I recently picked up the Spaceport ’77 collection for SampleTank, which is based on two vintage instruments: the Oberheim OB-1 analog synthesizer, and a late 70s/early 80s Yamaha electronic piano, the CP-30. Relatively obscure compared to classic electro-mechanical EPs like the Rhodes or Wurlitzer, the CP-30 was based on analog synthesis.
The CP-30’s unique timbre played an important role in several classic tracks, including the Cars “Bye-Bye Love”, but perhaps its most famous appearance was on the 1981 Hall & Oates hit “You Make My Dreams.” In fact, Daryl Hall stated in an interview that a sound on the CP-30 was the spark that inspired the whole tune for him.
Spaceport ’77 is one of the only sample collections ever released to cover the Yamaha CP-30. However, as I went through the presets I was disappointed to find no preset representing this classic Hall & Oates CP-30 sound. I therefore immediately set out to remedy this situation and thereby recover access to a lesser-known relic from 80s electronic piano history.
I used SampleTank/Spaceport ’77 to program a preset that emulates the “You Make My Dreams” sound as close as possible and created this little demo video to show it off. The additional synth sounds in the demo are tweaked OB-1 presets from the Spaceport ’77 collection. I decided to try to use only IK products for this project, so the drums are from SampleTank 4, the bass is from IK Modo Bass, and the guitar is tracked using IK Amplitube 4. Additional third party plugins were, however, used for the mix.
https://youtu.be/JoEtiTdkKQY
