The Dark Side

The Dark Side is a virtual instrument created and produced by Doug Rogers and David Fridmann. It is described as "an unconventional, hip and exciting collection of virtual instruments, some dark and eerie, and some which have been purposely—and skillfully—mangled, distorted, or effected out of all recognition".

The Dark Side includes a vast, 40 Gigabyte collection, including dark and eerie instruments, and highly processed drums and percussion, basses, guitars, ethnic, keyboard, strings, and effected instruments, all organized into instrumental groups so you can create complete tracks.

Rogers partnered with Grammy Award-Winning record producer David Fridmann, who's unconventional (and successful) work with the likes of MGMT, The Flaming Lips, and Weezer to name a few he had admired. Fridmann's "no rules" style of production was exactly what Rogers was looking for to help produce The Dark Side instruments.

Once they got started, they were like bulls in a china shop: mass aural destruction was the name of the game. They turned traditional instruments into highly processed drums, percussion, basses, guitars, ethnic, keyboards, strings, and FX, all organized into instrument groups for easy audition and recall.

Rogers and Fridmann not only tapped into a wealth of recording and producing experience for The Dark Side, but had the gear to match. Many individual instruments were processed through 5 or 6 effects units, some of the vintage and esoteric tube variety owned by the pair.

The Dark Side's more distorted and mangled instruments are intended to be used with cleaner instruments to make them really stand out in a mix, or to disturb the senses. With today's brick-wall limiting, distorted instruments may be the only product trick left to make an instrument stand out in a mix, a successful production technique used often by Radiohead, Muse, Nine Inch Nails, etc.

As the project progressed, they realized the instruments would work for almost every style from alternative to symphonic rock, and The Dark Side name was chosen as a play on words between both styles of music. However, these instruments would be equally at home in Dance, Electronica, and even Hip Hop.

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