FAB FOUR is a virtual (software) instrument that includes 45 instruments inspired by the sounds of the Beatles.
"The quality is undeniable, I can't imagine what East West must have gone through to track down these sounds (and get Beatles engineer Ken Scott on board)." - EQ
M.I.P.A Winner ; judged most innovative instrument by 100 music magazines
Check out the AUDIO DEMOS in the player at the top right. For those new to this technology we used some of the 45 instruments in the FAB FOUR collection to create these demos. To listen to .wav versions select the demo and click on the 'wav' link at the top of the playlist, and download the .wav file. Everything you hear (except the foot taps at the end of "Something In the Sky") is in the product (even the screaming girls!). New video tutorials have been posted below, so if you want to get more familiar with the technology behind this award-winning collection, check these out.
Producer DOUG ROGERS was awarded the M.I.P.A. Award for BEST SOUND LIBRARY for FAB FOUR at the Frankfurt Musikmesse. Over 100 international magazines selected the winner. The M.I.P.A. has become the "Grammy" of the Musical Instrument industry.
LATEST REVIEW QUOTES
As you play the instruments, you'll recognize many signature sounds-guitars, keyboard, drums, sitar-but that doesn't mean you have to play the licks they provided for the Beatles. In fact, using them in other contexts provides an intriguing combination of freshness and deja vu; these are highly playable, "organic" sounds that have intrinsic merit and coolness, regardless of their lineage. The quality is undeniable, I can't imagine what East West must have gone through to track down these sounds (and get engineer Ken Scott on board), tweak them to perfection, and adapt them to a virtual instrument format. Bottom line: There are many great sound libraries out there, but this is a tour de force. (EQ Magazine)
Standouts for uncanny realism include, well, pretty much the entire library — the guitar sounds are so authentic they could have been lifted directly off the original multitrack session tapes. Fab Four absolutely nails the iconic instrument sounds created at Abbey Road Studios by the Beatles, George Martin, Ken Scott (who worked on engineering Fab Four, in fact), Geoff Emerick, Alan Parsons, and other producers and engineers on the Beatles' many brilliant albums. It should also be said that if you're looking to recreate the Beatles sound with other libraries, you really have to know what you're looking for. In Fab Four, so much of the work has been done for you that, uh, all you need is love . . . of the Beatles! Bottom line: Fab Four is a major accomplishment, and entirely worth the money. (KEYBOARD)
I installed Fab Four in my Pro Tools rig and instantly fell in love with all the sounds--all 13GB of them. Check out: "With A Little Help From My Bass", "Bass Tripper", "Because I'm A Harpsichord", "Madonna Piano", "Baby I'm Clavioline", "Strawberry Flutes", "We Can Work A Harmonium", "I'm A Blackbird Guitar", "Revostortion Guitar", and Swarmandel Forever."
The drums and bass sounds are evocative of Ringo and Paul and the keyboards work excellently in any record production pastiche--just like the Beatles used them. The instrument's GUI includes many studio effects you can add to any sound such as convolution reverbs, delays, compressors and the Beatle's often-used ADT (artificial double tracking) tape recorder effect.
