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Updated: 7 min 2 sec ago
What is Dirty South?
After the East and the West coasts had their own distinct Hip Hop styles, the southern states felt a bit left out and added their own style to the mix.
Welcome to the Dirty South...
What's it all about?
The Dirty South (Also known as Southern Hip Hop) has its roots firmly in da club. Party music through and through, it celebrates fame and money and rewards it with 808-tastic beats and repetitive (and as such, ridiculously catchy) detuned sawtooth synth lines over the top.
Occasionally you'll find one of the more epic dirty south tunes too, which ventures into sampling big string or brass sounds for the rappers to spit over and really push the club P.A. to its limit!
When did it start?
In the late 1980s, out of a genre then known as "Miami Bass" came Dirty South. It was originated by rappers such as 2 live crew. The initial sound was as bass heavy as its predecessor, making it ideal music for clubs.
How did it start to get popular?
As it progressed, the artists that came from the dirty south became more eclectic and more popular.
A few that sprung to the charts include Outkast, who pushed the envelope musically as well, being one of the few popular hip hop artists to venture outside of conventional 4/4 beats, Ludacris, who has featured on some of the biggest pop songs in the charts and become a massive rapper in his own right, and Lil Wayne, who similarly has pretty much spent his later career at the top of the charts.
Why is Dirty South so Dirty?
It spans from minimal to maximum impact, drum-machine focused to epic samples, but the consistancy lies in the message, which is pretty much to get up in the club. It's an easy message to follow and the club-goers and single-purchasers love it, hence its popularity.
Where can I get it?
As previously mentioned - just look in the charts! It's one of the easiest genres to find because it's so radio friendly (ironic, considering some of the more graphic content about what goes on after the rappers leave the club, girls in tow) so it's not hard to get stuck in!
For samples, check out Prime Loops' Dirty South Producer Combo Deal, which has a scary amount of quality samples to make epic Southern Beats with!
Welcome to the Dirty South...
What's it all about?
The Dirty South (Also known as Southern Hip Hop) has its roots firmly in da club. Party music through and through, it celebrates fame and money and rewards it with 808-tastic beats and repetitive (and as such, ridiculously catchy) detuned sawtooth synth lines over the top.
Occasionally you'll find one of the more epic dirty south tunes too, which ventures into sampling big string or brass sounds for the rappers to spit over and really push the club P.A. to its limit!
When did it start?
In the late 1980s, out of a genre then known as "Miami Bass" came Dirty South. It was originated by rappers such as 2 live crew. The initial sound was as bass heavy as its predecessor, making it ideal music for clubs.
How did it start to get popular?
As it progressed, the artists that came from the dirty south became more eclectic and more popular.
A few that sprung to the charts include Outkast, who pushed the envelope musically as well, being one of the few popular hip hop artists to venture outside of conventional 4/4 beats, Ludacris, who has featured on some of the biggest pop songs in the charts and become a massive rapper in his own right, and Lil Wayne, who similarly has pretty much spent his later career at the top of the charts.
Why is Dirty South so Dirty?
It spans from minimal to maximum impact, drum-machine focused to epic samples, but the consistancy lies in the message, which is pretty much to get up in the club. It's an easy message to follow and the club-goers and single-purchasers love it, hence its popularity.
Where can I get it?
As previously mentioned - just look in the charts! It's one of the easiest genres to find because it's so radio friendly (ironic, considering some of the more graphic content about what goes on after the rappers leave the club, girls in tow) so it's not hard to get stuck in!
For samples, check out Prime Loops' Dirty South Producer Combo Deal, which has a scary amount of quality samples to make epic Southern Beats with!
Categories: Music Technology News and Trends
What is Dirty South?
After the East and the West coasts had their own distinct Hip Hop styles, the southern states felt a bit left out and added their own style to the mix.
Welcome to the Dirty South...
What's it all about?
The Dirty South (Also known as Southern Hip Hop) has its roots firmly in da club. Party music through and through, it celebrates fame and money and rewards it with 808-tastic beats and repetitive (and as such, ridiculously catchy) detuned sawtooth synth lines over the top.
Occasionally you'll find one of the more epic dirty south tunes too, which ventures into sampling big string or brass sounds for the rappers to spit over and really push the club P.A. to its limit!
When did it start?
In the late 1980s, out of a genre then known as "Miami Bass" came Dirty South. It was originated by rappers such as 2 live crew. The initial sound was as bass heavy as its predecessor, making it ideal music for clubs.
How did it start to get popular?
As it progressed, the artists that came from the dirty south became more eclectic and more popular.
A few that sprung to the charts include Outkast, who pushed the envelope musically as well, being one of the few popular hip hop artists to venture outside of conventional 4/4 beats, Ludacris, who has featured on some of the biggest pop songs in the charts and become a massive rapper in his own right, and Lil Wayne, who similarly has pretty much spent his later career at the top of the charts.
Why is Dirty South so Dirty?
It spans from minimal to maximum impact, drum-machine focused to epic samples, but the consistancy lies in the message, which is pretty much to get up in the club. It's an easy message to follow and the club-goers and single-purchasers love it, hence its popularity.
Where can I get it?
As previously mentioned - just look in the charts! It's one of the easiest genres to find because it's so radio friendly (ironic, considering some of the more graphic content about what goes on after the rappers leave the club, girls in tow) so it's not hard to get stuck in!
For samples, check out Prime Loops' Dirty South Producer Combo Deal, which has a scary amount of quality samples to make epic Southern Beats with!
Welcome to the Dirty South...
What's it all about?
The Dirty South (Also known as Southern Hip Hop) has its roots firmly in da club. Party music through and through, it celebrates fame and money and rewards it with 808-tastic beats and repetitive (and as such, ridiculously catchy) detuned sawtooth synth lines over the top.
Occasionally you'll find one of the more epic dirty south tunes too, which ventures into sampling big string or brass sounds for the rappers to spit over and really push the club P.A. to its limit!
When did it start?
In the late 1980s, out of a genre then known as "Miami Bass" came Dirty South. It was originated by rappers such as 2 live crew. The initial sound was as bass heavy as its predecessor, making it ideal music for clubs.
How did it start to get popular?
As it progressed, the artists that came from the dirty south became more eclectic and more popular.
A few that sprung to the charts include Outkast, who pushed the envelope musically as well, being one of the few popular hip hop artists to venture outside of conventional 4/4 beats, Ludacris, who has featured on some of the biggest pop songs in the charts and become a massive rapper in his own right, and Lil Wayne, who similarly has pretty much spent his later career at the top of the charts.
Why is Dirty South so Dirty?
It spans from minimal to maximum impact, drum-machine focused to epic samples, but the consistancy lies in the message, which is pretty much to get up in the club. It's an easy message to follow and the club-goers and single-purchasers love it, hence its popularity.
Where can I get it?
As previously mentioned - just look in the charts! It's one of the easiest genres to find because it's so radio friendly (ironic, considering some of the more graphic content about what goes on after the rappers leave the club, girls in tow) so it's not hard to get stuck in!
For samples, check out Prime Loops' Dirty South Producer Combo Deal, which has a scary amount of quality samples to make epic Southern Beats with!
Categories: Music Technology News and Trends
Fantastic FX... and how to use them
When you make a cake, you can't forget about those cherries on top. When you have a movie night, you can't forget about cheap microwaveable popcorn. When you make an awesome song, you can't forget about adding FX.
But which FX should you add? And Where? Let's take a look at some examples...Rises
If you've just dropped the beat and are getting everyone's adrenaline bubbling, so they're positively itching for that all important drop to hit, it's time to turn to some rise FX!
These pitch-bending and filter-cutoff-opening FX bring the high frequencies in more and more as they progress; the increase in frequencies means more tension which means more awesomeness when it kicks in!
Sweeps
Do you feel you've got all the synths you want in a part of your tune, but it doesn't quite feel filled out enough?
Chuck a sweep in there and the modulated noise will sit nicely in those spare frequencies, padding out thin tunes 'til they're phat like an elephant with a puffy jacket that makes it look like a slightly larger elephant than it actually is.
Okay, bad simile, but it does fill out the track!
Impacts
Tired of conventional cymbols? If you've got a massive breakout in your track or are in need of some powerful punchiness in a big drop, it's time to venture into some impacts!
There are some particularly powerful ones in the XXL dance FX pack that are reminiscent of meteors striking planets. In a good way.
Reverses
Want to build some anticipation for a section of your tune? Reverses are for you! Reverse reverberations result in really realizing the potential of your track.
Just make sure they stop dead as the section you're building up to kicks in so the production sounds nice and tight!
Bleeps
Want some interesting little noises to punctuate your percussion? Bleeps and Blips are essential for House, Trip Hop, Glitch and a plethora of other genre producers.
Don't forget to correct the pitch of the sample if it has a tone though, unless you're aiming for painful, dissonant beats - in which case, try pitching one up a semitone and layering it with the original for extra pain!
But which FX should you add? And Where? Let's take a look at some examples...Rises
If you've just dropped the beat and are getting everyone's adrenaline bubbling, so they're positively itching for that all important drop to hit, it's time to turn to some rise FX!
These pitch-bending and filter-cutoff-opening FX bring the high frequencies in more and more as they progress; the increase in frequencies means more tension which means more awesomeness when it kicks in!
Sweeps
Do you feel you've got all the synths you want in a part of your tune, but it doesn't quite feel filled out enough?
Chuck a sweep in there and the modulated noise will sit nicely in those spare frequencies, padding out thin tunes 'til they're phat like an elephant with a puffy jacket that makes it look like a slightly larger elephant than it actually is.
Okay, bad simile, but it does fill out the track!
Impacts
Tired of conventional cymbols? If you've got a massive breakout in your track or are in need of some powerful punchiness in a big drop, it's time to venture into some impacts!
There are some particularly powerful ones in the XXL dance FX pack that are reminiscent of meteors striking planets. In a good way.
Reverses
Want to build some anticipation for a section of your tune? Reverses are for you! Reverse reverberations result in really realizing the potential of your track.
