tag:adrianearnshaw.com,2005:/blogs/the-news-and-study-room?p=3The News and Study Room2024-01-17T15:55:10+00:00Adrian Earnshawfalsetag:adrianearnshaw.com,2005:Post/73352512024-01-17T15:55:10+00:002024-02-24T19:36:30+00:00Luftrum Ambient 3 Review: How to Create Amazing Ambient Music with Omnisphere<p>Are you looking for some amazing ambient sounds for your music production? Do you want to create your own atmospheric soundscapes with Omnisphere? If so, you're in luck. In this blog post, I'm going to show you a new patch library from Luftrum that will blow your mind. It's called Ambient 3 and it's amazing. You'll want to get your copy after reading this review. You can find the link in the description below.</p><p>But before we get into this library, I have a little favour to ask. If you enjoy this blog post, please subscribe to the newsletter, and pop on over to the <a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoTrygD-2vVlA76aLZCXUmw" target="_blank" data-link-type="url">YouTube channel</a> for more reviews and tutorials. It would mean a lot to me and help me grow my audience. Thank you!</p><h4>What is Luftrum Ambient 3?</h4><p>Luftrum Ambient 3 is the third in a series of ambient patch libraries from Luftrum, a sound design company founded by Soren Hybel. Luftrum has been creating high-quality sound libraries for various synthesizers since 2009, and has gained a reputation for delivering stunning and inspiring sounds.</p><p>The first Ambient library was for Alchemy, and the second one was for Omnisphere. This one is also for Omnisphere, and it builds on the legacy of the previous ones. Ambient 3 has 150 presets, including 122 patches and 28 multis. This patch library is inspired by famous ambient artists such as Brian Eno, Jean Michel Jarre, Klaus Schulze and Vangelis. It also includes influences from contemporary artists like Jon Hopkins, Martin Stürtzer and Carbon Based Lifeforms, among others.</p><p>To use Ambient 3, you need Omnisphere version 2.8 or higher and 110mb of disk space. It costs $49, but you can get a 20% discount if you subscribe to Luftrum's newsletter. That's a great deal for such a quality product.</p><h4>What does Ambient 3 sound like?</h4><p>As the name suggests, Ambient 3 is all about creating ambient music. Ambient music is a genre of music that focuses on creating a mood or atmosphere rather than a melody or rhythm. Ambient music can be soothing, relaxing, mysterious, dark, or anything in between. It can be used as background music, meditation music, or as a standalone art form.</p><p>Ambient 3 offers a wide range of sounds that can help you create your own ambient music. You'll find lush pads, ethereal textures, evolving drones, hypnotic sequences, organic noises, and more. Each preset has been carefully crafted to capture the essence of ambient music and provide you with endless possibilities.</p><p>One of the best features of Ambient 3 is that each preset has been designed to take full use of the mod-wheel and aftertouch. These two controllers can add a lot of expression and variation to your sounds, making them more dynamic and interesting. You can use them to change the filter, volume, pitch, effects, and other parameters of the sounds. You'll be amazed by how much you can do with just a simple twist or press.</p><p>Another great feature of Ambient 3 is that it includes 28 multis. Multis are combinations of several patches that create complex and rich sounds. They are perfect for live performance, as you can play different parts of the sound with different keys or MIDI channels. They are also great for sketching out ideas, as you can quickly create a full ambient track with just a few notes.</p><h4>How can you use Ambient 3 in your music production?</h4><p>Ambient 3 is a versatile and flexible patch library that can be used in various ways. Here are some ideas on how you can use it in your music production:</p><ul style="list-style-type:disc;">
<li>Use it as a source of inspiration. Sometimes, you may feel stuck or uninspired when making music. Ambient 3 can help you overcome that by providing you with beautiful and captivating sounds that can spark your creativity. Just browse through the presets and play around with them. You may find a sound that inspires you to create a new track or a new part of your existing track.</li>
<li>Use it as a layering tool. Ambient 3 can also be used to add depth and dimension to your music. You can use it to layer your existing sounds and create a fuller and richer sound. For example, you can use a pad from Ambient 3 to add some warmth and ambience to your piano or guitar. Or you can use a drone from Ambient 3 to add some tension and drama to your orchestral or cinematic track.</li>
<li>Use it as a standalone instrument. Ambient 3 can also be used as a standalone instrument to create your own ambient music. You can use it to create relaxing and soothing music for meditation, yoga, or sleep. Or you can use it to create dark and mysterious music for horror, sci-fi, or thriller. Or you can use it to create anything in between. The choice is yours.</li>
</ul><h4>What do I think of Ambient 3?</h4><p>I have to say, I'm very impressed by Ambient 3. It's one of the best ambient patch libraries I've ever used. Every patch is just sublime and candy to the ears. Those that have heard my own work will know I am a big fan of sequences and those deep pad sounds. This library has it in spades and then some more.</p><p>I love how each patch has been meticulously designed to take advantage of the mod-wheel and aftertouch. It adds so much expression and variation to the sounds, making them more alive and organic. I also love how the multis are nicely set up for live performance or quick composition. They are very fun and easy to play with.</p><p>I think Ambient 3 is a must-have for any ambient music lover or producer. It's a great addition to your Omnisphere library and a great source of inspiration and creativity. It's well worth the price and the disk space.</p><h4>How can you get Ambient 3?</h4><p>If you're interested in getting Ambient 3, you pick up your copy following this <a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.luftrum.com/luftrum-ambient-3-for-omnisphere-2/" target="_blank" data-link-type="url">link</a>. You can also check out the official website of Luftrum to learn more about the library and listen to some demos. </p><p>I hope you enjoyed this blog post and learned something new about Ambient 3. If you did, please subscribe to the newsletter, and pop on over to the <a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoTrygD-2vVlA76aLZCXUmw" target="_blank" data-link-type="url">YouTube channel</a> for more reviews and tutorials. And if you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them below. I'd love to hear from you.</p><p>Thank you for reading and stay creative, stay sonic, and I will catch you in the next one!</p><p> </p><div class="video-container size_l justify_center" style=""><iframe data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="H91BpeW_at8" data-video-thumb-url="" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/H91BpeW_at8?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></div>Adrian Earnshawtag:adrianearnshaw.com,2005:Post/73271742024-01-02T17:02:36+00:002024-01-17T10:27:07+00:00Uninstall Your Audio Plugins Now! Quick and Easy Tutorial for Mac<p>Hey everyone, Happy New Year to you all we’ve made it through another year on this planet. I would like to wish you a happy, successful and productive year in whatever you choose to do. Are you struggling to uninstall plugins that haunt your Mac like digital ghouls? Let's banish them together with this awesome tool called Audio Plugin Uninstaller!</p><p>Just remember that Christmas shopping spree where you bought everything and then regretted half of it? Removing plugins can be just as messy. For those that use a Mac you know the pain of trying to uninstall a plugin and leaving remnants of it behind. Files get scattered, settings go rogue, and your Mac starts groaning under the weight of digital clutter. But fear not, Mac users! Today, we're wielding the ultimate exorcist for unwanted plugins - Audio Plugin Uninstaller.<span> </span></p><p>First you need to head on over to widebluesound website and download the utility. You can get your copy by clicking this link <a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.widebluesound.com/audio-plugin-uninstaller/" target="_blank" data-link-type="url">>> Wide Blue Sound <<</a> <span>O</span>nce downloaded, install the utility following the on-screen instructions and prompts and then launch the app.</p><h3>Time to Banish Those Unused Plugins</h3><p>We have two tabs on this utility, the first one is uninstallers. This works by reading the original installation scripts and reversing the process, while making sure not to uninstall files used by other plugins. If you cannot find the plugin you want to uninstall, the it doesn’t have a normal receipt file. This is where the All Plugins tab comes in.</p><p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/520383/c8b1f4eda8c8e84c1b7f39cc1ec62c6cd640afaf/original/screenshot-2024-01-02-at-16-59-24.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p><p>All Plugins mode can delete any individual plugin. You can filter this view by the plugin format using the selector at the bottom here, so you can zoom in on AU format or VST 2/3 formats allowing you to remove the formats you no longer use. You can also use the reveal in finder option so you can manually quarantine a plugin for troubleshooting purposes. To access this, just right click on the plugin and choose ‘reveal in finder’. This is also handy to go to the plugin if you ever have to manually update it. If you know the name of the plugin, you can search for it in the finder bar at the top. So if I type in CS-80, I get the CS-80 plugin.</p><h3>Multi Format</h3><p>This utility works with all formats, including VST, VST3, AU, AAX, CLAP and RTAS.</p><p>See how easy that was? No more hunting for hidden files or praying to the tech gods. This baby works with all formats, from VST to RTAS, and even lets you remove plugins you barely remember installing. You can check this out more in the following video:</p><div class="video-container size_l justify_center" style=""><iframe data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="UOvm_vuqI_s" data-video-thumb-url="" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UOvm_vuqI_s?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></div><p>So, if you're tired of plugin purgatory and want to reclaim your Mac's sanity, hit that thumbs up on the video, subscribe to the YouTube channel for more music tips magic, and leave a comment below with your biggest plugin removal nightmare! Let's clean up those digital graveyards together!</p><p>Until next time, stay creative, stay sonic, and I'll catch you in the next one! <span>🎵✨</span></p>Adrian Earnshawtag:adrianearnshaw.com,2005:Post/72858162023-10-10T21:10:33+01:002024-01-02T16:57:44+00:00Sound Design Tutorial Lady Gaga Poker Face in Omnisphere<p>Hey everyone, today we are going to recreate the recognisable bass sequence from Lady Gaga’s Poker Face. This is the bit that kicks in just after the lighter synth at the beginning. We first hear this sequence played on the more melodic lighter synth once and then this bass sequence kicks right in.</p><p>It’s quite a simple patch but there’s a few little tricks as we go along that you may find interesting. Although I am using Omnisphere in this tutorial, this patch will translate perfectly well to any other three oscillator synth. All you need to make sure is that the synth has some kind of Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) waveform.</p><p>Let’s start from an initial patch within Omnisphere. Just go up to Utility and select Initialise patch. This patch requires three oscillators, so we can enable all three by pressing the big buttons at the bottom of the interface, or by using the little lights under the oscillator/layer names at the top.</p><p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/520383/731562725a26fce6da59e194bac53840bd8fe5ec/original/omnisphere-2-slide-01.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_l justify_center border_" alt="omnisphere interface" /></p><p> </p><h4>Setting the Oscillators</h4><p>We need to set the first layer to -24, and the second and third to -12. For the second and third layer we also need to introduce a chorus effect but without reaching for any effects. This sounds really counterintuitive but this can be achieved by detuning two layers against each other. For layer B we turn the fine tune knob to +10 and for the layer C we turn this the other way to -10.</p><h4>Choosing the Waveforms</h4><p>Now the basic housekeeping is set, we go to layer A where we need to find a square wave. For this I am going to go to classic waveforms, square, mini brute square.</p><p>For layer B I am going to choose a sawtooth waveform. Classic waveforms, sawtooth, Moog modular saw.</p><p>For layer C we need a PWM waveform and I am going to select Classic waveforms, Pulse, Minimoog Pulse Wide. We also need to add a little movement to the PWM shape. If we right click on the Shape slide and select LFO. This will link the LFO to the Shape parameter. In the LFO section we need to change this to a triangle shape, and change the rate knob to 2.00hz, this will give the movement we need. </p><p>Whilst we are in layer C I need to set the filter section to Low Pass Warm 24db. Open the cutoff to maximum and just give it a little resonance of 0.150. For layer A and B we don’t need any filters enabled.</p><h4>Shaping the Envelope</h4><p>Now to the envelope section. The only one we are interested in is the AMP envelope. This needs to have both the attack and decay set to 0, the sustain open fully and the release set to around 0.173 seconds. This needs to be applied to all three layers. The easiest way of doing this is to click on this little down arrow at the top the envelope section, select copy envelope preset. Go to layer B and click on the same arrow and click on paste envelope preset. Let’s do the same for layer C.</p><p>To get a thicker sound, enable unison on each layer, ensure spread is all the way up and set the depth to 0.458.</p><p>For the final touch we need to go back into the main page and select solo and set the number of voices to 4. We now have a sound that is pretty darn close, but we can make it better and get that short stabby sound by using the sequencer. </p><h4>Programming the Sequence</h4><p>First set the clock to 1/8th notes and make sure your clock is at 120bpm. The track appears to be in Ab minor so the pattern you need to set up is as follows:</p><ol>
<li>The first two steps are at pitch, we then need to drop the next two a whole octave. </li>
<li>The next two steps need to drop down 5 semitones and the next a whole octave again.</li>
<li>The next two steps are at pitch, so we don’t need to change anything here. </li>
<li>The next step is down 5 semitones and then 9 semitones. </li>
<li>The next two are set down 2 semitones, and </li>
<li>The final two are at -14 to get an octave and two semitones down. That’s it, and if you play Ab just below middle C, you get the sequence playing.</li>
