SAMPLE + Filter ReFill

SAMPLE + Filter ReFill SAMPLE +Filter SAMPLE + Filter* is the result of 25 years of making electronic music. All of the 1,000+ sounds & samples are new to this release. Every sound has been opened, tested, played and tweaked many times to ensure a fully functional instrument in its own right. This is the companion to the pure synthesis based … Continue reading SAMPLE + Filter ReFill

Post-Human

"Post-Human" is me wondering what this world would look like if we weren't here and other animals had the reins of the planet. What would their societies look like? For the technically minded, the whole album was written in Propellerheads Reason 7.1 using almost 100% synthesis for almost every sound, including drums. A few of … Continue reading Post-Human

Mixing in Mono

Have I gone crazy as I just told you all how to mix in stereo and create stereo where there was none? No not at all. If you read the article on creating stereo I give several warnings about mush and mono compatibility. Reality is that not everyone is going to hear your mix in … Continue reading Mixing in Mono

Mixing in Stere-ereo – conclusion

In part one we started to look at stereo in a mix and the idea of width and panning to create the illusion of space and depth in our imaginary song space. We finished just as the band had all pissed off to the pub to get blotto (and the girls pregnant). At this point … Continue reading Mixing in Stere-ereo – conclusion

Re-Voicing and Arranging Music – an example

This is the third article in my series on writing and arranging a piece of music. We covered simple note choice and then song structure. I was considering walking through one of my pieces then this gem came along and it is even better as you get to see a before and after. Billy McBride … Continue reading Re-Voicing and Arranging Music – an example

Signal Routing and simple Logic

I know that many of you may be nodding off just from the title alone. There is no glory in wires, no swagger in logic. You can't smell the bling. Aah but there you would be wrong. If you went into a knife fight without a knife, you'd lose. Yes I hear you up the … Continue reading Signal Routing and simple Logic

Arranging a Piece of Music – simple Theory

This is a follow-up to my first article on songwriting theory. To be honest I wasn't really going to write another of these as there are far better qualified people than me in these matters but it seems I got a few readers and requests so after some thinking I figured I'd follow up (at … Continue reading Arranging a Piece of Music – simple Theory

Creatures of Light & Liquid

The over-arching theme for this record is of water in our lives. I range from the purely physical to the metaphysical. I wanted this album to be a bit more New Age but, as usual, at the same time I was finding myself still very taken with very electro sounds. This means that I have … Continue reading Creatures of Light & Liquid

Reason Synths – Quick Comparison

Propellerheads Reason was launched in 2000 off the back of the ReBirth studio. Reason gained a strong following and has built on that over the years. While some rant about lack of VST integration, many die-hard users (like myself) have been happier not to have the clutter that VST brings. In a closed environment, Reason's … Continue reading Reason Synths – Quick Comparison

Writing a Piece of Music – simple Theory

I was going to make my next article on stereo-widening in my mixing series but this came up and I think it is a more fundamental issue. Conversation in Forum: Me: "For a first piece it seems complex and that is tripping you up. Finish this best you can as it is definitely worth that … Continue reading Writing a Piece of Music – simple Theory