We love XILS-lab and their inspired collection of synth plugins, like XILS 4, KaoX, and PolyM. They inspire chaos with their detailed emulations of those classic synthesizers of yore. This time out, Les Diffuseurs sees Xavier and his team train their eyes on the legendary Ondes Martenot with this unique effect plugin. Check out their press release below.
XILS-lab’s Les Diffuseurs and its La Palme effect plugin. Image courtesy XILS-lab.
XILS-lab looks to the past to produce present-day Les Diffuseurs bundle of outlandish effect plug-ins inspired by ondes Martenot speakers
GRENOBLE, FRANCE: audio software company XILS-lab is proud to announce availability of its Les Diffuseurs effect plug-in bundle — turning to the Twenties (read: early 20th Century), and an early electronic musical instrument called the ondes Martenot, more specifically French inventor Maurice Martenot’s Métallique and Palme so-called diffuseurs speakers, as inspiration for its La Palme and Le Metallique effect plug-ins to effectively enable anyone to experience the outlandish sounds of those ‘unobtainium’ originals from the comfort of their present-day DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) — as of April 9…
As an early electronic musical instrument inspired by the accidental overlaps of tones between military radio oscillators, the ondes Martenot — literally translating from French as Martenot waves — dates all the way back to 1928 when it first appeared as the result of its French inventor namesake Maurice Martenot’s intention of creating a new instrument with the expressiveness of a cello. Clearly there was some correlation there between Martenot himself being a cellist and also working as a radio operator during the First World War. While there were several ondes Martenot versions available during an admittedly impressive 60-year-manufactured-to-order run — it can, for example, be played with a metal ring worn on the right index finger, sliding the ring along a wire to produce Theremin-like tones generated by oscillator circuits using vacuum tubes, or, in the case of the seventh model, transistors — that all the same saw Martenot remain resolutely uninterested in mass-producing his namesake instrument, it was the challenge of effectively reproducing the outlandish sounds of two of four speakers known as diffuseurs that Martenot specifically created for the instrument in question that truly excited the ears of fellow Frenchman Xavier Oudin, obviously prompting his audio software company XILS-lab to turn its attention to collectively set about duly developing and now launching Les Diffuseurs.
As an effect plug-in bundle par excellence, Les Diffuseurs comprises La Palme — inspired by Maurice Martenot’s Palme speaker first presented alongside the sixth version of the ondes Martenot in 1950, itself anchored around a resonance chamber laced with strings tuned to all 12 semitones of an octave so that when a note is played in tune it resonates a particular string, producing chiming tones — and Le Metallique — inspired by Maurice Martenot’s 1932-vintage Métallique that features a gong instead of a speaker cone, thereby adding a specific metallic character to the overall ondes Martenot sound. Saying that, though, present-day digital technology-based breakthroughs have not only allowed Xavier Oudin — ably assisted by Nori Ubukata, a renowned sound designer (think Japanese giant Yamaha’s GS-1, DX7, SY99, and other notable FM synths), synthesist, and Thereminist, together with synth designer Yves Usson (primarily known for his work on French music hardware and software specialist Arturia’s MiniBrute and MicroBrute monosynths) — to effectively reproduce the outlandish sounds of those ‘unobtainium’ originals from the comfort of present-day DAWs but also add more possibilities to the plug-ins themselves, such as muting any STRING (La Palme) or changing the GONG size in real-time (Le Metallique).
Moreover, in addition to those individually tuneable and mutable strings, La Palme also features global INPUT, DAMP — more string oscillations equal less higher frequencies, DECAY, TRANSPOSE, and TUNE controls; Le Metallique‘s dual-sized GONG can be modulated by an LFO (Low Frequency Oscillator) or MIDI WHEEL and also features INPUT level and frequency DAMP — more gong oscillations equal less high frequencies — controls, together with DECAY and LOW END level controls, plus an LFO that can be synced to the project tempo. The ‘wooden’ BOX central to each plug-in’s operation features further DECAY and DAMP controls.
And as if that was not enough to be getting on with, XILS-lab has pushed the concept further still by powering its Les Diffuseurs effect plug-in bundle with its True Stereo Dynamic Engine (TSDE), so users can not only position those La Palme and Le Metallique speakers left and right in a true stereo image but also in front to the stereo field or, indeed, farther back — all of which was surely unimaginable way back in 1928!
Thanks, then, to XILS-lab‘s Les Diffuseurs effect plug-in bundle, anyone can now experience the outlandish sounds of Maurice Martenot’s Métallique and Palme so-called diffuseurs speakers like never before — made match fit for truly 21st Century usage in modern-day music production by being effectively enhanced, in other words.
The Les Diffuseurs effect plug-in bundle is available to purchase at a time-limited introductory promo price of only €45.00 EUR until May 15,2024 — rising thereafter to its regular price of €89.00 EUR, downloadable in 64-bit AAX (native)-, AU-, VST2.4-, and VST3-compatible formats for macOS (10.9+) and 64-bit AAX (native)-, VST2.4-, and VST3-compatible formats for Windows (7/8/10/11) directly from XILS-lab here: https://www.xils-lab.com/products/les-diffuseurs-p-173.html#(Les Diffuseurs is copy-protected by a license serial number, requested when first launched.)
If you need a straightforward, simple, and yet powerful tool for mid/side audio processing, check out MeldaProduction MCenter. The plugin provides audio engineers and self-producing musicians the ability to enhance the stereo soundscape of their mixes. An intuitive user interface with an animated spectrum analyzer enhances its ease of use.
