KVR Audio

wagtunes · Post by **wagtunes** » Sat Apr 01, 2023 8:51 pm

Listen to the intro of this song. Synth starts at about 19 seconds.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5rKUi-ducc

The synth is an Ensoniq Mirage. This much I know for a fact. It's sample based and it's 8 bit, which probably goes a long way to getting that "sound".

So my question is this. I checked out Morgana, on a suggestion from another member here. If it's a Mirage emulation, it's a poor one. I went through every patch and there isn't one that sounds even close to this.

I've gone through all my synths. None of them even come close to creating that sound.

So does anybody know of any soft synth out there that can create this sound? If so, please post an example. Yes, I'm doing a 90s album next and this sound was a HUGE part of the 90s. Listen to Amy Grant and so many others. This sound was all over the place in some form or another.

Cost is no issue as long as the synth can make this sound and it a soft synth.

Does it exist?

Examigan · Post by **Examigan** » Sat Apr 01, 2023 9:22 pm

I was listening to it and messed around in Saurus (of course its not an 8-bit sampler like the Mirage) just to see what I could get. It almost sounds like a warbly/chorusy sound on an organ-type of preset. I made one to try and recreate it, but you can always try what I mentioned.

Vortifex · Post by **Vortifex** » Sat Apr 01, 2023 9:23 pm

Do you mean the metallic-ish chord stabs at 0:18? I have the full library of Mirage samples in .wav format and the chords in Escapade do sound very similar to some of them.

wagtunes · Post by **wagtunes** » Sat Apr 01, 2023 9:30 pm

Vortifex wrote: ↑Sat Apr 01, 2023 9:23 pm Do you mean the metallic-ish chord stabs at 0:18? I have the full library of Mirage samples in .wav format and the chords in Escapade do sound very similar to some of them.

Yes

Vortifex · Post by **Vortifex** » Sat Apr 01, 2023 9:40 pm

If you have a sample player you could download the wavs and see if any sound like what you need. I uploaded them to Google Drive: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1KEztOv ... sp=sharing

Try the kboards1, 2 & 3 folders, plus some of the synth ones.

wagtunes · Post by **wagtunes** » Sat Apr 01, 2023 9:51 pm

Vortifex wrote: ↑Sat Apr 01, 2023 9:40 pm If you have a sample player you could download the wavs and see if any sound like what you need. I uploaded them to Google Drive: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1KEztOv ... sp=sharing

Try the kboards1, 2 & 3 folders, plus some of the synth ones.

Thanks. I'll give these a listen.

matamoris · Post by **matamoris** » Sat Apr 01, 2023 10:58 pm

Jam and Lewis used that buzzy drone sound that starts at :17 on numerous songs. They have stated that sound is also from the Mirage.

wagtunes · Post by **wagtunes** » Sun Apr 02, 2023 1:43 am

matamoris wrote: ↑Sat Apr 01, 2023 10:58 pm Jam and Lewis used that buzzy drone sound that starts at :17 on numerous songs. They have stated that sound is also from the Mirage.

Thanks but it's not the buzzy drone sound I was looking for.

Ah_Dziz · Post by **Ah_Dziz** » Sun Apr 02, 2023 3:36 am

Sounds like it might be layered with an orchestra or band "hit". Those were huge in sample libraries back then. I'd guess that it's a decent stack of sounds based on what I know about early 90s production. I don't hear a great deal of anything that would suggest that massive aliasing or quantization noise is a big part of the sound. I'd go digging through the libraries of all the arturia "sampler" plugins and probably some fm keys for layering if I was gonna go for a similar sound. Good luck.

wagtunes · Post by **wagtunes** » Sun Apr 02, 2023 10:05 am

Ah_Dziz wrote: ↑Sun Apr 02, 2023 3:36 am Sounds like it might be layered with an orchestra or band "hit". Those were huge in sample libraries back then. I'd guess that it's a decent stack of sounds based on what o know about early 90s production. I don't here a great deal of anything that would suggest that massive aliasing or quantization noise is a big part of the sound. I'd go digging through the libraries of all the arturia "sampler" plugins and probably some fm keys for layering if I was gonna go for a similar sound. Good luck.

Thanks. I went through the samples that I downloaded but there are just too many. It would take me a year to find what I'm looking for if it's even in there. And yes, I know about 90s production. When Yes came out with those big brass hits in "Owner Of A Lonely Heart" it was quite a shock to Yes fans. Funny how none of the synths I own can duplicate those sounds out of the box.

Examigan · Post by **Examigan** » Sun Apr 02, 2023 8:45 pm

Here is a version I worked on for a while using two layers of Saurus. One is the main sound and the other is a bit of FM-like keys.

I didn't get the notes they play exact or anything, I just played a chord that's similar. It's not perfect, but it was interesting/fun to try and see how close I could get.

https://soundcloud.com/examigan/test-fo ... ynth-sound

twal · Post by **twal** » Sun Apr 02, 2023 8:52 pm

wagtunes wrote: ↑Sat Apr 01, 2023 8:51 pm Listen to the intro of this song. Synth starts at about 19 seconds.

Cost is no issue as long as the synth can make this sound and it a soft synth.

Does it exist?

That airy sound? Sounds like Emulator II after listening to it for a few seconds. Maybe a sample sound? IDK just guessing, I can look into it deeper if you think this is a possibility.

EDIT: Nevermind, it's not the drone sound.
But it does sound like a sample. Somebody mentioned that, oh well I tried to add value! LOL

Does Something Like This Synth Exist?