio-rate Modulation Oscillator and drag-and-drop effects routing for enve-lopes, LFOs, and step sequencers provide lots of motion. Although designed especially for basses and leads, Massive is capable of far more, as its library of more than 600 presets makes clear.
Absynth, released in 2000 by developer Brian Clevinger’s Rhizomatic Software, gar-nered an immediate cult following as the go-to synth for strangeness, especially in long, evolving sounds. I’ve been a fan since I reviewed Absynth 1 in the March 2001 EM, and it’s gotten better and better during its four generations as an NI prod-uct. Version 5 expands the sound library; adds eff ects, a new fi lter, and fi lter feedback; and intro-duces a powerful mutation paradigm for design-ing new sounds without lift ing the hood.
Billed as semimodular, Absynth’s signal path has 12 module slots arrayed in three verti-cal oscillator channels of three slots each, with a 3-slot horizontal master-eff ects channel at the bot-tom (see Fig. 1). Th e top oscillator-channel slots provide the source audio, with options as diverse as single or dual oscillators, modulation (FM, ring, fractal), standard and granular sample playback, and external audio input. Th e proceeding two slots hold processors chosen from 19 modulator, fi lter,
and waveshaper eff ects. Th e fi rst two master-channel slots have access to the same selection of processors, whereas the third slot holds one of Absynth’s infamous collection of special effects: Pipe, Multicomb, Multitap, Echoes, Resonators, or Aetherizer (new in Absynth 5). You can bypass slots to save CPU; the simplest patch (the default new sound) comprises a single oscillator.
The Aetherizer is a granular feedback-delay eff ect, and the new Cloud fi lter is based on the same technology. In short, they granu-lize the input with varying grain sizes and tim-ing, pitch-shift the grains, and route them both
FIG. 2: Kontakt 4’s larger instrument GUIs make for cleaner layouts and
more controls.
LISTEN TO EXAMPLES FROM KOMPLETE 6 EMUSICIAN.COM/BONUS_MATERIAL
FIG. 1: Absynth’s modules are ar-
ranged in three vertical oscillator
channels, with a horizontal master-
eff ects channel at the bottom.
48 | EMUSICIAN.COM | 05.10
back through the process and to the output, which is equipped with bandpass, lowpass, and comb fi lters, as well as its own feedback delay. Th e resulting grain cloud may slightly aerate or completely decimate your sound (seeWeb Clip 1).
Absynth’s Mutator takes the notion of one-click sound design to a new level. You select attributes in the browser (producing a list of matching presets), choose which module slots to eff ect, and set amount sliders for mutation and randomization, and then you click the Mutate
button. Th e current preset is morphed based on the sounds in the matching presets list. Absynth lets you retry the mutation until you’re satis-fi ed, and it keeps a history of your mutations. Mutation is not as precise as tweaking a preset, but it’s a fast way to get usable variations.
Guitar Rig 4 Pro (GR4), the latest incarnation of NI’s amp-and-eff ects
modeling software, off ers a slightly darker-looking GUI, three new amp
models (two in versions prior to 4.0.8, which should be out by the time
you read this), four new eff ects, and a slew of new presets. Perhaps the
most notable addition, though, is the Control Room component, which
contains both cabinet models and an array of mic models, and lets you
select which mics to use on a cabinet, how to pan them, and more.
Guitar Rig off ers myriad options for just about everything, and
Control Room is no exception. It gives you a more fl exible alternative
to the Matched Cabinet and Cabinets Mics components, although it
provides fewer cabinet models (eight) than either of them. It gives
you up to eight simultaneous mic choices (way more than any cabinet
modeling component in previous versions), including emulations of
a Royer 121 and a beyerdynamic M 160—the fi rst ribbon mic models
ever off ered in Guitar Rig—as well as Neumann U 47 and Sennheiser
421 models, among others. (Like other modeling software, Guitar Rig
doesn’t contain the actual names of the units being modeled, but
gives names that leave no doubt as to what they are modeled from.)
Each mic in Control Room has its own channel strip comprising a
pan knob, a volume slider, and mute and solo switches. You can dial
up your own mix of the mics to get the tone you want (with no phase
problems), and using the pan controls you can set up a pretty wide-
sounding track from a mono source (great for rhythm guitar parts
that you want to sound larger).
Control Room is a digital emulation of the carefully phase-
aligned multimic cabinet setups of German guitar-recording guru
Peter Weihe. To preserve the phase alignment between mics,
Control Room doesn’t off er the ability to move a mic’s virtual position-
ing, something you can do in some other amp simulators. But you do
get global control over Volume, Bass, and Air (room sound), and the
tweaking possibilities are quite extensive (see Web Clip A).
The new cabinet models are all Marshall emulations. Cool Plex
(which wasn’t in the fi rst release of Guitar Rig 4, but will be intro-
duced in 4.0.8) and Hot Plex off er Marshall Plexi variations, with the
latter off ering a higher gain alternative. Both sound quite good and
add some subtle diff erences to GR4’s amp palette. Jump, like
Guitar Rig’s Lead 800 model, emulates a Marshall JCM800, but to my
ear off ers a fuller sound. By setting its gain switch to Lo, you can get
some pretty convincing clean tones, as well.
New eff ects abound, making Guitar Rig even more of a sound-
shaping playground than before. These new components mainly tread
into sound-design territory, especially Grain Delay, which uses granu-
lar slicing, pitch shifting, and modulation to off er up some pretty
unusual sounds (see Web Clip B). Twin Delay off ers parallel delay
lines and makes it super-easy to set up excellent stereo eff ects.
