Electronic Musician

It's great to see the Oberheim making a proper return to the market. We've been excited about the arrival of the OBX8 polysynth for months – find out what we make of it now we've finally had a chance to explore it in-depth. Review: Page 36 The most i

At the time of writing, we're into the final few weeks of 2022. As often happens at this time of year, I've found myself spending a lot of time taking stock of what's happened over the past few months as well as wondering about what's to come. On the

When he died earlier this year, Sequential's Dave Smith was mourned both in the synth community and beyond. However, it turns out that he had one final design to share with us: the Trigon-6. “Dave Smith was very excited about the Trigon-6 and we beli

CONTENT Editor-in-Chief Si Truss [email protected] Content Director, Music Scott Rowley [email protected] Art Editor Steve Dawson [email protected] Production Editor Jem Roberts [email protected] Editor at Large: Jam

When Waldorf launched their Streichfett hardware string synth in 2014, they said that its general vibe was along the lines of “how adult movies sounded thirty years ago”. This being the case, it stands to reason that the new plugin version resides in

Released in 2004, reFX's Vanguard used to be a pretty big deal in the soft synth world, but it eventually started to be outgunned by its rivals, and was discontinued in 2016. However, the plugin is fondly remembered and still has its fans, which expl

AI plugins have grown in popularity in recent years, with growing computing power putting smart plugins in the palms of the consumer. This is particularly true of plugins intended for mastering activities, where loudness and balance can take preceden

Like all of history's great rivalries, the long-fought battle between analog and digital ebbs and flows. Early digital synths were seen as convenient, affordable and more powerful than analog rivals, but their ubiquity and supposed ‘cold’ sound drove

Unlike FM or wavetable synthesis, additive synths haven't yet had much of a resurgence in the hardware realm (although we think it's about time Kawai's ’80s classics got a revival). There are still plenty of great additive plugins out-there though. I

I This setup we've described above is essentially that of Yamaha's DX7 – probably the best known FM synth of all time, and the one that brought the concept to mass market attention. Its 6-operator, 32 algorithm design is essentially the blueprint use

Granular synthesis has found particular popularity with modular users, likely due to its usefulness for resampling existing sounds, plus how well it works with modulation sources and randomization. Mutable Instruments’ Beads – a successor to their po

For much of the past two decades, the wavetable synth sphere has been dominated by two all-conquering plugins - first Native Instruments Massive, then Xfer Records Serum, Both are a little past their prime now. Massive has been superseded by a follow

In any field, not just music theory, augmentation and diminution are just words for making things bigger or smaller – you could just use the terms ‘growth’ or ‘shrinkage’. The way we're using the terms has nothing to do with augmented or diminished c

Few would argue that the traditional commercial recording studio has seen its day. Sure, there's still room in the industry for those that can afford it to seek out skilled engineers and nicely outfitted rooms, but now more than ever, musicians are d

The name of this Max For Live doodad says it all. This little guy offers all of the lousy artefacts one might expect from a battered old cassette deck: wow, flutter, dropouts, misalignment, hum, noise and distortion – even the dreaded and disastrous

A highly-regarded virtual analog synth plugin that does a great job of nailing the Oberheim vibe – and with enough flexibility to allow it to cover some other analog svnths. sonicprojects.ch An original OB-X will set you back somewhere in the region

In a rather unusual move, Arturia are offering MiniFreak alongside an official plugin version, which comes free with the hardware synth. MiniFreak V is essentially a straight port of the digital synth engine, albeit with emulated analog elements. Uns

If you can live without the polyphony, effects and proper keyboard, the MicroFreak offers the same basic sounds – and at half the price! arturia.com Korg's modern take on an FM synth also uses a multitude of digital sound approaches. Its price has co

Sines offers a tremendous amount of performance possibilities, not least of all thanks to its additional operation in a standalone mode. The onboard arpeggiator is one of the more traditional varieties, while all of the aforementioned modulation opti

One of the original four-oscillator wonders, this software version goes far beyond the original. One of the industry legends. Pricey, but highly capable and desirable. ■

The module list is comprehensive, with modules falling into one of five categories: Interface, Analysis, Audio, CV and Effects. Interface modules primarily deal with getting signals in and out of the Zoia, but also allow the buttons to act as control

If you don't need the modular integration then the slightly simpler pedal version might be a better choice. empresseffects.com A slimline multipurpose utility module with over 80 algorithms that can be selected and used one at a time. expert-sleepers

For composers relying on Studio One to be the heart of their writing projects, the ability to apply a Global Lyrics Track to songs, scores and live sets will certainly be warmly welcomed. Requested for years, PreSonus have taken their time to create

While Studio One 6's live performance features are undoubtedly stage worthy, Ableton's gamut of views and uncomplicated controller integration makes it top of the tree in that regard. On the video front, Steinberg's Cubase has long been a favorite of

No drum tools round-up would be complete without a good look at some of today's acoustic drum simulators. These plugins contain all the nuance and range you would hope for when aiming for realistic drum sounds in your DAW or driven by an electronic d

On this page we study two plugins that have a focus on finding the right sample to play each part of your drum kit. While great for sequencing and mixing in their own rights, XO and Atlas are inescapably ‘about’ something a little more. On each, your

Perhaps the ultimate drum library, with mixing controls and processors onboard, but its huge footprint for even the basic one-kit setup can make it the wrong choice for some. Toontrack also do EZdrummer for the hard-drive-disadvantaged drummer. www.t

1 For us, making dance cuts, it's about getting a groove going with a bit of kick, hat, snare… then immediately starting experiments with a couple of pieces of gear until you get something that sounds and feels good. A quick riff on a monosynth, some

