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XILS-LAB STIX CM Elevate your beatmaking to the next level with this unmissable drum synth and sequencer instrument FREE SOUNDWARE
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welcome If there’s one thing the Computer Music editorial team get excited about, it’s that pin on our cats-on-synths calendar that marks the annual Ultimate Freeware special issue. With so many free instruments and effects launched in the past 12 months, we love sifting through each and every one to shortlist only the cream of the crop for your reading pleasure. So flick through our 17-page cover feature (starting on p20) and get to grips with the best gratis DAWs, synths and processors of 2017. And our huge celebration of cost-free music software wouldn’t be complete without a suitably huge plugin giveaway… enter StiX CM (p50), a must-have drum synth and sequencer instrument of truly epic proportions! If you’re as obsessed with electronic drums as me, you’ll lose hours in the studio sequencing and tweaking beats, all infused with the XILS-lab stamp of analogue-tinged quality and weight. Big up XILS! And while you’re at it, don’t forget to grab your 2GB of samples and hours of exclusive video, too. Finally… stop the press! Reason users will be able to load their favourite third-party VSTs in the forthcoming 9.5 update (see p11). I didn’t see that one coming, Propellerhead! So to recover from such a busy month – and the madness that was Superbooth 2017 – I’m going to kick back in my studio chair and…
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Joe Rossitter Editor
Issue 244 JULY 2017
contents
Cover feature
ULTIMATE
FREEWARE
42
90
Producer Masterclass 42 SHEILA G
Master the greatest free instruments and effects from the past 12 months, p20
Sheila G and Si Hulbert talk you through songwriting and vocal production in this exclusive session
Interview
Features 50 XILS-LAB STIX CM Get to grips with this unmissable drum machine
57 freeware HOUSE TRACK
82 SOULWAX An album in one take? The Belgian electronic act are back with a new record, and it’s something special…
Follow along and create an old-school 4/4 groover
Reviews
66 SAMPLE PACK INSPIRATION
90 TEENAGE ENGINEERING PO-32 TONIC
Spin any sample into gold with our foolproof guide
/experts Your guides for the ever-expanding world of production are here 76 easy guide Dave Clews cuts to the chase about slash chords
78
Resound inflates weak breakbeats to the max
Essentials
94 UAD MOOG MULTIMODE FILTER XL
10 news
96 BRAINWORX BX_SUBSYNTH
40 NEXT MONTH
14 freeware news
98 EXPONENTIAL AUDIO R4
64 SUBSCRIBE
99 EMPIRICAL LABS AROUSoR
114 BLAST FROM THE PAST: oberheim Matrix-12 & xpander
88 back issues
101 MINI REVIEWS ROLI Blocks, HoRNet Magnus Mk2, ProjectSAM Swing More! and 13 sample pack reviews
80 dr beat Our resident drum doc gets grooving with toms
82
92 TRACKTION WAVEFORM
100 UAD SSL 4000 E CHANNEL STRIP COLLECTION
78 s tudio strategies
94
80
4 / Computer Music / July 2017
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CM Plugins Our exclusive collection of free plugins for Mac and PC. Check ‘em out on p107
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ULTIMATE FREEWARE 2017 See and hear the past year’s best free virtual instruments and effects with our massive, video-packed guide Read the full article on p20
1 Working with the free Tracktion 5 DAW
2 Using the free Ardour DAW on Linux
3 Three advanced Ardour features
4 Exploring HISE’s do-ityourself environment
5 Noise-based sounds with NUSofting Noisetar
6 Roll your own modular patches with Trilobite Free
7 1176 ‘nuke mode’ with Slate Digital The Monster
8 Aggressive waveshaping with HoRNet Harmonics
9 The ‘Pultec trick’ with Ignite Amps PTEQ-X
10 Signal monitoring and processing in TrackControl
11 Insane looping FX with Audioblast InstaLooper
12 Ringmod-style filtering with AudioThing FilterJam
13 Signal degradation with Tritik Krush
14 Modulated mangling with Regressif
15 Creative echoing with Spaceship Delay
16 Articulate yourself with Ample Sound Bass P Lite II
6 / Computer Music / July 2017
video
Producer Masterclass
SHEILA G & SI HULBERT Learn how to build a polished contemporary pop song with the veteran producer and rising vocal star Note: this video is only available using the link on page 43 Read the full article on p42 July 2017 / Computer Music / 7