</ol><p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/520383/04e6888eac76bf7f9bd3755975c6709d02738171/original/omnisphere-sequence.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_l justify_center border_" alt="omnisphere sequence poker face" /></p><p>Now we are almost there, the final icing on the cake is to turn the Length knob down 0.355. There we have it, the bass sequence from Lady Gaga’s Pokerface within Omnisphere.</p><div class="video-container size_xl justify_center" style=""><iframe data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="X5pYYM9cJ9I" data-video-thumb-url="" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/X5pYYM9cJ9I?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></div>Adrian Earnshawtag:adrianearnshaw.com,2005:Post/72798812023-09-28T16:00:18+01:002023-10-10T21:09:59+01:00Twisted Trees: A Sonic Extension for Omnisphere 2 for Dark Cinematic Production<p data-sourcepos="5:1-5:206">Twisted Trees is a Sonic Extension for Omnisphere 2 by renowned sound designer Diego Stocco. It is a collection of over 1,900 sounds built entirely from wood, with a focus on dark and cinematic soundscapes.</p><p data-sourcepos="7:1-7:220">The extension includes a wide range of sounds, from deep and rumbling percussion to ethereal and haunting textures. There are also a number of playable instruments, such as wooden flutes, drums, and stringed instruments.</p><p data-sourcepos="9:1-9:290">One of the things that makes Twisted Trees so unique is the way that it uses wood as its primary sound source. Diego recorded a wide variety of wooden objects, including trees, branches, leaves, and even wood buildings. He then used these recordings to create a vast library of new sounds. The sounds were created by bowing, scraping, hitting and even building unique instruments with wood.</p><p data-sourcepos="11:1-11:272">The result is a sound library that is truly unique and inspiring. The sounds in Twisted Trees are organic, earthy, and often quite dark. They are perfect for creating dark and atmospheric soundscapes, as well as for adding a unique flavor to more traditional compositions.</p><p data-sourcepos="13:1-13:317">In addition to the sound library, Twisted Trees also includes two new effects processors: Twisted Space and Twisted Root. Twisted Space is a hybrid reverb that combines algorithmic and convolution processing. Twisted Root is a multi-band subsonic enhancer that can be used to add massive girth and power to any sound.</p><p data-sourcepos="15:1-15:198">Overall, Twisted Trees is a fantastic Sonic Extension for Omnisphere 2. It is a must-have for anyone who creates dark and cinematic music, or who is looking for a unique and inspiring sound library.</p><h4 data-sourcepos="17:1-17:48"><strong>How to use Twisted Trees for Cinematic Music</strong></h4><p data-sourcepos="19:1-19:144">Twisted Trees is a versatile and powerful sound extension that can be used to create a wide range of cinematic soundscapes. Here are a few tips:</p><ul>
<li data-sourcepos="21:1-25:0">
<strong>Use the Twisted Space reverb to create a sense of depth and atmosphere in your music.</strong> The Twisted Space reverb is a very powerful tool for creating cinematic soundscapes. It can be used to create a sense of depth and space in your music, as well as to add a sense of mystery and suspense.</li>
<li data-sourcepos="21:1-25:0">
<strong>Use the Twisted Root subsonic enhancer to add power and girth to your low-end sounds.</strong> The Twisted Root subsonic enhancer is a great way to add power and girth to your low-end sounds. This can be especially useful for creating cinematic soundscapes, as it can help to create a sense of weight and impact.</li>
<li data-sourcepos="21:1-25:0">
<strong>Experiment with different sound combinations to create unique and interesting soundscapes.</strong> One of the best things about Twisted Trees is the sheer variety of sounds that it includes. You can experiment with different sound combinations to create unique and interesting soundscapes that are perfect for your next cinematic composition.</li>
<li data-sourcepos="21:1-25:0">
<strong>Try using Twisted Trees sounds in conjunction with other Omnisphere patches to create even more complex and interesting sounds.</strong> Twisted Trees sounds can be used in conjunction with other Omnisphere patches to create even more complex and interesting sounds. For example, you could use a Twisted Trees percussion patch as the foundation for a track, and then add other Omnisphere patches for melody and harmony.</li>
</ul><h4 data-sourcepos="26:1-26:69"><strong>Specific Examples of How to Use Twisted Trees for Cinematic Music</strong></h4><p data-sourcepos="28:1-28:86">Here are a few specific examples of how Twisted Trees can be used for cinematic music:</p><ul>
<li data-sourcepos="30:1-33:0">
<strong>The deep and rumbling percussion sounds in Twisted Trees are perfect for creating a sense of dread or foreboding.</strong> For example, you could use a Twisted Trees percussion patch to create a sense of dread and suspense in a scene where a character is walking through a dark and abandoned forest.</li>
<li data-sourcepos="30:1-33:0">
<strong>The ethereal and haunting textures in Twisted Trees can be used to create a sense of mystery or suspense.</strong> For example, you could use a Twisted Trees texture patch to create a sense of mystery and suspense in a scene where a character is exploring an ancient and abandoned temple.</li>
<li data-sourcepos="30:1-33:0">
<strong>The playable wooden instruments in Twisted Trees can be used to create unique and interesting melodies and rhythms that can add to the overall mood of a scene.</strong> For example, you could use a Twisted Trees playable wooden instrument patch to create a unique and interesting melody for a scene where a character is reflecting on their past.</li>
</ul><h4 data-sourcepos="34:1-34:61"><strong>Advanced Tips for Using Twisted Trees for Cinematic Music</strong></h4><p data-sourcepos="36:1-36:73">Here are a few advanced tips for using Twisted Trees for cinematic music:</p><ul>
<li data-sourcepos="38:1-39:87"><strong>Use Twisted Trees sounds to create a sense of progression in your music.</strong></li>
<li data-sourcepos="19:1-23:0"><strong>Use the Twisted Space reverb to create a sense of depth and atmosphere in your music.</strong></li>
<li data-sourcepos="19:1-23:0"><strong>Use the Twisted Root subsonic enhancer to add power and girth to your low-end sounds.</strong></li>
<li data-sourcepos="19:1-23:0"><strong>Try using Twisted Trees sounds in conjunction with other Omnisphere patches to create even more complex and interesting sounds.</strong></li>
</ul><p data-sourcepos="24:1-24:117">With a little experimentation, you can use Twisted Trees to create cinematic music that is both unique and inspiring. Check the video out below to hear what it sounds like as I take a tour through some of the sounds.</p><div class="video-container size_l justify_center" style=""><iframe data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="ugF0gqLFfyY" data-video-thumb-url="" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ugF0gqLFfyY?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></div><p data-sourcepos="24:1-24:117"> </p>Adrian Earnshawtag:adrianearnshaw.com,2005:Post/71745742023-03-19T19:07:48+00:002023-03-19T19:07:48+00:00Cosmic Dawn for Omnisphere 2<div style='-webkit-text-size-adjust:auto;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;caret-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(255, 255, 255);font-family:"Source Sans Pro", sans-serif;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:32.400002px;margin:0px 0px 20px;orphans:auto;padding:0px;text-align:start;text-decoration:none;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:auto;word-spacing:0px;'><p><span style="color:#000000;">Things may have appeared to slow down on the website of late, and there’s been a good reason. Today I announce the release of a new and exciting patch library for Omnisphere.</span></p></div><div style='-webkit-text-size-adjust:auto;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;caret-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(255, 255, 255);font-family:"Source Sans Pro", sans-serif;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:32.400002px;margin:0px;orphans:auto;padding:0px;text-align:start;text-decoration:none;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:auto;word-spacing:0px;'><div style='border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;font-family:"Source Sans Pro", sans-serif;font-size:18px;line-height:32.400002px;margin:0px;padding:0px;text-decoration:none;'>
<p><span style="color:#000000;">I give you Cosmic Dawn for Omnisphere, which comes in two forms. The first one uses the standard effects from Omnisphere. The second library contains the same patches with extra layers, and uses the effects from Nylon Sky. For those who may not now what Nylon Sky is, it is an add-on for Omnisphere from Spectrasonics called a Sonic Extension. You can find out more information about Sonic Extensions in this </span><a class="no-pjax" href="https://adrianearnshaw.com/sonic-extension-omnisphere" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="color:#000000;"><u>post</u></span></a><span style="color:#000000;">. To pick up Nylon Sky head on over to the </span><a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.sonicextensions.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="color:#000000;"><u>Sonic Extension website</u></span></a><span style="color:#000000;">.</span></p>
<h4 style="text-align:center;"><span class="text-big" style="color:#000000;"><strong>Cosmic Dawn Expansion for Omnisphere 2</strong></span></h4>
<div style='-webkit-text-size-adjust:auto;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;caret-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(255, 255, 255);font-family:"Source Sans Pro", sans-serif;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:32.400002px;margin:0px 0px 20px;orphans:auto;padding:0px;text-align:start;text-decoration:none;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:auto;word-spacing:0px;'><div style='border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;font-family:"Source Sans Pro", sans-serif;font-size:18px;line-height:32.400002px;margin:0px;padding:0px;text-decoration:none;'><div style='border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;font-family:"Source Sans Pro", sans-serif;font-size:18px;line-height:32.400002px;margin:0px;padding:0px;text-decoration:none;'><div style='border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;font-family:"Source Sans Pro", sans-serif;font-size:18px;line-height:32.400002px;margin:0px;padding:0px;text-decoration:none;'>
<p><span style="color:#000000;">Cosmic Dawn contain</span><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/520383/f9402f13e383bdad50c1ee7d0ca448bffb4d103c/original/cosmic-dawn-omnisphere.jpeg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_m justify_left border_" /><span style="color:#000000;">s 110 patches with 29 unique sound sources. You also get 111 unify patches for the Unify plugin from </span><a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.pluginguru.com/products/unify-standard/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="color:#000000;"><u>pluginguru.com</u></span></a><span style="color:#000000;">. The sound sources have been taken from a pipe organ, ambient town noises that include bird song, melodies played on the pipe organ. The most interesting sound source was capturing a grinder and hammering as work was being done on my house. </span></p>
<p><span style="color:#000000;">Capturing this latter sound source was a little tricky as a grinder can provide just white noise, which is not useful in itself. To overcome this problem, I captured the sound source from within the house. This shield the microphones from the higher frequencies and captures a nice deep tone that is great fodder for the granular engine within Omnisphere.</span></p>
</div></div></div></div>
<div style='-webkit-text-size-adjust:auto;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;caret-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(255, 255, 255);font-family:"Source Sans Pro", sans-serif;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:32.400002px;margin:0px 0px 20px;orphans:auto;padding:0px;text-align:start;text-decoration:none;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:auto;word-spacing:0px;'><div style='border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;font-family:"Source Sans Pro", sans-serif;font-size:18px;line-height:32.400002px;margin:0px;padding:0px;text-decoration:none;'><div style='border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;font-family:"Source Sans Pro", sans-serif;font-size:18px;line-height:32.400002px;margin:0px;padding:0px;text-decoration:none;'><p><span style="color:#000000;">“The sound sources have been taken from a pipe organ, ambient town noises that include bird song, melodies played on the pipe organ.”</span></p></div></div></div>
<div style='-webkit-text-size-adjust:auto;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;caret-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(255, 255, 255);font-family:"Source Sans Pro", sans-serif;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:32.400002px;margin:0px 0px 20px;orphans:auto;padding:0px;text-align:start;text-decoration:none;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:auto;word-spacing:0px;'><div style='border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;font-family:"Source Sans Pro", sans-serif;font-size:18px;line-height:32.400002px;margin:0px;padding:0px;text-decoration:none;'><div style='border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;font-family:"Source Sans Pro", sans-serif;font-size:18px;line-height:32.400002px;margin:0px;padding:0px;text-decoration:none;'>
<p><span style="color:#000000;">The organ samples are taken from a pipe organ that I have access to in my local area. These samples include an 8′ Open Diapson, 8′ Flute, 4′ Flute, 2′ Piccolo. There are a couple of reed stops in there that include an 8′ Oboe and 16′ Bombarde pedal note. This is just a small selection of sounds from this organ and there is a full organ patch library in the works as I do have access to a couple of pipe organs in my local area.</span></p>
<h4 style="text-align:center;"><span class="text-big" style="color:#000000;">Cosmic Dawn for Nylon Sky Omnisphere 2 Expansion</span></h4>
<div style='-webkit-text-size-adjust:auto;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;caret-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(255, 255, 255);font-family:"Source Sans Pro", sans-serif;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:32.400002px;margin:0px 0px 20px;orphans:auto;padding:0px;text-align:start;text-decoration:none;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:auto;word-spacing:0px;'><div style='border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;font-family:"Source Sans Pro", sans-serif;font-size:18px;line-height:32.400002px;margin:0px;padding:0px;text-decoration:none;'><div style='border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;font-family:"Source Sans Pro", sans-serif;font-size:18px;line-height:32.400002px;margin:0px;padding:0px;text-decoration:none;'><p><span style="color:#000000;"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/520383/1c7ad064dbb033a1d0e0745d2c90973c6774bb06/original/cosmic-dawn-omnisphere-se.jpeg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_m justify_right border_" />Some time ago I picked up Nylon Sky for Omnisphere, which is part of the </span><a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.sonicextensions.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="color:#000000;"><u>Sonic Extensions</u></span></a><span style="color:#000000;"> that were made by Spectrasonics. Aside from the additional sound sources and patches, it comes with two very special effects. These are SkyVerb and SkyChannel. After finishing the initial patch library, I went back through and edited each patch to utilize these effects. You can pick up the patch library in one of two varieties, the normal Cosmic Dawn version and a special one called Cosmic Dawn for Nylon Sky. This extra library doesn’t just swap out the reverb for the one from Nylon Sky. I have added extra layers and some additional effects. Some of these patches utilize an autopan to add movement on the reverb tails that are created by SkyVerb. </span></p></div></div></div>
