Famous Sounds
description
Transcript of Famous Sounds
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FamousSounds"Famoussounds"aresoundsthathavebeencreatedorusedbysomebody,likedandthencopiedbymanyothers,andthusearneda"classic"status.
I'dliketoopenthissectionofSynthManiautilizingasastartingpointportionsofanarticleappearedintheOctober1995issueofKeyboardmagazine,titled"20SoundsThatMustDie",inwhichtheauthorDavidBattinoanalyzesmanysoundsthathave,overtheyears,beenused,reusedandabusedagain.Iaddedaudioexamplestothelistforthosewhomightnotbefamiliarwiththosesounds.Fromthere,I'llstartaddingmyownexamplesofmoresounds,includingloops.Whenpossible,audioexamplesareavailable.
KeyboardmagazineList:
SOUNDNAME Audioexample DESCRIPTION
1.Thesquare/trianglewavesolo
LuckyMan
Thisflutey,highlysyntheticleadsoundsurestandsout,butalreadybelongstosomeone.Still,addportamentoandmaybeyou'llgetlucky,man.(Note:theauthorisreferringtothesong"LuckyMan",byEmerson,Lake&Palmer.Emerson'sMoogsoloisregardedasthefirstrocksynthesizersoloinhistory)
2.Thesampleandholdtopitchcomputerprocessingeffect
Processing"Professor,whydon'tyouaskthecomputer?"Beepoobeebeeboopoobahpah...hasanyoneeverreallyheardacomputermakethisnoise?(Note:IusedanAlesisairSynthforthissound.)
3.Rezzaps
Numbers
FeedwhitenoisethrougharapidlyclosingVCFwiththeresonancecranked.Kraftwerkdid.Andnowmosteverytechnobanddoes.Psheeeew!Replacethenoisewithasawtoothwaveandyou'vegotanotheroffender,rezbass.Nowplayweteightnotesadnauseam.Onsecondthought,pleasedon't.(Note:themp3exampleisanexcerptfromKraftwerk"Numbers",fromComputerWorld)
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4.Simmonstypesyndrum
Aburstofnoiseandasinewavethatpitchbendsdown,thissynthetictomtommayhavesinglehandedlykilleddisco.
5.RolandTR808kickdrum
TR808bassdrum
Animpossiblylowhum,thissoundcouldcrumbleconcrete.Butitalwaysgetsabadrap.(Note:theauthorisreferringtothefactthattheTR808wasatthetimethedefactostandardinrapmusic)NoteInthemp3exampleIamplayingaTR808samplesetfromtheRolandDrums&CymbalsVol.1CDROMfortheSseriesofRolandsamplers.
6.TR808cowbell
ALastRequest
Thisclangorousnoiseneverdisappearsinamix,thoughsometimeswewishitwould.YoucanspotitonKashif's"Ain'tnowoman(liketheoneIgot))"fromKashif,GeorgeMichael's"ALastRequest"fromFaith,and"Anythingyouwant"fromEWF'sHeritage,amongzillionsofothers.Andlet'snotforgettheTR808hihat,ashort,metallicnoiseusefulforplayingexpressionlessmachinegunsixteenthnotes.
7.YamahaDX7Rhodes
TheGreatestLoveOfAll
TheDX7'sscreechingovertones(generatedbydigitalfrequencymodulation)punchedthroughalotofmixes.Waytoomany.Checkoutanypopballadforanexampleofthiscrispyelectricpiano.(Here'sWhitneyHouston's"GreatestLoveOfAll"foraparticularlywellproducedFMballadpiano.)
8.DX7anything
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seeDX7page(AspecialnominationfromWillAlexander,KeithEmerson'scollaborator,programmer,andproducer.)Marimbaostinati,Wimpybrass."Super"bass.FMsoundrecentlyhadaresurgenceoncomputersoundcards,butwemaybefreeofitanydecadenow.
9.EmuEmulatorIIshakuhachi
Sledgehammer
Thisbambooflutesoundisreadilyidentifiablebythesuddenupwardpitchbendattheendofthenote.Experienceitagainon"Sledgehammer"fromPeterGabriel'sSo,"YellowstonePark"fromTangerineDream'sLeParc,"LoveIsStrongerThanPride"fromSade'sStrongerThanPride,"Wakeup,Stopdreaming"fromWangChung'sToLiveandDieinL.A.,andRogerWaters'RadioKAOS,whereit'sactuallysingledoutinthelinernotes.
10.Orchestrahits
Ownerofalonelyheart
Abrilliantideathefirsttimetheywereused(byArtofNoise?MalcolmMcLaren?Weforget),thesestabbingsamplesofexuberantorchestrasbecomegrittyanddoublyannoyingwhentransposed.WillAlexanderbelievesthehitonYes's"OwnerofaLonelyHeart"from90125wassampledfromKool&theGang'sCelebration.Roland'sEricPersingnotesthattheoriginalFairlightorchhitendedupinalotofROMsets,includingonaKawaidrummachine.
11.RolandD50Soundtrack
VioletAsimpleyetirresistiblesound,Soundtrackisachorused,filterswept,sawtoothfifth.EasilyspottedonSeal's"Violet"fromSealandGaryNuman's"America"fromNewAnger.
