Spitfire Audio / Trevor Horn's "Jupiter"

[Piet De Ridder]

Here's one for Guy: Spitfire have teamed up with Trevor Horn and the result is 'Jupiter':

"Created with innovative production tools designed by pop pioneer Trevor Horn. A comprehensive collection of characteristic and crafted Drums, FX, Bass, Synths, and Piano, capturing the production style and otherworldly sonic elements associated with the pop innovator’s work – recorded and produced in the legendary hitmaker’s studio, and powered by SOLAR; Spitfire Audio’s eDNA-powered plug-in.

From warm analogue textures to futuristic digital sounds, this is the quintessential library for synthwave and electropop, and for emulating the distinctive treatments and harmonies found in Trevor Horn productions with Grace Jones, Seal and Yes, amongst others.

This library combines two dynamic forces: Jupiter by Trevor Horn and SOLAR – one, a collection of defining sounds, and the other, a tool for reinventing them. The most up-to-date iteration of Spitfire Audio’s eDNA technology, SOLAR is the host to Jupiter’s curated pop samples and the eDNA's extensive warp and preset library – a secret sauce for music makers looking to create sounds synonymous with pop in the Eighties and Nineties and unlock new levels of musical expression. In SOLAR, you can blend and mould two sounds together to create your own unique sound. SOLAR also allows you to combine other products in this range together, such as the otherworldly textures of Mercury – Spitfire Audio’s collaboration with Chas Smith, which is also available at a special crossgrade price for anyone who orders both products."



- Dedicated SOLAR Plug-In
- eDNA Interface
- 300 Presets
- 208 Individual Sounds

- Five Instruments:
DRUMS – Access Trevor Horn’s private sample archives, from vintage drum machines, to tape-saturated percussion hits
FX – A selection of stingers, perfect for making iconic transitions
BASS – A series of basses from Trevor Horn's personal collection, recorded in his studio, utilising techniques made famous through his career as a producer and performer
SYNTHS – A collection of curated synth presets, straight from Trevor Horn's archives, accompanied by sounds created by the Spitfire Audio team
PIANO – A Bosendorfer Grand Piano, recorded in Trevor Horn's studio with a bright, pristine and unmistakably pop sound
-
Five Warps:
CORE – Original recorded sound
REFLECT – Period reverbs with genre-defining gates
ALIAS – Alter the bit depth and clock-rate of sounds
CALIBRATE – Saturated and uncalibrated tape effect
DIMENSION – Processed sounds through vintage modulation
equipment

45.59GB download size

RRP: £99 / $129 / 115€
Pre-order: £79 / $99.33 / 88.55€ *
Promo Crossgrade Period: £69.30 / $89.01 / 79.35€ **

* 20% discount during pre-order period from August 10th to August 17th, 2023
** A 30% discount for anyone who owns Mercury (ends August 31st, 2023)

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[Guy Rowland]

Here's one for Guy:

You absolutely would think, wouldn't you? First time - I believe - the Mighty God Horn has put his name to a sample library or product. And there's some nice sounds in the presets for sure.

Can you hear what's coming?

Well, first there's the whole issue of a big name on any product, exactly what that denotes I'm often not sure. Is it iconic patches and sounds with which we associate the guru? In which case I'd be expecting the sampled guitar and drum fills from Owner Of A Lonely Heart, synth basses from Relax and Two Tribes, drums and chopped up samples from Close to the Edit, the Fairlight lead from Moments In Love and loops and pads from Slave to the Rhythm. But no... none of those it seems. There's 80s gated drums, but none that scream any of his specific big records I'm aware of. I'm sure he really has curated it, but the overall effect feels generic lo-fi and lush 80s. (On this walkthrough, Nexus at 15 mins was the only time she really gave me the Horn. SORRY, I WAS UNABLE TO RESIST THAT OPEN GOAL.)

Well okay, just famous presets would be a bit reductionist wouldn't it? (if you'll excuse the much more highbrow 80s audio engineering gag). It's a collection of nice enough sounds in the Spitfire eDNA engine, which has never quite floated my boat. And a great many of those sounds are available in so many other forms, only without the additional 45gb library size.

I mean it's fine, not expensive and it is definitely Hornish. Horny if we must. You could do good stuff with it for sure. But I can (and have) done pretty good Horn impressions if I do say so myself without this, and I only heard one patch that would give me any more of his identifiable ticks (if such a thing is a good idea, and I suspect it really isn't in my case).

