Binary Music – ARP Odyssey (KONTAKT)

The History

There were three main versions of the Odyssey. The first white-faced models were manufactured from 1972, then the black and gold face from 1974. The model that we’ve sampled is a black and orange faced 2821 from about 1979.

This has the advantage of more stable oscillators – though nothing like the stability that we take for granted in modern gear. The Odyssey has attracted an eclectic mix of players: Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, George Duke, Portishead, Pink Floyd, Kraftwerk, Ultravox, Gary Numan and Abba!

The Process

Throughout the entire sampling process, the aim has been to be faithful to the sound at source. No filtering or effects processing has been applied within Kontakt. Where there is filter/frequency modulation, it has been created on the Odyssey and then recorded in samples long enough to retain the movement. There’s also a selection of ‘Multi VCF’ patches, where different filter cutoff settings have been sampled and mapped to different velocities. In total, there are 101 patches, made from over 1,400 samples.