12.D50DigitalNativeDance
Catmbe
Araspymetallicvocalsamplethatblooms,thensuddenlydancesalittlejig,thispresetopenscountlesssongs.AtthebeginningofMilesDavis's"Catmbe"(fromAmandla)andGaryNuman's"Devious"(fromNewAnger),it'seventhesamenote.(Yep,that'stwopresetsinarowfromNuman.HemusthavelikedhisD50,becausehealsousedtheFantasiapresetonthesong"ColdMetalRhythm.")
13.D50Fantasia
Fantasia Anevocative,mysterioussound,thiswasanotherworldlybelllayeredwithasynthpad.Andusedwithwildabandon.
14.JamesBrowngruntsandscreams
"Huh!""Haaieyah!""Hitme!"Okay,settledown.That'squiteenoughhittingalready.
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15.PanFlute
BehindtheVeil
Noneofusarefree
Thiswindbaghasgottobeoneofthemostoverusedsolosounds.ItlivesintheKorgM1,theRolandD50(asLivingCalliopeandBreathyChiffer),theFairlight(asSteamer),andmanyothersynths.Justwhenwethoughtitwashopelesslyoverexposed,TonyHymasmadeinterestinguseofitin"BehindtheVeil"(fromJeffBeck'sGuitarShop)byplayingafterbeatchords.AddingamarimbaattackproducestheubiquitousM1PanMalletpreset,recentlyheardin"NoneofUsAreFree"onRayCharles'MyWorld.
16.KorgM1Lore
KorgM1Lore
Theunderwaterwindchimeythingheardonathousandcommercials.Butwhatisit?JackHotopofKorgreports,"Originally,MichaelBreckerbroughtthesamplebackfromEngland,passedittoRobbieKilgore,IgotitfromRobbie,andwestuckitintheDSS1library.ButwhenitcametimetodotheM1ROM,wehadtotruncatestuff,soIgavethefiletoCharlieBrightatKorgR&D.Hereloopedit,remappedit,andtrunc'editdown.WhenweuseditinsubsequentROMS,itwouldkeepgettingchoppedup,andwhenyouchopupsomethingrhythmiclikethat,theloopchangessomewhat.SopeoplewhohavetheDSS1versionwillhaveonekindofloopifanyone'sluckyenoughtohavethefilesthatRobbieandMichaelhad,that'sadifferentversionofit,andtheM1versionisdifferentfromtheM3Rversion,whichiskindofsimilartothe01/WversionandtheXversion.Soitexistsinmanyforms,antit'sareallycoolsound.Nooneknowswhatitis.NoteventhepeopleatKorg."There'ssomespeculation,though,thatLorewasoriginallyaFairlightsound.
17.M1Pole
KorgM1PoleWho'dhavethoughtthattappingametalpolewouldhavesomanyrepercussions?AsKimAikinnotedinaMarch'90KeyboardReport,thePolesampleevenendedupinthePeaveyDPM3'sROM.
18.M1MagicOrgan
KorgM1MagicOrgan
Aburbling,tinklingdigitalian,thissamplehasbuiltmorepadsthanamattressfactory.JackHotoprevealsthattheoriginalsamplewascreatedinDigidesign'sTurbosynthprogram.Therewassomedoubtthatitcouldbeloopedsuccessfullybecauseit'sarhythmic,evolvingsound,buttheypulleditoff.MagicOrganwillreturnintheROMofanupcominginstrument.
19.GatedSnare
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AgainstAllOdds
FirstheardonPeterGabriel'sthirdalbum,thenvirtuallytrademarkedbyPhilCollins,thisiswhathappenswhenyourunadrumthroughexcessivereverbandthenchopoffthedecay.Sodon'tdoit.Intheexample,PhilCollins'beautiful'80shit,"AgainstAllOdds".
20.Highpitchedsnare
Shedrivesmecrazy
Possiblyareactiontothedeep,spacehogginggatedsnare,thisthin,lightsounddancesthroughuntoldnumbersofpoptunes.CanyouFineYoungCannibals?
OverusedbutNotCoolAward:Stutteringsampledvocals(Bbbbbaby!) Nineteen
Ican'tfinda"bbbbbaby"sampleatthemoment,sohowabouta"nnnnnineteen"instead?The1985hit"Nineteen",byPaulHardcastle(whonowplayssmoothjazzandisstillverysuccessful)isaperfectexampleofthistechnique.HardcastleusedanEmulatorIIfortheVietnamdocumetarysamples).
SynthManiaList:
SOUNDNAME Audioexample
DESCRIPTION
DrumLoops/Breakbeats/fullgroovesamples
FunkyDrummerLoop FunkyDrummerThisloophasbeenusedasthebackboneofcountlesstracks.Deservedlyoneoftheclassicbreakbeats,itopensthefirstsampleCDoftheclassic"Datafile"trilogy,byZeroG.
Amenbreakbeat Amenmybrother From"Amenmybrother"bytheWinstons,thisisthejungle/drum'n'bassloop.
Apachebreakbeat ApachePitchshiftitupto160bpm,andyougetagroovaliciousbeatthatmanyajungleproducersfindirresistible.From"Apache",bytheIncredibleBongoBand.
