The Sound of Tom Sawyer: Geddy Lee's Legendary Synths Revealed

[@geraldhartley]

So cool to hear this all broken down. Thanks Marc!

[@drumstudio1]

You are the best Rush-Cover Band thinkable. Respect!

[@RFT2112]

Love this kind of stuff. Keep em coming. 🙏🏼

[@sobercoachdubai]

Brother. Thanks for the detail. Rare and wonderful. Bless you ❤

[@tonyolivieri3345]

Keep up the good work New World Men and blessings!!!

[@babaloobaaa]

Keep making them Marc !!! 💯🎵🎶🎸

[@StuffBudDuz]

Awesome! A good follow-up video idea would be to discuss how many of those layers Rush incorporated into their live performances, and how New World Men approach it live as well. Thanks for the great video!

[@NewWorldMenBand]

Thanks, that's a great idea!

[@BretHolmes]

Your enthusiasm for synth music is so awesome and inspiring. Thanks for your insights about Rush!

[@hart2alex]

Fantastic, Marc! See you all in BC 2025!

[@NewWorldMenBand]

Looking forward to it! Thanks!

[@HaywoodManley1]

Good stuff, very informative.

[@trippybear]

Thank you for making this video!! It is very informative.

[@eudemoniademers6883]

Wow! Je m'étais toujours demandé comment ils avaient produit ces sonorités. Merci Marc!

[@paultraynorbsc627]

🎵🎶🎸

[@Joe-mz6dc]

Beautiful stuff man. I'm also from Montreal. Living in Vancouver right now. I was at the show they filmed in the Montreal forum. 😉

[@NewWorldMenBand]

For Exit Stage Left? Stuff of legends! ;)

[@agentooe33AD]

I used to own an Alesis Micron years ago, and it actually had a preset with the Tom Sawyer sweep on it, and it was actually pretty good. Nice demonstration of various sounds and thanks for displaying what you were using to get them! Very nice!

[@BeanieBeanTX]

Outstanding, Marc! Thank you for sharing.

[@rick49]

Another great explainer! I have always wanted to know how Geddy made these great synth sounds. Thanks Marc!

[@RubixVanwalkman]

Nice demo, thanks for making that.

[@BlueJaysFanOne]

Very interesting; thank you for the breakdown.

[@jean-marclariviere7618]

Thanks Marc....please keep making them..always fun to learn...

[@dhamilton67]

I"m a RUSH nerd, I love this

[@garycitro1674]

Great stuff! Thanks!

[@brentd.4093]

Marc, as Bill and Ted would say. “EXCELLENT!!!!!” Really enjoy this !!!

[@ContemporaryFingerstyleGuitar]

Thanks for sharing your expertise! Very interesting information!

[@MartyDeAngeloSEstudios]

Thank you for sharing this, I love your band! Very informative.....

[@sergehamel6138]

Bravo Marc, tes vidéos sont excellents!

[@toolman8269]

Awesome, Marc! Love Rush, and I love your tribute band. So good! I have an OB-X8 and I love it. The first sound I played on it was the Tom Sawyer rez sweep. It sounds AMAZING! Loving these videos. Thanks.

[@NewWorldMenBand]

Yes, I had to chance to test drive an OB-X8 for a while a few months back. It was quite stellar I must say!

[@funland108]

That was AWESOME! Thanks Marc.

[@dodecafono]

This is great. Thank you for all the information

[@NewWorldMenBand]

Thanks for watching!

[@MIKEGOSSELIN]

Hey Marc... nicely said! "Mtl,Canada"😂. Keep up the awesome work 👏 . Mark from Hornepayne, Canada.😅😅 😅😅😅

[@loringmsuess]

Thank you for sharing

[@NewWorldMenBand]

You're welcome, glad you enjoyed it!

[@paultraynorbsc627]

Thanks for sharing Liverpool uk

[@SamLibman]

Awesome, love it!

[@sspaul294]

Absolutely amazing breakdown! Thank you Marc!

