Introducing Neutron by iZotope, a new mixing plugin that combines the latest innovations in intelligent analysis and metering with award-winning audio processing.
Neutron is a powerful new mixing channel strip plugin from iZotope which combines the latest intelligent innovations in analysis and metering with award-winning audio processing. With impressive new features like Track Assistant and Masking Meter, Neutron helps you quickly reach an optimal starting point, clearly identify overlapping frequency problems, and ultimately enhance your workflow by eliminating much of the guesswork while giving you creative control over all of your mix decisions.
Neutron is offered in three different flavors and pricing options ranging from basic features to a more full-featured advanced version.
Track Assistant is the next level of audio intelligence designed to analyze the incoming audio signal and intelligently make recommended adjustments across all of Neutron’s modules. Once the analysis is complete, Neutron will set EQ nodes, create EQ curves, adjust compressor thresholds, select saturation types and amounts, determine single or multiband modes which include crossover points, adds Spectral Shaping, and makes additional settings to give you the most optimal starting point.
At the touch of a button, Neutron will listen to the audio input, determine its key characteristics, and deliver a new preset that’s custom tuned to your audio in a variety of ways. Track Assistant is designed to suggest custom-tuned preset settings as a creative starting point, which you can further tweak to taste. Track Assistant’s goal is to provide subtle clarity and balance to each of your tracks. For example, after analyzing the incoming audio signal, EQ nodes are intelligently placed where Track Assistant thinks you need them, which is incredibly helpful when trying to figure out where to cut or boost frequencies.
In addition, Track Assistant offers infinite presets that are custom tailored to your sounds, unlike common software presets that do not know what type of audio they’re being applied to such as vocals, guitar, bass, drums, synths, etc.
Another industry first is the highly anticipated Masking Meter feature that allows you to visually identify what frequency ranges on any track in your mix that may be competing with one another. This extremely helpful and intelligent feature displays, in real time, regions of the frequency spectrum where masking is occurring, alerting you to problematic frequencies that may cause issues with clarity, headroom, and any other problems that can cause a “muddy” or overly crowded mix. Quickly and easily toggle seamlessly between any two tracks to see what frequencies are recommended to carve out to create the sonic space needed to ensure that each instrument has its own place to shine in the mix. That’s not all! Neutron is also equipped with additional options and visual indicators to help you hone in and tackle any frequency problems with precision.
One notable option is Inverse Link, which makes separating frequencies between two tracks much easier. When enabled, the Gain and Frequency controls for each EQ node on both selected tracks are linked and will react in the opposite directions from each other whenever you make any EQ moves. For example, if you boost 3 dB on node 4 of the source EQ, Neutron will simultaneously cut 3 dB on node 4 of the target EQ below it. This ability to remedy frequency issues between two tracks at once is a sure workflow enhancer.
As the successor to Alloy 2, Neutron also features a flexible arrangement of iZotope’s industry leading processing modules but ramped up significantly with a host of intelligent mix features that also offer analog/vintage and digital processing. Check out a breakdown of Neutron’s key features below.
All versions of Neutron is available to download at iZotope and Authorized Dealers.
Transform rough ideas and basic compositions into dance floor bangers and sonically pleasing commercial quality masters. Learn the well-kept industry secrets of EQ, compression, panning, level balancing, reverb and special effects.
About This ProgramThis program gives you everything you need to refine tracks into a clear commercial quality release, including special mixing and mastering techniques for dubstep, techno, house, trance, downtempo, hip-hop, and the gamut of electronically-produced music. You will learn to mix and master your tracks using the same plugins that top industry engineers use every day, including plugins by Izotope, Soundtoys, Sonnox, Altiverb, and more.
Visit the Mixing and Mastering course page for detailed information on this program here.
If you have questions, please call 877.DUBSPOT or send us a message.
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This music tech news roundup features the latest music industry announcements and emerging technologies.
KORG rolled out their next-generation monophonic analog synthesizer in a vivid five-color lineup. The monologue is a compact 25-key, fully programmable monophonic analog synthesizer with a voice all its own. While sharing its sleek layout, knob-per-function workflow and high-quality construction with Korg’s best-selling minilogue, monologue is a truly unique new synth for all types of musicians; featuring new voicing and sound-sculpting abilities. The monologue’s completely new filter, modulation, drive, and LFO can generate powerful basses and sharp leads, creating awesome mono sounds that showcase its single-voice design. The step sequencer has also been dramatically expanded, allowing more intuitive and more complex editing.
