My second single from my next future album is out today on Spotify and the other streaming services.
The Inbetween is another synth heavy dance tune from me, with the usual retro feels. The main synth sounds was created on real synthesizers which was then mangled with a selection of software plugins. If you like this tune, please make sure to click the Follow link in Spotify and then tell all your friends how much you like it. :)
Horray! My next single is done and ready for release.
Set your calender to Friday April 17th or use this link as a reminder. Just like my last tune Two Waves Colliding it was made on real analog intruments in the studio, like the Arp 2600 clone TTSH (Two Thousand Six Hundred Mini Meanie) and the Roland SH-09. It was then mastered using a combination of software (like Izotope Ozone 9) and real hardware, like my Pultec EQ clone and the Prime 4000e SSL mixbus compressor clone.
The Inbetween is a synth heavy dance tune with a focus on melody and atmosphere.
I’m happy to announce that my first release in over two years is now available on Spotify and all the other usual places.
If you like this tune, please don’t forget to tell all your friends and click on the follow button on my Spotify artist page.
Let me know what you think of the tune over on the official Björn Fogelberg Facebook page.
Dear Fogelberg.com visitor, please click the link to follow me on Spotify.
Why? Well, please let me explain: First I would like to say thank you for visiting Fogelberg.com. It means a lot to me. Now I have a small favour to ask you. As you might know I have a new single coming out on Spotify Friday next week. The problem is my music isn’t really in their recommendation loop, and that means not a whole lot of people are going to hear it.
What I need for that to happen is simply more followers on Spotify.
So, if you like my music and have a Spotify account, I would be super happy if you go to my artist page on Spotify and click the Follow-button.
That’s it. Thank you in advance.
My first official tune since Focus in 2017 is about to hit the streaming services.
Two Waves Colliding is a epic synth heavy modern dance tune, with some serious retro vibes and a catchy melody. It is my first single in a line of.. many, not sure how many just yet though. For those interested in synthesizers and such things, Two Waves Colliding was built around an arpreggio-sequence I created on my self-built TTSH (Two Thousand Six Hundred mini Meanie), which is a clone of the famous old Arp 2600 semi-modular synth. Other notable synths used were the Sidstation and my Roland SH-09.
Bookmark your calender to February the 14th, or even better click this link to pre-save it in Spotify right now to make sure you don’t miss it.
I have some good news for those of you that liked my album Focus and are hoping to hear something new. I have just finished mastering what will be my next single. My plan is to release it on Spotify etc very soon and then release a new single every month or two over the next 8 to 10 months. After that, depending on the reception of those singles and how many tracks I manage to finish I will either release an EP or another full album.
You will have to wait some more before you can actually hear this new tune (which still doesn’t have any name) but I can already now share some of the ideas that I have for my future sound. I will continue to build upon the synth-based sound of Focus and then introduce some new elements to it, like the human voice / singing and also touches of acoustic intruments like piano, guitar and such.
I also have new toys in the studio that I intend to use, like the Arp 2600 clone TTHS (Two Thousand Six Hundred Mini Meanie) and new modules in my Eurorack setup. This new sound will be flavoured and seasoned with old school effects like Tape Delay, Plate Reverb and String Reverb. Finally I have started to use the excellent loop sampler Output Arcade which is a great inspiration and a way to come up with previously untried ideas.
As soon as I have something new for you to listen to, I will post it here on my site and on Facebook. Really looking forward to bringing you my new music. :)
My studio has gone through some relevant changes since the release of my last album Focus in 2017.
Even though one or two pieces of hardware have found new owners the biggest change for me has been on the software side of things. To be honest, I wasn’t really super happy with my setup a couple of years ago. Often I would find that the composing of a tune wouldn’t take that long but the process of getting the right sound and master would take forever. So for the last couple of Black Fridays and all the other sales surrounding them, I have been trying out and buying what I believe is a much better set of tools to use in my creative process of making music.
This is my very personal list of my top 10 VST plugins right now (Ok actually one is not a plugin, but anyway..)
In no particular order, they are all very very good. Ok here we go.
What it is
Arcade is a loop synthesizer that lets you perform and manipulate loops in real time. New sets and loops are added continuously so there is always something new to keep you inspired. The variation of the different kits and loops is very impressive. I wouldn’t use everything in there in my music but it has more than enough goodies to keep me as a happy subscriber.
What I use it for
So far I have used a couple of vocal hooks that I added my own effects to and also various sounds and snippets here and there. Arcade is now my go-to tool when I’m kind of stuck in my old ways and want to introduce something fresh and unexpected. I’ve found that I don’t always keep the sounds from Arcade in a tune, but that they instead served as a scaffolding for building something else.
What it is
It’s a plate reverb with three modes, adjustable decay-time and vacuum tube driver emulation. This was Arturia’s free Xmas gift for 2019. For some reason I’ve never really liked plate reverb, but this one.. WOW!
