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Post by Johnkenn on Jul 18, 2020 20:16:29 GMT -6
I can hear a guitar tone and tell you what kind of amp it is - at least like what it’s based off of. I can tell you whether it’s a Champ, a Tweed, a blackface, a Plexi, a JTM, An AC30 or AC15,etc.
But I’m pretty clueless (besides the basics) on synths. Like, I don’t hear music and go “oh - that’s a Prophet on bank 12...” I mean, I guess there aren’t a ton of reasons people that aren’t really keyboard nerds would know that, but I would really like to be able to expand my knowledge for production reasons. Are there basic food groups like say Juno - Prophet - Oberheim - Virus? Are there just so many sounds that each do that they don’t really have a signature? Is there a total synth for dummies video somewhere? I use them all the time, but it’s only pass that I’ve stumbled onto while trodding through Omnisphere.
I’m always amazed at keyboard guys that can land on this insanely obnoxious sound and I think “that’s useless” and then they work it in and it’s amazing. If you hear all the 80’s stuff solo, it’s amazing.
So, I guess my question is - how can I become completely competent with synths by the end of the weekend?
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Post by drbill on Jul 18, 2020 20:25:57 GMT -6
It's all about using them, having a history with them, experiencing them live and in studio's and ultimately making them a part of your voice. A lot of the modern stuff is roughly inspired by the classics : Moog Prophet 5 (Sequential) Oberheim Jupiters 6/8/Super (Roland) To a lesser degree : Roland Juno's Waldorf (digital analog hybrid) Yamaha DX7 (FM style synthesis) Fairlight (grainy samples that first hit the market and took over the world) And on and on if you want to parse sub categories. If you really dive in, you'll start to intuitively feel it. Just like you feel the difference between a Tele and a Strat. But end of the weekend??.....hahahaaaaa!! If guitars / amps are a continent of sonic bliss to fall into, Synths are a galaxy. Go slow, don't hurt yourself.  |
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Post by Johnkenn on Jul 18, 2020 21:24:16 GMT -6
I mean - it doesn’t have to be the weekend. Tuesday is good.
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Post by johneppstein on Jul 18, 2020 22:31:00 GMT -6
Which weekend? Certainly not this one!
It's been a long time since I was messing around with synths, but I'd say that the ones with the most originality and the least generic sounds would be the older modulars built before Curtis in particular (but also some others) brought out their VCA, VCO, and VCF chips, because after that everybody started using ther same sound chips and started sounding the same.
At that point most synths started sounding "more the same" - not totally, but a lot. The new, chip based, Moogs didn't sound much like real Moogs - they still sounded "good" but not Moogy. And Moog wasn't the only company with that problem.
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grantb
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Post by grantb on Jul 18, 2020 22:34:05 GMT -6
Nice work drbill, I would add a couple and flesh out the list with some examples and sound characteristics.
Moog Minimoog and modular (Parliament - Flashlight, ELP - Lucky Man, Kraftwerk - Autobahn, those wormy Dr. Dre leads )
Monophonic, round and smooth with huge bass.
ARP 2600 and Odyssey (Edgar Winter - Frankenstein, Herbie Hancock - Chameleon)
Monophonic, like Moog but often with more edge. The Odyssey can sometimes be spotted in solos by the sound of the unique PPC pitch bend controller.
Sequential Prophet 5 (Talking Heads - Speaking in Tongues album, Phil Collins - In the Air Tonight, Midnight Starr - Operator)
Earliest real polyphonic synth with presets to spot. It's a poly but great for bass and leads too. Warm and powerful and fits in the mix well.
Oberheim 8 Voice and OBXa (Rush - Tom Sawyer, Van Halen - Jump, Prince - 1999)
The polyphonic Oberheim sound is characterized by being brighter and fuller in the top than the Prophet due to 12db/oct filters vs 24 on Sequential/Moog/ARP. The 8 voice sounds incredibly fat due to the impossibility of tuning all 8 modules exactly the same.