Just make sure they stop dead as the section you're building up to kicks in so the production sounds nice and tight!
Bleeps
Want some interesting little noises to punctuate your percussion? Bleeps and Blips are essential for House, Trip Hop, Glitch and a plethora of other genre producers.
Don't forget to correct the pitch of the sample if it has a tone though, unless you're aiming for painful, dissonant beats - in which case, try pitching one up a semitone and layering it with the original for extra pain!
Categories: Music Technology News and Trends
Fantastic FX... and how to use them
When you make a cake, you can't forget about those cherries on top. When you have a movie night, you can't forget about cheap microwaveable popcorn. When you make an awesome song, you can't forget about adding FX.
But which FX should you add? And Where? Let's take a look at some examples...Rises
If you've just dropped the beat and are getting everyone's adrenaline bubbling, so they're positively itching for that all important drop to hit, it's time to turn to some rise FX!
These pitch-bending and filter-cutoff-opening FX bring the high frequencies in more and more as they progress; the increase in frequencies means more tension which means more awesomeness when it kicks in!
Sweeps
Do you feel you've got all the synths you want in a part of your tune, but it doesn't quite feel filled out enough?
Chuck a sweep in there and the modulated noise will sit nicely in those spare frequencies, padding out thin tunes 'til they're phat like an elephant with a puffy jacket that makes it look like a slightly larger elephant than it actually is.
Okay, bad simile, but it does fill out the track!
Impacts
Tired of conventional cymbols? If you've got a massive breakout in your track or are in need of some powerful punchiness in a big drop, it's time to venture into some impacts!
There are some particularly powerful ones in the XXL dance FX pack that are reminiscent of meteors striking planets. In a good way.
Reverses
Want to build some anticipation for a section of your tune? Reverses are for you! Reverse reverberations result in really realizing the potential of your track.
Just make sure they stop dead as the section you're building up to kicks in so the production sounds nice and tight!
Bleeps
Want some interesting little noises to punctuate your percussion? Bleeps and Blips are essential for House, Trip Hop, Glitch and a plethora of other genre producers.
Don't forget to correct the pitch of the sample if it has a tone though, unless you're aiming for painful, dissonant beats - in which case, try pitching one up a semitone and layering it with the original for extra pain!
But which FX should you add? And Where? Let's take a look at some examples...Rises
If you've just dropped the beat and are getting everyone's adrenaline bubbling, so they're positively itching for that all important drop to hit, it's time to turn to some rise FX!
These pitch-bending and filter-cutoff-opening FX bring the high frequencies in more and more as they progress; the increase in frequencies means more tension which means more awesomeness when it kicks in!
Sweeps
Do you feel you've got all the synths you want in a part of your tune, but it doesn't quite feel filled out enough?
Chuck a sweep in there and the modulated noise will sit nicely in those spare frequencies, padding out thin tunes 'til they're phat like an elephant with a puffy jacket that makes it look like a slightly larger elephant than it actually is.
Okay, bad simile, but it does fill out the track!
Impacts
Tired of conventional cymbols? If you've got a massive breakout in your track or are in need of some powerful punchiness in a big drop, it's time to venture into some impacts!
There are some particularly powerful ones in the XXL dance FX pack that are reminiscent of meteors striking planets. In a good way.
Reverses
Want to build some anticipation for a section of your tune? Reverses are for you! Reverse reverberations result in really realizing the potential of your track.
Just make sure they stop dead as the section you're building up to kicks in so the production sounds nice and tight!
Bleeps
Want some interesting little noises to punctuate your percussion? Bleeps and Blips are essential for House, Trip Hop, Glitch and a plethora of other genre producers.
Don't forget to correct the pitch of the sample if it has a tone though, unless you're aiming for painful, dissonant beats - in which case, try pitching one up a semitone and layering it with the original for extra pain!
Categories: Music Technology News and Trends
Choose your Reverb!
While there are undoubtedly tons of methods of generating reverberation for your sounds, it can be difficult to choose which type to use for the situation you're in!
Here comes primeloops to the rescue with 5 sweet suggestions of which reverbs to rely on.
Hall
A great method of making something sit further back in the mix. The hall reverb can usually emulate a small, medium or large hall, depending on how far back in the mix you want the sound to sit. This can be a great way to counterpoint a large, upfront synth sound with some big pads, for example.
Room
A more subtle reverb, this one doesn't make a massive difference to a sound alone, but when applied to a few sounds it can start to make things sound more pro (so long as it's not overdone!). It reduces that boxiness that you often find from recording in your bedroom or by using a dry synth sound.
Plate
The sound is passed through a metal plate, with a pickup used to translate the vibrations from the sheet of metal into a useable sound. This is often used on snare drums, but can be great for sharper sounds - give it a try on some glitch hop samples for example.
Spring
Similar to the plate, except this time it passes the sound through some springs, giving a slightly different tone. If you have a guitar amp with a reverb on it, chances are it'll be a spring reverb.
Chamber
Back in the dark ages, before the internet and technology in general, reverb was made in "Reverb Chambers", where the sound would be played out of a loudspeaker and then re-recorded by a microphone after the sound had bounced back from the other end of the chamber. A convoluted method (not a convolution reverb, though!) of getting the sound, but it did the trick.
All these sounds can be emulated by digital reverbs or recreated perfectly (Thanks to impulse responses) by convolution reverbs. So next time you're looking to choose where to place your instruments, choose the right reverb for the right job - your mix will thank you for it!
Here comes primeloops to the rescue with 5 sweet suggestions of which reverbs to rely on.
Hall
A great method of making something sit further back in the mix. The hall reverb can usually emulate a small, medium or large hall, depending on how far back in the mix you want the sound to sit. This can be a great way to counterpoint a large, upfront synth sound with some big pads, for example.
Room
A more subtle reverb, this one doesn't make a massive difference to a sound alone, but when applied to a few sounds it can start to make things sound more pro (so long as it's not overdone!). It reduces that boxiness that you often find from recording in your bedroom or by using a dry synth sound.
Plate
The sound is passed through a metal plate, with a pickup used to translate the vibrations from the sheet of metal into a useable sound. This is often used on snare drums, but can be great for sharper sounds - give it a try on some glitch hop samples for example.
Spring
Similar to the plate, except this time it passes the sound through some springs, giving a slightly different tone. If you have a guitar amp with a reverb on it, chances are it'll be a spring reverb.
Chamber
Back in the dark ages, before the internet and technology in general, reverb was made in "Reverb Chambers", where the sound would be played out of a loudspeaker and then re-recorded by a microphone after the sound had bounced back from the other end of the chamber. A convoluted method (not a convolution reverb, though!) of getting the sound, but it did the trick.
All these sounds can be emulated by digital reverbs or recreated perfectly (Thanks to impulse responses) by convolution reverbs. So next time you're looking to choose where to place your instruments, choose the right reverb for the right job - your mix will thank you for it!
Categories: Music Technology News and Trends
What is Ambient?
You know, sometimes in-your-face electronica is a bit too much. The beats eventually result in a headache and the synths steal too much focus. Perhaps all you need is something in the background... something that's not asking for your full attention.
Welcome to Ambient.
What’s it all about?
Ambient is an offshoot of electronica that decided that music wasn't solely for dancing to. Relaxation benefits from chilled tunes and sometimes all you need to set the atmosphere is a bit of... well... ambience.
It's a genre of music that doesn't mind being ignored. It's meant to be in the background. It won't get offended if you just carry on about your routine without acknowledging its existence - all it wants is to set the scene.
When did it start?
While people had been experimenting with background music for years, conventional ambient electronica was initially popularised by Brian Eno, a ground breaking and well educated musician who was initially in the band Roxy Music, but after tiring of the ego of the lead singer (we've all been there), decided to create his own form of experimental music in the early 70s.
From this point, he and a few other innovators (Pink Floyd, Yes and Kraftwerk to name a few bigger names) pushed the boundries of beats back and concentrated on textures and slow melodies instead. As usually happens when a new genre is born, it sewed seeds in other musicians...
How did it start to get popular?
While it's never reached mainstream popularity, it has grown in renown. More artists that work with ambient more intensively or combine the floaty textures with other genres of music have popped up, including Aphex Twin and The Orb, who while never getting a number 1, still managed to appear on Top of the Pops and play a game of Chess while their single played in the background. Maybe that's where the offshoot of "Intelligent Dance Music" originated.
More recent artists such as Burial have taken Dubstep and spliced it with ambient to create more underground success stories, with hardcore fans not capable of singing enough praises for the works of their favourite Ambient producers.
Why is Ambient so awesomely atmospheric?
As the Ambient grandpappy Eno himself said; "it must be as ignorable as it is interesting." It's because you can ignore it that makes it stand out from other genres - if you're willing to listen. When you're in the mood for it, soak it in and sink into the ambience. If you aren't, simply tune it out. You can't exactly say the same for pounding 4-on-the-floor genres!
Where can I get samples?
If you're looking for methods of making your own Ambient pieces, the popular opinion generally involves manipulating samples. Grab some awesome starting points with the Ambient Fractals or Ambient Illusions sample packs from Prime Loops. Don't be afraid to grab some less obvious sample packs though - some up-tempo packs like Da sound of Bounce could be slowed, filtered, cut, spliced and mangled into a gorgeous soundscape. Therein lies the beauty of Electro-Ambient music. Playing with sound. Have fun, make some sounds and most importantly - relax!
Welcome to Ambient.
What’s it all about?
Ambient is an offshoot of electronica that decided that music wasn't solely for dancing to. Relaxation benefits from chilled tunes and sometimes all you need to set the atmosphere is a bit of... well... ambience.
It's a genre of music that doesn't mind being ignored. It's meant to be in the background. It won't get offended if you just carry on about your routine without acknowledging its existence - all it wants is to set the scene.
When did it start?
While people had been experimenting with background music for years, conventional ambient electronica was initially popularised by Brian Eno, a ground breaking and well educated musician who was initially in the band Roxy Music, but after tiring of the ego of the lead singer (we've all been there), decided to create his own form of experimental music in the early 70s.