<div style='-webkit-text-size-adjust:auto;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;caret-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(255, 255, 255);font-family:"Source Sans Pro", sans-serif;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:32.400002px;margin:0px;orphans:auto;padding:0px;text-align:start;text-decoration:none;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:auto;word-spacing:0px;'><div style='border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;font-family:"Source Sans Pro", sans-serif;font-size:18px;line-height:32.400002px;margin:0px;padding:0px;text-decoration:none;'><div style='border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;font-family:"Source Sans Pro", sans-serif;font-size:18px;line-height:32.400002px;margin:0px;padding:0px;text-decoration:none;'><p><span style="color:#000000;">Having an effect like SkyVerb inside Omnisphere provides an additional way to mangle and warp your sound. There is a feature called Clouds. This adds interesting feedback to your sound for infinite evolving changes. You can pick up your copy of this patch library for Omnisphere in the shop on this </span><a class="no-pjax" href="/patch-libraries" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="color:#000000;"><u>website</u></span></a><span style="color:#000000;"> or over at </span><a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.rockymountainsounds.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="color:#000000;"><u>Rocky Mountain Sounds</u></span></a><span style="color:#000000;">.</span></p></div></div></div>
</div></div></div>
</div></div>Adrian Earnshawtag:adrianearnshaw.com,2005:Post/71694202023-03-11T10:00:51+00:002023-03-19T19:06:24+00:00Creating a random melodic sequence in Omnisphere<p>Ambient music is full of percolating sequences that add interest and melody. In this tutorial I am going to show you how to create a melodic sequence that does not repeat.</p><p>What I am going to show you adds some predictable randomness to your sequence. For this tutorial we are going to use <a class="no-pjax" href="https://spectrasonics.net" target="_blank" data-link-type="url">Omnisphere</a>, but you can use any synthesizer that has sequencer which allows you to programme steps and notes.</p><p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/520383/00f20a20571e4c8f395b4e1b16b55b12956fc3ef/original/omnisphere-arp.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_l justify_left border_" alt="omnisphere arpeggiator" />If you don’t feel confident in programming your own sound, choose a preset that has a nice short pluck. The magic happens in the sequence. Take a look at this video in which I show you how to put this together.</p><h4>Spice up the sequence</h4><p>This trick can be used in however long a sequence you need. All you need to ensure is that the last 3 steps are the ones that provide the actual different notes to the key you are pressing. Let us take the note C as your starting note. If you set the sequence to +10, this means on that step the sequencer will play a note 10 semitones higher than the note C you are playing.</p><p>When the sequencer triggers +7 it is seven semitones higher than the note you are pressing on the keyboard. +3 is three semitones up from the note you are pressing. If we go into this further the steps of +3, +7 and +10 are playing the flattend 3rd, 5th and flattened 7th note of the scale. Using C as the starting note, this will play the notes Eb, G and Bb. For those music theory buffs amongst us these notes are from the C minor scale. As most ambient music uses the minor scale, this setup is perfect.</p><p>“All you need to ensure is that the last 3 steps are the ones that provide the actual different notes to the key you are pressing.”</p><p>If you found this video and blog post helpful, you can show your support by:</p><ul>
<li>Subscribing to the newsletter to get the latest news and views straight to your inbox.</li>
<li>Head on over to the <a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoTrygD-2vVlA76aLZCXUmw" target="_blank" data-link-type="url">YouTube channel</a> and subscribe, and</li>
<li>Commenting below and letting us know how you will use the tip in this blog post.</li>
</ul>Adrian Earnshawtag:adrianearnshaw.com,2005:Post/70364022022-08-12T12:03:55+01:002022-08-24T21:28:23+01:00Ghost Particle - How to Write an Ambient Cinematic Track<p>Hey everyone, hope you are all doing great. I have received several requests asking if I would do a track walkthrough of one of my compositions. So here goes. I picked a track I recently composed for the patch library <a contents="Retropolis by Stingray Instruments" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.stingrayinstruments.com/retropolis" target="_blank">Retropolis by Stingray Instruments</a>. The track has an ambient/cinematic vibe and sounds like this:</p>
<p> </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="1hfZo0YolOM" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/1hfZo0YolOM/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1hfZo0YolOM?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe> </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> </p>
<p>Now you have a feel for what this track sounds like, let us take a little walkthrough of how I put it together. This little walkthrough is how I generally go about creating an ambient cinematic track. Although it sounds like there is a lot going on, this track only uses 7 patches from the library. It is down to the excellent patch design that makes the track sound as though there is more going on. First up, we have the main foundation of the track. This is a simple drone using the note E in the lower octaves of the keyboard spread exactly one octave apart. To add a little variation and to keep this line interesting, I cycle between the notes E, G and B higher up the keyboard. Mainly I use the notes in the octave above middle C. An octave is a range of 12 notes and in this example, from middle C to the note C above.</p>
<p>Now we have the root of the track set up, it is time to add a little melody. The idea behind ambient cinematic tracks is not to make the lead too busy. You want the listener to be able to not be distracted from what they are doing, be it watching the film with the music supporting the scene, reading a book, or just out for a walk. It is also there to transport the listener to another world, a bit of escapism for a brief moment in time. The melody in this case is a short repeating motif that has some variation each time it is repeated during the track. </p>
<p>Having just this melody is okay, but to add variation it is generally advisable to use a call and response. This occurs when a complimenting sound finishes a sentence. This time around I have chosen a light bell sound from the Retropolis patch library to provide an answer to the motif provided by the lead. The bell patch gives a sense of completion as well as adding further interest.</p>
<p>To add drive to the track, we next add a little bass sequence. This is just a simple repeating 4 to the floor bass-sequence on just one note, you've guessed it E. We can therefore safely say that this track is in the key of E. There's no particular scale attached to this piece and so you can play most notes from any scale of E. Using E, G and B in the drone will give it a strong urge to be in E minor, however.</p>
<p>For more interest I added a simple arpeggiated sequence in the upper part of the keyboard range. Using the notes an octave higher than what the melody used gives this patch space to breathe. By spreading out instruments over the keyboard range it allows each instrument, or in this case patch, to have its own space. If you played it in the same octave, it can easily muddy the mix as you would be clogging up that frequency range.</p>
<p>To round things off, we add a little percussion as this patch library provides some nice drum patches. For setting atmosphere I used a delightful beefy kick drum type sound. You could have this playing throughout the track, but that wouldn't suite the ambient cinematic style and in this case, less is more. We use this patch to announce the start and end points only. However, part way through we add a little high-end sizzle by bringing in hi-hats just to add even more variety.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="3xfONi_6hJU" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/3xfONi_6hJU/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3xfONi_6hJU?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p>And there we have it, a breakdown of how I put together Ghost Particle, an ambient cinematic track to demonstrate the patch library Retropolis from Stingray Instruments. </p>
<p>If you have any questions about my composition process, leave a comment below, and we can start a conversation. While you are here, sign up for the newsletter, so you will be the first to know when I post a new blog entry, release new music or upload a new video.</p>
<p> </p>Adrian Earnshawtag:adrianearnshaw.com,2005:Post/69929732022-06-18T08:27:59+01:002022-08-12T11:36:15+01:00This Week's Top Stories About 3 Tracks I Listened To This Week<p>Hey everyone, hope everyone is keeping well. This last week I listened to several new electronic music tracks over on YouTube. These ranged from the cinematic, to upbeat electronica and ended with a lovely blissful moment revisiting a favourite synth riff from the past. </p>
<p>First up as a track from a friend of mine, Lazy Pixel. This one is full of cinematic vibes and varying key changes. The vocal elements are from the sample libraries Ethera and Jeager, both excellent and give an ethereal quality to the sound. You can listen to the track here:</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="EWwVpCE3-Ts" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/EWwVpCE3-Ts/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EWwVpCE3-Ts?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p>Next up is a track from myself, Galactic Waterfall. An upbeat piece of electronica, which is set at a faster tempo than I normally work with. </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="BVT8AP-5_ao" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/BVT8AP-5_ao/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BVT8AP-5_ao?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p>Last up I was lucky enough to catch the premiere of State Azure's latest ambient cover of a famous Tears for Fears track. This one took me back to my childhood as I am old enough to remember it first time around being performed on Top of the Pops. For those outside the UK, this was a weekly programme aired on BBC that went through the top 40 singles of that week. Everybody Wants to Rule the World has an iconic synthesizer riff that State Azure used as a repeating sequence. The chosen synth palette is purely sublime and provides 8 minutes of pure bliss:</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="7k_zXIXAeCk" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/7k_zXIXAeCk/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7k_zXIXAeCk?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p>We've been treated to several fantastic pieces of electronic music this week. Show your support, head on over to the respective channels, comment on the video and subscribe to their channels. If you've come across any electronic music tracks over the last week, pop it in the comments below, so we can all listen to them and support the artists.</p>Adrian Earnshawtag:adrianearnshaw.com,2005:Post/69524572022-04-20T12:04:33+01:002022-08-24T21:28:23+01:00Perihelion - Omnisphere Patch Library<p>Hey everyone, hope you are keeping well. Recently I launched a patch library for Omnisphere for those working to produce Ambient, Electronica and Soundtrack work. There are 88 patches in total stretching from pads to leads and synth bass. I also cover the pounding Berlin School style bass sequence that permeet my music from time to time. All of these patches have been used in some shape way or form in the music that I have produced. So they are tried and tested to fit in a musical sense.</p>
<p>You can learn more about this patch library in this video:</p>
<p> </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="xxwWASz-QdA" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/xxwWASz-QdA/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xxwWASz-QdA?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="315" width="560" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> </p>
<p>To hear them in a music context I've put these little tracks together:</p>
<p> </p>
<p><iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="300" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/playlists/1411600186&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true" width="100%"></iframe></p>
<div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;">
<a href="https://soundcloud.com/adrianearnshaw" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Adrian Earnshaw">Adrian Earnshaw</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/adrianearnshaw/sets/perihelion-omnisphere-patch-library-demo" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Perihelion (Omnisphere Patch Library Demo)">Perihelion (Omnisphere Patch Library Demo)</a>
</div>
<p> </p>
<p>I truly hope you enjoy this patch library and find it useful in your music production. There will be more to come soon with an even bigger patchl library. Remember, sign up to the newsletter and you will be notified when it is out and a handy discount code.</p>Adrian Earnshawtag:adrianearnshaw.com,2005:Post/69497132022-04-16T14:28:19+01:002022-07-25T18:59:06+01:00Native Instruments Free Instruments & Effects<p>Hey everyone, hope you are doing well. It's been a fair while since my last blog post. I've been working on a number of projects that have kept me very busy and out of mischief. However, I wanted to make you aware of a stonking deal that is available from Native Instruments. You can pick up Neutron Elements from Izotope, six plugins from Plugin Alliance and Brainworx and Ethereal Earth by Native Instruments. All for free, yes, that's correct it will cost you absolutely nothing. </p>
<p>That's not all, you also can get a 10% voucher for each of these vendors. A truly amazing deal, but it is time limited until April 26 2022 and then its gone, so be quick and jump on it. There's no dongle required, but you will have to sign up to each vendor's website and use their download utility. Like most musicians you may already be subscribed to one or two of these anyway.</p>
<p>In this video we take a look at just one of the items you can for free, the Oberheim clone from Brainworx, bx_oberhausen.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="BSAVwd0eEoQ" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/BSAVwd0eEoQ/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BSAVwd0eEoQ?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="315" width="560" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p>If you want to keep up to date of any new free instruments or effects that are released then sign up for my newsletter and subscribe to the YouTube channel.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>Adrian Earnshawtag:adrianearnshaw.com,2005:Post/67886322021-10-27T21:16:35+01:002021-10-27T21:39:32+01:00Sonic Extensions by Spectrasonics<p>Last week there were plenty of tech announcements from the likes of Apple and Google. The one that caught my eye the most though was from Spectrasonics. After watching their presentation, both Tim and Sundar could learn a lesson or two, just saying. Anyway back to Spectrasonics, who announced Sonic Extensions which are not just new patch libraries for Omnisphere, bringing the engine to version 2.8, they also provide some new effects and bespoke macro controls.</p>
<p>Currently, there are four extensions. These are Undercurrent, Nylon Sky, Unclean Machine and Seismic Shock with more to follow in time. Although given the glacial speed Spectrasonics release things, it may be a little while. I am not complaining as when they do release stuff, it is just music gold. I gave a brief overview of what these extensions provide in this short video:-</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="XpXUfEc0sfA" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/XpXUfEc0sfA/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XpXUfEc0sfA?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="315" width="560" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe> </p>