Roland Jupiter/Junos (Bryan Ferry - Avalon, Duran Duran - Hungry Like the Wolf, Talk Talk - It's My Life, Cindy Lauper hits, MJ - Thriller)
Polyphonic synth that should sound like a Prophet but doesn't really. It's more cutting and less wooly even on mellow sounds. This is a very characteristic early 80s sound, often heard with that 80s bbd chorus.
Yamaha CS80 (Vangelis - Blade Runner and Chariots of Fire soundtracks, Toto - Africa, Rosanna, Eurithmics - Here Comes the Rain Again, MJ - Billie Jean)
This is a very unique polyphonic synth due to different filter designs with both HPF and LPF, two layers, integrated analog effects, ribbon controller, and most of all the polyphonic aftertouch which can be extremely expressive.
Yamaha DX7 (A-Ha - Take on Me, DeBarge - Rhythm of the Night, Dire Straits - Walk of Life, Europe - The Final Countdown)
That thin, glassy, piercing sound of the later half of the 80s. Think synth marimbas and that overly bright fake electric piano.
EMS VCS3 - (Pink Floyd - On the Run, Jean Michel Jarre - Oxygene)
Very sci-fi sounding modular synth with a patch pin panel.
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Post by ragan on Jul 18, 2020 23:07:26 GMT -6
Nice work drbill, I would add a couple and flesh out the list with some examples and sound characteristics. Moog Minimoog and modular (Parliament - Flashlight, ELP - Lucky Man, Kraftwerk - Autobahn, those wormy Dr. Dre leads ) Monophonic, round and smooth with huge bass. ARP 2600 and Odyssey (Edgar Winter - Frankenstein, Herbie Hancock - Chameleon) Monophonic, like Moog but often with more edge. The Odyssey can sometimes be spotted in solos by the sound of the unique PPC pitch bend controller. Sequential Prophet 5 (Talking Heads - Speaking in Tongues album, Phil Collins - In the Air Tonight, Midnight Starr - Operator) Earliest real polyphonic synth with presets to spot. It's a poly but great for bass and leads too. Warm and powerful and fits in the mix well. Oberheim 8 Voice and OBXa (Rush - Tom Sawyer, Van Halen - Jump, Prince - 1999) The polyphonic Oberheim sound is characterized by being brighter and fuller in the top than the Prophet due to 12db/oct filters vs 24 on Sequential/Moog/ARP. The 8 voice sounds incredibly fat due to the impossibility of tuning all 8 modules exactly the same. Roland Jupiter/Junos (Bryan Ferry - Avalon, Duran Duran - Hungry Like the Wolf, Talk Talk - It's My Life, Cindy Lauper hits, MJ - Thriller) Polyphonic synth that should sound like a Prophet but doesn't really. It's more cutting and less wooly even on mellow sounds. This is a very characteristic early 80s sound, often heard with that 80s bbd chorus. Yamaha CS80 (Vangelis - Blade Runner and Chariots of Fire soundtracks, Toto - Africa, Rosanna, Eurithmics - Here Comes the Rain Again, MJ - Billie Jean) This is a very unique polyphonic synth due to different filter designs with both HPF and LPF, two layers, integrated analog effects, ribbon controller, and most of all the polyphonic aftertouch which can be extremely expressive. Yamaha DX7 (A-Ha - Take on Me, DeBarge - Rhythm of the Night, Dire Straits - Walk of Life, Europe - The Final Countdown) That thin, glassy, piercing sound of the later half of the 80s. Think synth marimbas and that overly bright fake electric piano. EMS VCS3 - (Pink Floyd - On the Run, Jean Michel Jarre - Oxygene) Very sci-fi sounding modular synth with a patch pin panel. Great post! |
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Post by mhbunch on Jul 19, 2020 0:00:22 GMT -6
