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Anderton

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  1. All About EQ Curves and Musical Styles Look at the following curves, then decide for yourself whether certain styles of music have a “signature” EQ response. by Craig Anderton When you analyze music with a spectrum analyzer, you might be surprised at what you see. For example, with a bunch of music that belongs to the same musical genre, you’ll start to see a pattern with respect to how energy is distributed over the frequency spectrum. Although it’s impossible to generalize for all types of music within a genre, there are often recurring similarities that can be pretty interesting. The curves shown in this article were researched by Har-Bal (www.har-bal.com), a company that makes EQ-oriented mastering software. Among other features, Har-Bal allows displaying “reference curves” if you like a particular sound, and want to see how your master differs from it. In the process of developing Har-Bal, the company thought it would be helpful to include typical frequency response reference curves for different types of music. Analyzing them yields some interesting clues about EQ’s relationship to style; in all of the following examples, the upper (yellow) curve shows peak power, and the lower (red) curve shows mean power. DANCE/TECHNO Fig. 1: Here’s the spectral response curve for a typical techno song. Note the “bump” around 80Hz, which indicates a strong kick drum and bass. In Fig. 1, the hyped low end around 80Hz corresponds to the strong kick and bass line. There’s a slight dip at 5kHz, but then the response climbs up again in the treble range to give presence and sizzle. This results from the accented high-hat and percussion parts, which help propel a song’s rhythm and is a crucial element of dance music. The rest of the curve is relative flat, where all frequencies are emphasized. The object is to produce loud, pounding music that gets people moving on the dance floor, and that’s what this curve indicates. CLASSICAL Fig. 2: Classical music typically adds very little processing (either EQ or dynamics), which results in a lower amount of high-end energy. The most distinctive characteristic here is the rapid rolloff in the treble range (Fig. 2), as you’d expect from acoustic instruments and a sound that doesn’t include thrashing symbols, synths with huge amounts of harmonics, or boosted treble for radio play. The bass bump may be a bit surprising at first, but orchestral bass drums, tympani, and double-bass contribute a lot of energy to the final sound. ROCK Fig. 3: Rock music tends to have a lot of energy in the midrange region. Fig. 3 displays the strong bass typical of rock music, but note there’s also a lot of midrange action in the 500Hz-3kHz region from guitars, vocals, leads, and so on. The highs aren’t quite as hyped as the techno curve because there aren’t as many electronic instruments, although cymbals and distorted guitars can add a fair amount of high-frequency energy. As a result, there’s a more natural rolloff that resembles the classical curve, but with more high frequencies. R&B/HIP-HOP Fig. 4. The R&B/hip-hop curve is similar to rock, but with more lows and highs, and a bit of a dip in the lower midrange. Like rock music, Fig. 4 shows there’s a significant midrange emphasis due to vocals and instruments such as guitar, piano, synth, etc. But also note that there’s definitely more bass (check out the energy in the kick and bass guitar/synth bass range), as well as a bit more high-energy action. The lower mids around 200-300Hz are down a bit; this generally produces a cleaner, less “muddy” sound that’s indeed characteristic of a lot of R&B and hip-hop. FOLK Fig. 5: The curve for folk music is quite similar to classical, which is to be expected as both forms of music favor acoustic instruments. The curve in Fig. 5 is for an acoustic folk ensemble. As befits acoustic music without significant amounts of drums or bass, the accent here is on vocals, guitar, and other midrange instruments. Bass and treble both fall off substantially; unlike classical music, you don’t have powerful instruments in the bass range (like tympani) to contribute large amounts of low-end response. ADULT CONTEMPORARY Fig. 6: Although the highs and lows taper off somewhat as with acoustic music, note the high-frequency “bump” characteristic of percussion. This is also called “new age” music or easy listening. This type of music is designed to accent melody and not produce sizzling highs or pounding basses, which Fig. 6 clearly indicates: There’s a significant amount of midrange energy, and a gentle tapering in the bass and treble regions. However, note there is a bit of a peak around 7-8kHz. This is characteristic of tunes that include bright percussion, like shaker, tambourine, maracas, and the like. SO WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN? These graphs are designed to illustrate some points about spectral distribution is certain types of music, not serve as a “rule” about how music should sound. Still, as you’re mixing, it’s useful to know the characteristics of other music in the same genre, so your song can slide relatively easily into a playlist. For example, if you’re mixing dance music and you don’t have a prominent kick and some high-end sizzle, the music will sound weak when compared to other dance music. As always, your ears need to be the final arbiters of what sounds correct. But given the importance of EQ in producing a finished master recording with a commercial sound, the more you know about what you’re doing, the better! ______________________________________________ Craig Anderton is Editorial Director of Harmony Central. He has played on, mixed, or produced over 20 major label releases (as well as mastered over a hundred tracks for various musicians), and written over a thousand articles for magazines like Guitar Player, Keyboard, Sound on Sound (UK), and Sound + Recording (Germany). He has also lectured on technology and the arts in 38 states, 10 countries, and three languages.
  2. Arturia Matrix - 12 V Synthesizer Plug-In The Brontosaurus of analog synths once again walks the earth by Craig Anderton Oberheim’s Matrix-12 is one of those rare, classic, and groundbreaking synths. Riding on the success of the six-voice, keyboardless Xpander, the Matrix-12 essentially bonded two of them together for 12 voices and attached a keyboard. It had several claims to fame: 15 different filter types, extensive modulation capabilities brought together with a digital modulation matrix, and the ability to create “multis” that combined individual single patches for huge, complex sounds. With off-the-hook programming flexibility and the organic sound of analog, the Matrix-12 was a sound designer’s dream. However it appeared at the end of the analog synthesis era, when instruments like the DX7 had become the sound du jour, and the $5,000 price tag (which is now what a Matrix-12 costs used, if you can find one) was high in comparison to the new era of lower-cost digital synths. The Matrix-12 ceased production in 1988, but Arturia’s software re-incarnation does justice to this mighty synthesizer. THE PAST IS PRESENT I’ve always liked that while being respectful of the original synths, Arturia is not afraid to depart from a strict emulation. The Matrix-12 V benefits from a somewhat cleaner (yet familiar) user interface, onboard effects, a preset chainer to switch rapidly from one patch to the next, double the number of modulation destinations, extensive MIDI continuous controller options. and other enhancements. Typical price is around $170, but the Matrix-12 V is also part of Arturia’s V Collection of 13 classic synths—a far more cost-effective choice if you want more than just the Matrix-12 V. Supported formats include VST2, VST3, AU, and AAX. Like many other companies, Arturia has a software center for updating and keeping track of your licenses. Because Arturia offers a free demo, I don’t need to go into great detail—but I want to cover the gestalt. If you’re new to synthesis, the Matrix-12 V can be overwhelming; however if you have some experience under your belt, this instrument is unique and will take you places other instruments can’t go. Furthermore, although it’s deep, the layout is logical, and Arturia has made programming the Matrix-12 V as straightforward as possible for an instrument this capable. MODULATION NATION The extensive modulation does you no good if it’s not easy to access, and here Arturia improves on the original. The front panel modulation area (see the inset toward the right, below) shows the modulation sources that are directed to a specific destination. However, clicking the Mod button replaces the virtual keyboard with a modulation overview (behind the inset). Similarly, the FX button opens up the onboard effects—chorus, delay, analog delay, flanger, phaser, and reverb. These are not throw-aways, and are well-implemented. Another simplifying improvement is that when you click on Mod Source, Mod Destination, or Filter type, a pop-up screen gives a graphic representation of your options—click, done. It’s easier than parsing a drop-down menu with additional “sideways” menu for module parameters. Also, the Multi page (see below) takes advantage of the computer screen to make it easy to program gigantic multi sounds. Like the original, the Matrix-12 V has 12 voices so you may not want to use all multi voices all the time, but it’s tempting—the unison sounds obtainable with stacking various single patches can be breathtaking. The MIDI implementation is also light-years ahead of the original: just about everything can be MIDI-controlled, including zone keyboard assignment mode, zone low and high notes, controller clear, you name it—if there’s a parameter, you can probably control it. LIMITATIONS There are two main limitations. The single stereo output precludes directing different multi voices to different outputs; so while the Matrix-12 V is multi-timbral from a MIDI point of view because each zone can respond to different channels, it’s not from an audio point of view. The other limitation is that a MIDI controller cannot control multiple parameters. When one parameter “learns” a controller, any other assignments for that controller are de-assigned. Fortunately, you can save and recall controller configurations so you don’t need to make the same assignments over and over. CONCLUSIONS If you were around during the 80s and call up the Brass patch from the collection of original Matrix-12 patches, you’ll instantly recognize that distinctive Oberheim sound. Ditto many of the other patches. Although only about 1,000 Matrix-12s were manufactured, they usually ended up in the hands of prominent keyboardists and studio musicians, so their impact extended far beyond their original owners. These days, we have an embarrassment of virtual instrument riches—there are more ways to make cool sounds than we could ever explore fully in several lifetimes. Nonetheless, Matrix-12 V occupies a unique place in the world of analog emulation. Its depth, comprehensiveness, lineage, and array of innovative additions make it a far cry from “just another synthesizer”—just like its venerated hardware ancestor. To Learn More About the Arturia Matrix-12 V To Purchase Auturia Matrix 12 V Sweetwater B & H Musician's Friend Guitar Center ______________________________________________ Craig Anderton is Editorial Director of Harmony Central. He has played on, mixed, or produced over 20 major label releases (as well as mastered over a hundred tracks for various musicians), and written over a thousand articles for magazines like Guitar Player, Keyboard, Sound on Sound (UK), and Sound + Recording (Germany). He has also lectured on technology and the arts in 38 states, 10 countries, and three languages.
  3. So That's Why They Call It "Playing" Music by Craig Anderton This story involves a politician, but it doesn’t involve politics (you’re welcome). I was on a plane, and sitting a few rows ahead was Representative Paul Ryan, who’s now Speaker of the House. He had earbuds, and was listening intently to…what? Senate proceedings? An audio book, perhaps? While we stood in the jetway waiting for our gate-checked baggage, I asked what he was listening to so intently. Probably the Carpenters’ Greatest Hits, right? Maybe Kenny G? It was Led Zeppelin. Yes, the purveyors of debauchery and on-tour madness had worked their way into the ear canal of the man who, had George Romney been elected president in 2012, would have become vice president of the United States (although I’m sure it would have been a different kind of vice than Led Zeppelin’s). So I asked if he played guitar. “Yes…air guitar,” and he laughed. But I don’t think it was my imagination that a brief flash of regret seemed to cross his face. It’s one thing to listen to Jimmy Page; it’s another to be strutting across a stage, pounding out riffs on a Les Paul while thousands of fans are screaming their heads off. Yet he didn’t take up the guitar, because he said he just wasn’t good at it. Well, news flash: I could never hop a mogul like Jean-Claude Killy, but I liked to ski. And I’ll never make Celebrity Chef, but frankly, I cook a reasonably good salmon and besides, there are no documented cases of anyone dying from my cooking. Listening to music is about enjoyment, but so is playing music. If you’re reading this, you probably already know that making music is fun. But it’s time to let others know. I have a friend who keeps various percussion toys around, and when he puts on music, encourages guests to pick up an instrument and play along. Although they’re usually embarrassed at first, it doesn’t take long before they’re smiling. Maybe that smile will turn into nothing, or maybe it will turn into checking out a Casio keyboard or inexpensive acoustic guitar. As Lao Tzu said, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” I’ll probably never see Paul Ryan again, but if I do, I’m going to ask for his shipping address and send him a guitar. He’ll probably never become a great guitarist…but I bet he’ll have fun trying. - Craig Anderton ps: if you have friends who are musicians, forward them Harmony Central's Make Better Music. They'll thank you and we thank you. ______________________________________________ Craig Anderton is Editorial Director of Harmony Central. He has played on, mixed, or produced over 20 major label releases (as well as mastered over a hundred tracks for various musicians), and written over a thousand articles for magazines like Guitar Player, Keyboard, Sound on Sound (UK), and Sound + Recording (Germany). He has also lectured on technology and the arts in 38 states, 10 countries, and three languages.
  4. Yes, I'm reviewing a chair...but it's not just any chair. By Craig Anderton If you do mixing and recording, you end up sitting. A lot. And sitting is not necessarily something that makes your back particularly happy, so several years ago I bought a Herman Miller Aeron chair. While it was better than the average office chair, a couple years into it the foam back support broke, as did the right armrest mounting. Granted, this actually turned out to be an advantage because the missing arm make it easier to play guitar while sitting down. But given the price, and the fact that I’m not a particularly heavy guy, I felt there was no excuse for having these kinds of problems in what I considered a relatively short period of time. Then at the WFX convention in Nashville, I saw a chair that the company claimed was designed specifically for musicians and engineers. Of course I was skeptical; after all, our butts are all pretty much the same, right? But I sat down and found it very comfortable. So I talked to the designer, Steve Knight, about what justified calling it a design for musicians and engineers—and in the process, it became clear he put a lot of thought into not just what would make a comfortable chair, but one that would address the particular needs of the studio or touring professional yet still have a relatively conventional look. Knight was a professional race car driver who had his share of broken bones and other physical issues, so his primary motivation for getting involved in chair design was so that he could take care of himself with something not only comfortable, but that offered solid back support and took pressure of the lower back’s vertebrae. The Virtu Stealth isn’t the only chair his company makes, but here’s why the claims of it being something for us musicians more than hold up. Although it’s less expensive than a Herman Miller chair—always a consideration for musicians!—the Virtu Stealth is a better chair. It’s built solidly; instead of the Aeron’s foam back support, there’s a tough plastic mesh in a metal frame. As to the back support, it’s for real. This is the only chair I’ve ever used where my back felt better after sitting in it than before. The backrest matches the curve in your back and is spring-loaded, so as you lean forward or backward, the backrest follows and continues to provide support. The only caution I’d give is to spend some time getting the backrest height adjustment just right for your back to provide the most lumbar support. Removable arm rests make it easier to play guitar or bass sitting down. The arm rests are removable (with this chair, you don’t have to break an arm rest to accommodate your guitar) and you can vary their width, so no matter how you position your arms when mixing or typing, there’s support. They can also angle inward or outward. Of course the chair’s height is variable, but the entire seat pan can tilt backward and be locked into place. Even more interestingly, you can also slope it downward/forward somewhat to place your thighs in a position that relieves back pressure. The convex mesh seating surface distributes pressure evenly where you’re sitting; I noticed that not only did my back feel better, but it also felt like there was better circulation to my legs. Furthermore, if you tilt the seat a bit forward and raise the height, you can sort of sit/stand and if you’re a singer, your diaphragm isn’t scrunched up. The chair also has a smaller horizontal “footprint” than a Herman Miller, so you can put two chairs side-by-side when you need two sets of hands on a mixing console. Although there’s no extended height to support your neck, I didn’t really think about it because I found the back support was so solid that my spine just did what it wanted to do, and my neck ended up being in alignment anyway. There are three main models, with prices ranging from $549 to $650, although it’s well worth visiting the Stealth chair site to see if any sales are happening. You also need to choose the right height for your needs; the Studio Model goes from 19.5” to 25”, while the Touring model does 22.5” – 30”. Super-heavy-duty casters are optional ($75), but they also raise the height somewhat so take that into account. Unless you plan to roll your chair over concrete, I doubt you’d need the special casters. Overall, the Virtu Stealth has really proven itself. The attention to detail is considerable, so it takes a while to pick up on all the details. For example, the chair is non-reflective so it doesn’t reflect lights if you’re mixing in a front of house situation. I’ll admit it may seem odd to get excited about a chair, but when you spend as much time sitting as I do, it’s not just a chair—it’s an investment in physical well-being. To take a cue from MasterCard…big screen computer monitor: about $800. SSD terabyte drive: $400. Not having a sore back after grueling sessions: Priceless. RESOURCES Buy the Virtu Stealh Chair from: ErgoLabs Crown Seating Mix engineer and pro audo writer Mark Frink talks about the Stealth chair. ______________________________________________ Craig Anderton is Editorial Director of Harmony Central. He has played on, mixed, or produced over 20 major label releases (as well as mastered over a hundred tracks for various musicians), and written over a thousand articles for magazines like Guitar Player, Keyboard, Sound on Sound (UK), and Sound + Recording (Germany). He has also lectured on technology and the arts in 38 states, 10 countries, and three languages.