<p>As you can tell from this video they are deep, really deep. Nylon Sky immediately caught my ear as a stand out library, and that was just from the demos I heard in the presentation. If you have listened to my music, you will know I compose a lot of Ambient and Electronica. Over the last few days I have been exploring Undercurrent as a starting point to tour through these libraries: </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="IB33wgNO4qQ" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/IB33wgNO4qQ/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IB33wgNO4qQ?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="315" width="560" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p>This is just the tip of the iceberg as we have only just played with some of the patches on offer. Each Sonic Extension provides bespoke effects that can be used in your own creations and are not tied to the patch library. For Undercurrent we have Under Echo, an echo unit that sounds like no other. We also have Under Fire that combines distortion, compression and EQ all in one unit. These I will explore in my next video so you had better head on over to my YouTube channel and <a contents="subscribe" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoTrygD-2vVlA76aLZCXUmw?sub_confirmation=1" target="_blank">subscribe</a> so you don't miss it. Whilst you are there, take a listen to a track I composed using just sounds from the Undercurrent extension. Even the drums came from this expansive sounding library.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="qSuatY3PeAo" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/qSuatY3PeAo/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qSuatY3PeAo?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="315" width="560" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>Adrian Earnshawtag:adrianearnshaw.com,2005:Post/67737742021-10-12T20:04:56+01:002021-10-12T20:07:08+01:00Link in Bio - Musaic<p>How is everyone doing? Things are slowly getting back to normal and live concerts are starting to return. With all this flurry of new activity from musicians, it can be hard to keep tabs on all the new things that are happening. There are also some social media outlets, for example Instagram, that don't allow you to provide direct links in your post. Enter the phrase 'Link in Bio', but where do you actually link to?</p>
<p>On my internet travels I came across a great tool called <a contents="Musaic" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.musaic.co/" target="_blank">Musaic</a>. This allows you to provide a one-stop page to advertise all your social media links, YouTube videos, Spotify streaming links and much more including your next live concert. I put together a little video to provide a broad overview of this service that any musician will find useful. It helps unify your message to fans and also somewhere you can direct them for your latest releases.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="vHFaCI65ZkU" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/vHFaCI65ZkU/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vHFaCI65ZkU?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="315" width="560" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p>I think you will agree after watching this video that Musaic is a very useful tool to use in all your social media profiles. While you are here, please consider subscribing to the newsletter. Just head on over to the <a contents="home page" data-link-label="Home" data-link-type="page" href="/home" target="_blank">home page</a> and pop in your e-mail address.</p>
<p> </p>Adrian Earnshawtag:adrianearnshaw.com,2005:Post/66795582021-07-05T21:13:17+01:002021-07-05T21:15:12+01:00Cityscapes and more<p>Hey everyone,</p>
<p>I've not posted on her in a while as I have been going through a few ups and downs at the moment. Long story short, I lost my mum in September last year and to be honest my heart is just not in the music for now. Call it lost would be probably the best way of putting it. </p>
<p>Having said that I have done a little more in the way of tutorials as those who use Omnisphere will relate to. I did, however, manage to write a new track and release and old one. The old one is called Before I Go:</p>
<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="wWvzbcK-d2o" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/wWvzbcK-d2o/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wWvzbcK-d2o?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="315" width="560" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p>This is was written the middle of last year but I have just got around to releasing it these last few weeks.</p>
<p>If you are trying to nail that guitar strum but don't play the guitar, then I have you covered in this little tutorial:</p>
<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="-TWJdXRsHBA" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/-TWJdXRsHBA/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-TWJdXRsHBA?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="315" width="560" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p>Just remember that the last note of the strum has to finish on the beat otherwise it just sounds sloppy and out of time. Guitarists play to anticipate the beat in order to keep time with the rest of the band. We then move on to my latest track that has a little background story to it. First off this was written using a pad sound from Argon 8M piped into Omnisphere. The other instrumentation came from Omnisphere with the old but still quite beautiful Stylus RMX providing the drums.</p>
<p>Whilst making this track there was an emergency further in town as a building had caught fire. I had my window open at the time and could hear the distant sirens, which seemed to fit well with the track. It was too late to grab my Zoom H5 to capture the moment so I made do with some samples from an earlier recording session. So without further ado here's the track:</p>
<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="yFU0QpKIST4" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/yFU0QpKIST4/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yFU0QpKIST4?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="315" width="560" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p>If you have any comments about the videos or the music you here, pop them below and I will get back to you. Remember to sign up for the newsletter and you will receive notification when I post next, the latest deals out there along with a few discount codes.</p>Adrian Earnshawtag:adrianearnshaw.com,2005:Post/66650952021-06-20T21:39:44+01:002021-06-20T21:39:44+01:00Live Mode in Omnisphere<p><span class="font_regular">About 2 years ago I recorded what should have been the start of a small series of videos detailing how to use Live Mode in Omnisphere. Well, I published one and to be honest I forgot to follow this series on. So, 2 years later I finished the series after being prompted by one of my subscribers, thanks for that.</span></p>
<p>What is Live Mode? In a nutshell it allows you to use Omnisphere as a live instrument bringing in selected parts as and when you need them. With the useful 'Latch' facility, you can have a nice pulsing baseline pumping along whilst you play a dreamy lead over the top. All this without each layer interfering with the other as you tickle those ivories.</p>
<p>The best way to demonstrate this is by some actual videos. In part one we take a look at what you can actually do when in this mode and the various parameters you can play with. We start to get a little technical in part two as we set up some key switches to move between the parts. I also show you how to record this as a MIDI performance so you can make edits at a later date.</p>
<p>For those that perform in a live environment or just want to capture a live performance part three is where you want to go. In this part, I show you how to record the output from Omnisphere as audio using Cubase. Although I use Cubase, you can use a similar method in most popular DAWs to achieve the same thing.</p>
<p>If you found these videos useful then pop a comment below, better still head on over to YouTube and subscribe to the channel.</p>
<h4>Part One</h4>
<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="0A1E_iSNxk8" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/0A1E_iSNxk8/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0A1E_iSNxk8?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="315" width="560" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<h4>Part Two</h4>
<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="Bvkpmw3vVTY" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/Bvkpmw3vVTY/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Bvkpmw3vVTY?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="315" width="560" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<h4>Part Three</h4>
<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="0xkk2LylYTM" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/0xkk2LylYTM/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0xkk2LylYTM?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="315" width="560" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>Adrian Earnshawtag:adrianearnshaw.com,2005:Post/66506362021-06-05T21:33:49+01:002021-06-05T21:33:49+01:00Omnisphere - Granular Synthesis<p>Hello everyone, well we are here for the big one. In this tutorial about Omnisphere we are finally going to look at ---drum roll please--- Granular Synthesis. Yes, Omnisphere has the proverbial kitchen sink in ways to mangle and shape your sound. </p>
<p>You can follow along by watching this video from my YouTube channel:</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="NP6PCDyUtuA" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/NP6PCDyUtuA/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NP6PCDyUtuA?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="315" width="560" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p>First of all what is granular synthesis? In its most basic form it is exactly the same as a sample playback engine except that the sound is broken up into 1 to 50ms snippets. This is where we get granular from as you have broken your sound from one long section into many minuet snippets. If you slow the playback down you get a kind of soundscape, when sped up it is heard as a note or sometimes notes depending on the sample used. The fun thing is neither method will recreate the exact sound you have imported. </p>
<p>Granular synthesis was first invented by the Greek/French musician <a contents="Iannis Xenakis" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iannis_Xenakis" target="_blank">Iannis Xenakis</a> in around 1960 but it was the Canadian musician <a contents="Barry Truax" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barry_Truax" target="_blank">Barry Truax</a> who used real-time versions in recordings. So there we have a little background of what it is and where it came from. By now you may start to have a grain (no pun intended) of a thought what we can do with this type of synthesis and what sounds it would be best suited for. </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span class="font_large"><strong>Getting Down to Business</strong></span></p>
<p>First we need to create a quick sound using a sample with a filter and this time we will increase the attack to give it a bit of a pad feel to it. I've used a sample here as it is easier to depict what is happening with the sound when twiddling the parameters. Quickly flipping over to the Granular page we are presented with several knobs along the bottom and a picture of the waveform taking up the centre of the screen. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/520383/442acf48918aad47dc08b415c108c749a85f06d9/original/omnisphere-2-slide-03-2.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" />When I switch this on you will immediately hear the difference in tone and timbre. This is because the sound is now being broken up into little grains. The centre display shows how these grains are being manipulated by the parameters running along the bottom. </p>
<p>We have two distinct modes in Granular, Speed and Position. Speed automatically moves the position of the sample that is being granulated forwards or backwards at a fixed rate. This is controlled by the slider along the bottom of the waveform. When we change this to position the slider allows us to select which portion of the sample is being granulated. This gives us control of what stage or part of the sample we want to effect. You may want to only affect the attack or decay portion. Position also allows us to apply a freezing effect. If you watch the centre display the blue lines signal what part of the sample is being affected. </p>
<p>As this is a slider........you've guessed it, we can modulate it. </p>
<p>You may have noticed in the top left corner there is a button for legacy. This enables the original granular engine that was in Omnisphere 1 where the grains were a larger and provided a more dreamy result as the grains were slower-moving. </p>
<p>The number of Zones there are in a Soundsource determines the maximum range of the position slider and can vary from just 1 second all the way up to 90 seconds. </p>
<p>Let's start to really mangle our sound. With Grain Depth we can increase the number of grains our sound is broken into. The further right the knob goes the more grains we get but also the higher CPU demand. You can get really good results using only a little of this. </p>
<p>Intensity sets how quickly you move from one grain to the next. If it is low the transition is slower, when set to high the transition to the next grain is quicker. </p>
<p>Smoothing softens the transition as jumping from grain to grain can sound abrupt with certain soundsources. For those used to audio editing, think of smoothing as cross-fading your grains. </p>
<p>Spread alters the placement of the grains within the stereo image. The wider the spread the more the grains are panned in the stereo image. </p>
<p>Detuning simply detunes the grains being affected. </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong><span class="font_large">Hidden Parameter</span></strong></p>
<p>There is one hidden parameter and we have to go to the mod matrix to use it. Sample Granular Trigger allows for single grains to triggered at specific time intervals without affecting their size. If we set an LFO to square and play a note, it affects a single grain every time the LFO goes above zero. You can use other sources to get some really interesting effects. </p>
<p>Pitch grains sets how often the grains will be transposed in pitch. Now the last two knobs will have no affect if you set this knob to zero. Interval sets the range that the grains are to be transposed and gliding determines how often the grains will glide between the note played and that which it till be transposed to. </p>
<p>Direction does what it says on the tin and determines the direction of the transposed grain with Mode adjusting how dramatic the detuning happens. Wild can give you.....well, quite wild results. One quick note, if you are in legacy mode, wild does not have any function. </p>
<p>One cool thing is you can drag and drop samples into the centre display including full songs. This gives you endless material to make other patches from. </p>
<p>If you enjoyed this blog post please head on over to my <a contents="YouTube channel" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoTrygD-2vVlA76aLZCXUmw" target="_blank">YouTube channel</a>, give the video a thumbs up and subscribe to the channel. I would be grateful if you could show your support by heading over to the <a contents="store" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://adrianearnshaw.com/store">store</a> and picking up a track or two</p>Adrian Earnshawtag:adrianearnshaw.com,2005:Post/66196392021-05-15T08:50:50+01:002021-05-15T08:50:50+01:00Omnisphere - Ring modulation<p>Hello Everyone. </p>