MeldaProduction MCenter Features
Precise Processing of Mono and Stereo Audio Content
Simple, Intuitive Interface Belies the Tool’s Power
Offers Both Single-Knob and More Advanced Control Options
The simplicity of this utility plugin belies the true power lurking within its more advanced controls. Still, MCenter ultimately makes it easy to enhance the stereo field of your next mix, while also supporting various surround audio formats. The tool also boasts a whole host of more creative uses. Check out our review for more details and insights.
MCenter Benefits from an Intuitive User Interface
MCenter sports an easy to grasp user interface with a design similar to other MeldaProduction plugins. Operating the tool is entirely possible using the CENTER/SIDES and MIDSIDE/SPECTRAL controls located below the preset management toolbar. However, more advanced UI functionality supports a more detailed or creative approach to mid/side processing.
MeldaProduction MCenter in action. Image courtesy of MeldaProduction.
In addition to the two controls mentioned above, the DRY/WET and OUTPUT knobs manage MCenter’s overall effect on the mix. Advanced parameters allow tweaking of the spectrum and time smoothing settings, along with something called “EXTREMIZE.” That latter knob enhances the center of a stereo mix. The detailed MeldaProduction manual for MCenter offers helpful insights on the various applications for the plugin on a music project.
A toolbar at the right side of MCenter provides additional controls. If desired, MCenter processes either the left, right, middle, or side channels separately. Interesting use-cases for this approach abound, like widening the overall stereo image of the track or even phase correction. The Surround and Ambisonics modes also support 5.1, Atmos, and 3D audio projects. This toolbar also provides control for MCenter’s AGC (automatic gain control) functionality, fast switching between 8 presets, morphing between those presets, Undo/Redo, and more.
A frequency spectrum graph lies at the bottom of the plugin’s interface. As noted earlier, drawing frequency response curves provides the opportunity to fine tune MCenter’s frequency spectrum if necessary. Needless to say, sonically creative options beyond traditional mid/size processing abound when diving into this functionality.
MCenter’s ability to vary the amount of mid/size processing by frequency is also helpful. You have the option for modulating this effect based on the audio signal or other modulation sources, providing a useful example of the advanced functionality lurking underneath the covers of this plugin.
Putting MCenter to Work
As noted earlier, MCenter provides users with a simple and straightforward approach for mid/side processing using the CENTER/SIDES and MIDSIDE/SPECTRAL controls (along with the DRY/WET and OUTPUT). This pairs with the more detailed control using the frequency spectrum graph and related parameters. However, my first use-case for the plugin only required basic M/S processing functionality.
For the upcoming Church of Hed album, The Fifth Hour, I produced and mastered two of the tracks completely on an iPad Pro. Planning on adding overdubs in Reaper on the desktop, I cared little about their stereo processing (or lack thereof). After realizing these pieces ultimately needed no overdubs, enhancing the stereo field for both became necessary. Enter MCenter.
In this scenario, using those four simple knobs allowed the widening and enhancement of the stereo image for both tracks. When combined with the other plugins used in my master buss effects chain (EQ, compression, saturation), these two tracks now squarely fit with the other pieces fully produced on the desktop. MCenter provided the audio processing functionality I needed in an intuitive and easy to use manner.
To paraphrase rock legends, Midnight Oil, MeldaProduction MCenter provides audio engineers the best of both worlds. You have a simplified, yet powerful approach, not too dissimilar to other mastering plugins providing a knob or two for mid/size processing. Additionally, users have a more advanced option with detailed control of the frequency spectrum influencing the subsequent stereo image.
The support for Atmos and other surround formats makes MCenter the right choice for engineers working on more immersive projects. Once again, MeldaProduction gives sound engineers and self-producing musicians a mid-side processing plugin worthy of their interest. Check it out today!
Musicians and producers needing a flexible reverb with exceptional sound – pretty much all of us – must explore FabFilter Pro-R 2. Quickly earning a top-shelf reputation in the music tech world, FabFilter’s product line supports both the desktop and iPad. Pro-R 2 highlights the effect maker’s rep in spades, providing a host of reverb models: natural, vintage, and plate.
FabFilter Pro-R 2 Features
Versatile Reverb System Modeling Spaces Small to Large
Intuitive and Attractive Real-Time User Interface
Separate Decay Rate and Post EQs
Unique Parameters Provide Deep yet Simple Control of Reverb Settings
Support for Dolby Atmos and Other Surround Formats
Support for Popular Plugin Formats on Windows, macOS, and iPadOS
Pro-R 2’s robust feature set, intuitive user interface, and exceptional sound quality place it at the top when considering full-featured reverb plugins. Its versatility makes it suitable for a variety of use-cases, including everything from aesthetic outer space sonics to subtle room ambiences. The user enjoys seamless control of the reverb using a collection of interesting, musical, yet non-technical controls. Let’s take a closer look!
A Sparkling Reverb Plugin UI
All of FabFilter’s plugins feature attractive and responsive real-time interfaces. Pro-R 2 sports this similar look and feel. However, many complex UIs are difficult to operate. This is not the case with Pro-R 2, with the controls arrayed in a logical manner. In short, the plugin offers no difficulty to those familiar with operating a reverb and even newcomers.
Pro-R 2 performs its magic on the master buss. Screenshot by author.