  5. Explore new types of inspiration for songwriting and performing By Craig Anderton A great groove—whether a drum rhythm, an R&B rhythm guitar part or a bass line—makes you want to get up and dance. And often, repeating it increases its power, not only drawing in the listener but providing a great bed over which other parts can do their thing. In many types of music today, the groove—commonly called a “loop”—is the foundation and source of inspiration for a song, as opposed to the more traditional approach that builds from a chord progression or melody line. As a result, groove-oriented tools—both hardware and software— have exploded in the marketplace by offering products that are ideal for songwriters looking for inspiration, wanting to flesh out a demo, or needing backing tracks for live performance. And for some songwriters, grooves are the pathway to particular genres of music, like dance, hip-hop and world music. So, let’s cover how to get started with loops. EASY GROOVES: SAMPLE LIBRARIES Several companies make downloadable or physical libraries containing loops in various genres, from hardcore techno to rock to dancehall reggae. There are three main file formats that can alter pitch and tempo in real time and are used for loop construction; you just need to match the format to what your software can accept, but most DAWs these days accept at least one or two formats, and can then alter (within reason) their tempo and key to fit the project at hand. These file formats are: REX—Developed by Propellerheads, these files consist of audio “slices” triggered by MIDI files. They’re best suited to percussive parts. Acidized WAV—Developed by Sony, these use DSP (digital signal processing) and work well with various types of material. They generally deliver better results when sped up to match tempo rather than slowed down. Apple Loops—This format was created for GarageBand and has become a popular option for the Mac. Technically, it uses the same approach as Acidized WAV files. But format matching isn’t always necessary. There are also proprietary formats, like Ueberschall's Elastik series of libraries that consist of sounds and a dedicated playback engine, and work like a standard plug-in. Or consider Ableton Live, which will accept any AIF or WAV file and apply its own proprietary looping techniques, usually with excellent results. While programs like Samplitude, Pro Tools, Logic and Digital Performer accept some loop formats, they also apply their own time-stretching methods to standard files so these files match a project’s tempo or key. Sample libraries come in four main types: Collections of general-purpose loops—These are collections of loops (drums, bass, guitar, effects, some combination of the above, etc.) that are designed mostly to complement projects. “Construction kits”—These take a short theme and break down each element into its own loop: guitar, percussion, keys, bass, etc. Ideal for creating soundtracks, they offer a complete musical statement you can modify. But because of the ability to stretch files, you can mix and match loops from different construction sets, often with great results. Proprietary formats—loops that operate exclusviely with a particular company’s software. For example, E-mu’s Emulator X3 sampler takes advantage of its “Twistaloop” feature but won’t work with other software. Multitrack drums—This includes the series of drum libraries from Discrete Drums, now distributed by Sonoma Wire Works. By using multitracked loops and song sections, you can vary the mix of the drums, drop parts, add room miking, and create extremely convincing drum parts. However, many virtual drum instruments (like BFD and Addictive Drums) include MIDI beats that can drive the drum sounds, thus allowing for editable multitrack drum loops. CREATING LOOPS WITH HARDWARE The granddaddy of hardware devices is the drum machine, whose programming paradigm is to create multiple grooves then string them together into a complete song. This evolved into devices like the MPC hardware groove boxes from Akai (Fig. 1) and similar devices from Roland, Yamaha, and Korg. Fig. 1: Akai's MPC grooveboxes are direct descendant's of Roger Linn's original MPC. These typically feature buttons or pads that trigger sounds. Some operate like mini-composition workstations and include not just drum sounds but other instruments and effects. Then there's Native Instruments' Maschine (Fig. 2), a hardware controller that's complemented by sophisticated, groove-oriented software. Fig. 2: Maschine from Native Instruments has multiplied into a line of products. These boxes can generate grooves as well as play them back. For example, when creating grooves, you might load various drum samples on each pad and use the box as you would a drum machine. Once you have a great loop, you can save it in the device or record it to a computer and use it in a software sequencer. For performing, you might load an entire groove/loop on each pad, then play them sequentially to build a song in real time. In many bands, one musician plays the groove box to create a rhythm section, while other musicians play guitar, keys, etc. on top of the rhythm bed. Hardware and virtual synths and samplers also work in this context. Most keyboard workstations include onboard sequencers to create loops (or record linear tracks to play over loops), and some musicians load loops into samplers and play the keys to trigger different loops, thus creating on-the-fly arrangements. Furthermore, drum controllers and many keyboards offer pad controllers to provide a tactile interface that’s great for creating loops. Most workstations include ways to export any loops you create, either to an outboard storage medium (CD-R drive, external hard drive) or directly to a computer. CREATING LOOPS WITH SOFTWARE Programs like Propellerheads’ Reason, Cakewalk SONAR, Ableton Live, and Image-Line’s FL Studio make it easy to create loops within the program, which can be exported as WAV or AIF files for use with other hardware or software. Reason’s ReDrum drum machine comes bundled with a zillion drum kits—load one up, create a pattern, then export as an audio file. Other drum loop-creation tools include Spectrasonics’ outstanding Stylus RMX, EZdrummer from Toontrack and Steinberg’s Groove Agent. Cakewalk’s Rapture also uses step sequencing extensively, making it an ideal loop creation tool for both percussive and melodic sounds. Various soft samplers, like Native Instruments’ Kontakt and IK Multimedia’s SampleTank, also make it easy to play back samples as loops. Cakewalk SONAR and Sony Acid provide editing options that can turn WAV or AIF files into tempo- and pitch-sstretchable acidized files that you can use in software that is compatible with this format (Fig. 3). Fig. 3: SONAR has a loop construction window for turning WAV of AIFF files into acidized, stretchable files. However, acidizing a file is as much an art as a science. In fact, even commercially available sample libraries with acidized files often suffer from poor editing, meaning they don’t stretch over as wide a range as they should. The idea is to place a “marker” at each major transient in an audio file, and the DSP uses these markers to make decisions about how best to stretch the file. The better the choice of marker placements, the better the stretching results. To create REX files, you need Propellerheads' software program ReCycle (Fig. 4). Fig. 4: ReCycle allows creating stretchable files that work on a different principle from acidized files. Creating REX files is arguably easier than creating acidized files, but it still requires skill and experience to edit files so that they can stretch reliably over a wide range of tempos and pitches while retaining decent fidelity. OK, SO YOU HAVE SOME LOOPS … And now the fun begins. What makes loop-based music really work is to choose loops that sometimes clash but complement each other: Throwing some Middle Eastern djembe percussion against a driving Led Zep-style drum part can give you both “heavy” and “light” at the same time. When assembling loops in a sequencer or other recording applications, think of loops as a collage: Cut them up, paste them and get creative—don’t just set a loop on autopilot and let it play back ad nauseum. Taking the last 1/16th note of a loop, copying it and pasting it four times to replace the last quarter note of a loop can make a great lead-in to the next loop. Loops work best when they contrast with linear tracks played by real instruments and vocalists. The end result is a sweet combination of the mechanical and the organic, which can produce a result far greater than the sum of its parts. ____________________________________________ Craig Anderton is Editorial Director of Harmony Central. He has played on, mixed, or produced over 20 major label releases (as well as mastered over a hundred tracks for various musicians), and written over a thousand articles for magazines like Guitar Player, Keyboard, Sound on Sound (UK), and Sound + Recording (Germany). He has also lectured on technology and the arts in 38 states, 10 countries, and three languages.
  6. Can Music Really Change the World? by Craig Anderton It may sound hopelessly idealistic, but all of us at HC truly believe that music can change the world. During a time when society seems to be filled with complicated environmental, social, religious, and political problems, we believe music can provide the healing mojo that helps bring joy, and reduces the stress of everyday life. But can music really change the world, or is this all a naive pipe dream? The answer is both more complex, and more simple, than you might think. Plenty of studies show that music affects individuals. A paper in the UK-based Journal of Advanced Nursing describes how listening to music is useful for pain relief and treating depression. Music also decreases post-operative pain. Playing certain types of music can help decrease blood pressure, and reduce heart and breathing rates. Taiwanese researchers have found that listening to Mozart K 448 had an antiepileptic effect in children. And according to a paper published by the National Institutes of Health US National Library of Medicine, music can help in stroke recovery. But the “money quote” from that paper addresses music in general: “Music is a highly complex and versatile stimulus for the brain…Regular musical activities have been shown to effectively enhance the structure and function of many brain areas, making music a potential tool also in neurological rehabilitation.” Or translated into English: Music creates physical changes, too. According to a paper in Neuropsychologia, the corpus callosum—the nervous system highway between the two brain hemispheres—is significantly larger in musicians. Plenty of studies show music is good for your brain. That’s fine, but can music change the world? In some ways, it already has: Music was the soundtrack of the 60s, and musicians like Bob Dylan and the Beatles affected society. And I can’t help but wonder if the “tribal” nature of EDM has something to do with everyone synching to the same beat. If music changes the individual for the better, then hopeful those individuals will also help change the world for the better. But if music is food for the brain, do we want to feed it the junk food of data-compressed files, or quality audio that delivers a more pristine experience? I’d vote for the latter. So maybe while we think about improving the world, maybe we should think about improving music’s delivery medium as well. —Craig Anderton ______________________________________________ Craig Anderton is Editorial Director of Harmony Central. He has played on, mixed, or produced over 20 major label releases (as well as mastered over a hundred tracks for various musicians), and written over a thousand articles for magazines like Guitar Player, Keyboard, Sound on Sound (UK), and Sound + Recording (Germany). He has also lectured on technology and the arts in 38 states, 10 countries, and three languages.
  7. Get better, louder sound from mobile devices and laptops By Craig Anderton It didn’t take long for people to realize that the sound quality from smart phones, laptops, and tablets tends to be less than wonderful, but Bluetooth provides a solution: stream the audio wirelessly to a decent speaker. Most portable Bluetooth speakers are designed for consumer applications, but this review covers IK Multimedia’s iLoud because it’s the only Bluetooth speaker I’ve seen that’s designed specifically for musicians. iLoud isn’t cheap (typical price, $250 but I've seen it for under $200 from time to time) for a reason: it actually sounds good, and not only is it loud (iLoud qualifies as a description, not just a product name) but the sound quality is clean—it doesn’t fuzz when you turn it up. Also, iLoud is voiced like studio monitors instead of having the “scooped” response (i.e., boosts the highs and lows) found in many consumer speakers. You won’t get insane bass extension, but it’s much better than expected from a unit that’s about the same width and depth as an iPad, and 2.4” high. Nor will you get exceptional stereo imaging given that it’s a single unit, although as with the bass, it’s better than expected. THE FEATURE SET There are two sets of two speakers (3” neodymium woofer and 3/4” neodymium tweeter) powered by four Class-D Amplifiers. IK claims the four amps add up to 40 watts, but I suspect that’s peak power and not RMS. In any event, it’s loud. And at just under 3 pounds it’s not a featherweight, but is easy to carry around. Two other useful features include a 1/8” stereo mini-jack input so that you can avoid Bluetooth’s typical 20-30 ms latency by using a wired stereo connection (a male-to-male cable is included), along with a ¼” phone jack input that interfaces with guitar amp apps on smart phones and tablets (e.g., IK’s AmpliTube, Positive Grid, Line 6 Mobile POD, etc.). Note that iLoud doesn’t work stand-alone as a guitar amp; instead, think of iLoud as having iRig built-in so you can use it with guitar amp apps. QUEST FOR POWER iLoud gets its power from a 14V AC adapter, or an internal Lithium-Ion rechargeable battery. A full charge lasts about 10 hours at normal listening volumes, and up to three hours if you crank it. iLoud’s only major faux pas is that the battery is not user-replaceable, which is neither good for the environment nor for your wallet if at some point the battery loses its ability to stay charged. Then again, you can still run it from AC power but then that defeats the portability factor. In addition to the two jacks mentioned previously, the rear panel includes a Bluetooth pairing button, power on/off switch, power LED, and gain trim for the guitar input. Registering iLoud unlocks some useful accessories for iPhone and iPad: four AmpliTube models (two amps, two stompboxes) and two mic models for the Mic Room app. Of course you can also use the free version of AmpliTube, which has the option for in-app purchases if you want to expand on it. CONCLUSIONS IK’s web site goes into a lot of detail on the iLoud, so there’s no need to cover specifics. In terms of subjective impressions, although the entire case is plastic, it has a substantial feel. I wouldn’t drop it onto a concrete surface, but if it’s sitting on a table and someone knocks it over, you’ll be okay. However given that it has a cute little retractable kickstand to keep it upright, it’s hard to knock it over anyway. The front panel knob with its red halo looks very cool, but is fiddly to adjust unless you have fairly skinny fingers. Aside from that, the key features are sound quality and clean volume—iLoud scores big-time with both. I suspect that not just musicians, but a lot of on-the-road salespeople are going to be snapping these up so they can have quality sound with the presentations they do on their laptops. As for me, my laptop never sounded so good…and neither did my iPhone or iPad. RESOURCES Buy iLoud: B& H Sweetwater Musician's Friend Guitar Center ______________________________________________ Craig Anderton is Editorial Director of Harmony Central. He has played on, mixed, or produced over 20 major label releases (as well as mastered over a hundred tracks for various musicians), and written over a thousand articles for magazines like Guitar Player, Keyboard, Sound on Sound (UK), and Sound + Recording (Germany). He has also lectured on technology and the arts in 38 states, 10 countries, and three languages.
