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whowillsurvive2012.com - The Mayan Calendar predicts the end of time: 2012. See the trailer for 2012, opening November 13.
179 Comments
- happytedium, on 08/04/2008, -12/+110Admit it. You were thinking QWERTY keyboards.
I was. :x - HeavySausage, on 08/04/2008, -0/+26Oh come on.. No Yamaha CS-80? Vangelis Killed the Blade Runner soundtrack with that synth.
- inactive, on 08/04/2008, -0/+18The Hammond B3 has a very rich history without Coldplay.
- cnot3, on 08/04/2008, -1/+15Missing the keyboard from The Final Countdown.
- DigitAl56K, on 08/04/2008, -0/+13"These days, there ’s no distinguishing one keyboard from the next because all they really do is act as computer trigger devices."
That's just not true. There are still a handful of genuine analog synth manufacturers, and even though many hardware synths are Virtual Analog these days most would agree that each tends to have it's own characteristics. Of course, for a modern analog synth expect to be paying upwards of $2K for most 61-key models.
Please don't be disrespectful those who are still in the game supporting musicians with genuinely great synths and even workstations by saying all keyboards are the same. Sure, most *cheap* keyboards are the same. But then the keyboards in the linked article aren't exactly cheap themselves.. - gwycliff, on 08/04/2008, -0/+13The Fender Rhodes was also a crucial instrument in pioneering the early 90's alternative-jazz-hip-hop movement with groups like de la soul, a tribe called quest, the roots etc.
- manamizer, on 08/04/2008, -3/+16Author doesn't seem to know anything about synthesizers really, especially with a comment like "there's no distinguishing one keyboard from the next". There's additive, granular, neural networking, subtractive, FM, wavetable, wave terrain, and plenty of other types of synthesizers available and they all have their own unique quirks and sounds. Maybe if he had listened to some electronic music rather than all rock and roll/r&b he would've encountered them.
- huskerdude, on 08/04/2008, -0/+12Very cool. I'd much rather see stuff like this than more political nonsense or digg meta-bickering.
- Laminarcissus, on 08/04/2008, -0/+12Prophet 5 -- when I was thirteen I wanted one of those like most kids want a Ferrari.
- borez, on 08/04/2008, -0/+11Where's the Emulator, the DX7, the ARP Odyssey, the Prophet 5, the Roland Jupiter-8, The Juno 106, the M1, the D50, the system 100 etc .etc. etc.
- hyperlexic, on 08/04/2008, -0/+11and today I can emulate just about all of these on a small PC and trigger them with a cheap midi keyboard that costs under $100.
- infiniphunk, on 08/04/2008, -2/+12Must mention Roland's 303 and the infamous 808. Classic hip-hop and acid-house.
- RickHavoc, on 08/04/2008, -0/+9I would add the Clavinet.
- WestDC, on 08/04/2008, -2/+10Check out Jon Lord on some early Deep Purple albums for some kickarse Hammond played through a distorted Marshall amp.
- alperea, on 08/04/2008, -0/+8I was too, I miss those "clicky" keyboards :(
- behn1220, on 08/04/2008, -1/+9I was expecting the IBM Model M.
- lizajane999, on 08/04/2008, -1/+8Yep, I was thinking this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Model_M_Keyboard - osirislink, on 08/04/2008, -0/+7Check out "Foxtrot" by Genesis for one of the greatest mellotron openers ever.
- stretta, on 08/04/2008, -0/+7The mellotron did not use tape loops. It used linear segments of tape, so you got attack transients when you pressed a key. Upon release, a spring zips the tape back to the beginning.
- knute5, on 08/04/2008, -0/+7Prophet Five - Doobie's "What a Fool Believes"
Wurlitzer Electric Piano - Supertramp's "Logical Song"
AKAI Sampler?? - Yes' "Owner of a Lonely Heart" (also Art of Noise)
DX7 - that breathy synth patch that was in "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" and many other 80's hits. - mkatzmd, on 08/04/2008, -1/+7The Final Countdown? COME ON!
- zippyhat, on 08/04/2008, -0/+5I'm glad there are still good quality articles being submitted on Digg now a days... I kind lost hope for a couple of weeks.
- inactive, on 08/04/2008, -0/+4Awesome Digg post ... I absolutely LOVE Pink Floyd ... it's cool to know what they used to make some of their signature classics.
- manamizer, on 08/04/2008, -0/+4303 is a bassline synth
- inactive, on 08/04/2008, -0/+4I totally agree with you.
