2020-08-01 Computer Music

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LOGIC PRO X 10.5 | REVIEW | HANDS ON GUIDE | OPINION

Logic Goes Live

Have Apple just redefined music production?

C.A.R. BASS MASTER SLEAFORD MODS

How to remix two Massive guide to Doing Glastonbury with
very different tracks synth and sub bass an out-of-date XP laptop



intro / computer music <

HOW TO USE DOWNLOAD

See page 81 to find out
how to download this
issue’s exclusive content

DOWNLOAD We’ve got a new system for downloading welcome
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grab the files on your PC or Mac by going
to filesilo.co.uk/computermusic.

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use of our own Plugins – find
out all about them at filesilo.co.uk.

I’m feeling slightly insecure. I’ve just read our Sleaford

TUTORIAL This icon means there are extra files Mods interview on p56 and I’m starting to think I’m the
to help you follow a tutorial feature:
FILES project files, audio examples, etc. guy they talk about in it: the one who’s more bothered

about his snare EQ curve than actually releasing any

There’s extra video content music. (Except I’m not particularly bothered about my
wherever you see this icon.
snare EQ curve either, if truth be told.) Their story is

incredible, their methods unique and it’s one of the most

refreshing interviews I’ve read, not just in this magazine,

WWW but in any. There is a lesson in there for all of us; I’m just

computermusic.co.uk not sure I’m ready to learn it yet… Which would have

[email protected] “Am I the guy been enough for me to
facebook.com/computer.music.mag talk about this month

twitter.com/computermusicuk Sleafords are without Apple doing their
youtube.com/computermusicmag usual ‘unexpected

instagram.com/computermusicmag talking about?” announcement’ thing
and landing the biggest

bloody update to Logic

in however many years. And as I’ve been throwing

myself into that for the feature on p16, I can conclude

that – annoying crashes with the odd 3rd party plugin

aside – I’m finding v10.5 rather slick and capable, almost

like it was worthy of the ‘v11’ name. But you can read our

proper review of this most live of Logics on

p68. And before you ask where Scot

and Dave are with their expert

columns, we are taking a breather

with those for a couple of issues,

DVD mostly as Scot attempted to retire

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ISSUE 284 AUGUST 2020 TRAP
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LOGIC GOES LIVE 44
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Hands-on guide on p16 Producer
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Bass Programming Special C.A.R. ON THE
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24 PROGRAM SYNTH BASS
Chloé Raunet guides us through not
Get great synth bass sounds from some classic one but two remixes and discusses
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31 37 BASS TIPS Studio
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Top advice for recording, programming and more
56 SLEAFORD MODS
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How to perfect that lowest of bass sounds Jason Williamson and Andrew Fearn
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12 BLANCMANGE 544SUBSCRIBE
How to use your incredible delay! 96 BACK ISSUES
80s legend Neil Arthur on 98 BACKCHAT
his new album and a Reviews
million collaborations, 78
including the mighty Vince 68 APPLE LOGIC 10.5
Clarke, and his own son!
72 TRACKTION
92 R.A.C 12 WAVEFORM PRO

Grammy-winning producer 74 OEKSOUND
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(And, yes, two bands in one
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THE MIX
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August 2020 / COMPUTER MUSIC / 5

> news

NEW RELEASES • COMMENT • INDUSTRY HAPPENINGS

Roland Zenology

The Japanese megacorp unveil a new plugin based on ZEN-Core Synthesis

Providing a wealth of emulations of effect processor from a menu of over 90 can It might not look like there’s
their classic synths and drum also be deployed. much going on in its simple
machines – both algorithmic and sample- interface, but Zenology’s
based – for a competitive monthly fee, As well as the aforementioned Analog power lies in the ZEN-Core
Roland’s Roland Cloud service has Behavior Modelling expansions, a Pro engine under the hood…
successfully established itself as part of version of Zenology with deeper editing of
the music technology landscape over the synthesis and modulation parameters is on ($2.99/month or $29.99/year) gets you
last couple of years. And now, alongside the schedule for later in the year, and this Zencore and all ZEN-Core Sound Packs and
the legendary likes of the SH-101, TR-808, forms the focal point of the new Roland Wave Expansions; a Pro account ($9.99/
Juno-106 and System 100, subscribers Cloud pricing system. Now, the Core tier month or $99/year) adds the forthcoming
can get their hands on a plugin version of Zenology Pro, plus the D-50 and TR-808
the company’s recently unveiled ZEN- plugins; and Ultimate Membership ($19.99/
Core Synthesis System. month or $199/year) unlocks everything
Called Zenology, the new instrument Roland Cloud has to offer.
“embodies nearly 50 years of synthesizer
research and development”, and roland.com
uses analogue emulation, PCM-based and
analogue/digital hybrid technologies for
sound generation, with “Analog Behavior
Modelling” due to be added at a later date.
Importantly, it allows for transfer of patches
between it and Roland‘s ZEN-Core-
compatible hardware synths – such as the
Jupiter-X, Fantom and MC-707 – meaning
you can program a sound on one, then open
it in another for further editing or use as is.
Zenology itself houses over 3000 presets
and looks to be a pretty simple affair, with
synthesis parameters comprising filter
Cutoff and Resonance, envelope Attack and
Release, and Vibrato depth. 80 extensive
drum kits are also onboard, offering
adjustment of Level, Pan, Attack, Decay and
Release for individual drum sounds. A single

Saturn 2 brings radical changes to the GUI, including an eye-catching modulator FabFilter Saturn 2

6 / COMPUTER MUSIC / August 2020 FabFilter’s multiband distortion plugin, Saturn (10/10,
179), has been a go-to for many producers since 2012, and
with version 2, the Dutch software masters have improved
it in just about every area. First, the interface has seen a
complete overhaul that’s particularly transformative with
regard to modulation, which is now fully visualised. Then
there are 12 new distortion types (for 28 in total), 32x
oversampling, variable crossovers, a transient detection
mode for the envelope follower and more.

Saturn 2 is out now, priced £114.

fabfilter.com

news <

App watch

We report on the latest
developments in phone
and tablet music making

Toontrack EZbass offers powerful tools for programming your Facebook Collab
own b-lines, including per-note assignment
Joining the excellent EZdrummer 2, EZkeys of ten articulations, automatic transitions Facebook may not be the first name you
and EZmix 2, the new addition to Toontrack’s between chord blocks, and a huge library of think of when considering collaboration
range of ‘EZ’ applications and plugins aims MIDI grooves to get you started. You can apps, but when you factor in its social
to give the computer musician everything also drag in bass guitar samples to have heritage, it makes more sense. Collab is a
they need to create convincing bass guitar them converted to MIDI, and automatically new iOS app currently in beta; it lets you
lines in the proverbial box. generate basslines to match imported drum sync up to three videos of yourself playing,
or keyboard MIDI clips. A library of bass resulting in a complete arrangement.
EZbass centres on two multisampled presets is in place too, each with its own You’ll also be able to upload your collabs
electric basses – a Fender Jazz (Vintage) and adjustable effects. EZbass is out now, for so other people can add to them. It’s
an Alembic (Modern) – which can be played £129. We’ll review it soon. currently only available by invite – sign up
and sequenced using your keyboard and to join the waiting list.
DAW the usual way, or within the built-in timespace.com npe.fb.com/collab
Song Track and MIDI sequencer. The latter
BIAS FX 2 Mobile
Celemony Melodyne 5 conforming audio clips to the harmonic
profile of your project; and the Percussive Positive Grid are promising to turn your
It’s the little things that count with version 5 Pitched algorithm caters to the likes of tabla iOS device into “the ultimate all-in-one
of Celemony’s amazing polyphonic pitch and 808s. guitar effects processor,” and it’s all thanks
correction system, as the headline to BIAS FX 2 Mobile, a significantly-
improvements over v4 are all about “core Melodyne 5 is available in Essential (€99), enhanced version of their amp/effects app.
competence” – specifically, the ability to Assistant (€249), Editor (€399) and Studio This is powered by a new processing
separately process and balance the (€699) editions. engine and promises an easy user
unpitched and breath components of vocal interface, drag and drop operation and, of
tracks, and better weighting of pitch celemony.com course, loads of great-sounding virtual
deviations, for “better results, less time amps and pedals. Notable highlights
spent editing, and a more natural sound”. include Guitar Match (designed to make
Dynamics handling also gets an upgrade, in your guitar sound like different iconic
the shape of the Fade Tool and Leveling models), and a built-in looper. BIAS FX 2 is
Macro, which apply fades to individual notes free, with in-app purchases.
within chords, and reduce dynamic range by positivegrid.com/bias-fx-mobile
making loud notes quieter and quiet notes
louder, respectively. The new Chord Track Metagrid
and Chord Grid, meanwhile, are useful for
Logic Pro X 10.5 has refocused attention
Muramasa Morphverb “magical tool providing a unique way to find on Logic Remote, the iOS app that lets you
the perfect reverb settings”. At the heart of control Apple’s DAW from your iPad or
Newly signed up as the fourth member of Morphverb are nine reverb algorithms iPhone. Metagrid is cut from similar cloth,
the United Plugins brand collective, (Room, Plate, Echoes, Ambience, Infinite, letting you trigger keyboard shortcuts,
Muramasa’s first release is billed as a etc), arranged around a dial for blending of type text, send MIDI messages, use macros
any two adjacent styles. A shared array of and more. The app recently graduated to
adjustable reverb parameters comprises v1.5, letting you import/export buttons
Low and High Damping, Predelay, Width, and views, with Ableton Live support. It’ll
Size and Modulation; and one-knob also work with a range of other DAWs. £29.
Saturation and Compression processors are metasystem.io/metagrid
on-hand for distortion and dynamics
control. There’s a dedicated Ducking circuit, August 2020 / COMPUTER MUSIC / 7
too, for auto-attenuating the wet signal to
make room for the dry input; and a handy
spectrogram for visualisation.
Morphverb costs €149.