Iceverb emulates the sonics of an icy cave. It’s pretty cool-sounding
(no pun intended) and gives you an unusual color, but it’s more of a spe-
cial eff ect than a bread-and-butter reverb. Octaverb has eight diff erent
small-room emulations and provides some very nice ambience options.
Version 4 introduces true-stereo processing to Guitar Rig, which
makes it more attractive for use on stereo sources of all types. Unlike
previous versions, you can opt for mono-to-mono rather than mono-
to-stereo input/output confi gurations.
There is also new support for NI’s Rig Kontrol 2 and 3 pedals (I
wasn’t able to test this feature), and a new Master FX module (also
to be introduced in 4.0.8), which lets you set up preset eff ects chains
that can be globally bypassed. Overall, Guitar Rig 4 Pro (especially
4.0.8 and beyond) is a signifi cant and worthy update, and makes a
strong program even better. —By Mike Levine
FIG. A: In this screenshot from Guitar Rig 4 Pro, you see several of the new
components including Hot Plex, Control Room, Grain Delay, and Iceverb.
4905.10 | EMUSICIAN.COM |
It seems that every virtual-instrument manu-facturer has its own approach to drums-and-percussion soft ware, and Battery is a formi-dable contender. It is a cell-based, percussion-oriented sample player (no slick kit graphic, room miking setups, or built-in sequencer) in which you configure a color-coded pad matrix to trigger the cells, and then load each cell with as many as 128 samples for layering, cross fading, or velocity switching. Each cell has its own trigger-mode, grouping, articulation, echo, and humanize controls, as well as sepa-rate tabs for playback, sample mapping, wave-form and loop editing, modulation, and eff ects processing. Th e 12GB sample library is catego-rized in the browser by both type (acoustic, electronic, percussion, etc.) and source (previ-ous Battery generations, artist kits, user librar-ies, and so on). Battery 3 is an excellent (and cost-eff ective) tool for managing both percus-sion and sound eff ects. Check out the details in the online version of the Komplete 4 review.
Kontakt is one of a few go-to soft-ware samplers on the market—virtually all major sample libraries include Kontakt ver-sions. Kontakt 4 is the second significant
upgrade since EM reviewed Komplete 4 and Kontakt 3 in August 2007 and March 2008, respectively. Kontakt 3.5, a free update reviewed online in September 2009, can access 32GB of RAM using its built-in memory manager; fully integrates Kontakt Player, letting you access KP instruments directly from its browser; implements MIDI Learn for all knobs and sliders; and off ers true multi processor sup-port in standalone mode.
Kontakt 4 ups the ante with 10GB of additional sample content, including the new Choir collection, solo strings from VSL, a concert organ, and a Mellotron. Th e con-volution reverb comes with 300 additional IR samples. Instrument control panels are larger, providing access to more controls (see Fig. 2), and the Kontakt Script Language (KSL) offers more options to create those panels. Furthermore, the GUI is redesigned to accommodate more sophisticated control panels from third-party instrument develop-ers. Database management is much improved with an attribute-based browser and pre-tagged library (a vast improvement over the previous Quick Load system). And proving it’s the little things that count, you can now
stretch the GUI at will rather than select just three preset sizes (yes!).
The most significant new feature is Authentic Expression Technology (AET), which lets you impose the spectral characteristics of one sound on another and morph between them in real time (see Web Clip 2). Not only does that let you creatively manipulate the harmonic fl a-vor of a sound, it also allows for more transpar-ent velocity transitions than crossfading off ers. You’ll fi nd “Master Classes” on Kontakt eff ects processing and AET in the April 2010 issue and on the KSL in the February 2008 issue.
Reaktor is the unsung hero in Native Instruments’ stable. Creating instruments and eff ects in Reaktor is diffi cult and time consum-ing, but it comes loaded with dozens of fac-tory soft synths and eff ects (called Ensembles), and they’re no harder to learn and use than other Komplete 6 elements. Many NI products evolve from Reaktor projects. Th e Kore instru-ments Th e Finger and Reaktor Spark are just two examples, and the underlying Reaktor Ensembles, which are included with the Kore versions, have more features.
The factory offerings are highly evolved, professional Ensembles with full documentation. Th ey include synths, sample manglers, groove boxes, sequencers, and devices that defy descrip-tion (see Fig. 3 and Web Clip 3). Th ose are aug-mented by a huge user library of free downloads and a diverse selection of third-party products (see this month’s “Download of the Month” on p. 10 for one example). If you have Komplete, don’t overlook Reaktor; you’ll fi nd sounds and processes you’ll not see in standalone products, including the other products in Komplete.
Komplete 6 brings enough improvements to make upgrading a must, and the upgrade price is the same from any previous version. If you have none of the included products, or have older versions of some, getting on the Komplete bandwagon is well worth consider-ing. No matter what kind of music you make, Komplete 6 is an outstanding collection of sound-production tools.
Len Sasso is a freelance writer and frequent EM contributor. For a komplete sampling of his music, visit swift kick.com.
In our reviews, prices are MAP or
street unless otherwise noted.
FIG. 3: Reaktor instruments and eff ects of all sizes and descriptions are in plentiful supply in the factory library
included with Komplete 6.
50 | EMUSICIAN.COM | 05.10
ne of the more recent developments in the portable audio-interface market has been the rise of units with built-in
DSP chips. These mini-powerhouses of silicon processing are designed to offer zero-latency input monitoring with comfort effects such as reverb and compression, all without sapping power from the host computer’s processor.