Underneath a menu bar with patch navigation and other utility functionality lies the heart of Pro-R 2. A real-time frequency spectrum analyzer pulses and sparkles in time with the audio signal. A host of controls – mostly virtual knobs – lets you tweak the reverb’s settings, including familiar ones like Predelay, Space, and Distance. Two lines traced across the spectrum analyzer provide control and a visual overview of the current Decay Rate and Post EQ settings.
Hovering over a parameter for around a second causes a small pop-up explaining the specific reverb setting. This becomes convenient for certain parameters – Character, Ducking, etc. – that aren’t typically found on reverbs. Space and Brightness also combine typical reverb settings into something both useful and intuitive.
If new to music production, these pop-ups also offer basic definitions for concepts like predelay and the Mix setting. It’s a user-friendly approach that makes using Pro-R 2 a breeze, while offering powerful and effective results. The user interface for the reverb plugin ultimately provides the eye candy while Pro-R 2’s sonics offer similar gifts to your ears.
Pro-R 2 Effectively Functions as a Reverb Construction Set
Don’t let the intuitive nature of FabFilter’s unique reverb parameters mask the underlying power of this plugin. Pro-R 2 essentially lets you design your own reverbs based on the bespoke needs of your project or performance. For example, the Decay Rate EQ provides the ability to design a specific room or space. The plugin’s ability to import and analyze impulse response files to create spaces only adds to the reverb construction set feel of Pro-R 2.
The plugin also includes a six-band Post EQ to dial-in the right frequency spectrum for your reverb design. Simply control both EQs on the main user interface screen using an intuitive UX with a click/drag & drop approach. The Bell, Notch, and Shelf curves adds to ease of use. The Decay Rate EQ curve is blue, while the Post EQ is yellow. Once again, FabFilter builds UIs that are both beautiful and highly-functional.
FabFilter Pro-R 2 also provides support for Dolby Atmos and other surround sound formats. I’ve yet to enter the world of surround mixing and didn’t explore this functionality for this review. Other reviews I perused commented on its efficacy. Expect it to be a nice fit with the reverb’s support for impulse response files.
FabFilter Pro-R 2 is Great for Instruments and Busses
I’ve been putting Pro-R 2 through its paces during the mixing and mastering process of the soon-come Church of Hed album, The Fifth Hour. Ambient, spacerock, and electronica benefit from the liberal application of reverb, providing mix busses and instruments with a sense of “outer” space. FabFilter’s reverb plugin obviously supports both of those music production use-cases.
The Eventide Blackhole and Valhalla DSP reverbs – two of our favorites – let musicians put synths, pianos, or even guitars squarely into deep space. I use Blackhole on both my desktop DAW and on the iPad. Pro-R 2 offers a similar level of top-shelf sonics for your deep space journeys. The plugin is also available in desktop and iPadOS versions, but this review only covers the desktop model.
As highlighted earlier, it comes as no surprise Pro-R 2 works great on both instruments and mix busses. It quickly found a home as part of my first-choice drum buss effects chain. The reverb provides the right sense of space for my array of effected and dry electronic kits and percussion. It especially plays nicely with MDrummer.
I also used it quite effectively on pianos and synths, easily tweaking one of the robust number of presets to suit the specific need. Once again, the intuitive UI of Pro-R 2 makes this process simple and fun! The exceptional sound quality almost seems like icing on the cake, but we know that remains the most important factor to nearly all musicians and engineers.
Using a bit of reverb on the master buss adds a measure of shared space suitable for many mixing applications. I use a Lexicon hardware reverb unit for this purpose when mastering outside the box. FabFilter Pro-R 2 now serves in a similar role for my inside the box masters. Its usability and flexibility make integrating it into your projects a simple process.
FabFilter Pro-R 2 Might Become Your Favorite Reverb
FabFilter deserves its status as one of the top emerging makers of audio plugins for recording, mixing, and mastering. Again, Pro-R 2 perfectly illustrates that this reputation is well-deserved. A versatile reverb construction set that’s easy to use, looks great, and sounds killer, it belongs in your plugin library. Use it on your next project and expect to be convinced.
Here’s Side 4 of the studio production notes for the 2022 Church of Hed album, The Father Road. On this installment, we dive into the recording of this Lincoln Highway aural travelogue from the mountains of Western Pennsylvania to its ending at Times Square and sea beyond. The prologue of this series analyzes our studio setup, recording approach, and the hardware and software used on the album. It also includes background information on the overall Rivers of Asphalt concept. Read it, if this all seems a bit confusing!
One knob to rule them all! Photo by Angela Williams.
In addition to the prologue, The Father Road’s recording notes span four sides, almost like a vinyl edition of the album that will probably never happen. Nevertheless, the metaphor works well for splitting this collection of notes into five parts.
A Ship In The Mountains serves as a requiem for the S.S. Grand View Ship Hotel located along the Lincoln Highway a few miles west of Bedford, PA. Like many cool spots along this nation’s two-lane rivers of asphalt, the building of the of the Interstate (in this case the execrable Pennsylvania Turnpike) served as the death knell for the hotel. Each time we drove past the site when on tour, we made sure to stop and pay our respects.
The track itself is another golden oldie, originally considered for Rivers of Asphalt. In fact, I used the chord progression from this composition in Trace The Rubicon from Electric Sepulcher. The coda of the piece is essentially an elegy for the Grand View with its delayed piano melody. The Yamaha MM8 combines with the classic Line 6 DL4 and Elektron Analog Drive, providing us with a bespoke grungy piano sound. Also look for a picture of the grand view beyond the hotel during the coda.
