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What is sibilance

Whether it’s broadcasting, music, film, or online content creation, eliminating hissing is crucial to creating high-quality audio productions and enhancing the overall impact of the media. In this article, you’ll learn everything you need to know about hissing sounds.

What is hissing?

So, what are audio sibilants? These are the “S” and “Sh” sounds in vocal recordings. They may not bother you personally, but recording vocals through microphones can make them much more pronounced, resulting in shrill and harsh vocals. For example, recording a podcast with a condenser microphone from close range can highlight these sounds. Excessive hissing sounds make the sound harsh and unpleasant. Add to this a bad audio mix, and it can be quite painful to listen to. Why? Hissing sounds occur in the 2 kHz to 8 kHz frequency range, where our hearing is most sensitive. Hissing is natural in speech, and we don’t notice it in normal conversations or unamplified live performances. The problem only arises when you record or amplify vocals with a microphone.

Unraveling Sibilance: Understanding Its Definition and Frequency Range

Sibilants are the hissing or sharp "s", "sh", "ch", and "z" sounds produced by human speech. These sounds are characterized by high-frequency energy and sometimes sound harsh or distracting when recorded. This occurs when the airflow during speech passes through the narrow space between the tongue and the roof of the mouth, creating a turbulent sound. Example: "She sells seashells on the seashore." In this sentence, the sibilant sounds are: - The "s" sound in "sells" and "seashells"; - The "sh" sound in "she" and "seashore." These sibilant sounds give speech a hissing or sharp quality. Controlling sibilance is important in audio production to ensure clear and pleasing speech recordings. Sibilant frequency is the range of frequencies in which the sibilant sounds are most pronounced. In audio and speech analysis, hissing frequencies typically lie at the high end of the audio spectrum, typically between 4 kHz and 10 kHz or higher. This frequency range is critical for sound engineers and producers as it must be identified and controlled in post-production, as excessive hissing can result in distorted audio or even discomfort for the listener.

Is it possible to use sibilance rather than just remove it?

This is where things get a little murky. The general consensus is that sibilance is, by definition, an unpleasant harshness in a recorded vocal. Fair enough. We spend a lot of time using plugins like de-essers to get rid of those overly powerful es. The problem with calling all sibilance ugly and harsh is that there is a lot of pleasing clarity in that same frequency range. So it's safe to say that to a certain extent we use sibilance to our advantage when mixing live, in-your-face vocals. When working with this, the goal should first be to figure out how naturally bright your artist's voice is. You can put a bright vocal on a dark mic, and vice versa, to tone down the harshness of the input. Then see how the vocal (hiss and all) sits in the mix as is. Does the whistle add a bit of presence and help cut through the vocals, or is it too harsh and distracting?

What are the different types of hissing sounds?

Hissing sounds are produced by creating a narrow opening in the vocal tract, which causes turbulence in the airflow. The different types of hissing sounds vary depending on the shape of the tongue, the place of articulation, and the point of contact with the tongue. Let's look at the most common types of hissing sounds: Sound (Voiceless alveolar sibilant) Tongue shape: the tongue is slightly raised, its front part touches the alveolar process - the bony protrusion behind the upper front teeth. Place of articulation: alveolar, that is, the sound is formed when the air flow narrows on the alveolar ridge. Contact point on the tongue: the air flow passes along the sides of the tongue. Example: as in the word "sea" Sound (voiceless alveolar sibilant) Tongue shape: similar to , tongue raised and its blade touching the alveolar ridge. Place of articulation: Alveolar, similar to . Point of contact on the tongue: Difference from is that the vocal cords vibrate, creating a voiced sound. Example: as in "zebra" Sound (Voiceless postalveolar sibilant) Tongue shape Place of articulation: postalveolar, i.e. the sound is produced by narrowing the airstream slightly further back than the alveolar ridge. Point of contact on the tongue: the airstream passes along the sides of the tongue. Example: as in "sheep" Sound (voiceless postalveolar sibilant) Tongue shape: similar to , the tongue is raised and its blade is located just behind the alveolar ridge. Place of articulation: postalveolar, similar to . Point of contact on the tongue: The difference from is that the vocal cords vibrate, creating a voiced sound. Example: as in the word "measure".

How to Reduce “S” Sounds While Recording

Reducing the amount of “S” sounds in a recording is crucial to achieving a clean and pleasing sound. There are two main methods used to solve the hiss problem: “fix it at the source” or “fix it in the mix”. - Fix it at the source: This method minimizes hiss during the recording process; - Fix it in the mix: If there is still hiss in the recording, it can be removed in the post-production mix. Combining these approaches allows you to effectively manage hiss and ensure a smoother, more professional-sounding recording. Hiss can be a headache for those new to audio recording. It is often caused by poor microphone technique or poor microphone choice. In this digital age, producers love to tweak plugins. But with microphone recordings, you need to do it in real time. Choose the wrong microphone or place it poorly, such as in a room with bad acoustics, and you will end up with a poor-quality recording full of hiss. What is the best way to eliminate this? Choose the right microphone and place it correctly. You will also need technical knowledge and a singer with the right technique. Choosing the perfect microphone is not a walk in the park. You need one that not only reduces hiss, but is also suitable for your project. As a general rule, choose microphones that are less sensitive to high-frequency sound. Avoid those that emphasize the 2 kHz to 8 kHz range for hiss-free recordings. Consider using directional microphones, such as dynamic microphones (such as the SM57). These help reduce the ambient hiss that sensitive condenser microphones can pick up. Of course, test different microphones to find the perfect one to minimize hiss and suit the needs of your singer. A dynamic microphone may be suitable for heavy metal singers like Lemmy of Motorhead (who loved his SM57), but for intimate performances by artists like Billie Eilish, more sensitive microphones like condensers are needed. If you are working with a vocalist who needs a sensitive microphone, take steps to reduce hissing by proper placement and adjustment of the microphone. For example, with a sensitive condenser microphone, hissing can leak out if the singer is too close to it. So be sure to maintain an appropriate distance between them. Experiment to find the optimal distance. If the singer is too close, you will get a hissing noise. If they are too far away, they will lose vocal power. Sometimes tilting the microphone away from the hissing noise helps, but it can reduce the quality of the recorded vocal performance. Consider using a pop filter to mute the hissing frequencies. Pop filters can work well, but be aware that they can change the characteristics of the microphone. If you need a pop filter but don't have one, use a sock over the microphone. Work closely with the singer to ensure proper microphone recording technique. Inexperienced singers may sing too close to the microphone or not through a pop filter.

Tips for Preventing Hissing While Recording

Start by positioning the microphone slightly away from the speaker's mouth. This reduces the direct impact of hissing sounds and allows for a more even vocal tone. It is also recommended to use a pop filter or foam windscreen in front of the microphone. This helps to disperse the force of plosive sounds (like "p" and "b") and reduce the intensity of hissing sounds. Avoid speaking too close to the microphone, as this can amplify hissing sounds.

How to Reduce Whistling in a Mix

While it is best to prevent sibilance from occurring in the first place, there may be times when some sibilance slips through despite your best efforts. Below are a few techniques you can use to effectively remove sibilance in post-production. Dynamic Range Compression Compression is a common audio processing technique used to control the dynamic range of a recording. In the context of sibilance reduction, you can set up a compressor with a fast attack and release time to specifically target the sibilance peaks. By compressing the sibilance, the overall level of harsh frequencies is reduced, resulting in a smoother, more controlled vocal. Multi-Band Compression This is when you apply different compression settings to specific frequency ranges. In this case, you can set up a multi-band compressor to target the frequency range where the sibilance is most pronounced (usually around 4-10 kHz). Manual Volume Automation For more precise control, use manual volume automation to reduce the level of sibilance at specific points in the recording. Equalization (EQ) Equalization (EQ) is essential for reducing sibilance in audio recordings. By selectively adjusting certain frequency ranges, typically targeting the higher frequencies where sibilance is present (around 4 kHz - 10 kHz), an EQ smooths out sounds. With Auto-Tune Vocal EQ, you can make targeted cuts, monitor the results, and fine-tune for a polished, professional sound. Using a De-Esser A de-esser is a tool specifically designed to eliminate and control sibilance in vocal recordings. Its primary purpose is to reduce the harsh “s,” “sh,” “ch,” and “z” sounds that can be distracting and unpleasant to the listener. If you want to take your audio recordings to the next level and provide an immersive listening experience, consider adding a vocal de-esser to your toolbox. Its advanced algorithm automatically detects and targets sibilant frequencies, allowing you to effortlessly achieve a professional and balanced vocal mix. So, you’ve recorded a band and got a great vocal performance, only to discover that the track has too much sibilance. Going back to the studio isn’t always an option. Maybe you no longer have studio time booked, the singer is unavailable, or the performance is too good to throw away. You’re not alone in this problem. To fix sibilance, audio engineers have created a technique called de-essing. A de-esser is a specialized dynamic audio processor that reduces or eliminates sibilance. Nowadays, you can get a high-quality de-esser using audio plugins. A de-esser isn’t groundbreaking. It’s like a compressor that selectively compresses sibilance frequencies when they exceed a certain threshold. You can adjust parameters such as the threshold and intensity of the compression and target specific frequencies. When used correctly, a de-esser can reduce harsh tones while maintaining the sound and quality of the original recording. Studio Space Matters Too The room you record in affects the hiss in your recording, so choose a room with proper acoustic treatment. Acoustically treated rooms absorb some of the hiss, resulting in less noise. Ensure effective and accurate monitoring of the microphone's audio playback. Amateur recordings often do not have sufficient monitoring settings, and hissing tones become apparent in other settings. If you are unsure of the quality of your monitoring, use headphones to check the hiss levels. Be sure to use studio-quality headphones, as commercial ones may color the sound in an undesirable way. Using the Fader to Reduce Hiss The primary role of the fader is to control the overall volume and balance of the mix, which indirectly affects how prominent the hissing sounds will be in the final audio recording. Here’s how to use the fader to eliminate hiss: - Relative balance: Lowering the vocal fader can reduce the prominence of the hissing sounds, making them less prominent in the overall audio mix; - Masking: Hissing sounds can sometimes mask other important elements in the mix. You can minimize the masking effect of hiss by allowing other parts of the mix to shine through. A word about frequency masking, a common problem that engineers and producers regularly encounter. It occurs when one sound drowns out the clarity of another sound in the same frequency range, creating a muddy and unprofessional mix. As for hiss, while you can use the fader to mitigate the problem, an equalizer is a better option. First, use a spectrum analyzer to identify conflicting frequencies. Although most sibilants are in the 3 kHz to 8 kHz range (female voices have higher sibilants than male voices), scan the entire spectrum to identify any potential frequency issues before applying an equalizer. Next, use a combination of high-pass and low-pass filters to identify conflicting frequencies without compromising the clarity of the mix. By cutting and boosting frequencies, you can enhance dominant frequencies and tone down plosive sounds. - Fader control: An engineer can manually adjust the vocal level in real time while mixing. When a sibilant word or phrase is encountered, they can quickly lower the fader level for those specific moments to reduce the intensity of the sibilance; - Volume automation: In a DAW, faders can be automated to adjust volume levels at specific points in a recording. For example, you can automate a fader to reduce the volume during a vocal performance with a lot of sibilance.

Final thoughts

Hiss has a significant impact on a variety of audio production and communications environments, including radio, music production, television, podcasts, and more. Excessive hiss can be distracting, reduce engagement, and reduce the clarity of a vocal performance. With the skillful use of de-essers, equalizers, fader controls, and microphone recording techniques, you can effectively reduce hiss and improve sound quality. Read the full article

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Counterpoint in music

Counterpoint in music theory is the art of crafting multiple simultaneous musical lines (voices) that are harmonically intertwined yet maintain independent rhythmic and melodic identities. The term itself springs from the Latin phrase "punctus contra punctum," which translates to "point against point" or "note against note." This encapsulates the essence of counterpoint: the interplay of individual notes in different voices that sound together but don't align in timing or melody. As John Rahn describes it, counterpoint is a sophisticated process that goes beyond simply writing a few pretty melodies. It involves creating intricate compositions where each voice stands on its own while seamlessly contributing to a harmonious polyphonic whole. Each line must be musically expressive in its own right, enhancing and underscoring the structure of the other voices when they all sound together. Counterpoint holds a place of particular importance in European classical music, especially during the Renaissance and Baroque periods. It was during these times that the technique of counterpoint reached its zenith, serving as the bedrock for crafting complex multi-voiced works. In Western pedagogy, counterpoint is taught through a system of different species, such as imitative counterpoint and free counterpoint. Imitative counterpoint centers on the repetition of a core melodic idea across different voices, with or without variations. This creates a sense of thematic recognition, with each repetition adding a fresh nuance. Free counterpoint, on the other hand, grants composers more creative leeway in working with harmonies, chords, chromaticism, and dissonances. This leads to a more intricate and richly textured sound, where traditional harmonies are swapped for more experimental and sometimes surprising sonic combinations.

General Principles

The term "counterpoint" can refer to both an individual voice within a musical piece and the overall composition itself. The primary focus in counterpoint is the melodic interaction between voices, while the resulting harmony is considered a secondary aspect. Each voice must maintain its independence, contributing to a complex and multi-layered musical texture. Modern interpretations of counterpoint have transcended traditional music theory, gaining a mathematical foundation through the work of Guerino Mazzola. His model elucidates the structure of forbidden parallel fifths and the peculiarities of the dissonant fourth, using formal principles rather than psychological perceptions. Later, Octavio Agustin adapted this model for microtonal music, broadening its applicability. Another major researcher in this field was the Russian composer and theorist Sergei Taneyev. Inspired by Spinoza's philosophy, he developed a system for analyzing counterpoint based on algebraic procedures, which allowed for the explanation of a wide range of complex polyphonic phenomena, including invertible counterpoint. A key principle of counterpoint is the functional independence of voices. If this is lost, effects arise that are uncharacteristic of contrapuntal writing. For example, in organ music, certain registers can activate interval combinations with a single keystroke, leading to parallel voice movement. As a result, individual lines cease to be perceived as independent and merge into a new timbral hue. A similar effect is found in orchestral arrangements. In Ravel's "Boléro," the parallel sound of flutes, horns, and celesta creates a sonic palette reminiscent of an electric organ timbre. However, in traditional counterpoint, such phenomena are considered undesirable, as they blur the polyphonic texture, making individual voices indistinguishable.

Rules of Counterpoint

Counterpoint isn't just about throwing a few melodies together; it's a specific technique of musical writing where each part remains independent while interacting with others to create a harmonious and expressive texture. Composers follow clear principles to achieve a balance between the independence of voices and their harmonic blending. It's crucial that the lines don't drown each other out, but rather complement each other, maintaining clarity of sound. Control over dissonances and consonances plays a key role, as it prevents unnatural blending of voices and preserves the transparency of the musical structure.

Development of the Concept

Counterpoint has found its expression in various musical forms, such as the round, canon, and fugue. In rounds, the melody is performed by several voices with the gradual entry of each subsequent one, creating an effect of continuous motion. The canon complicates this principle by allowing variations of the theme, including mirror reflections and rhythmic changes. The fugue, however, is the supreme form of contrapuntal mastery, where the theme is developed and transformed in different voices, creating a rich and multi-layered composition.

