Synths/Drum Machines used by the Clash

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Re: Synths/Drum Machines used by the Clash

Post by Guest1 »

River wrote:
26 May 2021, 12:52pm
KCportland wrote:
25 May 2021, 11:36pm
River wrote:
25 May 2021, 11:06pm
KCportland wrote:
25 May 2021, 9:30pm
River wrote:
25 May 2021, 7:03pm


Would've been a combo of guitar, and from what I can tell, a saxophone, and possibly Tymon's violin. As well as some keyboard synth (believe it was mainly used on Overpowered by Funk, as well maybe the horn part during the "The beautiful people are ugly too" choruses in Fulham Connection.) It's using the SPV, Mick hadn't gotten the 707 by then, that came towards the start of TRAC/BAD. There is actually a setting on the SPV for woodwind/brass, so my guess is Mick and Gary Barnacle had fun with that and had used that for Sean Flynn. Kangaroo Court is definitely guitar synth. Some of the synthy noises in Cool Confusion were definitely from the Pearl Syncussion, though I've always wondered how Mick was able to get such an "underwater" sound for some of his noodley parts in it.

Something to add too, Mick is a genius for Death is a Star. For that, he essentially made a string arrangement by the guitar synth alone. Owning an SPV myself, I can recognize that sound from anywhere.
Interesting! That makes sense though, the Cool Confusion synth parts definitely sound the least guitar synth-like to me so it stands to reason that could be the drum synth. Fulham really sounds like an old keyboard synth on a horn setting to me so I'd agree with you there as well. Didn't realize Mick was using the SPV that extensively back then though, would love to play around with one of those things.
I've read that Car Jamming and Sean Flynn were worked on back when Radio Clash was done, in April 81. Of course those were most likely very rough and different versions but if it's true, Mick could've had that synth as early as then. I put it more towards around the bulk of the Rat Patrol recordings, which would put him getting it more around November/December of 81.

I had bought the SPV I have around 6 years ago for I think $1,000 from an Ebay seller in Japan. Once I got that, and then the Roland 301 about 2 years back, I fully realized how Mick sounded the way he did from 82 on. The chorus echo especially. It has a built in pre-amp that gives a sound like no other. Tons of people try to get Brian Setzer's sound as well and that 301 is always what stumps them.
That Roland Chorus Echo is truly my dream piece of gear. It might as well be called the Mick Machine. So many of the sounds he got from 1980 and onward came out of that unit. I have a Boss RE-20 Space Echo pedal, which has a preamp built into it based on the 201's preamp, doesn't have the chorus built in though, nor does it have wow/flutter control to get those Sean Flynn sounds. I assume the 201 and 301 have similar preamps?

A lot of guitarists hate the RE-20 because of the preamp, since most keep it at the end of their chain after distortions/overdrives. But the reason Mick's tone was so brilliant was that he was plugged straight into the 301 and just used the gain on his Mesa Boogie. If I ever have a spare 3 grand around I'm buying one :lol:
The 301 I got for $1,500. I do own a Mesa as well, it’s just a
studio 22 instead of a Mark II. Same thing kind of, just less power. Anyways, The 301 preamp is definitely different. I have a (mostly busted) 201 as well and the sound is nowhere close to what a 301 offers. Mick sounds the way he does because of it.
https://reverb.com/p/roland-re-150-spac ... cUQAvD_BwE

This is an earlier iteration but about as cheap as you can find it. Vintage synth/effects prices have gotten absolutely absurd lately. It all increasingly becomes a collectors item with brands like Behringher making affordable reproductions. Also the Roland cloud is worth checking out. Tons of vintage gear softsynths on there. I believe it's just a monthly subscription too.

KCportland
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Re: Synths/Drum Machines used by the Clash

Post by KCportland »

RockNRollWhore wrote:
26 May 2021, 2:14pm
River wrote:
26 May 2021, 12:52pm
KCportland wrote:
25 May 2021, 11:36pm
River wrote:
25 May 2021, 11:06pm
KCportland wrote:
25 May 2021, 9:30pm


Interesting! That makes sense though, the Cool Confusion synth parts definitely sound the least guitar synth-like to me so it stands to reason that could be the drum synth. Fulham really sounds like an old keyboard synth on a horn setting to me so I'd agree with you there as well. Didn't realize Mick was using the SPV that extensively back then though, would love to play around with one of those things.
I've read that Car Jamming and Sean Flynn were worked on back when Radio Clash was done, in April 81. Of course those were most likely very rough and different versions but if it's true, Mick could've had that synth as early as then. I put it more towards around the bulk of the Rat Patrol recordings, which would put him getting it more around November/December of 81.

