Blah Blah Cafe, the Jean-Michel Jarre forum

[radek tymecki]

Was it Farfisa or Eminent 310U?

I'm not sure about the Farfisa, there are some proofs that it could be Eminent... My Eng is not so good so sometimes I can't write what I want to

1. Jarre could play it on the lower manual using middle registers (vibra harp + glock [+string maybe])
2. he plays bass also on keyboard... there is the moment when he goes octave up in bass [E->D] because there are no more keys on the lower manual [the lower manual starts from F; there is no more place to play E and D so he went octave up]...

Eminent 310U + ElectricMistress

sorry for mistakes it's sooooo late

[LeoDaV]

Was it Farfisa or Eminent 310U?

I'm not sure about the Farfisa, there are some proofs that it could be Eminent... My Eng is not so good so sometimes I can't write what I want to

1. Jarre could play it on the lower manual using middle registers (vibra harp + glock [+string maybe])
2. he plays bass also on keyboard... there is the moment when he goes octave up in bass [E->D] because there are no more keys on the lower manual [the lower manual starts from F; there is no more place to play E and D so he went octave up]...

Eminent 310U + ElectricMistress

sorry for mistakes it's sooooo late

How about both? Farfisa, RMI or ARP for the bass and the 310 for the strings... I finally have 2 SAD1024A's for my mistress but I did not have the time yet to fix it then I can try it on the farfisa.. I remember someone already did a perfect cover of this part (or am I wrong?)... it would solve where did he use the farfisa mistery...

Time for zome zzzz'ss....

J.

[radek tymecki]

Yes I had that cover just before my HDD broke I remember that the guy used only 310 U for bass and strings

[GeeJee]

Yeah this guy is Jan-Pieter Atsma or something if I remember well...

He only used the Eminent and th flanger pedal...

But then again - googling for JPA doesn't result in any proper results... anyway - I remember the guy had something like a company for tv jingles and he was also on some Radio 2 show where he told he had found out the secret behind the 'bubbly' sound used in the Oxygene album...

[VinceBlood]

You're talking about Jan Pieter Geersing
http://synthsandstuff.geersingmuziek.nl/
His Jarre covers are no more on his website.
He covered Oxygene 4, Oxygene 5 (intro only) and Oxygene 6.

I made a cover some months ago :
Oxygene 5 Intro

Sadly I didn't achieved FX intro; so it is a bit long and boring before bells appear.

[LeoDaV]

he was also on some Radio 2 show where he told he had found out the secret behind the 'bubbly' sound used in the Oxygene album...

I corrected him (he wrote me an e-mail about 'please can we have your RMI...'):

http://eminent.geersingmuziek.nl/

There you can read on the 'anekdotes'-menu option the true story... (sorry Dutch only).

He apologised and that was enough for me...

J.

[GeeJee]

Oh right - that's the one. Atsma sold me his Eminent

[radek tymecki]

Was it Farfisa or Eminent 310U?

I have the answer, coming from Jarre himself. It was the Eminent, with a special flanger effect. He said so in the recording of NRK P3's 'Lydverket'. See this thread.

[Analog-Umph]

I remember discussing it in late 2006 on EM forum, and it's been discussed here. But I still don't know if he used the 2600 or the RMI for that sequence. Or how it was sequenced in the first place, though LeoDav makes a pretty good case that it was done with 2 ARP sequencers.

[Mogwai]

I remember discussing it in late 2006 on EM forum, and it's been discussed here. But I still don't know if he used the 2600 or the RMI for that sequence. Or how it was sequenced in the first place, though LeoDav makes a pretty good case that it was done with 2 ARP sequencers.

I don't think that there are any sequencers involved on Oxygene at all (except for internal sequencers/arpeggiators that is!).
I believe that the Oxygene 2 sequence is a tapeloop. Everything else that is automated could have been done by triggering the ARP2600 and the arpeggiator on the RMI Harmonic from either Korg Minipops 7 or EKO Computerhythm. That way Jarre would have his synths synced while he just changed notes on the keyboards.

I think that if he used sequencers he would have mentioned it in the gear list as he does in the Equinoxe gear list.

[Analog-Umph]

I don't think that there are any sequencers involved on Oxygene at all (except for internal sequencers/arpeggiators that is!).
I believe that the Oxygene 2 sequence is a tapeloop. Everything else that is automated could have been done by triggering the ARP2600 and the arpeggiator on the RMI Harmonic from either Korg Minipops 7 or EKO Computerhythm. That way Jarre would have his synths synced while he just changed notes on the keyboards.

I think that if he used sequencers he would have mentioned it in the gear list as he does in the Equinoxe gear list.

Yeah but he failed to mention the Minipops on both. Meaning there could be other things that he also, either thought wasn't worth mentioning or he'd rather keep the 'secret' of how he did it to himself.

Tape loop, you mean he played by hand and looped it?

[Mogwai]

Yeah but he failed to mention the Minipops on both. Meaning there could be other things that he also, either thought wasn't worth mentioning or he'd rather keep the 'secret' of how he did it to himself.

Very true. But he did say "Rhythmin' Computer". So at least he mention that he used a drummachine even though he never reveal exactly what it was.
I think that Jarre had his secrets when he made Oxygene. No doubt. But I don't think that he used anything more than the things he mention in the gearlist. I know that some claim that synths such as Moog IIIP, Odyssey and even ARP2500 was used. But I don't believe in that. IMO Oxygene doesn't contain anything soundwise that the ARP2600 or the rest of the gear couldn't do.

I think that if he really used something else he would have mention it in one way or another. Jarre (and Geiss) has said that Oxygene was made with minimal equipment in a small home studio. So I think the list in the album booklet is right.

Tape loop, you mean he played by hand and looped it?

Yes. That was pretty common back in those days and I would say especially for those that had the art background in electronic/electro acoustic music that Jarre have.
Jarre has also said that he used to work with tape loops. So my guess is that when he needed this sequence for Oxygene 2 that didn't have to be in tempo with another part he solved it using a tape loop.

[Analog-Umph]

I think some else here also suggested that the Rhythmin' Computer isn't a standalone piece of original kit, but merely a combination of the Harmonic Synthesizer and Minipops, or HS and EKO CR.

[Jakob BC]

In the Radio NRK P3 Lydverket interview, Jarre's comment to Oxygene 2 was that all parts were played by hand, so no actual sequencers, but how does tapeloop work?

EDIT: he also mentioned during Oxygene 5 that the RMI was the only sequencer used on the album.

[radek tymecki]

I remember discussing it in late 2006 on EM forum, and it's been discussed here. But I still don't know if he used the 2600 or the RMI for that sequence. Or how it was sequenced in the first place, though LeoDav makes a pretty good case that it was done with 2 ARP sequencers.

It was Synthi AKS

In some places it couldnt be tapeloop because of changing filter

The organ sequence sound in Oxygene 5 comes from eminent. I can't remember which registers sould be used but I'm 100% sure it was Eminent.

The horn strings during Oxy 2 square part are from Eminent [oboe + french horn or sth like that]