From this point, he and a few other innovators (Pink Floyd, Yes and Kraftwerk to name a few bigger names) pushed the boundries of beats back and concentrated on textures and slow melodies instead. As usually happens when a new genre is born, it sewed seeds in other musicians...
How did it start to get popular?
While it's never reached mainstream popularity, it has grown in renown. More artists that work with ambient more intensively or combine the floaty textures with other genres of music have popped up, including Aphex Twin and The Orb, who while never getting a number 1, still managed to appear on Top of the Pops and play a game of Chess while their single played in the background. Maybe that's where the offshoot of "Intelligent Dance Music" originated.
More recent artists such as Burial have taken Dubstep and spliced it with ambient to create more underground success stories, with hardcore fans not capable of singing enough praises for the works of their favourite Ambient producers.
Why is Ambient so awesomely atmospheric?
As the Ambient grandpappy Eno himself said; "it must be as ignorable as it is interesting." It's because you can ignore it that makes it stand out from other genres - if you're willing to listen. When you're in the mood for it, soak it in and sink into the ambience. If you aren't, simply tune it out. You can't exactly say the same for pounding 4-on-the-floor genres!
Where can I get samples?
If you're looking for methods of making your own Ambient pieces, the popular opinion generally involves manipulating samples. Grab some awesome starting points with the Ambient Fractals or Ambient Illusions sample packs from Prime Loops. Don't be afraid to grab some less obvious sample packs though - some up-tempo packs like Da sound of Bounce could be slowed, filtered, cut, spliced and mangled into a gorgeous soundscape. Therein lies the beauty of Electro-Ambient music. Playing with sound. Have fun, make some sounds and most importantly - relax!
Categories: Music Technology News and Trends
Rock'n'Roll vs Rock'n'Rave
We've all been exposed to old school rock bands such as AC/DC's obsession with Rock'n'Roll, but we're considerably further into the future now, and a lot of musicians are substituting the "Roll" for "Rave".
Combining electronic music with traditional live instrumentation has been going on for a while, but this new sensibility of combining the two venues is relatively new - merging the pit with the dance floor, the DJ booth with the stage, the alcohol-fuelled dancing with the... uh... other alcohol fuelled dancing.
Okay, so not everything is different - and perhaps that's why the combination of synths and guitars has taken off so successfully. Let's take a look at how it works and get our heads around Rock n Rave...
Spot the Difference
There are clearly differences between Rock and Rave - Where rock generally has a reasonable amount of structural variety, rave music thinks nothing of using the same beat throughout the track to drive it along. Vocals tend to take the focal melody in rock, whereas in rave it'll often come in the form of a synth, as instrumental music is more common. The live element of rock music leads to the ability to improvise, whereas the pre-programmed dance floor tunes lend themselves to mixes with other songs and rewinds in the club when people are really feeling the music.
These differences have resulted in distinct cultures surrounding the styles, so before we jump into how they can work together, let's...
Spot the Similarity
The main thing I've noticed is the balance between power and melody. Both genres have sub-genres that push themselves further to either end of said balance (Death Metal to Arena Rock, Dubstep to Trance), but in 90% of the sub-genres, there will be an element providing the power and an element providing a melody to sit on top of the power, giving people something to latch on to - the hook, the chorus, the riff, the drop, whatever it's called, it's pushed by the powerful part of the music into the foreground.
Another tendency for these genres is to build up and break out into large, memorable sections. A lot of focus is placed on the tension during the build-up. Rock songs tend to work their way up into the big choruses, just as rave builds to the drops.
But most importantly for these genres, the similarity lies in being obsessed with intensity. It's very much about how loud and how big the tunes are. This means that no matter the cultural differences between appreciators of rave and rock, they can come together to appreciate the very core of their beloved styles.
How they can work together
There are several acts that have spliced the styles together in several different ways, so let's talk about a few...
Sampling rock music in rave tunes: A quick way to get that raw, rock power into the rave environment is to put that iconic distorted guitar over a driving programmed beat. This works really well as, so long as the frequencies of the bass don't interfere with those of the guitar, it can result in crisp production with plenty of power. This means DJs can keep their beloved rewinds and mixes intact without relying on live performance, and the clubs can enjoy the power of rock music in a familiar setting.
Using a DJ/synth player in a conventional rock band: Using a keyboard in a band is by no means a new idea, but by adding higher tech gear and using iconic rave sounds over rock music, the structure can be changed - instrumental rock music with catchy rave synth riffs becomes a recurring staple and the live element can be maintained authentically.
Total integration: Is there a way to have it all? The live performance and the mixing between songs? A structurally varied song with a driving pulse? Improvisation with unrelenting production values? Well if we look to bands like Pendulum, Enter Shikari and The Prodigy, it's clear that the two genres are so closely intertwined that at times it's difficult to hear where one genre ends and the other begins. They start not with rock in mind or with rave in mind - with this new combined structure. They aren't afraid to change things for live performance, but also the live elements now control a lot of the Electronica, with triggers on the drum-kits sorting the percussion and MIDI guitars allowing for stereotypical rock poses to be pulled whilst playing that killer synth riff.
It's that marriage of the technology of rave with the personality of rock that brings together this resultant hybrid of high quality and live intensity. This wave of bands have grown up with one ear pointed towards the stage and the other on the dance floor (They must have a seriously wide head), but the evolution is not over yet by any means.
That leads me nicely into my parting rhetorical question for anyone about to embark into rock n rave music:
How are you going to contribute to the evolution?
Combining electronic music with traditional live instrumentation has been going on for a while, but this new sensibility of combining the two venues is relatively new - merging the pit with the dance floor, the DJ booth with the stage, the alcohol-fuelled dancing with the... uh... other alcohol fuelled dancing.
Okay, so not everything is different - and perhaps that's why the combination of synths and guitars has taken off so successfully. Let's take a look at how it works and get our heads around Rock n Rave...
Spot the Difference
There are clearly differences between Rock and Rave - Where rock generally has a reasonable amount of structural variety, rave music thinks nothing of using the same beat throughout the track to drive it along. Vocals tend to take the focal melody in rock, whereas in rave it'll often come in the form of a synth, as instrumental music is more common. The live element of rock music leads to the ability to improvise, whereas the pre-programmed dance floor tunes lend themselves to mixes with other songs and rewinds in the club when people are really feeling the music.
These differences have resulted in distinct cultures surrounding the styles, so before we jump into how they can work together, let's...
Spot the Similarity
The main thing I've noticed is the balance between power and melody. Both genres have sub-genres that push themselves further to either end of said balance (Death Metal to Arena Rock, Dubstep to Trance), but in 90% of the sub-genres, there will be an element providing the power and an element providing a melody to sit on top of the power, giving people something to latch on to - the hook, the chorus, the riff, the drop, whatever it's called, it's pushed by the powerful part of the music into the foreground.
Another tendency for these genres is to build up and break out into large, memorable sections. A lot of focus is placed on the tension during the build-up. Rock songs tend to work their way up into the big choruses, just as rave builds to the drops.
But most importantly for these genres, the similarity lies in being obsessed with intensity. It's very much about how loud and how big the tunes are. This means that no matter the cultural differences between appreciators of rave and rock, they can come together to appreciate the very core of their beloved styles.
How they can work together
There are several acts that have spliced the styles together in several different ways, so let's talk about a few...
Sampling rock music in rave tunes: A quick way to get that raw, rock power into the rave environment is to put that iconic distorted guitar over a driving programmed beat. This works really well as, so long as the frequencies of the bass don't interfere with those of the guitar, it can result in crisp production with plenty of power. This means DJs can keep their beloved rewinds and mixes intact without relying on live performance, and the clubs can enjoy the power of rock music in a familiar setting.
Using a DJ/synth player in a conventional rock band: Using a keyboard in a band is by no means a new idea, but by adding higher tech gear and using iconic rave sounds over rock music, the structure can be changed - instrumental rock music with catchy rave synth riffs becomes a recurring staple and the live element can be maintained authentically.
Total integration: Is there a way to have it all? The live performance and the mixing between songs? A structurally varied song with a driving pulse? Improvisation with unrelenting production values? Well if we look to bands like Pendulum, Enter Shikari and The Prodigy, it's clear that the two genres are so closely intertwined that at times it's difficult to hear where one genre ends and the other begins. They start not with rock in mind or with rave in mind - with this new combined structure. They aren't afraid to change things for live performance, but also the live elements now control a lot of the Electronica, with triggers on the drum-kits sorting the percussion and MIDI guitars allowing for stereotypical rock poses to be pulled whilst playing that killer synth riff.
It's that marriage of the technology of rave with the personality of rock that brings together this resultant hybrid of high quality and live intensity. This wave of bands have grown up with one ear pointed towards the stage and the other on the dance floor (They must have a seriously wide head), but the evolution is not over yet by any means.
That leads me nicely into my parting rhetorical question for anyone about to embark into rock n rave music:
How are you going to contribute to the evolution?
Categories: Music Technology News and Trends
5 Essential online tools for musicians
The internet is a wonderous place. So many amazing tools are available for free - but it's difficult to choose which ones are the best for establishing and maintaining your musical career.
Well, here are 5 essential sites you need to be surfing on a regular basis!
1. Soundcloud
A brilliant site for uploading music, since you can embed attractive looking flash music players into any website. This makes soundcloud ideal for sharing your tunes on forums, where you can get tips on improving your production or simply get new fans!
2. Google Calendar
Seems a strange one, but if you're serious about music as your career, you'll need to keep on top of things. To be able to know when you're in the studio and when you're doing your weekly video blog for your fans, a good calendar can be invaluable.
Google calendar can sync to your phone if you've got a smart phone, or if you, like me, have an ancient brick, you can still set it up to send free SMS reminders of the most important dates in your calendar! Seriously useful.
3. Facebook
It might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how many people don't make the most of the biggest social networking site in the world. Facebook is the ideal place to keep the maximum number of fans involved.
By regularly giving your fans new content, links to things they might enjoy and insights into what you're up to (preferably not what you ate for breakfast every single day) they will be reminded of your existence and kept interested.