[@SamLibman]

Would love to see you break down some of the sounds on Jacob’s Ladder and La Villa Strangiato. Peace.

[@travisfischer4727]

Great video! Keep these going, I love hearing your breakdown of the synth sounds. If I can make a recomendation; it would be really cool if we could see a screenshot of the VST/knob settings for each sound as you describe them.

[@NewWorldMenBand]

Thanks for the comment! There are many other videos which describes how to craft those classic synth sounds. I wanted to stay "accessible" for the Rush fans and not to nerd out too much! :) Maybe I'll do a "Full Nerdin' Out" version in the future? :P

[@bbyoutubb]

Love it! Keep it up!

[@jbognap]

Cool video. As cool as the sweep sound is, my favorite of the four is the Moog lead sound. A perfect example of the Moog sound.

[@mattmckeon1688]

The string part is a low-key highlight of this song for me. The way it comes in behind the ascending bass & guitar part is a real moment.

[@NewWorldMenBand]

I'm totally with you on this! It is the nice counterpoint melody that lifts the whole thing up!

[@skysavvydrone]

How are you triggering that string part while you are playing the moog solo with your right hand?

[@mattmckeon1688]

@@NewWorldMenBandyou confirmed that it's the same patch used for the strings in Freewill. The Limelight patch also sounds kinda similar. Geddy got good mileage out of that sound!

[@NewWorldMenBand]

@@mattmckeon1688 Yes totally! Geddy used this patch a lot. The end of Limelight, the Intro to YYZ (with added phaser) or in the bridge part of YYZ as well (in the synth brass section) . The Camera Eye (when the main riff starts). Natural Science have some of it too... That's a ton finally... ;)

[@NewWorldMenBand]

@@skysavvydrone I sequenced it for the video, I couldn't play it all in one pass! (Though, I tried! ;) )

[@AngelaParker-sz1sx]

Love this stuff Marc great job thank you for this

[@paultraynorbsc627]

Cheers Marc

[@TPBass1224]

Great video.

[@curt300s]

bravo. bravo. bravo.

[@thedude7450]

You guys are soo good. So near perfect to the original band. I was wondering if you ever heard from any members of Rush, or if they are aware of your existence? If they are not aware, they should be. I think they would love what you do. -Bass player and Diehard Rush fan since 1978.

[@NewWorldMenBand]

We've been at it for 10 years now, they might have heard of us somehow! ;)

[@jesusenriqueramirezlumbrer3204]

Saludos desde México😊

[@RollerCoasterLineProductions]

Amazing.

[@biff3183]

excellent!

[@soopahsoopah]

Do The Camera Eye next! It's a veritable cornucopia of synths

[@NewWorldMenBand]

Hey, that's a good suggestion! (It's already done, we played it a lot last year in New World Men)

[@skysavvydrone]

Would be lovely to learn how to create the actual sounds using the tools you are using!

[@NewWorldMenBand]

Well, there's already many other folks showing how to craft those sounds with various synths, I wanted to keep this "high level" for the "non-synths" people. :) Maybe one day I'll nerd out!

[@skysavvydrone]

@@NewWorldMenBand yes you should definitely nerd out! You seem like quite the authority on how these patches are constructed given you are in a tribute band!

[@sgriffett541]

hey, what happened to the band? where's the band playing the song, like in your last video... your drummer, Alex and Geddy gonna be giving him a call. He carries a fantastic interpretation!! love'in your the synth breakdown. top notch... would love to hear some of your sound sculpture stuff... great content, thank you!

[@NewWorldMenBand]

The link for the band playing the full song is at the end of the video. I didn't want to bore people with tweaking knobs endlessly but I might try one day! Thanks!

[@mdu2112]

I'd like to know your take on Analog Kid angel choir and Jacob's Ladder interlude lead. All at once... Ruuuuuush!

[@NewWorldMenBand]

I'm thinking about Analog Kid! Then again, it's almost the same sounds that's in Subdivisions... Maybe one day! Jacob's Ladder would be nice indeed, I'll give it another listen!

[@watchmenstudios]

Come to Buffalo NY!

