Visage Fade To Grey ~ Vintage Synthesizer Recreation ~ RetroSound

video upload by RetroSound

"(c)2007-24 by RetroSound
supported by UVI: http://bit.ly/retrosound-uvi

❤️ Support #RetroSound​ channel: https://retrosound.creator-spring.com

One of my favorite tracks from the early 80s.
Fade To Grey by Visage (1981)
The composition is written by Billy Currie and Chris Payne during the sound checks for Gary Numan's Pleasure Principle Tour in 1979

featured: Moog Minimoog, the PPG wave 2.2 and the ARP Quadra

This cover song series contains my own recreations of my favourite songs from the last 50 years. The original music from which I take inspiration belong to their respective owners. I recreate tracks only for personal passion and to pay homage to these tracks.
My intention is not to create covers that sound exactly like the original (if you want to hear identical sounds, please listen the original). It's more of an inspiration with my sounds from the old synthesizers from the past and of course the great appreciation for the original performers and producers."

Recreating Visage's 1980 hit Fade To Grey using a Moog One Synthesizer

video upload by Matt Culpin

"In this video I've recreated Visage's 1980 hit Fade To Grey using a Moog One #visage #moog #moogone #synthesizer #remake #trending #ableton #abletonpush #abletonlive #synthpop"

00:00 - Introduction
00:42 - Background
01:27 - The sounds
03:09 - The track

NORD LEAD 2 - LADY IN RED by Synesthetica

video upload by synesthetica

"Support my work by donating with Paypal: synesthetica@protonmail.com
Thank you!

Get the patches here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/187kE...

These are exquisite and delicate patches that unleash the lesser known softer side of this red classic! Enjoy the beautiful and atmospheric polysynth sounds, unique and lush pads, a nice palette of arpeggio sounds and have a time of your life!

This patch bank contains 99 patches and is compatible with all Nord Lead 2 models including Nord Rack 2, Nord Lead 2x and Nord Rack 2x.

All music Copyright - Synesthetica 2021"

NORD LEAD 2 - SYNTH HIT WONDERS by Synesthetica


Support my work by donating with Paypal: synesthetica@protonmail.com
Thank you!

Get the patches here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Xxwe...

Feed your Nord Lead 2 with sounds from the 70’s and 80’s synth hits! Remember classics from Visage, Aha, Duran Duran, Depeche Mode, Berlin, Kraftwerk, Van Halen, Europe, Vangelis, Enya, Gary Numan, The Human League, Harold Faltermeyer, Alphaville, Yazoo, Trans-X, Digital Emotions, The Cure and others? Now you can play all of these and travel back to the golden age of synth music!

This patch bank contains 99 patches and is compatible with all Nord Lead 2 models including Nord Rack 2, Nord Lead 2x and Nord Rack 2x."

CLICK FOR MORE »

United Plugins Introduces JMG Sound Retronaut - LoFi Nostalgia Machine Multi-effect Plug-in

video upload by United Plugins

Press release follows:

United Plugins puts past into present with JMG Sound Retronaut, realised as LoFi Nostalgia Machine multi-effect plug-in

“I hate to overuse superlatives, but, it has to be said, within a minute of trying out the amazing features of the Retronaut plug-in, I was astounded. Its versatility will work across all manner of instruments, from guitars to drums; I even tried some of the effects on a piano piece, and the results were extraordinary. This is going to be a great asset for film and media compositions, as well as my commercial recordings.”

- Chris Payne, orchestral composer for film and television/synthpop pioneer (co-writer of Visage's 1981 hit single ‘Fade to Grey’/former Gary Numan backing band member), 2023

PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC: independent development teams federation United Plugins is proud to announce availability of Retronaut from founding partner JMG Sound — swinging back into action and putting the (analogue) past into the (DAW-driven) present as a so-called LoFi Nostalgia Machine multi-effect plug-in, perfectly capturing the vibe of old analogue gear by mixing bucket brigade chips, cassette tapes, VCFs (Voltage-Controlled Filters), vintage choruses, vinyl records, and more to transport its users back in time to explore their magical (musical) memories — as of February 15...

Explore the past
History has it that mankind has not only travelled the world and the ‘Seven Seas’ but beyond that to take one giant leap to touch down on the Moon, meaning the sky is not the limit. Steps still need to be taken to literally leave future footprints further away from the natural satellite of Earth, yet reality reasons that humanity cannot physically step back in time to explore the past in person, however, rather relying on history to tell its story. Saying that, Retronaut, JMG Sound’s so-called LoFi Nostalgia Machine, musically transports those interested in exploring their magical (musical) memories from where they originated; after all, music has a miraculous ability to transport anyone back in time. Therefore, seatbelts should be securely fastened in readiness for an ‘analogue’ expedition through history!

