This synth bell sound at seconds: :07 & :08 from this 1990 song Bad of the Heart / George Lamond has always called my attention because it sounds so powerful. I’ve trying to find out what keyboard they used but I just can’t figured it to out. I went over all presets of the Roland D50 was wells as ROM Cards 00 and 04. I went over all the presets of the Korg M1 and it is also not there. Maybe is on one of the M1 ROM Cards or the other D50 Rom Cards but I really don’t think so. Could it be the wavestation ? Can anyone guess ? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2s4qsyr7aA

Sry mate,

For some reason your video is not available in the U.S.  At least that’s the error I get when I tried to access the link you posted.

But if you’re trying to get a really particular bell sound, maybe you can create it on your Motif XS.
Perhaps using the Ring Modulator under the Tech effects.

get a wav of the original recording.  run it through the spectrum analyzer in Garage Band or Audacity, or one of the Cubase plugins.  That will allow you to get the frequency range and shape of the sound, and then just create a voice that matches that waveform.  The AM modulation and the Ring Modulator on the Motif should be able to get you in the ball park.

Or., Just Sample the sound on your Motif outright from the recording., and tweak it until you’re satisfied..,

Because I wasn’t able to listen it to the sound, I don’t how much work needs to be done.  But creating strong bell sounds on a Motif is usually straight forward.  But then again I haven’t heard your particular bell sound.

good luck anyway.

Here’s a copy of the video that works in the US:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bJ5t_iu6lk

Hi Vennatt,

If you mean the bell right at the beginning, It sounds like the famous Roland D-50 preset called ‘Fantasia’, to me, or something at least made from it.

I’m about 99.9 percent certain, and there may be adjustments made by programmers, mixers and mastering engineers.  For example, it sounds like it has had some mid frequencies boosted on the record, and that seems to make the most out of the pad element in it.

According to the Motifator shop, you can get it in this library:

http://shop.motifator.com/index.php/voice-libraries/motif-xf/air-voice-bank-for-yamaha-motif-xf.html

Fantasia is heard in this clip at around 22 seconds. You’ll need to wait until he plays it a bit higher up to match it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sXdYXYI_ZI

philwoodmusic - 11 December 2019 11:25 AM

Hi Vennatt,

If you mean the bell right at the beginning, It sounds like the famous Roland D-50 preset called ‘Fantasia’, to me, or something at least based on that.

I’m about 99.9 percent certain, but there may be adjustments made by programmers, mixers and mastering engineers. For example, it sounds like it has had some mid frequencies boosted on the record, and that seems to make the most out of the pad element in it.

According to the Motifator shop, you can get it in this library:

http://shop.motifator.com/index.php/voice-libraries/motif-xf/air-voice-bank-for-yamaha-motif-xf.html

Fantasia is heard in this clip at around 22 seconds. You’ll need to wait until he plays it a bit higher up to match it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sXdYXYI_ZI

No no no, I mean the bell sound at seconds :07 & :08 I know the one on the very beginning is the D50.

Ok, thanks for the timings.

I think it’s a blend of Fantasia and something else. I can hear Fantasia underneath it still.

The other sound, if it is just one other sound, is a kind of oriental bell and I’d start by going right back to the D50 to try and layer something together, because it certainly has that LA synth vibe to it.

Blends are very hard to reverse engineer, though, but they are usually what makes synth parts in a song pop.

Keep in mind that you’re unlikely to get anything to sound exactly like the record, but you can certainly get something with the right flavour doing the right kind of thing.

Unless you were present at the recording and mix, or have access to the tapes, then it’s a kind of mystery, sadly. (if you want total accuracy)

philwoodmusic - 11 December 2019 02:06 PM

Ok, thanks for the timings

I think it’s a blend of Fantasia and something else. I can hear Fantasia underneath it still.

The other sound, if it is just one other sound, is a kind of oriental bell and I’d go right back to the D50 and try and layer something together because it has that LA synth vibe to it.

Blends are very hard to reverse engineer, though, but they are usually what makes a song pop.

Could be could be, I’m a big fan not specifically of the song which is far better than today’s crappy music, but of that type of bell sound, I would like to find a way to re create it but I guess it must be very hard.

I was editing my post when you posted, sorry.  I added a little bit more.

it might not be hard to recreate, but I’m very sure your biscuit base is still Fantasia.

Get layering, I bet you either find it or come close.

philwoodmusic - 11 December 2019 02:17 PM

I was editing my post when you posted, sorry.  I added a little bit more.

it might not be hard to recreate, but I’m very sure your biscuit base is still Fantasia.

Get layering, I bet you either find it or come close.

I have the Roland D550 but don’t have the PG1000 editor which is heard to get and expensive. But I will find the way to the sound/patch

I’m sure that’ll be perfect.

philwoodmusic - 11 December 2019 02:59 PM

I’m sure that’ll be perfect.

You know, it could also have been done with an Emulator II or Fairlight CMI. Those two were capable making some very unique sounds even by modifying a sample.

It could be anything of that time.

My suggestion was that the D-50 was a good place to start because you know for a fact that they used one.

This kind of archaeological work can lead you round in circles and down the deepest of rabbit holes, sadly.

philwoodmusic - 11 December 2019 09:29 PM

It could be anything of that time.

My suggestion was that the D-50 was a good place to start because you know for a fact that they used one.

This kind of archaeological work can lead you round in circles and down the deepest of rabbit holes, sadly.

Sorry to bring back this topic again but I seem to have discovered what synth made this bell sound and it seems to have been not the D50, DX7, M1, or Wavestation but it was actually the D70 which I had not though about. On minute 7:50 of this video you can hear the patch which sounds almost identical and I would say that with a little tweaking you have it, D70 came out in 1990, same year as that song. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_Rl-Vejiuk