Theloopof'88(The"Ooh!Yeah!"loop) Theloopof'88
Anirresistibleloop,thiswasperfecttobuildupaHousetrack.Ooh!Jazz!Ooh!Yeah!Ohh!Jam!Or,whatisitthattheysay?Thisloopisfromthesong"Think"byLynCollinsandwasverypopularattheendofthe'80s/beginningofthe'90s.
SetAdrift
IhavethisandthepreviousloopidentifiedthiswayinadoublesampleLPpackagebySimonHarris,thatcontainedmanyotherloopsandsoundssuitableforscratchingand
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Theloopof'89 GirlYouKnowIt'sTrue backbeatpurposes.P.MDawnusedthisonefortheirhit"Setadriftonmemorybliss",wheretheyalsosampleSpandauBallet'ssong"True"!Otherexamples:MilliVanilli's"GirlYouKnowIt'sTrue"
RolandTR909
PumpuptheJam
ThisBeatIsTechnotronic
Pullover
Power_Of_Love
TheTechnoHousedrummachine.Overtheyearsitssoundshavebeeneagerlysoughtafterbyeverydancemusicproducer,andithastrulydefinedagenre.Ananalog/digitalhybrid,itsbassdrum,snare,openhatandallofitsonboardsoundshaveendedupineverysamplecdwiththenamehouse/technoonit.CheckoutTechnotronic's"PumpUptheJam"and"ThisBeatIsTechnotronic,SpeedyJ's"Pullover",andDeeLite's"PowerOfLove"fromthealbum"WorldClique".
RolandTR808
Mantronix
SexualHealing
TheclassicHipHopandHousedrummachine.Allofitssoundsjustlikeitssister,theTR909,arefamous:thetight,smallsnare,thecharacteristicrimshotandcowbell,theanalogtomtoms..andthebiggestbassdrumboomevermade.Usedbyeverybody,itssoundsarestillwidelyusedforsomanydifferentmusicalgenres.
CheckoutMantronixdoinganhomagetothisdrummachine,MarvinGaye's"SexualHealing",
The"Stutteredit"
TheRockafellerSkank
FatBoySlim(NormanCook)andthe"BigBeat"movement(Propellerheads,ChemicalBrothers,theProdigyetalii)wereoneofthefirsttopopularizethestutteredit(utilizingasoftwaresequencertoarrangesmallsnippetsofsoundstogether).ArtistslikeBT(BrianTranseau)tooktheStuttereditfurthercreatingtheMicroedit.BTisthechampinthisdepartment.Justlistentoanyofhissongsandyou'llrealizehowmuchworkheputinarrangingverysmallportionsofsoundinhissequencedsongs.Intheexample,asnippetfromFatboySlimhit"TheRockafellerSkank"aka"Thefunksoulbrother".
The"PumpUpTheVolume"loop
Pumpupthevolume CharacteristicearlyhouseloopfromMARRS'hitTR909galore,withanalog808bongos.
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The"Whentheleveebreaks"loop
Whentheleveebreaks NotablyusedbytheBeastieBoysin"Rhymin'andStealin'",thisloopwastakenfromaLedZeppelinsong.
CasioVL1rhythmsandtones
Dadada
Who_Was_That?
GermangroupTrio'shit"Dadada"andDeelite's"WhoWasThat",amongothers,usethiswonderful,littlemachine.It'sactuallyacrossbetweenakeyboardandacalculator,butthe"Fantasy"toneisprettygroovy..(andyoucanmakeyourowntonestoo.)
The"Genieinabottle"bassdrumpattern
GenieInABottle Verycool16thdrumbassprogramminginthissong.
The"GloryBox"loop
GloryBox
Averybeautifulloop,usedinthebackgroundofPortishead's"GloryBox",fromDummy,andTricky's"Hellisroundthecorner",fromMaxinquaye.Scratchyvinylnoise,a
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Hellisroundthecorner melancholicstringloop,agreatbass,Rhodeswithtremolo,whawhaguitars...aaah,IlikeTripHop.Slickpeople,too.Anysongisgoingtosoundnicewiththatdreamyloopinthebackground.TheoriginalmusicisfromIsaacHayes.
Thebusy1980s16thbeatprogrammedpercussionpattern
YouSpinMeRound(LikeaRecord)
WeirdScience
Wow..whatacrazytrackthiswas!"YouSpinMeRound"wasahugehitforDeadOrAlivein1985,andcountlessbandsimitatedtheirarrangementafterwards.Theprogrammeddrummachinepattern,incombinationwithothersequencedparts,wasabsolutelyphenomenalandgroundbreaking.Iwonderwhatequipmenttheyused.ThebasscouldbeDX7,ormaybewasobtainedwithasampler?Stillagreatpartysong!:)ThistypeofpercussionprogrammingisalsofeaturedinOingoBoingo's"WeirdScience"
The"Rockit"
Rockit
Everythingaboutthissongisgreat:thescratches,therezzaploop,thepercussion,andfinallythesynthsoundusedforthemelody.AndletusnotforgettheVocoder:)HerbieHancockduringhisrapelectronicphase.Asynthesizercultsongofthe'80s.