[@musiktrends]

Nice video. Can you please go into detail as to how you created the patches for those who don’t know anything about synthesizers?

[@NewWorldMenBand]

Hi there, I didn't want to bore people with the nitty/gritty details of me turning buttons forever on video. :) There's many other videos on KZbin showing you how to do it already.

[@musiktrends]

@ thank you. I’ve tried following other tutorials but could never achieve the same results. Besides, your results are excellent. Can you please make oberheim patch available to download?

[@wearetomorrowspast.5617]

Cool vid, love a bit of Taurus in the china shop. Q- What is your favourite synth used on Grace Under Pressure?

[@NewWorldMenBand]

@@wearetomorrowspast.5617 Good one! The PPG sounds in Red Sector A, I always loved!

[@LudwigSC93]

2:53 NVIDIA must be Rush fans. 😃

[@davidm3569]

👍👍😀😀

[@ruvela]

very educational and entertaining. question - are you able to play only the synthesizer parts, for the whole song, without getting penalized?

[@NewWorldMenBand]

Thanks for the kind words. Frankly, I didn't even think about it. I haven't got blocked on KZbin probably because it is not watermarked like the original or something? The content (the sounds) are a replica yes, but they're mine so, maybe that was it? Ah, the gods of the KZbin algorithms, we never know for sure! :)

[@stlflyguy]

There’s a 5th sound…the wispy sound that a Taurus can make in the user preset mode…in the studio video I think Geddy actually played the pedals with his hands. But it gets left out of all the live versions of the song. Same sound as what was used in Xanadu under the lyrics “to seek the sacred river Alph…”

[@NewWorldMenBand]

Nope, not present in the released studio mix, there is only 4. Isolated synths available here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fpfUcoR3l96Ug8k

[@hubbsllc]

MOVING PICTURES was recorded in October and November of 1980 but the OB-Xa wasn’t released until December. Furthermore, the video for “Tom Sawyer” shows a gray-paneled synth over on the left side of the rig at and 3:17 in the video for “Vital Signs” you can more clearly see it’s a gray-paneled OB-X, not the black-and-blue-paneled OB-Xa which wouldn’t have been released yet.

[@NewWorldMenBand]

Yes, honest mistakes, already explained twice in the comments. Used the new OB-X8 a few months back and I thought the filters on this board sounded best on the "OB-Xa" setting.

[@Gitarzan66]

You really have those tones dialed in. They sound great. Can I ask what keyboard controller you have there? I'm in the market for a new one. Yours looks cool. Thanks and greetings from Aurora Colorado.

[@NewWorldMenBand]

Thanks! I'm using the Arturia KeyLab 88 mkII. It's pretty nice, the keybed is a lilttle too hard for my taste (weighted action) but apart from that, I love it.

[@Darrin.Crawford]

So glad I found your channel Marc. Very informative. I tried creating the growl sound on my Prophet 10 and surprisingly it does an outstanding job. but it's no match to the Oberheim. Do you own the latest OB-X8?? I've been teeter tottering on getting it but I think it might be overkill for my needs. How do you like the G-Force?? I own their Mellotron package and although it was pricey (for software) I am so sooo happy with it. Great company..Us keyboard players gotta stick together..LOL!! Subscribed. Cheers from Hamilton, Ontario!! Darrin

[@NewWorldMenBand]

Hi Darrin! Yes, I had the chance to test drive the OB-X8 for a while, it sounds quite awesome! Compared it extensively to GForce's OB-X plugin, I must say it was dangerously close. Heck, sometimes, I preferred the plugin to the real machine (because of the onboard effects and presets). If you already own a Prophet (which is ALSO amazing!) I'd go for the plugin. You are in luck! GForce is having a black friday sale. £49.99 for OB-X, which is a no brainer to me... www.gforcesoftware.com/products/ob-x/ Enjoy!

