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Square One: Super Looper  Apr 1, 2008, By Jim Aikin Propulsive rhythms are a cornerstone of pop music, so it's no surprise that today's music tools offer a variety of ways to build rhythm loops. If loading...

SQUARE ONE: Add It Up  Sep 1, 2007, By Jim Aikin Additive synthesis may be the ultimate synthesis technique. Any conceivable sound can be generated using additive synthesis, at least in theory. Two factors...

Operators Are Standing By  Aug 1, 2006, By Jim Aikin Despite its age, FM (frequency modulation) synthesis remains a popular technique for desktop musicians. In fact, composers and sound designers have more...

The Ins and Outs of LFOs  Jul 1, 2006, By Jim Aikin String and woodwind players almost always enrich their long notes by using a technique called vibrato. To produce vibrato, string players wiggle the finger...

The Matrix  Jun 1, 2006, By Jim Aikin All too often, the sounds produced by synthesizers are lifeless and boring. (I'm a huge fan of synthesizers, so I'm allowed to say that.) Various techniques...

Making Waves  Oct 1, 2005, By Jim Aikin The sound emitted from almost every synthesizer and sampler comes from a module called an oscillator. The output of the oscillator is usually processed...

Better Late Than Never  Sep 1, 2005, By Jim Aikin Musicians are forever looking for ways to improve the sounds that they create. Many of the methods they use fall under the heading of which can be free-standing...

Loop Your Dishwasher  Aug 1, 2005, By Mark Ballora In this era of recycled and quoted sounds, everyone is scavenging for the next cool sample to loop, process, and remix. Record shops are receiving healthy...

Sealed and Delivered  Jul 1, 2005, By Jim Aikin Music is always changing. Even in the most repetitious groove, the individual sounds change from moment to moment. Some of the changes come in the form...

Just Passing Through  Feb 1, 2005, By Jim Aiken Vintage synthesizers such as the Minimoog are prized more than other synths because of the distinctive sound of their filters. In fact, the filter is...

Sample Solutions  Dec 1, 2003, By Jim Aikin What would you like to sound like today? No matter what you answer, your wish can come true and more easily than you may expect. The magic tool is a type...

By the Slice  Oct 1, 2003, By Len Sasso Beat slicing can be accomplished in several ways, but they all amount to breaking an audio file into a number of small segments (often called “slices”). Once you have the audio file cut into slices, the trick is to change the time between slices rather than altering the speed at which each slice is played. That preserves each slice’s pitch and timbre while changing its tempo....

MIDI Me  Jul 1, 2003, By Jim Aikin If you're coming into the world of desktop music production as a non-keyboard player, you may find MIDI somewhat mystifying and intimidating. Even a basic MIDI synthesizer (either a hardware instrument or a software plug-in) can add a lot to your music....

Look Who's Talking  Jun 1, 2003, By Brian Smithers Call it a singing robot or a talking synthesizer there's something irresistible about crossing human speech with otherworldly timbres. A vocoder (see...

Sound Programming 101  Oct 1, 2002, By Len Sasso Most synthesizers and samplers these days come with hundreds of preset sounds. When combined with the vast number of user-created preset banks floating...

Let's Get Physical  May 1, 2002, By Brian Smithers Analog synthesis can make interesting sounds, and sample-based synthesis has its charms, but here's another approach: What if you were to analyze the...

Analog Boot Camp  Dec 1, 2000, John Duesenberry Learn the true meaning of the word "analog" and other '70s arcana. Analog synthesizers, real and emulated, are enjoying renewed popularity today. Indeed,...

Modern MIDI Sequencing  Feb 1, 2000, Scott R. Garrigus For more than 15 years, MIDI has exerted a tremendous influence on all types of music making. One of the most fundamental applications of this technology...

A World in a Grain of Sound  Nov 1, 1999, By John Duesenberry A pile of gravel being dumped off a truck may not sound much like a police whistle, a guiro, or a revving motorcycle. But all these sounds have something...

Fractals and Music  Oct 1, 1999, By Gustavo Diaz-Jerez Most musicians have seen fractal images-those hauntingly beautiful pictures generated through mathematical equations. But how many people are aware that...

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