Nice work drbill, I would add a couple and flesh out the list with some examples and sound characteristics. Moog Minimoog and modular (Parliament - Flashlight, ELP - Lucky Man, Kraftwerk - Autobahn, those wormy Dr. Dre leads ) Monophonic, round and smooth with huge bass. ARP 2600 and Odyssey (Edgar Winter - Frankenstein, Herbie Hancock - Chameleon) Monophonic, like Moog but often with more edge. The Odyssey can sometimes be spotted in solos by the sound of the unique PPC pitch bend controller. Sequential Prophet 5 (Talking Heads - Speaking in Tongues album, Phil Collins - In the Air Tonight, Midnight Starr - Operator) Earliest real polyphonic synth with presets to spot. It's a poly but great for bass and leads too. Warm and powerful and fits in the mix well. Oberheim 8 Voice and OBXa (Rush - Tom Sawyer, Van Halen - Jump, Prince - 1999) The polyphonic Oberheim sound is characterized by being brighter and fuller in the top than the Prophet due to 12db/oct filters vs 24 on Sequential/Moog/ARP. The 8 voice sounds incredibly fat due to the impossibility of tuning all 8 modules exactly the same. Roland Jupiter/Junos (Bryan Ferry - Avalon, Duran Duran - Hungry Like the Wolf, Talk Talk - It's My Life, Cindy Lauper hits, MJ - Thriller) Polyphonic synth that should sound like a Prophet but doesn't really. It's more cutting and less wooly even on mellow sounds. This is a very characteristic early 80s sound, often heard with that 80s bbd chorus. Yamaha CS80 (Vangelis - Blade Runner and Chariots of Fire soundtracks, Toto - Africa, Rosanna, Eurithmics - Here Comes the Rain Again, MJ - Billie Jean) This is a very unique polyphonic synth due to different filter designs with both HPF and LPF, two layers, integrated analog effects, ribbon controller, and most of all the polyphonic aftertouch which can be extremely expressive. Yamaha DX7 (A-Ha - Take on Me, DeBarge - Rhythm of the Night, Dire Straits - Walk of Life, Europe - The Final Countdown) That thin, glassy, piercing sound of the later half of the 80s. Think synth marimbas and that overly bright fake electric piano. EMS VCS3 - (Pink Floyd - On the Run, Jean Michel Jarre - Oxygene) Very sci-fi sounding modular synth with a patch pin panel. Excellent post |
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Post by mhbunch on Jul 19, 2020 0:07:12 GMT -6
It's all about using them, having a history with them, experiencing them live and in studio's and ultimately making them a part of your voice. A lot of the modern stuff is roughly inspired by the classics : Moog Prophet 5 (Sequential) Oberheim Jupiters 6/8/Super (Roland) To a lesser degree : Roland Juno's Waldorf (digital analog hybrid) Yamaha DX7 (FM style synthesis) Fairlight (grainy samples that first hit the market and took over the world) And on and on if you want to parse sub categories. If you really dive in, you'll start to intuitively feel it. Just like you feel the difference between a Tele and a Strat. But end of the weekend??.....hahahaaaaa!! If guitars / amps are a continent of sonic bliss to fall into, Synths are a galaxy. Go slow, don't hurt yourself. I would actually suggest the Moog, Juno, and DX7 are the perfect 3 synths to start with as far as identifying sounds and getting familiar with analog synth design/controls. There are free or cheap plugins for each. |
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grantb
Junior Member
Posts: 97
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Post by grantb on Jul 19, 2020 0:14:59 GMT -6
The "Synth Sounds" series of youtube videos produced by Reverb is great for breaking down the classic synths and sounds of famous songs and artists. I've been a synth nerd for life but I still like to watch these.
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Post by Omicron9 on Jul 19, 2020 10:18:50 GMT -6
Cool thread. I've wondered about all this as well.
