Synclavier Product Specialist Kevin Maloney - Full Interview

[@Andronicus2007]

Thriller and Bad certainly had a couple of football teams worth of talented sessions musos, synth nuts and cowriters. As talented as MJ was, these albums definitely were a team effort.

[@caleykelly]

Songwriters as well!

[@Esperluet]

Collective creative genius

[@vaportrails7943]

The song “Synchronicity I” by The Police is also built around a Synclavier sequence. And Frank Zappa made a whole album with it.

[@IsaacAdamsJr-h8z]

AWESOME ❤.

[@dnsmusic]

I was so lucky to have my hands on this beauty 24/7 for 10 years in the 90s - the best sounding, most reliable and smartest "DAW" evva!! I want her back!!!

[@morbidmanmusic]

so you have said on every video....

[@Martin-cb4fh]

OMG,,, I can't believe I'm watching this. This the real MARTIN ROYER and I remember the day that was made (25:20 in the video). I was an NED Employee working there in tech support. It was a total dream job and I miss those days so much. I remember how cool Kevin was as the lead Product Specialist in LA. He was (and still is) an awesome person and musician. HI KEVIN! And of course there wasn't a synclavier person that didn't know the name Anthony Marinelli. He and his music partner were Synclav geniuses. HI ANTHONY!

[@russ254]

how cool!

[@gingervytis]

Hi Martin! John Slick here, product specialist from Richard Head's Songbird Digitial, the Southeast NED indy distributor. I remember staying at your apartment briefly when I went to L.A. around 1992 to do temporary tech support for the owner's group. Griff offered me a full time job, but I was torn between that and going to work as a fledgling C programmer in Boston. I thought the software engineering path might be more stable then sound design. Who could know which would be better? I still live in Nashville and do software dev for a submarine builder in CT.

[@jeremy8936]

At the age of 49, I spent the last year getting educated into all things sound design and buying my first synths. I am finding your videos breaking down the history of this world so inspiring. Better late than never :)

[@bart.grantham]

This is amazing. There's not a lot of material about how the Synclavier was used, so a demonstration like this from the people who were there is really special and unique. Thank you for sharing, and thanks for everyone involved in putting this video together.

[@djtrakakadrunkpoet8598]

U ain’t lied . It’s like watching Prince Program the Linn Drum

[@danfuerthgillis4483]

@@djtrakakadrunkpoet8598 Well we are lucky to be alive to see the people who were not only allowed to play these $200,000 systems but also the original creators of the programs themselves. Remember not everyone was allowed to go even near them since these early synthesizer systems was a massive investment even to a serious high end studio. Also another thing to consider with midi now multiple synths could be played in real times so symphonic possibilities opened up and that was a big break for the Music industry to start using less full symphonies as the time and studio space was very expensive.

[@neocollective5959]

I'm a bass player but cannot stop watching your vids Anthony ! Thank you !!

[@GregoryKeithe]

Me too.

[@FrancisMaxino]

The Korg M1 has very similar round buttons that glow like that, didn't know they were military spec from bombers. Had no idea that the Synclavier could do so much and always thought it was some sort of simple electric harpsichordey thing with a few limited sounds, wow, what a machine!

[@wallacebillingham9388]

This is rapidly becoming my favorite synth channel

[@kenzoblytheproducertv4934]

I hope kids that want to sound design and make there own sounds are watching this.This is like going to a prestigious school for music. for free.🫡🫡🫡

[@paulfisher1665]

I had the tremendous privilege to compose with a Synclavier 2 while studying with Jon Appleton at Dartmouth, '79 through '82, in a crazy little studio in an old railway utility station next to the Connecticut River. I always signed up for the Friday and Saturday night studio sessions because I could get 7 hours from 11PM to 6AM the next morning. Sometimes I would put together a multi-layered sequence, put it on loop, and sit on the steps and watch the northern lights (summer, '81). Amazing instrument and amazing times. I sill have a copy of the original instruction manual and a half dozen of the old 5 inch floppies with my patches and sequences. (never got to use one of the sampling units though ... we did old school tape slicing for that while I was there ... )

[@Bent6]

Anthony & Kevin, thank you for this! I caught the Synclavier bug in grad school in the 90s (the fact they had a Synclavier II seriously influenced my decision to go there). I spent a lot of time with it over a couple of years. I now see how I only scratched the surface of its capabilities. Even so, I loved working with it and have come close to buying a system a number of times. When Cameron announced the Regen, I bought one as soon as I could. Your Synclavier vids have helped me to get up and running as quickly as possible. I've been using them as tutorials and have been attempting to translate what you've been doing to the Regen. I've also been tearing into the factory libraries (thanks for your great patches!) to see how these timbres are constructed. My Regen has already proven itself indispensable for music and theatrical sound design projects. Thanks for your timely help!

