Latest articles by Roland Schmidt
How to harness the chorus effect to give your tracks more life!
"Chorus is a beautiful effect when used nicely, but it can also sound horrible if over-applied - unless that’s what you want"
The story of Sequential Circuits in 10 synths, sequencers and drum machines
Charting the rise, fall and subsequent resurgence of Sequential, we celebrate 50 years of groundbreaking synthesizers and technical ingenuity from one of the original trailblazers
How to use tried and tested chord progressions when crafting your song
Lets draw some harmonic inspiration and top-tips from the past-masters.
How to understand and use suspended chords
"Sometimes you don't want to be overtly happy or sad and a suspended chord strikes that perfect balance"
How to understand key signatures
“The way that sharps and flats are organised is far from random or chaotic”
"The importance of scales cannot be understated": How to easily grasp scale theory
How to get a handle on scale theory
How to understand rhythm when reading music
Establishing rhythm in your sheet music is just as important as dictating pitch
The quick guide to reading music
We go back to basics and make a pitch for reading music. Here's the first part of a new series
“An amazing sounding product, and very capable thanks to its augmentation in operation, geared towards ultimate creativity”: GForce Oberheim OB-1 review
Reuniting an Oberheim gem with its family soul mates, GForce resurrects another lesser-seen classic. We audition its credentials as a sonic force for good
How to become a master of melodies
"It's what the overwhelming majority of us listen to first and foremost"
“A flexible and impressive compendium that extends way beyond just jazz”: Toontrack SDX The Jazz Sessions review
Combine a legendary engineer with a background in jazz, with an equally legendary studio, and the results could be the rebirth of the Cool. We hit the jazz pocket
“It sounds just like an original, while being simple to use, and easy to control from within your DAW”: Roland Space Echo RE-201 Plugin review
If you want to send your mixes to the outer limits, we’ve got the perfect plugin for you. Listen out for echoes from Space
“A pretty addictive set of effects, with use that ranges from the more commonplace to experimental and avant-garde”: UVI Tape Suite review
If you go loopy for tape-based effects, UVI has something new that’ll get your capstans whirring. We dust off our VHS and Cassette collection
“It feels incredibly authentic at the base-sample level, and provides vast potential which extends way beyond its original use by rock bands”: Cherry Audio Wurlybird 140B review
If you’re after an iconoclastic electric piano, Cherry Audio has a new vintage classic in store. We take off with the new Wurlybird!
“A hugely versatile and impressive package at the sonic level… But the player may put professionals off”: Spitfire Audio Abbey Road Orchestra Symphonic Strings Professional review
After much anticipation, a full symphonic string section finally gets the professional Spitfire treatment, courtesy of Abbey Road Studios. We head for the famous zebra crossing
“Has Oberheim running through its samples, like a stick of rock!”: GForce Software Oberheim DMX review
If the beginning of your week feels like a Blue Monday, then take a Walk This Way…
“A unique-sounding synth plugin to create absorbing sounds and textures”: Expressive E Noisy 2 review
Expressive E brings us a new software instrument that will undoubtedly excite and resonate. We make a racket!
How to make a searing lead synth patch with GForce Axxess
It’s time to turn up the heat and Axxess a spicy lead
“About as complete as a cinematic drum library can be”: Orchestral Tools Monolith review
To create a soundtrack of epic proportions, you’re going to need a percussion library on a grand scale. We scale the Monolith
“Sounds every bit like a vintage string machine, and far more besides”: GForce Software VSM IV review
This updated VSM continues to prove that strings are very much the thing! We swot up on our virtual string theory
“Its versatility in use, coupled with huge levels of programmability, make it a must-have”: Cherry Audio Chroma review
If you’re after a colourful new synth, Cherry Audio has something that covers the whole spectrum. We look through the prism
“Provides enormous variety and tonal colour, applicable to a diverse set of musical placements”: EastWest Sounds Hollywood Strings 2
LA’s finest is back for a long-awaited cinematic sequel. We audition EastWest’s new string-based nod to tinseltown
“It makes complex time-based effects a total breeze”: Arturia EFX Motions review
Creating movement in your productions is a challenge, but it looks like multiple real-time EFX just got a whole lot easier