Read more at KORG
ROLI releases BLOCKS, a new modular music studio that you build as your skills and interests grow. You can arrange your Blocks in many configurations to create kits that are perfect for you. The Blocks connect magnetically, so you simply add more Blocks to do more things. The Lightpad Block is the center of the BLOCKS system. You make music through natural movements on the Block’s smooth, glowing, pressure-responsive surface. Drop beats and shape melodies by striking, sliding, and pressing your fingers on the surface. Illuminated grids help you find your notes. Light Trails guide you to learn musical gestures quickly. To get started on BLOCKS, all you need is a Lightpad Block and NOISE, the free iOS app.
Read more at ROLI
Renowned electronic instrument designer Roger Linn has released a smaller, more affordable version of his versatile LinnStrument MIDI controller designed to give electronic musicians more expressive control over hardware and software synths. The more compact LinnStrument 128 features a grid of touch sensitive pads capable of sensing five different parameters to control note characteristics: strike velocity, pressure, left-right motion, front-back motion, and release velocity. The LinnStrument 128 sports a powerful 2-track step sequencer, an expressive swing arpeggiator, a split keyboard to play two separate sounds, foot switch options, open-source software, and more.
Read more at Roger Linn Design
Elektron releases Analog Heat, a hardware effects processor that features eight different analog stereo distortion circuits, stereo analog multi-mode filter with seven filter types, two-band stereo analog EQ, assignable envelopes, and an assignable LFO. Analog Heat is also Overbridge enabled and can be fully integrated with your DAW. In addition, Analog Heat can function as a 2 in/2 out sound card, even while processing DAW audio.
Read more at Elektron
UVI releases Synth Anthology 2, a massive collection of 77 hardware synthesizer multisampled sounds that have been expertly programmed, individually sculpted with outboard processors, and mastered to perfection. Synth Anthology 2 delivers the renowned sounds from major manufacturers spanning over several eras that include Roland, Yamaha, Oberheim, Sequential Circuits, PPG, Korg, Casio, Moog, ARP, Waldorf, NED, Access, Kawai and more. Each hand-crafted sound has been brought to life using hardware processors including EQs, compressors, and effects from Manley, Langevin, Lexicon, Publison, Focusrite, SPL and more. In addition, Synth Anthology 2 provides deep sound editing capabilities in a clear and easy-to-use interface that allow users to quickly browse, tweak, edit, effect, modulate, and layer sounds from any synth with ease.
Read more at UVI
Instrument designer Joué has introduced an innovative and evolving MIDI instrument that offers artists a unique level of expressivity and spontaneity. The Joué features a modular design, which allows you to customize a variety of controls on its playing surface. Joué is made of wood and is equipped with a pressure sensitive sensor where you place touch sensitive magic modules such as piano keys, guitar strings, drums pads or 3D control surfaces that offer an infinite playground for musicians. Joué’s high sensitivity sensors and unique texture allow natural gestures such as vibrato, bending, finger drumming, and high-velocity giving you expressive control over any instrument.
Read more at Play Joué
Famed audio accessories company MasterSounds has partnered with Union Audio who engineered Richie Hawtin’s recently launched PLAYdifferently MODEL 1 mixer to create Radius 2, a hand built two channel analog rotary DJ mixer. The mixer offers fantastic, open and dynamic sound on both LINE and RIAA inputs, as well as great usability. Radius 2 also features easy-reading VU meters, a responsive Master EQ/Isolator, a smooth, natural sounding hi-pass filter on each channel and an AUX Send/Return system for easy integration of external effects.
Read more at MasterSounds
Synthstrom Audible releases Deluge, an all-in-one, stand-alone, portable synthesizer, sequencer, and sampler designed for the creation, performance and improvisation of electronic music. Deluge offers piano-roll-style sequencing on 128 full RGB pads with scrolling and zooming, a full-featured subtractive and FM synthesis engine, customizable patching matrix, a variety of effects and modulation options, time-stretching of samples, various scale modes, internal speakers and mic, SD-card storage, and a host of other features.
