Topic by jmbattle

  • Avatar
  • jmbattle
  • Member
  • Offline
  • From: Hamamatsu, Japan
  • Registered: 22-02-2010
  • Posts: 13

Topic: How can I recreate this 'aggressive' Wulitzer sound in Pianoteq?

Good morning,

It has been a little while since I last played with Pianoteq, but recently tried the latest v3.6 release and have to say I'm very, very impressed.  Terrific work - congratulations to all involved in the development of this fantastic software!

I would like to call upon the knowledge of the Pianoteq community to identify the electric piano that Joe Sample is playing in this Jazz Crusaders live set from 1969:

http://www.zumodrive.com/share/4whAZjI4YW

(Note that this is a vinyl recording - the album has yet to be released on CD.)

Tracks 01, 03, and 05 appear to feature a Wurlitzer, however its 'aggressive' tonal character is very different from anything I can recreate on my Nord Electro.  I am therefore hoping that the flexibility of Pianoteq's Wurlitzer modelling will allow me to recreate this great 'crispy' sound.

Would anyone be willing to assist me, and perhaps even offer an FXP preset of their creation?

Many thanks!

James
x

Last edited by jmbattle (02-04-2010 23:23)

Reply by doobya

  • Avatar
  • doobya
  • Member
  • Offline
  • From: Amsterdam
  • Registered: 07-04-2009
  • Posts: 40

Re: How can I recreate this 'aggressive' Wulitzer sound in Pianoteq?

Perhaps you'll need to upload your file to another sharing service. I tried to download the zip but got an error:

An error has occurred
The files you have selected to download are too large. You may only download up to 100 MB of files.

Reply by jmbattle

  • Avatar
  • jmbattle
  • Member
  • Offline
  • From: Hamamatsu, Japan
  • Registered: 22-02-2010
  • Posts: 13

Re: How can I recreate this 'aggressive' Wulitzer sound in Pianoteq?

Ah, I see - downloading the folder as a zip may not work correctly.

However, if you enter the folder it should be possible to download the individual tracks that I highlighted in my original post.

Cheers,
James
x

Reply by Philippe Guillaume

  • Avatar
  • Philippe Guillaume
  • Admin
  • Offline
  • Registered: 25-04-2007
  • Posts: 5,405

Re: How can I recreate this 'aggressive' Wulitzer sound in Pianoteq?

James, I uploaded W1 Distor (variant).fxp in the files section, would that corresond to what you are looking for?

Philippe Guillaume's Website

Reply by skip

  • Avatar
  • skip
  • Member
  • Offline
  • From: Sydney, Australia
  • Registered: 21-12-2007
  • Posts: 1,059

Re: How can I recreate this 'aggressive' Wulitzer sound in Pianoteq?

I think it's a Hohner Pianet N (or derivative) in those recordings - i.e - the Pianet that used pads that were impregnated with glue. I agree that it sounds similar to a Wurly though.

Here's a demo recording made by Hohner of the Pianet that I think sounds similar to those recordings: http://vintagekeys.tripod.com/pianet_b.mp3

The Pianet was recently discussed in this thread:
http://www.forum-pianoteq.com/viewtopic.php?id=1233

(Philippe - I don't think your FXP has quite nailed it yet)

Greg.

Reply by skip

  • Avatar
  • skip
  • Member
  • Offline
  • From: Sydney, Australia
  • Registered: 21-12-2007
  • Posts: 1,059

Re: How can I recreate this 'aggressive' Wulitzer sound in Pianoteq?

Here's a great clip that compares the Hohner Combo Pianet to the Wurlitzer EP200A. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xm1Qwj70Lds&NR=1

Greg.

Reply by jmbattle

  • Avatar
  • jmbattle
  • Member
  • Offline
  • From: Hamamatsu, Japan
  • Registered: 22-02-2010
  • Posts: 13

Re: How can I recreate this 'aggressive' Wulitzer sound in Pianoteq?

Philippe, many thanks for your efforts!  This is certainly closer to the sound that I am trying to recreate, however it's still not quite there...

skip, ah...so it's a Pianet, not a Wurly?  Interesting!
Well, fingers crossed the geniuses at Modartt will bring this old Hohner to Pianoteq too in the near future!

Thank you for the investigative work!

Cheers,
James
x

Last edited by jmbattle (05-04-2010 12:13)

Reply by skip

  • Avatar
  • skip
  • Member
  • Offline
  • From: Sydney, Australia
  • Registered: 21-12-2007
  • Posts: 1,059

Re: How can I recreate this 'aggressive' Wulitzer sound in Pianoteq?

I think it could be a Pianet, yes, but I am not absolutely certain.