  8. It's not just the "kids, get off my lawn" syndrome By Craig Anderton How many times have you heard (or said) “EDM is crap! It’s just a bunch of non-musicians pushing buttons!” The usual retort is “Well, that’s what they said about rock and roll” and while that’s true, there’s much more to the story. Most EDM is about live performance and to a great extent, improvisation. Whether in a packed club or at an outdoor festival, EDM is an almost tribal experience that has more in common with a Grateful Dead concert during their prime than a traditional concert. And just as people would say “Recordings don’t really do the Dead justice, you need to see them live,” I’d say the same thing about EDM. With EDM (and yes, I think that’s a dumb term but I’ll use it anyway), music is not about a band doing a one-way transmission to an audience. Instead, it’s a shared experience that depends heavily on a feedback loop between the musician and the crowd. In a way, an EDM musician is more like a “performing engineer” and “performing arranger” than a skin-pounder or string-plucker. No two EDM sets should ever be alike (and if they are, then you are indeed listening to a button-pusher). A good EDM musician can read the crowd perfectly, always choose the right music to build a mood, and create seamless transitions that provide a musically and more importantly, emotionally satisfying experience that takes people on a journey that’s almost cinematic in nature. But does someone doing this truly qualify as a “musician”? I don’t think there’s any doubt, any more than whether a conductor is a musician. You have to understand music to make it fit together, and if it’s a question of skill, being able to do a multi-hour set that’s perfectly in sync with the audience—and where you cannot make one mistake (nothing kills the vibe more than a train-wreck transition)—takes a whole lot of skill. I think most traditional musicians would be totally lost when placed in front of a modern DJ controller, which is a complex and unforgiving musical instrument. Now, this doesn’t mean all purveyors of EDM are great musicians, any more than all rock musicians are great musicians. Most music has by-the-numbers players and EDM is no exception. Time filters out the good stuff, but when a musical form is new and rising in popularity, you’re going to have people jumping on the bandwagon in an attempt to make a fast buck. That’s true of anything, as anyone old enough to remember the folk music boom over half a century ago will attest… There have been seminal moments in my life that got me truly excited about music. Hearing Andres Segovia for the first time made me want to play guitar. Discovering Wes Montgomery, Artie Shaw, Miles Davis, and John Coltrane showed me the many faces of jazz. The first time I heard the Brandenburgs revealed a level of harmonic complexity I had never heard in any music (and still haven’t). Buddy Holly blew my mind with the mileage he could get out of three chords and simple lyrics. Punk rebooted music that had become self-indulgent into something that once again was vital, if only briefly. My first reaction on hearing Public Enemy was “so that’s why sampling was invented—not just to sound like a piano.” Kraftwerk, Pink Floyd, and Bob Marley turned the rock paradigm on its head, while L. A. Style’s “James Brown is Dead”—the first techno tune to hit the Billboard Hot 100—was a clear indication that something new was afoot in a merger of rap, dance, and electronics. Hearing really good EDM in a live context was a similarly seminal moment for me. I’ll never forget a concert I saw with Dr. Walker in Ravensburg, Germany, that had as much impact as when I saw the Who in their early days, or the Vienna Philharmonic. He was a master of creating irresistible beats on-the-fly, and the band was in total improvisational sync with him and the audience. Open your mind, and go to some clubs. The odds are very much against finding something fabulous on the first try, any more than dropping into a random bar with a rock band is going to give you a great rock experience. But someday, you’ll hear someone who really knows what they’re doing, and you’ll say “I get it.” Then you’ll add a new musical experience to your existing repertoire of musical experiences. ______________________________________________ Craig Anderton is Editorial Director of Harmony Central. He has played on, mixed, or produced over 20 major label releases (as well as mastered over a hundred tracks for various musicians), and written over a thousand articles for magazines like Guitar Player, Keyboard, Sound on Sound (UK), and Sound + Recording (Germany). He has also lectured on technology and the arts in 38 states, 10 countries, and three languages.
  9. GeoShred The iPad can do apps—but with GeoShred, it does a musical instrument by Craig Anderton iPads are fun, and although I have lots of apps installed only some are real “keepers.” When it comes to making sounds, Propellerheads’ Figure is still the best way to kill a couple minutes while waiting for the train, and Cakewalk’s Z3TA+ iOS lets me do actual synthesis when the mood strikes. But my iPad gets most of its exercise reading news, checking the weather, and listening to internet radio. To put an iPad in the same category as a piano or, more tellingly, something with the expressiveness of a guitar is ridiculous…right? Actually, no. Although GeoShred ($19.99, $14.99 limited-time introductory price) was just released on the App Store, I’ve been tracking its progress since I saw a beta at AES and couldn’t believe my ears. But that’s not what knocked me out: the truly amazing aspect was that I couldn’t believe my hands. GeoShred responded to nuances and gestures in a way that vaulted it into the musical instrument category. This was the first iPad “app” that made me want to plug its output into my computer, hit record, and start playing. Here’s why...and if you want to see why, jump to the videos at the end of this review. Mode is just one of many adjustable parameters—GeoShred is far more versatile than it might appear at first blush. IF YOU WANT A MUSICAL INSTRUMENT… …get a musician involved. GeoShred is the result of a collaboration between Wizdom Music’s Jordan Rudess, keyboardist for the Grammy-nominated band Dream Theater, and the DSP audio modeling expertise of moForte, spearheaded by Dr. Julius O. Smith III. Although Rudess isn’t known as a guitarist, he does play it and “gets” what makes the guitar so special. Translating that to swiping your finger across glass may seem like an impossible goal, but that’s where moForte came in. For example, I asked Jordan and Julius about the responsiveness, which seemed unusually fast. Apparently that was one of the hardest things to get right, because not only is there audio latency, but also delays in converting touch to sound. Had they not been able to overcome that limitation, GeoShred would have been a cool app—not a responsive musical instrument. BUT I’M GETTING AHEAD OF MYSELF GeoShred arranges notes on a grid that defaults to six horizontal “strings,” each tuned a fourth apart. While not exactly like a guitar, guitarists will understand it and non-musicians will make sense of it. There are three main playing modes: Piano: This quantizes everything to half-steps, like a piano, and doesn’t allow for finger vibrato. Guitar: This behaves like a regular fretted guitar—you can tap, or slide discreetly, between notes, yet still wiggle your finger to perform vibrato. Slide: This turns off the quantization and is my favorite mode. It’s like a perfect slide guitar. And this brings up something extremely clever—why you don’t need unerring accuracy to hit the right pitch in slide mode, yet can add vibrato so easily. Jordan explained that when you “land” anywhere on a note (as bounded within a note’s blue border) when sliding to it or touching, GeoShred will produce the note pitch accurately. However, once you’ve landed and produced the note, quantization goes away, which is why you can do finger vibrato. This is all transparent, fast, and feels totally natural. The note spacing is such that it’s easy to play chords, and this “intelligent quantization” means as you slide around the pitches will be right on—until you start wiggling your finger or sliding to other notes, and then you’re free to play “around” the pitch. FEEDBACK? SERIOUSLY? This is where GeoShred gets its first award for DSP above and beyond the call of reality itself. Feedback has always been an important component of my guitar playing, so I know feedback—how it feels, how to start it, that moment when the note “grabs” and goes into sustain, and the interplay of harmonics as you move the guitar around. With GeoShred, the X/Y pad toward the upper left does the magic; the default is set up so the X-axis is delay, and the Y-axis is feedback. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but it doesn’t just sound like feedback, it feels like feedback. There are also two other wonderful expressiveness options, Whammy (which snaps back to center pitch when released, so you can “paw” at the control to create fast, successive pitch bend changes) and Palm Mute, which—as you expect—changes the tonality and decay. A Stiffness slider changes the modeled characteristics of the strings, but that just hints at the sophistication—and accessibility—of the physical modeling engine at GeoShred’s core. CONCLUSIONS (NOT) If GeoShred did only what I just described, it would justify the superlatives I’ve heaped on it, and that would be the end of the review. But we’ve only scratched the surface. Dive into the second page, and you'll not only find effects, but a huge number of ways to configure the sophisticated physical modeling engine. Create and edit an FX chain with hex distortion, fuzz, 4-band EQ (2 bands of shelving, 2 boost/cut bands), echo, chorus, reverb and amp/cab—with three different tone stack and six cabinet options. Change the guitar’s characteristics: different pickups, different string materials, body type with variable parameters, even different bridges, including a sitar bridge. This is where GeoShred picks up another award for DSP excellence. An additional section, “Variances,” lets you make on-the-fly changes to strategic parameters. Not enough? Then enter the Expert page, with a seemingly endless scrollable selection of parameter groups (which you can then call up to modify additional parameters within the groups), but be careful…I’ve heard rumors that people have disappeared into Expert Page and never returned. Just sayin.’ Alter basic configurations. You can change up the grid layout as much as you want—narrower, wider, more strings, more notes, different “string” tunings, number of “frets,” and more. How about an arpeggiator? Tap tempo? Playing chords from individual notes—with adjustable delay between successive notes? All of the above. Worm hole detector and time travel module. This allows jumping to different star systems, and…okay, I made that up. Maybe next rev. Also note that GeoShred supports Inter-App Audio, Audiobus, and Air Turn for changing presets. CONCLUSIONS (FOR REAL THIS TIME) To explain every nuance of GeoShred properly would turn this from a review into the music software equivalent of War and Peace. So here are my main takeaways. GeoShred is unadulterated I’ve been playing it in my office and if people aren’t in the room, they think I’m playing guitar but can’t understand how I can get those sounds at such low volume levels. If they are in the room, everyone—without exception—has wanted to know where they can get it. When I let them play it, they smile. The interface reminds me of a video game, in that it has levels. The first level is what happens when you turn it on, and that by itself is really all you need. But then you can go to another level where you play with effects, a third level for configurations, and a fourth level where you can configure the configurations. It’s sort of like buying a vehicle that’s a tricycle for toddlers in the morning, a 10-speed bicycle for schoolkids in the afternoon, a luxury sedan in the evening for getting home from work, and a Ferrari Testarossa after midnight. GeoShred has remembered something Apple seems to have forgotten: everything should be obvious, nothing should be hidden, and gestures should be inviting. It’s mentally “plug and play” as well as physically. This is the first instrument I’ve seen that truly realizes the promise of physical modeling to such a refined degree. Granted, software like Creamware’s 6-String and A|A|S instruments like Chromaphone and Lounge Lizard set the bar high, but Geo is bringing modeling to the masses…whether they know it or not. And, I have it working on an iPad 2, where it’s typically using about half of the CPU. That is mind-boggling. GeoShred is a breakthrough for the iPad. Some might think it’s the best evidence yet that there has indeed been reverse engineering of alien technology, but if that’s the case, then aliens play guitar…and worship Jimi Hendrix. RESOURCES Download GeoShred from the App Store Launch demo video by Jordan Rudess GeoShred User Tutorial from moForte Here is a recent video from 14 year old Prog Rock Keyboardist, Kashyap Iyengar in New Delhi India. He has done some great things using GeoShred. Here is his take on the Beatles' classic, 'Within You Without You' ______________________________________________ Craig Anderton is Editorial Director of Harmony Central. He has played on, mixed, or produced over 20 major label releases (as well as mastered over a hundred tracks for various musicians), and written over a thousand articles for magazines like Guitar Player, Keyboard, Sound on Sound (UK), and Sound + Recording (Germany). He has also lectured on technology and the arts in 38 states, 10 countries, and three languages.
  10. Sure, you can use effects the same way as everyone else . . . but let’s not By Craig Anderton It’s been said there are no rules in recording, and I agree. But then there’s the corollary: Rules that do exist are made to be broken. So, let’s break some rules, and look at a few “wrong” ways to use effects. DELAY LINES AND CHORUSES Early reflections generator: Acoustic reflections add life to your sounds, because these reflections (called “early reflections”) are an important part of what makes reverb. When a sound source occurs in a room, its waves first hit the various surfaces and reflect off of them (the first reflections), before scattering in a zillion different directions and creating a reverb tail. So take your multitap delay, create a bunch of tight delays in the 10-30ms range, add little (if any) feedback, then mix the collection of delays subtly behind the dry sound. Multi-tap chorus effects can work, too: Set an initial delay in the 10-30ms range, then trim the feedback and modulation way down. Turn the delay levels up to where you can just hear the effect. CLICK AND POP REMOVERS While these are supposed to remove garbage from vinyl records, if you have some soft synths or digital processors (particularly distortion and amp simulators) that exhibit some digital spikiness, or if the sound is a bit brittle, click and pop removers can give a creamier, richer sound (Fig. 1). Don’t activate any noise reduction options, if present; all you really need is the click and pop removal section set to maximum (or close to it). Fig. 1: Sony Sound Forge includes a tool for click and crackle removal. TREMOLO Auto-pan: There is life after surf music for the tremolo, assuming you can adjust its phase. Insert the tremolo effect in a track, then copy the track and tremolo (or send the track to two buses, each with a tremolo). Sync the tremolos to tempo, then flip one LFO’s phase 180° compared to the other—instant auto-pan. But why stop there? Try different sync to tempo values for the two tremolos for some wild panning effects. And if your tremolo offers more than just triangle or sine waves, even better—do an homage to Miles Davis’ On the Corner by using square waves, or modulate with sawtooth waveforms to “snap” back and forth between channels. One of my favorite uses for auto-pan is with percussive parts that don’t play too often, like clave. With auto-pan, the clave sort of floats around the stereo field, without the obvious “sweep” that occurs if you’re panning something sustained. Ring modulation: If your tremolo can hit the audio range, then explore its higher frequencies if you want some growling pseudo-ring modulation effects. FLANGER “Thinner” for thick sounds: Turn a flanger into a comb filter by shutting off all modulation, mixing the processed and dry amounts equally, and choosing negative (out of phase) flanging. This punches deep holes in the frequency response in multiple places (also known as a “comb filter”), thus making the sound weaker and thinner. If a “thick” track (like a pad) is hogging the sonic spotlight, thrown some comb filtering on it and see if that helps. DISTORTION Kick drums on steroids: Use distortion (preferably a “soft” distortion) as an insert effect on kick drums, and you’ll be able to dial in a far more aggressive, punchy sound (Fig. 2). Fig. 2: Adding distortion after limiting not only enhances the limiting process, but also catches any rogue transients. With snare—which already has a very complex signal—distortion will increase the sound’s density, and brighten the high end. Don’t use too much, though. AUTO-FILTER/WAH Vocal enhancer: Set the auto-filter’s initial frequency in the 2-3kHz range, and key it off of your vocals with a little bit of sensitivity — just enough to kick its response up a kHz or two on volume peaks. Mix the filtered sound in subtly behind the main vocal to add both animation and articulation to the voice. This can also work really well with percussion parts like shaker, tambourine, and the like. A new type of EQ: Wah pedal emulations are different from your typical EQ, and many people think they have more “character”—particularly if they model the type of wah that used an inductor-based design for its bandpass filter. The sound will tend to be “sharper” and “warmer,” which are qualities that work well when mixed in with a number of instruments, including voice. OCTAVE DIVIDER The chaos machine: Octave dividers want to see nice, polite monophonic melody or bass lines. So give ’em a challenge! In parts of a tune where you want to up the chaos factor, instead of turning up the volume or adding distortion, insert an octave divider in an aux bus and feed it lots of signals — preferably from polyphonic sources. Follow the divider with a steep lowpass filter to turn what it produces into a low rumble, and you’ll get the same kind of sound that dogs react to just before an earthquake. Fun stuff for the industrially-minded. And thus ends our little oddyssey of wrongness. Yes, I spelled “odyssey” wrong to sneak the word “odd” in there . . . in keeping with the spirit of this article! RESOURCES Sony Creative Software _______________________________ Craig Anderton is Editorial Director of Harmony Central. He has played on, mixed, or produced over 20 major label releases (as well as mastered over a hundred tracks for various musicians), and written over a thousand articles for magazines like Guitar Player, Keyboard, Sound on Sound (UK), and Sound + Recording (Germany). He has also lectured on technology and the arts in 38 states, 10 countries, and three languages.