Read more at Synthstrom Audible
Apple launches the completely redesigned MacBook Pro that is faster, more powerful, thinner, and lighter. It has the brightest, most colorful Mac notebook display yet and introduces the Touch Bar, a Multi-Touch enabled strip of glass built into the keyboard that replaces the function keys for instant access to various tools. This latest model also scrapes traditional USB ports and introduces Thunderbolt 3 which integrates data transfer, charging, and video output in a single connector, delivering up to 40 Gbps of throughput. Other upgrades include redesigned system powered that provide twice the dynamic range, 58 percent more volume, two and a half times louder bass, and three times more peak power. All three models feature SSDs with sequential read speeds over 3GBp among several other improvements and features.
Read more at Apple
Ableton introduces Ableton Live Set Export, a new software development kit for iOS designed to make it easy for developers to add ‘Export to Live’ functionality into music apps. The library allows an application to write all types of Ableton Live project files. Live Set Export addresses a growing need for musicians using iOS music apps, who would like to move their musical ideas to Ableton Live.
Read more at Github
Unravel electronic music’s origins, build your chops, learn musical language and theory, and make and play music the way you want. Students will develop a deeper understanding of the roots and lineage of a variety of electronic and dance music genres, strengthen their keyboard skills, and learn valuable music theory, deepening their creative practice and facilitating effective collaborations with musical partners.
The best producers, DJs, and musicians in the world strive to be well-rounded. So should you. In Dubspot’s Music Foundations Program, you’ll explore three major aspects of music: rhythmic theory, melodic theory, and critical listening.
Most pioneering early electronic musicians had years of conservatory training in theory and performance but had access to very limited technologies. In today’s musical world, it’s the opposite: we have a powerful and versatile array of electronic music making tools at our fingertips, but often fall short in our theoretical understanding of how electronic music works.
Our Music Foundations program is designed to fill this gap and provide training in fundamental skills and concepts with the electronic musician, DJ, and producer in mind. In this course, you’ll build your chops and learn the basics of musical language and theory so that you can make and play the music you want. You will also develop a deeper understanding of the roots and lineage of a variety of electronic and dance music genres, and explore compositional techniques and song structure. The weekly homework lessons for all three courses have been designed using Ableton Live, and along the way you’ll also learn the basics of Ableton and how to use it as a powerful tool to improve your musicianship in a variety of ways.
Visit the Music Foundations course page for detailed information on this program here.
If you have questions, please call 877.DUBSPOT or send us a message.
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The post Music Tech News Roundup November 2016 appeared first on Dubspot Blog.
In this video, Reverb.com’s Justin DeLay demonstrates how to recreate iconic synth sounds from three of John Carpenter’s classic horror films.
Legendary filmmaker John Carpenter has been a master of horror, suspense, and science fiction for over four decades. He is famously known for writing and directing countless cult classics such as Halloween, The Thing, Big Trouble in Little China, The Fog, and many others. What many people may not know is that John Carpenter is also the mastermind who crafted the eerie soundtracks for nearly all of his films using some of the most recognized synthesizers of the era.
John Carpenter has played a major role in defining the classic style of horror and sci-fi film scoring. His iconic soundtracks have become synonymous with horror and suspense. However, he has a reputation for being somewhat elusive about the synth sounds he created, often leaving much to be desired in his interviews on the subject.
To help us explore Carpenter’s sound design approaches, Justin DeLay, Director of Digital at Reverb.com, demonstrates how to recreate three classic Carpenter themes while sharing tips and suggestions on how you can be inspired to experiment with different sounds.
Download a John Carpenter MIDI clip pack that includes Drums, Bass, Synth, and Piano transcriptions for “Halloween” and “The Fog” at Reverb.com here.
While attending the University of Southern California’s School of Cinema, John Carpenter began work on DARK STAR, a science fiction comedy short that was later expanded into a feature length film and released theatrically in 1975. His second feature, ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 (1976) was partially an homage to his idol, Howard Hawks, and basically reimagined that director’s RIO BRAVO in an urban setting. Carpenter’s breakthrough film was HALLOWEEN (1978), the seminal horror film; made for $300,000, it was the most profitable independent movie of its day, and to date has spawned several sequels.
Following HALLOWEEN, he further established his reputation with such genre hits as THE FOG, THEY LIVE, PRINCE OF DARKNESS, the psychological horror film, IN THE MOUTH OF MADNESS, CHRISTINE, and THE WARD. His rank as an action director on a wider scale is also evident in such productions as ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK, VAMPIRES, THE THING, GHOSTS OF MARS, ESCAPE FROM L.A. and BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA.
