Francis Preve

Sound designer. Producer. Professor. Journalist. Author.

Filtering by Category: Production,Vintage Gear

Programming the Oberheim OB-X8

After programming it for a month (and comparing it to other analog gear in my rig), I can confirm that the Oberheim OB-X8 is a truly fantastic beast with an incredibly specific sound, much like last year’s spot-on reissue of the original Prophets 5 and 10.

When I first fired it up, I was startled by how much it instantly evoked the sound of artists who relied on it for multiple hits. Sure, Van Halen’s “Jump” brass sound is a trademark of the OB series, but it’s also the sound of Prince and Jam & Lewis (aka The Minneapolis Sound), as well as a striking number of UK synthwave artists from the early 80s. The Thompson Twins, Depeche Mode, Simple Minds, along with art-wave pioneers Japan and Ultravox, all used Oberheims in crafting their early records—and it’s astonishing how much these instruments influenced the sound of vintage synthwave. Familiar sounds practically fall out of the unit with minimal effort.

And thanks to Tom Oberheim, Marcus Ryle, and Dave Smith, the sound is… huge.

More here: https://cdm.link/2022/05/hands-on-tour-of-the-oberheim-ob-x8-architecture-feature-by-feature-with-francis-preve/

Understanding the MiniKorg-700

Having studied the history of synths for my entire career, I wrote a love letter to the MiniKorg-700S for CDM, disguised as a tutorial.

In this piece, I explain the MiniKorg-700 architecture—and why key-tracked ring modulation is a shockingly underrated technique for creating both melodic and dissonant sounds. The feature also covers a bit more detail on the pioneering era of early 70s synthesizers.

Here’s a link to the piece:
https://cdm.link/2021/08/korg-has-recreated-the-1974-minikorg-700-in-software-heres-your-deep-diving-guide/

Tech Glossary for Audio and Synths

Once upon a time (ok, it was actually 2009), Resident Advisor hired me to create an extensive glossary of synthesis and audio production terms.

I intentionally designed it to be universal, as I’d hoped it would stand the test of time.

Over ten years later, the glossary is still online and still 100% relevant to learning synths and DAWs.

Here’s the link. It’s worth bookmarking as a handy reference for both pros and beginners.

Link: https://ra.co/features/1219

Ultimate Guide to Ultimate Guides

After 20 years of writing tutorials and masterclasses for Electronic Musician, Keyboard, and Music Radar, I’ve posted a lot of instructional content since I redid this site in 2017. To make the blog easier to navigate for new visitors, I’ve collected all of my Music Radar and Electronic Musician guides into a single directory post.

Below are direct links to each of the masterclasses on my blog, some of which include downloadable presets and examples. Have at it!

Roland System-8 Tips (2021)

It’s rare that a digital synth will steadily remain in production for over five years, but the Roland System-8 hit that anniversary this year. It may seem strange to sing the praises of a synth that’s not old enough to be vintage and not new enough to be trendy, but having had it in my studio since its release, it’s clear why the System-8 has such longevity.

Here are eight tips for this evergreen synth – some applying to both hardware and software. The software version is available on Roland Cloud, so you can easily test drive it there to check out the features that keep it one of the primary go-to’s in my studio.

Continue reading on CDM...

Watch + Learn: West Coast Lead (Serum)

Level: Beginner

Platform: Xfer Serum

Description: The core elements for synthesizing the 90s “West Coast” hip-hop lead popularized by Dr. Dre and others in the mid-90s. The “PORTA” parameter is the key to making it fit your track. Further adjustments can be applied via changing filters, and adding effects like delay and reverb.

Download Link to Preset: Watch+Learn_SerumPreset_WestCoastLead

Master Class: Arturia MiniBrute 2

In this Music Radar masterclass, we’ll look at some interesting sounds you can create using the MiniBrute 2’s patchbay. But first, we’ll look at ways to overcome a few of the instrument’s idiosyncrasies.

For example, the MiniBrute 2 lacks a dedicated mult/splitter, making it impossible to route certain modulation sources to multiple destinations—a requirement that is a staple of many common sounds—without additional gear. A simple fix is to use a stackable 3.5mm cable, such as the Tiptop Audio Stackcable or the Modular Addict Stacking Eurorack Patch Cable.

Despite lacking a few features from the first Mini-Brute (such as the sub-oscillator), the MiniBrute 2 has a  more advanced set of synthesis tools. Recreating familiar patches from the original model, however, requires an altered approach. This tutorial covers the essentials for configuring both the sounds of the original and a few iconic analog standards.

Link: https://www.musicradar.com/how-to/how-to-master-the-arturia-minibrute-2

Listening with Francis Preve

Recently, I had the honor of appearing on The Listening Podcast—a weekly series sponsored by Liquid Cinema. In the podcast, renowned composer Jeff Rona and I discussed my relationship with sound design, DJ culture, synthesis, and the horizons of instrument design.

Below are links to Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Enjoy!

Spotify Link: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4CIqUGcGwYGUo6W44v4eIv?si=yLkokLwASSiwUD1J55cgBg

Apple Podcast Link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/listening-with-francis-preve/id1476332977?i=1000455970308

Master Class: Korg/ARP Odyssey

Back in the early ’70s, the Moog vs. ARP “war” was just as passionate as the Mac vs. PC debate is today. At the time, the Minimoog and ARP Odyssey were the two dominant mainstream monosynths. On the Moog side, the Mini offered three oscillators, Bob’s massive filter, and ease of use. On the ARP side, the duophonic Odyssey included lowpass and highpass filters, hard sync, ring mod, and incredibly sophisticated modulation resources.

Korg’s ARP Odyssey re-issues are available in a tabletop version, a module version, and the Odyssei app.

Even now, the classic Odyssey’s features are capable of textures that we normally associate with modular gear, which makes sense as the Odyssey was basically a slimmed-down version of the 2600—arguably the synth that first brought modular to the masses. So with Korg’s reissue of the Odyssey available in three formats (keyboard, module, and the Odyssei iOS app), my Music Radar masterclass takes a closer look at its vast capabilities, using the tabletop version as our frame of reference.

LINK: https://www.musicradar.com/how-to/how-to-get-the-most-out-of-the-korg-arp-odyssey

Master Class: Vocoders

Wendy Carlos recorded the first mainstream performance of a vocoder for her soundtrack to Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange, using a 10-band version she developed with Bob Moog in 1970. From there, it was quickly established as a featured component for countless pop, funk, and dance hits—and is often confused with an effect known as the talk box, which is an entirely different method for embossing the characteristics of the human voice onto a musical performance.

Over the past 45 years, there have been many successful vocoders—both hardware and software. The earliest hardware units from Bode, Roland, Moog and Korg found their way into top artists’ studios. Nowadays, software versions are baked into leading DAWs from Ableton, Apple, and Propellerhead, to name a few.

Although vocoders are typically used for creating “robot vocals,” they are capable of generating a wide variety of effects. But to get the most from this unique processor, it is essential to understand how a vocoder works. Here’s my essential guide for Music Radar.

LINK: https://www.musicradar.com/how-to/how-to-get-the-most-out-of-vocoders-a-complete-guide