LoFi Nostalgia Machine
Make sure, then, that those seatbelts are securely fastened, for an ‘analogue’ expedition through history awaits as Retronaut is assuredly announced as a multi-voice vibrato and chorus plug-in, pulsating with lo-fi effects. Indeed, it is inspired by old analogue gear with which wisened ears welcoming warmth will already be familiar — think bucket brigade chips, cassette tapes, VCFs, vintage choruses, and vinyl records... Retronaut revisits that nostalgic musical magic of the past, putting it into the (DAW-driven) present with multiple ways to age and DEGRADE the signal being processed, thanks to controls for FLUTTER (adds random fluctuations to the modulation shape, simulating tape flutter); DUST (adds noise to the modulation shape); FAIL (adds random glitches of pitch and level drops to simulate old failing gear); WARP (adds pitch drift and a little tremolo at half-rate to all the VOICES globally); DIRT (controls the amount of tape-style saturation); FEED (controls the amount of cross-feedback by taking the outputs of the VOICES and feeding them into each other); and MONO (switches the signal to mono, simulating old gear with only one speaker, such as radios).

DIVERGE, MOD, MIX, and more
Meanwhile, it is possible to offset the multi-voice engine — enabling users to MIX from a single vibrato voice up to 4 VOICES, resulting in a rich chorus — in various ways to create organic and evolving movements via the DIVERGE section: SPREAD (offsets the LFO phase in the left and right channels); LAG (introduces a time delay for each voice); PHASE (offsets the LFO phase for each voice); V2 SCALE (offsets the voice 2 modulation rate from the main modulation rate); V3 SCALE (offsets the voice 3 modulation rate from the main modulation rate); V4 SCALE (offsets the voice 4 modulation rate from the main modulation rate); and RESYNC (resets the LFO phases). But beating at the musical heart of Retronaut is its MOD (modulation) section with HP MOD (controls the modulation depth of the virtual analogue high-pass filter in both positive and negative polarity) and LP MOD (controls the modulation depth of the virtual analogue low-pass filter in both positive and negative polarity); dialling down the modulation depth for the vibrato effect with the associated VIBE control and then using other effects encourages that warm, woolly, and compressed tape sound. Shape the tone with the VCF section — anchored around those virtual analogue high-pass and low-pass filters, switchable between 2 (12dB per octave) and 4 (24dB per octave) POLE slopes, with RESO (resonance) control — and MIX to perfection. Possibilities are endless, almost: add lo-fi to drums, rich chorus to synths, and lush reverb to anything... ask orchestral composer for film and television/synthpop pioneer Chris Payne (Visage, Gary Numan), who was well versed in working with original analogue gear — of the kind that inspired Retronaut — on a number of historic hit records. “I particularly love the DEGRADE section, which can add a huge amount of expression to any sound you use,” he enthuses, ending on an equally high note: “I’ll certainly be building up a huge library of sounds using Retronaut over the coming months, and cannot wait to get started with it on my forthcoming projects.”

Key features:
Captures the vibe of old analogue gear, mixing bucket brigade chips, cassette tapes, vintage choruses, and more in one powerful multi- effect plug-in
Smoothly mix from a single vibrato voice up to four, resulting in a rich chorus
Add that nostalgic lo-fi (musical) magic with the DEGRADE section — age sound from gentle dust and warmth to old, broken gear
Control each voice independently with the DIVERGE section — offset them in various ways to create organic and evolving movements

JMG Sound’s Retronaut is available to purchase for a time-limited introductory promo price of only €24.00 EUR until March 19, 2023 — rising thereafter to its regular price of €89.00 EUR — as an AAX-, AU-, VST-, and VST3-compatible plug-in (using internal 64-bit audio processing capable of handling any sample rate) directly from its dedicated webpage (https://unitedplugins.com/Retronaut/), where a 15-day, fully-functional trial version for macOS 10.10 and newer and Windows 8/10/11 can also be downloaded for free.

