MusicTech Magazine: Issue 126 – Become A Power User

The new issue of MusicTech magazine is on sale now and this month we’re starting off a major series for every major DAW, so it’s time to look at your studio with fresh eyes – a great working environment can be inspirational in itself… 

This Month’s Features

Become a Power User: Setting Up Your Studio
The process of making music is a multi-layered one – and there is an awful lot to learn. Most people spend years getting to grips with the various different skills involved and, in truth, few (if any) ever stop learning – there’s always something to improve or a new trick to pick up. To the uninitiated it can seem daunting – a world full of jargon and technology that threatens to overwhelm newcomers. Even for people who are familiar with one aspect of music-making, a different area might seem baffling if they have not ventured there before.

Getting your studio environment right can also be a continuous learning process. There is so much gear, so many options, and it’s tough to get the right guidance on what you should be buying. In this new series, we’ll show you everything you need to know to setup your studio correctly to become a power user!

Become A Power User In All The Major DAWs: Continuing our ‘become a power user’ theme this month we’ve got tutorials in all the major DAWs, exploring the most important and useful approaches to the most popular software around. Including our first FL Studio tutorial

Genre Focus: How To Produce Authentic House: We start a new series this month that focuses on different genres of music production across every DAW. We kick off with house, the simplest of dance genres. ‘Or is it?’ asks Rob Boffard…

Industry Guru: ADAM: In a relatively short time, ADAM Audio has become one of the most prestigious monitor manufacturers around. MT meets the guru behind the company…

The MT Deconstruction: Another new feature, by closely examining other people’s tracks you can learn some stunning production techniques that you can use in your own music. In our opener, we look at Faithless’ Insomnia and learn that dance music doesn’t just have to be about big bass lines and huge kicks – and that a second inversion could be the way forward.

Plus

Advance: Opinion, predictions and upcoming reviews, plus what you may have missed at MusicTech.net

On the DVD:
Add digital crunch to your tracks with this month’s collection of unique bitcrushed hits, and find inspiration in our Latin MIDI and EDM Synth packs. Plus: Logic mixing tips and a massive Logic X preview, demos, software and tutorial files.

Bitcrushed Hits, Loops and ARPs:  Size 305MB Format 24-bit/44.1kHz, WAV, Kontakt, EXS24, NN-XT, Structure

Bitcrushed audio is a bit like Marmite: some love it for the distinctive textures it can offer, others shudder at the digital grittiness. But while you’re unlikely to find bitcrushed sounds in a jazz track, they can work wonders within electronic genres, lending a unique layer to your instruments. Here, sound designer Richard James has utilised all manner of bitcrushing and downsampling techniques to bring you this pack of acid-tinged arpeggios, rasping FX, crunchy percussion and squelchy drum machine loops courtesy of a heavily effected Roland MC-303

Latin & Funky MIDI Loops: Size 291K Format MIDI

Equinox Sounds continues its run of excellent royalty-free MIDI loops with these Latin and funky styles that can be used for creating a wide variety of music, including salsa, merengue, Afro Cuban and mambo. There are five kits in total in tempos ranging from 91–202BPM, although you can easily change the speed within your DAW of choice. You’ll find bass, drums, keys, pianos, horns, percussion loops and more, which you can assign to your favourite instruments.

EDM SYNTH & DRUM Packs: Size 200MB  Format 24-bit/44.1kHz WAV

On sale Thursday August 15th! Subscribe Here