video
Grab this issue’s tutorial videos via Vault download – see p5
STIX CM
Unpack the free drum machine
Read the full article on p50
SAMPLE pACK INSPIRATION Rework any sound with these ten techniques Read the full article on p66
BUILD A HOUSE TRACK FOR FREE
TIP 1 Loop the loop
TIP 6 Audio-toMIDI moves
Follow along with these pro video tutorials
TIP 2 Slice and dice vocals
TIP 7 Get creative with noise
TIP 3 Extreme pitch transformation
TIP 8 Pitch envelopes
TIP 4 Diversify your drums
TIP 9 DAW timestretching
TIP 5 Textural stretching
TIP 10 Crazy modulation chops
Read the full article on p57
5 Crafting atmospheric pad layers
3 Programming analoguestyle strings and bass
7 Finishing touches: mastering and cleanup
EASY GUIDE
/experts Our resident music production gurus walk you through their specialist field every month
DR BEAT
SLASH CHORDS
Inflate your breakbeats
GROOVING WITH TOMS
Enliven your chords with this music theory guide from Dave Clews
Turn a limp beat into a pumping monster with Resound’s tips
Add toms to your electronic beats with Ronan’s in-depth guide
Read the full article on p76 8 / Computer Music / July 2017
STUDIO STRATEGIES
Read the full Read the full article on p78 article on pxx
Read the full article on p80
> news
New releases • comment • industry happenings
Big news from Superbooth 2017 Among a tangled forest of patch cables, we unearthed new software in Berlin Only in its second year, the Berlin Superbooth event is already stealing much of the thunder – and practically all the cool – from the long-running Frankfurt Musikmesse. Now, we’ve been to a lot of trade shows, but we’ve never experienced anything like Superbooth’s sheer quantity – and cacophony – of wallto-wall modular synths. So what was there to thrill in-the-box computer musos? Read on and we’ll tell ya…
u-he Repro-5 & Zebra 2.8
A double whammy of announcements came from the Berlin synthmeisters’ popular stand. Repro-5 (£TBC) builds on Repro-1, bulking it out into a polyphonic beast. Yep, it’s a modelled Sequential Circuits Prophet-5! It lacks Repro-1’s sequencer but offers per-voice distortion, a different modulation system, and unison. Zebra 2.8, meanwhile, is a free update featuring a cleaner interface, editing improvements, and wave-folding distortion. Both out soon. URL www.uhe.com
NI Reaktor Blocks 1.3
The virtual synth modules of Reaktor Blocks are a perfect fit for Superbooth, and Native Instruments were showing off the free, upcoming Blocks 1.3 update. This adds a five-module collection named Kodiak. Duality Osc combines and cross-modulates twin oscillators. Shift Sequencer is an “unconventional” step sequencer that “makes polyrhythmic sequencing easier”. Curve Sequencer is basically Massive’s
Reaktor Blocks get their numbers boosted, bridging more gaps between the modular mindset and your DAW
Performer modulator. Morph Filter is a filter bank capable of vowel sounds. And Flip Gen creates tones and noise. URL www.native-instruments.com
Bitwig Studio 2.1
Superbooth is clearly a no-brainer for Berliners, with Bitwig also in attendance. They showcased Bitwig Studio 2.1, which has three additions: MIDI Clock Slave, for syncing to software or hardware clocks; an amp sim entitled Amp; and Irrupt Eurorack, a soundset. It’s a free update, out now. URL www.bitwig.com
Accsone Crusher-X 6
At Accsone’s booth, things sounded… grainy. And in the best way possible, as they were showcasing their Crusher-X (€199) granular synth/effect. New for v6 is a Diffuse processor to “generate up to ten independent reverbs inside the grains”; Spread parameter; three new modulators; a step editor; autotune; an overhauled GUI and more. URL www.accsone.com
Bitwig 2.1 moves the DAW into modular territory
CV-based analogue gear! Novation unveiled Peak, an impressive eight-voice hybrid hardware synth (£1250, out May), and the analogue paraphonic Circuit Mono Station (£480, June). Behringer had a desktop edition of their DeepMind 12 power-synth ($899), a dinkier DeepMind 6 ($699), and – ta-da! – a Minimoog Model D clone ($399). There was even a tracker-driven Eurorack module from XOR Electronics, the Nerdseq! Amazing stuff – hold us a ticket for Superbooth 2018.
