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.

welcome

String theory • The latest update to GForce’s Virtual String Machine software brings a tapestry of classic sounds to the table

Modalics: A mindset for swift success • We’ve been fans since the quirky, pizza-inspired Beat Scholar first landed in 2022. Just over a year later, and Modalics’ product stable has ballooned with further excellence. The two co-founders explain their story…

INPHONIK RYM2612 • There’s flavour in abundance with this month’s free software, taking its cues from the iconic sounds of classic video game consoles

VOCAL EFFECTS • Never mind AI, this month we’re getting the robots involved in production, as we demystify vocoders, talkboxes, hard-tuning and harmonisers!

Vocoders & talkboxes • The most classic robot vocal effects are typically either a vocoder or a talkbox. But what’s the difference between the two?

Hard harmonies • That hard-tuned, robot-like sound, first popularised by Cher, has now become something of a staple in modern pop

Building effected vocals • Knowing where to use vocal processing, could make or break your track. We take a look at where you might choose to add some electronic vocal colour

Vocal effect buyer’s guide • Whether you are looking to apply some vintage vocoder to your track or to Prismize-up your vocal, here is the best crop of plugins to consider, for everything from a vintage to a super-modern sound

14 vocal effect tips

KÖLSCH • Danish house and techno artist Kölsch’s latest album, I Talk To Water, incorporates recordings by his late musician father, and explores the emotional weight of grief; a sonically dense masterclass by a multi-million-streamed artist at the height of his creative powers. We found out more about its conception

#04 Sequencer-based drone building with BazilleCM • Continuing our deep-dive into the standout tools in our CM Plugin Suite, we shed some light on drone-making using BazilleCM’s sequencer section

#3 Recreate Kraftwerk’s iconic Autobahn • This year marks an incredible 50 years since Kraftwerk released Autobahn, the track that brought electronic music to the masses, and even the charts

#06 How to use classic dance sounds in deep house • Let’s look at creating organ and piano sounds for our tracks – two staples of the deep house genre

#19 Understanding EQ • Understanding EQ is key to getting a perfect, well-balanced mix, and this month we study the fundamentals of the process

CATCHING FLIES • Manipulating samples into abstract new forms, while keeping a keen melodic sense firmly in his grasp, Catching Flies has emerged with a creative identity all of his own. Led by the circularity of tidal ebbs and flows, his latest release, Tides, shifts between moods, fusing lush string ornamentation with dynamic undercurrents

Freqport Freqtube FT-1 £899 • Fancy adding some analogue impurity to your DAW? For Roland Schmidt it’s high time to turn on, plug-in and freq out…

Oeksound Bloom £169 • Bloom is an adaptive EQ that will make your music sound better. Andy Jones says it’s harder to explain how it actually works than to just use it

Minimal Audio Current $199 or $10-15/month • Deftly side-stepping the subscription saga, Andy Jones has spent some quality time with Minimal Audio’s dexterous...