[@issiewizzie]

I got into synthesis through the Synclavier in 84..... manage to get the Arturia version .

[@dstarling61]

After the comment about the B-52 buttons, it reminded me that I always thought the buttons on an Oberheim look like the ones in an Airbus flight deck.

[@jakehendriksen2841]

It's exciting to hear that the Arturia "emulation" I already own is in fact not an emulation, but the actual code of the Synclavier. I'm excited to dig into it more - particularly the resynthesis engine. You weren't kidding; What a brilliant and exciting instrument, even all these decades later.

[@philipjohnson2652]

I assembled all NED keyboards their last three years of existence.

[@DSZI.ShyHunterBB]

This is such a magical instrument and there’s hardly anything else quite like it!

[@jppagetoo]

I always was amazed by the Synclavier. This demonstration is mind blowing. I came to know it's use through Frank Zappa's albums of the 1980's. I always wanted to mess around with one. Now I see that wasn't really going to be what I needed. This is deeeeep.

[@battledj2933]

When we were amazed in the 80s to be able to create stereo music on the Commodore Amiga 500 with fast tracker, there already existed this ingenious device of which we were totally unaware. Such a fascinating insight into how this sound design was made back then. We assumed it was produced by real musicians playing real instruments for recording 🙂

[@ShallRemainUnknown]

Actually, the Synclavier did not have polyphonic sample playback until 1985, the same year the Amiga debuted - and the Amiga would have been released a year or so earlier if not for Atari suing Commodore to prevent its release. Until 1985 the Synclavier, even with its digital recording expansion, was purely monophonic - a single mono or stereo voice. Amiga was 4-channel polyphonic sample playback.

[@battledj2933]

@@ShallRemainUnknown Thank you for this story, nice to know this!It was funny that you had sometimes only the kickdrum in the left or right channel :-)

[@ShallRemainUnknown]

@@battledj2933 Haha, you ALWAYS had the kick drum (and every other sound) completely in either the left or right channel, since the Amiga stereo output hard-panned each channel fully to either right or left, nowhere in between. It was a limitation of the design, although some musicians/programmers nevertheless used the Amiga's stereo capability to interesting effect. Also, you could actually load Ensoniq Mirage sampler samples into the Amiga directly from Mirage floppy disk using special software, giving it a big library of samples. And you could devote much more RAM memory to samples than a Mirage could (or an $8,000+ Emulator II, for that matter!)

[@battledj2933]

@@ShallRemainUnknown Yes indeed, there we're mod files that sounded incredible like Jesus On E's was my favorite Amiga demo, 32 min of music on 2 floppy's! And the first (that i know) demo with digitized video fragments!

[@TruthSurge]

Imagine living pre-electricity. :( This was an amazing look at an amazing synth and history of some of it.

[@JKVisFX]

I was in high school when the Synclavier was first released. I was deep into electronic classical music and had just purchased "The Four Seasons" by Patrick Gleeson" and was transfixed by those sounds. I even remember taking out a magnifying loupe and was looking at the grooves on the LP during the final, heaviest part of "Summer." From that point forward, I did everything I could to learn more about the Synclav (long before the internet). I so lusted after that instrument and all of the possibilities that came with it. Now, I have the Arturia version as part of the "V Collection."

[@zarcon85]

The weird Sample Stretching Sounds a lot what Kraftwerk did with some parts on 1991s "The Mix" Album....Namely "Radio Activity" and especially a Part in "Music non Stop"...