Best of the rest
That was about it for software, but there was plenty more to tempt tech-hungry producers. PreSonus pushed Quantum ($1000), a Thunderbolt audio interface seemingly out of place amongst Superbooth’s modular mayhem – until you realise its DC-coupled outputs can drive
Direct proof of u-he’s Repro-5 means it can’t be a false prophecy
10 / Computer Music / July 2017
Novation’s Peak sees the company attempt the highend analogue game
news <
App watch We report on the latest developments in phone and tablet music making
Soon you’ll be able to run your favourite VST plugins – and our
VSTs coming to Reason The world of music software was rocked to its foundations this month as Propellerhead announced that version 9.5 of the staunchly non-VST DAW will start hosting the standard. Reason 9.5 will host plugins in their own windows with corresponding rack units. You can undo changes (to automatable parameters) using Cmd/Ctrl-Z, and perhaps best of all, you get eight CV inputs around
Plugins – inside Reason 9.5
the back of the rack to modulate any automatable parameter – so you’ll be able to hook an LFO or envelope up to controls that don’t have them built-in. VST 2.4 plugins (ie, standard VSTs) will be supported, but VST3 and AU plugins are currently not. The update is expected on 29 May, and it’ll be a free download to current V9 users. Reason 9 costs $399. URL www.propellerheads.se
With Inter-App Audio and AU Extensions on iOS, you’d be forgiven for thinking the days of Audiobus, the original app-connecting solution, are numbered. It continues to thrive, though, and v3 offers a MIDI routing system that enables you to connect apps and external hardware together. Audiobus now also supports Apple’s AU protocol. You’ll also find a mixer, an improved preset management system and more. Audiobus 3 is listed as a new app, which you can buy for £9.99/$9.99. audiob.us
iZotope RX 6 With practically every new version, iZotope’s RX suite has introduced algorithms to fix audio that was previously considered beyond repair. True to form, v6 brings us De-rustle and De-wind – these tackle unpredictable mic rustle and wind noise from location recordings. For tidying vocals, De-ess slaps down sibilance; Breath Control suppresses breaths between words; and Mouth De-click banishes those annoying lip-smacking sounds. Dialogue Isolate aims to separate spoken material from variable background material like crowd noise, traffic, footsteps, etc. The Composite View allows editing of up to 16 tracks as though they were one, while De-Bleed reduces leakage between tracks (a headphone click track bleeding
Serato Sample Modern ‘power samplers’ like Kontakt or UVI Falcon are great, but they lack the immediacy and simplicity that made
into a vocal take is the example iZotope give). There’s also MP3 export, filters for the Module List, and numerous improvements. The full Advanced edition (£629) contains all features; the Standard (£235) and Elements (£78) packages offer reduced sub-sets. URL www.timespace.com
first-gen samplers so exciting and genredefining. Enter Serato’s workflow-focused Sample instrument, encouraging users to throw in entire songs for slicing inside the plugin. Imported audio is displayed using Serato’s famous colour-coded waveforms (eg, red indicates bass frequencies). Chopping to the 16 pads can be done manually or via four automatic slicing modes. Each pad offers volume, attack and release, and filtering, with time and pitch adjustment using Serato’s Pitch ’n Time algorithm. The software’s currently in beta, but the projected introductory price is $99. URL www.serato.com
Retronyms have joined forces with Max/ MSP mavens Cycling ’74 to create Looperverse, which enables you to layer up to 16 tracks on the fly, but it goes beyond this simple level of operation by offering plenty of editing features, too. As well as being able to record external audio, you can also bring other apps to the party via Inter-App Audio and Audiobus, and there’s Ableton Link support as well. Looperverse can be had for £9.99/$9.99. retronyms.com
Finally, if you’ve created a track and want to upload it to YouTube, but you don’t have a suitable visual accompaniment, try Klevgrand’s new Wizibel app. Import a track and you can choose from one of six themes, then tweak the settings and generate a video. There’s even direct export to various video platforms, which might make the £7.99/$7.99 asking price seem well worth it. www.wizibel.com July 2017 / Computer Music / 11
> news
Get with the programmers We speak to the boutique hardware and software guru about the differences between his two passions
Kush Audio
Gregory Scott
Kush Audio plugins are known to have bags of analogue character. How much of the software development process is dedicated to replicating the nuances of hardware? GS “All of it. Our first plugin, UBK-1, was modelled after our UBK Fatso, and in the process of making that, I became obsessed with why plugins sound different to analogue, and how to bring the two closer together. “When I started making plugins, I could hear differences, and to me the analogue clearly sounded superior. At this point, I still hear the differences very clearly, but neither one sounds ‘better’ to me. Both are incredible sounds to have in the toolkit.”