unitedplugins.com

> news

Get with the Spitfire Audio BBC
programmers Orchestra Discover

Mastering The Mix founder and ex-mastering engineer Spitfire’s BBC Orchestra ROMpler is a thing
Tom Frampton talks about their new plugin, Mixroom of beauty but, at £899, not one that many
can afford. That situation is set to improve,
Mastering The Mix Tell us a bit about your company?.
TF “I started Mastering The Mix in 2014 with however, with the scaled-down BBC
Tom Frampton a goal to help music producers get better- Orchestra Discover, squeezing 33
sounding mixes. As a mastering engineer, I instruments and 47 playing techniques
was well positioned to see what issues my down to a dinky 200MB of samples (the
clients faced when making music. I ended up full version weighs in at 590GB!), and
giving the same advice time after time and fronted with a clean, simple plugin
wanted to create a solution that would enable interface. There’s also BBC Orchestra
people to easily identify their own mix issues. Core to consider, with 44 instruments
This is how our first plugin, Levels, came and 305 techniques in a 24GB soundbank.
about, a metering plugin that identifies BBC Orchestra Discover costs £49, while
technical issues in a mix or master. It was Core is £399.
warmly received by the audio community spitfireaudio.com
and we’ve continued to create plugins that
solve the hardest challenges producers face Softube Weiss EQ1
in the studio, with Mixroom being the latest.”
Continuing their clearly fruitful partnership,
Tell us about Mixroom… the latest collaboration between boutique
TF “It’s an intelligent EQ that guides producers to set the perfect balance hardware manufacturer Weiss and software
of richness and clarity whether they’re working on a vocal, a synth
or mastering their music. It analyses your audio and shows you which modelling specialists Softube is
frequencies could be adjusted to improve your sound. The EQ an emulation of the former’s
target suggestion helps you get a solid starting point, from which you can high-end EQ1 mastering EQ.
tweak your sound to suit your preference. Mixroom has specifically- Described as “a line-by-line code
designed EQ filters that deliver maximum clarity and transparency in the port boasting 1:1 accuracy”,
mid and high frequency range, and can be used alongside our plugin Softube Weiss EQ1 features
Bassroom which was specifically created for the low end. You can also seven parametric bands, all
create your own EQ targets by importing reference tracks so you can use covering the full audible frequency range
Mixroom to get closer to the sound of your favourite tracks.” and can be switched to Dynamic mode (the
hardware only allows this for four bands),
How will it change the way we make music? and numerous workflow enhancements. Get
it now for – yoinks! – €549.
TF “Decision-making is key when it comes to making music. Mixroom softube.com

helps you make better decisions – iZotope Tonal Balance 2

“Mixroom helps you faster. If you’re mastering a track, and Breaking out from iZotope’s Ozone 9 and
your mix sounds a bit muddy and dull Neutron 3 plugin suites, Tonal Balance 2 is

to make better or thin and harsh, Mixroom can help now available as a separate product
you add the right EQ curves to get a in its own right.

decisions – faster” solid tonal balance. If you’re working This visual analysis tool displays
on a vocal (or any individual channel), the spectral profile of the incoming
audio (your mix) and compares it to
you can select one of the Mixroom one of 12 genre-based target curves,
or a custom curve generated from an
presets to help you get a great starting point. Unlike most presets, imported audio file.
Tonal Balance 2 can be had for $199, and is
Mixroom analyses your audio and shows you the EQ curves needed to still also included with Ozone 9 Advanced
and Neutron 3 Advanced.
get your raw audio sounding better. So, it’s very unlikely that any two izotope.com

preset results will ever be the same. Eventide Rotary Mod

“Whether your audio is muddy, dull, thin, harsh, or even almost The swirling, psychedelic sound of the Leslie
rotary speaker cabinet never gets old, and
perfect, Mixroom helps you elevate your mix to get the perfect balance of Eventide’s take on the design boosts its

richness and clarity. Our customers consistently mention sound quality, classic functionality with the inclusion of
independent rotor and horn speeds, and
ease of use, and added clarity to their music.” modulation of both via LFO or envelope
follower; tempo sync; a ‘Giant’ cabinet
What have you got planned for the near future? option; and a high-cut filter. What really
TF “We have a couple of projects lined up. We’ll be beginning work on sets it apart from other Leslie emulations,
Reference 2.0 adding some great new features to one of our most popular though, is the implementation of
plugins. We’re working on an interactive mixing and mastering course Eventide’s brilliant Ribbon performance
platform that will help students identify where they’re going wrong. It controller, enabling seamless morphing
uses a smart algorithm to give specific and unique feedback on how to between two complete parameter states.
improve their sound. We’ll also be working on a new plugin tackling the Rotary Mod is $99 on PC and Mac, and also
problem of conflicting frequencies. We’re very much looking forward to available as an AUv3 plugin for iOS for £8.
sharing these projects with the audio community in the near future!”
eventideaudio.com
Mixroom is reviewed on p76.
masteringthemix.com

8 / COMPUTER MUSIC / August 2020



> news

years Arturia OB-Xa V
back
Arturia’s awesome vintage synth and keyboard emulation line just got
We adorn our usual bigger with the new OB-Xa V, a lovingly crafted emulation of
nostalgia glasses… with Oberheim’s 80s polyphonic monster, the OB-Xa, famously heard on
added 2020 lenses Van Halen’s Jump. Expanding on the original hardware, OB-Xa V
features two oscs (plus noise) with continuous cross-modulation; a
Anyone who says that music’s been choice of 2-pole or 4-pole resonant LPF; unison detune; left/right stereo
devalued over the past 10 years could do offset of osc, individual voice panning, filter and LFO parameters; four
worse than take a look at our cover function generators; an arp and nine effects modules. Yours for €199.
feature from August 2010 ( 154), when
we showed you how to make a track for arturia.com
free. Sadly, we can’t play it to you here,
but we can assure you that it sounded like Ins & outs STUDIO TIME RUNNING OUT?
a million dollars (probably). As you might expect, the picture
SPLICING THINGS UP isn’t so rosy for commercial
Our Burning Question for the month Sample vendors Splice have recording studios, with the Music
asked if live computer music could be enjoyed a dramatic rise, and it Producers Guild reporting that up to
made more engaging, a trifling concern looks like they have big plans for 48% of those in the UK could face
now we’re in a time when most people closure within the next few months
the future. They recently if they don’t receive additional
“Most would settle for any purchased Superpowered, a dev support from the government.
live music not streamed
from someone’s house” platform for creating cross- FESTIVAL WASHOUT
platform audio apps. Next step COVID-19 has also put paid to the
would settle for any kind of live music festival summer, with
that isn’t streamed from someone’s music production software? Glastonbury’s 50th anniversary
house. We also pre-empted the start of one big casualty. Still, you can
the hardware synth boom by discussing BUTTERFLY AWAY watch more than 60 classic sets –
the pros and cons of adding some ‘out of The launch of the new 13-inch including those by Beyoncé,
the box’ gear to your studio setup, and MacBook Pro was good news for Bowie and The Chemical Brothers
there was a tutorial on using those seeking a more compact, – on BBC iPlayer from 26 June.
Propellerhead Software’s new Reason 5 powerful Mac laptop, and we can
and Record 1.5 apps, which would later also celebrate that there are now no FLORIAN SCHNEIDER RIP
become one. new MacBooks with the unloved Schneider, who died last month,
butterfly keyboard mechanism that was a genuine electronic music
Finally, one reader wrote in to tell us came in 2015. It won’t be missed. legend, founding Kraftwerk with
how much he’d been enjoying his Ralf Hütter in 1970 and playing a
archived copies of , and implored BETTER THE DAW YOU KNOW key role as they released a string
everyone to keep theirs. We agree that With people being forced to stay of seminal albums. An enigmatic
they can be useful – particularly if you’re indoors over the past few weeks, character, he left the band in
the writer of a column like this one… 2008, but his legacy is secure.
interest in home recording is
Not sure if it was clear from the cover, but in cm154, booming. Kylie Minogue is just one
we gave readers tips on making music for FREE! star who’s revealed that she’s set up

10 / COMPUTER MUSIC / August 2020 a studio in her living room so that
she can continue to work on her
new album.



> 15 questions with /  blancmange

15 questions with…

BLANCMANGE

Neil Arthur of synthpop
favourites Blancmange
tells us about the software
and the people that inspire
him to keep going after
decades in the
music business

Blancmange’s Neil Arthur spent the

80s making hits like Living On The

Ceiling and Feel Me. He then disappeared

to the soundtrack composition world,

only to kickstart the band in 2011. Since

then he’s been involved in countless

projects with everyone from Vince Clark

to… his own son!

1 Tell us about your musical history?
Neil Arthur: “My name is Neil Arthur. I

am in Blancmange (ha ha). I’m also part of

Fader and Near Future. Back to Blancmange.

It came into existence in 1978, after I met

Stephen Luscombe at an art school gig he

was performing at with his band Miru. We

chatted and found that we shared a few

things in common – music tastes and a taste

for beer. We met up sporadically and set

about making some noises with household

objects and the odd musical instruments,

recording our efforts onto a borrowed Sony

cassette machine or a four-track TEAC 1/4”

tape recorder.

“God knows how we ever managed to

get a song together, but somehow we did

and the results were released, thanks to a

friend – David Hill (not Slade) – who fronted

the money from a tax rebate. Rough Trade

took 25 copies and one fell into the hands of

Stevo [from Some Bizarre Records], who

after a couple of hilarious meetings

involving pints on heads, asked us to

contribute to the Some Bizarre sampler LP.

We had just recorded an instrumental, Sad

Day, so we licensed him that. The release

got noticed by a few people in the music

business and, along with fellow album Photo: Helen Kincaid

contributors like Soft Cell, Depeche Mode

and The The, we managed to somehow get

a record deal. In 1982 we were in the studio

recording our first album, Happy Families,

12  /  COMPUTER MUSIC  /  August 2020

including songs like I’ve Seen The Word, programming features. Also ISSUE284 AUGUST 2020
Waves, Feel Me, God’s Kitchen and Living
On The Ceiling, the latter becoming a Top the MIDI file drag-and-drop is brilliant.” Future Publishing Ltd.
Ten seller here and elsewhere in the autumn Arturia Spark drum machine “This is Quay House, The Ambury, Bath, BA1 1UA
of ’82. We made lots of mistakes – some we useful when I’m figuring out a song. Lots of Tel: 01225 442244
got away with. Email: [email protected]
good sounds available, and easy to use.” Web: computermusic.co.uk
“I now collaborate with Ben Edwards Logic Pro X pedalboard “Nice for dirtying EDITORIAL
(Benge) at his studio. We are Fader and things up when I’m in a rush.” Editor: Andy Jones, [email protected]
Benge helps me with the Blancmange stuff, Korg MS20: “Does what it says on the box.” Art Editor: Mark White, [email protected]
particularly as it nears completion.” Managing Editor: Kate Puttick, [email protected]
7 How does a track typically start and CONTRIBUTORS
then progress? Danny Scott, Ronan Macdonald, Ben Rogerson, Jon Musgrave, Adam Clifford,
Robbie Stamp, Oli Bell, Joseph Branston
2 What would you say is your overall “It varies. I wish sometimes I did have a Photography: Getty Images, Shutterstock, Perfect Circuit
philosophy or approach when it ADVERTISING
formula, but not having one keeps me on Chief Revenue Officer: Zack Sullivan
UK Commercial Sales Director: Clare Dove, [email protected]
comes to music production? my toes. I like to surprise myself.” Advertising Sales Director: Lara Jaggon, [email protected]
Account Sales Director: Kyle Phillips, [email protected]
“Keep it simple. One note at a time on a Account Sales Director: Alison Watson, [email protected]
MARKETING
synth, one string if possible on the guitar. 8 Do you have any specific Direct Marketing Campaign Manager: Will Hardy
production tricks you can reveal? PRODUCTION & DISTRIBUTION
Why put on another layer if one will do?” Production Controller: Fran Twentyman
Production Manager: Mark Constance
“I put things out of time and tune, nothing is Printed in the UK by: William Gibbons & Sons on behalf of Future
Distributed by: Marketforce (UK), 5 Churchill Place, Canary Wharf, London, E14 5HU
3 When and how did you discover the perfect. Strip back to the bare bones CIRCULATION
route to computer music-making? Trade Marketing Manager: Michelle Brock, 0207 429 3683
wherever possible. That goes for lyrics too.” SUBSCRIPTIONS
UK reader order line & enquiries: 0844 848 2852
“In around 1983 or 84 when I bought a BBC Overseas reader order line and enquiries: +44 (0) 1604 251 045
Online enquiries: myfavouritemagazines.co.uk
B computer and a sequencer called a UMI, 9 What is on your wishlist gear wise? Email: [email protected]
“A new MIDI controller and an update LICENSING
developed in part by Lynton Naiff, who I’d Computer Music is available for licensing. Contact the Licensing team to discuss
partnership opportunities
first met when he scored the orchestral for the MPC X to allow third-party plugins Head of Print Licensing : Rachel Shaw, [email protected]
MANAGEMENT
parts for the song Waves that was on our and better integration between it and Chief Content Officer: Aaron Asadi
Brand Director, Music: Stuart Williams
first album.” Ableton Live.” Content Director, Music: Scott Rowley
Head of Art and Design: Rodney Dive
4 How do you think software has 10 What would you like to see Group Art Director: Graham Dalzell
affected how you work? developed in terms of studio Head Of Design (London): Brad Merrett
NEXT ISSUE ON SALE: 15 July 2020
“As a limited-ability musician, it’s enabled technology and why?
We are committed to only using magazine paper which is derived from responsibly managed,
me to get ideas down relatively quickly. “A musical time machine, to travel back and certified forestry and chlorine-free manufacture. The paper in this magazine was sourced and
produced from sustainable managed forests, conforming to strict environmental and
That said, they’ve driven me mad over the forth, to different studios that I’ve been socioeconomic standards. The manufacturing paper mill and printer hold full FSC and PEFC
certification and accreditation.
three or four decades I’ve tried to use them. lucky enough to work in. There I could

