Vortex by Ostraka

The true test of a new instrument is whether you can integrate it into your workflow and use it to produce satisfactory work. This I wasn’t so sure about after my first few hours of working with the Yamaha FS1R. The factory performance patches on the FS1R are all overloaded with effects and glitzed out to impress the ears of musicians from 1998. Despite the frustrating characteristics of the instrument’s patches, I had faith that the complexity of its FM architecture coupled with its formant shaping features made it something worth trying to tame. To produce Vortex I created the formant lead sound from the ground up, made a nice, wide stereo bass patch using a couple of DX voices, and adjusted a melody patch to my taste. The percussion and arpeggios were programmed and played on the DSI Tempest.

2 thoughts on “Vortex by Ostraka

  1. takes me back to late nights spent with two buddies of mine named ryu and ken. sometimes samus would show up, usually drunk telling a bunch of old alien war stories and start hitting on Scorpion . Ol’ Mad Dog, his war buddy, usually tried to act like he was cool with it, you know with Samus being his ex ol’ lady and all, but by the end of the night usually a fist and or knife fight would break out between the three of them. oh young love!

  2. Nice Street Fighter reference (plus Metroid and Contra)! Not sure if this comment is real or spam, but in any case it is worth approving it just for its novelty. Thanks!

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