THE BEST ANALOG DRUM MACHINE EVER MADE
The Tempest Analog Drum Machine!! Great name!!
Love them or hate them, there is no doubt that drum machines are very useful, versatile and creative tools. From Prince to Daniel Lanois, virtually everyone uses them for writing or tracking.
For a number of years, we looked to find something great and then discovered Roger Linn and Dave Smith had come up with a new drum machine with both digital and analog oscillators; you can never go wrong buying something designed by these guys! World-class!
Yes, it is a fiendishly complex device to get into as it has a lot of depth - you can edit everything - but I love almost everything about it, especially the old school step programming features.
We use this all the time both live and in the studio, from songwriting to laying down a bed of atmospheric grooves during live duo performances. It also features on recordings of our various projects including Electrolite.
Simon and I adore this beautiful machine and are very proud to be Sequential artists.
WHAT DOES IT SOUND LIKE?
STRINGS & THINGS
The Opus 3 is an analogue 49-key synthesizer designed by Herbert A. Deutsch from Hofstra University and released in 1980 by Moog. The sounds are in three categories, strings, brass and organ sounds, all having their own filter apart from the organ section.
Stereolab, Kraftwerk and 808 State have all used this marvellous device. It isn't MIDI, enabled and can't be triggered by a sequencer so, you have to play it!
We picked it up from Adriano Sérgio who is a good friend and the man behind Ergon guitars who now lives in Algarve, Portugal.
It's a great tool and the analogue chorus is to die for. The sound is pretty unique and not for every track but great in the right place.
The brass sound is featured in the middle eight of The Voting Machine. Take a listen.
VOCODER & STRINGS
Vocoders are cool and was first exposed to the wonder whilst recording our ElectroDance EP, Electrolite. Our bandmember Mark Cleator brought one over and it was featured in Dance With Me.
My appetite was whetted and I couldn't wait to get one of my own and the concept of STARLITE.ONE arrived and we took the plunge.
Unusually for us, this isn't an analogue machine but it still sounds great with its core based on the early string machines and vocoders. The MOOG Opus 3 is fabulous for some string sounds, but the Waldorf is more flexible, has presets and is MIDI controllable!
“A few years back, Waldorf was one of the first companies to announce a dedicated string-machine digital emulation: the Streichfett. This had its own unique voice that harked back nicely to those halcyon days where string synths such as the ARP Solina, Logan String Melody 2 and Roland RS-202 reigned. Waldorf added features from the legendary Roland Vocoder Plus (VP-330) in the STVC”. // Dan 'JD73' Goldman // Future Music, Keyboard Magazine.
It sits well with me as I consider myself first and foremost a singer and the vocoder enables me to use my voice to control the sound.
MONSTER BASS
We all remember the huge bass sounds from MOOG Taurus bass pedals popularised by Geddy Lee (Rush), Chris Squire (Yes), John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin), Mike Rutherford (Genesis), Daniel Lanois and The Police.
This tiny box is basically the innards of the Taurus bass pedals updated to work as a part of a MIDI-based keyboard rig.
Synth bass is great and compliments an electric and acoustic bass very well.
Both Simon and I have used the MOOG Minitaur in conjunction with the Studiologic MIDI pedals in our 'Starlite & Campbell' Streaming Live! duo shows and of course on our recordings using a keyboard.
I am no Geddy Lee but love the pedals as I can play my bass, piano or synths at the same and it sounds fantastic, lending foundational textures to our music from contemporary folk to left-field full-on rock!
The video below features Simon playing in his stocking feet.
Studiologic MP-113 bass pedals
The Studiologic pedals are simple, sturdy and just work. They remind me of the school organ in the main hall at my old Grammar School in Ross-on-Wye, England. When I was 11 years old, you could get permission from time to time to go and have a noodle on the organ during your lunch hour and I was always fascinated by the array of pedals underfoot, creating big broad waves of bass.
The only change I would make is to add a display as you can't tell what MIDI channel and octave you are working with, but once set up at a gig, they are perfect!
