the power of synth

[dobro]

It's been an evening of mixed listening for me - a buddy played me some live Beefheart recorded in England a long time ago, and by the end of the evening, my wife was playing a new Rod
Stewart CD she'd just bought. I enjoyed the Beefheart more, but the Rod Stewart album ("It Had To Be You" - done in 2002), with Rod doing old American nuggets from the 30s and 40s, is interesting too. Aside from being exquisitely done (have you ever heard Willie Nelson's "Stardust" album? - now *there's* a comparison), there's the album's use of synth that I find really interesting. On one song, for instance, the credits run:

Synthesizer pad: Andy Chukerman
Piano and string synthesizers: Randy Kerber

And although there are a couple of songs that have an orchestra on it, there are more that have that synth pad. First time I listened to the song, it fooled my ears, and it still sounds good.

Synths are really powerful, if they can cover simple string parts believably and double as pianos and organs and be synths as well. You wouldn't want to use your genius synth player *too* much on a project if you were a producer, but what a cost saver.

 

[littledog]

Yes, a good synth programmer is invaluable to many a project.

As a production tip: to get even more realistic sounding programmed string and horn parts, it is often very useful to double real violin (or sax, trumpet, etc.) on top of the synth string or horn lines. Having the one real instrument mixed in can make the whole part sound incredibly more "real".

 

[barefoot]

The ultimate so far are the orchestral libraries developed for the GigaStudio. Some have very sophisticated midi controllable articulations. Behind a mix it's next to impossible to tell they're sampled. Hell, even on their own they're sometimes pretty convincing.

 

[The Green Hornet]

Yo Dobro:

I'm a long time user of the Yam DX-7 synth, which was one of the first on the mass market.

A nice feature of the DX-7, and probably most other synths, is that one can tweak patches and create new patches and store them for future use.

And, something that is eerie is that, [knock on wood] my "original" lithium battery is still working fine. It's more than 15 years old. Just love quality in a piece of gear.

Today's synths from Korg and others are really ingenious devices for making great music.


Green Hornet

 

[littledog]

A nice feature of the DX-7, and probably most other synths, is that one can tweak patches and create new patches and store them for future use.

good news! (for those who may have been asleep for the past 20 years....)

 

[dobro]

Now, now - play nice. The Hornet's been here for so long that he knows how little I know. Maybe *you* know all about synths, but what he said was news to me.

The most useful thing for me in this thread though was your idea of putting live strings on top of a synth pad to make it more real sounding. That's cunning.

 

[The Green Hornet]

Yo Dog of diminuative dimensions:

There are, of course, many folks who do not own a synth or a sampler or maybe even an electric piano. Thus, THEY would not know about patches and tweaking and storing.

I learn something each time I fire up this site.

So I'm hoping the information I offer can lixiviate into the minds of those who need it. You can inform all of those who do not fall into this category.

Cheers,

Green Hornet

 

[camn]

oh, yeah? I have a Yamaha PS -10... and you can add vibrato to it.

xoxo

 

[The Green Hornet]

Yo Camnnnnnm:

Hey brother, I had "vibrato" on my CORDOVOX, an electrified stomach Steinway.

Vibrate on.


Green Hornet

 

[littledog]

There are, of course, many folks who do not own a synth or a sampler or maybe even an electric piano. Thus, THEY would not know about patches and tweaking and storing.

I learn something each time I fire up this site.

So I'm hoping the information I offer can lixiviate into the minds of those who need it. You can inform all of those who do not fall into this category.

I don't own a rocket ship, but I know better than to leave the door open in outer space...

But, see, all's well that ends well. Some folks here got to learn that as of about 1980 you could save synth presets, and i got to see "lixiviate" actually used in a conversation for the first time in my life.

Tune in next week for startling new information and discussions, including:

• the on/off switch: friend or foe?
• the piano: will it ever replace the harpsichord in classical music?
• the saxophone: more than a funny looking clarinet?
• 33 1/3 rpm: is it the end of the road for 78's?
• key punch operators: a guaranteed career for the future!
• midi: how likely is it competing manufacturers will ever agree on a single standard?


and many more!

 

[The Green Hornet]

Yo pequeno perro:

"Save synth presets" ???

Methinks that a preset is already saved.

With the DX-7 a preset can become a "Newset." Glad they're all saved when one shuts off the synth. I'd forget.

A nice queque of wonderful transitions in music. Gad! I still have a turntable that can do 78's. [And 45's]

I must be lost in the effluvia of stage and lights and time.

Happy Spring Little Dog.

Green Hornet

 

[subtractor]

Tune in next week for startling new information and discussions, including:

• the on/off switch: friend or foe?
• the piano: will it ever replace the harpsichord in classical music?
• the saxophone: more than a funny looking clarinet?
• 33 1/3 rpm: is it the end of the road for 78's?
• key punch operators: a guaranteed career for the future!
• midi: how likely is it competing manufacturers will ever agree on a single standard?