I remember reading, possibly on another forum, that the score was performed live by multiple keyboard players. I think the main riff was Jupiter 8 and other synths were Prophet 5, OBX, CS-80 and Minimoog?
Hopefully someone can provide a link to an interview or something to back this up.
Jupiter 8, OBX, Prophet 5, CS80, Minimoog, and possibly a Rhodes Chroma. Ian Underwood, Ralph Grierson, Randy Kerber and Mike Lang are all credited with playing Synth or Keyboards.
I remember reading, possibly on another forum, that the score was performed live by multiple keyboard players. I think the main riff was Jupiter 8 and other synths were Prophet 5, OBX, CS-80 and Minimoog?
Hopefully someone can provide a link to an interview or something to back this up.
That wouldn't surprise me. This was all before MIDI, and you can hear timing inconsistencies in most of those old tracks.. but it added to the character.
I remember reading, possibly on another forum, that the score was performed live by multiple keyboard players. I think the main riff was Jupiter 8 and other synths were Prophet 5, OBX, CS-80 and Minimoog?
that sounds right, i found an interview of stu where he mentions 5 or 6 synth players were indeed used for the recording, but didn't specify what models...thanks!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ghosted
That's not Stu, it's Mike Post. He did most of the 80's TV shows back then.
that sounds right, i found an interview of stu where he mentions 5 or 6 synth players were indeed used for the recording, but didn't specify what models...thanks!
I stand corrected I was confusing it with the "Airwolf" theme. Knight Rider was a way better show when I was 10.
Quote:
Jupiter 8, OBX, Prophet 5, CS80, Minimoog, and possibly a Rhodes Chroma. Ian Underwood, Ralph Grierson, Randy Kerber and Mike Lang are all credited with playing Synth or Keyboards.
yea apparently the knight rider theme was pretty revolutionary too at the time as it was the first tv theme using multiple synths for it's arrangement (i think story has it they were inspired by kraftwerk)
..i'm still curious about the arpeggiated riff that runs through the entire theme, is this a synth (JP8?) or just a muted picked elec guitar?
I remember reading, possibly on another forum, that the score was performed live by multiple keyboard players. I think the main riff was Jupiter 8 and other synths were Prophet 5, OBX, CS-80 and Minimoog?
Hopefully someone can provide a link to an interview or something to back this up.
I remember reading, possibly on another forum, that the score was performed live by multiple keyboard players. I think the main riff was Jupiter 8 and other synths were Prophet 5, OBX, CS-80 and Minimoog?
Hopefully someone can provide a link to an interview or something to back this up.
That's correct and I'm pretty sure I was the one who wrote the post on that forum.
I got the info from Stu Phillips, and Ralph Grierson has confirmed to me that he did play the "arpeggiated" riff live using a Jupiter-8.
Here's what Grierson said: "I had a Jupiter 8 for the basic sequence type sound which I did play live. I probably had a CS80 as well as a Rhodes Chroma."
and a quote from Phillips: "There were four synthesizer players on the KR theme session. Each player had several keyboards. I cannot recall all of the instruments that were utilized, but I'm certain that Roland, Oberheim, Moog were among some of instruments used. I personally had a Jupiter-8. One of the first models made. I still own it. Three of the players on the date were Ralph Grierson, Mike Lang and Ian Underwood. I can tell you that the 16th note figure that opens the theme was played by Ralph Grierson and was not sequenced, but played live."
Phillips didn't explicitly mention the OB-X and Minimoog but I do know that Ian Underwood used to use both synths at the time (he also had a Rhodes chroma but that might have been a year or so later).
Underwood and Mike Lang were also using the Prophet 5 at the time so I'm pretty sure it saw some use on the show as well.
That's correct and I'm pretty sure I was the one who wrote the post on that forum.
I got the info from Stu Phillips, and Ralph Grierson has confirmed to me that he did play the "arpeggiated" riff live using a Jupiter-8.
Here's what Grierson said: "I had a Jupiter 8 for the basic sequence type sound which I did play live. I probably had a CS80 as well as a Rhodes Chroma."
and a quote from Phillips: "There were four synthesizer players on the KR theme session. Each player had several keyboards. I cannot recall all of the instruments that were utilized, but I'm certain that Roland, Oberheim, Moog were among some of instruments used. I personally had a Jupiter-8. One of the first models made. I still own it. Three of the players on the date were Ralph Grierson, Mike Lang and Ian Underwood. I can tell you that the 16th note figure that opens the theme was played by Ralph Grierson and was not sequenced, but played live."
Phillips didn't explicitly mention the OB-X and Minimoog but I do know that Ian Underwood used to use both synths at the time (he also had a Rhodes chroma but that might have been a year or so later).
Underwood and Mike Lang were also using the Prophet 5 at the time so I'm pretty sure it saw some use on the show as well.
Hope this helps
Micke
Thanks Micke! That's great info.
I remember reading what I'm sure must have been your post, but when I did a Google I couldn't find it.
From your quotes, can we deduct that at least two Jupiter 8's were used? One played by Grierson and one by Phillips? It would certainly take one hell of a budget to faithfully reproduce the original theme!
if you're thinking of sampling it, its been done twice before :
I was actually thinking of how good the drums (not the riff) would sound as a loop layered with 4/4 kick drums. Sampling the synth riff has always sounded a bit lame to me, also in those two examples you posted.
I was actually thinking of how good the drums (not the riff) would sound as a loop layered with 4/4 kick drums. Sampling the synth riff has always sounded a bit lame to me, also in those two examples you posted.
it was a hot rap trend of the 90's (sampling 80s tv themes). of course the drums are great, but i like every element of that theme, would love to have the stems..
They sure didn't spare any cost indeed with synths/player line-up!
They certainly didn't, and the result was a TV theme we are still talking about 30 years later.
Quote:
Originally Posted by xanax
I had a feeling that arp line was JP8, i've gotten similar results on Juno/JX3p..almost electric guitar like.. amazing it was all played live though
Yes, I have made similar guitar type sounds on a Jupiter 8, often with only a single oscillator. I'm now a big fan JP-8000, which to me can sound very close to the JP8 at times, but simple, short, plucked sounds like this are perhaps one area where it can't quite match the JP8 due to the difference in envelope curves.
Stu Phillips told me that he didn't use his own Jp-8 on the KR sessions so I reckon that only Grierson's synth was used. I'm not sure whether Phillips played any keyboard parts himself on this score, as he'd done on "Buck Rogers" (together with Underwood and Michael Boddicker) - but I don't think so.
yo why is it so hard to find a high quality file of this version? it seems the one with more orchestration added (credit to Stu) is in a few places and still not even high quality but this version here seems to only exist on youtube.
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I was confusing it with the "Airwolf" theme. Knight Rider was a way better show when I was 10.
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That's pretty good!
