Vintage VI

A collection of Virtual Instruments with a 60s and 70s retro vibe

VINTAGE VI is a collection of multi-sampled instruments that captures the great retro sounds of classic Rock, R&B, Soul, Funk, Country, and Jazz tracks from the 1960s and 1970s.

The list of instruments ranges from rare, collectible, and even one-of-a-kind pieces to cheap knock-offs and banged-up stuff found in junkyards. Instruments weren't included just because they were rare or expensive. Instead, they were chosen because they sounded cool, and had a unique character: a "vibe" that's often absent from the meticulously recorded, "pristine" sampled instruments of today.

The drum sets in VINTAGE VI are live and open: snares crack and ring and toms thunder, untamed by gates or compressors. Keyboards were sampled clean and through old amps, yielding sounds ranging from "classic" to "borderline psychotic" (see the Filthy Wurlitzer patch). Basses and guitars were set-up to replicate a variety of retro sounds and styles from many musical genres. And for good measure, we even included a psychedelic staple of the late 1960's, the electric sitar.

DRUM SETS

1958 Rogers Mardi Gras Holiday Set - The Rogers sets and snares from the 1950s-1980s are considered to be some of the best  and most innovative American drums, and are highly collectable, They were used by numerous funk and soul drummers; Dave Garibaldi of Tower of Power used Rogers drums on all of the early TOP albums, and was an endorser. Rogers kits with this Mardi Gras Finish are very rare and are highly sought-after by collectors. They also sound great. 5.5 x 14 Snare  22 x 14 Bass Drum 9 x 13 Tom 16 x 16 Tom

1960s Gretch 3-Ply Wood Jazz Set

1950's Round Badge Snare 5.5 X 14 inches - This type of snare drum has a lighter sound and was used in many of the Blue Note Records recordings during the 1950s-1960s. The case that came with this drum looks more a small suitcase than a drum case. The rim shot hits were played like older Jazz players used to play them: one stick was laid across the drum head and rim and struck with the other stick. 14 x 18 Bass drum, Stop Sign Badge 9 x 13 Tom, , Stop Sign Badge 8 x 12 Tom, Stop Sign Badge 14 x 14 Tom, Stop Sign Badge; a thin Ambassador snare head was used as the bottom head for this tom, which gives the drum a louder, brighter sound.

1970 Ludwig Butcher Block Jazz Set This is a small Jazz kit that was made for Joe Corsello by Bill Ludwig Jr. when Joe was playing with Marion McPartland. It was made of 2-ply wood, which is very light and very resonant.

14 x 18 Bass Drum  8 x 12 Tom 14 x 14 Floor Tom

1974 Ludwig Vistalite Tequila Sunrise Set - This drum kit uses acrylic shells instead of wooden shells and has exceptional projection. Vistalites were popularized by Led Zeppelin drummer Jon Bonham.  24 x 16 Bass Drum 9 x 13 Tom 14 x 14 Tom 16 x 16 floor  Tom #1 16 x 16 Tom #2 5.5 x 14 Snare

1978 Rogers Fusion Set This type of set, with 4 or more toms, was popular with Fusion players of the late 1970s. 16 x 22 Bass Drum 8 x 8 Tom 8 x 10 Tom 8 x 12 Tom 9 x 13 Tom 1970s 5.5 x 14 Dynasonic Chrome on Brass Snare

1984 XP8 Rogers Tobacco Sunburst Set 1980 Rogers 6.5 x 14 Snare 14 x 22 Bass Drum 8 x 12 Tom 9 x 13 Tom 15 x 15 Floor Tom 16 x 16 Floor Tom

SNARES

1915 Ludwig & Ludwig 7x 14 snare - A very old, solid wood snare with wood hoops and a single tension bar that has to be tightened by hand. It has tuning lugs on the bottom that allow the drummer to tune the bottom head without the need of a drum key. This snare still has the original strainer and also has the original calfskin heads on top and bottom

1915-1920 Slingerland 5.5 x 14 Snare Originally owned by Gene Krupa and used with the Benny Goodman Band and Gene's quartet. This snare still has the original calfskin top-head on it.

1935 Slingerland Broadcaster 6.5 x 14 Snare - One of the rarest and most sought-after snare drums in the world. We sampled this drum with both open and muted tunings. The result was two completely different-sounding -  and great-sounding - snares. 1935 Rogers Daisy Brand 6.5 x 14 Snare Another rare, classic snare.

1940s Slingerland Radio King Cloud Badge 6.5 x 14 Snare  Slingerland's Radio King snares from the 1930s-1950s are considered among the most desirable snares by many studio musicians.