Note that no iLok, dongle, or internet access is required for Retronaut activation. (All United Plugins software uses license files for activation and owners can freely use purchased software — with free-for-life updates — on all their computers, as long as they are the user.)

eBook published by the The Seventh Wave Festival of Electronic Music

"In November of 2016 the inaugural ‘The Seventh Wave Festival of Electronic Music’ took place across four days and across three venues. A numbering system was used as a statement of intent - there is the intention that this will continue. It will grow, it will develop.. this is the start of something.

The stellar ‘live’ line-up included highly influential ambient industrialists :zoviet*france:, revered ‘Kraut-rock’ and electronica collective Gnod, Ex-Kraftwerk member Wolfgang Flür (responsible for inventing the group's electric drums used throughout the 1970’s), DJ Rusty Egan of Visage fame (put simply, without Rusty Egan there would be no Steve Strange) and Richard Barbieri (currently with Porcupine Tree but he cut his teeth as the highly respected synth player for new wave pioneers Japan in the 1980’s).

One of the highlights of the 'first' festival was an all-day conference with keynote speeches from Wolfgang Flür (Ex-Kraftwerk), Andy McCluskey (of multi-million selling synth pop exponents OMD) and DJ Rusty Egan (whose Blitz Club started the New Romantic movement).

Between 2016 and 2022, The Seventh Wave Festival of Electronic Music has worked with Thomas Dolby, Martyn Ware, Fiat Lux, Tim Bowness, Ulrich Schnauss, Thorsten Quaeschning, Banco de Gaia, Test Dept, The Black Dog, Ultramarine and many, many more.. the details of this unique musical experience which traverses the inner and outer reaches of electronic music have been documented in an eBook running to a total of 249 pages.

For a mere £7.99 you not only get the eBook but have the option to access a companion publication ('Sounds of The Seventh Wave' : Music, Video and Audio from the Festival) for 'free'

Full details of both publications can be found here:

https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-seventh-wave-festival-of-electronic-music/id6445570213?ls=1

Ensoniq ESQ-1 Demonstrations by Steven Templar

video uploads by Steven Templar

Interesting note on #20. See below and use the controls in the player above to listen to it.

Ensoniq ESQ-1 synthesiser and Alesis SR-16 drum machine recorded onto cassette tape.


1. group - on my mind (1990 demo)

Copyright Steven Templar 1990.
All sounds directly from an Ensoniq ESQ-1 synthesiser and recorded onto a portable cassette recorder.

2. group - pop cat v2 (1990 demo)

Copyright Steven Templar 1990.
Ensoniq ESQ-1 synthesiser directly into a portable cassette recorder.

3. group - j-funk 5 (1989 demo)

Copyright Steven Templar 1987. This version recorded in 1989.
Ensoniq ESQ-1 synthesiser directly into a portable cassette recorder.

Hi-hats and crash cymbals added much later.

4. group - fade to grey (1991 Visage cover)

Copyright Steven Templar 1987. This version recorded in 1989.
Ensoniq ESQ-1 synthesiser directly into a portable cassette recorder.

Hi-hats and crash cymbals added much later.

CLICK FOR MORE »

Playing Synthpop Songs Live (Streaming Edited Highlights)

video upload by DX5

"Edited highlights from the unplanned (no preparation at all) live streaming broadcasted on December 27, 2021 with me playing some synthpop songs.
00:00 Trust (edit) - The Cure.
04:45 Just Like Heaven - The Cure.
08:25 Waving.
08:28 Why Can't I Be You - The Cure.
11:39 My Secret Garden + Oberkorn intro (Hammersmith vers) - Depeche Mode.
19:06 Policy Of Truth - Depeche Mode.
25:24 Enjoy The Silence (+ intro while loading backtrack's PT session) - Depeche Mode.
32:33 Home - Depeche Mode.
38:21 Shake the Disease - Depeche Mode.
43:24 It's My Life - Talk Talk.
47:40 Save a Prayer - Duran Duran.
53:13 Fade To Grey - Visage.
57:13 New Life - Depeche Mode.
1:01:33 Photographic (+ sound test intro) - Depeche Mode.
1:06:04 Waving and end.

Synths used (L to R, Top to bottom): Roland Promars MRS-2, Roland JP8000, Kurzweil PC1x, Roland JX-8P, Emu Emax I and II.
All backtracks previously recorded on its entirely by me, track by track, on Pro Tools.
Video encoded with an analogue capture device (plus the usual hi8 camera), hence some colours are a bit distorted.
Performed live here by DX5 Jose Maria Bara."