[Geoff Grace]

RRP: £99 / $129 / 115€
Pre-order: £79 / $99.33 / 88.55€ *
Promo Crossgrade Period: £69.30 / $89.01 / 79.35€ **

Interesting. Spitfire is changing its pricing policies. I can't remember the last time they didn't have the same number for each of the pound, dollar, and Euro signs (i.e. £99 / $99 / 99€). This comes on the heels of an underwhelming summer sale in which not every product was 40% off.

That's not to say I won't buy Jupiter by Trevor Horn (I'm currently weighing the pros and cons), but the higher dollar prices make Spitfire's products less attractive overall to US customers.

Best,

Geoff

[GR Baumann]

it is definitely Hornish. Horny if we must.

Love it!

Cash-cow Spitfire produced just another horned up bloatware came to my mind. *shrugs* Couldn't be bothered.

[Lawrence]

Listened to the walkthrough, and after a while tried to imagine how I would feel if it was a new retro collection from a no name company. My conclusion is that I’d think it was ok but not worth buying to add to my current sounds.

I think the synth pads are generally replicable in Omni and most of the drum sounds can be found in the basic Stylus library.

It’s interesting how reasonably priced it is.

[Ashermusic]

The attaching a celebrity name is roughly equivalent to adding an iconic looking UI, it can distract from what the actual sound is. I certainly understand why developers drop it, I am sure it adds a lot of sales, but frankly, I am not a person who care about that. Pretty much of my favorites have that going for them.

[wst3]

I am a fan of Mr. Horn, and there are a handful of cool sounding patches in the demos, but not enough to get me to pull the trigger.

I did that once - Steven Wilson's Ghostwriter from EastWest - it's a cool library, but not nearly as useful as I had hoped. So I am wary these days...

[Geoff Grace]

The impression I get from watching Homay’s video is that this is more of a Spitfire product than a Trevor Horn library. There is a bank of “raw” Trevor Horn samples, but the majority of patches seems to be Spitfire using that source material their own way. Not surprisingly, Spitfire’s take (including Homay’s playing style) sounds more cinematic than pop. The Spitfire patches I heard sound pretty redundant to other Spitfire libraries; and I’m content with what I already have from them in that style, so I’m not really interested in more.

I hope that eventually someone will showcase the Trevor Horn source material. If I think I can make good use of it, I may buy the library anyway. I've enjoyed a lot of Trevor Horn's work over the years, so I'm still very interested in hearing his contribution to this product.

Best,

Geoff

[GR Baumann]

The attaching a celebrity name is roughly equivalent to adding an iconic looking UI,

Very much so. In particular If there is no real in depth substance. What remains for me is a ridiculous "bachelor" marketing level.

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ONLY THIS WEEKEND: Lemmy Kilmister Bass guitar string set $149 RRP $249! Also included is one John Bonham drumstick!

(Disclaimer: This Weekend Special consists of one John Bonham signature drum stick only, you can shove it where the sun does not shine while playing your bass.)

[Guy Rowland]

Yes I agree with Jay too - a big name on a product is usually worth no more or less than a comforting retro UI. Actually less maybe. What would a George Martin vst have sounded like? Nothing special I expect. Can anyone think of a big name product that captures the soul of that producer? That offers something over and above the competition? I don't think I can. Great producers are generally in the right place at the right time, forming part of a wonderful alchemy whose individual components are not necessarily all that special but combined to achieve greatness.

Maybe there are some whose sound is so identifiable that they might warrant a library. Jam and Lewis spring to mind or even Stock, Aitken and Waterman (though I doubt anyone actually WANTS to sound like them).

What I REALLY want is Trevor Horn's brain in a jar pickled in 1984. With ethernet and midi.

(It's so hard for me to not go down rabbit holes any time anything to do with Trevor Horn or ZTT get discussed. As so often with amazing musical phenomenon, it was really confined to a very brief moment in time - here just 1984 with a few months of 83 and 85 thrown in perhaps. The sheer invention and brilliance of Art Of Noise, Frankie and Propaganda - they seemed uncontained, producing new devastating sounds with every record. Relax sounded so incredible and they followed it with Two Tribes, which went beyond incredible and firmly into impossible territory. Dr Mabuse got followed by Duel. All of these records still sound astonishing today.

