KVR Audio

kidgloves2 · Post by **kidgloves2** » Tue Aug 31, 2004 5:02 am

I found a magazine called Electronic Musician and it seems pretty good. Are there any other good ones?

Lunch Money · Post by **Lunch Money** » Tue Aug 31, 2004 5:25 am

Electronic Musician is cool. Computer Music is a good one, but as a U.K. mag it'll cost extra abroad. Ditto for Future Music, which extends its coverage a bit outside of strictly 'computer' realms, but still relates to computers a lot.

One of the main mags people tend to read is Sound On Sound (SOS), but it's not strictly for computers. Computers are only one of the many areas that they cover.

Music Tech is... okay... and they've had some great cover-discs in the past (MicroTera!), but not so much lately. Their included samples are usually a mixed bag from commercial websites, which is good in order to see what's out there, but which is bad if you want to use them to create a completed song.

There's Digital Music Maker, which has some great tutorials but which hasn't really won me over yet.

I'm sure there's more, but that's what I can think of off the top of my head.

Greg

kidgloves2 · Post by **kidgloves2** » Tue Aug 31, 2004 5:55 am

Thanks for the info. I'll check out Sound on Sound.

I saw the UK's Computer Music mag in Barnes and Nobles and it was like $14. Maybe I should pick it up anyway.

Thanks again.

Lunch Money · Post by **Lunch Money** » Tue Aug 31, 2004 6:18 am

Everyone who in interested in free plugins should buy Computer Music at least once. Every month, even if it's not "advertised" on the cover, the disc includes the "CM Studio" which is a bundle of software including some -excellent- free VST plugins, as well as the CMuzys sequencer which some seem to like.

Greg

Equilibrium · Post by **Equilibrium** » Tue Aug 31, 2004 10:37 am

My view is it's between Computer Music and SOS. SOS tends to be hardware based and for those who are into the taking things down to the atomic level. Computer Music is much more software based and IMO a fair bit easier to understand.

I find SOS dull, but that is just me, it all depends on what you want. Buy both and you will know which you need and prefer instantly.

they also both have websites

http://www.computermusic.co.uk/main.asp

http://www.soundonsound.com/

vurt · Post by **vurt** » Tue Aug 31, 2004 10:58 am

for a beginner especially i would recommend computer music,it tells it in plain language and helps you understand a little more,also the disc as LM said is packed with the comp music plugins

which while being free are pretty darn good at what they do.plus a bucket load of samples most months for choppin n playin with

so yeah at least once

ost12666 · Post by **ost12666** » Tue Aug 31, 2004 11:12 am

I used to buy FM, CM and others based on content, usually when I was visiting the US. After sometime I understood that computer music is the best for me for free stuff, tutorials, focus on computers and interesting articles. I have a friend who brings me a copy each month now from London so the price is also good...

theshaggyfreak · Post by **theshaggyfreak** » Tue Aug 31, 2004 11:14 am

Tape Op is one that I read every month, and it's free! You just sign up on their website at http://www.tapeop.com and you get 6 issues a year. It's one of the few magazines that I read cover to cover, and you can't beat free.

cptgone · Post by **cptgone** » Tue Aug 31, 2004 11:21 am

theshaggyfreak wrote:Tape Op is one that I read every month, and it's free! You just sign up on their website at http://www.tapeop.com and you get 6 issues a year. It's one of the few magazines that I read cover to cover, and you can't beat free.

Alas, it isn't free outside the USA...

cptgone · Post by **cptgone** » Tue Aug 31, 2004 11:30 am

I like Future Music best.

Their gear reviews include different marks for ease of use / sound / value etc., not just one mark as in CM, or text only as in SoS.

And there's also an overview of the alternatives with a short description.

OTOH, it's aimed at hardware users to some extent.

Oh, and you can read SoS for free online, if you're patient enough to wait 6 months that is.

headquest · Post by **headquest** » Tue Aug 31, 2004 11:46 am

Personally I agree with those who have already said Computer Music is the best.