As a collection of authentic Beatle sounds, Fab Four Virtual Instruments turns out to be an excellent record production and songwriting tool. (MUSIC CONNECTION)
In all honesty, this was a library I didn't expect to be very interested in. I found it admirable from an artistic standpoint that EastWest would go to the trouble of putting out what I expected to be a very esoteric product, but would anyone really be interested enough to open up their wallets? Wow, was I wrong. This is a charming sample library that grows on you the more you play it. It's hard to imagine anyone not developing a severe crush on at least some of these instruments. (VIRTUAL INSTRUMENTS)
Given their beauty, and the ease with which they can be molded, the bulk of the Fab Four samples are both outstandingly accurate reproductions of sounds that helped create some of the most memorable music in the history of rock, and sample sets that can be turned into aural tapestries that evoke an earlier era without being tethered to it. It takes a bit of cheek and a lot of skill to attempt such a task, and the producer/engineer tandem of Doug Rogers and Ken Scott deserve high marks for their efforts. (MIX)
Fab Four is a true jewel for all fans of the classic Beatles sounds. Producer Doug Rogers and engineer Ken Scott, (who has worked for example with the Beatles, David Bowie and Elton John) have tried with almost boundless efforts to capture the sound spirit of legendary recordings. Not only instruments and amps of that time have been used, also the authentic recording equipment. Along with old Neuman tube mics, venerable Fairchild and Altec compressors, they have used the EMI tube mixer and TG12345 mixer as well as a Studer J37 4 track tube tape machine. In addition, they got competent help by two former Wings members, Denny Seiwell (drums) and Laurence Juber (guitar). Fab Four is an accurate collection of sounds that created pop history, and are a great starting point to create new songs, and create alternatives to modern sounds. (KEYS)
OVERVIEW
FAB FOUR is a virtual instrument inspired by the sounds of the Beatles, using the same kind of period instruments and authentic rare EMI recording equipment the Beatles used to create their music.
FAB FOUR sound engineer KEN SCOTT worked on five Beatles albums, including "A Hard Days Night", "Help", "Rubber Soul", "Magical Mystery Tour" (engineer), and "The Beatles" (engineer) - also known as the "White Album". Drummer DENNY SEIWELL and Guitarist LAURENCE JUBER were both members of Paul McCartney and Wings.
"The Beatles had a profound impact on me, as they did for millions of others" said FAB FOUR producer DOUG ROGERS, "and they were the initial influence for my fascination with sounds. They were creative geniuses that never rested on their laurels, always producing exciting new music and sounds with each new record, much of it ground-breaking! Putting this project together took well over a year of research, equipment procurement (much of it from collectors), and putting together a team that could pull off such a feat; but it was a labor of love for us all, and we feel the result is truly worth it."
No expense was spared finding the same kind of period instruments and rare authentic EMI and other recording equipment the Beatles used to create their sounds to produce this collection, much of which, ironically, will end up in EASTWEST Studios, where the Beach Boys "Pet Sounds" was recorded, the inspiration for the Beatles "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" album, according to Paul McCartney.
Well over a million dollars worth of instruments, amplifiers, microphones, recording desks (including very rare EMI REDD tube and TG12345 desks), outboard equipment (including Fairchild limiters and EMI RS124 modified Altec compressors), and Studer J-37 tube multi-tracks were used in this production. If you are a film/tv/game composer, or a musician/producer looking for sounds not found in other collections, this is it. Blending these unique and sometimes bizarre sounds with today's music should enable you to produce something truly fab!
QUICK FACTS:
Produced by DOUG ROGERS
Engineered by KEN SCOTT (Beatles/David Bowie/Elton John/Supertramp etc.)
Includes authentic rare period guitars (acoustic and electric), basses, drums, keyboards, stringed and other misc instruments
The same kind of microphones were used to record all instruments (Neumann/AKG/Cole/STC)
The same kind of period amplifiers - Fender Tan Showman (1963), Fender Bassman (1963), Vox AC30 (1963), Vox AC50 (1965), Vox Defiant (1966), Vox 730 (1966), Vox 7120 (1966), Fender Showman (1967), Fender DeLuxe (1967) - were used with the electric guitars
The same kind of recording desks and preamps, including a very rare EMI REDD tube desk, EMI TG12345 desk (the same kind of desk used to record "Abbey Road" and Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon"), and EMI REDD47 preamps, were used to record all instruments
The same kind of limiters (Fairchild) and compressors (rare EMI RS124 modified Altec) were used for dynamics control
The same kind of Studer J-37 tube 4-track was used to record everything
INSTRUMENTS:
Guitars (some costing over $200,000 each) played by LAURENCE JUBER (Paul McCartney and Wings) include Gretsch Firebird (1959), Gretsch Tennessean (1963), Rickenbacker 360-12 (1965), Martin D-28 (1966), Fender Stratocaster (1956), Epiphone Casino (1965), Fender Telecaster (1951), Gibson SG (1960), Les Paul Goldtop (1957), Gibson J200 (1966), Hofner 500 Bass (1963) and Rickenbacker 4001S Bass (1964).
