Future Music delivers the technique and technology behind the hits. Packed with inspiration for today’s modern musician there’s reviews of hot new gear, tons of tutorials to help you get the most out of your hardware and software, and exclusive In The Studio features where the stars take apart their tracks.

Still spinnin’

Future Music

IN THE ARCHIVE – UPDATED! • FM’s Sample Archive gives you over 18GB of carefully-curated, royalty-free sounds to use in your music. Here’s what’s inside...

Hands-on with Ableton Live 11 • The latest update to Ableton’s world-conquering DAW adds creative effects, MPE control, improved MIDI clips and a lot more besides

LIVE PERFORMER

The Future Of Music

“There’s no rulebook for me when I’m in the studio” Amirali

YOUR EAR IS KEY

CLASSIC ALBUM

In the studio with Will Holland

LIKE IT? TRY THESE…

Generate new musical ideas in Ableton Live • PROBLEM: How do I break away from using sampled drum sounds and create my own, more unique drums?

ALBUM REVIEWS

THE VINYL ISSUE • Vinyl has made a mainstream comeback in recent years, but in the dance music realm it never really went away. Whether as a format for releasing your tracks, a part of your DJ setup, or a ready source of sample material, there’s a good chance vinyl records will play a role somewhere in your music making. Whether you’re a vinyl purist or not, it’s worth understanding the appeal, peculiarities and specifics of vinyl records.

VINYL MASTERS • Mixing and mastering a track for vinyl release can involve additional considerations and mastering decisions. Let’s examine the basics...

Vinyl sampling: What’s the best approach?

“In your hand is a sculpture that plays sound” • Octo Octa & Eris Drew on vinyl DJing and staying creative under lockdown

THE TABLES HAVE TURNED…

“The craft of how to properly cut a vinyl record has been forgotten” • Berghain resident Fiedel on creating the perfect vinyl DJ tool

Ela Minus • Ela Minus’s debut is inspired by creating simple human interactions with technology. Danny Turner dissects her minimalist approach

ELA’S GO-TO GEAR

THE TRACK

Making The Relic’s Reeses using Ableton Live • Travis makes a resampled Reese in its own dedicated project, before importing it into the track proper

DIY MODULAR SKIFF • Modular maven Rob Redman guides us in the art of planning and building your own Eurorack enclosure

Planning your modules

Rails and end panels

Measure twice, cut once

Top and bottom

Building a box

Power to the people

Wire it all up

THREE OF THE BEST

Getting it all together and making noise!

Breaks • A genre, a technique and a way of life: from ’70s New York roots to today, breakbeats have shaped music culture

Breakbeats: the evolution of sampler technology

Piezo • Milan-based Luca Mucci’s (aka Piezo) debut album pulsates with innovative sound design. Danny Turner reveals his battle to tame the ‘nerd tendency’

Roland TR-6S £350 • The TR-8S gets a pint-sized little sibling but, as Si Truss discovers, there’s more to this compact beatmaker than first meets the eye…

THE ALTERNATIVES

TR-6S vs MC-101

Pioneer DJ CDJ-3000 £2,169 • With the competition for DJs’ hearts and wallets hotting up, Leon Bailey asks if the CDJ-3000 keeps Pioneer ahead of the game...

THE PROS & CONS

THE ALTERNATIVES

KEY SYNC

L-1 Quad VCA and L-1 Tube VCA £250

FREE FILTERS • Get your fill with these five fabulous filters that have had the price tags cut off

Klevgrand Skaka $50 • The Swedish developers’ latest specialises in complex hand percussion...