They are always right. Initially with the UMI, record a synth from Blackwing – make a

it was all step-time inputting. Eventually I stem and cart it back to the present, before

moved on to an Atari with the E-magic flying off to collect samples from the future,

Notator. Then the early Logic programs on returning with them to add to a future-past-

PC, integrating it with the Soundscape present composition! Oh hold on, I do that

digital recorder, which was fab for film work. already at Benge’s!”

Then later and up until now I’ve used a Mac

with Logic Pro and Ableton.” 11 What advice have you picked up
from playing live?

5 Tell us a little about your studio… “Don’t overstay your welcome, or take
“Quite often I start on an acoustic
yourself too seriously. Appreciate every

guitar, working out ideas, structures and so moment. The audience paid good money to

on. Then I may put that down on to iPhone come and see you; don’t take it for granted.”

and import to the Mac (Logic or Ableton).

My setup is very simple. I won’t go in the 12 … and from the studio?
“Try not to go in there without a plan.
studio unless I have an idea, meaning I don’t

sit there waiting for one to arrive. That Even if it is hard work, it’s got to be fun too.”

usually happens when I least expect it, so I

prepare. I might be out on a bike ride and an 13 And from the music industry?
“A huge pinch of salt is needed for the
idea will start to form as I struggle up

another hill. If it does and, importantly, if i potential disappointments and rejection.”

can remember it by the time I get to the top

of that hill, I mutter the idea into the iPhone 14 Tell us about your latest release and
why people should check it out...
and carry on. Back to the studio, a glorified

word for my space, I use third-party plugins, “There’ll be trouble if they don’t.

Gforce’s Oddity 2 being my favourite. I have Blancmange’s next album is called Mindset

a few external synths, an MPC, a Joe Meek and out in early June. The tour will be in

Q3 that I put my vocals through, a few mics, September, October and December. ”

oh and a load of backup hard drives.”

6 What are some of your favourite 15 Finally, what have you got planned
plugins and why? for the near future?

“Exactly! Your last words, Near Future, a

GForce Oddity 2 “It’s versatile, the presets second album in the making with Jez

are always a good starting place, easy to Bernholz. I’m working with Vince Clarke and

control, brilliant sounds.” Benge on a project. Also, I’m writing with my

GForce impOSCar 2 “Likewise it’s versatile son Joe (Kincaid), who I toured with last

and packs a punch.” year. Then there’s a project with Liam

AudioThing SR-88 “I have the real thing Hutton (Boxed In) and Finlay Shakespeare.

[Sound Master Memory Rhythm SR-88, a So, I’m keeping out of trouble.”

rare 80s drum machine], but as a plugin, I

love the raw sound and its simple For more info, visit blancmange.co.uk





> cover feature / logic 10.5 quick start guide

LOGIC GOES LIVE

Are you tempted by the forbidden fruit with the new
Logic 10.5? Read on to see what all the fuss is about

For once you can agree with the hype. First the non rumours; the cold, hard facts. bits. Oh, and Apple have only gone and updated
Apple have claimed that the latest Logic Logic 10.5 is massive news. The update throws in EXS24 with not one but two new sampling
10.5 update is the biggest since Pro X, but you a grown up version of the Live Loops found in options. (For some of the more desperate EXS
could argue it’s their most important update GarageBand that instantly puts Logic on a non users who have been crying out for this
ever. Heck, if you’re an Apple fanperson, this conventional compositional par with – yes we’re overhaul, an update to ‘24 is almost worth a
update might even have got you frothing that going to say it – Ableton Live. But not just that. point update in itself.) Then there’s Drum Synth,
this is the most important update for music The new Step Sequencer throws in yet another a new live Remix FX plugin and more. Like we
production – period! Of course it isn’t quite alternative to putting notes and beats together said, this is big. Logic XI big.
that, but 10.5 is one heck of an update which, that will be a familiar tempter for other
Logic user or not, you do need to know about. sequencer users (both hard and soft). iOS users Not half hearted
It might just tempt you over to the Mac, or will love the fact that Logic Control has also
even the iPad if those rumours are true. been updated to take charge of all the best new When we had a chat with Apple just as the 10.5
announcement was made, we had a chance to

16 / COMPUTER MUSIC / August 2020

logic 10.5 quick start guide / cover feature <

ask them about some of the key questions, but
first here’s their take on 10.5. While they don’t
like being quoted directly – as you know, Apple
can be mysterious to say the least – they are in
agreement about this definitely being the
biggest update since X (at least). But, they say, it
is not just about the individual additions listed
above, but how they integrate with one another.
For example, you can instantly create a Drum
Machine Designer kit using Quick Sampler, and
then instantly use that kit to program a beat
with Step Sequencer, and then create and
perform different variations of that beat with
Live Loops. Everything is designed to work
together, simple as that.

So why didn’t Apple simply jump from 10.4 to
v11 rather than just 10.5? That’s a numbering
scheme thing, they say, and every time Apple do
a ‘dot’ release it’s about feature additions not
major overhauls. So that clears that one up,
what about *whisper* the other thing?

Let’s get the elephant in the “Apple argue the idea modulation options to an incredibly, well, logical
room out of the way way to organise and map your audio.
of laying sounds on a
Yes, Live Loops is all about triggering different We have a step-by-step guide to Sampler on
cells of loops and then whole rows of these cells grid that you trigger p21, but don’t for Quick Sampler as this little
and, of course, that has been around for years, beauty is so easy to use it doesn’t really require
albeit 90-degrees shifted around in Ableton goes back to the 80s” one! Quick Sampler is now a main feeder for
Live. Well, Apple argue, the idea of laying sounds Drum Machine Designer (rather than previous
on a grid that you can trigger does go right back adjusted to fit that of the project. New Cells can plugin Ultrabeat). It is, then, great for drums and
to the 80s, with hardware like the infamous Akai be created by right>clicking on an empty Cell. loops, with an ease of slicing the latter into
MPC, so it’s not a new idea, it’s more about the You can find and load in an audio loop (on an individual hits for retriggering/programming.
implementation. They also point out that Live audio track), record a MIDI part (with a software
Loops has been in GarageBand for quite a few instrument track), add a Pattern Cell (via the Even simpler, just load in any single sampled
years now, and 10.5 is all about bringing a pro new Step Sequencer) or add both audio and sound from any instrument and it’s ready to play
version of that into Logic and to support MIDI with Record Into Cell. across the keyboard. Aside from that it features
everything in Logic that is already there. With cut down modules from Sampler, still with
this in mind, then, Live Loops can live right next Not all about Live Loops plenty of parameters to twist and turn.
to the traditional Logic track area, and any
content that works in Logic can be dragged into While Live Loops grabs headlines, there’s a lot Drum Synth is also a main supplier for Drum
it. Again, Apple say, it’s all about the integration. more going on in 10.5 that’s worthy of note. First Synth Designer and seems simple in looks, but
let’s turn to the Step Sequencer. This is quite that simplicity is its strength when it comes to
There are also one or two additions in 10.5 simply a sequencer that you’ll all know and love, quickly coming up with different drum hits. You
which take Logic’s version of Live Loops away the kind that developed on early electronic can synthesise sounds with up to eight different
from Ableton’s, including the Remix FX real-time hardware. You can delve into both beat and parameters for all the main kit components. You
automation effect plugin which can be used melody loop creation and it’s easy to get both get to twist dials like Tone, Pitch, Body, Noise and
with Logic Remote and with which complete going and plenty of editing options within them. Decay for your hits which means your core
performance effects can be created by mouse sounds are easy to come up with. You then
or finger. The results can be then easily recorded Then, of course, you can use those sequences simply load multiple instances of these into
into the Logic timeline to be worked on later. as Live Loops and drag them back into that new Drum Machine Designer to come up with a kit,
environment for some arranging and live mixing synthetic drum sounds with sampled
Live Loops in detail performance fun. We show you how all this sounds from Quick Sampler, and you then have
works on p20 in a step-by-step guide. a beautiful new kit to make beats with. Do that in
Boot the new version of Logic 10.5 up (and we Step Sequencer, load it in as a Live Loop and, hey
had it running well in Mojave if you’re worried EXS Extras presto – see what Apple mean by all these new
about needing to upgrade to Catalina) and you’ll individual components integrating so well?
not immediately see any differences. Two new The sampling side of Logic has been greatly
icons to the right of the View menu allow you to enhanced – ‘at last’, EXS24 fans will be saying – Let’s go close up on Live Loops and some of
switch on both the new Live Loops window and with the addition of Sampler and Quick Sampler. the plugins, and share some quick guides on the
the traditional Tracks area. Press Opt>V to Without wishing to dwell too much on how more complex (although not very) Step
toggle between them or Opt>B to show both EXS24 was falling behind, suffice to say Apple Sequencer and Sampler options. There’s more
environments simultaneously – one key have addressed most if not all of the concerns to Logic 10.5, like the additional Logic Control
difference over Ableton Live. with these additions. Both make working with functionality, and we’ll look at that more next
audio very, very easy and Sampler comes issue. However, with Live Loops, Sampler, Quick
You can trigger each of the Cells in Live Loops packed with modules aplenty to add synth and Sampler and Drum Synth – the latter two feeding
simply by pressing each; as many as you like in a Drum Machine Designer which is completely
vertical line, only one per track in a horizontal refreshed – that’s more than enough to be
(like we said it’s Ableton Live shifted on its side getting on with. Just what will Pro XI bring?
but don’t worry, that’s enough Live comparisons
until next month). Hitting the space bar stops
playback while CMD>Return resets Cells. Entire
vertical lines of Cells (Scenes) can be triggered
with the arrow icons at the bottom of each.