The"I'vegotthepower"drumloop
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I'vegotthepower AclassicsoundfromSnap'shit:thecharacteristicbellloopisasignaturedrumpatternortheearly'90s.
The"BlueMonday"drumpattern
Blue_Monday TheclassicBlueMonday,byNewOrder,featuredcleverOberheimDMXprogramming.
Bass/SynthBass/BassLinesTheBrooklynBouncesynthbass
GetreadytobounceAgreatsoundingTB303synthbassgivesthis'90shitgreatcharacter.Alsousedthetypicaltechnopizzicatoveryinvogueatthetime.
The"Oh,Yeah"samples&synthbass
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OhYeahFromgreatpioneerofelectronicpopSwissband"Yello".Thesongwasfeaturedinseveral'80sfilmsandisafeastofsamplesmadewithearlysamplers,andpunchy80sdrummachines.
TheARPOdyssey"biting"synthbass
Chameleon
AsplayedbyHerbieHancockin"Chameleon",fromHeadhunters.Greatsynthbasssound!Asyoucantell,quitedifferentfromtheMinimoogbass...Backinthe'70s,theOdysseyandMinimoogwerecontendersinthemonophonicportable/performancesynthmarket.
YamahaTX81ZLatelyBass
PussycatMeow
Thisunassuming4operatorFMmodulecontainsmanystrongsounds,andcertainlyoneofthebestisthis.ForRap,HipHoporHouse,youcan'tgowrongbyusingit.CheckoutDeeeLite's"PussycatMeow",________________or_____________.
KorgMS20"Flatbeat"basssound
FlatBeat
MadefamousbytheFrenchmoviedirectorandtechnocomposerMr.Oizo,thiswarblybasssoundisstrangeandimmediatelyhooking."Flatbeat"wasahit(atleastinEurope),alsothankstotheadorableyellowpuppetthatmovedhisheadtothebeatinthesong'svideo.Mybetisthatthissoundwillbecomeaclassicandwillappearinthefactorypatchesofnewsynths.
The"Deutsche"Eurosynthbass
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DeutschBasAnaggressive,highlyresonantandpowerfulsynthbasssoundthatwasverymuchinvogueduringthe1990s.ThisexampleinparticularcomesfromapresetontheAlesisQS8.
Theringmodulated/vibratobass
Takemybreathaway
Thiswasaverytypicalbasssoundheardinthe1980s.IwasabletogetaGREATrenditionofitjustaddingringmodulationtothepresetsynthbassinmyCasioCZ1000!Intheexamples,Commodores'"NightShift"andBerlin's"Takemybreathaway".
ThePaulHardcastlestyleProphet5bass
KingTut
PaulHardcastlehasusedthistypeofbasspatch,withlotsof"bite",inmanyofhiscompositions,including"RainForest"and,inthemp3example,"KingTut".
RolandTB303
Acperience
Everybodyneedsa303
ThemythicalTB303,akathe"SilverBox",akathe"AcidDreamMachine",butmoresimply"the303".Agenre,AcidHouse(orAcidTechno),wascreatedaroundthismachine.Hasspannedaseriesofemulators,bothinhardwareandsoftware.Intheexamples:Hardfloor's"Acperience"andFatboySlim's"Everybodyneedsa303"yes,everybodydoes...oratleasta303emulator:)
The"Persuaders"synthbass
The_Persuaders
Thisistheincrediblybeautiful"Persuaderstheme",bythegreatJohnBarryoftheJamesBond007theme.Iwasalwaysfascinatedbythissong,sincewatchingtheshowwhenIwasachild.Thesupremelyanalog,creamy,oscillatordetunedbassisverycharacteristic.I'mtryingtofindoutwhichsynthesizerwasusedforthissong!so,ifyouknow,contactme,pleaseat
Synth/SynthPad/SynthLead
RolandJunoWhatthe...?(aka"theHoover") Mentasm
Charly
Dominator
JoeyBeltram's"Mentasm",aswellasProdigy's"Charlie"helpedpopularizethisTechnoRavemusthavesound.HumanResource's"Dominator"isalsoagreatexampleofthisclassictypeofravesound.
TheTechnopizzicatosoundInsomnia
EncoreUneFois
InaFutureMusicinterview...FaithlessrevealthatthesoundisaneditedversionofaRolandJD990patch.In"Encoreunefois"DJSashpopularizedit.
RolandD50"Pizzagogo"
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OrinocoFlowYetanotherfamousD50preset,thisisalovelysoundthatdefinesNewAgepieces.Enyaandher"OrinocoFlow"cometomind.
RolandJP8000SuperSaw
ThesoundofeuphoricTrance
RolandD50"StaccatoHeaven"
StaccatoHeaven OneofthereasonswhyIboughtaD50in1989insteadofanM1.EricPersingisonetalentedsounddesigner...
D50"DigitalNativeDance"
DigitalNativeDance Aninnovationatthetime,thisfamousD50presetutilizedshortloopsthatgavetheinstrumentinstantcharacter.
RolandD50"Fantasia"
FantasiaOneofthemosteasilyrecognizablesynthesizersoundsofalltime.It'snowbecomeastandardintheROMofmostnewdigitalworkstations.
RolandD50"GlassVoices"
GlassVoices Theperfectpadformanyapplications.Haunting,dramatic,evolving...
