J?

J7DI
6E:CIDCB:9>6
EJ7A> 86I> DC
EMUSICIAN.COM
44
J=NA=O=<
44
D7J?L;?DIJHKC;DJIAECFB;J;,
4
M7L;ILE97BH?:;H
4
<E9KIH?J;I7<<?H;FHE(*:IF
*
J]eapQgmj
GofEmka[
?]lQgmjKgf_k
HdY[]\gfHg\[Yklk
K`gmd\QgmKoal[`
lgOaf\gok/7
B6N'%&%
Y^^gj\YZd]
YfYdg_
kqfl`
eg\md]k
H
[
Z
E
d
[
D9<Q
?9?9K
@AL
E9F
jWXb[jef
JED;
EXPRESS THROUGH TOUCH
IMPRESS THROUGH SOUND
2009 CASIO AMERICA, INC.
FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT WWW.PRIVIAPIANO.COM
Privia redefines the digital piano category by introducing the PX-330
and PX-130. With Casios superior engineering, the sleek, lightweight
and supremely portable Privia digital pianos boast an authentic piano
touch that captures every detail and nuance of your performance and
offer an unmatched level of realism and expression through
unprecedented sound quality.
The versatile PX-330 and PX-130 are designed for a grand piano
experience whether on stage, in the studio or at home. Experience the
grandness of Privia for yourself, and get ready for an encore.
Music for Visual Media Department
ENROLL NOW
EARN
YOUR AA, BA, BFA, MA, MFA OR
M-ARCH ACCREDITED DEGREE
ENGAGE
IN CONTINUING ART EDUCATION COURSES
EXPLORE
PRE-COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMS
WWW.ACADEMYART.EDU
800.544.2787
79 NEW MONTGOMERY ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94105
Accredited member WASC, NASAD, Council for Interior
Design Accreditation (BFA-IAD), NAAB (M-ARCH)
*Degree program not currently available online.
TAKE CLASSES ONLINE OR
IN SAN FRANCISCO
Advertising
Animation & Visual Effects
Architecture
*
Art Education
*
Fashion
Fine Art
Game Design
Graphic Design
Illustration
Industrial Design
Interior Architecture & Design
Motion Pictures & Television
Multimedia Communications
Music for Visual Media
Photography
Web Design & New Media
If Youve Got Questions
About Music Gear
Let Sweetwater Help!
(800} 222-4100 www.sweetwater.co
(800} 222-4100 www.sweetwater.co
22 4700 (((((((888800) 22 888000) 22
Theres no way around it. When youre looking at new gear, youre going to have questions. So you start
your research. Problem is, scouring the Web, reading reviews, and crawling forums all takes valuable time
away from what matters most: your music. Thats why you call Sweetwater frst. Here, you speak with an
industry-experienced pro who knows the gear, uses it, and trains on new releases every week someone
with real-world answers to your questions. We can help you design the rig thats right for your music. Factor
in our fast FREE Shipping, FREE Tech Support, and FREE 2-year Warranty, and youll know Sweetwater is
your one-stop gear resource, here to keep you charging full speed toward your creative goals.
Sweetwater has the cant-beat combination of service,
selection, and know-how you wont fnd anywhere else!
Were here to help
answer your questions.
FREE Shipping
Almost everything ships
to you for free.
FREE Technical Support
Knowledgeable pros are here
to back you up.
FREE Warranty
You wont fnd free 2-year coverage
like this anywhere else.
LOWEST Possible Prices
Get the gear you want,
at the right price.
LOWEST
Possible
Prices
FREE
Professional
Advice
There es s no way around it. When yo oure lookking at new gear, youre gooing to have questions. So you start
your researcchh. PProblem em iis, s, ssco c urin ngg the Web, reading rev views, and craw wli ling forums all takes valuable time
away from what t m t atte t rs most: t your music. Tha h t ts h why you call ll S Swe t etwater frst. Here, you speak with an
industry-experienced pro who knows the gear, uses it, and trains on new releases every week someone
with real world answers to your questions. We can help you design the rig that s right for your music. Factor with real-world answers to your questions We can help you design the rig thats right for your music Factor
in our fast FREE Shipping, FREE Tech Support, and FREE 2-year Warranty, and youll know Sweetwater is
your one-stop gear resource, here to keep you charging full speed toward your creative goals.
Sweetwater has the cant-beat combination of service,
selection, and know-how you wont fnd anywhere else!
LO S LOWEST LOWEST
Possible PPossible PPossible Possible
Pr P ices ess esssssss Prices
FREE
Professional
Were here to helpp
answer your questions.
FRE FREE S E Ship hippin pingg
Almost everyything g ships p
to you for free.
FRE FREE T E Tech echnic nical al Sup Suppor portt
KKnowledge g able p pros are here
to back you up.
FRE FREE W E Warr arrant antyy
u w You wont fnd free 2-ye y ar coverage g
like this anywhere else.
r ce icess WWEST EST Po Possi ssible ble Pr Price ic s LOW LOW
the ggear yo y u want, et the gear y Ge
at the right price.
Professional
Advice A
T
FREE ShippingFREE 2-year WarrantyFREE Tech SupportFREE Professional AdviceLOWEST Possible Prices
6 | EMUSICIAN.COM | 05.10

28
BIG
SOUNDS
IN SMALL
PACKAGES
Sometimes you need a
big analog sound, but
only have room, or bud-
get, for a small synth. In
this article, we examine
four aordable, all-in-one tabletop modules from Doepfer, Dave
Smith Instruments, and Tom Oberheim.
18 PRO/FILE: Time to Go
Jnsi of Icelands Sigur Rs goes solo
with the help of clever collaborators.
20 TECH PAGE: Movin and Groovin
This exoskeleton lets dancers control
MIDI devices by waving their arms.
38 MAKING TRACKS: Why Not
Remix Yourself?
Convert your abandoned songs to loop
construction kits and get inspired.
40 SOUND DESIGN WORKSHOP:
Anything Goes
Csound is a powerful tool for synthesis
and experimental composing, and it
is free.
42 D.I.Y. MUSICIAN: The New Radio
How to get your music heard on
podcasts.
44 COMPOSER SPOTLIGHT:
Coast to Coast
Jason Moss composes music for lm and
television from his home studio.
66 BACK TALK: Q&A: Steve Jordan
Drummer/producer Steve Jordan talks
about his home-studio setup and getting
good drum sounds.
22 PRODUCTION VALUES:
INTERNATIONAL HIT MAN
Producer and songwriter RedOne played a major role in develop-
ing Lady Gagas multi-Platinum sound. He also produced the
remake of We Are the World, and was working with Michael
Jackson on developing new material just before the singers
tragic demise. EM talked to RedOne to nd out his production
techniques, his gear choices, and how he coaxes the best perfor-
mances from the artists he works with.
34 MAKING MUSIC WITH WINDOWS 7
After the op of its Vista OS, Microsoft has come back strong with Windows 7. Many
music-making Windows users have stayed with the tried-and-true XP through the
Vista era, but now are evaluating whether to take the plunge into Windows 7. EM
contributor Brian Smithers compared Windows 7 and XP for running music apps,
and he oers his observations, tips, and advice on who should upgrade.
MAY 2010 VOL. 26, NO. 5
EM (ISSN 0884-4720) is published monthly by Penton Media, Inc.,
9800 Metcalf Ave., Overland Park, KS 66212 (www.penton.com). This
is Volume 26, Issue 5, May 2010. One-year (12 issues) subscrip-
tion is $24. Canada is $30. All other international is $50. Prices
subject to change. Periodicals postage paid at Shawnee Mission,
KS, and additional mailing oces. Canadian GST #129597951.
Canadian Post International Publications Mail Product (Canadian
Distribution) Sales Agreement No. 40612608. Canadian return
address: Bleuchip International, P.O. Box 25542, London, ON N6C
6B2. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to EM, P.O. Box 15605,
North Hollywood, CA 91615.
8 FIRST TAKE
10 FRONT PANEL
12 WHATS NEW
16 PRODUCT HITS FROM
MUSIKMESSE/PROLIGHT
+ SOUND 2010
61 MARKETPLACE
63 CLASSIFIEDS

|UP|

|||.|!P||!
46 NATIVE INSTRUMENTS KOMPLETE 6 (MAC/WIN)
software instruments and eects bundle
50 FOCUSRITE SAFFIRE PRO 24 DSP FireWire audio/MIDI interface w/DSP
54 FABFILTER PRO-C 1.12 (MAC/WIN) compressor plug-in
57 QUICK PICKS
WAVES VOCAL RIDER 7.0.1.2 (MAC/WIN) automatic level-control plug-in
AUDIOBRO LA SCORING STRINGS 1.1 (MAC/WIN) orchestral string samples
SOUNDLIB G-PLAYER 1.2.1 (MAC/WIN) Giga sample player

||'!|'

||.!U||
COVER STORY:
B
I
L
L

S
C
H
W
O
B
22
!le sctr1 c a Orarr, aWar1 Wirrers er,
cWr iarc car rcW le ,ctrs. Sarle1 rcr ler cWr la,ir, reccr1e1 ir ler slt1ic Will ler cWr
erireer ar1 tse1 e\lersiel, cr ler lasl alltr, llis is lle crl, irltal iarc llal reels Alicia
Ke,s rcessicral 1erar1s. Desire1 Will ircre1ille allerlicr lc 1elail, il irclt1es eer lle
sctr1 c rers lillir |e,s. Erlc1,ir lle sctltl, Warr sctr1 llal las leccre a lalirtr
lra1erar|, llis irslrtrerl is lle real 1eal - jtsl li|e Miss Ke,s lersel. See ar1 lear Alicia ir
aclicr Will ler Ke,s cr !le lree1cr Wcrl1 lctr.
learr rcre al ZZZQDWLYHLQVWUXPHQWVFRPDOLFLDVNH\V
7+(6281'2)$1,&21
8 | EMUSICIAN.COM | 05.10
|!|!!.||
Brave New World
As we all are acutely aware, digital technology and the Internet are causing massive changes to the
music business. The ability of individuals to post and download music les on the Web has had a huge
impact. The business model of the major labels has been seriously eroded, and many of the related
services that were once under the record companies control have been decentralized and democra-
tizedmost notably, distribution.
Having the ability to distribute your music via the Net is a wonderful thing, but it is also a double-
edged sword. Like them or not, the major labels served a gate-keeping function that ensured a certain
level of quality in the albums released and kept a limit on their number. Now that anyone can put
out an album, the proverbial haystack has grown exponentially, and the ability to market oneself has
become even more crucial. Not only do you now need to be a skilled musician and producer, you need
to be able to have considerable marketing chops, especially of the Internet variety.
To help you with marketing yourself online, were debuting a new column
called D.I.Y. Musician. Each month, Jason Feehan and Randy Chertkow
who are independent musicians themselves, and who are the authors of the
book The Indie Band Survival Guide: The Complete Manual for the Do-It-Yourself
Musicianwill offer tips and advice for the self-promoting musician.
When asked to describe their experience, Feehan and Chertkow wrote
the following: Everything we write about is based on ideas and practices we
have actually used with our own indie band, Beatnik Turtle, which has been
together for 13 years and has released 18 albums. Weve licensed our music
to ABC Family/Disney for a commercial campaign, written a theme song to a
TV show that was regularly broadcast to 26 million homes, licensed a music
video to Spike TV/Viacom, created an entire album for a game company, and
performed live multiple times at Chicagos famous Second City. Also, weve written and recorded 365
songs and released one for each day of 2007 as a podcast from our website, TheSongOfTheDay.com.
And weve done all of it without a music label.
Their rst column, which youll nd on p. 42 of this issue, looks at opportunities for exposure
through placing your music on podcasts (aka, The New Radio).
But as they say on late-night TV, But wait, theres more. Also debuting this month is Composer
Spotlight, which is written by EMs own Sarah Benzuly. In this column, Sarah will be interviewing
recording musicians who have been working on composing for lm, TV, and games. Shell be concen-
trating on how theyve gotten the work and what gear they like to use. This month, she talks to Jason
Moss of the music company Super Sonic Noise.
Starting in the June issue, weve got a lot more exciting changes coming in EMs column lineup,
so stay tuned.
Mike Levine
Editor
M
A
R
L
A

C
O
H
E
N

EMUSICIAN.COM
A PENTON MEDIA PUBLICATION
EDITOR/SENIOR MEDIA PRODUCER
Mike Levine, mlevine@emusician.com
SENIOR EDITOR Geary Yelton, gyelton@emusician.com
ASSOCIATE EDITOR Len Sasso, emeditorial@emusician.com
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Tom Kenny, Tom.Kenny@penton.com
GROUP MANAGING EDITOR Sarah Benzuly,
Sarah.Benzuly@penton.com
MANAGING EDITOR Lucy Sutton, Lucy.Sutton@penton.com
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Gino Robair, Michael Cooper, Marty
Cutler, Dennis Miller, Larry the O, George Petersen, Scott
Wilkinson
ONLINE AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Brad Erpelding,
Brad.Erpelding@penton.com
SENIOR ART DIRECTOR Dmitry Panich, Dmitry.Panich@penton.com
ART DIRECTOR Isabelle Pantazis, Isabelle.Pantazis@penton.com
INFORMATIONAL GRAPHICS Chuck Dahmer, chuckd@
chuckdahmer.com
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT Kim Paulsen, Kim.Paulsen@penton.com
GROUP PUBLISHER Wayne Madden, Wayne.Madden@penton.com
PUBLISHER Shahla Hebets, Shahla.Hebets@penton.com
ONLINE SALES DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR Angie Gates,
Angie.Gates@penton.com
SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE, KEY WESTERN ACCOUNTS
Janis Crowley, Janis.Crowley@penton.com
EASTERN SALES DIRECTOR Paul Leifer, pleifer@media-sales.net
EUROPEAN/INTERNATIONAL SALES Richard Woolley,
richardwoolley@btclick.com
LIST RENTAL Marie Briganti, (845) 732-7054 , marie.briganti@
walterkarl.infousa.com
MARKETING DIRECTOR Kirby Asplund, Kirby.Asplund@penton.com
MARKETING MANAGER Tyler Reed, Tyler.Reed@penton.com
CLASSIFIEDS SALES MANAGER Julie Dahlstrom,
Julie.Dahlstrom@penton.com
PRODUCTION MANAGER Liz Turner,
Liz.Turner@penton.com
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Sharon Rowlands,
Sharon.Rowlands@penton.com
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER/EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT
Jean Clifton, Jean.Clifton@penton.com
EDITORIAL, ADVERTISING, AND BUSINESS OFFICES
6400 Hollis St., Suite 12, Emeryville, CA 94608, USA, (510) 653-3307
SUBSCRIBER CUSTOMER SERVICE To subscribe, change your
address, or check on your current account status, go to www
.emusician.com and click on Customer Service for fastest service.
Or email electronicmusician@pubservice.com, call toll-free (866)
860-7087 (U.S.) or (818) 487-2020 (outside the U.S.), or write to
PO Box 16886, North Hollywood, CA 91606.
REPRINTS Reprints are available through Penton Media Reprints,
(888) 858-8851, or reprints@pentonreprints.com. Instant
reprints and permissions may be purchased directly from our
Web site; look for the iCopyright tag appended to the end of
each article.
BACK ISSUES Back issues are available for $10 each by calling
(866) 860-7087 or (818) 487-2020.
PHOTOCOPIES Authorization to photocopy articles for internal
corporate, personal, or instructional use may be obtained from
the Copyright Clearance Center (CCC) at (978) 750-8400. Obtain
further information at www.copyright.com.
ARCHIVES AND MICROFORM This magazine is available for
research and retrieval of selected archived articles from lead-
ing electronic databases and online search services, including
Factiva, Lexis-Nexis, and ProQuest. For microform availability,
contact National Archive Publishing Company at (800) 521-
0600 or (734) 761-4700, or search the Serials in Microform list-
ings at www.napubco.com.
PRIVACY POLICY Your privacy is a priority to us. For a full policy
statement about privacy and information dissemination prac-
tices related to Penton Media products, please visit our Web site
at www.penton.com.

CORPORATE OFFICE
G\ekfeD\[`X#@eZ%)+0N\jk(.k_Jki\\kE\nPfib#EP(''((
:FGPI@>?K)'('G\ekfeD\[`X#@eZ%8CCI@>?KJI<J<IM<;%
PRINTED IN THE USA. ALSO PUBLISHERS OF MIX

H\]gAcbh\cb9aig]W]Ub"Wca
10 | EMUSICIAN.COM | 05.10
f youre a fan of Native Instruments Reaktor, or even if youre one of the users of the
Komplete 6 bundle who ignores Reaktor, the Vortex ($29) ensemble from Twisted
Tools (twistedtools.com) is worth checking out. You can also download a demo
version along with some useful free ensembles from the Freebies section. For lack of a
more succinct description, Vortex is a 6-track controller sequencer for granular sample
playback. If that doesnt convince you, consider that many notable sound designers
including Richard Devine, Mike Huckaby, and Glitchmachines have contributed to the
more than 264MB of sample content that comes with Vortex.
Each Vortex track has four 16-step controller lanes, and the value of each step
is set with a bar graph. The azure Gate lanes control sample triggering with playback
synched to your songs tempo. Because steps without a bar graph have no eect, leaving
gate steps empty lets playback continue on through the sample. The orange Roll lane
eects a granular stutter with the bar-height controlling its speed. The purple and green
Mod lanes have no default function; you can use them as controllers without aecting
other aspects of playback. You can assign
any of the controller lanes to modulate
any of the front-panel knobs: sample
select (from a 128-sample map), start,
and length; grain stretching and size; pitch-envelope amount and decay; and output
pan and amplitude. You can assign either of two LFOs, programmed on a separate page,
to modulate the knobs.
Vortex also has an 8-step scene sequencer. Each scene holds a complete track-
sequencer setup, and any scene-sequencer step can recall one of eight Scenes (labeled A
through H). That lets you fashion long, complex arrangements, and because the Reaktor
plug-in tracks your DAWs song position, Vortex arrangements stay in sync with your song
(see Web Clip 1). Global and selective copy, paste, and randomize options, along with a
robust MIDI Learn implementation round out Vortexs bag of tricks. Spend some time with
the presets and bundled samples, and youll quickly get caught in the vortex.
1wisted 1ools vortex Bg Len Sosso
Downlood o| bhe Monbh
MIDI controller not working the
way you want? You dont have to go
all Moldover on it. (Tough thats
not a bad idea; see Fig. 1.) Instead,
customize your controllers out-
put with software that remaps
the MIDI data on the fly. Bome
Midi Translator (bome.com;
approximately $81) is the Rand
McNally of MIDI mapping pro-
grams. At the 2010 NAMM show,
developer Florian Bmers even
used it to remap a Wacom graphics
tablet to control Native Instruments
Traktor, adding the precision of
pen-based input to his DJ moves.
Midi Translator also converts
MIDI to computer keystrokes,
allowing you to, say, advance a
PowerPoint presentation from
a drum pad, or control a fight-
simulator game from your mod
wheel. Timer support lets you
repeat an action multiple times
with a delaytransmit a series
of Ctrl-Down Arrow keystrokes
to iTunes to create a fadeout,
for example. David Battino,
Batmosphere.com
HU_Y7cbhfc`cZMcif7cbhfc``Yf
:`m]b[\][\k]h\A=8=

|!!||!| Bg Dovid Bobbino

FIG. 1: Moldover (moldover.com)
deconstructs M-Audio Oxygen 8 keyboards
to put the controls where you want.
BIG SOUNDS IN
SMALL PACKAGES
Watch videos that show the four
synths from this months cover story
the Tom Oberheim SEM, the Dave
Smith instruments Mopho and Tetra,
and the Doepfer Dark Energyin action.
MUSIKMESSE
2010
Check out our exclusive
videos of new-product debuts
from the Musikmesse/
Prolight + Sound show.
LISTEN TO AN EXAMPLE FROM VORTEX EMUSICIAN.COM/BONUS_MATERIAL
B
I
L
L

S
C
H
W
O
B
THIS MONTHS SOUNDTRACK
11 05.10 | EMUSICIAN.COM |
This group of albums, which includes two compilation CDs, comprises both live
and studio recordings, and an assortment of genres including funk, blues, rock,
and electronica.
JONNY LANG: LIVE AT THE RYMAN
(CONCORD RECORDS)
Lang dials up a powerful set of blues,
rock, and R&B in his rst album
release since 2006. The playing and
singing is top-notch, and the live pro-
duction is in-your-face.
MAKING TRACKS:
WHY NOT REMIX
YOURSELF?
Download a custom EM construction
kit from Peace Love Productions, which
contains eight loops (two acoustic
guitars, ambient glimmer, pad, bass,
kick/snare, ride, and sub-kick).
STANTON MOORE: GROOVE ALCHEMY (TELARC)
Galactic drummer and New Orleans groove master Stanton
Moore traces the roots of funk drumming on this new CD,
which pays homage to such greats as Clyde Stubbleeld,
Jabo Starks, and Zigaboo Modeliste. Drummers take note: An
accompanying instructional book and DVD are also available.
VARIOUS ARTISTS: GUITAR MASTERS VOL. 3
AND 4: LES PAUL DEDICATION (BHP MUSIC)
Producer/guitarist Brian Tarquin rounded
up a slew of guitar legends to play on this
2-CD set, which honors the adventurous
guitar-playing spirit of the late Les Paul.
Mixing newly recorded tracks and rare old
tracks, the CD features Paul, Jeff Beck, Allan
Holdsworth, Steve Vai, Leslie West, and
many others.
P
H
O
T
O
:

G
E
O
F
F

G
R
A
Y
.

C
O
V
E
R

A
R
T
:

T
O
D
D

D
O
N
E
Y
BACK TALK:
STEVE JORDAN
Listen to a podcast interview with
the veteran drummer/producer,
in which he goes in depth about
drum miking, working with John
Mayer, and more.
HYBRID: DISAPPEAR HERE (DISTINCTIVE RECORDS)
The Welsh electronic-dance group duo expands to
a trio with addition of singer/songwriter Charlotte
James. The result is a more song-based approach,
but one thats still full of cool grooves and interest-
ing sonic textures.
Bg Mike Levine
HEAR EXCERPTS FROM THE SOUNDTRACK CDS EMUSICIAN.COM/BONUS_MATERIAL
VARIOUS ARTISTS: EXPO
(UNDERCOVER CULTURE/
NEOCHA)
A compilation of songs
from Chinas underground
electronic music scene
that was put together by
U.S.-based Shanghai Restoration Project and Neocha, a Chinese
online music community. The material is well produced and interest-
ing, and the disc presents many of these artists with their rst expo-
sure to Western audiences.

