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Old 01.07.2011, 05:55 AM
MBTC MBTC is offline
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I too love the 80's sounds (in a nostalgic way), but a lot of times I end up creating them accidentally and feeling almost guilty for having done so The reason is they are just funamentally simpler, especially with regard to filter configurations, and with that in mind I'm positive they can be done with the Virus but I suspect your best bet is to learn as much as you can about the Virus or whatever you ultimately chose to use, start building sounds from the ground up, and IMO you're more likely to stumble on the category of sounds you want like this than to start with default banks of modern synths. Getting the EXACT sound you want of course is a different story entirely, but I really think that just understanding the cause and effect involved in each parameter of subtractive synthesis is a huge step toward getting most of the way there toward duplicating older analog sounds.

That said, I'll offer the general tip of trying some 80's replica soft synths that likely won't disappoint. One example I have in the toolbox is the Korg M1 Legacy plugin. I used to have a Korg M3r (rack version), and when I loaded up this VST I instantly recognized some really cool sounds I knew from the late 80's time frame. Going back a few years and for a more analog feel, you might try the Aturia Jupiter 8V. Also search for a free plugin called Proteus VX. In the 80's, people were nuts about the E-MU Proteus (basically a ROMpler) for some reason, and although I don't have it installed now, I did try it once and can say its worth the download when in the mood for the 80's vibe.

As far as Tetra/Mopho/Prophet, etc, I have no firsthand experience but I've heard a lot of demos and they sound VERY 80's to me so they might be something to look into, but my overall hunch is that using a Virus to achieve the analog sound of a Tetra is kind of cracking a nut with a sledgehammer?

Listening to the sound at 5 seconds in that you want to create, I actually hear two sounds, that could not be separated and still have the same effect. Remember the saying "its not the sounds but what you do with them"? That's what I hear in that riff. It sounds like the same synth in the rather unique analog bassline, and I'm not an expert but given the time frame of the song and if my ears know anything it sounds a LOT like a Jupiter 8 (which would be a good case for checking out the softsynth mentioned above), but it won't sound the same without the background melody providing the harmonics via similar chords. Literally sounds like one guy with right hand on one keyboard and left on another (perhaps two keyboardists), but the bassline sounds very 80's Roland (beautiful).

Anyway good luck in your quest. I love trying to trace the roots of older sounds and getting an understanding of how to reproduce them. If Roland would only reproduce a real Jupiter-8 using modern horsepower, a lot of unanswered questions would unfold like unsolved crimes did when DNA technology was invented

Updating this post:
I didn't mention that the M1 and Proteus are not subtractive synths (Proteus was actually a rompler with sounds you're likely to recognize, the M1 being waveform based synth with lots of possibilities). I didn't get into FM synthesis (you have lots of options here but it didn't seem appropriate in the context of the human league video), but FM is a trademark sound of the 80's due to the DX7 and such, and there are some softsynths that do FM synthesis pretty well perfectly. For whatever reason I've just found FM synths to be easy to come up with great sounds accidentally, but more difficult to produce a specific sound I'm looking for. You might also check out a VST called Dune -- cheaper than Jupiter 8V and does not require dongle, with a great sound. The default patches are more modern than 80's but it can produce same category of sounds IMO.
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