17. The Many Souls Of Byberry 04:49
Another track from The Father Road that speaks to a specific location, The Many Souls Of Byberry memorializes the Philadelphia State Hospital at Byberry, in the Northeast section of the city on the Lincoln Highway. One of the country’s first mental asylums, it stayed in operation until 1990. Pennsylvania’s Benjamin Rush State Park currently resides on some of the hospital’s original grounds.
This song mixes subtle influences of psychedelia and Philadelphia soul with a 7/8 rhythm inspired by Chris Squire’s excellent track, Lucky Seven, from Fish Out Of Water, which ranks as the greatest solo album ever released by a member of YES. Dink (Stan Lyon) did a great job coming up with a bass part inspired by his one true musical hero. The hazy ambience in the bridge section provides an elegy for those lost souls.
18. Approaching Gotham 02:24
Approaching Gotham offers another piano interlude as The Father Road approaches the ending of our aural journey. As such, it combines with Sierra Ascent 1 to provide a sense of symmetry to the album’s composition. Also listen to the dark ambient sound of the Interstates paralleling our trip along the old road.
The inclusion of organ on this track probably pays tribute to Van Der Graaf Generator. This makes sense, as Hugh Banton and Peter Hammill are probably my biggest keyboard influences not named (The Prodigal) Jay Swanson. Our bespoke organ sound mixes a patch I created years ago on the Kawai K5000 with an organ patch from the Waldorf Micro Q. Of course, the Moog Sub 37 serves up that hot synth effects action.
19. The Palisades 02:36
The New Jersey bluffs overlooking Manhattan are known as The Palisades. This track slows down the pattern from Avoiding Toll Roads At Night, with a slightly funkier beat as we approach the end of the Lincoln Highway. The 6/8 rhythm supports that classic Bruford trap kit style, with those rim shots still very possible on my TrapKAT.
For the lead synth sound, we combined the Korg Z1 and the Modal Electronic Skulpt SE, a different approach than our usual MoogCoast. These two synths blend well together, with a razor sharp lead sound. A synth effect from the Moog Sub 37 makes an appearance during the track’s ending, in concert with the tympani from Spitfire Audio’s Hans Zimmer Percussion library.
20. Times Square And The Shining Sea 03:37
Times Square And The Shining Sea concludes The Father Road as The Lincoln Highway terminates in Manhattan. This is another song written during the initial Rivers of Asphalt composing sessions, as it restates the theme from the album opener, Skyline. However, the coda of the track returns to the sea, or at least Long Island Sound, as we hear the album’s Midwest motif for the last time. The ambient mood of the ending also hearkens back to the fog-bound beginning of Golden Gate, thousands of miles – and 72 minutes – earlier.
In the end, The Father Road is effectively a 74-minute composition. When combined with Rivers of Asphalt, the entire piece provides a nearly two-and-a-half hour aural travelogue chronicling a surreal journey down two of America’s classic old roads. Be sure to revisit these roads and albums, time and time again.
Check out the other installments of the series cover the recording of Church of Hed – The Father Road!
Side 3 of the studio production notes for the 2022 Church of Hed album, The Father Road, covers the recording of this aural travelogue from Western Illinois to the Appalachian range. Check out the prologue, where we analyze our studio setup, recording approach, and the hardware and software used on the album. The prologue also includes background on the overall Rivers of Asphalt concept.
More fun with the Alternate Mode TrapKAT. Photo by Angela Williams
In addition to the prologue, the recording notes for The Father Road span four sides, ironic considering no desire on our end to release a vinyl edition of the album. Nevertheless, it serves nicely for splitting these notes into five parts.
Open Road Illinois LH essentially restates the motif of the original Open Road Illinois from Rivers of Asphalt. However, since the LH covers fewer miles in Illinois compared the Route 66, the track sports a shorter length. The absence of the original’s Berlin School synth freakout keeps things more concise.
Here’s the original 2010 video from Rivers of Asphalt.
In addition to the relative brevity, Open Road Illinois LH boasts a more intense performance of the piano-powered 5/8 pattern. A Moog synth melody also adds to the track’s sense of propulsion. I improvised the coda based on the breakdown from the original version before that track descends into the synth freakout.
12. Plainfield Crossroads 03:38
The Lincoln Highway and Route 66 cross paths in Plainfield, Illinois; even sharing the same roadway for a few blocks. Plainfield Crossroads marks the occasion with a short synth-based interlude featuring an LFO-driven Moog Sub 37 patch and the Make Noise 0-Coast, per usual. The combined MoogCoast remains my main synth for leads, sequences, and arpeggiations, with the 0-Coast effectively serving as a third oscillator.
Here’s the studio version.
And a live in-studio version!
After two “verses” of the piece an arpeggiation appears, allowing for a restatement of the Midwest motif that first appeared at the end of Prairie Waves. For this arpeggiated take, the motif chord progression sports the combination of the Korg Z1 and the Streichfett, creating a bespoke string synth sound as opposed to piano and organ. This modern sonic approach better serves to document the old road across the southern suburbs of Chicago.
13. Avoiding Toll Roads At Night 03:01
The interstate from the Chicago Skyway to the Indiana Toll Road remains one of the worst stretches of highway in the country. Is there a better reason to traverse Northern Indiana on a nighttime journey along the Lincoln Highway? Old roads offer the best opportunity to truly understand the land, as opposed to arriving as quickly as possible.
