Magellan for iPad Tutorial – Dual Synths
Here is the first video in our series of tutorials for Magellan – Professional Analog Modeling Synthesizer for iPad. In this video, we show how to operate Magellan’s TWO independent polyphonic synth engines, including: loading presets, foregrounding a synth, adjusting parameters, synth coupling, and other advanced settings.
Visit http://www.yonac.com for more info!
Magellan on the iTunes Store: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/magellan/id544119998?mt=8
Specifications:
\\\ Synth ///
• 2 independent virtual analog synth engines running simultaneously
• 3 oscillators per synth engine; total of 6 realtime oscillators
• Osc unison stage w/ adjustable detune & width, up to 24 simultaneous wave generators for super-saw type effects
• Realtime PWM Modulation for osc 1 & 2
• FM module w/ dedicated blend, ADSR envelope, adjustable contour
• Oscillator 2>1 ring modulation
• Noise generator w/ adjustable tone
• VCA ADSR envelope
• Separate voice unison stage w/ settable stereo spread, detune
• Dual Keyboards w/ individual pitch & modulation wheels
• Dual Touch Pad controls w/ settable key & scale, individual voice parameterization
• Polyphonic, Monophonic, Poly/Mono Legato operation modes
• Glide
• Matrixpad modulation w/ configurable x/y destinations, synth out select, optional snapback
• Realtime oscilloscope displaying output signal (iPad 2 and 3)
• Synth coupling – allow running both synths by a single control interface
• Audio backgrounding
• Tap tempo
• 16 voice combined polyphony (8 voice combined for iPad 1)
\\\ Filters ///
• 2 filter banks per synth engine, configurable in series or parallel
• Dedicated ADSR envelope for each bank; selectable envelope curve, adjustable contour
• 11 Filter types for each bank:
• “Magellan” 24dB Resonant Low Pass
• “Victor” 24dB Resonant Low/High/Band Pass
• “Voyvoda” 12dB Low/High/Band Pass
• Formant, Comb, All-Pass, Notch filters
• True bypass
\\\ Modulation ///
• Dual LFO’s per synth
• Up to 4 freely assignable destinations per LFO
• Dedicated amp setting for each LFO destination
• 3 reset modes
• Adjustable phase & delay
• Frequency tracking
\\\ Arp ///
• Dedicated arpeggiator in each synth engine
• 10 arp patterns; Settable note value & gate; swing
• 6 octaving modes, plus settable note and octave repeats
\\\ Sequencer ///
• Analog inspired 16/32 step polyphonic sequencer
• 8 track poly output per pattern in 16-step, 4 track poly out in 32-step “link” mode
• Track wise selection of target synth engine
• Settable pitch, velocity, gate, octave per step
• 6 sequence direction algorithms for each pattern
• Swing
• Timeline for creating song length sequences w/ patterns
• Import/Export song files containing sequences
\\\ Chordmaker ///
• Dedicated Chordmaker module for each synth
• Create/save chord progressions, played by pressing a single key
\\\ Effects ///
• Comprehensive FX rack: Reverb, Stereo Delay w/ BPM sync, Phaser, Chorus, Flanger, Waveshaper/Distortion, Bitcrusher, Sonic Expander
\\\ Recording & Sharing ///
• Built in tape deck for recording app audio
• Metronome
• Export audio files via email, SoundCloud
• Export/Import audio files via WiFi, Intua or Sonoma Audio Copy / Paste
\\\ MIDI ///
• CoreMIDI
• Virtual MIDI, both vMIDI In and vMIDI Out ports
• Control Magellan w/ external MIDI controllers
• Synth-wise MIDI In channel select
• MIDI Out w/ settable channel or omni
• MIDI Learn w/ over 80 control destinations
• Save MIDI CC configurations to file for later use
• Sync w/ external MIDI clocks to control sequencer, arp modules
\\\ Presets ///
• Over 242 factory presets
• 34 presets and a song designed by Sunsine Audio
• Export/Import presets, banks via email or iTunes; Create/save unlimited banks & presets
Ableton Tip: Visual Feedback w/ Novation LaunchPad
AfroDJMac provides us with yet another useful tip for Ableton, worth checking out:
“This Ableton Quick Tip shows you how to get the LEDs on the Novation LaunchPad to Light up when you play notes, or whenever midi is sent to it. I’ll show you how to create a visual metronome with the LaunchPad!
Visit my site for more stuff like this, including Live Instrument downloads, tutorials and music! http://www.afrodjmac.com“
Beatmaker 2 – Walkthrough
BEATSURFING – THE ORGANIC MIDI CONTROLLER BUILDER
It allows you to draw a 3-dimensional controller and use it in two different and complementary ways. You can tap it like you would with your regular MPC or any other beatmaking device, but the best and most innovative use you can make of it is definitely by surfing your fingers along routes, colliding with objects, triggering samples or effects. It’s all about movement, and bringing back this intuitive way to make music. It can control any MIDI-enabled device (Software, Hardware, or even selected iPad apps through Virtual MIDI), features a very intuitive in-app editing system and integrates seemlessly in any existing Studio or Live setup. Objects Behaviours can be set to link objects together and multiply the available commands on the surface of the iPad.
Video background information:
Second part of the appsformusicproduction.com walkthrough of building a track in beatmaker. Hope you’ve found it useful so far.
Twitter: @appsformusic
For music app reviews tutorials, tips, and more:
http://www.appsformusicproduction.com/
OP-1 as a control Surface for Abelton – Basic Setup
OP-1 (Teenage Engineering) – Abelton Live – Basic setup
I’m using a Dell PC (running Windows XP) in this example.
Initially the OP-1 wasn’t recognised. It took a connection through a powered USB hub
before I saw it in the system.