KorgM1"Universe"
KorgM1Universe Togetherwith"StaccatoHeaven",oneofmyfavoritepresetsofalltime.
The"Popcorn"sound
Popcorn HotButter'ssuccessisanirresistibleelectropoppiece.The
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soundprobablycomesfromamodularMoog.
ThePolymoog"VoxHumana"sound
Cars GaryNumanusedthatPolymoogpresetforthegreatmegaanalogsynthleadinhishitsong.
Minimooglead
Minimoogin"CatherineParr"
TheMoogMinimoogisprobablythemostfamoussynthesizerevermade.RickWakeman(heplayedinYes)usedit,amongotherclassickeys,inhisalbum"TheSixWivesofHenryVIII".
The"Nightinmotion"synthstab
NightinmotionFromCubic22"Nightinmotion".Thissongwasverypopularduringtheearlynineties.Thestabisinthe"Igotthepower"veinacrossbetweenadistortedguitarsampleandanaggressivesynth...greatsound.
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Moog"FromtheBeginning"sound
FromtheBeginning
Differentandrichinpersonality,thissoundappears,asusualwithELP,attheendofaprettystandardguitarsong,andchangestheatmospherecompletely.Morerecently,FromtheBeginninghasbecomepartoftheAlesisQS7and8soundarsenal.
OberheimFourVoiceleadsound
PatMetheny'skeyboardistLyleMayspopularizedthissoundahollowsoundingsquarewavewithasofttonality.
The"Worm"squigglymonosynthsound Classic'70ssynthleadThe"EnolaGay"synthsound
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EnolaGayFamoushitsongbythenewwaveband"OrchestralManeuversintheDark"(OMD)ThiscoolsoundwasapparentlysourcedfromtheunpretentiousKorgmicropreset!
The"AxelF"synth
AxelFA1980shitforHaroldFaltermeyer.ThesynthesizersinvolvedwereapparentlyRolandJupiter8,RolandJX3P,andYamahaDX7.
TheProphet5synthpad
Intheairtonight
True
PhilCollinsfor"Intheairtonight"andSpandauBalletfor"True"bothreportedlyusedthisgreatanalogsynthfortheirpads.
The"I'vegotthepower"synthstab
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I'vegotthepowerAcharacteristicearlyhousestab,popularizedbytheband"Snap".Probablyadigitallymanipulateddistortedelectricguitarsample.
OberheimOBXa"Jump"patch
JumpGreatanalogsynthbrass,madefamousbythesong"Jump",byVanHalen,andbythegreatironicallyguitaristEddie.IrememberagreatpatchfortheRolandD50called"OBXaJumper"thatwasanuncannyrecreation.
TheSuperDetunedSawtoothWavesound
WhoisElvis
Thisismothaf**ker
YetanotherTechnoclassicsound,thiswasintroducedwithPhenomenia's"WhoisElvis"andusedbycountlessothers(DigitalBoyin"Thisismothaf**ker"forexample).
The"Rydeen"sound
RydeenFromYellowMagicOrchestra'shit,thisisacrossbetweenanorganandasynthsoundapopularcombinationinthelate'70s.I'mnotsurewhatsynthesizer(s)wasused.updateapparentlyitwasaKorgPS3100.
TheNoLimittechnolead
NoLimit From2Unlimited'shitsong,thiswasatypicaldetunedsynthTechnosound.
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TheChickCoreaFM+analogfusionleadsynth
RumbleThiswasasoundthatChickCoreausedveryoftenduringhis"electrik"periodintheeighties.It'sbasedonFM(YamahaTX802)mixedwithananalog(intheaudioexample,excerptfrom"Rumble",from"TheElektricBand".
Fluke's"Absurd"vocalsamplebassfx
AbsurdThisisagreatsamplefoundatthebeginningofFluke'shit"Absurd"(fromthealbum"Risotto").Iguessitconsistsofsomekindofgutturalvocalsampledwithaddedfxandsomethingthatremindsofacabasa.Greatsound.
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TheMacarenadelayedsynth
MacarenaSaywhatyouwantabouttheMacarena,butthesynththatopenstheBaysideBoys'superpopularremixofthesongisveryparticularandrecognizable.
The"SmackMyBitchUp"distortedresosynth
SmackMyBitchUpLiamreportedlyusedaKorgProphecyforthisinfectious,distortedTB303ishsynthlead.FromtheProdigy's"FatOfTheLand".
The"NoCoke"synth&bass
NoCoke
Veryparticularsounding,highlyresonantsynthanddancehallreggaebass.Exclusivelydoneonsynth.FromDr.Alban'shitoftheearly90s.IreceivedanemailfromareaderanditlookslikethesynthusedwasaRolandJuno106.
The"SexyBoy"vocosynth
SexyBoyFeaturedallthroughAir's"SexyBoy"(fromtheirbreakthroughalbum"MoonSafari"),thisisacharacteristicguttural,vocallikeandvocodedsynththatgivesthesongaroboticaura.
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The"Duel"softpad Duel
I'vealwayslovedthissongbyPropaganda.Themarvelous,incrediblyhauntingsoftpadfeaturedinthechorusisoneofthebestanalogsoftpadsI'veheard.I'mnotsurewhatsynthwasusedforthis,butIknowtheyusedalotofPPG.Pure'80snostalgia.
