Re-creating a classic solo

[DaveMcM]

(Originally posted on the Keyboard Corner)

My band has learned Magic Man by Heart which has a short but distinctive synth solo toward the end of the song. I was trying to figure out how to pull it off since I don't happen the have a Moog System 15 or a couple of Minimoogs lying around. Then it came to me that my Casio PX-560 has 3 separate envelope generators for Amplitude, Filter and Pitch. My programming plan is this; Find a waveform that works, create a gate with a soft attack and slight release for the the Amp Env, a semi-quick decay on the Filter CutOff with a little increased resonance, and then a delayed response on the Pitch to make a dive once the key is held for a specified time. Should take all of 10 minutes if I stop to open a refreshing beverage. Now as long as the tempo doesn't stray too much my dive bomb effect should work our great.  I keep trying to decide if I should upgrade my main board, but then the PX-560 shows me how capable it is.

[Jokeyman123]

If you are willing,  I'd like to install this tone just for myself if you feel inclined to upload it to the PX560 user tones section here.  I have no band playing this song but have done some PX560 tone creation especially using the pitch envelopes which work quite well. I've had to experiment with time lapses between pitch change envelopes. The Cz's were fantastic at this with 8-stage pitch envelopes! 

 

I posted a few tones here which were the result of my PX560 edits with pitch envelope mods. Just effects, not serious "bread and butter" tones.  Regarding the Moogs, I purchased a Behringer clone the Poly D, very well made and sounds pretty close to the original Minimoog IMO although this is Behringer's paraphonic version, not the Behringer model D clone which is strictly monophonic, and about 1/4 or less the cost of a vintage Minimoog.  I will be using this to compare to the basic sawtooth, pulse, sine and square waves in the PX560 which should be capable of sounding pretty close to what I can do with the Poly D, except without the real time pots of the Poly D. Unfortunately, there is not much remote CC's possible with the PX560 and there is almost none at all with the Behringer controls, just like the original Minimoog that had no midi at all I recall unless it was modified with a midi expansion.

[DaveMcM]

Absolutely. I've got to get this done prior to our Saturday night gig. I was actually going to use my CT-S1000V for this sound. I bought the S1000 to have something easy to carry to rehearsals and was able to come up with something very useable but it required activating Portamento at just the right time (pun  ) and I don't trust myself to accomplish that during actual performance. Plus I couldn't figure out how to increase the LFO rate for the final line of the solo. So the PX-560 to the rescue.

 

ADDED: Regarding LFO (vibrato) Rate on the CT-S1000V. I just went with the novel approach of looking in the manual. Seems  that rate is adjustable after all. Go figure. 

Edited September 20, 2023 by DaveMcM

[DaveMcM]

On 9/20/2023 at 9:49 AM, Jokeyman123 said:

If you are willing,  I'd like to install this tone just for myself if you feel inclined to upload it to the PX560 user tones section here.....

I have uploaded what I came up with. Let me know what you think.

https://www.casiomusicforums.com/index.php?/files/category/23-community-created-files/

Edited September 22, 2023 by DaveMcM

[Jokeyman123]

Trying this now...installed. Comparing it to my Poly D Behringer-closest I can get to a Mini-moog. Hear what you mean about the fast LFO.

 

Sounds very close considering the PX560 doesn't have that amazing resonant filter. i also added the magic Man patch to Upper 2-for giving a little ability to detune the 2 tones, and with your knob 1 setting it does, and makes the LFO sound a little "wilder" which may not be very helpful but....

 

I managed to get the mod wheel to do the LFO rate-from the "controller" menu, just went to modulation edit-in your registration i could see what you had already assigned-but on page 2 I assigned this to CC:01 Modulation and the mod wheel can do the LFO. I couldn't speed it up though and changing different LFO waveforms -the sine is the best.

[DaveMcM]

Right before the gig, I made some controller assignment changes. First I assigned the CV Pedal to control Portamento Time. Doing so made it easier to activate it as opposed to playing the notes and trying to get over to the Mod Wheel at the right time. Which allowed me to assign Pitch LFO Amount back the the Mod Wheel. I then set Knob 1 to Filter Cut Off, Knob 2 to Filter Resonance and Knob 3 To Delay Amount. I actually had the same idea to place the Magic Man patch on Upper 2 and detune a bit to fatten it up but that didn't match the original sound so I opted against doing that. So now, after the first section of the solo and the dive bomb, I can increase Filter Resonance and play around with the Filter Cut Off as is done in the original recording. It's a shame the Pitch Env Gen couldn't do what I had in mind, but there is always another way to pull things off. I really hope Casio comes up with an updated model of the PX-560/PX-5. I'll upload my revised settings soon.

Edited September 26, 2023 by DaveMcM