Raj Rags, R&S: “Programming, event organisation, record labels, A&Ring – I do all of it really”

He's A&R for the mighty R&S as well as a DJ, promotor event organiser, music consultant and general all-round music industry player. For the first of this month's The Business Of Music interviews, we speak with Raj 'Rags' Chaudhuri. Raj Chaudhuri’s LinkedIn says ‘freelance music guy’. That’s because it’s hard to pin down what...

21h

8-Bit Video Game Samples

In this Synth Secrets, we’ll be creating a variety of 8-bit video game loops and textures using the Kingston Chip Synthesizer in the Korg Gadget 2 app. Nostalgic samples like these paved the way for chiptune but they are also snuck into tracks by producers of many different genres. Let's see how they can add a bit of spice and excitement to...

2d

Do DAWs Really Have Their Own Sound?

In part one of a series, we attempt to answer the question that has plagued music production for years: do DAWs sound the same or do they indeed imprint a sonic signature on your music? No matter the DAW you use, you expect it to be transparent and deliver your finished song as you intended it. But do different DAWs have their own sound? This...

2d

Newfangled Audio Generate

Generate, from Newfangled Audio and Eventide Audio, combines chaos, physics, and West Coast synthesis. Is this synth plugin more than the sum of its parts? It’s not every day that a synthesizer plugin like Generate comes along. Created by Dan Gillespie, who wrote DSP for Eventide for 15 years and is now the head of Newfangled Audio, it combines...

5d

Arturia Announce PolyBrute, A Morphing Analogue Polysynth

The French brand's follow-up to 2016's MatrixBrute boasts polyphony, preset morphing and new options for modulation with expression. Arturia’s first step into analogue synthesis came in 2012 with the release of the MiniBrute. Eight years later, the Brute series now includes an array of analogue monosynths, semi-modulars, drum machines, and the...

1w

Damian Lazarus: “Out of economic hardship and difficult times – that’s when the best art is made”

For this month’s feature interview we talked with Damian Lazarus, DJ, producer, label boss, A&R and farmer, who is just about to release his first solo album in a decade. Damian Lazarus drops his new ‘Flourish’ album on 18th September, a glowing, shape-shifting ten-track collection that moves effortlessly between house, techno, breaks and...

2w

Output Thermal

Output has hit another one out of the park with Thermal, an intuitive and inspiring multiband distortion plugin. Distortion is arguably one of the most important elements in the computer musician’s arsenal. It can add precious warmth to sterile sounds as well as get aggressive when necessary. Thermal, from LA-based developers Output, ticks all...

2w

Pioneer DJ Introduces The MPU-Powered CDJ-3000

Pioneer DJ’s latest DJ multi player features an MPU processor, a nine-inch touchscreen, and a number of overall improvements. Pioneer DJ has announced the CDJ-3000, its flagship DJ multi player and successor to the CDJ-2000 line. At the core of the unit is a new MPU processor, which can handle 96kHz/32-bit floating in all playable audio formats....

2w

Native Instruments Announce Maschine+, The First-Ever Standalone Version Of Their Flagship Groovebox

Maschine+ is the first embedded product from Native Instruments, bringing the company’s instruments, effects, and sounds into an entirely hardware-based workflow. Since Maschine was launched in 2011, many fans and users of the product have wondered whether Native Instruments would follow companies like Akai Professional into hardware-oriented...

2w

Programming FM Synthesis With The Roland TR-8S

Roland’s surprise firmware update has added FM synthesis to its already powerful drum machine. Let’s see how to make the most of it. Nobody expected it. Roland surprised everyone by releasing a free firmware update to the TR-8S that adds a few new effects and features as well as FM synthesis. It’s the latter that had us the most excited. We’re...

2w