What's new

Effects used on Max Richter - Horizon Variations?

muk

Senior Member
Hi everyone,

Does anybody know which effects Max Richter used on the piano in 'Horizon Variations'?



I hear a long-ish, but quite unobtrusive reverb. How was that achieved? The Abbey Roads reverb trick maybe?
And then it sounds faintly like it was coming through a telephone. Just a tiny bit. Very gentle low-cut and high-cut filters maybe?

Any help and tipps appreciated.
 
Really? It doesn't sound like the piano in a concert hall/big room recordings I know. I would have thought that they used some subtle effects, but I might be wrong.
 
Any other opinions? Is it really a piano in a large room without any effects, or are the sounds treated in some way?
 
Theres an article here from back when it was released

https://www.soundonsound.com/people/max-richter

"Once Richter had completed the demos of the tracks for The Blue Notebooks in his work room, usually with finished electronic tracks and mock-ups of the strings and piano, he went into Eastcote recording studios to record the strings. Some of the live piano was captured at Hear No Evil Studios and some again at Eastcote. Despite the digital nature of Richter's own setup, these studios were chosen because of their analogue recording credentials. "I like vinyl, I like old tape, I like old synths and instruments, and I like people that play and stuff," explains Richter. "We recorded most of the live material on old analogue equipment that Eastcote owner Philip Bagenal once bought from the old Decca studios and Paul McCartney. We used an MCI desk, recorded with ribbon microphones and without noise reduction to 16-track two-inch tape, I believe it was also an MCI tape recorder, and used plate reverbs. It was very important for me that we had a really beautiful sound. Eastcote also had a high-definition Pro Tools system, which we A/B'd with the analogue. The digital wasn't bad, and if we'd used it, you would have said 'Oh, that sounds OK.' But that's not what we were aiming for. We were aiming for 'That sounds amazing, I want to hear that again!'"


love this:

"Some people have told me that they didn't think that The Blue Notebooks was very electronic," states Richter. "But it is very electronic. It's just that the electronics aren't shiny. People associate electronic sounds with shiny and sparkly colours, but I'm not interested in that...."'



he also mentions Altiverb, which is convolution verb and comes with some very beautiful large spaces
 
Last edited:
Hi everyone,

Does anybody know which effects Max Richter used on the piano in 'Horizon Variations'?



I hear a long-ish, but quite unobtrusive reverb. How was that achieved? The Abbey Roads reverb trick maybe?
And then it sounds faintly like it was coming through a telephone. Just a tiny bit. Very gentle low-cut and high-cut filters maybe?

Any help and tipps appreciated.


Here's the ArtVista Malmsjo through East West Spaces 1 & a touch of Eventide Blackhole. A closer sound than the Youtube clip given the Malmsjo was mic'd fairly close:

[AUDIOPLUS=https://vi-control.net/community/attachments/max-richter-horizons-chords_malmsjo-mp3.20493/][/AUDIOPLUS]
 

Attachments

  • Max Richter-Horizons-Chords_Malmsjo.mp3
    1.9 MB · Views: 27
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: muk
And Sampletekk's Black Steinway D (Ambient only mics) with East West Spaces 1 & Valhalla Room's Narcissus preset:

[AUDIOPLUS=https://vi-control.net/community/attachments/max-richter-horizons-chords-st-black-ambient-mp3.20492/][/AUDIOPLUS]
 

Attachments

  • Max Richter-Horizons-Chords-ST-Black-Ambient.mp3
    1.9 MB · Views: 26
  • Like
Reactions: muk
Top Bottom