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KULT from
years
back
Our monthly shake-of-the-
head at our earlier selves…
in an ironic kind of way.
“The irony of a magazine called
Computer Music doing a huge feature all
about mimicking the sound of analogue
hardware certainly isn’t lost on me.”
So said then-editor, Lee du-Caine, in his
Welcome page back in the March 2013
issue. Of course, recreating that analogue
sound has now become an industry in its
own right, so much so that a mere seven
issues ago we repeated the same
analogue theme on our front cover. Is
that even more ironic?
“The world of computer
music-making is an eight
bar loop. Now that is ironic”
Elsewhere we asked, ‘Are software
updates really necessary?’ and managed
to get a two page article out of a reply
which you’d think should have just been
‘yes’. But having reread the feature, we’re
as confused as ever, and now thinking
‘maybe’. There’s a conspiracy theory in
there somewhere.
In the reviews section we looked at
Tone2’s Rayblaster synth which in a
couple of issue’s time we’ll be revisiting at
v2.8. Now that’s less about irony, more
about the world of computer music
making being one big eight-bar loop.
Now that is ironic.
Dawesome
could be
awesome
Peter V (aka
Dawesome) has
produced his fourth
instrument for the
Tracktion Corporation, and it looks like it could be
the best yet. Following Novum, Abyss, and Chop
Suey, Kult is a synth that blends traditional synthesis
with “groundbreaking new concepts”. These include
30+ models of chaos theory delivered by oscillators
called ‘Strange Attractors’. But Kult’s real strength
seems to be in how it looks, opening up these
concepts and making them look easy to tweak and
enjoy. It’s definitely one coming to the Computer
Music test bench and costs $129. And look out for
another fab Tracktion giveaway in our next issue.
It’ll be strangely attractive.
www.tracktion.com
Ins & outs
RISE OF THE ROBOTS, PART 1 THIS IS SPINAL HAT
You’ll have heard about ChatGPT, Deadmau5 recently suggested
the AI bot that you can have a typed that the ‘mau5head’ he wears may
conversation with, but YouTuber actually have caused a spinal injury.
Burned Guitarist has discovered “‘Wear a mouse head,’ they said. ‘It’ll
that it’s also capable of writing VST be fun, they said,’” he quipped,
plugins (in this case an Ibanez before backtracking and saying it
-style overdrive effect). Where will was more likely caused by
all this end, we wonder? sleeping strangely or slouching.

RISE OF THE ROBOTS, PART 2 RIP MAXI JAZZ

Developers have also harnessed the
power of open-source AI model
Stable Diffusion, which creates
images from text, to turn text
prompts into music. Riffusion, as it’s
known, creates spectrograms, then
turns them into audio clips. If you
can type it, the machine can play it.
The Faithless lead vocalist had
one of the most recognisable
dance music voices of the past 25
years, and also sang on records
by Tiësto and One Giant Leap. His
former bandmates said that “he
gave proper meaning and
message to our music”.

RISE OF THE ROBOTS, PART 3 RIP THOM BELL

Completing a hat-trick of recent
AI-powered feats is Adobe’s
Podcast platform. This features an
Enhance Speech tool designed to
clean up low-quality spoken audio –
just drag a file in and go. Does this
mean it soon won’t matter what mic
Ironic 10 years ago, but was it doubly ironic seven you use and where you record?
months ago, or did the two ironies cancel out?
Sadly, we also lost Philly soul
legend Thom Bell in late 2022,
who wrote, arranged, played on
and produced more great records
than we can mention. He had hits
with The Delfonics, The Stylistics
and The Spinners, plus Elton
John’s Are You Ready For Love.

10  /  COMPUTER MUSIC  /  March 2023

>  cover feature  /  total control

12  /  COMPUTER MUSIC  /  March 2023


In the first part of our cover feature on
software control, we look at where we
are with hardware controllers and
examine the rise of the MPE controller
– and whether it is still the future of
software music production...
Expression and music have always gone
hand-in-hand, and while the humble MIDI
keyboard has served us well as the bedrock
of our computer music infrastructure, even
greater means to explore sounds are available
now. Scanning the range of MPE controllers,
unusual wearable devices and real-
instrument-aping performance tools, it’s
becoming more clear that this manner of
control will likely transform musical
approaches over the next few decades. So,
where exactly are we, and what can we expect?
It’s not just about the
keyboards anymore
From squidgy keys to wearable rings, bounceable
beat-makers and distance-sensing crystal balls,
the array of unusual MIDI control options today is
expanding exponentially. With the ratification of
the MIDI Polyphonic Expression (MPE) protocol in
January 2018, the floodgates were well and truly
opened to nuanced expression, and a new era of
control was envisioned.
For many, traditional software control has been
the stable foundation on which to explore plugins,
virtual instruments, soft synths and sample
libraries, yet true human expression, akin to
performing with a real instrument, has always
been difficult to simulate. Mod- and pitch-bend
wheels (coupled with automation) can be great
creative assets, but are limited by their simple up/
total control  /  cover feature  <
down nature as to what they can achieve, and
how truly responsive you can be.
The central thrilling idea of single-notes being
able to individually explore via numerous
modulations and expressions, in a polyphonic
context, is a field of exploration on which
visionaries like Roger Linn (and his
LinnStrument), ROLI, Keith McMillen Instruments
and Sensel have established their reputations.
Alongside their astonishing innovations, we’ve
also seen a gamut of enticing gear that has
embraced multi-dimensional expressivity. In this
feature we’ll swim through this ocean of dazzling
devices and highlight those that could make the
biggest difference to the way you make music.
While MPE is certainly an exciting avenue,
there are also other routes to growing the ways in
which you express yourself. Touchscreen tech is
now more widespread than ever, and can provide
more natural integration into your workflow.
We’ll also be delving into the range of wearable
instruments, and instrument-adjacent MIDI
controllers that enable you to feel like you’re
performing your virtual instruments in the
real world.
It’s not difficult to imagine a future where basic
MIDI control is looked back upon as merely the
first step on the road to a much wider assortment
of music controller choices, but before we sprint
headlong into that vibrant future, let’s take stock
and track the evolution of software control...
March 2023  /  COMPUTER MUSIC  /  13