1960s Rogers Dynasonic 6.5 x 14 Chrome on Brass Snare One of the most popular Rogers snares ever made.

1970s Ludwig 6.5 x 14 Vistalite Snare  - An acrylic snare that puts out a lot of sound.

1975 Ludwig Super-Sensitive 6.5 x 14 Snare - A really nice Rock snare; Jon Bonham liked this model.

Late 1970s/early1980s Sonar 3.5 x 14 Soprano Snare - This drum is very high-pitched, and was favored by drummers who played in Fusion bands back in the late 1970s.

1990s Yamaha Steve Gadd signature 4 x 14 Snare - Not quite a piccolo snare, but a smaller high-pitched and bright drum with a very cool sound.

CYMBALS

1950s 20" Zildjian K Crash Cymbal

1950s 20" Zildjian K Ride Cymbal

1940s 21" Zildjian K Ride Cymbal with rivets - This cymbal was originally used on the Cannonball Adderly hit. "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy".

1920s 17" Zildjian Ride Cymbal - Originally owned and played by Gene Krupa

1920s 13" Zildjian Splash Cymbal - Orignally owned and played by Gene Krupa.

1920s 16" Zildjian Crash Cymbal - Orignally owned and played by Gene Krupa. Very light and flexible.

1970s 22" Zildjian K Ride Cymbal with rivets - A one-of-a-kind prototype that never went into production. This particular cymbal was about to be thrown out when Joe rescued it from a dumpster at the Zildjian factory.

1970s 22" Zildjian K Ride Cymbal - This is a flat cymbal that has no bell. It is a one-of-a-kind prototype that never went into production.

1970s 22" Zildjian Ride - Designed for drummers Bill Stewart and Adam Nussbaum. This is one of the first prototypes that came off the production line- Joe seems to have a knack for snagging stuff like this.

1970s 20" Zildjian Constantinople Ride Cymbal - Originally made for John Riley of the Village Vanguard Orchestra. Joe heard the cymbal, loved its sound, and went to the Zildjian factory to get one for himself.

1980s 22" Zildjian Ride Cymbal - Originally made for the well-known Bossa Nova drummer, Duduka DaFonseca when he was playing with the Brazilian band, Trio de Paz.

22" Zildjian A Dry Complex Ride - A prototype made for drummer Billy Stewart, this cymbal is half-lathed and half-hammered. This cymbal was designed to have a darker, 1950s-style sound suitable for swing bands.

1950s 16" Zildjian Crash-Ride Cymbal - Used by Joe back when he played with the Benny Goodman orchestra.

1920s 16" Zildjian Ride Cymbal - A very thin cymbal that was used as a ride (not a crash) back in the 1920s.

1980s 17" Zildjian Crash Cymbal - Made for Steve Gadd and designed to have a fast crash, with a shorter sustain.

1980s 10" Sabian Splash Cymbal

1970s Zildjian K Splash

2005 22" Zildjian Ride Cymbal - Not a vintage cymbal at all, but we chose it because it has an interesting and unique sound. Created for Joe when he was playing for Sonny Rollins, this cymbal was manufactured with a larger bell designed to give it a longer sustain - a sound that Sonny Rollins wanted for his band.

1970s 16" Zildjan China Cymbal - A thin cymbal that was often used by Fusion drummers.

HIGH HATS

1970s Zildjian 15" High Hat Cymbals

1970s Zildjian 14" Constantinople High Hat Cymbals Medium weight

1968 Zildjian 13" High Hat Cymbals - This model was originally made for Steve Gadd, and has 2 rivets in the bottom cymbal. Joe used it when playing with Arista recording act, New York Mary.

1970s Zildjian 12" High Hat Cymbals - These two cymbals were made for Joe when he was with Marion McPartland. They're higher pitched than most high hats, and have a finished bottom cymbal and a hammered (not lathed) top.

PERCUSSION

The percussion kit included in Vintage VI comes from my good friend Jary Mall, who has played with some classic acts from the 1970s, such as Percy Heath, Janis Ian, Jimmy Cobb, Mick Taylor, Lester Chambers, Jack Bruce, Larry Coryell, Levan Helm, Felix Cavalieri, Eartha Kit, Harry Belafonte, and Cornell Dupree.

Jary's percussion instruments all hail from the 70s. He's been using them ever since and they still sound great.  Plus he still has the funk-tastic looking custom-made leather percussion bag that he used back them. Right on, brother.