  11. If you're gigging or want to gig, ignore this book at your own peril By Craig Anderton 150 pages, electronic edition If you’ve been enjoying David Himes’ articles as “the Gig Kahuna” on Harmony Central, then you need this book. It includes everything he’s written for HC and more, all in a convenient Kindle or PDF format. However, if you play in a local band, you really need this book. Its brutal honesty helps compensate for the state of denial that afflicts many musicians about “making it.” The irony is that knowing why the odds of “making it” are infinitesimal also tells you want you need to do to increase the odds in your favor because if nothing else, you’ll learn about what you shouldn’t do as well as what you should do. Himes is acutely aware that “music business” is two words—and if you don’t conduct the business part properly, you can forget about being successful with the music part. One of the elements I really like is the specificity of what Himes communicates. For example, he doesn’t just say “be professional”—he describes the tell-tale signs of unprofessionalism in band members. Himes pulls no punches; his conversational and occasionally sketchy writing style (which could have benefited from a second set of eyes to catch some of the repetitions, but that doesn’t dilute the message) is a blast of reality. He covers topics like cover bands vs. original bands, test marketing, myths about gigging that need to be debunked, being honest about your level of commitment, problems you’ll encounter (and believe me, you’ll encounter all of them at some point), the kind of support team you’ll need, how clubs see you (reality check: you’re a vehicle to sell drinks, not an artiste), the importance of communication, and a whole lot of information on gigs—the different types of gigs, what your objectives should be, how to prepare for gigs, even dealing with the sound crew. Himes then segues into an extensive chapter on promotion and marketing (yes, you need to know marketing as well as chord progressions) with an emphasis on using social media to boost your career, and ends with a chapter about what happens beyond local gigging. Himes clearly has a ton of experience informed by over a decade of running a local music paper, and when he writes, it’s like the stern teacher you had in high school—who you didn’t really appreciate until years later, when you realized it was the only class where you actually learned something of true importance. If I had to use two words to describe this book, they would be “tough love.” Himes is unfailingly tough, but the motivation is that he truly cares about his fellow musicians, and really wants to help you avoid the issues that can cut your career short. The bottom line is if you can handle the truth, you can handle this book—and regardless of how much you think you know, your outlook will change and your career will benefit. Kindle edition: Amazon.com Price: $6.95 PDF edition: Direct from publisher; email destechdh@gmail.com. Price $9.95, with PayPal invoice. ______________________________________________ Craig Anderton is Editorial Director of Harmony Central. He has played on, mixed, or produced over 20 major label releases (as well as mastered over a hundred tracks for various musicians), and written over a thousand articles for magazines like Guitar Player, Keyboard, Sound on Sound (UK), and Sound + Recording (Germany). He has also lectured on technology and the arts in 38 states, 10 countries, and three languages.
  12. FORUM RULES This is a strictly on-topic forum. Pro Reviews are started ONLY by people affiliated with, or appointed by, Harmony Central. Topics started by users will be deleted, as this forum consists only of Pro Reviews; users are of course invited to post their own reviews in the User Reviews section. If you have general comments or requests about Pro Reviews, feel free to post them in this thread. HARMONY CENTRAL PRO REVIEW FAQWhat are Pro Reviews?Harmony Central’s Pro Reviews are posted in an open forum format. The reviewer – an industry professional – starts the review as soon as the product package is opened or the software downloaded. As the review unfolds in a forum thread over time (like a “blog”), visitors to the site come to understand the product with a degree of depth that no print review could ever provide.Why do some people call this an “open source” review?Like "open source" code that is made freely available to the public for comment and modifications, Pro Review readers use the forum format to ask questions, contribute their own viewpoints, disagree or agree with conclusions, offer suggestions, and in general, become an important part of the review process. Furthermore, manufacturers are encouraged to participate. The Pro Review brings together reviewer, reader, and manufacturer to provide dynamic, accurate, useful coverage on all kinds of products.Who came up with the Pro Review concept, and why?Harmony Central’s Editorial Director, Craig Anderton, was frustrated by the limitation of print reviews, so he decided to re-invent the product review process from the ground up.What other differences are there compared to print reviews?There are no word count or page count limitations, so the review can be extremely thorough. Graphics, audio examples, and videos can be embedded in posts to provide an immersive, interactive experience.Sounds expensive. How are they monetized?The manufacturer underwrites the review for a nominal fee, which varies depending on the product complexity, to defray the expenses involved in maintaining a Pro Review. The reviewer is not compensated by the manufacturer, but by Harmony Central from the site's general revenue sources.But how does the manufacturer feel if the review has negative comments?It is somewhat of a leap of faith to signup for a review where no one knows what the outcome will be. But we’ve found manufacturers prefer to have any negative comments out in the open, where they can be addressed, rather than just having potshots taken at them all over the web. We’ve also found that manufacturers willing to sponsor a Pro Review have confidence in their product, and that confidence is rarely misplaced.Is the HC community concerned about manufacturer involvement influencing the editorial integrity?No, because this is the only review system with built-in “checks and balances.” It’s not possible to get away with unjustified slams or praise when there are literally thousands, or tens of thousands, of people (as well as the manufacturer) looking over your shoulder. Also, anyone affiliated with the manufacturer is required to state that affiliation.Why would a company want to sign up for a Pro Review?A Pro Review is ongoing - people keep coming back, links are made to it from other sites, and the content is dynamic and changing. It draws a huge amount of attention to a product over the life of the product, and provides valuable feedback to the manufacturer. (Note that HC does not accept all products for Pro Review, only ones that are well-suited to the format.)What kind of feedback have you been receiving?Overwhelmingly positive, from all involved. As one manufacturer said, "I really think you are on to something with the Pro Review format…It is truly a great way to reach users and potential customers with timely, in-depth product information. Also, along with all the 'how-tos' peppered through out the threads, there is much valuable insight into the user perspective regarding what features resonate and really matter to them. Thanks!" Another wrote to say "I got the impression that the participants were also very excited about the 'live' aspect of the Pro Review. I feel the Pro Review format is a great new way to get instant feedback from our customers as well as a cool learning experience." Comments from readers are within the Pro Reviews.I'm a manufacturer and I'm interested in having one of my products subjected to a Pro Review. What do I do next?Contact Dendy Jarrett, djarrett@harmonycentral.com.
  13. “Need for Speed” isn’t just a videogame title by Craig Anderton We weren’t the first to receive one of these units for testing, so there are already plenty of reviews out there—and focusrite.com can fill you in on the details. Therefore, rather than re-invent the wheel I’ll summarize the other reviews: This is a refined, capable, and flexible audio interface at a very good price. Done! Feel free to click along to the next article... ...or keep reading for the backstory. WHY THUNDERBOLT? Thunderbolt was a collaboration between Apple (whose aging FireWire protocol was being abandoned even by them), and Intel—a company whose well-being depends on being able to stay ahead of the processor+I/O+memory bottleneck as systems acquire ever-more voracious appetites for video and audio data. As a result, Apple had an exclusive on Thunderbolt for a year. To say this impacted the acceptance by the Windows platform, which was already entrenched with USB 3.0, would be an understatement—particularly because it took a while for USB 3.0 to settle down, while Thunderbolt was already past most of its birthing issues when it went mainstream. But the flip side is that it made Apple’s platform more attractive for data-dense audio/video applications during its window of exclusivity. Speed is off the hook because Thunderbolt essentially puts your computer’s PCIe bus on a cable, thus avoiding the layers that FireWire and USB add to the OS. At 48 kHz with 64 sample buffers, Focusrite quotes round-trip (not one-way) latency as typically around 4 ms; you can cut that to a little over half at 96 kHz. I was able to run it at 32 sample buffers for even more impressive results. I also appreciate that by and large, Thunderbolt doesn’t turn everything you own into doorstops; adapters allow for (at least theoretical) compatibility with other protocols like Firewire/USB and even PCIe cards. Your plug-ins join the near-real-time world (!), and if you’re into video, you can run video and audio data down that Thunderbolt pipeline without breaking a sweat. Yes, it costs more to take advantage of this. Then again, a Ferrari costs more than a Lexus. MAC VS. WINDOWS If you want to play in Thunderbolt world, for now you need a Mac. I tested the Clarett8 PreX with my 2012-era MacBook Pro; the Focusrite web site has up-to-the minute info on system compatibility, which they say is OS X 10.9 and 10.10. However, that’s not quite accurate...the minimum is OS X 10.9.5. As my system was at 10.9.4, I spent a while watching the Mac play with itself until it caught up with 10.9.5. For Windows, check the Clarett Windows Compatibility page. Focusrite is commendably transparent about this. Among other useful information, Focusrite says “Unlike USB or Firewire protocols, Thunderbolt hardware and drivers require approval from Intel and Apple. Our assertion is that once we have a fully tested driver it will work with all other approved Thunderbolt systems. Although we would like to, it is impossible for us to test every Thunderbolt-ready PC in the field, which is why we need to rely on this assertion to a certain extent.” Reading between the lines, I could be wrong but I think this means “We are at the mercy of huge companies, one of which may not have Windows’ best interests at heart, and manufacturers who throw who-knows-what into a case and call it a Windows computer...wish us luck. We’ll let you know what’s up as soon as possible.” BIG VS. LITTLE The interface market is overwhelmingly one of smaller interfaces, especially the 2-in/2-out variety—what more do you need if you’re a solo artist or singer/songwriter? (Well if you’ve seen my “Songwriting on the Fast Track” seminar, you know more inputs means you can leave stuff patched in all the time for faster workflow...but I digress.) However, the world does sometimes need interfaces with lots of I/O. And with more people transitioning to recording at 96 kHz or even 192 kHz, if you have lots of inputs you need high-speed transfers to stream all that extra data from point A to point B. Given that Thunderbolt was designed with the intention of handling video, dealing with gobs of high-sample rate audio is pretty trivial. MAKING THE CONNECTION So, let’s suppose you have a modern Mac, you’re allergic to latency, need lots of I/O, and don’t want to go overboard on the bucks. That puts the Clarett8 PreX on your short list. Not only are there eight channels of mic pres, but four optical I/O connectors for 16 channels of ADAT light pipe (thank you #1) at 44.1/48 kHz sample rates, coaxial S/PDIF although it can also use the optical connectors, 5-pin MIDI DIN I/O (thank you #2), two direct/high-Z inputs (thank you #3), 8 line outs, 2 monitor outs, and Word Clock I/O. The Clarett8 PreX monitoring doesn’t include features like switching between speakers or hitting a front panel switch to test for mono compatibility, but otherwise it does the job—the Focusrite Control app can assign outs for up to 10 channels, and there’s dim, mute, and a volume control. There are also two headphone outs with their own controls and plenty of level. So in a lot of ways, this is mostly just a full-featured, fairly standard “big” audio interface, taken to another level via Thunderbolt. Right? Well... THE MIC PRES Focusrite mic pres have a very good reputation, and deservedly so. But now, I have to say something that will get me into trouble...I think a lot of that reputation is based on the days when Focusrite was ahead of the pack and others were struggling to catch up. These days, many companies have figured out how to make quality mic pres because once you’re limited by semiconductor thermal noise, about all that’s left is optimizing the circuit board layout, paying real close attention to power supply line bypassing, and using quality components (especially converters; note that the Clarett does use 192 kHz converters instead of the usual 96 kHz ones). Regardless, the quoted specs for dynamic range, equivalent input noise, and noise+THD are Focusrite’s best yet and well beyond the kind of specs you’d associate with this price point. Although I couldn’t confirm the specs (my test gear is Windows-only), the character—or more precisely, the lack thereof, which is what I prefer—is undeniably top-of-the-line. What’s more, there are individual phantom power, highpass, and polarity flip hardware switches for each channel. (Note that the maximum gain is 57 dB, which is more than many interfaces but you may need extra gain for ribbon mics.) However, I suspect Focusrite also wanted some mic preamp “feature insurance,” because they include an “air” option for each preamp, as enabled in the accompanying applet. This is done in the analog domain, prior to conversion, and sounds like it provides a gently rising high frequency increase—not unlike what happens with dynamic mics when you increase the input impedance. Although some might see this as a gimmick, and I doubt “air” would be the sole reason someone would want a Clarett8 PreX, within a DAW high-frequency boosts don’t always sound as clean as you might like. Just remember that some mics already “hype” the highs, which doesn’t lend itself well to adding “air.” (On the other hand with humbuckers going into the instrument input, “air” gets you closer to more of a single-coil sound.) In any event give “air” a try, I think you’ll like what it does to a variety of signal sources. FOCUSRITE CONTROL The one issue I’ve had in the past with Focusrite interfaces was the mixer application. There wasn’t anything wrong with it conceptually, but it seemed fairly fickle in getting along with operating systems. I’ve often seen the following exchange in forums: “I have a Focusrite interface and it sucks!!” “Mine works fine, did you download the latest mixer app and driver?” [several posts later] “Uh...never mind. It works great now.” The Focusrite Control mixer/settings app for the Clarett is highly streamlined. There’s a simple, obvious look and feel which goes in the same direction at Ozone 6 did—straightforward, clean, and non-cluttered. If I had to describe the vibe in one word, it would be “comfortable.” It’s also customizable in the sense of letting you hide what you don’t need to see. As to drivers, although admittedly I tried the Clarett8 PreX only on one Mac OS, operation was rock solid. IS IT WORTH THE BUCKS? Hardware like this doesn’t come cheap, nor does writing solid software, but Focusrite has kept the cost very reasonable. Now, [speculation alert] maybe this is because they want to get a foothold in the Thunderbolt market, so they’re willing to shave the margins a bit. If so, that’s their problem, not yours, so take advantage of it...the Clarett8 PreX delivers value for money. And of course, it’s not like Focusrite is new at the interface game, and experience likely leads to efficiencies that help contain costs. Also, this thing is built. It’s designed for a permanent install, which means a 2U rack-mount chassis that seems designed to withstand not just normal studio abuse, but possibly small-arms fire. (Be aware that aside from the two instrument jacks in the front, all the connections are on the back, so take into account how that affects the ergonomics of patching in your studio.) Finally, there’s some nifty bundled software. Normally my first thought is “No...not another compressor and EQ!” and while they’re good, you also get three Softube plug-ins, including their stellar TSAR-1R reverb. This is one of my favorite algorithmic (i.e., non-convolution) reverbs; it wraps a smooth, diaphanous pillow around vocals unlike any other reverb in my collection. It’s a very sweet extra. SO WHAT’S NOT TO LIKE? It doesn’t come with a Thunderbolt cable, has only one Thunderbolt jack so no daisy-chaining, the monitoring capabilities are relatively basic, and it can’t be bus-powered...that’s it for limitations. (Geek info alert: Focusrite provided some interesting info about bus powering. Firewire can potentially provide more power [up to 45 watts] than Thunderbolt [10 watts maximum]. However, because FireWire’s bus voltage is not standardized and usually unregulated, some FireWire connections may provide less power output than the Thunderbolt standard.) The Clarett8 PreX is not a breakthrough product in the sense that Focusrite has invented anti-gravity, but that’s not the point. After all these years of compensating for latency, the lack of same is striking. You’ll check more than once just to make sure zero-latency monitoring isn’t enabled by accident...trust me, it isn’t. With percussive instruments like drums, bass, or guitar, Thunderbolt’s low latency becomes a huge deal. Amp sim plug-ins become amp plug-ins. Virtual instruments have a responsiveness that’s a joy. And check this out: If you have near-field monitors the usual 3-4 feet from your head, then wearing headphones can give less latency than if the Clarett8 PreX had absolutely no latency, and you were listening over speakers. Let that sink in for a bit. The rest of the Clarett8 PreX holds up its end of the bargain with sound quality, plenty of I/O, solid drivers, and physically speaking, it also has (for lack of a better term) a professional vibe—and delivers all of this at a reasonable price. Focusrite has become a success story in the world of interfaces, and with the Clarett line, it seems like they hope to repeat the same success in the Thunderbolt arena that they’ve had with FireWire and USB. Price: Around $1,300 BUY: Sweetwater or B&H Resources: ______________________________________________ Craig Anderton is Editorial Director of Harmony Central. He has played on, mixed, or produced over 20 major label releases (as well as mastered over a hundred tracks for various musicians), and written over a thousand articles for magazines like Guitar Player, Keyboard, Sound on Sound (UK), and Sound + Recording (Germany). He has also lectured on technology and the arts in 38 states, 10 countries, and three languages.
