ON THE DVD
• Exclusive synth plug-in - LinPlug AlphaCM!
This specially enhanced version of LinPlug´s stunning FreeALPHA 3 synth is yours only with this issue of Computer Music. Featuring an all-new and exclusive ring modulator and a bank of specially commissioned patches, AlphaCM is an amazing VST plug-in for PC and Mac (both PPC and Intel).
• 2400 royalty-free samples
We´re getting deeply down and, indeed, dirty in the samples department this month, with the exclusive 1,936-strong 24-bit CM Future Funk collection. Comprising 800 Cyclick construction kit loops, 651 Andrew Duke guitar and percussion loops, and 485 Groove Criminals instrument and drum loops, there´s enough here to keep you on the futuristic good foot for months of music making to come. And supplementing that little lot are 464 CM Classic beats and basslines in a range of styles and tempi.
IN THE MAG
• Mix Surgery
We strap a badly mixed track to the operating table and demonstratively cure its various ailments with the help of producer extraordinaire Pete ‘K-Complex´ Richardson. Tackling everything from weak kick drums and bass sounds, to lacking lead lines, flaccid percussion and that general lack of energy that afflicts so many home-produced mixes, our step-by-step guides are just the thing to keep your tracks in the rudest of health.
• The CM Guide to Cubase 4, Part 1
Perhaps the most eagerly awaited of all this year´s big DAW updates, Steinberg´s latest is nothing short of a software engineering triumph (as our review, also in this issue, reveals). In Part 1 of our two-part CM Guide, we show you how to get the most out of Cubase´s new MediaBay technology, Track Presets, Control Room system, SoundFrame librarian and more.
• AI in music
Software that intelligently generates musical data based on rules set by you and its own experience? It sounds like the stuff of cyberdreams (or something), but using the software on this month´s DVD and our walkthroughs, you really can get your Mac or PC thinking artistically with you. What next - cars that drive themselves?!
• Ambient production tips
Take your low-key tunes to even greater heights of chillness with our top 27 professional ambient production techniques.
• Mark King talks software
Level 42 are back, and for frontman and bass legend Mark King the computer revolution has enabled a whole new approach to production. In this month´s CM interview, he reveals his favourite software tools and explains why he´d never go back to big studios and even bigger budgets…
TUTORIALS AND TIPS!
• Sound Like… The Killers
• Build a step sequencer in Logic Pro
• Building beats with the CM-505 drum machine
• Synth Essentials: The modulation matrix
• Off the Dial: Creative listening
REVIEWED
Steinberg Cubase 4, Native Instruments Massive, TerraTec Komplexer, Ableton Sampler, TC Electronic Konnekt 24D, Mackie Onyx Satellite, Rain Recording Event PC and more!
PLUS!
• Win an SSL Duende worth £999!
• Nine pages of readers´ questions answered
• The Burning Question: How do I buy a new DAW?
• Reader music reviewed
• And all your favourite regulars!
You can order this issue (as well as recent back issues) by calling 0870 837 4773 in the UK, +44 1858 438795 everywhere else, or emailing
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