[@whatspadethinks]

One of the reasons I have been using iOS Music Production apps exclusively in my home studio since 2015 is apps like Synclavier Go. On a device no bigger than a magazine you have DAW's that are just as capable as those on a laptop (Cubasis for years, Logic Pro has been around 6 months), full on code parity versions of all the Fab Filter plugins, tons of new software synths and versions of every bigtime electronic instrument in history (the Moog stuff, Korg, and of course, a rare, historical piece of gear like the Synclavier)...

[@pwmodulation467]

Anthony your channel has become essential viewing. Your song breakdowns are not only very educational, they capture the moments with the artists when the songs were conceived. Add to this the deep insights you give into the role the Synclavier played on the track and also how the Synclavier system works. For me the Synclavier has always been shrouded in mystery until now. I can’t thank you enough for making these videos and please keep making them for as long as you can please.

[@translucent_nick]

Funnily enough, the "Beat it" sound was featured on Tangerine Dream's "Kiew Mission" track from "Exit"..... 1981 !!! Because these guys had a Synclavier too on their Spandau Berlin studio.

[@chupathingy5862]

I heard an interview from Karl Bartos of a Kraftwerk who said programming the Sinclavier was a joyless, tedious process. It's amazing to see this man work on it so blazingly fast.

[@unduloid]

He's not really programming it as he is calling up presets. I guess making original sounds on it can be very tedious indeed.

[@GregoryKeithe]

I'm going to rewatch Stand By Me just to listen to the sounds❤

[@mudi2000a]

Incredible interview, mind-blowing. Especially the fact the Synclavier V, which I like very much, is using the actual Synclavier code so it is really a Synclavier!

[@mark35mi]

Loved this interview. I am a musician... not a keyboard player... falling in love with synthesizers. And old enough to appreciate this bit of history. Bravo!!!

[@IsaacAdamsJr-h8z]

TRUE ARTISTRY ❤🎉 , OLD & NEW SCHOOL MUSIC 🎶 🎵 👌 🙌 ❤️.

[@kimzim2001]

I wish Synclavier would make a control keyboard which reminds of the VPK to hook up to the Regen. Maybe complete with a control knob ;)

[@dessiplaer]

I had that demo record back in the day. Unfortunately, that was about as close as I ever got to having a Synclavier.

[@Säbelzahnoszillator]

Danke!

[@alphabeets]

Are these two of the coolest guys in the world, or what! Great stuff, guys.

[@deansophocles7051]

Thanks!

[@anthonymarinellimusic]

Thankyou!!

[@CaptainZuurpruim]

So cool to see and hear this. Never knew it was all mostly the Synclavier that defined the sound (together with the brilliant engineers!). Keep it up!

[@toolman8269]

Fantastic video! I remember hearing about the amazing Synclavier in the early '80s. Stevie Wonder and Tony Banks did some amazing work with them. It's a joy to hear the stories presented here from you guys. So amazing that Synclavier is alive and well in 2023 with their ReGen product! Looking forward to more videos. I can't wait for a lengthy and informative video on your favorite synthesizer, Anthony...the ARP 2600!

[@MusicoElectronico]

Great! Resynthesis is so interesting. Synclavier was, and still is, a dream machine 🎶 🎵 ❤️

[@ArgumentShow]

MY SET UP IN THE 80, INCUDING THE CAT AND KITTEN AT THE TOP OVER A SYNCLAVIER II

[@georgesidmusic524]

What a fascinating video! It is amazing how great this is instrument is. I always wondered how they got that bass sound on Smooth Criminal. I thought it was a DX7! Keep these videos coming Anthony!

[@Meteotrance]

I saw a documentary of sound designer from Skywalker sound that use that sampler synth for the sound effects of toy story and Jurrasic Park, but the first i heard of that machine, it was by the sound design team of Katsuhiro Otomo for the movie Akira, but since i heard that Sting do dream of the blue turtle and some of he's finest 80's album, with it im ever more impress by the FM and multi layer ability of this machine the FM plus additive sampling make this a total beast , it's like having a Roland D 50 with a Yamaha DX 7 and an E-MU emulator combine in the same machine but with a sequencer that's insane for a 1982 machine. Stephen Lipson and Trevor Horn do also crazy pop chart tune with that from Frankie Goes to Hollywood to Propaganda and Grace Jones...