Famous Examples

Certain melodies can be combined in such a way that they maintain their independence while harmonizing with each other. For example, "Frère Jacques" can be performed simultaneously with "Three Blind Mice," creating a natural contrapuntal sound. In modern music, there are compositions based on a single harmonic scheme, allowing them to be performed together. An interesting example is the overlay of "My Way" and "Life on Mars." In classical music, one of the most striking examples of complex counterpoint is the fugue in G-sharp minor from the second volume of Johann Sebastian Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier. In it, each new voice adds additional nuances to the theme, changing its perception and creating a rich harmonic structure. Pianist András Schiff notes that Johann Sebastian Bach's counterpoint had a profound influence on the work of composers like Mozart and Beethoven. A striking example can be found in the development section of the opening movement of Beethoven's Piano Sonata in E minor. Here, the composer employs intricate polyphonic techniques, adding an expressive counterpoint to one of the main themes, which underscores the depth and multi-layered nature of the musical form. Another example of late Beethoven's contrapuntal mastery appears in Symphony No. 9. In measures 116–123 of the final movement, as the famous "Ode to Joy" theme sounds, the violas and cellos carry the melody, while the bass line develops unpredictably, creating an improvisational effect. Simultaneously, the bassoon performs an additional counterpoint, which also feels like a spontaneous embellishment of the main theme. This combination of independent voices lends the music a sense of natural flow and lively interaction. In the prelude to Richard Wagner's opera "Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg," three distinct themes, drawn from the opera, are interwoven. Gordon Jacob considers this technique a prime example of virtuoso contrapuntal mastery, while Donald Tovey emphasizes that, in this case, the combination of themes doesn't form classically harmonious counterpoint. Instead, Wagner uses their juxtaposition to create dramatic effect rather than to construct a traditional polyphonic structure. The final movement of Symphony No. 41, known as the "Jupiter," showcases a remarkable example of five-voice counterpoint. In this section, Mozart combines five distinct melodies, creating a complex yet cohesive musical fabric. Each voice maintains its individuality, while simultaneously interacting with the others, forming a rich and expressive polyphonic dialogue. Species counterpoint was developed as a pedagogical system where students progress through several stages, gradually mastering increasingly complex contrapuntal techniques. The method centers on a fixed melody—the cantus firmus—which remains unchanged while the student creates additional voices governed by strict rules of interaction. Due to the limitations imposed on the composition, this method is referred to as "strict" counterpoint. Mastery of this approach allows the student to gradually transition to freer counterpoint, where the rules are less rigid and the use of a cantus firmus is not required. The concept of learning through sequential stages of counterpoint can be traced back to the 16th century. The earliest descriptions appear in Giovanni Maria Lanfranco's treatise Scintille di musica (1533), and the idea was significantly developed in the works of the Italian theorist Gioseffo Zarlino. In 1619, Lodovico Zacconi systematized this approach in Prattica di musica, proposing the first structured system for teaching counterpoint. Unlike later authors, he included techniques such as invertible counterpoint in his methodology, allowing for the interchange of upper and lower voices without losing harmonic clarity. In 1725, Johann Joseph Fux, in his fundamental work Gradus ad Parnassum, formulated five species of counterpoint: - First species: note against note—each note of the second voice sounds simultaneously with one note of the cantus firmus; - Second species: two notes against one—two notes of the additional voice correspond to each note of the cantus firmus; - Third species: four notes against one—the movement becomes even more active, adding rhythmic complexity; - Fourth species: suspensions and prepared dissonances—delays and resolutions appear, creating smooth harmonic transitions; - Fifth species: florid counterpoint—the most complex stage, combining all the principles to create a complex polyphonic texture. Fux's method became the foundation for subsequent generations of theorists, who made minor adjustments to the system but generally followed his principles. Many rules regarding melodic movement were borrowed from solfège and eventually adapted to the harmonic requirements of the common practice period. This allowed for the integration of linear melodic movement with harmonic functions, laying the groundwork for the further development of figured bass and other polyphonic techniques. Fundamental Rules of Melodic and Voice Leading in Counterpoint In counterpoint, there are strict principles that regulate the construction of melodies and the interaction of voices. These rules help create a balanced sound, avoiding dissonances and unnatural melodic movements. Melodic Construction The following rules apply to melodic writing in each species of counterpoint: - Approach to the final note: The final note must be approached by step. In minor modes (Dorian, Hypodorian, Aeolian, and Hypoaeolian), the leading tone should be raised, but this should not be done in the Phrygian and Hypophrygian modes. For example, in the Dorian mode on D, the cadence requires raising C to C♯; - Permissible intervals: Unison, fourth, fifth, octave, major and minor seconds, major and minor thirds, and the ascending minor sixth (which must be followed by a descending movement); - Leaps: If two leaps occur in the same direction, the second must be smaller than the first. The first and third notes should not form a dissonance. All three notes must belong to the same triad, and if this is impossible, the range should not exceed one octave. More than two consecutive leaps should be avoided; - After a large leap: It is recommended to continue the movement in the opposite direction by step; - Tritones and sevenths: A tritone within three notes (e.g., F–A–B♮) and a seventh in a similar construction should be avoided; - Climax: Each part should have a climax—the highest point of the melodic line. It is usually located in the middle of the phrase and falls on a strong beat; - Sevenths: A seventh should not be emphasized within a single line if the movement continues in the same direction. Voice Leading The following rules apply when voices interact: - Start and finish: Counterpoint must begin and end in a perfect consonance; - Contrary motion: Contrary motion should prevail, as this prevents parallel fifths and octaves; - Approach to perfect consonances: Perfect consonances should be approached by oblique or contrary motion; - Approach to imperfect consonances: Imperfect consonances can be approached by any type of motion; - Distance between voices: The difference between two adjacent parts should not exceed a tenth unless musically necessary; - Order of voice construction: Work on counterpoint should begin with the bass line, and then the upper voices should be added. First Species Counterpoint In first species counterpoint, each note in the added voice sounds simultaneously with one note in the cantus firmus. All voices move in sync, without rhythmic independence, as only whole notes are used. This makes first species counterpoint the most rhythmically rigid. Melodic movement in this counterpoint is divided into steps and leaps. A step is movement by a half-step or whole step, while a leap is an interval of a third or fourth. If the distance between notes is a fifth or greater, it's considered a large leap, requiring careful use to maintain melodic smoothness. Fux, in his study of Palestrina's style, formulated several rules governing the construction of first species counterpoint. These include recommendations for interval relationships between voices, maintaining the purity of harmonic combinations, and the proper use of melodic movement. These principles were adopted by later theorists and remain the foundation for teaching strict counterpoint. - 1. First species counterpoint demands strict adherence to voice-leading rules to maintain harmonic purity and the independence of lines. All voices move in sync, making the structure particularly transparent and highlighting the melodic relationships between parts; - 2. The beginning and end of the counterpoint must fall on a unison, octave, or fifth, except when the added voice is below the cantus firmus—in such situations, only a unison or octave is allowed; - 3. The unison is permitted exclusively at the beginning and end of the piece. Its use is prohibited in the rest of the counterpoint; - 3. The unison is permitted exclusively at the beginning and end of the piece. Its use is prohibited in the rest of the counterpoint; - 5. Parallel fourths are also considered undesirable, although instances of their use are found in Palestrina's practice, especially if they do not involve the bass line; - 6. The same interval should not be repeated more than three times in a row; - 7. Parallel thirds or sixths are permissible, but not more than three times in a row; - 8. The difference in range between two adjacent voices should not exceed a tenth, unless exceeding this limit is justified by exceptional expressiveness of the line; - 9. Two voices should not move by leaps in the same direction simultaneously, as this undermines the independence of the lines; - Contrary motion of voices should be used whenever possible, as it contributes to greater polyphonic expressiveness. Dissonant intervals, such as seconds, sevenths, augmented and diminished intervals, and the perfect fourth (in most cases), should not occur between any two voices. Second Species Counterpoint In second species counterpoint, each note of the cantus firmus is accompanied by two shorter notes in the added voices. In second species counterpoint, the added voices move twice as fast as the cantus firmus, creating a more expressive melodic interaction. While the basic principles of first species are maintained, new requirements related to rhythmic structure and the use of dissonances are added. - Starting on a weak beat: It is permissible to start the melody on a weak beat, leaving a half rest in the added voice before the first note; - Consonances and dissonances: Only consonances—both perfect (octave, fifth, unison) and imperfect (third, sixth)—are allowed on strong beats. Dissonances are possible only on weak beats and only in the form of passing tones, which must smoothly connect adjacent notes by stepwise motion; - Unisons: As in first species, unisons should not appear except at the beginning or end of a phrase, or when they fall on a weak beat of the measure; - Consecutive fifths and octaves: Consecutive fifths and octaves on strong beats require special attention. They should not be used in repeated movements, as this destroys the independence of the voices. To avoid this, it is recommended that one voice move by leaps while the other moves stepwise or in the opposite direction. Contrapunto del tercer tipo In third species counterpoint, each note of the cantus firmus is accompanied by three or four shorter notes in the added voice. This creates a more active and fluid melodic development compared to the previous species. New figures appear in this species, which are later also used in fifth species and then extend beyond the strict limitations of species counterpoint. These figures include the nota cambiata, double neighbor tones, and double passing tones. Double neighbor tones are a four-note figure that allows for specific dissonances. Preparation occurs on the first note, and resolution occurs on the fourth. It is important that the fifth note or the strong beat of the next measure continues the movement in the same direction as the last two notes of the figure. The double passing tone allows for two consecutive dissonant passing tones. This figure consists of four notes moving stepwise in one direction. Dissonance occurs on the second and third or third and fourth notes. The interval of a fourth transitions into a diminished fifth, after which the next note resolves to a sixth. Fourth Species Counterpoint Fourth species counterpoint is distinguished by the use of suspended notes, which are held in one voice while another voice continues to move. This leads to the appearance of dissonances, which are then resolved into consonances, creating an effect of tension and subsequent relaxation. This technique adds expressiveness and smoothness to the music, giving the melodic line a natural rhythmic pulse. While notes entered simultaneously in the previous species of counterpoint, fourth species employs the technique of syncopation: one note is held, and the next comes late, temporarily disrupting the usual sense of metric stability. Dissonance occurs on the strong beat of the measure but then resolves to a consonance on the weak beat. This makes the sound richer and more dramatic. If notes of different durations are used in the added voice, the counterpoint is considered expanded. The beginning of fourth species can be organized in various ways: it is permissible to start with a half note, but it is also common to enter with a half rest, creating a prepared entry before the development of syncopated notes. An example of a double passing tone, where the two central notes form dissonant intervals—a fourth and a diminished fifth—with the cantus firmus. In an example of a double-passing tone, there are central notes in the form of a dissonant interval (a fourth and a diminutive fifth) with the cantus firmus. An example of an ascending adjacent double figure with an expressive tritone leap at the end, accompanying the cantus firmus. Fifth Species (Florid Read the full article

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AI in Music

The possibilities of AI-powered music have been murmuring beneath the surface of the music industry for years, but it wasn’t until the release of ChatGPT in 2022 that the broader conversation around AI began to spread into the mainstream. We’re at a point now where some musicians and music industry professionals are fascinated by the possibilities of AI-powered music, while others are wary of the unknown, especially when regulation is still in its infancy. A study by music distribution company Ditto found that nearly 60 percent of artists surveyed say they use AI in their music projects, while 28 percent say they wouldn’t use AI for music purposes. Christopher Wears, associate chair of the music business/management department at Berklee College of Music, is a proponent of AI music technology. He even wrote a master’s thesis on why Warner Music should invest in AI, back in 2016 (spoiler alert: they did, along with every other major label). Wares has introduced AI into his courses at Berklee and has seen mixed reactions from students. “Some of my students love AI and are already using it in different ways, while others want nothing to do with it,” Wares says. “There’s a lot of heated debate in the conversations, and I try to encourage my students to embrace the technology and find new ways to use it to improve their creative processes.” Another course author and instructor with a similar mindset is Ben Camp, an associate professor of songwriting at Berklee College of Music and the author of Songs Unmasked: Techniques and Tips for Songwriting Success . They’ve been fascinated by AI music technology since 2016, after hearing “Daddy’s Car,” one of the first AI pop songs where the AI was trained on The Beatles’ music. The camp also gives its students the opportunity to learn AI in the classroom, as long as they fact-check all the information they learn from ChatGPT or any large language model. “I think everyone has to make their own choice,” says Camp. “I mean, I have friends who still use flip phones because they’re not comfortable with having all their information on their phone. I have friends who still have landlines. So I’m not saying, ‘Hey, everyone, you need to do this.’ But it’s definitely here. It’s not going away. It’s only going to get better.” Whether you’re actively using AI in your music or have some doubts, it’s becoming increasingly clear that AI will play a major role in the music industry in the future. With the expertise of Wares and Camp, we discuss the current state of AI in the music industry, including the tools that are available now.

What is AI Music?

Before we define what AI music means, let’s first define artificial intelligence. Here’s Wares’ definition: “Artificial intelligence is like the intelligence of a computer; it is a technology that enables machines to imitate human thinking or behavior, such as problem solving, learning, or recognizing patterns.” In the context of music, AI technology has reached a point where it can generate, compose, and enhance musical content that was previously performed by humans. AI music can take many forms and types of assistance, from creating an entire song from start to finish, to writing specific aspects of a composition, mixing and mastering a production, voice cloning, and more. We’ll also list some specific AI music tools that can perform these tasks, the capabilities of which have opened up a Pandora’s box of copyright issues.

History

Artificial intelligence has its origins in music, with the problem of transcription: accurately recording a performance into musical notation as it is performed. Père Engramelle's "piano tape" scheme, a mode of automatically recording note times and durations so that they can be easily transcribed into proper musical notation by hand, was first implemented by the German engineers J. F. Unger and J. Holfield in 1752. In 1957, the ILLIAC I (Illinois Automatic Computer) created the "Illiac Suite for String Quartet", a completely computer-generated piece of music. The computer was programmed to perform this task by composer Lejaren Hiller and mathematician Leonard Isaacson. : v–vii  In 1960, Russian researcher Rudolf Zaripov published the world's first paper on algorithmic music composition using the Ural-1 computer. In 1965, inventor Ray Kurzweil developed software that could recognize musical patterns and synthesize new compositions from them. The computer first appeared on the quiz show I've Got a Secret. By 1983, Yamaha's Kansei Music System had gained traction, and a paper on its development was published in 1989. The software used music processing and artificial intelligence techniques to essentially solve the transcription problem for simpler melodies, although higher-level melodies and musical complexities are still considered difficult deep learning problems today, and near-perfect transcription is still a subject of research. In 1997, an artificial intelligence program called Experiments in Musical Intelligence (EMI) outperformed a human composer at the task of composing a piece of music imitating the style of Bach. EMI later became the basis for a more sophisticated algorithm called Emily Howell , named after its creator. In 2002, a group of music researchers at the Sony Computer Science Laboratory in Paris, led by French composer and computer scientist François Pachet, developed Continuator, a unique algorithm capable of restarting a composition after a live musician had stopped. Emily Howell continued to improve music AI by releasing her first album, From Darkness, Light, in 2009. Since then, many more AI works have been published by various groups. In 2010, Iamus became the first AI to create a piece of original modern classical music in its own style: “Iamus' Opus 1”. Located at the University of Malaga (University of Malaga) in Spain, the computer can generate a completely original piece of music in a variety of musical styles. In August 2019, a large dataset of 12,197 MIDI songs, each with their own lyrics and melodies, was created to investigate the feasibility of neurally generating melodies from song lyrics using a deep conditional LSTM-GAN method. With advances in generative AI, models have begun to emerge that can create complete musical compositions (including lyrics) from simple text descriptions. Two notable web applications in this area are Suno AI, which launched in December 2023, and Udio , which followed in April 2024.

Software Applications

ChucK Developed at Princeton University by Ge Wang and Perry Cook, ChucK is a text-based, cross-platform language. By extracting and classifying theoretical techniques it finds in musical pieces, the software is able to synthesize entirely new pieces based on the techniques it has learned. The technology is used by SLOrk (Stanford Laptop Orchestra) and PLOrk (Princeton Laptop Orchestra). Jukebox Jukedeck was a website that allowed people to use artificial intelligence to create original, royalty-free music for use in videos. The team began developing the music-generating technology in 2010, formed a company around it in 2012, and launched the website publicly in 2015. The technology used was initially a rule-based algorithmic composition system, which was later replaced by artificial neural networks. The website has been used to generate over 1 million pieces of music, and brands that have used it have included Coca-Cola, Google, UKTV, and the Natural History Museum in London. In 2019, the company was acquired by ByteDance. Morpheus MorpheuS is a research project by Dorien Herremans and Elaine Chu at Queen Mary University of London, funded by the EU Marie Skłodowska-Curie project. The system uses an optimization approach based on the variable neighborhood search algorithm to transform existing patterned fragments into new fragments with a given level of tonal stress that changes dynamically throughout the fragment. This optimization approach integrates pattern detection techniques to ensure long-term structure and recurring themes in the generated music. Pieces composed by MorpheuS have been performed in concerts both at Stanford and in London. AIVA Founded in February 2016 in Luxembourg, AIVA is a program that produces soundtracks for any type of media. The algorithms behind AIVA are based on deep learning architectures. AIVA has also been used to compose a rock track called On the Edge, as well as a pop tune called Love Sick, in collaboration with singer Taryn Southern for her 2018 album I am AI. Google Purple Google’s Magenta team has published several AI music apps and white papers since their launch in 2016. In 2017, they released the NSynth algorithm and dataset, an open-source hardware musical instrument designed to make it easier for musicians to use the algorithm. The instrument has been used by notable artists like Grimes and YACHT on their albums. In 2018, they released a piano improvisation app called Piano Genie. It was later followed by Magenta Studio, a set of 5 MIDI plugins that allow music producers to develop existing music in their DAW. In 2023, their machine learning team published a technical paper on GitHub describing MusicLM, a proprietary text-to-music generator they had developed. Riffusion Riffusion is a neural network developed by Seth Forsgren and Ike Martiros that generates music using sound patterns rather than audio. It was created as a fine-tuning of Stable Diffusion, an existing open-source model for generating images from text cues in spectrograms. This results in a model that uses text cues to generate image files that can be inverse Fourier transformed and converted to audio files. Although these files are only a few seconds long, the model can also use the latent space between the outputs to interpolate different files together. This is achieved using a functionality of the Stable Diffusion model known as img2img. The resulting music has been described as “de otro mundo” (otherworldly), though it is unlikely to replace human-made music. The model was released on December 15, 2022, and the code is also freely available on GitHub. It is one of many models derived from Stable Diffusion. Riffusion is classified as a subset of AI-based text-to-music generators. In December 2022, Mubert similarly used Stable Diffusion to turn descriptive text into music loops. In January 2023, Google published a paper on its own text-to-music generator called MusicLM. Spike AI Spike AI is an AI-powered audio plugin developed by Spike Stent in collaboration with his son Joshua Stent and friend Henry Ramsey that analyzes tracks and makes recommendations for clarity and other aspects during mixing. Communication is carried out via a chatbot trained on Spike Stent's personal data. The plugin integrates into a digital audio workstation.

Music Applications

Artificial intelligence has the potential to influence the way producers create music by generating track iterations based on cues given by the creator. These cues allow the AI to follow a specific style that the artist is trying to achieve. AI has also been used in music analysis where it has been used for feature extraction, pattern recognition, and music recommendations. Composition Artificial intelligence has had a major impact on the composition sector as it has influenced the ideas of composers/producers and has the potential to make the industry more accessible to newcomers. With its development in music, it has already been used in collaboration with producers. Artists use this software to help generate ideas and identify musical styles by prompting the AI to follow specific requirements that suit their needs. Future impacts of the technology on composition include emulation and fusion of styles, as well as revision and refinement. The development of these types of software can make it easier for newcomers to enter the music industry. Software like ChatGPT was used by producers to perform these tasks, while other software like Ozone11 was used to automate time-consuming and complex tasks like mastering.