His motion picture credits also include the comedy-thriller, MEMOIRS OF AN INVISIBLE MAN, the sci-fi love story, STARMAN, which earned Jeff Bridges a Best Actor Oscar nomination, and VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED, the terrifying remake of the classic 1950s horror story.
For the small screen, Carpenter directed the thriller SOMEONE’S WATCHING ME, the acclaimed biographical mini-series, ELVIS, and the Showtime horror trilogy JOHN CARPENTER PRESENTS BODY BAGS. He also directed two episodes of Showtime’s MASTERS OF HORROR series.
He won the Cable Ace Award for writing the HBO movie, EL DIABLO.
In the gaming world, he co-wrote the video game FEAR 3 for Warner Bros. Interactive.
In the world of comics, Carpenter is the co-creator of the award-winning bi-monthly series, “John Carpenter’s Asylum” and the acclaimed annual anthology collection, “John Carpenter’s Tales for a HalloweeNight.”
On Halloween 2014, the director and composer introduced the world to the next phase of his career with “Vortex,” the first single from Lost Themes, his first album of non-soundtrack material. Carpenter’s primacy and lasting influence on genre score work was both rediscovered and reaffirmed. Lost Themes achieved numerous international milestones, including NPR First Listen; features in dozens of press outlets including the Los Angeles Times, Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and The Guardian; three magazine covers; and Top 200 chart success in the U.S. and the U.K.
John Carpenter was born in Carthage, New York. His family later moved to Bowling Green, Kentucky, where his father was the head of the music department at Western Kentucky University. He attended Western Kentucky University followed by the USC School of Cinema in Los Angeles. WKU awarded him an honorary doctorate in 2007. He lives in Hollywood, California with his wife, Sandy King, his frequent collaborator.
Finding the right sound can be like looking for a needle in a haystack. Learn the fundamentals of synthesis and sampling and gain the depth of knowledge to shape sounds the way you want them or make your own sounds from scratch.
Become fluent in the language of sound design and synthesis with this comprehensive program. This six-level Sound Design program uses Native Instruments’ Komplete as a platform for learning synthesis and sampling techniques. Starting with an introduction to the properties of sound, this comprehensive series of courses covers the major techniques used for contemporary sound design.
You will learn to create your own sounds with a variety of techniques and add a personal sonic signature to your tracks. We introduce you to the latest synthesis and sampling technologies and show you how to use the world’s largest and most diverse sound library. In the advanced levels, you will acquire total control over all aspects of the Komplete instruments while practicing genre-based sound design.
Visit the Music Foundations course page for detailed information on this program here.
If you have questions, please call 877.DUBSPOT or send us a message.
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The post The Legendary Synth Sounds of John Carpenter appeared first on Dubspot Blog.
Learn how to create, mix, and layer sub bass in this guide. Included is a FREE Sub Bass Instrument Rack for Ableton Live.
The audio spectrum is an audible frequency range that spans from 20Hz to 20,000Hz. The full range can also be divided into seven different frequency bands: Sub, Bass, Low Mids, Mids, Upper Mids, Presence, and Brilliance. Sub bass sounds typically exist in the sub frequency band that spans from approximately 60Hz down to 20Hz. More often, sub bass will inhabit your mix in the 40Hz to 60Hz range. You can try to go lower than 40Hz, but most speakers won’t be able to accurately articulate frequencies that low. In addition, human hearing is not very sensitive to frequencies under 20Hz, so sounds in this range tend to be felt more than heard which provides a sense of power. Sub sounds that extend below 20Hz are called infrasound. Most sound systems often feature subwoofer loudspeakers that are dedicated solely to amplifying sounds in the sub bass range.
The most common approach to creating sub bass is using a basic sine wave an octave or two below your fundamental bass notes. A sine wave will give you a pure tone without all the harsh higher harmonics that saw or square waves produce. A triangle wave produces a subtle amount of higher harmonics and will work better on small laptop speakers or earbuds. You can also layer waveforms to create a thicker and more powerful sound. Sine wave subs are single harmonics that are very clean-sounding, but don’t necessarily push the low-end to its full potential. You can achieve more weighty sub frequencies by subtly mixing in a square wave with a sine wave to produce a more heavy sound for example. Additionally, if you are using an FM synthesizer, you can add another sine wave to modulate the first oscillator to create some extra punch.
