Signature Synth Sounds
The Signature Series provides new sets of sounds programmed by leading lights of the music world, recreating some of their trademark sounds for specific Plug-in instruments.Each Signature Series Volume consists of 128 sounds, saved as individual patches and banks. Each includes a signed colour pdf manual detailing information about the artist, as well as a comprehensive listing of the sounds, plus the odd handy hint. Each volume is available for direct download in either Mac or PC format.
Billy Currie (impOSCar) | Richard Barbieri (Pro53)
Billy Currie - Signature Sounds (for impOSCar)
The word 'legendary' is over used when it comes to bands and artists but
there's no disputing that Ultravox, in its various incarnations, changed
the electronic musical landscape forever and in this instance that
adjective is fully justified. Similarly, from those pioneering days to
the present time, it's also fair to say that Billy has continued his
quest of experimenting with musical boundaries, particularly with
regards his use of synthesizers such as the ARP Odyssey and OSCar.
From his early tours with Garry Numan, to the stark, hypnotic tones of Visage's 'Fade to Grey', and the haunting beauty of 'Vienna', there's no doubting that his influence on contemporary electronic musicians is every bit as much as those exerted on the previous generation by the likes of Rick Wakeman and Keith Emerson. Although the last Ultravox album was recorded ten years ago in 1994, since then Billy has remained as busy and prolific as ever, working on numerous film projects alongside Can, Kraftwerk, D.A.F, Cluster and New Order etc, as well as releasing several solo albums. The latest, 'Pieces of the Puzzle', saw light of day as recently as 2003 and 2004 will see the release of another, as yet untitled, album.
Of course it will come as no surprise to anyone to learn that Billy has embraced the world of computer music wholeheartedly, with Logic and OS X taking care of sequencing duties in his studio. Similarly, given that his hallmark synths were the Odyssey and OSCar it'll also come as no surprise that GMEDIA Music's Oddity and impOSCar are very much in evidence here. In fact his new album will start with a track he wrote using an Oddity bass sound, and, as Billy also comments "I have also soloed to synth heaven on another track with the Oddity". However, more recently, it's the impOSCar that's really got his creative juices flowing.
"The original OSCar was a real boost of stimulation at the time, I had such a great time playing it live and it stayed in tune, amazing! It's used on the track 'Ukraine' from my album 'Stand Up And Walk' and was heavily used within Ultravox too."
And the impOScar? Billy continues. "The impOSCar is the most exciting synth in my set up. It has a unique sound and the Overdrive was quite literally MADE for me. Come On England!"
To buy Billy Currie's Signature Sounds click here.
For more info about Billy Currie's past, present and future visit his excellent website: www.billycurrie.com
Richard Barbieri - Signature Sounds (Pro 53)
As both a performer and programmer Richard is unlike any other,
delivering organic, evolving analogue textures that belie their
complexity.
We recently had the privilege of watching Richard program sounds on his Prophet 5 and it was a joy to behold, revealing someone both intimately familiar with the instrument and as someone with superb programming skills. When he later revealed he had a small mountain of sounds stored as sysex data we begged him to let us have access to them.
From his time with 80's group Japan - whose album 'Tin Drum' is still considered to be a seminal synth masterwork - through to Rain Tree Crow and Porcupine Tree, Richard has amassed over 15 years worth of carefully crafted Prophet 5 sounds and after much persuasion the highlights of these were transferred via sysex on to the Pro-52 and finally saved as 128 individual patches, plus two banks of 64 sounds.
If you own Native Instruments' Pro-52 or Pro-53, and are looking for experimental tones and textures from a true master programmer, this is a compulsory purchase.
Richard Barbieri's Signature Sounds include: Cross Mod Gamelans, Grainy Wheel Melody, Intro Pad, Slo Filter Drone, Odd Tune Ethnic and many more.
To buy Richard Barbieri's Signature Sounds click here.
For more information on Richard Barbieri's current projects visit: www.porcupinetree.com
For more information on the Native Instruments Pro-53 VST Instrument please click here.