Sonic Reality

Squids · Post by **Squids** » Mon Jan 02, 2006 12:04 am

In the short semi-vacation of the last few days I was having some fun jamming around with the Arp ProSoloist and some vintage keyboard sounds from Sonik Synth 2. I did this little piece that is improvised and sounds a bit like it is a long lost jam session outtake from mid 70's era Genesis (like the Lamb). I edited together the best bits of it. Here it is: http://www.sonicreality.com/squidscorne ... uidjam.mp3

The drums are from the loop sessions I did with Nick D'Virgilio. Nick played drums on Genesis' Calling All Stations album and is the drummer/singer for a band called Spock's Beard. He now works with Sonic Reality full time and will be with us at NAMM. His library is going to be freakin' awesome. You can see I am having fun with it in advance.

Hope you like it!

Happy New Year.

Squids

opia · Post by **opia** » Mon Jan 02, 2006 12:10 am

The Squid lies down on Broadway

Happy New Year

Squids · Post by **Squids** » Mon Jan 02, 2006 12:16 am

He needs to lie down. I fell asleep before midnight last night. Missed the whole thing. Ball dropping, bad New Years TV shows... everything!

Diek · Post by **Diek** » Mon Jan 02, 2006 12:18 am

It really sound Genesis. Very good one.

Squids · Post by **Squids** » Mon Jan 02, 2006 12:24 am

Diek wrote:It really sound Genesis. Very good one.

Thanks. I should be doing that more. Part for the fun of it and partly to show what you can do with Sonik Synth 2. (well in this case SS2 plus a ProSoloist and some drum tracks from Nick

). But, products like Sonik Synth 2 and the upcoming Studiophonik can give you the tools to sound like almost any band if you know what you're doing.

Now you know my secret enjoyment that I get out of having those features.

Well, these tools are supposed to be for having fun and making music. Even if it is a complete rip!

Actually, I may do a virtual Genesis tribute band in my spare spare time. I just enjoy playing those kind of sounds, chords etc. So, if you are a fan of that sound then there's more to come. It's a good exercise as a musician. A fun challenge to me anyway.

Here's a live version of a Genesis cover that I played with Nick over 10 years ago:

http://www.sonicreality.com/squidscorner/inthecage.mp3

Scot Solida · Post by **Scot Solida** » Mon Jan 02, 2006 12:27 am

Squids is just a lawnmower, you can tell him by the way he walks...

Nicely done. Had a good time listening to that. Was that a ProSoloist patch, or were you playing the real deal along with Sonik Synth?

I just narrowly got my own Pro Soloist sampled before it bit the dust a month or so ago. Fortunately, I was able to get every couple of keys all the way up the board on every preset (630 samples!) before it met it's end....

Mind you, I could never wring this kind of performance out of it! Always a treat to hear you jamming in the classic prog style!

Squids · Post by **Squids** » Mon Jan 02, 2006 12:33 am

Thanks Scot. I plan to do some more prog stuff this year because... ummm... it's fun and I would like to be making more music (even if it is just messing around at minimum like this).

That was a real Arp ProSoloist. I had the same sound in SS2 and it was really CLOSE but not quite doing it. It's the portamento part that you can't get with samples it seems. The ProSoloist needs to be modeled!!! That and the Arp Quadra. None of this Odyssey/2600 stuff!

Just kidding. Those are good too.

Hey, do you have a Kyma? If so, sample it for me. I want to put together a collection of the rarest keyboards around. I have some good ones for the collection. I have Keith Emerson's GX-1, a Novachord, Cymbalet, Clavioline, Claviola etc but I don't have any samples of the Kyma. You probably have some other quirky wonders. Let me know! It'd be fun.

Scot Solida · Post by **Scot Solida** » Mon Jan 02, 2006 12:40 am

The portomento (and the "growl"!) of the Arp are indeed hard or impossible get right. Seems like a lot of today's samplers have lousy portomento functions (Kontakt....ouch) for the old prog styled leads (though I actually like the NN-XT for that sorta thing sometimes).

Yep, I have a Kyma with eight expansion cards. That and my big (and I do mean BIG) modular are the main musical tools I use. Shoot me an e-mail and I'll get you sorted with some Kyma goodness.

seamonkey · Post by **seamonkey** » Mon Jan 02, 2006 12:42 am

Squids, that was wonderful listening to this mp3.
Gotta love that ProSoloist, has it's own unique sound.

