Computer Music

Computer Music's goal is to help its readers create great music with a PC or Mac. Each month find easy-to-follow tutorials for all sorts of music software, unbiased reviews of the latest products and answers to technical questions. Our Zinio edition does not include the DVD but it DOES INCLUDE the full software, samples and tutorial files to download. Full details inside. Download does not include Producer Masterclass in-studio video. This digital edition is not printable.

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Leapwing Audio: their own best customers • One of the mixing world’s most prolific software innovators, Leapwing Audio’s incredible range of intuitive, incisive plugins have let users perform forensic mix surgery with ease, with the company’s sideline in emulating the tones of iconic producers merely the cherry on the cake. We gave ’em a call…

Ableton Live 12’s accessibility revolution • Ableton’s Accessibility Specialist Adi Dickens and blind musician Andre Louis speak to us about Live 12 and Note’s improved accessibility for the visually impaired

THE GREAT SYNTH SHOWDOWN • Grab your favourite softsynths and let us take you on a journey into their evolution. Learn how to get more out of them and see how they stack up next to the pioneers that inspired them. Yes, we’re pitting some software against hardware, and on the way, expect to pick up one or two things…

The rise of the software polysynth • Can you believe that there was a time in history when you could only play one synth note at a time? Here’s how those notes increased, and how we got where we are today in the polysynth world

6 of the best vintage polysynth emulations • Six timeless synthesisers (actually five but who’s counting) recreated for your desktop delight…

Synth workstation ROMplers • Where the 1980s gave us analogue polysynths, the 1990s gave us a very different polysynth: the workstation. And just like the analogues, we’re still using virtual versions of them today

6 of the best workstation ROMplers • Load one of these up and it will handle every song part for you – the ultimate software polysynths

Are softsynths now superior? • So, in our view – is it hardware or software that comes out on top? Perhaps the most beneficial result is to explore how you might use both to create real polysynth harmony…

6 of the best software polysynths of 2024 • We’re bang up-to-date with this final buyer’s guide, with six synths all released or updated recently.

PETRI ALANKO • Weaving the dramatic and tension-stoking soundtrack to one of the most critically acclaimed games of the last year, Petri Alanko built a score for Alan Wake 2 that harnessed an arsenal of plugins with DIY instruments and a huge array of hardware and software synths. We spoke to Petri about his idiosyncratic approach and its exhilarating results

#2 How to get Billie Eilish vocals • Billie Eilish and Finneas have built some of the defining songs of the millenia. Here we break down their approach to vocal production, all thanks to Apple…

#02 Create a fractal sync tone with Bazille CM • In part two of our new deep-dive into our Plugin Suite’s best software, we take another look at BazilleCM’s oscillators, and harness some fractal resonance!

#04 Craft Avicii-style melodies • We pay tribute to the modern dance pioneer who, in his short time, set a standard for songwriting in the genre

#17 The benefits of submixing • If your mix just won’t gel, this month’s technique could be just what you need to finalise your track’s core elements

15 questions with… Canblaster • A pivotal player in French electronic music, Canblaster’s insight was solicited by plugin company BLEASS during the development of the extraordinary Arpeggiator. We...