Anyone watch The Mentalist? What synths are used?

[kevinmathie]

Does anyone ever watch The Mentalist on Fox? I started watching it during its first season.From the very first episode, one of the things that caught my ear were the synth sounds that composer Blake Neely uses. They're interesting. Even the percussive and arpeggiated sounds seem to be transparent enough to be used under dialog.I keep wondering what synths he uses. Does anyone have any ideas? So many of the synths I have are filled with biting "please-pay-attention-to-me" type sounds. But, I'd like to invest in synths that have a lot of "play-me-underneath-dialog" type sounds.Just wondering if anyone recognizes any of the synths he may be using.

[mazz]

Kevin,Part of using a synth is modifying the sounds to give them the character that you are looking for. I would suggest you learn the controls in your synths that allow you to change the sounds, like filters, oscillators, effects, envelopes, etc. Buying a synth for it's factory sounds is one thing. Hearing those factory sounds in your own music and all over the TV and film is quite another. Learning the basics of one synth will allow you to transfer the concepts over to any other synth you come across. They're not all the same, of course, but the basics are there.Plus, his compositions and production are also geared toward transparency of the dialog, otherwise he wouldn't have the gig for very long.You can get those sounds with any synth, bottom line.Mazz

[orest]

I don't know exactly what kind of synth he uses, but the Omnisphere synth i great to create this kind of music. It has everything, and you do pretty much what you want to.

[kevinmathie]

*Whine* But, Mazz, then I'll have to read the manual! Well, you're right, of course. I do need to get out of my "orchestral" mindset and start looking under the engine of my synths.I bought a couple Rob Papen synths not very long ago, but haven't looked under the hood much. But, they seemed promising to me.And, orest, I do need to buy Omnisphere too. People keeps saying that to me, so I guess I better break down and do it.

[kevinmathie]

P.S., Mazz, I guess the only real "synths" that I have are Rob Papen's "Blue" and "Albino" and MOTU's MX4 that I bought recently when I upgraded DP (I go back and forth between using Logic and DP). The other synths sounds I have are the ones bundled with Logic.Are synths anything like sample libraries, where you need to stay away from certain libraries to get professional results (for example, the Garritan Orchestra library won't give you the sound you need to compete for the highest-quality projects)? Or is there more flexibility on which synth engines to use?In other words, do I need to invest in better synths to compete successfully on the higher-level projects?

[matto]

I don't watch The Metalist on Fox...I watch it on CBS... The Theme from the Mentalist sounds like it is mostly Omnisphere, I think it also has some Plektrum in it too.You'll also notice he credits a guy for "programming" and another for "musical sound design" which would tell you that he doesn't just use stock sounds.Besides he's simply an excellent composer, his theme for the TV show Everwood from a few years back is one of my favorite TV themes in recent memory...unfortunately they only kept the original for one season then made him change it for the following one...if you look for it make sure you get the original not the watered down version from season two and onward.

[kevinmathie]

Ha! Oops! You're right...CBS not Fox. When you say "Plektrum," are you referring to a synth by that name, or to various plucked acoustic instruments?

[kevinmathie]

Oo! Never mind. I just did a google search. Are you talking about Vital Arts' Plectrum? If so, I'm listening to some of the sounds now. Nice!

[crs7string]

Kevin,I've had Plectrum since it was first released as a Giga instrument.The developer has since "ported over" the instrument to Kontakt Player. It's a cool instrument. Very playable and very unique. I've used it in world music and new age music. It adds an acoustic instrument sound that the listener can't place as something they have heard before.It is not a substitute for Omnishere but can add some unique sounds to your pallette.Chuck

[mazz]

Oct 20, 2009, 1:47pm, kevinmathie wrote:P.S., Mazz, I guess the only real "synths" that I have are Rob Papen's "Blue" and "Albino" and MOTU's MX4 that I bought recently when I upgraded DP (I go back and forth between using Logic and DP). The other synths sounds I have are the ones bundled with Logic.Are synths anything like sample libraries, where you need to stay away from certain libraries to get professional results (for example, the Garritan Orchestra library won't give you the sound you need to compete for the highest-quality projects)? Or is there more flexibility on which synth engines to use?In other words, do I need to invest in better synths to compete successfully on the higher-level projects?The Papen synths (which I don't have but I've read good reviews on) and Omnisphere, among others, are totally pro synths. I would have no hesitation using them on a TV show or anything else.Synths usually don't have the same stigma that orchestra libraries have. In fact, in some circles, cheesy old synths are very cool items and the sounds they make have become classics, where a cheesy clarinet sample that's being passed off as the real thing sticks out like a sore thumb.And orchestral instruments have been unchanged for a century or more and their sound is embedded in the cultural ear, but synths are more fad and fashion oriented, at least the sounds they make are. If you want to get a 70s funk sound, then a quacky resonant filter will take you right back to that era. Korg M1s scream 80s, and so forth. I guess there's a little stigma there, but in reality, if you have an M1 and you know how to program it, nobody will know it's an M1.Even now, there's certain types of filter sounds that are more hip than others, for instance resonant bandpass filters with a certain slope, or even the digital emulations of those filters, etc.So yes, you have excellent synths in your library of sounds. You should be able to create modern music with them no problem. Learning what the controls do will allow you to create your own library of sounds and your own "voice".Mazz