Computer Music

Computer Music's goal is to help its readers create great music with a PC or Mac. Each month find easy-to-follow tutorials for all sorts of music software, unbiased reviews of the latest products and answers to technical questions. Our Zinio edition does not include the DVD but it DOES INCLUDE the full software, samples and tutorial files to download. Full details inside. Download does not include Producer Masterclass in-studio video. This digital edition is not printable.

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news • NEW RELEASES • COMMENT • INDUSTRY HAPPENINGS

Minimal Audio: Current affairs… • Following industry-wide acclaim for its roster of top quality effects plugins, Minimal Audio finally brought a delicious synth to the table in 2023. But what makes Current so different to the other softsynth offerings out there? We caught up with the company’s head honchos to dig in a little deeper…

THE AWARDS ISSUE 2023 • As 2023 comes to an end, it’s time for us to cast our collective minds back over the last 12 months and sum up the impact of the year’s releases as we enter 2024. Across the following pages, we’ll scrutinise what we deem to be the most significant products (and updates) of the year, exploring the trends, successes and jaw-dropping innovations that have changed the game at Computer Music HQ

SILK • Hailed by the likes of Skrillex and Fred Again.., SILK’s emotive hybrid of tech house and pop merges melodic songcraft with irresistible, club-ready beats. The likes of the soul-touching Quiver and the crystalline surge of On My Mind reflect the breadth of SILK’s talent, but hitting on a sound that resonated took more than a few false starts…

#35 Create a gated synth sequence • Adding motion to a characterful synth pad can completely revitalise your track. We take two LFOs and get modulating

#02 How to make a killer drop • In this month’s masterclass we jump to the element of a track that will get heads turning and pulses racing…

#15 Mix bus compression • The mix bus provides the final stage to tweak your mix and this month we look at how to compress it

LINUX IN THE STUDIO • Wound up with Windows? None too ’appy with Apple? An alternative exists, and it promises to be a potential paradise for all things music production. Let’s investigate…

Sonic Charge Synplant 2 $149 • The original Synplant was the most unusual and original softsynth of the 2000s. Does its successor still shake the tree? Andy Jones branches out

Soundiron Quadral 3 $59 • One of the most feature- and movement-packed Kontakt instruments around, this packs a big electronic punch for its price, says Andy Jones

Baby Audio Transit $99 • Want an easy way to knit your track sections together? This multi‑effects plugin could be just the thing, says Jon Musgrave

Austrian Audio MiCreator Studio $199/$199 • This recording bundle is as much at home recording podcasts as it is instruments. This might be the only mic you need, says Andy Jones

Solid State Logic G3 MultiBusComp £192/$240 • The G Series bus compressor’s classic sound can be restricted by its design, says Stuart Adams, so SSL has combined three into one

Soundware round-up

BEATSKILLZ CHORUST • Great-sounding, hardware-inspired chorus plugins aren’t usually free, so this month readers are in for a treat…

Kicks and Complex Beats • This month we’re serving up some fresh beat-making components. Here are two new packs spanning kicks and subs plus skittering, complex rhythms…

Ultimate Vocals • We’ve done a fair few vocal packs over the years, and their evergreen delights are still a rich source of texture today…

Loopmasters 330 samples • This month’s demo sample selection highlighting Loopmasters’ latest releases

Magnetic Skies...