Philip Glass

Quoted on the official product page.

V-Collection 5 has been an invaluable resource in recreating the sounds we used in the original Philip Glass Ensemble pieces during the 70s and 80s. The interface is easy to use and sounds just like original units.

Michael Riesman says "Finally, the last pre-Bidule rig, initially set up in 2004, ended up consisting of a TX-816 rack, 2 TX-802s, 2 Matrix 6Rs, 5 Matrix 1000s, and a PC hosting Synthogy Ivory for piano sounds, all fed into a Pro Tools 5 system running on a Mac G4 4-slot computer housing 2 Pro Tools cards, 2 Samplecell II cards, and an instance of Soft Samplecell."

https://www.plogue.com/michael-riesman.html

Do you have any feature you’d like to see in a future version of Bidule ?

I am really pleased to say that I really cannot think of anything I wanted to do with Bidule that I wasn’t able to accomplish with it as it is now. The only thing I had been thinking I might need to ask for was a way to use Bidule as a MIDi-controlled amplifier. The issue is that both in the hardware days (Yamaha, Oberheim, Samplecell) and now, there is no standard for MIDI volume, meaning that the curve for different manufacturers is arbitrary, and if you are combining different sources, as I do, they won’t track MIDI volume in sync. For example, if MIDI volume value 127 is 0 dB, how many dB down is MIDI volume 64? In the past, I had to use matrix modulation in the Oberheims and Samplecells to match the curve of the Yamahas, which I took as the standard only because they couldn’t be adjusted. Now with the instruments I’m using, Native Instruments Kontakt and FM8, and LinPlug Alpha, the volume tracking problem persists. So, instead of contorting one thing or another to equalize volume curves on the MIDI side, I discovered without having to ask for it that that I could simply use the MIDI volume parameter as the source for a Bidule gain module. Problem solved.

In an interview featured on Plogue's website, Michael Riesman discusses his evolving live rig since joining the Philip Glass Ensemble in 1974. He provides insights into the setup changes leading up to the integration of Plogue Bidule, highlighting its role in their performances.

Do you have any feature you’d like to see in a future version of Bidule ?

I am really pleased to say that I really cannot think of anything I wanted to do with Bidule that I wasn’t able to accomplish with it as it is now. The only thing I had been thinking I might need to ask for was a way to use Bidule as a MIDi-controlled amplifier. The issue is that both in the hardware days (Yamaha, Oberheim, Samplecell) and now, there is no standard for MIDI volume, meaning that the curve for different manufacturers is arbitrary, and if you are combining different sources, as I do, they won’t track MIDI volume in sync. For example, if MIDI volume value 127 is 0 dB, how many dB down is MIDI volume 64? In the past, I had to use matrix modulation in the Oberheims and Samplecells to match the curve of the Yamahas, which I took as the standard only because they couldn’t be adjusted. Now with the instruments I’m using, Native Instruments Kontakt and FM8, and LinPlug Alpha, the volume tracking problem persists. So, instead of contorting one thing or another to equalize volume curves on the MIDI side, I discovered without having to ask for it that that I could simply use the MIDI volume parameter as the source for a Bidule gain module. Problem solved.

*sounds like it could be an earlier version of Alpha

"V-Collection 5 has been an invaluable resource in recreating the sounds we used in the original Philip Glass Ensemble pieces during the 70s and 80s. The interface is easy to use and and sounds just like the original units."