Recording - August 2015 - 51

When it comes time to create your own
sequences, will you use LADD's, or track
your MIDI performances within a DAW?
I'm not sure where I stand on this one yet.
The Audiobro team points out that using
MIDI CC 1 (modulation wheel) within
LADD lets the user create dynamics, and
that a number of the features, including
effects, are easy to ride within the program. That makes sense, but I'll need
more real-world time with LADD to discover the balance for myself.
Before we head over to the Mixer screen,
take a look at the faders in the middle area
of the main screen in Figure 1. See the one
labeled Length? You can use it, via MIDI
CC 83, to create stutter effects and more,
but to turn on this feature you'll need to be
on the Mixer page (Figure 3). That's also
true of the Filter that's on the right side of the
large knob. You'd expect to be able to see
virtual On/Off switches next to the controls
themselves, but in an effort to keep each
surface as clean as possible, Audiobro had
to move things around a bit.
The 12 channel Mixer (Figure 3) offers
full automation, the ability to store mixes,
equalization tools, and more. We don't
have time to go into its feature set in
depth, but the video is quite clear and I'd
recommend that you check it out.
The Tuning Table (Figure 4) is a lot of
fun to work with. There's nothing radically new here, but when you can tune individual samples up or down three octaves,
outrageous sounds are easy to create.
One of my favorite uses turned out to be

much more subtle, however. If you erase
the data on an existing sequence, call up
an orchestral snare drum, for example,
and record a MIDI performance, you can
assign a MIDI CC controller to the Tune
Amount control. Overdub a gentle ride
using that controller, and voilà-you've
got the effect of a player hitting the drum
in slightly different places, which results in
subtle changes of pitch. Great!
The Key FX Setup page is straightforward. The 12 horizontal rows refer to the
presets that are on the main page, as
shown in Figure 5 (taken from Audiobro's
website, with my thanks). This page lets
you decide how many of the parameters
that each one holds-including tuning, filters, individual sequences, and sample
length-are handled, and how.
Some final thoughts
As you've probably guessed by now, I'm
a big fan of LADD, but it holds a trap.
Designed in part to help composers on a
deadline quickly come up with dramatic and
evocative soundscapes, it's easy to fall in
love with the sounds, sequences, and loops
that ship with the program. Add a low string
drone and your client may think you're the
next coming of John Williams. But if you stay
on this surface level, you can expect the airwaves to be saturated with underscores that

sound just like yours. The artistic challenge
will be to use LADD in ways that complement
your own ideas, not replace them.
If you plan on mastering LADD, you're
going to need to study the hour and a half
or so of videos that are on the website. I
watched them all at least three times, replicating what was online within my DAW.
Of course, you're probably smarter and
more adept than me, but be warned,
there's plenty to absorb... especially if you
want to avoid the all-to-common pitfall of
sounding like everyone else who uses it.
I'd suggest that you solo drum parts
and create musical lines within your
DAW that work with and around them,
and then add other parts and sounds to
complement your core compositional
thinking. However you choose to work, if
you're in need of drums that will help you
create powerful cues, you'd be well
advised to check out LADD.
Gary Eskow (eskow@recordingmag.com)
is a composer, sound designer, and recording musician working in the New York area.
Learn more at www.garyeskow.com.
RECORDING August 2015

http://www.t-funk.com http://www.garyeskow.com

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