Risks and Harm

Musicians, producers, and others have been using non-generative AI tools for years. Cher popularized auto-tune with “Believe” more than a quarter century ago, and countless artists have since used it to “correct” their tone. Record labels use AI to scan social media for unlicensed uses of songs they own, and Shazam works in much the same way when it comes to recognizing audio. Engineers use it to streamline the mixing and mastering process. More recently, Get Back director Peter Jackson used the technology to isolate individual tracks from a mixed recording to reconstruct studio conversations and create a lost Beatles song. But there’s a key difference between these ancillary tools and generative AI apps like Suno and Udio , which can create entire songs from just a few words. All new music AIs work a little differently and continue to evolve, but they generally operate in a similar way to other generative AI tools: they analyze a huge data set and use the patterns found in it to make probabilistic predictions. To do this for audio, developers collect a huge collection of songs (through agreements with license holders and/or by scraping publicly available data without permission) and their associated metadata (artists and song titles, genres, years, descriptions, annotations, anything relevant and available). All of this is usually made possible by low-paid workers in the Global South who annotate this data on a gigantic scale. The developers then prepare this data set for a machine learning model, which is (in short) a vast network of connections, each assigned a numerical “weight.” Humans then “train” the model by teaching it to observe patterns in the data set and providing feedback to the model by scoring its predictions. Based on these patterns, the model can take a short piece of audio or text cue and predict what should happen next, and then what will happen after that, and so on. Developers tweak the weights to generate more listenable and predictable results from the same inputs. AI-powered music generators combine two strands of technology: the musical tools that professionals have been using in studios for decades, and the large language models that allow everyday users to harness their power. Any AI music generator is only as good as the data it’s trained on. These systems require vast amounts of data, and a model trained on a biased dataset will reproduce those biases in its output. Whose voices are included in this huge box of music, and whose are left out? Today’s AI models tend to exclude huge swaths of music, especially from musical traditions that predate recording technology and are of non-Western origin. As currently designed, they’re more likely to produce stereotypical sounds within a genre or style than anything unusual, let alone innovative or interesting. Generative AI systems are prone to mediocrity, but transcendental music is found on the fringes. “What will be lost in human creativity and diversity if musicians start relying on predictive models trained on selective data sets that exclude most of the world’s cultures and languages?” Lauren M.E. Goodlad, chair of Rutgers University’s Critical AI initiative, told me. From a legal perspective, musicians watching AI models learn from their work have the same concerns as the New York Times, Getty, and other publishers and creators who are suing AI companies: the provenance of the data. While some companies are careful to train their models only on licensed data, others use whatever they can get their hands on, arguing that anything in the public domain falls under fair use for this purpose. The RIAA, the dominant music trade body in the US, is now suing Suno and Udio for “copyright infringement… on a massive scale.” (Disclosure: Vox Media is one of several publishers that has signed partnership deals with OpenAI. Our reporting remains editorially independent.) Polls often show that most people disapprove of AI companies copying public data without permission. But while there are a number of high-profile lawsuits on the table, it’s not yet clear how the legal system will affect companies mining all that human creativity without permission, let alone compensate them. If these practices aren’t curbed soon, the least scrupulous players will quickly gain power and the fancy lobbyists and lawyers that come with it. (Callousness: It’s not just for machines!) These issues are pressing now because they become harder to solve over time, and some in the field are pushing back. Ed Newton-Rex was vice president of audio at Stability AI when it launched Stable Audio , an AI-powered music and sound generator, last fall. He left the company just a couple of months later over its stance on data collection: Newton-Rex’s team trained Stable Audio only on licensed data, but the company’s leadership filed a public comment with the U.S. Copyright Office that the AI development was “an acceptable, transformative, and socially beneficial use of existing content protected by fair use.” To combat unlicensed scraping, Newton-Rex founded Fairly Trained , which verifies and certifies datasets used by AI companies. For now, the nonprofit can only certify whether the content in a company’s dataset has been properly licensed. Someday, it will be able to take into account finer details (like whether the artist explicitly consented to such use or simply did not opt out) and other issues like mitigating bias. As a musician and composer of choral and piano music, he sees this as a turning point for the field. “Generative AI models are usually competing with their training data,” Newton-Rex said. “Honestly, people only have a limited amount of time to listen to music. There’s a limited pool of royalties. And so the more music that’s created through these systems, the less that goes to human musicians.” As FTC Chairwoman Lina Khan noted last month, if a person creates content or information that an AI company copies, and then the content or information produced by the AI generator competes with the original producer “in order to drive it out of the market and divert business… that could be an unfair method of competition” that violates antitrust laws. Marc Ribot is one of more than 200 musicians who signed an Artist Rights Alliance statement opposing the practice earlier this year, and he’s an active member of the Music Workers Alliance’s AI steering committee. A practicing guitarist since the 1970s, Ribot has seen how technology has shaped the industry, watching recording budgets steadily shrink for decades. “I’m not against the technology itself in any way, shape or form,” Ribot says. Having lost the master recordings he made in the ’90s, he himself used AI to isolate individual tracks from the final mix. But he sees the current moment as a critical opportunity to push back against the technology before the firms that own it become too big to regulate it. “The real dividing line between useful and disastrous is very simple,” Ribot said. “It’s all about whether the producers of the music or whatever else is being input have a real, functional right of consent. spit out what they consume, and often they produce things with large chunks of copyrighted material in them. That’s the output. But even if they didn’t, even if the output isn’t infringing, the input itself is infringing.” Read the full article

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Reese bass

Reese Bass is one of the most iconic sounds in EDM. It has essentially become an essential part of genres like DnB, dubstep, and garage. This distinctive sound owes its existence to synthesizers like the Roland Juno-60, which emerged in the early 1980s and quickly gained popularity. What sets Reese Bass apart is its thick, distorted bass, which can be easily adapted to any musical style or need. It's a versatile tool for creating everything from smooth, mellow tones to aggressive, in-your-face sounds. Today, Reese Bass remains a staple in music production, filling tracks by some of the most famous producers. It continues to be a relevant and widely used element in EDM, maintaining its popularity and staying power.

What is Reese Bass?

You’ve probably heard that low-frequency rumble filling the space in long background sections of tracks, or the sharp, distorted solo cutting through the club’s atmosphere at a late-night party. That’s Reese Bass. For many, the process of creating Reese Bass might seem complicated, but it’s actually much simpler than it appears. Essentially, it’s a combination of two or more sawtooth waves interacting with each other, creating a phase cancellation effect. This happens when the two signals "go out of phase," altering the sound's texture. The result is the signature Reese bassline, perfect for use in production as a background melody, a solo element, or even as a top layer of sub-bass. Reese Bass gained its popularity in the '90s, and recently, it has made a strong comeback due to the rise of bass-driven house melodies. Many mistakenly think that Reese Bass is a component of Bass Music, but in reality, this sound has been a core part of House music since the late '80s and continues to be a vital, in-demand element in all EDM genres. The Origin of the Reese Bass The name "Reese Bass" comes from a project created by DJ and producer Kevin Saunderson back in 1988. He dropped the single "Just Want Another Chance" under his alias "Reese," featuring this super powerful and mesmerizing chorus-like bass synth. That sound really took off and opened up a whole new world for EDM production. Even though this sound was totally groundbreaking, Saunderson didn't get immediate props for his invention. It took a while for his music to get the recognition it deserved. It was a few years before the Reese Bass really caught on with other musicians and the wider audience started to appreciate its impact. Over time, this bass became a signature sound for a lot of EDM genres, giving them a distinct sonic identity. While drum and bass artists and DJs played a huge role in popularizing the Reese Bass, it's important to remember that it actually originated in house music. It's a key reminder of where the sound came from. It's awesome how it's been integrated into so many other genres, but it's important to give credit where credit is due. The Rise of the Reese Bass The real turning point for the Reese Bass hit in the early '90s, when Ray Keith, aka Renegade, sampled that sound in his track "Terrorist." That was a total game-changer for UK electronic music, especially for drum and bass and jungle. Producers back then couldn't get enough of that powerful, pulsating bass. It became super recognizable, defining the vibe of a ton of genres we still hear today. While the Reese Bass is most closely associated with drum and bass, its influence spread like crazy across various subgenres of UK rave and dance music. UK garage wouldn't even be the same without it. The Reese Bass just fits perfectly in those styles, thanks to its ability to fill up space and drive the music forward. The standout thing about this bass is its dynamic quality, something you just can't get from a regular bass guitar or some basic synth sounds. It's almost like a chorus of upright basses all playing together, slightly out of tune with each other, giving the sound this living, breathing feel. That's the real magic of the Reese Bass, and it's why it's stayed relevant in EDM for decades.

How to Make a Reese Bass

Creating a Reese Bass is actually pretty straightforward and doesn't take a ton of time. You're aiming for a sound that's powerful, pulsating, and alive. Here's the rundown: First, fire up any subtractive synth in your DAW—analog or digital, doesn't matter. Something like Sylenth1, which is basically a go-to for beefy basses, or Serum, which is super popular these days. If you're into analog gear, a Novation Bass Station will do the trick. Start with a sawtooth wave in your first oscillator and a pulse wave in the second. Add a few voices, like around 5 per oscillator, to fatten up the sound. Next, you'll need to detune the oscillators to add that "out-of-tune" vibe that gives the Reese Bass its signature effect. How you do this depends on the exact sound you're going for, so play around with the settings until you find the sweet spot. Then, throw on a low-pass filter and crank up the resonance to give the bass some edge and presence. You can also add a bit of distortion to beef it up even more. Tweak the settings to your liking, and boom—your bass is ready to go. Serve it up with a side of 1000 drum hits. Just remember, in the world of EDM, it's all about standing out from the crowd. So, make sure your bass has its own unique flavor. Don't be afraid to stray from the standard settings and experiment to give your sound some personality.

Dubstep, Neuro, and Beyond

As genres like dubstep and neuro evolved, the Reese Bass continued to play a major role. Modern musicians, inspired by this sound, often use it as a foundation for creating aggressive and dynamic variations that keep morphing into something new. Musical genres like dubstep and neuro are constantly pushing the boundaries of sound design. With every track that drops, this sound transforms and mutates, becoming more complex and intense. Sounds that once seemed original and revolutionary now serve as a base for expanding sonic horizons, creating increasingly unique sounds that make these genres so captivating.

How the Sound Lives On Today

In an interview with Attack Magazine, Saunderson mentioned how he used a Casio CZ-5000 synth early in his career to create the Reese Bass. He was just messing around with patches and oscillators until he found a sound he liked. Back then, nobody could have predicted how iconic that sound would become and how it would shape the future of electronic music. Today, producers often turn to modern synths like Serum or synths with FM and wavetable capabilities to create the Reese Bass. These tools offer incredibly detailed sound design options, allowing musicians to not only recreate the classic sound but also build on it, adding new layers and textures. This way, the iconic bass continues to live and evolve, remaining a key part of the sound in modern electronic genres.

Reese Bass Creation Tips

To nail that true Reese Bass sound, there are a few key aspects of synthesis and mixing you'll want to keep in mind to get the right vibe and texture. Even the smallest tweaks can make a big difference, so pay attention to every detail. If you're using Serum, one super useful tool is the "remove fundamental" feature. It lets you take out the main tone from the wave, which makes the sound way more aggressive and rich. After that, set your sub-oscillator to a sine wave. This step lets you focus on the harmonics, building a layered, full-bodied bass. Knowing that the key elements of a Reese Bass are detuned sounds, rich harmonics, and a wide stereo image, you can start working with these parameters to find your perfect sound. Play around with detuning the oscillators and widening the stereo to add depth and thickness. A lot of producers using synths like Serum or Massive get those powerful effects by stacking oscillators and using filters. This method lets you create more complex harmonics and give the bass some serious volume, and also control the sub-bass for that extra punch. Keep in mind that modulation and filter effects can really change the timbre, making the sound more expressive and full. Some producers, aiming for a clean and controlled fundamental tone, isolate the mid and high frequencies of the Reese Bass. They do this by playing the main sine wave on a separate synth and then blending it with the other frequencies. This approach lets you keep the sub-bass clean in the lows, while the main body of the bass stays clear and doesn't overshadow other elements in the mix. How you EQ and mix your bass really depends on the role it needs to play in the track and the overall sound of the composition. By developing your synthesis and mixing skills, you can create a Reese Bass that fits your musical style perfectly and sounds exactly how you want it to. Read the full article

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Amped AI Assisted Track Builders

Using AI to start a musical composition or to find inspiration or ideas to build out a track in Amped Studio is now a reality. Let´s look at how to launch this revolutionary new way to learn and make music.

Here is how to get started I to get started:

To open the AI music generator, click on the green AI icon on the far-right side access panel of the Studio. Let´s look at:

The AI Track Builder- Song Generator has Genre (musical style), a BPM Tempo slider for song speed and Length slider for the song´s length in seconds. Currently, the genres are modern music styles. After completing search hit Generate.

The AI will start generating to create a unique arranged project file of audio stems.

Then the project file will load and like magic your requested project will open.

The tracks are automatically named.

The you can use some of the tools in Amped Studio to customize your track:

You can edit, add or delete tracks you don’t need and perhaps add your voice:

So if you need some inspiration for the basis of a song or want an arranged backing track some song to learn music production techniques like usinf effects, automation and or other tools on Amped Studio you have to try this new and amazing technology! Read the full article

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Black Friday & Cyber Monday

Amped Studio is offering 50% off a Yearly subscription from November 24th to November 29th for our Black Friday/Cyber Monday sale. Сoupon:  half-price-yearly  The benefits of a yearly Premium account are many: 1.    Thousands of Loops, Midi files and one-shots 2.    Premium instruments and Effects like Volt, Sampler, 3.    Importing, recording and saving external Audio 4.    Full Share Project functionality 5.    Device Automation Did you know we added drag n drop from the Sound Library into Drumpler? Now you can customize your drum kits and sounds with hundreds of Drum hits in our library.

Just drag a one shot on to a drum pad in DRUMPLER and that pad ´s sound will be replaced and automatically renamed. Roll your own grooves with Drumpler and our Drum Editor.

When you have a Beat going post it in our the Amped Studio Tracks page and get tips and information from our new Forum in the Community section. Thanks for being a pioneer music maker on the web! Use Coupon Read the full article

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Delay effect

Delay is a sound effect that consists of playing multiple copies of an incoming signal at different but uniform delays to simulate the sound of an echo. In a natural environment, the echo effect occurs when the surface from which the sound is reflected is at a great distance from its source. If the surface from which the sound is reflected is at such a close distance from the listener that the reflection interval is from 1 ms to 50 ms, then the sound will sound together and the echo effect will not work. Other effects, such as reverb and chorus, are also based on delay in its various modifications. Simply varying the effect settings and modulation of the incoming signal are used to produce the desired sound.

What is the delay used for?

The delay effect is very popular among musicians who perform live and apply it to their instruments. Sound engineers actively use delay to add liveliness and space to the mix. It is one of the most commonly used effects, as it has one of the most beautiful sounds.

How the delay works?

The delay effect is based on recording and buffering multiple copies of an audio signal and then playing them back at different times in a certain sequence. Different types of effects differ in the way they modulate the delayed signal.

Existing delay types

1. VST and built-in plugins There are a huge number of plug-ins from different developers, both built into existing sequencers and editors, and standalone in the form of VST effects, which can be connected to these sequencers as additional software extensions. According to the principle of operation, software delays are divided into those that emulate the sound of old hardware devices, and those that work exclusively on digital algorithms. 2. Film and analog delay Sound engineers started getting delay effects with tape as early as the mid-1950s. Subsequently, echo emulation in this way was transferred to special hardware devices (echo machines and analog delay generation devices). Some devices of this type used solid-state elements instead of film to produce echo. 3. Digital delay In the late 70s, devices began to appear that allowed generating digital delay, which became a continuation of their analog predecessors. This type of electronics is still used in modern studios for sound processing.

Where to insert a delay in a mix?

There are no restrictions on inserting a delay effect into a mix. Everyone does it at their own discretion. At the same time, there are a number of recommendations, the observance of which is considered a kind of moviton. For example, delays are almost never applied to kicks and sub-basses, as these parts of the mix lose their power and are saturated with a lot of sonic garbage. Most often, the delay is applied not to the output, but to the input signal. For example, you put a reverb on a synthesizer. If you add an exit delay, the reverb will also be processed, resulting in a lot of dirt in the sound. If you add it to the input, then the input signal with the delay effect will go to reverb processing, which will give the sound liveliness. The compressor can be added at will, depending on which signal you want to level in volume.

Delay options

BPM Setting the pace of the plugin. Most often it is synchronized proportionally to the BPM of the project (the number of kicks per minute), but this is not a strict rule. Dry/Wet The volume ratio of the raw and processed signal (input and output). 100% dry means only the input signal will be heard, 100% wet means only the output signal. Delay time The principle of action is similar to BMP. Allows you to set the repeat interval between repeated copies of the sound. Feedback Sets the number of repetitions of the input signal or the length of the delay tail. A value of 100% means that the repeat will be the same volume as the input signal and will continue to sound until the setting is lowered. 50% means that each subsequent repetition will be half as quiet as the previous one until it stops sounding altogether.

Delay in Amped Studio

Amped Studio has its own built-in delay effect. To use it, you need to perform the following procedure: 1. Add track:

2. On the track, register a melody in MIDI or add an audio file:

3. Hang the instrument on the track:

4. And add the effect in the same way:

Conclusion

Today, almost one track cannot do without a delay, especially in electronic and pop music. It makes the sound more lively and spacious, which makes the mix sound more natural. There are a huge number of plug-ins from different manufacturers and in this regard, each producer can choose for himself what is right for him. Read the full article

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Fade in & fade out audio

The effect of fade in and fade out audio is similar in nature to how an old tube TV turns on and off, only in the case of a TV, the image is manipulated, and with audio, the sound. Fade in - is a smooth increase in the volume of the sound in order to make its inclusion less sharp and easier to perceive. Fade out - the reverse fade in effect, is a smooth fade in volume. Among all the techniques of amateur sound processing, the above are the most popular today. Using these effects is great for creating ringtones, smoothing out blemishes and sudden changes in sound, using them in voiceovers when recording podcasts or videos, and more. Previously, to achieve the effects of attenuation or smooth increase in volume, it was necessary to do difficult manual work, but now all this can be done in seconds using a regular computer. As a rule, the duration of the increase in volume is shorter than the decay, and is about 1-2 seconds. The fade usually lasts about 5 seconds. If you're voicing a video, make sure the audio and video are the same length before uploading to avoid out-of-sync.

