Rock Organ IX - Rock Sounds for Keyboard

This month I would like to talk about different sonic possibilities for Keyboards in a Rock Band. There are so many options these days for sounds, it's really important to choose one that serves the piece of music. We will look into a few classic keyboard options and some more futuristic ones including detailed information on using envelopes and effects for color. We will play the different sounds over the same fairly typical rock vamp so you can see how differently each one functions.

Here we play a fairly simple Wurlitzer riff voiced in 4ths with notes taken from the G Blues Scale (G, Bb, C, C#, D, F, G). We've also added some distortion with our software plug-in. You can see that the drive is set pretty high and bright because I was going for a very rough sound. We also chose a wurli sound with no vibrato to accentuate the distortion a little more. The playing of 2 voices together simulates the timbre of a guitar power chord. The notes are all from the G blues scale and can be combined with each other to create interesting dissonances. On your own, experiment with playing different intervals from the blues scale at the same time for your own parts. Don't be afraid to use the very dissonant intervals too (like C# to D !)

My personal goto axe for rocking out; Hammond B3! In this example we will use a rather full drawbar setting (888808008) Percussion off, Leslie Fast, C3 Vibrato. In previous articles, I've spoken a lot about Jon Lord's straight rock sound. This is the total opposite approach. Notice also the voicing of the chord. On organ, it's very common to put a third over a 13 shell voicing. Notice that the shell voicing of F, B, E, which forms a G13 voicing over a G bassline has the addition of a G on top to form a really lush shouting chord. The Leslie is on Fast with C3 vibrato. The rhythm is also very direct; Stabs on beats 1 and 2 then holding the chord to let the Leslie do it's work.

Example 3 uses a modern Software Analog modeling synth called the Tyrell (It's freeware so look for it on the internet). Our synth has 2 oscillators. We have chosen a Triangle and Saw shape together for a very "New Wave" sounding line which really changes the sound of our track. Notice that the cut off on the filter is set fairly low and the res a little higher. This allows the sparkle of our triangle wave, which is a little louder in the mix, to shine through. Notice also the VCA envelope. Just for review A=attack or speed the note sounds; D=Decay or how fast the note takes to reach the sustain phase; S= Sustain or how long a signal stays at a constant volume after the Decay stage; R= Release is the sound after you have stopped playing. For our sound we have a very fast attack, medium decay, longer sustain and fairly long release. On your own synth, experiment with these settings and the Cutoff and Filter settings to tweak the sound, even mid performance. Again the scale used is G blues scale with a big emphasis on the very dissonant C# note.

This is a very simple Sawtooth wave which has a very aggressive character as oppsed to the more gentle Square and Triangle waves. We're actually only using one oscillator for this sound which reinforces it's simple and direct delivery. Again we use the G blues scale, but this time the phrase has two odd groupings of 7 which makes a very interesting hemiola and unusual part. Notice the filters; The Cutoff is set all the way up and the rez pretty low which gives the sound a very open character. the sustain is all the way up on the VCA also with the release all the way down which adds to the instant on and off quality of the sound.

I hope this has illustrated some of the options for choosing a sound. It's a good Idea to have a very good knowledge of your keyboard rig and to know all the factory sounds and where they are. It can help you really quickly to find just the right flavor for a tune!