I had bought the SPV I have around 6 years ago for I think $1,000 from an Ebay seller in Japan. Once I got that, and then the Roland 301 about 2 years back, I fully realized how Mick sounded the way he did from 82 on. The chorus echo especially. It has a built in pre-amp that gives a sound like no other. Tons of people try to get Brian Setzer's sound as well and that 301 is always what stumps them.
That Roland Chorus Echo is truly my dream piece of gear. It might as well be called the Mick Machine. So many of the sounds he got from 1980 and onward came out of that unit. I have a Boss RE-20 Space Echo pedal, which has a preamp built into it based on the 201's preamp, doesn't have the chorus built in though, nor does it have wow/flutter control to get those Sean Flynn sounds. I assume the 201 and 301 have similar preamps?

A lot of guitarists hate the RE-20 because of the preamp, since most keep it at the end of their chain after distortions/overdrives. But the reason Mick's tone was so brilliant was that he was plugged straight into the 301 and just used the gain on his Mesa Boogie. If I ever have a spare 3 grand around I'm buying one :lol:
The 301 I got for $1,500. I do own a Mesa as well, it’s just a
studio 22 instead of a Mark II. Same thing kind of, just less power. Anyways, The 301 preamp is definitely different. I have a (mostly busted) 201 as well and the sound is nowhere close to what a 301 offers. Mick sounds the way he does because of it.
https://reverb.com/p/roland-re-150-spac ... cUQAvD_BwE

This is an earlier iteration but about as cheap as you can find it. Vintage synth/effects prices have gotten absolutely absurd lately. It all increasingly becomes a collectors item with brands like Behringher making affordable reproductions. Also the Roland cloud is worth checking out. Tons of vintage gear softsynths on there. I believe it's just a monthly subscription too.
It seems the average price for an operational 301 is around 2500, which is just unreal given the amount of maintenance these old tape echos require. Also absurd given the plethora super high quality delays that are being made these days that are fractions of the cost. Hopefully they come back down to earth some day.

Guest1

Re: Synths/Drum Machines used by the Clash

Post by Guest1 »

KCportland wrote:
26 May 2021, 7:14pm
RockNRollWhore wrote:
26 May 2021, 2:14pm
River wrote:
26 May 2021, 12:52pm
KCportland wrote:
25 May 2021, 11:36pm
River wrote:
25 May 2021, 11:06pm


I've read that Car Jamming and Sean Flynn were worked on back when Radio Clash was done, in April 81. Of course those were most likely very rough and different versions but if it's true, Mick could've had that synth as early as then. I put it more towards around the bulk of the Rat Patrol recordings, which would put him getting it more around November/December of 81.

I had bought the SPV I have around 6 years ago for I think $1,000 from an Ebay seller in Japan. Once I got that, and then the Roland 301 about 2 years back, I fully realized how Mick sounded the way he did from 82 on. The chorus echo especially. It has a built in pre-amp that gives a sound like no other. Tons of people try to get Brian Setzer's sound as well and that 301 is always what stumps them.
That Roland Chorus Echo is truly my dream piece of gear. It might as well be called the Mick Machine. So many of the sounds he got from 1980 and onward came out of that unit. I have a Boss RE-20 Space Echo pedal, which has a preamp built into it based on the 201's preamp, doesn't have the chorus built in though, nor does it have wow/flutter control to get those Sean Flynn sounds. I assume the 201 and 301 have similar preamps?

A lot of guitarists hate the RE-20 because of the preamp, since most keep it at the end of their chain after distortions/overdrives. But the reason Mick's tone was so brilliant was that he was plugged straight into the 301 and just used the gain on his Mesa Boogie. If I ever have a spare 3 grand around I'm buying one :lol:
The 301 I got for $1,500. I do own a Mesa as well, it’s just a
studio 22 instead of a Mark II. Same thing kind of, just less power. Anyways, The 301 preamp is definitely different. I have a (mostly busted) 201 as well and the sound is nowhere close to what a 301 offers. Mick sounds the way he does because of it.
https://reverb.com/p/roland-re-150-spac ... cUQAvD_BwE

This is an earlier iteration but about as cheap as you can find it. Vintage synth/effects prices have gotten absolutely absurd lately. It all increasingly becomes a collectors item with brands like Behringher making affordable reproductions. Also the Roland cloud is worth checking out. Tons of vintage gear softsynths on there. I believe it's just a monthly subscription too.
It seems the average price for an operational 301 is around 2500, which is just unreal given the amount of maintenance these old tape echos require. Also absurd given the plethora super high quality delays that are being made these days that are fractions of the cost. Hopefully they come back down to earth some day.
It's relatively easy to make your own using two old school reel to reel decks. You can usually find some really cheap crusty old ones on eBay.

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