Finding old Roto-Toms was a bit of a challenge. These drums were very popular during the 1970s, but these days are mainly only used in marching bands (which is a shame because they sound great). I had a hard time finding anyone who had a complete set - seems that anyone who didn't sell their old Roto-Toms years ago either lost or broke one of them. My friend Jennifer Corsaro still had her original 12" and 14" Roto-Toms, so we ended up using those and buying a new set of the smaller toms (6", 8", 10"). The new Roto Toms still sound as good as ever, and they were also surprisingly affordable.

KEYBOARDS

Many of the keyboards included  in VINTAGE VI were recorded by Joe McGinty, a composer, session musician, and vintage keyboard specialist who has a studio in Brooklyn, NY. Here's what Joe has to say about the keyboards he sampled for this project:

Hohner D6 Clavinet  - Rescued from the garbage by Ramones producer Daniel Rey, this clavichord was fully reconditioned, and has appeared on many recordings, including releases by They Might Be Giants, and Marah.

Hohner E7 Clavinet - A later model of the E6 that incorporated a cleaner-sounding preamp, and was designed to work better at higher amplifications. I picked up this calve from Peter Hayes of Electronic Edge, a company that specializes in re-furbishing vintage keyboards. For this keyboard Peter replaced the strings, bushings, and key springs, and rebuilt the preamp.

Hammond M-3 - Few people realize the classic "Green Onions" was played on a Hammond M-3. The Hammond M-3 is the "Baby B-3", and this particular M-3 screams on Nada Surf's "Whose Authority"

1960s Wurlitzer 720 - The spinet version of the 140, 720s were manufactured from 1962-1965, before the company started making the plastic models that are more commonly seen these days. Ray Charles played a 720 on "What'd I Say". 'Nuff said.

Fender Starmaster Organ - One of the rarest combo organs, with less than 25 known to exist today. Fatter and chunkier than a Vox or Farfisa, the Starmaster is a cool alternative to the more familiar combo organ sounds of the Vox and Farfisa.

Vox Continental - The organ popularized by the Dave Clark Five and the original British Invasion, the Vox has a singularly identifiable sound. McGinty played a Vox on the Ramones remake of the Doors' "Take It As It Comes".

Farfisa Combo Compact - The 60s classic, which was rediscovered during the New Wave era (Elvis Costello, Blondie, etc.).

We also got some great old keyboards (and guitars) from my pal Tony Sarno, who lives deep in the woods of northern New Hampshire. Over the last three years, Tony has found a number of great old instruments at his local town dump, from B3 Style organs to Clavichord and E-Piano. Believe it or not, every one was just thrown out along with the trash until Tony came along and rescued them. Included ain his collection:

Emenee Organ - One of those lucky finds, which Tony bought at a flea market-type store. Basically a kid's toy, Emenee Organs were popular in the 60's. It has a crazy sound, perfect for garage-band and indie-style tracks.

E-Piano Bass Keyboard - Tony borrowed this old and rare instrument from his good friend and colleague Paul Provost. Made popular by Ray Manzarek of the Doors, the E-Piano Bass was the very first E-Piano model, introduced in 1959.  It's pitched the same as the bass guitar.

Wurlitzer Tube Electric Piano - Also owned by Paul Provost, this instrument came from a yard sale. It was beat-up, noisy, and really junky-sounding - perfect for what we had in mind for the Filthy E-Piano patch.

73-key E-Piano Suitcase Model - This electric piano came courtesy of Thomas Eaton studios in Portsmouth NH.  A great instrument that was maintained in excellent condition and was sampled through the original speaker cabinet.

1949 Hammond CV Organ - The precursor to the C3 (the church version of the B-3, solid sides instead of legs),  this instrument was rescued from the New Hampton Dump. Tony installed a $55, 200 volt power supply, so it would work with his 147 Leslie (the original 122 Leslie supplied the 200 volts needed to run the organ, because Hammond didn't want anyone using speakers other than theirs).

GUITARS

A number of great classic guitars were sampled for VINTAGE VI, along with a handful of quirkier (but no less interesting) instruments.

1962 Fender Telecaster - This classic model was made famous by some of the most famous guitarists in the history of Rock, from Jimmy Page to to Keith Richards and Jimi Hendrix.

1962 Fender Stratocaster - One of the most popular solid-body electric guitars ever made.

1968 Les Paul Custom - Popular with both Rock and Jazz guitarists.

Guild Acoustic High-Strung - Hi Strung guitars are used extensively in Country & Western and are often layered with regular acoustic guitars to produce a bright, clean sound.

Kent Hollowbody Electric - Basically a copy of the ES-335, this instrument was owned by Tony Sarno's father-in-law, Gary Connolly, who gave it to Tony's son Aedan at age 1 and a half.  3-year old  Aedan lent it to his dad for these sessions.

