KVR Audio

ludwig · Post by **ludwig** » Thu May 11, 2006 2:44 pm

Maybe a bit off topic: doesn't Kraftwerk nowedays only use laptops while preforming live? So if they can do it, than is should be possible to let a vsi sound warm.

What about mixing all your audio with an analog mixer (and not using the mixer of your sequenser)? Can that help? Or routing the whole audio trough a real amp (or is that do drastic)?

Liquidclear · Post by **Liquidclear** » Thu May 11, 2006 2:47 pm

IMO, skilful use of an eq plus some light saturation will get you close.

sparrow · Post by **sparrow** » Thu May 11, 2006 3:09 pm

mmmh... yes Dead Can Dance did use synths

Even saw them in 1988, and they were using synths at that time, too.

disturb · Post by **disturb** » Thu May 11, 2006 3:28 pm

i've heard that colortone pro is the shiznit for this type of things, you may wanna check it out...

tetraplan · Post by **tetraplan** » Thu May 11, 2006 4:10 pm

whyterabbyt wrote:
tetraplan wrote: Lots and lots of samples on some of their records, though. Vocals, strings, horns, &c.
Possibly. But they were both very capable mult-instrumentalists.

Oh, yes.
And checking the lineup on the albums (nothing on DCD, btw- I suppose it's just the two of them and a portastudio you mentioned below) there are quite a number of additional people on live instruments. There are big fat pads, too (listening to Spleen...), though.
A great combination of resource, it seems.

I'm not sure about their recent live stuff, but on older ones (mid 80s) they would have a tape running, i suppose- some other 4AD acts did this, too.
Didnt see them recently, saw them in the late 80's. No tape obvious, 6 or 7 people onstage, all of them incredible musicians and vocalists. Wouldnt have been a need for tapes at all, with that lineup.

Hmm, the show I have on tape somewhere (this thread, or rather this subsection of it, is a good excuse to dig it up again) must have been around the time Spleen And Ideal had just been released. Don't remember the details, there was a small horn section and two folks on strings (or maybe more). The rest sounded like a backing tape (tried to check this, but I can't find the bloody cassette anywhere. I hope it isn't gone, because there were some unique performances on it).

I'd have to check their first album to see if it has any synths on it, though.
And done on a portastudio, if I recall.

Ah, I always thought it sounded kind of muddy.

The ethnic stuff came a bit later on, from The Serpent's Egg onwards.
You dont think the stuff on the first album counts as ethnic? Sounded like a lot of ethnic percussion to me.

The bongos and oildrums? More unorthodox (for a band that could be called "new wave", anyway) than ethnic, I think. In retrospect, it does kind of point to where they would go, I guess.
Oh, not a synth to be heard, by the way.

Groet, Erik

kritikon · Post by **kritikon** » Thu May 11, 2006 4:55 pm

Your best tip for making digital VSTi's vintage sounding???

Use VSTi that sound vintage to start with - they are definitely out there. Oddity, impOSCar, a couple of the Moog thingies, TERA (if used well).
At least half of any battle in any mix is to get sounds that fit...not to force sounds that don't fit.

For example...if you want a vintage creamy analogue sound, then you don't start out with FM7 etc, do you? You start out with a vintage sounding VA.

bleebsen · Post by **bleebsen** » Thu May 11, 2006 5:11 pm

The most important "retro"-aspect is dirt. Little distortion here, little hum there: I'm pretty sure that's what people like about analog. Humans seem to actually like distortion (why would we need guitar amps otherwise?).

tetraplan · Post by **tetraplan** » Thu May 11, 2006 5:13 pm

Digging through old tapes, I came across some recordings I did before I had a computer. I noticed how well my TR-707 sounds on it- on my comuter, it sounds kind of thin and plasticy (probably because it really sounds thin and plasticky).
So, um, I suppose you could do the same thing with VSTs. Or maybe bounce to tape, and then copy that to tape, and so on, for that lo-fi Boards of Canada vibe.

Groet, Erik

mammath · Post by **mammath** » Thu May 11, 2006 5:17 pm

disturb wrote:i've heard that colortone pro is the shiznit for this type of things, you may wanna check it out...

I own it and it will definitely get you there. Tons of color and character to paint with.

You can also import and share impulses. It's great....and like anything in life, you're only limited by the extent of your imagination! You know what I mean?

I personally mix through it (placed on individual channels, groups/submixes, stereo buss or whatever the mix calls for). Many place it just on the master buss and/or drums group.

You should really consider trying the demo. Tritone's stuff is awesome!