How to synthesise the sounds of Visage: Fade To Grey

video upload by Floyd Steinberg

"In this video, I'm creating the sounds used in Visage's 1980 hit "Fade To Grey", so you can play that song on your synth for your friends at campfires or so. ;-)

Table of contents:

00:00 demo
00:48 a new series!
01:43 some subtractive synth basics
04:51 bass
05:51 organ (sound at the beginning of the song)
07:21 main pad sound / string sound
11:01 lead sound
13:46 "piano" sound
15:41 assembling the song: chords, bass, lead, piano, drums
18:27 demo 2
18:57 conclusion"

Support: https://www.paypal.me/alexselck

Fade To Grey (Visage) on a Dr. Böhm Orchester DS 3003

video by Jürgen Merkle

"Gespielt von Jürgen Merkle auf einer Dr. Böhm Orchester DS 3003"

Visage 'Fade to Grey' Explained

video by Christopher Payne

"An account by one of the original writers (Chris Payne) about how it was written and recorded"

Interesting bit on U2's New Years Day starting at 10:33.

And Midge Ure on the track:

Midge Ure on Fade To Grey
video by woschinski

And the song:


This one is in via Douglas.

MiMa feat. Visage - Fade To Grey

video by mima14031985

"Here's my cover of this famous and immortal 80ies piece of music. As my habit, all the song is done by ear all by myself, keyboard parts all played by hands and drum track built with ModPlug Tracker. Then I muted the parts which I wanted to play on synths. Unfortunately the vocal part is missing, but this allows you to sing along the music if you want :-)"

Visage Twist with the Roland XP50 and JP-08

Published on Jul 28, 2019 JMPSynth

"Loosely based on a favourite classic; Fade to Grey by Midge Ure/Visage, a track recorded using mainly the Roland XP50 and JP-08 synths."

Billy Currie of Ultravox's ARP Odyssey Sells for £8,500.00

Note: Auction links are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.

via this auction

"This is the one Billy bought in 1977. He used it back in 2012 on the Ultravox "Brilliant" album so it is in good working order.
He used it on all the Ultravox gigs and recordings and the Visage recordings. He used his softer signature sound on Visage "Fade To Grey" and Ultravox "Vienna".
He also used this ARP while working with Tubeway Army/Gary Numan. Live and the recordings "Living Ornaments 79 ". Most notably using his strong, emotional signature sound for the " On Broadway " solo. It was used on the "Top of the Pops" theme when he played on Phil Lynotts solo album. This time with the ARP sequencer as well. A remixed instrumental version of the song " Yellow Pearl ".
This instrument has been heard very much! It is a part of music's Synthesiser History
It's the MK 2 version. The raunchy version!

Ultravox solos include :-

Man Who Dies Every Day
Artificial Life
Slow Motion
Quiet Man
Sleepwalk
The Thin Wall
Hymn
When the Scream Subsides"

CLICK FOR MORE »

FADE TO GREY VISAGE COVER SYNTH AND PIANO

Published on Mar 21, 2017 LOOK MUM NO COMPUTER

"This is nearly 2 years old! just saw it on my unlised folder in youtube. so here we go!
FADE TO GREY VISAGE

Think i taped the drum pads to my shoes. yeah pretty basic back then haha."

KORG MS20 & Yamaha DD-10 mini drum synth.

Seventh Wave of Electronic Music Festival comes to Birmingham

"In November of 2016 the inaugural ‘The Seventh Wave Festival of Electronic Music’ takes place across four days and across three venues in Birmingham.

The stellar ‘live’ line-up includes highly influential ambient industrialists :zoviet*france:, revered ‘Kraut-rock’ and electronica collective Gnod, Ex-Kraftwerk member Wolfgang Flur (responsible for inventing the group's electric drums used throughout the 1970s), DJ Rusty Egan of Visage fame (put simply, with-out Rusty Egan there would be no Steve Strange) and Richard Barbieri (currently of Porcupine Tree but he cut his teeth as the highly respected synth player for new wave pioneers Japan in the 1980’s).

One of the high-lights of the festival will be an all-day conference with key note speeches from Wolfgang Flur (Ex-Kraftwerk), Andy McCluskey (of multi-million selling synth pop exponents OMD) and DJ Rusty Egan (whose Blitz Club started the New Romantic movement).