-09
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Post by ulriggribbons on Jul 19, 2020 11:42:25 GMT -6
Another area that will takes some time to grok, is that a many of these synths are all programmable. So you start to get into elements of sound synthesis. It's not so much because bank 1 patch 5 is what was used on some Tears for Fears record, but because the one synthesis engine allows you to create sounds that you can't create on other synthesizers. Many of these classic synths are sought after because of some special feature they pushed the envelope (no pun intended) with in hardware. A lot of guys rush out and jump on something like the MiniMoog, get it, plug it in, and go *huh?* This doesn't sound as awesome as it is supposed to. This is an archer vs. arrow situation =) With no *patches*, you have to create the sounds. For a good time and overview of this approach, watch some of the videos on the Moog site for something like the Mother 32 www.moogmusic.com/products/mother-32. By watching a couple artist videos, gives you an idea of how much an artists understanding of sound synthesis plays into the sounds created. Moog is doing some amazing work in keeping synthesis analog, and introducing digital features that allow you to store those creations. Some will jump on samplers as the way to have all these amazing sounds in one box, but you can't capture the "analogness" of analog with a sampler. You can get a point in time, and it will often sound pretty awesome, but when you have analog elements interacting, the best you can get with a sampler a snapshot of the sound. Not to diss on samplers (which are another realm of synthesis), they are awesome in their own right, and allow a whole different world of sound creation. So I guess what I'm trying to say is that Tuesday might be questionable =P Long live Analog*! Regards Jon (synth and sampler nerd since '90) * and digital representations of analog |
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Post by Johnkenn on Jul 19, 2020 13:38:49 GMT -6
Another area that will takes some time to grok, is that a many of these synths are all programmable. So you start to get into elements of sound synthesis. It's not so much because bank 1 patch 5 is what was used on some Tears for Fears record, but because the one synthesis engine allows you to create sounds that you can't create on other synthesizers. Many of these classic synths are sought after because of some special feature they pushed the envelope (no pun intended) with in hardware. A lot of guys rush out and jump on something like the MiniMoog, get it, plug it in, and go *huh?* This doesn't sound as awesome as it is supposed to. This is an archer vs. arrow situation =) With no *patches*, you have to create the sounds. For a good time and overview of this approach, watch some of the videos on the Moog site for something like the Mother 32 www.moogmusic.com/products/mother-32. By watching a couple artist videos, gives you an idea of how much an artists understanding of sound synthesis plays into the sounds created. Moog is doing some amazing work in keeping synthesis analog, and introducing digital features that allow you to store those creations. Some will jump on samplers as the way to have all these amazing sounds in one box, but you can't capture the "analogness" of analog with a sampler. You can get a point in time, and it will often sound pretty awesome, but when you have analog elements interacting, the best you can get with a sampler a snapshot of the sound. Not to diss on samplers (which are another realm of synthesis), they are awesome in their own right, and allow a whole different world of sound creation. So I guess what I'm trying to say is that Tuesday might be questionable =P Long live Analog*! Regards Jon (synth and sampler nerd since '90) * and digital representations of analog Oh - I get it. I was just trying to be funny...I’ve watched some vids lately - e.g. grandular synthesis and other stuff. It’s a rabbit hole. |
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Post by kcatthedog on Jul 19, 2020 15:12:30 GMT -6
Ha ha, like Jon’s analysis, I am so frickin lazy, I want a moog plug in with like 3-5 Palmer patches: I never hear the sound I think I want in any moog plug settings:(
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Post by delcampo on Jul 19, 2020 15:25:18 GMT -6
Weeeeell... I've been on a roughly 3 month Pandemic synth nerd out and know just a little more than I previously knew. Which is not a ton compared to the substantial synth nerd population.
I'm finding they all have their own personality of sorts. Youtube can be helpful for digging to get impressions on what speaks to one.
"Filters" are big part. ie; SSM filters in the Korg Poly 6 and Mono/Poly, Jupiter 4 etc. are a thing.
Broadly, Roland has a sound and Oberheim has more sizzle up top comparably (the Xpander has crazy modulation potential). Moog or, Arp mono's vibe might be more fitting based on taste. I like Arp.
Modal has some nice newer digital stuff. The Udo Super 6 Hybrid has promise and out this month or next.
I've had some Analog, Roland Juno Alphas 1/2 (a great pad like vibe thing for lower bucks option) and a Hybrid, Ambika (good as well just some aliasing up in the higher registers).