[@mitchelstephen7536]

This is so good. I bought an Emax II in the early 90's, I was 19 years old... Two years years later.. I bought an Oberheim Xpander, it took me a whole year to save up for that, which was very educational like an Arp 2600. .. Then several years later..Frames.. is like a PPG, totally cool. I bought Waldorf Microwave XT. I hope you guys sell lots of the new Synclavs.... like the cooking channel and the lobsters by the beach!

[@boldstandard]

It would be amazing to see a video where you AB the original Synclavier against the Arturia app and maybe the iPad app and new desktop version, and give some pointers on how to make the software emulations sound or function more like the real thing.

[@Robbinsffxi]

An incredible instrument for it's time.

[@neilloughran4437]

I'd be fascinated by a 1hr video on the resynthesis part alone... not quite grabbing how it completely works.. sounds a lot like how modern synths like the Iridium and the like convert audio to wavetable "frames" but not quite... I recall Kraftwerk used resynthesis a lot on "Electric Cafe" so assume a lot of their strange voice samples are coming out the resynthesis.... there is a whole lot more to the Synclavier than the Fairlight it seems!

[@lars1588]

I thought it was a very complex envelope generator for the additive waveforms, but I could be wrong-- I've never even seen a Synclavier in person!

[@Dwaalspoor98]

This is so cool and such valuable footage for the generations after us. I did not realize there was such advanced and capable audio related hardware back in the day while I was still a kid.

[@dfglojkg]

It is amazing how much improvement NED put into that 9600 system vs The Synclavier II. Sure the FM on the II sounds evocative for '83, but add the HD recording, sampling, and other wildthings that a loaded $250 thousand dolla' system 9600 brings to the table before you get the "classic" Synclavier sound. I remember a Keyboard article in maybe '86 with Guy Babylon. He lamented spending his life savings on the II because a year later his DX7 was just as good!

[@kenzoblytheproducertv4934]

See how excited they are?They’re still excited about the sounds,amazing what music does…🫡🫡🫡

[@gregsullivan7408]

The very first sound on the demo record sounds quite similar to the "THX Deep Note"

[@SticksAandstonesBozo]

Can not express the happiness that finding this channel yesterday has brought me.

[@spyrock247]

This was super helpful to hear how good the sampling and frames sounds, amazing

[@bigglesfm]

Nice viewing thanks for the vid. I'm going to try to replicate that secret mj piano and moog bass sound now. I spotted that Telequipment scope behind the laptop ! We had one in the workshop back in the 70s.

[@andrewpatterson7932]

Your videos on subtractive synthesis have been so helpful in clarifying the steps to bringing a sound from your imagination to life: I’d really like to understand your method for acheiving the same with additive and FM synthesis.

[@trentpmcd]

Thanks, this is a great video! I'd love to be able to sit down at an original Synclavier II. I do have Regen and love it. So far I've done mostly just additive/FM, but a huge amount of fun, even without the samples. Hanging out in music forums, they still interact with their customers and listen, which is great. Question, though - do they still sell the stand alone big knob? I thought it was discontinued. I'd like to pick one up... Anyway, looking forward to more Synclav videos!

[@Synclavier]

Yep, there are some in stock now, they should be added to our online store very soon.

[@trentpmcd]

@@Synclavier Thanks! I just ordered one. As a FYI, I did a search to find it, I didn't see it in the store.

[@AScheidlerable]

Awesome 🙂 When I got to the University of Michigan in the fall of 1981 they had just gotten a Synclavier in the electronic music studio. More long format videos like this!!!

[@jlindborg1105]

A great interview!!! The Synclavier 9600 has been a dream of mine for many years. I do own the Arturia version but miss some attributs around the resynthesis which the original has. Between the old Synclavier and the newer desktop, regarding sound. Yeah, you can (should) hear the difference. This purely because designated DA-converters on the old system. The same goes for the Fairlight CMI. I had one some years back and it sounded HUGE and HEAVY compared to my other samplers which was EMU E6500, Ensoniq EPS 16+ and a PC.

[@issiewizzie]

I tried the resynthesis on the Arturia synclivaier version it does not sound like this :(

[@jlindborg1105]

That’s really sad….