After an opening of spacey road ambience, Avoiding Toll Roads At Night features a fast DrumBrute pattern with kinetic electro trap kit drumming overdubs. Synth melodies from the MoogCoast continue the evolving story of our surreal road trip before ending in a blaze of string synth, as we prepare to enter Ohio. The piano-based chord and rhythm sequence returns later along the journey when The Father Road reaches New Jersey.
14. The Red Brick Road 05:01
The chord progressions and song structure from The Red Brick Road were written for a track from Rivers of Asphalt that didn’t make the album. The melodies are new; featuring a mix of MoogCoast and an electric piano from the Yamaha MM8 run through an Elektron Analog Drive for a measure of grit.
The long coda from this track remains one of my favorite sections from The Father Road. The trumpets last seen in the valleys of California in Sierra Ascent 1 finally return along with a distorted piano pattern. I originally planned on having Stan or someone provide an epic guitar solo over it, but went with the composed melody in the end.
15. Flying Teapots Over The Alleghenies 04:18
Flying Teapots pays tribute to the World’s Largest Teapot which sits along the side of the Lincoln Highway in Chester, West Virginia. Once again, the old road begins climbing the mountains, with the range being the Alleghenies. As such, the track features the same drum machine beat from Sierra Ascent 2 and Wasatch Descent, with a slightly different bass synth line.
Ultimately, this slow jamming groove features a spacey piano with a reverb contributing to a sonic vibe that simply welcomes you to crawl inside. Lately, I’ve been playing a version of Sierra Ascent 2 and Flying Teapots as one long jam. Look for it in a future live video from Church of Hed.
Check out the other installments of the series cover the recording of Church of Hed – The Father Road!
Here’s Side 2 of the studio production notes for the 2022 Church of Hed album, The Father Road, an aural travelogue tracing the Lincoln Highway from San Francisco to New York City. Check out the prologue, where we cover the studio setup, our recording philosophy, as well as the hardware and software gear used for making the album. The prologue also includes background information on the entire Rivers of Asphalt project.
Fun with the Moog Sub 37 synthesizer. Photo by Angela Williams.
We separated these recording notes for The Father Road into four sides, ironic considering the lack of a vinyl release of the album. So dive right in to learn about the production approach of this double album, had we released it on vinyl.
Side 1 offers insights on the album from the Pacific Ocean outside of San Francisco Bay to the desert border between Nevada and Utah. This article covers the production from Utah to the Mississippi River when the LH crossed into Illinois. Side 3 takes us through Illinois all the way to the foothills of the Appalachians. Side 4 covers the LH from Bedford, PA to Times Square and beyond.
6. Salt And Snow (2:37)
The salt and snow of Utah highlight the Lincoln Highway’s pathway through the state. This track began on the iPad using a string patch from Garage Band. I created the initial chord progression years ago and thought it worked well as an interlude when traveling through the Salt Lake City area on the way to the Wasatch Mountains.
Playing around with a few delayed piano ideas inspired some of the few overdubs on this piece. Reversing the audio on the piano track added a welcome psychedelic sense to the proceedings. Other overdubs, especially Stan Lyon’s trippy e-Bow guitar serve as additional scenery as we approach the Wasatch range.
7. Wasatch Descent (2:16)
The track takes the mountain motif (and drumbeat) used on Sierra Ascent 2 and effectively flips it. It serves as an interlude as we prepare to cross the State of Wyoming at nighttime. Stan provides an absolutely bizarre guitar solo to go along with his bass work.
Even though the Arturia DrumBrute pattern is in 4/4, I mostly played a 3/4 drum beat on the track. Polyrhythms when traveling old roads like the Lincoln Highway remain fun. This mountain beat returns in another slightly altered format – and a different bass synth sequence – when traversing the Alleghenies later in The Father Road.
8. Under Wyoming Stars (5:11)
What eventually became Under Wyoming Stars first appeared as a sequence using Arturia’s excellent CS-80 V synth plugin. Soon after deciding to develop the piece for the Wyoming section of The Father Road, Stan and I crafted a few ambient overdubs, him on guitar and bass in addition to me on synth. However, over time, this track seemed less inspiring compared to the rest of the album.
I changed things somewhat by adding a “sequenced” bassline using the Farfisa plugin from Arturia’s V Collection. Finally, the piece found its sonic home and remains one of my favorite tracks on the album. However, this new part altered what served as a chord progression on the track.
Stan’s original bassline didn’t fit and he never made it back to record a new one. However, I kept our original ambient overdubs as they still worked. Copious amounts of dreamy reverb (from Valhalla DSP and Eventide’s Blackhole) give this track a sense of the lonely two-lane under the nighttime stars.
9. Prairie Waves (3:37)
As the Lincoln Highway crosses the Great Plains, the music needed to take into account those wide open spaces. Additionally, an obvious influence of American progressive rock also came to the fore, namely Kansas and their main composer, Kerry Livgren. The track Prairie Waves embraces those influences in spades, with its mix of piano, Moog synthesizer, and the Waldorf Streichfett string synth. All three made up crucial components within Kansas’s sound, with the ARP String Ensemble replacing our modern Waldorf.
The rhythm section parts allowed Stan and myself to also return to our prog rock roots. Yes’s classic pairing of Chris Squire and Bill Bruford remain our two biggest influences on bass and drums, respectively. In the end, Prairie Waves provides a concise three-minute slab of prog, appropriate for a concept album tracing an old transcontinental road through the plains.
Note the track’s coda which serves as an introduction to The Derecho and marking the first appearance of the midwestern motif on the album. That motif gets repeated a few times throughout the rest of the composition, finally ending over Long Island Sound in Times Square And The Shining Sea.