I now have a Prophet 600 that was refurbed by the great Bell Tone Synth works in Philly and it has the GliGli mod that's helpful. They're still not nuts money and a solid Analog.
Also have a Korg Arp Odyssey reissue that I like a lot, and a Modor NF-1 digital that's very good in it's own way. The newer Moog Minitaur is very nice for Moog type bass and not too expensive.
Interestingly, The Modor digital can be better for lush pad / string type stuff, (less wooly and good in a mix often)
I like UHE Bazille a lot for a VST.
I've been on total Jupiter 4 obsession for a while. It has a special thing. Mono/Poly is interesting too. They both have real nice Arpeggiators and uniqueness. Prices are hard to justify however. I also "try" not to loose sight of so much of the more inspired work that many artists do was with their less expensive, less fancy tools. The expensive stuff is real sweet but is generally NOT of course the engaging factor for the listener.
Kinda have to get into a general ballpark based on taste and budget and widdle down from there.
Granular is indeed another kinda rabbit hole.
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Post by Guitar on Jul 20, 2020 11:10:46 GMT -6
I'll attempt to add some more examples
Roland TB-303 - "Acid Bass", sometimes acid bass could also be a Roland SH-101.
Roland TR-808 - "the 808" a lot of people these days just use the kick drum tuned to a pitch, as a bassline, and call it "the 808"
Korg MS-20 - more grindy, more noisy, more raw that some of the other classic synths but still analog circuitry and one knob per function.
Roland JV-1080 - think "fake trumpet, fake rhodes, pads with a 'breath' sound, 80's, 90's TV soundtracks" Still alive with the Integra 7 module, corny but sweet sounding
Korg M1 - the next step past the last one, Madonna, "that piano sound," etc
Yamaha Motif - I think about R n B bands with monster keyboard players, rap backing tracks, etc. Blended key tones, or just sample patches.
Yamaha TX81Z - Like the DX7 but even more disgusting and hideous sounding, love it, the ugly step cousin. "Lately Bass" is a famous sound.
You can also get into "names of sounds" that can be done on a variety of synths, if you know how:
Super-Saw - think EDM club banger tunes, or Grimes or something, bright, zippy, loud
Reese
Hoover
Bells-Vibes-Chimes
Acid Bass (really more of a lead line, can go high or low) often with lots of activity in the filter sweep and note articulations, fast envelopes
"Moog bass"
"Juno pad"
Organ in general
"Strings" (violin like tones)
And so on, I don't know all of them.
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Post by nudwig on Jul 20, 2020 11:33:49 GMT -6
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Post by johneppstein on Jul 20, 2020 13:42:37 GMT -6
Nice work drbill, I would add a couple and flesh out the list with some examples and sound characteristics. Moog Minimoog and modular (Parliament - Flashlight, ELP - Lucky Man, Kraftwerk - Autobahn, those wormy Dr. Dre leads ) Monophonic, round and smooth with huge bass. ARP 2600 and Odyssey (Edgar Winter - Frankenstein, Herbie Hancock - Chameleon) Monophonic, like Moog but often with more edge. The Odyssey can sometimes be spotted in solos by the sound of the unique PPC pitch bend controller. Sequential Prophet 5 (Talking Heads - Speaking in Tongues album, Phil Collins - In the Air Tonight, Midnight Starr - Operator) Earliest real polyphonic synth with presets to spot. It's a poly but great for bass and leads too. Warm and powerful and fits in the mix well. Oberheim 8 Voice and OBXa (Rush - Tom Sawyer, Van Halen - Jump, Prince - 1999) The polyphonic Oberheim sound is characterized by being brighter and fuller in the top than the Prophet due to 12db/oct filters vs 24 on Sequential/Moog/ARP. The 8 voice sounds incredibly fat due to the impossibility of tuning all 8 modules exactly the same. Roland Jupiter/Junos (Bryan Ferry - Avalon, Duran Duran - Hungry Like the Wolf, Talk Talk - It's My Life, Cindy Lauper hits, MJ - Thriller) Polyphonic synth that should sound like a Prophet but doesn't really. It's more cutting and less wooly even on mellow sounds. This is a very characteristic early 80s sound, often heard with that 80s bbd chorus. Yamaha CS80 (Vangelis - Blade Runner and Chariots of Fire soundtracks, Toto - Africa, Rosanna, Eurithmics - Here Comes the Rain Again, MJ - Billie Jean) This is a very unique polyphonic synth due to different filter designs with both HPF and LPF, two layers, integrated analog effects, ribbon controller, and most of all the polyphonic aftertouch which can be extremely expressive. Yamaha DX7 (A-Ha - Take on Me, DeBarge - Rhythm of the Night, Dire Straits - Walk of Life, Europe - The Final Countdown) That thin, glassy, piercing sound of the later half of the 80s. Think synth marimbas and that overly bright fake electric piano. EMS VCS3 - (Pink Floyd - On the Run, Jean Michel Jarre - Oxygene) Very sci-fi sounding modular synth with a patch pin panel. The Prophet 5 was not the first true polyphonic synth (that would probably be the Obie 8 voice), but it was tghe first one with programmable presets.