10.5 comes with a library of 2,500 new loops
(and 17 Live Loops templates) ready to load in
but you can import any type of loops you like –
audio or MIDI – and the tempo, not key, will be

August 2020 / COMPUTER MUSIC / 17

> cover feature / logic 10.5 quick start guide

LOGIC 10.5’s MAIN UPDATES

NEW ADDITIONS

Here’s what Live Loops, Quick Sampler, Remix FX and
Drum Synth look like up close. Turn over for more on the
Step Sequencer and Sampler options

YOU’RE JUST TWO ICONS AWAY… CELLS DRAG CONTENT TO TRACKS
Just these tiny icons stand between old Logic Cells can be created on both MIDI Both MIDI and audio-based
and new Live Logic. The one on the left calls and audio tracks and trigger when Cells will create standard parts
up Live Loops; the right-hand one, the clicked, starting a clock-like rotation. on tracks when dragged to the
traditional track area. Both can be toggled Space bar stops; CMD>RTN resets track area

CHANGE OF SCENE NEW CELL CONTENTS SIDE-BY-SIDE
Hit each of these arrow Created by right-clicking an empty Cell and A big plus in Logic 10.5 is that
icons to start an entire filled with pretty much anything you like, your traditional track view can be
column of Cells as a Scene including MIDI, audio and Patterns by way of side-by-side with Live Loops for
the Step Sequencer (see next page) easy transfer between the two

18 / COMPUTER MUSIC / August 2020

logic 10.5 quick start guide / cover feature <

MAIN OPTIONS Quick Sampler
Record audio directly in, A cut-down easy Sampler
display Classic or One Shot
and slice and dice your drum MODULES
loop for individual beat Some of the functionality
playback here of Sampler in cut-down
modules, but with a
MAIN WINDOW decent number of
To drag or load your sample parameters to edit
in. You can easily make
basic start and end point ENVELOPES
edits plus fade in and out Edit how your samples play
and fade (which you can
GO LOOPY also do with the pencil tools
Set your root key, loop in the main window)
forwards, backwards
or alternate here

Drum Synth
Any drum sound in an analogue-style way

DON’T WANT TO SIMPLE BUT VERY
FIDDLE? EFFECTIVE
Dozens of presets You get up to eight
to load in here parameters to tweak your
drum sounds to perfection
SYNTHESISE ANY
DRUM HIT SOUND AUDITION
With four main categories and Hit this and hear!
24 sub categories you can
choose many varied drums
sounds to start editing

Remix FX CRUSHING
Real-time effects by mouse or finger A bitcrushing-type
effect that increases
R=REPEATS as you dial up
Stuttery-type editing here
that increases as you move STOP/START EFFECTS
the slider vertically upwards Slow down, vinyl stop,
reverse and scratch
REAL TIME CONTROL effects here
Control your X-Y parameters
here by moving around the
mouse, or fingers via the iOS
Logic Control app

August 2020 / COMPUTER MUSIC / 19

>  cover feature  /  logic 10.5 quick start guide

> Step by step 1. Best use of the Step Sequencer

1 There are many different ways to 2 Now right-click on the track and select 3 Now the main Step Sequencer grid will
incorporate the new Logic Step Create Pattern Region from the appear with the 16 parts from left to
Sequencer, but here’s one of the quickest resulting drop-down menu. This will right. Press E to toggle this grid on and off.
ways to explore it. Select a preset sound – create a Step Sequencer Pattern within Audition the sounds by hitting their icons
we’re opting for some of the new your looped area which defaults to 16 running down the left-hand side of the
electronic drum kits (which, as you can parts. We’re looping over four bars so screen (or anywhere around the name).
see, we’re still in the middle of each one responds to a beat. Now it’s simply a matter of filling in your
downloading). Drag this to a track. beats as the pattern cycles around.

4 Don’t want to hear the beat when you 5 You can also change the timing of 6 Now explore the menus. Velocity/
hit a step? Hit the green MIDI icon (or each track by clicking the drop-down Value lets you alter parameters
Opt>O). We’ve also put some hi-hats in menu (here on the 1/16 part of the track) to including the actual sound (using the Note
over the first two and a half bars. Press select different intervals. Select 1/8, for option, which lets you select a different
Shift and drag when you click a step and example and just the hats will play half kits sound on each track). Note Repeat is a
want to fill a row, to ensure that you don’t time, although the graphics don’t great one as it allows you to drag up from
move the contents over to another track necessarily show this as you might expect the bottom of each cell for repeat effects
by accident. (but you will hear what you expect!) and you can very quickly get some great
stutters going.

7 Want to increase the number of steps? 8 Of course it’s not just beats you can 9 It doesn’t end there. With Logic 10.5, as
Easy. Click the drop-down Steps menu use Step Sequencer with. Here we’ve Apple told us, everything is
to choose up to 64 steps. Go all the way up repeated the steps above to very quickly compatible so you can very quickly drag
to the maximum and it splits it into 32 add a bass sequencer from Synthmaster your new sequences into Live Loops for all
divisions on two tabbed pages so you to our beats. You get a number of key and the live performance and arranging fun
don’t have to squint. You have this ‘two- melody options and, quite simply, this is that will give you. Great stuff.
tab’ option for other step sizes as well. one of the quickest ways to get a tune.

20  /  COMPUTER MUSIC  /  August 2020

logic 10.5 quick start guide  /  cover feature  <

> Step by step 2. An introduction to Sampler

1 We’re now going to take a tour of 2 Now we’re going to load some audio 3 You can edit the audio in the Zone
another of the great new features that into Sampler. There are several ways window or spread the sample across
comes with Logic 10.5: Sampler. This is a to do this but for demo purposes, we’re the keyboard range so that more keys play
bigger and more feature-packed version going to drag a guitar sound we have on it (polyphonically if you wish). In order to
of Quick Sampler, although they share an audio track into the Zone area as have the sound play the correct time,
many of the same characteristics. Learn shown. You may need to open the rather than faster up the keyboard or
this and you should be good to go with Mapping module and here you will see slower down, press the Follow Tempo
Quick Sampler. Open a software your sample on note C1 which is the key button as indicated.
instrument track and select Sampler. on your keyboard that will activate it.

4 So now we have the audio file in and 5 Now you can see that Logic has 6 Now you might want to edit how your
mapped across several keys. However identified the root sample as really sample fades in and out. You can do
the root note is currently C1, but we’re not being E1 rather than C1 and mapped it this via the pencil icons which default to
quite sure if that’s correct. We can get accordingly. (We’ve zoomed in and the sample start and end points. Drag
Logic to analyse the original sample and cropped the range). This is one of the best them either way to fade in or out.
map it into the correct position on the Sampler features as you can take a simple Alternatively use the Modulators section
keyboard by selecting the Automap Using sample – say a classic synth sound – and and the Env Amp 1 option to adjust the
Pitch Detection option from the Zone easily make an entire ‘instrument’ out of it attack and decay times as shown.
drop-down menu. by mapping it across your keyboard.

7 Looping is just as easy. Select the 8 There’s so much more you can do in POWER TIP
Mode drop-down menu at the bottom Sampler, like exploring the Synth
of the screen which will say ‘No Loop’ and section. Here, for example, we’ve applied >Use the presets
select Forward. You will then get a loop Filter 1 to our guitar sample, and are now
start and end icon which you can adjust. modulating the filter frequency with a Not so much a power tip here but to
This will loop the contents forwards. random value to get a dynamic squelchy make sure you know of and use the
Reverse does it backwards, while sound with loads of movement. Lots to presets that come with Sampler. It
Alternate bounces betwixt the two. experiment with here! comes with many preset sounds in a
dozen categories including Acoustic
Pianos and Pop Strings and there
are some great ones to audition, if
only to see how samples can be
mapped and to learn about best
practice when using Sampler. Enjoy
Logic 10.5 and send us your tips to
[email protected].

August 2020  /  COMPUTER MUSIC  /  21



bass special / make music now <

BASS

SPECIAL

Over the next 16 pages we have
all you need to produce perfect
synth, sub and sampled bass…

24 Synth bass 37 Sub bass

How to make a variety of synth bass Understanding how to design an
sounds using Dune CM, plus some effective sub is an essential skill for
of the biggest synths out there any contemporary producer,
including Native Instruments’ especially as subs can underpin so
Massive, Massive X and FM8. many different genres. Here’s how to
produce the perfect sub bass with
31 Bass tips Massive, Kontakt and, of course, our
very own Plugin Suite.
We have a huge range of bass
production tips covering everything On the DVD
including bass design, programming
basslines, arranging and mixing bass Don’t want to program your own
and even – if you’re brave – moving sounds? We’ve got you covered with
into the outside world to record real nearly 600 bass samples on this
bass instruments! month’s DVD or at filesilo.co.uk

August 2020 / COMPUTER MUSIC / 23

SYNTH

BASS
Synthesis is one of the quickest and,
potentially, easiest methods of creating
awesome bass sounds from scratch.
Here’s how it’s done…

Samples and presets are all very well, but if you functionality, and their seemingly endless options
really want to get the best possible bass sounds quickly go from being intimidating to offering an
for your tracks, then nothing beats being able to enticing plethora of creative possibilities.
synthesise them yourself from the ground up. Sure,
even a novice can tweak a synth’s factory sounds In these walkthroughs, we’ll show you how easy it is
and come up with something passable, but this sort to use a variety of difficult-sounding synthesis
of ‘luck-based’ approach can waste time rather than techniques (including frequency, ring and pulse width
save it. With a basic understanding of the modulation) to conjure up a variety of useful bass
fundamentals of synthesis, you can work far more sounds, from simple percussive tones to phase
quickly and get much better-sounding results. modulating hits and huge, rumbling legato monsters.
Of course, today’s software synths are packed with We’ll not only give you step-by-step instructions, but
features, and while this complexity gives them also explain why each stage of the process is
enormous creative potential, it can be a little scary for important, helping even the most nervous newbie to
the newcomer. Even relatively simple synths like u-he’s get their head around the core techniques of bass
Diva or NI’s Super 8 have dozens upon dozens of synthesis. Links are provided to the demo of each
parameters, features and routing options. However, synth used in case you don’t have access to the
despite their complex interfaces, soft synths are complete version, while Dune CM is included with our
generally easy to use when you understand their basic awesome Plugins suite which, of course, includes a
selection of other great synths to experiment with.