At the time of writing, we're into the final few weeks of 2022. As often happens at this time of year, I've found myself spending a lot of time taking stock of what's happened over the past few months as well as wondering about what's to come. On the

It's great to see the Oberheim making a proper return to the market. We've been excited about the arrival of the OBX8 polysynth for months – find out what we make of it now we've finally had a chance to explore it in-depth. Review: Page 36 The most i

CONTENT Editor-in-Chief Si Truss [email protected] Content Director, Music Scott Rowley [email protected] Art Editor Steve Dawson [email protected] Production Editor Jem Roberts [email protected] Editor at Large: Jam

When he died earlier this year, Sequential's Dave Smith was mourned both in the synth community and beyond. However, it turns out that he had one final design to share with us: the Trigon-6. “Dave Smith was very excited about the Trigon-6 and we beli

Released in 2004, reFX's Vanguard used to be a pretty big deal in the soft synth world, but it eventually started to be outgunned by its rivals, and was discontinued in 2016. However, the plugin is fondly remembered and still has its fans, which expl

When Waldorf launched their Streichfett hardware string synth in 2014, they said that its general vibe was along the lines of “how adult movies sounded thirty years ago”. This being the case, it stands to reason that the new plugin version resides in

AI plugins have grown in popularity in recent years, with growing computing power putting smart plugins in the palms of the consumer. This is particularly true of plugins intended for mastering activities, where loudness and balance can take preceden

Like all of history's great rivalries, the long-fought battle between analog and digital ebbs and flows. Early digital synths were seen as convenient, affordable and more powerful than analog rivals, but their ubiquity and supposed ‘cold’ sound drove

I This setup we've described above is essentially that of Yamaha's DX7 – probably the best known FM synth of all time, and the one that brought the concept to mass market attention. Its 6-operator, 32 algorithm design is essentially the blueprint use

Unlike FM or wavetable synthesis, additive synths haven't yet had much of a resurgence in the hardware realm (although we think it's about time Kawai's ’80s classics got a revival). There are still plenty of great additive plugins out-there though. I

Granular synthesis has found particular popularity with modular users, likely due to its usefulness for resampling existing sounds, plus how well it works with modulation sources and randomization. Mutable Instruments’ Beads – a successor to their po

For much of the past two decades, the wavetable synth sphere has been dominated by two all-conquering plugins - first Native Instruments Massive, then Xfer Records Serum, Both are a little past their prime now. Massive has been superseded by a follow

In any field, not just music theory, augmentation and diminution are just words for making things bigger or smaller – you could just use the terms ‘growth’ or ‘shrinkage’. The way we're using the terms has nothing to do with augmented or diminished c

Few would argue that the traditional commercial recording studio has seen its day. Sure, there's still room in the industry for those that can afford it to seek out skilled engineers and nicely outfitted rooms, but now more than ever, musicians are d

The name of this Max For Live doodad says it all. This little guy offers all of the lousy artefacts one might expect from a battered old cassette deck: wow, flutter, dropouts, misalignment, hum, noise and distortion – even the dreaded and disastrous

A highly-regarded virtual analog synth plugin that does a great job of nailing the Oberheim vibe – and with enough flexibility to allow it to cover some other analog svnths. sonicprojects.ch An original OB-X will set you back somewhere in the region

In a rather unusual move, Arturia are offering MiniFreak alongside an official plugin version, which comes free with the hardware synth. MiniFreak V is essentially a straight port of the digital synth engine, albeit with emulated analog elements. Uns

If you can live without the polyphony, effects and proper keyboard, the MicroFreak offers the same basic sounds – and at half the price! arturia.com Korg's modern take on an FM synth also uses a multitude of digital sound approaches. Its price has co

Sines offers a tremendous amount of performance possibilities, not least of all thanks to its additional operation in a standalone mode. The onboard arpeggiator is one of the more traditional varieties, while all of the aforementioned modulation opti

One of the original four-oscillator wonders, this software version goes far beyond the original. One of the industry legends. Pricey, but highly capable and desirable. ■

The module list is comprehensive, with modules falling into one of five categories: Interface, Analysis, Audio, CV and Effects. Interface modules primarily deal with getting signals in and out of the Zoia, but also allow the buttons to act as control

If you don't need the modular integration then the slightly simpler pedal version might be a better choice. empresseffects.com A slimline multipurpose utility module with over 80 algorithms that can be selected and used one at a time. expert-sleepers

For composers relying on Studio One to be the heart of their writing projects, the ability to apply a Global Lyrics Track to songs, scores and live sets will certainly be warmly welcomed. Requested for years, PreSonus have taken their time to create

While Studio One 6's live performance features are undoubtedly stage worthy, Ableton's gamut of views and uncomplicated controller integration makes it top of the tree in that regard. On the video front, Steinberg's Cubase has long been a favorite of

No drum tools round-up would be complete without a good look at some of today's acoustic drum simulators. These plugins contain all the nuance and range you would hope for when aiming for realistic drum sounds in your DAW or driven by an electronic d

Perhaps the ultimate drum library, with mixing controls and processors onboard, but its huge footprint for even the basic one-kit setup can make it the wrong choice for some. Toontrack also do EZdrummer for the hard-drive-disadvantaged drummer. www.t

On this page we study two plugins that have a focus on finding the right sample to play each part of your drum kit. While great for sequencing and mixing in their own rights, XO and Atlas are inescapably ‘about’ something a little more. On each, your

1 For us, making dance cuts, it's about getting a groove going with a bit of kick, hat, snare… then immediately starting experiments with a couple of pieces of gear until you get something that sounds and feels good. A quick riff on a monosynth, some