R
E
C
O
R
D
P
R
O
D
U
C
T
I
O
N
.
C
O
M
/
M
I
K
E

B
A
N
K
S
W
A
Y
N
E

C
R
A
N
S
,

D
E
A
D

B
I
R
D

P
H
O
T
O
G
R
A
P
H
Y
A
L
L
I
S
O
N

M
U
R
P
H
Y
12 | EMUSICIAN.COM | 05.10
'|.!`||'
By George Petersen
CAMEL AUDIO
ALCHEMY PLAYER
Want the sounds of Alchemy, but
dont need to create your own presets?
Alchemy Player (Mac/Win, $59) from Camel Audio (camelaudio.com) is free
with the purchase of any Alchemy soundbank, which turns any bank into
a standalone instrument. Two new soundbanksCinematic and Dance
& Tranceexpand the companys current offerings to seven, including
sounds from Biolabs, BigTone, and Junkie XL. Alchemy Player has 150 pre-
sets and 360MB of samples from the full factory library, including evolv-
ing soundscapes, lush pads, and pulsing arpeggios, with additive, spectral,
granular, sampling and VA synthesis, as well as 16 performance controls for real-time tweaking and
automation. Upgrading to the full version of Alchemy (with 600 presets and 3GB of samples) is $199.
TANNOY REVEAL MONITORS
Tannoy (tannoy.com) introduces new versions of its Reveal studio near-eld monitors, slated to ship this month.
The Reveal 501a ($249 MSRP), the Reveal 601a ($349 MSRP), and the passive Reveal 601p ($179 MSRP) are all com-
pact front-ported designs featuring a wideband tweeter that extends response to 30kHz and a shaped front bafe
to minimize diffraction. The 501a has an integrated 60-watt amplier and a
5-inch woofer for response down to 64Hz; the 601a pairs a 6.5-inch woofer
with 90W of amplication for response down to 60Hz. Both have balanced
XLR and unbalanced inputs, and rear-mounted volume controls. For users who prefer their own ampliers, the
601p has a 6.5-inch woofer with the same 1-inch soft-dome tweeter for a response of 63Hz to 30kHz.
E-MU LONGBOARD 61 AND
SHORTBOARD 49
The Longboard 61 ($399) and Shortboard 49 ($349)
from E-mu Systems (emu.com) are 61- or 49-note key-
boards offering world-class sounds, 128-voice poly-
phony, onboard effects, and a USB/MIDI controller
with aftertouch in one instrument. Sounds include
grand pianos, electric pianos, B3s, clavinets, Solina/Moog/OB/Prophet/Juno/TB synth
leads and basses, and General MIDI patches. Six controller knobs, pitch and mod wheels, a
controller pedal, a footswitch, and octave-transpose buttons provide live control of lters, LFOs, and ampliers.
The units can be powered via USB, external DC, or onboard batteries, and both include E-mus new Pipeline
wireless stereo audio system.
THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT
PLAYBACK MAGIC
QUITE REVEALING
13 05.10 | EMUSICIAN.COM |
NATIVE INSTRUMENTS ALICIAS KEYS
Now shipping from Native Instruments (native-instruments.
com) is Alicias Keys (Mac/Win, $119), a software re-creation
of the Grammy-winning artists own custom Yamaha C3 Neo
grand piano in the Kontakt 4 sampler platform. Recorded
in Keys personal studio by her engineer, Ann Mincieli, and
sampling expert Thomas Scarbee using high-end studio
gear and vintage mics, the result is 17GB of high-resolution
samples with 12 discrete velocity layers per note, and
sophisticated emulation of crucial sonic aspects such as
key release, sustain pedal functionality, and sympathetic
resonance. The software can be used with the included free
Kontakt Player, or it can be loaded into the full-featured pro
Kontakt 4 sampler for in-depth sound editing.
GRAMMY-WINNING PIANO SOUND
Alesis
MultiMix 6 USB
Designed for the desktop recording envi-
ronment, the Alesis (alesis.com) MultiMix
6 USB ($99) is a compact 6-channel mixer
that outputs line-level analog audio, as
well as stereo 16-bit, 44.1kHz digital audio
over USB for simple connection to any PC
or Mac. All six inputs can accept -inch
line signal; channel 1 also has a high-
impedance switch for connecting a guitar
or bass directly, and channels 1 and 2 have
XLR mic inputs with switchable phan-
tom power. The mic inputs also feature
switchable highpass ltering at 75Hz to
eliminate low-frequency rumble, as well as
handling and wind noise. Each channel has
an independent pan control, and channels
1 through 4 provide high- and low-shelving
EQs. Channels 1 and 2 have independent
gain trims, while channels 3/4 and 5/6 are
congured as stereo pairs at the level and
pan controls. A stereo headphone output
is also standard.
MINI MIXER, MINI PRICE
RAIN ION STUDIO AND
LIVEBOOK STUDIO
POWERFUL PCS
Optimized for rigorous audio and/or video production are the rackmount Ion Studio
(from $1,899) and the LiveBook Studio (from $2,499) laptopstwo high-performance
PCs from Rain Computers (rainrecording.com). Offered with three processor choices
(up to 2GHz Intel Clarkseld Core i7 quad-core), a 500GB hard drive, and up to 8GB
of RAM, LiveBook Studio also features a 15.4-inch WXGA HD widescreen display, three
FireWire ports, three USB 2.0 ports, and a PCI Express cardslot. Ion Studio runs on four
2.8GHz or 3.4GHz AMD Phenom II quad-core CPUs, up to 16GB of RAM, and up 8TB of
disk storage, and it comes with six USB ports; up to ve FireWire ports; ve PCIe slots;
two PCI-X (legacy) slots; and ATI Radeon HD 4200 or HD 4650, or Nvidia Quadro FX
1700 graphics. Ion Studio options are numerous, ranging from Blu-ray drives to solid-
state drives (SSD).
14 | EMUSICIAN.COM | 05.10
Producer Loops Trance Elevation
Volume 2
Trance Elevation Volume 2 ($45.86, download)
is the second in Producer Loops (producerloops.
com) series of trance-oriented sample collec-
tions. The library, which totals 5GB across all for-
mats, comprises 10 construction kits provided
as 24-bit, 44.1kHz Acidized WAV,
REX, Apple Loops,
and Propellerhead
Reason ReFill files.
Dry and wet ver-
sions, along with
unlooped clips with
long reverb or delay
tails, are provided
for many of the
loops. Synth leads
and pads are rendered in
up-, down-, and at-lter versions for con-
structing build, roll, and decay parts. Users can
also incorporate their own virtual instruments
using the included MIDI files for many of the
lead, pad, and bass parts (see Web Clip 1). Trance
Elevation Volume 2 producer Jonathan Blakoe of
Static Blue has remixed for the likes of Armin Van
Buuren, Sunny Lax, and Adam Szabo. The con-
struction kits of 30 to 50 loops are all 138bpm in
C, Bb, Eb, Ab, Gb, or D. They include a demo mix
along with bass, drum mixes and parts, straight
and arpeggiated leads, and eects.
Big Fish Audio Nashville Sessions
Looking for authentic Country sounds? Big Fish
Audio (bigfishaudio.com) Nashville Sessions
($99.95, DVD) has you covered. The library of
24-bit, 44.1kHz WAV and REX les includes 22
construction kits, along with 148 extra loops,
ranging from 85bpm to 150bpm in keys C, G, D, A,
and E7.5GB for all formats. A typical kit contains
a preview and from
40 to 60 instru-
ment loops featur-
ing guitar (acoustic,
rhythm, lead, and
pedal steel), drums,
bass, piano, man-
dolin, and fiddle
(see Web Clip 2).
Nashville Sessions
was written and produced by Steve Sechi, Eric
Masse, and Jesse Terry, and features experienced
session players Steve Sinatra (drums), Adam
Popick (bass), Charlie Hutto (guitars), Jonathan
Lawson (mandolin and fiddle), and Tom Camp
(pedal steel and piano).
Impact Soundworks Shreddage
Impact Soundworks (impactsoundworks.com)
developed its new electric-guitar library to
Sound Advice
JZ VINTAGE V67
JZ Microphones (jzmic.com) releases the second in its Vintage
Series of mics that emulate the tone of classic models. Modeled
to sound like a Neumann
U 67, the new V67 ($1,999) has
a single cardioid pickup pattern
and uses transistors instead
of tubes so no external power
supply is required. Like its sib-
ling V47 model unveiled earlier
this year, the V67 has a compact
flask-shaped body that allows
for tight placements, and an
internal shock-mounting sys-
tem protects its large, double-
diaphragm, gold-sputtered
condenser capsule. The V67
also features a rotational swivel
mount with nearly 360 degrees
of rotation. Specs include a
maximum sound pressure level
handling of 134dB and a low
self-noise of 6dBA.
NEW TWIST ON SOMETHING OLD
ADAM AX SERIES
MONITORS
Boasting redesigned cabi-
nets, new woofers and
amps, and the X-ART rib-
bon tweeter, the four new
AX Series monitors from
ADAM (adam-audio.com)
are the ultracompact A3X
(4.5-inch LF driver, 25W x2;
$299); the high-performance
A5X (5.5-inch mid/woofer,
50W x2; $499); the 7X (7-inch
mid/woofer, 50W/100W;
$599); and the A8X sys-
tems (8.5-inch mid/woofer,
50W/150W; $899). AX Series
woofers feature larger voice-
coils and more power for
greater linear excursion and
higher output. All models have beveled upper corners to minimize
reections and front porting.
AFFORDABLE ADAMS
HEAR EXAMPLES FROM THESE SOUND LIBRARIES EMUSICIAN.COM/BONUS_MATERIAL
By Len Sasso
15 05.10 | EMUSICIAN.COM |
deliver convincing rock and metal rhythm-
guitar parts without resorting to loops,
keyswitches, or complicated MIDI con-
trols. Shreddage ($49, download for Native
Instruments Kontakt 2 or later) was recorded
in 24-bit/44.1kHz resolution through an Avalon
DI box from a classic metal guitar played by
Sixto Sounds Juan Medrano. The library cap-
tures a variety of articulations: power chords,
open sustains, mutes (palm, fast, half, and
power-chord), squeals, chokes, scrapes, slides,
squeaks, and
fret noise. Most
instruments fea-
ture up and down
strikes and eight
round-robin sam-
ples to mitigate
the machine-gun
eect. In addition
to individual instruments for the various artic-
ulations, youll nd several multis designed for
load-and-play double-tracked performance. For
example, one setup puts power chords under
your left hand and open sustains under your
right, with velocity transitioning from mutes
to full sustain (see Web Clip 3). Double-track
instruments are routed to two Kontakt outputs
for independent amping, and presets for popu-
lar amp/cabinet simulators are included.
Wave Alchemy Drum Tools 01
Whether youre building drum tracks from the
ground up or engaging in a little creative drum
replacement, Drum Tools 01 (about $60, down-
load) from Wave Alchemy (wavealchemy.co.uk)
might have just the sounds youre looking for.
This 24- and 16-bit, 44.1kHz techno- and house-
oriented sample library delivers 1,950 hand-
crafted electronic drum sounds culled from a
variety of drum machines, synths, eld record-
ings, and recorded acoustic drum and percus-
sion instruments (see Web Clip 4). Many of the
sounds are layered and processed. Electronic
sources include modern units such as the
Future Retro XS,
Nord Lead 3, and
Jomox Xbase
999, and vin-
tage analog gear
such as the ARP
Odyssey, Roland
TB and TR Series,
and Korg MS-20.
Outboard gear
used in processing the samples includes the
Thermionic Culture Vulture, various Moog lters
and envelopes, and SSL E Series EQ and compres-
sion. Drum Tools 01 includes patches for most
popular samplers and an Ableton Live 8 Pack.
SONIVOX EIGHTY-EIGHT
Conceived and designed as an exceptional
virtual embodiment of a Steinway CD 327
grand is the Eighty Eight Grand Piano (Mac/Win, $199) virtual instrument from
Sonivox (sonivoxmi.com). Recorded using high-end A/D converters and pre-
amps, the plug-in features more than 11GB of content with 35 piano and pad
presets; onboard EQ, reverb and limiting; up to 16 velocity layers per key; and an
easy split editor for setting pad and combination instrument ranges. The instru-
ment can be used standalone or with VST, RTAS, or AU hosts.
KORG MR-2
HANDHELD DSD
RECORDER
Korg (korg.com) expands its ultrahigh-
fidelity, 2.8MHz sampling rate DSD
recorder line with the MR-2 (price TBA),
a compact unit with built-in X/Y stereo
condenser microphones. An addi-
tional jack enables connection to a
favorite external mic. The pocket-
sized MR-2 writes data directly
to removeable SD/SDHC cards
(up to 32GB), or data can be
transferred to computer via
the onboard USB 2 port. Using the
included AudioGate software, original DSD
recording can be repurposed into nearly any audio
format with minimal fidelity loss. For job-specific record-
ing, the MR-2 can also record in any of the popular multi-bit
formats, from MP2 and MP3 up to 24-bit/192kHz. The MR-2
ships this summer.
A GRAND SOUND
PETITE POWERHOUSE
16 | EMUSICIAN.COM | 05.10
Musikmesse/Prolight+Sound .I
A LOOK AT THE HOTTEST PRODUCTS
FROM THIS MASSIVE MUSIC-EQUIPMENT SHOW
By Mike Lawson
f youve never been to the annual Musikmesse/
Prolight + Sound in Frankfurt, Germany,
youve missed out on one of the worlds
great experiences for musicians and studio
gear junkies. Most industry people are familiar
with the NAMM show, but Musikmesse takes
everything up a few notches, with 2,340 exhibi-
tors packed into 16 convention halls and nearly
110,000 visitors from 128 countries.
Besides being in Europe, part of
Musikmesses allure comes from the show
co inciding with Prolight + Sound, which
brings pro recording, live sound, and lighting
to the mixture of synths, sofware, DJ gear, gui-
tars, drums, strings, pianos, brass, accordions
(an entire hall of squeezeboxes!), and more.
Teres also continuous live music on multiple
stages, events, seminars, and workshops. Te
show ofers a little bit of something for every-
one, with a diferencethe show is restricted to
pros in the music trade the frst three days, and
its open to the general public on the last day.
Tere was a lot to see in just four days, and
here are just a few of the cool toys that caught
my eye.
A Whole Messe
Keyboards
As a Mellotron fan, I was skepti-
cal about this one, but the new
Digital Mellotron (pricing TBA,
mellotron.com) delivers. Its
loaded with some 100 Mellotron and Chamberlin
samplesmore sounds are also plannedall
reproduced in stunning 24-bit uncompressed
PCM format. The new version has a custom
wood keyboard with ebony keytops. Its still in the
prototype stage, but hopefully it will ship soon.
The 37-key GAIA SH-01 ($799 MSRP)
from Roland (rolandus.com) has a panel layout
similar to that of vintage Roland synths, but it
ofers 64-voice polyphony; multi-efects; three
virtual-analog modeling sound engines (each
having a dedicated oscillator, flter, amplifer,
envelope, and LFO); onboard arpeggiator; and
phrase recorder. Also new is Rolands Lucina
AX-09 ($699 MSRP), another 37-key
model, but with 150 sounds including
synth leads and solo violin. It can be
played horizontally or standing using
a shoulder strap, running up to four
hours on eight NiMH AA batteries.
Korgs (korg.com) microStation
($850 MSRP) puts a 61-key mini-
keyboard, effects, twin arpeggia-
tors, and 16-track MIDI recording
with easy looping features and Visual
Grid sequencing in a compact package. The
microStations Enhanced Defnition Synthesis-
integrated (EDS-i) engine has 480 tweakable
programs and 25 drum kits. Programs, combi-
nations, and song data can be saved to SD/SDHC
media, and included sofware enables visual patch
editing, either standalone or used as a VST/AU/
RTAS plug-in instrument inside a DAW.
Designed for live performance, Korgs PS60
(pricing TBA) has 61 full-sized semi-weighted
keys, 440 EDS-i sounds (focused on organ,
strings, brass, and synth), 63 built-in effects,
and real-time controls (joystick, octave/trans-
pose buttons, and footswitch/footpedal jacks).
Included is PS60 Editor sofware for tweaking
sounds and using the unit as a synth plug-in.
Studio Essentials
Elektrons (electron.se) Octatrack (pricing
TBA) lets users cut up and rearrange samples
The Digital Mellotron
re-creates the sound of the classic
original instrument in 24-bit clarity.
Korgs monotron oers ribbon control and analog lters.
17 05.10 | EMUSICIAN.COM |
in real time as completely elastic loops that
stay in sync whether pitch-shifed or tempo-
altered. Octatrack has eight stereo tracks, four
audio inputs, four audio outs, an optical fader
(assignable to any parameter), an improved
Elektron sequencer, and two efect blocks per
track. A CF slot gives access to stored data, and
a USB port ofers computer connectivity. It is
expected to ship in the fourth quarter of 2010.
Recording guitarists will dig Cakewalks
(cakewalk.com) V-Studio 20 ($299), which
combines an 8-fader Mac/PC-compatible
DAW worksurface (Mackie Control protocol),
a stereo (24-bit/44.1kHz) USB audio interface
with onboard Boss-powered COSM DSP guitar
and vocals efects, VS-20 Efects Editor (Mac/
Win) sofware, and Win-only Guitar Tracks
32-channel recording application. Its slated to
ship in May 2010.
Overall, the show was slammed full of new
DJ devices, but Mixdeck ($699) from Numark
(numark.com) really stood out. Tis universal
DJ system supports CDs, USB fash/hard drives,
computers, turntables, iPhone/iPods, and a mic
input. And the dual decks with touch-sensitive
platters, mixing, and onboard efects also func-
tion as sofware controllers, connecting to your
PC/Mac via a single USB cable. Te $699 street
price includes Native Instruments Traktor
Numark Edition sofware.
Steinberg (steinberg.net) previewed
its WaveLab 7 (about $800) audio editing
and mastering suite for Win and Mac OS X.
Features include a
unique GUI for fast audio-material handling
across multiple windows, new VST3 plug-ins
and restoration tools, a new CD and DVD-A
burning engine, and more. WaveLab 7 ships
in the second half of 2010.
New for Universal Audios (uaudio.com)
UAD-2 platform is the Manley Massive Passive
($299) plug-in, a virtual version of Manley Labs
popular 2-channel, 4-band equalizer, ofering
radical tonal shaping, delicate vocal shading,
or subtle mastering enhancement. Its available
as part of the new UAD Sofware Version 5.6
release, which also includes the EMT 140 plate
reverb and the Precision Enhancer Hz plug-ins.
Sound Performance Labs (spl-usa.com)
DrumXchanger ($449 MSRP) is a drum-
replacement plug-in (native RTAS, VST, and
AU for Mac and PC) that uses SPLs Transient
Designer technology to substitute drum
sounds in multitrack sessions regardless of
the level they were originally recorded at.
Included is a library of 24-bit/96kHz samples,
and drum sounds can be entirely replaced or
mixed with the original tracksall in real
time with phase-accurate precision.
Te Superlux (superlux.com.tw) HD668B
($59 MSRP) semi-open back headphones pro-
vided fat, accurate, stunning headphone mix
capabilities with a 10Hz to 30kHz response.
Tese were the best cans I tried on at the show.
Ableton fans will want JazzMutants
(jazzmutant.com) Mu (free) plug-in that
ofers hands-on, touchscreen control between
the Lemur controller and Ableton Live, with
instant integration with any Live
set. Simply select any Live
device from any track,
and Mu brings up a cus-
tom graphical interface that
makes controlling multiple
parameters quick, easy, and
totally intuitive.
Just for Fun
Although theyre somewhat extrava-
gant, I loved Richters (richter-leder.com)
$1,000 leather gigbag and extremely high-
end guitar straps, which range from $200
to $1,200. Most of these straps cost as
much as my guitars! There were a lot of
odd things at Musikmesse, but the most
bizarre was the Guitdoorbell ($99 MSRP,
guitdoorbell.com), a childs-sized guitar
fixed above a doorway that is strummed
when the door opens. Te included guitar
easily removes for regular playing.
My top Musikmesse pick was Korgs
monotron Analog Ribbon Synthesizer ($85
MSRP), a battery-operated, hand-sized unit
featuring the companys MS-10 and MS-20
analog flters with a basic VCO/VCF/LFO
circuit. Its simple ribbon controller bor-
rows from Korgs Kaoss line and can produce
expressive vibrato and glide efects. Also, any
audio source (guitar, digital audio player,
etc.) can be patched into monotrons flter
input for more fun. It ships in August.
Musikmesse and Prolight + Sound return
to Frankfurt next year, April 6 to 9. Meanwhile,
for more Musikmesse funincluding
video demos from the show floorvisit
emusician.com/musikmesse_2010. Auf
Wiedersehen!
Formerly the publisher of MixBooks, author
Mike Lawson operates Nashville-based
lawsonmusicmedia.com. Universal Audios Manley Massive Passive plug-in
Elektrons Octatrack makes sampling fun and fast.
JazzMutants Mu plug-in for Ableton Live control
WATCH VIDEOS AND GET MORE PRODUCT NEWS FROM MUSIKMESSE EMUSICIAN.COM/MUSIKMESSE_2010
18 | EMUSICIAN.COM | 05.10
Time to Go
G][ifFgZfcbhaUb>bg]WfYUhYg\]ggc`cXYVihZfcagdcbhUbYcigacaYbhg
During his years with Sigur Rs, Jnsi had
conceived songs that didnt t with the
band, so he led them away in his head.
For Go, he initially drew from his acoustic
folder and recorded rough demos com-
prising voice, acoustic guitar, and harmo-
nium into Apple Logic Pro on his Apple
iMac, using a Neumann U47 mic. The
U47 is my favorite mic of all time, Jnsi
says. Its so balanced, beautiful, and
rounded; its bright, but not too bright. I
usually dont like new microphones, but
the top end is unbelievable. I went from
that into a Thermionic Culture Rooster
DI preampthe Attitude control has
some crazy tube stuthrough a Retro
Instruments Sta-Level tube compres-
sor, a Chandler Limited TG1 limiter, into
an Apogee [Ensemble] audio interface,
which fed into Logic.
After talking to friends, Jnsi
decided to take his demos to Peter
Katis Tarquin Studios in Connecticut.
Looking back on the nearly yearlong
production process, Jnsi says that
even though he didnt have a clear idea
of what he wanted before, it was through
spontaneous studio collaborations and
happy accidents that the music began
to transform.
It was a bit scary working on a solo
album because I was coming out of this
cocoon from working with Sigur Rs,
a very democratic band, he says. At
the same time, it was super-liberating.
Peter, who is a talented engineer, had an
unconventional way of working. He has
a selection of really good microphones,
outboard gear, and preamps, and is
unafraid to distort something if its good
for the songand as a result, brought a
lot of life to the album.
From April to November, Jnsi and
Katis recorded the acoustic elements
guitars, strings, brass, wind instru-
ments, pianos, glockenspiel, celeste,
double bass, and drumsinto Digidesign
Pro Tools, adding collaborative elements
from arranger Nico Muhly (a Philip
Glass protg) and Finnish drummer/
percussionist Samuli Kosminen.
Boy Lilikoi (see Web Clip 1) started
as a rough demo with acoustic guitar and
voice, but was transformed into an ener-
getic sonic wash with the help of Muhlys
playful arrangement. Before working in
Tarquin Studios, Jnsi sent rough demos
of the song to Kosminen, who recorded
some ideas and sent them back. I really
liked what he had done, Jnsi says. He is
an amazing, inventive drummer. When we
met in Peters studio, he appeared with a
suitcase of trash and toys and played on
everything over the course of six days. It
was really spontaneous. A lot of the drums
were recorded separately, actually: bass
drum with only the beater, cymbals, snare,
and tom-toms, which were layered later.
Back home in Iceland, Jnsi played
around with the prerecorded studio
pieces, recording additional overdubs and
samples that he created inside Logic. I
like to [mess] things up, and [one] of my
favorite toys [is] Sugar Bytes Effectrix,
which has endless possibilities, he says.
Many of the songssuch as Animal
Arithmetic (see Web Clip 2)feature up
to 150 layered tracks, which were eventu-
ally mixed together by Tom Elmhirst at
Londons Metropolis Studios.
Home base: Reykjavik, Iceland
DAW of choice: Apple Logic Pro
Must-have gear: Martin acoustic guitar, piano, Apple iMac
Website: jonsi.com
||.|!||
A
fer fronting Icelandic ambient rock band Sigur Rs for more than a decade,
guitarist/vocalist Jn Jnsi Tor Birgisson set out on a solo adventure last
year with the intent of making a low-key acoustic album. But somewhere
along the line, he says, It just sort of exploded. Te result of that explosion is Go,
a fully realized sonic tapestry that debuted on XL Recordings in April. Combining
acoustic elements with layers of electronic and rock styles, Go ofers an expansive
musical palette brought to life by Jnsi alongside some imaginative collaborators.
6m8]UbY;Yfg\ibm
|!
LISTEN TO EXCERPTS FROM JNSIS NEW ALBUM EMUSICIAN.COM/BONUS_MATERIAL
L
I
L
J
A

