Yamaha CP-70/80 used heavily by Vangelis

[AnalogGuy]

I don't know if here's any Vangelis fans, but anyway, Vangelis is the main reason why I started to love CP pianos and I even managed to buy CP-60M! Please see this video:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=savWMxRIlak

 

Before CP pianos, Vangelis used Fender Rhodes. I have almost all Vangelis albums and you can hear many many times CP-70. I am not sure when he left CP pianos... Maybe he uses it still but is not ended into public recordings. I hope he didn't just threw them away...

 

Remember Vangelis is very rarely on video live!

[mcpepe]

Beautiful!

 

What synth is he using? Yamaha CS80?

 

I am trying to setup my studio like this. He uses a sustain pedal in the synth too, isn'it?

 

I got into CP pianos by hearing Lito Vitale

[AnalogGuy]

 

Beautiful! What synth is he using? Yamaha CS80? I am trying to setup my studio like this. He uses a sustain pedal in the synth too, isn'it? I got into CP pianos by hearing Lito Vitale

 

 

Yes, that's legendary CS-80 but I am not sure if you can use any sustain pedals with it.

[ClavAnother]

I have been listening to Aphordite's Child 666 for the last several weeks

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[gilwe]

At some point he started using the GS-1, which is FM based.

 

 

Not sure why...

[JoeBuck]

 

Yes, that's legendary CS-80 but I am not sure if you can use any sustain pedals with it.

 

You can.

[rj.phila]

that's how he's using the pitch ribbon and playing w/ one hand; sustain pedal then slide. the sustain and expression pedals really open up the cs80; id say they make them the nail in the coffin of it being the most "playable" synth i've ever experienced.

[AnalogGuy]

At some point he started using the GS-1, which is FM based. Not sure why...

 

I know that already. but Why? are you kidding me with asking why???

 

Simply it's one of the most expressive keyboards! I haven't ever tried or even seen one live, but I know it does have weighted keys, some knobs to adjust sound (besides piano imitations, it is capable making a lot of different sounds) and even polyphonic aftertouch!!! Don't care about FM... if you have ever heard it, the sound is very warm!

 

Anyway, I have found maybe the only live video where we can actually see Vangelis using this ultra rare yamaha GS piano;

 

 

Other example of it's great sound you can hear from China album. The very beginning of the song "The Tao of love" is really GS sound!

 

Yamaha CS-80, Yamaha CP-70, Fender Rhodes, Yamaha GS-1 (and he bought GS-2 too!!!), got now the picture about that these are among the most expressive and "realistic" instruments to play with real human touch and feel and that's why Vangelis had them?

[gilwe]

Not kidding at all. Comparing a FM piano with a grand CP is at least - bizarre !

 

But as you can see on the video he never really ditched his CP anyway

[mikael488]

 

Other example of it's great sound you can hear from China album. The very beginning of the song "The Tao of love" is really GS sound!

 

 

Sorry but there's no way he could've used a GS-1 that early on. You have to remember that the China album was recorded in late '78, years before the

GS-1 appeared.

 

Are you referring to the soft piano or the oriental sounding plucked string sound on The Tao Of Love? ...the former sounds like a Rhodes to me, the latter I'm sure is some type of Chinese plucked string instrument...definitely not a synth.

 

Vangelis aquired his GS-1 in late '81/early '82 and afaik it made its debut on the Blade Runner soundtrack (recorded in spring '82) where it contributed tuned percussion sounds eg the mallet and harp-like sounds on the BR end titles as well as the lush electric piano sounds featured on the "Love theme".

 

Micke

[AnalogGuy]

 

Sorry but there's no way he could've used a GS-1 that early on. You have to remember that the China album was recorded in late '78, years before the GS-1 appeared. Are you referring to the soft piano or the oriental sounding plucked string sound on The Tao Of Love? ...the former sounds like a Rhodes to me, the latter I'm sure is some type of Chinese plucked string instrument...definitely not a synth. Vangelis aquired his GS-1 in late '81/early '82 and afaik it made its debut on the Blade Runner soundtrack (recorded in spring '82) where it contributed tuned percussion sounds eg the mallet and harp-like sounds on the BR end titles as well as the lush electric piano sounds featured on the "Love theme". Micke

 

Yeah, I'm sorry... it's rhodes... the china was made in 1979 and GS was first introduced in 81-82.

[MartinP-268]

I love the sound of Vangelis' GS1 piano and this is one important reason why I own the DX7. Inspite of all the things people say of the (in)famous DX piano, you can perfectly reproduce the sound of the GS1 on it.

 

For more GS1 goodness check out Antarctica Echoes (Antarctica) or Abraham's Theme (Chariots of Fire).

