In his latest video, synthesist Andy Whitmore takes a look at recreating some of the most iconic sounds of Vangelis, using a Yamaha CS-80 and modern effects.
“In this video, I play 8 classic Vangelis riffs on my original CS-80, matching both the synth tones and the iconic effects vibe as closely as possible,” says Whitmore. “This is the CS-80 as it was meant to be heard: huge, cinematic, and dripping in Blade Runner / Chariots energy.”
While Whitmore gets very close with his choice of sound design, using the original instrument and adding a Vangelis-style effects chain, these attempts often have an ‘uncanny valley’ aspect to then. When you know the recordings of Vangelis and have listened to them for years, any difference seem to pop out.
Of Whitmore’s recreations, the Blade Runner Brass patch and String Pad, the To The Unknown Man Intro, and the Blade Runner Flute Intro sound about as close to the original as any recreations we’ve heard. Ultimately, though, we think recreating iconic synth recordings like this is a fantastic way to expand your sound design skills, and a great way to gain an extra layer of depth in your appreciation of the originals.
Time Stamps:
00:00 Intro
00:20 Vangelis – Chariots Of Fire Brass Melody
00:54 Vangelis – Blade Runner Brass Line
02:05 Vangelis – Blade Runner String Pad
03:06 Jon & Vangelis – I Hear You Now Main Theme
04:39 Vangelis – Chariots Of Fire Brass Lick
05:16 Vangelis – To the Unknown Man Intro Melody
06:47 Vangelis – Blade Runner Flute Intro Line
08:14 Vangelis – Blade Runner Brass Line (no bass)
09:10 Outro
Check it out the video, and share your thoughts on it in the comments!
Not a bad effort. I think the closest attempt to match the original movie sound is Julien Hauspie’s “Blade Runner Theme on Korg Minilogue.”
Really nice – thanks for posting!
Great but we need some recognition of the other CS-80 master, Eddie Jobson!
Yes!! Totally agree on this.
For certain!
Good point well made – Eddie’s ability with the CS80 is as legendary as the instrument itself IMHO.
Absolutely on the eddie jobson thing!!
And no slight given to Andy on that he’s a man of many talents and skills too!
Having seen U.K. live, I feel close to the mark by saying this: Vangelis brought the cinematic/romantic CS-80 up front, whereas Eddie brought out its rock powers. The latter’s pitch-strip playing glides are definitive; Vangelis used it to do string plucks on “China!” There are others like The Band and Toto who made good use of it, but those two got there earliest with the mostest. There’s a great panel from “Bad Gear” with a shot of Vangelis and it states “Presets are great if you’re the first one to use them.” 😛
Don’t forget To The Unknown Man.
That’s ribbon string pluck to the next level