Focusrite has joined this movement, upgrad-ing its Saffire Pro 24 FireWire audio/MIDI inter-face to the new Saffire Pro 24 DSP. The new model adds a powerful onboard DSP chip, as well as a second discrete headphone mix and Focusrite’s all-new Virtual Reference Monitoring (VRM) technology. You also get the software router/mixer, Saffire Mix Control. I found the half-rack-sized Pro 24 DSP to be a viable candidate for laptop producers called upon to track critical ele-ments in less-than-ideal situations, offering solid performance and quality tones.
The new DSP version builds on the solid design of the original Pro 24, offering 16 inputs and eight outputs. The Focusrite AD/DA conver-sion features supertight internal clocking via JetPLL jitter control to keep everything locked and in-focus. You get two channels of Focusrite FET-based microphone preamps with the same boutique performance found in the other Saffire products. The preamps are on analog channels 1 and 2 and offer front-mounted mic/line combo inputs with gain knobs and a +48V phantom-power-enable button (one button for both chan-nels; see Fig. 1). Impedance settings are adjusted from within Saffire Mix Control. Analog chan-nels 3 and 4 use ¼-inch rear inputs with switch-able high/low gain from within the software.
Other inputs include eight channels of ADAT Lightpipe optical and stereo S/PDIF on RCA jacks. Using Saffire Mix Control, the
FireWire audio/MIDI interface with DSP
PROS: Solid construction. Good-sounding mic
pres and converters/Jitter control. Optical ADAT
inputs. MixControl software is powerful.
CONS: Analog inputs 1 through 2 share a single
+48V button. Headphones share Output mixes and
are not separate. VRM usefulness is debatable.
FEATURES
EASE OF USE
AUDIO QUALITY
VALUE
focusrite.com
FIG. 1: The Saffire Pro 24 DSP offers two Focusrite mic pres, a nice selection of I/O, and the company’s new
Virtual Reference Monitoring technology.
5105.10 | EMUSICIAN.COM |
Optical input can also be switched to operate as S/PDIF inputs 3 and 4 for devices that need it; similarly, both the Optical port and the RCA outputs can be used to stream AC3-encoded 5.1 data to your external decoder. Th ere are six rear-mounted ¼-inch analog outputs that will accept TRS or TS cables, MIDI In and Out ports, and a S/PDIF RCA stereo output (see Fig. 2).
Additionally, there are two discrete head-phone outputs, each with its own ¼-inch ste-reo jack and volume knob. The front panel also offers 5-step LED input meters (-42dB, -18dB, -6dB, -3dB, 0dB) for each of the four
analog inputs, and a monitor section with a volume knob and buttons for Dim and Mute, both of which I found immensely useful. The five front-panel knobs had a tightness to them that made the whole thing feel quite solid. There are also status LEDs for Power, FireWire (FW), and LKD, the latter indicat-ing when the unit is locked to either its inter-nal or external clock.
Despite its sparse panel controls, the Pro 24 DSP is packed with features, most of which are adjust-
ed within the powerful Saffire Mix Control soft ware (see Fig. 3). You get complete routing fl exibility over all 16 inputs, routing them into eight mono mix channels (or four stereo mixes, re-combinable on the fl y). Th ere is a Routing section with helpful presets and input settings, a detailed monitoring section with control over all six outputs and fl exible presets for 5.1 set-ups and more, plus complete onboard reverb integration into all the mixes and outputs with Size, Damping, and Pre-Filter knobs. However, Saffi re Mix Control ups the ante with two pow-erful features that set it apart among drivers for other devices in its category.
First is the Loopback channel, which can take any of the Saffi re’s physical or virtual inputs (including Internet streams and outputs from a DAW) and route them to inputs 15/16, allow-ing reliably clocked inter-application audio that is much more fl exible and less processor-intensive than using ReWire or Soundfl ower. I’ve not found a more reliable and simple FIG. 2: Despite the unit’s compact size, the rear panel off ers plenty of I/O choices.
FIND DETAILED PRODUCT SPECS EMUSICIAN.COM/BONUS_MATERIAL
The Saffi re Pro 24 DSP is the fi rst Focusrite product to feature the com-
pany’s new Virtual Reference Monitoring (VRM) technology, which aims
to off er the experience of listening to speakers in a room environment
through headphones. The concept is similar to a hybrid of Antares’
Mic Modeler and a convolution reverb. The designers used reference
micro phones to map the 3-D frequency output of a multitude of monitor
types. Then they combined it with computer models of various listening
environments (furniture, refl ections, etc.) and sealed it with a human
head model that re-creates how sound hits our ears.
You must be wearing headphones for the effect to work; it’s
not designed to function through speakers. Once enabled, VRM
offers three Room Models—Professional Studio, Bedroom Studio
(see Fig. A), and Living Room—each with a selection of modeled
studio monitors from a master list. Actual models aren’t given
in the UI, but the manual lists them as ADAM, Alesis, Auratone,
Creative, Genelec, Goodmans, KEF, KRK, Phocus, Quested, Rogers,
Sterling, and Yamaha. Each room model offers several Listening
Positions (i.e. Centre @ 1.65m from speakers, or 1.2m back and
45cm right, etc.).
VRM’s accuracy is impossible to gauge. It’s really more like an
interesting reference tool. I’m not sure I could say that it really made
me feel like I was sitting in the room listening to the speakers that I
selected, but could defi nitely hear the timbre and tone changes as I
surfed between them.
I enjoyed having the option of switching over to VRM as I was
working to check my mix in diff erent-sounding spaces, and I got the
feeling that I was hearing about what it might sound like to sud-
denly have switched over to a fl atscreen TV in the living room from
the Genelecs in the professional studio, then to the KRKs in the
bedroom studio. But I wouldn’t try to balance compressors or EQs
on a critical mix while VRM was enabled; it is more of a reference-
check tool, which I believe is what the designers intended. Either
way, it’s the infancy of what will hopefully become a really useful
headphone mixing option in the future, and something that curious
producers should take the time to test for themselves.
