hopefularranger said:

thebanishedone said:

u can disagree but analog synth is already 50% of the job done.

people who never had analog shouldnt discuss because they dont know what they are talking about

You're assuming things about me, sir. How do you know I've never "had" analog?

I know they don't make a sound when no one plays them. And they only make musical sounds when someone musically knowledgeable plays them.

im not saying you didnt have but if you did you cant say the sound didnt boost your inspiration levels?

analog synths are much better than any digital crap and one of the reasons Princes music lost a bit of magic is because he didnt use analog since 1985 with the exception of fender rhodes on Rainbow Kids album

thebanishedone said:

im not saying you didnt have but if you did you cant say the sound didnt boost your inspiration levels?

analog synths are much better than any digital crap and one of the reasons Princes music lost a bit of magic is because he didnt use analog since 1985 with the exception of fender rhodes on Rainbow Kids album

An analog synth is a tool. Same as a guitar, bass, paint brush, pen/pencil, video camera, computer or hammer. A hammer won't build a shitty house for you...let alone a nice one; the person with a talent for building uses that ability and skill in conjunction with the tools to build. A human being with a vivid idea along with impressive technique in relatively equal measure will use the tools above more effectively than one who has less talent for such things.

Simply, do you know what an analog synth used by a poor musician writing unimaginitive material will create for you? Answer: uninteresting music. To view Prince's tools as the magic that made his musical productions what they've become is to do a disservice to his creativity. If he needed those specific tools to accomplish what he did musically, how good could he really be?

Thanks for responding.

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[Edited 7/17/14 10:19am]

He's used the B3 organ on his records (TGE era comes to mind), or at least his keyboard players have used it. He might have used a real Rhodes also on other recordings than just on the TRC album.

I don't think the Rhodes piano really is comparable to analog synths, btw. There's only a small amount of electronics inside. It's much more like a vibraphone or a xylophone with piano type of a keyboard "interface". There are microphones inside the unit for every key, just like there is a microphone underneath each string on an electric guitar. (I'm sitting just a few metres away from one and I'm pretty familiar with it.)

For other isolated examples of Prince using analog keyboards post Purple Rain era I could mention that he quite likely used a Mellotron on "Had U" (it could be samples or it could be the real unit).

novabrkr said:

He's used the B3 organ on his records (TGE era comes to mind), or at least his keyboard players have used it. He might have used a real Rhodes also on other recordings than just on the TRC album.

I don't think the Rhodes piano really is comparable to analog synths, btw. There's only a small amount of electronics inside. It's much more like a vibraphone or a xylophone with piano type of a keyboard "interface". There are microphones inside the unit for every key, just like there is a microphone underneath each string on an electric guitar. (I'm sitting just a few metres away from one and I'm pretty familiar with it.)

For other isolated examples of Prince using analog keyboards post Purple Rain era I could mention that he quite likely used a Mellotron on "Had U" (it could be samples or it could be the real unit).

nova thax on your input,can you please name more songs with analog keyboards after 1985?

thebanishedone said:

hopefularranger said:

I disagree completely. Without a person with a creative mind coupled with a solid technique to play them, musical instruments make NO sound.

I'd argue that the most significant contributing factor to the so-called "minneapolis sound" was...a human being's imgaination.

[Edited 7/17/14 7:19am]

u can disagree but analog synth is already 50% of the job done.

people who never had analog shouldnt discuss because they dont know what they are talking about

The other 50% of the job is having the knowledge of synth programming. No two synths are the same. Professional ears can tell the difference between an Oberheim OB-8 and a Sequential Circuits Prophet 5 from miles aways.

i thought patrice rushen introduced Prince to the Synths?

i think Prince should be locked in a studio with only synths, a drum machine and a guitar for company! does that answer the question?!?!?!

hw3004 said:

i think Prince should be locked in a studio with only synths, a drum machine and a guitar for company! does that answer the question?!?!?!

HEAR, HEAR!!!

CocoRock said:

hw3004 said:

i think Prince should be locked in a studio with only synths, a drum machine and a guitar for company! does that answer the question?!?!?!

HEAR, HEAR!!!

That is basically what MPLSoUND was, and the results weren't overwhelmingky good in my opinion. If you add a good electronic producer in the mix to give it a modern beats and an modern sound, and who is strong and convincing enough to tell Prince honestly if something doesn't really work in a song, then it would be a great idea!

-

PS: May I add a bass guitar to be included in the setup, for a bit of funky slap bass here and there?

funkaholic1972 said:

CocoRock said:

HEAR, HEAR!!!

That is basically what MPLSoUND was, and the results weren't overwhelmingky good in my opinion. If you add a good electronic producer in the mix to give it a modern beats and an modern sound, and who is strong and convincing enough to tell Prince honestly if something doesn't really work in a song, then it would be a great idea!