4. Youtube
If you're wondering where to make new fans, look no further than YouTube - by making a decent remix or cover that people will be searching for, you can direct a whole bunch of new fans to your channel and get them to explore your tunes!
Don't just restrict it to your music though - why not review your latest Prime loops purchase, do some reviews of your gear, tutorials on how to use it and novelty videos are all a good way to draw in traffic.
5. Reverbnation
Possibly the biggest collection of tools for musicians on the interweb. From mailing lists to street teams, widgets to blogs - it's all there. You can even earn money from it when people listen to your music on there.
It's such a great place to keep your fans informed and your promotion on form that you just can't miss it!
Well, here are 5 essential sites you need to be surfing on a regular basis!
1. Soundcloud
A brilliant site for uploading music, since you can embed attractive looking flash music players into any website. This makes soundcloud ideal for sharing your tunes on forums, where you can get tips on improving your production or simply get new fans!
2. Google Calendar
Seems a strange one, but if you're serious about music as your career, you'll need to keep on top of things. To be able to know when you're in the studio and when you're doing your weekly video blog for your fans, a good calendar can be invaluable.
Google calendar can sync to your phone if you've got a smart phone, or if you, like me, have an ancient brick, you can still set it up to send free SMS reminders of the most important dates in your calendar! Seriously useful.
3. Facebook
It might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how many people don't make the most of the biggest social networking site in the world. Facebook is the ideal place to keep the maximum number of fans involved.
By regularly giving your fans new content, links to things they might enjoy and insights into what you're up to (preferably not what you ate for breakfast every single day) they will be reminded of your existence and kept interested.
4. Youtube
If you're wondering where to make new fans, look no further than YouTube - by making a decent remix or cover that people will be searching for, you can direct a whole bunch of new fans to your channel and get them to explore your tunes!
Don't just restrict it to your music though - why not review your latest Prime loops purchase, do some reviews of your gear, tutorials on how to use it and novelty videos are all a good way to draw in traffic.
5. Reverbnation
Possibly the biggest collection of tools for musicians on the interweb. From mailing lists to street teams, widgets to blogs - it's all there. You can even earn money from it when people listen to your music on there.
It's such a great place to keep your fans informed and your promotion on form that you just can't miss it!
Categories: Music Technology News and Trends
What is... Progressive House?
The new genre that has been slowly building its way up to a mainstream climax (much like the structure of the songs) with massive chart hits, huge anthems and dancefloors around the world obsessed with it.
So, it's time to ask some questions about it...
What's it all about?
Where the musical element is perhaps similar to its predecessor (House, if you couldn't guess), the structure is where it differs. Club-goers have become more hooked on those epic tracks that take ages to build and reward you with an intense climactic chorus that you cannot help but dance to.
I've noticed a tendency for authentic sounding instruments hovering over the funky, gritty basslines as well - strings tend to be popular, with artists such as Justice and Deadmau5 using them to great effect.
When did it start?
It's been going for absolutely aeons in electronic music terms. Early 90s house music occasionally veered towards the more epic structures and sounds, crossing over into progressive trance and back - the two genres being separated only by either having euphoric melodies or more minimal, dark hooks.
The later 90s and early 00s brought more definition to the genres and Progressive House started to become more and more commonly accepted in its own right.
How did it start to get popular?
With occasional hits throughout the 90s such as Sasha's "Xpander" getting mainstream success, it's only reached massive mainstream appeal more recently with artists like Deadmau5 making huge hits like "Ghosts n Stuff" and "Faxing Berlin", each of which have millions of YouTube views.
Why is Progressive House so epic?
It's the combination of making people wait for that all important climax with the huge, hooky instrumentation. Strings and Piano are so good at making powerful music when used effectively, and many artists do just that.
High production values from the best of the best in the genre push other producers to match it and it's definitely helped to move electronic music into a new era of sound quality.
Where can I get it?
Just have a good click around beatport's massive Progressive House section or simply search YouTube for "Progressive House" and you'll be presented with more playlists than an OCD sufferer's iPod. Just get listening and then get making it!
Wanna start making big Progressive House tracks right away ? Then check out Prime Loops' powerful "Progressive Synthesis" sample pack, providing you with tons of cool and authentic synth patches for Kontakt, EXS24, Halion, NN-XT and many other sampler instruments!
So, it's time to ask some questions about it...
What's it all about?
Where the musical element is perhaps similar to its predecessor (House, if you couldn't guess), the structure is where it differs. Club-goers have become more hooked on those epic tracks that take ages to build and reward you with an intense climactic chorus that you cannot help but dance to.
I've noticed a tendency for authentic sounding instruments hovering over the funky, gritty basslines as well - strings tend to be popular, with artists such as Justice and Deadmau5 using them to great effect.
When did it start?
It's been going for absolutely aeons in electronic music terms. Early 90s house music occasionally veered towards the more epic structures and sounds, crossing over into progressive trance and back - the two genres being separated only by either having euphoric melodies or more minimal, dark hooks.
The later 90s and early 00s brought more definition to the genres and Progressive House started to become more and more commonly accepted in its own right.
How did it start to get popular?
With occasional hits throughout the 90s such as Sasha's "Xpander" getting mainstream success, it's only reached massive mainstream appeal more recently with artists like Deadmau5 making huge hits like "Ghosts n Stuff" and "Faxing Berlin", each of which have millions of YouTube views.
Why is Progressive House so epic?
It's the combination of making people wait for that all important climax with the huge, hooky instrumentation. Strings and Piano are so good at making powerful music when used effectively, and many artists do just that.
High production values from the best of the best in the genre push other producers to match it and it's definitely helped to move electronic music into a new era of sound quality.
Where can I get it?
Just have a good click around beatport's massive Progressive House section or simply search YouTube for "Progressive House" and you'll be presented with more playlists than an OCD sufferer's iPod. Just get listening and then get making it!
Wanna start making big Progressive House tracks right away ? Then check out Prime Loops' powerful "Progressive Synthesis" sample pack, providing you with tons of cool and authentic synth patches for Kontakt, EXS24, Halion, NN-XT and many other sampler instruments!
Categories: Music Technology News and Trends
What is Progressive House?
The new genre that has been slowly building its way up to a mainstream climax (much like the structure of the songs) with massive chart hits, huge anthems and dancefloors around the world obsessed with it.
So, it's time to ask some questions about it...
What’s it all about?
Where the musical element is perhaps similar to its predecessor (House, if you couldn't guess), the structure is where it differs. Club-goers have become more hooked on those epic tracks that take ages to build and reward you with an intense climactic chorus that you cannot help but dance to.
I've noticed a tendency for authentic sounding instruments hovering over the funky, gritty basslines as well - strings tend to be popular, with artists such as Justice and Deadmau5 using them to great effect.
When did it start?
It's been going for absolutely aeons in electronic music terms. Early 90s house music occasionally veered towards the more epic structures and sounds, crossing over into progressive trance and back - the two genres being separated only by either having euphoric melodies or more minimal, dark hooks.
The later 90s and early 00s brought more definition to the genres and Progressive House started to become more and more commonly accepted in its own right.
How did it start to get popular?
With occasional hits throughout the 90s such as Sasha’s "Xpander" getting mainstream success, it's only reached massive mainstream appeal more recently with artists like Deadmau5 making huge hits like "Ghosts n Stuff" and "Faxing Berlin", each of which have millions of YouTube views.
Why is Progressive House so epic?
It's the combination of making people wait for that all important climax with the huge, hooky instrumentation. Strings and Piano are so good at making powerful music when used effectively, and many artists do just that.
High production values from the best of the best in the genre push other producers to match it and it's definitely helped to move electronic music into a new era of sound quality.
Where can I get it?
Just have a good click around beatport’s massive Progressive House section or simply search YouTube for "Progressive House" and you'll be presented with more playlists than an OCD sufferer's iPod. Just get listening and then get making it!
Wanna start making big Progressive House tracks right away ? Then check out Prime Loops’ powerful "Progressive Synthesis" sample pack, providing you with tons of cool and authentic synth patches for Kontakt, EXS24, Halion, NN-XT and many other sampler instruments!
So, it's time to ask some questions about it...
What’s it all about?
Where the musical element is perhaps similar to its predecessor (House, if you couldn't guess), the structure is where it differs. Club-goers have become more hooked on those epic tracks that take ages to build and reward you with an intense climactic chorus that you cannot help but dance to.
I've noticed a tendency for authentic sounding instruments hovering over the funky, gritty basslines as well - strings tend to be popular, with artists such as Justice and Deadmau5 using them to great effect.
When did it start?
It's been going for absolutely aeons in electronic music terms. Early 90s house music occasionally veered towards the more epic structures and sounds, crossing over into progressive trance and back - the two genres being separated only by either having euphoric melodies or more minimal, dark hooks.
The later 90s and early 00s brought more definition to the genres and Progressive House started to become more and more commonly accepted in its own right.
How did it start to get popular?
With occasional hits throughout the 90s such as Sasha’s "Xpander" getting mainstream success, it's only reached massive mainstream appeal more recently with artists like Deadmau5 making huge hits like "Ghosts n Stuff" and "Faxing Berlin", each of which have millions of YouTube views.
Why is Progressive House so epic?
It's the combination of making people wait for that all important climax with the huge, hooky instrumentation. Strings and Piano are so good at making powerful music when used effectively, and many artists do just that.
High production values from the best of the best in the genre push other producers to match it and it's definitely helped to move electronic music into a new era of sound quality.
Where can I get it?
Just have a good click around beatport’s massive Progressive House section or simply search YouTube for "Progressive House" and you'll be presented with more playlists than an OCD sufferer's iPod. Just get listening and then get making it!
Wanna start making big Progressive House tracks right away ? Then check out Prime Loops’ powerful "Progressive Synthesis" sample pack, providing you with tons of cool and authentic synth patches for Kontakt, EXS24, Halion, NN-XT and many other sampler instruments!
Categories: Music Technology News and Trends
What's new in Reason 5?
