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The 40 greatest synth sounds of all time. (Music Radar)


MuzikB

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"Won't get fooled..." was the Lowrey organ through the EMS VCS3, but on "Going Mobile" Pete is playing guitar through an envelope follower connected to the ARP 2500 (ARP had made him a crude guitar interface to use with the 2500). I don't think he had the 2600 until after "Who's Next" was recorded.

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What a {censored} list.


No Enya? I would think the 'pluck' of 'Orinoco Flow' would be there.


No Kate Bush? So many classic Fairlight sounds from 'Never Forever' and 'Hounds Of Love'.


No Elton? Think of 'Funeral For A Friend'.


No Thompson Twins? Very original synth programming, from 'Into The Gap' to 'Doctor Doctor'.


No Thomas Dolby???? Do I need to explain?


No Howard Jones?


No Gary Wright? 'Dreamweaver', anyone?


No Scritti Politti? The whole 'Cupid + Psyche' album is a synth masterpiece.


No Gino Vannelli? Holy {censored}! His first 5 albums are meticulously layered mono synths. Joe Vannelli recorded all the chords one note at a time, and the sounds on 'A Pauper In Paradise', 'Storm At Sunup', and 'Gist Of The Gemini' are way beyond what you were hearing in pop music at the time.


Someone already mentioned The Cars. Even the distinctive sync sound from 'Money For Nothing' by Dire Straits is more iconic than most of the ones in this list.


That's the problem with websites and magazines run by people who only know the 1990s and 2000s and who think that the '80s is ancient times and the '70s are quaint but irrelevant.


I get annoyed.

 

 

I thought Enya was strictly acoustic?

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The list needs to be at least twice 40, even though some repeats might pop up.

Also needs to go back to the relative dawn of synthesis and THAT basically starts in the 50's.

MIA:

Forbidden Planet, Star Wars, Flash Gordon, Thief, Chariots of Fire, Blade Runner, Miami Vice (TV) among others I'm sure.

Where is Switched On Bach (?) 2112, Frankenstein, Lucky Man, Chameleon, Magic Man, Tom Sawyer,Heart of Glass,Heat Of The Moment, Beat It,

Synth sounds didn't come from JUST keyboards. How about the Roland TR-808 Kick Drum and Cowbell. Simmons Drums.

Somebody else take over please!

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I actually am trying to think of an acoustic sound on any Enya album, and can't. (Except for piano, but even the piano is sloshed in reverb.)


Lots of DX7. Probably other stuff, but the DX7 stands out.

 

 

Could be she started out with synths and then decided to be strictly acoustic?

 

She was playing a song from her latest album , on TV shortly after 9/11, and she basically said that she (now) preferred acoustic instrumentation as opposed to using, even partially, synths or other electronic keyboards/instruments.

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Could be she started out with synths and then decided to be strictly acoustic?

She was playing a song from her latest album , on TV shortly after 9/11, and she basically said that she (now) preferred acoustic instrumentation as opposed to using, even partially, synths or other electronic keyboards/instruments.

 

 

Well, I would consider her two most famous songs to be this song and this song. All electronic there except for piano.

 

I did forget, occasionally she'd throw an acoustic instrument in there (

has a bit of tin whistle) but that was an exception.

 

I haven't heard any of her new work so I don't know if she changed direction in the last 10 years. Perhaps so.

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No Vangelis or Boards of Canada?

 

 

yeah right,.. this list reminds me of a person that would like the song "Hey Man Nice Shot" by FILTER... but british.

 

very {censored}ing lame.

"fillers" I call them.

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Could be she started out with synths and then decided to be strictly acoustic?


She was playing a song from her latest album , on TV shortly after 9/11, and she basically said that she (now) preferred acoustic instrumentation as opposed to using, even partially, synths or other electronic keyboards/instruments.

 

 

That infamous pluck sound from 'Orinocho Flow' comes from the D50, as Im sure anyone who has used a D50 is well aware.

She used that synth a lot at the time & a Juno 60 .

She happens to own a Waldorf Wave.

I m not that interested in her work personally apart from Orinoco Flow which is classic & lovely , so Im not very familiar with anything shes done since , but Ive always found it sort of ironic that she owns a 'Wave' for some reason. Now if it was a Synclavier or Fairlight or even a Meletron that would be more understandable from my point of view, may she be happy & well.

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I actually am trying to think of an acoustic sound on any Enya album, and can't. (Except for piano, but even the piano is sloshed in reverb.)


Lots of DX7. Probably other stuff, but the DX7 stands out.

 

 

Other than her own voice copied many times over, she also used Uillean pipes and the violin, along with various percussion bits (probably a bodhran in there somewhere). She did for layered vocals what Zoe Keating did for layered cello.

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That infamous pluck sound from 'Orinocho Flow' comes from the D50, as Im sure anyone who has used a D50 is well aware.

She used that synth a lot at the time & a Juno 60 .

She happens to own a Waldorf Wave.

I m not that interested in her work personally apart from Orinoco Flow which is classic & lovely , so Im not very familiar with anything shes done since , but Ive always found it sort of ironic that she owns a 'Wave' for some reason. Now if it was a Synclavier or Fairlight or even a Meletron that would be more understandable from my point of view, may she be happy & well.

 

 

She's quite a good songwriter. I especially like her piano and

songs.

 

She's really the only Irish music I can stand to listen to for any length of time.

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