Protector of the Pleasure Principle
January 20, 2012 6:22 AM Subscribe
Some questions about how to recreate a funky Parliament sound with either modern day instruments or .vsts or something.
So I have been thinking a ton lately about the Parliament albums The Motor Booty Affair and Funkentelechy vs. the Placebo System. Both are classics and sound amazing to my ears, and I was wondering if anyone could help me recreate a couple of super unique sounds from those albums.
1. I am trying to recreate the sound of Sir Nose D'Voidoffunk's voice. What effect is being used on it? Not a vocodor. Something other kind of studio modulation (I can't imagine a pedal that would create a sound like that.
2. I want to get a bass sound like Bernie Worrell does on his Synthesizer.
If you need a frame of reference, both Worrell's heavy synth sound Sir Nose D'Voidoffunk's voice are on prominent display in the song "Aqua Boogie."
I have Pro Tools, Reason and a ton of other music software, so it's totally reasonable to think that if I don't have the hardware to recreate this sound, I have the software. If you could imbue with the knowhow, I'd be forever indebted to you. Thanks for your help.
So I have been thinking a ton lately about the Parliament albums The Motor Booty Affair and Funkentelechy vs. the Placebo System. Both are classics and sound amazing to my ears, and I was wondering if anyone could help me recreate a couple of super unique sounds from those albums.
1. I am trying to recreate the sound of Sir Nose D'Voidoffunk's voice. What effect is being used on it? Not a vocodor. Something other kind of studio modulation (I can't imagine a pedal that would create a sound like that.
2. I want to get a bass sound like Bernie Worrell does on his Synthesizer.
If you need a frame of reference, both Worrell's heavy synth sound Sir Nose D'Voidoffunk's voice are on prominent display in the song "Aqua Boogie."
I have Pro Tools, Reason and a ton of other music software, so it's totally reasonable to think that if I don't have the hardware to recreate this sound, I have the software. If you could imbue with the knowhow, I'd be forever indebted to you. Thanks for your help.
The vocal is pitched up--probably recorded to a slowed-down tape--and the swarm of voices in the background sounds like a ring modulator on a short delay to keep it from overlapping with the dry signal.
posted by uncleozzy at 7:13 AM on January 20, 2012
posted by uncleozzy at 7:13 AM on January 20, 2012
Their bass effects are generally an envelope filter + some sort of fuzz or distortion.
posted by gnutron at 7:15 AM on January 20, 2012
posted by gnutron at 7:15 AM on January 20, 2012
You might want to play around with a chorus or phaser plug-in to get the swarming sound... with the rate set really high.
posted by empath at 7:22 AM on January 20, 2012
posted by empath at 7:22 AM on January 20, 2012
Moog has recently reintroduced the Moog Taurus synthesizer.
posted by 1970s Antihero at 7:32 AM on January 20, 2012
posted by 1970s Antihero at 7:32 AM on January 20, 2012
Do heed the mantra of DapTone records, btw: Shitty is Pretty.
tl;dr part of the uniquely funky sounds of those records were because they were recorded in non-sterile environments by people who'd pawned most of their quality gear for drug money
posted by Jon_Evil at 8:14 AM on January 20, 2012 [3 favorites]
tl;dr part of the uniquely funky sounds of those records were because they were recorded in non-sterile environments by people who'd pawned most of their quality gear for drug money
posted by Jon_Evil at 8:14 AM on January 20, 2012 [3 favorites]
Best answer: 1. The Boss RPS-10 is a pitch shifter and delay in one. It's exactly what you're looking for.
2. Tutorial! The sound in your track has very little envelope filtering; it's pretty much a straight sawtooth wave.
posted by Sys Rq at 8:19 AM on January 20, 2012
2. Tutorial! The sound in your track has very little envelope filtering; it's pretty much a straight sawtooth wave.
posted by Sys Rq at 8:19 AM on January 20, 2012
(Also, as for #2, if you can't get it manually on a softsynth, any mid-eighties hybrid synth you buy off eBay for $200 will have completely excellent Moog presets. I can personally vouch for the Ensoniq ESQ-1 and Kawai K3 in that regard.)
posted by Sys Rq at 8:25 AM on January 20, 2012
posted by Sys Rq at 8:25 AM on January 20, 2012
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by empath at 6:58 AM on January 20, 2012