Are you a Reason user, but have found it lacking slightly in some areas? Well chances are in this update to Reason and Record (the audio recording software that integrates with Reason), Propellerheads will have answered your prayers...
1. Ke$ha will be happy...
With the new Neptune Pitch Adjuster and Voice Synth Device in Record, you get
a high-quality processor to correct and shift pitches, create backing harmonies, formant shift and vocode the hell out of your voice.
This addresses the issue that most Record users had that Autotune was an industry standard plug-in. Now there's no issue any more and you can T-Pain away to your heart's content! (Or use it subtly, your call.)
2. The King of Drum emulation...
The Kong Drum Designer in Reason allows you to build and tweak your sounds with your choice of drum synthesis, sampling, REX loops, physical modeling and effects modules for percussion on Kong's 16 MPC-esque pads.
Basically now you're not restricted to samples for percussion - Kong makes it a million times easier to create your own sounds from scratch.
3. Goodbye, Copy and Paste!
Sick of wearing out your Ctrl (command on a mac), V and C keys? Block-based pattern sequencing mode solves that problem with easily alterable patterns that are dynamically linked to each other!
Brilliant for Hip Hop producers especially. There's another great feature for authentic Hip Hop producers too...
4. Sampling + Wave Editing
Live sampling is in Reason! Finally, there's a way to get the real world into the virtual rack without a million steps in between!
So now you can be more creative, start diggin' in the crates and get your tracks poppin' ol' schoo' style! Okay, I'll quit with the apostrophes and get on with telling you about...
5. Doc Oc?
But it's not all about your own samples. You can load up more of your favourite loops since Dr.REX octuples into DrOctoRex Loop Player in Reason - this actually has more options than you'd initially think as well, since not only are 8 loops available, effects, audio processing and slice-specific parameter adjustment make it a completely different animal.
An Octopus, to be specific.
So get excited - Reason 5 is going to be a BIG step forward for Propellerhead fans.
1. Ke$ha will be happy...
With the new Neptune Pitch Adjuster and Voice Synth Device in Record, you get
a high-quality processor to correct and shift pitches, create backing harmonies, formant shift and vocode the hell out of your voice.
This addresses the issue that most Record users had that Autotune was an industry standard plug-in. Now there's no issue any more and you can T-Pain away to your heart's content! (Or use it subtly, your call.)
2. The King of Drum emulation...
The Kong Drum Designer in Reason allows you to build and tweak your sounds with your choice of drum synthesis, sampling, REX loops, physical modeling and effects modules for percussion on Kong's 16 MPC-esque pads.
Basically now you're not restricted to samples for percussion - Kong makes it a million times easier to create your own sounds from scratch.
3. Goodbye, Copy and Paste!
Sick of wearing out your Ctrl (command on a mac), V and C keys? Block-based pattern sequencing mode solves that problem with easily alterable patterns that are dynamically linked to each other!
Brilliant for Hip Hop producers especially. There's another great feature for authentic Hip Hop producers too...
4. Sampling + Wave Editing
Live sampling is in Reason! Finally, there's a way to get the real world into the virtual rack without a million steps in between!
So now you can be more creative, start diggin' in the crates and get your tracks poppin' ol' schoo' style! Okay, I'll quit with the apostrophes and get on with telling you about...
5. Doc Oc?
But it's not all about your own samples. You can load up more of your favourite loops since Dr.REX octuples into DrOctoRex Loop Player in Reason - this actually has more options than you'd initially think as well, since not only are 8 loops available, effects, audio processing and slice-specific parameter adjustment make it a completely different animal.
An Octopus, to be specific.
So get excited - Reason 5 is going to be a BIG step forward for Propellerhead fans.
Categories: Music Technology News and Trends
5 tips for drum synthesis
Ever wanted to make your own kicks, snares and noises to make your percussion more personal? It's a difficult road to tread, with cheesy beats tripping your confidence along the road to self sufficient sound production.
But never fear! Here are 5 top tips to remember when synthesising your own drums!
1. Pitch drops
By having a really fast pitch drop from a high to a low note, you can get anything from a tom to a dancey kick to a dirty low sub bass drum. Just alter the speed of the drop (One-shot LFOs or preferably envelopes are really good for this) and you can modulate the sound to your heart's content!
2. Snare Secrets
Want to get that punchy undertone to a snare but the noise generator isn't quite cutting it? Let's think logically - an undertone is just that. We need more than noise to make the punch, so filter a low sine wave underneath (make the frequency of the sine around the 200hz mark - if it's in key with the song then so much the better!) and listen as it punches like Mike Tyson in an annoying person convention (I'd advise never going to one of those).
3. Parallel distortion
That essential beef is only added when you route the sounds through distortion, then mix the newly distorted version with the original clean one. That way, you maintain the clarity and introduce some gritty awesomeness to the tone!
Tube distortion works particularly well - if you have a guitar amp (or a guitar amp sim) try running your samples through it for some insta-grit to your beats!
4. Don't be afraid to layer
Samples are there for a reason! Maybe by layering your home-grown sound with a sample, you can get something closer to what you want! Try high-pass filtering a one shot sample from XXL Hip Hop Drums and putting a simple dancey kick underneath - Electro House-tastic!
Band Pass filtering can be a blessing here as well, allowing you to filter multiple sounds without overlapping the frequencies, making some really unusual and synthetic sounds.
5. A resounding yes!
Resonance is great for getting some weirder harmonic overtones from your drums, so don't be afraid to introduce it in droves when creating less conventional percussion!
But never fear! Here are 5 top tips to remember when synthesising your own drums!
1. Pitch drops
By having a really fast pitch drop from a high to a low note, you can get anything from a tom to a dancey kick to a dirty low sub bass drum. Just alter the speed of the drop (One-shot LFOs or preferably envelopes are really good for this) and you can modulate the sound to your heart's content!
2. Snare Secrets
Want to get that punchy undertone to a snare but the noise generator isn't quite cutting it? Let's think logically - an undertone is just that. We need more than noise to make the punch, so filter a low sine wave underneath (make the frequency of the sine around the 200hz mark - if it's in key with the song then so much the better!) and listen as it punches like Mike Tyson in an annoying person convention (I'd advise never going to one of those).
3. Parallel distortion
That essential beef is only added when you route the sounds through distortion, then mix the newly distorted version with the original clean one. That way, you maintain the clarity and introduce some gritty awesomeness to the tone!
Tube distortion works particularly well - if you have a guitar amp (or a guitar amp sim) try running your samples through it for some insta-grit to your beats!
4. Don't be afraid to layer
Samples are there for a reason! Maybe by layering your home-grown sound with a sample, you can get something closer to what you want! Try high-pass filtering a one shot sample from XXL Hip Hop Drums and putting a simple dancey kick underneath - Electro House-tastic!
Band Pass filtering can be a blessing here as well, allowing you to filter multiple sounds without overlapping the frequencies, making some really unusual and synthetic sounds.
5. A resounding yes!
Resonance is great for getting some weirder harmonic overtones from your drums, so don't be afraid to introduce it in droves when creating less conventional percussion!
Categories: Music Technology News and Trends
iPad - the future of music or an expensive toy?
So the whole world has been split between people who love it and people who laugh at it, but the iPad has undoubtedly made an entrance onto the scene, competing with laptops and building up quite a reputation.
But does its intuitive interface lend itself to high quality music production? Let's take a look at some of the pieces of software available for it that explore its musical side...
Synths
The first port of call on our journey through the iPad's musical expertise is synths - can it generate its own sounds? Well, the short answer is - yes.
Much like the iPhone, there are synth apps available for it, such as "miniSynth Pro", which allows for subtractive and FM synthesis with 2 oscillators amongst other features.
The large screen allows for a keyboard display of many keys that can be easily played (they've opted for a clever two-level organ-esque approach to fit more keys on screen at once) and the touch screen makes it seem that bit more authentic and fun to play with, rather than interacting through a dehumanising (perhaps a bit of a harsh word, but you know what I mean) mouse.
The results are perfectly useable as well. High quality sound and some useful arpeggiator options mean it is a versatile and playable tool.
Samplers
So how about importing your Prime Loops library to the iPad? Well, if you want to start playing with your XXL Hip Hop Drums one shots, then look no further than Akai Synthstation.
The MPC is a massive influence as you'd expect, so you can load up your one shots and cut-up loops into the familiar pads, or compile things in a looping fashion in the grid edit mode. It's basically an MPC translated into software - very cool.
Recording software
This is perhaps where the iPad is lacking, mainly because it's not got a fantastic amount of input ability (though some companies have come up with ways to get microphones and line level inputs into the device), but some software companies have still had a go.
"StudioTrack" by Sonoma Wire Works, for instance have made an 8 track sequencer that can apply effects, allow you to mix your track and acts as a nice, quick mixing tool. What it lacks in versatility and depth, it makes up in accessibility, again with the touch pad allowing users to go back to the days of authentic mixers and move faders around like in the good ol' days!
Sheet Music
It's not all about sound coming directly from the iPad - as it's good for books, sheet music seems like a logical extension of that, allowing a pianist to keep all of their music in one place and for it to scroll automatically as you perform your piece! Convenient, huh?
MIDI Contoller
need some more dynamic input for your DAW since the mouse/keyboard combo isn't cutting it? Things like Cubase iC, Trixmix 2, TouchOSC, pOSCa, MRMR, iGOG and Spectrasonics Omni Live (to name but a few) are creating a stir in the hardware industry. Anyone with an iPad can use the wonders of wifi to make virtual midi connections to their favourite software and control their synths and samples so much more easily!
Sequencer for live gigs and DJ sets
Looptastic and iSequence have both thought that bringing a versatile looping and sequencing to the live arena from your favourite apple tablet is clearly the way of the future! With many FX, sounds and loops to choose from, it's definitely got the potential to work its way into the live sets of touring DJs who like to keep everything in one place!
Stand alone instrument
It's not just limited to synthesis, as iElectribe and Tenori-On have proven - their devices map perfectly to the rectangular screen and allow some really cool hands (or tenori) -on access to the whole of your electronic music performance!