Treating your sub bass sounds is also essential to achieving a solid low end. You can get more out of your sub bass with some simple mixing techniques that will help control and enhance your sub frequencies. First, it’s important that you are using decent speakers or headphones to hear your sub bass adequately.
Sub bass can be overpowering and can quickly use up a lot of headroom making it hard for other sounds to cut through the mix. It’s extremely important to control your low frequencies to achieve clarity in the overall mix. Below are some typical sub bass treatment moves that will help shape your speaker rumblers.
EQing is a crucial step in shaping your sub bass. It’s highly recommended to cut higher frequencies above 100Hz to 200Hz to create space for other sounds in your mix. The goal is to focus on low frequencies and remove any high frequencies that may clutter the mix. In addition, you may want to remove any infrasound frequencies that the human ear cannot hear which uses up an unnecessary amount of headroom as well. An EQ roll off below 40Hz can help achieve clarity and punch. In most cases, removing ultra low frequencies will actually make you sub bass sound louder. Also, it’s important to be aware of any additional EQ moves. Boosting the sub bass range can make the sound overly powerful and quickly use up your available headroom, whereas cutting too much of the sub bass range will weaken and thin out the sound. It also crucial that you remove any low frequencies on all your other sounds in the mix to make room for your sub bass.
Applying saturation is another common treatment that can beef up your low end by introducing additional harmonics. It is often recommended to apply saturation before you cut frequencies with the EQ to ensure you remove any unnecessary high frequencies that your saturation/distortion plugin creates.
Compression is another move that is essential for controlling your sub bass and giving your sound some additional punch. Medium-fast attack times and medium-fast release times will ensure your sub bass is smooth and consistent while controlling any spikes that may cause clipping. There are no magic settings, so it’s crucial that you use your ears and judgment to dial in the right amount of compression that suits your needs. Additionally, a second compressor setup to sidechain from your kick or another sidechain source is also highly recommended to quickly attenuate the volume so your kick can cut through the mix. Both the kick and sub bass will occupy some of the same low frequencies, so it’s important that you make space for these frequencies to achieve punch, presence, and clarity.
Lastly, it is extremely important to ensure your sub bass is mono for several reasons. A mono signal will have more punch and presence than a signal that is spread across the stereo field. Also, most club speakers are mono, so you will lose a lot of your low-end power making your track sound weak when played alongside commercial masters. It’s also wise to check your mix with a frequency analyzer and a stereo analyzer to visually inspect your sub bass.
Keeping the sub bass separate from the other bass parts is a common technique used to achieving a powerful and clean low end. Simply, copy the MIDI notes or record the same notes from your other bass parts to create a separate sub bass track. However, it’s important to be aware of the envelope settings on your sub bass track. If the envelopes don’t closely match the other bass parts, you may hear that two sounds are off and that they sound awkward. You may also hear unwanted clicks or pops. One approach to ensure your envelopes match is to duplicate your bass part to create another instance of that same bass sound on a new channel with the same patch settings, and then change the oscillators to a basic sine wave. This way you will have a clean sub bass with the same envelopes and dynamic characteristics that layers seamlessly. Finally, make sure you remove any low frequencies from the main bass part that overlap the sub bass to ensure clarity and presence.
For any Ableton Live users out there, we put together a simple Sub Bass Instrument Rack that generates low frequencies with Live’s Operator Instrument along with some extra processing effects to enhance your low-end boomers.
At Dubspot our world-class instructors provide the most complete and cutting-edge Ableton Live learning experience. The Ableton Live Producer Certificate Program is the flagship of our music training. After completing this program, you will leave with a portfolio of original tracks, a remix entered in an active contest, a scored commercial to widen your scope, and the Dubspot Producer’s Certificate in Ableton Live.
This program is about learning Ableton Live by going through the entire process of being an artist, by developing your own sound through a series of sketches and experimentation. You will also learn the ins and outs of this powerful software through a series of exercises designed to help you master the steps involved in producing your own music. After a level of getting familiar with the tools that Ableton has to offer, you will then develop your sonic ideas into full-length tracks. You will be exposed to a variety of approaches to arrangement and composition, storytelling techniques, ways of creating tension and drama in your music. At the end of the day, it is the sum total of your choices as an artist that define your sound, and levels 2 – 6 will give you the experience of actually completing tracks to add to your portfolio.
Visit the Ableton Live course page for detailed information on this program here.
If you have questions, please call 877.DUBSPOT or send us a message.
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