  14. Looking to go "into the groove"? This book is a fine place to start By Craig Anderton Hal Leonard Books Softcover, 263 pages, $17.48 If you want to get into EDM, you’re going to need some cool beats. And if you’re already into it, additional sources of inspiration never hurt. Enter this book from Josh Bess, an Ableton Certified Trainer and percussionist. But don’t think this book is relevant only to Ableton Live users—it’s applicable to just about anything with a MIDI piano roll view, and arguably even more so to programs like SONAR that include a step sequencer. The first chapter describes Live basics, which complements the downloadable demo version of Live. The second chapter has useful concepts for beginners that translate to a variety of DAWs, but the real meat of the book—170 pages—starts with Chapter 3, which shows screen shots for grooves. Musical styles include house, techno, breakbeat (e.g., hip-hip, drum ‘n’ bass), and world (e.g., dance hall), but these are also broken down into various sub-genres. Although beats are shown using Live’s Piano Roll View, it’s easy to translate to other piano roll views or step sequencers. Each pattern also includes info about some of the techniques used in the pattern, as well as occasional tips. I consider this a strong addition to the book, as they suggest avenues for additional exploration, and give some interesting insights into how particular beats are constructed. Chapter 4 is 14 pages about drum fills and transitions, again using screen shots for examples, while Chapter 5 covers Groove, Swing, and Feel. This takes only slightly more effort to translate into equivalents for other programs. Chapter 6 has 22 pages of how to build drum kits in Live from one-shots, and Chapter 7 is a one-page summary. For an even more universal appeal, the book also includes a download code for a variety of media that are suitable for all DAWs. There are 292 drum samples (mostly WAV, some AIF), along with 642 MIDI files for the grooves described in the book and the 19 described MIDI files for fills. For under $20, some might consider the samples and MIDI files alone worth the price, and the files let you take advantage of what’s presented in the book without even having to read most of it. However, the explanations for the rationale behind programming the beats provide a helpful background for those who want to go beyond just importing something and using it “as is.” Bess’s background as a percussionist certainly helps, as it gives a perspective beyond just “put these notes on these beats.” Overall, for those getting into dance music, this book lets you hit the ground running with actual files you can use in a wide cross-section of styles. I could also see this information as being useful for those doing soundtracks if they’re not as familiar with certain styles, yet need to create music using, for example, Dance Hall of Dubstep beats. For less than the cost of a 12-pack of Red Bull at Walmart, you’ll have something with much greater staying power. ______________________________________________ Craig Anderton is Editorial Director of Harmony Central. He has played on, mixed, or produced over 20 major label releases (as well as mastered over a hundred tracks for various musicians), and written over a thousand articles for magazines like Guitar Player, Keyboard, Sound on Sound (UK), and Sound + Recording (Germany). He has also lectured on technology and the arts in 38 states, 10 countries, and three languages.
  15. The wheel, electricity, the microprocessor...the internet is right up there in that elite group of inventions by Craig Anderton In the 1960s, Marshall McLuhan wrote that he believed the print culture would soon be eclipsed by electronic culture. He coined the term “global village,” where the world becomes a computer-like giant electronic brain. Although the internet wasn’t invented until well after his death, in 1962 he wrote something which has to be considered truly prophetic: “The next medium, whatever it is—it may be the extension of consciousness—will include television as its content, not as its environment, and will transform television into an art form. A computer as a research and communication instrument could enhance retrieval, obsolesce mass library organization, retrieve the individual's encyclopedic function and flip into a private line to speedily tailored data of a saleable kind.” So not only did he foresee the internet, he even foresaw YouTube, mass databases, and targeted advertising. The guy was a genius…and like most geniuses, was dismissed as just another crackpot at the time. What got me thinking about the global village was the “World’s Biggest Audition” project in which we’re participating. The concept of watching a video on your telephone from any country in the world, then using it to audition for a superstar rhythm section, would have been science fiction not that long ago. But what also intrigues me about Stewart Copeland and Brian Hardgroove’s project is they’re not just looking for vocalists; they’re looking all over the world, and what makes that possible is our wired global village. Someone in India, Qatar, or Brazil can participate just as easily as I can. Ultimately, will the wired global village unite us or divide us? It’s clear that the World’s Biggest Audition is about bringing people together, but not everyone has those motives. From spam to recruiting terrorists to cyber-bullying to snooping, the wired village isn’t always benevolent. Interestingly, McLuhan nailed that, too—as he said, technology does not have morality. Never before in history have we been presented with a gift that allows everyone, everywhere, to communicate. What are we going to do with that gift? I really like what Stewart, Brian, and WholeWorldBand are doing with it…let’s hope that kind of thinking becomes the norm, and not the exception. If you'd like to audition — Go Here To Audition: http://www.harmonycentral.com/forum/forum/Forums_General/hardgroove-and-nothing-less/31616136-official-world-s-biggest-audition-—-don-t-miss-out ______________________________________________ Craig Anderton is Editorial Director of Harmony Central. He has played on, mixed, or produced over 20 major label releases (as well as mastered over a hundred tracks for various musicians), and written over a thousand articles for magazines like Guitar Player, Keyboard, Sound on Sound (UK), and Sound + Recording (Germany). He has also lectured on technology and the arts in 38 states, 10 countries, and three languages.
  16. MESA/Boogie’s designer amps—now available in ones and zeros by Craig Anderton IK took a fork in the road several years ago by positioning AmpliTube, the first native amp sim software, into more of a host and then making various modules—amps, cabs, effects, etc.—available from an online Custom Shop. This was my first real exposure to in-app purchases, and I suspect for many others as well. What made it work was that you could evaluate the various components at no cost before committing to a purchase, so there was no "buyer’s remorse" due to software not having a return policy. AmpliTube MESA/Boogie is actually two products. One is a variation on the AmpliTube Custom Shop cross-platform software (stand-alone; VST2, AU, RTAS, AAX, 32- or 64-bit) that includes the suite of MESA/Boogie components and costs $149.99. The other is an à la carte selection of the various amps and cabs, available through the custom shop if you already have AmpliTube. Like other collaborations IK has done with amp companies, these models have MESA/Boogie’s blessing and were done with their input. The roster of amps is: Mark III Combo Mark IV Combo Dual Rectifier Head Triple Rectifier Head TransAtlantic TA-30 Combo Cabs are: 1x12" Mark III Combo 1x12" Mark IV Combo 2x12" Rectifier Horizontal 4x12" Recto Traditional Slant 1x12" TransAtlantic TA-30 Combo Why MESA/Boogie? MESA/Boogie amps essentially invented the modern high-gain amp sound, and it’s not an easy sound to emulate. Although many amp sim packages include emulations of the dual rectifier, this is the most complete suite of MESA/Boogie plug-ins and the only company-authorized one. The amps add a different flavor of sound compared to the usual Marshall/Fender/Vox/Orange amps. Why AmpliTube? If you’re not familiar with AmpliTube, it offers eight fixed signal paths, including various combinations of parallel and serial configurations. While not as flexible as the rack paradigm used by Native Instruments’ Guitar Rig or Peavey’s ReValver, it has a “guitarist-friendly” workflow that makes it easy to create custom rigs. You can insert up to 12 stompboxes, 2 amp heads, and 2 cabinets, with 8 “rack” effects at the end of the chain. The rack effects are one of AmpliTube’s secret weapons, because they acknowledge that many signature guitar sounds happen with a little help from studio rack processors. In particular, the parametric EQs can tame amp sim resonances apart from whatever EQ plug-ins you use. The cab miking options are the second secret weapon. You can place two different mics in stereo positions, and the results are sufficiently close to the real thing that I’ve actually used AmpliTube as a “flight simulator” to teach about amp mic placement. Although IK isn’t the only sim that includes virtual miking, and some other sims take the concept further, AmpliTube implements this feature effectively. AmpliTube has a thorough MIDI implementation, which is useful for live performance as well as manipulation within a DAW. Of course IK would be happiest if you used their iRig BlueBoard, but any standard MIDI controller will do the job. In addition to the MESA/Boogie components, AmpliTube Custom Shop comes with 9 stompboxes (chorus, flanger, tremolo, delay, wah pedal, overdrive, compressor, graphic EQ, volume pedal suitable for external control), 4 amps (American tube clean 1, American tube clean 2, British tube lead 1, bass preamp), 5 cabinets (4x10 open, 1x12 open, 2x12 closed, 4x12 closed, 1x15 bass), 3 mics (dynamic 57, condenser 414, condenser 87, 2 rack effects (digital delay, parametric EQ), and chromatic tuner. The Sound Having played through various MESA/Boogie amps over the years, I was pleased the emulations capture the sound without unwanted “buzz” or “fizz.” That’s tough to pull off. In a nutshell, these models get it right—you won’t need after-the-fact processing other than what you’d normally do to have a guitar play nice with others. Of the amps, my favorites are the Rectifiers because of how adaptable they are to leads and power chords but if you dial back, they work well for crunch. They have the requisite sustain-that-goes-into-next-week, but most importantly, provide a genuine sense of power. The Mark amps weren’t my favorite Boogies, but the emulations do a good job of the expected crunchy rhythms and clean sounds. I’m a major fan of the TransAtlantic TA-30 because when you drive it hard it kind of splits the difference between the Rectifiers and Marks, so I was glad to see it included. Basically if you like MESA/Boogies, you’ll like the emulations. But I don’t really have to strain my brain too hard trying to describe the sounds, because you can go to the Custom Shop and audition them for yourself. Conclusions AmpliTube is neither a CPU hog nor a miser. However, you can choose three different modes for CPU consumption, as well as mess around with preferences to oversample (which draws more power) or not (which doesn’t sound as pure). I recommend using the CPU-friendly settings when tracking so you can set the lowest possible latency for your interface, then enabling all the oversampling options when mixing. Note that the highest supported sampling rate is 96 kHz. MESA/Boogie amps have been a bit of a “final frontier” for amp sims because they’re tough to get right. Fortunately IK did their homework, so I’m not surprised MESA/Boogie authorized these emulations—if you wanted to stuff a MESA/Boogie in your laptop for a fraction of the price of the real thing, now you can. Resources ______________________________________________ Craig Anderton is Editorial Director of Harmony Central. He has played on, mixed, or produced over 20 major label releases (as well as mastered over a hundred tracks for various musicians), and written over a thousand articles for magazines like Guitar Player, Keyboard, Sound on Sound (UK), and Sound + Recording (Germany). He has also lectured on technology and the arts in 38 states, 10 countries, and three languages.