Tickets can be purchased for individual events from both theticketsellers and Skiddle from:
https://www.theticketsellers.co.uk
http://www.skiddle.com/"

Additional info: https://theseventhwaveblog.wordpress.com/

ROLAND CR-78 Analog Rhythm Box 1978 | HD DEMO

Published on Nov 22, 2015 AnalogAudio1

"(c) 2015 by AnalogAudio1

The Roland CR-78 is a programmable analog rhythm box. Two rhythms can run on the same time. There are 34 preset rhythms and 4 memories for own patterns.

It has a very characteristic, outstanding analog sound. It was used by many artists: Phil Collins (In The Air Tonight), Brian Ferry (Jealous Guy), Visage (Fade To Grey), Blondie (Heart Of Glas), Gary Numan, OMD, Ultravox, and others.

I played the Roland CR-78 with a small amout of ambience from a Lexicon MPX-500. In the intro I played the CR-78 through a Korg SDD-3000 delay."

Ex Howard Devoto & Dave Formula's Roland Paraphonic 505 Up for Auction?

Note: Auction links are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.

via this auction

via the listing: "Here we have a Roland RS505 Paraphonic Analogue Synthesiser dating from 1979, originally belonging to Howard Devoto, front man of the band Magazine. It then became the property of Magazine keyboard player, Dave Formula who used it in the band and later went on to use it on the first and second Visage albums.

I bought this off Dave in 2006 and he very kindly signed (large signature) one of the wooden end cheeks in thick gold sharpie pen. Im not posting the pic of the signature for fear of replication but i promise you, you wont be disappointed. I have played it a few times and it sounds wonderful and lush. Please check Youtube for examples. Due to lack of space, ive had it in safe dry storage for a few years and recently noticed that at some point the small Ensemble rocker lever must have unscrewed and I cant locate it so you would have to try and find a replacement switch.

Overall in pretty good shape for age.Built like a tank. No major scratches and no dents."

CLICK FOR MORE »

Synth Demos by mrwoofermusic

More info:

http://www.kampanismusic.com
http://soundcloud.com/mrwoofer
http://www.facebook.com/mrwoofermusic

Playlist:

Korg EX-8000 Demo - Published on Jun 2, 2012
Everything except drums is from Korg EX-8000. Some delay and reverb was added on some of the sounds.

Kawai K5000R Demo - Published on Jun 2, 2012
Everything, including drums is from Kawai K5000R advanced additive synthesizer.

Casio VZ-10M Demo - Published on Jun 4, 2012
All sounds including drums come from the Casio VZ-10M interactive phase distortion synth. Delay or reverb added on some sounds.

Yamaha TX802 Demo - Published on Jul 4, 2012
All sounds including drums are from Yamaha TX802. Multi-tracked with a touch of delay or reverb on some of the sounds.

Roland D-550 Demo - Published on Jun 14, 2012
An ambientish/downtempo track featuring the Roland D-550. Everything except some of the drums comes from the D-550.

Roland JD-990 w/ Vintage Synth Expansion Demo - Published on Aug 7, 2012
Old school demo of Roland JD-990 with Vintage Synth expansion card. All sounds except drums from the JD-990.

Commodore 64 & MSSIAH Demo - Published on Jun 4, 2012
A C64 with MSSIAH cartridge demo. Everything including drums is from it! As usual, a touch of delay or reverb was added to some of the sounds.

DSI Tetra Demo - Published on Jun 2, 2012
Tangerine Dream inspired demo. All sounds from Dave Smith Tetra. Delay and reverb added.

Waldorf 4pole - DSI Tetra Demo - Published on Jun 2, 2012
Another Tangerine Dream inspired demo. All sounds including drums come from Dave Smith Tetra and Waldorf MiniWorks 4pole analog filter. Delay and reverb added.

DSI Tetra - Oxygene I Loop - Published on Jun 2, 2012
JMJ's Oxygene I loop. All sounds by Dave Smith Tetra. Delay and phaser added externally.

DSI Tetra - Fade to Grey - Published on Jun 2, 2012
Visage - Fade to Grey cover. All sounds except drums are from Tetra. Delay and reverb added externally.

Synth Spotting with Visage in 2013

Visage - New Romantics, The Blitz Club and the New Album HEARTS AND KNIVES. EPK from March 2013

Published on Apr 3, 2013 therealvisage·5 videos

Additional videos below.