FIG. A: One of the virtual spaces off ered is Virtual Bedroom Studio. Note the
pulldown list of monitor types.
52 | EMUSICIAN.COM | 05.10
method for grabbing audio clips from online streams or movie players directly into my DAW.
Th e second impressive feature is the Input FX channel that offers compressor and EQ plug-ins on the analog input 1/2 channels (the mic pres), even when in zero-latency moni-toring mode and without requiring any pro-cessing power from the host CPU. Both plug-ins are modeled on classic Focusrite hardware and can be enabled/disabled for monitoring and recording separately—great for those times when you really like the sound you’re getting in the headphones and want to capture it to tape.
Th e bottom left of the Saffi re Mix Control win-dow provides access to the Routing section and the input FX controls using the input FX button dropdown. Th is also enables the VRM, which is a bit like the reverse of Mic Modeler: It models listening situations and the eff ect of listening to your mixes on a variety of studio monitors (see sidebar “Listening in Virtual Spaces” on p. 51for more about this).
The Monitoring section at the bottom right of the software window offers a large volume knob that corresponds to the physical Monitor Volume knob on the unit, along with the physical Mute and Dim buttons. Th e six color-coded, numbered buttons above repre-sent which outputs are controlled by the knob (blue), which are muted (red), and which are set to their max output and not controlled by the knob (gray). It should also be noted that all settings, routings, mixes, and eff ects can be simply saved from the File menu to a con-
venient .pro24v fi le, which can be reloaded at will.
A n o t h e r f e a t u r e enabled by the onboard DSP chip is the ability to operate in standalone mode without a host computer. The Save To Hardware command in the File menu will print your current mix to the chip. When restarted without a host, the unit will operate with whatever routing and settings (including sample
rate, digital sync, input eff ects settings, VRM, or anything else) were present when you ini-tiated the command. Th is is extremely useful in many diff erent situations, including when using the Pro 24 DSP as a routing matrix, a standalone analog or digital mic preamp, a standalone AD/DA converter, or even as a practice tool. To make things more fl exible, the control soft ware now supports connect-ing multiple Saffi re units to a single host with shared sync and more. Th ough they cannot share a single zero-latency mix, they are able to operate at zero latency independently while working together.
I was happy with both the quality of the sound and the quality of build: sturdy enough for me to put it in my travel bag without fear of serious damage but with the quality convert-ers, mic pres, steady clocking, and connectiv-ity that I would want to do actual tracking. Th e package also includes the collection of great Focusrite VST plug-ins, as well as Ableton Live Lite and several loop banks. At first, I thought the addition of the DSP chip would be a bit of a gimmick, but it certainly proved me wrong in application; now I’m not sure I’d con-sider buying a unit that didn’t have one. Either way, I think Focusrite has done a great job com-bining the usability features into a small pack-age that really delivers high-quality sound for professional tracking.
Asher Fulero is a pianist/keyboardist and tech-savvy electronic music producer with a long résumé and endorsements from Moog and Nord. Visit asherfulero.com to hear his newest independent release, Th e Green Piano.
FIG. 3: Routing and application of DSP is controlled through the
Saffi re Mix Control software.
54 | EMUSICIAN.COM | 05.10
oes the world need another compres-sor plug-in? In the case of the FabFilter Pro-C, the answer is a resounding,
“Yes.” Outstanding sound quality, parallel com-pression, and unmatched sidechaining capabili-ties are enough to raise mix engineers’ eyebrows. But mastering engineers should also take note: Pro-C is one of only a few plug-ins that off ers high-quality mid-side (M-S) compression.
Pro-C’s 64-bit internal processing prom-ises virtually unlimited headroom. Th e cross-platform plug-in comes in AU, RTAS, and VST formats. I tested the AU version in MOTU Digital Performer 6.02 using an 8-core 2.8GHz Mac Pro running Mac OS X 10.5.4.
Pro-C off ers three modes of compression: Opto, Clean, and Classic (in ascending order of inher-ent knee hardness). You can also choose a rela-
tively soft er or harder knee for each mode, as well as tweak the input gain, input pan (for the 2-channel version), threshold, ratio (from 1:1 to infi nity:1), and attack and release controls for each mode. Th e time constants for the three compression modes are program-dependent to varying degrees, but are also infl uenced by your manual settings. (Opto mode is the least program-dependent and Classic is the most.) A defeatable Auto-Release function tracks the amount of gain reduction to further adjust the release time.
Separate output-level and pan controls are provided for compressed and unprocessed signal paths, empowering you to fashion parallel-compression effects. Activate the Auto-Gain switch to have makeup gain auto-matically applied to the compressed signal. In M-S mode, the two output-pan controls become balance controls for mid and side channels’
compressor plug-in
$199
PROS: Excellent sound quality. Versatile. Parallel
compression. Unrivaled sidechaining capabilities.
Innovative, helpful displays.
CONS: Setups for internal sidechain linking and
M-S compression are complicated. Stereo and
M-S modes share many control settings, some
serving disparate functions.
FEATURES
EASE OF USE
AUDIO QUALITY
VALUE
fabfi lter.com
FIG. 1: At the bottom of
Pro-C’s GUI, animated displays
dynamically show the value of
several I/O and compression
parameters.
5505.10 | EMUSICIAN.COM |
levels. One pan control adjusts levels for com-pressed mid and side channels, while the other pan control sets levels for the unprocessed M-S signals. For the uninitiated, M-S process-ing separates a stereo input signal into center-panned components (audio common to both left and right channels, called the mid channel) and diff erence signals exclusive to each stereo channel (called the side channel).