  17. Definitely not your typical compressor… By Craig Anderton One of the great aspects of writing software reviews these days is downloadable demos, because you don’t have to depend on a reviewer’s opinion—you can decide for yourself whether you like something or not. But first, you have to determine if you want to take the time to download and learn how to use something well enough to evaluate it, which means reviews still have value for “filtering.” That’s particularly important with the U73b, which is one of the more unusual compressors to visit my hard drive and at $149, also one of the more expensive ones. It emulates an all-tube, German broadcast compressor/limiter that’s around for around half a century. Fortunately, I have three of the original units here so it was easy to compare and contrast...well, not really. Actually I’d never even heard of the U73b before finding out about this plug-in, so there’s no way I can judge how accurately the software emulates the hardware. However, I think it’s more important to evaluate what the U73b can do for your music, regardless of its heritage. Installation is straightforward, but note that it uses iLok protection. The U73b supports AAX, RTAS, VST3, and VST2 formats on Mac and Windows, as well as AudioUnits on the Mac. Compatible operating systems are OS X 10.8 and above, and Windows Vista and above (32 or 64 bits). Controls The control set is minimal. A 3-position switch chooses compression, bypass, or limiting. Like the 1176 and many other vintage compressors, turning up the Input control increases the amount of compression while an Output control tames the overall level. A six-position release control offers three fixed release times (0.3, 0.6, and 1.2 seconds) and three long, program-dependent release times (2.5, 6 and 10 seconds). Also, stereo sidechaining is available where you can choose to control both U73b channels independently, by the sum of the two sidechain inputs, or by either the left or right channel. The original circuit included a highpass filter, but thankfully the software version allows turning this off (it’s always off when limiting). The meter can read input, output, or amount of gain reduction. That’s pretty much it, except for the crucially important “calibration” control. This matches the unit to the signal levels you use. For example, if you leave a nominal 6 dB or headroom, you’d set it for -6 dB. Overall range is from -18 dBFS to 0 dBFS. Without setting the calibration control properly, the artist presets (including contributions from Bjorn Thorstrud, who’s worked with the Smashing Pumpkins, Marianne Faithfull, David Coverdale, Whitesnake, Shania Twain, and others) won’t reflect what the U73b can do. In Use When people think of “character” compressors (e.g., something like an Omnipressor), the usual assumption is that the audible result is going to be heavy-handed and obvious. While you can abuse the U73b to squash signals, that’s a waste of a plug-in that’s capable of very refined compression and to a lesser extent, limiting. The U73b does not have a “maximizing” or peak limiting character. It is very much an “old school” compressor that seems more interested in bringing up low-level signals than squashing high-level ones. For example, with drums and voice, it can bring up room ambience very effectively while keeping voice at a consistent level. Drums are a somewhat different story, as the attack time is fixed and extremely fast—a little less than a millisecond. That takes away a lot of the percussive nature of the drums if you’re using significant amounts of compression, however the U73b is absolutely wonderful for parallel compression by virtue of how it adds detail to the drum sound. On bass, the U73b effortlessly brings up lower-level sounds, like notes that weren’t hit quite so hard, or “dead spots” on the neck. Although the original hardware unit was used quite a bit for mastering, don’t expect a multiband maximizer. If the compression is audible, to my ears it detracts from the stereo mix. What the U73b does best is provide a “lift” that also glues tracks together effectively. (If you want to get more level to be competitive in the loudness wars, follow it with a limiter or maximizer.) Interestingly, in all these cases the sound doesn’t have the subtly “muffled” quality you sometimes hear with compressors; instead the vibe is quite detailed and articulated. It sounds like perhaps the highs are not being compressed quite as much as lower frequencies, but I have no way to confirm that and something else might account for what I’m hearing. The Catch So far you’re probably thinking “Hey, this sounds pretty cool…I’m going to download the demo and check it out!” However, obtaining the sonic nirvana the U73b can deliver is not always easy. While it may seem that setting controls would be simple, the interaction between Input, Output, and Calibration means you’ll need to spend some time getting the right settings. The Calibration control is particularly important for natural sounds, although the flip side is that if you want seriously squashed effects, a “wrong” calibration setting will get you there in seconds. In fact given my emphasis on subtlety and clarity, I should point out it’s not hard to abuse the U73b. But also be beware that it’s easy to abuse the U73b if you don’t treat the Input, Output, and Calibration controls as a “combination lock” where they all have to be set correctly for the best results. I also have two issues. The first is that the controls do not allow for linear mouse manipulation over the full travel, you need to “rotate” them. With plug-ins that have the option to do knob rotation or linear motion, the first thing I do is set preferences so I can just drag up and down with the mouse. I realize it’s more “authentic” this way, but I feel it unnecessarily complicates the process of getting the levels just right. The second issue is that the unit defaults to the high pass filter being enabled for the compressor. This replicates the way the original worked, and it’s great that Audified includes a way to bypass it—something the original couldn’t do. However, I believe making it the default is a mistake. I can see someone not bothering to read the help, loading the plug-in, and thinking “Hey! What happened to the bass?!?” I would recommend that Audfied disable the HPF as the default to give a good first impression to people who don’t have the patience to read through the concise help info. Conclusions The Audified name may be new to some people, but the company’s lineage traces back to the 90s and DSound (which made high-quality “stomp box” plug-ins at a time when the concept was still pretty new) as well as the Audiffex name, which is associated with affordable music products. (One of these, a live performance program that’s kind of like a more developed version of Mainstage will be the subject of a future review.) They also made some of the first OS X plug-ins, as well as plug-ins for TC’s PowerCore. So there’s a considerable amount of expertise to back up the company’s claim that the U73b is a faithful emulation of the original. Ultimately, though, what matters is the functionality. I have to admit I was skeptical when Audified asked if we’d review the U73b…“oh no, not another compressor!” However, after working with it on individual tracks and program material, I have to say it is not like other compressors. The closest I can come with my existing roster of dynamics processors is by using two compressors set for light compression ratios in series, but it’s still not quite the same. The U73b can offer subtle, non-intrusive compression that gives a welcome “lift” to signals. I haven’t talked much about the limiter because for me, it’s more like an alternate sound that can indeed be useful, but is not particularly flexible compared to dedicated limiter plug-ins. The main attraction here is the compressor, and it’s both well-behaved and capable of enhancing just about anything you put through it once you get the control settings squared away. Props to Audified for not making “just another compressor” but offering something sophisticated—and unique—in dynamics control. ______________________________________________ Craig Anderton is Editorial Director of Harmony Central. He has played on, mixed, or produced over 20 major label releases (as well as mastered over a hundred tracks for various musicians), and written over a thousand articles for magazines like Guitar Player, Keyboard, Sound on Sound (UK), and Sound + Recording (Germany). He has also lectured on technology and the arts in 38 states, 10 countries, and three languages.
  18. Here's how to use software to calculate a track's BPM by DJ Loop Skywalkerr (a/k/a Craig Anderton) If you want to match beats, you first need to know the beat...to be speicifc, BPM, or Beats per Minute. When the party is grooving along at 126 BPM and you want to move things up a notch, you usually don't want to reach for something that drags along at 85 BPM. Most of us have a pretty intuitive sense of which tracks match, and hey, there's always cueing up something beforehand. But I'm impatient, y'know? I don't like sitting there with headphones glued to my ears trying to figure out what the beat is. So I started subjecting any tracks in 4/4 to the "Skywalkerr Beat Determination Method" to figure out the BPM of the various tracks I like to use...and you too can figure out the BPM of your favorite tracks. Here's how. TOOLS You need a computer—Windows and Mac fanbois can fight it out, but anything that runs digital audio editing software will work. Then there's the digital audio editing software. For Windows, check out Sony Sound Forge, Steinberg Wavelab, Audacity, and a bunch of others. There are also "lite" versions of some of these, and shareware editors for minimum $$. For the Mac there's Wavelab and the usual shareware programs. For best results, use a program that lets you loop a section of audio—most do. You need to import the tune to be analyzed into the 'puter. Fancy software lets you open the track so you can see it on-screen in all its geeky, waveform-happy glory. Or if you’re old school and have CDs, patch your CD player's output in your computer’s audio input and record into your editor. Fidelity doesn't matter that much, you just want to see the waveform. TECHNIQUES Here's the deal: Select one measure (four beats) of audio. This is why the software's ability to loop audio is important, because it's easy to hear the measure when it repeats. After you get close to defining a measure, zoom in to time the measure as closely as possible. Read the measure's duration. Apply the SMBF (Skywalkerr Magic Beat Formula) to derive the BPM. Look at the Sound Forge screen shot (Fig. 1). I put it into a paint program and added some graffiti to show off the important stuff. Fig. 1: One measure of audio selected in Sound Forge. You can see the kick drum pretty clearly—it's those four spikes, which I've highlighted with an orange line. Clicking on the Loop button (with a red square around it) plays the selected piece of audio over and over. You can adjust the audio's beginning and end to "tune" the loop as close to a measure as possible. The calculation accuracy depends on defining the measure as exactly as possible. So, zoom way in to the measure's beginning, and see if you can start the selection exactly where the kick drum hits. Fig. 2 shows a zoomed in section at the beginning of the measure. Note the giant hump that indicates the kick start. Use the same process to set the selection's end point. Fig. 2: Zooming in closely shows exactly where the kick drum begins. MATH Now the important part. Back at Fig. 1, note the readout outlined in orange. This shows the selection length, in this case, 1.800 seconds. The magic formula is: 240/selection length in seconds = BPM So get out your calculator (in Windows, go Programs > Accessories > Calculator), enter the numbers, and you end up with: 240/1.800 = 133.33 BPM So that's it : 133.33 is the tempo, in BPM. EXTRA CREDIT! Remember where I said that "the accuracy of the calculation depends on defining the measure as exactly as possible"? If you want to get really accurate, measure the length of more than one measure, and take an average. Now we have a brand new and totally exciting formula: (N * 240) / D = BPM Where N is the number of measures, D is the duration of the measures, and BPM stands for...well, you know what it stands for. That wasn't so hard, right? Now you find the BPM of anything with a pulse. Check it out. DJ Loop Skywalkerr spins in clubs you haven’t heard of, in places where you don’t want to be. He uses a PC, Sonar, and several ancient tone generators to make his own tracks. ______________________________________________ Craig Anderton is Editorial Director of Harmony Central. He has played on, mixed, or produced over 20 major label releases (as well as mastered over a hundred tracks for various musicians), and written over a thousand articles for magazines like Guitar Player, Keyboard, Sound on Sound (UK), and Sound + Recording (Germany). He has also lectured on technology and the arts in 38 states, 10 countries, and three languages.
  19. There’s nothing wrong with doing a cover version of “Free Fallin’”—but it’s not cool when your guitar takes those words literally By Craig Anderton I’ve had a guitar come off its strap a few times, which always produced many milliseconds of extreme anxiety. Fortunately, in each case I had my left hand on the neck, and was able to catch the guitar before it went crashing to the floor. But, there’s always a first time…and I’d like to avoid that if possible. Enter Straptight, which is a simple and inexpensive solution that doesn’t alter your guitar or strap. It looks like one of those twist ties for bread, but thicker (about the same as a dime) and somewhat bigger. Your place it on top of your strap, then push it into the strap post collar so the Straptight stays anchored to the strap post by wrapping its two “jaws” around it. And now, for the “review” part of the review: Yes, it works. I tried to pull the strap off several guitars and bases, without success. The only real limitation is the Straptight does not work on Fishman Transducer Pickup endpin jacks. A four-pack costs $7.99, with your choice of black or white Straptights. There are also two Joe Satriani artist models, which go for $12.99. One has four Satriani Straptights, while the other has two Satriani Straptights and two black ones. The only difference between the Satriani ones and the basic models is the artwork and cost; functionality is the same. This may seem like one of those “so obvious no one thought of it before” ideas, but I have to say, I no longer fear my guitar falling to the floor. And that’s a good thing. Resources Straptight.com has videos, photos, ordering information, and endorsements. ______________________________________________ Craig Anderton is Editorial Director of Harmony Central. He has played on, mixed, or produced over 20 major label releases (as well as mastered over a hundred tracks for various musicians), and written over a thousand articles for magazines like Guitar Player, Keyboard, Sound on Sound (UK), and Sound + Recording (Germany). He has also lectured on technology and the arts in 38 states, 10 countries, and three languages.