[@andrew_d1612]

This is true music culture! Thankyou 👍

[@lit3work]

Absolutely fabulous insight. And still inspiring all these years later. That machine was so ahead of its time. Thank you both!

[@lundsweden]

As a little nerd in the 80s, I knew about the Synclavier from MJ's liner notes. This is also where I first saw the names of people often reffered to in this series. But how similar was a 1986 Synclav to an '83 model, or a '77 model? Did the underlying architecture eventually become a liability by the late 80s/early 90s, or did the updates keep it relevant?

[@SarcasticTruth77]

I'd love to observe the workflow of creating a large project. Would be great to see how fast the dedicated controls make it to get through tasks when the operator isn't having to continuously stop to explain. I'm sure the limitations of the old tech make some tasks slower, and that would be great to see, too. Don't misunderstand. The details are great. Please keep doing those. Every creation process I've seen, though, has been heavily edited, and that gives no impression of how long, or not, things take, all of the little work details, etc.

[@GabePickles3837]

33:13-34:08 I absolutely love these strings! Absolutely gorgeous! And the soundtrack for The Princess Bride is absolutely beautiful. Love it. One of my most favorite movie scores. I also now have it on CD. I already have the movie on DVD and plan on watching it soon.

[@AndyGrayedout]

We had one in the studio where I worked, from NED UK , the studio was looking at buying one. To replace a CMI3 at the time, it came with presets from Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, and also Englishman in New York sting . Was great fun playing with it for a few weeks, but it was very close to the S 1000 coming out not long after all of these Titans which I loved slowly disappeared.

[@citizen530]

The good old days. Great to see these guys still in the business.

[@belushipumpkin]

I love how every time Anthony reaches over to push a button or key on the SynClav, Maloney twitches protectively, like "don't touch my baby".

[@jmalmsten]

Ever since I first saw the Akira Production Report, the Synclavier has fascinated me. While I have accepted that their claims that it was the hardware that enabled surround sound editing was probably a misunderstanding being mistranslated and read by a voice over guy who had no clue what he was saying. But the way it can be used for general sound design is very fascinating indeed. So seeing, and hearing this deep dive was well worth the lenghty runtime. :)

[@neilloughran4437]

Interesting to hear the famous Kevin resythesis sample! I recall Billy Joel mentioning it in an interview and saying "why do I need to have a sound saying Kevin?"... I guess he didn't quite see the possibilities of the overall concept...

[@testohtoby]

I've always seen the Synclavier as a "fancy additive closet" but your experience combined definitly made me a fan of the synth (and the people behind it) I can't wait to get back to my studio and fire up again the Arturia Synclavier V Time for some "unusual sounds" please, never stop explaining this wonderful synthetic world!

[@issiewizzie]

been using the Arturia Version ... also been using the Logic Alchemy version ..... Great Times

[@PutItAway101]

Instant thumbs up, great to get the history from the guys who were in the middle of it

[@issiewizzie]

This additive resynthesis

[@autecheee]

Definitely going to get the Synclavier Go app…..and considering the knob, if I can find a used one.

[@KingMJForeverAndEver]

Thank you 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

[@Vosper808]

Anthony & Kevin, amazing video! Great to see some of the original Synclavier abilities. So you think you guys could meet again and go through REGEN?

[@llemaire1]

It would be interesting to present the Synclavier Regen, and explain how it can reproduce the original Synclavier sounds, and goes further on some aspects.

[@issiewizzie]

History lesson with the actual Synclavier. This is extensive. Nothing like it online

[@cresshead]

Superb video.

[@darrelldiaz]

Great job Kevin and Anthony! Would it possible to add to this series showing how to recreate some of these techniques using Regen, the Synclavier Knob and sequencing with Synclavier 3?

[@_fig.8]

loving this series! especially since receiving my Regen. invaluable resource and history.

[@MakerFarmNL]

Impressive series of videos! Thank you Anthony for sharing your very special life - and synth-experiences.

[@llemaire1]

Hi Anthony & Kevin. Thx a lot again for this great video !!! It demonstrates how the Synclavier is an incredible instrument, from the sound aspect but also from the ergonomic of its interface !

[@bwm5150]

Thanks you Anthony and Kevin for sharing your stories, experiences and expertise!

