A Beatles Virtual Instrument

[Dave Connor]

My G5 PPC running 10.4.11 is not UB though is it? Not Intel. Or have I been misunderstanding that forever?

Yes scream at the bloody musicians how silly of me to have to ask.

It's time for the Beatle vibe so I really want to get my hands on all things Beatle sounding. So I would like to give those plugins a spin.

[Frodo]

My G5 PPC running 10.4.11 is not UB though is it? Not Intel. Or have I been misunderstanding that forever?

UB = PPC + Intel compatibility. You're good. Do the download!

Yes scream at the bloody musicians how silly of me to have to ask.

Ironically, guys typically dislike being screamed at-- for the reasons guys typically get screamed at!!

For the fun of it-- and the screaming--- Twist And Shout live in Australia in June, 1964:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I67_1LifSLk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Oh-- and OT-- Where's Ringo?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFaFYaO5wng" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

It's time for the Beatle vibe so I really want to get my hands on all things Beatle sounding. So I would like to give those plugins a spin.

Indeed. I think the ADT will work quite well on vocals, but one MUST be a Beatles fan and must understand when and how they used ADT to fully appreciate how the plugin ought to be used.

For those who may not have grasped the essence of that last statement, let me just underscore it by saying YMMV.

If you need some Beatley drums, check out Abbey Road Drums from NI:
http://www.native-instruments.com/#/en/ ... 60s-drums/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Dave Connor]

Did Magic Alex create that doubling thing or Geoff Emerick or...?

I was going to ask how you liked those NI drums.

I also take it that Fab Four is very good but rather limited?

[Frodo]

Did Magic Alex create that doubling thing or Geoff Emerick or...?

I think Ken Townsend was the engineer who spearheaded that technology.

I was going to ask how you liked those NI drums.

I don't have them, but dear friend who is also a Beatlemaniac-- actually, a 60's music maniac (to be fair), has them and loves them. Long downloads, from what I hear-- but boot up your machine, load your project, then go shave and shower. You know-- pretend it's a VSL project!!

I also take it that Fab Four is very good but rather limited?

Hmm. I bought FabFour partially due to my weakness in all things Liverpool-- but I was really waiting for EWQLSO and EWQLSC, wanting to see how PLAY would mature more than anything else. FabFour is merely okay. It's good for a couple of tunes (which is about what EW has put out in the way of demos-- okay, so since this thread started they've offered four audio demos) but it plays itself out a little too quickly for my taste. Lennon's famous Rickenbacker isn't even represented!! A lot of Lennon is not represented, in fact. Proportionally, you probably get more usable drums and bass overall, but they are only stereo patches and not multi-tracked. I think it was was a very expensive novel idea that has yet to be fully realized. They spoke early on about an expansion, but that was maybe three years ago. At present, I would not recommend FabFour to others-- but I'm not quite ready to admit any regrets for having gotten it myself.

But getting it was a lot of fun-- and it passed the developmental time between its release and the orchestral/choral libraries being ported over to the new audio engine. For that reason alone I'm glad I got FabFour because I learned how to troubleshoot PLAY on my system until it worked properly.

... and what are you doing out of bed at this hour on a school night?

[zed]

Oh-- and OT-- Where's Ringo?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFaFYaO5wng" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Where is Ringo indeed? He would be easier to find if he was wearing a shirt with red and white stripes. Too bad the footage is in b/w.

Does this mean that the Beatles were lip-syncing this performance? I can't imagine that they travelled with a recording of Ringo's drum track to actually play along and sing to. I wouldn't blame them. How much fun could it be to perform when all anyone can hear is screaming girls anyway?

[kassonica]

Oh-- and OT-- Where's Ringo?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFaFYaO5wng" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Where is Ringo indeed? He would be easier to find if he was wearing a shirt with red and white stripes. Too bad the footage is in b/w.

Does this mean that the Beatles were lip-syncing this performance? I can't imagine that they travelled with a recording of Ringo's drum track to actually play along and sing to. I wouldn't blame them. How much fun could it be to perform when all anyone can hear is screaming girls anyway?

That footage from Melbourne Australia (my Home town) and indeed Ringo is playing at that gig, but on a drum riser you can't see in that clip. The other drum kit is the support bands.

[zed]

That footage from Melbourne Australia (my Home town) and indeed Ringo is playing at that gig, but on a drum riser you can't see in that clip. The other drum kit is the support bands.

Glad you cleared that up. Not that I would hold my Beatles in any less favorable light if they had participated in events where lip-syncing was the only viable option.

NI Abbey Road Drums are awesome, but they do take a long time to load, and then they are not in standard mapping formats, like iMap, so it is difficult to mix and match them with other drums sounds from other drum products without doing a fair bit of customization. Hopefully, version 2 will address this and allow mapping to be easily changed and kit pieces activated and deactived.

If all you want is the kick, or the kick and snare, it would be good if they made individual kit pieces available to reduce the loading time. But aside from that, they come really close to having "the sound".

[Dave Connor]

... boot up your machine, load your project, then go shave and shower. You know-- pretend it's a VSL project!!

Chuckled at this.

Thanks for all that good info!