<p>I have been running a series over on YouTube looking at the different parts of Omnisphere by Spectrasonics. You can view these by heading on over to <a contents="my channel" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoTrygD-2vVlA76aLZCXUmw?sub_confirmation=1" target="_blank">my channel</a>. We are going to continue our journey through Omnisphere seeing how we can morph and tweak our sounds. In this video it is the turn of the Ring Modulation section. First off lets look at what Ring modulation is. Ring modulation basically involves taking two separate inputted signals, and outputting something new made up of the sum and differences of those signals. To calculate this new output, a ring modulator will typically take the input signal from any instrument and mix it with a second signal generated by an internal oscillator. </p>
<p>In the case of Omnisphere we take our signal from the oscillator in Part A and mix this with the Modulator in the Ring Modulation section. If this screen looks familiar, that's because Ring Modulation shares many similar concepts as Frequency Modulation that we explored in the previous video. <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/520383/bb4184b100501e87b8f4f82706164bce50361660/original/ring-modulation.png/!!/b:W10=.png" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>The difference between the two is that with Ring Modulation the frequencies of both oscillators, the one you selected in the part section and the modulator are multiplied. This in turn changes the overall amplitude of the sound. So, where does the Ring Modulator get the second oscillator from, you've probably guessed, its from the Modulator section here. If we click on the sine wave in this section we get the same oscillators to play with as we do in the the main oscillator page. This means you can blend a deep analogue tone with a harsh, brittle digital tone or something in between. </p>
<p>As per the main oscillator section of Omnisphere we have over 500 waveforms to play with here, so you are not going to run out of ideas anytime soon. </p>
<p>After the modulator section we have tracking which simply enables and disables tracking across the keyboard. This determines whether the Ring Modulator tracks up and down the keyboard as you play. Traditionally, Ring modulators do not track the keyboard, which is part of their character. However, Omnisphere provides this option and allows, for me anyway, a more musical use for your sound. </p>
<p>This doesn't add a lot of musical character on its own and we get a little Dr Who in the sound spectrum. When coupled with a vocoder, which sadly Omnisphere does not have, you get the famous Dalek sound from Dr Who. You know the one that goes "exterminate, exterminate..". You can, however, control this character using the Depth parameter as this determines the interaction between the carrier (our main oscillator from the part) and the modulator (the oscillator that is effecting the sound).</p>
<p>You can hear how we can control the overall effect of the Ring Modulation using just these few parameters. Moving on to the Frequency section. This slider adjusts the amount of overtones that are heard. The higher the value the more you are going to hear. Handily, Spectrasonics have marked out the most useful frequency ratios for us that will provide pleasing results on the ear and keep in tune with the overall sound. </p>
<p>If you want it a less aggressive sound just flick the switch from Boost to Normal and it will subtly adjust your sound this tames things down quite dramatically. </p>
<p>Let's take a look at the Ring Shape parameter which sweeps through the wavetable that we selected in the Modulator section. Depending on what we have selected here can determine what effect the Ring Shape has on our sound. You can go from quite subtle to very dramatic. You can see what the Ring Shape does by looking at the animated graphic in the Modulator Section. </p>
<p>Moving on to Ring Symmetry. this varies the span of the wavetable that we selected in the Modulator section. We can use this parameter to get a Pulse Width Modulation effect, (PWM for short). If we take a saw wave as the modulator and move the Ring Symmetry slider, we can morph from a saw wave to a square wave. Quite a handy little effect that you can add to your sound to provide a little more variety. </p>
<p>Lastly, we come to Ring Sync which is a Hard Sync function that provides a throaty type of characteristic to your sound when swept through its range. Historically you would have had to sacrifice one of your oscillators to provide this type of effect. But handily Omnisphere has you covered and provides a hidden dedicated oscillator. Hard Sync was popularised in the Prophet 5 and early Oberheim Synthesizers and helped provide them with their iconic sounds. Any changes to the sound from this parameter only effects the modulator, it will not effect your main oscillator. </p>
<p>Remember just like the FM section all the sliders on this page can be modulated to provide a more dynamic sound. This is what Ring Modulation can do for your sound.</p>
<p> </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="j8HYmpepXx0" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/j8HYmpepXx0/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/j8HYmpepXx0?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="315" width="560" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>Adrian Earnshawtag:adrianearnshaw.com,2005:Post/65949032021-04-05T21:40:41+01:002021-04-20T17:42:31+01:00Omnisphere - Bob Moog Tribute Library - Update<p>About a week ago Spectrasonics gave owners of the Bob Moog Tribute Library a nice surprise. To mark the 10th Anniversary of this library, Spectrasonics updated it to Version 2.0 and gave owners 500 new patches for free. There is lot to get through in this library and I gave a quick whistle stop tour in this video.</p>
<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="JxHTHViABoc" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/JxHTHViABoc/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JxHTHViABoc?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="315" width="560" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p>If you haven't already purchased this library then head on over to <a contents="Spectrasonics" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://spectrasonics.net%E2%80%8B">Spectrasonics</a> and get your copy. To just bring up the new patches all you need to do is type V2 in the search field. This will bring up all the new patches for you to play with, all 500 of them. These patches have been provided by some of the music industries greats, Hans Zimmer, Jean-Michel Jarre and The Crystal Method to name a few. All proceeds from this library go to the Bob Moog Foundation.</p>Adrian Earnshawtag:adrianearnshaw.com,2005:Post/65681082021-03-08T17:55:26+00:002021-03-08T17:58:33+00:00Omnisphere Search - How to find that patch<p>Omnisphere is a powerful and vast software synthesizer come rompler come sample engine. Out of the box, it comes with over 14,000 patches for you to play with, but how do you go about finding the one you want. I’m no synth patch designer and usually take other people's work and edit the patch to fit the track I am working on. To find these sounds I use the Boolean Search facility of Omnisphere. </p>
<p> </p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;"><strong>Boolean Search</strong></h3>
<p> </p>
<p>Now, I hear you say, “The Boolean what??”. Just a quick background stop to explain that this system was invented by George Boole. Boolean logic is recognized by many electronic searching tools as a way of defining a search string. You can find out more about Mr Boole in this <a contents="Wikipedia&nbsp;article" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Boole" target="_blank">Wikipedia article</a> and the Boolean system named after him in <a contents="this&nbsp;article" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://bit.ly/2OWAMWo">this article</a>. This will give you an idea of why we use the terms ‘OR’, ‘AND’ and ‘NOT’ to narrow the search field and find that sound you were looking for. </p>
<p>Bringing this into Omnisphere I would suggest ensuring that all your tags conform to the Spectrasonics standard. Once this is done it should be much easier to find the sound you want. Handily there is a third-party tool that speeds this process called <a contents="omnitag" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/omnitag">omnitag</a>. You can then select the type of sound that you want using ‘OR’, ‘AND’ and ‘NOT’. OR allows you to find sounds that contain one tag OR another. The AND tag finds patches that contain everything you have selected. Whereas the NOT is kind of special in that it finds sounds that are NOT tagged with what you have selected. </p>
<p>This way of searching works not just in the patch library view, but also in the multi-view and also the sound source view. </p>
<p>This is probably better represented as follows. </p>
<p> </p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;"><strong>Shortcuts for Mac and PC</strong></h3>
<p> </p>
<p>I am going to make an assumption in these examples that you are looking for Film and Electronic patches or sound sources for your production.</p>
<p><strong>OR </strong></p>
<p>Keyboard shortcut = Command/Click (MAC) Control/Click (PC) </p>
<p>This option says, “Show me results that are tagged with either of these Attributes.” </p>
<p>Example: Within the Genre column, Command-click (Mac) or Control-click (PC) “Film” and “Electronic” to display only those sounds that are tagged with Film or Electronic tags. </p>
<p>To choose OR, simply select the Attribute (OR is the default filter state). </p>
<p>To make multiple selections us Command-click (Mac) and Control-click (PC). </p>
<p>The selection(s) in the column will be highlighted in blue and both circles in the icon will be filled in. </p>
<p><strong>AND </strong></p>
<p>Keyboard Shortcut = COMMAND/CONTROL/CLICK (MAC) Control/Right Click (PC) </p>
<p>This option says, “Show me results that are only tagged with BOTH of these Attributes.” </p>
<p>Example: Within the Genre column, Command-right-clicking/Command-Control-clicking (Mac) and Control-Right Click (PC) “Film” and “Electronic” will display only those sounds that are tagged with BOTH Film AND Electronic tags. </p>
<p>The selection(s) in the column will be bordered in blue and only the intersection of the circles in the icon is filled in. </p>
<p><strong>NOT </strong></p>
<p>Keyboard Shortcut = Option/Click (MAC) Command/Option/Click (Multiple Selections) (MAC) </p>
<p>Alt/Click (PC) Control/Alt/Click (Multiple Selections) (PC) </p>
<p>This option says, “Show only those results that are NOT tagged with these Attributes.” </p>
<p>Example: Within the Genre column, Option/Alt-click “Dance” to remove any sounds from the results that are tagged as Dance. </p>
<p>To choose NOT, use Option-click/Alt-click and select an Attribute. </p>
<p>To make multiple selections, use Command-Option-click (Mac) and Control-Alt Click (PC). </p>
<p>The selection(s) in the column will be bordered in red and only the left circle in the icon is filled in. </p>
<p> </p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;"><strong>Using the Text Search Field</strong></h3>
<p> </p>
<p>You can also type expressions into the Search field to filter your results. </p>
<p>For example:</p>
<p>Typing “Film and Electronic” will include Patches that fit both genres. </p>
<p>Typing “Film or Electronic” will include Patches with either Attribute. </p>
<p>Typing “Film and not Electronic” will include Patches suitable for Film, but not ones that are Electronic. </p>
<p>Parenthesis or brackets as they are sometimes referred to can also be used for multiple criteria selection: </p>
<p>(Film or Electronic) and (Dramatic and not Disturbing). </p>
<p>I’ve created a short video demonstrating these different ways of using the search facility within Omnisphere, which you may find helpful. Please subscribe to the channel as I upload on a regular basis both useful tips and my musical creations.</p>
<p> </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="QO3YqnCM8mg" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/QO3YqnCM8mg/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QO3YqnCM8mg?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="315" width="560" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>Adrian Earnshawtag:adrianearnshaw.com,2005:Post/65260362021-01-20T21:29:42+00:002021-01-20T21:29:42+00:00Omnisphere - CPU Management<p>In this Omnisphere tutorial, we are going to look at CPU Management. I think we all know what a resource hog Omnisphere can be, but there are ways of taming this beast. </p>
<p>Omnisphere itself is multitimbral, but unfortunately, it is not multi-core. Therefore, one instance will not scale across cores but rather be locked into the one core. If you have complex sounds playing on 4 or 5 parts you can start hitting issues. </p>
<p>The best way to explain this is by a video as you will see at the bottom of this post. At the start of this video, I demonstrate what having 5 fairly complicated patches does to quite a beefy PC. I am rocking a core i9 9900k with 80GB of ram, so it is no slouch. Please keep in mind that I am also screen recording so that is going to take out some CPU cycles and why I am still crackling at the end of the video. </p>
<p>As we progress through the video I open up separate instances of Omnisphere as each one will use a different core on the PC. We also look at lowering the voice count as this will also affect how much your computer will take before falling over. </p>
<p>The final coup de grace, so to speak, is by de-arming the track for recording and increasing your ASIO buffers. Although this gets rid of the crackling when playing back the track, it doesn't help if you are recording an instrument live as the delay will be horrendous and unworkable. </p>
<p>If you have read this far, thank you, your support is very much appreciated and I would very much like if you subscribed to the channel.</p>
<p> </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="FHxxOs9wIv8" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/FHxxOs9wIv8/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FHxxOs9wIv8?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="315" width="560" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>Adrian Earnshawtag:adrianearnshaw.com,2005:Post/65149322021-01-09T21:29:27+00:002021-01-09T21:29:27+00:00Hyperfocus - Book Recommendation<p style="text-align: justify;">Hello everyone, this blog post is something slightly different as we're going to talk about a book that I've been reading. It's called Hyperfocus - How to Work Less and Achieve More by Chris Bailey. This is a really good book, but what is it all about. As musicians, we like to be productive and get in the zone but our brains really do like to tell us to do other things and this book teaches you how to focus along with tricks and tips on how to actually keep the flow glowing.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The question is therefore how do we do that? In summary, the book suggests that we need to do is choose three important tasks that you want to get done at the beginning of the day. The best time to do that is just as you finish your day in the studio, take time to consider what you think are the three main things you need to get done the next day. It might be along the lines that you need to get that bass line sorted, that drum track you've been working on needs to be brought in time, You may also note that the vocals in your track need to be re-recorded. How to decide on these three items? It's the ones that create the most consequences if they don't get done.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The next day you focus on just completing those three tasks, regardless of what may come up during the day. What this book also suggests is to make a consequential list of other things you need to do. Turning this towards your music career you could brainstorm of what you need to do to progress your career, how to compose and what you need to do to get there. The idea of the list will help you prioritise what tasks you have written down that will advance your career, what you will gain the most from each one and, finally, what do you need to do to achieve that task.