Need some suggestions for good 80s sounds. (Also good discussion on 80s music too)

[Aloysius]

George Martin = very good
Ted Templeton = overrated
I hate Brian Eno.
I hate Butch (Vig) Cassidy
Not a fan' of Cocaine

[cryophonik]

In the US, Crowded House was "an '80s band" -- and not in a bad way.

Yeah, I definitely agree with this. They peaked in popularity in the mid/late 80s here in the States with the debut album, less with Temple of Low Men, even less with Woodface, etc..... Split Enz definitely seemed like an (early) 80s band here as well. On a side note, love the Finn bros, too. Talk about a pile of talent!

[Spring Goose]

I like this

https://youtu.be/kTyFUbgSvL8

[ramseysounds]

For authentic 80’s synth music, look no further than Dare by Human League. An absolute masterpiece. Synths, Linn Drum and sequencer. Wiki has a good rundown on the album including instruments used. The producer Martin Rushent, RIP, was an absolute craftsman.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dare_(album)

[kritikon]

I really got into the earlier Human League stuff that seemed to be a bit more centred around the synths rather than a catchy tune - the first 2 albums were very good, I remember playing them lots late at night after several spliffs. but they pretty quickly went into what I can only call pure mainstream pop. Cheesey too. It's like they were innovators for about 30 seconds.

Obviously the money was in pop, so I can't knock them for it, and I have to admit I never liked Oakey's voice. Heaven17 had the better vocalist IMO, but they too opted for pure pop pretty quickly. But Heaven17 did the pop thing with far more class IMO...

[kritikon]

And the 80s was quite a good decade for goth stuff too. I remember being very taken with Love & Rockets at one point, and even dabbled a little into Sisters of Mercy and all that corny dressed-in-black stuff. I looked great in mascara, have to say. But it definitely lacked a little in glamour. So many goths seemed to be in a competition for who can be the most miserable/depressed, which is why I didn't last long with it - I wanted fun at the time. Doesn't seem to have changed much. And the indie scene had some very good bands

Chameleons. What more can I say? Despite being an electronic fan, I still think they were one of the greatest guitar bands of all time. They made the biggest wall of swirling-around sound I think I ever heard live, and I saw most of the big stadium-filler bands in the 80s at some point.

[BBFG#]

Though technically a "70s" band, XTC was pretty much played in my house throughout the 80s. Oingo Boingo often played as well.
I also remember the Thrall brothers raving about the George Michael album being the "most perfect mix" they ever heard to me. Hard convinced, but ultimately decided it was probably one of the best as well.

[jamcat]

Chameleons. What more can I say? Despite being an electronic fan, I still think they were one of the greatest guitar bands of all time. They made the biggest wall of swirling-around sound I think I ever heard live, and I saw most of the big stadium-filler bands in the 80s at some point.

The Chameleons are one of the most underrated bands of all time, and one of my all time favourites as well. I had the pleasure of meeting Mark Burgess once. "In Shreds" is a masterpiece, as is the instrumental 2nd movement of "View From a Hill."

And they aren't totally without synths. What Does Anything Mean? Basically is drenched in Solina.

[JHernandez]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUxtQzMlSFw

[thecontrolcentre]

https://youtu.be/p4cUAVTPz8Y

[Ezilyboredgames]

Shoulder pads and a cocktail with an umbrella in it to get in the mood. Maybe watch Transformers the movie before a writing session to get in the mindset , that or some early only fools and horses.

[emahoy]

This is a great VST for 80s sounds imo. And as of today, it's only $20 USD for a couple more days: https://audioplugin.deals/ppg-wave-3-v- ... f/ref/186/

[planetearth]

This is a great VST for 80s sounds imo. And as of today, it's only $20 USD for a couple more days: https://audioplugin.deals/ppg-wave-3-v- ... f/ref/186/

 

I saw this a couple of days ago, and it looks like a good deal. It's the PPG Wave 3.V for $19.99 from AudioPluginDeals.com.

Here's the link again, for anyone leery of clicking a link KVR flagged for a new member: https://audioplugin.deals/ppg-wave-3-v- ... f/ref/186/

According to AudioPluginDeals, "After completing your order, $19.99 will be instantly added to your Rewards Wallet which you can use for any product in The Shop." So, it's pretty much free!

I have the PPG Wave 3.V (and the previous version), and while it comes with a lot of the original factory presets (which you have to download separately), they don't necessarily sound like they did in previous versions of the plug-in -- even if you use one of the "emulation" modes. And while I have no idea how close the previous versions of the plug-in were to the original hardware, the 3.V is still a bit different. Just something you might want to keep in mind.

Steve

Update: I checked out the sale, and the first time you try to buy PPG Wave 3.V, you may also get an offer to buy Waldorf's Lector for $34.99. And you only get $19.98 put back into your wallet, but I doubt many people are going to quibble about a penny.

[hues]

also look for drum machine samples. Linn Drum, DX/DMX, some Yamaha (like RX11), Roland ones. And to go over the top you can use sounds from Simmons or Synare. feel free to gate them with some reverb too. fun thread with lots of tips. thanks

[Spring Goose]

According to AudioPluginDeals, "After completing your order, $19.99 will be instantly added to your Rewards Wallet which you can use for any product in The Shop." So, it's pretty much free!

I don't think i'd agree with that. Spending that "rewards money" isn't as easy as that. Each product has a base price, you can use rewards money upto the base price. TBH i have about $100 of "rewards money" but haven't found anything to spend it on yet. I wouldn't call it free money, it's more like those Mcdonalds discount vouchers that you get on the back of bus-tickets.