10. The Derecho (3:38)
At one time, I considered combining Prairie Waves and The Derecho into one track. However, the entire album is made up of two to three-minute vignettes and interludes with the exception of The Loneliest Road. As such, keeping the two separate made more sense. With repeated listens, the sharing of common motifs, chord progressions, and melodies throughout The Father Road become more apparent.
The sonic palette for The Derecho also draws from 70s prog rock, combining piano, electric piano, strings, and analog synth effects. The ending section expresses the time when a derecho scraped across Iowa in August of 2020. Like Prairie Waves, this track also provides a hint of country music underneath that prog veneer. Middle-American comfort music for progressive rock fans.
Check out the other installments of the recording notes for the Church of Hed album, The Father Road.
Welcome to Side 1 of the studio production notes for the 2022 Church of Hed album, The Father Road. Check out the prologue, where we cover the studio setup, our recording philosophy, as well as the hardware and software gear used on the album. The prologue also includes background information on the entire Rivers of Asphalt project.
Paul on the kit. Image by Angela Williams.
We separated these recording notes for The Father Road into four sides, ironic considering the lack of a vinyl release of the album. So feel free to dive right in to learn about the production approach of this double album.
The Sea And Golden Gate begins in the fog-laden seascape outside of San Francisco and its famous bay. The swirly strings and synths transverse the Golden Gate, leading to the syncopated intro: one of the first pieces written for the Rivers of Asphalt project nearly twenty years ago. Notably, Spitfire Audio’s top-shelf sample libraries make their first of many appearances during the brooding ambience of the intro.
The meat of this track underwent different changes over the last few years during its arrangement and recording. Transposing the root bass note throughout the track added some necessary tension and depth to the proceedings, while the generally busy nature of the piece reflects the Lincoln Highway traveling through San Francisco itself. I held back on adding a separate drum track to foster a minimalist approach to the mixing, but I sometimes want to go back and add some overdubs. Music is mutable after all. By the way, note the fortuitous accident of the track length!
2. Sierra Ascent 1 (2:48)
We considered combining the three Sierra tracks into one, but ultimately decided to keep them separate. All three leverage a similar chord structure – all four California tracks do in a sense – with this first version focused on solo piano, road atmospherics, and eventually a melody using a trumpet from Spitfire Audio’s LABS.
In fact, the recording of Sierra Ascent 1 happened last since I wanted a mellow interlude between San Francisco and climbing the Sierras. I played the chord progression from the in-progress Sierra Ascent 2 and wrote and overdubbed the trumpet melody. This melody reappeared on Sierra Ascent 2, played by the Moog Sub 37 MIDI’d with a Make Noise 0-Coast – the “MoogCoast” –. A bit of road atmospherics from the Modal Electronics Skulpt SE finished out the overdubs on this track.
3. Sierra Ascent 2 (2:18)
On the album, I wanted to use a similar motif for the mountain sections of The Father Road: effectively the Sierras, the Wasatch, and the Alleghenies. After all, it’s the same Lincoln Highway. It needed to be something with a swampy drum machine pattern allowing a Levon Helm-inspired groove over the top. A sense of climbing was also important. The Arturia DrumBrute analog drum machine provided the right feel and sound, with Acustica’s Cream plugin offering the old-school tube EQ.
The MoogCoast handled both the synth bass and lead roles. Stan Lyon’s bass work served as the special sauce for this groovy ascent on the LH to Truckee. The crest of the Sierras awaits us.
4. Sierra Crest (3:49)
The bulk of Sierra Crest appeared suddenly out of an improvisation during one session. A fortuitous Moog arpeggiation serves as the pulse of the track. The Waldorf Streichfett MIDI’d with the Korg Z1 restates that same California chord progression heard in the previous three tracks.. XILS-Lab’s XILS 4 shined in the role of analog-sounding synth effects overdubs.
The relative simplicity of this track made mixing an ease and it remains my favorite track on The Father Road. Real-time synth improv as found on Sierra Crest always serves as a respite compared to our pieces featuring more left-brained composition. It just might be my new focus moving forward. Still, I’ve had a difficult time trying to perfectly recreate the Moog arpeggiation when playing this track live in the studio.
5. The Loneliest Highway (8:39)
The album now travels the Lincoln Highway on Nevada’s famous Loneliest Highway at nighttime under Nevada stars. This track shares a sonic palette with Rivers of Asphalt’s Enchanted Mesa, which transverses Route 66 in the New Mexican desert. On both, a minimal bass synth sequence serves as a bed for a landscape filled with droning sounds and effects. The Moog Sub 37 provided that sequence on The Father Road track.
As work on the track continued, a critical change in the sequence and the delay time on the Moog MF Delay pedal happened, enhancing the sense of loneliness throughout the entire track. Stan rerecorded his trippy bass chord part using a similar technique as the first version of the track. A distorted piano – thanks to the Elektron Analog Drive pedal – and the standard array of string synth and effects round out The Loneliest Highway’s sonics.
Stay tuned for the final three installments to the recording notes chronicling the production of Church of Hed’s The Father Road.
This series of articles covers the recording of Church of Hed’s 2022 release, The Father Road. Consider it to a type of diary, but one with a backwards point of view. Most of the studio activity remains fresh in my mind, hopefully making it easier to glean meaningful insights on the techniques and tools we used.
Paul and Moog. Photo by Angela Williams.