"A Video introduction to Visage, The Blitz Club (the cauldron of 1980s style and fashion) and the new Visage album and line up. More info on www.visage.cc

Founding fathers of the New Romantics and pioneers of the 80s sound Visage, return with a new album "Hearts And Knives" May 2013. Visage began in 1978 when Steve Strange and Blitz Club partner-in-crime Rusty Egan joined forces with Midge Ure to create a futuristic, synthesizer-led group where style and fashion were matched by experimental but accessible music. The group was soon Magazine and Billy Currie. They recorded their first single Tar with Martin Rushent at his Genetic Studio in 1978 (shortly to become the birthplace of the Human League Dare album). Their breakthrough track "Fade To Grey" became a European hit and reached number 1 in 8 countries in 1980. As the public face of the band Steve Strange shot to stardom throughout Europe and beyond.

Steve Strange has been through his own share of highs and lows in the past 29 years. His emergence as a fashion and style icon of the 80s and beyond is one of the many highs. Steve had always believed that Visage had not yet reached its endpoint. Slowly the circumstances and pieces started falling into place to enable a new album to come to fruition. Firstly Steve reconnected with Steve Barnacle (a Visage band member from the 1984 Visage album "Beatboy") and began writing songs once more. This was augmented when ex Ultravox guitarist Robin Simon joined into the equation bringing not only a large slice of shared musical DNA (that "Visage sound") to the project but also his own distinctive style and ethereal musicianship. Lauren Duvall joined adding not only her sultry vocal ability but also a slice of the classic Visage glamour. Secondly the environment and interest in 80's fashion, style and music continues on unabated. The phone continues to ring for shows, television, news and exhibitions.

More info on www.visage.cc"

Additional videos: Two from the early days of Visage and the new single below. Fade To Grey was one of the first tracks that sparked my love for synths.

Visage - Fade To Grey

Published on Mar 7, 2013 therealvisage·5 videos

Original music video for the Visage hit "Fade To Grey"

Visage - Visage

Published on Mar 7, 2013 therealvisage·5 videos

"Original video for Visage, by the band Visage."

And the first new track:

Visage - Shameless Fashion

Published on Apr 9, 2013 therealvisage·5 videos

Synth Talk with Richard Burgess of Landscape

LANDSCAPE: 'European Man'

Uploaded on Jan 19, 2008
Landscape's 'European Man', featuring Barbie Wilde.

Pea Hicks who runs Optigan.com and the MC-8 blog, has a great post up on Richard Burgess and the use of the Roland MC-8 Micro-Composer.  The following are a couple of excerpts and videos for reference.  Along with synth talk there are some interesting historical bits on the time including the origin of the New Romantic label and scene.  Richard Burgess worked with Rusty Egan who in turn was in Visage, a band consisting of him Billy Currie and Midge Ure of Ultravox, John McGeoch of Magazine, Siouxsie &  PIL (Johnny Rotten of The Sex Pistols), and others.  Lot's of cross collaboration at the time.  If interested you can start with Visage on wikipedia and click through the names.  The post-punk New Romantic followed by New Wave movement brought synthesis to many.  In Pea Hicks' interview you'll find a great audio snip with some geeky synth talk on setting values for the MC-8 - this is in an actual track.

"Pea: I’m sure to you it probably seems like a head-scratcher why anyone in this day and age would voluntarily subject himself to the hassles of dealing with ancient sync dilemmas, but for me that’s part of the fun and also it’s a way of working that inevitably produces some idiosyncratic results that you wouldn’t get by doing things the “easy way.” I’m definitely after that metronomic Human League type groove.

Richard: I think the machine definitely influences the result so I don’t see it as odd to want to use the MC8. I have thought about it myself.The same thing applies to analogue sequencers. Like I said, we synched the MC8 to the CR78 by programming a square wave to come out of the mulitplex outputs and then we adjusted the level through a console until it ran the CR78. Most of those old drum machines run on simple square waves with no flags. Getting them to run in the same time is less of a problem than getting them to start at the right time. I used the MC8 in preference to later machines because of the timing. I found early Cubase to be shaky (it’s fine now) and SMPTE Track from Hybrid Arts was very sensitive to processor load. I always liked the timing of the Linn 9000 and I still have mine. I don’t know about the DMX but the 808 should lock tight – it’s only one machine later than the CR78 if I recall correctly."

And on Shock's Angel Face:

"Richard: Oh yes, that was all me. Rusty Egan brought the group and the song and I programmed everything in my home studio and recorded it at Mayfair Studios in South Moulton St. with John Hudson engineering. It was the System 100Ms with the 10x gate modification on the bass line for sure. I did all their recordings and I wrote the rest of the songs with various members and Rusty."

Shock - ANGEL FACE - Shock