Greg.

Reply by feline1

  • Avatar
  • feline1
  • Member
  • Offline
  • Registered: 09-01-2008
  • Posts: 601

Re: How can I recreate this 'aggressive' Wulitzer sound in Pianoteq?

jmbattle wrote:

skip, ah...so it's a Pianet, not a Wurly?  Interesting!
Well, fingers crossed the geniuses at Modartt will bring this old Hohner to Pianoteq too in the near future!

I hope they do to, so they don't have to listen to me interminably moaning on about it any longer lol

Reply by dhalfen

  • Avatar
  • dhalfen
  • Member
  • Offline
  • From: Baltimore, MD, USA
  • Registered: 25-05-2008
  • Posts: 469

Re: How can I recreate this 'aggressive' Wulitzer sound in Pianoteq?

feline1 wrote:
jmbattle wrote:

skip, ah...so it's a Pianet, not a Wurly?  Interesting!
Well, fingers crossed the geniuses at Modartt will bring this old Hohner to Pianoteq too in the near future!

I hope they do to, so they don't have to listen to me interminably moaning on about it any longer lol

Pianet!  Pianet!!  Pianet!!!  (Too bad I can't apply echo/chorus effects to text.  This should sound like a soccer stadium.  %^)

Keep moanin'!

(I mean, _someone_ has to slap Scarbee around...  :^)

"Our developers, who art in Toulouse, hallowed be thy physical-models.
Thy version 4 come, thy new instruments be done, in the computer as it is in the wood!"

Reply by doug

  • Avatar
  • doug
  • Member
  • Offline
  • Registered: 08-05-2007
  • Posts: 245

Re: How can I recreate this 'aggressive' Wulitzer sound in Pianoteq?

The pianet had no dynamics. I rented one during the seventies to audition for a funk gig. Horrible. I can't imagine anyone wanting one of these. Ugh!

Reply by m.tarenskeen

  • Avatar
  • m.tarenskeen
  • Member
  • Offline
  • From: Arnhem, Nederland
  • Registered: 25-05-2009
  • Posts: 150

Re: How can I recreate this 'aggressive' Wulitzer sound in Pianoteq?

doug wrote:

The pianet had no dynamics. I rented one during the seventies to audition for a funk gig. Horrible. I can't imagine anyone wanting one of these. Ugh!

I remember that in those days the instrument was popular among beginning musicians who could not afford a "real" Rhodes or Wurlitzer.

But it does have a character of it's own. You may call that horrible - I must say I agree with you - but it could be just the sound you are looking for for a particular song.

It is just like vintage analog synths. They don't really sound better than modern synths - even if the vintage synth fans try to convince me otherwise - but they are definitely different. And they remind of those "good old days" ( that were not REALLY always that good ... )

m.tarenskeen's Website

Reply by feline1

  • Avatar
  • feline1
  • Member
  • Offline
  • Registered: 09-01-2008
  • Posts: 601

Re: How can I recreate this 'aggressive' Wulitzer sound in Pianoteq?

It is just like vintage analog synths. They don't really sound better than modern synths - even if the vintage synth fans try to convince me otherwise -

SPLUTTERS!

If you've got a modern digital synth than can do the things my Octave Cat can do, I'll eat my hat. Hell, I'll eat my own face!

The Hohner Pianet *was* a nasty, limited instrument, but great art is often defined by its limitations, and there were some fantastic records made featuring it. And we need to still make fantastic records now in 2010

Reply by skip

  • Avatar
  • skip
  • Member
  • Offline
  • From: Sydney, Australia
  • Registered: 21-12-2007
  • Posts: 1,059

Re: How can I recreate this 'aggressive' Wulitzer sound in Pianoteq?

Acoustic harpsichords don't have much dynamics either, but a lot of music has been written for them.   (the Pianet is essentially a form of electric harpsichord)

Greg.

Reply by m.tarenskeen

  • Avatar
  • m.tarenskeen
  • Member
  • Offline
  • From: Arnhem, Nederland
  • Registered: 25-05-2009
  • Posts: 150

Re: How can I recreate this 'aggressive' Wulitzer sound in Pianoteq?

feline1 wrote:

If you've got a modern digital synth than can do the things my Octave Cat can do, I'll eat my hat. Hell, I'll eat my own face!

True, but the opposite is just as impossible. 

feline1 wrote:

The Hohner Pianet *was* a nasty, limited instrument, but great art is often defined by its limitations, and there were some fantastic records made featuring it. And we need to still make fantastic records now in 2010

Absolutely. "Horrible" can be "Beautiful" if used by creative musicians. Beethoven already knew that and it is still true today !

m.tarenskeen's Website