Instead of writing a massive article covering the entire album, I’ve broken things up into four sides. This is a bit ironic, since this double album fits on one CD, and vinyl releases are not in the budget at Eternity’s Jest Records. Nevertheless, it provides a nice metaphor for breaking these notes into shareable parts.
As a prologue, let’s provide a few insights on The Father Road album itself and our recording setup, including the DAW, studio gear, and other items relating to the album’s production. In the other four articles, we’ll dive into each track and the bespoke recording approach making each a sonic reality. Enjoy the journey. Check out Side 1, Side 2, Side 3, and Side 4!
A Closer Look at The Father Road
Church of Hed’s new double album, The Father Road, takes us on a surreal aural journey across the United States along the Lincoln Highway, the first transcontinental road built for automobiles. It’s effectively the sequel to the band’s 2011 album, Rivers of Asphalt, which traveled the legendary Route 66. The music shifts and evolves in tandem with the scenic backdrop of America, from San Francisco to New York City. As with the original release, the sense of a lost era lurks throughout the album.
The music features Church of Hed’s unique mix of spacerock, psychedelia, prog rock, krautrock, and electronic music. It channels diverse influences, ranging from CAN, Cluster, Brian Eno, and Hawkwind, to YES and The Flaming Lips, in addition to Glass, Reich, and Riley. In the end, it always manages to sound like Church of Hed. Of course, Kraftwerk provided the original concept of combining electronic music with a transportation corridor!
I composed, performed, and produced The Father Road with help from Quarkspace guitarist, Stan Lyon, on bass and guitar. Not surprisingly, my music performance tools include an array of synthesizers, keyboards, and electric drums. Surreal ambience highlights the western portion of the highway, while more lyrical instrumental pieces sonically describe the more populated eastern sections of this old road. Check out the expanded liner notes at: churchofhed.com/releases/church-of-hed-the-father-road/
The Genesis of The Father Road
The original intention involved The Father Road’s music as the second half of Rivers of Asphalt, Church of Hed’s 2010 release which traces modern Route 66 from Chicago to Los Angeles. Work on the entire project began in the mid-2000s. Thankfully, a quick realization revealed itself: composing and recording 150 minutes of music for a single release seemed like overkill. Thus, The Father Road would be a separate album.
While the muse provided some of the music for The Father Road back in those halcyon days, most of the composing happened over the last few years. Acquiring the Yamaha MM8 and its 88 weighted keys improved my playing (drums remain my first instrument), while providing a center for most of the album’s composition. Despite delays for work on Quarkspace’s reunion album, All These Suns, and Church of Hed’s The Fourth Hour, The Father Road finally became our main focus.
Our Hardware Synths and Keyboards
As just mentioned, The Father Road’s primary composition took place on the Yamaha MM8, effectively serving as a piano. I mostly use the grand piano patch, but occasionally a Rhodes or Wurlitzer inspired electronic piano makes an appearance. The legendary Line 6 DL4 provides the delay that’s an essential part of my piano performance and writing. An Elektron Analog Drive pedal adds some oomph and occasionally a bit of distortion when necessary.
Synths provide most of the sonic weight on The Father Road and most other Church of Hed releases. The Moog Sub37 highlights our collection. I typically pair it with a Make Noise 0-Coast semi-modular synth over MIDI: the MoogCoast. That desktop semi-modular synth effectively serves as a meaty extra oscillator for the Moog. A Moog MF Delay and TC Electronic T2 reverb serve as the primary effects pedals for the Moog.
The venerable Korg Z1 teams up with the Waldorf Streichfett to provide the massive string synth sound used throughout The Father Road and most recent Church of Hed albums. Other hardware synths making an appearance on the album include the also venerable Kawai K5000W, paired with a Waldorf Micro Q rack over MIDI.
A similar MIDI connection happens between the Korg Prophecy and Roland MVS-1. I love to mix my altered Prophecy waterphone patch with the VS-1’s choir mellotron. That sound is heard as the album fades out over the ocean at the end of Times Square as well as throughout many Quarkspace and Church of Hed tracks. For me, it’s a signature sound. A recent purchase, Modal Electronics’ Skulpt SE, also makes an appearance on a couple of tracks.
Electronic Drumming and Percussion Setup
The Alternate Mode TrapKAT remains my drum kit, now for well over two decades. It powers a Roland TD-8 drum module, with one stereo output routed through a virtual guitar amp stack on the Boss VF-1 multi-effects unit and another clean stereo output run directly to our mixer. I also record the MIDI notes in the DAW, triggering the Melda Production MDrummer plugin. More on this setup later.
I also use an Arturia DrumBrute drum machine to provide those gloriously warped mechanical beats. It appears all over The Father Road, especially in mountainous regions in the West, as well as throughout the Eastern half of the United States. We use an Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Memory Boy and Hotone chorus pedal to enhance its sonic footprint.
Recording The Father Road at Eternity’s Jest Studios
We recorded most of the original backing tracks for The Father Road using my ancient copy of Pro Tools 7 and the Digidesign Digi 002R. This also provided the setup for Quarkspace’s All These Suns, which ended up being the last album we ever used Pro Tools (the first being Quarkspace’s Drop in 2001.) The increasing requirements for the DAW meant it failed to support our brand new Lenovo laptop with only 8GB of RAM. Of course, Avid recently implemented a subscription payment model, likely ensuring we never return.