B
I
R
G
I
S
D
O
T
T
I
R
D7X900 Series
Iectronic Drum System
7he 0ne to eatl
we've comblned our expertlse ln
acoustlc drums wlth our latest dlgltal
sound technology to create the new
amaha DTX900 Serles electronlc drum
system - featurlng the new DTX-PAD
wlth Textured Cellular Slllcone (TCS)
heads. Por qulet practlce, playlng llve,
or as a controller, the revolutlonary
new TCS head's playablllty and feel
comblned wlth amaha's acclalmed
dlgltal sound technology make the
amaha DTX900 Serles electronlc
drums the one to beat.
D7X-MUL7I 12
Iectronic Percussion Pad
Whack itl
SIap itl
7ap itl
The DTX-MULT| l2 electronlc
percusslon pad features l2 pads and
l,277 drum, percusslon and enects
sounds - many from the legendary
amaha MOT|P. The DTX-MULT| l2
ls the rst product of lts type playable
wlth stlcks, hands, or ngers and has
the ablllty to load up to 64M8 of
samples to the bullt-ln nash POM.
2O1O Yamaha Corporation of America. Yamaha is a registered trademark of Yamaha Corporation.
All rights reserved. www.yamaha.coml0sa
20 | EMUSICIAN.COM | 05.10
Movin and Groovin
AU_Yaig]Wk\]`YmciXUbWYp6mGWchhK]`_]bgcb
usic and dance have been inextricably
intertwined since the dawn of human
history, but these activities have tradi-
tionally been performed by different individuals
skilled in one or the other art form. In my career
as a musician, Ive provided soundtracks for danc-
ers on numerous occasions, and Ive always found
it to be a satisfying experience. Yet there is also a
sense of separation from the dancers movements,
an uncertainty about exactly how the music will
be manifested visually, especially in improvised
performances.
Wouldnt it be interesting if dancers could
generate their own music as they move? Thats the
idea behind the GypsyMIDI controller from Sonalog
(sonalog.com), a British company that specializes in
motion capture (mocap), in which the motion of live
actors is captured and applied to animated charac-
ters. This technique has received a lot of attention
lately for its extensive use in the movie Avatar.
Inspired by the San Francisco dance scene
in the late 1990s, Sonalog started experimenting
with its Gypsy Mocap system, which is designed for
3D animation applications. As a company state-
ment says, We wanted to explore the possibility
of orchestrating and composing music for real-time
performance through body movements and dance.
This was the beginning of the discovery of a diverse
multimedia instrument that promises to add new
dimensions to live performance for visual artists,
DJs, and musicians for years to come.
GypsyMIDI comprises two main components: a
bodysuit mechanism and a software application for
Mac OS X or Windows. The hardware straps onto a
persons upper torso and arms (see Fig. 1) and pro-
vides six rotational sensors for each arm: wrist up/
down, wrist rotation, elbow up/down, elbow side to
side, shoulder up/down, and shoulder side to side.
Each sensor has an angular resolution of 1 degree and
sends independent MIDI messages to a MIDI Out port
that connects to the computers MIDI interface.
Authored in Cycling 74 Max/MSP, the software
app is called eXo, and it lets you map MIDI messages
to control various parameters such as note on/o,
continuous controllers, pitch bend, etc. Messages
from the sensors can also be used to trigger and
crossfade samples, loops, and other events such as
lighting changes. Once the parameters have been
mapped, you can use GypsyMIDI to control any MIDI
program, including Steinberg Cubase, Ableton Live,
Apple Logic, Digidesign Pro Tools, and Propellerhead
Reason, as well as any VST instrument or eect.
Of course, dancers come in dierent shapes and
sizes, and GypsyMIDI is highly adjustable to t various
body types and heights from 5 feet to 6 feet 4 inches.
Sonalog claims that it takes only 2 to 3 minutes to set
it up and less than 1 minute to put it on, which is good
news if you want to don the device in the middle of a per-
formance. Physically t dancers should have little prob-
lem with the 4.6 pounds it adds to their body weight.
More problematic is the MIDI cable that must
be connected between the mechanism and computer,
which Sonalog says is limited to 15 feet. Even if it
could be much longer, no dancer wants to deal with
a cable in which they could easily get tangled up.
Fortunately, the solution to this problem is relatively
simple: a wireless MIDI system such as M-Audios
MidAir, CMEs WIDI-X8, Kentons MidiStream, or
Classic MIDI Works MIDIjet Pro.
Although GypsyMIDI might look somewhat
ungainly and perhaps a bit Terminator-esque, it opens
up entirely new avenues of artistic expression that
modern dancers are sure to appreciate. I look forward
to seeing and hearing the results of their explorations
with this new creative tool.
C
O
U
R
T
E
S
Y

S
O
N
A
L
O
G

FIG. 1: The
GypsyMIDI bodysuit
senses rotations in
the wrists, elbows, and
shoulders and sends
corresponding MIDI
messages to trigger
notes, samples, and
loops, as well as control
parameters such as
lter frequencies and
crossfades.
Professional
Just Became More Attainable
Introducing the LSR2300 Series Studio Monitors
Designed from the ground up to be the best performing and most accurate in their class, with unsurpassed output and extended low
frequency response required for todays production styles. Meeting the stringent LSR Linear Spatial Reference criteria, JBL engineered
new high-performance transducers, a precision waveguide and crossover that deliver linear response and greater accuracy at the mix
position. Since the acoustics of your room can play a big part in what you hear, the MSC1 Monitor System Controller integrates JBLs
highly acclaimed RMC

Room Mode Correction technology into an ingenious desk-top unit that not only provides essential monitor system
controls, but also tunes the LSR2300 Series or any speaker system, for greater clarity at the mix position.
With LSR2300 Series Studio Monitors and the MSC1 Monitor System Controller,
you get legendary JBL accuracy and performance at a price within reach of any studio.
2010 JBL Professional
www.jblpro.com/LSR
LSR2325P
Two-Way 5" Bi-Amplied
Studio Monitor
LSR2328P
Two-Way 8" Bi-Amplied
Studio Monitor
LSR2310SP
Powered 10"
Subwoofer
MSC1
Monitor System Controller
with
RMC
TM

Room Mode Correction
22 | EMUSICIAN.COM | 05.10
9:E>2?
8
id you know that one of the keys to writ-
ing an international hit song is to make
it easy to sing? So says producer and
songwriter RedOne. It has to be melodic and
memorable, he explains, and those who dont
speak English have to be able to sing [along] with
it. A hit is more likely if its easy, if its hooky, and
has something that you can grab.
He should know about international pop
hits. In his relatively short career, RedOne has had
quite a few, both as a producer and a songwriter.
Hes best known as the man behind megastar
Lady Gagas melodic, electronic pop sound.
A relative unknown in 2006, RedOnes career
has moved very quickly. He was the number one
producer on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart
for 2009, and the number three songwriter
(behind Taylor Swif and Lady Gaga).
Born Nadir Khayat in Morocco, RedOne
came to the United States via Sweden, where
he had moved to at age 18 to pursue a career
as a rock guitar player and singer. He later dis-
covered that his real passion was producing
and writing pop songs, and he transitioned
his career in that direction. Afer some initial
successes in Sweden, he moved to the United
States, where his career really took of. He has
worked with artists such as Akon, the Backstreet
Boys, Enrique Iglesias, and Sean Kingston, but
Lady Gaga is by far his biggest success story.
He produced and co-wrote many of the songs
on her frst two albums: Te Fame (Interscope,
2008) and the more recent Te Fame Monster
(Interscope, 2009; see Fig. 1).
RedOne received five Grammy nomina-
tions for his work with Gaga, and won for two
of them: Best Dance Recording (Poker Face)
and Best Electronic/Dance Album (Te Fame).
In 2009, he worked with Michael Jackson on
material for what would have been the late
superstars next album. And in early 2010, he
produced the star-studded new version of We
Are the World, which was used to raise money
for Haitian earthquake victims.
Without a lot of fanfare, RedOne has
become one of the top producers in pop. I
recently had the opportunity to speak to him
about his career, his production methods, and
much more.
<ckX]XmciXYjY`cdmcifW\cdgUgU
dfcXiWYf3
It was years of nonstop work. Tats the only
way, I think. To perfect and to master what you
do, you have to spend so many hours, and in
my case, I spent years. So it took a little while,
but you just get better and better, and just lis-
ten to how everybody is sounding, listen to all
the styles, and try to master it, to fnd out why
it should sound a specifc way for a specifc
sound. So youve got to study that. Tats what
I was doing, studying.
9Uf`m]bmcifdfcXiWh]cbWUfYYfkYfYmci
Xc]b[UbmYb[]bYYf]b[3
No, I was more of a songwriter, sitting together
with the producer, who was my friend. I was
contributing ideas, but he could make it sound
real, and then I was learning, watching, but I was
mainly a songwriter. Afer a while, he gave me
a little instruction, and he was like, Okay, try it
yourself. So I was spending many hours trying to
do what I heard in my head, but it was not sound-
ing the way I wanted it to. So I had a lot of pressure
on me to be better, better, and better. And then I
was just studying and trying to make it sound as
good as other people did. Tats before you fnd
your own stuf. Because my head is full of ideas.
But to make them sound [good], youve got to
really know what youre doing, so that whenever
you want to do something it sounds the way you
have it in your head. It took me a little while, but
thats how it happened.
Gck\YbmcifYkcf_]b[k]h\UbUfh]gh
UbXmci_]bXcZYbj]g]cb\ckUhfUW_]g
[c]b[hcgcibXmci_bckk\UhbYYXghc
VYXcbYhcaU_Yh\UhgcibX\UddYb"
Yes. Its like painting something that doesnt
exist. But Ive been doing it for a little while, so I
combine my ideas and the other persons infu-
ences and all of that. And thats the beauty of it,
because every artist has something thats unique
or diferent.
6mA]_Y@Yj]bY
PedOne, producer ond songwriber |or Lodg Gogo
ond mong obhers, reveols his sbudio bechniques,
his |ovoribe DAW, his views on buning vocols, ond more
I
N
T
E
R
N
A
T
I
O
N
A
L
K
E
I
T
H

M
U
N
Y
O
N
24 | EMUSICIAN.COM | 05.10
INTERNATIONAL HIT MAN
5`chcZh]aYgh\YfYgUhYbg]cbVYhkYYb
dfcXiWYfgUbXUfh]ghg]bhYfagcZk\cg
Wcbhfc``]b[h\YUfh]gh]WX]fYWh]cb"=h
gcibXg`]_YmcifYbchhfm]b[hcZcfWY
mcifk]``cbh\YaVih]bghYUXhckcf_
k]h\k\Uhh\YmfY[]j]b[mciUbX_]bXcZ
[ck]h\h\Uh"
Absolutely. To me, all of this new music is about
enjoying what you do. And if that doesnt exist,
if any tension is in the music, then its not going
to come out right, for me. Im talking about
myself only. If the artist has problems or the
producer has problems with the artist, then
the music is not going to come out well. And I
always try to make the artist feel good because
thats the only way Im going to get the best out
of them. Te artist is the artist, and you cant be
the artist when youre the producer. Youve just
got to get the best out of them, inspire them,
and respect them the way they are. And the
process makes the artist happy because youre
really respecting what theyre about. And sud-
denly, you give them advice or ideas, and theyll
be like, Absolutely!
Gc=[iYggU`chcZdfcXiW]b[]gUdgmW\c!
`c[]WU`h\]b[3
Yes. To me, thats a big part of it. Besides the
knowledge of the music and all of that, it has to
go a lot with the spirit. Because its very emo-
tional, and if the emotion is not existing [in the
music], then you dont get the best results.
8cmci\UjYUbmhYW\b]eiYgh\UhmciigYhc
[YhUfh]ghghcfY`UlUbX[Yh]bhch\Yck3
Honestly, I dont have a [particular] technique. Im
just behaving the way I do with everybody. My
personality has always beenin my lifetrying
to make the other person comfortable. When I
have a situation that could be awkward, I try to
make it easier. And thats maybe one thing that I
added into my production skills, and its working.
I remember before I was this successful, people
said that I had to have more of an attitude to get
respectyouve got to work a certain way. I was
like, No, Im me. And thats the way it is.
K\YbmcifYkcf_]b[k]h\jcWU`]ghgk\Uh
XcmciXcUgUdfcXiWYfhchfmhcaU_Y
h\YagcibXh\Y]fVYgh3
I always listen to the artist and try to find out
whats special with them. Whats special about the
voice, the tone? On what register theyre best at,
how they shine. A lot of times, whether or not a
song becomes a hiteven if its a good songhas
to do with the right key or the right emotion, or
the right production. So if you fnd those qualities
that can make an artist shine, thats what I always
focus on, and thats one of the key things to getting
a good result.
HU_Y@UXm;U[UZcfYlUad`Y.K\UhkYfY
h\YeiU`]h]Ygh\UhmciZcibX]b\Yfaig]W
h\UhmcikYfYUV`YhcUWWYbhiUhY3
I remember telling her that I love that when she
sings out, she gets this 80s voice
thats powerful, which she was
using less of before we met. Its hard
for me to show you what it is. But
like on Poker Face, on the chords,
you hear the detail, and when she
sings, Cant read my, cant read
mythat kind of voice. I really
felt like I brought that out of her. Its
not like my thing; she had it. I just
love that tone, and you start adding
more and more of those situations
where she would sing like that, and
it would sound perfect there. I think
thats one of the qualities. And there
are still some parts where you think
that she needs to go with this crazy
attitude. You add them together,
and it gives a whole personality to
her. Not to take anything from her
creativity either.
8cmci\UjYUfYWcfX]b[gYhidUh\caY3
8cmciXcUbmcZmcifgcb[kf]h]b[Zfca
h\YfY3CfdfYdfcXiWh]cb3
Of course. Ive got a portable studio with me
wherever we go. [Gaga and myself] wrote Bad
Romance in a bus, on our way from one country
to another.
K\UhXcYgmcifgYhidWcbhU]b3
Its a computera Mac, and [Apple Logic Pro 9],
samples, and headphones.
8cmciU`gcigY@c[]W]bh\YghiX]ck\Yb
mcifYXc]b[h\YV][gYgg]cbgcf]g]h
8][]XYg][bDfcHcc`g3
No, only Logic.
K\Uh]g]hUVcih@c[]Wh\Uhmci`]_Y3
Its easy. Its very quick to me. Ive been working
with Logic since 95 or something like that. Before
it became Apple, when it was Emagic and all of
that. And its become easier and easier. To me,
Logic is very logical.
8cmciigYh\Y@c[]Wd`i[!]bgcfXcmci
igYU`chcZh\]fX!dUfhmcbYg3
I use the Logic plug-ins.
:cfWcadfYgg]cbUbXch\YfYZZYWhg3
Yeah, compression, efects, delays; I love the delays
in Logic. Everything is beautiful.
Gck\YbmcifYkcf_]b[]bUV][ghiX]c
mcifYgh]``fibb]b[@c[]WfUh\Yfh\Ub
DfcHcc`g3
Yes. If you think about all the hits I did with Gaga,
honestly, it was a funny thing. We were working in
big rooms, but we were using my equipment. Like
my Apple studio speakers, and we were working
from my laptop most of the time.
8cmciigY@c[]WcbhcdcZH8A\UfXkUfY
cf^ighbUh]jY]bh\YWcadihYf3
I use Logic inside the computer. [To read more
about his use of Logic, see the Online Bonus
Material RedOne Redux.]
8cmci[Yh]bjc`jYX]bh\Ya]l]b[g]XYcZ
h\]b[g3
I have my guy who mixes for me, but what I
love about him is he doesnt change my mix.
When Im done with my production, it sounds
almost [fnished].
FIG. 1: RedOne has played a major production and songwriting
role in both of Lady Gagas albums, including the most recent,
The Fame Monster.
C
O
U
R
T
E
S
Y

I
N
T
E
R
S
C
O
P
E
25 05.10 | EMUSICIAN.COM |
Gcmcia]l]hUgmci[c3
If it doesnt sound right, its wrong. Tats how I
feel. Te whole sound is what Im creating because
Im mixing a certain way. So thats why its taken
me a while to fnd the right mixer who is going
to respect exactly what Ive done and just take it
to a better level.
K\c]gmcifa]lYb[]bYYf3
Rob Orton.
K\YbmcifYXc]b[mcifa]lYg]b@c[]W
UgmcifYdfcXiW]b[h\]gghiZZ\UjYmci
Vi]`hh\Yk\c`YhfUW_Zfcah\Y[fcibX
id38cmcihmd]WU``mVf]b[]bU`chcZ
aig]W]Ubgcf]g]h^ighdfc[fUaaYX
cfk\Uh3
I play everything myself, you know. Unless
I need something that I cant do myself,
like strings.
5fYh\YXfiagacgh`mdfc[fUaaYX3
Theyre programmed, yes, but theyre all live
sounds [samples].
<ckXcmciigiU``mdfc[fUamcifXfia
dUfhgg]hh]b[UhU_YmVcUfX3
Yes, thats how I do it. I just sit down and start
building and making it sound better and better.
K\UhgcZhkUfY]bghfiaYbhgXcmci`]_Yhc
igYU`ch3
A lot of them are in Logic.
McifYig]b[h\Y@c[]Wgmbh\gUbX
I`hfUVYUhUbXU``cZh\cgY3
Yeah, absolutely.
H\Yfc`YcZh\YdfcXiWYfYjYbh\YaYUb!
]b[cZh\YkcfXdfcXiWYf]gX]ZZYfYbhZcf
WYfhU]bhmdYgcZaig]W"@]_Y]b\]d!\cd
UbXdcdk\YfYmci\UjYX]ZZYfYbhdfc!
XiWYfgcbh\YgUaYU`ViaXc]b[X]ZZYf!
Ybhgcb[g"K\YfYUg]bUfcW_dfc^YWh]hg
igiU``mcbYdYfgcbWcbhfc``]b[h\YWfY!
Uh]jYj]g]cbZcfh\Yk\c`YU`Via"8cmci
a]bXVY]b[]bUg]hiUh]cbk\YfYmcifY
bchXc]b[U``h\Ygcb[gcbUbU`Viacf
]gh\UhbchUV][XYU`hcmci3
Almost every situation Ive been in, Im not
the only producer. But Im trying to do less
of that. Im a little bit more focused on trying
to work on my own artists.
<ckaiW\X]XmciXccbh\Yhkc;U[U
U`Viag3
On both, I did the majority. Honestly, that kind
of sound was created when I was with Gaga. So
afer that, the other producers had to adjust to
that. You know?
<YfgcibX\UghcVYUWYfhU]bkUm3
Yes.
K\Ybh\YfYUfYX]ZZYfYbhdfcXiWYfgkcf_]b[
cbX]ZZYfYbhgcb[gcbh\YgUaYU`ViaXc
h\Ym[YhfYU``mWcadYh]h]jYk]h\YUW\ch\Yf3
Te thing is, whenever I do something, I never
feel like, Oh, its a competition. But I always feel
like I want to do the best I can, and thats all I can
do. You get the best out of me, and hopefully Ill
get the singles. Well, I mean with Gaga, thank
God it felt like my songs made a diference to her
career, and, honestly, in a big way. So, yes, I felt
like it was a competition, but it wasnt like I felt
like the competition was afecting me in a certain
way. I just try to do the best I can do, every time.
Honestly, when I did Just Dance, to me, in my
head, I tried to top another song that I did with
Gaga, which is called Boys Boys Boysthe frst
song we ever did together. And in my head, I was
like, Ah, Ive got to do better, because every-
one was talking about Boys Boys Boys. And I
remember a friend of mine kind of joked with
me, I dont think you can do a better song than
Boys Boys Boys with those big drums. I was like,
Yeah, okay. And I used almost those same big
drums and made them sound better.
;U[Ugaig]W]gjYfmaY`cX]WUbX\cc_m
UgcddcgYXhcgcaYY`YWhfcb]Waig]W
k\]W\]gbchUgaY`cX]WU``md`YUg]b[UbX
acfYfYdYh]h]jY"BckcVj]cig`mmcifYU
gcb[kf]hYfgch\UhgUV][dUfhcZ]hk\Uh
mciVf]b[hc]hf][\h3
Absolutely. Because to me, of course the cool beats
and cool production [are important], but it has to
be a song. It has to be a songwriters songalmost
like you feel you want to play it on a guitar and it
will still sound good. Tank God, a lot of people
are doing covers, doing diferent versions of the
songs weve done.
H\YfYgVYYbU`chcZUfh]ghg]bdcdaig]W
YgdYW]U``mk\c[YhjYfm\YUj]`mYX]h!
YXU`chcZWihh]b[ghiZZidUbXacj]b[]h
UfcibX/U`chcZd]hW\UbXVYUhWcffYWh]cb"
K\UhUfYmcifh\ci[\hgcbh\YgiV^YWh3
Te greater the artist is, the less you have to fx.
So, to me, you only want to be associated with
those kind of artists that you dont have to fx a
lot. Because all the big starsTe Beatles or the
Rolling Stones or The Whothey didnt have
fxes like that, they didnt have Auto-Tune. All due
respect for everyone who is using Auto-Tune for
diferent reasons, but for those who need massive
pitch correction because they cant sing, I would
prefer to not work [with them]. I am not against
tuning, Im not against Auto-Tune, Im not against
anything like that. But I would only prefer to work
with artists who I would have to fx less.
DUfhcZh\YdfcV`Ya]gh\UhVYWUigYgc
aUbmfYWcfXgUfY\YUj]`mhibYXh\YdiV!
`]WgYUfg[YhUWWighcaYXhcUWYfhU]b`YjY`
cZh\Uh"=gh\UhaUmVYUVUXh\]b[cjYfU``3
Yeah, honestly, because the more tuning you do,
the less character the artist gets. So I believe in the
character more than the tuning.
Gcmcia][\hlUbchYh\UhgfYU``mcihUg
cddcgYXhccbYh\Uhg^ighU`]hh`YV]hcZZ"
Yeah, exactly. But a little bit of is beautiful. Tats
what makes the whole thing. Because if every-
thing is 100-percent perfect, then you lose whats
real. And with Gaga, I almost have to fx nothing.
In addition to having
worked very hard to de-
velop his craft, RedOne at-
tributes a lot of his success
as a producer to treating
artists with respect.
K
E
I
T
H

