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Synthesisers used in Twin Peaks?


petejt

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Hi everyone, I suppose some of you are familiar with the 1990 television show Twin Peaks? I've been spooked by it ever since I saw bits of it when I was about 6 or 7. Although even back then I knew that the murderer of Laura Palmer was her dad (I didn't exactly know how she was murdered, but I knew it was sinister [i was told it was needles under her fingernails, I'm aware now that it was rape & suffocation]), I was freaked out by it as much as I am today. Many things, in fact I recall a scene where a man a woman were just nervously staring at each other in a room with a red background (I just found out it was in the Black Lodge), they just stood there staring, and it spooked the hell out of me :eek: . I think what also scares me is the fact it was set in 1989, and the keyboards....., I dunno, it's a big psychological blah-blah thing, I'm going off the track now, lol.

 

 

Here's a screenshot.

TwinPeaks_openingshotcredits.jpg

 

 

All I know is that, the soundtrack used to scare me too, but also mystify me. Just last night I stayed up all night listening to the theme song, watching the intro on YouTube, researching the story. I even managed to find the location.

 

 

68i92kj.jpg

 

 

 

Well, as you can see I'm quite emotionally stirred by this. So to try and resolve it, I'm concentrating on trying to work out all of the instruments used in the theme tune (gets me to think about music again, which is good), and now I ask for all of you to help me identify what was used to make the song.

 

 

Instantly, I can hear that lush Roland Chorus. I'm sure that Roland is all over this thing! That clear pearly-sounding keyboard tone, there must be at least one Roland synth in here. If not, I guess maybe a Fender Rhodes was used through a Roland Jazz Chorus 120 with the chorus effect on? Or a Fender Rhodes with the Boss CE-1 Chorus pedal in the loop?

 

 

I'm trying to break down what each instrument is playing, and what each instrument is. Please tell me if I'm correct, incorrect, add any detail, verify, what instruments in particular were used- their names and types details etc etc.

 

I don't know that much :confused: about keyboards or synthesisers unfortunately, and trying to learn more.

 

 

-a bass keyboard synth, for the bass line "dun dang, dun dong". Has a very sharp, clacky, cold, edgy sound, almost like a synthesised bass guitar played with a pick.

-a Roland keyboard synth or Fender Rhodes electric piano, with Roland/Boss chorus on it. Has that pearly very pristine clean sound, with the lush chorus. Plays the dissonant chords, and possibly the low endy "climbing" tremoloed bass notes

-synth strings? sounds like some synthesised brass was mixed in, and done in layers, or unison.

-string synth that I think plays the sad, tear-jerker down-stepping chord sequence too.

-another synth used for some other parts which I cannot make out

 

 

 

Thanks for bearing with me. :)

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I've also been intrigued by the soundtrack of this show as well. I actually found a used cassette tape of the soundtrack music at a local music shop in Birmingham and picked it up. Weird and cool stuff. Good luck trying to figure out what all the exact sounds are.

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Petejt, it's your lucky day :-)

 

From the horses mouth:

"I did virtually all the playing on "Twin Peaks" and yes, I used both a Roland D550 String sound and a MKS-70 of my own devising to do the string patches (angelo never liked sampled strings). I did use a (SCI Prophet)T8 as my master keyboard, and sometimes used it for string patches, but not much"

 

Kinny Landrum

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Petejt, it's your lucky day :-)


From the horses mouth:

"I did virtually all the playing on "Twin Peaks" and yes, I used both a Roland D550 String sound and a MKS-70 of my own devising to do the string patches (angelo never liked sampled strings). I did use a (SCI Prophet)T8 as my master keyboard, and sometimes used it for string patches, but not much"


Kinny Landrum

 

 

Thanks! :thu:

 

 

Do you know which instrument was used for each part, as I described in my post? Which strings part was performed on the Roland D550 and which strings part was on the MKS-70? Was I right about the Roland chorused keyboard? And what made the bass sound, the SCI Prophet T8?

