Rod Abernethy

"The Dark Side is exactly what I've been looking for in a moody, expertly distorted virtual instrument. I'm using it everyday now in my video game music scores."

"I'm using Olympus Choir ALL the time:)."

"I'm currently using Digital Performer on a Mac Pro for my DAW. I've used just about every DAW out there and I keep returning to DP because it's easy for me to get around on. I have a PC server that's loaded with my orchestral and percussion libraries. Over the years, I've honed my system down to a bare minimum of hardware. I use Apogee convertors, they still sound the best to me. Like everyone else, I have tons of virtual instruments and plug-ins but I'm still using my favorite hardware synths including my Oberheim OB-8, Access Virus TI, Roland Juno 60, Nord Lead 2 and all my Roland 1080s and my MKS-80 Super Jupiter."

To create various soundscapes, Abernethy uses a combination of synthesizers. For software, he uses Native Instruments Reaktor, Spectrasonics Omnisphere, as well as Rob Papen's Punch, Blue and Predator.

He mixed the score in Digital Performer and mastered it in Bias Peak using Waves Platinum bundle, PSP Audioware Vintage Warmer and Sony Oxford plug-ins.

"I'm currently using Digital Performer on a Mac Pro for my DAW. I've used just about every DAW out there and I keep returning to DP because it's easy for me to get around on. I have a PC server that's loaded with my orchestral and percussion libraries. Over the years, I've honed my system down to a bare minimum of hardware. I use Apogee convertors, they still sound the best to me. Like everyone else, I have tons of virtual instruments and plug-ins but I'm still using my favorite hardware synths including my Oberheim OB-8, Access Virus TI, Roland Juno 60, Nord Lead 2 and all my Roland 1080s and my MKS-80 Super Jupiter."

"I'm currently using Digital Performer on a Mac Pro for my DAW. I've used just about every DAW out there and I keep returning to DP because it's easy for me to get around on. I have a PC server that's loaded with my orchestral and percussion libraries. Over the years, I've honed my system down to a bare minimum of hardware. I use Apogee convertors, they still sound the best to me. Like everyone else, I have tons of virtual instruments and plug-ins but I'm still using my favorite hardware synths including my Oberheim OB-8, Access Virus TI, Roland Juno 60, Nord Lead 2 and all my Roland 1080s and my MKS-80 Super Jupiter."

"I'm currently using Digital Performer on a Mac Pro for my DAW. I've used just about every DAW out there and I keep returning to DP because it's easy for me to get around on. I have a PC server that's loaded with my orchestral and percussion libraries. Over the years, I've honed my system down to a bare minimum of hardware. I use Apogee convertors, they still sound the best to me. Like everyone else, I have tons of virtual instruments and plug-ins but I'm still using my favorite hardware synths including my Oberheim OB-8, Access Virus TI, Roland Juno 60, Nord Lead 2 and all my Roland 1080s and my MKS-80 Super Jupiter."

"I'm currently using Digital Performer on a Mac Pro for my DAW. I've used just about every DAW out there and I keep returning to DP because it's easy for me to get around on. I have a PC server that's loaded with my orchestral and percussion libraries. Over the years, I've honed my system down to a bare minimum of hardware. I use Apogee convertors, they still sound the best to me. Like everyone else, I have tons of virtual instruments and plug-ins but I'm still using my favorite hardware synths including my Oberheim OB-8, Access Virus TI, Roland Juno 60, Nord Lead 2 and all my Roland 1080s and my MKS-80 Super Jupiter."

"I'm currently using Digital Performer on a Mac Pro for my DAW. I've used just about every DAW out there and I keep returning to DP because it's easy for me to get around on. I have a PC server that's loaded with my orchestral and percussion libraries. Over the years, I've honed my system down to a bare minimum of hardware. I use Apogee convertors, they still sound the best to me. Like everyone else, I have tons of virtual instruments and plug-ins but I'm still using my favorite hardware synths including my Oberheim OB-8, Access Virus TI, Roland Juno 60, Nord Lead 2 and all my Roland 1080s and my MKS-80 Super Jupiter."

"I'm currently using Digital Performer on a Mac Pro for my DAW. I've used just about every DAW out there and I keep returning to DP because it's easy for me to get around on. I have a PC server that's loaded with my orchestral and percussion libraries. Over the years, I've honed my system down to a bare minimum of hardware. I use Apogee convertors, they still sound the best to me. Like everyone else, I have tons of virtual instruments and plug-ins but I'm still using my favorite hardware synths including my Oberheim OB-8, Access Virus TI, Roland Juno 60, Nord Lead 2 and all my Roland 1080s and my MKS-80 Super Jupiter."

"Most of RAGE was created in the box except for me playing live guitars, electric and acoustic. I’m fortunate to have a great collection of vintage guitars. I rarely record guitar amps anymore, I usually record electric guitar directly with guitar pedals into Digital Performer and mix them digitally with just about every guitar amp sim made. If it’s acoustic guitar, I use a couple of vintage API 512’s and compress and EQ it within Digital Performer. I’m using tons of software beside DP…Reason, Bidule, and Spectrasonics to name a few. I love Rob Papen’s virtual collection, incredibly intuitive. I use lots of Native Instruments, Project Sam Brass, Percussion and Symphobia. I love Sonokinetic’s abstract orchestral library, Tutti, and tons of East West Sample libraries including The Dark Side and Symphonic Orchestra Platinum."

