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- Sound Design Techniques & Tools Series: Part 10 – Granular Synthesis & Sample Processing
Author: George Robinson
With Black Friday fast approaching and many sales from the leading music tech brands, manufacturers and music gear stores now in full swing, here is our shortlist of the deals that have really caught our attention and which we think you’d be wise to investigate! In particular, this a great time for investing in bundles and other big-ticket items, where you can take advantage of the sales to reap the biggest savings possible on the studio essentials that will really help level up your productions. For ideas on which are the best music production plugin bundles right now, check out…
Whether you’re looking for the ultimate Christmas gifts for musically-inclined friends or family, or you’re the musician deciding what you’re going to ask for, here are our suggestions for a cross-section of the most awesome gear currently available, including absolutely new cutting edge releases, a few “modern classic” favourites from the last couple of years, as well as some studio must-haves that we’re confident producers of any budget will get genuinely excited about. Happy Holidays! If you’ve already narrowed it down and are looking for the best music-making studio software and DAWs (Digital Audio Workstations), your first stop might be to…
Reverb is a key part of any sound design project, because so much of the work in sound design in general is about defining a space, an atmosphere, within which sounds and actions are taking place. Reverb is one the primary tools in our sound design arsenal to set the audible parameters of the “environment” within which our sounds reside. Beyond this though, reverb can be creatively misused much like any other audio processing tool, to generate wild, fantastical effects that are fr removed from simply recreating authentic acoustic spaces. Here are some tips on using reverb to warp space…
[the_ad_placement id=”top-content-300×250″] iZotope clearly believe very strongly in the core machine-learning technology at the hearts of their flagship mixing and mastering plugin tools, Neutron 3 and Ozone 9, since the rate of new versions featuring excellent enhancements and whole new features has increased over the last few years. It wasn’t that long ago (less than two years, if my calculations are correct) that we were discussing the previous versions of Ozone and Neutron, but here we are again with new improved versions of both over the last few weeks. Both products are designed to take much of the (sometimes) dry…
Pitch is one of the absolute fundamental components of a sound, so in this post we’re going to take a look at some of the options for creatively messing with the pitch of your sounds. Hi hats can become rumbling cinematic Taiko drums; kicks can become high-pitched glitchy click percussion hits. As for pitching snippets and recordings of the human voice or your own foley recordings, and combining these pitched samples with some of the other techniques we’ve discussed so far in this series — layering, distortion and modulation, for example — well, both your existing sample library and…
Loopmasters have announced availability of Loopcloud 5, the latest and very much greatest version of the app and plugin that helps you find, download, purchase, slice, edit, pitch samples, all without leaving the comfort of your DAW. Says Loopcloud founder Matt Pelling, “With Loopcloud 5, producers will be able to push the boundaries of music production. We’re enhancing the creative journey for producers while making sure that the process is fun. Sourcing, auditioning, and editing sounds couldn’t be any faster. Essentially, every part of the software is designed to inspire creativity and encourage originality.” After version 4 really leveled up…
Panning is generally thought of as a fairly dry and functional mixing tool, a way to achieve additional separation and clarity between different components in a full mix. But as with all technical tools and techniques in audio production, it has its creative uses and misuses too, which can be particularly helpful when approaching sound design projects. Together with reverb, EQ and good old-fashioned signal levels, panning and stereo processing provide yet another dimensional plane — width — across which you can stretch, carefully position and sculpt your sounds. Catch up on the other parts in the series: Part 1…
In Part 4, we’re taking a closer look at what could be considered “classic” modulation effects: phasing, flanging, and chorus. While these effects have their origins in the era of tape machine recording in the 60s, 70s and 80s, don’t think that they are only worth understanding and including in your core production toolset if you make music that is also rooted in the more traditional guitar-based pop and rock styles of that same era. In fact, these effects underpin a surprising number and range of modern effects processors, and their potential to help sculpt exciting sounds in even the…
As part of Plugin Boutique’s Output Spring Sale, you can currently get a 25% discount on Output’s entire range of creative instruments and expansions – even the bundle is included. “Output develops innovative software and gear for musicians, composers, producers and sound designers across all genres. Our focus is simple – groundbreaking concepts, new sounds, new sources of inspiration.” The sale includes Analog Brass & Winds and Analog Strings, Substance bass engine, the excellent Movement rhythm processor, Exhale modern vocal engine (see the video below), the Rev reverse instrument suite and Rev X-Loops, Signal pulse engine. This is all as…
Continuing our Sound Design series, in Part 3 we are digging into the concept of layering pieces of audio together to create richer, more detailed and more impactful sounds. It’s quite a simple concept in principle, but as with many aspects of music production and sound design, it can help to approach it in the right way with some key knowledge, and with the right tools that will make your life easier and more creative when working with layers. Let’s get into it. Catch up on the other parts in the series: Part 1 – Delay Part 2 – Distortion…