Threality Posted November 16, 2014 Share Posted November 16, 2014 Hey, Newbie here... I am primarily a bassist, but in my new band I am also playing some keys and could really use some help from you more experienced keyboardists. We are playing a couple of songs by RUSH - Tom Sawyer and The Spirit of the Radio - and I am trying to put together some sounds on my Roland XP-80 that are similar to the ones used in those songs. Does anyone out there have any suggestions? Are there any people out there that play these songs and have some patches and/or layered patches that they use that sound authentic to the original recordings? Any and all help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doerfler Posted November 16, 2014 Share Posted November 16, 2014 see if you can find one of these expansion cards "SR-JV80-04" it is specifically for vintage synth sounds IMO you are going to have a hard time recreating those sounds on an almost 20 year old Roland workstation, others here might disagree Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Threality Posted November 16, 2014 Author Share Posted November 16, 2014 You are possibly correct - I have been considering buying something newer. Thanks for the input - that is a good idea on the exp card! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hardware Posted November 16, 2014 Share Posted November 16, 2014 Consider buying an SE-1 used on ebay. Very powerful, all of the Sawyer sounds in the very beginning and throughout. He used an Oberheim, but the SE-1 has the Moog and Oberheim Filters, but 3 x Oscillators. Monophonic Leads are OK on a 2 x Osc. synth but that 3rd Oscillator can be used for Fatness, Pitch Mod, Sync, FM Sync (as in Tom Sawyer Intro). Being a Bassist you will appreciate the size of the testicles this 3U has. Magnus C350 + FMR RNP + Realistic Unisphere Mic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hardware Posted November 16, 2014 Share Posted November 16, 2014 Here's a little taste. Magnus C350 + FMR RNP + Realistic Unisphere Mic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J. Dan Posted November 16, 2014 Share Posted November 16, 2014 You can do those with the XP-80, but it's not very intuitive with lots of menu diving. You may want to do some basic synthesis tutorials online. 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 More sharing options...
hardware Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 That Dog Won't Hunt.... Magnus C350 + FMR RNP + Realistic Unisphere Mic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CEB Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 I think I used 3 zones when I did it. Left to Right they were 1) The big bass sweep 2) the saw lead tone 3) saw/synth poly synth sound. If you are open to buying a new board. I would get good all around polysynth and keep the XP-80. Something like a Prophet 08 would be cool. If I had a XP-80 and Prophet 08 I would probably use the XP-80 for the saw/strings that come in on some of the chorus part like after the the drum break and use the P08 for the sweeps and leads. Between the two boards you can cover a lot of ground. The 800 pound gorilla in the room is Hammond organ emulation if you want to play organ parts in your band. You can do the whole thing on a XP-80 but most of us here wouldn't want to. I wouldn't buy a new synth just to play these two 30+ year old songs. You could pull it off with the XP-80. The hardest part will be getting the filter sweeps to sound halfway close. That filter on Tom Sawyer had it's it's own special character that you will not get from a XP-80 but you can get close enough for a rock cover. If you want to play a lot more keys in the future then get a polysynth to add to your XP-80. I recommend a polysyth because of the versatility. "It doesn't have to be difficult to be cool" - Mitch Towne "A great musician can bring tears to your eyes!!! So can a auto Mechanic." - Stokes Hunt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainUnderpant Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 I am in a RUSH cover band, and I chose to go into the VST virtual world because of the flexibility. Buying another board just for a couple of sounds just didn't make sense. Sonic Projects OPX was a big time saver. Here is our cover band performing Subdivisions. This VST already has a Tom Sawyer base sweep, and even a Camera Eye patch. Subdivisions Yamaha S90XS, Studiologic VMk-161 Organ Small/powerful (i7, 32GB, M.2 SSD) PC controlled by 10" Touch Screen Cantabile, Ravenscroft 275, Keyscape, OPX-II, Omnisphere 2, VB3, Chris Hein Horns, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr88s Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 I am in a RUSH cover band, and I chose to go into the VST virtual world because of the flexibility. Buying another board just for a couple of sounds just didn't make sense. Sonic Projects OPX was a big time saver. Here is our cover band performing Subdivisions. This VST already has a Tom Sawyer base sweep, and even a Camera Eye patch. Subdivisions Out of curiosity, what do you do during the songs that have no keyboard parts in a four-man rush tribute? Nord Stage 2 Compact, Yamaha MODX8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewImprov Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 Out of curiosity, what do you do during the songs that have no keyboard parts in a four-man rush tribute? I'm no Capt. Underpants, but I was in a 4-piece Rush tribute for a couple years, and I played bass on some of the earlier, pre-synth material while our "Geddy" just sang, and other tunes, I would do the bass pedal parts from keyboard, and even played rhythm guitar a bit. If we looked closely at the studio versions of the tunes, there were always parts that could be filled in. Capt. U: Nice version of Subdivisions, that was always one of the most fun tunes to play. I used OP-X a lot as well. Turn up the speaker Hop, flop, squawk It's a keeper -Captain Beefheart, Ice Cream for Crow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jay da cop Posted November 19, 2014 Share Posted November 19, 2014 another fan of OP-X! I use it for all my Styx/Rush covers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MorayM Posted November 19, 2014 Share Posted November 19, 2014 Dammit guys, I've had the OP-X demo for a couple of months now and you are all failing to persuade me to not shell out for the full version... North Haverbrook - Godsticks - SoundCloud Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr88s Posted November 19, 2014 Share Posted November 19, 2014 The PRO II version is even better. Well worth the modest price. Nord Stage 2 Compact, Yamaha MODX8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Threality Posted November 19, 2014 Author Share Posted November 19, 2014 It's not a tribute band, but rather a classic rock cover band. I primarily play bass on 75% of the songs and add key while playing bass on the other songs. i.e Let It Be, Don't Tell Me You Love Me, etc... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Threality Posted November 19, 2014 Author Share Posted November 19, 2014 Thanks for all the input! Not sure where I will end up with all of this yet, but you have all given me plenty to look into! Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jay da cop Posted November 21, 2014 Share Posted November 21, 2014 MorayM, I got the ProII version for $75 on sale from the manufacturer! Kinda makes it hard not to bite the bullet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Synthoid Posted November 21, 2014 Share Posted November 21, 2014 Buying another board just for a couple of sounds just didn't make sense. True, but just imagine all the fun you'll have--starting a new journey--collecting keyboards. When an eel hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that's a Moray. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.