M
U
N
Y
O
N
26 | EMUSICIAN.COM | 05.10
INTERNATIONAL HIT MAN
G\YfYU``mbU]`g]h"
She nails it, and we do it old school. If
she does it wrong, she re-records it until
we get it right. Instead of, Its all right,
just do it and well fx it. No.
GcmciXcbhYbXid\Uj]b[hc
WcadhccaiW\3
No, honestly, I comp. But its her singing
it; Im not fxing tuning. Im using her
time in the best way because shes now
big, and shes very busy. When she comes
[to the studio,] I have her do a few verses
and then Ill comp the best of the takes,
and then shell listen to it, and say, I can
do this better, and boom, its good.
8cmciigYh\YWcad]b[ZYUhifY
]b@c[]W3
Yes, I love it. Its unbelievable. I love
the loops.
MciaYUbh\Y`ccd!fYWcfXZYUhifY3
[Yes]. Te artist doesnt think about one
word or one line to get nervous about.
I just say, Lets do this verse and just
get into it. If I hear something thats so
wrong, Ill stop it, and say, Focus on
this and this and this a little bit more.
Okay, perfect. And then just get into
it, get into it, get into it, and then you
have many beautiful takes that are alive.
Ten you comp.
HU`_UVcihkcf_]b[k]h\A]W\UY`
>UW_gcb"K\UhkYfYmciXc]b[
k]h\\]a3
I was working on a lot of [song] ideas.
GcmcikYfY]bdfYdfcXiWh]cbk]h\\]a3
Yeah, on a lot of stuf, a lot of ideas. We were
just moving from one idea to another one. And
we were about to go back and revisit everything
and take the best ones out of everything. And
then, unfortunately
K\UhkUg\Y`]_Y]bh\YghiX]c3KUg\Y
fYU``mZUghUh[Yhh]b[h\]b[gf][\h3
Yes, he was incredible. It was easy to work with
him. He had incredible experience, and he had
incredible knowledge about every aspect of
music. From production to the sonics of his
voice, to how the video should be. Incredible.
K\Uhdfc^YWhgXcmci\UjYWca]b[id3
I have a really, really good song with Mary J.
Blige on her album; its going to be a single. Im
fnishing up this song, it looks like its going
to be the second single for Oriente; its a rock
song. I have mixing for Lady Gaga, and Im
working on my artist called Mohombithats
coming out really soon.
K\Uh_]bXcZaig]W3
Its very, very globaldancebut its global.
Rhythmic, very rhythmic.
:]bU``mmcikYfYh\YbiaVYfcbYdfcXiW!
Yfcb6]``VcUfXg<ch%$$W\UfhZcf&$$-"
K\UhX]Xh\UhZYY``]_Y3
It was amazing. I mean, what else, whats bigger?
If Billboard gives you producer of the year, whats
better? Tats a recognition forever.
=haighZYY`[fYUh"
Absolutely, it feels very emotional. You know,
its like the reality is on paper, its there. Of
course, I won two Grammys, too. So its like
incredible.
Mike Levine is EMs editor and senior media
producer.
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT REDONES USE OF LOGIC EMUSICIAN.COM/BONUS_MATERIAL
2010
Produced We Are the World remake for Haitian
earthquake relief, featuring a star-studded group
of vocalists. The song debuted at #2 on the
Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart and stayed at #1
on the iTunes Music Chart for two weeks.
2009
Wrote and produced Takin Back My Love for
Enrique Iglesias and Ciara. It reached Top 10 in 11
counties and #3 on the Euro Chart 100 Singles.
Wrote and produced Lady Gagas Poker Face.
The song reached #1 in 17 countries, was at #1 on
the Pan European Chart for 13 weeks, and went
Platinum or multi-Platinum in eight countries.
Produced Sean Kingstons Fire Burning, which
reached the Top 10 in seven countries.
Produced Remedy by Little Boots. The song
got to #6 on the U.K. Singles chart and the
Top 5 in Ireland.
Co-wrote and produced Love Game by Lady
Gaga, which hit Top 10 in 12 countries while
garnering Platinum sales in Australia and
double-Platinum in Canada.
Produced This Is Us by the Backstreet Boys,
which debuted in the Top 10 in the United
States and Japan.
Wrote and produced About a Girl by
Sugababes. The song became a Top 10 single.
Co-wrote and produced Bad Romance by Lady
Gaga, which reached #1 in three countries and
was in the Top 10 in 17 others.
2008
Produced Run the Show by Kat DeLuna
featuring Busta Rhymes. The song climbed to
#2 on Billboard Dance Club Play chart and was
in the Top 10 in six European countries.
Produced seven songs on The Block by New Kids
on the Block. The album debuted at #1 on the
Billboard Pop Album chart, #2 on the Billboard
Top 200 Album chart, and #1 in Canada.
Produced Freedom by Akon, which sold 600,000
copies in the United States.
Co-wrote and produced Just Dance by Lady Gaga.
The song made it to #1 in seven countries and hit
the Top 10 in 11 others.
2007
Produced Whine Up by Kat DeLuna featuring
Elephant Man, which hit #1 on the Billboard
Dance Club Play Chart and #1 on the Billboard
Hot 100 Latin Songs Chart.
2006
Produced Bamboo, which was chosen as the
ocial melody of the FIFA World Cup and was
used as the featured song for FIFA television
broadcasts, advertising campaigns, and branded
cross-promotions.
2005
Co-wrote and produced Step Up by Swedish art-
ist Darin. The song debuted at #1 on the Swedish
Singles Chart.
FYXCbY.GY`YWhYX7fYX]hg
is lle re\l eisc1e ir rcessicral leal
rc1tclicr. ll ccrlires lle lar1s-cr eel ar1 setercir c classic rccelc\es
Will a1arce1 sarlir, eecls, ar1 searless DAR irleralicr. NeW ealtres
irclt1e COB c rc1tclicr-rea1, sctr1s, M|O lilrar, ircrl, lC leels, ar1
irlae M|OCJ/S| lZJJ claracler cer 5J erlarcererls ir all. MASONlNE
ccrlirtes lc ecle sc ,ct car ccts cr crealir lle erecl leal.
ZZZQDWLYHLQVWUXPHQWVFRPPDVFKLQH
7+(1(;7(3,62'(

M
|
O
C
J

i
s

a

l
r
a
1
e
r
a
r
|

c

A
K
A
l

|
r
c

e
s
s
i
c
r
e
l
,

l
l
O
.

S
|

l
Z
J
J

i
s

a

l
r
a
1
e
r
a
r
|

c

E
-
r
t

S
,
s
l
e
r
s
,

l
r
c
.



!
r
a
1
e
r
a
r
|
s

t
s
e
1

c
r
l
,

l
c

i
1
e
r
l
i

,

l
l
e

e

t
i

r
e
r
l

W
l
c
s
e

s
c
t
r
1

W
a
s

r
c
1
e
l
e
1

a
r
1

1
c
e
s

r
c
l

i
r

l
,

a
r

c

c
i
a
l

e
r
1
c
r
s
e
r
e
r
l
.
28 | EMUSICIAN.COM | 05.10
Four porboble onolog sgnbh modules
bhob won'b breok gour budgeb
5
s interest in analog synthesizers continues to increase, more and more manufac-
turers are getting into the game. Te world of modular systems, in particular, is
exploding with new products, especially in the Eurorack format.
But whether its a keyboard or a rack of modules, an analog synth can take up a lot of
room. Sometimes you just need a simple synth voicean oscillator or two, an LFO, a flter,
an envelope generator, and a VCAin a portable package to put that fat bass line, searing
lead, or space-age burbling where you want it. Tats where a standalone synth module
comes in handy.
Tese modules ofer subtractive synthesis in a small footprint, providing the perfect
complement to a DJ setup, a laptop rig, digital keyboard workstation, or the digital plug-ins
in your DAW. Although all-in-one modules date back to the 70s, technological advances
over the years have allowed manufacturers to make them smaller and more powerful and
increase their stability, without sacrifcing the vintage tone.
In this article, I examine three single-voice, analog-synth modules released in the past
few months, as well as a related 4-voice module, all of which are priced less than $1,000
(some considerably so). I admit that comparing the features of these instruments is very
much an apples-to-oranges-to-bananas afair, but this isnt a shootout to see which synth
ranks highest. Rather, I want to show the diferences in design philosophy because, on top
of the sound quality of an instrument, the voice architecture and feature set inspires each
musician diferently.
Lets begin with the instrument that has the longest pedigree.
6m;]bcFcVU]f
29 05.10 | EMUSICIAN.COM |
Clockwise from top: Tom Oberheim
SEM, Patch Panel edition; Dave Smith
Instruments Tetra; Doepfer Dark Energy;
and Dave Smith Mopho
30 | EMUSICIAN.COM | 05.10
BIG SOUNDS IN SMALL PACKAGES
1om Oberheim SEM
Designed in the early 70s to inexpensively aug-
ment monosynths by ARP and Moog, as well
as support the companys digital sequencer,
Oberheims Synthesizer Expander Module
(SEM) ofered a basic feature set with a distinc-
tive sound that has remained popular over the
decades. Te instruments creator, Tom Oberheim
(tomoberheim.com), has fnally given in to the
pressure of friends and fans by reissuing the SEM,
following the original specifcations as much as
current parts availability would allow. Yet, like any
restless developer, he took the design a little fur-
ther by adding a few welcome features.
Te Tom Oberheim SEM is available in
three confgurations: the Patch Panel edition
($899; see Fig. 1), the MIDI edition ($899),
and the Panel Only edition ($599). I received
the Patch Panel edition for this roundup
because the MIDI edition wasnt shipping yet.
But that suited me just fne as I prefer to work
with patch cords. Because many readers will
want to know to what degree the new version
resembles the original, I will compare features
between the two.
The classic SEM had a straightforward
synth-voice architecture, with two VCOs; two
3-stage envelope generators (EGs); a 2-pole
(12dB per octave) multimode, resonant fil-
ter; a sine-like LFO that goes into the audio
range; and a VCA. Te audio and CV I/O were
on 3.5mm jacks. Te new SEM is exactly the
same, with a nearly identical front panel in
layout and size. Te main physical diference
is that the new SEM isnt as tall as the original,
but the lef panel adds an extra 2.25 inches to
the modules width. Both have rear panel power
switches, and the new version has a rear panel
-inch output, which means you dont need a
3.5mm-to--inch adapter to use the module
with a mixer or amp.
Te SEMs front panel has a slightly unusu-
al layout. Each VCO can produce a sawtooth
or pulse wave, but the waveform is selected in
the flter section. Te knob is actually a level
control: Fully counterclockwise gives you the
sawtooth at full volume; at the 12 oclock set-
ting, you get no signal; and the pulse wave is at
full volume when the control is fully clockwise.
At full level, the VCOs overdrive the flter in a
very musical way. Each pulse wave can have its
own duty cycle (10 percent to 90 percent), as
well as individual pulse-width modulation or
frequency modulation using the LFO or EG.
Another interesting design feature is that
the knob that selects the flter type is continu-
ously variable, from lowpass through notch to
highpass. In the original version, the control
would click into bandpass mode in its full
counterclockwise position. Te update has a
separate bandpass switch.
Te flters cutof frequency can be mod-
ulated (positive or negative) by the LFO,
Envelope 2, or an external source. Tankfully,
the new SEM has separate controls for fne- and
coarse-tuning of the VCOs. Te vintage model
had dual-concentric pots that stacked the
tuning controls. (Fine-tune was on top of the
coarse-tune.) Everyone hated them, including
Oberheim, because it was easy to accidentally
bump an oscillator out of tune.
Original SEM owners would often cus-
tomize the synth by making internal features
accessible for modulation by adding jacks to
the panel, and thats pretty much what the Patch
Panel version offers. Sticking to the 1-volt-
per-octave standard for CVs, the panel has 33
passive patch points that allow you to control
parameters from external synth sources, pro-
cess audio through its flter, send its audio and
CVs to other modules, and, of course, inter-
connect the various features to broaden the
units sound palette. You can make this synth
scream with only two patch cords.
So how close does the SEM redux
sound to the original? Keep in mind
that analog circuitry changes over time,
and any 35-year-old synth is going to
sound diferent than how it did when
it was built. Yet the new version has
that unmistakable SEM sound when
compared to my vintage piece (serial
number 100). The biggest difference
I noticed was the LFO behavior: My
vintage module has a slightly diferent
waveform with a longer frequency time
at the bottom end. But that might be
due to its age.
Te flter is largely responsible for
the SEMs signature timbres, and the
update has the same growly and aggres-
sive character as the original, ofering
attractively gritty harmonics when
the cutof frequency is swept with the
LFO. Use it to create fat, buzzy basses
or driving lead linesit nails the classic
sounds (see Web Clips 1a through 1d).
My main beef is that on the pas-
sive Patch Panel version, the audio FIG. 1: The Tom Oberheim SEM, Patch Panel edition, adds 33 patch points for increased sonic control.
31 05.10 | EMUSICIAN.COM |
inputs do not have a preampa clear decision
on Oberheims part to keep it as much like the
original instrument as possible. Consequently,
theres not enough gain to help an external line-
level input compete with the internal VCO out-
put levels. Not only do you have to keep the
VCOs at a low level if you want to combine
signals, but you cant overdrive the flter with
an external source.
The MIDI version addresses this issue by
adding preamps to the two rear panel -inch
audio inputs. According to Oberheim, one input
goes through a high-gain preamp (with a level
control), while the other inputs gain is merely
doubled. However, there are four destinations for
the inputs: VCO 1 and 2, the flter, and the VCA.
Of course, the MIDI version also features
a MIDI-to-CV converter via a rear panel MIDI
port to give you internally patched pitch CV
and gate signals. You get a second CV that is
assignable to three sources and three destina-
tions, selectable note priorities (high, low, and
last), LFO reset, keyboard tracking, a porta-
mento control, and octave transposition.
Overall, the SEM sounds as good as I had
hoped. Although they dont come cheap, Id
happily purchase a new one before dropping
more cash on a vintage model. Te multiple
patch points are great for interfacing with other
synth modules, the controls work well, and the
-inch output is handy. But it looks like my
wish list includes both models: Although I like
the fexibility of the Patch Panel edition, I also
want the MIDI features and external signal
boost of the MIDI edition.
Doepfer Dark Energy
German synth designer Dieter Doepfer
(doepfer.de) takes the single-voice module
concept a step further by increasing the inter-
nal modulation capabilities while retaining
patchability. Dark Energy ($625) is a stand-
alone version of the A-111-5 module designed
for the Eurorack A-100 system. However,
the standalone module augments the front
panel I/O nicely by adding a USB/MIDI
interface with associated gate and CV out-
puts, allowing the unit to cover a wide range
of performance needs (see Fig. 2).
Dark Energy is powered by an exter-
nal 15V supply and housed in a rugged
steel case with stained wooden sides.
Its small footprint allowed me to set it
conveniently on the top corner of my
keyboard controller.
Although Dark Energy crams a lot
of features into a small area, its fairly
easy to use because, like the SEM, all
of the parameters are at your finger-
tips. The top panel has 16 knobs, 12
3-position switches, and nine 3.5mm
patch points (four CVs, a gate, and
external audio as inputs; LFO, enve-
lope, and audio outputs). Even with all
of these controls flling out the top, you
still have the option of adding one more
knob (more on this in a moment).
The rear panel has the USB and
MIDI In ports, a Learn button, and
the four CV outputs and gate output
on 3.5mm jacks. As youd expect, Dark
Energy is compatible with most modu-
lar synths. Te instrument ships with
a power supply, a pair of 3.5mm patch
cables, a 3.5mm-to--inch cable, and
a USB cable.
Dark Energy has a fairly standard
feature set: a single VCO ofering a square wave
and a triangle/ramp wave, a resonant 4-pole
lowpass VCF, a 4-stage EG, a VCA, and a pair
of LFOs. (LFO 1 routes to the VCO and VCA,
and LFO 2 goes to the VCO and VCF.) Te
VCO tops out around 12kHz, and the LFOs
go into the audio range. Right of the bat, Dark
Energy can create very rich sounds when you
mix the pulse wave, the triangle/ramp wave,
and an external audio signal.
The MIDI-to-CV converter internally
routes CV 1 to the VCO and a gate signal to
the EG. While MIDI controls the VCOs pitch,
you can simultaneously patch a CV into the
VCOs frequency input to transpose sequences
or add modulationthats handy. Te CV 2, 3,
and 4 outputs derive their signals from MIDI
Pitch Bend, Velocity, and Modulation, respec-
tively (although CV 4 can be assigned any
Continuous Controller using the Learn but-
ton). You can patch the CV outputs back into
Dark Energys inputs or use them with other
analog gearpretty much bread-and-butter
stuf. But thats just the beginning.
FIG. 2: With its FM capabilities, Doepfer Dark Energy packs a lot of punch into a small synth.
32 | EMUSICIAN.COM | 05.10
BIG SOUNDS IN SMALL PACKAGES
Te real power of this little brute is in its
modulation capabilities (see Web Clips 2a
through 2e). To begin with, you can add expo-
nential frequency modulation to the VCO
from LFO 1 or the EG. However, you can also
add exponential and linear frequency modula-
tion, simultaneously, to the flter, resulting in
an unexpected variety of crystalline and metal-
lic sounds. Te flters FM sources are LFO 1 or
the EG for exponential and the VCOs triangle/
ramp wave for linear. Te two types of FM can
also be used on the sine-like signal of the reso-
nating flter. Overall, the flter sounds remark-
ably lively, yet its fairly easy to get a nasty tone
from it when you need some bite.
Te manual ofers a thorough explanation of
the synths features, including patching examples.
For instance, you can patch a back-panel CV to
the front panel to control the flters cutof fre-
quency via MIDI. Youll want to use long patch
cables when patching the MIDI CVs to the front
so they dont obscure the top-panel controls. Te
unit also includes a simple 6-note arpeggiator
notes play in the order you hit themthat synchs
to MIDI Clock or an internal clock (which you
control with your keyboards modulation wheel).
You can link multiple Dark Energy mod-
ules into a polyphonic instrument using
internal link connectors; the required cable is
included. Tere is also room for customization
within Dark Energy using internal jumpers.
For example, you can change the rear-panel
CV 4 jack to a second audio output if you dont
want a cable coming from the top panel. You
can also add a pot to the front panel to access
portamento. (The review unit included this
option, and I found it to be a welcome addition
when playing Dark Energy with a keyboard.)
The main complaint I have is with the
MIDI converter: Te resolution of the pitch
bend and mod wheel data is not very high,
resulting in noticeable steps. Connecting my
Kenton Pro Solo MkII MIDI-to-CV converter
gave me the smooth bends that I wanted, but
Dark Energys portamento feature no longer
worked. Hopefully, the data resolution can be
increased with a frmware update. Other than
that, the synths MIDI functionality is fairly
straightforward, and during this roundup, I
was happy to let Dark Energy handle my rou-
tine MIDI-to-CV needs so I could leave my
standalone converter at home.
Overall, Dark Energy is a fun and great-
sounding module to work with. Its compact
size makes it an excellent patchable synth
where portability is a concern, and it is user-
friendly enough for someone just starting out
in modular synthesis.
In January, Doepfer announced Dark Time,
a 16-step sequencer featuring CV/gate and USB/
MIDI I/O. Housed in the same form factor as
Dark Energy, itll be a nice complement to the
synth module when it ships later this year.
Dave Smith lnstruments Mopho
The Dave Smi t h Inst rument s (DSI;
davesmithinstruments.com) Mopho ($399) is
also a monophonic analog module, but it fol-
lows a distinctly modern paradigm, with its
LED screen, patch-storage capabilities (128
patches in each of its three Banks), and full
MIDI support (see Fig. 3). Unlike the other
two synths in the article, Mopho doesnt send
or receive control voltages. But its clever design
addresses many of the issues that took the
fun out of synth programming since the 80s
(menus, menus, menus), while offering the
ballsy sound of an analog signal path. Its easily
the most powerful standalone analog synth of
its size and price range, yet it gives you real-
time access over most of its parameters. Tink
of it as a MIDI-controlled expander module
that fts in your carry-on bag.
Starting with the voice architecture of
Prophet 08two digitally controlled
analog oscillators, a noise generator, a
flter, and a VCAMopho adds a sub-
octave generator to each of the oscillators
and an audio input. (Visit emusician.com
to read a review of Prophet 08.) You can
choose between ADSR-controlled 2-pole
and (resonant) 4-pole lowpass flters
CEM-based filters that hark back to
Prophet 5. You can also internally feed
the lef audio-output channel back into
the flter to build extreme textures.
Like Prophet 08, Mopho includes
an arpeggiator and a gated (16x4) step
sequencer. A free sofware editor (Mac/
Win) is available online if you want to
program the synth from your computer.
Tis sturdy metal module is about
the size of a paperback book and features
12 knobs and six buttons, including the
red button labeled Push It!, which can
be used as a trigger. (Te note it plays
is user-assignable.) The four lowest
knobsassigned to flter cutof, flter FIG. 3: Dont let its size fool you: Mopho takes the fat sound of a single Prophet 08 voice one step further.
33 05.10 | EMUSICIAN.COM |
resonance, attack, and decay/releasegive you
immediate control over a patch in an intuitive
way. Turn one, and the LCD shows you the
parameter and the levels as theyre changed.
The four knobs in the middle of the
unit are user-assignablejust hit the Assign
Parameters button to their right. (Tey are pre-
assigned with useful functions for each patch.)
Tese allowed me to turn the arpeggiator on
and of in real time, as well as change the flter
type I was using for a patch. And its easy to
reassign the knobs on the fy.
The other controls are straightforward
and handy: increment/decrement buttons
for program and bank; a knob to change the
program; a button that takes you immedi-
ately into Program Mode/Global Mode; and
a Write button for when you want to store
your patch. Te remaining knobs are for pitch
(semitones), output level, and input gain. Te
rear panel is spartan, ofering a pair of -inch
outputs, a -inch headphone jack, a -inch
audio input, MIDI I/O, and a connector for
the power supply.
Like other DSI synths, the factory patches
in Mopho are both sexy and useful: sexy in that
they show of the wealth of programmability in
the unit, and useful in that they are musical while
providing a great jumping-of point for experi-
mentation. Although its helpful to know some-
thing about MIDI and subtractive synthesis to
get the most out the instrument, its designed so
that you can just go for it and tweak parameters.
And its easy to get back to the original sound if
you paint yourself into a corner.
Mopho is capable of some very big and
expressive sounds (see Web Clips 3a and 3b).
And with the internal arpeggiator and sequenc-
er, it provides groove-oriented projects a fexible
palette with which to work. But why stop at one
voice?
Ouadruple Your Fun!
Dave Smith thought it would be an interesting
challenge to create a polysynth version of Mopho
in roughly the same form factor. Tetra ($799) is
exactly that: a 4-voice version of the little yellow
monosynth in a case thats only a half-inch larger
and a few ounces heavier than the original (see
Fig. 4). Yet its only twice the price.
Tetras front panel has a similar layout to
that of Mopho, but with a few additions that
prove handy with a polyphonic synth. The
Program/Global button adds Combo to the
list, which provides 128 patches that simulta-
neously use all four voices, whether as multi-
timbral sequences, polyphonic patches, or
monophonic stacks. Te Edit B/Combo button
lets you create and edit Combos, and
the factory patches are a great place to
start. (Download the sofware editor if
you want to make it easier to edit.) As it
turns out, Tetras Program 1 and 2 banks
are taken from Prophet 08, and the key-
boards controls map directly to Tetras
via MIDI.
Four LEDs ring Tetras Push It! but-
ton, and each one is assigned to a voice.
Tey light as each voice is triggered in
a multitimbral sequence, which I found
to be very useful when editing or play-
ing a patch.
Tetras rear panel also adds some
features, such as four -inch outputs
that can be set up as Mono, Stereo, or one
of two Quad settings so you can separate
the voices by output. Another welcome
addition is a USB 2.0 port that acts as
a bidirectional MIDI interface so you
control Tetra directly from your com-
puter. And like other DSI synths, Tetra
features a PolyChain port that lets you connect
up to four Tetras, connect a Mopho (using its
MIDI In port), or use Tetra as an expander for
Prophet 08 (see Web Clips 4a and 4b).
I was not at all surprised to fnd that Tetras
factory patches sounded massive, were punchy,
and covered a wide variety of musical styles. I
particularly enjoyed exploring the sequenced
Combo patches, many of which were immediate
song-starters for metheyre very inspiring.
If I had to decide between Mopho and Tetra,
it would probably come down to how I wanted
to use them more than the cost. Although Tetra
isnt difficult to use, there is more to think
about when youre programming. If I only
needed one voice (for basses and lead lines)
and was looking for a simple, great-sounding
analog module that could store patches, Id go
for Mopho. (By the time you read this, DSI will
have released a keyboard version of Mopho.)
But if there was even a remote chance that I
would play polyphonically or that I wanted to
build 4-voice grooves, Tetra is a no-brainer. Its
about as powerful and user-friendly as any ana-
log synth module will ever be.
Besides writing his blog, The Robair
Report, Gino Robair is editorial director for
Gearwire.com and a former editor of EM.
FIG. 4: Tetra is a massive-sounding, 4-voice analog synth module that can t in your backpack.
WATCH VIDEO DEMOS OF THESE SYNTHS EMUSICIAN.COM/BONUS_MATERIAL
34 | EMUSICIAN.COM | 05.10
5
s musicians and engineers, we ofen
fnd ourselves torn between the urge
to embrace new things and a hard-
earned skepticism of new and improved prod-
ucts. Nowhere is this more evident than in our
lifelong love/hate relationship with computer
operating systems. Although the argument
over whether Macs or PCs are better for making
music continues to sound more like a religious
schism than a technological debate, very few
computer musicians pine for the Halcyon days
of Mac OS 8 or Windows 3.1. Te road forward
may occasionally be bumpy, but as the user
interface and technical underpinnings evolve,
we come to depend on and expect each genera-
tion of new features (see Fig. 1).
Pemember the 1ime
For most musicians and engineers, Microsofs
Windows Vista represented one of those
major bumps in the road. It was a signifi-
cant enough departure from Windows XP
that it left both users and manufacturers
wondering whether it was worth the trouble.
Hardware of every kindfrom graphics cards
MAKING
MUSIC
WITH

