How to make an Ultravox' lead synth sound?
-
- KVRist
- Topic Starter
- 47 posts since 1 May, 2006 from Stockholm, Sweden
...like that kind of screaming, living, almost guitarlike sounds?
From videos I see Billy uses the pitchbend a lot, but else I really don't know.
As far as I know they used minimoog, Cs-20, Cs-80 Oddyssey etc.
Me myself is at the beginning, trying to find my way through free VSTis.....
All help and pointers highly appreciated
From videos I see Billy uses the pitchbend a lot, but else I really don't know.
As far as I know they used minimoog, Cs-20, Cs-80 Oddyssey etc.
Me myself is at the beginning, trying to find my way through free VSTis.....
All help and pointers highly appreciated
-
thecontrolcentre thecontrolcentre https://www.kvraudio.com/forum/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=76240
- KVRAF
- 35296 posts since 27 Jul, 2005 from the wilds of wanny
Guitar pedals?mickeh wrote:...like that kind of screaming, living, almost guitarlike sounds?
- KVRAF
- 3399 posts since 5 Mar, 2004 from Gold Coast Australia
They used ARPs for those sounds.
Try OSC Sync to harden up the sound.
Try soft Overdrive, possibly thru Guitar Amp/Speaker (emulators don't work).
Generally new VSTi don't sound right as they are too glassy but oddly Reason's Subtractor could get close enough because it has a thin sound like the old ARPs.
You could also try Castor or Pollux from my SynthStudio Pack (see link below) as they have that gritty sound real early analogs had.
Play really expressively.
Try OSC Sync to harden up the sound.
Try soft Overdrive, possibly thru Guitar Amp/Speaker (emulators don't work).
Generally new VSTi don't sound right as they are too glassy but oddly Reason's Subtractor could get close enough because it has a thin sound like the old ARPs.
You could also try Castor or Pollux from my SynthStudio Pack (see link below) as they have that gritty sound real early analogs had.
Play really expressively.
Benedict Roff-Marsh
http://www.benedictroffmarsh.com
http://www.benedictroffmarsh.com
- Suspended
- 16031 posts since 14 Jun, 2001 from Somewhere else, on principle
This came up several years ago and someone came up with a great Triangle II patch for it in about 5 minutes. For our Sleepwalk cover, I use exactly what has been suggested above - hard sync with distortion and lots of portamento. When I saw them live, Billy used an ARP Odyssey and he used the Mod Wheel and pitch-bend.
NOVAkILL : Asus RoG Flow Z13, Core i9, 16GB RAM, Win11 | EVO 16 | Studio One | bx_oberhausen, GR-8, JP6K, Union, Hexeract, Olga, TRK-01, SEM, BA-1, Thorn, Prestige, Spire, Legend-HZ, ANA-2, VG Iron 2 | Uno Pro, Rocket.
- KVRAF
- 3399 posts since 5 Mar, 2004 from Gold Coast Australia
So where's the link to your cover of Sleepwalk Mr Bones?
Benedict Roff-Marsh
http://www.benedictroffmarsh.com
http://www.benedictroffmarsh.com
- Suspended
- 16031 posts since 14 Jun, 2001 from Somewhere else, on principle
No link, we're still deciding whether to put it or One Hundred Years on the next album. I really love Sleepwalk but Ultravox is nowhere near as obvious for our audience as The Cure. Sleepwalk will probably win the day, however, because it is much shorter and the album is nudging towards an hour, which we both feel is too long.
NOVAkILL : Asus RoG Flow Z13, Core i9, 16GB RAM, Win11 | EVO 16 | Studio One | bx_oberhausen, GR-8, JP6K, Union, Hexeract, Olga, TRK-01, SEM, BA-1, Thorn, Prestige, Spire, Legend-HZ, ANA-2, VG Iron 2 | Uno Pro, Rocket.