"Most of RAGE was created in the box except for me playing live guitars, electric and acoustic. I’m fortunate to have a great collection of vintage guitars. I rarely record guitar amps anymore, I usually record electric guitar directly with guitar pedals into Digital Performer and mix them digitally with just about every guitar amp sim made. If it’s acoustic guitar, I use a couple of vintage API 512’s and compress and EQ it within Digital Performer. I’m using tons of software beside DP…Reason, Bidule, and Spectrasonics to name a few. I love Rob Papen’s virtual collection, incredibly intuitive. I use lots of Native Instruments, Project Sam Brass, Percussion and Symphobia. I love Sonokinetic’s abstract orchestral library, Tutti, and tons of East West Sample libraries including The Dark Side and Symphonic Orchestra Platinum."

"I've used everything from vintage Les Pauls to a Japanese Guyatone to a Gretsch Chet Atkins to Mosrite 'Ventures model' and others. I have an array of guitars I went through, and then I put them into a vintage fuzzbox or something new, like Geiger Counter by William Mathewson Devices."

"I've used everything from vintage Les Pauls to a Japanese Guyatone to a Gretsch Chet Atkins to Mosrite 'Ventures model' and others. I have an array of guitars I went through, and then I put them into a vintage fuzzbox or something new, like Geiger Counter by William Mathewson Devices."

To create various soundscapes, Abernethy uses a combination of synthesizers. For software, he uses Native Instruments Reaktor, Spectrasonics Omnisphere, as well as Rob Papen's Punch, Blue and Predator.

To create various soundscapes, Abernethy uses a combination of synthesizers. For software, he uses Native Instruments Reaktor, Spectrasonics Omnisphere, as well as Rob Papen's Punch, Blue and Predator.

To create various soundscapes, Abernethy uses a combination of synthesizers. For software, he uses Native Instruments Reaktor, Spectrasonics Omnisphere, as well as Rob Papen's Punch, Blue and Predator.

To create various soundscapes, Abernethy uses a combination of synthesizers. For software, he uses Native Instruments Reaktor, Spectrasonics Omnisphere, as well as Rob Papen's Punch, Blue and Predator.

For the orchestral part of the score, he used samples from his own personal library as well as from other sample libraries, including EastWest/Quantum Leap Symphonic Orchestra Platinum, ProjectSAM Orchestral Brass Classic and also Symphobia.

For the orchestral part of the score, he used samples from his own personal library as well as from other sample libraries, including EastWest/Quantum Leap Symphonic Orchestra Platinum, ProjectSAM Orchestral Brass Classic and also Symphobia.

He mixed the score in Digital Performer and mastered it in Bias Peak using Waves Platinum bundle, PSP Audioware Vintage Warmer and Sony Oxford plug-ins.

He mixed the score in Digital Performer and mastered it in Bias Peak using Waves Platinum bundle, PSP Audioware Vintage Warmer and Sony Oxford plug-ins.

Abernethy worked in Digital Performer, played all of the guitar parts and drew sounds from his arsenal of soft synths and sound libraries, including EastWest/Quantum Leap’s Symphonic Orchestra Platinum Complete, Vienna Symphonic Library, ProjectSAM’s Symphobia, Toontrack’s EZdrummer and Abernethy’s custom libraries.

Abernethy composed on Digital Performer 4 on a Mac G4 that sits alongside an 80-channel Otari Status console, working with mostly original samples. “We were using three Mac G4s, one Dell PC, BIAS Peak, Cool Edit Pro, two E4-X2 samplers and three ASR 10s,” he explains. “We put our samples into the proprietary Sony sound tool, which has its own MIDI player, and then programmed our sequences within the tool.”

Abernethy composed on Digital Performer 4 on a Mac G4 that sits alongside an 80-channel Otari Status console, working with mostly original samples. “We were using three Mac G4s, one Dell PC, BIAS Peak, Cool Edit Pro, two E4-X2 samplers and three ASR 10s,” he explains. “We put our samples into the proprietary Sony sound tool, which has its own MIDI player, and then programmed our sequences within the tool.”

Abernethy composed on Digital Performer 4 on a Mac G4 that sits alongside an 80-channel Otari Status console, working with mostly original samples. “We were using three Mac G4s, one Dell PC, BIAS Peak, Cool Edit Pro, two E4-X2 samplers and three ASR 10s,” he explains. “We put our samples into the proprietary Sony sound tool, which has its own MIDI player, and then programmed our sequences within the tool.”

Rather than running straight to an interface, Abernethy often runs mics through vintage API 512 and Neve 1272 pre’s. “It makes a difference,” he says. “Whether gamers are really paying attention, who knows, but in the long run, the little things do add up.”