1he good, bhe bod,
ond bhe skinng
on whebher bo upgrode
FIG. 1: The
Windows 7 default
interface is bright,
translucent, and
crisp. Settings and
le management
are well-organized
without being
cartoonish.
35 05.10 | EMUSICIAN.COM |
6m6f]UbGa]h\Yfg
GET WINDOWS 7 TIPS AND TRICKS EMUSICIAN.COM/BONUS_MATERIAL
to audio interfaceswas subject to incom-
patibilities, and some products took a long
time to become compatible. Users who
upgraded to Vista without carefully checking
with vendors for compatible drivers found
themselves with inoperable systems, some-
times for months. Worse, the initial release
of Vista was marred by reports of problems
with MIDI timing and audio performance.
Microsoft addressed the MIDI issue, and
most audio problems were resolved by driver
updates, but the bad frst impression stuck.
If any product that sells hundreds
of millions of copies can be called a fop,
Vista would be one, at least in the eyes of
most electronic musicians. Whether it
fully deserved its reputation or not, it was
ignored by many musicians and studios who
stayed with Windows XP throughout Vistas
product cycle. Now that Vista has been sup-
planted by Windows 7, does it make sense
to upgrade?
In an attempt to answer that ques-
tion, I upgraded my desktop computer and
installed a dual-boot of Windows 7 and
Windows XP. With a quad-core Intel Core i7
920 and 6GB of RAM, I thought I had built
a screaming system. When I had the oppor-
tunity to test a custom-built, liquid-cooled,
dual-Xeon beast from Puget Systems, how-
ever, I ended up a bit less impressed with my
computer-building prowess (see Fig. 2).
Heal the World
One of the biggest frustrations in the
Vista transition was hardware incom-
patibilities. Upgrading to Vista before
your video drivers were updated, for
example, could render a system virtu-
ally unusable, and waiting for audio
hardware drivers to be compatible cre-
ated problems for some users. For new
computers with newer hardware, this
wasnt ordinarily a problem, but it pre-
vented many from moving forward.
All evidence so far suggests that
Windows 7 is not plagued by the same
sort of compatibility issues as its pre-
decessors. Te vast majority of prod-
ucts from every vendor Ive researched
are supported by Windows 7ready
drivers. Even Avid, a company well-
known for being conservative in its
embrace of OS updates, has called
Digidesign Pro Tools 8.0.3 a public
beta of Windows 7 compatibility. Thats
a fancy way of saying that it works, but
the tech support database hasnt yet been
fully developed. So far, I have encountered
no problems running Pro Tools 8.0.3 LE
or M-Powered under Windows 7 on my two
test systems.
Part of the reason for Win7s improved
compatibility is that its driver requirements
are essentially the same as those for Vista,
which had departed from XP in signifcant
ways. Jim Cooper, director of marketing for
MOTU, puts it like this: We didnt have to
ship updates for any drivers or instruments
when Windows 7 came out. Users could
update from Vista to 7 without even run-
ning a MOTU updater, for the most part.
Some 32-bit apps seem to run under
64-bit Win7 just fnePro Tools 8.0.3 being
a prime examplewhereas other apps need
updating frst. For older programs that dont
FIG. 2: The Genesis II from Puget Systems boasts two
3.33GHz Intel Xeon processors, 12GB of RAM, an IcyDock remov-
able hard drive bay, and a Puget Hydro CL1 liquid-cooling system.
Running 64-bit Windows 7, it makes an impressive DAW.
36 | EMUSICIAN.COM | 05.10
MAKING MUSIC WITH WINDOWS 7
like Windows 7, you can run them in a virtual
XP mode (in Win7 Professional or Ultimate).
Regrettably, it didnt help me with two older disc-
burning apps that werent running properly in
Win7. Perhaps I would have had better luck had I
been running the 32-bit version of the OS.
Speed Demon
In a perfect world, every OS upgrade would
make our computers faster. Unfortunately, this
almost never happens. Usability and appear-
ance features are what sell an OS version, not
raw speed. As users who depend on insanely
complex processing and who demand real-
time monitoring, however, musicians and
engineers do look for performance enhance-
ments. The scuttlebutt is that Vista was a
particularly bad resource hog, and that Win7
undoes the damage.
I was able to run all three operating sys-
tems in 64-bit mode on the Puget Systems
Genesis II workstation, and to be honest, the
3.33GHz 8-core machine was so fast that it
was dif cult to max out any of the OS ver-
sions. Although in my testing Win7 did seem
a bit snappier than its predecessors, I dont
think its productive for anyone to look for
performance-based reasons to upgrade
or, conversely, not to upgrade. Given that
industry support for the discontinued
XP x64 is waning and Vista is yesterdays news,
Win7 is simply the only reasonable choice for
64-bit PC computing.
Perhaps the most heralded advantage
of 64-bit computing is increased memory
addressing. As sample libraries get larger,
the 32-bit OS limit of 4GB of RAM feels ever
smaller. A 64-bit OS increases that limit to
a theoretical maximum of 1TB of RAM. In
practice, however, 64-bit Win7 increases it
to 16GB for Windows 7 Home Premium and
192GB for Windows 7 (see Fig. 3).
In addition to increased memory sup-
port, there are some low-level refine-
ments to the kernel, memory, and multi-
tasking that are probably responsible for
Win7 avoiding the version bloat that so
often plagues OS upgrades. According to
Cakewalk CTO Noel Borthwick, Windows 7
has a smaller disk and memory footprint out
of the box as compared to Windows Vista,
making it a good choice for an ef cient and
lean DAW platform. He has noted in his blog
a couple of specifc processor and memory
bottlenecks that Win7 resolves. Tese changes
mean a lot to applications like SONAR that
rely on multithreaded processing of very small
workloads, he wrote. SONAR performs
more ef ciently at low latency on multicore
machines running Windows 7.
Aero Dynamics
Win7 features the Aero interface introduced
in Vista (see Fig. 4). Aero is a combination of
visual window dressing and user interface fea-
tures that together can put a signifcant strain
on your computers graphics processing.
Under Vista, many users chose to turn Aero
of as much as possible to recover some pro-
cessor cycles. However, Borthwick says that
on any modern graphics card, Aero of oads
a lot to the GPU, so unless your DAW is also
competing for the same GPU resources, turn-
ing it of may or may not make an appreciable
diference to performance.
Since the dawn of host-based DAWs,
knowing how to manage latency has been as
important to electronic musicians as knowing
how to wrap cables. Windows 7 continues the
development of the Windows Audio Session
API (WASAPI) and WaveRT driver format
introduced in Vista, which together were
intended to provide extremely low-latency
Windows 7 is simply
64-bit PC computing.
FIG. 3: The Tyan
S-7012 motherboard
supports 144GB of
RAM and two Xeon
processors. Windows 7
Professional can take
full advantage of that
and more.
THE ONLY REASONABLE CHOICE FOR
37 05.10 | EMUSICIAN.COM |
audio throughput. Reaction from audio devel-
opers has been mixed, ranging from MOTUs
decision to support WaveRT in early 2009 to
RME Audios stated position that WaveRT
is not a pro-audio driver technology and
will never replace ASIO. Although new and
better driver technology would have been a
great reason to build a DAW on Windows 7,
its absence does not diminish the fact that a
multi core 64-bit Win7 machine can run far
more complex sessions at minimal bufer set-
tings than your 4-year-old XP machine.
Leave Me Alone
Easily the most hated feature of Vista was
User Account Control. Designed to prevent
malicious sofware from gaining unwelcome
access to your computer, it ended up being an
intrusive pest that seemed to demand, Are
you sure? every time you tried to get work
done. Windows 7 refnes the behavior of UAC
so that the user is more in control. You can
choose what level of paranoia UAC should
exhibit (see Fig. 5). Four levels are available,
ranging from Always notify to Never noti-
fy when programs try to make changes to
your computer.
Another welcome change is a reduction
in those annoying Windows Logo Testing
nag screens that ofen pop up when installing
sofware. Installing Pro Tools 8 on Windows 7
saved me from having to
click continue anyway
something like fve or six
times as compared to XP,
and I saved another sev-
eral on the 8.0.3 update.
Windows 7 seems
to have better perfor-
mance for audio applica-
tions right out of the box
than its predecessors.
Eric Thibeault, product
specialist for Applied
Acous t i cs Sys t ems ,
reports, So far we have
done nothing to tweak
Windows 7 to optimize it.
Im sure well fnd some
things in the future, but
for now it works great out of the box.
Cakewalks Borthwick advises turning
off unnecessary background processes [as
with] all Windows versions.
For mobile musicians, Win7s improved
power management should lead to increased
battery life. Users with powerful multicore
notebooks will appreciate the new Core Parking
feature that essentially sleeps individual cores
when they are not needed. However, Borthwick
reports that for some users, Core Parking has
created audio problems. See the Online Bonus
Material for his link to a Microsof document
that tells how to turn Core Parking of if neces-
sary, as well as other tips and tricks.
1his ls lt
So, given a choice between a 9-year-old OS
for which support is being phased out (XP), a
3-year-old OS that is generally despised and for
which support is also starting to be phased out
(Vista), and a brand-new OS that has already
achieved nearly universal support and seems
to be friendly to audio applications and mobile
computing (7), how hard is it? MOTUs Cooper
counsels, If you are running on an older 32-bit
slower CPU, stay with XP. Otherwise, every-
one with whom I spoke is confdent in recom-
mending Windows 7. My own experience on
both my desktop and Pugets Genesis II bears
out their optimism. I have had no crashes, no
glitches, and no trouble fnding sofware and
driver updates for my studio.
If its time to upgrade your DAW, build
or buy a multicore machine with lots of
RAM and a fast hard drive and put 64-bit
Windows 7 Home Premium or Professional on
it. Install your favorite programs in their 64-bit
versions where possible, and dont look back.
Soon, Windows XP will seem as quaint as the
Pentium III CPU on which it was designed
to run.
Brian Smithers is a longtime EM contributor
and the author of Mixing in Pro Tools: Skill
Pack, 2nd Edition.
FIG. 4: Vistas Aero interface is continued in Windows 7. In addition to purely aesthetic considerations, it intro-
duced some new interface behaviors designed to smooth multitasking workow.
FIG. 5: The hated User Account Control nag screens can be held in check under
Windows 7. The default setting alerts you to when programs try to make changes
but assume any changes you make are intended.
38 | EMUSICIAN.COM | 05.10
A5?=B;HF57?G
Why Not Remix Yourself?
AU_Y`ccdWcbghfiWh]cb_]hgZfcamcifckbaig]WUbX[Yh]bgd]fYXp6m8Uj]X6Uhh]bc
ike many musicians, you probably have
dozens of half-nished songs gathering
dust on your hard drive. But dig deeper,
and those abandoned ris, grooves, and chord
progressions can be a gold mine of inspiration.
After all, something in the original recording
caught your ear enough to make you save it.
One easy way to exploit your old record-
ings is to slice them up into loops that you can
layer into new compositions (see Step-by-Step
Instructions below). For the most exibility,
its best to work from multitrack recordings, but
Ive pulled some rousing loops from complete
mixes. The theme on my 2005 Art of Digital
Music DVD soundtrack came from a demo I
recorded back in 1991, enhanced with more
modern sounds.
But the power of loop construction kits real-
ly hit home when tech pundit Sam Levin asked
me to help him whip up a demo of Looptastic,
an iPhone remixing app I helped design (see
Fig. 1). Levin was booked on the Cranky Geeks
show and wanted to impress Head Crank John
Dvorak, who delights in bashing products.
Figuring everyone pays special attention
to his own voice, I sampled Dvorak boasting
and sputtering from an old episode, and then
massaged the syllables into rhythmic loops
in Ableton Live (see Ums the Word from
the February 2008 issue of EM, available at
emusician.com). I also sampled a few bars
of the shows theme musica polka riand
added my own drum loops and countermelodies
in Ableton Live to create a loop construction kit.
When Levin loaded the kit into Looptastic and
performed a live remix on the show, Dvorak and
the other cranks burst into smiles. They even
replaced the shows outro with the remix (see
bit.ly/cranktastic).
Loop Before You Leap
How do you create the components for loop
construction kits? Rule number one is to
keep the performances simple, says Jason
Donnelly of Peace Love Productions, who
designed almost all the Looptastic factory
loops. Use one to three notes in a single key
signature. Use only one or two chords, prefer-
ably simple triads. Make most performances
resolve to the root notethat will make loops
from dierent kits more compatible.
STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS
STEP 3: Record variations
of selected parts on new
tracks.
STEP 1: Isolate a 4- or 8-bar section of your
song in a DAW, or create a new region.
STEP 2: Identify the hook and
record complementary tracks
(drums, percussion, bass, melodies,
chords, sound eects, etc.).
39 05.10 | EMUSICIAN.COM |
Doug Morton of Q-Up Arts agrees. Leave
enough space in the parts to allow users to
create their own custom mix, he says. If the
parts are too signature or complex, the control
is lessened.
For most genres, Donnelly creates basic
stems such as drums, bass, percussion, synth,
guitar, brass, and piano. He especially likes
percussion and sound eects because they are
simple layers that can help create lls between
part changes. They are also good for creating
intros and breakdowns.
Donnelly says two variations per loop (an
A and B section) are usually enough. More
than that can complicate layering because
its harder to ensure that all the combinations
will mesh. He also favors simple drum beats.
I will often mix kick and snare as one loop in
Looptastic, he explains. Ill then have a sepa-
rate hi-hat loop that can be added or removed
easily to create a desired dynamic eect. Crash
cymbals are good on the downbeat, if you make
the loop long enough to let the decay ring out.
The longer your loops, the less repetitious
theyre likely to sound. But see Web Clip 1 for
tips on spinning even 4- or 8-bar loops into
exciting performances.
Mixing for Eect
Construction kits to me are mini song ideas,
Donnelly says. I often start with a beat because
its the backbone and can double as a metro-
nome. The recording process is the same as
recording a full-length song: Mix the track levels
and EQs just as if you were mixing the tune for
an album. Use small amounts of compression
on each track. Adjust levels so the master mix
is just below unity. Add a limiter to the master
channels, set for a slight amount of limiting.
Regarding eects, Donnelly advises, Use
as little effects processing as possible so
theres more exibility for nal production
unless the eect adds a necessary character-
istic, such as tempo-synched delay.
Morton says he covers the bases by oer-
ing both dry and eected versions of loops.
Ableton Live has a slick render as loop
feature that wraps echoes and reverb tails
around to the beginning of the loop to pre-
vent ugly cutos when the loop repeats. For
other sample editors, Donnelly suggests this
clever workaround: I always record my per-
formances twice and keep just the second
repetition, he says. That gives the loop a
seamless looping point. You will get some
of the eect on the rst downbeat, but in
most cases thats not as noticeable as a jerky
loop point.
So don t let your abandoned songs
decompose on your hard drive. Instead,
tear them apart and recompose them. You
may be surprised how many new ideas that
brings about.
David Battino (batmosphere.com) thanks
Jason Donnelly of Peace Love Productions
(plploops.com) and Doug Morton of Q-Up Arts
(quparts.com) for their looping tips.
STEP 6: Apply
a fast fade to
the loop end if
necessary.
STEP 4: Adjust levels and apply
eects to each track.
FIG. 1: Looptastic Producer (soundtrends.com; $14.99) can mix
up to 20 loops at once. You can load original loops over Wi-Fi or via
AudioPaste from compatible apps.
STEP 5: Export individual tracks,
load into a sampler or looping
program, and listen for glitches.
DOWNLOAD A CUSTOM LOOP CONSTRUCTION KIT AND READ REMIXING TIPS EMUSICIAN.COM/BONUS_MATERIAL
40 | EMUSICIAN.COM | 05.10
GCIB889G=;BKCF?G<CD
Anything Goes
7gcibX]gUd`Um[fcibXZcfUiX]cj]g]cbUf]Ygp6m>]a5]_]b
ne of the best-kept secrets in computer-based
sound design is Csound. A powerful tool for syn-
thesis and experimental composing, Csound
(Mac/Win/Linux) is a free download from csounds.com.
Csound will do modular synthesis with an unlimited
number of oscillators, lters, waveshapers, envelope gen-
erators, and so forth. It will do sample playback, granular
synthesis, FM, resynthesis, physical modeling, and even
more esoteric types of synthesis. It comes with hundreds
of specialized modules and has an ultraclean, high-res
sound. You can use it in the studio or play it in real time
with MIDI and mouse-operated knobs and sliders.
Now for the bad news: Csound doesnt offer a
friendly user interface. Youll need to learn to create
sounds by typing lines of computer code. The documen-
tation is extensive and cross-linked for easy navigation in
a browser, but its often terse and dicult to understand.
Even getting Csound to send audio to your computers
audio hardware may require some trial and error.
Up Front
Several front ends for Csound make the workow easier.
The QuteCsound interface (Mac/Win, free) is both a code
editor and a playback system. It also allows you to cre-
ate a panel of mouse-controlled sliders. The sliders will
be handy if youre using Csound in live performance, but
their output wont be stored in your Csound instruments,
so you cant easily use them for sound programming.
Also worth a look is a front end called Blue (Mac/
Win/Linux, free). In Blue, you arrange the phrases of a
Csound score on a multitrack timeline that looks and
operates like a conventional sequencer. Blue also has a
piano-roll editor, algorithmic phrase processing, and a
built-in FM synthesizer with a user-friendly front panel.
Neither front end eliminates the need to learn
Csound, which is both a text-based programming lan-
guage and a library of modules called opcodes. The
Csound community has an active mailing list where
experienced users can answer your questions.
Modular Synthesis
Csounds opcodes have inputs and outputs. The outputs
are on the left, followed by the name of the opcode, fol-
lowed by a list of inputs. Heres a line of code:
aout oscil kamp, kcps, 1
That line adds an oscillator to your instrument. The
symbol aout is like an audio patch cord. It passes the out-
put of the opcode, called oscil, to the input of any other
opcode in the instrument youre creating. The inputs to
oscil (like control patch cords) are an amplitude (kamp)
and a frequency (kcps). Those would come from some
other module. Values that begin with k are control sig-
nals. The nal value, 1, tells oscil what waveform to use.
Build a mixer using a plus sign. Change the level of
a signal using an asterisk. To mix two audio signals while
controlling their amplitudes, write something like this:
amix = (a1 * klevel1) + (a2 * klevel2)
If that way of working doesnt intimidate you, youre
well on your way to Csound mastery.
Patch cords can link multiple Csound instruments
together in performance; you use them like aux eect
sends. Csound also includes a text-based sequencer, in
which you can write music by typing lists of events.
Granular Synthesis
Csound includes several opcodes that do granular syn-
thesis, but even after consulting Richard Boulangers
700-page Csound Book, I wasnt happy with the sound of
my experiments. So I built my own granular synthesizer
from scratch. I created one instrument that would play a
single grain of sound drawn from a sampled waveform,
and another instrument that generated a rapid stream
of note events, triggering the grain instrument.
I used a Csound opcode called random to control
the grains length, start point, panning, and amplitude.
I ended up with a babbling cloud of vocal sounds, which
I saved as a WAV le by clicking QuteCsounds Render
button (see Web Clips 1 through 4).
Csound users often share instrument designs and
complete scores with one another. Patience is required,
but the results are worth the eort.
Jim Aikin writes about electronic music, plays classical
cello, and has a mystery novel looking for a publisher.