  20. Have a terrific time tweaking this tiny titan of tantalizing tones By Craig Anderton It seems like “little” is the new “big” these days—check out Yamaha’s ReFace series, Roland’s Boutique line of synths, or Korg’s various micro, nano, and femto devices (okay, admittedly they haven’t reached “femto” yet). But this is not like any of the above. If you like Commodore-64 SID chips, speak ‘n’ spell, circuit bending, and generally affordable hardware weirdness that’s about the size of a corpulent ice cube, you’ve come to the right place. If on the other hand you’re looking for fat analog strings, Moogacious bass lines, and piano sounds…keep looking. HARDWARE IN A SOFTWARE WORLD There are two PL2 models, the black MIDI one and the white USB one (nicknamed the Leukos). The black version has a 5-pin MIDI in, RCA phono audio output, and mini-USB jack for power; it’s your basic real-time hardware synth. The Leukos being reviewed here is designed to work with computers—both Mac and Windows. It connects to your computer via USB (pre-lightning iPad fans, get the Camera Kit while you still can), and the RCA phono output feeds your mixer or a powered speaker. I tested the Leukos audio with a KRK 5 powered monitor not just because it sounds really good for a small speaker, but also because it’s pretty much indestructible—which matters with the Leukos, because it has a pretty hot output. This graphic represents the complement of modules. Note that this cool artwork is not the accompanying editing software (Windows, Mac 10.6 and above, and iPad), but it does get across what the PL2 offers. And here’s the editor itself. Granted, it looks like something that crawled out of Windows 95…but it works. IS THERE A CATCH? Normally in reviews, you list the limitations at the end because people are usually interested in finding out what something does before finding out what it doesn’t do. However we’ll get the main issues out of the way now because let’s face it…when you have something that costs under $100 and is small enough that your dog could eat it, there are going to be some limitations. The main ones are two oscillators (although a mitigating factor is that you can configure these as two individual notes, stacked notes, octaves, or mono) and no filter envelope. Also, the choice of waveforms is limited, and of course, there are no onboard controls so you need to use the computer editor or an external controller to make it do interesting things. The PL2 requires MIDI literacy to get the most out of it and the concept in general is, uh, somewhat unconventional—which some will consider a limitation, but which I think makes a perfect segue into the cool stuff. WHAT’S COOL The Leukos has a unique sonic character (Ploytec calls what they do “Square Wave Synthesis”); it reminds me of the early days of computer-generated sound and onboard synth chips. (Your historical trivia for today: The Atari 1040ST included a MIDI port not because the company was so forward-looking, but because they couldn’t get decent yields on the internal “Amy” sound generator chip.) However, the fidelity here is better—we’re not dealing with the same level of crudeness, although Ploytec claims “No other synth on the market has more aliasing and quantization noise.” That should give you some insight into the thought processes of the designers behind this little box. A huge advantage is that being hardware, there’s no soft synth latency. It’s refreshing to have something loaded into a computer where there’s virtually zero delay between what you play and what you hear. You can use the editor’s internal on-screen keyboard by clicking on the notes or hitting QWERTY keys; unfortunately, it’s not touch-sensitive—although if you use SONAR and have a touch-screen computer, you can drive Leukos with SONAR’s onscreen touch-sensitive virtual controller. Note that up until Windows 10, MIDI hasn’t been multi-client in Windows so in theory, you can’t open the Ploytec editor at the same time as a DAW. However, Ploytec offers an optional driver that is multi-client, and works very well. You don’t need to install it unless you want to do the multi-client thang. Speaking of control, pretty much anything can be controlled via CCs. This screen shot shows part of the Windows editor’s mapping page. Ideally, you’d want to use a keyboard with a lot of programmable sliders and knobs, but Ploytec provides a nifty-looking programmer for Native Instruments’ Reaktor as well as templates for the Behringer BCR2000, Korg nanoKontrol2, Korg taktile 49, Nord Modular G2, Novation Impulse 49/61, Roland A300/500/800 pro, Terrasoniq Area61, TouchAble (iOS), TouchOSC (iOS) and Yamaha KX25/49/61. And now, for my arguably favorite feature: You can swap firmware via the editor program, and loading version 2.56 loads—yes!—speech synthesis software (another option loads an electro-type kick and noise—nothing special, but nice to have). Hit the keys and get those rockin’ phonemes—huge fun, regardless of whether or not they make any sense. (Note: Turn down the volume when loading firmware, because the PL2 excretes some nasty pops and clicks during the process.) We really don’t need to go into much more detail, because Ploytec’s product landing page at http://ploytec.com/pl2/ has lots of useful info, as does that of the US distributor, Eleven Dimensions Media http://www.11dmedia.com/ploytec-pl2---palm-sized-synthesizer.html. You can access the Soundcloud audio examples from either page to hear what I’m talking about. CONCLUSIONS For me, this is a great candidate for making a sound library—there are lots of sounds I want to sample, and the speech synthesizer option is begging to be turned into a kickass loop library. Overall, this is a fun box, doesn’t cost much, doesn’t take up a lot of space, was clearly created by people who we want to have keep their jobs so they don’t end up working for a hostile foreign government, makes sounds you’re not going to get out of your other synths, and hey, there’s a speech synthesizer! The PL2 also makes a thoughtful earth souvenir for visiting aliens, as they claim USB version 257 is backwards compatible with it. Yes, I had a lot of fun playing with the PL2 and writing this review. It’s a quirky little box…but that’s one of its significant charms. ______________________________________________ Craig Anderton is Editorial Director of Harmony Central. He has played on, mixed, or produced over 20 major label releases (as well as mastered over a hundred tracks for various musicians), and written over a thousand articles for magazines like Guitar Player, Keyboard, Sound on Sound (UK), and Sound + Recording (Germany). He has also lectured on technology and the arts in 38 states, 10 countries, and three languages.
  21. The home piano has sure come a long way... By Craig Anderton Before the Age of the Microprocessor, the centerpiece of many a living room was not a big screen TV displaying drivel, but an upright or even grand piano. (In some countries, like China and Arab Emirates, a grand piano has become the latest luxury status symbol.) My father was a drummer, and we had an upright piano in the house—not a Steinway for sure, but it worked and got me started on keyboards. As we move further into the 21st century, owning an acoustic piano is prohibitive for most people due to smaller living spaces, noise considerations, expense, and a mobile population. Yet there’s still much to be said for having a piano in the house, so companies like Korg, Casio, Yamaha, Roland, Kawai, and others have worked hard to create electronic equivalents at a variety of price points that sound (and sometimes feel) much like a piano. The Havian 30 is relatively slim, and light enough to move from one room to another. This isn’t an easy task, as a piano is an extremely complex acoustical instrument that doesn’t produce sound as much as radiate it. However with better sampling technology and enough computer power to create more sophisticated algorithms, piano sounds continue to become more life-like. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Korg’s site has the full specs, as well as lots of audio examples. Here are the highlights. Korg’s Havian 30 (pronounced hah’ – vee – ahn) is aimed clearly at the home or school, not the gigging musician or the guy playing a solo act in a bar with an arranger. The 88-key weighted action keybed with velocity gives an acoustic piano feel. Dual 25W amps drive the bass-reflex onboard amplification system with two 4” speakers. The Havian 30 draws upon Korg’s synthesis/sampling expertise to provide tons of instrument sounds (based on almost 600 instrument multisamples), and 64 drum kits (based on over 1,000 percussion samples). There’s also space for 256 user-edited sounds and 128 user-edited drum kits. Sounds include all the keyboards you’d expect (upright, grand, and electric pianos, harpsichord, organ, clav, etc.) but there’s also guitar, brass, strings (ideal for layering), bass, synth, a General MIDI set, etc. An auto-accompaniment engine with 420 factory styles (and slots for up to 1,040 user styles) folds in Korg PA-series arranger keyboard features. You can play back MP3 (and MIDI) files record, as well as record your playing and save as an MP3 file with three variable bit rate quality levels. Four stereo effects blocks provide 125 effect types, as well as a 3-band EQ for each track, and a master effects block with a limiter and 4-band parametric EQ. The piano sound emulates damper resonance; the package includes a damper pedal that supports half-pedaling. The optional ST-H30-BK keyboard stand adds about $150 to the $1,500 price but provides a good Havian 30 home for the home. THE USER INTERFACE Aside from visual appeal, the TFT color touchscreen simplifies navigation. Anything designed for the consumer must have a transparent interface—it can be thorough, as long as it’s simple. Korg entered the touch-screen world early on with the Trinity, and the Havian 30’s 5" TFT color TouchView display provides a mature, understandable touch interface. Like the iPhone iOS 8 update, all the familiar elements are on the surface but you can dig deeper to find the tweaky/cool options. There's a reasonable number of buttons...not overwhelming, but sufficient to access all important functions. This shows the buttons to the right of the main display. STRENGTHS I always start a review by seeing how far I can get without reading the manual (might as well simulate real-world users, right?)—and had fun just pushing buttons and listening to the sounds. It’s even possible to get pretty far into the arranger functions. However, you’ll miss a lot of the most interesting features if you don’t spend some quality time with the manual. There’s solid, helpful documentation. A DVD includes a one-hour video manual broken into 7 sections (also available here [http://www.korg.com/us/products/digitalpianos/havian_30/page_3.php]), as well as a PDF user manual. The printed quick start guide provides an excellent balance between simplicity and exploring deeper parts of the keyboard; more quick start guides should take a lesson from Korg on how to do this right. All documentation is downloadable (or with videos, viewable) on the Korg web site. Switching among styles and variations is gapless. If only all DAWs had audio engines this gapless… Korg knows sampling/synthesis, and it shows—the range and quality of sounds is excellent, and don’t have the “cheesy” quality you sometimes hear from arrangers. Korg also knows touchscreen operating systems. And for the “tight” screens (e.g., mixing) that aren’t “fat-finger-friendly,” there’s always the data wheel. The searchable SongBook database, with fields for name, artist, genre, and tempo (you can filter on multiple criteria), helps find songs and performance settings. The programmable pedal and resonance options add to the realism of the piano sounds. MIDI over USB is a more modern alternative compared to including a 5-pin DIN connection (which is not present). There’s not a lot of I/O, but the USB port comes in handy. The USB port is suitable for storage (with no proprietary formatting requirement for USB sticks or drives) and computer connections. Being able to modify and record styles and create your own music makes this much more than a “set and forget” canned accompanist. LIMITATIONS No jack for soft or sostenuto pedal, although Havian 30 responds to sostenuto control over MIDI Takes about 30 seconds to boot because there’s quite a bit of data to load I experienced a few display freezes when choosing sounds, although this was rare and not reproducible. However the unit being reviewed has 1.00 software, and turning the unit off and on again solved the problem. Power comes from a “line lump” AC adapter—don’t lose it. You can run into external monitors, but have to do so via an adapter plugged into the headphones out. The joystick controller is small and doesn’t feel rugged. Theoretically the SongBook could be edited using editor software, but Korg has no current plans to develop an editor, so it would need to be a third-party solution. CONCLUSIONS If you’re interested in the Havian 30, the documentation linked to on the web site will fill you in on the details (which are considerable, and describing them would add several thousand more words to this review). Although simple on the surface and relatively easy to navigate, there’s also a lot of sophisticated functionality “under the hood”—so let’s cut to the chase about how this keyboard fits into the current market. If you need to base your home piano selection solely on price, you can pay a lot less and still get a good-sounding piano (like Korg’s SP170s—about $500). There won’t be the options and the enclosure won’t be as stylish, but budding musicians will have a place to start that won’t break the bank. Despite being quite affordable the Havian 30 is a more high-end product, and seems designed to address a continuum of players—from little Justin or Heather just starting off with music, to parents who have (or don’t have) musical experience. You can dive deep into the Havian 30 by taking advantage of features found in contemporary workstations (choice of sounds, editability, and user options) as well as the creative kick-start and fun factor offered by arranger keyboards. Although the styles and songs can’t avoid the “canned” aspect inherent in all arrangers, it’s easy enough to add variations, and the sound quality goes a long way toward creating a solid user experience. There may be some bias here; the way Korg manages to blend realism, clarity, and warmth in their sampled instruments has always appealed to me, and the Havian 30 is no exception. What I like about the M3, Radias, and Kronos is in ample evidence, and I’d be happy to use these sounds in DAW-based productions with no excuses whatsoever. Granted two 4” speakers aren’t going to sound like a Bosendorfer, but they give a good account of themselves. Also, some of the five accompaniment parts that follow your chords are pretty basic, but others are quite sophisticated and a few are downright impressive. Just be aware that this is mostly about mainstream music; if you want an EDM or rap monster, this is not the droid you’re looking for. There are also some extra educational dividends, like displaying a MIDI file as a score, and showing scrolling CDG lyrics if available (if not, you can associate a .txt file with a song to display lyrics, although they won’t scroll). You can also add markers to jump to particular places in a song for study or rehearsing. There’s always a danger that when trying to create an instrument intended to be all things to all people, you end up with something that’s too costly for casual players and not interesting enough for more advanced users. The Havian 30 avoids this fate by having a surface layer that’s easy to use and fun; many users would probably be more than satisfied with only what’s on the surface. But for those who are willing to dig, going down a couple menu layers offers many possibilities, which benefit from a logical operating system and good documentation. I also assume the pricing benefits from being able to build on the R&D from Korg’s flagship arranger products, the sounds from their workstations, and quantity pricing on elements common to multiple Korg products, like the touchscreen. For those who “just want a home piano,” the Havian 30 will likely be overkill—you can do very well for much less. But for those who want an 88-key weighted keyboard, lots of quality sounds, considerable flexibility, a self-contained sound system, and the fun of playing along with auto-accompaniment, the Havian 30 hits a sweet spot. Buy at B&H ______________________________________________ Craig Anderton is Editorial Director of Harmony Central. He has played on, mixed, or produced over 20 major label releases (as well as mastered over a hundred tracks for various musicians), and written over a thousand articles for magazines like Guitar Player, Keyboard, Sound on Sound (UK), and Sound + Recording (Germany). He has also lectured on technology and the arts in 38 states, 10 countries, and three languages.
  22. Smartphone guitar app adds hardware and goes Android by Craig Anderton Wait! Don’t stop reading just because the sub-head says “Android,” and you assume the audio performance will give you an unwanted (albeit free) echo unit due to latency. IK Multimedia has created a very successful business by supporting iOS devices, so they must have been salivating at the thought of being able to tap the huge Android market. But while Android OS 5.0 has reduced latency, it’s still not really acceptable for real-time playing—so IK does an end run around the problem by building audio processing DSP into the accompanying hardware interface. I tested iRig UA with a Samsung Galaxy Note4. Note that the interface itself is not limited to Android, but will also work with Mac and Windows computers (although it won't do ASIO). However, the DSP within the interface that provides the amp sim processing works only with the Android application software. What You Need to Know The onboard DSP means a higher cost compared to a simple, I/O-only interface. $99.99 buys you a hardware interface with 1/4” input for guitar, 1/8” stereo headphone jack with associated volume control, 1/8” stereo input jack for jamming along with an external audio source, and micro-B USB connector (with appropriate included cable) to hook it up to your phone. iRig UA hooks into your phone digitally, so it bypasses the internal audio preamp for higher quality. With 5.0, you can also stream audio digitally from the phone into iRig UA and bypass the external input. When listening to music, you’ll get more clean volume out of iRig UA’s headphone amp than what’s in your phone. I didn’t have a way to test latency, but it seems like the only possible latency would be from A/D and D/A conversion. This would result in latency under 2 ms. In any event, the “feel” is zero latency. For the best experience, download AmpliTube UA for free from the Google Play Store with four guitar amps, one bass amp, nine stompboxes, two mics, and five cabs, with the option for in-app purchases of additional stompboxes and amps in the $5-$10 range. Or, you can buy all available amps and stompboxes for $69.99. iRig UA works with Android OS 4.2 and up, providing there’s support for host mode USB/OTG; to find out whether your device supports host mode, download the USB Host Diagnostics app from the Google store. The hardware also works as a 24-bit, 44.1/48kHz audio interface with OS 5.0 (also called “Lollipop”; apparently there’s a law that companies must have cute names for operating systems—although when Apple was doing cat names, they did forego “OS Hello Kitty”). The hardware is plastic, which seems like it might belong more under “Limitations.” But it seems quite rugged, and contributes to lower weight for portability. There are four “slots” in the FX chain—two for pre-amp effects, one for an amp, and one for a post-amp effect. Amp sim tone is subjective, so whether you like the amp tones or not is your call. I’ve always liked AmpliTube and IK’s take on modeling, so it’s probably not surprising that I also like the sounds in iRig UA. I can’t really tell whether they’re on the same level as the desktop version of AmpliTube 3, but even without extra in-app purchases, you get a wide range of useful and satisfying sounds. You can navigate the UI even if you’re semi-conscious. Limitations As with similar smartphone devices, the interface connects via the USB port used for charging the phone, so the “battery charge countdown clock” starts when you plug in and start playing. The battery drain is definitely acceptable (even taking the DSP into account), but of course, you’re putting the battery through more charge/discharge cycles with long sessions. I didn’t find any way to demo in-app purchases prior to purchasing. There’s no landscape mode support, so accessing the amp knobs means swiping left and right a whole lot. There’s no tablet version yet, although of course the phone UI “upscales.” You can’t put an amp in an FX slot if you want to put amps in series. For $99.99, I do think IK could have included a compressor/sustainer you can place in front of the amp. In-app purchases culminate in a higher price tag than most Android users expect. However, given what’s in the free software, I really didn’t feel the need to get a bunch of extra stuff. Conclusions This is a sweet little package that finally brings essentially zero-latency guitar practicing and playing to Android phones. Some will balk at the price, but given the realities of Android’s audio world, there’s really no way to get around latency issues without the hardware DSP. Android users who want satisfying tones out of a simple and portable Android setup, along with considerable sonic versatility, now have a solution. While the amp sim options currently available on Android won't make Mac fanbois green with envy, iRig UA stakes an important—and very well-executed—claim in the quest for parity between the two main smartphone platforms. Buy at B&H ______________________________________________ Craig Anderton is Editorial Director of Harmony Central. He has played on, mixed, or produced over 20 major label releases (as well as mastered over a hundred tracks for various musicians), and written over a thousand articles for magazines like Guitar Player, Keyboard, Sound on Sound (UK), and Sound + Recording (Germany). He has also lectured on technology and the arts in 38 states, 10 countries, and three languages.