Groovebox
Devices like moxMatrix, Propellerhead ReBirth and our friend TouchOSC have proven their worth as grooveboxes on the 'Pad (there really is no need for that apostrophe, but there are so many "i"s floating about that it's starting to get dangerous), providing anything from old school techno to modern electro productions quite literally at your fingertips.
Other useful studio gimmicks
How about TC electronics polytune tuner, the BPM Counter, Metronome, Rhyming Dictionary... the list goes on as far as the apps store will let it. Which is pretty far.
Overall
So in conclusion, it looks like it's not quite a professional DAW-beater just yet, but there are definitely some useable pieces of software for live performance and getting ideas down when you're away from the studio. All-in-all a great tool for inspiration, since the accessibility will no doubt unleash your want to start actually getting back in touch (aha) with your musical creativity!
But does its intuitive interface lend itself to high quality music production? Let's take a look at some of the pieces of software available for it that explore its musical side...
Synths
The first port of call on our journey through the iPad's musical expertise is synths - can it generate its own sounds? Well, the short answer is - yes.
Much like the iPhone, there are synth apps available for it, such as "miniSynth Pro", which allows for subtractive and FM synthesis with 2 oscillators amongst other features.
The large screen allows for a keyboard display of many keys that can be easily played (they've opted for a clever two-level organ-esque approach to fit more keys on screen at once) and the touch screen makes it seem that bit more authentic and fun to play with, rather than interacting through a dehumanising (perhaps a bit of a harsh word, but you know what I mean) mouse.
The results are perfectly useable as well. High quality sound and some useful arpeggiator options mean it is a versatile and playable tool.
Samplers
So how about importing your Prime Loops library to the iPad? Well, if you want to start playing with your XXL Hip Hop Drums one shots, then look no further than Akai Synthstation.
The MPC is a massive influence as you'd expect, so you can load up your one shots and cut-up loops into the familiar pads, or compile things in a looping fashion in the grid edit mode. It's basically an MPC translated into software - very cool.
Recording software
This is perhaps where the iPad is lacking, mainly because it's not got a fantastic amount of input ability (though some companies have come up with ways to get microphones and line level inputs into the device), but some software companies have still had a go.
"StudioTrack" by Sonoma Wire Works, for instance have made an 8 track sequencer that can apply effects, allow you to mix your track and acts as a nice, quick mixing tool. What it lacks in versatility and depth, it makes up in accessibility, again with the touch pad allowing users to go back to the days of authentic mixers and move faders around like in the good ol' days!
Sheet Music
It's not all about sound coming directly from the iPad - as it's good for books, sheet music seems like a logical extension of that, allowing a pianist to keep all of their music in one place and for it to scroll automatically as you perform your piece! Convenient, huh?
MIDI Contoller
need some more dynamic input for your DAW since the mouse/keyboard combo isn't cutting it? Things like Cubase iC, Trixmix 2, TouchOSC, pOSCa, MRMR, iGOG and Spectrasonics Omni Live (to name but a few) are creating a stir in the hardware industry. Anyone with an iPad can use the wonders of wifi to make virtual midi connections to their favourite software and control their synths and samples so much more easily!
Sequencer for live gigs and DJ sets
Looptastic and iSequence have both thought that bringing a versatile looping and sequencing to the live arena from your favourite apple tablet is clearly the way of the future! With many FX, sounds and loops to choose from, it's definitely got the potential to work its way into the live sets of touring DJs who like to keep everything in one place!
Stand alone instrument
It's not just limited to synthesis, as iElectribe and Tenori-On have proven - their devices map perfectly to the rectangular screen and allow some really cool hands (or tenori) -on access to the whole of your electronic music performance!
Groovebox
Devices like moxMatrix, Propellerhead ReBirth and our friend TouchOSC have proven their worth as grooveboxes on the 'Pad (there really is no need for that apostrophe, but there are so many "i"s floating about that it's starting to get dangerous), providing anything from old school techno to modern electro productions quite literally at your fingertips.
Other useful studio gimmicks
How about TC electronics polytune tuner, the BPM Counter, Metronome, Rhyming Dictionary... the list goes on as far as the apps store will let it. Which is pretty far.
Overall
So in conclusion, it looks like it's not quite a professional DAW-beater just yet, but there are definitely some useable pieces of software for live performance and getting ideas down when you're away from the studio. All-in-all a great tool for inspiration, since the accessibility will no doubt unleash your want to start actually getting back in touch (aha) with your musical creativity!
Categories: Music Technology News and Trends
Voice synthesis and how to use it
Ever felt the need to take your vocals to the next level of computerised goodness, but are sick of using the same old pitch correction tools?
Say hello to voice synthesis...
What is voice synthesis?
If you've heard the song "Hide and Seek" by Imogen Heap... or perhaps the song that sampled it - "Watcha Say" by Jason Derulo, you'll be familiar with voice synthesis.
It sounds like impossibly tight and accurate harmonies, resulting in gorgeous chordal vocals that can add power to any vocal line.
How does it work?
By making multiple instances of your source vocal line, then pitch correcting each one to a note that's being played by the synth, the resulting sound is a playable version of the voice.
Sound complex? It's not - just think about it as each note being played has its own T-Pain app.
Where can I use it
The Studio: Electronic musicians all over the globe are subscribing to the succinct and sharp harmonies given from voice synthesizers.
The studio is the obvious place to start using them since it gives you time to play and manipulate the voice with some of the more advanced features (Formant shifting for one - allowing the voice to maintain that natural sound without turning the harmonies into Alvin, Simon and Theodore.)
Live: However, live is where you can really experiment. The aformentioned Imogen Heap uses it to great effect, but more upbeat music works well with it too, as Pendulum have proven time and again. It adds a whole different dimension of talent to vocal performance - being able to concentrate on singing and manipulating your voice simultaneously.
Some cool voice synthesizers...
Propellerheads' "Record 1.5" comes with "Neptune" - a seriously powerful voice synth that can also do conventional pitch correction, as well as automatic formant correction.
TC Helicon's VoiceTone synth is a method of getting live vocoding and voice synth (from a guitar input if you'd like!) without splashing on a pricey audio laptop for gigs. Convenient for the on-the-go vocalist who doesn't want to be adjusting parameters on a macbook mid-set!
So get correcting your voice and have a play with what's available to you! Who knows? Perhaps you'll be to voice synths what Cher and T-Pain is to autotune! ...Or perhaps you'll maintain your integrity and just make some awesome music with interesting vocals. The choice is yours!
Say hello to voice synthesis...
What is voice synthesis?
If you've heard the song "Hide and Seek" by Imogen Heap... or perhaps the song that sampled it - "Watcha Say" by Jason Derulo, you'll be familiar with voice synthesis.
It sounds like impossibly tight and accurate harmonies, resulting in gorgeous chordal vocals that can add power to any vocal line.
How does it work?
By making multiple instances of your source vocal line, then pitch correcting each one to a note that's being played by the synth, the resulting sound is a playable version of the voice.
Sound complex? It's not - just think about it as each note being played has its own T-Pain app.
Where can I use it
The Studio: Electronic musicians all over the globe are subscribing to the succinct and sharp harmonies given from voice synthesizers.
The studio is the obvious place to start using them since it gives you time to play and manipulate the voice with some of the more advanced features (Formant shifting for one - allowing the voice to maintain that natural sound without turning the harmonies into Alvin, Simon and Theodore.)
Live: However, live is where you can really experiment. The aformentioned Imogen Heap uses it to great effect, but more upbeat music works well with it too, as Pendulum have proven time and again. It adds a whole different dimension of talent to vocal performance - being able to concentrate on singing and manipulating your voice simultaneously.
Some cool voice synthesizers...
Propellerheads' "Record 1.5" comes with "Neptune" - a seriously powerful voice synth that can also do conventional pitch correction, as well as automatic formant correction.
TC Helicon's VoiceTone synth is a method of getting live vocoding and voice synth (from a guitar input if you'd like!) without splashing on a pricey audio laptop for gigs. Convenient for the on-the-go vocalist who doesn't want to be adjusting parameters on a macbook mid-set!
So get correcting your voice and have a play with what's available to you! Who knows? Perhaps you'll be to voice synths what Cher and T-Pain is to autotune! ...Or perhaps you'll maintain your integrity and just make some awesome music with interesting vocals. The choice is yours!
Categories: Music Technology News and Trends
The Loudness War
As music production reaches higher and higher for that stand-out sound, it's explored no avenue more frequently than that of volume.
Listen to a song from 30 years ago and compare it to one from today - you'll have to give the volume knob a good turn to compete. But why has this happened? What's causing producers to attack each other with big beats, and how is it affecting our listening experience?
Let's ask some questions...
What is the Loudness War?
Ever since the invention of the club, producers have wanted their track to stand out - to be the banger that gets everybody on the dancefloor and takes them out of obscurity into super stardom. But how do you make a song stand out amongst so many other similar tracks? Amongst other things - volume.
If one song is louder than the rest, it'll sound more intense, therefore (in theory) making the club-goers dance all the harder. However, since this has been the thought process for decades now, it's got to the point where tracks simply cannot go any louder while maintaining musical integrity.
Therefore, producers now have to fight their way to decibel heaven, making sure their tracks pump out as loudly as the hits in order to stand any chance of getting into a DJ's playlist. There's nothing a DJ hates more than having to adjust the volume knob - it's just hassle! (Either that or the P.A. simply can't go any louder!)
Victims of the Loudness War
As with any war, there are innocent bystanders that will be needlessly mutilated. In this case, it's dynamic range. This is the difference in volume between loud and quiet parts of the track.
Why would you want dynamic range? Well, the bigger the difference in volume between a lead synth and a kick drum, the harder that kick drum will punch the listener in the face.
So the victim is - punchiness! Dance tracks now are a seamless blend of loudness, that doesn't even dip in the massive "hands-in-the-air" moments. Listeners don't get the punchy, powerful tracks they deserve and these quality tunes are forever destined to be big, rectangular blocks in mastering suites across the globe... or are they?