-
- KVRian
- 623 posts since 28 Jan, 2005 from hollywood
...agree with Benedict -- most people treated synths and guitars equally back then: pedals -> amp and then mic'd the amp. this yields a very full sound even with 'shitty' old synths like micromoog, cat, wasp, etc.
are the Ultravox vids you're thinking of on YouTube? I'd love to see them.
check this out -- f'ing love it -- Tubeway Army "Are Friends..." == orgy of Moogs and all live
youtube.com/watch?v=Uu6MDdxBork
are the Ultravox vids you're thinking of on YouTube? I'd love to see them.
check this out -- f'ing love it -- Tubeway Army "Are Friends..." == orgy of Moogs and all live
youtube.com/watch?v=Uu6MDdxBork
-
- KVRAF
- 2017 posts since 21 Mar, 2002 from Hutchinson, Kansas
That was Har, I think. Big Ultravox fan, Har (me too).BONES wrote:This came up several years ago and someone came up with a great Triangle II patch for it in about 5 minutes. For our Sleepwalk cover, I use exactly what has been suggested above - hard sync with distortion and lots of portamento. When I saw them live, Billy used an ARP Odyssey and he used the Mod Wheel and pitch-bend.
-
- KVRian
- 864 posts since 9 Jul, 2001 from Chester County PA, USA
Yep, that was me. If anyone would like the Triangle II preset, I have it available to download from here.Scot Solida wrote:That was Har, I think. Big Ultravox fan, Har (me too).BONES wrote:This came up several years ago and someone came up with a great Triangle II patch for it in about 5 minutes. For our Sleepwalk cover, I use exactly what has been suggested above - hard sync with distortion and lots of portamento. When I saw them live, Billy used an ARP Odyssey and he used the Mod Wheel and pitch-bend.
Currie was definitely a big ARP Odyssey guy for his signature lead tone, but I believe around the time of their "Lament" album he switched to an OSCar.
One other thing that some folks might not be aware of, is that another one of his trademark screaming solo sounds wasn't a synth at all, but his electric viola - while on some things he would play it fairly cleanly (like on the main riff from "Western Promise", it sounded like he also used to occasionally drive it into this really cool shrieking tone.
-
- KVRist
- 353 posts since 10 Nov, 2002 from The Dirty Wee Port of Glasgow
He used an Arp Odyssey through guitar pedals (mostly electric mistress flanger) and laterly an OSCar . Lately hes been using Oddity and impOSCar from GMedia and has contributed to the new VSM plug from the same company.
To get a typical Currie lead sound you want to use a fair bit of portamento and slow pitch modulation and have a patch where you can sweep through the sync manualy, this coupled with distortion and some hollow flanging will get you in the right ballpark but about 60% of it is in the performance, not the patch, true of all great classic lead sounds.
To get a typical Currie lead sound you want to use a fair bit of portamento and slow pitch modulation and have a patch where you can sweep through the sync manualy, this coupled with distortion and some hollow flanging will get you in the right ballpark but about 60% of it is in the performance, not the patch, true of all great classic lead sounds.
-
- KVRian
- 864 posts since 9 Jul, 2001 from Chester County PA, USA
Yep, exactly - if you listen to the solos, he's definitely digging his fingers in there with the port and modulation and not just playing the patch straight; if you ever watch their live videos, Currie's a very physical, "interactive" player.Dave Blakely wrote:He used an Arp Odyssey through guitar pedals (mostly electric mistress flanger) and laterly an OSCar . Lately hes been using Oddity and impOSCar from GMedia and has contributed to the new VSM plug from the same company.
To get a typical Currie lead sound you want to use a fair bit of portamento and slow pitch modulation and have a patch where you can sweep through the sync manualy, this coupled with distortion and some hollow flanging will get you in the right ballpark but about 60% of it is in the performance, not the patch, true of all great classic lead sounds.
If I remember right from the live photos I saw of his Odyssey, it was one of the later models with PPC, that let you bend and modulate via a set of pressure-sensitive rubber pads (where the pitch-bend knob used to be on the earlier models like I had).
-
- KVRist
- 353 posts since 10 Nov, 2002 from The Dirty Wee Port of Glasgow
Yep the PPC Pads were about the only way you'd get an Odyssey to modulate both oscillators at the same time as well as a bit of filter mod, something you'd need 6 fingers on each hand to achieve on the earlier models
-
- KVRian
- 864 posts since 9 Jul, 2001 from Chester County PA, USA
Yah, with my early-model Odyssey I had to do the "devil horns" with the first finger and pinkie of my left hand to modulate both oscillators at once using their FM sliders...god help me if I wanted to use the pitch-bend knob too at the same time...