24 / COMPUTER MUSIC / August 2020

synth bass / bass special <

> Step by step 1. Basic bass synthesis

TUTORIAL

FILES

1 Launch your DAW and load Dune CM (the installers for which are in 2 Turn the Cutoff knob in the Filter panel down to 0%, and the
the CM Plugins folder at filesilo.co.uk) onto an instrument track. Env(elope) up to 65%. The Filter Envelope now modulates Dune
Initialise the synth by clicking the Bank B button in the centre panel. By CM’s low-pass filter cutoff frequency. The envelope’s Sustain level is set
default, Oscillator 1 is set to the sawtooth waveform, which generates to 100% by default, but turn it down to 75% and you’ll hear the Cutoff
both even and odd harmonics. It really fills up the frequency range, but drop quickly at the start of each note. Taking out the high frequencies
we can turn it into a bass sound with a little filtering. like this gives the sound a more bassy feel.

3 This combination of sawtooth oscillator and low-pass filtering 4 You’ll notice that the further up the keyboard you play, the more
gives us a simple synthesis of a picked electric bass sound. We can muffled the sound becomes. This is because the low-pass filter
smooth it out a little by turning the Amplitude and Filter Envelope’s cutoff remains at the same level. However, if you set the Key Track
Release times up to 10%. Activate the Mono button in the Output panel knob in the Filter panel to 50% the Cutoff will follow the note played,
so that you can only play the sound monophonically – that is, one note giving you a consistent tone across the entire keyboard. (Audio: 4.
at a time. Sawtooth bass)

5 We can get a generic synth bass sound by setting Oscillator 1’s 6 The swift filter envelope movement gives the sound a burst of
waveform to a square shape – do this by clicking the Square icon in harmonics at the start that makes it feel percussive. We can
the Oscillator 1 panel. Square waves only use odd harmonics and have customise the sound by adjusting the filter and envelope settings. For
a rounder, bouncier tone that sawtooths, making them ideal for bass example, we can create a garage-style ‘reverse’ bass by setting the
sounds. (Audio: 5. Square bass) Filter Envelope’s Attack to 50%. (Audio: 6. Reverse bass)

August 2020 / COMPUTER MUSIC / 25

> bass special / synth bass

> Step by step 2. Percussive synth bass with FM8

TUTORIAL

FILES

1 We can create an even more percussive bass sound with 2 In the synth’s default state, a single operator is active, giving us a
frequency modulation (FM) synthesis. Native Instruments’ FM8 is very simple sine wave tone. By modulating the active operator, we
arguably the best FM synth on the market, and if you don’t own it you can add some energy in the harmonics above the fundamental
can download the demo from www.native-instruments.com. Load FM8 frequency. Click the Expert button in the menu on the left to call up the
up on a MIDI track in your DAW. modulation matrix. Right-click Operator E to activate it.

3 Drag up in the box below Operator E to make it modulate Operator 4 This gives us a different timbre, and FM is particularly useful for
F. Turning it right up to 100 gives us something like a sawtooth bass sounds thanks to its ability to create punchy, percussive
wave. Now click Operator E to bring up its parameters. Rather than transients. Drag the white square at the top right-hand corner of the
using filters to take the harmonics out, we’re using FM to add them. envelope down to the bottom. This causes the level of Operator E to
drop quickly. Now when you play a note you’ll hear a bass sound with a
burst of harmonics at the start. (Audio: 4. FM bass)

5 We can change the timbre of the FM-generated harmonics by 6 We’ve just created a harmonically rich bass tone that would be
adjusting Operator E’s pitch. To do this, turn your attention to the very much at home in deep house or melodic techno. You can
Ratio at the top left-hand corner of the operator’s parameters. Drag up adjust how strong the modulation is (and thus how obvious the
on it to set it to 2.00. This means that it plays at twice its original pitch. harmonics are, and how punchy the bass is) by changing how much
We can’t hear the output of this operator directly, but we can certainly Operator E modulates Operator F. For example, a setting of 64 gives us
hear the effect it has on Operator F. (Audio: 5. Higher ratio) a much more mellow sound. (Audio: 6. Mellow bass)

26 / COMPUTER MUSIC / August 2020

synth bass  /  bass special  <

> Step by step 3. Legato bass with pulse width modulation in Massive

FTUITLOREIASL 2 Select File»New Sound to initialise the patch. Click Oscillator 1’s
wavetable name and select Pulse-Saw PWM from the VA (virtual
1 PWM (pulse width modulation) is a great tool for creating analogue) section of the menu that appears. Turn the Pls-Saw Pos knob
sustained bass sounds with organic, rhythmic movement. We’ll all the way down. This makes the sound disappear completely!
use NI’s Massive to make this sound – again, you can download the
demo from www.native-instruments.com if you don’t own the synth.
Launch your DAW and put Massive on a MIDI track.

3 That’s because the Pulse Width knob is turned all the way up, 4 Leave the Pulse Width knob at 12 o’clock and drag LFO 5’s
thinning the sound out until it becomes non-existent. Play and modulation handle into the first slot underneath it. Drag up on the
hold a note, then gradually turn the Pulse Width knob down. You’ll hear slot to set the modulation amount to the level shown above. Click the 5
the sound reappear, and if you sweep it rapidly around the 12 o’clock LFO tab to bring up its controls, and turn the XFade Curve all the way
position the PWM generates a rich, buzzy tone. up so that we’re modulating the Pulse Width with a pure sine shape.
(Audio: 4. Raw PWM)

5 This gives us a big, rhythmic synth tone that’s ripe for filtering. 6 Click the Voicing tab and select Monophon to put the synth in
Click Filter 1’s filter type, and select Lowpass 2 from the list. Turn monophonic mode. Set the Trigger mode to Legato. In Legato
the Resonance down to minimum and set the Cutoff to 11 o’clock. The mode, playing overlapping notes will cause the pitch of the first to
Cutoff will automatically follow whatever notes you play, so there’s no glide to that of the second; the speed of this movement is determined
need to activate key tracking manually. (Audio: 5. Filtered PWM) by the Glide Time knob in the Osc panel. (Audio: 6. Legato PWM)

August 2020  /  COMPUTER MUSIC  /  27

>  bass special  /  synth bass

> Step by step 4. Create an FM bassline using Massive X’s phase modulation oscillators

1 Turning our attention to the latest Massive X, this is now the 2 Play a simple monophonic riff in the G1 region. Only Osc 1 is
weapon of choice for countless producers. Grab the demo from playing, and by dragging its wavetable Position dial fully
www.native-instruments.com. We’ll stick with the modulation theme anticlockwise, we’re left with the most basic of sounds: a pure sine
now, using the synth’s phase modulation options to create a frequency wave. This will be our ‘carrier’ (ie, audible) oscillator.
modulation bassline. Begin with the default Init – Massive X patch.

3 Massive X’s two inaudible Phase Modulation oscs – ‘operators’ in 4 To control the influence of PM1’s effect over the course of each
FM speak – can modulate the frequency of the two audible new note, hook up a modulator (the Exciter Envelope is a good
oscillators. Lighting up Osc 1’s PM1 button engages the first Phase choice) to quickly open and close Osc 1’s PM1 Amount. A tight
Modulation osc’s effect over Osc 1, and raising the PM1 dial intros the introduction over the front end of each note creates an initial
effect. Hear how the sine’s timbre gets more complex as the PM osc percussive strike, giving us a typical FM house or techno bass sound.
adds sideband harmonics.

5 Contrastingly, by introducing the modulation envelope’s influence 6 The PM oscillator’s Ratio amount sets the odd osc’s tuning in
over PM1 amount more slowly, the phase modulation becomes relation to the main oscillator. Experiment with different values to
less of a sharp ‘donk’ and more of a ‘warp’ effect. This is more of a bass hear the impact this makes to the resulting change in timbre – high
sound you’d hear in garage or grime. Take time adjusting envelope ratio values create are useful for creating more dissonant ‘screech’
settings to fine-tune the timbral change over time. effects, while a lower ratio of ½ gives us a thicker ‘wob’ timbre.

28  /  COMPUTER MUSIC  /  August 2020

synth bass  /  bass special  <

> Step by step 5. Big, dirty bass with unison and ring modulation in Dune CM

FTUITLOREIASL 2 Click the Bank B button to get an initialised patch. Set Oscillator 1’s
waveform to square, and turn the Ring Mod knob in the Osc
1 When you want to create a big, full frequency-range bass sound, Common panel up to 100%. This causes Oscillator 2 to act as a ring
you’ll need to employ more advanced synthesis tricks. Ring modulation source for Oscillator 1, changing the timbre of its output.
modulation and unison detune are great tools for getting big bass Set Oscillator 2’s waveform to square, too. (Audio: 2 Ring mod)
tones, and Dune CM is capable of both. Launch your DAW and put
Dune CM on a MIDI track.

3 This gives us a really bold, full-sounding timbre. Turn Oscillator 2’s 4 Now it’s time for some unison detune. In the Unison panel, set the
Semi(tone) knob down to -12. This tunes the oscillator down an number of Voices to 8. All these voices boost the output level and
octave. We can’t hear its output directly, but we can hear how it affects cause the channel to clip, so set the Volume knob in the Output panel
Oscillator 1 – it now sounds lower and beefier. (Audio: 3. Semi tuning) to 25%. (Audio: 4. Unison detune)

5 Set the Spread knob to 100%, which pans half of the voices hard 6 Turn the Detune knob up until you get the right level of buzzy
left and the rest hard right, giving us a wide stereo sound. This isn’t intensity – we’re going for 12% here. Activate the Mono button in
ideal for all bass sounds (particularly not subs, which work best in the the Output panel to make the patch monophonic, and you can also try
centre of a mix), but for bass elements that occupy the mid turning up the Glide time for a bendy portamento effect. (Audio: 6.
frequencies it can work well. It also has the side effect of making room Detune and glide)
for mono elements such as beats and sub in the centre of the mix.

August 2020  /  COMPUTER MUSIC  /  29



essential bass tips  /  bass special  <

37

BASSE S S E N T I A L
TIPS

More than three dozen priceless nuggets of
bass production wisdom. Work through

them methodically or just dip in when you
need instant b-line inspiration

These days, producers and artists have are designed to make you think again about the
access to music-making tools of such high way you approach composing, recording,
quality and versatility, that creating a decent- programming, arranging and mixing your
sounding bassline might seem like the easiest basslines. With any luck, they’ll help you to do at
thing in the world; but the problem, of course, least some of these things better.
is that everyone has access to these tools. As
you marvel at how simple it is to fire up a bass There’s no magic formula here – hitting the
preset on a synth, program a one-note low-end sweet spot can be as much about trial
pattern and loop it across your track, bear in and error as it is about flashes of inspiration –
mind that all of your contemporaries will but what we can say is that a great bassline is
have the option to take this path of least the sum of many parts. You might have come up
resistance, too – which means the ones who’ll with a floor-shaking sound, but what good is
stand out are those who work a bit harder. that if you haven’t programmed a decent
To put it another way, we’d argue that you groove? Alternatively, your ear for a catchy
bassline might be well trained, but if you can’t
should give your bass parts the attention they make yours sit properly in the mix, its earworm
properties will be lost.
deserve, as otherwise they run the risk of
Winning the bass race, then, isn’t going to be
sounding at best generic, and at worst pretty easy – but with as your personal trainer,
you’re off to a flying start.
lousy. Hence we present the following four

pages of tips: these bite-sized chunks of advice

August 2020  /  COMPUTER MUSIC  /  31

> bass special / essential bass tips

Designing bass sounds

01 THINK DIFFERENT

If you’re struggling to get the kind of bass
sound that you’re looking for, why not think
out of the box and try something completely
different? It’s not unheard of for producers to
use pitched-down woodwind instruments to
create basslines – try a bass clarinet, for
example. You might need to apply a bit of
processing, but this can create a nice, buzzy
bass tone.

