NOTE: These downloads are in a proprietary format that is exclusive to Fusion and will not work in any other sampler POLY VOX This is an update to the PolyMoog Vox Humana Freepack which comes 9.3MB HUMANA courtesy of self confessed Numanoid, Joeri Peeters (Picaja). The original vox Humana on offer below (from Suit And Tie Guy - and by his own admission) was sampled via one the PolyMoog Keyboard's output that had a filter applied. Whilst a nice sound in itself, Joeri has managed to get access to a re-conditioned PolyMoog Keyboard owned by Leo Gelderland from Holland. Joeri is pictured above with Leo's PolyMoog Keyboard. Joeri has taken long samples of the Vox Humana sound at every minor third via the PMK's AUX output that bypasses the filter thereby giving THE Gary Numan 'Cars' sound. And it's fabulous! Brighter and somewhat 'fizzier' and totally authentic - as soon as you play a few notes, you just hear that record. And because the PMK has had a total overhaul, no nasty mains hum issues or duff notes. Joeri has looped them seamlessly and has also programmed the assignable knobbage sympathetically. I am indebted to Joeri for driving up to Rotterdam to sample the thing and the work he has put into this and for making it available. A big hats off and thanks to Leo too for allowing Joeri to sample it and making it available to us. This has to be the most authentic representation of the PolyMoog Keyboard's 'Vox Humana' sound available anywhere with the option of the original filtered version if you prefer. All bases covered! CHINESE To coincide with the spectacular opening 1.1MB PERCUSSION ceremony of the forty billion dollar circus that is the Beijing Olympics, it seems somehow appropriate to make these samples of Chinese percussion available to the Fusion community today. There are 15 samples of traditional Chinese drums, cymbals, gongs, bells, blocks and other instruments mapped out across the keyboard from C1 - C3. There are no performance controls or anything - they are presented as is. Whilst simple (and modest in size), they are full of oriental character and flavour. It would be nice to say that these are the actual samples that were selected for use in the opening ceremony but they are not. I created them originally for Akai's S5000 and S6000 and then converted them for use on their MPC1000 where they were part of the 'Kit Of The Week' season they ran as a promotional support tool for the product. They have subsequently made their way into the MPC500 as well. Enjoy the collection. NOTE: This download should in no way suggest or imply any affiliation with the Beijing Olympics or any organisation associated with the event or any trademarks or copyrights. Neither does it suggest or imply support of any particular team or, indeed, any tacit approval of any political issues that may exist. The use of the event's logo is purely for 'illustrative' purposes only and is not to suggest or imply that this download is (or represents) in any way 'official merchandise'. This download is made available solely for users of the Alesis Fusion in the spirit of the event and, in particular, as an 'homage' to the opening ceremony. VOX THE classic 'Vox Humana' sound from an original Polymoog keyboard. 5.7MB HUMANA Image from vintagesynth.com Derived from the hugely expensive, thin sounding and thoroughly unreliable Polymoog, the less expensive Polymoog Keyboard offered 14 presets and limited editability (but still cost £2,000!). Both Polymoogs weren't true synths in the strict sense of the word. Instead, they used 'divide down' electronic organ technology to provide total polyphony. This was an attractive feature but it meant compromises, the most significant being one filter to service all voices which was hugely limiting, especially when compared with the Yamaha CS80 which appeared on the market shortly afterwards and which had eight 'true' voices (and sounded a lot better). But the 'Vox Humana' sound became a 'classic' the day Gary Numan used it on his monster hit record, 'Cars' and other songs of his. Somewhere between a vocal sound, a vocoder and a mellow string patch, it soared in the instrumental sections in 'Cars'. The record was a big hit in its time but also enjoyed more success some years later when it was re-released following the record's use in a UK car advert. This is the real deal from an original Polymoog Keyboard. I can't claim credit for sampling it but a certain 'Suit & Tie Guy' has made samples from his Polymoog Keyboard available for plundering in the public domain and I for one appreciate it very much. I drooled over the Polymoog when I was a lad and the Vox Humana sound was definitely one of my favourites. I have searched high and