The cross-platform
QuteCsound front end for Csound
has syntax coloring, built-in mouse
widgets, one-click audio le render-
ing, an info line, and other useful
features. The code editor is in the
center pane, the manual is on the
right, and Csounds output (produced
as your le is being played back or
rendered to disk) is at the bottom.
HEAR EXAMPLES FROM CSOUND AND GET THE CODE USED TO CREATE THEM EMUSICIAN.COM/BONUS_MATERIAL
42 | EMUSICIAN.COM | 05.10
8"="M"AIG=7=5B
S
o you just nished recording and mas-
tering your latest track, and you know
others will love it as much as you do.
You just need to get it out there. So whats your
rst stop? Radio, right? Not necessarily.
Getting played on radio is an expensive
and time-consuming process. Commercial
radio is all but shut out for those not on a
major label or with beaucoup bucks to spend.
Even college radiothe place on the dial most
open to new musicis dicult to break into.
The good news is that theres a quicker way to
reach new ears, one thats easily within your
reach: podcasts.
DON'1 1OUCH 1HA1 DlAL
Podcasts are the new radio of the Internet.
Anyone who ever dreamed of having their own
radio show has started one, and because of this,
you can nd podcasts on just about any topic.
Some podcasts have tens or even hundreds of
thousands of listeners. And heres the kicker:
Podcasters have to get permission to legally
play songs, which most labels rarely grant. As a
result, podcasters are hungry for original music
that they can legally use. If you make yours avail-
able to them, you can get it played and in front of
new audiences with relatively little eort.
There are three methods to get your music
on podcasts. The simplest, and most passive,
is to upload your tunes to a podsafe collective.
These are websites that let podcasters browse
music that is podsafe (that is, music that is
pre-cleared for podcasters to use). In return
for using the music on their show, theyll plug
your music and often provide a purchase link
for your music on their website. There are two
active podsafe communities that you can use:
musicalley.com and podsafeaudio.com. Once
you read the legalese and decide that youre
comfortable with it, you can upload your music.
Then, podcasters who use these services can
discover your material based on the keywords
youve entered to describe your songs.
Method two is to focus on music podcasts.
These are shows run by true fans who love dis-
covering and exposing new music. Visit sites
such as podcastalley.com or podcastpickle.com
and search the music category for podcasts in
your style. If you nd one that ts, go to that
podcasts website and follow the submission
guidelines. Keep in mind that podcasts with
large audiences are inundated with submis-
sions. Also, submission guidelines vary; some
will have you upload an MP3 and ll in elds
on a webpage, while others will ask you to email
them. Whatever the process, follow it carefully.
Making their life easier raises your chances of
getting played.
WlDE WOPLD OF 1ALK
But theres no need to stop with music pod-
casts. Every podcast needs musiceven talk
shows. Reach out to these shows and oer
your music directly. Many talk podcasts insert
music as a break in the middle of the show,
and others want themes and beds to talk over.
Search the podcast sites mentioned above for
shows that either interest you or are related
to your music. Talk podcasts rarely have sub-
mission guidelines, so just reach out with
an informal email. Familiarize yourself with
the podcast rst, and then oer your music
based on how you think it would complement
the show. Unlike music podcasts, if you get
played, yours is likely to be the only music
featured, which will make it stand out in the
minds of listeners.
When you do get played on a podcast,
cross-promote! Blog about it and link to the
podcast episode on your site. Not only do you
inform your fans, but you expose the podcast
to new listeners, making it easier for you when
you go back to your new podcaster friend in the
future for more plays.
The best part of all is that podcasters that
like your songs often request more of them. Just
think, when was the last time a radio station
asked you for more of your music?
Randy Chertkow and Jason Feehan are authors
of The Indie Band Survival Guide: The Complete
Manual for the Do-It-Yourself Musician and The
D.I.Y. Music Manual, and founders of the open
and free musician resource IndieGuide.com.
The New Radio
Gidd`m]b[dcXWUghYfgk]h\aig]WWUb\Y`d[YhmcifhibYghch\YaUggYg
6m>Ugcb:YY\UbUbXFUbXm7\Yfh_ck
SOFTWARE
COMPUTERS
MICROPHONES
INTERFACES
When it comes to the B&H sales staf, knowledge and experience are a given.
We ofer unparalleled expertise and solutions for the Pro Audio professional.
Visit our SuperStore in the heart of NYC, give us a call, or browse our
newly expanded Web site featuring live assistance, and experience for
yourself the most knowledgeable and helpful sales staf anywhere.
bhphotovideo.com
Shop conveniently online
420 Ninth Ave, NYC
Visit Our SuperStore
800-947-5509
Speak to a Sales Associate

2
0
1
0

B

&

H

F
o
t
o

&

E
l
e
c
t
r
o
n
i
c
s

C
o
r
p
.

J
N
6
7
4
44 | EMUSICIAN.COM | 05.10
7CADCG9FGDCH@=;<H
Coast to Coast
5ZhYfgh]bhg]bBYkMcf_UbXD\cYb]l>UgcbAcgg\]hg\]gghf]XY]b@"5"
6mGUfU\6Ybni`m
J
ason Moss didnt always want to be a
composer; he wanted to be a rock-star
vocalist and guitarist. But while attend-
ing a state college in New Jersey, he began
interning at dierent music-production compa-
nies in New York City and the composing bug
hit. With the help of mentor Cli Sardewith
whom Moss just nished an album, Smoke n
Function (Mesa Blue Moon, 2010)he was able
to hone his chops, with such gigs as work for Fox
Sports, commercials, documentaries (Juvies
and The Business of Being Born), and episodic
TV; you can check out his reels at sister site
reel-exchange.com. EM spoke with Moss just
days before his new site, supersonicnoise.com
(see Fig. 1), was to go live, and talked to him
about his game plan for his composing work,
nding new work, and his studio setup.
So you currently live in L.A. When
did you move away from New York?
In 1996, I moved to Phoenix and I really
blossomed there because I was a big sh in
a small pond. I became a director of music
for an educational network owned by Simon
and Schuster. I basically started out doing
kids music for this Sesame Street-meets-
Discovery Channel network, and it broadcast
educational content live into the classroom.
It was really innovative, and as their pro-
gramming grew, I became their go-to music
guy. And then I started doing outside adver-
tising work, and Im also a singer, so I did
some session work.
And in 2000, I said, Ive done everything
I can here. It was either back to New York
or L.A. I did an album in 1997 at the Village
Recorder [L.A.] with Cli [Sarde] producing
it, and I was like, Oh, my god. The Eagles,
Jackson Browne! Okay, Im here! It was that
Southern California vibe that captured me.
So I moved in 2000 and basically lived on a
friends couch, and I put my studio up in her
bathroom and started hustling. My rst big
gig was the NFL Open on Fox, which ran for
three or four seasons. Thats how I got in with
Fox Sports. I did the Super Bowl opener for
Super Bowl XXXVI and a whole bunch of little
stu for them.
How would you describe your
composing style?
My school is that of CBGBs; Im not an edu-
cated, trained guy like half the composers
out there. Half the chords Im playing, I dont
even know what Im playing [laughs]. I dont
want to think too much while Im writing;
everybody always thinks too much. Thats
what works for me.
How did the Super Sonic Noise
company come about?
You need to gure out how to sell yourself. I
started Moss Man Music, which is one of my
publishing companies, and then I met some
business partners that had a company called
Jason Moss says
his view on gear is
less is more, and he
tries to keep as high-
quality a signal path
as possible.
45 05.10 | EMUSICIAN.COM |
Super Sonic Music and Super Sonic Media
Group and joined them in 2003. They went
their separate ways and I was basically given
the nameSuper Sonic Media Groupand I
turned it into Super Sonic Noise. I was signed
to a music house in Venice [Calif.] called
Machine Head for a few years and they rep-
resented me for commercials, but my TV and
lm work were still [under] my own business.
And with Machine Head, I was really
able to grow as a composer and did a tre-
mendous amount of commercials. It was
really an education of a lifetime because
you were basically thrown into the middle of
a re without any retardant. I did Super Bowl
spots; every caliber of commercials that I
always dreamt of doing. Its really helped
my career even to this day, even though I do
maybe a dozen or so commercials a year. The
commercials were really fascinating to work
on. I love short-form and long-form; Im just
lucky to work in both.
1ell me about your catalog.
My attitude is this is like an indie label of com-
posers. I have a ton of material in there. I have
a couple of composers who have written for
the catalog. I have some other guys who will
be contributing. But the catalog has just been
released and is being represented by Fuze Artz,
and thats another company a friend of mine
started. Its a boutique catalogabout 800
tracks and growingbut its really tight. Ive
also done stu for Nettwerk, FirstCom and Fox,
and they have some good stu, but Im just
focusing on the Super Sonic Noise catalog, as
far as licensing goes.
Other than your own
sound library, what
else do you work
with?
I love all the Spectrasonics
stu; theyre brilliant. Im an
Apple guy, a Logic guy. I love
[XLN Audio] Addictive Drums;
its a brilliant piece of soft-
ware for not a lot of money.
Im using the Project Sound
stu, which is great for non-
orchestral guys like me to get
the avor.
1alk about your studio setup.
I have a room in my home; its real simple,
modest. If I have to do sessions, I can always
go to a studio. But I can do 90 percent here
live guitars, bass, acoustic instruments,
vocals. If I have to do ensembles, Ill go
somewhere else. I just work out of the house
because it doesnt pay to have the overhead
unless youre doing two ABC showsits
just too much of a challenge. Eventually, I
wouldnt mind looking into a space or build-
ing a larger space on my property. I get a little
stir crazy, but who doesnt?
So Logic is your primary software?
Everythings in the box using Logic [see Fig.
2]. Ive been using Logic since I was like six
years old [laughs]; I started at [version] 3.4
or 3.5. Back in 1996, my buddy got me into
Logic. From Pro Tools to Logic, I think theyre
all wonderful; its basically about how youre
introduced to it and how comfortable you are
with it. For me, Logic
is just what I know.
Its like a wife; youre
comfortable with it.
My system is
six hard drives, a
control ler, [Grace
Design] preamps.
Everything is sim-
ple, clean; I think
less is more. My
controller is an old
Roland SPX-60 key-
board. I still have it
because I like using the arpeggiator on it.
The quality of my gear is in my signal path,
for which I use an RME Fireface 800. I just
want to hear things clearly and dont want
a lot of obstruction; I just want to be able
to record a guitar or any analog instrument
really cleanly.
Are you using social networking
to get new gigs?
Oh, sure. YouTube has been really great to be
able to showcase the music for picture jobs.
MySpace, Facebook, and LinkedIn, Ive used
extensively. I just cant get on the Twitter
bandwagon because its like, Okay, its way
too much now. When the new site launches,
I want to be able to promote the site and new
work through that. Ive done a few remixes and
I started a side project called the Cinematic
Noise Orchestra. I started a MySpace page for
that, which has remixes and more electronic
avant-garde music.
What do you consider the most
challenging aspect of your work?
Getting work, obviously. But maintaining
consistency of the relationship so theres a
sense of loyalty. What you want is that John
Williams/Steven Spielberg relationship. This
is your guy, and theyll come back to you. And
theyll come back because you do great music
and you deliver, as well as because youre a
team player, youre not in your ego, and they
like you. Its really about they enjoy who you
are and what you represent; great music is
the icing on the cake.
FIG. 1: Heres a page from Moss new site, supersonicnoise.com, which
will be live by the time you read this.
WATCH VIDEO SAMPLES OF MOSS SCORING WORK EMUSICIAN.COM/BONUS_MATERIAL
FIG. 2: Moss does his music production in Apple Logic Pro. Heres a screenshot from
a Bounty ad he scored.
46 | EMUSICIAN.COM | 05.10
BUh]jY=bghfiaYbhg
Komplebe 6 (Moc/Win)
J]fhiU`!]bghfiaYbhUbXYZZYWhgVibX`YhU_YgUaU^cf`YUdZcfkUfX
6m@YbGUggc
his latest upgrade of Native Instruments
(NI) Komplete series continues the tra-
dition of delivering all of the companys
virtual-instrument and effects software in a
single, attractively priced bundle. Komplete 6
includes the synths Absynth 5, FM8, and
Massive; sample-based instruments Battery 3
and Kontakt 4; the all-purpose effects rack
Guitar Rig 4 Pro; and the be-all and end-all of
synth, sampler, and efects construction kits,
Reaktor 5. Te bundle price is lower than the
cost of either Reaktor or Kontakt together with
any one of the other products, or as Native
Instruments likes to put it, kompletely insane.
Individual product updates are free, and regular
low-cost upgrades make it painless to stay up to
date with Native Instruments newest sofware.
Tis year brings a 50-percent price reduction
and some signifcant changes to the lineup. Virtual
instruments Akoustik Piano, Elektrik Piano, B4 II,
and Pro 53 have been discontinued, although
Elektrik Piano is included as a Kontakt 4 instru-
ment. (You can purchase Kontakt 4 versions of the
sampled pianos in Akoustik Piano separately or
as a bundle.) Te legacy versions of the discontin-
ued instruments still work on all current systems,
including Windows 7 and Mac OS X 10.6 Snow
Leopard. I used a 2.66GHz quad-core Mac Pro
running OS X Leopard 1.5.8 for this review.
Komplete 6 brings three major upgrades
to the table: Absynth 5, Kontakt 4, and
Guitar Rig 4 Pro. Ill give special attention to the
frst two, and EM editor Mike Levine will cover
Guitar Rig 4 Pro in detail in the sidebar of the
same name (see p. 48).
All seven products in Komplete 6 are provid-
ed in standalone, as well as AU, VST, and RTAS
plug-in formats for Mac OS X and Windows.
Te accompanying sound library ofers upward
of 7,000 presets and includes 60GB of sample
content. Te synths share the categorized sound
browser introduced in NI Kore 2, whereas Kontakt,
Battery, Guitar Rig Pro, and Reaktor ofer brows-
ing tailored to their individual operation. Kore 2
users have access to all of the Komplete 6 presets
from within Kore, but it can take some work to
keep these two databases in sync.
Synthesis
Sof synths FM8, Massive, and Absynth come
close to covering the bases in synthesis tech-
niques. Both FM 8 and Absynth are also provided
as efects plug-ins for processing external audio.
FM8 is an enhanced version of NIs frst emula-
software instruments and eects bundle
$559 (MSRP)
$169 upgrade (MSRP)
PROS: Top-notch collection of instruments and
eects. Enormous sound library with categorized
browsing. Kore 2 integration. Low-cost
upgrade path.
CONS: Komplete mastery takes some eort.
FEATURES 2 3 /
EASE OF USE 2 3 /
QUALITY OF SOUNDS 2 3 /
VALUE 2 3 /
native-instruments.com
C||| 1u || ||1||5

Amazing; as good as it gets with current technology
/
Clearly above average; very desirable
3
Good; meets expectations
2
Somewhat disappointing but usable

Unacceptably awed
47 05.10 | EMUSICIAN.COM |
tion of the Yamaha DX7, the FM7. You can dive
down to the operator level on the Expert page to
design your own FM8 sound from the ground
up, DX7 style. Alternatively, you can pick one of
the 960 factory presets and control its essentials
from the Master page, add Efects on the efects
page, throw in some arpeggiation, and tweak
it further, as well as morph it with three other
sounds on the Easy/Morph page. Youll fnd a
full review of FM8 in the September 2007 EM
(this and all other referenced reviews are avail-
able at emusician.com).
Massive, reviewed in the May 2007 EM, is
the newest NI synth. It is a subtractive synth that
features anti-aliased wavetable oscillators with
an adaptable scheme for morphing through
the waveforms in the wavetable. You can con-
tinuously adjust the feed to the second of its two
flters between the source mix and the output
of the frst flter. Te signal path ofers many
other options, including a variety of feedback
routings, branch points, and efects permuta-
tions. The audio-rate Modulation Oscillator
and drag-and-drop effects routing for enve-
lopes, LFOs, and step sequencers provide lots of
motion. Although designed especially for basses
and leads, Massive is capable of far more, as its
library of more than 600 presets makes clear.
Absynth, released in 2000 by developer
Brian Clevingers Rhizomatic Software, gar-
nered an immediate cult following as the go-to
synth for strangeness, especially in long, evolving
sounds. Ive been a fan since I reviewed Absynth 1
in the March 2001 EM, and its gotten better and
better during its four generations as an NI prod-
uct. Version 5 expands the sound library; adds
efects, a new flter, and flter feedback; and intro-
duces a powerful mutation paradigm for design-
ing new sounds without lifing the hood.
Billed as semimodular, Absynths signal
path has 12 module slots arrayed in three verti-
cal oscillator channels of three slots each, with
a 3-slot horizontal master-
efects channel at the bot-
tom (see Fig. 1). Te top
oscillator-channel slots
provide the source audio,
with options as diverse as
single or dual oscillators,
modulation (FM, ring,
fractal), standard and
granular sample playback,
and external audio input.
Te proceeding two slots
hold processors chosen
from 19 modulator, flter,
and waveshaper efects. Te frst two master-
channel slots have access to the same selection
of processors, whereas the third slot holds one
of Absynths infamous collection of special
effects: Pipe, Multicomb, Multitap, Echoes,
Resonators, or Aetherizer (new in Absynth 5).
You can bypass slots to save CPU; the simplest
patch (the default new sound) comprises a
single oscillator.
The Aetherizer is a granular feedback-
delay efect, and the new Cloud flter is based
on the same technology. In short, they granu-
lize the input with varying grain sizes and tim-
ing, pitch-shif the grains, and route them both

FIG. 2: Kontakt 4s larger instrument GUIs make for cleaner layouts and
more controls.
LISTEN TO EXAMPLES FROM KOMPLETE 6 EMUSICIAN.COM/BONUS_MATERIAL
FIG. 1: Absynths modules are ar-
ranged in three vertical oscillator
channels, with a horizontal master-
eects channel at the bottom.
48 | EMUSICIAN.COM | 05.10
?CAD@9H9*
back through the process and to the output,
which is equipped with bandpass, lowpass,
and comb flters, as well as its own feedback
delay. Te resulting grain cloud may slightly
aerate or completely decimate your sound (see
Web Clip 1).
Absynths Mutator takes the notion of one-
click sound design to a new level. You select
attributes in the browser (producing a list of
matching presets), choose which module slots to
efect, and set amount sliders for mutation and
randomization, and then you click the Mutate
button. Te current preset is morphed based on
the sounds in the matching presets list. Absynth
lets you retry the mutation until youre satis-
fed, and it keeps a history of your mutations.
Mutation is not as precise as tweaking a preset,
but its a fast way to get usable variations.
Guitar Rig 4 Pro (GR4), the latest incarnation of NIs amp-and-eects
modeling software, oers a slightly darker-looking GUI, three new amp
models (two in versions prior to 4.0.8, which should be out by the time
you read this), four new eects, and a slew of new presets. Perhaps the
most notable addition, though, is the Control Room component, which
contains both cabinet models and an array of mic models, and lets you
select which mics to use on a cabinet, how to pan them, and more.
Guitar Rig oers myriad options for just about everything, and
Control Room is no exception. It gives you a more exible alternative
to the Matched Cabinet and Cabinets Mics components, although it
provides fewer cabinet models (eight) than either of them. It gives
you up to eight simultaneous mic choices (way more than any cabinet
modeling component in previous versions), including emulations of
a Royer 121 and a beyerdynamic M 160the rst ribbon mic models
ever oered in Guitar Rigas well as Neumann U 47 and Sennheiser
421 models, among others. (Like other modeling software, Guitar Rig
doesnt contain the actual names of the units being modeled, but
gives names that leave no doubt as to what they are modeled from.)
Each mic in Control Room has its own channel strip comprising a
pan knob, a volume slider, and mute and solo switches. You can dial
up your own mix of the mics to get the tone you want (with no phase
problems), and using the pan controls you can set up a pretty wide-
sounding track from a mono source (great for rhythm guitar parts
that you want to sound larger).
Control Room is a digital emulation of the carefully phase-
aligned multimic cabinet setups of German guitar-recording guru
Peter Weihe. To preserve the phase alignment between mics,
Control Room doesnt oer the ability to move a mics virtual position-
ing, something you can do in some other amp simulators. But you do
get global control over Volume, Bass, and Air (room sound), and the
tweaking possibilities are quite extensive (see Web Clip A).
The new cabinet models are all Marshall emulations. Cool Plex
(which wasnt in the rst release of Guitar Rig 4, but will be intro-
duced in 4.0.8) and Hot Plex oer Marshall Plexi variations, with the
latter oering a higher gain alternative. Both sound quite good and
add some subtle dierences to GR4s amp palette. Jump, like
Guitar Rigs Lead 800 model, emulates a Marshall JCM800, but to my
ear oers a fuller sound. By setting its gain switch to Lo, you can get
some pretty convincing clean tones, as well.
New eects abound, making Guitar Rig even more of a sound-
shaping playground than before. These new components mainly tread
into sound-design territory, especially Grain Delay, which uses granu-
lar slicing, pitch shifting, and modulation to oer up some pretty
unusual sounds (see Web Clip B). Twin Delay oers parallel delay
lines and makes it super-easy to set up excellent stereo eects.
Iceverb emulates the sonics of an icy cave. Its pretty cool-sounding
(no pun intended) and gives you an unusual color, but its more of a spe-
cial eect than a bread-and-butter reverb. Octaverb has eight dierent
small-room emulations and provides some very nice ambience options.
Version 4 introduces true-stereo processing to Guitar Rig, which
makes it more attractive for use on stereo sources of all types. Unlike
previous versions, you can opt for mono-to-mono rather than mono-
to-stereo input/output congurations.
There is also new support for NIs Rig Kontrol 2 and 3 pedals (I
wasnt able to test this feature), and a new Master FX module (also
to be introduced in 4.0.8), which lets you set up preset eects chains
that can be globally bypassed. Overall, Guitar Rig 4 Pro (especially
4.0.8 and beyond) is a signicant and worthy update, and makes a
strong program even better. By Mike Levine
;i]hUfF][(Dfc
FIG. A: In this screenshot from Guitar Rig 4 Pro, you see several of the new
components including Hot Plex, Control Room, Grain Delay, and Iceverb.
49 05.10 | EMUSICIAN.COM |
Sampling
It seems that every virtual-instrument manu-
facturer has its own approach to drums-and-
percussion sofware, and Battery is a formi-
dable contender. It is a cell-based, percussion-
oriented sample player (no slick kit graphic,
room miking setups, or built-in sequencer)
in which you configure a color-coded pad
matrix to trigger the cells, and then load each
cell with as many as 128 samples for layering,
cross fading, or velocity switching. Each cell has
its own trigger-mode, grouping, articulation,
echo, and humanize controls, as well as sepa-
rate tabs for playback, sample mapping, wave-
form and loop editing, modulation, and efects
processing. Te 12GB sample library is catego-
rized in the browser by both type (acoustic,
electronic, percussion, etc.) and source (previ-
ous Battery generations, artist kits, user librar-
ies, and so on). Battery 3 is an excellent (and
cost-efective) tool for managing both percus-
sion and sound efects. Check out the details in
the online version of the Komplete 4 review.
Kontakt is one of a few go-to soft-
ware samplers on the marketvirtually all
major sample libraries include Kontakt ver-
sions. Kontakt 4 is the second significant
upgrade since EM reviewed Komplete 4
and Kontakt 3 in August 2007 and March
2008, respectively. Kontakt 3.5, a free update
reviewed online in September 2009, can access
32GB of RAM using its built-in memory
manager; fully integrates Kontakt Player, letting
you access KP instruments directly from its
browser; implements MIDI Learn for all knobs
and sliders; and ofers true multi processor sup-
port in standalone mode.
Kontakt 4 ups the ante with 10GB of
additional sample content, including the
new Choir collection, solo strings from VSL,
a concert organ, and a Mellotron. Te con-
volution reverb comes with 300 additional
IR samples. Instrument control panels are
larger, providing access to more controls
(see Fig. 2), and the Kontakt Script Language
(KSL) offers more options to create those
panels. Furthermore, the GUI is redesigned
to accommodate more sophisticated control
panels from third-party instrument develop-
ers. Database management is much improved
with an attribute-based browser and pre-
tagged library (a vast improvement over the
previous Quick Load system). And proving
its the little things that count, you can now
stretch the GUI at will rather than select just
three preset sizes (yes!).
The most significant new feature is
Authentic Expression Technology (AET), which
lets you impose the spectral characteristics of
one sound on another and morph between them
in real time (see Web Clip 2). Not only does that
let you creatively manipulate the harmonic fa-
vor of a sound, it also allows for more transpar-
ent velocity transitions than crossfading ofers.
Youll fnd Master Classes on Kontakt efects
processing and AET in the April 2010 issue and
on the KSL in the February 2008 issue.
And Beyond
Reaktor is the unsung hero in Native
Instruments stable. Creating instruments and
efects in Reaktor is dif cult and time consum-
ing, but it comes loaded with dozens of fac-
tory sof synths and efects (called Ensembles),
and theyre no harder to learn and use than
other Komplete 6 elements. Many NI products
evolve from Reaktor projects. Te Kore instru-
ments Te Finger and Reaktor Spark are just
two examples, and the underlying Reaktor
Ensembles, which are included with the Kore
versions, have more features.
The factory offerings are highly evolved,
professional Ensembles with full documentation.
Tey include synths, sample manglers, groove
boxes, sequencers, and devices that defy descrip-
tion (see Fig. 3 and Web Clip 3). Tose are aug-
mented by a huge user library of free downloads
and a diverse selection of third-party products
(see this months Download of the Month on
p. 10 for one example). If you have Komplete,
dont overlook Reaktor; youll fnd sounds and
processes youll not see in standalone products,
including the other products in Komplete.
Komplete 6 brings enough improvements
to make upgrading a must, and the upgrade
price is the same from any previous version.
If you have none of the included products, or
have older versions of some, getting on the
Komplete bandwagon is well worth consider-
ing. No matter what kind of music you make,
Komplete 6 is an outstanding collection of
sound-production tools.
Len Sasso is a freelance writer and frequent
EM contributor. For a komplete sampling of his
music, visit swifkick.com.
In our reviews, prices are MAP or
street unless otherwise noted.