02 EASY ON THE REVERB If you’re looking to add depth, panning effects like Cableguys’ PanShaper 3 can do more than reverb

If you think your bassline needs a little more 05 OPEN THE ENVELOPE 08 THE ART OF NOISE
ambience or depth, it can be tempting to throw
a reverb over it. Our advice is to tread carefully Once you’ve got your low-pass filter set to the See that noise generator on your favourite
in this area, as doing that can often do more right position, try using an envelope routed to bass synth? As the name suggests, it’s not
harm than good. Other effects – panning or the cutoff to open the sound very briefly as there to keep quiet; try mixing a bit of white or
chorus, for example – are usually more each new note is played. This provides extra pink noise in with your main bass sound to
suitable, and you can get good results from articulation so that the listener will really be keep the interest levels up. This doesn’t have to
layering up bass sounds, too. able to hear where each bass note plays. The be there all the way through, but it can make a
nice addition during an alternate section such
as a bridge or breakdown.

09 MAKE IT IN MONO

It’s usually better to create your basslines in
mono rather than stereo, so that they come
from a fixed, narrow source. It might sound
dull, but panning centrally is generally
advisable, too. If you are working with a stereo
synth preset, look carefully at the internal
effects it uses and turn off the ones that add
stereo width – unless width is something
you’re actively going for.

10 AUTOMATED PUMP

Do you want to get a pumping bassline without
the bother of sidechaining a compressor? The
quick and dirty way to do it is to automate the
gain of your bassline so that it rises and falls
rhythmically, though it should be said that this
technique might not give such smooth results
as doing the job properly would.

When you’re adjusting your amp envelope, bear in mind that most bass sounds have fast attack times 11 SOUND DESIGN TIME

03 STRIP IT BACK… best settings to use when doing this are short Perfecting your bass sound can be an
attack and decay times, and no sustain. engrossing process, but it can become
Most synthesisers these days come pre-loaded frustrating if you’re trying to do it in a session
with a slew of high-quality bass presets, many 06 ATTACK, ATTACK, ATTACK! when you’re also working on the composition
of which sound big enough to cause a minor of your bassline. Make sure you set aside
earthquake. Sometimes, though, less is Getting your amplifier envelope settings right dedicated time to get into the finer details of
definitely more, and you might find that you’re is crucial. If you’re emulating an electric bass, your bass tone.
better off pulling out some basic synthesis for example, go for a fast attack, long decay, no
techniques and going to work on simple sustain and a fairly fast release. You can make A noise generator, included in many synths, can add
oscillator waveforms. your own choices when you’re creating a another level of interest to your bass sound
synthetic tone but, as a general rule, nearly all
04 …FILTER IT OUT basslines need fast attack times. A bass that
sounds like it’s coming in late is not good.
That said, even if you’re drawn to musical
styles that regularly feature sine-wave 07 GET CLEAN
basslines, it can be better to use a core sound
that’s richer in frequency content and then use Sampling basslines from existing tracks is
a low-pass filter to remove unwanted common practice, but it can sometimes be
harmonics. Doing this means that you can difficult to capture a clean groove that doesn’t
automate filter changes as your track feature any other parts. Try using a low-pass
progresses. A sine wave contains no filter to get rid of the high-frequency sounds,
harmonics, so there’s nothing to filter. leaving you with just the bottom end.

32 / COMPUTER MUSIC / August 2020

essential bass tips / bass special <

Programming bass

12 PLAY IT NOT SO STRAIGHT

Quantise can be very useful for tidying up
recordings or locking a bassline to the grid, but
don’t be a slave to it. Some basslines will
benefit from being left ‘as is’, while others are
better ‘creatively quantised’ using the groove
template features of your DAW. Don’t forget
the good old swing function, either.

13 SLIDE AWAY Roland’s TB-303 was famous for its Slide control – a now-ubiquitous function also referred to as glide or portamento

For creating smooth basslines, with the pitch
of one note sliding nicely into another, your
synth’s portamento control (also known as
glide) is your friend. Engaging it should give
you the desired effect, and it can work
wonders on electric, acoustic and synthesised
basslines. Don’t feel like you have to use it
throughout the whole track, though – it can
have more impact when dropped in at
opportune moments using automation.

14 PERFECT PAIR plugin, there’s nothing to stop you doing it MIDI editor. Outright plagiarism is probably
manually instead. Layering up samples of such best avoided, though.
The relationship between your kick and bass sounds on certain notes can be great for
will be instrumental in the success of most accenting them – simply place them on a new 17 DOUBLE UP
tracks, and it’s something that is really best audio track and adjust the volume to taste.
nailed down early on in the production process There may be occasions when you want your
of your song. This is because the combination 16 LEARN FROM THE BEST bassline to mimic another part of your
is most likely going to be your track’s ‘engine arrangement exactly in order to emphasise it.
room’, as it were, and getting it right will give They say that imitation is the sincerest form of In these cases, there’s no need to record the
you a solid base on which to build the rest of flattery, so if you have a bassline in mind that bassline from scratch: simply copy the MIDI
your tune. you want the one you’re working on to sound data from the existing track to your bassline’s.
like, why not try emulating it first to get a feel You may need to drop it down an octave or
15 HANDS ON for its groove and musical structure? Once two, but doing this should save you some time.
you’ve done this, you might find that you can
There are loads of products on the market that come up with the bassline you’ve been looking 18 PITCH-PERFECT
enable you to add typical bass-playing ‘extra’ for just by moving a few notes around in your
sounds (picks, string squeaks, scratches, etc) Deep basslines are crucial to some genres, but
to your parts, but if you don’t have a suitable it can be hard to hear if the one you’re creating
actually fits with the rest of your track when it’s
pitched down so low. If you’re wrestling with
this problem, try pitching your bass patch up a
few octaves to make sure you’re in the right
key and on the right track.

19 JUST DROPPED IN

Similarly, you can actually go so far as to
replace a few MIDI-triggered bass notes in a
phrase with real ones from a recorded bassline.
Chop them up and drop them in where they
work best, but don’t forget to use short fades
at the ends of these notes to avoid clicks.

20 LET’S GATE IT ON

Don’t underestimate the usefulness of gating.
Try applying a gate to an unruly bassline and
feeding your kick drum channel into its
sidechain input. This will ensure that your bass
notes and kicks trigger simultaneously for a
punchy, tight, clubby sound.

Applying a gate plugin such as FabFilter’s Pro-G can really help bring your bass part into line with your kick drum 21 HEAR THE HARMONIES

Your bassline will often follow the root notes of
the chords being played by other instruments,
but experimenting with other notes can have
real benefits. The whole flavour of a song can
be transformed if you change the bass notes to
others that harmonise with your chords.

August 2020 / COMPUTER MUSIC / 33

> bass special / essential bass tips

Arranging and mixing bass

22 DELAYED GRATIFICATION

Many of the best basslines are practically
hooks in themselves, but don’t feel like you
always have to show off the Crown Jewels
immediately. Sure, a bassline can be a great
introduction to a track, but there’s a lot to be
said for holding it back for a few bars to build
anticipation, too. Also, try starting with a
simplified version of the bassline and building
up to the full groove gradually.

23 FILTER FIDDLING

If you want to introduce a big bassline as part
of a drop, one well-worn trick is to use a high-
pass filter during the eight bars (for example)
leading up to it. If you automate this so that the
lower frequencies of the sound are introduced
gradually, you’ll build anticipation and create a
bigger impact when the full sound kicks in.

24 KEEP CHANGIN’ Mixing your bass parts successfully will be mighty tricky without some decent monitors, so invest in a pair

Even if you think you’ve got the best bassline frequencies are working. If you can’t stretch to single buss so that you can apply processing to
in the world, try to resist the temptation just to one of these, a spectrum analyser can give you them together while also retaining the ability
loop it across your entire track and leave it as it a visual guide to what’s going on down there. to tweak each layer individually.
is. Subtle changes to note timings at certain
points can have a greater impact than you
might expect, and little flourishes at the end of
every four- or eight-bar section (or just before
a chorus, for example) can help to keep things
interesting for the listener.

25 SORT OUT YOUR 27 THE CLASH 29 FILL IT UP…
SPEAKERS…
Although the bass guitar and kick drum can be Is your bassline lacking fullness? Try sweeping
Everyone knows that a decent monitoring best friends, their frequencies sometimes a bell-shaped EQ boost between around
setup is crucial for fruitful mixing, but this is clash. If you’re having this problem, try 500Hz down to 150Hz. A broad boost of just a
particularly true for basslines. You won’t really notching out some of the kick frequencies few dB can often be enough to provide the low-
be able to hear what’s going on with your low- from the bass part. A spectrum analyser can mid glue that’s required.
end frequencies if you don’t have a good set of help you to find these (try starting your search
speakers (or, at a push, some high-quality around 90Hz). Once you’ve located them, use 30 …OR EMPTY IT OUT
production headphones), so investing in some a narrow Q to pull a few dB from the bass.
is highly recommended. You might also find that your mix is sounding
28 GET ON THE BUSS too full in this same range. In this situation, it
26 …AND YOUR SUB might be the case that the frequencies of other
As we’ve mentioned elsewhere, it’s common instruments – pianos, guitars and synth pads,
One other option is to add a sub-woofer to practice to create a bassline using multiple for example – are cramping your bass’s style,
your setup. This will enable you to get a much layers. When the time comes to start mixing, it so each one will require individual attention in
better feel for how your bassline’s sub can be very useful to route these layers to a order to strip things back a bit.

Adding a little variation to your MIDI programming can go a long way towards Using a frequency analyser – such as Blue Cat Audio’s FreqAnalyst Pro – enables you to
creating a bassline that captures your listeners’ attention throughout the track view your kick drum and bass response on one graph

34 / COMPUTER MUSIC / August 2020

essential bass tips / bass special <

Recording bass

31 TUNE UP

It sounds obvious, but you’d be amazed at the
number of recordings we hear that feature an
out-of-tune bassline. There really is no excuse
for it, particularly when your DAW will either
have a built-in tuner or be capable of hosting a
plugin that does the job.

32 BUZZ OFF

That buzz you can hear on your bass recording
might initially sound like it adds character, but
it’ll quickly become annoying. If you’re getting
noise in your signal when you record, try
moving your bass player around, as the likes of
monitors, lights, mobile phones and ground
loops can all cause it.

