WHAT’S ON YOUR HARD DRIVE?
Cristian Varela
The Spanish techno producer tells us the top ten tools he couldn’t be without in the studio, including a couple of choice combos
APPLE LOGIC PRO X
“Back in the 90s, my attention was captured by Steinberg Pro 24 and Notator for my old Atari 1040. I didn’t even care about the MIDI delays! After that, I fell in love with Pro Tools and Cubase – Pro Tools for mixing and mastering; Cubase for creating and editing. Today, I must admit that my favourite is Logic, but it’s not the only DAW that I use. Ableton Live is vital for live shows and re-working my own tunes. And I cannot forget to mention Max for Live – it offers thousands of possibilities for the electronic musician. But when I have very specific ideas in my mind and I want to quickly start building a song, I need Logic. It’s where I feel comfortable. Maybe that has something to do with how Logic looks and how it allows me to organise all the plugins on my second screen. All my synths are ready to use, and I often record them straight into the computer without quantising, just to keep a little bit of humanity in the music.”
ARTURIA ARP 2600 V3
“It’s very difficult to make a decision about which is my favourite synth because I use so many, each one chosen for its particular style. What I’m looking for are original and effective sounds, and one of my main weapons is the ARP 2600. Arturia’s whole package of synthesisers is amazing, but the 2600 is at the top… with the Moog Modular coming a close second. I like the way you can combine the three oscillators with the voltage processors and the LFOs. Then, you have the sequencer, too. The results often feel quite experimental, but they’re always inspiring. It reminds me of my old and muchloved Korg MS-20, but with many more opportunities. And the chorus is beautiful, especially on basslines.”
U-HE BAZILLE
“This is an extremely interesting synth because it has four oscillators plus two LFOs. And so much more. The Fractal Resonance, Phase Distortion and Phase
facilities in each of the VCOs are excellent. The filter section is fantastic. There’s almost nothing bad to say about it. Great presets, great sound quality. The sequencer is quite basic, but that’s a small point.”
OHM FORCE OHMICIDE
“Ohm Force have a faultless package of plugins (Hematohm, Mobilohm, Ohmboyz, they’re all incredible), but the killer one for me is Ohmicide. This is one of the best distortion effects I’ve ever used in my life. You have hundreds of different types of distortion and it’s possible to edit everything with absolute precision. I use it on percussion, pads, guitars… or anything with a techno feel. The effect it has on basslines is unbelievable; as if it’s creating a whole new sound. Check out the Symptohm synth, too. If you’re looking for the best distorted sounds, you’ll find them here!”
UAD MANLEY MASSIVE PASSIVE EQ AND WAVES SSL EQ
“One of my favourite tricks for a top-quality mix is using these two amazing plugins together. I can search out and adjust every frequency that is important for a track… like a musical surgeon!
“Sometimes, it can take a while, and you might have to do a bit of investigating, but you’ll uncover some very exciting harmonics. I like to automate these frequencies, too, giving them movement. And maybe add the Waves MondoMod to spread things around in stereo. Be careful with the anti-phase here, though! Using the SSL EQ in combination with the Manley is fascinating because you get totally different results depending on which is first in line.
“I also like to experiment with high- and low-cut filters from both units at the same time. Sometimes, you can find strange but beautiful harmonics, especially in the low end of the mix.”
UAD API 550A AND 2500
“Another good combo between an effective EQ and its sibling, a compressor-limiter. I like to use this as a quick mastering chain before I try new tracks in a DJ set. It’s a useful reference against other EQs, compressors and limiters from UAD. Of course, there are better choices if you have time – the Pultec EQ, Teletronix Compressor, Precision
Limiter – but this is the one I use when I’m working quickly. The presets are good, and you get instant results.”
UAD TELETRONIX LA-2A
“In my opinion, this is one of the best compressors for any kind of music and any type of instrument. Very easy to use, but it also offers you so many different ways to compress the sound. The finish is always warm and elegant. I’ve also tried the LA-2A Gray and LA-2A Silver. It’s interesting to compare between the three.”
IK T-RACKS 5 METERING SUITE
“As you probably know already, before you even start mastering, you need a good mixdown. And in order to have a good mix, you need to have the right frequency analyser, in my opinion. I used to use the PAZ Analyzer from Waves, but I’ve since moved over to the T-RackS 5 because it’s so much more accurate. You’ve got different meters (Precision-Loudness LUFS, Dynamic Range, PEAK and RMS) alongside the Spectrogram and real-time Analyser, Phase and Correlation meters. Basically, TR5 gives you a complete understanding of what’s happening in your mix.”