Rogue Sitar Guitar - A modern copy of the original Jerry Jones Electric Sitar (now worth upwards of $1500). Electric Sitars were popular with many 70s-style Psychedelic bands, and were also used in Philly Soul bands such as the Stylistics and Delphonics.

BASSES

1962 Fender Precision Bass - The first-ever electric bass was made by Fender back in 1951. Also known as a P-bass for short. Originally made popular by some of the first Rock 'n' Roll bands of the 1950s.

1962 Fender Jazz Bass - Originally introduced in 1960, the Fender Jazz Bass was designed to appeal to Jazz musicians, but proved tso versatile that it was also used extensively in Rock, R&B, Funk, and Fusion. Many well-known bassists have used this instrument, including Jaco Pastorius, Marcus Miller, Greg Lake of Emerson Lake & Palmer, and Verdine White of Earth Wind & Fire.

1960s Rickenbacker Bass - Rickenbacker basses were used by many Rock bands of the 1960s, from the Beatles, to the Beach Boys, Jefferson Airplane, the Who, and Steppenwolf. The early modals came with Gibson pick-ups.

1960s Guild Starfire - A semi-hollow body electric bass popularized during the 1960s by players like Jack Cassidy of Jefferson Airplane and Phil Lesh of the Grateful Dead.

1950s Gibson EB2 Bass - A classic semi-hollow body bass that is very much favored by collectors.

1960s Hagstrom Bass - Made in Sweden, Hagstrom basses have been used by players as diverse in style as Noel Redding of the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Frank Zappa, and Aaron North of Nine Inch Nails. Believe it or not, this one was used in a Country & Western band.

Mutron Bass  - A classic 1970s Funk sound, which can be produced by running pretty much any electric bass through a Mutron pedal. In this case, we used a Hagstrom bass through a Mutron III pedal.

Psychedelic Fuzz Bass - A staple sound from the Psychedlic Sixties, used by many bands like Sly and the Family Stone, Cream, Big Brother and the Holding Company, and of course Tommy James and the Shondells. In an attempt to capture that groovy old sound, we ran a Hagstrom Bass through a Big Muff pedal - which somehow immediately got fried just as we were about to sample it. A Digitech Bass Driver pedal was used instead.

1970s Univox Hi-Flier Bass - This is essentially a cheap copy of a Mosrite bass, recorded by Tony Sarno. When his band was recording the basic tracks for the Thunderhawks album at Purple Dragon Studios in Atlanta, bass player Keith Christopher showed up with his old pesky-bridge Silvertone, which no one could re-string. So they sent guitar tech Michael MacLaughlin to their house to get this old Univox for the session.

BIOS

Joe McGinty is a New York City based composer, keyboardist and arranger. He was a member of the Psychedelic Furs from 1987-1992 and played on their last two records, "Book Of Days" and "World Outside".

He has recorded and/or performed with The Ramones, Nada Surf, Ryan Adams, Bright Eyes, Ronnie Spector, Mary Weiss, Space Hog, Jewel, Martha Wainwright, Kevin Ayers and many others.

An avid keyboard collector, McGinty runs a vintage keyboard studio where you'll find a E-Piano, Electric Organ, a few Moogs and Arps, a Clavichord, Farfisa, and a Hammond & Leslie, and lots of other fun toys (www.carouselrecording.com). Recent acquisitions include a bizarre B3 Style synthesizer and yet another Casio.

He has produced music for the Daily Show and composed music for independent films and TV shows, including HBO's "G String Divas". "Bored To Death" and MTVs "The State".

Jary Mall is a CT-based percussionist and drummer who has played or recorded with Vicky Sue Robinson, Percy Heath, Janis Ian, Jimmy Cobb, Mick Taylor, Lester Chambers, Jack Bruce, Larry Coryell, Levan Helm, Felix Cavalieri, Eartha Kit, Harry Belafonte, and Cornell Dupree, among many others. He's an avid collector of vintage drums, many of which were sampled for Vintage VI.

Refill version includes

• 20 Bass Combinator patches and 7 NN-XT patches
• 21 Drum Combinator patches and 63 NN-XT patches
• 31 Guitar Combinator patches and 14 NN-XT patches
• 51 Keyboard Combinator patches and 25 NN-XT patches
• 5 Percussion Combinator patches and 2 NN-XT patches

System Requirements

• Vintage VI Refill = 3.37GB
• Kontakt Player 5/Plug-in Download = 12.14GB (spilt into 6 parts)
• This product is compatible with...AU / Cubase / Digital Performer / GarageBand / Intel Mac / Kontakt / Logic / Mac / Nuendo / PC / Pro Tools 7 / Reason 6 / RTAS / VSTi