The"FadeToGrey"synthbass,fxandpad FadeToGrey Atriumphofanalogsynthesis,thiswasVisage'sbighit.Lovelyanalogstringpadthroughoutthesong.The"BennyBenassisound" Satisfaction Very,verycooldancesynthlead.IsthatPWMinaction?Intheexample,theItalianDJ'shit"Satisfaction".
The"Sandstorm"technosynthlead SandstormDarude'sdancehitfeaturesaninfectious(somewouldsayannoying),piercingtechnosynthlead.Veryeffectiveathighvolume.
The"Pullover"technosynthlead Pullover"Pullover"wasabighitbySpeedyJintheearly'90s."Pullover"featuresarepetitivetechnosynthesizerlinetowhichpitchbendisapplied,overanevolvingTR909drumpattern.
TheCars'"Let'sGo"oscillatorsynclead Let'sgo PossiblytakenfromtheProphet5"SyncII"patch,thisisagreatsounding,characteristicpatch,withagreatresonantfiltereffect.
VocoderVocoder(Kraftwerkstyle)
TransEuropeExpressTheVocoderis..Checkout"TransEuropeExpress",byKraftwerk.Morerecently,theBeastieBoysuseditin"Intergalactic".
Vocoder(Cherstyle)
Doyoubelieve
Yes,popmegadivaChercreatedatrendapplyingsomekindofvocodingtohervoicein"DoyoubelieveinLifeafterLove".It'snotclearhowtheydidit(somesaywithAntaresAutoTune...),butitseemsherproducersusedaDigitechTalkerandaNordLead.Edit:itlooksitwasindeedAutoTune.
Piano/ElectricPianoTheDreamHousepianoakathe
"Children"sound
Children
Thesearebasicallystandardpiano,synbassandstring/padsoundsbathedindelayandreverb,buttheyareparticularnonetheless.Italiandj/producerRobertMileswrotethishitusingaKurzweilK2000to"calmdown"thekidsbeforetheydrovebackhomefromthediscos(heevenusedthegreatK2000"Thunder"patchinthissong).Hissongalsocreatedagenre,"DreamHouse".TheRolandJV2080wouldfeature
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severalpatchesinspiredbythesesounds.
Rhodeselectricpiano
RidersontheStorm
Beautifulsoundusedbymany70'sfusionplayersandmorerecentlybyIncognitowiththeAcidJazztrendofthe90's.Forme,"RidersontheStorm"bytheDoorsdoesit.
Wurlitzerelectricpiano
TheLogicalSongAdifferentsoundfromtheRhodes,andvery,verycharacteristic.Comesinfuncolors,too,likegreen.ListentoSupertramp's"TheLogicalSong".
Thelayeredacoustic+FMpianoaka"L.A.piano" L.A.Piano
Glossy,highlyproducedmegaexpensiveHollywoodstudiotypesoundtypicallyproducedcombininganacousticgrandpianowithaRhodes/FMtypesound.InthisexamplesI'musingthepreset"Pf:ForBallads"ontheYamahaEX5R.
KorgM1Housepiano
RideonTimeUsedinalotofHousetracks,especiallyinthe"ItaloHouse"genreforitspercussivetone."RideonTime"bytheItaliangroupBlackBoxwasahugesuccess.
KeyboardHohnerClavinet
Superstition
Chameleon
Inthe70's,itwastheFunkinstrumentparexcellence.Runthroughawahwah,it'sevenbetter.StevieWonder(Superstitious)andHerbieHancock(HeadHunters'Chameleon)surelyknewhowtouseit.
The'60sstyleharpsichord playedinapop/rock,notclassical,fashion:Mancini,....F
OrganKorgM1PercOrgan
PleaseDon'tGoThemythical"17Organ2"presetontheM1definedHousemusicoftheearly1990s.ListenforexampletoDoubleYou'sversionofKC&theSunshineBands'sclassic"Pleasedon'tGo",whichwasahitinEuropeintheearly'90s.
JimmySmithstyleHammondOrgan
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BackattheChickenShack
C3vibrato,3rdharmonicpercussion,thefirstthreedrawbarsallout...thisisthesoundofjazzorgan."Backatthechickenshack"wasthefirstJimmySmithalbumIeverbought...andIwasimmediatelyhooked.
VoxContinental
LightMyFireThesoundofTheDoorsandmanyother60'sbands.AccordingtoRayManzarek,it'sthe"Californiasound"."LightMyFire"isoneoftheDoors'mostlovedsongs.
Farfisa RockLobsterSimilartotheVoxyetdifferent,sligthlywarmerandmorenasalsounding,deservedlyoneoftheclassic60'scomboorgans.
The"Won'tgetfooledagain"phased/filteredorgansound Won'tgetfooledagain
AtthebeginningofthegreatWhosong.TheAlesisIonoffersagreatrecreationofthissound.
The"Lucyintheskywithdiamonds"introorgansound
Lucyintheskywithdiamonds
IrememberreadingthattheorganusedbytheBeatlesfortheintroductiontothishitwasaLowrey.Prettycoolretrosound.
