This depends upon the arrangement, of course. I find that excessive gated drum reverb in choruses can muddy a mix when not used correctly. Interestingly, I find myself using more gated drum reverb in verses, as to draw attention to it, as opposed to using more drum room in choruses, for the purpose of adding excitement. Similarly to how I would typically handle drum room mics in a mix, I automate the gated reverb to breathe with the different parts of the song. Important to me when programming drums that are meant to sound like an acoustic kit are that they feel right - the dynamics and playability are essential, and I can “finger drum” a convincing performance using 80s Drummer with ease. With 80s Drummer’s Mixer Section, you can dial in the exact amount of non-linear room reverb that your production calls for. One of the most recognizable qualities to the sound of drums in the decade was the extensive (excessive?) use of reverb, and specifically, gated reverb. Worth mentioning are the Octobans - a set of toms that were used extensively in the 1980s. I employ the “mix as I go approach” and handle this task as I play the different parts, and find that this method allows me to stay creative and continue adding layers.Ĩ0s Drummer includes two drum kits, both of which were pristinely recorded at the legendary Abbey Road Studios. Between the onboard controls that allow you to sculpt the tonal balance of the instruments, and additional processing such as filtering and equalization, it’s essential to ensure that synthesizers play nice with one another. Especially on productions that have five or more layers of synthesizers, each of which may be playing differing parts, I take special care in making sure that not too much is happening at any one area of the frequency spectrum. I approach building my synth arrangements as if I were piecing together a frequency-based puzzle. Not only do they sound great, but they also play wonderfully, especially when combined with any of the Arturia Keylab controllers, which I was able to check out at the recent NAMM show. Several other components to the V Collection - including the Fairlight CMI and Synclavier are excellent choices when hoping to recreate the textures and tones of synthesizers from the 1980s. While those sounds (especially the piano) eventually became overused and dated, if that’s the aesthetic you’re going for, look no further than Arturia’s emulation. The original Yamaha DX7 brought the glassy, bright tones of FM synthesis to the mainstream, used in productions by A-ha, Whitney Houston, and many more. The expressive, evolving pads of the Arturia CS-80 V are featured prominently on many of the 80s-inspired productions that I’ve worked on recently. While the Yamaha CS-80 was released in 1976, it was used on many important recordings in the 80s - notably in Vangelis’ score for Blade Runner. The rich pads, the intuitive arpeggiator, and the ethereal leads - all the qualities that made the original one of the most widely used synthesizers of the 1980s are recreated to near-perfection. While the V Collection (now up to version 6) can absolutely be used on more modern-sounding productions, I’ve found it to be especially effective for creating music with a bit of a retro vibe.Īrturia’s emulation of the Roland Jupiter 8 is stunning. If you’re looking for plugin versions of vintage synthesizers, this is the most comprehensive and authentic collection of virtual instruments I’ve used. Virtual Instruments The Arturia V Collection Here are some of the virtual instruments and plugin processors I used to do so, with insight as to how I used them. On an album I recently produced for SIGNALS, I was tasked with nailing the 80s aesthetic, while maintaining the punch and presence common to modern mixes. From the prominent and multi-layered synthesizers, to the punchy electronic drum sounds, today’s music listeners love the sounds that were common to popular music in the decade of decadence.
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