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">You can look at this way, is it essential to check your Facebook, not really. How about watching all those YouTube videos, again not really. That Netflix series that you want to binge-watch, will it advance your career or help you make more music, again not really. If you want to progress in your music career you're going to have to make sacrifices and unfortunately, Netflix is going to be one of them.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The next thing to address is the problem that we all have. No matter what you do your mind will wander from time to time. The best way to train your mind is to set a timer for every hour. When the alarm/chime goes just think to yourself where am I in this moment? If your mind has wandered, what caused it to wander? The hourly chime just brings you back into the moment, it also helps you to work out what your distraction was and get rid of it.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Sometimes you don't realise that you have gone on autopilot and diverted off to checking your e-mails or looking at that strange cat video on YouTube. Come on, we all look at cat videos at some point.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Aside from Hyperfocus, we can use Scatterfocus to enhance our creativity and productivity. Hang on, what is Scatterfocus? This is when you take the time out to actually think and let your mind wander. It helps you think outside the box and solve problems that you may be struggling with. Just keep the problem loosely in your mind and let it drift in your thoughts for 15 minutes or so. Don't do anything else, just let your mind wander and it's amazing what happens to solve that problem. I have actually tried this a few times and it has really helped me.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span class="font_large">Conclusion</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">I didn't realise how much time I actually spent looking and sorting through my social media, absolutely terrifying. They do say that as a creative, social media is key, but is it really? Spending hours on end drumming up support for your latest track. Just be mindful of what you are actually trying to achieve and what you really, really need to do. It is amazing that if you add all these bits of what you waste your time doing, the amount of free time you gain back for yourself is amazing. You can use this free time to redirect into your music, learning a new skill or towards reading. We'll get on to reading at a later date.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">So, I will close by saying go and check out the book Hyperfocus by Chris Bailey and happy composing.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="PrDRFFXkYDU" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/PrDRFFXkYDU/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PrDRFFXkYDU?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="315" width="560" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>Adrian Earnshawtag:adrianearnshaw.com,2005:Post/65122642021-01-02T21:26:40+00:002021-01-02T21:26:40+00:00Setting Goals for 2021<p style="text-align: justify;">Well, here we go with a whole new blank canvas to start with, Happy New Year. We've made it to the other side after 2020, which has been a terrible year for so many people in more ways than one. Hopefully, will be much, much, much better and I thought we'll do something a little different to kick this year off. What I am going to talk about is goals and how to measure how you've actually progressed in your music journey.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">I will try to keep things as short and to the point as possible, so one of the things I would suggest is that you go get a piece of paper and a pen. Now sit down and write where you think you are on your music journey right now, as of today. What are your abilities? What do you think requires more work. Once you've written those thoughts down, put it away in a draw but don't lose it because you will be referring to that later on.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">This time next year I want you to write about yourself again. What have you learned in the last year? Where are you now on your musical journey? How have you grown? What has been your successes and failures. Once you've done that, get out that piece of paper that you wrote this year and compare. I think you will be pleasantly surprised as to how far you've actually come. </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">If you start by setting meaningful goals, little goals, don't set out by saying "Oh, I want to be writing for film in one year", that's not going to happen unless you are extremely lucky. That type of goal is a long term one that you build towards gradually. What I want you to do is come up with a little goal, like releasing an album or successfully promoting a single. Again, you will be surprised how far you progress by setting little achievable goals. The key here is to make them achievable.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">This is a short article to give you a little boost at the beginning of this year and show you how to set out achievable goals and be self-accountable. If you want, you can actually do this exercise on a monthly basis. Write about yourself this month and then do the same next month, compare and contrast as to how you are progressing. You can then just grow and enjoy your journey.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">I've linked below a short YouTube video from which this blog post is made. If you enjoyed it, then head on over to my YouTube channel and subscribe as there is lots more to come. Better still, subscribe to the Newsletter and you will get notified when a new video is uploaded.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Take care, stay safe, and enjoy your musical journey.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="-cR8_jvRASc" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/-cR8_jvRASc/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-cR8_jvRASc?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="315" width="560" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p> </p>Adrian Earnshawtag:adrianearnshaw.com,2005:Post/65061202020-12-23T12:05:43+00:002020-12-23T12:05:43+00:00Oblivion Patch Library for Omnisphere by Tom Wolfe<p>I had the privilege of playing with Oblivion, a patch library for Omnisphere made by Tom Wolfe. This particular Tom Wolfe is neither the author nor the music supervisor, but he does create some stonking patch libraries for Omnisphere. These patch libraries provide expansive cinematic sounds for Omnisphere and are suitable for underscore and electronic music.</p>
<p>Oblivion provides you with 100 patches that have a haunting, hollow and unusual cinematic sci-fi feel. Coupled with the Oblivion library I set about creating this track for your listening pleasure.</p>
<p> </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="ZhJWctL3_LM" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/ZhJWctL3_LM/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZhJWctL3_LM?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="315" width="560" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>Adrian Earnshawtag:adrianearnshaw.com,2005:Post/64954052020-12-09T18:54:48+00:002022-04-04T21:17:17+01:00Heavyocity: Ascend Modern Grand - Sample Library<p>Before I being, this is just not any ordinary piano sample library, this is a Heavyocity sample library. If you haven't come across Heavyocity before, they have created a whole stable of sample libraries that are great for those hybrid scoring moments. I have looked at their Mosaic Voices and Mosaic Keys library previously and you can catch these on my YouTube channel.</p>
<p>This is time I take you for a spin through Heavyocity: Ascend Modern Grand, which uses a sampled Concert D captured in stunning detail. The piano has also been sampled whilst an e-bow is used to excite the strings. The library weighs in at a whopping 47.8GB uncompressed, but due to the way Kontakt compresses the samples it will use 23.3GB on your drive.</p>
<p>So, without further ado here's a tour of Ascend:-</p>
<p> </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="rxdS7-J3S0Q" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/rxdS7-J3S0Q/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rxdS7-J3S0Q?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="315" width="560" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p>Just to show how versatile this library can be, I composed an Ambient track. This is a strange one for me as normally I gravitate towards the minor key when composing ambient or electronic tracks. However, this time I have written this one in E Major and given it a completely different sound. So sit back and chill out to this meditative, cinematic soundscape made with Heavyocity Ascend:</p>
<p> </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="RTaf5UgwiMQ" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/RTaf5UgwiMQ/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RTaf5UgwiMQ?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="315" width="560" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p>If you enjoyed this overview of Heavyocity: Ascend, then please subscribe to the YouTube channel and sign up for the newsletter to keep in touch with the latest uploads, news, and reviews.</p>Adrian Earnshawtag:adrianearnshaw.com,2005:Post/64866392020-11-27T08:26:00+00:002020-11-27T08:27:55+00:00Spectrasonics Trilian Update<p>The other week Spectrasonics provided an update to their flagship bass synth, Trilian. This already was a great synth/rompler for creating deep earth-shaking bass sounds. The update brought with it 200 brand new sounds for us to play with, you also got an update to the Arp/Sequencer page. You can now have beautiful rolling sequences playing in Trilian with, almost, all the features of the Omnisphere engine. All this was provided as a free update.</p>
<p>Not to be left out, new sounds were created for Omnisphere using the updated sources from Trilian. This new library is called "Trilian Creative" and brings the power of these two synths together in one unit. You may notice that Trilian only provides for two sound sources compared to the four of Omnisphere. When you consider it, this seems a good choice as bass frequencies can easily muddy your mix and so the fewer sources you can play together, the clearer your overall production.</p>
<p>Enough waffling from me, I created a little video exploring these new features and taking you on a tour of how to just find the new patches. A little hint, just type 1.5 into the search bar within Trilian. Oh and don't forget that unique to Trilian is the macro page, which I briefly touch on in this video:-</p>
<p> </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="mWWH4tfYdXk" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/mWWH4tfYdXk/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mWWH4tfYdXk?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="315" width="560" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>Adrian Earnshawtag:adrianearnshaw.com,2005:Post/64823692020-11-20T21:17:08+00:002020-11-20T21:17:08+00:00News from the week 16th November 2020<p>If you missed this week's Twitter feed, here's the best news from the music front condensed into one post.</p>
<p>Developer Hagai Davidoff has released ZoneMatrix and turns Native Instruments Kontakt into ‘A Monstrous Performance Tool’ You can find out more in this video <a contents="https://youtu.be/SNscEA0hwQQ" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://youtu.be/SNscEA0hwQQ" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/SNscEA0hwQQ</a> and here <a contents="https://www.synthtopia.com/content/2020/11/11/zonematrix-turns-kontakt-into-a-monstrous-performance-tool/&nbsp;" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.synthtopia.com/content/2020/11/11/zonematrix-turns-kontakt-into-a-monstrous-performance-tool/" target="_blank">https://www.synthtopia.com/content/2020/11/11/zonematrix-turns-kontakt-into-a-monstrous-performance-tool/ </a></p>
<p>The Vector synthesizer – a digital hardware synthesizer produced in Prague, Czech Republic – has been updated to version 2.2 - <a contents="https://www.vectorsynth.com/" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.vectorsynth.com/" target="_blank">https://www.vectorsynth.com/</a> </p>
<p>Synthesizers.com has introduced the QCF22, a foldable, patch-and-go cabinet that’s designed for studio and live performance. Head on over here for more information - <a contents="https://shop.synthesizers.com/" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://shop.synthesizers.com/" target="_blank">https://shop.synthesizers.com/ </a></p>
<p>Ian Boddy has released a new album, Axiom (DiN64), that he says is inspired by the ‘Kosmische music’ of the ’70s. You can grab it from Bandcamp - <a contents="https://din.org.uk/album/axiom-din64" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://din.org.uk/album/axiom-din64" target="_blank">https://din.org.uk/album/axiom-din64</a> </p>
<p>Take a step back in time and look at the Roland System 100 - <a contents="https://www.attackmagazine.com/technique/hardware-focus/roland-system-100/" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.attackmagazine.com/technique/hardware-focus/roland-system-100/" target="_blank">https://www.attackmagazine.com/technique/hardware-focus/roland-system-100/</a> <br>this is and still remains such an iconic semi-modular synth. Lots of electronic music tracks were born from this synthesizer by Kraftwerk, Depeche Mode, Human League, Erasure, Vangelis, Tears for Fears, Hans Zimmer and Tangerine Dream.</p>
<p>Hainbach and Bram Bos have made the ultimate tape loop-style field looper for iOS, this is great for us more mobile musicians<br><a contents="https://cdm.link/2020/11/hainbach-and-bram-bos-made-the-ultimate-tape-loop-style-field-looper-for-ios/&nbsp;" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.attackmagazine.com/technique/hardware-focus/roland-system-100/" target="_blank">https://cdm.link/2020/11/hainbach-and-bram-bos-made-the-ultimate-tape-loop-style-field-looper-for-ios/ </a></p>
<p>Spectrasonics has sneaked in a huge update to Trilian their monster bass instrument. This is a huge update and you can hear the new features on this excellent video with free comedy and an awesome drummer. <a contents="https://youtu.be/lSOJSljBB6g" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://youtu.be/lSOJSljBB6g" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/lSOJSljBB6g</a> </p>
<p>We started Wednesday morning with some soothing vibes from Omri Cohen and Amy Naylor in this sketch for ModularSynth and Handpan <a contents="https://youtu.be/CbsRi7rXgeU&nbsp;" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://youtu.be/CbsRi7rXgeU" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/CbsRi7rXgeU </a></p>
<p>Following this smooth start to the day, we moved on to some insane moves on this modular jam with Simon Littauer <a contents="https://youtu.be/R3_UN0gKugc" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://youtu.be/R3_UN0gKugc" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/R3_UN0gKugc&nbsp;</a></p>
<p>This next track by Faux Tales brought things down a notch to a more chilled setting, really nice job and thanks for sharing <br><a contents="https://youtu.be/odt2yqoj1Ms&nbsp;" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://youtu.be/odt2yqoj1Ms" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/odt2yqoj1Ms </a></p>
<p>Robert Hood’s ‘Mirror Man’ album drops later this month on Rekids. Attack Magazine spoke with the Detroit techno legend about the role of techno as protest music and about making the machines bleed. <a contents="https://www.attackmagazine.com/features/interview/robert-hood-give-that-machine-a-heart/" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.attackmagazine.com/features/interview/robert-hood-give-that-machine-a-heart/" target="_blank">https://www.attackmagazine.com/features/interview/robert-hood-give-that-machine-a-heart/</a> </p>
<p>SoundtheoryLtd has announced its upcoming Black Friday Sale with a 35% discount on their Gullfoss audio equalizer plugin <a contents="https://www.soundtheory.com/home" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.soundtheory.com/home" target="_blank">https://www.soundtheory.com/home</a> </p>
