Korg Forums

Sizul · Joined: 11 Mar 2008 Posts: 33 Location: Florida

Does anyone know where I can buy/get a good sample of the old Roland VP-330 Vocoder Plus vocal patches? I have looked around online, and apparently Roland doesn't make (and it seems, isn't letting anyone else make) a softsynth of it...I also can't find a sample disk out there that is mainly of that instrument. The discs I've seen available that have it, just have it lumped in with lots of other synth samples and I don't know what the quality of the VP-330 sounds are on those.

I have a free sample of it from Hollow Sun, which is very cool, but doesn't have as big of a useful range as I'd like.

Strange thing is, a vocal synth program on the M3 sounds like it may possibly have that sound in it, but I can't tell for sure. It's a very cool program, though!

Anyway, I'm not as worried about the VP-330 string sound, though that would be a nice bonus. Smile

Thanks,

Rob
_________________
Korg M3-73 & 01/Wfd
Arturia CS-80V
Native Instruments FM7 & Absynth 3
Prominy PCP-80 sample
Cakewalk Sonar 6

Kevin Nolan · Posted: Sat Apr 19, 2008 8:34 pm Post subject:

Intresting -

Only today I have become aware of this instrument (having just bought a V-Synth GT and looking at its legacy online). The VP-330 is a VERY interesting instrument. I was searching on line and came across your post - and alsocame across these which I'm downloading right now and hope they are what both you and I are lookin for - that lovely choral sound:

http://s3.amazonaws.com/midiwall/gear/vp330/index.html

How these work out.

Cheers,
Kevin.
_________________
Kevin Nolan
KNECT
Email: knolan@knect.ie
WWW: www.knect.ie

Sizul · Joined: 11 Mar 2008 Posts: 33 Location: Florida

Thanks, Kevin--I downloaded and tested these out and they are cool, but still not fully what I'm looking for. Sad

Also, I stand corrected on what I said about a vocal synth Program on the M3 sounding kind of like the VP-330...it's Combi IC-075 "Endless Choir", and I thought the synth vocal program in there was it, but it's not close at all. The actual choir program used in that Combi must contain what I'm hearing, which has a slight impression (to me, anyway) of the VP-330 choir sound, within the register around middle C or so.

And yes, the VP-330 is a really wonderful sounding instrument to me. Vangelis used it to beautiful effect in many of his albums and his albums with Jon Anderson. The choir sounds wonderfully ethereal, and the beautiful strings (from the VP-330) are often mentioned whenever the music of "Bladerunner" is discussed.

I just wish I could find an excellent sample disc of this instrument...

Thanks,

Rob
_________________
Korg M3-73 & 01/Wfd
Arturia CS-80V
Native Instruments FM7 & Absynth 3
Prominy PCP-80 sample
Cakewalk Sonar 6

Kevin Nolan · Posted: Wed Apr 23, 2008 9:52 am Post subject:

Actually, I'm no sampling expert and time is always short, but I'm keen to try to turn this set of choral samples into an instrument for the OASYS. It will take a while and nodoubt I'll have to process those samples a lot - as in slice them up, adjust levels etc. But If I get around to it and have a clean and organised sample set I'll let you know and forward them to you. But as said - don't hold your breadth on this - it will take a while as I have no experience in this area.

Re the strings being used on bladerunner - yes I had read that before but I'm not 100% convinced of that. I have no inside knoweldge - and I realise this arguement is superficial - but on hearing the VP330 on youtube I cannot envisage it sounding as rich as those strings/pads in bladerunner. I has assumed that he would have used a prophet 10 for those strings - but as said I have no particular knoweldge on this. Of course audio quality on you tube is also poor, so if the vp330 did produce them, that is certainly very impressive.

While I don't think the VP330 features, check out m-audio's new virtual string-machine plugin. I don't own it yet, but it does look very interesting indeed.

regards,
Kevin.
_________________
Kevin Nolan
KNECT
Email: knolan@knect.ie
WWW: www.knect.ie

Sizul · Joined: 11 Mar 2008 Posts: 33 Location: Florida

Kevin Nolan · Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2008 10:25 am Post subject:

Actually - you've got my interest on this really tweaked - it's amazing the things you simply do not notice for years and then all of a sudden you become aware of them (usually though the internet!). While I compose electronic music and was originally inspired by Jean Michel Jarre and Vangelis among others, I was never aware of the Eminent 310 until a few months ago and how important it was to JMJ, and now the penny has just dropped with this discussion with you about Vangelis - I can hear the VP330 on numerous Vangelis albums! I always assumed they were polysynths of some sort but instead now realise they were the VP330! Nice one.

Actually - I can tell you (wearing my anorak on this!!) that Vangelis used both the VP-330 Mk1 and the MK2. I have here at home an article from 1983 from the magazine Electronics and Music Maker and I can just about make out that the VP330 is a Mk1 (again I remember looking at that instrument and wondering what it was but not bothered either way). But if you look here you'll see a VP-330 Mk2:

http://users.pandora.be/nemostudios/sw/sw31.htm

Obviously an important and very iconic instrument (in Peter Forrest's A-Z of Synthesizers book the list of users of the VP-330 is like a Who's-who of electronic and rock music form the late seventies well into the eighties).

It's great to realise what instruments were used in great music of the past - it certainly puts some shape on it. After all, the VP-330 is not good just because Vangelis used it. Its good because Roland made it good, and millions of people bought albums with those sounds. Who are we to question such credentials??

Cheers,
Kevin.

Sizul · Joined: 11 Mar 2008 Posts: 33 Location: Florida