Fade in and fade out audio with Amped Studio

The advantage of Amped Studio is that this application is a full-fledged online sequencer that can also be used in the process of full-fledged music production. This application incorporates a complete set of tools for professional work with sound. At the same time, the interface is built in such a way that it is easy for a user with any level of training, including any beginner, to perform the simplest operations in it.

How to make fade in and fade out?

The procedure for setting volume fade in and fade out in Amped Studio is as follows: 1. Upload an audio file to the online sequencer interface (you can simply drag and drop from anywhere): 2. On the panel of the corresponding track, click on the automation icon and select the "Volume" parameter:

3. On the file itself, adjust the volume pattern according to your own wishes:

To add points to the volume curve, simply click on it.

Adding Effects

In Amped Studio, in addition to basic audio manipulation, you can apply a large number of different effects (reverb, delay, chorus, distortion, flanger, etc.). Moreover, you can also automate their various parameters of these effects. This is done in the same way as fade in/fade out. Instead of "Volume" in the drop-down list, you need to select "Add parameters ...", select the desired parameter in the list that appears, the effect or instrument:

Read the full article

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Audio reverse

Amped Studio is a full-fledged music studio that allows you to perform a wide range of manipulations with audio files, including simple audio reverse. Turning your favorite track or music sample in the opposite direction allows you to get very interesting and unusual effects, which can then be used for voice acting or creating your own music. Our audio editor makes it easy to achieve original and interesting sound at first glance, even from unremarkable sounds. Moreover, the application has a huge number of various kinds of professional effects for sound processing, which will make your tracks and samples even more professional.

How to reverse audio?

1. Drag the desired audio file to the application interface, right-click on it, and select "Reverse Region":

2. Next, open the left menu, select "Export Audio" and specify the location where you want to save the resulting audio file:

Additional audio processing after reverse

As tools for additional processing of audio files, the reverse field to give them a deeper and more professional sound most often, as in other applications of this type, the following types of effects are used: - Reverb. Gives the sound the effect of the space of the room. Basically, technically speaking, a reverb emulates the effect of sound bouncing off walls. In all plug-ins of this kind, imitation of various types of premises is available, from small rooms to entire stadiums and concert halls; - Delay. It sounds similar to reverb, but in this case, repetitions with decay are added to the sound, that is, the effect of a repeating “echo”. With each repetition, the sound becomes quieter; - Distortion. Sound distortion effect. It is most often used in rock music to give guitars a characteristic "hard" sound. Applying it to synthesizers or normal samples can also achieve interesting effects; - Chorus. The effect of choral sound, that is, one sound begins to be duplicated many times and sound in the form of a full-fledged choir; - Compression. Smoothing out loudness peaks and leveling the sound level. Also, with the help of compression, you can achieve an interesting and popular sidechain effect today - a rhythmic increase and decrease in the volume level of certain sound parts (usually bass).

Medium of inspiration

Reversing audio is one of the tools for experimentation when looking for something new in the process of sound design. Sometimes in the chaotic structure of inverted sounds you can find something really worthwhile and unusual and then apply it in your work.

What can audio reverse be used for?

- Creating your own sound effects for sample libraries; - Dubbing films and podcasts; - Use when writing music.

Benefits of Audio Reverse in Amped Studio

The advantage of using Amped Studio for sound editing is that using this application, you get a wide range of tools for full-fledged work with sound. Here you can perform both simple audio reverse operations and professional manipulations with complex processing. Read the full article

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Creating sound effects

Sound effects are widely used in music production, video content production, and the gaming industry. Their task is to give an appropriate sound environment that allows you to create the necessary mood and immerse a person as much as possible in the atmosphere of a game, song or film. Without appropriate audio effects, the content will not have the necessary emotional richness. You can create sound effects yourself by recording them on a microphone or phone, generating them using synthesizers and samplers in special applications such as Amped Studio, as well as using ready-made sound libraries that you can either buy or use free library on the Internet on specialized sites. You can also hire a professional for this purpose. In addition, our studio offers training services to work with the application, which can take place online. Amped Studio has a built-in library of various sounds for free subscription plan and more expanded for Premium subscribers. Try creating sound effects now

Types of Music Effects

1. Layering The essence of layering is the superimposition of one sound on another (birdsong, crackling fire, the sound of waves, etc.) in order to obtain a new interesting sound. When listening, it is important to understand whether the selected sounds complement each other, or whether they conflict with each other, creating unnecessary distortions that need to be eliminated. Experimental approach is the most effective way in creating sound effects. Sometimes the most unusual sounds in combination with each other give a striking effect. In addition, constantly listening to different sounds trains your ear and improves the perception of the overall picture of the mix. 2. Adding noise In music, the following types of noise are distinguished: white, pink and brown. They are used to enhance the sound. White is evenly distributed over the entire frequency spectrum, pink is more accentuated by emphasizing octave frequencies. Noises are widely used when creating various sound effects, for example, to add a kind of "grain" to the sound, additional layering for synth parts, filling the overall atmosphere of the mix, enlivening drums, etc. 3. Changing the key Amped Studio, like all DAWs, has tools for pitch manipulation. Changing the tone of the sound allows you to fill in the gaps in the desired frequency spectrum. Automating the change in the frequency level allows you to achieve interesting effects. Often when creating a sound effect using two sounds, their frequency conflicts arise, that is, they seem to overlap each other. Frequency manipulation, that is, muting a certain range of one sound and amplifying another, allows you to solve these problems. 4. Audio stretch As the sound is stretched and compressed, its pitch also changes. This effect is somewhat similar to the previous one. Stretched sound sounds lower, when compressed sounds higher. In most cases stretching is used to slow down the sound, resulting in a distortion effect. Also, this method of sound processing allows you to give the mix an additional atmospheric content. 5. Distortion Gives sound distortion by further amplifying its harmonics across the entire spectrum. It has a rather aggressive sound and is most often used for guitars in rock music, although it is widely used in EDM. Although distortion sounds quite specific, it can be used to create sound effects, making the sound more “grainy” and stand out. 6. Delay Delay is a sound effect that simulates an echo with adjustable number of repetitions and intervals between them. With this effect, the sound becomes more "alive". An interesting embodiment of the delay is the so-called Haas effect. In this case, two identical sounds are separated in opposite directions along the panorama. Then a delay is hung on one of them, which gives additional liveliness and space to the sound. 7. Reverb Reverberation is the reflection of sound off the surfaces of a room. In simple terms, this is the effect of space, giving the sound more life. Using the settings of the corresponding plug-ins, we can adjust the height, width and length of the room, achieving the sound of both small rooms and huge halls. An alternative to reverb is the previously described long-tail delay, which brings the sound to life in a similar way.

What are sound effect libraries?

Libraries are collections of ready-made samples and sound effects. They can be both general and specialized (for example, the sounds of nature or some individual musical trends). The use of this kind of content when creating sound effects allows you to realize the most versatile experience, allowing you to do something truly original. What is the purpose of sound effect libraries? The most common use of ready-made libraries has been found in creating sound for videos, podcasts, radio and television programs, etc. In general, the main task is to create original sound design. The process of creating a sound effect Creating your own soundtrack for your content allows you to save on royalties and make your product or brand more unique. Library concept A detailed study of the concept of the sound effects library allows you to more accurately select the desired sound range. At its core, the learning process is similar to the planning process. The thematic focus of your library will determine the mood and thematic color of the sound of the created effects. The same sounds of nature, space, etc. can be cited as an example of the concept. Techniques for Creating Sound Effects Libraries Microphones are required to create sound effects. You can use both professional models and a regular phone. Of course, in the second case, the result will not be of high quality, but often this is enough. At the same time, sounds can be created without recording, but using the software available today using samples and synthesizers. Things to consider when creating sound effects: - Type of sounds. The environment in which you record audio greatly affects their quality. For example, recording the sounds of a city is associated with the occurrence of a large number of accompanying noises, which then have to be eliminated. If you need sounds from indoors, then this greatly simplifies the work; - Panorama. If you are interested in spot effects, then the recording will be made from one channel, that is, in mono mode. If you need something spatial (the movement of cars, the flight of an aircraft, etc.), then the recording should be carried out in stereo mode; - Sound processing. You must first consider at what stage the processing of the received sounds will be applied and what type of content you will use, ready-made samples and recording.

Library Structuring

Once you have created your set of sound effects, keep the library logically organized, place sounds in the appropriate folders depending on the category of each sound. Arrange it as it convenient and easy for you to navigate them for future use. Read the full article

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How to cut audio

Amped Studio is a complete audio editor that allows you to perform both basic audio trimming and processing functions, as well as professional audio editing work. We have developed a powerful tool that allows you to create any miracles with your audio files. Asking questions about how to cut audio, how to apply an effect to a melody, how to make a ringtone for your phone, all this can be done without any difficulties in Amped Studio. Cut audio

Benefits of Amped Studio

Quick Edit You can trim an audio file in two simple ways: drag the edges of the audio file to the desired points; use the scissors tool and cut the file in the right places. Ease of use The application interface is very simple and intuitive. Any beginner can easily deal with it and perform the necessary actions in terms of audio editing. Work online The application works online, and in order to cut audio, you do not need to download and install the program on your computer. It is enough to open Amped Studio in the browser, drag the desired file into the application window, edit and save. Wide functionality Because Amped Studio is a full-fledged music production studio, it is equipped with a huge amount of functionality for sound processing. Here you can apply volume automation fade-in, fade-out, EQ, and more. Large number of supported audio formats Amped Studio supports almost all popular music formats: MP3, WAV, WMA, etc. Complete security You can be 100% safe with your data. No one can listen to them, since only you have access to them.

Audio trimming steps

1. Import audio Drag an audio file into the application window. You can also select it from any disk storage and load it through the "Import Audio File" function:

2. Trim audio Select the Scissors tool from the top toolbar, and click on the place in the audio file where you want to cut it. Remove the unwanted part.

You can also trim the audio simply by dragging its border in the desired direction. 3. Export audio file Select the "Export Audio" option from the menu.

In the window that appears, click "Export" and specify the location where the file should be saved.

Amped Studio is a complete audio trimmer. Here you can make a ringtone for your phone, or cut the song you are interested in, while keeping it in its original quality. Read the full article

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Free 30-day Premium Accounts!

Help us better understand your experience with Amped Studio and how we can make our music creation platform better. As a valuable member of our community we would like to ask you a few questions about your experience in using Amped Studio. Your response will play an important role in our future developments. And in return, you will get the opportunity to get 1 of 50 promotional codes for a 30-day premium subscription. What needs to be done: - Take the anonymous survey here. - Go to Facebook and like this post. - Post on a Page. Draw Rules - All those the participants who liked the post will be included in the drawing. - The survey is open from September 5th to the 11th. - The first 50 participants selected using the List Randomizer at random.org will receive a free premium subscription lasting 30 days. - The draw will take place on September 12, 2022, and the video will be available on the Facebook page and on the Amped Studio website. Promotional codes will be sent to the winners in private messages on Facebook. - Participation is free. - This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed, or administered by, or associated with Facebook. By participating in this promotion, you agree to complete release of Facebook from any claims. - Persons aged 18+ can participate in the draw. Thank you in advance for your help. Read the full article