Beginning engineers will love Pro-C’s insightful animated displays, which dynami-cally update I/O and gain-reduction levels and show the relationships between input levels and current control settings for knee, threshold, and ratio (see Fig. 1). Seasoned engineers may elect to disable these displays and halve their GUI footprint to focus their attention on Pro-C’s LED-style I/O and gain-reduction meters.
When you enable Expert mode, controls for sidechaining and M-S operation appear in the GUI (see Fig. 2). Th e detectors can receive input filtered by Pro-C’s adjustable internal HPF and LPF sidechain fi lters, or they can be keyed from any external source (for example, another track) bused in to the plug-in by way of a dropdown menu.
Pro-C’s internal sidechaining capabilities are as fl exible and powerful as those for any hardware or soft ware dynamics processor I’ve seen. Four continuously variable gain and pan
controls feed the detector inputs for left and right (or in M-S mode, mid and side) channels. Th e pan controls determine where each chan-nel’s detector derives its signal, while the gain controls adjust the level of signal received by its recipient detector. For example, to compress only the side channel with only that channel feeding its own detector input, I fi rst turned the gain for the mid channel’s detector all the way down so it virtually wouldn’t receive any input. Th en I turned the side channel’s detector-pan
control fully right to the side-channel position, limiting the detector’s input to receiving side-channel signal only.
Sound complicated? It is, but having so many controls allows you to set up any side-chain configuration imaginable. Examples include cross-channel compression (for exam-ple, the left or mid channel triggering com-
pression in the right or side channel, and vice versa), channel link-ing (each channel’s detector input receives signal from both chan-nels at once), fully unlinked channels, and even somewhat-linked channels (each chan-nel feeding one or both detectors to the degree its gain control is turned up in the sidechain sec-tion). If all this sounds too confusing to hassle with, simply turn off Expert mode and oper-ate Pro-C in its default stereo-linked mode.
Facilities for storing and recalling control setups in A and B workspaces—or alternative-ly, as permanent presets—are provided. Pro-C also allows you to control its parameters using a MIDI controller; MIDI-learn functionality aids setup.
Opto mode, with a soft knee, generally sounded the most transparent on lead vocals. Classic mode, with a hard knee and the inter-
nal HPF raised to 5kHz, provided world-class de-essing that was ultratransparent and effective.
Classic mode and parallel compres-sion beautifully enhanced the crunch of double-tracked, hard-panned electric guitars while adding density. Th e hard-knee setting created a wonderful wall-of-sound effect without thinning the sound too much. A similar setup made drum-room mics sound positively explosive.
Clean mode, with a soft knee, sounded the most pleasing for stereo mastering, providing transparent yet effective control. Rolling off the bottom end in Pro-C’s sidechain made bass transients trigger the compressor less, resulting in a punchier sound.
Activating M-S mode, I could widen or narrow the mix and compress only the mid or side channel (or both). Th at said, using Pro-C’s pan controls to adjust the balance between mid and side levels seemed counter-intuitive to me and caused unintended results when switching between M-S and stereo modes. For example, in M-S mode, turning the output-pan control clockwise from the noon position increased the side channel’s level relative to that for the mid channel. But
FIG. 2: When you click on the Expert mode button, Pro-C minimizes its animated
displays and shows controls for sidechaining and M-S operation.
Pro-C’s SIDECHAINING CAPABILITIES ARE
as powerful AS ANY I’VE SEEN.
56 | EMUSICIAN.COM | 05.10
when I switched to stereo mode to try some-thing different, the retained (skewed) pan-control setting threw the mix’s imaging off to the right. I could work around this workflow snafu by storing my current stereo setup into Pro-C’s A workspace and my M-S setup into Pro-C’s B workspace (always using the workspaces to switch modes).
For M-S mastering applications, a better and more intuitive design for Pro-C would be to use the output-level controls for M-S level balancing. You could then use the output-pan controls to adjust imaging for the side channel. You can use the input-pan control as is to cen-ter the mid channel.
In addition, Pro-C arbitrarily retains sidechain control settings when switching between stereo and M-S modes. As these modes often require different setups, this is not optimal. Again, the A and B workspaces provide a workaround.
Pro-C sounds outstanding on a wide variety of individual tracks and full mixes. Innovative displays aid the beginner in understanding basic compression setups. A boon to profes-sional mastering engineers, Pro-C is one of the few plug-ins that currently offers M-S compression, and its sidechaining capabili-ties for both stereo and M-S processing are unequaled.
That said, Pro-C’s Expert mode would be much more user-friendly if it had indepen-dent sidechain, level, and pan controls for stereo and M-S modes. The GUI’s implemen-tation of M-S balance control is particularly flawed. Mix engineers who never touch M-S processing, however, will find Pro-C’s GUI to be nearly faultless.
Despite its interface shortcomings, I’ll con-tinue to use Pro-C (including its M-S process-ing) in my professional work—the tradeoffs are worth it. Pro-C is a versatile and wonderful-sounding plug-in that, most notably, fills an important gap in current mastering offerings. And at $199, the price is right.
EM contributing editor Michael Cooper is the owner of Michael Cooper Recording in Sisters, Ore. Visit him at myspace.com/ michaelcooperrecording.
5705.10 | EMUSICIAN.COM |
WAVES
(Mac/Win)
By David Weiss
“Riding the faders.” If only this task were
half as breezy as it sounded. But Waves’ new
Vocal Rider ($400) plug-in—which supports
AU, RTAS, and VST formats—automates this
time-consuming, carpal-tunnel-inducing pro-
cess, leaving you free for other things, such as
fine-tuning the levels or making more music.