The Oberheim modulars were also available in 4 voice and 2 voice versions.
You also neglected to mention that the VCS3 had no keyboard and was played with a joystick.
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Post by johneppstein on Jul 20, 2020 13:50:37 GMT -6
Another synth that deserves mention is the Gleeman Polyphonic, which is a very rare early poly synth.AFAIK only a few were built, but some of those went to some pretty famous guys - I don't remember who, it's been too long. The Gleeman was also available in a clear case, so the insides were visible.
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grantb
Junior Member
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Post by grantb on Jul 20, 2020 14:15:14 GMT -6
Nice work drbill, I would add a couple and flesh out the list with some examples and sound characteristics. Moog Minimoog and modular (Parliament - Flashlight, ELP - Lucky Man, Kraftwerk - Autobahn, those wormy Dr. Dre leads ) Monophonic, round and smooth with huge bass. ARP 2600 and Odyssey (Edgar Winter - Frankenstein, Herbie Hancock - Chameleon) Monophonic, like Moog but often with more edge. The Odyssey can sometimes be spotted in solos by the sound of the unique PPC pitch bend controller. Sequential Prophet 5 (Talking Heads - Speaking in Tongues album, Phil Collins - In the Air Tonight, Midnight Starr - Operator) Earliest real polyphonic synth with presets to spot. It's a poly but great for bass and leads too. Warm and powerful and fits in the mix well. Oberheim 8 Voice and OBXa (Rush - Tom Sawyer, Van Halen - Jump, Prince - 1999) The polyphonic Oberheim sound is characterized by being brighter and fuller in the top than the Prophet due to 12db/oct filters vs 24 on Sequential/Moog/ARP. The 8 voice sounds incredibly fat due to the impossibility of tuning all 8 modules exactly the same. Roland Jupiter/Junos (Bryan Ferry - Avalon, Duran Duran - Hungry Like the Wolf, Talk Talk - It's My Life, Cindy Lauper hits, MJ - Thriller) Polyphonic synth that should sound like a Prophet but doesn't really. It's more cutting and less wooly even on mellow sounds. This is a very characteristic early 80s sound, often heard with that 80s bbd chorus. Yamaha CS80 (Vangelis - Blade Runner and Chariots of Fire soundtracks, Toto - Africa, Rosanna, Eurithmics - Here Comes the Rain Again, MJ - Billie Jean) This is a very unique polyphonic synth due to different filter designs with both HPF and LPF, two layers, integrated analog effects, ribbon controller, and most of all the polyphonic aftertouch which can be extremely expressive. Yamaha DX7 (A-Ha - Take on Me, DeBarge - Rhythm of the Night, Dire Straits - Walk of Life, Europe - The Final Countdown) That thin, glassy, piercing sound of the later half of the 80s. Think synth marimbas and that overly bright fake electric piano. EMS VCS3 - (Pink Floyd - On the Run, Jean Michel Jarre - Oxygene) Very sci-fi sounding modular synth with a patch pin panel. The Prophet 5 was not the first true polyphonic synth (that would probably be the Obie 8 voice), but it was tghe first one with programmable presets.