33 SAME BUT DIFFERENT You can get tuning applications for your smartphone these days, so there’s absolutely no excuse for your double
bass player not being pitch-perfect
It’s easy to assume that all bass guitars are
born equal, but you’ll get a different type of
sound depending on the instrument that
you’re recording. Fender Precision and
Rickenbacker 4000 series basses are favoured
by rock acts, for example, while the likes of the
Fender Jazz and Music Man StingRay tend to
be used by pop and funk artists. So, if your
player has several different guitars, make sure
he or she uses the right one for the job.

34 WHICH WAY TO PLAY?

Similarly, there are several bass-playing
techniques, each of which will give you a
decidedly different kind of sound. Fingered
bass is arguably the most versatile, providing a
full, rounded tone, while picked bass has
plenty of attack and cuts through the mix. And
then, of course, there’s slap bass, which in the
wrong hands can turn out very badly indeed.

35 BEST OF BOTH WORLDS Experimenting with
microphone technique can
People frequently ask if it’s better to record a result in some interesting
clean DI’d output or an amplified one, but the bass sounds
truth is that it’s often better to use both signals.
If possible, you should keep the two separate
at the recording stage so that they can be
mixed together later. An alternative option is
to record just the DI signal, then feed it into an
amp simulator that enables you to blend it with
the processed sound, as some of them do.

36 RECORD EVERYTHING

If your bass player is having a few practice runs
prior to recording their part for real, why not
try surreptitiously hitting the red button and
getting these down as well? Some musicians
can put too much pressure on themselves
when they’re ‘going for one’, and you might
find that the loose dummy run ends up
sounding better than the ‘real’ recordings.

37 MESS WITH YOUR MICS Consider what playing style
you want your bassist to use –
There are various accepted ways to record a
bass amp, but if you want to get creative, try fingered and picked basses
sticking a mic round the back of the amp as produce different tones
well. This can be used to capture a phase-
inverted version of the front mic, and can lead
to some very interesting sounds.

August 2020 / COMPUTER MUSIC / 35



sub bass  /  bass special  <

BSAUSBS

If you don’t reach the bottom, how can you hit the top?
Get the lowdown on making your subs sound sweet

Sub bass is a music production term Subsequently, early DnB tracks like Urban complementary mids, and use filtering to
typically used to refer to frequencies in Shakedown’s Some Justice (bit.ly/2Vs7Giv) and generate subs from full-frequency-range
the range 20-80Hz – the lowest limit of Kromozone’s The Rush (bit.ly/2Vqin5e) began sounds. When using this stuff in your music,
human hearing. Although many acoustic and to put sub bass gymnastics centre stage, and by bear in mind that such extreme low end is hard
electric instruments generate frequencies in the time dubstep rolled around in the early to monitor correctly.
this region, sub bass only really became a noughties, huge subs were de rigueur.
usable sonic tool in its own right in the 80s, Nowadays, even pop music has to rock the Most rooms have a fundamental frequency in
when the booming kicks of the Roland bottom end, so understanding how to get the the region of 20-200Hz, which has a negative
TR-808 and single-cycle test tones of various most out of the sub-80Hz range is an absolute effect on low-end reproduction and makes it
Akai samplers became available to dance essential for any producer of music. hard to judge what your subs are doing. This
producers. This resulted in records like LFO’s being the case, we strongly recommend the use
LFO (bit.ly/1ooH3oo) and JJ Fad’s Supersonic In this guide to synthesising sub bass, we’ll of headphones and spectral analysis tools in
(bit.ly/1sJhyOg). show you how to create awesome bottom-end order to double-check your sound design and
sounds from scratch and layer them up with mixing choices.

August 2020  /  COMPUTER MUSIC  /  37

>  bass special  /  sub bass

> Step by step 1. Synthesising a basic sub

TUTORIAL 2 Click the Bank B button to initialise the preset. Change Oscillator 1
from a sawtooth wave to a sine by hitting the sine button at the top
FILES left-hand corner of the interface. It clicks a little at the start and end of
the sound, but you can remedy this by turning the Amp Envelope’s
1 Synthesising sub bass is a very simple job using practically any Attack and Release up to 15% each. (Audio: 2. Sine sub)
synth, but there are a few tricks you can use to enhance the sound
and make it easier to work into your mixes. We’re going to use Dune
CM to make our sub – you can find the installers for it at filesilo.co.uk.
Launch your DAW and add Dune CM to a MIDI track.

3 Typically, you’ll only want to play a sub bass monophonically, so 4 Add Voxengo SPAN (free from voxengo.com) to your DAW’s master
activate the Mono button in the Output panel. Because we’re using output. This shows us the signal’s harmonic content; with a sine
a sine tone, our sub only has a single harmonic – ie, no sonic oscillator we only get a single peak. Click the Sel button in Dune CM’s
‘information’ above the note you play it on. While this is useful in many Oscillator 1 panel, then drag up on the waveform display below to
circumstances, in others that extra energy might actually be desirable. select waveform 10. This triangle waveform has odd harmonics like a
square wave, but they roll off more quickly, giving us a warm, bassy
sound. (Audio: 4. Triangle sub)

5 To get more control over these harmonics, set Oscillator 1’s 6 Another way to add interest to the sound is to process it. Try
waveshape to square, then, in the Filter panel, set the Key Track adding your DAW’s saturation effect to pull out the harmonics in
knob to 50% and turn the Cutoff down to around 30%. Turning the the low end, or sample rate reduction to do the same at the high end.
Cutoff up or down slightly makes the sub brighter or duller. When Both of these effects can help the sub to be heard more clearly on
you’re done, turn the Cutoff back up to 100% and return Oscillator 1 to playback systems that don’t effectively recreate the lowest octaves.
a sine shape. (Audio: 5. Square sub.wav) (Audio: 6. Processed sine sub)

38  /  COMPUTER MUSIC  /  August 2020

sub bass  /  bass special  <

> Step by step 2. Using pitch modulation to add punch

TUTORIAL 2 Click Bank B to load the initialised preset, and set the waveshape of
Oscillator A to sine. Next, click the Mod Matrix 1>12 button to bring
FILES up the modulation matrix. Set the second row of the matrix to Source:
Mod Env, Destination: Osc 1 Semi, Amount: +12. Now when you play a
1 Applying swift downward pitch movement to a sub bass is a great note you’ll hear the pitch rapidly drop from an octave up at the start of
way to make it punchier. Pitch-modulated sine tones can be used the sound. (Audio: 2. Quick kick)
to create devastating bass bombs and banging 808-style bass drum
sounds. Start by loading Dune CM up on a MIDI track in your DAW.

3 This gives us that kick drum-like attack, and we can control how 4 Increasing the Amount gives us a more dramatic feel. For example,
long the pitch takes to drop using the Mod Envelope’s Decay by setting it to +24 and playing the patch back in a low octave, we
parameter. With a faster time – 30%, say – we get a very quick get a big, booming bomb effect that will sound enormous on a club
movement just at the start of the sound; with a longer time – 75% – we system! Vibrato is another useful pitch modulation technique that we
get the bass bomb effect. (Audio: 3. Bass bomb.wav) can use with subs. (Audio: 4. Big bomb)

The right sub for the job

Clearly, there are plenty of ways to make and “If a mix contains too such as the one we make in our Layering mid-
process sub bass sounds. We can use many elements range bass and sub bass in Massive
saturation to introduce more harmonics and walkthrough on the following page. Pick the
make our bass sound more full, or apply pitch fighting to be heard, it right sub and bass sounds for the track from
modulation to make it more punchy. Given all can start to sound the start, and you won’t have to struggle so
of the options available, why would anyone pretty messy” hard fitting them into the mix.
ever opt for a straight-up sine or triangle
wave oscillator? with a harmonically rich kick drum. Sub The tricky part is when you want your
sounds with long, obvious pitchbends work track to sound really full and clean – for
The answer is simple: context. When we’re well in tracks where they don’t conflict with example, if you’re producing reese-heavy
designing sounds in isolation, it’s tempting to lots of other musical elements, and filtered DnB or dubstep. You may well have a layer
go all-out and make them as full-sounding square-wave tones are generally most at above your sub bass that descends into the
and over-the-top as possible. The problem is home when they don’t clash with bass layers range in which your kick and snare’s
that if a mix contains too many elements fundamental frequencies lie, and high-
fighting to be heard, it can start to sound passing those lows makes the bass sound
pretty messy. A big, low-pass filtered weak. In situations such as these, sidechain
sawtooth bass might work well when it’s compression is often the answer – use it to
played on the offbeat and no other sounds make the sub and bass duck in volume when
are occurring at the same time, but it could the kick or snare play, giving you weighty
sound awful when it plays simultaneously bass and punchy beats.

August 2020  /  COMPUTER MUSIC  /  39



sub bass / bass special <

> Step by step 3. Layering mid-range bass and sub bass in Massive

TUTORIAL

FILES

1 Let’s look at how we can layer a synth sub bass line with a mid- 2 Set Oscillator 1’s wavetable to Sin-Triangle and turn the Wt-position
range line to fill the latter out and provide some satisfying knob all the way down. This gives us a very basic sine wave sub
rhythmic movement. Launch your DAW and put Native Instruments tone, so now we need to sequence a MIDI part to play it. Create a two-
Massive (demo at www.native-instruments.com) on a MIDI track. Click bar part on the MIDI track and copy the sequence shown in the
the File button and select New Sound. screenshot above – an F0 for one bar followed by a C1 for the next bar.
Label this track ‘Sub’.

3 Next, let’s make a mid-range layer. Add a new MIDI track, label it 4 Drag the modulation handle from LFO 5 into the first slot
‘Mid’ and load another instance of Massive onto it. Once again, underneath Filter 1’s Cutoff, then drag up on the slot to set the
select File»New Sound. We’ll use a band-pass filter with cutoff modulation amount to the level shown in the screenshot above. Click
modulation to turn this raw sawtooth preset into a smooth, rhythmic the 5 LFO panel and drag the XFade Curve parameter all the way up to
mid layer. Set Filter 1’s mode to Bandpass. make the LFO shape a pure sine wave.

5 Copy the MIDI part from the Sub track onto the Mid track, and put 6 The Mid layer will interfere less with the Sub layer if we transpose it
Voxengo SPAN on your master buss. Solo the Mid track and you’ll up an octave, so turn the Mid layer’s Oscillator 1 semitone tuning
see that, even though the band-pass filter attenuates the frequencies up to 12.00. We can move the Mid layer out of the centre of the mix by
quite a bit, there’s still some information in the lowest octave. (Audio: adding a chorus effect – for example, TAL-Chorus-LX, a free download
Layered bass) from kunz.corrupt.ch – as an insert. Turn the Dry/Wet level down to
about 8 o’clock for a good balance between width and weight. (Audio:
Wide bass)

August 2020 / COMPUTER MUSIC / 41

>  bass special  /  sub bass

> Step by step 4. Making a sub bass with filtering in Kontakt

TUTORIAL 2 In the Tutorial Files folder, you’ll find a sample called Massive
unison reese F0.wav. Load it up in Kontakt and set the Max voices
FILES to 1. Click the spanner icon to bring up the instrument editor, then click
the Mapping Editor button and set the Root to F0.
1 If you’re using a sampled mid bass sound on a project, it’s possible
to create a complementary sub layer using a synth, but if the
sample has enough low-frequency information, you might be able to
get a more congruous sound using filtering. Launch your DAW and
load Native Instruments Kontakt onto a MIDI track – download the
demo version from native-instruments.com.