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Best acoustic guitar

When looking for the best acoustic guitar for you, it's important to consider a few factors. The most important thing is to find an acoustic that feels comfortable for you to play. You don't want one that's too heavy or too big, or you'll get tired quickly. You also want to find an acoustic with a sound that you love. The best way to do this is to try out a few different acoustics and see which one you like the best. When looking for the best acoustic guitar for you, it's important to consider a few factors. The most important thing is to find an acoustic that feels comfortable for you to play. You don't want one that's too heavy or too big, or you'll get tired quickly. You also want to find an acoustic with a sound that you love. The best way to do this is to try out a few different acoustics and see which one you like the best. Once you've found the perfect acoustic guitar for you, it's time to start playing! Acoustic guitars are a great way to improve your guitar skills. They're also a lot of fun to play, so you'll never get bored. Start by practicing simple chords and melodies, and then move on to more complex pieces. With a little practice, you'll be playing like a pro in no time. 1. Fender CD-60S All-Mahogany Type: Dreadnought Top: Solid Mahogany Back & sides: Laminated Mahogany Neck: Mahogany Scale: 25.3" Fingerboard: Rosewood Frets: 20Tuners: Chrome Die-Cast Left-handed: Yes Finish: Gloss The Fender CD-60S is a great reminder of just how much guitar you can get for your money at the more affordable end of the market. It features a solid mahogany top, laminated mahogany back and sides, and an inviting rolled fretboard edge. This guitar provides great sound and playability, making it a great choice for beginner and intermediate guitarists alike. Thanks to its affordable price, the CD-60S is a great option for those looking to get a quality acoustic guitar without breaking the bank. The CD-60S is a great guitar right out of the box, with good intonation. The mahogany body gives it some meatiness and brightness, making it a great choice for newcomers or those looking for a second acoustic guitar. It's inspiring to play and sounds great in chord work. This dreadnought would be a good addition for anyone. 2. Art & Lutherie Roadhouse Type: Parlour Top: Solid Spruce Back & sides: Laminated Wild Cherry Neck: Silver Leaf Maple Scale: 24.84" Fingerboard: Rosewood Frets: 20Tuners: Open-gear 18:1 antique brass Left-handed: No Finish: Semi-Gloss Patina The Art & Lutherie parlour guitar is a great choice for anyone looking for an earthy, vintage-inspired instrument. It has plenty of attack and a clean, straightforward sound that makes it perfect for accompanying simple tunes or for use in more informal settings. Plus, its design takes you back in time to the rural deep south, evoking a simpler, more carefree era. Whether you're a seasoned musician or just starting out, this guitar is sure to provide hours of enjoyment. The Art & Lutherie Roadhouse guitar is a joy to play. The middle and upper ranges are strong, and the bass is rich and full when the bottom E is dropped to a D for alternative tuning. This guitar is perfect for blues and country music. It has great clarity and warmth, making it easy to take with you wherever you go. 3. Guild A-20 Marley Type: Dreadnought Top: Solid spruce Back & sides: Laminated Mahogany Neck: Mahogany Scale: 24.75” Fingerboard: Pau Ferro Frets: 20 Tuners: Chrome Die-Cast Left-handed: Chrome Die-Cast Finish: Matte Guild has brought the guitar back - sort of - in the form of the Guild A-20 Marley. This stunning dreadnought isn't an exact replica of the original, but perfectly captures its vibe, tone and feel. It offers a few modern appointments, making it the perfect choice for any Bob Marley fan. The Guild A-20 Marley acoustic guitar is a gorgeous instrument that features a solid spruce top and laminated mahogany back and sides. This guitar delivers the warmth and punch that we demand from a large-bodied acoustic, and its comfortable C-shaped neck with a 25 ½" scale length feels familiar and easy to play. The tasteful Marley branded script inlay adds a touch of class to this already stellar acoustic guitar, which sounds, looks and feels like it should cost much more than it actually does. 4. Epiphone J-200 EC Studio Type: Jumbo Top: Solid spruce Back & sides: Select maple Neck: Hard maple Scale: 25-1/2" Fingerboard: Pau ferro Frets: 20 Tuners: Grover Rotomatic 18:1 Left-handed: Yes Finish: Black, Natural, Vintage Sunburst, Vintage Natural The Epiphone J200 EC Studio is a beautiful guitar that pays homage to the Gibson J-200. It has stunning vintage-correct stylings, including a moustache bridge, decorative tortoiseshell-style pickguard and pearloid crown inlays. It sounds amazing, with balanced sound that is not too boomy. The highs are articulate and the bottom end is warm and full. This guitar is a great choice for any player looking for a high-quality instrument with classic style. The onboard Fishman Sonicore pickup delivers a great sound, fitting of one of the best cheap acoustic guitars. With a solid top as well, this is without doubt one of the best electro-acoustics around today. If you want to hear what this guitar can really do, then plug it into an acoustic guitar amp. 5. Taylor GS Mini Acoustic Guitar Type: Mini Grand Symphony Top: Sitka Spruce Back & sides: Laminated sapele Neck: Sapele Scale: 23.5" Fingerboard: West African Ebony Frets: 20 Tuners: Die-Cast Chrome Left-handed: Yes Finish: Varnish The GS Mini by Martin is a great acoustic guitar for traveling or for anyone who wants a small, yet high-quality instrument. It has a solid Sitka spruce top and is well-built, with great attention to detail in the setup. Despite its small size, it's no toy guitar - it sounds great and is perfect for both beginners and experienced players. If you're looking for a travel-size acoustic or a "modern day parlour guitar", the GS Mini is an excellent choice. The GS Mini is a great guitar for anyone looking for a smaller sized instrument that doesn't compromise on sound. Its tight low end gives space to a bass guitar or other bass-heavy instruments, while the mids are clear and not too honky, and the highs are pure Taylor fidelity. This guitar has its own unique vibe and voice, making it a great choice for any musician. 6. Martin Dreadnought Junior Type: Mini Dreadnought Top: Sitka Spruce Back & sides: Sapele Neck: Select Hardwood Scale: 24" Fingerboard: FSC® Certified Richlite Frets: 20 Tuners: Chrome Enclosed Gear Left-handed: Yes Finish: Hand Rubbed The Dread Junior is a smaller guitar than Martin's X Series or Taylor's Big Baby, but it is built like a more grown-up instrument, with all-solid wood construction, a mortise and tenon neck joint, and bound top edge. Its soundhole rings are simple in design, making this guitar both visually and sonically appealing. The Dread Junior is a great guitar for serious younger players as well as more mature players. It has a punchy midrange and a slightly textured edge, which gives it a Martin stamp of classic, old-school quality. While it may not have the huge depth or width harmonically speaking as the full-size dreadnought, it more than makes up for it in terms of quality and playability. In short, the Dread Junior is a cracking guitar that any guitar lover would be proud to own. 7. Epiphone Masterbilt Frontier Type: Dreadnought Top: Solid spruce Back & sides: Solid maple Neck: Mahogany Scale: 25.5” Fingerboard: Indian Laurel Frets: 20 Tuners: Gold keystone buttons Left-handed: No Finish: Iced Tea Aged Gloss The Epiphone Masterbilt Frontier is a great guitar for those who want to own a classic instrument without spending a fortune. Originally designed in the ‘60s, this guitar has been re-issued with updated features and a more affordable price tag. With its mahogany body and spruce top, the Masterbilt Frontier provides rich, warm tones that are perfect for a variety of musical genres. If you’re looking for an affordable, versatile guitar that has a classic look and sound, the Epiphone Masterbilt Frontier is a great option. The Epiphone Masterbilt Frontier kicks off with a solid Sitka spruce top, providing sublime tonal clarity - something which dreadnoughts can often lack. The solid maple back and sides are the anomaly here, but help to add to the unexpectedly bright and direct tone that the Epiphone Masterbilt Frontier kicks out. The 'Rope and Cactus' pickguard is the calling card of the Frontier, and it features delightfully here - helping to perpetuate the old-school vibe which this dreadnought bathes us in. This guitar is a great example of Epiphone's quality craftsmanship, and it's sure to please any player looking for a great sounding dreadnought. If you're looking for an old-school sound with modern playability, the Epiphone Masterbilt Frontier is the perfect guitar for you. The inclusion of a Fishman Sonicore under saddle acoustic guitar pickup, Sonitone preamp and soundhole-mounted volume and tone controls helps to preserve and convey the precise, crisp Frontier tone, while still sounding musical, balanced and downright impressive to our ears. This addition brings the Frontier into the 21st century, making it an even more versatile and impressive guitar. 8. Gibson Generation G-00 Type: Parlor/L-00 Acoustic Top: Sitka spruce Back & sides: Walnut Neck: Utile Scale: 24.75" Fingerboard: Ebony Frets: 20 Tuners: Grover Mini-Rotomatic Left-handed: Yes Finish: Natural gloss Gibson's Generation collection of acoustic guitars sees a rare move from the guitar giants - releasing a US made acoustic for under a grand. The Generation G-00 is the smallest model from the new line of spruce-topped acoustics, fitting firmly into the 'Parlour' body category. This guitar is unique in its class, with several interesting features which set it apart from the competition. The Generation G-00 is constructed with a solid Sitka spruce top and mahogany back and sides. The bracing on this guitar is also unique, with Gibson's Forward Shifted Bracing pattern providing superior resonance and tone. The guitar also features a LR Baggs VTC pickup system, making it stage-ready right out of the box. If you're in the market for a high-quality acoustic guitar that won't break the bank, the Gibson Generation G-00 should definitely be on your radar. With its unique construction and features, this guitar is sure to turn heads and provide years of enjoyment. The Generation G-00 - much like the entire Generation collection - has two soundholes. The main one is where you'd expect it to be, slap bang in the middle of the solid Sitka spruce top. The second one is in the side of the guitar, aiming directly towards your face. Referred to as the Player Port, it's designed to give you, the player, more tonal feedback. It's no gimmick - and on loud stages or even just when you want to hear more of yourself, it works well. The walnut back and sides of this guitar provide warmth and depth, with a nice brightness that is perfect for smaller body sizes. Combined with an LR Baggs pickup, the Generation Collection G-00 is a real contender in the race for the best acoustic guitar under $/£1,000. 9. Taylor 214ce Plus Type: Grand Auditorium Top: Solid sitka spruce Back & sides: Laminated rosewood Neck: Mahogany Scale: 25.5” Fingerboard: Ebony Frets: 20 Tuners: Taylor nickel Left-handed: Yes Finish: Natural Taylor guitars are always known for their clean and fresh look, and this 214ce Plus is no exception. It has a great acoustic sound, too. It's perfect for anyone who wants an easy-to-play guitar that also sounds great. At Taylor, we believe that the 214ce Plus is a highly comfortable, super playable grand auditorium acoustic guitar. The slim profile of the mahogany neck and tasteful venetian cutaway make the 214ce Plus extremely comfortable to play. Additionally, Taylor continually strives to improve the ergonomics and feel of their instruments; which is evident in the 214ce Plus. The Taylor 214ce Plus acoustic guitar has a solid sitka spruce top, which helps to produce a bright and powerful tone. The back and sides of the guitar are made of laminated rosewood, which contributes to the clarity and brightness of the overall sound. Overall, this is an excellent acoustic guitar for someone looking for great tone at a reasonable price. 10. Yamaha A5R ARE Acoustic Guitar Type: Dreadnought Cutaway Top: Solid Sitka Spruce with A.R.E. treatment Back & sides: Solid Rosewood Neck: African Mahogany Scale: 25.6" Fingerboard: Ebony, rolled edges Frets: 20 Tuners: Gotoh chrome open gear Left-handed: No Finish: Gloss There is traditionally a gap between how we enjoy the sound of our guitars and the way they’re represented plugged in. Enter Yamaha, a leader in stage-ready acoustic technology for decades – and in the A5R ARE, it may have just offered us a very desirable solution. The Yamaha A5R ARE is a guitar that was designed to sound great both unplugged and plugged in. It features Yamaha's proprietary Acoustic Resonance Enhancement (ARE) technology, which improves the guitar's natural resonance and gives it a richer, fuller sound. When plugged in, the A5R ARE sounds great thanks to its Fishman preamp and piezo pickup system. This guitar is perfect for gigging musicians who need an acoustic guitar that sounds great both unplugged and plugged in. The A5R's rounded fretboard edges offer an enjoyable playing experience that feels similar to guitars that have been played in before. This can be a great choice for players who want the ethereal quality of high-end instruments, without sacrificing some of the treble resonance that can be found on lower-action guitars. The A5’s resonance and bright balance is a fine showcase for the clever SRT2 preamp – we actually couldn’t dial in a ‘bad’ sound on it because the treble and bass controls mirror the natural subtlety of the pickup/mic dynamic design. An electro experience that captures the sound of an unplugged acoustic? The SRT2 is one of the closest to get there yet. An update that marks the A Series out as an essential consideration for players who rely on a consistent and controllable stage sound. The A5’s resonance is a great example of what the SRT2 preamp can do. The treble and bass controls are very natural and allow you to get a great sound. The SRT2 is one of the best preamps available and it really shows with the A5. This update makes the A Series an essential choice for anyone who needs a great sounding and controllable stage presence. The A5’s resonance is a great example of what the SRT2 preamp can do. The treble and bass controls are very natural and allow you to get a great sound. The SRT2 is one of the best preamps available and it really shows with the A5. This update makes the A Series an essential choice for anyone who needs a great sounding and controllable stage presence. Type: Dreadnought Top: Solid mahogany Back & sides: Mahogany Neck: Mahogany Scale: 25.4" Fingerboard: Pau Ferro Frets: 20 Tuners: Nickel Open Gear Left-handed: Yes Finish: Satin nitrocellulose The Martin D-15M Burst dreadnought guitar features a solid mahogany top over A-Frame X bracing. The same material is used for the back, sides and neck. The neck profile is a modified low oval, and it's hard to imagine anyone having a problem with it - frankly, we love it. Bone nut and saddle, vintage-style open-gear tuners, and a super-thin matt nitrocellulose finish all over: check. The Taylor T5z Custom Electric Guitar has a rich and projecting core sound that is complemented by the unmistakable, Martin D-resonance. It is vibrant and ebullient, yet not brash; warm and full without being thick or indistinct. It puts every single cent of its build budget into making the best sounding and playing instrument, with very little concession to cosmetics, electronics or anything else. The Martin D-15M is a great acoustic guitar for anyone looking for the best in the world. It features solid woods, a improved neck joint, and bone nut and saddle. The top is finished in a beautiful burst, adding to its appeal. 12. Martin D-28 Reimagined Type: Dreadnought Top: Sitka Spruce Back & sides: East Indian Rosewood Neck: Select Hardwood Scale: 25.4'' Fingerboard: Ebony Frets: 20 Tuners: Nickel Open Gear Left-handed: Yes Finish: Gloss The Martin D-28 is often considered to be the ultimate expression of the dreadnought form, and re-imagining such a guitar could be a poisoned chalice. Fortunately, you can still feel the gravity nearly 200 years of history in its high-end guitars, which is why this beauty has graced our best acoustic guitars round-up. The current reimagined Martin D-28 features forward-shifted bracing, a wider nut and vintage-style aesthetic changes. But it’s the neck design that really makes this a comfortable and accessible dreadnought playing experience. The sound is balanced and maintains the very definition of an ‘all-rounder’, with notes that ring out and sustain - that clear piano-like definition we love from Nazareth’s craftsmen. The Martin D-28 acoustic guitar is well-known for its clear and balanced sound. Its harmonics come easily, and the high mids and treble have a choral quality that doesn't overshadow the lower mids. Even with some tweaks, this model still largely feels like the acoustic equivalent of Leo Fender's Stratocaster design. 13. Guild Traditional D-55 Acoustic Guitar Type: Dreadnought Top: 'AAA' Solid Sitka spruce Back & sides: Solid Indian rosewood Neck: Three-piece mahogany/ walnut/mahogany Scale: 25.625" Fingerboard: Ebony Frets: 20 Tuners: Gotoh SE700 Open Gear Left-handed: Yes Finish: Gloss Nitrocellulose The Guild D-55 is a dreadnought guitar that is very similar in shape to the Martin 14-fret dreadnought. Read the full article

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Best bass guitar

The bass guitar market has never been more saturated, with more high-quality options than ever before. This makes it the perfect time to purchase one of the best bass guitars available. Whether you're looking for a thunderous five-string model for doom metal, a powerful four-string for slapping and popping, or an understated classic, you're sure to find the perfect instrument for your needs. The abundance of bass guitars on the market can make it somewhat harder to choose the right one for you. However, we've done the hard work for you and searched high and low for the best bass guitars available. Whether you're looking for an affordable option or a more pricey one, we've got you covered. Each bass guitar offers excellent playability and great value within its price range. So take your pick from brands like Fender, Music Man, Yamaha, and others. You're sure to find the perfect bass guitar for your needs. When it comes to finding the best bass guitar for your needs, you don't always have to spend a lot of money. It's important to consider the features that you need and the quality of the instrument, regardless of the cost. While some bass guitars may be more expensive than others, that doesn't necessarily mean they're better. So, don't be afraid to shop around and find the right bass guitar for you. It could end up being a great investment. Here is a list of 14 bass guitars that are both affordable (less than $1000) and perfect for a variety of different musical applications. Whether you’re just starting out or you’re a more experienced player, these basses will do the job. They provide great sound quality and value for your money, without any of the unnecessary extras that can drive up the price. So if you’re looking for a great bass guitar that won’t break the bank, check out this list. You’re sure to find the perfect instrument for your needs.

