Latest articles by Roland Schmidt
How Pink Floyd made Money via pioneering tape editing and some off-the-wall music theory
How this unmistakable Dark Side of the Moon classic, which started life in a garden shed, works
The origins and slick musicology of TLC’s most iconic hit
The pseudo-biographical No Scrubs provided TLC with their biggest hit to date. We dig into its structure and sweet jazz harmonies
The accidental genesis of Billy Joel’s quirkiest single
How a throwaway comment relieved Billy Joel’s writer’s block and yielded one of his most iconic hits of the 80s. We put ourselves under pressure!
The songwriting theory and modest gear behind Kylie Minogue’s 2001 pop gem
The dazzling track heralded the jaw-dropping return of the former pop pixie, yet Can't Get You Out of My Head was cooked up in record time by its writers - and with just one synth!
How the Pet Shop Boys took on the church with their most iconic, most “heavy metal” song
Hi-NRG meets Catholic orthodoxy - we analyse the Pet Shop Boys' masterwork
“An incredibly exciting instrument that's capable of some pretty clever party tricks”: Expressive E Osmose CE review
Expressive E has MPE running through its core, and now we have the opportunity to transplant some of that MPE tech into our DAWs, with the Osmose CE controller
How to replicate the sample-based sonics of a gnarly Prodigy classic
Dissecting one of the big beat heavyweights’ most iconic bangers, and learning how to recreate its sound ourselves
The difference between distortion and saturation and how to effectively get a gnarly sound
Adding small or even large amounts of saturation doesn’t have to be bad for you, as we explore how to singe your sonics
Want crispy, retro digital drum machine sounds? Here’s our top picks of the plugin options that emulate the pioneering classics
Despite low-quality sample rates, vintage digital drum machines remain a production constant. We hook-up three of the best, and recommend their plugin counterparts
The best plugins for re-creating the grit and punch of classic analogue drum machines
If you love the sound of an analog drum machine, but don’t want to splash-out on vintage hardware, here’s our pick of the best vintage machines, in hardware and software form
How to get Radiohead’s resonant National Anthem vocal effect in software
On Kid A, Radiohead went resonant with some severe vocal processing - although complex at the time, the incredible results can now be easily achieved in software
Build your own expressive talkbox with plugins
If you love the sound of the talkbox, but grapple with the practicality of the hardware, we have some top tips for recreating the classic sound with plugins
How to emulate one of Jon Hopkins' signature sonic techniques with plugins
We get creative with an effects chain inspired by Jon Hopkins, and a heavy dose of felt piano
From Bollywood to Bond: Unpacking the intricate arrangement of Toxic
Cribbing from a Bollywood film soundtrack and the chords of Bond maestro John Barry, Toxic's extraordinary sound led it to become one of Britney’s biggest hits
“Could easily become one of the most beneficial elements of your mastering suite”: Mastering the Mix - Stereovault review
If you find yourself struggling to get just the right amount of width in your mix, Stereovault may be the plugin you've always needed, as we broaden our panoramic horizons.
How Snow Patrol constructed one of the most enduring hits of the 21st century
Snow Patrol's 2006 monster became one of the biggest radio songs of all time, but why did it work so well?
Why Ryuichi Sakamoto’s spellbinding theme from Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence remains so captivating
We take a deeper look at the theory underpinning Ryuichi Sakamoto’s gorgeous, award-winning theme from the movie that gave him his acting and scoring debut
The genius of Queen’s John Deacon-penned follow-up to Bohemian Rhapsody
Following up Bohemian Rhapsody is no easy task, but the retro sensibilities of You’re My Best Friend secured Queen another major hit. We take a look at the song's timeless charm
Just what are Angine de Poitrine actually doing musically? We dissect their biggest track
When Angine de Poitrine landed on this planet, the polka-dot-clad alien combo fused prog rock with microtonal jazz and funk, to yield music quite unlike anything we’d heard before…
I’m so obsessed with Olivia Rodrigo’s Drop Dead trance bass sound that I remade it in my DAW
We create our own transient-heavy synth bass with leanings towards the trance-heavy sounds of the 90s. ‘Drop Dead’ you exclaim? No way! We were Born Slippy!
How Olivia Dean’s joyous breakthrough song was crafted
Setting out her stall as one of the greatest artists of the 2020s, Olivia Dean’s 2023 breakthrough cribbed from the past to evoke the euphoria of falling in love
How Gorillaz deployed some sublime music theory to build their most beloved tune
The reason Gorillaz biggest track lingers in the mind longer than others is down to its tightly-constructed arrangement
How Calvin Harris and Katy Perry buried the hatchet to craft their groovetastic 2017 hit, Feels
We analyse the un-escapable groove of Feels - which knowingly doffed its cap at Earth, Wind & Fire
