Steve LevineArchitect of
the new wave
No one starts by producing records for Culture Club and The Beach Boys straight away, but Levine’s humble beginnings as a tape-op and tea boy at CBS Studios in the mid-70s put him at the right place, at the right time to witness an amazing change happen in the industry.
Pioneering digital instruments and studio gear were coming on to the market, and many of the more sonically adventurous bands underground bands would start incorporating those metronomically triggered synths and samples as part of their sound. As a trainee at CBS, Levine would often find himself “behind the glass” at these sessions, and would quickly become a master of that “new wave” sound.
After making a name for himself at the helm of every Culture Club hit, he was headhunted by The Beach Boys to create an album with “the 80s sound” that Levine had been instrumental in creating. 1985’s “The Beach Boys” record saw the Californian group step well out of their comfort zone, albeit to a mixed reception. Sometimes the world’s just not ready for change!
Fitting for such a forward-thinking, conceptual music maker, Levine was also among the first high profile producers to start using Arturia’s modelled software synths in his productions.
Love is love: the CMI
One of the main, game-changing instruments that Levine helped shape pop music with. It allowed him to manipulate and play with sounds like nothing else could at the time.
In V Collection, the Fairlight original has been perfectly recreated with its original sample library, as well as exciting new features and sounds.
New Wave Prophet
I owned both [the Prophet 5 and VS], and I did a quick A/B. I thought: wow! This is really, really impressive.
A bold “two-in-one” recreation from Arturia, the Prophet V combines the addictive analog sound of the 5 and the quirky digital power of the VS in one place, letting you create sounds that were simply impossible with the originals.
The ARP sound without the noise
For me as a producer, some of the most creative things happen when you open the 2600
Used and owned by Levine, the original was an outstanding machine, but it wasn’t perfect. Certain settings introduced too much noise, making sounds near unusable. ARP2600 V removes all of these hardware limitations.
Rediscovering a “Mini” legend
This is what convinced me. It’s indistinguishable… it started to make me think differently
The Arturia Mini V, a constant in all versions of V Collection, is a super-accurate recreation of Bob Moog’s legendary 70s monosynth, except for the fact that you can make it a polysynth with the flick of a switch!
By having the entire collection in one place, not only is it really great for finding patches, but the individual plug-ins represent phenomenal value. They allow me as a producer to work with a whole range of different artists... but we can all come together on tone that we all love.
V Collection brings together dozens of the most famous, inspirational, and influential keyboards, synths, organs, and pianos ever made into one software package. Each instrument has been carefully and authentically modelled on the original, with all the hardware quirks controlled or removed, and packed with amazing presets that’ll make you shout “I remember that sound!”
Everything I learnt when I was 17 stays with me to this day… it’s just a little bit easier now!