  23. Here's a clever way for guitarists to tame the "crispiness" of audio interface direct inputs By Craig Anderton Most guitarists are aware that with passive pickups, cable capacitance affects tone when feeding a high-impedance input, like the DI inputs on audio interfaces. Activating your guitar’s tone control will tend to “swamp out” any differences caused by cable capacitance, but if the tone control isn’t play, then cable capacitance will nonetheless affect your sound. Quantifying this difference is more difficult. Different cables have different amounts of capacitance per foot, and the longer the cable, the greater the capacitance. So often when guitar players find a cable that sounds “right,” they’ll just stick with that until it dies (or they do). Part of what inspired me to write this is a comment in another Forum that Shall Go Nameless that dissed the Timbre Plug (of course, without ever actually trying it) because of the assumption that it just duplicates what a tone control does. But a tone control is more complex than most people realize; it doesn’t just roll off highs, but also interacts with passive pickups to create a resonant peak. This boosts the signal somewhat, and is one reason why rolling back on the tone control sounds “creamier.” It’s also why guitarists like to experiment with different tone control capacitors. Within reason, the higher the capacitor value, the lower the resonant frequency. So yes, cables do make a difference. Yet these days, a lot of guitar players will record by going through a relatively short cable into an audio interface, so cable capacitance doesn’t enter into the picture. Which at long last brings us to the Neutrik NP2RX-TIMBRE, which typically costs under $20. Let’s take a closer look. The knob opposite the plug shaft itself has a four position rotary switch. It chooses among no capacitance, and three possible capacitor values strapped between the hot and ground connections (Neutrik preferred I not mention the exact values, but they're in the single-digit nanoFarad range). Note that these capacitors are potted in with a switch assembly, so don’t expect to change them if you’d prefer to try different values. Each of these has a distinct effect on the sound, as you can hear in this demo video. ASSEMBLY It’s actually quite easy to assemble; you’ll need a Phillips head screwdriver, pencil tip soldering iron, wirecutters, and two-conductor shielded cable with an outside diameter of 0.16” to 0.27”. The assembly instructions are downloadable from the Neutrik web site, and also are printed on the back of the packaging. I make my cables using the Planet Waves Cable Station, which uses ¼” cable. It was a tight fit, but by following the assembly instructions and cutting the wire exactly as specified, it all went together as expected. I certainly would advise against using anything thicker. IN USE Some people may think the right-angle jack is an issue, but it fits fine with a Strat and of course, it ideal for front-facing jacks as found on SG and 335-type guitars. However, ultimately it doesn’t really matter because the cable isn’t “polarized”—you can plug the Timbre plug into your amp or interface. All you give up is the ability to have the controls at your fingertips while you play, but I tend to think this would be a more “set and forget” type of device anyway. The Timbre Plug inserted into a TASCAM US-2x2 interface’s direct input. CONCLUSIONS The concept of emulating cable capacitance isn’t new, although sometimes it’s just a high-frequency rolloff—which is not the same as a capacitor interacting with a pickup. Neutrik’s solution is compact, built solidly, truly emulates physical cable capacitance, is accessible to anyone with moderate DIY skills, and isn’t expensive. In a way, it's like a hardware "plug-in" for your computer - and you may very well find it’s just the ticket to taking the “edge” off the crispiness that’s inherent in feeding a passive pickup into a high-impedance input. Buy at B&H __________________________________________ Craig Anderton is Editorial Director of Harmony Central. He has played on, mixed, or produced over 20 major label releases (as well as mastered over a hundred tracks for various musicians), and written over a thousand articles for magazines like Guitar Player, Keyboard, Sound on Sound (UK), and Sound + Recording (Germany). He has also lectured on technology and the arts in 38 states, 10 countries, and three languages.
  24. Sweetwater's GearFest did it again - with a bigger and better than ever gear-head's paradise by Craig Anderton (Gibson Brands) Sweetwater has been putting on GearFest for years, and I've been attending it for years, usually to present seminars. At least that's my excuse - the main reason I go is because it's a really cool event. I overheard one showgoer say to a friend, "There's nothing about this place that's not cool!" and while I don't approve of double negatives, I have to agree. But this year marked a new level for GearFest attendance. Before the show, I predicted that their attendance would hit close to 10,000 and reach into the same kind of range as Summer NAMM. Of course, I was laughed at - and with good reason, because as it turned out, I was wrong. It was over 10,000. (And by the way, if you want to comment on GearFest or have your own observations, here's a dedicated thread.) The first indication was the parking lot. No smartphone lens is wide-angle enough to capture what I saw. If I'd rotated the camera to the left or right, you would have seen an equal number of cars. When I stepped inside, the place was much more packed than last year...which is all the more interesting, because Sweetwater expanded a whole lot since then. And then there was the cafeteria. Look closely at the photo - the cafeteria extends all the way back to where the windows are. No one starved at GearFest, that's for sure, and there was even a Starbucks-like place with designer coffee and free (yes, free) bottles of water in plentiful supply to counteract the side effects of Summer in Indiana. Here are some pictures of the revamped Sweetwater retail store. It's beautifully done. Also, the entire building is totally green - it saves huge amounts of energy and water, and the materials are all environmentally healthy. There's plenty of light and windows; the working environment is first-class. That's Chuck Surack, Mr. Sweetwater, on the right. I think I know why he's smiling. All the workshops and seminars were held inside, while the manufacturer exhibits were set up in tents outside. The weather didn't cooperate on Friday, when it rained like crazy. But toward the end of the day, it abated. This shows just a few of the tents. Oh, and it really is true that Chuck started this business from the back of a VW bus. Here it is. But enough about Sweetwater, let's check out the seminars, gear, and people. I loved the "keyboard museum." And speaking of synths, there was a very, very cool panel discussion moderated by Mitch Gallagher with Roger Linn, Dave Smith, and Tom Oberheim. In fact it was so cool I recorded the whole thing, and there's a video on the Harmony Central YouTube channel. Check it out!! I gave two workshops. Unfortunately they were so packed some people had to sit on the floor in the aisles, and when that filled up, they had to turn people away... But I will say the crowd was extremely engaged and interested in learning. I kind of wish I could rent them for future seminars...also Jimmy Landry from Cakewalk had a great "Conversation with Ilan Bluestone," who is an extremely hot trance artist and SONAR user. I stayed for the whole thing even though I probably should have been visiting with more manufacturers. As to the gear, Native Instruments was showing their new keyboard and Traktor setup. But the main item of interest is that NI sees stems as the next step in DJing, and this controller is optimized for that function. The biggest news at the show in terms of products was the Line 6 Helix, being introduced here by Marcus Ryle. (Yes, the guy who if you've used anything involving music and electronics in the past several decades, you've almost certainly used something he designed.) The Helix is a built-like-a-tank guitar processor with all-new algorithms and a sweet UI. I was very impressed by the display...not unlike having a computer editor built into an effects unit. There's also a serious amount of I/O, and touch-sensitive footswitches. Arturia had a sweet emulation of the Oberheim Matrix-12, and was also showing off their 88-key keyboard controller. Arturia's controllers do aftertouch really well. It's not polyphonic, but it's smooth. I asked Gerry Bassermann from Propellerheads to give me a crazy look, and he came reasonably close . By the way starting with Reason 8,1, 32-bit versions are a thing of the past. 64-bit all the way, baby! If you don't know who Dave Smith is, then you never heard of the first polyphonic programmable synthesizer (the Prophet-5) or a little thing called MIDI, which was his brainchild. And here are his latest, the Prophet-12 and Prophet-6 analog synthesizers (with digital control). Speaking of keyboards, there's something new from M-Audio on the horizon called Code 61. How low can you go? I went to the Lakland/ GK booth to get my bass fix. ...and to Marshall to say hi to Nick Bowcott, formerly with Grim Reaper. Looks like he's still ready to rock. Of course, equal time for Blackstar. I stopped by at the end of the show when it wasn't mobbed so I could get a better shot of the setup. Novation/Focusrite is always good for cool stuff, and some of the best blinky lights you'll find on any gear. Here the Launch Control and Launch Pad are clearly plotting out dance floor strategies to get everyone up and moving. Focusrite's RedNet continues to be a big deal in the world of pro audio. I would certainly be remiss if I didn't show Gibson's major presence at the show - the bus, the Custom Shop trailer, a tent for Pro Audio, another tent for guitars, and they may have had another tent somewhere for all I know. By the way, that's DJ Spark in the Pro Audio booth. She's not only an excellent DJ, she gives nerds a good name : ) Hey! Let's congratulate M magazine on its 5th birthday. A lot of print people talk gloom and doom, but M just keeps moving right along. Maybe it helps to have someone involved whose real name is Merlin. You can't have a trade show without Moog, it's the law. Why is this man smiling? I had heard rumors that Casio had something up their sleeves, but despite trying to be as persuasive as humanly possible, I guess I'm going to have to wait along with everyone else to find out... GruvGear had something that was kind of like the roller carts you've seen before, but they've taken it to the next level by integrating their backpacks and other cases. This is Frank Wells, editor of Pro Sound News and of course, part of Pro Sound Web. He has some serious cachet, so it was great to sit down and talk shop for a while. And what does everyone need to pack their gear in before they leave? Why, cases of course...like these from SKB. Well, that covers about 1% of the show. But I have a good excuse: I was doing workshops, hanging out with friends, being interviewed, and chowing down at the cafeteria. So let's say bye to Chuck, and all I can say is if you get a chance to go to GearFest, don't miss it. It's not just about the gear and the special, two-day-only prices - it's an immensely social event filled with some wonderful people. The only bored person I saw was a policeman who was there for security. Apparently even with 10,000+ people, gear-crazed musicians tend not to cause problems. Oh, and one last bonus picture...while driving back to Nashville, I saw a sign for "Dinosaur World"somewhere in Kentucky. Curiosity got the best of me...take that, Steven Spielberg! Happy GearFest. Craig Anderton is Editorial Director of Harmony Central. He has played on, mixed, or produced over 20 major label releases (as well as mastered over a hundred tracks for various musicians), and written over a thousand articles for magazines like Guitar Player, Keyboard, Sound on Sound (UK), and Sound + Recording (Germany). He has also lectured on technology and the arts in 38 states, 10 countries, and three languages.
  25. If loving you is wrong, I don’t want to be right By Craig Anderton I’ve written a lot of reviews in my life, so I appreciate the conciseness and accuracy of a comment that appeared from someone called “sbj” in a thread about the Thales Model I: “Sounds great in a bad way which is good.” According to designer Pierre Parenteau the 27 preset sounds are mostly from 1960s Bell Labs documentaries about computer sound design, computer-generated visuals, and voice synthesis. Regardless, they have a lot in common with the hissy, grainy timbres of early Mellotrons and Fairlights. Some of the samples are pretty short, so you can hear the sample loops’ rapid periodicity at higher notes…but that’s part of “great in a bad way,” particularly if you were a fan of the Ensoniq Mirage (if you don’t understand that reference…don’t ask). If you’re intrigued at this point, check out these three audio demos so you can hear what I’m talking about. INSTALLATION AND USE Options are Windows VST (32- or 64-bit), and Mac OS X VST and AU. I installed the 64-bit Windows version and when it loaded properly in Cakewalk SONAR Platinum, Ableton Live, and Studio One Pro, I figured I didn’t need to go any further—it works. The interface is simple: If you can’t figure out how to use it, you probably can’t figure out how to use the internet so you’re not reading this anyway. As to applications, if you need to score a moody French 60s flick—particularly one involving vampires, outer space, or insanity induced by unrequited love—you’re good to go. And it’s a shame this instrument wasn’t around during the B-52’s heyday; I’m sure they could have made good use of it. But those are just “at first blush” applications. Dig deeper, and you’ll realize that you can put a ton of processing on these sounds and end up with something very different than your usual pad. To me, the Thales Model I is more about being a twisted sound source for creative minds than anything else—those looking for French horns, pianos, and string pads should run away as fast as possible. So is it insanely great? Well, no. The tuning is iffy—on several presets you’ll need to apply a “perma-bend” if you want to be in tune with the rest of the world. There was obvious effort put into the looping, but any instrument that pulls one sample from a documentary will not provide glorious multisampling. Also, there’s no learn function for the Spartan control set. I did send in a bunch of controllers to hear what happened, and found that MIDI controllers 8 and 10 control panning, 7 volume, 1 modulation, 91 reverb, 64 sustain, and 11 expression. But so what? You won’t get these sounds anywhere else, and their weirdness is their charm. The price of $14.75 isn’t going to lead to bankruptcy, and you can download a free demo version with four sounds to check out its gestalt (and to make sure it works with your host). I must admit that I keep getting drawn back to Thales Model I just to mess around with it because it’s so, well, off-the-wall. If you’ve heard way too many sawtooth waves going through 24 dB/octave lowpass filters, this is the antidote. It indeed sounds great in a bad way…which is good. Craig Anderton is Editorial Director of Harmony Central. He has played on, mixed, or produced over 20 major label releases (as well as mastered over a hundred tracks for various musicians), and written over a thousand articles for magazines like Guitar Player, Keyboard, Sound on Sound (UK), and Sound + Recording (Germany). He has also lectured on technology and the arts in 38 states, 10 countries, and three languages.
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