[@rbus]

I have the DAW that NED was working on when the company shut down and would be continued as the Fostex Foundation 2000, and it still works, except for occasional startup error message about bad clock sync.

[@issiewizzie]

I guess the Regen video in relation to the Synclavier will be next .lol

[@markmallinder7618]

Thanks for giving me a deeper understanding of this awesome instrument. It sounds to me like this is the best keyboard ever designed, even by today’s standards? Would you agree?

[@patriciaoudart1508]

Love This one, simplicity and the studio is like being at home, i've not this particular instrument but works always on complex setups, with multiple computers and FM and analogs, so was a pleasure to listen your explanations🙏💚🧡👍

[@Maximgurman]

You tell us secret stories I really wanted to know! Please, make video about MJ's drums! "Remember the time" drums is awesome!

[@Swat-ed5bt]

Michael forever ❤️

[@CGI__]

I literally had the synclavier on my pc since over a year and never used it (arturia bundle). I thought its probably a bad sampler emulation with very limited functions. This is amazing it's time for a deep dive into this i didn't now anything before watching this. :) thank you for this super interesting video. Also great to hear that arturia uses the original software!

[@issiewizzie]

figured it out after 7 years - short samples for resythesis works perfectly did the same with Logic alchemy it sounds the same except the synclavier now sounds the way i've always wanted ... Happy man here

[@KingMJForeverAndEver]

So cool to hear more about Beat It thank you thank you thank you 🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻

[@SuperWave86]

An amazing Interview 🎵 i love the synclavier its so unique and rich with sounds that is prevalent in music today. I loved to hear the history overview of the timeline of how the Synclavier has progressed till now! I love using the Synclavier Go! On my phone to create my music! Thx 🙏 for this more Synclavier videos please!

[@liminal27]

Fascinating. Thank you.

[@klaassiersma4892]

I loved this, a nice old fashioned geek out. This stuff is on a whole different level than the DX7 and the Ensoniq EPS I used in the late 80s.,( that thing had poly after touch too)

[@matti8208]

Thank you for the information of how expensive the instruments were back then. I would like to get this kind of perspective from other synths too. For what I know, in early seventies MiniMoog costed as much as a new VW beetle in northern Europe.

[@bengarland]

This is absolutely mind blowing! I had heard of the Synclavier but never knew anything about how different it was from other synths of the era. Even today, the fact that it can do what it does -- so quickly and precisely on such antiquated hardware -- is hard to fathom. Modern day product designers have much to learn about how the Synclavier exposed such powerful capabilities within such a simple and logical interface. Thank you Kevin and Anthony for sharing this history with us.

[@soundanswer]

Thank you so much for making this! I was really intrigued after seeing your demonstrations in other videos. Growing up I heard the term “synclavier” in hushed, revered tones and after watching this I feel like now “I get it.” The resynthesis and “frames” and how it relates to the different partials is something I would love to drive more into. Thank you!

[@lundsweden]

I have a Kawai K5000W which was released in 1996. It has some of the abilities of the Synclavier, Additive synthesis with control over harmonics, PCM samples (but no sampling) internal sequencer, multiple partials (you can mix Additive, PCM and AM).

[@andrewgenner2613]

Simply brilliant video. Fascinating history and educational. I'm going to fire up my Synclavier V this evening.

[@lesfuller5984]

Another great one, Anthony! I never get tired of these “in depth” chats with Kevin! So much history in one product. Again, I never knew the Synclavier featured in “The Princess Bride”! 🙌👏🙏

[@mobimalin]

Thank you 🙏

[@macronencer]

Very cool discussion - thanks! I didn't know the Synclavier was used a lot on The Princess Bride. It was quite a trip near the end of this video, to follow the discussion about cost into the modern mobile apps demo - from $4500 per Mb to as many voices as you could need in the palm of your hand: we've come a long way! I have Synclavier V (Mac desktop/plugin version), and although it doesn't have the sampling/resynthesis it does make beautiful sounds. I've used it in my music.

[@alexfrombarnet]

Such a great video! So interesting to hear all the different sounds with everything else stripped away. Keep these coming!

[@mikegeary8056]

It shocking how advanced it was for when it was made.