What I use it for
It has a very warm big sound that I can use for basically anything. One example is I played a typical lead-sound on my Sidstation, then smacked some of this plate on top of it and suddenly I had something that sounded like a strange massive string-like ensamble.
What it is
Valhalla VintageVerb is a postmodern reverb plugin, inspired by the classic hardware digital reverbs of the 1970s and 1980s. Actually I could write about any of Valhallas effect plugins here. They are that good. I also frequently use Valhalla Shimmer and Delay in my music.
What I use it for
Basically everything. It was my go-to reverb on Focus and it still is with the music I’m making now for my next album.
What it is
LoAir is a super simple sub-harmonic generator. It’s used for not only enhancing your low end but also adding new where there previously wasn’t any.
What I use it for
I use it mainly to add a nice naturally sounding sub to kick drums and basses. This used to be a very tricky process where I would spend hours of tweaking the EQs and compression and still not getting it quite right. With this plugin it’s super easy to get that extra bottom we all like and desire.
What it is
Halcyon is a Mid/Side Saturation plugin used for adding harmonics and warmth to a sound.
What I use it for
Halcyon is my new go-to plugin for saturation. When a sound is flat or dull and EQing doesn’t work, I add just a little bit of saturation to it and the result is usually something much more interesting.
What it is
Bassroom is a final mix and mastering EQ that you use to get that perfect lo-end. The interface is easy and the presets are good. As if that’s not enough you can also import reference tracks to help you get as close as possible to your favorites.
What I use it for
It is always the first plugin on my master channel, where I use to get a less muddy and tighter lo-end. Usually I don’t have to tweak it that much, really. It just sits there and does its thing. Pretty amazing if you ask me.
What it is
Pusher is an innovative multiband sonic enhancer and limiter/clipper used mainly for mastering. The interface is very simple with a just a few knobs to turn, but you soon discover that there is a lot of impressive sound sculpturing going on in the background. It looks like a toy but definitely sounds like a pro tool.
What I use it for
This is the second plugin in the chain on my master channel. Pusher takes care of a wide range of mastering tasks that you previously typically would need maybe four, five other plugins to do. When I first tried out the free version I was a bit sceptical. I have been an avid user of Izotope Ozone since version 5 and didn’t know what to think of these new types of plugins that demands you surrender control to a couple of buttons and knobs. I feared I maybe wouldn’t be able to get exactly the type of sound that I wanted. How wrong I was. It’s an amazing plugin for mastering and it’s super easy to get a pro mastered sound out of it. And it saves A LOT of time.
What it is
Ozone is one of the leading tools for mastering with tons of controls and literally everything you need. Version 9 has AI-powered assistive audio tools that gives you an instant starting point. Also you can load your own reference tracks and have Ozone adjust the levels accordingly.
What I use it for
As I wrote earlier Ozone was previously my number one choice for final master. I used version 7 for all the tunes on Focus. Today it is the third plugin on my master channel chain, where I typically use its analog limiter, adjusting it to make sure the LUFS are below the Spotify recommendations. The new reference track function seems very good though so I might use that more in the near future.
What it is
Youlean is a plugin for measuring Loudness on a master channel. It helps you to find the true perceived loudness of your audio and prepares it for TV or streaming services release. Back in the day, the thing about Loudness was you wanted as much as possible of it, because you wanted your track to be loud, or at least as loud as the others. This was before streaming became a thing. Now it’s the other way around. You don’t want your track to have too much loudness because then the streaming services, like Spotify will lower its volume so that it sounds quieter than other tracks on the service.
What I use it for
Youlean is my final plugin on my master channel. I use it to make sure the LUFS (Loudness Unit Fullscale) levels on the final master is on or slightly below the recommendations for streaming.
What it is
My final recommendation is actually not a plugin, although I wish it was. Expose is a standalone application used to expose potential technical problems with a final master. Drag and drop a sound file onto it and it will analyze and report back any issues with loudness, phasing and more.
What I use it for
When the final master of a track is done I export from Ableton live and drop the file into Expose to test if it’s ready for streaming. I admit it may be a bit of a tedious process at times – having it available as a plugin would be very beneficial. Still I rather do it this way than discovering some problems -after- the track has been released on the streaming services.
I just recorded another video of me tweaking the old Roland System-100. I got this idea a while back to try to do some sort of live performance, with drums or drum like sounds, live on the Roland System-100. Everything was recorded live in one take. All sounds come from the System-100 run through the Strymon El Capistan Tape Echo effect box. Not something I would include on my next album but still fun to try new ways to push this old baby to the limit.
Focus will be released August 25 on all the usual places.
Finally!!
My third full-length album “Focus” will be released on August 25th. It is the culmination of my work in the studio for the last two and a half years. The overall style of “Focus” will be electronic dance music, with elements of house, progressive, techno, ambient and even a bit of space music.
“Focus” will be available on my Bandcamp page, Apple Music and all the usual streaming places.
Photo by Efe Kurnaz.