Hi - passed by the forum off and on for quite a while now. Time to ask a pressing Q.

Quick question to those who might know. How did Ultravox (Vienna onwards) get that haunting piano sound? is it minors clashing with the general feel of the song? was it the way it was eq'd, was it just the type of keyboard? was it the chord voicings used?

That sound has lovingly haunted me through the years since I was a teen in the 80's (you do know what I mean, don't you? think Vienna, Dancing...., etc) and now that I do sound mixing for a couple of bands myself, I'm still trying to replicate it.

Anyone? - the Monument guys? - Any help? - anything appreciated......

Thanks - Wayne

G'day mate

It was probably the way it was EQ'd, I'm pretty sure they used several types of the old piano-forte such as an accoustic grand, a Yamaha CP-30 & then a CP-70 for live use

I hope this can be of some use to you

Regards...

Don

Lots of minor chords and runs on minor scales also helped... Especially those downward runs starting on the minor 3rd....

In fact there are so many minors I'm surprised the music isn't labelled 'PG'...Or covered by Michael Jackson.... (erm, allegedly)...

Plus, don't forget to bathe everything in reverb.... <img border="0" title="" alt="[Cool]" src="cool.gif" />

Actually, and without wishing to contradict Sleepy or Mike, that haunting piano sound did in fact originate fom an actual haunted piano.

Billy Currie allegedly used to import haunted keyboards of various types from Eastern Europe. All the owners of said keyboards had always passed away in perculiar and unfortunate cirumstances.

Of particular interest was the Steinway belonging to Lithuanian potato-magnate Hurris Kompp.

Kompp - one time PlayFarmer 'Bag of The Month' - was a keen pianist who met a very unfortunate end when he tried making a mass-produced version of his potato-based wine: Gertmell.

At the inaugral tasting session for the wine's launch, he accidentally opened and drank an completely tainted keg in under 23 seconds.

The corrosive-plonk burnt a hole straight through his stomach lining and formed a localised black-hole that destroyed 1/4 of a square mile of the small village of Nessst.

After his funeral it was said that the piano carried his spirit throughout each of the following four owners, before it reached Mr Currie. All those owners went completely mad. Fortunately this didn't affect our 'Vox fave keyboardist at all.

Allegedly.

Just FYI.

potato-magnet? Has that been patented?

IMHO it was the instrument... yamaha cp70 from the time you mentioned.

samples of this instrument can be found at
web page

Keane also use this keyboard or a cp80 which is essentially the same.

could also try adding qed and dobly!

SI

By the Power of Edit Post I go North!

I prefer Red Spanish Onion magnets, myself.

100% agreed re: the piano sound. It's but one of many things that make the music special to me...

Great sounds and songs <img border="0" alt="[Suave]" title="" src="graemlins/suave.gif" />
I'm happy I grew up listening to good music, I can't imagine myself being me had I been born 15 years later.
It's haunting but that's why it's magical <img border="0" title="" alt="[Cool]" src="cool.gif" />

Hmm, sounds like it's been processed with echo, sometimes fed thru some leslie speaker - perhaps a bit compression added. At that time they used to put nearly everything through guitar amps, so that could be it.

Actually, there are at least a dozen ways to make something sound like this or that, it's not necessary _the_ tools or one particular thing. And even though two engineers had same tools and effects and preamps (and so forth), the differences would be huge when compared.

-Peter

true - as many here will know billy's arp was put through an electro harmonix distortion pedal.. the key to his sound not just the oddy

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Originally posted by Cromlech:
<strong>
All those owners went completely mad. Fortunately this didn't affect our 'Vox fave keyboardist at all.

Allegedly.

Just FYI.

Topic moved into the new 'How do I play..?' area.