There was a lot more to Trevor Horn than ZTT of course, some of it wonderful, some if it terrible. No-one will ever understand my pain at his risible Simple Minds record - and for that matter the awful follow-up Propaganda album featuring my all time hero Derek Forbes of Simple Minds (not Horn produced, but by ZTT's Steve Lipson). The band split, and both halves went down the tubes. Grieves me to this day.

The magic had disappeared into thin air, as magic has an unfortunate habit of doing).

[wst3]

I hope that eventually someone will showcase the Trevor Horn source material. If I think I can make good use of it, I may buy the library anyway. I've enjoyed a lot of Trevor Horn's work over the years, so I'm still very interested in hearing his contribution to this product.

I find Homay's demos to be some of the most useful, but this one fell short. Most likely it is that the library falls short of my expectations when I hear the name Trevor Horn, regardless, it did nothing to make me reach for my credit card.

I too would love to hear a walk-through of the raw material, that might change my mind.

[GR Baumann]

Totally different in my view for example... Spectrasonics, the Moog Tribute Library.

Moog Tribute?

Now there is a mouthful, isn't it?

No, it delivered, and much more than I expected, and the list of names, good Lord, impressive is the first name and generous the second by what they contributed.

That to me is how it is done, has spirit, the right intentions behind, and not a dodgy " Look Ma, I sound like xyz A-List." crap to sell it.

That being said, enough from my side concerning Spitfire, I opted out very early, for good reasons, and I stick to it. They can bring to market whatever they want, not interested.

[Geoff Grace]

I find Homay's demos to be some of the most useful, but this one fell short.

I agree. Homay is a talented composer; but unsurprisingly, pop music from before the period she was alive doesn’t seem to be part of her repertoire.

It’s a shame that Spitfire no longer has Christian’s musical experience to draw on. Considering his history of having programmed drums for Anne Dudley, he could have at least demoed the drum machine samples of this library properly.

Best,

Geoff

[Guy Rowland]

Totally different in my view for example... Spectrasonics, the Moog Tribute Library.

Oh that’s an interesting comparison. I originally figured the name on the badge primarily referred to the manufacturer of the hardware, but you’re right - it’s a LOT of famous names all doing their idiosyncratic thing. Jean Michel Jarre immediately leaps to mind, some samples of his VCS3 sounding very distinctive Jarre. And not actually Moog at all.

[Piet De Ridder]

(...) What would a George Martin vst have sounded like? Nothing special I expect. Can anyone think of a big name product that captures the soul of that producer? That offers something over and above the competition? (...)[/i]).

A bit EWQL Fab Four-ish, probably.

(...) Can anyone think of a big name product that captures the soul of that producer? That offers something over and above the competition? (...)[/i]).

Various Toontrack expansions stake that claim, no?

As for Trevor Horn, I'm four or five years too old to share in the adulation, I'm afraid. The 80's is, without a doubt, my least favourite decade in pop/rock's history and that has not a little to do with the (recorded/produced) sound of those years. There are a few exceptions and some 80's-material I really do enjoy, but by and large, almost all the artists and bands that I liked, growing up, made, to my ears, toe-curlingly bad-sounding albums during those years.

__

[Guy Rowland]

(...) Can anyone think of a big name product that captures the soul of that producer? That offers something over and above the competition? (...)[/i]).

Various Toontrack expansions stake that claim, no?

And some of them are very good, to be fair. How much that has to do with the big name I've never been sure. I equally love some of the ones without a big name. I bought Alt Rock in part on Steve Albini's name, and I'm happy enough with it, but I probably use others more. Also probably true that Al Schmidt doing bespoke drum recordings from the ground up is more meaningful than Trevor Horn doing some samples for Spitfire.

As for Trevor Horn, I'm four or five years too old to share in the adulation, I'm afraid. The 80's is, without a doubt, my least favourite decade in pop/rock's history and that has not a little to do with the (recorded/produced) sound of those years. There are a few exceptions and some 80's-material I really do enjoy, but by and large, almost all the artists and bands that I liked, growing up, made, to my ears, toe-curlingly bad-sounding albums during those years.

If we ever meet in person there's gonna be some awkward silences in the conversation, Piet.

