Music Tech Magazine - Issue 108
Digital mixing and production - tips and tricks. Behind the scenes with an online record label. Logic Pro, Reason and Ableton workshops. Abbey Road's Sam Okell interviewed.
Publish date: 16 February 2012
Issue 108 of Music Tech Magazine is out now in newsagents throughout the UK.
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In the issue…
Features
Digital Mixing & Production
Producing a track from start to finish with only the minimum of outboard gear is now well within the capabilities of anyone with a fairly recent computer. Hollin Jones illustrates the back-to-basics approach.
Running an Online Label
In the era of the internet, record labels still have a place – it’s just that the rules have changed. Dave Robinson talks to the directors of Concrete Plastic about the processes, pitfalls and positives of staying afloat in the modern business.
Sam Okell Interviewed
Abbey Road has been the recording venue for numerous high-profile film scores as well as bands. MTM finds out more from engineer Sam Okell.
Studio Icons: Aphex Aural Exciter
With hundreds of thousands units sold, the Aphex Aural Exciter has left a unique sonic mark on the history of recording. John Pickford traces its roots.
Ten Minute Master
Mastering EQ
Arguably the most important process in mastering, EQ is often not given the attention it deserves… Russ Hepworth-Sawyer restores the balance.
Landmark Productions
Windowlicker
One of the most influential artists on his scene, Aphex Twin moved into the mainstream with this 1999 success. Dean McCaffrey tells the story.
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This Month’s Workshops & Tutorials
25 Tips For… Mics & Mic’ing
The microphone is the recording engineer’s primary tool, but knowing when, how and where to use them is as much an art as it is a science… Mike Hillier roots through his mic cabinet.
Creating the Sound of Future Garage
While other bass-driven genres have come and gone, garage has retained both its appeal and its musical roots. Liam O’Mullane explains the fundamentals.
Logic Pro: Using Sidechained Compression
French-style compression is all the rage, but what are the key ingredients in this exciting form of dynamic control? Mark Cousins gets sidetracked…
Reason 6: Spider Splitters
The unsung heroes of Reason’s Rack offer some serious sonic firepower – if you know how to use them. Rob Boffard makes the introductions.
Reviews
New products coming under the eyes of Music Tech’s experts this month
include Yamaha’s O1V96i, the Line 6 POD HD, Audio Ease Altiverb 7, Aphex Channel, Divide Frame Spectral Layers, Brainworx Vertigo VSC-2, u-he Diva, Eventide 2016 Stereo Room and more…
ON THE DVD - 4GB+ of Content!
Club Beats (488MB)
To get people moving on the dance floor you need big-sounding beats that have been arranged and compressed to provide the perfect balance of complexity and space, weight and dynamics. Our samples team has been locked away over the last few weeks cooking up some heavyweight drum loops ready to rock the clubs. You’ll find 104 loops covering glitch-hop, grime, house and techno, divided into folders of 70, 80, 125, 130 and 138BPM.
Reggae & Dub Construction Kits (470MB)
It’s time to get laid-back with this exclusive pack of reggae and dub construction kits. All the usual suspects are here, from muted guitar plucks, off-beat strumming and organ stabs to big piano chords, all processed with a healthy dose of reverb and delay. You’ll also find tight-sounding drum grooves to get heads nodding, with a full mix plus loops for each individual element. There are five construction kits in total in WAV, Apple Loops and REX2 formats, with tempos ranging from 65–70BPM.
Prime Loops Taster Pack (175MB)
This month’s Prime Loops selection has a bit of an urban theme, comprising 175MB of pro loops taken from the company’s latest releases. First up, to accompany the review in the Mini Reviews section there are quirky synths and popping beats from the Champagne Rockaz pack in the style of Timbaland and Crookers. You’ll also find raucous vocal shouts from Dirty South Vocal Samples, slowed-down, grimey synths in Trap Attack and Urban Magic, and in-your-face bass lines and beats in Dubstep Takeova. To round things off we’ve also thrown in a few heavy electro bass loops and beats from the Complex Electro Synths and Electro House Syndicate packs.
macProVideo NI Massive
Native Instruments’ Massive synth is one of the most popular synths of the moment due to its rich sound and highly flexible routing, but underneath the glossy GUI lies a complex monster that can be overwhelming at times. We’ve got nearly 50 minutes of tips and explanations taken from the new tutorial from macProVideo to help you make the most of this mega-synth. Presenter Mo Volans takes a look at the Noise and Feedback Generator, Modulation Oscillator, LFOs, Macro Controls and Patch and Attributes Browser, before delving into assigning envelopes, adding effects and creating more complex textures using the oscillators and filters.
Dubstep Drum Production by Rebel Sonix
Boutique music production and sound engineering school Garnish School of Sound has teamed up with producer Larry Holcombe (one half of AV bass merchants Rebel Sonix and instructor at the school) to provide an exclusive 40-minute masterclass in dubstep drum production, including sound selection, pro mixing tips and sidechaining techniques in Logic Pro. The London-based Garnish School offers focused, six-week music production courses with Grammy-winning and BAFTA-nominated instructors. Courses include Logic Pro 9, Ableton Live 8 and Pro Tools, plus two advanced courses on mixing and mastering, and electronic music production for anyone wanting to learn how to produce pro-sounding tracks.
Music Tech Focus
On-sale now! Music Tech Focus: Recording
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Plus - Check out all these other great issues of Music Tech Focus:
Ableton Live 8 Ableton Live 8 Deutsch Native Instruments Mastering Mastering Deutsch Logic Pro 8 Guitar Tech Propellerhead Reason Cubase Pro Tools Ableton Live 7 Music Tech Masterclass
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