I have heard good reports on the NI drums and as you say, one needs separate outs in this sampling day and age so Fab Four would seem to tie ones hands there. In fact I'm disappointed that Fab Four didn't go deeper into the pool it was diving into. A well rounded Beatle package could have had a long shelf life and become a go-to package. I don't hear anyone talking about it anymore. My point is that Beatle stuff is maybe more popular than ever in our world and it's a shame Fab Four wasn't the foundational collection it could have been.

[Frodo]

That footage from Melbourne Australia (my Home town) and indeed Ringo is playing at that gig, but on a drum riser you can't see in that clip. The other drum kit is the support bands.

Of course, you're absolutely right. I'd forgotten than I had the DVD of that concert tucked away somewhere. That particular camera angle just looked funny with the dormant drum kit sitting there.

At first, I wondered if Jimmie Nicol wasn't playing at the time, but Jimmie played drums in Adelaide. Ringo returned (from sick leave) for the Melbourne gig.

[scooter]

Hey Frodo,

I've had this V.I for quite some time and hardly ever use it.
I've checked out the sounds and find them to be, for the most part, uninspiring.
Are there any in particular that you really like and do you end up tweaking them??

scooter

[Frodo]

Hey Frodo,

I've had this V.I for quite some time and hardly ever use it.
I've checked out the sounds and find them to be, for the most part, uninspiring.
Are there any in particular that you really like and do you end up tweaking them??

scooter

The drums and bass seem fine. Also, some of the more unusual instruments come in handy from time to time. I like the Mellotron, for example, but it's not just a Mellotron. It's the "Strawberry Fields" flutes specifically. Right away, you're dealing with the "it's already been done" syndrome if you're trying to create something original-- but then that's part of the nature of the plugin.

But when life gives you lemons, find someone to whom life has given vodka and have a party!!

What may seem like "shortcomings" actually come in handy for someone like me. I'm primarily a pianist-keyboardist with a glorified fetish for guitar and bass. Sometimes it's just easier to mock up something in my head with these patches without too much fuss, then go back with a real guitar and bass to replace the mock-up tracks (once I've mustered the courage to practice the guitar and bass). I'll likely swap out the drums for a more flexible drum VI where fills and cymbal patterns are more easily realized. Where the Beatles' drum sounds are concerned, this may necessitate something like NI's Abbey Road Drums to retain a certain character that is not slanted too much towards jazz or metal.

Without the release of expansion sets, FabFour's charm quickly becomes its hinderance. They've included licks from "Revolution"-- but the opening riff is faster than the original for some reason. For as cool as the riff is, once again, I can't imagine trying to use it in a song of my own.

FabFour is simple. It's all-in-one. That makes it an ideal turnkey "band in a box" if you're into classic rock sounds in general and want to refine your arrangements. Even if some parts will eventually be replaced with real instruments, there may be some use for the virtual parts during mix down. The Beatles experimented in all sorts of ways with different kinds of sounds, with different types of layering-- so they sky's the only real limit if you allow your imagination to run free.

[scooter]

Without the release of expansion sets, FabFour's charm quickly becomes its hinderance. They've included licks from "Revolution"-- but the opening riff is faster than the original for some reason. For as cool as the riff is, once again, I can't imagine trying to use it in a song of my own.

Was that Lennon playing the opening lick??
It seemed like his style.
Nonetheless, didn't he get some absolutely incredible guitar sounds.
I think he's underrated for not only his guitar sounds but his playing,
both solos and rhythm git. But I digress. What were we talking about??

scooter

[Frodo]

Was that Lennon playing the opening lick??
It seemed like his style.

That was indeed Lennon. He was playing his Epiphone Casino (fashioned after the Gibson 300 series guitars). Lennon embraced this guitar at least from 1966 when he used it eagerly during that tour. He also stripped the "sunburst" finish down to the blond finish we know from the Rooftop concert of "Let It Be".

Among Lennon's early guitar solos many are not aware of--- "You Can't Do That" and "Every Little Thing". These were most likely done on his familiar black Rickenbacker 325 with the white tear drop pick guard.

Others:

Get Back
I Want You
Yer Blues

Nonetheless, didn't he get some absolutely incredible guitar sounds.
I think he's underrated for not only his guitar sounds but his playing,
both solos and rhythm git. But I digress. What were we talking about??

scooter

Not to worry, Scooter. We're just reveling in the pure joy of it all!!

Yes-- Lennon got great tones from his instruments (with a little help from his friends).

What Lennon played, I agree, was so underrated. If one just looks at the Shea Stadium concert seriously, it becomes apparent that so much of what Lennon was doing with what he played-- and what he SANG at the same time-- required unearthly skill. "I Feel Fine" alone blows me away-- and to think that they couldn't even hear themselves..(!!!!)

[zed]

What Lennon played, I agree, was so underrated. If one just looks at the Shea Stadium concert seriously, it becomes apparent that so much of what Lennon was doing with what he played-- and what he SANG at the same time-- required unearthly skill. "I Feel Fine" alone blows me away-- and to think that they couldn't even hear themselves..(!!!!)

What a great song! Pretty tight performance considering they couldn't hear themselves:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRBv-XanHvw" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I love how they all bow at the end in unison! Such classy fellows.

[Eleventh Hour Sound]

EastWest is pushing FabFour special with a one day... tempting, but I don't think I can justify the expense right now.

http://www.soundsonline.com/Fab-Four" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;