I haven't been shy about my love for my aging Casio VL-Tone. Back in March I posted several samples from the VL-Tone, using its built-in synthesis to create some NN-XT Patches, something akin to using unleaded gasoline to fuel the space shuttle. Even so, it was a fun experiment in trying to draw out something useful from something so beloved yet cheesy, and despite my enthusiasm, even I would have to argue that the final result wasn't entirely convincing or useful.
Of course, the VL-Tone wasn't exactly convincing or useful even at the height of its popularity. While its built-in sounds and synthesis engine was thin and cheesy, its "drums" were even worse. If you've spent any time with the VL-Tone, or had to sit through Trio's infamous "Da Da Da I Don't Love You You Don't Love Me Aha Aha Aha" (the VL-Tone's "Rock-1" rhythm pattern providing the drums), you know that the synthesized drums were little more than just thin beeps. Three in total, the drum hits weren't even accessible by the user, who only had the ability to pick a rhythmic pattern from one of ten presets, which could be sped up or slowed down by using the VL-Tone's Tempo buttons.
So, I decided to issue myself another nostalgia-fueled challenge. Using Reason's Redrum and effects modules, would it be possible to create a satisfying drum machine from these three little beeps?
Here are the Casio VL-Tone's original drums, sampled directly from my VL-Tone into Record, and normalized in Recycle. The names are mine. Even the engineers at Casio didn't dare call any of these drum sounds "kicks" or "snares," but I figured they were close enough in intention to count.
I loaded each sample into Reason's Redrum, then tweaked their sounds using EQ, Filters, Distortion, and Delay to try to give them a little more depth and dimension. The result is today's patch, the "Casio VL-Tone - Rhythm Combinator." I won't say the result is entirely successful, but I do think its significantly better than the sounds straight out of the VL-Tone's 2-inch speaker. For extra authenticity, I made a new Combinator skin using a photo of the VL-Tone.
- Casio VL-Tone - Rhythm ( Combinator | Backdrop )
Just for fun, here are the Casio VL-Tone's drum samples, sent through my Get LoFi Fuzz Kit to dirty up their sound a bit. They may or may not be an improvement on the originals, depending on your point of view.
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