Jump to content


Please note: You can easily log in to MPN using your Facebook account!

I need help re-creating a synth sound - Foreigner


LanSolo

Recommended Posts

Hello,

 

My band is going to be doing Foreigner's "Juke Box Hero," which has a very unique little keyboard part in it. You can hear it here:

 

 

I can't tell if it's sequenced with a drum machine, or how they get the pulsating sound. In each bar, the note on the first beat slides down an octave, and then pulsates for the next three beats.

 

Would anyone be able to give it a listen and help me shed some light on how to re-produce the effect and the tone?

 

Thanks!

Lanny

Link to comment
Share on other sites



  • Replies 7
  • Created
  • Last Reply
Pretty basic saw wave, assign velocity to filter cutoff with just a little resonance, no velocity to amp level, so that as you hit it harder the filter is more open and as you hit it soft it's more closed. If you want to do the bend while playing with one hand, there are 2 options depending on your keyboard. One would be to make the part mono and turn on portamento so hitting the high note immediately followed by the low bends it down. The other option would be a split and assign a different patch to the high note - similar to the first, but fixed filter cutoff (no velocity) and use an EG assigned to pitch to bend it down.

Dan

 

Acoustic/Electric stringed instruments ranging from 4 to 230 strings, hammered, picked, fingered, slapped, and plucked. Analog and Digital Electronic instruments, reeds, and throat/mouth.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

An 8 step sequencer could be doing this. Initial note controlled by an aux envelop generator drawing pitch down an octave on the 1st 2 beats (8th notes). The remaining beats with varying amounts of modulation on each.

 

Perhaps a pulse wave would sound good with a touch of resonance with the main envelope generator applied to these beats.

 

I'll bet a Mopho could do this nicely.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks guys! That's invaluable information. I did a bit more digging about the album on Wiki, and it says that Larry Fast did the synth sequencing on that track. But now that you've given me a good idea on how to create the actual sound, I'll try splitting the keyboard and play the pulsing part with portamento, and swells with the other hand. Cheers!
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The other option is for your bass player to play it using an envelope follower (auto-wah) pedal. That version sounds more synthy than the original to me. I can sound pretty close to the original even without auto-wah on my bass guitar by slapping the open E string while putting varying pressure on the string with my LH to control it's brightness and how much it decays. (note the live video you linked was tuned down).

Dan

 

Acoustic/Electric stringed instruments ranging from 4 to 230 strings, hammered, picked, fingered, slapped, and plucked. Analog and Digital Electronic instruments, reeds, and throat/mouth.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm actually the bass player too. I was just going to do the intro on keyboard and then play my bass when the guitars kick in, possibly playing some keys on a MIDI foot controller when my hands are indisposed.

 

I might look into just playing this on bass and using a MIDI controller with my bass. So many options now!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...