Best bass guitars reviews

The Fender American Ultra Precision Bass is a stunning instrument. With an Ultra Noiseless Vintage Jazz Bass single-coil in the bridge and its split-coil counterpart in the middle, it is versatile and feels incredible. The new Modern D profile neck feels great, complementing a newly contoured body for an unforgettable playing experience. The Yamaha BB435 5-string bass guitar is a great option for players at all levels. It's solidly built, with versatile tone options and a playable neck. The six-bolt miter neck joint creates a good approximation of a neck-through construction, making the BB435 a great option for players looking for an affordable instrument with high-end features. 1. Squier Classic Vibe '60s Jazz Bass Body: Poplar Neck: Maple, bolt-on Scale: 34” Fingerboard: 21, narrow tall Pickups: 2x Fender Designed Alnico single-coil pickups (bridge, middle) Controls: 2x volume, master tone Hardware: 4-saddle Vintage-style with Threaded steel saddles Left-handed: No Finish: 3-Tone Sunburst, Daphne Blue, Black The Jazz Bass is a popular choice for bass players around the world. Its smooth and mellow tones make it perfect for jazz music, but it can also be used for other styles of music as well. Many bass players prefer the Jazz Bass because of its comfortable playing style and its ability to produce a wide range of sounds. The Jazz Bass has been a popular instrument since its introduction in the 1960s. Many imitators have followed, and the design has been tweaked and revised over the years. There's a reason for this – the Jazz Bass looks cool and it sounds great. The Squier Classic Vibe Jazz Bass is based on those original '60s models, and it's an affordable option that delivers vintage tones and plenty of value for money. If you're looking for a comfortable and stylish bass guitar, the Classic Vibe Jazz Bass is a great choice. The Jazz Bass is a great instrument for those who want a thumping, in-your-face sound that is still elastic and alive. The controls on the instrument offer a wide sweep of tones, making it versatile for a variety of genres. 2. Yamaha BB435 Bass Guitar Body: Alder Neck: 3-play Maple/mahogany/maple, bolt-on Scale: 34” Fingerboard: Rosewood or Maple Frets: Rosewood or Maple Pickups: 21, medium Controls: 21, medium Hardware: 2x volume, master tone Left-handed: No Finish: Teal Blue, Black, Tobacco Brown Sunburst If you're in the market for a vintage-modern bass that won't break the bank, the BB435 is a great option. Yamaha has a range of pro-level basses, but the BB435 is an exceptional value. It has all the features you need to hold its own on any stage. The BB435 is a great bass guitar for players who are looking for a lively and dynamic instrument. It has a fuss-free control system with a master tone knob that serves both pickups, and independent volume controls that allow players to adjust the balance between the pickups however they like. There are certainly more detailed onboard EQ shaping options on other bass guitars, but few are as simple or elegant as the BB435. The BB435 would make an excellent choice for any player looking for their first five-string. The low B string is tight and well-defined, making it ideal for heavier styles of music. The build quality is exceptional throughout – this is a bolt-on instrument but the six-bolt miter neck joint is so strong you might swear it’s a string-through. This, allied to the clever 45-degree string-through bridge design, helps set the BB435 apart from other instruments in its class. If you’re looking for a great value, high-quality five-string bass, the BB435 should definitely be on your shortlist. 3. Epiphone Thunderbird Vintage Pro Body: Mahogany wings Neck: 7-ply mahogany/walnut through body Scale: 34” Fingerboard: Rosewood Frets: 21, medium Pickups: 2x (YGD V5 in P/J configuration Controls: 2x volume, master tone Hardware: Vintage Plus Light steel-saddled bridge Left-handed: No Finish: Teal Blue, Black, Tobacco Brown Sunburst If you're in the market for a vintage-modern bass that won't break the bank, the BB435 is a great option. Yamaha has a range of pro-level basses, but the BB435 is an exceptional value. It has all the features you need to hold its own on any stage. The BB435 is a great bass guitar for players who are looking for a lively and dynamic instrument. It has a fuss-free control system with a master tone knob that serves both pickups, and independent volume controls that allow players to adjust the balance between the pickups however they like. There are certainly more detailed onboard EQ shaping options on other bass guitars, but few are as simple or elegant as the BB435. The BB435 would make an excellent choice for any player looking for their first five-string. The low B string is tight and well-defined, making it ideal for heavier styles of music. The build quality is exceptional throughout – this is a bolt-on instrument but the six-bolt miter neck joint is so strong you might swear it’s a string-through. This, allied to the clever 45-degree string-through bridge design, helps set the BB435 apart from other instruments in its class. If you’re looking for a great value, high-quality five-string bass, the BB435 should definitely be on your shortlist. 3. Epiphone Thunderbird Vintage Pro Body: Mahogany wings Neck: 7-ply mahogany/walnut through body Scale: 34” Fingerboard: Rosewood Frets: 20, medium small Pickups: 2x Epiphone ProBucker Bass #760 Humbucker Controls: Neck Volume, Bridge Volume, Master Tone, 3-way pickup selector Hardware: 1960s TB-Bass Tune-o-matic with Claw tailpiece Left-handed: Mo Finish: Alpine White, Tobacco Sunburst, Ebony There are a lot of bass guitars on the market, and not all of them are perfect for everyone. Some bassists just can’t get on with the Thunderbird. It has a lot of shape going on, and some people say it can be a little imbalanced and prone to neck tilt. But if you love it, you love it; and there’s really nothing quite like it, with its dual-humbuckers providing all kinds of thumping low-end radness and the mahogany winged, neck-through body rounding it all out. If you’re looking for a unique bass guitar that will give you an incredible sound, the Thunderbird is definitely worth considering. There are a lot of bass guitars on the market, and not all of them are perfect for everyone. Some bassists just can’t get on with the Thunderbird. It has a lot of shape going on, and some people say it can be a little imbalanced and prone to neck tilt. But if you love it, you love it; and there’s really nothing quite like it, with its dual-humbuckers providing all kinds of thumping low-end radness. The mahogany winged, neck-through body rounds it all out, giving the Thunderbird a unique look and sound. If you’re looking for a bass guitar that will give you an incredible sound, the Thunderbird is definitely worth considering. The Epiphone ProBucker Bass #760 Humbuckers deliver thunderous sound, while the '60s style neck profile provides a comfortable playing experience. Additionally, the reversed body shape allows for easy swinging around on stage. Though it may not be suited for slapping bass, this bass is perfect for rock and roll, blues, and punk genres. Ultimately, it all comes down to the player's skill level that determines what can be accomplished on this instrument. 4. G&L Tribute L-2000 Body: Swamp ash Neck: Maple, bolt-on Scale: 34” Fingerboard: Maple or rosewood Frets: 21, medium jumbo Pickups: 2x G&L MFD Humbuckers Controls: 1 x master volume, 2-band EQ, series/parallel switch, 3-way toggle preamp mode, 3-way toggle pickup switch Hardware: Leo Fender-Designed G&L Saddle-Lock bridge Left-handed: Yes Finish: Natural, 3-Tone Sunburst, Olympic White, Clear Orange, Redburst The Tribute L-2000 is a replica of its Leo Fender-designed namesake that debuted in 1980. What blew minds then and still does is the switching system. There’s a trio of knobs, and a cornucopia of tone options to be had here. Toggle between active and passive modes, between neck, middle or both humbuckers, and series/parallel mode. This jemmies open the sonic possibilities even before you get to the two-band EQ. You can also coil-tap the humbuckers for single-coil sounds. The Tribute L-2000 is an extremely versatile bass that can cover any style you throw at it. The controls on the instrument may seem difficult to understand at first, but with a little experimentation, you'll be able to find the perfect settings for your needs. The performance of this bass is excellent for the price, making it a great choice for anyone looking for a reliable instrument. The hardware on this guitar is top-notch. The Saddle-Lock bridge is a Leo design, neat, sturdy, and a solid platform. The tuners are open-backed, old-school. But it’s the pickups and electronics that people will ask you about after the show. Those US-made G&L MFD humbuckers are overwound with a ceramic core and they’re powerful. And they’ve got individually adjustable pole pieces, just in case the switches and EQ didn’t present enough choice. You won’t be disappointed with this guitar. The hardware on this guitar is top-notch. The Saddle-Lock bridge is a Leo design, neat, sturdy, and a solid platform. The tuners are open-backed, old-school. But it’s the pickups and electronics that people will ask you about after the show. Those US-made G&L MFD humbuckers are overwound with a ceramic core and they’re powerful. And they’ve got individually adjustable pole pieces, just in case the switches and EQ didn’t present enough choice. You won’t be disappointed with this guitar. Body: Mahogany with bubinga top Neck: Multi-laminate maple and walnut, neck-thru buildScale: 35” Scale: 35” Fingerboard: Rosewood Frets: 24, extra jumbo Pickups: 2x EMG 45 Hz humbuckers Controls: Active 3-band EQ, blend, master volume Hardware: Schecter Diamond Custom bridge, Grover tuners Left-handed: No Finish: Honey Satin, Satin See-Thru Black The Stiletto Studio 6 is an excellent choice for anyone looking for a six-string bass that is both comfortable and affordable. With a nut width of 54mm, the Studio 6 is perfect for those who are looking to transition to a six-string bass, or for those who are looking for an instrument that can handle a wide range of styles. The EMG 45Hz humbucker pairing and comprehensive 3-band EQ make the Studio 6 perfect for those who want to dial in their sound, whether they are looking for a more traditional bass sound or something more progressive. Scoop the mids for some effervescent slap, or boost them and the treble for some really up-front, bass-as-a-lead instrument tones. The Stiletto Studio 6 is a great choice for anyone looking for a versatile and affordable six-string bass. If you're looking for an acoustic guitar with a jumbo fretboard that rewards a light touch, the Schecter Omen Extreme-6 is a great option. This guitar has a neck-through build that makes it easy to reach the summit of the fretboard, and the build quality is excellent - it's not light, but it's well-balanced and built to last. 6. Fender JMJ Road Worn Mustang Body: Alder Neck: Maple, bolt-onScale: 30” Scale: 30” Fingerboard: Rosewood Frets: 19 Pickups: Seymour Duncan Custom split-coil Controls: Volume, tone Hardware: 4-saddle, strings-through-body Mustang bridge Left-handed: No Finish: Black, Faded Daphne Blue The Fender Mustang Bass is not typically thought of as a versatile bass guitar, but renowned session player Justin Meldal-Johnsen swears by his 1967 Mustang Bass as his number one bass. Meldal-Johnsen has played with Nine Inch Nails, Garbage, and Beck, and there is not really a Venn Diagram you can draw with much overlap between those. This just goes to show that the Fender Mustang Bass is a versatile and capable bass guitar that can be used in a wide range of musical styles. The Mustang Bass is a great choice for players transitioning from guitar to bass. Its 30” short-scale makes it incredibly accessible, while its custom-wound Seymour Duncan split-coil provides plenty of range and tone. Additionally, the thumb rest will come in handy for those who do their picking up by the neck. Ultimately, the Mustang Bass is a great all-arounder that sounds great and is easy to play. 7. Ibanez SR2405W 5-String Bass Guitar Body: African mahogany core, panga panga and figured maple top Neck: Panga panga/purpleheart 5-piece laminate Scale: 34” Fingerboard: Panga Panga Frets: 24 Pickups: 2x Aguilar Super Double Single-Coils Controls: Volume, pickup pan, bass, middle, treble/passive tone control, three-way mid-frequency switch (250Hz, 450Hz, 700Hz), active/passive selector switch Hardware: Ibanez MR5S Mono-rail bridge, Gotoh machine heads, gold Left-handed: Yes Finish: Caribbean Green, Brown Topaz Burst The SR2405W is a meticulous bass that feels stage-ready out of the box, and it is well-tooled to make full use of your stage and studio time. It's clear that this instrument has been designed with the professional in mind, as it offers an impressive range of features and capabilities. Whether you're a seasoned performer or just starting out, the SR2405W is a great option for those seeking a high-quality, stage-ready bass. The Rogue LX200B is a great bass guitar for anyone looking for a versatile and affordable option. The neck is quick and easy to play, while the wide nut width makes it perfect for slap players. The 3-band EQ and pickup pan give you plenty of tonal options, making it perfect for any style of music. The Ibanez SR2405W is a bass you’d think twice about playing down the local dive bar for two reasons: its high price tag and delicate finish. But just plug it in and play again; that’ll bring the smile back to your face. This bass has all the features you need, like 24/7 security to protect against dings and theft. And when the inevitable ding comes, it’ll be painful—but worth it for the great sound. So if you’re looking for a top-of-the-line bass, the Ibanez SR2405W is the one for you. 8. Fender American Ultra Precision Bass Guitar Body: Alder (ash on Plasma Red Burst and Aged Natural models) Neck: Maple, bolt-on Scale: 34” Fingerboard: Rosewood Frets: 21, medium jumbo Pickups: Ultra Noiseless Vintage Jazz Bass (bridge), Ultra Noiseless Vintage Precision Bass (middle) Controls: Master Volume, Pan Pot (Pickup Selector), Treble Boost/Cut, Midrange Boost/Cut, Bass Boost/Cut, Passive Tone, Active/Passive Mini Toggle Hardware: 4-saddle HiMass bridge, Fender"F" Light-Weight Vintage-Paddle Keys with Tapered Shafts Left-handed: No Finish: Aged Natural, Mocha Burst, Arctic Pearl, Ultraburst The American Ultra Series offers a more evolutionary than revolutionary approach to modernizing Fender's top-line US-built instruments. We think they found the sweet spot with this Precision Bass. It is unmistakably a P-Bass; the classic silhouette is present and correct. You've got a choice of an alder body or ash, retro pick-guards in three-ply mint green or 4-ply tortoiseshell. But with a new Modern D neck profile, the 10-14" compound radius fingerboard, HiMass bridge, lightweight tuners and a newly designed preamp, it's an altogether more contemporary proposition. The American Ultra body is contoured more heavily across the back, with a newly sculpted heel that allows for easy access to the upper frets. The Ultra Noiseless pickups are an excellent pairing, with the punchier Vintage Jazz single-coil in the bridge position offering a nice counterpoint to the rounded warmth of the middle position split-coil. The player-friendly amendments to an all-time classic make this guitar worth the investment. 9. Ernie Ball Music Man StingRay Special 4 HH Body: Ash Neck: Roast maple, bolt-on Scale: 34” Fingerboard: Roast maple, ebony or Rosewood Frets: 22, stainless steel Pickups: 2x Neodymium humbuckers Controls: Active 3-band EQ, master volume, 5-way pickup selector Hardware: Vintage Music Man top loaded chrome plated, steel bridge plate with vintage nickel plated steel saddles, Custom lightweight tuners with tapered string posts Left-handed: Yes Finish: Charging Green The Music Man StingRay bass guitar has been a mainstay of the company's lineup since it was first introduced in 1976. This iconic instrument is easily recognized by its distinctive shape and sound, and continues to be one of the most popular bass guitars on the market. Read the full article

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Best synthesizers

Music technology companies have been working hard to make hardware synthesizers more affordable, with Yamaha releasing the Reface DX for just $300. This is a great option for those who want to have a more hands-on experience with their music-making, as opposed to using software synths which can be powerful, but sometimes less creative. The Reface DX is a modern revival of the original Yamaha DX7, which was released in 1983 for $1,995 (over $5,000 when adjusted for inflation). So if you're looking for an affordable hardware synth that won't break the bank, the Reface DX is a great option. Synths are a mainstay of electronic music production, and there are a multitude of them on the market, at all sorts of different price points. If you're just starting out, or you're on a tight budget, it can be tough to decide which synth is right for you. Not to worry - we're here to help. We've put together a list of our favourite hardware synths that come in at under $600. So, whether you're looking for an affordable all-rounder, or a specific sound, there's something here for you. Korg is a renowned affordable synth specialist. Its products are popular with both beginner and experienced producers alike. Behringer is another company that's well-known for its affordable synths. It often produces clones of iconic, expensive machines, making them more accessible to a wider range of producers. Roland is another giant in the synth world, and it too has a number of affordable offerings in its catalogue. Its Boutique series are particularly popular, as they offer modern versions of Roland's classic analogue synths. So, there you have it - our pick of the best hardware synths under $600. With so many great options to choose from, you're sure to find the perfect one for your needs.

The best synthesizers: quick review

Arturia MicroFreak Hybrid Synthesizer The Arturia MicroFreak Hybrid Synthesizer is a great choice for anyone looking for a low-latency synth that is easy to use. It has both monophonic and paraphonic modes with up to 4 voices, and it also features 25 touch-sensitive keys with aftertouch. Its variable analog filter and 64-step sequencer make it a great choice for any musician. Korg Volca FM This is a great synth for those on a budget. It has a large variety of presets, 3-voice polyphony, and a multi-touch keyboard. This synth can create a wide range of sounds, making it a great option for any musician. Moog Grandmother Synthesizer It’s a great tool for adding depth and ambiance to your tracks. It has a solid build quality, and its 32-note Fatar keyboard provides velocity sensitivity for a richer sound. Korg Minilogue XD The Korg Minilogue XD is a great choice for many musicians because of its intuitive sequencer. It has 4-voice polyphony and 37 slim keys that are velocity sensitive, making it an excellent instrument for sound customization. Dave Smith Instruments OB-6 Analog Synthesizer The Dave Smith Instruments OB-6 Analog Synthesizer is a high-end analog model that will take your music creativity to the higher level. This synthesizer has 6-voice polyphony, a four-octave semi-weighted keyboard, and true voltage-controlled oscillators. The 2-pole filter gives you the ability to create unique sounds that will stand out from the crowd. With all of these features, the Dave Smith Instruments OB-6 Analog Synthesizer is a must-have for any serious musician. Yamaha Reface DX It has a great keyboard for seamless app integration and a good key feel. It has 8-voice polyphony and 37 mini keys. Plus, its 4-operator FM sound engine creates amazing sounds. Behringer Neutron It’s an excellent modular synthesizer that provides a perfect combination of multi-wave LFO and a variable filter. It also has independent analog oscillators, which makes it great for creating a wide range of tones. Behringer DeepMind 12 It’s an excellent choice for those in need of more voices. It has 12-voice polyphony and a 32-step sequencer, making it perfect for creating complex compositions. Additionally, its 49 full-sized, velocity-sensitive keys with aftertouch provide a great feel and playability. Finally, the 8-channel modulation matrix gives you a lot of control over the sound of your patches. IK Multimedia UNO This model is a great synth for beginners because its controls are easy to learn and use. It also has a 16-step sequencer and rec function, which are great for creating and recording music. UNO is lightweight and portable, so you can take it with you wherever you go. Roland SYSTEM-8 The Roland SYSTEM-8 synthesizer is a versatile tool that can be used for a variety of purposes. It has 8-voice polyphony and 49 keys with velocity, which makes it an ideal choice for musicians of all skill levels. In addition, the SYSTEM-8 offers exceptional customization options, allowing you to create sounds that are perfect for your specific needs. Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned pro, the Roland SYSTEM-8 is a great choice for anyone looking for a powerful and versatile synthesizer. Elektron Digitone 8-voice Digital Synth This digital synth is a portable powerhouse that you can take anywhere. It features 8-voices of polyphony, 16 pads for playing and sequencing, 2 FM controls and a filter. Whether you're new to synthesis or a seasoned pro, the Digitone has something to offer everyone. Novation Circuit Mono Station This model is an excellent choice for creating impressive drum patterns. It has a slim design, and its monophonic or paraphonic capabilities let you create complex rhythms with ease. The 32 RGB backlit velocity-sensitive buttons allow for precise control, while the independent filter, decay, distortion, and pitch controls provide plenty of sound shaping options.

1. IK Multimedia UNO Synth

Synth engine: Analogue Polyphony: Monophonic Keyboard: Touch keyboard Sequencer: Yes Effects: Minijack In/Out Connectivity: 3.5mm stereo output (mono summed), 3.5mm stereo input (mono summed), Micro USB Power: Four AA batteries Uno synth may be divisive in terms of its appearance, but it is an excellent-sounding, versatile analogue monosynth. It has a retro charm, with its slanted profile and push button control panel, but its design brings to mind the early days of home computers more than any vintage analogue synth. The lower part of the push button interface is taken up by a 27-note ‘keyboard’ for live playing, or to input notes for the onboard sequencer or arpeggiator. Despite all of this, Uno synth provides great value for money. The presets of the Uno offer a vast array of sounds that can be used for classic basses and leads. The arp and sequencer are great tools for coming up with new ideas, and the software editor makes it even easier to use the synth to its fullest potential. However, there are a few compromises that need to be made when using this synth, but overall it is a great source of classic, punchy analogue sounds at an affordable price.

2. Korg Volca FM

Synth engine: Digital FM Polyphony: 3 voices Keyboard: Multitouch Sequencer: Yes Effects: ChorusMIDI I/O: In Connectivity: Headphones, Sync In, Sync Out Power: Battery or optional AC adapter The Volca FM is a compact, battery-powered instrument that captures the sonic essence of the Yamaha DX7 while adding powerful new features. It's equipped with a ribbon-style keyboard-come-sequencer, built-in speaker, MIDI input and 3.5mm sync in/out. This makes it the best Volca instrument so far. The Yamaha Reface DX is a great little synth. It's not without its limitations - the lack of polyphony leaves it lagging behind the original DX7, Yamaha's Reface DX, and the various FM plugins out there - but the sound of those dark, percussive basses, icy mallets and '80s-style horns is bang on. If you start to push the capabilities of this tweakable, hands-on little synth, you'll find it's capable of some truly unique tricks. It's a great choice for anyone looking for an affordable, easy-to-use FM synth.

3. Arturia MicroFreak

Synth engine: Digital Polyphony: 4 voice paraphonic Keyboard: 25-key capacitive keyboard Sequencer: Yes Effects: NoneMIDI I/O: In/Out Connectivity: Mono 1/4-inch output for audio, headphone output; 3.5mm CV/Gate/Pressure outputs, and 3.5mm MIDI I/O Power: USB-powered, AC adapter The MiniBrute is a powerful hardware synth that is perfect for creating a wide range of sounds. With its multiple oscillator modes, versatile filter, and modulation Matrix, the MiniBrute can create everything from smooth pads to edgy leads. Additionally, the performance and sequencing tools make it easy to create and perform complex musical parts. The only downside is that the MiniBrute doesn't come with a built-in sequencer, but other than that, it's an amazing synth that any musician would be lucky to have in their arsenal. The MicroFreak is a unique and innovative synthesizer that blends the best of both analog and digital worlds. Its hybrid architecture combines a classic analog filter with a powerful digital engine, giving you limitless possibilities for sound design. Although it may not look like much, the real magic of the MicroFreak lies in its combination of all these different elements. If you're looking for a new synth to try out, the MicroFreak should definitely be at the top of your list.

4. Behringer Neutron

Polyphony: Paraphonic Synth engine: all-analogue; 2 VCO, 1 VCF (12db LPF/HPF), VCA, 2 ENV (ADSR), LFO, BBD delay, overdrive Control: External MIDI/CV control only Patch points: 56 Other I/O: MIDI In/Thru, USB (MIDI in), master out, audio in, headphone out Since its release, the Behringer Neutron has been a popular choice for those looking for an affordable analogue semi-modular synth. It offers a lot of flexibility, with a range of different oscillators, filters and modulation options that make it perfect for both beginners and experienced synth players alike. Whether you're looking to create huge bass lines or soaring lead melodies, the Neutron is capable of producing a wide range of sounds. And with its affordable price tag, it's definitely worth considering if you're in the market for a new synth. Its versatility is one of its strongest points; whether you want to create a realistic soundscape or go all out with something completely crazy, the Neutron can handle it. So if you're looking for an affordable synth with plenty of options, the Neutron should definitely be at the top of your list.

