PATCH LIKE A PRO
This issue is one of those occasions in the CM calendar when we bring you the full version of a commercial plugin instrument. For this issue only, you can grab Cherry Audio’s Voltage Modular Nucleus plugin, usually sold for $29, for free. With your copy of Computer Music 276, head to p23 to join the Eurorack fun and learn how to get it on your PC or Mac.
You can find out more about the plugin specs, including its 21 included modules, here; and you can get up and running with the following tutorials in the issue…
- Crafting a virtual analogue patch from scratch in Voltage Modular
- Adding interest and new flavour to patches
- Saving presets for later use in other projects
- How to sequencing notes and drum patterns in modular setups
- Advanced sound design for lead patches
- Using Nucleus as an effects processor
Producer Masterclass: Plaid
Occupying a pair of seats at the very top table of electronic music, Plaid – aka Ed Handley and Andy Turner – made their name in the 90s and 00s as pioneers of intelligent dance music (IDM) alongside the brainteasing likes of Boards of Canada, Aphex Twin and Squarepusher.
To celebrate their new album, we smuggled ourselves into Warp Records’ in-house studio to film Ed and Andy deconstructing one of their new tracks. In this 51-minutes masterclass, you’ll learn exactly how Plaid work with instruments, mixing effects, programming rhythms and more.
Serum FX
Serum is a synth that’s been on everyone’s lips – and everyone’s tracks – for years now. Part of what drives the instrument to the top of the tree is its tab of effects (FX), but did you realise that every copy of Serum comes with Serum FX? This separate plugin gives you all 10 of Serum’s processors, plus the LFOs, envelopes, macros, modulation matrix and more from the main synthesis controls, all to use over any tracks you like.
In this article and its six individual tutorials, we’ll take you through some of Serum FX’s unique abilities, and explain all ten of its well-honed processing modules.
Free Samples: Funk Fills
This 500-strong pack of samples will provide the exclamation marks to your tracks whenever they’re needed. You might know the concept of fills from drumming, where the idea is to underscore the end of a musical phrase before transitioning to another line… but isn’t not just drums that can pull it off. In this pack you’ll find synths, guitars, keys and FX too, all built to provide momentum and punctuate melodic, instrumental or rhythmic lines, whenever you need to skip a beat and move to another stage of the groove.
The CM guide to THE GRID: Part 2
In last month’s issue, we introduced the basic concepts behind The Grid, Bitwig Studio 3’s open-ended modular instrument and effect building environment.
With a whole host of sound sources, filters, effects, modulation devices and helpful utilities on offer, there really is a huge amount of potential available in The Grid, so it’s safe to say that our introductory session barely scratched the surface.
This issue, we’re returning to The Grid in order to learn how to build something a little different. We’ve created a hardware-inspired percussion instrument using a mixture of synthesis and sampling tools, combined with The Grid’s inbuilt sequencing devices. You can download our patch online as part of this issue’s Tutorial Files.
Also in this issue
Trentemoller – in this huge interview, the Danish producer talks about how he overcame writer’s block to get his new album, Obverse, finished in spectacular fashion
The Korg Prophecy is the subject of this issue’s Blast from the Past column
Brush up on the music theory behind pedal points in Dave Clews’ Easy Guide column
Learn some vintage mixing strategies from ACM master Shea Stedford
We’ve stuck our heads in the mouth of Unfiltered Audio’s Lion plugin, and we’ve lived to tell the tale
Catch up with the latest Freeware News in this issue’s column
Arturia’s 3 Delays You’ll Actually Use are being tested by our keen reviewers