FIG. 3: Reaktor instruments and eects of all sizes and descriptions are in plentiful supply in the factory library
included with Komplete 6.
50 | EMUSICIAN.COM | 05.10
:cWigf]hY
So||re Pro 24 DSP
5bUiX]c]bhYfZUWYh\UhaU_Ygh\YacghcZ]hgVi]`h!]bdfcWYggcf
6m5g\Yf:i`Yfc
ne of the more recent developments
in the portable audio-interface market
has been the rise of units with built-in
DSP chips. Tese mini-powerhouses of silicon
processing are designed to offer zero-latency
input monitoring with comfort efects such as
reverb and compression, all without sapping
power from the host computers processor.
Focusrite has joined this movement, upgrad-
ing its Safre Pro 24 FireWire audio/MIDI inter-
face to the new Safre Pro 24 DSP. Te new model
adds a powerful onboard DSP chip, as well as a
second discrete headphone mix and Focusrites
all-new Virtual Reference Monitoring (VRM)
technology. You also get the software router/
mixer, Safre Mix Control. I found the half-rack-
sized Pro 24 DSP to be a viable candidate for
laptop producers called upon to track critical ele-
ments in less-than-ideal situations, ofering solid
performance and quality tones.
A Strong Foundation
Te new DSP version builds on the solid design
of the original Pro 24, ofering 16 inputs and
eight outputs. The Focusrite AD/DA conver-
sion features supertight internal clocking via
JetPLL jitter control to keep everything locked
and in-focus. You get two channels of Focusrite
FET-based microphone preamps with the same
boutique performance found in the other Safre
products. Te preamps are on analog channels 1
and 2 and ofer front-mounted mic/line combo
inputs with gain knobs and a +48V phantom-
power-enable button (one button for both chan-
nels; see Fig. 1). Impedance settings are adjusted
from within Safre Mix Control. Analog chan-
nels 3 and 4 use -inch rear inputs with switch-
able high/low gain from within the sofware.
Other inputs include eight channels of
ADAT Lightpipe optical and stereo S/PDIF
on RCA jacks. Using Safre Mix Control, the
FireWire audio/MIDI interface with DSP
PROS: Solid construction. Good-sounding mic
pres and converters/Jitter control. Optical ADAT
inputs. MixControl software is powerful.
CONS: Analog inputs 1 through 2 share a single
+48V button. Headphones share Output mixes and
are not separate. VRM usefulness is debatable.
FEATURES 2 3 /
EASE OF USE 2 3 /
AUDIO QUALITY 2 3 /
VALUE 2 3 /
focusrite.com

FIG. 1: The Sare Pro 24 DSP oers two Focusrite mic pres, a nice selection of I/O, and the companys new
Virtual Reference Monitoring technology.
51 05.10 | EMUSICIAN.COM |
Optical input can also be switched to operate
as S/PDIF inputs 3 and 4 for devices that need
it; similarly, both the Optical port and the RCA
outputs can be used to stream AC3-encoded 5.1
data to your external decoder. Tere are six rear-
mounted -inch analog outputs that will accept
TRS or TS cables, MIDI In and Out ports, and a
S/PDIF RCA stereo output (see Fig. 2).
Additionally, there are two discrete head-
phone outputs, each with its own -inch ste-
reo jack and volume knob. The front panel
also offers 5-step LED input meters (-42dB,
-18dB, -6dB, -3dB, 0dB) for each of the four
analog inputs, and a monitor section with a
volume knob and buttons for Dim and Mute,
both of which I found immensely useful.
The five front-panel knobs had a tightness
to them that made the whole thing feel quite
solid. There are also status LEDs for Power,
FireWire (FW), and LKD, the latter indicat-
ing when the unit is locked to either its inter-
nal or external clock.
Control the Mix
Despite its sparse panel controls, the Pro 24 DSP
is packed with features, most of which are adjust-
ed within the powerful Saffire Mix Control
sofware (see Fig. 3). You get complete routing
fexibility over all 16 inputs, routing them into
eight mono mix channels (or four stereo mixes,
re-combinable on the fy). Tere is a Routing
section with helpful presets and input settings,
a detailed monitoring section with control over
all six outputs and fexible presets for 5.1 set-
ups and more, plus complete onboard reverb
integration into all the mixes and outputs with
Size, Damping, and Pre-Filter knobs. However,
Saf re Mix Control ups the ante with two pow-
erful features that set it apart among drivers for
other devices in its category.
First is the Loopback channel, which can
take any of the Saf res physical or virtual inputs
(including Internet streams and outputs from a
DAW) and route them to inputs 15/16, allow-
ing reliably clocked inter-application audio
that is much more fexible and less processor-
intensive than using ReWire or Soundfower.
Ive not found a more reliable and simple FIG. 2: Despite the units compact size, the rear panel oers plenty of I/O choices.
FIND DETAILED PRODUCT SPECS EMUSICIAN.COM/BONUS_MATERIAL
The Sa re Pro 24 DSP is the rst Focusrite product to feature the com-
panys new Virtual Reference Monitoring (VRM) technology, which aims
to oer the experience of listening to speakers in a room environment
through headphones. The concept is similar to a hybrid of Antares
Mic Modeler and a convolution reverb. The designers used reference
micro phones to map the 3-D frequency output of a multitude of monitor
types. Then they combined it with computer models of various listening
environments (furniture, reections, etc.) and sealed it with a human
head model that re-creates how sound hits our ears.
You must be wearing headphones for the effect to work; its
not designed to function through speakers. Once enabled, VRM
offers three Room ModelsProfessional Studio, Bedroom Studio
(see Fig. A), and Living Roomeach with a selection of modeled
studio monitors from a master list. Actual models arent given
in the UI, but the manual lists them as ADAM, Alesis, Auratone,
Creative, Genelec, Goodmans, KEF, KRK, Phocus, Quested, Rogers,
Sterling, and Yamaha. Each room model offers several Listening
Positions (i.e. Centre @ 1.65m from speakers, or 1.2m back and
45cm right, etc.).
VRMs accuracy is impossible to gauge. Its really more like an
interesting reference tool. Im not sure I could say that it really made
me feel like I was sitting in the room listening to the speakers that I
selected, but could denitely hear the timbre and tone changes as I
surfed between them.
I enjoyed having the option of switching over to VRM as I was
working to check my mix in dierent-sounding spaces, and I got the
feeling that I was hearing about what it might sound like to sud-
denly have switched over to a atscreen TV in the living room from
the Genelecs in the professional studio, then to the KRKs in the
bedroom studio. But I wouldnt try to balance compressors or EQs
on a critical mix while VRM was enabled; it is more of a reference-
check tool, which I believe is what the designers intended. Either
way, its the infancy of what will hopefully become a really useful
headphone mixing option in the future, and something that curious
producers should take the time to test for themselves.
@]ghYb]b[]bJ]fhiU`GdUWYg
FIG. A: One of the virtual spaces oered is Virtual Bedroom Studio. Note the
pulldown list of monitor types.
52 | EMUSICIAN.COM | 05.10
G5::=F9DFC&(8GD
method for grabbing audio clips from online
streams or movie players directly into my DAW.
Te second impressive feature is the Input
FX channel that offers compressor and EQ
plug-ins on the analog input 1/2 channels (the
mic pres), even when in zero-latency moni-
toring mode and without requiring any pro-
cessing power from the host CPU. Both plug-
ins are modeled on classic Focusrite hardware
and can be enabled/disabled for monitoring
and recording separatelygreat for those
times when you really like the sound youre
getting in the headphones and want to capture
it to tape.
Power to Spare
Te bottom lef of the Saf re Mix Control win-
dow provides access to the Routing section and
the input FX controls using the input FX button
dropdown. Tis also enables the VRM, which is
a bit like the reverse of Mic Modeler: It models
listening situations and the efect of listening to
your mixes on a variety of studio monitors (see
sidebar Listening in Virtual Spaces on p. 51
for more about this).
The Monitoring section at the bottom
right of the software window offers a large
volume knob that corresponds to the physical
Monitor Volume knob on the unit, along with
the physical Mute and Dim buttons. Te six
color-coded, numbered buttons above repre-
sent which outputs are controlled by the knob
(blue), which are muted (red), and which are
set to their max output and not controlled by
the knob (gray). It should also be noted that
all settings, routings, mixes, and efects can
be simply saved from the File menu to a con-
venient .pro24v fle, which
can be reloaded at will.
Anot he r f e at ur e
enabled by the onboard
DSP chip is the ability
to operate in standalone
mode without a host
computer. The Save To
Hardware command in the
File menu will print your
current mix to the chip.
When restarted without a
host, the unit will operate
with whatever routing and
settings (including sample
rate, digital sync, input efects settings, VRM,
or anything else) were present when you ini-
tiated the command. Tis is extremely useful
in many diferent situations, including when
using the Pro 24 DSP as a routing matrix, a
standalone analog or digital mic preamp, a
standalone AD/DA converter, or even as a
practice tool. To make things more fexible,
the control sofware now supports connect-
ing multiple Saf re units to a single host with
shared sync and more. Tough they cannot
share a single zero-latency mix, they are able
to operate at zero latency independently while
working together.
I was happy with both the quality of the
sound and the quality of build: sturdy enough
for me to put it in my travel bag without fear of
serious damage but with the quality convert-
ers, mic pres, steady clocking, and connectiv-
ity that I would want to do actual tracking. Te
package also includes the collection of great
Focusrite VST plug-ins, as well as Ableton
Live Lite and several loop banks. At first, I
thought the addition of the DSP chip would be
a bit of a gimmick, but it certainly proved me
wrong in application; now Im not sure Id con-
sider buying a unit that didnt have one. Either
way, I think Focusrite has done a great job com-
bining the usability features into a small pack-
age that really delivers high-quality sound for
professional tracking.
Asher Fulero is a pianist/keyboardist and tech-
savvy electronic music producer with a long
rsum and endorsements from Moog and
Nord. Visit asherfulero.com to hear his newest
independent release, Te Green Piano.
FIG. 3: Routing and application of DSP is controlled through the
Sa re Mix Control software.
54 | EMUSICIAN.COM | 05.10
:UV:]`hYf
Pro-C I.I2 (Moc/Win)
JYfgUh]`Yd`i[!]bWcadfYgg]cbZcfa]l]b[UbXaUghYf]b[
6mA]W\UY`7ccdYf
oes the world need another compres-
sor plug-in? In the case of the FabFilter
Pro-C, the answer is a resounding,
Yes. Outstanding sound quality, parallel com-
pression, and unmatched sidechaining capabili-
ties are enough to raise mix engineers eyebrows.
But mastering engineers should also take note:
Pro-C is one of only a few plug-ins that ofers
high-quality mid-side (M-S) compression.
Pro-Cs 64-bit internal processing prom-
ises virtually unlimited headroom. Te cross-
platform plug-in comes in AU, RTAS, and VST
formats. I tested the AU version in MOTU
Digital Performer 6.02 using an 8-core 2.8GHz
Mac Pro running Mac OS X 10.5.4.
1hat's So Classic
Pro-C ofers three modes of compression: Opto,
Clean, and Classic (in ascending order of inher-
ent knee hardness). You can also choose a rela-
tively sofer or harder knee for each mode, as
well as tweak the input gain, input pan (for the
2-channel version), threshold, ratio (from 1:1
to infnity:1), and attack and release controls
for each mode. Te time constants for the three
compression modes are program-dependent
to varying degrees, but are also infuenced by
your manual settings. (Opto mode is the least
program-dependent and Classic is the most.)
A defeatable Auto-Release function tracks the
amount of gain reduction to further adjust the
release time.
Separate output-level and pan controls
are provided for compressed and unprocessed
signal paths, empowering you to fashion
parallel-compression effects. Activate the
Auto-Gain switch to have makeup gain auto-
matically applied to the compressed signal. In
M-S mode, the two output-pan controls become
balance controls for mid and side channels
compressor plug-in
$199
PROS: Excellent sound quality. Versatile. Parallel
compression. Unrivaled sidechaining capabilities.
Innovative, helpful displays.
CONS: Setups for internal sidechain linking and
M-S compression are complicated. Stereo and
M-S modes share many control settings, some
serving disparate functions.
FEATURES 2 3 /
EASE OF USE 2 3 /
AUDIO QUALITY 2 3 /
VALUE 2 3 /
fablter.com
FIG. 1: At the bottom of
Pro-Cs GUI, animated displays
dynamically show the value of
several I/O and compression
parameters.
55 05.10 | EMUSICIAN.COM |
levels. One pan control adjusts levels for com-
pressed mid and side channels, while the other
pan control sets levels for the unprocessed
M-S signals. For the uninitiated, M-S process-
ing separates a stereo input signal into center-
panned components (audio common to both
lef and right channels, called the mid channel)
and diference signals exclusive to each stereo
channel (called the side channel).
Beginning engineers will love Pro-Cs
insightful animated displays, which dynami-
cally update I/O and gain-reduction levels and
show the relationships between input levels and
current control settings for knee, threshold, and
ratio (see Fig. 1). Seasoned engineers may elect
to disable these displays and halve their GUI
footprint to focus their attention on Pro-Cs
LED-style I/O and gain-reduction meters.
On the Side
When you enable Expert mode, controls for
sidechaining and M-S operation appear in
the GUI (see Fig. 2). Te detectors can receive
input filtered by Pro-Cs adjustable internal
HPF and LPF sidechain flters, or they can be
keyed from any external source (for example,
another track) bused in to the plug-in by way
of a dropdown menu.
Pro-Cs internal sidechaining capabilities
are as fexible and powerful as those for any
hardware or sofware dynamics processor Ive
seen. Four continuously variable gain and pan
controls feed the detector inputs for lef and
right (or in M-S mode, mid and side) channels.
Te pan controls determine where each chan-
nels detector derives its signal, while the gain
controls adjust the level of signal received by
its recipient detector. For example, to compress
only the side channel with only that channel
feeding its own detector input, I frst turned the
gain for the mid channels detector all the way
down so it virtually wouldnt receive any input.
Ten I turned the side channels detector-pan
control fully right to the side-channel position,
limiting the detectors input to receiving side-
channel signal only.
Sound complicated? It is, but having so
many controls allows you to set up any side-
chain configuration imaginable. Examples
include cross-channel compression (for exam-
ple, the lef or mid channel triggering com-
pression in the right or
side channel, and vice
versa), channel link-
ing (each channels
detector input receives
signal from both chan-
nels at once), fully
unlinked channels, and
even somewhat-linked
channels (each chan-
nel feeding one or both
detectors to the degree
its gain control is turned
up in the sidechain sec-
tion). If all this sounds
too confusing to hassle
with, simply turn off
Expert mode and oper-
ate Pro-C in its default
stereo-linked mode.
Facilities for storing and recalling control
setups in A and B workspacesor alternative-
ly, as permanent presetsare provided. Pro-C
also allows you to control its parameters using
a MIDI controller; MIDI-learn functionality
aids setup.
l'm Crushed
Opto mode, with a soft knee, generally
sounded the most transparent on lead vocals.
Classic mode, with a hard knee and the inter-
nal HPF raised to 5kHz, provided world-
class de-essing that was ultratransparent and
effective.
Classic mode and parallel compres-
sion beautifully enhanced the crunch of
double-tracked, hard-panned electric guitars
while adding density. Te hard-knee setting
created a wonderful wall-of-sound effect
without thinning the sound too much. A
similar setup made drum-room mics sound
positively explosive.
Clean mode, with a sof knee, sounded the
most pleasing for stereo mastering, providing
transparent yet effective control. Rolling off
the bottom end in Pro-Cs sidechain made bass
transients trigger the compressor less, resulting
in a punchier sound.
Activating M-S mode, I could widen or
narrow the mix and compress only the mid
or side channel (or both). Tat said, using
Pro-Cs pan controls to adjust the balance
between mid and side levels seemed counter-
intuitive to me and caused unintended results
when switching between M-S and stereo
modes. For example, in M-S mode, turning
the output-pan control clockwise from the
noon position increased the side channels
level relative to that for the mid channel. But

FIG. 2: When you click on the Expert mode button, Pro-C minimizes its animated
displays and shows controls for sidechaining and M-S operation.
Pro-Cs
SIDECHAINING CAPABILITIES ARE
as powerful
AS ANY I VE SEEN.
56 | EMUSICIAN.COM | 05.10
DFC!7
when I switched to stereo mode to try some-
thing diferent, the retained (skewed) pan-
control setting threw the mixs imaging of to
the right. I could work around this workfow
snafu by storing my current stereo setup into
Pro-Cs A workspace and my M-S setup
into Pro-Cs B workspace (always using the
workspaces to switch modes).
For M-S mastering applications, a better
and more intuitive design for Pro-C would be
to use the output-level controls for M-S level
balancing. You could then use the output-pan
controls to adjust imaging for the side channel.
You can use the input-pan control as is to cen-
ter the mid channel.
In addition, Pro-C arbitrarily retains
sidechain control settings when switching
between stereo and M-S modes. As these
modes ofen require diferent setups, this is
not optimal. Again, the A and B workspaces
provide a workaround.
Something for Everyone
Pro-C sounds outstanding on a wide variety
of individual tracks and full mixes. Innovative
displays aid the beginner in understanding
basic compression setups. A boon to profes-
sional mastering engineers, Pro-C is one of
the few plug-ins that currently offers M-S
compression, and its sidechaining capabili-
ties for both stereo and M-S processing are
unequaled.
Tat said, Pro-Cs Expert mode would be
much more user-friendly if it had indepen-
dent sidechain, level, and pan controls for
stereo and M-S modes. Te GUIs implemen-
tation of M-S balance control is particularly
fawed. Mix engineers who never touch M-S
processing, however, will fnd Pro-Cs GUI to
be nearly faultless.
Despite its interface shortcomings, Ill con-
tinue to use Pro-C (including its M-S process-
ing) in my professional workthe tradeofs are
worth it. Pro-C is a versatile and wonderful-
sounding plug-in that, most notably, flls an
important gap in current mastering oferings.
And at $199, the price is right.
EM contributing editor Michael Cooper
is the owner of Michael Cooper Recording
in Sisters, Ore. Visit him at myspace.com/
michaelcooperrecording.
57 05.10 | EMUSICIAN.COM |

