MusicTech 197: Taking your compositions from studio to stage
In this issue, the pros show us the best ways to take our works out of the studio and on to the stage.
Performing your music to an audience is always a daunting experience, whether you’ve never played live before in your entire life or if you’re on show 52 of a non-stop tour. There’s always that potential for things to go wrong, for your gear to fail or for the crowd to simply not get what you’re trying to do with your music. It stands to reason then, that preparation is key to feeling more comfortable on stage and thus being able to enjoy the experience – which ultimately translates to audience satisfaction. Martin Delaney (perhaps the most ‘outgoing’ of our writing team in this regard) has penned our cover feature this month, which elucidates numerous aspects of going live; from setting up your gear to fine-tuning your performance style.
Elsewhere this issue, we’re honoured to speak to production legend Hugh Padgham. Hugh was behind the desk during the making of key records from the likes of The Police. Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins and David Bowie and is responsible for popularising the ubiquitous ‘gated reverb’ drum sound of the era. We also visit the London studio of creative pioneer Leo Abrahams and return to Abbey Road to present round two of our reader questions.
Highlights of our review section this month include the latest generation of Focusrite’s widely popular Scarlett series, Arturia’s sizeable V Collection 7 and Bitwig’s Studio 3, which refreshes the increasingly respected DAW with a modular flavour. There’s much more, including tutorials, tips and a look around some of our reader studios… Enjoy the issue.
MusicTech 197 includes:
- Hugh Padgham – The Grammy-winning producer on his pioneering studio techniques, working with big names like The Police and Phil Collins, and his top business advice for up-and-coming musicians/producers
- Sound Synthesis Masterclass: Part 2 (FM Synthesis) – It’s DX heaven as our in-depth guide to synthesis continues with a look at frequency modulation (FM) synthesis
- Ask Abbey Road – You asked, they answered – In this edition, Abbey Road Studios’ Andrew Dudman responds to all your production queries
- Interviews – Producer, Brian Eno collaborator and guitarist Leo Abrahams discuss workflow in the studio; Michael Gray, the creator of revitalised dance smash The Weekend, shares his studio techniques
- Tutorials – Mastering workflow in Logic; Automation and editing in Ableton Live; Working with Chord Pads in Cubase; How to add Pro Tool’s 2019.5’s new features into your workflow; Creating lo-fi sounds in Reason 10; tips on making extreme synth sounds; and more!
- Reviews – We get hands-on with the Focusrite Scarlett 3rd Generation, Akai MPK Road 88, VSL Vienna Ensemble Pro 7, Bitwig Studio 3, Arturia V Collection 7, and more
- DVD – 3GB of video tutorials, workshops, software plug-ins and samples including Audiarie Nuxx (demo), Ableton 10.1 New Features, Future Bass Drops and Creative Sampling Tips (workshop), Equinox Sounds Smooth Trap & RnB Kits (samples)