[@LouisGedo]

👏 👏 👏

[@artaragon7894]

Definitely curious about getting that lead sound from my Behringer Model D if you have the time

[@NewWorldMenBand]

Fairly easy, set both Oscillators (1 & 2) on Saw Tooth (3rd position on the selector) and use 8' or 16' (depending on the octave you wanna use). Use the "OSCILLATOR-2" knob to fine tune your 2nd Oscillator to be "out of phase" with the first one (I mean, the closest you can bring them together). Tone down your filter and use a bit of glide and you are like 90% there. The rest is "Salt + Pepper" to taste. :) Have fun!

[@artaragon7894]

@NewWorldMenBand this is great though, I greatly appreciate it.

[@pmxevious]

Great video! One quick question. At the very beginning of TS when the filter sweep hits, I hear a low E rumbling under it - is that the same OBX patch or is there also Taurus underneath? Thanks

[@NewWorldMenBand]

Thanks for the compliments. There is no Taurus hidden underneath the Oberheim sweep sound. It comes a little later in the song. That's one of the Oberheim advatanges, the resonance doesn't eat up your low-end! RUSH used this to great effect here.

[@guskalogeros9021]

Another cool video. How would you play the Taurus pedals sound. Do you have a foot controller?

[@NewWorldMenBand]

Yes, got a Roland PK-5 on stage.

[@ParaRipperShaw]

a quantum leap forward

[@JohnnyMegabyteCanada]

Please do a Bass guitar setup and sound tutorial.

[@mdu2112]

He put one out a couple of years ago.

[@NewWorldMenBand]

Yes, I've been requested this several times, I might do a "Bass Tone Through The Years" type of video as it was suggested by a kind viewer. It's in the funnel! :)

[@MegaCraptacular]

I love it! Marc are you running the soft synths on MainStage off stage?

[@NewWorldMenBand]

No, I run them directly in Cubase, using a good old PC. :)

[@technoadmin]

J'adore! je me doutais qu'il y avait plusieurs couches de son mais essayer de les figurer c'est assez complexe quand même. Merci pour l'explication. Une autre question, ton contrôleur midi, c'est quel modèle?

[@NewWorldMenBand]

Merci, mon contrôleur c"est le Arturia KeyLab 88 mkII.

[@mr00ks]

Thanks Marc I am teaching myself to play the keys I now own 3 and trying to find the sounds I want. Love what you guys do I just wished I was close to you guys so I can see for myself. Keep doing what ya'll do best keeping RUSH alive. Thanks USA.

[@dnut2112]

Are you available at all to answer questions privately? I have the Arturia sound set also ( not sure if it has the OBX synth) but I struggle with how to set things up as I have a Roland Juno DS61, Little Phatty tribute, and Studiologic MPK117 midi pedals. Not in a Rush tribute but want to play some of their classics in a cover band I'm in here in the states. Would also love to learn how to create multi samples too and be able to map them to keys on the keyboard and then play them with my midi pedals etc. Any info shared would be done privately of course. Thank you so very much! Huge fan of New World Men btw. So wish you guys could play in the states as you would kill it for sure!

[@NewWorldMenBand]

You would need synth consulting? We could probably arrange something if so. Thanks!

[@dnut2112]

@@NewWorldMenBand that would be fantastic and would be forever greatful for any/all help and advice you could offer. Any thoughts on how we could arrange something?

[@jsullivan2112]

Fuck. Yes.

[@Markplaysmusic]

Merci beaucoup eh

[@wooliegeek]

Superbe! When playing live, what is your rig? I assume that if you program these sounds with plugins, you must have a computer (laptop?) on stage. Do you use MainStage or Camelot or something like that to control multiple synths and keyboard splits? Thanks in advance.

[@NewWorldMenBand]

@@wooliegeek Yes, that's exactly what I do, a simple laptop hooked via USB in our mixing board, easy peasy!

[@RFT2112]

How about a Hemispheres breakdown?

[@NewWorldMenBand]

@@RFT2112 Yes, why not? There's not many things to say on Hemispheres synth wise unfortunately... OB-1, Minimoog and Taurus, that's it. I know that there's also a bit of synth guitars thrown in for good measure! ;)

[@RFT2112]

@NewWorldMenBand . You are absolutely correct. Thats more of a guitar based album. How bout something of of Permanent Waves, “Entre Nous”possibly, or Jacob’s Ladder?