<p>Cableguys FilterShaper Core 2 audio effect plugin on sale at 50% OFF over on plugin boutique. This is a great way to shape your sound and make it interesting - <a contents="https://www.pluginboutique.com/product/2-Effects/19-Filter/5700-FilterShaper-Core-2&nbsp;" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.pluginboutique.com/product/2-Effects/19-Filter/5700-FilterShaper-Core-2" target="_blank">https://www.pluginboutique.com/product/2-Effects/19-Filter/5700-FilterShaper-Core-2 </a></p>
<p>We wish Reason a Happy Birthday I remember the first time this software came to market, cannot believe that this was 20 years ago. Grab a goodie bag download from them here - <a contents="https://www.reasonstudios.com/blog/20-years-of-reason" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.reasonstudios.com/blog/20-years-of-reason" target="_blank">https://www.reasonstudios.com/blog/20-years-of-reason</a> </p>
<p>Save up to 50% on popular IKMultimedia software from now through to 4th January 2021. Go grab yourself some deals - <a contents="https://www.ikmultimedia.com/news/index.php?id=holideals2020pt2&nbsp;" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.ikmultimedia.com/news/index.php?id=holideals2020pt2" target="_blank">https://www.ikmultimedia.com/news/index.php?id=holideals2020pt2 </a></p>
<p>It's Soundtoys time for their Black Friday deal with some great discounts on their plugins. These are great for warping and morphing your sound, your classic go-to plugins - <a contents="https://www.soundtoys.com/&nbsp;" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.soundtoys.com/" target="_blank">https://www.soundtoys.com/ </a></p>
<p>Interesting new synth for Steinberg Halion by Miclop who introduce Mother Source is designed to create 130 different sounds from each preset. So 200 Presets =26000 possible sounds, that's an awful lot of sounds to check out. <a contents="https://www.miclop.com/&nbsp;" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.miclop.com/" target="_blank">https://www.miclop.com/ </a></p>
<p>Avid has introduced Pro Tools | Carbon a new audio interface that is a complete project studio solution that has immense capability. <a contents="https://www.avid.com/products/pro-tools-carbon" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.avid.com/products/pro-tools-carbon" target="_blank">https://www.avid.com/products/pro-tools-carbon</a> for more information </p>
<p>We round the week off with my little overview of the update to Trilian by Spectrasonics, bringing this up to version 1.5. There are some excellent new sounds from this update that we explore in this video - <a contents="https://youtu.be/mWWH4tfYdXk" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://youtu.be/mWWH4tfYdXk" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/mWWH4tfYdXk</a></p>Adrian Earnshawtag:adrianearnshaw.com,2005:Post/64775392020-11-14T10:30:27+00:002020-11-14T10:30:27+00:00News for the Week - 9 November 2020<p>The weeks keep flying by and we have another jam-packed week of news for you. So without further ado, we wave goodbye to some wires as Genki instruments introduce Wavefront and bring Bluetooth MIDI to your modular synthesizer - <a contents="https://youtu.be/OxGjLVSPjCE" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://youtu.be/OxGjLVSPjCE" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/OxGjLVSPjCE</a> at least it will cut down on some that spaghetti junction look, every little helps.</p>
<p>RobPapen has released Blade 2, which has a new Additive mode which allows you to mix between 4 additive waveforms using the XY Pas and lots more. <a contents="https://youtu.be/6fBhANIrAok&nbsp;" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://youtu.be/6fBhANIrAok" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/6fBhANIrAok&nbsp;</a> this is an impressive update to the original Blade synth and worth checking out.</p>
<p>Joranalogue introduced the Fold 6 Series/Parallel Wavefolder For Eurorack Modular Synthesizers for more information visit - https://joranalogue.com/products/fold-6 </p>
<p>Wide Blue Sound has introduced Elysium, a two-layer synth that they say is ‘designed for creating music infused with tonal rhythms, movement and unrivalled playability.” <a contents="https://www.widebluesound.com/&nbsp;" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.widebluesound.com/" target="_blank">https://www.widebluesound.com/ </a></p>
<p>Let's take a break from some news for a while and listen to some music by Lisa Bella Donna and have a relaxing start to the day - <a contents="https://youtu.be/_1wqJ4JG3vQ&nbsp;" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://youtu.be/_1wqJ4JG3vQ" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/_1wqJ4JG3vQ </a></p>
<p>Triple Spiral Audio in conjunction with Heartwood Soundware bring you Opal for U-he Diva - sounding good and a nice addition to this lovely VST <a contents="https://www.triplespiralaudio.com/product/heartwood-soundware-opal-for-diva/&nbsp;" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.triplespiralaudio.com/product/heartwood-soundware-opal-for-diva/" target="_blank">https://www.triplespiralaudio.com/product/heartwood-soundware-opal-for-diva/&nbsp;</a></p>
<p>3 Ways to create the infamous autotune vocal effect in Cubase - "Play" your voice LIVE on the keyboard! check out this video by Dom Sigalas - <a contents="https://youtu.be/U0QEKGIDDVE&nbsp;" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://youtu.be/U0QEKGIDDVE" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/U0QEKGIDDVE </a></p>
<p>Spotify announced their latest mad plan ‘Amplifying Artist' read more on this story here - <a contents="https://www.attackmagazine.com/features/columns/swimming-against-the-stream/" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.attackmagazine.com/features/columns/swimming-against-the-stream/" target="_blank">https://www.attackmagazine.com/features/columns/swimming-against-the-stream/</a> the rich get richer and us musicians get poorer. </p>
<p>Floyd Steinberg walks us through how he DIY built his own synthesizer with a Raspberry Pi, it is amazing what this little box can do. Nice one Floyd and thanks for sharing - <a contents="https://youtu.be/Aq9Bavd7OqY&nbsp;" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://youtu.be/Aq9Bavd7OqY" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/Aq9Bavd7OqY </a></p>
<p>AudioThing, in collaboration with German synthesist Hainbach, has introduced Wires, a new audio effect that emulates a 70’s Soviet wire recorder. For more information visit - <a contents="https://www.audiothing.net/effects/wires/" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.audiothing.net/effects/wires/" target="_blank">https://www.audiothing.net/effects/wires/</a> </p>
<p>FACT magazine captures a live modular jam by Hélène Vogelsinger‘ that took place in an abandoned French castle. Sounds fantastic, thank you for sharing guys 👍 <br><a contents="https://youtu.be/kYxheEGl2oM&nbsp;" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://youtu.be/kYxheEGl2oM" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/kYxheEGl2oM </a></p>
<p>Korg has introduced the Nautilus keyboard workstation, which is a more affordable version of their flagship Kronos keyboard. The Nautilus features 9 different synth engines and a variety of new sounds </p>
<p>Oblivion Sound Lab has announced the release of Hex Drum, a virtual instrument inspired by synth drum machines of the 1980s, in particular, the Simmons SDS series with its distinctive hexagonal drum pads, from which the plugin takes its name <a contents="https://oblivionsoundlab.com/product/hex-drum/" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://oblivionsoundlab.com/product/hex-drum/" target="_blank">https://oblivionsoundlab.com/product/hex-drum/</a> </p>
<p>Another music pitstop. This is fascinating to watch as each note has it's own shape on the oscilloscope - <a contents="https://youtu.be/lm5PRezUKFk" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://youtu.be/lm5PRezUKFk" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/lm5PRezUKFk</a> it's one of those hypnotic displays you can't take your eyes off. </p>
<p>Ableton has announced version 11 of the popular music creation and performance software, LIVE. You can get an overview of the update here - <a contents="https://www.ableton.com/en/live/&nbsp;" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.ableton.com/en/live/" target="_blank">https://www.ableton.com/en/live/ </a></p>
<p>Developer Brian Clevinger of Absynth fame has released a demo version of his new software synth, Plasmonic. For more details head on over to - <a contents="https://rhizomatic.fr/index.php/plasmonic/" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://rhizomatic.fr/index.php/plasmonic/" target="_blank">https://rhizomatic.fr/index.php/plasmonic/</a> </p>
<p>Sonicstate put the Udo Audio Polysynth Super 6 under the microscope. Check out the review here - <a contents="https://youtu.be/UyGZk98_I3c" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://youtu.be/UyGZk98_I3c" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/UyGZk98_I3c</a> </p>
<p>Korg has officially announced its Opsix reimagined six-operator FM synthesizer. More information on Korg's website here - <a contents="https://www.korg.com/us/products/synthesizers/opsix/" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.korg.com/us/products/synthesizers/opsix/" target="_blank">https://www.korg.com/us/products/synthesizers/opsix/</a> </p>
<p>Apple has introduced the first MacOS computers featuring its internally-developed M1 processor, the new MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Pro, and Mac mini - <a contents="https://www.apple.com/&nbsp;" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.apple.com/" target="_blank">https://www.apple.com/ </a></p>
<p>We finish the week off with one of my compositions. The Cosmic Perspective is a track using just the patches from the library Realm of Omnisphere II. The only addition not part of this library are the drums <a contents="https://youtu.be/tG3kBwW6CXI" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://youtu.be/tG3kBwW6CXI" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/tG3kBwW6CXI</a></p>Adrian Earnshawtag:adrianearnshaw.com,2005:Post/64716012020-11-06T18:56:14+00:002020-11-06T18:56:14+00:00News from the week - 2 November 2020<p>We have had another busy news week. To keep up to date follow me on <a contents="Twitter" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://twitter.com/EarnshawMusic#" target="_blank">Twitter</a> and never miss a beat. </p>
<p>First up we had Modal Electronics who announced a new virtual analogue waveform synth Cobalt. Head on over to - <a contents="https://www.modalelectronics.com/cobalt8/" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.modalelectronics.com/cobalt8/" target="_blank">https://www.modalelectronics.com/cobalt8/</a> for more information. </p>
<p>Moog has re-introduced the Werkstatt-01 Analog Synthesizer Kit and CV Expander, a portable patchable synthesizer, with as a bundle for $199. You can find more details over on Synthopia - <a contents="https://www.synthtopia.com/content/2020/10/29/moog-werkstatt-01-synthesizer-back-with-199-price/&nbsp;" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.synthtopia.com/content/2020/10/29/moog-werkstatt-01-synthesizer-back-with-199-price/" target="_blank">https://www.synthtopia.com/content/2020/10/29/moog-werkstatt-01-synthesizer-back-with-199-price/ </a></p>
<p>Sinevibes introduced Albedo, a new granular cloud reverb for MacOS that lets you manipulate live audio like tape or a turntable. <a contents="https://www.sinevibes.com/albedo/&nbsp;" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.sinevibes.com/albedo/" target="_blank">https://www.sinevibes.com/albedo/ </a></p>
<p>We then took a little pit stop and checked on my background and what drove me into Electronic Music. Here's a quick background about the people that influenced my music education and what started me on the journey - <a contents="https://adrianearnshaw.com/blog/blog/influences" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://adrianearnshaw.com/blog/blog/influences" target="_blank">https://adrianearnshaw.com/blog/blog/influences</a> </p>
<p>Steinberg released VST Connect 5, which is perfect for those remote sessions in these very uncertain times. Even more so now Lockdown 2 has been announced this week in the UK - <a contents="https://new.steinberg.net/vst-connect/new-features/&nbsp;" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://new.steinberg.net/vst-connect/new-features/">https://new.steinberg.net/vst-connect/new-features/ </a></p>
<p>Matt Bowdler of The Unfinished released the patch library Nordsund II for Zebra 2 and Zebra HZ. If you don't already know, this guys sound design is top-notch so check it out:- <a contents="https://www.theunfinished.co.uk/shop/zebra-nordsund-ii-bundle/&nbsp;" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.theunfinished.co.uk/shop/zebra-nordsund-ii-bundle/">https://www.theunfinished.co.uk/shop/zebra-nordsund-ii-bundle/ </a></p>
<p>A new Spitfire Audio originals library is out - Firewood Piano - This is a detailed upright piano, with a cracked bridge, creating unique resonances. <a contents="https://www.spitfireaudio.com/originals/#firewood-piano&nbsp;" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.spitfireaudio.com/originals/#firewood-piano" target="_blank">https://www.spitfireaudio.com/originals/#firewood-piano </a></p>
<p>Interested in FL Studio? Then why not take a quick tour of every effect that Image Line’s FL Studio has to offer - <br><a contents="https://youtu.be/RVN_qRF67E8&nbsp;" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://youtu.be/RVN_qRF67E8">https://youtu.be/RVN_qRF67E8 </a></p>
<p>I then came across something really epic for you synth-heads that is worth a listen - <a contents="https://youtu.be/S4mZq-0ClVE" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://youtu.be/S4mZq-0ClVE">https://youtu.be/S4mZq-0ClVE</a> the old silent movie Nosferatu has been given an all analogue synth soundtrack. This is truly a project of passion for music. </p>
<p>We then head on over to France where the guys over at <a contents="https://norand.io/ " data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://norand.io/" target="_blank">https://norand.io/ </a>have launched their new synthesizer. This ain't cheap but has a really deep sound as this video shows - <a contents="https://youtu.be/u56TKtbfjI4&nbsp;" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://youtu.be/u56TKtbfjI4" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/u56TKtbfjI4 </a></p>
<p>After a quick visit to France, we hot-footed it over to Ukraine and visited the studio of Fedor Tkachev for a cinematic modular synth session - <a contents="https://youtu.be/_BKlCgAS1o4&nbsp;" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://youtu.be/_BKlCgAS1o4" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/_BKlCgAS1o4 </a></p>
<p>Cherry Audio launched the CA2600, which is an emulation of the classic ARP 2600 synthesizer - <a contents="https://youtu.be/ZZkn9srj-r4" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://youtu.be/ZZkn9srj-r4" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/ZZkn9srj-r4</a> and more information here - <a contents="https://cherryaudio.com/instruments/ca2600&nbsp;" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://cherryaudio.com/instruments/ca2600" target="_blank">https://cherryaudio.com/instruments/ca2600 </a></p>
<p>I came across a really useful tutorial from Attack Magazine in which they look at three techniques that will ensure your wide mixes still sound good when collapsed to mono. It's always worth checking that your mixes work in both mono and stereo. Think of all the smart speakers that people are listening to their music on these days. <a contents="https://www.attackmagazine.com/technique/tutorials/mono-safe-stereo-width/&nbsp;" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.attackmagazine.com/technique/tutorials/mono-safe-stereo-width/" target="_blank">https://www.attackmagazine.com/technique/tutorials/mono-safe-stereo-width/ </a></p>