Vocal Rider is a cinch to use. Insert it on a
vocal track, hit Play, and Vocal Rider jumps
right in, automatically raising and lower-
ing the level (as indicated by a large central
rider fader) to keep it within a consistent
loudness range. From there, adjust the tar-
get level using a transparent slider, and the
vocal’s range using a pair of sliders for setting
the boundaries of the riding range. During
silence, the fader parks midway between the
two extremes to avoid huge jumps in volume
and provide better tracking against the vocal.
You then simply adjust the output to set the
overall vocal volume in the mix.
Two Sensitivity controls (Vocal and Music)
let you fine-tune Vocal Rider’s work. Vocal
Sensitivity sets conditions for the riding
process—turn it up to emphasize nuances in
the voice, but turn it down to de-emphasize
unwanted nuances such as breaths. For each
performance, Vocal Sensitivity helps you
to find the right balance. Music Sensitivity
adds a powerful dimension to this plug-in.
Turn it up, and Vocal Rider will be sensi-
tive to dynamic changes in the rest of the
mix. To activate this feature, you need to
send every other track to the same bus (or
those you’d like Vocal Rider to respond to)
and choose this bus as the sidechain input
in Vocal Rider. Music Sensitivity is subtle
and will influence the rider fader’s behavior
but not overrule it, responding to changes in
the accompaniment’s loudness to maintain a
more consistent vocal/playback balance dur-
ing any changes in the playback’s intensity.
Vocal Rider’s default processing mode is
Slow to provide smooth fluctuations, but
certain performances might benefit from
Vocal Rider’s Fast mode, which results in more
granular changes. Used with the Sensitivity
knobs, these modes allow for a wide variety of
automatic fader movement.
Vocal Rider Live is identical to the regular
component except for a Spill control to pre-
vent the fader from flying around in response
to wind, crowd noises, or stage leakage through
the vocal mic when the talent moves away. I
found that Spill worked much like a coarse
Vocal Sensitivity control. When off, sensitivity
was normal; turned all the way up, the fader
stayed ±1dB of zero. Used sparingly—in noisy,
live situations—this would prevent strange
jumps in volume.
Vocal Rider can also write all of its moves as
automation, which lets you re-touch fader
movements to you heart’s content, using a
mouse or a control surface. Vocal Rider doesn’t
automate the volume fader in your mixer; it
automates its own fader. I found this a bit con-
fusing at first, as I expected the automation
to be written to the track’s volume parameter.
The only downside to Vocal Rider’s arrange-
ment is that you must leave Vocal Rider on
the track permanently; I expected to be able
to lose it once I had automated the level.
Quiet Art Wave Rider, a similar plug-in for
Pro Tools, does behave this way. But I could
add many instances of Vocal Rider without
any errors or performance issues, and editing
Vocal Rider’s fader automation is identical to
editing volume automation.
Testing Vocal Rider on a variety of tracks,
I found it enlivened every one with cleverly
placed dynamic changes (see Web Clips 1
and 2). Using default settings, it didn’t overly
promote breaths while evening out uneven
performances. It also deftly rounded out a
spoken-word track in which I intentionally
dropped my volume here and there as a test
(see Web Clips 3 and 4).
Waves offers a good amount of Vocal Rider
information online (such as the details of
enabling automation and assigning sidechain
input for each major plug-in format), but I
could have used this information in the PDF
manual that’s accessible from the plug-in
window. I also would have appreciated a few
presets, if only as a way to learn its controls.
Nits aside, Vocal Rider would be an incred-
ible boon and time-saver to any studio that
can afford its non-inconsequential price tag,
whether for the production of music, theater,
speeches, podcasts, or broadcasts. It takes
care of the basic leveling, using a range of
controls to bring out the best in a vocal per-
formance and leaving the producer free to do
the more artistic fine-tuning.
Overall rating (1 through 5): 4
waves.com
Vocal Rider
automatically rides
the vocal track in
real time, keeping
the levels within your
desired range.
LISTEN TO EXAMPLES FROM VOCAL RIDER EMUSICIAN.COM/BONUS_MATERIAL
58 | EMUSICIAN.COM | 05.10
AUDIOBRO
(Mac/Win)
By Geary Yelton
The ultimate goal of orchestral sample
libraries is to convince audiences they’re
listening to a real orchestra. Among the doz-
ens of string collections available, the best
not only give you great-sounding samples,
but their programming helps you play them
expressively, a quality that’s crucial to pro-
ducing lifelike recordings.
LA Scoring Strings (LASS; $1,099) from
audiobro supplies nearly 40GB of 16- and
24-bit content for Native Instruments
Kontakt 3.5 and newer. (It comes with Kontakt
Player 3 in case you don’t own Kontakt.) The
entire library took less than three hours to
install on my 8-core 3.2GHz Mac Pro, and it
took just a few minutes more to download and
install the version 1.1 update. Although my
rig had no problems with latency, audiobro
recommends playing LASS on two computers
simultaneously for optimum performance in
the most demanding situations.
Traditionally, string sections and other large
ensembles can be split into smaller sections
that play separate parts, a technique called
divisi. LASS lets you build large ensembles by
layering smaller ones to form any-sized group
you need. For each instrument section—violin,
viola, cello, and bass—you get a single fi rst-
chair player and four groups ranging in size
from one to 16 players. The violin section is
duplicated with a diff erent spatial perspec-
tive, bringing the total to fi ve sections.
All the players were recorded on a large
film-scoring stage with no reverb other
than the stage’s natural early reflections.
