Next Step Audio

What do Bach, Stravinsky, and Trifonic have in common?

They all employ the technique of counterpoint to create kick-ass melodies and harmonies in their music.

In the video, Brian demonstrates how counterpoint works using examples from the Trifonic remix of Hecq’s With Angels.

This is a bit of a departure from our normal tutorial format, but Brian recently sat down with our good friend Laura Escudé of Electronic Creatives to discuss the upcoming Trifonic EP (tentatively titled “City of Refuge”), his thoughts on the production and creative process, and the future of hi-hats (or lack thereof), among other things.

Parts 1, 2, and 3 of the interview are below.

Building on some previous posts on FM synthesis (Pt. 1, Pt. 2, and Pt. 3), in this video Brian demonstrates how to use the Morph Square feature in FM8 to generate dynamic, rocking lead sounds.

Best of all, you can download the patch that Brian uses in the video below.

Also, if you like the drum sounds in the video, you can find the Wave Alchemy Drum Tools sample pack from whence they came here.

Great sounds in electronic music often do not stem from one killer source. Rather, they result from blending many small elements into what becomes a singular sound.

In this video, Brian demonstrates how Trifonic applies a “call and response” layering technique to create bass lines using multiple bass tracks.

P.S. The music you hear in the video is from Trifonic’s remix of Hecq’s forthcoming track “With Angels.”

In previous posts, Brian has shown how to bring the nasty using Massive, Malstrom, and other tools.

This time, Brian demonstrates some of Trifonic’s techniques for creating filthy bass and lead sounds using Logic’s EXS24 in combination with the old-school hardware sampler, EMu E6400.

If you don’t use Logic and don’t plan on purchasing an EMu unit, fear not – the principles here are surely applicable to whatever you’ve got in your studio…

Sculpture, the physical modeling synth in Apple’s Logic Pro, is one of the most powerful and unique synths available. It’s also one of the most intimidating to use.

Thankfully, Brian has created a video in which he breaks down the mysteries of this complex and impressive tool, demonstrating how to use Sculpture’s multiple parameters to create strong, unique lead sounds.

(For you Trifonic fan out there, Sculpture was a driving force behind the track Parks On Fire).

Brian continues his discussion on Native Instruments’ Massive, demonstrating how to use the performance editor and filters to make sweet bass sounds.

(Make sure to check out Part 1 if you haven’t already.)

In this video, Brian demonstrates how to make excellent pad sounds using the free spectral processing plug-in Spectral Dronemaker by composer Michael Norris.

Spectral Dronemaker is one of Trifonic’s favorite tools, and (as Brian discusses) it was used most recently to create sounds for their remix of Hybrid’s track Can You Hear Me.

Native Instruments’ Massive synth is a great tool for creating nasty, rocking bass and lead sounds.

In this video Brian demonstrates the basics of using Massive’s oscillators, filters, and other features. He also shows how to enhance your Massive sounds using plug-ins like Transformer.

In this video, Brian demonstrates how to transform any audio sample – he starts with a friggin’ harmonica riff – into a THX-style pitch sweep sound.

This technique is useful for creating transitions and other sound effect elements in your tracks. And, of course, for impressing the ladies.