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Are you sure? Better listen to 'em side by side and get back to me.
;)

 

They definitely sound different, although now I feel that the link you provided, is also synthesised (but done well). The original has a more stronger midrange, and sounds a bit brittle on the high notes, whereas yours sounds warmer.

 

 

Are you saying that the original is actually a real bass guitar?

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I've heard from various sources that Badalamenti used (and uses) a JX-10. I'm a big fan of the show and did some research on the music a few months ago. The strings are definately Roland.

For the guitar part, I'm going to guess baritone (possibly Danelectro) into a JC-120. Could be a sample, though. I have a rompler from around 1993 that has a "Clean Electric Guitar" sound that sounds almost exactly like it.

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I've heard from various sources that Badalamenti used (and uses) a JX-10. I'm a big fan of the show and did some research on the music a few months ago. The strings are definately Roland.

For the guitar part, I'm going to guess baritone (possibly Danelectro) into a JC-120. Could be a sample, though. I have a rompler from around 1993 that has a "Clean Electric Guitar" sound that sounds almost exactly like it.

 

Cool. :cool:

 

 

What about the chorused keyboard that plays in answer to the bass, and the pearly-sounding chorused "dissonant chords"? That's a Roland keyboard too? At least it has a Roland/Boss chorus effect on it?

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Badalamenti was very into the Korg 01/W as soon as that came out in 1991. He used it on a lot of soundtracks eg Lost Highway, Mulholland Drive, Straight Story, The Actor's Studio theme etc.

 

Btw, Badalamenti used the rackmount version of the JX-10, the MKS-70.

 

Micke

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Badalamenti was very into the Korg 01/W as soon as that came out in 1991. He used it on a lot of soundtracks eg Lost Highway, Mulholland Drive, Straight Story, The Actor's Studio theme etc.


Btw, Badalamenti used the rackmount version of the JX-10, the MKS-70.


Micke

 

 

So the JX-10 and the MKS-70 are essentially the same thing?

 

 

But what about that chorused keyboard playing the dissonant "pearly-sounding" chords? What was that? The MKS-70?

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For the guitar part, I'm going to guess baritone (possibly Danelectro) into a JC-120. Could be a sample, though. I have a rompler from around 1993 that has a "Clean Electric Guitar" sound that sounds almost exactly like it.

 

 

I have a feeling that it is a sample, because the tone gets really brittle and thins out a bit on the higher notes.

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Petejt, it's your lucky day :-)


From the horses mouth:

"I did virtually all the playing on "Twin Peaks" and yes, I used both a Roland D550 String sound and a MKS-70 of my own devising to do the string patches (angelo never liked sampled strings). I did use a (SCI Prophet)T8 as my master keyboard, and sometimes used it for string patches, but not much"


Kinny Landrum

 

 

This is the T8, I think.

prophett8.jpg

 

 

 

 

There's A LOT going on in this track. Just now I've noticed another keyboard playing the bass line, underneath the lead "bass guitar".

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So the JX-10 and the MKS-70 are essentially the same thing?

 

 

I believe so, yes.

 

 

 

But what about that chorused keyboard playing the dissonant "pearly-sounding" chords? What was that? The MKS-70?

 

 

I really don't know, perhaps the Roland D-550 (?)

 

Micke

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But what about that chorused keyboard playing the dissonant "pearly-sounding" chords? What was that? The MKS-70?

 

It would be much easier for us if you could upload a track and ask questions based on track's time.

 

/ie. what's that pad from 01:18 - 01:25 etc...

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It would be much easier for us if you could upload a track and ask questions based on track's time.


/ie. what's that pad from 01:18 - 01:25 etc...

 

 

I'll take that advice on board, Don. Thanks! :thu:

 

 

Later on I'll listen to the track and write down the key moments when I hear a particular tone. I should have done that before.

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