Popular Presets

[Squids]

This kind of patch exploration and discovery can be fun. I look at SS2 as both a big preset machine and a massive collection of materials for creating all kinds of classic and popular synth sounds... as well as a meat & potatoes writing workstation set up (plus your sequencing host of course).

[chisel]

This kind of patch exploration and discovery can be fun. I look at SS2 as both a big preset machine and a massive collection of materials for creating all kinds of classic and popular synth sounds... as well as a meat & potatoes writing workstation set up (plus your sequencing host of course).

Too much fun! Tonight, I loaded the In Carz preset and played along with The Cars - Let's Go! Then I loaded Subdivisions along with a MIDI file for the drums only and played it 500 times I'm having too much fun!

Peace Out \/
Chisel

[Squids]

This kind of patch exploration and discovery can be fun. I look at SS2 as both a big preset machine and a massive collection of materials for creating all kinds of classic and popular synth sounds... as well as a meat & potatoes writing workstation set up (plus your sequencing host of course).

Too much fun! Tonight, I loaded the In Carz preset and played along with The Cars - Let's Go! Then I loaded Subdivisions along with a MIDI file for the drums only and played it 500 times I'm having too much fun!

Peace Out \/
Chisel

Yeah those were obvious ones. Sometimes on the side I play with a cover band doing a lot of 70's classic rock (and some 80's like The Police). I haven't played with them in a while though but when we were doing Floyd, Zeppelin, Beatles, Steely Dan etc. I always had the authentic sounds from the album to play live. Now anyone with a Sonik Synth 2 can too. But, those sounds are good for messing around and being nostalgic, for cover bands or for completely new styles of music using classic cool sounds that inspired those bands in the first place! The "choice" sounds from tons of synths (not to mention all of the other instruments in there too!)

There's also every sound you'd need to play the Lamb Lies Down on Broadway (just in case you need to ).


Hey, for fun here is a clip of that band doing a bit of Shine On You Crazy Diamond. We changed this one a bit from the record (sort of gets a little Genesis-like at the end and some different sounds in there... it's not the best live board mix but enjoy) http://www.sonicreality.com/squidscorner/shiney.mp3


Here's a medley clip of another "cover band" I played in doing the Lamb. Pretty much all of those sounds I played were sampled for Sonik Synth: http://www.sonicreality.com/squidscorne ... isedit.mp3

Here is me messing around with SS2 just with some Yes type sounds: http://www.sonicreality.com/squidscorner/YeSS2.mp3

and if you are in a Yes mood (for the day) then here is a clip of me and some friends playing with Jon Anderson at NAMM. I actually have a board mix of this where you can hear the RMI samples and everything more clearly. Maybe I'll post it for fun. But, in the meantime here is a video clip: http://www.sonicreality.com/squidscorne ... nceclp.avi

That's why I was saying that the hidden gem in Sonik Synth 2 is playing classic rock. But, of course it is just as useful for every other style of music that uses a full workstation of synth and bread and butter sounds. I guess it just goes the other way around. Not EVERY synth is good for classic rock but most synths are good for RnB, Hip Hop, Electronic dance styles etc. It's because of the specific flavor signature sounds you need for the very particular eclectic flavors of so many different bands that played in that time.

[telebunke]

, but with a 9mo old daughter (speaking of drool) and full-time job, I barely have enough free time to play with SS2

Does she sleep all night already? If yes, good for you. But wait 'till she can walk and climb out of her bed, maybe when she's 2 1/2 or 3. Then she'll come and wake you up at any possible time.
Man, I should stop reading about SS2, or I'll have to buy it. But I just spend $1000 for Chamber Strings and another $3000 for UAD cards, Melodyne and so forth. Guess my wife will kill me if I buy anything before another 4 months. Hey, my hobby is more expensive then her "I'm gonna go downtown to buy some clothes, darling"-hobby. , which is hard to achieve, isn't it.

Cheers

tele

P.S.: Squids, looks like you're doing an exceptional job again, as always.

[chisel]

Does she sleep all night already? If yes, good for you. But wait 'till she can walk and climb out of her bed, maybe when she's 2 1/2 or 3. Then she'll come and wake you up at any possible time.

We're quite fortunate in that regard. She started sleeping all night at about 10 weeks old! Sometimes she wakes up in the middle of the night and whines a bit because her pacifier is no longer in her mouth, but besides that, she usually sleeps from 7pm to 6am - give or take an hour.

So, after playing The Cars and Rush for a bit, I loaded the Lady is a Tramp preset and played along with Supertramp's The Logical Song. Thanks for the clips, Squids. I'll have to check 'em out.

Peace Out \/
Chisel

[brotherone]

Hey Squids!

It's cool to see SonikSynth2 working in a live situation with a band. Great!!!

But I wonder how do you manage to change sounds quickly in a song from piano to organ for example?
To load a new sample would take to long, so do you use a fully loaded SonikSynth module and you just step through the sounds by changing the midichannels?

Please let me know?