Sound on Sound is also excellent, and all their articles are free on their web site after 6 months, which is a top resource

Music Tech magazine is also good, although the reviews can be a bit superficial.

Future Music I personally dislike. I find the reviews unbalanced, and advice often not right - but perhaps I have been unlucky with it. I don;t like the look or feel of the mag either, or the cover disks! But I know plenty of people do like it.

Digital Music Mag has not impressed me one bit either. The tutorials seem to make basic tasks seem complicated! They had a whole issue about choosing a sequencer which didn't even mention Tracktion, let alone eXT, Podium, et.al. The magazine seems pretty backward looking in general (tutorials alomost all Cubase, Reason, Acid and occasional Sonar).

So I've dealt with them in order of personal preference ranging from Computer Music straight in at No.1, down to DMM sitting in the corner with a bucket on its head...

KoobaRadio · Post by **KoobaRadio** » Tue Aug 31, 2004 11:59 am

I read all three - Sound on Sound I have a subscription too and Future Music and Computer Music I buy to read on the train.

Computer Music lasts me the trip home - if I'm lucky. It seems to be aimed fairly at the newbie to me. the cover disc does have good freebies and demos.

Future Music lasts two train rides and of the two I prefer it.

However Sound on Sound is my favourite - although I miss the Synth Secrets section which was really useful.

I'd trust views in SoS far more than either of the other two magazines, and then take FM over CM.

dreibel · Post by **dreibel** » Tue Aug 31, 2004 12:18 pm

many of the music mags have something good in them, especially when you're first getting started with home recording.

I remember buying CM every month when I first got going and it helped, especially the VSTis they included on the CD. Though not perfect, they certainly helped me experiment with sound when I was too skint to buy any commercial ones. (I'm still using SR-202).

I loved EM in their earlier days when Craig Anderton was editor and they had all sorts of projects to build (like making a workstation stand using PVC pipe, or making your own distortion or preamp boxes). They've gone more towards reviewing things and the professional, but their articles are still good for a read without going too far over your head. (as a nice touch, they provide articles from their current issue on their web site about a few weeks after the issue hits the stands, so you can get an idea of the flavour of their articles before you buy a hard copy).

I've bought a few copies of Music Tech this summer, and think I got my value for money from them, some articles got me thinking and I love the Abbey Road tack piano I got on one of their CDs.

These days I'm more choosy on which issue of a magazine to buy, depending if I can make use of the articles or the stuff offered on the CD - after a while it seems you're getting the same info over and over again. In fact, the only mag I've bought monthly on an ongoing basis for years has been Guitar Player (and they do the occasional review of a sequencer or workstation).

SparkySpark · Post by **SparkySpark** » Tue Aug 31, 2004 12:50 pm

Hi,

As being a former employee of a music software company, I used to subscribe to about ten magasines. I agree with the ones saying that Computer Music is good, and I'm a bit surprised that noboby mentions Keyboard (which used to be the biggest magasine a decade ago). However, my heart rests with Electronic Musician, which I've been subscribing to since 1989. Why? Because the blokes at EM know what they are doing.

I can't say every single one of their features are of interest to me, but IMHO it's truly the most impressive music technology magasine out there. It's also worth looking at because of the ads, as EM is so important to the music technology industry.

I subscribe to it in Europe and it's still cheaper than most European magasines (plus I get it WEEKS before the stores do). So do yourself a favor and subscribe to EM!

/SparkySpark

Mephit Blue · Post by **Mephit Blue** » Tue Aug 31, 2004 1:03 pm

I will add another vote for Computer Music. It comes with some good free VSTs and some decent samples every month.

I find the tutorials helpful as well. While not new to music, I am fairly new to using the computer as part of the creation process. There Reason and FL tutorials have helped learn some new tricks in both of these packages.

What are the best magazines for computer music?