Guitars were sampled with up and down strokes, multiple velocities and picking styles, some with chords and effects
Most of the sounds would be impossible to create without all of the above equipment. For example, the "revostortion" guitar sound was created by feeding a Epiphone Casino guitar into one EMI REDD 47 preamp, and the output into a second EMI REDD 47 preamp, which is exactly how it was created originally by the EMI/Abbey Road engineers
Drums played by DENNY SEIWELL (Paul McCartney and Wings) include a rare 1960 Ludwig downbeat kit with Zildjian cymbals (snare 5 x 14/toms 9 x 13/16 x 16/kick 22 x 14/zildjan 20" crash ride/18" crash medium/14" Hi-Hat)
Drums are all multi-sampled with up to 16 velocity layers, left and right hand. The sounds were all matched to a particular style (e.g. A Day in the Drums, Ticket to Drums, Yer Drums). We even recorded some heavily modulated cymbals through a Fairchild limiter for authenticity
Keyboards include Baldwin Electric Harpsichord (Because I'm a Harpsichord), Clavioline (Baby I'm a Clavioline), Lucy in the Lowery, Strawberry Flutes, We Can Work a Harmonium, and other stringed instruments including Swarmandel Forever
EFFECTS:
FAB FOUR includes a software version of ADT (artificial double tracking) with built-in tape simulator, created and programmed specially for this project. The software includes the smoothest filters you'll ever hear, delay, and multiple high quality reverb choices.
(PLEASE NOTE: THIS PRODUCT IS NOT AFFILIATED WITH, OR ENDORSED BY THE BEATLES OR APPLE CORPS, LTD.)
Revostortion Guitar (1965 Epiphone Casino Electric Guitar/2 x REDD 47 Preamps)
Roll Over Guitar (1959 Gretsch Country Gentleman Electric Guitar/1964 Vox AC100 Amp)
Something Is A Guitar Solo (1957 Les Paul Goldtop Electric Guitar/1963 Fender Bassman Amp)
Something Is A Rhythm Guitar (1951 Fender Telecaster Electric Guitar with Leslie Speaker)
Strawberry Drums (1960 Ludwig Downbeat Kit)
Strawberry Flutes (original sound licensed from www.mellotron.com)
Swarmandel Forever (Swarmandel)
Ticket To Guitar (Rickenbacker 360-12 Electric Guitar/1965 Vox AC50 Amp)
Ticket To Drums (1960 Ludwig Downbeat Kit)
We Can Work A Harmonium (Harmonium)
With a Little Help From My Bass (1964 Rickenbacker 4001S Bass)
Within A Sitar / Love You Sitar (Sitar)
Within A Tabla (Tabla)
What You're Drumming (1960 Ludwig Downbeat Kit)
Yer Drums (1960 Ludwig Downbeat Kit in Small Room)
All instruments are newly recorded multi-samples for this collection and none of the sounds came from any Beatles music or records (Beatles is a registered trademark of Apple Corps, Ltd. All other product and company names are trademarks of their respective holders.)
(PLEASE NOTE: THIS PRODUCT IS NOT AFFILIATED WITH, OR ENDORSED BY THE BEATLES OR APPLE CORPS, LTD.)
User Interface and Software
Fab Four is powered by EASTWEST'S PLAY 5 64-bit Advanced Sample Engine
FAB FOUR: PLAY interface (click to magnify)
This VIRTUAL INSTRUMENT combines intuitive handling with excellent sound quality, and functions as a plug-in instrument, without the need for a sampler.
PLAY 5 is a 64-bit Advanced Sample Engine. PLAY 5 is included with all new EASTWEST/QUANTUM LEAP Virtual Instruments (download here). For 32-bit compatibility, please use PLAY 4 (download here).