At the risk of opening a very wide and very deep rabbit hole, one of the things about the 80s that I love is how ridiculously diverse it was / is. Purely musically, 1980 and 1989 were worlds apart, but sonically too. Probably the last decade you can say that about I reckon. When people say something sounds 80s, it's almost meaningless. What, Smooth Operator by Sade, Pump Up The Jam by Technotronic, New Year's Day by U2, The Message by Grandmaster Flash, Perfect by Fairground Attraction, Hand On Your Heart by Kylie Minogue or Numbers by Kraftwerk? Obviously different genres, but all very different from an engineering and production perspective. None of them even has a big snare, look. Oh, except Numbers, but it is a VERY odd big snare.

Funnily enough, Roxy Music's 80s hit Dance Away was on the radio just now, and it brought to mind how hugely influential the band was in their earlier 70s era when Eno was in the band. Almost every artist in the 80s seems to have been influenced by Roxy in the 70s. I've never got Roxy at all, of any era. I wonder if I'd feel differently were I born 5 years earlier. Little pop music pre-77 has a big hold on me, and I've always assumed that was the reason (though Motown is very close to being an exception).

[doctoremmet]

My favourite 1980s albums are made in 1981 it seems. Ghost In The Machine. Tin Drum. Sons & Fascination / Sister Feelings Call. All share very diverse yet gorgeously recorded drum sounds and exquisite use of synthesizers. Of course the bass playing is also ridiculously good on all three.

And then of course there’s Black Sea, Skylarking etc., by a band who were actually somehow involving themselves with the very inventor of the “snare like an atom bomb goes off” aesthetic. Despite this, their music is also very enjoyable and of high quality to my ears.

The late 1980s hiphop albums are also rather interesting as they were mostly recorded before it occurred to some lawyers that they could and probably should sue for uncleared samples. Paul’s Boutique is a seminal LP for me in this regard.

Very cool analysis Guy! I also share a love / fascination for some of mister Horn’s work: Slave To The Rhythm and Owner Of A Lonely Heart still fascinate me to this day (sonically AND musically) and do not really sound dated or cheesy to me. Now…. Some of my Big Audio Dynamite albums on the other hand…. Oh boy… ;-)

[Guy Rowland]

Oh man there's some glorious stuff there doctoremmet. Invisible Sun was on that Police album, wasn't it? I regularly play Sons & Fascination to this day - less sheen (and reverb) than the sublime New Gold Dream, but has a real edge to it that I like. I admired more than loved Japan, but in '81 I very much did love The Human League's Dare, played it to death. U2's Boy and October albums... there was a lot of good stuff going on that year, some real invention yet accessible. As for late 80s hip hop, I'm still mourning the passing of that loved-up Arrested Development / De La Soul era in that anything-goes time.

And while Piet may not agree with us, I concur on Horn's stuff - while yes, much of it is of an era but it still sounds terrific to me.

This sort of thing was peak atom-bomb snare. Brace yourself:



I remember Stock Aitken and Waterman always had the snare low and kick high, so I guess they were ahead of the curve there.

[Geoff Grace]

The ’80s, especially the early ’80s, was an exciting time for me. I was out of college and gigging five nights a week. I was the same age as most of the artists who were being signed, and I was playing in a very popular club band. Our manager had an act that was touring with Hall and Oates, and it seemed that the sky was the limit. I had been playing piano since 1965, but it was finally my generation’s turn in the spotlight.

Music technology was on the rise. Keyboards, which had previously taken a back seat to guitars, were now featured instruments. MIDI debuted and revolutionized the way we made music. Tascam’s Portastudio gave multitrack recording to the masses. The Walkman allowed us to take our music on the go. Sampling replaced the Mellotron in recordings. In this environment, “Owner of a Lonely Heart” was a revelation in production. Sure, I’d rather listen to “Long Distance Runaround;” but in terms of production, “Owner of a Lonely Heart” is one of my favorite songs.

As for ’80s production styles, I can understand not liking a particular style of music. I didn’t like punk when it first appeared because it essentially killed progressive rock, and I didn’t like hip hop because it replaced funk; but as those forms evolved, I found more to like. Devo’s cover of “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” is one of my favorite remakes, for example.