[@Darrin.Crawford]

@@NewWorldMenBand Wrote You above. I would buy an OB-X8 just so I can play Cygnus (Bringer Of Balance). Geddy singing along with that Oberheim is just pure gold.

[@joepre-l8g]

salut Marc, j'essai de comprendre car Rush est mon meilleur groupe à vie. Esce toi qui a créé les sons pour eux, ou tu les as aidé ou tu les as recréé à l'oreille ? merci ça nous fait comprendre la construction de la musique

[@NewWorldMenBand]

Bonjour, j'ai re-créé les sons à l'oreille oui. Beaucoup de temps de recherche! :)

[@joepre-l8g]

@@NewWorldMenBand wow impressionnant, c'est mon meilleur groupe depuis longtemps, j'ai acheté à l'époque et que j'ai toujours ma basse Rickenbacker 4001 comme Geddy Lee lollllll

[@bleve32]

Beau travail Marc. Question: quand tu joues live est-ce que tu as un backup si jamais ton laptop te lâche ? Et est-ce que ça t’est déjà arrivé ?

[@NewWorldMenBand]

Bonjour! Merci beaucoup pour les compliments. Mes laptops ne m'ont jamais failli sur scène! (HEUREUSEMENT!). Dans une ancienne vie, j'étais celui qui faisait le design des ordinateurs utilisés sur les spectacles du Cirque du Soleil en tournée. Disons que, j'ai "un peu" d'expérience en la matière, je travaille en amont! Je prépare mes machines AVANT le show pour m'assurer que tout roule rondement. Merci pour ta question!

[@philippezsiga1125]

Are you sure it was the OB-Xa and not the OB-X? I heard many times it was the OBX. Just asking ….

[@NewWorldMenBand]

You are right, my mistake! You see, I was using the newer OB-X8 when I first started tackling a reproduction of the patch. This board can do ALL of the OBXs, and I thought the OB-Xa filters sounded closest. But indeed, the original was tracked using an original OB-X (1980 was the year of the recording).

[@MIKEGOSSELIN]

Hey, I'd like to know if Alex Lifeson or Geddy Lee ever attended 1 of your shows?

[@NewWorldMenBand]

Unfortunately, no. It would be an immense honor to play for these guys! (Though, quite nerve wracking! Hahaha) Cheers!

[@MIKEGOSSELIN]

@NewWorldMenBand Bof... certain que c'est 1 pet pour vous autres...loll mets-en que ca serait un grand honneur. Imagine un apres show en coulisse avec eux. Wow...👌 on vous le souhaite grandement que ca l' arrive 1 jours. En tout cas on prend nos vacances au Qc et si vous jouez dans ces dates ... on se voit au show cretain!. Cheers...🍻

[@JoseEvers-s5u]

Classic discussion: OBX or OBX-a - Or is there a final verdict on that one :-)

[@NewWorldMenBand]

Oh yeah, the "problem" lies with the overlapping of the OB-X(a) releases... Release dates for OB-X (1979‑81) and OB-Xa (1981‑83) so, Moving Pictures was recorded in 1980, that can really be one or the other. I have to say that the newest OB-X8 board have the option to "Morph" into any of the 3 OB-X synths... I'd say OB-Xa, almost for sure... It has that sound... But I could be wrong! Hope this helps!

