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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15 questions with… Suki Sou • Musician, sound designer and radio presenter Suki Sou may have a studio full of bespoke hardware and software that denotes a precision-based mindset, but she’s also big on adaptability. And her music – influenced by everyone from Raymond Scott to Joanna Brouk, Aphex Twin to Teresa Teng – puts that multifaceted approach on show

ARRANGE TRACKS LIKE A PRO • Taking the time to work up your sketches into fully-fledged tracks can be a tricky process. That’s why it’s important to understand how an effective arrangement works to take listeners on a journey…

What’s your goal? • Writing an effective arrangement starts with determining just where you’re aiming your track

Ways of working • Although the default for arrangement might be DAW-based, other alternative routes can stimulate fresh angles…

Elements • The vast majority of arrangements orient around the same key structure…

The song’s structure – writing drama • Treating your track like a narrative journey is key to holding attention

Excitement-building plugins • Are your track’s energy levels low? These tools can help…

Software arrangement hubs

14 tried and tested CM arrangement tips

15 questions with… Tom Salta • Not content with being one of the video game industry’s most acclaimed composers, Tom Salta has turned his attention to plugin development, with the wonderful Auto-Bounce taking the sting out of finalising Logic productions. We spoke to Tom about this life-saving new tool and what motivates his creativity…

#27Make a Gorillaz‑style synth string patch • This month, we use a retro sound in an über-contemporary setting, as our synth strings get the Gorillaz treatment

#07Gain staging • Being in control of your levels is a vital aspect of mixing, but how should we approach this when mixing in the box?

MANON GRANDJEAN • From working to bring Stormzy’s decade-defining debut to life to switching tracks from studio engineer to mixing specialist, Manon Grandjean’s expertise has been widely acclaimed by the industry. Following a trio of MPG Award wins, Manon is now keen to expand her career into new areas. We caught up with Manon to learn more about her studio work, and glean some insight on how to make it as a mix engineer…

Cherry Audio Mercury-6 $69 • Cherry Audio’s latest softsynth arrives from the orbit of Mercury, with vintage stimulus from one of the biggest gas giants of them all

JMG Sound Retronaut $95 • Promising to infuse the crackle of yesteryear into your tracks, Retronaut goes beyond its lo-fi headline to deliver thrilling sound-shaping abilities

Digit Music Cmpsr £299 • A hardware controller that merges accessibility, music, and gaming practices into something everybody can use… with a very large joystick!

Image-Line FL Studio 21 £85 to £409 • FL Studio 21 is not celebrating a birthday, as the previous version did, but is introducing some significant additions to this most popular of DAWs

Toontrack EZKeys Synthwave & EZX Expansion $79/€89 • Want your track to sound like it was birthed in the technicolor 80s? Toontrack are on hand, transporting us to when synths ruled the waves

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