ClaviolineTelstar
Runaway
Anawesomesounding,expressiveearlyelectronickeyboard!DelShannon's"Runaway",TheTornadoes'"Telstar"areexamplesofthisprecursortothemodernsynthesizer.
UPDATEFROMAREADER:"Hiyas.
YoulisttheDelShannonhit"runaway"asfeaturingaclavoline.Ilistenedtotheaudiosampleofthepertinentsection,andI'massumingthatyourefertothehigh,reedysortofsolothatplays.
That'snotaclavoline,though.That'sasaxplayedthroughanorganleslie.
Severalyearsago,PBSranaseriescalled"Thehistoryofrockn'roll"andoneofthesongsittouchedonwasDel
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Shannon'srunaway.Survuvingmembersofthebandwereinteriewedanditwasrevealedthatthat'swhatthesoundwaspeoplehadbeentryinglikemadfordecadestofigureoutwhatitwas,andallitwas,wasasaxthroughaleslie.
Isearchedgooglebutwasunabletofindanyonewhohadthisinfoposted,soyourbestbetistotryandhuntupacopyofthatoldPBSseries,andviewtheinterviewsforyourself.
cheers
cobalt*"
Thereggaeorganver.1 NoWomanNoCryAwesomechorusedsound,withsomehighdrawbarsoutandleslierunning.BobMarley's"NoWomanNoCry",theliveversion,isagreatexample.
Thereggaeorganver.2
StringsARPStringEnsemblealsoknownas
Solina
Oneofthebestanalogstringmachinesever.
TheSolinathroughphasersound Usedinalotofclassic"teutonicrock",or"kosmischemusik",andJeanMichelJarre.
The"Goldfrapp"sound
LovelyHead
Awonderfulsound.Trulyinnovativenotbecaseit'sthefirsttimethatsomebodyfiltersvocals,butbecauseofheramazingoperatictechniquecombinedwithtechnology.Icallthis"Goldfrapp"sound,becauseAlisonGoldfrappusesthistechniquewithbeautifulresults.Shesingsthroughamicrophonewhosesignalisbeingprocessedbyasynthesizerfilter(ataGoldfrappconcertinD.C.,InoticeditwasaKorgMS20).Yep,it'snotaThereminorasynth...eventhoughthefirsttimesyouhearthesongs,onecan'texactlyfigureouthowtheyproducedit..it'shervoicegoingthroughasynthesizerfilterI'veseenitwithmyeyesattheirconcert.
UPDATEFROMAREADER:"Ithinkshe'sactuallysingingintotheMS20'scontrolvoltageinput.TheMS20isdrawingitspitchinformationfromAlisonGoldfrapp'svoice,viatheCVinput.Korg'sLegacyVSTeditionoftheMS20hasapresetwhichdoesthis,anditproducesasimilareffect,particularlythe"squally"soundinbetweenthenotes,whichmustcomefromthemicrophonepickingupnoise,orGoldfrapp'sbreath.It'soneofthoseinterestingtechniquesthatislittleusedbecauseitrequirespitchperfectsinginginordertosoundright.ShecouldprobablyhavethesameeffectwithanotheroldCV/Gatesynthesiser,butIwonderifthedifferentvoltagestandardsmightmakeitimpossibletocontrolintheaudiorange."
The"Frampton"soundThefamoussoundobtainedwitha"talkbox".
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TheElkaSynthexLaserHarp
ThefamousLaserHarpsoundusedbyJeanMichelJarreutilizingtheclassicElkaSynthex.
Thetypical'80scompsynth Propaganda,MadonnaTheProteus/2"XFileswhistle"
TheXFiles OriginatedfromanEmuProteus/2soundmodule(source:KeyboardmagazinearticlewithMarkSnow,xx/199x)
Choirs/Vox/SynVoxTheAnasthasiatechnochoir
Anasthasia
JamesBrownisdead
Itrulylovedthissongwhenitcameout!intheearly'90s!BelgiangroupT99createdthistechnostandardsoundsamplingthesoundofanorchestralchoir(supposedlyarecordingofTheRiteofSpringbyStravinsky)andshiftingthestartingpointofitswavesotoobtainaveryfastattack,indispensabletoplaythecharacteristicriff.Tonsofotherartistscopiedit(forexample,LAStylein"JamesBrownisdead")Update:readerAnderswrites:I'veboughtanoldRolandS330samplerandguesswhatifound!!OriginalSystemDisknr2containssomeorchestralsound,andonecalled"Ending1"isthatfamous"JamesBrownIsDead"choirsound:)
EmuEmulatorchoir
EnjoyTheSilence
Tziganata
DepecheModeusedEmulatorsinthe'80s.Ibelievethechoirsintheirincrediblybeautiful"EnjoyTheSilence"arefromtheEmulatorII.Also,here'sagrittychoirsoundfromtheEmulator,1stversion:ItalianNewWavebandLitfiba's"Tziganata".Listencarefullyandyou'llnoticethe"Mellotronish"choirsoundinthebackground.
Gatedchoirsequencedtriplets
NowhereLand
Afewyearsagothissoundwascreatedbysomeproducergatingachoirsoundandutilizingahihatpatterntoopenandclosethegateandthisistheimpressiveresult.Ormaybeit'salldonewithasequencer..Anyway,"Nowhere
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Land"wasahit(inEurope,atleast)andcountlessothertracksimitatedthistechnique.