PLAY 5 includes SSL FX Suite from Solid State Logic, the industry leader in mixing technology; and an upgraded “true stereo” EastWest reverb. The FX section includes a SSL EQ and Dynamics Channel Strip, Transient Shaper, and SSL’s legendary Stereo Bus Compressor; plus an upgraded "true stereo" reverb from EastWest plus new features. EastWest also added it’s Amp Simulator and Ohm Force’s Ohmicide multi-band distortion software to enable unlimited sound design for film/games etc.
FEATURES
PLAY includes custom designed Virtual Instruments that look as beautiful as they sound
Interface designed to eliminate clutter, including only the controls needed for each individual virtual instrument collection
Load MORE thanks to 64-bit support
64-bit support allows you to load many more instruments and voices, limited only by your system RAM
All instruments are listed in one browser
Easy to use browser displays all of your instruments
Favorites section to group the instruments you use most
Preview your instrument of choice in an easy-to-use column viewer
Interface automatically changes to display current instrument
There are over 12,000 award-winning virtual (software) instruments in the PLAY eco system, the largest virtual instrument collection available!
Articulations
Forget browsing through complicated patch names: pick the instrument and play
Turn on/off articulations as you wish
Articulations list also serves as reference for all expressions within the instrument (no need to look up key-switches in charts)
Save your favorite configuration for quick retrieval
Legato Detection
PLAY senses legato and repetitive playing and responds accordingly
Stereo Handling
PLAY allows the user to manipulate stereo samples in very useful ways
Stereo Swap allows the user to instantly swap the left and right channels
Mono from left , Mono from right, or Mono Sum allow for instant conversion from stereo to mono
Effects Engine
The best sounding and most powerful effects engine out there, built from the ground up for the highest possible quality
Reverb section includes multiple impulse responses from halls, and the famous EASTWEST Studios and live chambers (more RIAA certified Platinum and Gold records awarded than any other studio)
The smoothest filters you'll ever hear
Specialized effects including the first Artificial Double Tracking (ADT) software available
Our latest products include many new advanced sound shaping tools, a new EastWest AMP Simulator with 80 Amp Presets, classic Echoplex EP-1 Delay, Solid State Logic EQ & Dynamics Channel, consisting of: Filter, EQ, Compressor and Noise Gate/Expander, Solid State Logic Transient Shaper, the legendary Solid State Logic Stereo Compressor, and EastWest Expanded Convolution Reverb with 726 Additional Reverb Presets.
Playback Engine
Highest quality resampling engine
Built from the ground up to create the most intuitive instruments possible. Allowed us to design instruments every step of the way without compromise
Security system
Activate purchased instruments easily using the industry standard iLok security system (machine license placed on your computer or iLok key)
Supported Platforms
AU, VST, Standalone, Intel Mac, Windows 7 and above, 64-bit, 32-bit (PLAY 4)
Summary
PLAY isn't just a sampler, the PLAY ECO SYSTEM is a professional fully integrated sample playback software solution for those with the most demanding production requirements with the largest selection of virtual instruments available
The highest sound quality (ground-up effects, highest quality interpolation)
The best virtual instruments from the multiple award-winning EASTWEST/QUANTUM LEAP producers
Professional industry standard FX not available in any other sample playback engine
The most intuitive controls, custom designed for each library
System Requirements
13 GB Free Hard Disc Space
MAC MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
Intel Core 2 Duo Processor 2.1GHz or higher (PPC not supported)
8GB RAM
Mac OSX 10.7 or later
7200 RPM or faster (non energy saving) hard drive for sample streaming
PC MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
Intel Core 2 Duo, or AMD Dual Core 2.1GHz or higher
8GB RAM
Windows 7 or later
Sound card with ASIO drivers
7200 RPM or faster (non energy saving) hard drive for sample streaming
MAC RECOMMENDED SYSTEM
Mac Pro Late 2013 edition (current model with round enclosure) or above
16GB RAM or more
Mac OSX 10.7 or later
SSD (Solid State Drive) for sample streaming
PC RECOMMENDED SYSTEM
Intel Core 2 Quad, or AMD Quad Core 2.66GHz or higher
16GB RAM or more
Windows 7 or later (64-bit Windows/Host Sequencer)
Sound card with ASIO drivers
SSD (Solid State Drive) for sample streaming
All Systems
iLok account required for machine (electronic) license placed on your computer or use optional iLok Key; internet connection required for one-time product activation
Included for both PC and Mac:
64-bit standalone and plug-in versions included (for 32-bit compatibility please use PLAY 4.3.5).
