Live Audio

With the rise of fashion from the 80’s becoming popular in today’s time, it’s no wonder that music genres like Synthwave, New Wave and Disco Funk are making a comeback in the modern world. Bigger musical instrument companies such as Yamaha, Korg and Roland

picked up on- and is capitalising on this trend by bringing back some of their most successful synthesisers in new form factors while newer companies such as Artiphon and Teenage Engineering are using modern technology to reinvent the wheel (seriously, take a look at the Orba from Artiphon). Just like computers, synthesisers are becoming more and more powerful while decreasing in both size and price. So with all of this said, let’s dive into the world of synthesis and explore where they came from, its impact on modern music and where it is going.

A lot of producers argue that stepping away from the mouse and keyboard and getting hands-on with an instrument such as a synth makes all the difference between getting into the zone or messing around with parameters until you get bored. The fact that you pay a lot more for hardware synths also means that you will use it more – you know what you wanted and that’s why you got it. Arguably the biggest factor favouring hardware synths however is that they are much better catered towards performance than their software counterparts.

It is important to mention that both hardware and software synthesisers can be controlled by MIDI controllers. You even get hardware units that are made specifically to control a certain software through MIDI connectivity such as the Native Instruments Maschine Mikro.

Something For Everyone

The Korg Volca series (See picture below) consists of a dedicated FM Synth, Keyboard Synth, Two Different Drum Machines, Two Different Bass Synths and even a tiny modular synth. There is also a volca mixer available in case you get more than one of these and want to do performances. However, Korg is not the only company creating fun-sized dedicated units and making them available at low prices. Teenage Engineering have come up with calculator sized units called the Pocket Operator series (no, seriously – they fit in your pocket)! Whether you are looking for a drum machine, lead synth, bass module or even a sampler, they have it all!

Where to Get Started

It is always difficult to recommend a good starting point when it comes to anything in audio. The first question that comes into mind is “what do you want to achieve?”, and then “what is your budget?”. It is important to know what you are looking for and how much you are willing to spend. It also really depends on how much you know about synthesisers. FM units (Frequency Modulation) can control sound waves in a way that other units can’t, however samplers can record sounds around you and shape those into new and different sounds. Drum machines are dedicated to providing you with a beat (essentially replacing a drummer), and with bass units you’ll be able to create sounds that keyboard units won’t be able to.

A good starting point for someone who knows absolutely nothing about how synthesisers work and how they can be used to shape audio would be a complete modulation unit such as the Korg Volca Modular. However, it is worth noting that there is FREE software called VCV that is extremely powerful. So if you want to learn about modular synthesisers then that’s where you should get started. If you don’t have access to a computer however, then you can also download a mobile app called Hexen which has a free version where you aren’t able to save patches – but you can still use all of the modules.

If you are looking for something that is catered towards writing full songs or sketching out ideas, then maybe a Groovebox is what you need. Most Grooveboxes combine synth engines with drum machines, giving you a fully standalone unit that can be used to write songs on. They normally have 2 synth voices, one for lower frequencies to create bass sounds, and one for higher frequencies to create chord and lead sounds. They also normally allow for 4 track recording: 1 for drums, 1 for bass, 1 for chords and 1 for leads. Because of their abilities, grooveboxes are normally much more expensive than dedicated synths so if you are just starting out and are looking for something affordable then I would suggest you get the Roland MC-101 or the Novation Circuits. Teenage Engineering also has a dedicated groovebox unit called the PO- 20 Arcade. It costs a third of the price of the other two units I mentioned, but it is only able to produce 8-bit sounds.

The Odd Ones Out

A few manufacturers are coming up with unique ideas, blending the worlds of software, hardware and MIDI controllers. Earlier I mentioned a company called Artiphon. Their business model is creating unique instruments that are meant to make pro musicians feel like beginners and beginner musicians feel like pros. Their first instrument, “Instrument 1” is a standalone synth guitar that can also be used as a MIDI controller… However, I’d like to shift focus to their second instrument, the Orba. The Orba is an orange sized ball that is a standalone groovebox, bluetooth MIDI controller as well as a synth that you can control from either your smartphone or your computer. The Orba is also much less expensive than the other grooveboxes mentioned above, so this might also be a good place to start.

Other odd instruments include the Melodica, Haken Continuum, Roli Seaboard and Piano Arc… But I’ll let you explore these on your own.

 

Hidden Treasures

The smartphone world is constantly evolving as fierce competition between rival companies are pushing technology advancements to their limits. The phone that is currently in my pocket is stronger than the computer I used when I first started recording… By a long shot! With all of these advancements being made in technology while smartphone prices are dropping, why are synthesisers becoming more and more expensive? It might have to do with the fact that a dedicated hardware synthesiser unit is created for an extremely narrow niche while smartphone companies cater for literally everyone on earth. With all of this said, there are a few companies bringing the audio world to your pocket, using the technology that you already own.