[mikael488]

 

I love the sound of Vangelis' GS1 piano and this is one important reason why I own the DX7. Inspite of all the things people say of the (in)famous DX piano, you can perfectly reproduce the sound of the GS1 on it. For more GS1 goodness check out Antarctica Echoes (Antarctica) or Abraham's Theme (Chariots of Fire).

 

 

I'm pretty sure it's a Rhodes on "Abraham's theme"

 

That soundtrack was recorded at the end of 1980, some 6-8 months before the GS-1 hit the market.

[MartinP-268]

But it doesn't sound like a Rhodes at all. Are you sure? Any source info?

 

From this text

 

http://elsew.com/data/amerfilm.htm

 

it seems the soundtrack was recorded in 1981. Anyway, it's best to give Vangelis a ring and ask ;-)

[AnalogGuy]

 

I love the sound of Vangelis' GS1 piano and this is one important reason why I own the DX7. Inspite of all the things people say of the (in)famous DX piano, you can perfectly reproduce the sound of the GS1 on it. For more GS1 goodness check out Antarctica Echoes (Antarctica) or Abraham's Theme (Chariots of Fire).

 

 

Well... I am maybe the most familiar with Vangelis and his sounds... maybe I am too "over-fan" but he's just to fascinating guy and how he makes the music.

 

The Abraham's theme is all Rhodes piano. In fact it's older song, it was made already in 1979 Opera Sauvage album... unless I remember wrong, the song was called R

[Gribs]

I had lunch this week with an old friend who just moved to the Twin Cities - grew up across the street from me in upstate NY - haven't seen him literally in over 20 years. He told me he just bought a Yamaha grand with the electronics in it for his family for piano lessons. Now that is one expensive keyboard...

 

I remember being amazed by one of the early Yamaha electric grands when I was a junior high student (late 70's) and shopping for my first electric guitar at Duke Spinner music in Rochester, NY (a music store that was located near the Eastman School of music). A jazz player came into the store and was trying it out; I dunno if he was from the Eastman School, but he played really well and the guys in the store were all over him. We ended up leaving with a used 72 Fender Telecaster Custom and a little Yamaha guitar amp. I don't care about the amp, but I sure wish I never sold the guitar... Fender makes a reissue of it now.

[mikael488]

 

But it doesn't sound like a Rhodes at all. Are you sure? Any source info? From this text http://elsew.com/data/amerfilm.htm it seems the soundtrack was recorded in 1981. Anyway, it's best to give Vangelis a ring and ask ;-)

 

 

 

Well, IMO it sounds a lot like a Rhodes.

 

I'm pretty sure most of the material for this soundtrack was recorded at the end of '80 rather than in 1981, given that the film premiered in March '81.

[MartinP-268]

This is a fascinating argument. Reve and Abraham's Theme are two different tunes. Even the EP sound is different on the two pieces. On Reve it's got this slightly fuzzy Rhodes quality while on Abraham's Theme it sounds more tinkly and rounded, just like an FM electric piano (not the well known DX preset).

 

I still may be wrong since Vangelis is known for manipulating the sound of his instruments. But he certainly didn't take an old recording to make a new song with it in this case.

 

 

And Antarctica Echoes? If you mean the sound in the very beginning... it's just synth sound... PWM waveform (Pulse Width Modulation) with very fast attack and short envelope and very much filtered so it's harded to notice being square waveform. I think it's from CS-80. Listen more carefully and you will notice how Vangelis changes it's filter with aftertouch.

 

 

I mean the reverberating "ping" sound that plays the main theme. I think it can't be a filtered pulse wave since there are too much high frequncies in it.

And you can't change much on a "ping" sound with polyphonic after touch. It could be done only with channel after touch. The variations in sound are probably controlled by initial velocity. But again, this is just my hypothesis.

[AnalogGuy]

 

I still may be wrong since Vangelis is known for manipulating the sound of his instruments. But he certainly didn't take an old recording to make a new song with it in this case. I mean the reverberating "ping" sound that plays the main theme. I think it can't be a filtered pulse wave since there are too much high frequncies in it. And you can't change much on a "ping" sound with polyphonic after touch. It could be done only with channel after touch. The variations in sound are probably controlled by initial velocity. But again, this is just my hypothesis.

 

 

Yeah, exactly that ping sound. Maybe it is layered with some other sound but I know it is basically made up from PWM. Listen carefully... very carefully at 00:42 and you can hear PWM! I could make almost same sound from my analog Roland SH-09 synth. I think CS-80 is behind this ping sound. Of course there is again equalizers used too. And again listen at 02:27! you can hear the ping sound with slower attack and longer sustain and it is really PWM!