Model 85 is sourced from two iconic Japanese analog synths of the mid-80s, famous for their incredibly rich, warm pads and synth sounds. You really could do an entire retrowave album or 80s soundtrack with just these synths, but there are some other surprises under the hood, including electric pianos that are shockingly good and pair well with that other 80s legend, the Yamaha DX7!

The goal with the analog synths in the Legacy Series was to capture all their imperfections, instability, and unpredictability. These are the hallmarks of analog, and they are responsible for the warm, lush sounds we all love so much in these timeless instruments. These sounds are alive.

As one of the largest collections in the Legacy Series, Model 85 meticulously captures several dozen new source sounds - including pads, soundscapes, basses, leads, arpeggiated synths, and a handful of famous sounds from pop hits of the 80s - all through British mic preamps for the ultimate reproduction of these sounds.

Multiple round robins and velocity layers were captured where necessary, so they behave like proper analog synths - not as static, lifeless samples. All the random instability you’d expect from an analog synth is there, and the resulting sounds are incredibly organic and musical.

Finally, most sounds are dynamically controllable via mod wheel for expressive filter sweeps, LFO control, or other applicable parameters.

• Kontakt 6.7.1 or later (full version, not the free “Player” version), Mac or Windows

• 15 GB free space post-installation

Model 85 is $89 for Kontakt, and includes:

• 50 original source sounds (11 GB WAV data), deep-sampled from various combinations

• Custom “Nonlin” reverb impulse sample from the AMS RMX16 reverb

For a video answer to this question, click HERE (pertains to DX Dreams, but the concept is the same).

The MainStage versions were designed and built specifically for live performance, and as such, they have an elaborate interface with corresponding iPad controls using TouchOSC. They also come with a fully loaded MainStage “Concert” file where all sounds are loaded and ready to play, with onscreen controls that let you dial in effects and other settings as you play.

The Kontakt versions are much simpler: they give you the core sounds themselves, but since they are designed to use within a DAW, they focus strictly on the main parameters of an analog synth (filters & envelopes), plus the AMS “Nonlin” reverb. They are meant to be used as part of a larger production, where you add your own effects as needed from your DAW or other plugins.

It’s important to understand that there’s no way to exactly match some of the sounds between the MainStage/Logic and Kontakt versions; you can only approximate certain aspects since they use different filters, envelopes, and effects. I spent hundreds of hours obsessively tweaking the Kontakt versions to get as close as possible, but there will always be some differences on certain types of sounds.

However, this does NOT mean the sounds are compromised in any way: the Kontakt versions still maintain the world-class sound of any BackStage Pass instrument, and you simply won’t find any other way to get these iconic, massive sounds.

Absolutely! There is a $19 crossgrade for those who need to switch between the MainStage/Logic and Kontakt versions. Inquire at support@backstagepass.store and let me know what you need!

Yes! Send me an email at support@backstagepass.store and let me know what you want!