Check the compatibility chart for supported hosts.
EASTWEST PLAY Host/Sequencer Compatibility Matrix
Supported Host
Mac OS
10.9 - 10.12.3
WIN
XP
(32-bit)
WIN
XP
(64-bit)
WIN 10,
8, 7, Vista
(32-bit)
WIN 10
8, 7, Vista
(64-bit)
Required Version
Standalone
YES
YES
YES
YES
YES
Ableton Live
YES
YES
YES
YES1
6.07 or higher
Cubase/Nuendo
YES2
YES
YES3
YES
YES3
6 or higher
FL Studio
YES
YES
YES
YES
7 or higher
GarageBand
YES
3 or higher
Logic
YES4
7.2 or higher
Digital Performer
YES4
YES
YES
6.02 or higher
Pro Tools5
YES
YES
YES
7.4 to 10
Pro Tools 11 or higher5
YES
YES
YES6
11 or higher
Sibelius
YES7
YES
YES
6 or higher8
Sonar
YES
YES
YES
YES
6.2 or higher
VE Pro
YES
YES
YES
YES
YES
4.0.54 or higher
Studio One
YES
YES
YES
YES
YES
2 or higher
Reaper
YES
YES
YES
YES
YES
3 or higher
1: Play 5 (and above) is compatible with all 64-bit hosts that use VST, AU, or AAX plugins. Use Play 4 for 32-bit hosts.
2: Mac OS 10.7 or newer is required.
3: Cubase/Nuendo 4.1 or later are required as 64-bit hosts.
4: WordBuilder is not supported in Logic 7 or lower, and DAE (RTAS in Digital Performer and Logic) is not supported at this time.
5: Ethernet control surfaces are not officially supported (ex: C24).
6: Windows 7 or 8 Home Premium Supported. Pro Tools HD 11 does not support Windows 8.
7: Sibelius 6.0.3 or higher is required to run in Mac OS 7.
8: Sibelius 6.2 is required to run in Mac OS 10.9 (Mavericks).
Desktop Wallpaper
There are a number of sizes in each .zip file for both standard and widescreen monitors including (800x600, 1024x768, 1280x960, 1600x1200, 1280x800, 1440x900, 1680x1050, 1920x1200).
Full licenses are for CCC or TeraPack owners who already have the content for the product.
Fab Four Full License (Media Required)
This option is for past EDU purchasers upgrading to the full version of the product.
Please input your iLok username for verification. Your order will be approved and shipped upon verificaton.
Fab Four Upgrade from EDU DVD Version
Fab Four Upgrade from EDU Full License (Media Required)
Additional licenses are for customers who already have a full, valid license to the product and want to run the product on multiple systems simultaneously.
Enter your iLok account username here. Then click "Add to Cart". If you are purchasing an additional license at the same time as the original product, leave this blank.
Fab Four Additional License
This item is currently out of stock but you can order it
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- Skyfall, Saving Mr. Banks, Wall-E
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"EastWest/Quantum Leap Pianos is the best software available today. The recording quality and playability are fantastic. These are the only digital piano sounds that faithfully reproduce the resonances of a well tuned piano."
- Ice Age, Tarzan, Scooby-Doo
Mark "Spike" Stent
"EastWest/Quantum Leap SPACES is my new go to reverb, it's absolutely the best reverb plug-in on the market."
- Coldplay, Lady Gaga, Bruce Springsteen, Muse
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"These are real acoustic piano sounds. I'm absolutely amazed. EastWest/Quantum Leap has gone the extra mile to provide stunning quality acoustic piano character - the whole collection is superb!"
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masterpiece ... it's love at first touch. When I first heard it, I had to play it, and I fell in love - WOW!!"
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- Musical Director/Keyboards - PAUL McCARTNEY
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