Some of the smartphone apps that I use and can recommend include FL Studio Mobile (A full DAW), Korg Kaossilator (Yes, this is literally a smartphone app version of their Kaossilator unit), Beatonal (a groovebox app) and Hexen (a modular synthesis app that I mentioned earlier).

If you would like to try a very simplified groovebox for free, you can download Beatonal on your phone. To unlock its full potential you will need to buy the full version (which is only around $5), but even the free version should be enough for you to see if it is something you would be interested in. The Korg Kaossilator App is also a groovebox but unfortunately you will have to pay for this one!

 

Conclusion

I read something the other day: “Software leads to hardware, and hardware leads to modular… and modular never ends”. So take that as a warning… once you join the crazy world of synthesisers, you may never leave… whether you start with a fully fledged groovebox or a simple MIDI controller, once you start it won’t stop.

If you are still interested however, I recommend checking out some of the free apps and software synths that I mentioned above before buying anything!

Auto-Tune, also known as pitch correction, has stirred many passionate debates amongst musicians, engineers, and producers alike. In general it is frowned upon because of the belief that it is a tool for singers to ‘fix’ their vocal performances – and that pro musicians don’t need it, but is that really why it was created? Is cheating your way into sounding good really the only use for Auto-Tune? In this article I will be exploring the history of pitch correction to understand why it was developed, discuss some artists who use it (and why), and how it can benefit me as a studio engineer.

The History of Auto-Tune

The general consensus of Auto-Tune is that it is a modern technique used by new musicians to improve their vocal performances in order for them to sound as good as the generation of musicians before them. This is not the case however, and it is that same previous generation who not only invented Auto-Tune, but also brought it into the spotlight.

Auto-Tune was developed by mathematician Andy Hildebrand in 1997 who retired from his job in geophysics to study music composition. He adapted a technique from the world of geophysics called autocorrelation to the world of audio recording. Autocorrelation is used to map the surface of the earth by sending out sound waves and recording their reflections. By looking at how long a sound wave takes to travel back to the source after reflecting we can determine how far away the point of reflection is, and in some cases even the material which the sound reflected off of as some materials are more dense, and therefore more reflective than others. However, when applied to audio, we can also use it to find the sonic pitch of a sound.

The first instance of Auto-Tune being used in a song was one year later in 1998 when Cher released “Believe”. Being a great vocalist, she naturally did not need help with her performance, but instead used Auto-Tune as an effect to give her voice a sort-of robotic sound. Despite her label requesting her to remove the effect and rather use the natural sound of her voice, Cher refused and released it anyways. A few years later in 2005, T-Pain released his debut album Rappa Ternt Sanga, officially planting the seed for the use of Auto-Tune in pop music. There are very few people who know that T-Pain is actually a brilliant singer, choosing instead to believe that it is all “Studio Magic”, using pitch correction and other such vocal enhancers to make his voice sound good. However, just like Cher in 1998, he too used it as a tool to make his music unique, stating “If I was going to sing, I didn’t want to sound like everybody else. Just wanted something to make me different. Auto-Tune was the one.”

The Use of Auto-Tune in Modern Music

Now known commonly as the “T-Pain Effect”, Auto-Tune has become a very popular tool for pop musicians around the globe. Famous singers who now use Auto-Tune include T-Pain, Kanye West, Lil Wayne, Daft Punk, Kesha, Travis Scott, and many many more. It is even believed by some that there are no modern records that do not use Auto-Tune or some sort of pitch correction, and that might very well be correct.

It’s fair to say that Auto-Tune has become accepted as a creative tool in the studio, but there are many people who are still against it as there are a few singers who use it during live performances. Some types of pitch correction (including those found on vocal processing floor / stomp pedals) can be set to a certain key, and depending on the parameters set, will adjust all the different pitches it receives to be in line with that key. The thing that those people don’t realize is how difficult it is to do a perfect performance night after night for weeks on end. Especially for singers with difficult vocal parts such as BTS, who when they have the pitch correction turned off during their performance still does a perfect job (and yes, this has been tested). Another thing to remember is that if you completely miss a note, and that note is corrected by Auto-Tune, then you can immediately hear it… And it does not sound pleasant… Meaning that you still have to hit 99% of the notes spot-on if you want to sound good during your performance. So for the most part, during live performances, pitch correction is used as a sort-of safety net. Personally, being someone who has done plenty of live performances in the past, I have nothing against that.