<p>We now step into the money pit world of modular synthesis. Ritual Electronics has released three new 1 unit rack modules. The modules are designed to be compatible with Eurorack modules but in a more compact format <br><a contents="https://www.ritualelectronics.com/&nbsp;" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.ritualelectronics.com/" target="_blank">https://www.ritualelectronics.com/ </a></p>
<p>After more than a year of work, developers have released OpenDeck firmware v5, a major update to the open-source platform for creating custom MIDI controllers. This is a Github project and can be found here - <a contents="https://github.com/paradajz/OpenDeck&nbsp;" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://github.com/paradajz/OpenDeck" target="_blank">https://github.com/paradajz/OpenDeck </a></p>
<p>We had a great deal in place over at Plugin Boutique who launched an exclusive sale on the AudioThing Kontakt Bundle, offering a massive 70% off - <a contents="https://www.pluginboutique.com/product/1-Instruments/55-Kontakt-Instrument/3428-AudioThing-Kontakt-Bundle" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.pluginboutique.com/product/1-Instruments/55-Kontakt-Instrument/3428-AudioThing-Kontakt-Bundle" target="_blank">https://www.pluginboutique.com/product/1-Instruments/55-Kontakt-Instrument/3428-AudioThing-Kontakt-Bundle</a> for more details. </p>
<p>This is a nice little #app -<a contents="https://www.therecordingsetupapp.com/" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.therecordingsetupapp.com/" target="_blank">https://www.therecordingsetupapp.com/</a> - The Recording Setup App helps you plan, setup and archive recording sessions. So you can plan your recording session ahead of time in a clear and effective manner. </p>
<p>Towards the end of this week, we took a quick spin through the patch library Realm of Omnisphere II by CL-Projects <a contents="https://youtu.be/99jEFrpy0BY" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://youtu.be/99jEFrpy0BY" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/99jEFrpy0BY</a> This patch library is heavily influenced by the style of Jean Michel Jarre, Tangerine Dream and Vangelis. It channels that vintage vibe with a touch of Berlin School thrown in. </p>
<p>For those that have listened to my music, you will immediately know that this library is right in my wheelhouse. As a big fan of these three artists and style of music, patches from this library get used in my music quite a lot. </p>
<p>Next week we will have a demo track using just the sounds from this library. </p>
<p>To close the week off we took a trip over to Spotify to check out Crimson Dynamo -<a contents=" https://open.spotify.com/album/5u6y4Nhi0hEyDkAHodCSuX" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://open.spotify.com/album/5u6y4Nhi0hEyDkAHodCSuX" target="_blank"> https://open.spotify.com/album/5u6y4Nhi0hEyDkAHodCSuX</a> on of my new tracks. This is a light track with some trance melodic elements for your listening pleasure. </p>
<p>We then round the week off with another track that was released at the end of last month - <a contents="https://open.spotify.com/album/48kwplAFBVmL34x7SYlzTv" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://open.spotify.com/album/48kwplAFBVmL34x7SYlzTv" target="_blank">https://open.spotify.com/album/48kwplAFBVmL34x7SYlzTv</a> </p>
<p>All the tracks you can hear are available to purchase in the <a contents="store on this website" data-link-label="Store" data-link-type="page" href="/store" target="_blank">store on this website</a>. Your support is truly welcomed.</p>
<p>If you enjoyed this new format of rounding up the news from the week let me know in the comments below. </p>
<p>Until next week you have yourselves a great weekend.</p>Adrian Earnshawtag:adrianearnshaw.com,2005:Post/64669932020-10-30T21:52:34+00:002020-10-30T21:52:34+00:00Midi to Audio<p><span class="font_regular">This is something that I wish I had learned right at the beginning of my music-making career. Do you, or should you, bounce or convert your midi tracks to audio? It can be said that a project is not truly finished until you have bounced all the parts to audio, backed those audio files up and stored them in a safe place. </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">The reason to bounce all those MIDI parts to audio is for the purposes of redundancy. What happens if you wish to revisit the project only to find that one of the synthesizers you used no longer works or the latest operating system update has made your soft synth unusable (Apple Mac updates anyone). Remember how the Apple <insert the version here> update that made many software synthesizers unusable for a period of time? </span></p>
<h3><strong><span class="font_regular">History Lesson </span></strong></h3>
<p><span class="font_regular">This post is a short lesson on reality and ensuring you have properly future-proofed your project. If we rewind back to the 90's I had just created my first ever electronic music track. I called it 'Vocal Strings of Mars' and it was created using my Korg Triton Rack, which I still have to this day. I created the whole track in MIDI, mixed it and exported the completed track as an mp3 file. </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">The track was very basic but I was thrilled, as it was the first-ever electronic music track I had written. </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">Let us fast forward 20 years and I wanted to revisit the track and rework it into a more modern-day piece. The problem was, the piece of software I used to create it no longer existed, hadn't been updated in years and would no longer load using modern-day operating systems. </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">As I had no audio stems, I could not edit the track without recording each part over again. Although the melody was simple enough to recreate, the actual vibe and sound were missing as I had tweaked some of the patches inside the Triton. If only I had bounced each track to audio and created stems (facepalm moment). </span></p>
<h3><strong><span class="font_regular">Light Bulb Moment </span></strong></h3>
<p><span class="font_regular">It was from this moment that I started to bounce all my projects to individual stems before mixing. My process is now to write the track, bounce any midi tracks to audio and then mix. </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">Only once I have committed my stems to audio do I start mixing, gentle mastering and adding the fairy dust. I would recommend that you look at following a similar process if only to preserve your sanity when, in years to come, the software you used to create your track no longer works. </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">What was your light bulb moment, post in the comments below so we can learn from each other's mistakes and discoveries?</span></p>Adrian Earnshawtag:adrianearnshaw.com,2005:Post/64621442020-10-23T21:34:34+01:002020-10-23T21:37:14+01:00Influences<p><span class="font_regular">As a child, my parents were forever playing classical music alongside the classics from the 50s/60s and is probably why I never got into mainstream pop growing up. It wasn’t until around the early 80s that synthesizer music first crept into my psyche. This was due to the hype being created by Jean-Michel-Jarre and his huge outdoor concerts. I remember seeing the news reports from 1986 when he brought downtown Houston to an absolute standstill with his outdoor concert. </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">I also remember sitting at the back of my local church listening to the organist play. It was at this stage that I started to become very interested in learning to play a keyboard instrument. However, it was not until the age of 11 that I received my first Casio keyboard. It only had 6 instruments selected by a slide, coupled with about the same number of rhythm drum tracks. I still have this keyboard, stored in the loft, as a memory of how things all started. </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">"However, it was not until the age of 11 that I received my first Casio keyboard. It only had 6 instruments selected by a slide, coupled with about the same number of rhythm drum tracks." </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">Sadly the organist never knew that he was the one who created that first spark inside a young boy to play. In August 1998 I got to live out one of my aspirations, to play the organ that I had once heard as a young boy. Some twenty years later I am still the organist at that church and I can put this one down to the fine gentleman, Mr Bill Caulfield, that created the spark as being my first true musical influence. </span></p>
<h3><span class="font_regular">Interests in Synthesizers </span></h3>
<p><span class="font_regular">This is a funny one really as aside from listening to Jean-Michel-Jarre I am not sure what made me want to listen to more of this style of music. I do, however, remember a friend of my brother who suggested I check out Tangerine Dream. I picked up a couple of records from the local store, Le Parc was one of them, and that was me set on a massive love affair with the synthesizer and electronic music. </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/520383/944c72c3b3e7a7584ef1e52a67f4e62ac52226ec/original/img-20190525-170901-1.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_left border_none" alt="" />This experience also sparked my interest in composing my own electronic music. For those of you who have heard any of Tangerine Dream’s tracks from the 70s and 80s will clearly hear the influence that they have had on my music. It was those driving bass line sequences and arpeggiated counter melodies that hooked me into the Berlin School of music. </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">This experience also sparked my interest in composing my own electronic music. For those of you who have heard any of Tangerine Dream’s tracks from the 70s and 80s will clearly hear the influence that they have had on my music. It was those driving bass line sequences and arpeggiated counter melodies that hooked me into the Berlin School of music. </span></p>
<h3><span class="font_regular">Education </span></h3>
<p><span class="font_regular">For many years I took no formal lessons and went down the self-teaching route to play the piano and latterly the pipe organ. It was not until the mid-2000’s that I took my first formal lessons on how to play the piano and learn theory up to post-graduate level. This was thanks to a retired army bandmaster John Gibson who opened my eyes on the art of composition, harmony and how to flesh out ideas when none seem to be around. I look back on those lessons quite fondly and they still continue to give me inspiration to this day. Those theory lessons have been invaluable in allowing me to understand written sheet music and also compose pieces for the choir where I play the organ. They have also got me out of a few tight spots when deadlines have been looming and the sheet of music paper is still blankly back at me. </span></p>
<h3><span class="font_regular">Summing up </span></h3>
<p><span class="font_regular">Well, that’s a brief a tour of what first started the music journey for me and the main characters who influenced where I am today. If I didn’t cross paths with these people I very much doubt I would be where I am today musically speaking. </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">Who first influenced you musically and how did it impact on your journey?</span></p>Adrian Earnshawtag:adrianearnshaw.com,2005:Post/64823722020-10-13T21:30:00+01:002020-11-20T21:27:48+00:00The Art of Rebranding<p>Those that have been following my journey over the last couple of years have to come to know me as Biodiode. I rarely posted photographs of myself and, until recently, never appeared in my YouTube tutorial videos. Rebranding has, therefore, been a long thought out process but not without some stumbling blocks that I have had to overcome. </p>
<h3>Why Rebrand? </h3>
<p>I like composing music, a lot, and also enjoy working with media companies and helping others develop their projects. The name Biodiode, however, started to become a little bit of an issue. For starters, clients did not know quite who they were dealing with, was it an individual, a company or an alien from outer space? Okay, maybe not that last one, but you get a general idea. There were also issues with how to spell my name when it was spoken to them. I had friends and colleagues calling me biodude (you know who you are), bidide e.t.c. Talk about an identity crisis. </p>
<p>Other problems included giving people my e-mail address. Not over privacy concerns, but the fact people had difficulty in spelling biodiode@biodiode.com. At first, I thought nothing of it, but the more this went on, the more I thought there was a problem. </p>
<h3>Issues of Rebranding? </h3>
<p>There have been some issues with rebranding. The first was to ensure my actual given birth name had not been used by someone else. This was fairly easy to do using a website called namechk.com. This is a really useful website. Just insert the name you wish to use and it will search all social media accounts and domain names to see if it is available. If it is taken, you can then play around until you come up with a name that is available. </p>
<p>I was very lucky and fortunate to find that my given birth name was available for the vast majority of platforms. The important part was getting hold of a .com domain name using my given birth name. </p>
<p>Naturally, the vast majority of social media platforms had already been taken, but I was not too interested in being called Adrian Earnshaw. This is because it didn't say what I actually did. Therefore, for social media, I use the name of Adrian Earnshaw Music or Earnshaw Music if the number of characters is restricted. This not only gives people your name but also an idea of what you actually do and what stories you will be posting to your socials. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/520383/e14824b312f30bd1bb1a734b0f4570a567130d1e/original/img-20190525-201806-1.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>The obstacle I need to get over now was Facebook. That has been a right royal pain, considering Instagram was a breeze - go figure. The problem with Facebook is when you change your name wholesale from Biodiode - Electronic Music to Adrian Earnshaw Music, they see this as deception and block the name change. I have sent in an appeal but I am not holding my breath on that one. </p>
<p>After much delay, I decided to close the old page and set up a brand new one after notifying my existing followers that I had moved. This worked nicely and I didn't lose any followers. </p>
<h3>Has it been worth it? </h3>
<p>This is still too early to tell just yet. However, let me answer the question with another question. Would you entrust your new project to someone using a name that sounds alien (Biodiode) or from someone who uses their given birth name? I know what I would choose given the option. </p>
<p>It has only been a couple of months since the whole rebrand started. However, the number of followers on my social media channels has increased. Normally, I get say 5 - 10 additional followers on Twitter daily. After one day I can more than double that number and I have not done anything different in my approach to social media. </p>
<p>You see the whole thing is about relating to an individual. If you don't know what they look like or have never seen behind the scenes, there is little trust in the brand. After all, this is human nature. </p>
<p>I am considering whether to design a new logo or let my face be the identity for this new brand. What do you think? leave a comment below as to your thoughts. </p>
<h3>Follow up </h3>
<p>I will be doing a follow-up article in the next few months to let you all know how it has gone. </p>
<p>In the meantime, I look forward to working with you and until next time happy music-making.</p>Adrian Earnshaw