The Oberheim modulars were also available in 4 voice and 2 voice versions.
You also neglected to mention that the VCS3 had no keyboard and was played with a joystick.
Re Prophet 5: pretty sure that's what I said? If we really want to mince the onions, the 8 and 4 Voices did have presets via the built in Polyphonic Synthesizer Programmer module, but with only limited parameters and they were not factory sounds as we understand them today.
The VCS3 did have a keyboard, but it was external and optional (DK1, DK2). And then there's the Synthi AKS with the keyboard/sequencer built into the briefcase. Some say On the Run was made with the AKS, not the VCS3. Another important feature was the audio input, which when coupled with the matrix patching could really mess up any sound. Pete Townsend famously used the VCS3 audio input with his organ sound on Won't Get Fooled Again. You can see a part of his DK1 keyboard sitting next to the VCS3 on this page: petetownshend.net/musicals/electronica |
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Post by swurveman on Jul 21, 2020 11:01:56 GMT -6
Nice work drbill, I would add a couple and flesh out the list with some examples and sound characteristics. Great post! Since you’re obviously well informed, do you know what was used for the intro of Jukebox Hero by Foreigner, and if there’s a virtual synth that can come close? g.co/kgs/69aLT7 |
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Post by swurveman on Jul 21, 2020 11:12:34 GMT -6
Nice work drbill, I would add a couple and flesh out the list with some examples and sound characteristics. Great post! Since you’re obviously well informed, do you know what was used for the intro of Jukebox Hero by Foreigner, and if there’s virtual synths that can come close to the mono bass sound and the pad? g.co/kgs/69aLT7 |
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grantb
Junior Member
Posts: 97
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Post by grantb on Jul 21, 2020 12:30:15 GMT -6
Nice work drbill, I would add a couple and flesh out the list with some examples and sound characteristics. Great post! Since you’re obviously well informed, do you know what was used for the intro of Jukebox Hero by Foreigner, and if there’s a virtual synth that can come close? g.co/kgs/69aLT7Don't know that one. Apparently Larry Fast and Thomas Dolby played on the recording of that song. Those are two guys with many excellent synthesizers to choose from. Foreigner is said to have played the Jupiter 8 and OBXa at times.
You can see the Jupiter 8 briefly in this video at 2:00 |
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Post by Bat Lanyard on Jul 23, 2020 20:58:48 GMT -6
I don't know much about the ins and outs of the keys I create with, but I have a Juno-60, Ensoniq Mirage and last week picked up a Prophet Rev-2 just to see what it could do. The older ones (Juno, Mirage) have a thing to them that I guess falls into that void of being old so it must be good. The Mirage isn't as useful until paired with guitar pedals. Then, it's extremely creative and emotional. The Juno-60 is wonderful if you're into that thing that it did/does. My older brother had one in high school and I spent thousands of hours on that thing. It was stolen when he was in college around 1985 and he bought the Mirage which I have today with the insurance money. I bought the Juno a few years ago because I had to have that sound I remembered. The Prophet Rev-2 I'm enjoying the shit out of. It's a leap into the modern, at a pretty good price point. Sounds brilliant. Really cool to be able to put arpeggios to a tempo without having to use a drum machine, for instance. Presets are great. Keys feel good. Mostly tracking all three through a TG2, RNDI-2 and a Zod IDDI and the results are very rewarding. With keys I think it comes down to getting two or three you can manage (understand) and then kicking them all around for sounds. Pedals are the secret sauce with the older ones, for sure. Fun to use a Little Labs PCP and run the output to a good DI and mic it up on an amp as well. Adds another layer. Keep exploring! Shit - forgot to give this guy a shoutout. I've followed his channel for a few years: Alex Ball. He's an amazing resource on lots of the vintage keys and drum machines. Love his "Get Your Love Through The Radio" tune. Really solid. But browse his channel and you'll learn volumes about old synths, effects, etc. He's excellent. |
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