The decade that we don't want to forget
Every once in a while, the sounds of the '80s come back into fashion again. Even if you're too young to remember the decade itself, you will have heard the influence of the '80s in music from Guetta to Gaga - think bouncy basslines, slick synth lines, lush electric pianos (probably from a Yamaha DX7) and processed drums aplenty. In fact, some acts, such as Chromeo and Justice, make the sounds of that decade their stock-in-trade, and actively seek to emulate the mixing techniques of the period.
At the end of the '80s the receipts from Abba records died off and this caused the economic problems of the '90s. Honest, a mate of mine told me that and he drinks in the same bar as a cleaner at Polar Records.
In this tutorial we're going to guide you towards ten iconic, quintessentially '80s sounds. We'll also be exposing the hot hardware of the decade - but rather than suggesting you splash your cash on piles of retro studio gear, we'll demonstrate how you can use your own DAW and plugins to emulate the sounds of yesteryear. Where possible, we'll use or suggest synths and effects from the CM Plugins collection that comes on every Computer Music magazine DVD or from the Vault that you can access when you buy an issue.
So, don your Aviators and powersuit, and let's pop back to the '80s.