3 Create a new four-bar part on the MIDI track and sequence a 4 In the Instrument Insert FX panel, click the + icon in the first slot
bassline playing F0 for two bars, followed by G0 for a bar, then C0 and select Filters»LowPass»SV LP4. Set the Cutoff to about 250Hz.
for the last bar. Put Voxengo SPAN on the master buss and you’ll see This gives us just the weighty low end. Name the track ‘Sub’, then
that there’s plenty of information in the 50-70Hz range of the low end. create a duplicate version of it. Name this new version ‘Mid’.
This means we can get a meaty sub out of this sound! (Audio: Mid line)

5 Open the interface of the Kontakt on the Mid track and locate the 6 This gives us a lot more flexibility in terms of mixing and creative
Instrument Insert FX panel. To the left of the Cutoff knob is the processing. For example, we can use a stereo width control such as
filter mode selector; set it to SV HP4. When you play the project back Ableton Live’s Utility effect to make the Sub part of the sound
you’ll hear that we’ve got our full-frequency sound back, but it’s now in completely mono, and enhance the width of the Mid layer with TAL-
two parts that we can process separately. (Audio: Split bass) Chorus-LX. (Audio: Chorus bass)

42  /  COMPUTER MUSIC  /  August 2020



>  make music now  /  producer masterclass

C.A.R.Producer Masterclass

Chloé Raunet, aka C.A.R, is a producer,
remixer and DJ whose leftfield output
diverges from intoxicating electro
pop to atmospheric electronica. In
this Masterclass she applies her skills
to two very different remixes…

London-based Canadian Chloé Raunet is
currently making music under the moniker
C.A.R. (Choosing Acronyms Randomly),
although has been involved in music production
since the early 2000s when she was asked to
produce some demos for Two Lone Swordsmen
Andrew Weatherall and Keith Tenniswood.
After a stint fronting the band Battant – with
whom she toured and supported the likes of
Ladytron – Raunet released her debut album as
C.A.R. called My Friend in 2014, followed by
PINNED (on Ransom Note) in 2018. Since building a
reputation for producing “the weirder edges of
electronic music”, she has also become an
in-demand remixer and DJ, and it’s her remixing
skills that we’re focussing on in this Producer
Masterclass. Raunet runs through two remixes of
tracks by Ride guitarist Andy Bell under his Glok
moniker, and US band The Imbeciles. But before we
get into the machinations of how to add your own
mark to two very diverse pieces of music, as
Raunet ably demonstrates (both on the video at
filesilo.co.uk and YouTube), let’s find out more
about C.A.R.’s life at the weird edge…

44  /  COMPUTER MUSIC  /  August 2020

producer masterclass  /  make music now  <

August 2020  /  COMPUTER MUSIC  /  45

>  make music now  /  producer masterclass

The C.A.R. journey “Our formation of The Arturia Microfreak gets a lot of wear
Raunet’s bass has been with her since early days
“I moved to London from Canada (via Marseille) laptop, guitar and
when I was a teenager, and fell into this game by
chance in the early 00s,” Raunet explains. “Back vocals wasn’t really
then, I was totally immersed in the Shoreditch
electro scene, going to parties like Haywire and what people expected
Wang. I hadn’t really thought about making
music but started writing little songs for my pals back then”
on the dancefloor. It was just for a laugh at first,
but after a drunken night in Paris which definitely raised some eyebrows and we
culminated in the perfect press shot, my friend struggled to properly fit into any scene, at least
Mole and I decided to try to do something a bit in this country.”
more substantial, seeing as we looked the part
and all!” Raunet and the band eventually found
success across the channel, signing to Parisian
Raunet and Mole’s efforts eventually came to night club Le Pulp’s label Kill The DJ, and then
the attention of the late, great Andrew releasing a debut album No Head.
Weatherall, along with fellow Two Lone
Swordsman Keith Tenniswood, and they were “By this time, Mole had left and a new, young
then invited to record a two-track demo. recruit and multi-instrumentalist, Joel Dever,
had stepped in to man the synths and laptop. We
“Pretty soon, these CDs were doing the did pretty well off it, especially in France, but
rounds,” Raunet recalls. “I remember being out being on the road can be strenuous. Eventually
in Barcelona during Sónar, walking into a bar Tim went his own way, leaving Joel and me to
and hearing a familiar sound coming from the write album number two. We were really close
speakers. It took a few seconds for me to clock it friends and it was an easy and natural process,
as one of ours!” but as good as things were in the studio, we
struggled to nail it live. It seemed all the
Soon after returning, she was asked to play formations we toyed with lacked the energy of
live, so not only had to gather enough songs the original trio.”
together for a set, but also get enough
musicians to form a band, which turned out to Events would then take an unpredictable,
be Battant. tragic twist: Joel died a few days before the
album was due to come out. In the midst of that,
“We enlisted the help of Tim Fairplay and Raunet had to proceed with plans alone. “It was
over the space of a month we hashed out brutal,” she recalls, “but I decided to honour our
enough music for a short set. After releasing bookings and hit the road with a session band.
one EP on the Haywire label, we went on tour In retrospect I think I was motivated more by
with Ladytron and Adult. I guess there was a bit self-preservation than logic. Having something
of a buzz around us, but our formation of laptop,
guitar and vocals wasn’t what people expected
back then, especially as we were writing songs
instead of dance music. The lack of live drums

WATCH
THE VIDEO

In this exclusive
video, Raunet
(aka C.A.R.) goes
through two very
different remixes with
two very different
remixing strategies…

Download the video
from filesilo.co.uk or
go to bit.ly/car_glk1mb

46  /  COMPUTER MUSIC  /  August 2020

producer masterclass  /  make music now  <

Raunet’s
top 5 plugins

Soundtoys PrimalTap
$149

“I love playing around and transforming
sounds with this. The 80s character and grit
really suits my music and I find I can get some
really interesting outcomes messing around
with the modulation.”

soundtoys.com

Sonic Charge Permut8
$79

“This is classic and a bit old school, but I still
use it loads (especially with percussion). I
rely on a lot of samples and it’s another great

tool for transforming them.”

soniccharge.com

Valhalla Vintage Verb
$50

“This is a super affordable and very simple
plugin. It’s a good go-to reverb with no fancy
vintage interface.”

valhalladsp.com

concrete to focus on and something to do It’s great being with people who’ve so much Waves CLA Effects
would save me ending up the same way, but it energy and passion.” $49.99
was an absolutely horrendous experience. All I
will say is it was down to all this, that C.A.R. was The whole experience sounds like an “This is also a bit old-school, but it’s an all-in
eventually born.” extremely emotional one, but it has left Raunet box and I use it on a lot of my vocals,
with a strong sense of where she wants to go especially when I’m in demo mode and need
“I had a queue of pent up emotions to comb with her music and a very clear production a bit of a quick fix.”
through and the best way I knew was through philosophy as well.
music,” she continues. “Having never produced waves.com
on my own, it was a sharp learning curve, but at “Stay punk,” she states. “I’m self-taught and
that stage I couldn’t fathom writing with anyone have always tried to embrace my imperfections, Sound Dust Ghost Dulcitone 1900
else. As a result, my first solo album My Friend allowing things to happen intuitively as £30
was a pretty cathartic experience. opposed to pouring over hours of tutorials. I’m
“I used this a lot on my last album – it’s weird,
“Kill The DJ put it out and again, it did well in “I had a queue of pent dreamy and doesn’t sound like anything else,
France and I managed to get a bit of money to and has a lot of fun, esoteric controls.”
mix my next LP with Steve Osborne out at Real up emotions to comb
World Studios. That was a super cool, ‘pinch- dulcitone1884.virb.com
myself’ process. He’s such an interesting guy through and the best
and I learned loads from him. We finished
PINNED at the end of summer 2015, but I had to way I knew was
move labels so it didn’t come out until February
2017. Since then, I’ve been with UK imprint through music…”
Ransom Note Records. I love working with
them. Not only are they just down the road, but
they’re super enthusiastic and very proactive.

August 2020  /  COMPUTER MUSIC  /  47

> make music now / producer masterclass Prophet V

The C.A.R. Alongside the Moog
studio up close Minimoog and ARP
Odyssey, the Sequential
Chloé has access to a wide range of hardware, Circuits Prophet V is one
some of it shared with her flatmate, but all of it of the most desirable
as esoteric and bespoke as you might imagine. synths ever made…
Here’s a quick tour…
Get groovy

A ‘classic’ Roland
MC-505 Groovebox from
1998: a do-it-all, jack-of-
all-trades sequencer,
drum machine
and synthesiser.

Arturia By your command Three modules
MicroFreak
Analogue Solutions Small but perfectly-
From Ancient (above) to Impulse Command is a formed modules from
modern, the MicroFreak compact and great- Elektron (left), Teenage
is one of the best small- sounding analogue Engineering (front) and
form synths around. semi-modular synth with a sequencer by Squarp
an on-board sequencer. Instruments. Oh yes.

Selected kit list Bass and drums
(some borrowed)
The MFB Tanzbär 2 is a
Arturia V-Collection and Native great drum and bass
Instrument Komplete bundles synth while the Moog
Minitaur supplied bass
HARDWARE on the Glok remix that
Analogue Solutions’ C.A.R. runs through.
Impulse Command
Arturia MicroFreak
Eventide H9 pedal
Korg Poly 800
Korg Polysix
Korg Minilogue
Korg MicroKorg
Moog Minitaur
Roland Boutique JU-06A
Sequential Circuits Prophet-5
Shure Beta 58 mic
Teenage Engineering OP-1
Yamaha CS01

PLUS
Red homemade bass
Electric piano
Jar of rice

PLUGINS
Soundtoys PrimalTap, Filter Freak
Little Plate and Little Primal Tap
Sonic Charge Permut8
Sound Dust Ghost Dulcitone 1900
Valhalla Vintage Verb
Waves CLA Effects

48 / COMPUTER MUSIC / August 2020

producer masterclass / make music now <

Apple Macbook

Running Ableton Live
along with a very varied
set of plugins, Chloé is
easily able to add her
own unique sound to
any kind of remix.

Hidden!

Down the back here we
can just recognise a
small Akai controller, a
Korg Poly 800 synths
and a Yamaha CS01.

Take control

The main studio
keyboard is an Arturia
KeyLab 49 which comes
with a software bundle
covering a lot of vintage
gear and sounds.

August 2020 / COMPUTER MUSIC / 49