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Synthesist Andy Whitmore – in his latest video – takes a look at recreating some of the most iconic sounds of Vangelis, using a Yamaha CS-80 and modern effects.

“In this video, I play 8 classic Vangelis riffs on my original CS-80, matching both the synth tones and the iconic effects vibe as closely as possible,” says Whitmore. “This is the CS-80 as it was meant to be heard: huge, cinematic, and dripping in Blade Runner / Chariots energy.”

While Whitmore gets very close with his choice of sound design, using the original instrument and adding a Vangelis-style effects chain, these attempts often have an ‘uncanny valley’ aspect to then. When you know the recordings of Vangelis and have listened to them for years, any difference seem to pop out.

Of Whitmore’s recreations, the Blade Runner Brass patch and String Pad, the To The Unknown Man Intro, and the Blade Runner Flute Intro sound about as close to the original as any recreations we’ve heard. Ultimately, though, we think recreating iconic synth recordings like this is a fantastic way to expand your sound design skills, and a great way to gain an extra layer of depth in your appreciation of the originals.

Time Stamps:

00:00 Intro

00:20 Vangelis – Chariots Of Fire Brass Melody

00:54 Vangelis – Blade Runner Brass Line

02:05 Vangelis – Blade Runner String Pad

03:06 Jon & Vangelis – I Hear You Now Main Theme

04:39 Vangelis – Chariots Of Fire Brass Lick

05:16 Vangelis – To the Unknown Man Intro Melody

06:47 Vangelis – Blade Runner Flute Intro Line

08:14 Vangelis – Blade Runner Brass Line (no bass)

09:10 Outro

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Watch the video, and share your thoughts on it in the comments!

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A year on from the release of Earth Piano, Roland is launching Earth Electric Piano, a software instrument that the company says brings “every electric piano you’ve ever loved together at last”, placing an extensive library of “meticulously crafted” tones and customization options beneath an intuitive and easy-to-use interface.

Earth Electric Piano combines multi-sampling with Roland’s proprietary modelling techniques to deliver recreations of “the full spectrum of classic electric piano sounds” from musical history, from trusty Rhodes and Wurlitzer sounds to the Hohner Clavinet and Yamaha CP series.

Also onboard is a Vintage Digital category that features synth-based piano tones from instruments like the Roland RD-1000 and JD-800, along with “classic FM voices” like the Yamaha DX7. Sonic characteristics such as electronic hum and hiss and mechanical key and damper noises can be introduced for added realism and authenticity.

Once chosen, tones can be shaped via two modelled preamps and 12 cabinets, given movement with six types of tremolo, and processed with a comprehensive arsenal of effects.

Roland has gone all in on the effects section for Earth Electric Piano: you’ve got multiple flavours of chorus, flanger, phaser, wah, filter and delay, along with a rotary speaker emulator, a dedicated compressor panel equipped with LA-2A and 1176 emulations, and a versatile reverb section that features the Venue convolution reverb from Earth Piano. Rounding things off are a three-band EQ and filter.

Earth Electric Piano is currently available for $49.00, an 80% discount on the MSRP of $249.99. The plugin is available in VST3, AU and AAX formats, and can be hosted within Roland’s Galaxias instrument, which allows you to split and layer its sounds with other Roland Cloud instruments.

Find out more on Roland website.

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In the latest Sonic State Sonic Lab, Matt Hodson takes a look at the new Erica Synths HexDrums.

The HexDrums has 10 sound sources, mostly based on the Hexinverter Mutant series of percussion modules: two kick drums for different (or combined) flavors – the BD9 and Bass drum, an optimized Mutant Machine, Snare drum, Clap, Rimshot and HiHats.

To complete the setup, Erica Synths Cymbals have been added, featuring 10 sets of crash and ride cymbal samples.

All drums have individual outputs and in the master section, they are panned in the stereo field before being sent into the Compressor and Master Drive, derived from the Mutant Glue.

“It is a really good quality, simple but powerful and versatile drum machine,” concludes Hodson.

View the video and share your thoughts on the Hexdrums in the comments!

The Erica Synths HexDrums is available to pre-order, priced at € 1200.00, with shipping planned to start at the end of November, 2025.

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