5. IK Multimedia Uno Synth Pro

Synth engine: Analogue Polyphony: Paraphonic Keyboard: Full 37-note keyboard (or touch on the desktop) SequencerSequencer: 64-step sequencer Effects: 12 effects in three slots MIDI I/O: Minijack In/Out Connectivity: 2 x 1/4” outs, 3.5mm headphone out and input, 2 x CV in and out, USBPower: PSU (desktop via USB) The UNO Synth Pro is a powerful analogue synth that is available as either a full-size keyboard version or a desktop unit. The keyboard version is larger and features a metal enclosure as well as pitch and mod wheels. Aside from those differences, the two versions are identical. The synth is capable of generating a wide range of sounds, making it perfect for both studio and live use. UNO Synth Pro is a great sounding analogue synth with three oscillators and a white noise generator. Each of the oscillators has a variety of wave shapes to choose from, including saw and pulse width modulation. There are also two analogue state variable filters, each with cutoff and resonance controls. This synth is perfect for creating fat, warm sounds. The UNO Synth is a great synth for the money, with a really simple workflow. It has a fantastic modulation matrix, which is a doddle to use; fast and powerful, belying its appearance. With a great sequencer and some fantastic effects – although not many of them – this synth is a great instrument overall and one that definitely punches over its weight class, in terms of sound and functionality. All in all, it is a great buy for anyone looking for a great sounding and easy to use synth.

6. Arturia MiniBrute 2

Synth engine: Analogue Polyphony: Paraphonic Keyboard: 32 RGB-backlit velocity-sensitive button grid Sequencer: Yes Effects: Distortion (three types) MIDI I/O: In/Out/Thru Connectivity: Headphones. line out, audio input, analogue clock in and out, CV, gate and aux CV outputs, USB (MIDI only) Power: Power adapter The MiniBrute 2 is a semi-modular synthesizer that boasts a beefed- up synth engine and a comprehensive mini-jack patchbay. As before, the primary oscillator can generate saw, triangle and square waves simultaneously, the outputs of which are blended via the oscillator mixer, where they’re joined by a white noise source and external audio input. However, the MiniBrute 2 also features a number of other improvements that make it an even more powerful and versatile synth than its predecessor. These include an additional VCO, a sub-oscillator, a ring modulator, and multiple modulation sources. With these new features, the MiniBrute 2 is capable of generating a wider range of sounds than ever before, making it a must-have for any serious synth enthusiast. The MiniBrute 2 is a great synth. It has the Steiner-Parker-style filter of its predecessor, which offers -12dB low- and high-pass modes, plus -6dB band-pass and notch filtering. It also has some really cool features, like the analogue grit, interesting oscillator shaping and Brute factor control, which overdrives the signal chain using a controlled feedback loop. The MiniBrute 2S is also a great synth - it has a pad-based step sequencer instead of keys. Both are serious competitors in the synth market.

7. Korg Minilogue XD

Synth engine: Hybrid Polyphony: 4 voices Keyboard: 37 slim keys, velocity-sensitive Sequencer: Yes Effects: Delay, Reverb, Chorus, Flanger, Ensemble, PhaserMIDI I/O: In/Out Connectivity: Headphones, stereo output, audio in, sync in, sync out, USB, 2x CV in Power: AC adapter The Korg Minilogue XD is a great synthesizer that falls in the middle of the Minilogue and Prologue lines. It has a powerful sequencer, extended general versatility, user-customisable Multi-Engine/effects, and a joystick for real-time control. It also has user scales/tunings and inspiring stereo effects/output. If we had to choose between this and the original Minilogue, we’d go with the XD due to its superior features. The Korg Minilogue XD is a great synthesizer that falls in the middle of the Minilogue and Prologue lines. It has a powerful sequencer, extended general versatility, user-customisable Multi-Engine/effects, and a joystick for real-time control. It also has user scales/tunings and inspiring stereo effects/output. If we had to choose between this and the original Minilogue, we’d go with the XD due to its superior features.

8. Korg Wavestate

Synth engine: Digital Polyphony: 64 voices Keyboard: 37 full-size, velocity sensitive Sequencer: Yes Effects: 14MIDI I/O: In, Out, USBConnectivity: USB Power: 12V DC Korg's Wavestate is a synthesizer that makes use of wavetable synthesis to create unique sounds. Wavetable synthesis is an intuitive method that allows for a wide variety of sounds to be accessed from within a single patch. This makes it an ideal choice for sound designers and experimental producers who are looking to create new and innovative sounds. The Wavestate is a powerful synthesizer that offers 64 stereo voice polyphony and a wealth of sequencing potential. It can create some of the most diverse sounding modern synths on the market, but in order to take full advantage of its features, some effort is required. With its many capabilities, the Wavestate is capable of doing almost anything you can imagine.

9. Modal Electronics Cobalt8

Synth engine: Virtual Analog Polyphony: 8 voices Keyboard: 37 Fatar full-size keys Effects: Yes MIDI I/O: In, Out, USB Connectivity: USB Power: 9V DC The Modal Electronics Cobalt8 is a great synth option for those who don't have a lot of money to spend. It has full 8-voice polyphony, along with a variety of effects and a 512-note sequencer. This makes it a great tool for creating music. The Cobalt8 is a great option for those coming from a background of only using VSTs and soft-synths. It has MPE support, which is great for Ableton Live 11 users, and it's overall very versatile. Despite any preconceptions you may have about analog synths, the Cobalt8 is a lot of fun to play.

10. Elektron Digitone

Synth engine: FM digital Polyphony: 8 voices Keyboard: None Sequencer: Four synth tracks and four MIDI tracks Effects: Chorus, delay, reverb, overdrive MIDI I/O: In/Out/Thru Connectivity: Two 1/4-inch balanced audio outs, two 1/4-inch audio ins, headphones, USB Power: Power adapter FM synthesis is a type of sound synthesis that uses frequency modulation to create sound. This type of synthesis is often used in digital synthesizers, and can create a wide range of sounds. The Digitone is an example of a synthesizer that uses FM synthesis, and it has some very impressive features. The Digitone's FM sound engine is eight-note polyphonic, which means it can play multiple notes at the same time. It also has four dedicated tracks (accessed directly via the T1-T4 buttons), as well as four MIDI tracks for controlling/sequencing external MIDI gear. This makes the Digitone very versatile and powerful. Once you start using the Digitone's FM sound engine, you'll quickly see why it's such a popular choice for digital synthesis. The sounds you can create are very diverse and interesting, and the overall design of the synthesizer is excellent. If you're looking for a great way to get into FM synthesis, the Digitone is definitely worth checking out. The Digitone is capable of much more than simple old-skool FM impersonations. With the sequencer, modulators and filters, you can create truly amazing sounds that show off the synth's true colours. The effects overlayed or 'P-locked' only enhance the sound quality even further.

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Best midi keyboards 2022

A MIDI controller keyboard is an essential piece of equipment in any studio. The best MIDI controllers can take your recordings to a whole new level. If you're not sure where to start, we've got all the information you need right here. USB-based MIDI controllers offer an easy and convenient way to play and record software instruments with your computer. They can be plugged directly into your PC or laptop via USB, or in some cases they can operate wirelessly over Bluetooth. This makes them a central performance hub for your studio, allowing you to play and record software instruments with ease. Some MIDI controllers also double up as a control interface for hardware synths, making them an essential piece of kit for any producer or musician. There are a variety of different MIDI keyboards to choose from, depending on your needs. You can go for a smaller, more portable model that fits comfortably in a laptop bag, or you can go all out with a full-sized 88-note keyboard with weighted keys. The most important factors to consider include the number of keys (some models have 88 keys, while others have fewer), the type of action (weighted keys or not), and whether or not you need additional features such as knobs, pads, buttons and faders. When shopping for a MIDI keyboard, it's important to consider what you need in order to make the best purchase. You can get a cheap model for less than $100 if you look around, but if you're looking for a higher quality option with more features, you'll likely have to spend a bit more. In general, MIDI keyboards that cost more tend to be more rugged and able to stand up to travel. So, if you're looking for something to take on the road with you, it might be worth spending a bit more. Finding the right one for you can be a daunting task. With so many options available, it can be hard to know where to start. Our price comparison widgets have found the best deals online right now, so you can be sure you're getting the best possible price. If you need more guidance, head to the buying advice section at the bottom of the page. There, you'll find tips and advice on how to find the perfect product for your needs.

The list of the best midi keyboards - our choice

- Nektar SE25 MIDI keyboard - Novation Launchkey Mini Mk3 MIDI keyboard - Akai MPK Mini Mk3 - IK Multimedia iRig Keys 2 Mini - Native Instruments Komplete Kontrol M32 - Korg microKEY2 Air-25 - M-Audio Oxygen 49 MKV - Novation Launchkey 37 Mk3 - Arturia Keystep 37 - Native Instruments Komplete Kontrol A25 - IK Multimedia iRig Keys I/O 49 - Nektar Impact LX88+ MIDI keyboard - Arturia Keystep Pro - Arturia KeyLab 49 MkII MIDI keyboard - Novation 49 SL MkIII - Native Instruments Komplete Kontrol S61 MkII - Roland A-88MKII - ROLI Lumi Keys Studio Edition - M-Audio Keystation 88 MK3 - M-Audio Oxygen MKV 61 - Nektar Impact GX Mini - CME XKey 25 - Nektar Impact GX49/61 - M-Audio Keystation 49/61 MK3 - NI Komplete Kontrol A49 - Keith McMillen QuNexus - Alesis V61 - Nectar SE49 - Roli Seaboard

MDI keyboard selection criteria

The best piano replacements don't have to strictly follow the 88 weighted key rule. There are many great pianos that don't follow this rule, and can still produce beautiful music. So, don't be afraid to choose a different type of piano if it speaks to you. Ultimately, the best piano for you is the one that you feel most comfortable playing and that makes you happy. What are we looking for: - High build quality; - Soft touch keys; - Pitch-bend and modwheel; - Velocity/pressure sensitivity. Choosing a MIDI keyboard can be a difficult process, especially if you don’t know what to look for. There are a few important factors you need to consider, such as the build quality and playability of the keyboard. This list is short due to those factors, but it will ensure that any recommendation we make will feel well-built and playable. You won’t regret your purchase if you take these factors into consideration. When it comes to MIDI controllers, there are a few different things you'll need to decide on before making a purchase. The first decision is the keybed size- some controllers come in miniature 25-key sizes, while others are full sized with 88 keys. Aside from the number of keys, the controllers are essentially the same. The following parameters will need to be guided subjectively at your own discretion: - Number of Keys. The number of keys on a keyboard can affect its price and bulkiness. More keys mean a higher price and more bulk, which might be unnecessary if you’re not playing classical pieces. 49 keys are good enough for synthesizer-focused players, whereas 61 keys are a good amount for keyboardists who need; - Key Type. Synth-action keys are the most common type of keys found on digital pianos. They are generally more lightweight and responsive than weighted keys, but still provide a sense of resistance that is often desired in piano playing. Weighted keys, on the other hand, offer a heavier touch that can be more advantageous for certain types of music. Semi-weighted keys are a rarer option that falls somewhere in between the two, offering players the best of both worlds in terms of responsiveness and resistance; - Number of Controls. It's good to have knobs and buttons for assigning software functions with MIDI Learn, but most of us don't need a full digital mixing board. If we did, we'd be buying something else. Knowing what you need is key. If you don't need the controls, you can get the same keybed on the Nektar SE49, which is a stripped-down version of the Nektar GX49. Knowing what you need is key to getting the right product; - Number of Controls. It's good to have knobs and buttons for assigning software functions with MIDI Learn, but most of us don't need a full digital mixing board. If we did, we'd be buying something else. Knowing what you need is key. If you don't need the controls, you can get the same keybed on the Nektar SE49, which is a stripped-down version of the Nektar GX49. Knowing what you need is key to getting the right product; - Aftertouch is one of the most unique and expressive features on a keyboard. Unlike typical pressure sensitivity, aftertouch continues to detect how hard you’re pushing down until you let go. This can be used to add extra layers of expressivity to your performances on instruments like organs, where aftertouch can be assigned to control the rotary speaker speed; - 5-Pin MIDI Support. If you're using a MIDI controller that doesn't have a MIDI port, you can use a USB MIDI interface to send MIDI signals through a traditional 5-pin MIDI cable. However, this can be inconvenient because USB ports are limited on laptops. Here's an example of how to connect a USB MIDI controller to legacy hardware: USB MIDI Keyboard -> Computer -> USB MIDI Interface -> 5-Pin MIDI Cable -> Legacy Hardware. Although it's possible to use USB MIDI controllers without a MIDI port, it's not as straightforward; - Pads. Pads are an important part of a keyboard, but they are not a necessary component. They are essentially larger buttons, which can be helpful for playing on a main keyboard. Finger drumming is a popular activity, but I find that keyboard-drumming is more precise. Your own experience may vary; - Pedal Support. When looking for a keyboard, it's important to consider whether or not the model has a pedal jack. Not all keyboards have this feature, particularly the smaller, portable 25-key models. However, it's always better to be safe than sorry, so it's best to make sure that the model you're interested in includes pedal support. This can be either through a proprietary jack or otherwise; - Software Support. MIDI controllers that are designed to integrate well with specific software can be a great option for musicians who want the best possible experience with their music-making tools. By choosing a controller that is specifically tailored to work well with your software, you can eliminate many of the compatibility issues that can arise when using different programs. This can lead to a smoother, more efficient workflow and help you get the most out of your music-making.

Best MIDI-keyboards reviews

1. Nektar SE25 MIDI keyboard

Compatibility: PC, Mac No of Keys: 25 Key size: Mini Key type: Velocity-sensitive Controls: 6 function keys; assignable PB1 & PB2 buttons for pitch bend, transpose, volume, pan & track; assignable ‘Part Two’ button for octave, MIDI channel, transpose, layer & latch; S button for sustain & modulation Connectivity: Micro USB port, sustain pedal input Power: USB Software: Bitwig 8-Track Dimensions (mm): 335 x 100 x 2 Weight (kg): 0.4 A MIDI controller keyboard can be an essential item if you're always making music on the go. The Nektar SE25 proves that features and playability don't need to be sacrificed for the sake of size and portability. This MIDI controller is small enough to fit in a laptop bag, but it still has 25 keys with full-size velocity and aftertouch. There's also a 4-way joystick for pitch and mod control, as well as buttons, knobs, and faders for even more control over your sound. Plus, the SE25 is USB powered, so you can just plug it into your laptop or computer and start making music right away. If you're looking for a small MIDI keyboard and don't want to break the bank, Nektar's new SE25 is well worth considering. It's not the cheapest option out there, but it offers good value for money, and we found it to be thoroughly impressive during testing. It's a simple, compact product, but it does everything you need it to do - no more, no less. 2. Novation Launchkey Mini Mk3 MIDI keyboard

Compatibility: PC, Mac, iOS No of Keys: 25 Key size: Mini Key type: velocity-sensitive Controls: Octave shift, Transpose, Pitch and Modulation strips, 16 velocity-sensitive backlit RGB launch pads, 8 rotary encoders, 10 function buttons Connectivity: USB B port, 3.5mm TRS Type A MIDI out, Sustain Pedal input Power: USB Software: Ableton Live Lite, two months of Splice Sounds, AAS Session Bundle, Softube Time & Tone, Spitfire Audio LABS Expressive Strings, Klevgrand DAW Cassette and R0Verb, XLN Audio Addictive Keys, membership of Novation Sound Collective Dimensions (mm): 330 x 172 x 40 Weight (kg): 0.69 The Launchkey Mini Mk3 is a powerful pocket-sized controller that is packed with features. Many of these features were missing from the previous version, including pitch bend and modulation touchstrips, a hardware MIDI out on a TRS jack, an incredibly flexible and versatile arpeggiator, a chord memory feature, and a great software bundle. The Launchkey Mini Mk3 is a great keyboard controller for Live users, but it doesn't work perfectly with every DAW. If you're looking for the best solution at this price point, the Launchkey Mini Mk3 is definitely the way to go. The Launchkey Mini MK3 is a great choice for a small, velocity-sensitive MIDI keyboard. It has an impressive range of connectivity options, making it perfect for traveling or using in a variety of settings. 3. Akai MPK Mini Mk3

Compatibility: Mac/PC/iOS No of Keys: 25 Key size: Mini Key type: velocity-sensitive Controls: Eight assignable encoders, eight MPC pads, full transport controls, 4-way joystick Connectivity: USB Power: Bus-powered Software: MPC Beats, Bassline, Tubesynth, Electric, Hybrid 3, Mini Grand, Velvet Dimensions (mm): 32 x 18 x 4 cm Weight (kg): 750g The Akai MPK Mini Mk3 is a great MIDI keyboard for most people, particularly those looking for a quick and easy way to add melodies, basslines and simple chords to their projects. It's small and easy to use, with a ton of features that make it perfect for musicians of all levels. The MPK Mini MK3 is much more than just a keyboard. It also has eight encoder knobs which can be easily mapped to any parameter of your DAW, and eight full-sized MPC style drum pads. This makes it an ideal controller for studio use or live performances. At its heart, the Nano studio is a portable production powerhouse. Its small size makes it easy to transport, while its wealth of features and functions make it a valuable addition to any studio setup. Whether you need to record vocals, guitars, or other instruments, the Nano studio has you covered. Plus, its intuitive controls make it easy to use, even for beginners. So if you're looking for a versatile and portable recording solution, the Nano studio is definitely worth considering. 4. IK Multimedia iRig Keys 2 Mini