When it comes to getting a realistically ‘analogue’ sound in software, how do you keep CPU demands to a minimum? GS “For the longest time, I couldn’t keep the demands to a minimum, so Kush plugins developed a reputation for sounding incredible but making you pay in CPU cycles. I was OK with it because sound is everything to me. “Over time, we learned to spot all these tiny but meaningful ways to optimise every aspect of the code and free up cycles. We’re overhauling the GUI, the framework, the oversampling algorithms, the DSP itself. The first beneficiary of that, Electra DSP, will be dropping any time now, and we’ve managed to reduce its CPU use dramatically while keeping the sonics identical – it completely nulls with the old version.” Is it easier to model your own hardware than other people’s? GS “Ha! It actually takes longer to model my own gear. I know exactly how it’s supposed to sound and I know when the slightest thing is off!”
“Sly-Fi is an experiment in ‘unfaithful emulations’”
Are there still scenarios where hardware trumps plugins, or is the playing field now even? GS “Sonically, I do think we’re at the point where plugins can be made to sound as good – in their own way – as hardware, but analogue and digital do sound different. The effect of analogue is, well, it’s beautiful –sometimes breathtakingly so. When has a plugin ever taken your breath away? “That said, I tend to track through a healthy stack of analogue these days, so I can load the sound up with my favorite qualities on the way in, which makes it very very easy to bring the mix home in the box.” What differentiates your Sly-Fi range of plugins? GS “Sly-Fi is an experiment in ‘unfaithful emulations’. The idea was to take classic pieces, pretend I led the original design team for each, and create a plugin version that preserved the spirit of the original but which expanded the feature set, interface, and/or sonic properties to reflect my own personal vision. People seem to dig them, so I plan to do more and have a major release slated for later this year.” How do you see music software advancing in the future? GS “I think the thing that needs to advance more than anything else is the DAW itself. Ironically, I find them all to be way too focused on looking and feeling like analogue consoles and linear tape machines. I have so many ideas for how to create a radically different workspace which would dramatically reduce the friction between idea and execution.” URL www.thehouseofkush.com
12 / Computer Music / July 2017
JST Soar
The rapidly expanding plugin roster of Joey Sturgis Tones has hit a delay – a tape delay, that is. Soar claims a “hybrid approach”, marrying analogue sound with digital control. Delay pattern is set with the Heads control, ranging from simple quarter-note repeats to a “multi-head tape delay journey”. Delays can be mono or stereo, and overall timing set in BPM or milliseconds. The Tape panel lets you set Repeats (feedback) and dial in the character of the tape using the Age, Health, Flutter, Contour and Speed controls. There’s dry/wet mix control too, of course. Soar is $129. URL www.joeysturgistones.com
AudioThing Megaphone
Perhaps the most single-minded AudioThing plugin yet, Megaphone has but one purpose in life: to make any audio sound like it’s being blasted through a Megaphone or horn-style PA speaker. It offers two megaphone emulations with adjustable bandwidth and drive. The Feedback section imitates the effect of natural acoustic feedback, whereby the speaker’s output is reflected and picked up by its own microphone. Handling noises and button ‘pops’ can be added with the Noise panel. Finally, you can set input/output levels, dry/wet mix and engage an optional limiter. Pick up Megaphone now for €15. URL www.audiothing.net
Lindell Audio 354E
Back in 2015, Lindell Audio released 254E, their unofficial emulation of the classic Neve 2254e diode bridge compressor/limiter. Now they’ve essentially rolled three 254E compressors into one plugin to create a fresh multiband unit, the 354E. The three bands each have ratio, threshold, gain, attack and release (Recovery) controls, and can process stereo, mid or side channels. Global features include adjustable sidechain filtering; dry/wet mix; Nuke mode for OTT compression; and a Niveau option for a more balanced response to a typical musical frequency balance. It’s yours for $199. URL www.lindellplugins.com
Klevgränd Gaffel
If Lindell’s 354E has got you thinking about which other plugins could benefit from “multibandising”, then Klevgränd’s new Gaffel tool may hold the answer. The concept is simple: route your source audio to multiple channels, each containing Gaffel, and the plugin will split each into a frequency band, for further processing using any plugins in your collection. The clever bit is that adjusting the crossover frequencies on one channel adjusts it for all others in the same group, of which you can have up to eight. And in case you’re wondering, Gaffel is the Swedish word for Fork. Get it now for $60. URL klevgrand.se