independent and unofficial
Prince fan community
Welcome! Sign up or enter username and password to remember me
Forum jump
Forums > Prince: Music and More > Sign Times Instrument Specifics?
« Previous topic  Next topic »
  New topic   Printable     (Log in to 'subscribe' to this topic)
Author

Tweet     Share

Message
Thread started 11/05/22 2:27pm

FirstSpear

Sign Times Instrument Specifics?

Hi all. Can anyone name the instrument (or how the instrument is used) for the starting melody in the song "Sign O the Times"?

Thanks.
O{+>
Thank you.
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #1 posted 11/05/22 2:40pm

heartpeaceshea
rt

give me a minute

Welcome to "the org", heartpeacesheart…
Thread missing or not yet approved
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #2 posted 11/05/22 2:43pm

heartpeaceshea
rt

FirstSpear said:

Hi all. Can anyone name the instrument (or how the instrument is used) for the starting melody in the song "Sign O the Times"? Thanks.

Crickets. Is the Prince version.

Are you asking about the Harry Styles version?

Welcome to "the org", heartpeacesheart…
Thread missing or not yet approved
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #3 posted 11/05/22 3:19pm

LoveGalore

FirstSpear said:

Hi all. Can anyone name the instrument (or how the instrument is used) for the starting melody in the song "Sign O the Times"?

Thanks.


It's an oberheim, I believe. As for whatever filters or other tweaks he could've done, no idea, but I guarantee Susan Rogers would know and is active on social media. Even Diane Tudahl might know.
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #4 posted 11/06/22 8:40am

GaryMF

avatar

What part? SOTT starts with a drum machine (probably Linn or Linn9000) using some type of percussion like cowbell to do those octoave like hits.

Then a bass does the little musical figure, until Prince starts singing.


What "melody" are you talking about?

rainbow
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #5 posted 11/06/22 12:11pm

heartpeaceshea
rt

The instrument that begins "Sign O' The Times" might in fact very well be a bug zapper.

Let me know what the prize is if I find out that I was correct. Or if you want me to do my own remix of the song using that.

Welcome to "the org", heartpeacesheart…
Thread missing or not yet approved
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #6 posted 11/06/22 2:10pm

FrankieCoco1

Wasn’t there some a YouTube video or something similar in the last year or so with a break down of the tracks from Sign O’ The Times? Trying to find it again but not luck so far - anyone else remember it?
There may or may not be something coming!
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #7 posted 11/06/22 5:16pm

OnlyNDaUsa

avatar

search on youtube for "Prince - Sign O' The Times Ableton Live Deconstruction" by Point Blank Music School

that breaks it all down...

"Keep on shilling for Big Pharm!"
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #8 posted 11/07/22 1:29am

jazzz

Maybe there are some clues in the book "Prince in the Studio"...
I have it here somewhere, but have to search.
Not sure how the author (Jake Brown) got the information on all the equipment used
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #9 posted 11/07/22 3:05am

ian

It's a Fairlight I thought, no?

  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #10 posted 11/07/22 3:07am

ian

Here is that recreation vid btw:

https://www.youtube.com/w...A5ayxde6HQ

[Edited 11/7/22 3:08am]

  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #11 posted 11/07/22 5:23am

LoveGalore

GaryMF said:

What part? SOTT starts with a drum machine (probably Linn or Linn9000) using some type of percussion like cowbell to do those octoave like hits.



Then a bass does the little musical figure, until Prince starts singing.



What "melody" are you talking about?



Time to listen to SOTT again, Gary. It doesn't just start with a drum machine.
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #12 posted 11/07/22 5:23am

LoveGalore

ian said:

It's a Fairlight I thought, no?



I think you are right - I mistakenly said Oberheim but it's the Fairlight. He was using it constantly at the time.
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #13 posted 11/07/22 3:15pm

FrankieCoco1

The clip I was thinking of is on this and starts to mention the Fairlight at the 4:44 point

https://youtu.be/tLe7FdaldBo

But I’m sure I’ve seen a longer version of a breakdown of the song. I’ll keep hunting.
There may or may not be something coming!
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #14 posted 11/07/22 8:53pm

GaryMF

avatar

LoveGalore said:

GaryMF said:

What part? SOTT starts with a drum machine (probably Linn or Linn9000) using some type of percussion like cowbell to do those octoave like hits.

Then a bass does the little musical figure, until Prince starts singing.


What "melody" are you talking about?

Time to listen to SOTT again, Gary. It doesn't just start with a drum machine.

I assumed the octvave "pulse" was done on the drum machine, but from that video it seems like it was the Fairlight.

But it could've een just a cowbell or sojething like that.... it's basically a percussion doing an octave.

Then the bass comes in.

rainbow
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #15 posted 11/10/22 2:48pm

Madhouse6

It’s all on a fair light including the baseline

The only real instrument is the guitar
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #16 posted 11/10/22 2:55pm

heartpeaceshea
rt

this is the only kind of topic that should be on this site

Welcome to "the org", heartpeacesheart…
Thread missing or not yet approved
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
  New topic   Printable     (Log in to 'subscribe' to this topic)
« Previous topic  Next topic »
Forums > Prince: Music and More > Sign Times Instrument Specifics?