I know someone else who hates ’80s production. She can't stand gated snares, for example. The DX7 electric piano sound was also worn out by the decade's end. However, there's great musicianship and song crafting skills from that decade that rival any other. Prince, for example, was a great singer, songwriter, and a skilled multi-instrumentalist. Monster drummers Stewart Copeland and Phil Collins were regularly on the Top 40. Today's hits rarely even use a drummer.

Best,

Geoff

[Geoff Grace]

And then of course there’s Black Sea, Skylarking etc.

Don't forget English Settlement. Those three albums were XTC at their peak, as far as I'm concerned. Skylarking paired them with another of my favorite recording artists, Todd Rundgren.

I was lucky enough to see XTC open for The Police, when XTC was touring Black Sea and The Police weren't yet superstars. I paid $5 to go to the state fair; and once inside, I got to watch them for free. It was one of my favorite concerts. Unfortunately, Andy Partridge (and with him, XTC) stopped touring after that.

Best,

Geoff

[Piet De Ridder]

Look, I can make a very, very long list of stuff from the 80’s that I really like, but again: on the whole and unfairly generalized and many exceptions aside, I don’t like the ‘pop’ sound of the decade. That typical Rick Astley sort of sound, you know. Or anything with that famous but unbearable DX7 electric piano in it. (I didn’t even like that sound at the time, when I had a DX7 myself.) Or the sound of, say, Tina Turner’s or Joe Cocker’s records from the 80’s which, to me, are also very characteristic of that period. Ugly, ugly sound.

Other example: I positively hate how Stevie Wonder’s records from the 80’s sound, whereas his mid-70’s “Songs In The Key Of Life” or “Innervisions” contain to my mind, some of the best-sounding music ever put on tape. That’s the kind of difference I mean. I’m not talking about the music (although, by the 80's, Wonder's songwriting genius had long left the building), I’m strictly talking about the sound of the recordings.

I don’t like how rock (or ‘rawk’) sounded in the 80’s either. Too much anabolica and Mr. Clean in the sound, for my taste.

As for The Police, we talked about this at length a few years ago (in the "Killer Bass Lines" thread) — as well as about XTC, whom I love — and my favourite sounding Police albums, by far, remain the first two.

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[doctoremmet]

Geoff, I am looking at the album sleeve of English Settlement hanging on my little home studio wall. You’re absolutely right.

[doctoremmet]

As for The Police, I hear you. What makes Ghost In The Machine so great is One World (Not Three), and especially Copeland’s drumming. I don’t think I’ve ever heard such a groove (and a lovely recorded one at that) on a rock record.

[doctoremmet]

Sorry for the derailing here, but on the subject of great 1980s recordings of drums…



Anf thanks for indulging me <3

[Guy Rowland]

Stevie Wonder - absolutely no question that the 80s (I Just Called To Say I love You) were a disaster after the 70s (Superstition). Other older big acts too. And agreed on the DX7, by and large (and judging by the Arturia versions, both the Fairlight and Synclavier were actually pretty nasty things with 100x price tags). Personally I hated the bass more than piano.

With a few exceptions, 80s rock, I'd agree, wasn't much cop either. Be it Journey, Van Halen, Europe, Def Leppard or please God no Guns and Roses, they all left me cold. But that's because the other stream that came from punk not prog was so much more interesting and vibrant. U2, Echo and the Bunnymen, The Smiths, Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Cult, Killing Joke, early Simple Minds, Cocteu Twins, The Cure, New Order... a seemingly endless list of exciting, young new acts. Even Everything But The Girl - almost easy listening in their early years - were post-punk by lineage.

All the seeds were sown in the 70s, admittedly. In one corner Kraftwerk and Donna Summer, in the other The Sex Pistols and The Clash. They made an entire generation pick up a guitar or synth or sometimes both. Those with the synths split a dozen ways - pop, hip hop, electro, rap, house and so on. A record like Good Life by Inner City was so exciting at the time and still sounds good to me now, even though it is severely dulled by the 40 mostly-unimaginative years of EDM that followed in its wake. At the time it was part of this colourful uncontained creative explosion.

And there in the middle was Trev. It's hard to imagine the impact of Frankie Goes To Hollywood now. With the benefit of hindsight it was a triple threat - the marketing and branding was arresting; it was gleefully controversial and then the music which like nothing you'd heard before. Two Tribes took our collective existential dread of the impending nuclear holocaust and nailed it to the front of a stampeding gun-toting rhino. It was so ridiculously exciting.