New Music for The ARP 2500
Producer, composer & synthesist David Baron has announced a new album, The ARP 2500, that he describes as “The first ever all ARP 2500 album.”
Baron owns a private recording studio, Sun Mountain, located on top of a mountain overlooking the Ashokan Reservoir, with a collection of vintage synthesizers, including an ARP 2500.
The ARP 2500 is a monophonic analog modular synthesizer, the first product of ARP Instruments, Inc., built from 1970 to 1981. It is equipped with a set of sliding matrix switches above each module; these switches are the primary method of interconnecting modules.
Baron’s new album, The ARP 2500, is set for a November 10th on Here & Now Recordings. For the album, the ARP 2500 was the only sound source.
What David Baron say about the album:
“The Arp 2500 was the only sound source. I sequenced one or two patches at a time and then built the compositions in layers.
A lot of the audio FX were created through the use of pedals. The reverberation came from the Bricasti, EMT 240 Plate, Roland Space Echo 501, and a Vermona Spring Reverb. The Arp 2500 always ran through the Avedis Key Pre. I used very little dynamic compression/limiting. Time delay effects were mostly created ‘in the box’ but also with rack mount outboard including the AMS Tape Phase Simulator, an Eventide Instant Flanger, and a MXR Flanger/Doubler.
The instrument stays in tune (for the most part). The filters can distort so some care has to be used when gain staging. The envelopes are very snappy. The sound is beautiful and creamy yet percussive and forward.”
You can preview the album with the single City of Nerves, video above. The ARP 2500 is available for pre-order on Bandcamp, and will be out Nov 10th.