- Ciryon, on 08/04/2008, -1/+5Not keyboards, but drum machines. Still worth a mention as you say though :)
- stonebone4, on 08/04/2008, -0/+4http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pw8sNoodIDk
This version of it, specifically - rukeypoo, on 08/04/2008, -0/+4http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ondes_Martenot
- borez, on 08/04/2008, -0/+4Actually a drum machine and a bass pattern machine
- borez, on 08/04/2008, -0/+4That was actually two synths, a rack mounted Yamaha TX-816 and a Roland JX-8P
And also for the best ever live cover of this tune check this video:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Pw8sNoodIDk - borez, on 08/04/2008, -0/+3You maybe right, but I bet the intro is still playing in your head.
- inactive, on 08/04/2008, -0/+3yeah, seeing this article and imagining it's potential made me happy, then I saw the word "Coldplay" and grew apathetic. At least they had Winwood and Floyd mentioned...
- inactive, on 08/04/2008, -0/+3It's not really that unique, just a simple sawtooth soundwave that a Commodore 64 could have done at the time.
Still a quintessential song of the late 80s. - Abomonog, on 08/04/2008, -0/+3This is true. The net result was the the mellotron could only sustain a note for about 8 seconds.
- inactive, on 08/04/2008, -0/+3No Moog Prodigy?! Those things were FANTASTIC lower-level synths. Can't mistake the sound of one of those! Well, at least the Mini Moog is on there...
- Grova, on 08/04/2008, -0/+3Cosby show.....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIm6xmOyO6Q
- Peko, on 08/04/2008, -0/+3Well, yeah, you're right, but my suspicion is that those indy-hop groups were just borrowing/extending from the alt/acid jazz/funk/exotica stuff of the 70s/80s.
- Thekirby45, on 08/04/2008, -0/+3Yes....
- spiridon, on 08/04/2008, -0/+3No Fairlight?
and DX7?
check the vintagesynth.com forums and see for your self. - malechite, on 08/04/2008, -0/+3Most of Nine Inch Nails' "Pretty Hate Machine" was made with a mini moog!
- f4nt0m4s, on 08/04/2008, -1/+4Emerson, Lake & Palmer? Keith Emerson rocked the Hammond organ...
Organs kick ass, they add a smooth groove to music. I recommend Clutch's Robot Hive: Exodus for a rockin' southern album with a chill organ sound. - inactive, on 08/04/2008, -0/+2Dugg for Shine on you Crazy Diamond
- castletech, on 08/04/2008, -0/+2I wish they listed more than 5 keyboards.
- borez, on 08/04/2008, -0/+2I disagree, the Emulator has a very distinctive set of sound banks that came shipped with it, as did the Fairlight CMI, another very recognisable sampler, also the Mellotron was basically a primitive sampler in itself... it's the tape banks that you recognise.
- stretta, on 08/04/2008, -1/+3There is the literal truth and there is the spiritual truth to the statement that there is no distinguishing one from the next.
You're correct, the literal truth is there are options out there, but in reality, the hardware synthesizer market is a shell of its former self.
No advances in synthesis will come from a hardware synth today. Any new advances will come from soft synths. Anything that you can do in hardware is more easily done in software, and less expensive.
Thus, the hardware synth market has degraded to stage pianos for gigging musicians who want something lightweight with the standard sounds you need to be in a cover band, smaller workstations for the computer-phobic, and controller keyboards with lots of knobs, switches, pads and faders for the obvious reasons.
Analog is a special case. Analog can only be simulated with software, so there is still a market - but it is a niche market. Virtual analog continues to advance, but software continues to erode the customer base and manufacturers are scrambling to try to make their products attractive to a generation accustomed to soft synths.
The Hartmann Neuron was the last hardware synth to try something new and it was a market disaster. And inside, it was a general-purpose computer running dedicated software, not a bunch of ICs producing sound like a Prophet 5.
It's over folks. - inactive, on 08/04/2008, -0/+2If you still decide to purchase one off ebay or something, make sure its IBM manufactured and not Lexmark. I have one of both and the IBM made one is the only true model M. Accept no imitations.
- pocketwookie, on 08/04/2008, -0/+2Granted, it was used for a LOT of production music, but what about the Korg wavestation? or for that matter, the M1? Just watch any videos from the 80s. They're loaded with M1s, Roland D50s and as someoneone else mentioned, Akai samplers and DX7s. And yes, they all have very distinct sounds. I assure you, you'd know 'em if you heard them. Of course, I dig the analog stuff and the Juno 106 is still my fave to play.
- blu3blu3, on 08/04/2008, -0/+2This is an unusual and a very entertaining article. I loved the audio examples. Well done!
- mlvassallo, on 08/04/2008, -0/+2MOOG! Any Rentals song.
- analogkid, on 08/04/2008, -0/+2Nope... Emulator II by Emu Systems
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