On the 40th anniversary of Sergeant Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band being released East West have announced that their Fab Four Virtual Instruments Collection is shipping. Fab Four is a virtual instrument inspired by the sounds of the Beatles, using the same kind of period instruments and authentic rare EMI recording equipment the Beatles used to create their music.
Fab Four procucer Doug Rogers told us, "The Beatles had a profound impact on me musically and were the influence for my fascination with sound. They were musical geniuses that never rested on their laurels, always producing exciting new music and sounds with each new record, much of it ground-breaking! Putting this project together took well over a year of research, equipment procurement (much of it from collectors), and putting together a team that could pull off such a feat; but it was a labor of love for us all, and the result is truly worth it."
Fab Four sound engineer Ken Scott worked on five Beatles albums, including "A Hard Days Night", "Help", "Rubber Soul", "Magical Mystery Tour" (engineer), and "The Beatles" (engineer) - also known as the "White Album". Drummer Denny Seiwell and Guitarist Lawrence Juber were both members of Paul McCartney and Wings.
East West say that no expense was spared finding the same kind of period instruments and rare authentic EMI and other recording equipment the Beatles used to create their sounds to produce this collection. Well over a million dollars worth of instruments, amplifiers, microphones, recording desks (including very rare EMI REDD tube and TG12345 desks), outboard equipment (including Fairchild limiters and EMI RS124 modified Altec compressors), and Studer J-37 tube multi-tracks were used in the production.
KEY FACTS:

• Produced by DOUG ROGERS
• Engineered by KEN SCOTT (Beatles/David Bowie/Elton John/Supertramp etc.)
• Includes authentic rare period guitars (acoustic and electric), basses, drums, keyboards, stringed and other misc instruments
• The same kind of microphones were used to record all instruments (Neumann/AKG/Cole/STC)
• The same kind of period amplifiers - Fender Tan Showman (1963), Fender Bassman (1963), Vox AC30 (1963), Vox AC50 (1965), Vox Defiant (1966), Vox 730 (1966), Vox 7120 (1966), Fender Showman (1967), Fender DeLuxe (1967) - were used with the electric guitars
• The same kind of recording desks and preamps, including a very rare EMI REDD tube desk, EMI TG12345 desk (the same kind of desk used to record Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon"), and EMI REDD47 preamps, were used to record all instruments
• The same kind of limiters (Fairchild) and compressors (rare EMI RS124 modified Altec) were used for dynamics control
• The same kind of Studer J-37 tube 4-track was used to record everything

INSTRUMENTS:

• Guitars (some costing over $200,000 each) played by LAURENCE JUBER (Paul McCartney and Wings) include Gretsch Firebird (1959), Gretsch Tennessean (1963), Rickenbacker 360-12 (1965), Martin D-28 (1966), Fender Stratocaster (1956), Epiphone Casino (1956), Fender Telecaster (1951), Gibson SG (1960), Les Paul Goldtop (1957), Gibson J200 (1966), Hofner 500 Bass (1963) and Rickenbacker 4001S Bass (1964).
• Guitars were sampled with up and down strokes, multiple velocities and picking styles, some with chords and effects
• Most of the sounds would be impossible to create without all of the above equipment. For example, the "revostortion" guitar sound was created by feeding a Epiphone Casino guitar into one EMI REDD 47 preamp, and the output into a second EMI REDD 47 preamp, which is exactly how it was created originally by the EMI/Abbey Road engineers
• Drums played by DENNY SEIWELL (Paul McCartney and Wings) include a rare 1960 Ludwig downbeat kit with Zildjian cymbals (snare 5 x 14/toms 9 x 13/16 x 16/kick 22 x 14/zildjan 20" crash ride/18" crash medium/14" Hi-Hat)
• Drums are all multi-sampled with up to 16 velocity layers, left and right hand. The sounds were all matched to a particular style (e.g. A Day in the Drums, Ticket to Drums, Yer Drums). We even recorded some heavily modulated cymbals through a Fairchild limiter for authenticity
• Keyboards include Baldwin Electric Harpsichord (Because I'm a Harpsichord), Clavioline (Baby I'm a Clavioline), Lucy in the Lowery, Strawberry Flutes, We Can Work a Harmonium, and other stringed instruments including Swarmandel Forever

EFFECTS:

• FAB FOUR includes a software version of ADT (artificial double tracking) with built-in tape simulator, created and programmed specially for this project. The software includes the smoothest filters you'll ever hear, delay, and multiple high quality reverb choices.

Pricing and Availability:
$355.00 USD More information:

• www.soundsonline.com
  
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