Fighting the loudness war
If you want to say no to these pointless casualties of war and take back the dynamic range that your songs deserve, perhaps it's time to stop putting limiters on everything. Perhaps it's time to turn down the synths and simply turn up your speakers rather than the track!
It's a tough battle, since many DJs will not give any quarter to producers who dare to venture below that 0dB point, but if you want tracks that punch and take listeners through a range of dynamics, you'll have to risk it and fight the good fight.
So are you with the Club DJs? Conforming to the mainstream and making large, loud listening experiences? Or dare you depend on dynamics to give your track a completely different dimension to it? It's time for you to pick your alliance for this war; it's going to go on for a long time!
Listen to a song from 30 years ago and compare it to one from today - you'll have to give the volume knob a good turn to compete. But why has this happened? What's causing producers to attack each other with big beats, and how is it affecting our listening experience?
Let's ask some questions...
What is the Loudness War?
Ever since the invention of the club, producers have wanted their track to stand out - to be the banger that gets everybody on the dancefloor and takes them out of obscurity into super stardom. But how do you make a song stand out amongst so many other similar tracks? Amongst other things - volume.
If one song is louder than the rest, it'll sound more intense, therefore (in theory) making the club-goers dance all the harder. However, since this has been the thought process for decades now, it's got to the point where tracks simply cannot go any louder while maintaining musical integrity.
Therefore, producers now have to fight their way to decibel heaven, making sure their tracks pump out as loudly as the hits in order to stand any chance of getting into a DJ's playlist. There's nothing a DJ hates more than having to adjust the volume knob - it's just hassle! (Either that or the P.A. simply can't go any louder!)
Victims of the Loudness War
As with any war, there are innocent bystanders that will be needlessly mutilated. In this case, it's dynamic range. This is the difference in volume between loud and quiet parts of the track.
Why would you want dynamic range? Well, the bigger the difference in volume between a lead synth and a kick drum, the harder that kick drum will punch the listener in the face.
So the victim is - punchiness! Dance tracks now are a seamless blend of loudness, that doesn't even dip in the massive "hands-in-the-air" moments. Listeners don't get the punchy, powerful tracks they deserve and these quality tunes are forever destined to be big, rectangular blocks in mastering suites across the globe... or are they?
Fighting the loudness war
If you want to say no to these pointless casualties of war and take back the dynamic range that your songs deserve, perhaps it's time to stop putting limiters on everything. Perhaps it's time to turn down the synths and simply turn up your speakers rather than the track!
It's a tough battle, since many DJs will not give any quarter to producers who dare to venture below that 0dB point, but if you want tracks that punch and take listeners through a range of dynamics, you'll have to risk it and fight the good fight.
So are you with the Club DJs? Conforming to the mainstream and making large, loud listening experiences? Or dare you depend on dynamics to give your track a completely different dimension to it? It's time for you to pick your alliance for this war; it's going to go on for a long time!
Categories: Music Technology News and Trends
Introduction to Compression
Do you find your percussion isn't punchy enough? Or that your vocals are wildly varied in volume? Never fear - compression is here...
What is Compression?
You can think of a compressor plug-in as a virtual studio engineer with his hand on the volume knob - if the volume is too loud, he (or she, we don't discriminate!) will turn down the volume by a defined amount, depending on how loud it is.
This results in quieter sounds appearing louder, without increasing the volume of the sounds that are already loud. This is used often on vocals in popular music, where it can considerably increase their clarity.
What can you do with Compression?
There are several controls found on conventional compressors...
Threshold - This is the level in decibels (dB) above which the volume is compressed.
Ratio - This is the ratio that determines how much the signal should be compressed. A ratio of 5:1 means that if a signal goes over the threshold by 5dB, the compressor will reduce the signal to 1dB over the threshold. Simple!
Attack - This is how fast the compressor kicks in after hearing a sound over the threshold - if it is long enough, this can result in really punchy initial hits, then compressing the tail ends of sounds; very useful on percussion.
Release - This is how fast the compressor kicks in after hearing a sound under the threshold, increasing the volume to the threshold level.
Soft/Hard Knee - This determines how smooth the compression is - the "Knee", or response curve, is less audibly noticeable when it is smoother, but takes longer to compress the signal as a result.
Gain - This allows for the entire volume of the signal to be increased or decreased.
Some useful techniques
1. Side-Chain Compression
By running another signal into a compressor with a "Side-chain" function, you can achieve a pumping effect used in countless electronic music productions, where a kick drum, for example, will make the rest of the music duck down under it rhythmically as it is played.
2. Over-Compressed drums
Want that insane, loud drum sound? Try a really high ratio, a really low threshold, a really fast attack and as much gain as you can get away with without the sound clipping and distorting. The result? A crazy, noisy sound that is great for more energetic music!
3. Glitchy Percussion
Where compression is conventionally used to bring up the tail end of drum hits, you can do quite the opposite - by reducing the threshold considerably with a high ratio and having a short attack that allows just a fraction of the signal through, you can get some sweet clicky, glitchy percussion!
What is Compression?
You can think of a compressor plug-in as a virtual studio engineer with his hand on the volume knob - if the volume is too loud, he (or she, we don't discriminate!) will turn down the volume by a defined amount, depending on how loud it is.
This results in quieter sounds appearing louder, without increasing the volume of the sounds that are already loud. This is used often on vocals in popular music, where it can considerably increase their clarity.
What can you do with Compression?
There are several controls found on conventional compressors...
Threshold - This is the level in decibels (dB) above which the volume is compressed.
Ratio - This is the ratio that determines how much the signal should be compressed. A ratio of 5:1 means that if a signal goes over the threshold by 5dB, the compressor will reduce the signal to 1dB over the threshold. Simple!
Attack - This is how fast the compressor kicks in after hearing a sound over the threshold - if it is long enough, this can result in really punchy initial hits, then compressing the tail ends of sounds; very useful on percussion.
Release - This is how fast the compressor kicks in after hearing a sound under the threshold, increasing the volume to the threshold level.
Soft/Hard Knee - This determines how smooth the compression is - the "Knee", or response curve, is less audibly noticeable when it is smoother, but takes longer to compress the signal as a result.
Gain - This allows for the entire volume of the signal to be increased or decreased.
Some useful techniques
1. Side-Chain Compression
By running another signal into a compressor with a "Side-chain" function, you can achieve a pumping effect used in countless electronic music productions, where a kick drum, for example, will make the rest of the music duck down under it rhythmically as it is played.
2. Over-Compressed drums
Want that insane, loud drum sound? Try a really high ratio, a really low threshold, a really fast attack and as much gain as you can get away with without the sound clipping and distorting. The result? A crazy, noisy sound that is great for more energetic music!
3. Glitchy Percussion
Where compression is conventionally used to bring up the tail end of drum hits, you can do quite the opposite - by reducing the threshold considerably with a high ratio and having a short attack that allows just a fraction of the signal through, you can get some sweet clicky, glitchy percussion!
Categories: Music Technology News and Trends
How to improve your home studio... on a budget
Are you always on the lookout for ways to improve your studio, but not so frequently in possession of the cash in order to do so?
Then here are a few suggestions for tweaks you can make to your music making menagerie with little or no money...
TVs are for more than Hollyoaks...
Has your favourite show just finished, or you've found yourself on YouTube more than ITV? Use your old TV for massive second monitor! Most TVs purchased in the last 5 years will probably have a monitor input, so give it a try and you'll have extra space for your DAW to stretch its legs!
They can also be great for putting lyrics on for vocalists to sing along to, or for watching YouTube videos when you're supposed to be finishing a song.
Windows ninety-what?!
Remember that old PC that just couldn't handle your entire soft-studio? Well use your Old PC for VSTs! Using programs like "FX Teleport", you can easily network up your old computer and start using it to make your software run faster!
Just assign those CPU-intensive VSTs to the old computer and watch as your host machine speeds away and your creative workflow follows suit. Just imagine getting high quality multisamples like Synth Bass Analogy without having to worry about the associated computing cost!
It's not very roomy...
Constructing a makeshift Vocal Booth from duvets, old mic stands and willpower can result in much less roomy recordings from your microphone! That once echoey overtone will be no more and you can rely on your plug ins to define what room that recording is in!
Take care of yourself...
...and you'll take care of making awesome music! eBay a comfy office Chair (Or "borrow" one from your day job) and not only will your back thank you, but so will your ego. Making sure you're comfortable is one of the most underrated parts of studio design!
I'm sure if you put your mind to it, you can look around and convert old, unused bits and bobs into studio gold; just be creative and unafraid of sellotape!
Then here are a few suggestions for tweaks you can make to your music making menagerie with little or no money...
TVs are for more than Hollyoaks...
Has your favourite show just finished, or you've found yourself on YouTube more than ITV? Use your old TV for massive second monitor! Most TVs purchased in the last 5 years will probably have a monitor input, so give it a try and you'll have extra space for your DAW to stretch its legs!
They can also be great for putting lyrics on for vocalists to sing along to, or for watching YouTube videos when you're supposed to be finishing a song.
Windows ninety-what?!
Remember that old PC that just couldn't handle your entire soft-studio? Well use your Old PC for VSTs! Using programs like "FX Teleport", you can easily network up your old computer and start using it to make your software run faster!
Just assign those CPU-intensive VSTs to the old computer and watch as your host machine speeds away and your creative workflow follows suit. Just imagine getting high quality multisamples like Synth Bass Analogy without having to worry about the associated computing cost!
It's not very roomy...
Constructing a makeshift Vocal Booth from duvets, old mic stands and willpower can result in much less roomy recordings from your microphone! That once echoey overtone will be no more and you can rely on your plug ins to define what room that recording is in!
Take care of yourself...
...and you'll take care of making awesome music! eBay a comfy office Chair (Or "borrow" one from your day job) and not only will your back thank you, but so will your ego. Making sure you're comfortable is one of the most underrated parts of studio design!
I'm sure if you put your mind to it, you can look around and convert old, unused bits and bobs into studio gold; just be creative and unafraid of sellotape!
