Computer Music – THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO CREATIVE FX – issue 237

Get this issue now

• In Print (Free DVD and Worldwide delivery)
• Google Play (Android/Chrome for PC/Mac)
• Apple Newsstand (iPhone/iPad/iPod touch)
• Zinio (PC/Mac/Android/iOS)

All formats include our 65+ CM Plugins, thousands of samples, and tutorial videos/files via Vault download

Subscribe and Save

Never miss an issue with a CM subscription, print or digital!

CREATIVE FX

Traditional effects may be grounded in EQ and compression, but the digital age has brought us into a whole new era. Working with digital data rather than electronic circuits means that we modern producers have some seriously impressive tools at our disposal.

To showcase the huge power of modern creative processing, this month's huge cover feature contains a veritable recipe book of tools and techniques to create your tastiest sounds yet.

Over 18 pages with 20 tutorials, we expose…

• Modern effects sequencers that bend musical time to your will
• The glitch and edit plugins that give out-of-this-world granular stuttering effects
• State-of-the-art modern mixing with reverb, distortion, modulation and more
• Supercharged multieffects that transform sounds beyond recognition
• Combinations of send effects that you need to have in your arsenal
• The Instantly transformative FX chains to liven up any sound

So you can get a taste of this huge feature, we've added one of its 15 video tutorials below - get the rest only with your copy of CM237!

FREE Amp Simulator - Mercuriall U530 CM

This month's plugin giveaway is a blazing tube amp simulator from Russian DSP experts Mercuriall. An astonishingly authentic emulation of the versatile ENGL 530 preamp with virtual mic positioning baked in, U530 CM has a host of options for bringing a fuller tone to any sound or instrument. Get your copy of Computer Music 237, and U530 CM is all yours alongside it.

Check out what U530 CM can do in the below video, and to find out more about it, check out the full spec. And if you like U530 CM, don't forget to check out our Virtual Guitar Amps feature, later in the issue.

BIG ROOM SYNTHS - with Owen Palmer

Learn how to design attention-seeking hooks that slice through the mix. Through this six-page feature, mixdown genius Owen Palmer takes us on a sound-design odyssey, revealing new methods, tricks and techniques for crafting your boldest, brashest, most in-your-face synth hooks yet.

Check out Owen's sage advice on synth setups, stacking and layering, note programming, effects chains and more, as he bestows enlightened ideas for making monster synth lines. Have a look at the below video for a taste of the action, and get the full article in CM237!

VIRTUAL GUITAR AMPS

For many, an amp simulator is an essential part of their plugins collection, and we've even got a free one with this issue… but some don't know the first thing about plugging into a huge virtual stack - and that's where we come in. In this feature, we'll plug you into a universe of tone and expression, and expose the inner workings of the world's best amp simulators.

Starting with a look at the basics behind amp and cab setups, we'll showcase how to put these virtual rigs into the context of electronic production, and expose how to dial in classic tones and combinations along the way.

PRODUCER MASTERCLASS - Sheridan Tongue

You may not know the soundtrack composer by name, but the chances are you've encountered one of his many musical success-stories on the small screen. From Brian Cox's Wonders of the Universe to Silent Witness, Sheridan's composition credits are famed, varied, and pretty high-budget - so who better to visit for this issue's in-studio video masterclass?

In our huge video tutorial, you'll see Sheridan at work in the studio, explaining the tools and techniques behind his new album, and divulging real-instrument production tips along the way. From string-section mixing to piano production techniques and pulling it all together, it's not to be missed in this video tutorial!

Grab part 1 below, and get the rest in CM237.

Gigabytes of FREE Samples

Not an issue of Computer Music goes by without a huge giveaway of samples, and why should this month be any different? Readers get to download 500 Dub Designer samples, soaked in trupped-out delay and FX processing. We've also reached back into our archives and pulled out the CM Acoustic Collection, 2GB of acoustic instruments to tweak and layer into your tunes, and there's a 500MB compendium from samplesmiths Loopmasters to grab too, with your copy of this issue!

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

We interview Miami duo GTA about their approach to making music.

Our huge suite of free plugins has reached a total 66 instruments and effects! Grab them now with your print or digital issue of CM237.

Get the lowdown on Combining Two DAWs in this month's Studio Strategies column.

We speak to Native Instruments' Jonathan Heppner about Reaktor and their new synth Form.

Learn about the enduring legacy of Digidesign's Turbosynth software in Blast from the Past.

When it comes to drums, delay isn't just a creative effect - in this month's Dr Beat, Ronan Macdonald uses this tool to help out with drum programming.

Need to brush up on your Music Theory? Check out Dave Clews' guide to three-note extended chords.

REVIEWS

Spectrasonics Keyscape

Tone2 Icarus

Unfiltered Audio Sandman Pro

Zynaptiq Adaptiverb

Sound Radix SurferEQ2

Get this issue now

• In Print (Free DVD and Worldwide delivery)
• Google Play (Android/Chrome for PC/Mac)
• Apple Newsstand (iPhone/iPad/iPod touch)
• Zinio (PC/Mac/Android/iOS)

All formats include our 65+ CM Plugins, thousands of samples, and tutorial videos/files via Vault download

Subscribe and Save

Never miss an issue with a CM subscription, print or digital!