{"id":549,"date":"2015-04-07T18:36:49","date_gmt":"2015-04-07T18:36:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jimalfredson.com\/?p=549"},"modified":"2015-07-12T01:07:28","modified_gmt":"2015-07-12T01:07:28","slug":"the-keyboards-of-theo-pt-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/jimalfredson.com\/?p=549","title":{"rendered":"The Keyboards of THEO pt. 1"},"content":{"rendered":"

THEO ‘The Game Of Ouroboros’<\/a> is my progressive rock release. I worked on the album for almost four years in between touring with the Janiva Magness band, playing numerous local gigs, tuning and repairing pianos, and releasing two other albums (organissimo’s Dedicated<\/a> and Jim Alfredson’s Dirty Fingers – A Tribute To Big John Patton<\/a>).\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

I wanted to not only bring the keyboards back to the forefront in rock music but also strike a balance between classic vintage sounds and more modern textures. In this multi-part series, I will describe the different keyboards and synthesizers, both hardware and software, that I used on the album.<\/em><\/p>\n

ALESIS ANDROMEDA A6<\/strong><\/p>\n

Let’s just get this out of the way: The Alesis Andromeda is a monster synthesizer. Released in 2000 and discontinued in 2010, the Andromeda is arguably the most powerful analog polysynth ever made.<\/p>\n

The specs are impressive: 16 voices, 2 oscillators per voice, 5 waveforms, 2 multi-mode filters, a powerful pattern sequencer,\u00a0an arppegiator, a really cool ribbon controller, and knobs knobs knobs a-plenty.<\/p>\n

\"2841_Alesis_AndromedaA6\"<\/a>

Alesis Andromeda A6<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Yes, there are some weaknesses including the lack of promised poly-aftertouch and some bugs in the OS. It is also built with proprietary chips and parts are getting scarce. But the sound is incredible. It is capable of emulating a wide range of classic sounds including Minimoog style leads and basses, Oberheim pads and brass, Prophet-5 type sync leads, and even sounds reminiscent of the mighty CS80.<\/p>\n

The Andromeda enters fairly early on THEO. That thick, swirling string sound at the intro of the very first song (the title track) is the Andromeda through an Eventide SPACE reverb pedal and then filtered in Cubase.<\/p>\n

The Andromeda returns on the third track, Creatures of Our Comfort<\/em>, in the form of the panning synth string pad and the more mellow pad. It also covers the deep synth bass at the very end.<\/p>\n

The string sound from the first song re-appears in the instrumental section of These Are The Simple Days<\/em> and it’s the last sound you hear as the instrumental section transitions into the lyrical reprieve that ends\u00a0the song.<\/p>\n