Making Music
  Computer Music Software and Hardware

There are several edit sections which will be familiar to most synth and sampler users, plus one or two not-so-common features. For example, the Instrument section contains a fascinating Microtuning section with almost 20 alternative tunings including Bagpipe, Ragga and Thailand. other controls here include an adjustable velocity curve and glide.

The Filter offers 1-, 2- and 4-pole low pass filters, high pass, band pass and band reject. The cutoff and resonance controls change a graphic of the filter curve so you can see how changes are going to affect the sound.

The Modulation section includes an ADSR (Attack, Decay, Sustain and Release) envelope generator, also with a graphic display. A Curve button lets you adjust the Attack stage from a slow swoop to a more immediate start.

The effects section includes Reverb, Chorus, Delay and a Master Filter. The controls are minimal but effective - sorry! - and very easy to use. Each effect has a few presets to chose from but you can't create your own. The Master Filter is applied to the entire signal up to that point and can be set to low pass, high pass, band pass or EQ. Settings are made by dragging nodes around the filter curve.

Full of Boddy

The samples were created by veteran synthesist and electro musician Ian Boddy who has released over 20 albums and who has probably performed more live concerts that any other electronic musician; over 70 at the last count. Ian's style makes much use of textures and he's a past master at analogue synthesis and wringing the last ounce of credibility out a sample.

The sounds are divided into eight categories - Atmospheres, Drones, FX, Harmonic Loops, Industrial, Pads & Synths, Virtual Synths, and Voices - each with several sub-categories. With well over 300 sounds there's not room to list them all but a full list is on the Zero G website.

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