Check that Abelton can see it:
In Windows XP it is recognised as a “USB Audio Device”
Options/Properties/….Under midi ports click Track, Sync,remote.
In this demo I sample the OP-1 directly into an Abelton Audio channel.
It’s triggered from the midi send channel…. playing Calvin Harris featuring Ne-Yo – “Let’s Go”.
Thanks to Matt from RhythmActive for the OP-1
http://www.rhythmactive.com.au/
MicroTrack dB – Tutorial on basic drum programming
A new tutorial video demonstrating basic drum programming in MicroTrack dB iOS.
MicroTrack dB is a music making app for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. Inspired by the classic instruments that defined electronic music and popular culture, this app puts music making in the palm of your hand. This portable, virtual studio offers high-quality audio output, intuitive sequencing, flexible drum programming and powerful synthesis, plus a range of effects and performance features. A user-friendly interface and online help enables beginners to start making music, while more advanced musicians will find a host of features to get their teeth in to. Get your creative juices flowing and produce tracks instantly. Realise your ideas, define your sound and create the music that you want to hear.
Available now on the app store. http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/microtrack-db/id545192575?mt=8
Demystifying the Mod Matrix in Reason synths
Many advanced synths in Reason have a Mod Matrix – an essential component in creating great patches. This week we’ll become familiar with the way the Mod Matrix works, and in Part 2 we’ll cover some more advanced topics.
U-he Diva soft synth tutorial – Brass bounce
The third in a series of bite-sized tutorials aimed at users of u-he’s latest synthesizer, Diva. The sounds made in this video certainly won’t be to everyone’s taste – they’re all typical old synthbrass! However, the point is to show several different methods of getting similar results, even with a limited set of modules.
So let’s bounce…
Method 1 starts with the usual synthbrass settings, but we soon run into the problem of not having enough envelopes for VCA, VCF cutoff, and pitch modulation at the beginning of each not. So LFO2 is used for cutoff, freeing up envelope 2 for pitch modulation.
Method 2 reverts to the usual envelope 2 for cutoff. The LFO takes over for pitch modulation, but in a special way: LFO2’s delay parameter ramps down to the bottom of a square wave (set to minimum rate so it won’t cycle). Note that the pitch modulation is also negative — a minus times a minus is a plus.
Method 3 is probably the most interesting one because it uses neither envelope 2 nor LFO 2 for the pitch. Instead, the Gate signal (i.e. note on/off from your keyboard) is lagged, resulting in a smooth attack. And (fortunately or unfortunately) an equally smooth release… but there’s a little surprise at the end.
Take home message: Just like classic analogue polysynths, Diva expects you to make the most of a limited set of synth modules!
Octatrack – Rearranging a sample
Elektron dig deep into the functionality of their Octatrack sample/beats workstation, showing us how to rearrange a sample using Slice and Chromatic modes. SLICE MODE and CHROMATIC mode is used in real-time recording mode to make a rhythmic melody out of a guitar sample. Filtering is applied as well.
Samples courtesy of Loopmasters (www.loopmasters.com)
Download the project used in this Pro Tip here:
http://files.elektron.se/pro-tip/PROTIP5.zip
How to mix vocals – Reason Tips
More info on Reason: http://www.propellerheads.se/products/reason/
Gary Bromham’s guide to vocal recording: http://goo.gl/Vjyek
In this Reason Tips video Mattias gives you some valuable pointers on mixing vocals. Since vocals are often what carries the track, it’s important to get them sitting right in the mix! Learn how what frequencies to pay attention to and how to make a de-esser in Reason’s mixer in this video.
Sound Alchemy w/ Ableton Live: ‘The Singing Dunes’
More info: http://bit.ly/LIs3KB
Dubspot instructor, composer, and producer Raz Mesinai kicks off a brand new Ableton Live video tutorial series, focusing on creating Effect and Instrument Racks in Live based on natural sonic phenomena. In the first installment, Raz explains and demonstrates how to create an advanced Instrument Rack inspired by the Singing Dunes.
I heard about the Singing Dune phenomenon years ago from several friends, all from the Middle East. After searching online I found a few recordings, but none really clear enough to capture the experience. Later, I contacted Chris Watson (formerly of Cabaret Voltaire), who is now one of the most exquisite field recording artists I’ve ever come across. (I highly recommend his recordings on the UK-based Touch label). He told me that he had been trying to record the dunes but had had no luck as of yet (this may have changed since then). After more digging I eventually discovered this site which has some very good recordings of the phenomenon (http://www.fonik.dk/works/oman.html). I suggest you check them out prior to watching this tutorial, but use headphones or speakers with plenty of sub — you won’t hear a thing on your laptop speakers.
From there I set off to experiment in a little sound alchemy. Using Operator and Analog, I first focused on the main elements of the ‘landscape’ where this is taking place. There is a base drone, representing the dune, a layer of noise, representing the sand moving, and modulation as a way to make the sand ‘blow’ in the wind at different rates.
From there I looked for a story to latch onto. The story is based off of the description that Marco Polo wrote down in the 13th century during a stay in the Gobi Desert. He described this phenomenon as being the voices of evil spirits which “at times filled the air with the sounds of all kinds of instruments, and also the drums of clashing arms.” This image of Marco Polo, perhaps sleeping in a tent in the desert, suddenly being woken up by these strange sounds, which to him were completely mysterious as his quote suggests, conjures two things for me. Firstly, it allows a lot of freedom for me to conceptualize this Instrument Rack, and secondly, it affirms my beliefs that bad things happen when white people go to the desert.
The intention of this tutorial is not to imitate the Singing Dune phenomenon, rather, it is to use these sounds from the earth as a source of inspiration, allowing me to conceptualize a soundscape that goes with an imaginary story that is seen through sound.
DATAMASKIN