-
- KVRist
- Topic Starter
- 47 posts since 1 May, 2006 from Stockholm, Sweden
Thanks for all the replys!
Shame on me not to search for the old thread....sorry.
http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/archive/i ... /40817.php
But som new stuff came up here
Someone were talking about videos; I'll scanned some of them and made a brief list with time marks of Billy playing.
However, often the cameramen/producers doesn't focus too much on keyboard players....
*************************************
The Voice live
http://youtube.com/watch?v=lvylsPfFEOk
Not the one from Monument
04:40 Solo just before the drums
********************************
MINE FOR LIFE - OLD GREY WHISTLE TEST
Some more
http://youtube.com/watch?v=FjaiUbjWelI
2:50, Billy jogging: 4:18
**********************************
Mine For Life Live
http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZlVsVOTcmYw
Several shots of Billy
0:45, 1:33, 4:28
*****************************
HYMN - ORS 82
http://youtube.com/watch?v=vEay4Qjv4gU
1:12
Billy jogging
3:22
Good one, Billy works an Oddyssey
**********************************
All Stood Still Live
http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZON6ZDJcdBE
Plenty of shots at Billy and Chris from hte start.
***************************************
Hymn Live
http://youtube.com/watch?v=x7uI7LYL_fc
3:18
Somewhere I read that Billy thought the Oddysey was so good he wanted to f**k it; well, here it looks like he's doing it....
****************************
Sleepwalk(TOTP)
http://youtube.com/watch?v=HyqSk-GtaLw
1:08, 2:35
Yes, hew had a certain style...
*************************
THE THIN WALL - TOTP
2:08
http://youtube.com/watch?v=a22LLwE_oa0
**********************
Live Aid
http://youtube.com/watch?v=ukh0pq7oP4M
08:10 violin in vienna
bad cameraman
Shame on me not to search for the old thread....sorry.
http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/archive/i ... /40817.php
But som new stuff came up here
Someone were talking about videos; I'll scanned some of them and made a brief list with time marks of Billy playing.
However, often the cameramen/producers doesn't focus too much on keyboard players....
*************************************
The Voice live
http://youtube.com/watch?v=lvylsPfFEOk
Not the one from Monument
04:40 Solo just before the drums
********************************
MINE FOR LIFE - OLD GREY WHISTLE TEST
Some more
http://youtube.com/watch?v=FjaiUbjWelI
2:50, Billy jogging: 4:18
**********************************
Mine For Life Live
http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZlVsVOTcmYw
Several shots of Billy
0:45, 1:33, 4:28
*****************************
HYMN - ORS 82
http://youtube.com/watch?v=vEay4Qjv4gU
1:12
Billy jogging
3:22
Good one, Billy works an Oddyssey
**********************************
All Stood Still Live
http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZON6ZDJcdBE
Plenty of shots at Billy and Chris from hte start.
***************************************
Hymn Live
http://youtube.com/watch?v=x7uI7LYL_fc
3:18
Somewhere I read that Billy thought the Oddysey was so good he wanted to f**k it; well, here it looks like he's doing it....
****************************
Sleepwalk(TOTP)
http://youtube.com/watch?v=HyqSk-GtaLw
1:08, 2:35
Yes, hew had a certain style...
*************************
THE THIN WALL - TOTP
2:08
http://youtube.com/watch?v=a22LLwE_oa0
**********************
Live Aid
http://youtube.com/watch?v=ukh0pq7oP4M
08:10 violin in vienna
bad cameraman
-
- KVRist
- Topic Starter
- 47 posts since 1 May, 2006 from Stockholm, Sweden
Choose Sleepwalk and I'll promise to buy the album!BONES wrote:No link, we're still deciding whether to put it or One Hundred Years on the next album. I really love Sleepwalk but Ultravox is nowhere near as obvious for our audience as The Cure. Sleepwalk will probably win the day, however, because it is much shorter and the album is nudging towards an hour, which we both feel is too long.
I'm a sucker for Ultravox covers - the good ones as well as the bad ones
One day I'll put a list up.....