9weeks

Since we’ve already decided on an 80s style sound for this project, it’s only fitting that it comes with authentic synthetic flavor. Much as I would love to throw away thousands of dollars on eBay for vintage synthesizers, my budget only allows for the next best thing: virtual synths. Let’s start with the basics:

Muon Tau: a simple 303-style tone generator, complete with knobs. The original 303 was intended as a bassline generator, and I find that with the cutoff all the way down, this emulator can really add some oomph to a bassline from another synth. It’s also handy for those authentic acid lines, and the “glide” makes for some super-sweet portamentos!

Cheeze Machine, from Big Tick Audio. Possibly the best free VST instrument I’ve ever found, this thing can be tweaked for everything from pads to bells to basslines, and those “ensemble” knobs create some massive stereo depth.

EP Station, also from Big Tick. Good for all sorts of electric pianos, from the organic Rhodes style to the more digital DX7. Lots of settings to tweak, albeit a little harder as most of them are not knobs, but lines of text. Still, a very versitile and authentic-sounding vsynth.

PlastiCZ! from reFX. This is one of my favorite synths. Based on the old Casio CZ series, with a load more options and on-board effects of its own, this virtual synth is quite the everyman. On top of that, it’s also unbelievably resource friendly; even on my measly 1.2 GHz Athlon, I can run ten of these at once!

Slayer, another reFX plugin. This one now comes with Fruityloops, but in the old days it was a standalone instrument. I kept the old version around because I rather like being able to port it around more easily. Anyway, when you need grungey faux-guitar, Slayer sounds damn near like the real thing with the right settings.

Now we’re getting into the meaty synths: this is impOSCar by GMedia. Just lookit all those knobs! This is one seriously complex device by anyone’s standards. Good for wide pads, complex arpeggios and thick basslines, there’s not much this synth can’t do.

And now for the grandaddy of all synths: the Arturia MiniMoog V. This vsynth is a real hog; not only does it take up most of your screen, but it uses an absurd amount of processor power! It’s worth it, though, because you won’t find a warmer virtual synth on the market. Chock full of presets for just about anything that ails you, with onboard effects and all the knobs you’d expect on a real Moog, this synth is an important addition to any retro array.

Next week: drum patterns!

I started this audio path with the 80s in mind, and also important milestones that came after the 80s. This project, to me, is about searching for a way to combine the aesthetics of two musical paradigms. If 80s music was future music, this music is their future’s future.

I made sure to use synthesis forms that were pioneered in the this time period, such as FM. I also used samples from drum kits of that era.

I chose 118 bpm as well, because it is an awesome tempo, nuff said.

The melody and progression is a tad cheeky. I don’t know how I feel about this. The sappy but super-catchy melodies of that time period weren’t always the best trait of the time.

This is the initial site testing phase. If you have not done so already, please register. After you register, you will be logged in as a subscriber; and I will receive an email. I’ll make everyone who registers, contributors to the site–you’ll be able to create and maintain posts, categories, and pages. I’m working on embedding a simple audio player to the site, should be ready sometime Monday evening. In the meantime, poke around, see if anything important breaks.  Things will get more interesting after today!

As soon as I’ve run a test on uploading audio–and referencing that folder, we’re good to go.