Enter Reaper. I originally played around with Ableton Live, and while it offered some intriguing functionality, Reaper provided an intuitive interface and tape recording metaphor with which I felt comfortable. A Focusrite Scarlett 18i8 serves as the new digital audio interface. A happily still-working Behringer MX3282 still holds the fort as our main mixing board, with a Yamaha MG102C and a Mackie 1402-VLZ serving as submixers. Ironically, any slight awkwardness with the Reaper UI disappeared after updating the DAW app – AFTER I finished the album. Old habits die hard.
I didn’t want to commit to using Reaper for The Father Road until I fully vetted the app. So Church of Hed’s The Fourth Hour served as a useful litmus test. As this album featured fewer overdubs, it helped with my comfort level when using a new DAW after two decades. However, on the track Q Ching, I added a healthy measure of overdubs and orchestrations to see how Reaper performed with around 24 tracks. It passed with flying colors.
Migrating From Pro Tools to Reaper
So we now had to port the audio files for the initial backing tracks for The Father Road from Pro Tools to Reaper. For connecting the Digi 002R and Scarlett, I used an ADAT lightpipe cable for 8 tracks and an analog snake for the few songs with more than 8 tracks. Everything worked perfectly. This process needs to be repeated in the future for other older Pro Tools recordings slated for a future Church of Hed or Quarkspace release.
The mastering of The Fourth Hour also happened completely within the box. I wasn’t fully happy with the results. Since the studio sports a still-functioning TC Electronic Finalizer as well as a BBE Sonic Maximizer, Lexicon MPX 100, and other tube compressors and EQs, The Father Road used this traditional mastering setup. I may return to “in the box” mastering for future releases knowing our outboard gear still works great for providing a top-shelf stereo mix for live in-studio recordings.
Effects Plugins Used on The Father Road
Of course, completing The Father Road within Ye Olde Pro Tools version 7.x remained a possibility. However, I wanted to fully leverage the latest in effects plugins for aesthetic and production reasons. In addition to a whole host of software synths, we also used a variety of effects plugins on the album, even while mastering outside the box.
Speaking of mastering, we wanted an EQ plugin for Reaper’s internal master buss. Each song used Maag’s top-shelf EQ4, with its “Air Band” providing a sense of sheen and detail. We also used EQ4 on most individual tracks throughout the album. Occasionally, another EQ plugin saw use depending on the bespoke needs of that individual track. Acustica’s Cream warrants mention as a perfect partner whenever the Arturia DrumBrute appears on the album.
Softube’s excellent Tape rounded out the master buss on each song. This plugin provides that measure of “warm glue” serving to tie a mix together. It made sense for The Father Road to feature a 70s mixing style, which dovetails with my typical psychedelic spacerock approach.
Other reverbs and delays saw use throughout the album, with a special mention for Valhalla’s excellent free reverb, Super Massive. It provides that sense of space suitable for nighttime drives across the desert along the Lincoln Highway. The plugin pairs nicely with pads and atmospheric synths. If you already have it in your plugin arsenal, you’ll likely recognize it throughout the album.
Creating a Universal Drum Buss
I also need to give attention to the plugin chain used on the drum buss, on those tracks with drums. I’ve been an electronic drummer for over two decades, primarily for aesthetic reasons considering Quarkspace and Church of Hed’s mix of electronic and kinetic music. As noted earlier, my drum sound mixes two stereo channels of a Roland TD-8; one stereo pair dry and one run through a virtual guitar stack on the Boss VF-1 multi-effects unit. I also record MIDI, mostly using it to trigger either Melda Production’s MDrummer or Spitfire Audio’s Hans Zimmer Percussion.
All that drumming audio is sent through an effects chain containing the following. Eventide’s Instant Flanger (I LOVE flange!), the ubiquitous Maag EQ4, Eventide’s TVerb for that “Berlin” room sound, Softube’s Drawmer S73 for a bit of compression, and finally Softube’s Tube providing that warm glue. I’m happier with the drum sound on The Father Road compared to the 20 previous years of recording my electronic kit sonics.
The Father Road’s Synth Plugins
A variety of synth plugins typically get used on projects here at Eternity’s Jest. The venerable Rebirth began this trend on Quarkspace’s Recaesarian way back in 1999. Church of Hed’s Brandenburg Heights served as the only exception to this rule, as the entire album features hardware synths.
When covering the use of soft synths on The Father Road, it starts with Spitfire Audio’s LABS, a top-shelf collection of sample libraries. Amazingly, this robust collection remains available for free. This likely serves to attract more customers to Spitfire’s excellent line of sample-based products. The Father Road features a variety of LABS’ string, trumpet, and other libraries on various tracks. We also use their BBC Symphony Orchestra and Hans Zimmer Percussion on the album.
XILS-Lab’s XILS 4 also warrants mention. The legendary synth maestro Tim Blake served as a consultant on XILS 4, which simulates his famous Crystal Machine synth setup featuring two VCS 3s. On the album, this plugin provides those classic analog sound effects on Sierra Ascent. Its classic synth burbles, bleeps, and bloops rival my hardware Moog Sub 37 which also fills a similar role throughout the release.
Finally, Arturia’s classic V Collection deserves discussion. We’ve been using these synth plugins on Quarkspace and Church of Hed productions for around 15 years. I’ve long needed to write a TabMuse review covering our favorites. Their CS80 V and Farfisa V especially highlight a nighttime trip down the Lincoln Highway in Wyoming.
Thanks for reading this prologue! We explore The Father Road’s production more deeply in separate articles, one for each side as noted earlier. Expect a deeper dive into each track’s genesis and recording approach.