WAVES
vocol Pider 7.0.I.2 (Mac/Win)
By David Weiss
Riding the faders. If only this task were
half as breezy as it sounded. But Waves new
Vocal Rider ($400) plug-inwhich supports
AU, RTAS, and VST formatsautomates this
time-consuming, carpal-tunnel-inducing pro-
cess, leaving you free for other things, such as
ne-tuning the levels or making more music.
1lCKE1 1O PlDE
Vocal Rider is a cinch to use. Insert it on a
vocal track, hit Play, and Vocal Rider jumps
right in, automatically raising and lower-
ing the level (as indicated by a large central
rider fader) to keep it within a consistent
loudness range. From there, adjust the tar-
get level using a transparent slider, and the
vocals range using a pair of sliders for setting
the boundaries of the riding range. During
silence, the fader parks midway between the
two extremes to avoid huge jumps in volume
and provide better tracking against the vocal.
You then simply adjust the output to set the
overall vocal volume in the mix.
Two Sensitivity controls (Vocal and Music)
let you ne-tune Vocal Riders work. Vocal
Sensitivity sets conditions for the riding
processturn it up to emphasize nuances in
the voice, but turn it down to de-emphasize
unwanted nuances such as breaths. For each
performance, Vocal Sensitivity helps you
to nd the right balance. Music Sensitivity
adds a powerful dimension to this plug-in.
Turn it up, and Vocal Rider will be sensi-
tive to dynamic changes in the rest of the
mix. To activate this feature, you need to
send every other track to the same bus (or
those youd like Vocal Rider to respond to)
and choose this bus as the sidechain input
in Vocal Rider. Music Sensitivity is subtle
and will inuence the rider faders behavior
but not overrule it, responding to changes in
the accompaniments loudness to maintain a
more consistent vocal/playback balance dur-
ing any changes in the playbacks intensity.
Vocal Riders default processing mode is
Slow to provide smooth fluctuations, but
certain performances might benefit from
Vocal Riders Fast mode, which results in more
granular changes. Used with the Sensitivity
knobs, these modes allow for a wide variety of
automatic fader movement.
Vocal Rider Live is identical to the regular
component except for a Spill control to pre-
vent the fader from ying around in response
to wind, crowd noises, or stage leakage through
the vocal mic when the talent moves away. I
found that Spill worked much like a coarse
Vocal Sensitivity control. When o, sensitivity
was normal; turned all the way up, the fader
stayed 1dB of zero. Used sparinglyin noisy,
live situationsthis would prevent strange
jumps in volume.
PlDlNG ON AU1O-PlLO1
Vocal Rider can also write all of its moves as
automation, which lets you re-touch fader
movements to you hearts content, using a
mouse or a control surface. Vocal Rider doesnt
automate the volume fader in your mixer; it
automates its own fader. I found this a bit con-
fusing at rst, as I expected the automation
to be written to the tracks volume parameter.
The only downside to Vocal Riders arrange-
ment is that you must leave Vocal Rider on
the track permanently; I expected to be able
to lose it once I had automated the level.
Quiet Art Wave Rider, a similar plug-in for
Pro Tools, does behave this way. But I could
add many instances of Vocal Rider without
any errors or performance issues, and editing
Vocal Riders fader automation is identical to
editing volume automation.
Testing Vocal Rider on a variety of tracks,
I found it enlivened every one with cleverly
placed dynamic changes (see Web Clips 1
and 2). Using default settings, it didnt overly
promote breaths while evening out uneven
performances. It also deftly rounded out a
spoken-word track in which I intentionally
dropped my volume here and there as a test
(see Web Clips 3 and 4).
Waves oers a good amount of Vocal Rider
information online (such as the details of
enabling automation and assigning sidechain
input for each major plug-in format), but I
could have used this information in the PDF
manual thats accessible from the plug-in
window. I also would have appreciated a few
presets, if only as a way to learn its controls.
PlDE AWAY
Nits aside, Vocal Rider would be an incred-
ible boon and time-saver to any studio that
can aord its non-inconsequential price tag,
whether for the production of music, theater,
speeches, podcasts, or broadcasts. It takes
care of the basic leveling, using a range of
controls to bring out the best in a vocal per-
formance and leaving the producer free to do
the more artistic ne-tuning.
Overall rating (1 through 5): 4
waves.com
,U!||!|

Vocal Rider
automatically rides
the vocal track in
real time, keeping
the levels within your
desired range.
LISTEN TO EXAMPLES FROM VOCAL RIDER EMUSICIAN.COM/BONUS_MATERIAL
58 | EMUSICIAN.COM | 05.10
,U!||!|
AUDIOBRO
LA Scoring Sbrings I.I
(Mac/Win)
By Geary Yelton
The ultimate goal of orchestral sample
libraries is to convince audiences theyre
listening to a real orchestra. Among the doz-
ens of string collections available, the best
not only give you great-sounding samples,
but their programming helps you play them
expressively, a quality thats crucial to pro-
ducing lifelike recordings.
LA Scoring Strings (LASS; $1,099) from
audiobro supplies nearly 40GB of 16- and
24-bit content for Native Instruments
Kontakt 3.5 and newer. (It comes with Kontakt
Player 3 in case you dont own Kontakt.) The
entire library took less than three hours to
install on my 8-core 3.2GHz Mac Pro, and it
took just a few minutes more to download and
install the version 1.1 update. Although my
rig had no problems with latency, audiobro
recommends playing LASS on two computers
simultaneously for optimum performance in
the most demanding situations.
1AKE FlvE
Traditionally, string sections and other large
ensembles can be split into smaller sections
that play separate parts, a technique called
divisi. LASS lets you build large ensembles by
layering smaller ones to form any-sized group
you need. For each instrument sectionviolin,
viola, cello, and bassyou get a single rst-
chair player and four groups ranging in size
from one to 16 players. The violin section is
duplicated with a dierent spatial perspec-
tive, bringing the total to ve sections.
All the players were recorded on a large
film-scoring stage with no reverb other
than the stages natural early reflections.
The samples were then mixed from the per-
spective of the players seating positions;
however, you can pan them anywhere you
like. LASS comes with a selection of excel-
lent impulse responses that provide early
responses and tails.
YOU SAY LEGA1O
Like any good string library, LASS comprises
a good variety of articulations. In addition to
legato, staccato, and pizzicato, you get spic-
cato, tremolo, sustained (looped), muted, har-
monics, and major and minor trills, as well as
portamento and glissando articulations.
Realistic legato phrasing can be particu-
larly tricky with any sampled strings, but
LASS shines in that area. You can play legato
normally by overlapping notes as you play,
or you can simply hold down the sustain
pedal (CC 64) on legato patches to enable a
feature called Real Legato (see Web Clip 1).
Your keyboard velocity affects whether your
playing triggers a clean legato, glissando, or
portamento. (You can load legato patches
without glisses or portamento if you need
to save RAM.) The Real Legato script will
instantly recognize whether youre playing
chords or legato phrases, too, and respond
accordingly. Unlike many orchestral librar-
ies, LASS lets you use MIDI CCs to control
crossfading, release length, tuning, gliss
and portamento speed, and other real-time
parameters.
When youre playing staccato, spiccato,
and pizzicato patches, the sustain pedal
activates the innovative Auto Rhythmic Tool
(ART), a type of step sequencer that lets you
control repeated, short articulations. You
can graphically specify the length of rhyth-
mic patterns and the velocity (hence the
accent) of each step. As you play, holding
down the sustain pedal triggers the patterns,
which would be much more di cult (and less
realistic) to play manually (see Web Clip 2).
By assigning keyswitches to trigger as many
as 10 separate presets, you can change pat-
terns on the y as you play. The best part of
using ART is that accurately playing accents
in repeated phrases becomes automatic and
doesnt rely on your keyboard technique.
However, it took a little practice to get used
to depressing the pedal just before I played
a chord rather than after.
If you have the full version of Kontakt,
clicking on tabs provides access to scripts
that enhance realism by helping you avoid
mechanical precision. LASS Delay and
Humanization script minutely randomizes
how quickly different sections are triggered.
The Tuning Tool causes slight variations in
pitch and lets you detune whatever notes
you choose. The Trill script lets you trigger
diatonic trills by pressing a keyswitch, and
the Anti-Machine Gun script plays alternate
samples when you repeatedly play the same
notesessential for realistic pizzicato. If
you prefer triggering round-robin samples,
theres a keyswitch for that, too.
NO S1PlNGS A11ACHED
In addition to a terric sound, LA Scoring
Strings delivers startlingly faithful phrasing
and articulation. The glissandos sound espe-
cially authentic, and ART makes short articu-
lations sound more lifelike than in any string
library Ive heard. The folks at audiobro have
proven that with time, skill, and technologi-
cal progress, sample libraries can fool more
people more of the time. LA Scoring Strings
has become my go-to string library.
Overall rating (1 through 5): 5
audiobro.com

LA Scoring
Strings sounds
impressively realistic,
largely because its
Kontakt scripts give
you unprecedented
real-time control
over its expressive
capabilities.
HEAR EXAMPLES FROM LA SCORING STRINGS EMUSICIAN.COM/BONUS_MATERIAL
EM
HOT
PICK
59 05.10 | EMUSICIAN.COM |
SOUNDLIB
G-Ploger I.2.I (Mac/Win)
By Rob Shrock
G-Player ($149) is a native Giga player that
plays GigaStudio and GigaSampler libraries
directly without needing to convert them to
a dierent format. It supports disk streaming,
keyswitching, dimensions, release triggers,
and multilayer crossfades. G-Player operates
as a cross-platform standalone application;
a VST plug-in for Windows; and an AU, VST,
or RTAS plug-in for the Mac. Also included
is a single-instrument version of the plug-in
called G-Solo.
Each 16-part multitimbral instance of
G-Player can save and load complete setups.
You can control each parts MIDI channel,
audio output, mute, solo, volume, pan, and
tuning (100 cents). A dropdown menu dis-
plays the loaded patchs overall info and its
particular dimensions, as well as providing
access to pitch-bend range. Velocity and
ADSR settings let you tweak the amplitude
(labeled VCA) envelope, and the lowpass
filter (labeled VCF) offers cutoff, velocity,
attack, and release parameters.
LE1'S GE1 LOADED
Loading a Giga le is straightforward, through
either the instrument panel or the built-in
browser. Once youve loaded an instrument,
any other instruments residing within that
Giga le are available to any instrument slot
in G-Player. You can also create stacks that
let you load multiple instruments into a sin-
gle slot with individual control of mute, solo,
volume, tuning, pan, and key range for each
instrument within the stack. When you use
stacks, however, you lose controls for pitch-
bend range, amplitude, and lter, which are
normally available for single instruments.
G-Player is efficient in its CPU usage.
Disk streaming is automatically imple-
mented for instruments that require it,
and I encountered no problems at al l
streaming large setups. You can tweak the
global settings for sample preload, but the
default settings worked quite well with my
MacBook Pro and 6GB RAM. Windows users
will be glad to hear that unlike GigaStudio,
G-Player doesnt require a GSIF audio card,
and it works perfectly well with ASIO.
Although G-Player can save and recall
setups created from scratch (GPP les), ver-
sion 1.2.1 will load only Giga instrument
files (GIG) and not Giga Performances.
Fortunately, Soundlib says that a forth-
coming update will load both GSI and GSP
setups. In the meantime, I had no problems
creating elaborate multitimbral setups and
saving them within Apple Logic Pro, along
with additional plug-ins, as either channel-
strip or performance settings.
SOUND, LlBEPA1ED
No longer needing a separate PC with its own
MIDI and audio interfaces has breathed new
life into my extensive Giga sample library and
simplied my session and live rigs. G-Player
does have some limitations, though, so dont
kick that old PC curbside just yet. You cant edit
instruments in nearly as much detail; to retune
individual samples, for example, youll still need
GigaStudio. G-Players VCA and VCF parameters
are useful, but not elaborate. Although G-Player
allows you to modify the instruments to some
degree, it is still just a player.
In future versions (updates are frequent),
Soundlib plans on adding 64-bit support for
the Mac (it already supports 64-bit Windows)
and the ability to crossfade between instru-
ments in a stackfeatures not available in
GigaStudio. Among the other items on my
wish list is being able to transpose incoming
MIDI notes routed to individual instruments.
Because some of my string sounds play in dif-
ferent octaves, I wish I could shift patches up
or down an octave to match the other layers
in a stack without having to edit the Giga le
in GigaStudio. A conversation with the devel-
oper left me with the impression that it would
be simple to implement individual instrument
transposition, so Im crossing my ngers.
For changing volume, G-Player lets you
determine whether instruments respond to
either CC 7 (volume) or CC 11 (expression
controller). Id prefer that each instrument
could respond to MIDI volume and expression
separately; at the very least, Id like to be able
to determine the setting for each instrument
slot individually. I also wish I could specify
how much RAM each instrument and setup
consumed. And though G-Players graphics
are functional, I would like to be able to resize
the entire window and panes.
I commend Soundlib for successfully
resuscitating the Giga formatat least until
Garritan (which acquired the platform from
Tascam) releases a new Giga player of its
ownand especially for porting the format
over to the Mac. G-Player isnt perfect, but the
price is certainly right, and it will extend the
useful life of your Giga library.
Overall rating (1 through 5): 4
soundlib.com

This is a multitimbral setup in G-Player, with a Stack loaded into the fourth slot. To the right is
the window for adjusting the key range of each instrument within the Stack.
T H E T O O L S & T E C H N I Q U E S T H AT M OV E M U S I C C I T Y
Sponsored by:
SilverSponsor
Master Classes s New Product Demos s Pro Networking
May 25-26, 2010 s Soundcheck Nashville
For complete event information, go to: mixonline.com/ms/nashville
D
is
c
o
u
n
t
p
re
s
a
le
tic
k
e
ts

a
v
a
ila
b
le
fo
r
s
tu
d
e
n
ts
a
n
d

m
e
m
b
e
rs
o
f N
A
R
A
S
,
C
M
A
, S
P
A
R
S
, B
M
I,
A
S
C
A
P
, N
S
A
I, A
E
S
This Years Panels!
Selling Your Music in an Online World
Recording Guitar
Advanced Plug-In Techniques
The Power of Collaboration
Analog Techniques: When to Reach for the Rack
Boosting Revenue
The Anatomy of a Hit featuring Nathan Chapman and
some of Nashvilles most successful production teams!
61 05.10 | EMUSICIAN.COM |
|PP.|||!||.|
For information on
MIX or ELM Classied
& Marketplace contact
Jul i e Dahl strom
312-840-8436
Julie.Dahlstrom@penton.com
s'EAR2EVIEWS
s(OW4O
s-ANAGING9OUR#AREER
s!RTISTSAND)NTERVIEWS
FEATURING THE BEST OF
62 | EMUSICIAN.COM | 05.10
|PP.|||!||.|
|P|.!|!||
ELECTRONIC MUSICIAN CLASSIFIED ADS are the easiest and most economical means of reach-
ing a buyer for your product or service. The classied pages of EM supply our readers with a
valuable shopping marketplace. We suggest you buy wisely; mail-order consumers have rights, and
sel lers must comply with the Federal Trade Commission as wel l as various
state laws. EM shall not be liable for the contents of advertisements. For com-
plete in for mation on prices and deadlines, call Julie Dahlstrom at (312)840-8436.
63 05.10 | EMUSICIAN.COM |
.U!! |||U!
ORDER: 800-583-7174
QUALITY PRICED RIGHT INTEGRITY
58 Nonotuck St., Northampton, MA 01062
Info: (413) 584-7944 Fax: (413) 584-2377
Acousticore Fabric Panels
Sound Barrier Isolation Hangers
Tube Traps Silence Wallcovering
WhisperWedge ProFoam Clearsonic
Hushfoam R.P.G. Diffusors
Sonex Sound Quilt More
www.silentsource.com
info@silentsource.com
Acoustics First

Materials to Control Sound

and Eliminate Noise
Toll Free
8 8 8 - 7 6 5 - 2 9 0 0
www.acousticsfirst.com
|!'.||
BAND-IN-A-BOX IMPROVEMENT PRODUCTS***
*You can put a Better-Band-In-Your-Box.*
*Norton Music (since 1990)*
www.nortonmusic.com
H E A R T H E D I F F E R E N C E
vb diamond series
goodbye parallel walls
its a heavenly sanctuary
kiku collins - grammy nominated artist
VOCALBOOTH.COM
TM
866-330-6045
WWW.VOCALBOOTH.COM
FG
TM
standard & custom size
rooms up to 16 x 16
|U||!!U||
Electronic Musician's weekly
e-news letter delivers the
latest news direct
to your inbox!
Subscribe today at
www.emusician.com
P.!||!|
.|.| '|!|
66 | EMUSICIAN.COM | 05.10
|.|!.||
Steve Jordan has had a lengthy and successful career. He currently
plays with John Mayer (he was the musical director for his recent
tour), and he has performed with Eric Clapton, Sheryl Crow, Robert
Cray, Stevie Wonder, Keith Richards, and the Saturday Night Live
Band, among many others. As a producer, Jordan has also worked with
Mayer, as well as Cray, Buddy Guy, Herbie Hancock, and more. Jordan
is a devotee of recording, and he is equally comfortable in the com-
mercial studio or in his home setup. In addition to his outside proj-
ects, Jordan and his wife, singer/songwriter/guitarist Meegan Voss,
have their own band, The Verbs. I spoke to Jordan recently about his
interest in production and recording.
Is your career pretty split between producing and
playing, or is it more producing these days?
Most of the time when Im producing, Im usually playing on the proj-
ectabout 80 to 90 percent of the time.
Creatively, do you enjoy producing more?
I love producing. Ill always enjoy working in the recording studio.
Meegan and I have a recording studio in our home. We set up recording
studios anywhere we stay for any length of time. If were in a place more
than a week, were setting up a studio.
A laptop-based environment?
Yes. Ever since I was a teenager, I just loved the art of recording.
Ive been into recording since basically the reel-to-reel days. Even
when I was a little kid and I took a reel-to-reel tape that I recorded
in the rst band that I was in down to Manhattan and had it pressed
into a lacquer. I started really getting into engineering when the
TEAC 4-track cassette machine came out. I had a couple of them,
and I ran them in tandem, bounced from machine to machine, and
really got into it.
I got some pretty good sounds, and thats when I really started
experimenting recording myself, becoming an engineer, as opposed
to being dependent. I knew that to be independent, I was going to
have to learn how to get a sound, especially my sound when I wanted
to have a more open drum sound. And it was right at the time when
everything was really isolated and dead and everything like that.
The sound that I liked was kind of dierent from the norm, so I knew
that I would have to try to learn how to do it myself to convey what
I was trying to get across.
I guess you probably worked your way through the
various types of recorders as technology was chang-
ing: ADATs or DA-88s, and then into a DAW.
Exactly. I hung with
the ADATs awhile. And
I loved the rst crop of
ADATs rather than the
newer ADATs; I thought
they sounded better.
The 16-bit ones?
Yeah.
What DAW do you
use?
I just use [Digidesign]
Pro Tools now. I made
that decision years
agothat was what
was going to have to
happen. Id love to still
work on 2-inch analog tape, but times have changed. [Laughs.]
When youre traveling and you have your portable
system going, do you have an HD system or LE?
I have Pro Tools in my laptop. Depending on where I am, if I can get
a little HD thing happening, I will. If not, its just LE. And I grab some
mic pres.
Mics and mic pres are the key to getting a good
sound, dont you think?
Absolutely. My thing is that Ive never been all-digital, never. Ive always
gone through tubes before I hit digital to ensure the sound that I wanted
to achieve. Thats always been the thing; its your chain.
What kind of drum-miking setup do you typically use
for your kit?
It varies. Anything from a close-mike thing to kind of a Glyn Johns kind
of thing. So I can go from three mics to whatever.
When you do the three-mic setup, would that be one
on the kick and two overhead?
Thats one way of doing it, and then theres the triangle thing, where
theres one out in front, and one close to the oor tom at a certain
angle, and one behind. There are various things; it really depends
on the room.
Mike Levine is EMs editor and senior media producer.
HEAR A PODCAST WITH MORE OF THIS INTERVIEW EMUSICIAN.COM/BONUS_MATERIAL
Q&A: Steve Jordan
H\YjYhYfUbXfiaaYf#dfcXiWYfhU`_gUVcih\]g`cjYcZfYWcfX]b[
6mA]_Y@Yj]bY

R
E
C
O
R
D
P
R
O
D
U
C
T
I
O
N
.
C
O
M
/
M
I
K
E

B
A
N
K
S
Steve Jordan has had home studio setups since the days of
reel-to-reel, but now works with a Pro Tools system.
LA Scoring Strings (LASS) brings a whole new level of expressiveness, realism and
real-time playability to sampled strings. At the heart of its revolutionary sound are
Real Legato performance sample patches and a unique layered ensemble
approach. These ensembles were all recorded individually in a large lm scoring
studio. LASS also features solo instruments performed by the section leaders. The
players are recorded in position on the scoring stage and mixed in the traditional
orchestral seating perspective, making it simple to get a magnicent string mix out
of the box. The result is unprecedented control over dynamics, performance and
section size.
LASS has the following
sections of all instruments
(violins, violas, cellos,
basses): First chair, 1/4
divisi A section, 1/4 divisi
B section, 1/2 divisi C
section and a Full Mix of the
combined divisi sections.
LASS has patches
covering: LASS Real legato,
LASS Real portamento and
LASS Real glissando (with
full control of portamento
and glissando speeds), as
well as espressivo sustains,
non espressivo sustains,
spiccatos, staccatos,
pizzicato, tremolos,
con sordino, harmonics
and others.
Read and hear more at
www.audiobro.com
SOFTWARE TECHNOLOGY
POWERED BY
home of la scoring strings
visit www.audiobro.com
System Specications | INTERFACES: Stand-alone, VST

, Audio
Units, RTAS

, ASIO, Core Audio, DirectSound | MINIMUM SYSTEM

REQUIREMENTS: Mac OS 10.4.x, G4 1.4 GHz or Intel

Core Duo 1.66 GHz,

1GB RAM; Windows XP or Windows Vista (32 bit), Pentium or Athlon 1.4 GHz,
1GB RAM; 300MB free disc space, 40GB for complete installation, DVD drive
5
DVD
SET
From the red
carpet to the
trenches, this is
what composers
are saying about
LA Scoring Strings
Working on Alice in
Wonderland, I nd
myself turning to
LASS... Its proving
to be very versatile
and intuitive.
Danny Elfman
Oscar nominated
composer
(Milk, Good Will Hunting,
Edward Scissorhands)
LASS is a wonderfully
organic sounding
library and is part of
my current template.
David Newman
Oscar nominated
composer
(Anastasia, Ice Age,
Cat in the Hat)
LASS is a quantum
leap forward...
John Debney
Oscar nominated
composer
(The Passion of the Christ,
Sin City, Ironman 2)
Fantastically useful in
the studio! Sonically
rich, detailed and
expansive...
Trevor Horn
Grammy

Award
winning producer
...detail and
expressive range
are crucial.
LA Scoring Strings...
is unmatched in
this regard.
Jan A.P.
Kaczmarek
Oscar winning composer
for Finding Neverland (2004)
LASS sounds
fantastic...
Danny Lux
Greys Anatomy, Boston
Legal, My Name is Earl,
Ally McBeal
Read full testimonials
at www.audiobro.com