low for years, seeking out synth geek friends and acquaintances and friends of friends who may have one to sample but with no success. And then, quite by chance, I discovered these this evening. There is a long and detailed (and seamlessly looped) sample (between six and ten seconds each) on every minor third which have been optimised down from the original 104MB to a more manageable 5.7MB!!! It still sounds totally authentic however. There's a small hint of corrective EQ on an insert to remove the 'singing' from the original's divide-down organ oscillators especially in the higher frequencies Although there is just one program, the assignable controls allow you to adjust attack, release and FX balance so there is a lot of variation to be had. Hats off to Suit & Tie Guy for these!! GIOVANI In a unique collaboration with leading 10.5MB BOYCHOIR - soundware innovator, Bela D Media, Hollow FUSION Sun is pleased to offer the 'Giovani Boychoir EDITION - Fusion Edition' for free download. One of the highspots of my career was to be asked by Francis Belardino, CEO of Bela D Media, to work on their stunning children's choir collection, 'Giovani - Voices Of The Young', in particular, looping the sustained portions of the samples. It was a tall order - these were samples that would be heard in isolation in demanding environments by demanding professionals and had to be better than perfect! However, these were just part of a far greater project. As well as the sustained loops, 'Giovani' also offers stunning vocal articulations that allows these and other samples to actually 'speak' using ingenious and proprietary software developed by Bela D's own talented programmers. The result is probably the finest sampled childrens' choir on the market today and which is regularly used by leading international composers and also major Hollywood film scorers. The full 'Giovani' collection from Bela D Media features a boys and a girls choir recorded independently in a beautiful church acoustic captured with the finest in analogue and digital recording technology and edited by those at the top of their game - no expense was spared in the recording and editing and programming of these childrens' angelic voices to create what is arguably THE most ethereal vocal sound available today. Various vowel sounds were recorded (ohs and ahs) as well as other vocal articulations. What Bela D is kindly offering to the Fusion community is the boys choir articulating simple 'ohs' and 'ahs' in four simple programs created by Hollow Sun - 'oh', 'ah', and an 'oh/ah' articulation controlled by the modwheel and a velocity switched 'oh/ah'. A far cry from the full 'Giovani' or even the 'LE' versions, of course, but totally sublime and beautiful sounds in their own rght. You can find out more about 'The Giovani Edition - Voices Of The Young' HERE and you can discover more about Bela D Media's many other innovative products HERE. I am extremely grateful to Bela D Media for granting me permission to share these gorgeous sounds with the wider Fusion community. This truly makes Fusion unique in the market as the only hardware product to feature these sounds. If these 'tasters' whet your apetite, be sure to check out the full version. SHORT AUDIO DEMO OF 'GIOVANI BOYCHOIR - FUSION EDITION' Bela D Media.com holds all rights to the sounds/samples on offer in this download and they are generously made available here in Fusion's proprietary sample format by Bela D Media, Inc., solely for the use by Fusion owners under an exclusive licence agreement with Hollow Sun. They may be used without restriction in your own musical endeavours but they must not under any circumstances be sampled and/or converted to any other format and/or sold or made available or re-dstributed without express and written permission from Bela D Media. Inc. and Hollow Sun. Any known contravention of this agreement will be pursued to the full extent of international law. Please respect the spirit in which these sounds are offered. RICKY 4001 This download comes from markone, a 2.6MB Fusion user who has kindly contributed this sample set of a Rickenbacker 4001 bass that features not only the raw sound of the Ricky but also slides and other performance nuances. The Rickenbacker 4001 was a popular bass in early prog rock and used by the likes of Mike Rutherford (Genesis) before he progressed to his Shergold 12-string guitar/bass double neck by way of a custom Rickenbacker double neck of a similar spec.. Its bright, metallic tone was also favoured by Chris Squire of Yes. Other notable users were Roger Waters (Pink Floyd), Geddy Lee (Rush), Jon Camp (Renaissance), Roger Glover (Deep Purple), Lemmy, Paul McCartney and John Entwistle.