Best regards
brotherone

[Beardedone]

I would like still like to get the bending harmonica-like patch that Lyle Mays used live for his solo on "Are You Going With Me"- it's on PMG's Travels - Squids, I know you are familiar with it being a PMG fan. I read in a interview in Keyboard that it is a portomento symclavier sound that was somehow pitch bent by means means of a LFO - this last part I don't get at all. Here is Lyle's description of the programming the patch he used
Here is Lyle's description of the programming the patch he used

In that particular solo the pitch-wheel really wouldn't work for the kind of thing I was doing. I programmed a long, slow vibrato that actually never gets through a whole cycle - it just gets through half a cycle, the down side of a cycle - and then I patched one of the pedals to the parameter, so I could kick in the vibrato or kick it out. When I put my foot down, the pitch would drop; when I brought my foot back, the pitch would go back to where it started. So I could do things where the pitches slurred into each other, which I don't think I could do on a pitch-wheel. Maybe somebody can, but I don't have that technique. It's much more difficult to do it with a pitch-wheel, and it also has a different character. I'm really not a fan of the pitch wheel. It's not for me.

Can SS2 or ST2 manage this? Or better yet, is there a similar preset? I have had no luck with this kind of programming. If not, can someone tell me how to program a patch like it step by step bearing, in mind I am still quite a newbie at this aspect of using the SampleTank 2 engine? Please not that I do have a pedal for my midi keyboard btw.

Thanks,
Gordon

[Beardedone]

bump

[Beardedone]

Can anyone help me out here?

[Squids]

I think that solo can easily be done with a pitchwheel. Well, easily if you can play it. But, you can assign a foot controller to pitch if you wanted to. I'd just set the bender to "5" though and do it that way. In fact, I have. (we're doing "Are You Going With Me" for Danny's album... just for fun)

[Beardedone]

Thanks Squids. Which patch are you using?

Using pitchbend makes sense but I thought there was more to it. Just for my own education I am not at all clear on what Lyle was describing. Do you know? I have tape of the great Montreal '89 JazzFest PMG show and there is a closeup of Lyle playing this solo - I can copy that. Oh yeah, he was definitely not using a pitchwheel or joystick being. Mostly though I want that sound for lead sounds to use on other tunes.

[Squids]

Thanks Squids. Which patch are you using?

Using pitchbend makes sense but I thought there was more to it. Just for my own education I am not at all clear on what Lyle was describing. Do you know? I have tape of the great Montreal '89 JazzFest PMG show and there is a closeup of Lyle playing this solo - I can copy that. Oh yeah, he was definitely not using a pitchwheel or joystick being. Mostly though I want that sound for lead sounds to use on other tunes.

I made a new patch for it. I'll find something to release it in or make it a downloadable product.

As for Lyle, he was using a Synclavier which didn't even have a pitchwheel I don't think. So, he probably had to hook up a foot switch or something. Not sure. When they played it live recently he was playing it on a Triton and it sounded terrible. But, he was trading off with a REAL harmonica player who sounded great. So...

[Beardedone]

Thanks Dave! Any idea when I can get the new patch?

Yeah I heard about the new sound from someone else who saw them on the recent tour - too bad! The originally used synclavier based sound really was the bomb. The technique Lyle described in the Keyboard article I quoted above in italics is what I am trying to fathom.

[Squids]

You heard the sound was bad from someone else? That must mean it is really bad. I have to check to see if I happen to have the original Synclavier harmonica sound though. That would of course be the MOST like that song (the actual sound!). If I can find it I might just give it to ya. (you're a good customer, you deserve it!).

Hey, speaking of finding the actual sound, we just did a session this past week with John Blackwell who is Prince's drummer. The guy is incredible! Anyway, I did a little interview with him and found out that he loves Sonik Synth 2. I had no idea how into it he got. But, he uses it for everything and one of the things he loves about it are the signature sounds. For instance, he was actually looking for some classic "Prince" drum machine sounds and was amazed when he loaded it up and got exactly what we was looking for. Little things like that make Sonik Synth 2 special. I'll post that interview and some clips from this INSANE session soon.

[Beardedone]

You heard the sound was bad from someone else? That must mean it is really bad. I have to check to see if I happen to have the original Synclavier harmonica sound though. That would of course be the MOST like that song (the actual sound!). If I can find it I might just give it to ya. (you're a good customer, you deserve it!).

Thanks so much Dave for taking the time and effort to get this sound for me. I sure as hell don't mind paying for it.

What I heard was that the Triton patch is not so much bad as just not in the pocket for those of us who remember the sound of synclavier ca 83-89 or so.

Hey, speaking of finding the actual sound, we just did a session this past week with John Blackwell who is Prince's drummer. The guy is incredible! Anyway, I did a little interview with him and found out that he loves Sonik Synth 2. I had no idea how into it he got. But, he uses it for everything and one of the things he loves about it are the signature sounds. For instance, he was actually looking for some classic "Prince" drum machine sounds and was amazed when he loaded it up and got exactly what we was looking for. Little things like that make Sonik Synth 2 special. I'll post that interview and some clips from this INSANE session soon.

Now that must of been amazing. I only have recently realized how great Prince is, as I never paid much attention him during the 80s and 90s. Now I realize of course that under the glitz Prince is a superb musician. And his bands always consist of top drawer players.

Thanks again,
Gordon