[@josesvintagekeys]

The synth sound in “Tom Sawyer” by Rush is famously attributed to the Oberheim OB-X, and there’s ample evidence to back this claim. Here’s a deeper dive into the full story, with supporting details: Timeline & Key Facts 1. Recording of “Tom Sawyer” (Late 1980): • Rush recorded Moving Pictures between October and November 1980 at Le Studio in Morin-Heights, Quebec. • During this time, Geddy Lee was heavily experimenting with synthesizers to complement the band’s progressive rock sound. The synthesizer riff in “Tom Sawyer” became one of the standout features of the track. 2. Release of the Oberheim OB-X (1979): • The OB-X was released in June 1979 and became widely adopted by musicians for its analog warmth and versatility. • By the time Rush began recording Moving Pictures, the OB-X was already well-established in studios and had been used by other prominent artists, such as Styx and Queen. 3. Release of the Oberheim OB-Xa (1981): • The OB-Xa, the OB-X’s successor, was released in 1981, after Rush had already recorded and released Moving Pictures (February 1981). • Because of its release date, it was impossible for the OB-Xa to have been used on “Tom Sawyer.” Proof That the OB-X Was Used 1. Geddy Lee’s Statements: • In multiple interviews, Geddy Lee has cited the Oberheim OB-X as his primary synthesizer during the Moving Pictures era. He specifically mentions using the OB-X for both “Tom Sawyer” and “Red Barchetta.” • Example: In a 1981 interview, Lee said, “The Oberheim OB-X really gave us the flexibility and the fatness we were looking for.” 2. Le Studio Equipment: • Le Studio, where Rush recorded, had an OB-X available in its inventory, which matched Lee’s live rig at the time. • Rush’s equipment list from the Moving Pictures era also shows the OB-X as one of Lee’s primary keyboards. 3. Live Performances from 1981: • During the Moving Pictures tour in 1981, Geddy Lee used an OB-X on stage to perform “Tom Sawyer.” Photos and video footage from the tour show the Oberheim prominently displayed in his keyboard rig. 4. OB-X’s Sound Characteristics: • The rich, soaring brass-like lead sound in “Tom Sawyer” is a hallmark of the OB-X. Its analog architecture allowed for the dynamic filtering and powerful polyphony heard in the song. • While the OB-Xa had similar capabilities, its sound was slightly different due to changes in its design (e.g., Curtis chips instead of discrete components), which wouldn’t have matched the tone of “Tom Sawyer.” Additional Context • Rush’s Shift Toward Synths: By the time of Moving Pictures, Rush had fully embraced synthesizers as an integral part of their sound. Geddy Lee’s choice of the OB-X was deliberate, as it provided the powerful analog tones necessary to compete with Alex Lifeson’s guitars in the mix. • Producer & Engineer Input: Producer Terry Brown and engineer Paul Northfield were instrumental in capturing the OB-X’s sound in the studio, giving it the clarity and presence that stands out in the mix. Legacy of the OB-X in “Tom Sawyer” The Oberheim OB-X remains synonymous with “Tom Sawyer” and the Moving Pictures album. Its iconic riff helped redefine what synthesizers could do in rock music, blending seamlessly with the band’s instrumentation while adding a futuristic, larger-than-life quality to their sound. This choice cemented the OB-X’s place in music history as a key contributor to one of the greatest rock songs of all time.

[@josesvintagekeys]

according to chatgpt… and my own experiece. i actually own the X… and had the Xa :-)

[@josesvintagekeys]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/ipSvp6tvlLqUhJIsi=Uth96y7QkhzPAAQF

[@josesvintagekeys]

however: the plug in sounds perfect as well 😅

[@watchmenstudios]

Contract SFN Podcast "Something For Nothing" A Rush Fan Podcast and do an interview!

[@NewWorldMenBand]

I think we already might have done this one, some time ago...

[@jackberlien8916]

Just FYI, it's not "moo-g" like a cow. It rhymes with "rogue" or "vogue".

[@NewWorldMenBand]

Bob himself has stated that he has relatives who pronounce their last name as Moo-g, and that the pronunciation can go both ways.

[@jackberlien8916]

@NewWorldMenBand No kidding? Nobody at the factory seems to think that.

[@jackberlien8916]

My company used to call on them.

[@NewWorldMenBand]

@@jackberlien8916 Well, don't take it from me, take it from the man himself... kzbin.info/www/bejne/i3WxXqxmhrZqmdU

[@McMillanScottish]

"How Geddy communicated to me that I was about to not like Rush anymore."