Categories: Music Technology News and Trends
How to improve your home studio on a budget
Are you always on the lookout for ways to improve your studio, but not so frequently in possession of the cash in order to do so?
Then here are a few suggestions for tweaks you can make to your music making menagerie with little or no money...
TVs are for more than Hollyoaks...
Has your favourite show just finished, or you've found yourself on YouTube more than ITV? Use your old TV for massive second monitor! Most TVs purchased in the last 5 years will probably have a monitor input, so give it a try and you'll have extra space for your DAW to stretch its legs!
They can also be great for putting lyrics on for vocalists to sing along to, or for watching YouTube videos when you're supposed to be finishing a song.
Windows ninety-what?!
Remember that old PC that just couldn't handle your entire soft-studio? Well use your Old PC for VSTs! Using programs like "FX Teleport", you can easily network up your old computer and start using it to make your software run faster!
Just assign those CPU-intensive VSTs to the old computer and watch as your host machine speeds away and your creative workflow follows suit. Just imagine getting high quality multisamples like >>>>Synth Bass Analogy<<<<< without having to worry about the associated computing cost!
It's not very roomy...
Constructing a makeshift Vocal Booth from duvets, old mic stands and willpower can result in much less roomy recordings from your microphone! That once echoey overtone will be no more and you can rely on your plug ins to define what room that recording is in!
Take care of yourself...
...and you'll take care of making awesome music! eBay a comfy office Chair for under £50 (Or "borrow" one from your day job) and not only will your back thank you, but so will your ego. Making sure you're comfortable is one of the most underrated parts of studio design!
I'm sure if you put your mind to it, you can look around and convert old, unused bits and bobs into studio gold; just be creative and unafraid of sellotape!
Then here are a few suggestions for tweaks you can make to your music making menagerie with little or no money...
TVs are for more than Hollyoaks...
Has your favourite show just finished, or you've found yourself on YouTube more than ITV? Use your old TV for massive second monitor! Most TVs purchased in the last 5 years will probably have a monitor input, so give it a try and you'll have extra space for your DAW to stretch its legs!
They can also be great for putting lyrics on for vocalists to sing along to, or for watching YouTube videos when you're supposed to be finishing a song.
Windows ninety-what?!
Remember that old PC that just couldn't handle your entire soft-studio? Well use your Old PC for VSTs! Using programs like "FX Teleport", you can easily network up your old computer and start using it to make your software run faster!
Just assign those CPU-intensive VSTs to the old computer and watch as your host machine speeds away and your creative workflow follows suit. Just imagine getting high quality multisamples like >>>>Synth Bass Analogy<<<<< without having to worry about the associated computing cost!
It's not very roomy...
Constructing a makeshift Vocal Booth from duvets, old mic stands and willpower can result in much less roomy recordings from your microphone! That once echoey overtone will be no more and you can rely on your plug ins to define what room that recording is in!
Take care of yourself...
...and you'll take care of making awesome music! eBay a comfy office Chair for under £50 (Or "borrow" one from your day job) and not only will your back thank you, but so will your ego. Making sure you're comfortable is one of the most underrated parts of studio design!
I'm sure if you put your mind to it, you can look around and convert old, unused bits and bobs into studio gold; just be creative and unafraid of sellotape!
Categories: Music Technology News and Trends
Trackers - A different way of making music
If you're like the majority of the music-producing masses, you'll probably be used to a conventional sequencer, allowing you seemingly limitless control over your sound.
But there are a group of musicians who think there is merit in having limits. Enter the tracker musicians...
What is a Tracker?
It's quite simply a music sequencer that allows a user to arrange samples (or more recently synthesis as well) in steps across several channels. Generally they rely on purely keyboard input, utilising loads of shortcut keys to speed up the workflow.
These arrangements are then strung together to form complete songs.
When did they originate?
Before computers were powerful enough to handle Pro Tools or Logic, they had to make do. Ultimate Soundtracker was the first piece of software and it grew from there as computing power grew.
They've been used for video games for years and were widely used in the early 90s. They required hardware cards when used with PCs, as they didn't have good enough sound quality.
However, as the processors grew powerful enough to handle higher quality audio processing, they were superseded in most respects by conventional sequencers.
Why would I use it?
If it's an old format, what is the benefit, right? Well apart from the novelty of using old software for new music (Chiptune producers love trackers!), the loop-based approach makes it ideal for electronic music producers and many argue that once you get your head around them they're much faster to work with than regular ol' sequencers.
There's also a load of free and cheap trackers out there, making them really accessible.
Who uses Trackers?
If Pop is your thing, try on Calvin Harris for size! If you're into more obscure and intricate stuff, Venetian Snares proves that the limiting layout doesn't limit what you can accomplish with them, switching from time signature to time signature and breaking beats in ways you never thought imaginable. In fact, he's a really good advert for what you can do with trackers.
How can I get one?
You can go for a free music tracker to get a taste for it - one such piece of software being ModPlug Tracker (just give it a Google) and if you're hooked, moving up to something more substantial like ReNoise is perhaps on your horizon!
So don't just take your software for granted - maybe you'd be more comfortable typing your tunes than playing them on a MIDI Keyboard!
But there are a group of musicians who think there is merit in having limits. Enter the tracker musicians...
What is a Tracker?
It's quite simply a music sequencer that allows a user to arrange samples (or more recently synthesis as well) in steps across several channels. Generally they rely on purely keyboard input, utilising loads of shortcut keys to speed up the workflow.
These arrangements are then strung together to form complete songs.
When did they originate?
Before computers were powerful enough to handle Pro Tools or Logic, they had to make do. Ultimate Soundtracker was the first piece of software and it grew from there as computing power grew.
They've been used for video games for years and were widely used in the early 90s. They required hardware cards when used with PCs, as they didn't have good enough sound quality.
However, as the processors grew powerful enough to handle higher quality audio processing, they were superseded in most respects by conventional sequencers.
Why would I use it?
If it's an old format, what is the benefit, right? Well apart from the novelty of using old software for new music (Chiptune producers love trackers!), the loop-based approach makes it ideal for electronic music producers and many argue that once you get your head around them they're much faster to work with than regular ol' sequencers.
There's also a load of free and cheap trackers out there, making them really accessible.
Who uses Trackers?
If Pop is your thing, try on Calvin Harris for size! If you're into more obscure and intricate stuff, Venetian Snares proves that the limiting layout doesn't limit what you can accomplish with them, switching from time signature to time signature and breaking beats in ways you never thought imaginable. In fact, he's a really good advert for what you can do with trackers.
How can I get one?
You can go for a free music tracker to get a taste for it - one such piece of software being ModPlug Tracker (just give it a Google) and if you're hooked, moving up to something more substantial like ReNoise is perhaps on your horizon!
So don't just take your software for granted - maybe you'd be more comfortable typing your tunes than playing them on a MIDI Keyboard!
Categories: Music Technology News and Trends
Top 5 musical iPhone apps
iPhone apps exist for practically anything you could imagine. So it's not surprising that music production is possible on the little guy.
But which apps are worth looking at? Let's see...
1. Make Beats on the Bus - Intua Beatmaker
Ever wanted to take your Prime Loops library to your iPhone? Well now's the time to get your XXL Hip Hop Drums on an XXS format!
Intua Beatmaker is a massive application, allowing for MPC-esque beat making on the go.
Looping, live performance, sequencing, FX, recording, tuning, loading and saving samples, wave editing, quantizing... the list really does go on for a long time. This is one of those apps that competes with the big DAWs.
2. Argon
High end synthesis on the iPhone? Sure thing! With 3 oscillators, Frequency Modulation, step sequencer, keyboard, envelopes, effects and LFOs amongst other features, Argon is a monophonic virtual analog synth that will change the way you think about mobile music making!
It's even compatible with the aformentioned Intua Beatmaker, so you can copy audio data onto it!
3. NESynth
Chiptune producers rejoice! NESynth allows you to emulate those authentic sounding nintendo blips and bloops on your mobile device of choice.
Even cooler, you can control it with a virtual NES pad! Geek heaven!
4. ITM MIDIlab
Prefer to use a computer for music production? Not to worry - simply use your iPhone as an awesome MIDI controller and integrate it with your DAW using ITM MIDILab - a free application! Freakin' useful!
5. Amplitube iRig
Guitarists can now have amp simulation in their pocket. With different mics, amps, effects, cabs and all kinds available, a simple plug adaptor allows musicians to connect their guitar to their iPhone and rock to their heart's content. This could also double up as an awesome synth processing unit!
But which apps are worth looking at? Let's see...
1. Make Beats on the Bus - Intua Beatmaker
Ever wanted to take your Prime Loops library to your iPhone? Well now's the time to get your XXL Hip Hop Drums on an XXS format!
Intua Beatmaker is a massive application, allowing for MPC-esque beat making on the go.
Looping, live performance, sequencing, FX, recording, tuning, loading and saving samples, wave editing, quantizing... the list really does go on for a long time. This is one of those apps that competes with the big DAWs.
2. Argon
High end synthesis on the iPhone? Sure thing! With 3 oscillators, Frequency Modulation, step sequencer, keyboard, envelopes, effects and LFOs amongst other features, Argon is a monophonic virtual analog synth that will change the way you think about mobile music making!
It's even compatible with the aformentioned Intua Beatmaker, so you can copy audio data onto it!
3. NESynth
Chiptune producers rejoice! NESynth allows you to emulate those authentic sounding nintendo blips and bloops on your mobile device of choice.
Even cooler, you can control it with a virtual NES pad! Geek heaven!
4. ITM MIDIlab
Prefer to use a computer for music production? Not to worry - simply use your iPhone as an awesome MIDI controller and integrate it with your DAW using ITM MIDILab - a free application! Freakin' useful!
5. Amplitube iRig
Guitarists can now have amp simulation in their pocket. With different mics, amps, effects, cabs and all kinds available, a simple plug adaptor allows musicians to connect their guitar to their iPhone and rock to their heart's content. This could also double up as an awesome synth processing unit!
Categories: Music Technology News and Trends
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