The samples were then mixed from the per-
spective of the players’ seating positions;
however, you can pan them anywhere you
like. LASS comes with a selection of excel-
lent impulse responses that provide early
responses and tails.
Like any good string library, LASS comprises
a good variety of articulations. In addition to
legato, staccato, and pizzicato, you get spic-
cato, tremolo, sustained (looped), muted, har-
monics, and major and minor trills, as well as
portamento and glissando articulations.
Realistic legato phrasing can be particu-
larly tricky with any sampled strings, but
LASS shines in that area. You can play legato
normally by overlapping notes as you play,
or you can simply hold down the sustain
pedal (CC 64) on legato patches to enable a
feature called Real Legato (see Web Clip 1).
Your keyboard velocity affects whether your
playing triggers a clean legato, glissando, or
portamento. (You can load legato patches
without glisses or portamento if you need
to save RAM.) The Real Legato script will
instantly recognize whether you’re playing
chords or legato phrases, too, and respond
accordingly. Unlike many orchestral librar-
ies, LASS lets you use MIDI CCs to control
crossfading, release length, tuning, gliss
and portamento speed, and other real-time
parameters.
When you’re playing staccato, spiccato,
and pizzicato patches, the sustain pedal
activates the innovative Auto Rhythmic Tool
(ART), a type of step sequencer that lets you
control repeated, short articulations. You
can graphically specify the length of rhyth-
mic patterns and the velocity (hence the
accent) of each step. As you play, holding
down the sustain pedal triggers the patterns,
which would be much more diffi cult (and less
realistic) to play manually (see Web Clip 2).
By assigning keyswitches to trigger as many
as 10 separate presets, you can change pat-
terns on the fl y as you play. The best part of
using ART is that accurately playing accents
in repeated phrases becomes automatic and
doesn’t rely on your keyboard technique.
However, it took a little practice to get used
to depressing the pedal just before I played
a chord rather than after.
If you have the full version of Kontakt,
clicking on tabs provides access to scripts
that enhance realism by helping you avoid
mechanical precision. LASS’ Delay and
Humanization script minutely randomizes
how quickly different sections are triggered.
The Tuning Tool causes slight variations in
pitch and lets you detune whatever notes
you choose. The Trill script lets you trigger
diatonic trills by pressing a keyswitch, and
the Anti-Machine Gun script plays alternate
samples when you repeatedly play the same
notes—essential for realistic pizzicato. If
you prefer triggering round-robin samples,
there’s a keyswitch for that, too.
In addition to a terrifi c sound, LA Scoring
Strings delivers startlingly faithful phrasing
and articulation. The glissandos sound espe-
cially authentic, and ART makes short articu-
lations sound more lifelike than in any string
library I’ve heard. The folks at audiobro have
proven that with time, skill, and technologi-
cal progress, sample libraries can fool more
people more of the time. LA Scoring Strings
has become my go-to string library.
Overall rating (1 through 5): 5
audiobro.com
LA Scoring
Strings sounds
impressively realistic,
largely because its
Kontakt scripts give
you unprecedented
real-time control
over its expressive
capabilities.
HEAR EXAMPLES FROM LA SCORING STRINGS EMUSICIAN.COM/BONUS_MATERIAL
EMHOTPICK
5905.10 | EMUSICIAN.COM |
SOUNDLIB
(Mac/Win)
By Rob Shrock
G-Player ($149) is a native Giga player that
plays GigaStudio and GigaSampler libraries
directly without needing to convert them to
a different format. It supports disk streaming,
keyswitching, dimensions, release triggers,
and multilayer crossfades. G-Player operates
as a cross-platform standalone application;
a VST plug-in for Windows; and an AU, VST,
or RTAS plug-in for the Mac. Also included
is a single-instrument version of the plug-in
called G-Solo.
Each 16-part multitimbral instance of
G-Player can save and load complete setups.
You can control each part’s MIDI channel,
audio output, mute, solo, volume, pan, and
tuning (±100 cents). A dropdown menu dis-
plays the loaded patch’s overall info and its
particular dimensions, as well as providing
access to pitch-bend range. Velocity and
ADSR settings let you tweak the amplitude
(labeled VCA) envelope, and the lowpass
filter (labeled VCF) offers cutoff, velocity,
attack, and release parameters.
Loading a Giga file is straightforward, through
either the instrument panel or the built-in
browser. Once you’ve loaded an instrument,
any other instruments residing within that
Giga file are available to any instrument slot
in G-Player. You can also create stacks that
let you load multiple instruments into a sin-
gle slot with individual control of mute, solo,
volume, tuning, pan, and key range for each
instrument within the stack. When you use
stacks, however, you lose controls for pitch-
bend range, amplitude, and filter, which are
normally available for single instruments.
G-Player is efficient in its CPU usage.
Disk streaming is automatically imple-
mented for instruments that require it,
and I encountered no problems at all
streaming large setups. You can tweak the
global settings for sample preload, but the
default settings worked quite well with my
MacBook Pro and 6GB RAM. Windows users
will be glad to hear that unlike GigaStudio,
G-Player doesn’t require a GSIF audio card,
and it works perfectly well with ASIO.
Although G-Player can save and recall
setups created from scratch (GPP files), ver-
sion 1.2.1 will load only Giga instrument
files (GIG) and not Giga Performances.
Fortunately, Soundlib says that a forth-
coming update will load both GSI and GSP
setups. In the meantime, I had no problems
creating elaborate multitimbral setups and
saving them within Apple Logic Pro, along
with additional plug-ins, as either channel-
strip or performance settings.