-

PS: May I add a bass guitar to be included in the setup, for a bit of funky slap bass here and there?

I respectfully disagree about MPLSound (really, even typing these schoolgirl-esque titles is tiresome). I think that album was what he THOUGHT the Minne Sound is/was. And, I know, he created it, so he can do as he pleases, but to my ears, it fell flat. To that end, I agree.

Along with everything else mentioned.

Pharell Williams!

funkaholic1972 said:

CocoRock said:

HEAR, HEAR!!!

That is basically what MPLSoUND was, and the results weren't overwhelmingky good in my opinion. If you add a good electronic producer in the mix to give it a modern beats and an modern sound, and who is strong and convincing enough to tell Prince honestly if something doesn't really work in a song, then it would be a great idea!

-

PS: May I add a bass guitar to be included in the setup, for a bit of funky slap bass here and there?

kidmelody2012 said:

Pharell Williams!

funkaholic1972 said:

That is basically what MPLSoUND was, and the results weren't overwhelmingky good in my opinion. If you add a good electronic producer in the mix to give it a modern beats and an modern sound, and who is strong and convincing enough to tell Prince honestly if something doesn't really work in a song, then it would be a great idea!

-

PS: May I add a bass guitar to be included in the setup, for a bit of funky slap bass here and there?

Yeah, Pharrell would be a great option!

treehouse said:

kidmelody2012 said:

I myself love real horns especially in Earth wind and fire and James Brown groups.However they just dont seem to"fit" Prince's music somehow for me.To me the Synth horn parts define and suit his music much better,What do you think?

.

A lot of horny talk on here lately. It's got me thinking about the horns in Darling Nikki and how those could possibly be synth horns. Seems impossible, but I've never heard of them using a session guy for that.

Wait... what?

ufoclub said:

treehouse said:

.

A lot of horny talk on here lately. It's got me thinking about the horns in Darling Nikki and how those could possibly be synth horns. Seems impossible, but I've never heard of them using a session guy for that.

Wait... what?

.

Oh. You again? Go figure you're going to chase me around now? Ice it down, will you?

Okay maybe there's a cultural lapse? Darling Nikki is a grind house tune, it's made to emulate the go-go garage rock of a backing band for a strip club, like in the early 60's. The guitar, and synths are emulating muted horns with those squawking accents. Saxophone, and trumpets specifically. Some of it's pretty impossible to do without a live horn in the room, and a great example of where horn sounds were used.

funkaholic1972 said:

If you add a good electronic producer in the mix to give it a modern beats and an modern sound,

Yikes. That rarely sounds right. What kind of modern beats is Prince lacking? I guess that Rita Ora promo is an example of how it could work in a good way?

.

Electronic producers of the current generation have to fight to do anything with the soul and organic feel of old Prince material. Every old piece of equipment now has software emulators or new reissued circuit board versions on the market. People want that old sound.

treehouse said:

funkaholic1972 said:

If you add a good electronic producer in the mix to give it a modern beats and an modern sound,

Yikes. That rarely sounds right. What kind of modern beats is Prince lacking? I guess that Rita Ora promo is an example of how it could work in a good way?

.

Electronic producers of the current generation have to fight to do anything with the soul and organic feel of old Prince material. Every old piece of equipment now has software emulators or new reissued circuit board versions on the market. People want that old sound.

Prince is perfectly capable of recording and incorporating real drums in his music. So no problem there for me. But -listening to most (all) albums post 1995- it is when he uses electronic drum sounds where I find the beats less convincing compared to his fat 80's Linndrum beats. Especially compared to what is going on in the underground electronic dance music scene (I am not talking about cheap Top 40 EDM dance beats though!).

-

I personally love electronic beats, and what I would like to see is a new funky Prince album with big sounding electronic beats and modern production techniques. I don't care which equipment is used, as long as it sounds big, current and modern.

-

Haven't heard that Rita Ora track yet, have to check it out!

just my opinion...

but SYNTHS!!!

and ONLY ATLANTA BLISS/ERIC LEEDS!

i cant take the overblown horn section!

funkaholic1972 said:

But -listening to most (all) albums post 1995- it is when he uses electronic drum sounds where I find the beats less convincing compared to his fat 80's Linndrum beats.

-

I think I probably agree with you on that...I liked Black Sweat a lot though...part of the problem is he's using more convenient, easier to use equipment (I think) that he thinks sounds more modern.... or worse, prefab drum soundbanks (at least it sounds like it to me).

What are some electronic producers you think he should work with? A lot of bands mix live drums with programmed drums now, but these are guys who would bow to Prince and his Linndrum.

Both Synths and Horns are great, depending on what fits the song.
I love the synth sounds on Wonderful Ass and Head.
But I also love the horns in the song Come.