The RUMOR is getting louder and more substantial, the FAB FIVE reunion is IMMINENT!

Scot Solida · Post by **Scot Solida** » Mon Jan 02, 2006 12:44 am

seamonkey wrote:Squids, that was wonderful listening to this mp3.
Gotta love that ProSoloist, has it's own unique sound.

I'm almost sure you meant to say that it has "it's own special way"....

seamonkey · Post by **seamonkey** » Mon Jan 02, 2006 12:51 am

exactly

Diek · Post by **Diek** » Mon Jan 02, 2006 1:08 am

Squids wrote:
Diek wrote:It really sound Genesis. Very good one.
Now you know my secret enjoyment that I get out of having those features. Well, these tools are supposed to be for having fun and making music. Even if it is a complete rip! Actually, I may do a virtual Genesis tribute band in my spare spare time. I just enjoy playing those kind of sounds, chords etc. So, if you are a fan of that sound then there's more to come. It's a good exercise as a musician. A fun challenge to me anyway.

Here's a live version of a Genesis cover that I played with Nick over 10 years ago:

http://www.sonicreality.com/squidscorner/inthecage.mp3

Genesis are one of my main bands. I ever tried to learn from them because their music is kind of magic.
I ever wished to play this kind of stuff but never found people interested . The reason is, as you said, the pleasure of playing it.
Have you heard about "The Musical Box". They recreate the early (till '75) Genesis. They come to Barcelona and I was there. Almost perfect!

Hybernation · Post by **Hybernation** » Mon Jan 02, 2006 1:26 am

Awesome Squids! Your "jam" left me wanting more!!

So that was YOU playing boards on Kevin Gilbert & Friends' Lamb performance (progfest was it?) That is one of my all-time favorite recordings (I was lucky enough to score a copy on DAT from someone who knew KG a bit better than me). He was a kind, generous and talented fellow, and I still miss him.

Anyway, you covered Tony Banks in a most fabulous way that evening!!

Squids · Post by **Squids** » Mon Jan 02, 2006 1:51 am

Wow, all the Genesis fans of KVR are coming out of Hybernation!

Thanks, man. Yeah, I used to play in Kevin's regular solo band and then we went off for 2 weeks to learn the Lamb gig. We actually only rehearsed it all the way through once so it was a tough one. Here's the rehearsal version of Back in NYC if you don't have it: http://www.sonicreality.com/squidscorne ... earsal.mp3

Also, this is a medley edit that I made in case I auditioned to play with PG again (I did for the US tour but didn't get the gig). I never bothered to send it though. I think PG heard this anyway through his A&R at Geffen who is a friend of mine, Tony Berg (who happens to be a great producer himself... I met him when I was working with Aimie Mann and Jon Brion. It was at his studio). Here's the medley edit: http://www.sonicreality.com/squidscorne ... yclips.mp3

Last year Nick, Stan and I got together and played a little bit from the Lamb (that would be the drums, keys and guitars from Kevin's Giraffe band that night). Here's a video clip from that: http://www.sonicreality.com/squidscorne ... y05clp.avi

We also played a Yes song with Jon Anderson that night too: http://www.sonicreality.com/squidscorne ... nceclp.avi

If you want to hear the uncut 7 minute jam version of the piece I posted let me know. It has a few mistakes though. I wasn't going to post it until I kind of worked on it a bit more. These were just improvised parts in one take. It could be more "composed" (which is what Tony would do). That would require sitting down and picking the best bits and practicing them so they are tight. But, who the hell has time for that these days????

Oh, if I were 16 again (all I wanted back then was an Arp ProSoloist... I just didn't know it!

).

Hybernation · Post by **Hybernation** » Mon Jan 02, 2006 2:50 am

I am just SO blown away by the playing AND by the sounds on these Lamb tracks, Squids, I just have to ask one question: What kind of "rig" were you using? The keys sound amazingly vintage and authentic, and yet also somewhat updated (in a good way).

Thanks so much for the two MP3's!

And the AVI's were a lot of fun to watch as well. You guys must have had a BLAST jammin' with Jon!!

I would love to hear the 7 minute jam, warts and all, if you don't mind sharing (though I know how it feels to share something that is "unfinished"

Thanks again, and Happy New Year!

John H.

Sonic Reality

KVR Audio

For Genesis fans...