Compatibility: Mac/PC No of Keys: 25 Key size: Mini Key type: Velocity sensitive Controls: Volume, Octave up/down buttons, Program up/down buttons, Setup button, assignable data push encoder, 4+4 assignable knobs, Modulation Connectivity: MIDI in/out, micro-USB, 1/8" headphones output Power: USB Software: iOS SampleTank, Syntronik Pro-V Cubasis LE. Mac/PC: SampleTank 4 SE plus one of your choice from seven titles Dimensions (mm): 32 x 14 x 5 cm Weight (kg): 0.58kg The Keys 2 Mini 25 is a small and affordable keyboard that has 25 mini keys. It is one of the smallest and cheapest models in the iRig Keys range, which also features keyboards with 37 mini keys and Pro (37 full-sized key) options. Mini 2 25 is small enough to place on any desktop, and it is sturdy enough to stay in place. It also features direct connectivity to iOS devices. The keyboard has a variety of controls that you can use to customize your sound. These include the standard controls such as volume and pitch, as well as more advanced options like MIDI assignments and editing. The keyboard also has a set of program buttons, assignable rotaries, and a data knob to give you easy access to all of its features. The keyboard is solid and well-sprung, although it may not be the player's dream come true. There are no dedicated pitch-bend or modulation dials, but if this is important to you, there are workarounds that you can explore deeper with Edit Mode. The Irig Keys 2 is a great keyboard controller that is a bit on the expensive side. This offers many of the same features at a smaller size and for less money. Plus, it comes with a decent software bundle. 5. Native Instruments Komplete Kontrol M32

Compatibility: PC, Mac No of Keys: 32 Key size: Mini Key type: Velocity-sensitive Controls: Eight touch-sensitive control knobs, two touch strips, four-directional push encoder Connectivity: USB Power: USB Size: 47.5 x 16.7 x 0.5cm Weight (kg): 1.45kg The Komplete Kontrol A-Series is a USB 2.0 bus-powered keyboard that manages to squeeze 32 mini keys and the full complement of Komplete Kontrol controls into its tiny frame. It delivers almost the same functionality as the Komplete Kontrol S-Series (see below), making it an excellent mobile option for producers on the go. The Komplete Kontrol M32 replaced the pitch and modulation controls with a pair of short touch strips. Also, the controller is equipped with 8 capacitive knobs, a 4d encoder, as well as numerous buttons that are incomparable in their tactile sensations. All this provides a high comfort of control, working with the operating Maschine, as well as using the interface of your DAW. The OLED display and Smart Play features from the A-Series are also in place on the B-Series, allowing you to scale snap, chord trigger and arpeggiate with ease. As a regular MIDI controller keyboard, it also works with any other software. The mini keys were the only downside to this keyboard for us. We found that we could live with them after some getting used to them, so if you can live with them too, this is the best portable and affordable MIDI keyboard you can buy. 6. Korg microKEY2 Air-25

Compatibility: PC, Mac, iOS No of Keys: 25 Key size: Mini Key type: Velocity-sensitive Controls:Joystick, Arpeggiator button, Sustain/TAP button, Octave Shift buttons Connectivity: USB, Bluetooth Power: USB or batteries Size: 39.5 x 13.1 x 0.52cm Weight (kg): 0.67kg The line of microKey 2 Air midi keyboards is represented by 4 models depending on the number of notes: 25, 37, 49 and 61. Each works via Bluetooth communication. Power is supplied via AA batteries or via USB. If you're looking for a MIDI controller keyboard that's easy to set up and operate, the microKey 2 Air 25 is a great option. It may not have as many bells and whistles as some of its rivals, but it delivers on the basics, and plays far better than many other keyboards in its class. 7. M-Audio Oxygen 49 MKV

Compatibility: Mac/PC No of Keys: 49 Key size: Full-sized Key type: Velocity sensitive Controls: 8 velocity-sensitive trigger pads, 8 assignable knobs, 9 assignable faders, transport buttons Connectivity: USB, sustain pedal Power: USB Software: Ableton Live Lite, MPC Beats, Skoove and Melodics instrument learning, Air Hybrid 3 and Mini Grand instruments Dimensions (mm): 81 x 24 x 9 cm Weight (kg): 2.9kg The Oxygen 49 MIDI keyboard controller is a lower-priced alternative to the M-Audio Pro 49. It has a 3-segment LED display, instead of the OLED display on the Pro, and it has 8 back-lit red pads instead of 16 multi-coloured ones. However, it still provides access to 16 sound sources from the front panel when programming. The Oxygen 49 lacks a dedicated MIDI out port, but it does have other features that make it stand out from the crowd. These functions are mostly triggered via soft keys and via 'secondary modes' from the keybed itself. Read the full article

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Best reverb plugins

Reverb is a time-based effect that is used to create the illusion of a room or space. It is often used in mixing to make vocals and instruments sound fuller and more natural. Reverb can be created artificially using software, or by recording sound in an echo chamber. Reverb can be used to create a sense of space and depth in a mix, and it can also be used to smooth out the transition between different sounds. There are many different types of reverbs, but they all share some common characteristics. A reverb creates a sense of depth by simulating the reflections of sound off of surfaces in an acoustic space. The reflections are delayed by a certain amount of time, and they become softer as they travel away from the source. This creates the illusion of distance and size. Reverbs can also be used to smooth out the transition between different sounds. When two sounds overlap, there can be a sudden change in volume as one sound ends and the other begins. Reverb can help to smooth this transition by adding a small amount of delay to both sounds. This will make the transition smoother and less noticeable. Reverb plugins are important for adding depth and texture to your sounds. They can help to make your mixdowns sound more polished and professional. In addition, different reverbs can be used for different purposes. For example, a long reverb might be used to create a sense of space, while a short reverb might be used to add punch to a drum sound. There are many different types of reverbs available, so it's important to choose the right one for the job. In this article, we'll be discussing the best reverb plugins on the market. Whether you're looking for a free option or something more professional, we've got you covered. There are many different types of reverbs, each with their own unique character and purpose. After reading this post, you'll have a much better understanding of the different types of reverbs and when to use them. We've also compiled a list of our favorite reverb plugins on the market. Nowadays, there are many ways to emulate the sound of reverb, but in the early days of recording, there was only one way to get the desired effect- record in a space that had the desired room characteristics. Phil Spectre was a pioneer in this field, and would record different elements of his song in different studios so that he could achieve different sizes and tones in the final recording. This approach revolutionized the way that space was used in music production. Reverb is a type of audio effect that simulates the sound of various spaces. It can make a recording sound like it was made in a hall, cathedral, or small room. Reverb can be used to create a sense of space, depth and lushness to the sound. There are many ways to add reverb to audio, ranging from simple hardware effects to sophisticated software plugins. Some of the most popular methods include using convolution reverbs, which use recorded impulse responses of real-world spaces to recreate the ambience of those places, and algorithmic reverbs, which use mathematical algorithms to generate artificial reverb. Reverb can be a very useful tool for giving recordings a sense of space and making them sound more natural. However, it is important to use it sparingly, as too much reverb can muddy the sound and make it difficult to hear individual elements in the mix. When used judiciously, though, reverb can be a powerful tool for creating a sense of space and depth in your recordings.

How are Some of the Best Reverb Plugins Used?

Reverb can be used in a number of ways to enhance the sound of an audio recording. It can create an acoustic space for an instrument to sit (like a drum room or a concert hall), add “excitement” to a track, add depth and dimension to an instrument, or push a track further back in the mix. By carefully choosing the type and amount of reverb, you can create a unique sound that will help your recording stand out. Creating spaces can be tricky, but there are a few tricks we can use to help us out. One thing we can do is imagine the performer in an acoustic environment and try to recreate what that environment might sound like by using reverb. Of course, plugin presets can do the bulk of that work for us! Reverb plugins can be used to add depth and excitement to your tracks. By experimenting with different reverbs, you can find the sound that works best for your music. You can use short reverbs to make something sound bigger or more exciting, or longer reverbs to add depth or push a track back. Ultimately, it's up to you to decide how to use the best reverb plugins available. So get out there and start experimenting!

Types of Reverb Plugins

There are 5 types of reverbs, which can be classified into two categories: convolution reverbs and algorithmic reverbs. Convolution reverbs are based on real-world spaces, such as rooms or halls, while algorithmic reverbs are more synthetic, and can be made to sound anything from a small room to a large cathedral. Room Reverbs A room reverb is a type of reverb that is designed to mimic the sound of an enclosed space, such as a studio. This type of reverb is often used to make all the elements of a mix sound like they are in one space. It can be thought of as a cohesive glue that helps to place sounds into one real space. Hall Reverbs Large and spacious hall reverbs are a great way to add some extra ambiance to your mix. They can make sounds seem bigger and smoother, and push them further back in the mix. While they're not always necessary, they can be a great tool to have in your arsenal. Chamber Reverbs Chamber reverbs were created to provide a more accessible, artificial reverb. By using a small side-room or chamber with many reflective surfaces, the engineer could create a "wet" reverb signal to mix into the original audio. Chambers feel denser and thicker than other reverbs, as they are really a small space artificially designed for more reflections. Plate Reverbs Reverbs are an important part of any audio mix. They can add depth and spaciousness to a track, and can be used to create a sense of ambience or atmosphere. There are many different types of reverbs available, each with its own unique sonic characteristics. One type of reverb that has become increasingly popular in recent years is the plate reverb. Plate reverbs are so named because they use a metal plate to create the reverb effect. The audio signal is run through the metal plate, and the vibrations of the plate are recorded. The timbre of the reverb will be highly dependent on the material used for the plate, but plate reverbs are famous for their bright and smooth sound. Because of their brighter tone, plate reverbs are great for elements at the front of the mix. If you're looking for a lush, atmospheric reverb that will add some depth to your tracks, then you should consider using a plate reverb. Spring Reverbs It is similarly to a plate reverb, except the spring is moved instead of the plate. This allows the plate concept to be miniaturized, as there is more surface area in a smaller space. Additionally, springs move more easily than plates, making them a more practical option for smaller reverberation devices. Spring reverbs are known for their use on guitars and produce a characteristic tone that is often associated with classic rock music. Their echoes are distinctly audible and create a more abrupt sound than smoother reflections. Algorithmic Reverbs Reverberation is created artificially in a digital environment through the use of algorithms. These algorithms attempt to emulate one of the natural reverberation types mentioned earlier. This artificial reverberation can be used to improve the sound quality of a recording, or to create an immersive sonic environment for listeners.

Convolution Reverbs

Convolution reverbs are based on samples of real-life spaces, which can create very realistic reverbs. This is because they are based off of the naturally occurring reverbs in those spaces. By using these impulse responses, or just IRs, the sound of the space can be accurately reproduced.

Why Do I Need So Many Reverb Plugins?

The best way to make a great mix is understanding the different characteristics of different reverbs and using the right one for the right job. With just one reverb, you can definitely make a killer mix, but using different reverbs will help make your mixes that much better. Keep in mind the different spaces that reverbs can create and how they can affect the overall sound of your mix. With the right knowledge and application, you can make any mix sound great! Producing and mixing music is a skill that requires dedication and practice in order to improve. The more you learn about the details of production and mixing, the better decisions you will make, and the stronger producer you will become. Reverbs can be used to create a sense of space and depth within a mix. Some reverbs, like halls, will make a sound feel like it’s in a certain space and push it further back in the mix. Plate reverbs are so bright that they can make elements jump to the front of a mix. By using reverbs creatively, you can achieve different effects in your mixes.

Organizing the Best Reverb Plugins

The best reverb plugins can be expensive, but there are affordable ones available as well. We will categorize the respective reverb plugin itself as a convolution or algorithmic reverb. Convolution reverbs use sampled impulse responses, while algorithmic reverbs generate their own impulses. Algorithmic reverbs are more versatile, but can be more expensive. However, there are affordable algorithmic reverbs available as well. The user interface and design of the plugin is simple and easy to use. The sonic character and quality of the reverb is excellent, and it has a very smooth tone. We find ourselves reaching for this plugin because it is easy to use and has a great sound. One definitive tip we can give is to experiment with the various settings to find the perfect sound for your needs. This plugin is unique because it is very versatile and can be used in many different ways.

Reverbs reviews

1. FabFilter Pro-R

The Pro-R reverb plugin by FabFilter is known for its musicality and intuitiveness. It's easy to dial in a reverb sound that you like without being overly technical. Some of the parameters, like "Brightness," "Distance," and "Character" are easy enough to imagine, which makes it a great option for those who want a high degree of control without getting bogged down in the details. The Pro-R reverb plugin by FabFilter is one of the best out there. It has an integrated 6-band post-EQ, so you can really sonically shape your reverbs in great detail. This makes it a favorite among audio professionals. 2. Waves H-Reverb

The H-Reverb is a great sounding and extremely customizable reverb plugin. It combines classic reverb concepts with some of the most advanced aspects of digital reverb processing, resulting in a plugin that is suitable for your creativity. This plugin utilizes Finite Impulse Response technology, which provides richer, deeper decays with a crispness that sits nicely in a mix. 3. Waves Manny Marroquin Reverb

Manny Marroquin's reverb plugin is a great option for anyone looking for an easy to use and versatile reverb. The plugin includes 18 different reverbs, 6 of which are styles with 3 room sizes each. This makes it easy to find the right sound for your track. The interface is well laid out and easy to use, so you won't have to spend much time fiddling with the controls to get a great sound. 4. Waves RVerb

If you're looking for a great reverb plugin that doesn't take up a lot of CPU power, Renaissance Reverb is a great option. It features 12 different reverb types, and an early reflection system for extra texture and density. So if you have an artist who likes to track through reverb, loading up an instance of RVerb is a great choice. Plus, the grittiness of RVerb can give your tracks a cool edge that you might not get with other, more hi-fi plugins. 5. Universal Audio EMT 140 Classic Plate Reverb

The UAD EMT 140 plugin is a faithful emulation of three different EMT 140 plate units, which were installed at The Plant Studios in California. This plugin is endorsed by EMT themselves, and provides a lushness that is hard to find elsewhere. 6. Universal Audio Lexicon 224

The Lexicon 224 is a classic digital reverb that was first introduced in 1978. It's popularity would make it one of the most popular reverb units of all time. The UAD version of the Lexicon 224 faithfully replicates the sound of the original hardware. This makes it an excellent choice for anyone looking for an iconic digital reverb. The same algorithms used in the original hardware were also used in the plugin, ensuring that the sound is of the highest quality. UAD offers a wide range of reverbs, including the Lexicon and EMT emulations, as well as other great reverbs such as Capitol Chambers and Ocean Way Studios. This variety can add a lot to your mixes! 9. Denise Audio Perfect Room

The team at Denise Audio has created a technology that is better than classic algorithmic reverb plugins. TXVerb technology creates an illusion of reverberation through the use of short feedbacking delays. This technology is more realistic and accurate than other reverb plugins, making it a great choice for music production and other audio applications. TXVerb technology is innovative, and it allows for creative use of sound while enhancing the character and coloration of any audio that is run through it. This makes the plugin ideal for a wide range of applications, from the lowest kick to the highest vocal. The results are always tight and defined, making your audio sound its best. 10. Soundtoys Little Plate

The Little Plate reverb is based on the EMT 140, a classic plate reverb unit. It has simple controls and goes all the way to infinity to create some truly unique sonic landscapes. There's also a built-in low-cut filter to keep the reverb from muddying up the mix. The Mod switch adds a touch of modulation for extra richness on long decay tails. 11. Seventh Heaven Liquidsonics

There are two versions of the plugin: Standard and Professional. With the more affordable Standard version, you get 30 original M7 presets, while the Pro versions comes loaded with 236. One of the best things about Seventh Heaven is that it's very easy to use. You can select your presets by type or artist, and there's also a handy browser that lets you search for specific sounds quickly and easily. The plugin also includes a number of useful effects like delay and chorus, which you can use to customize your sound. Whether you're a professional musician or just starting out, Seventh Heaven is a great plugin to have in your arsenal. 12. TAL-Reverb-4 TAL Software

The TAL Reverb-4 plugin is a simple but versatile reverb with four sections: Main, Mod, EQ, and Mix. You can use the Main section to choose the size and decay of the reverb, and the Mod section to add modulation to the reverb tails. This plugin is capable of producing some really nice reverbs, and with a little tweaking, can be made to sound very close to those found on old Abbey Road recordings. The Main section lets you control the size and decay of the reverb, while the Mod section lets you add modulation for extra lushness. The EQ section can be used to cut or boost certain frequencies, which can help to tailor the reverb to your track. And finally, the Mix section lets you set how much of the wet (reverb) signal is blended in with the dry (original signal). 13. OldSkoolVerb Voxengo

OldSkoolVerb is a versatile algorithmic reverb that can create classic reverberation sounds like plates, rooms, halls, and chambers. It produces a clear spatial image that can easily be wedged into a mix. Voxengo recommends trying it on non-percussive sounds like vocals, piano, and synth pads. 14. Protoverb u-he

Protoverb is a free plugin that is also researchware, meaning its development is ongoing. Protoverb does the opposite of what algorithmic reverbs try to do, which is avoid natural room resonances. It actually recreates those natural resonances you’d hear in a space. There’s no need to modulate the signal because this plugin just models what a room really sounds like. 15. Dragonfly Reverb

Dragonfly is a four-in-one plugin that can provide rich, bright reverbs that don't sound synthetic. It's highly customizable, so you can create any type of sound you want. Whether you're looking for something subtle or more pronounced, Dragonfly is a great option. Plus, it's free! So there's no reason not to try it out. 16. Liquidsonics & Slate Digital Verbsuite Classics

The Verbsuite Classics plugin is easy to use, with big knobs and no complicated settings. It’s easy to dial in amazing tones, and comes with many great sounding presets to get you started. Liquidsonics claims to use a different technology than traditional impulse responses, incorporating more information such as the evolving character of modulating digital reverbs. This purportedly makes the overall tone rich, smooth, and dynamic. While it's difficult to verify the veracity of these claims, they certainly make for an attractive selling point. Verbsuite includes models of many classic digital reverbs, which can be used to change the tone of your reverb. These reverbs were staples in the major studios, and were used to produce many of our favorite records. Read the full article