TheFairlightSynVoxMomentsInLove
OSuperman
TheuberfamousFairlightsynvox.ThisbreathysyntheticvoicewasalsopartoftheEmulatorIIlibrary,theRolandSseriessamplers(MaryAnnvox),andmadeitevenintheGMstandardbank.CheckoutArtOfNoise's"MomentsInLove",LaurieAnderson's"O'Superman"(probablynotagoodexamplebutisreminiscentofthatsound)
D50"StarTrekVoices"
STARTREKVoices Agorgeous,Fairlightesquevoxpadthatsparklesandswimsinspace.ContainedinthePND5004Rolandcard.
TheFairlightsynvox ShoutThemostbeautifulandfamousCMIFairlightfactorysample,thiswas,andstillis,widelyusedintheROMofmanysamplebased,modernerasynthesizers.Intheexample,thesoloinTearsForFears'1984hit"Shout".
The"ICan'tWait"earlysamplersampledvocals
ICan'tWait
Averycool1980ssong,NuShooz"ICan'tWait"featuresaverycharacteristicvocalsample,very"Fairlightlike".Anearly,lowbitrate,limitedmemorysamplerwasprobablyused.
UPDATEFROMAREADER:"Hiimalmost40now...butihaveseennushoozwhentheyhavetheicantwaithit...theycameheretomytownlaredo...
thebassplayerplayedasynthwithabasspatch...dontknowwhatitwasbut...iseethisone
SequentialCircuitsProphetVShttp://www.vintagesynth.com/sci/pvs.shtmlbeingplayedonthemainriff....soithinkthatwasit.."
ReedsMellotronflutesound
StrawberryFieldsForever
PlayedpolyphonicallybytheBeatlesintheirsong"Strawberryfieldsforever",thishauntingsoundisverybeautiful,andtheoriginalinstrumentisstillverysoughtaftertoday.NoteworthyisitsappearanceintheVintageKeyboardexpansionboardfortheRolandJV/XPseries.
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OtherMellotronsounds,likestringsandchoirsarevery,veryevocative.
The'80ssynthharmonicasound
What'slovegottodowithit
ThesynthusedforthisfamousharmonicasoundwastheYamahaDX7.(actually,apresetonaDX7librarycartridge).
Brass/SynthBrassThe"Wishyouwerehere"analogsynth
brass
WishYouWereHere FromPinkFloyd'spopularsong
The"Africa"FMbrasssound
Apparently,anearlyFMsynth,theYamahaGS1,wasusedforthebrasssoundofthisfamous1980shit.
The'80s"HairMetal"synthbrass
TheFinalCountdown
Doyourememberthehit"TheFinalCountdown"from1985,bytheband"Europe"?Thissongwassooverplayedontheradiothateverykindofpeople,froma4yearoldchildtotheoctogenariangrandma,werewhistlinginthestreet.Idon'trememberwhatkeyboardswereused,butI'llfindout.Update:severalSwedishandNorwegianreadershavecontactedmeandconfirmedthatthesynthusedwasaRolandJX8Papparentlyapreset,"Stab..."something.
Sequences/ArpeggiosTheTangerineDreamclassicanalog
sequencerpattern
CherokeeLaneExcerptfrom"CherokeeLane",fromtheliveAlbum"Encore".AnalogsequencerswereatthebaseofTangerineDream'smusicduringthe'70s.
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The"Ifeellove"Moroder16thsequencedpattern
Ifeellove
Aclassicdiscosong,"Ifeellove"byDonnaSummerwasproducedbyGiorgioMoroderandisbasedonafabulousanalogsequencerpattern.Giorgiowentontoproducemanyother(synthesizerbased)hitsallthroughoutthe'80sandbeyond.
TheJupiter8arpeggio
SaveAPrayerFeaturedatthebeginningofDuranDuran'sbeautiful"SaveAPrayer".There'salsoagreatsynflutewithpitchbendingthat'sprominentinthistrack.
TheJupiter4randomarpeggio
Hungrylikethewolf FamouslyusedbyNickRhodesintheintrotoDuranDuran's"Hungrylikethewolf"
PluckedThe"GetYourFreakOn"kotoloop
GetYourFreakOn
Arepetitivekotoloop,thiswasahitforMissyElliott.Acharacteristicuseofnewsoundingsampledinstrumentsinmodernhiphopproduction
MiscThisshouldn'tprobablybehere,butI'vealwaysbeen
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The"THX"sound[soundclipremovedatrequestofthecopyright
owners]
curious.Doesanybodyknowwhatsynthesizerwasusedforthisgreatportamentoeffect?Lucas?Anybody?ANSWER:here'sanemailfromreaderGilles,withtheanswertothisquestion:ThissoundcomesfromaSynclavier2,intensivelyusedinSkyWalkerstudio,managedbyGeorgeLucas(accordingtoHarmonyCentralwebsite)UPDATE:youcanreadtherealandveryinterestingstoryabouthowtheTHXsoundwasmade(byAndyMooreronamainframecomputeratLucasFilm)hereatMusicThing