No longer needing a separate PC with its own
MIDI and audio interfaces has breathed new
life into my extensive Giga sample library and
simplified my session and live rigs. G-Player
does have some limitations, though, so don’t
kick that old PC curbside just yet. You can’t edit
instruments in nearly as much detail; to retune
individual samples, for example, you’ll still need
GigaStudio. G-Player’s VCA and VCF parameters
are useful, but not elaborate. Although G-Player
allows you to modify the instruments to some
degree, it is still just a player.
In future versions (updates are frequent),
Soundlib plans on adding 64-bit support for
the Mac (it already supports 64-bit Windows)
and the ability to crossfade between instru-
ments in a stack—features not available in
GigaStudio. Among the other items on my
wish list is being able to transpose incoming
MIDI notes routed to individual instruments.
Because some of my string sounds play in dif-
ferent octaves, I wish I could shift patches up
or down an octave to match the other layers
in a stack without having to edit the Giga file
in GigaStudio. A conversation with the devel-
oper left me with the impression that it would
be simple to implement individual instrument
transposition, so I’m crossing my fingers.
For changing volume, G-Player lets you
determine whether instruments respond to
either CC 7 (volume) or CC 11 (expression
controller). I’d prefer that each instrument
could respond to MIDI volume and expression
separately; at the very least, I’d like to be able
to determine the setting for each instrument
slot individually. I also wish I could specify
how much RAM each instrument and setup
consumed. And though G-Player’s graphics
are functional, I would like to be able to resize
the entire window and panes.
I commend Soundlib for successfully
resuscitating the Giga format—at least until
Garritan (which acquired the platform from
Tascam) releases a new Giga player of its
own—and especially for porting the format
over to the Mac. G-Player isn’t perfect, but the
price is certainly right, and it will extend the
useful life of your Giga library.
Overall rating (1 through 5): 4
soundlib.com
This is a multitimbral setup in G-Player, with a Stack loaded into the fourth slot. To the right is
the window for adjusting the key range of each instrument within the Stack.
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66 | EMUSICIAN.COM | 05.10
Steve Jordan has had a lengthy and successful career. He currently
plays with John Mayer (he was the musical director for his recent
tour), and he has performed with Eric Clapton, Sheryl Crow, Robert
Cray, Stevie Wonder, Keith Richards, and the Saturday Night Live
Band, among many others. As a producer, Jordan has also worked with
Mayer, as well as Cray, Buddy Guy, Herbie Hancock, and more. Jordan
is a devotee of recording, and he is equally comfortable in the com-
mercial studio or in his home setup. In addition to his outside proj-
ects, Jordan and his wife, singer/songwriter/guitarist Meegan Voss,
have their own band, The Verbs. I spoke to Jordan recently about his
interest in production and recording.
Is your career pretty split between producing and
playing, or is it more producing these days?
Most of the time when I’m producing, I’m usually playing on the proj-
ect—about 80 to 90 percent of the time.
Creatively, do you enjoy producing more?
I love producing. I’ll always enjoy working in the recording studio.
Meegan and I have a recording studio in our home. We set up recording
studios anywhere we stay for any length of time. If we’re in a place more
than a week, we’re setting up a studio.
A laptop-based environment?
Yes. Ever since I was a teenager, I just loved the art of recording.
I’ve been into recording since basically the reel-to-reel days. Even
when I was a little kid and I took a reel-to-reel tape that I recorded
in the first band that I was in down to Manhattan and had it pressed
into a lacquer. I started really getting into engineering when the
TEAC 4-track cassette machine came out. I had a couple of them,
and I ran them in tandem, bounced from machine to machine, and
really got into it.
I got some pretty good sounds, and that’s when I really started
experimenting recording myself, becoming an engineer, as opposed
to being dependent. I knew that to be independent, I was going to
have to learn how to get a sound, especially my sound when I wanted
to have a more open drum sound. And it was right at the time when
everything was really isolated and dead and everything like that.
The sound that I liked was kind of different from the norm, so I knew
that I would have to try to learn how to do it myself to convey what
I was trying to get across.
I guess you probably worked your way through the
various types of recorders as technology was chang-
ing: ADATs or DA-88s, and then into a DAW.
Exactly. I hung with
the ADATs awhile. And
I loved the first crop of
ADATs rather than the
newer ADATs; I thought
they sounded better.
The 16-bit ones?
Yeah.
What DAW do you
use?
I just use [Digidesign]
Pro Tools now. I made
that decision years
ago—that was what
was going to have to
happen. I’d love to still
work on 2-inch analog tape, but times have changed. [Laughs.]
When you’re traveling and you have your portable
system going, do you have an HD system or LE?
I have Pro Tools in my laptop. Depending on where I am, if I can get
a little HD thing happening, I will. If not, it’s just LE. And I grab some
mic pres.
Mics and mic pres are the key to getting a good
sound, don’t you think?
Absolutely. My thing is that I’ve never been all-digital, never. I’ve always
gone through tubes before I hit digital to ensure the sound that I wanted
to achieve. That’s always been the thing; it’s your chain.
What kind of drum-miking setup do you typically use
for your kit?
It varies. Anything from a close-mike thing to kind of a Glyn Johns kind
of thing. So I can go from three mics to whatever.
When you do the three-mic setup, would that be one
on the kick and two overhead?
That’s one way of doing it, and then there’s the triangle thing, where
there’s one out in front, and one close to the floor tom at a certain
angle, and one behind. There are various things; it really depends
on the room.
Mike Levine is EM’s editor and senior media producer.
HEAR A PODCAST WITH MORE OF THIS INTERVIEW EMUSICIAN.COM/BONUS_MATERIAL
Q&A: Steve Jordan
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Steve Jordan has had home studio setups since the days of
reel-to-reel, but now works with a Pro Tools system.
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