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Welcome to... / 3 When we released Synthwave in 2014 we had no idea how popular it would prove to be. The eighties was certainly in the midst of a musical renaissance but the strength of demand for analogue nostalgia and synth pop sensibilities took us by surprise as soon as it was released you were asking for the second volume. So here it is:. Whilst the original focussed on the emotive, melodic and anthemic pulling in cinematic references from Miami Vice and Drive this follow-up has a more sci-fi aesthetic inspired by classic 80s movies like Tron and Blade Runner. The result is a kind of retro futurism, an eighties interpretation of how the music of the future might have sounded: sharp machine rhythms, interstellar synths and experimental electronics. Despite the different cultural touchstones, the tools used remain largely the same. The beats come courtesy of stone-cold classics like the Roland TR707 and Linn Drum LM1. The melodics plied from, amongst others, the Roland Juno 106, JX3P and Korg Poly 61. All in the name of recreating an authentic eighties experience. The collection follows the same formula as the original in terms of folder breakdown. There s a drums folder bursting with classic machine workouts, with each beat offered with stripped stems to make drum programming a breeze. This is supplemented with a dedicated folder of quirky processed tom fills perfect for breaks and transitions in your tracks. In the melodics, you ll find folders of bass loops and synth loops. These contain key-labeled loops for total ease of use and each one is offered as a MIDI file to give you maximum melodic freedom. Finally, there s our renowned inspiration loops: 40+ folders of instant 80s track-starters waiting to be explored. Each key- and tempo-labeled kit comes with broken-out stems and MIDI that can be used as-is or mixed-andmatched to create hybrid arrangements. Time to buckle up and take a ride Back To The Future John & Israel The Producers
Producer tips / 4 Reverb Layering Whether on drums or melodics, reverb is a staple of eighties production. Using two reverbs concurrently on elements can yield great results. Dedicate one reverb as a room-style reverb and use the other to get that quintessential 80s sound. For instance, for a gated plate style reverb can work really well on drums for and a big hall reverb for leads or chords or pads. Drum Bussing Grouping all your tops (snare, claps, hats, percussion) to their own dedicated buss for processing can really help improve your drum mixes. Using saturation or distortion plugins (Fabfilter Saturn, Fatso Jr, Sound Toys Decapitator), some EQ and a small amount of compression (like the 1176) is a great way to recreate an eighties vibe. Wow & Flutter Adding wow and flutter to leads, pads and bass sources can add a vintage feel to your tracks. Using tape machine emulations such as the Universal Audio Ampex-102, set the wow and flutter to low rate settings to achieve wavey vibes. Glitch Bass Notes Using glitch 1/32 notes on bass can work wonders with straight drums. In your piano roll, set your time signature to 1/2 step for micro-editing. Experiment with different patterns at the end of every 4th bar, scaling the bass notes through different octaves from its root key. You can also going up the next octave chromatically, note per note. Leave room for noise Modern day production tends to take out all the noise out of a recording. But recording techniques in the eighties wasn t so clean. Leaving or adding in some noise in your tracks can give an authentic, vintage feel. Try tape hiss, signal hum or vinyl crackle to get that lo-fi vibe. Big bass To get a bigger and wider sound out of your bass, try splitting the bass signal into 3 separate channels. On the first channel, set the EQ from 40Hz- 150Hz, on the second from 250hz-15kHz, then finally 18kHz to 20kHz. Set the first channel mono and the second two to stereo. The mono channel will hold the foundation for a solid bass, while the stereo can help bring imaging depth and character.
Kit list Juno 106 Akai X7000 Korg DW8000 Dave Smith Instruments Poly Evolver Ensoniq Mirage MPC60 MPC1000 Sequential Circuits Prophet 2000 Access Virus TI 2 Korg Poly 61 Nord Lead 2 Kawai K1 Tascam 2488 Roland JX3P SSL Duende Classic MOTU midi expres 128 Lynx Aurora 8 Dynaudio BM6 FocalTwin6 Be Universal Audio Apollo 16 Universal Audio UAD2 Quad Yamaha RX21 Roland TR707 Roland TR505 Linn Drum LM1 Oberheim DMX & DX MXR 185 / 5
Credits / 6 Collection created by John Kunkel & Israel Medina Executive Production by Barry McManus Audio Formatting by Henry Brown Demos by The Producers Sample Magic online Free sounds, special offers, newsletter, downloads and our online store at: samplemagic.com Other Sample Magic releases you might like Synthwave Massive 80s Sounds Synthwave Sounds MIDI Elements: 80s Beats New Wave Neon Disco Sylenth Comsic Disco Patches Sample Magic network > twitter.com/samplemagic > facebook.com/samplemagic > youtube.com/user/samplemagic Artwork by IWANT Design Limited