Tri-State Digital:

vintage digital synths from 1989-1993

SLICK synth pop icons
of 1989-1993

Tri-State Digital is a collection of custom-sampled virtual instruments wrapped in a new interface for MainStage/Logic (coming soon to Kontakt) - crafted from the ground up to evoke the unmistakeable synth pop sounds of the late-80s - 90s, made by a cutting-edge synth company in the Northeast U.S. (also known as the “tri-state area”).

On the heels of the Roland D-50 - the first synth to feature built-in high-quality effects - these synths had their own unique sound and could easily produce slick, production-ready sounds right out of the box. They had a very airy, hi-fi character but with a characteristic punch not found elsewhere. As with DX Dreams, the raw sounds were recorded with extreme attention to detail through British 1073-style preamps and/or various analog tape models, so you get those iconic sounds captured with the best sonic presentation possible.

Tri-State Digital is sourced from 90 custom patches (not factory presets), from 3 different synths. It covers all the “must-have” flavors of these synths, meticulously captured and recreated to sound and play even better than the originals. Tri-State Digital also includes all the content from the earlier “Best of VFX” release.

MainStage/Logic version FEATURES

  • Over 5.8 GB of meticulously sampled content sourced from 3 different “tri-state area” synths, made from 1989-1993

  • Stunning production-ready sounds sampled through the hit-making hardware of the 80s & 90s: 1073-style preamps, various analog tape models, and in some cases, the built-in effects from each synth

  • Includes 3 custom reverb impulses from the AMS RMX16: the unmistakeable non-linear reverb that was a crucial ingredient in so many 80s/90s hits

  • Built from the ground up for uncompromising performance in a live setting without the CPU/RAM penalties, authorization issues, and other hassles of 3rd party plugins

  • Modular rack paradigm featuring realtime control over major sound shaping aspects that weren’t available on the original hardware: each module has independent controls for volume, coarse and fine tune, solo & mute, 3 effects sends, and chorus effects that emulate the classic Dimension D and Juno chorus circuits

  • A dedicated Logic Pro demo session with pre-mapped FX buses for auditioning all patches so they sound identical to the MainStage versions

  • A new TouchOSC controller file designed to correspond to all onscreen controls, including the newly updated “main channel” page

Kontakt version COMING SOON

MINIMUM SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

  • Mac OS Mojave (10.14.6) or greater

  • MainStage 3.4.3 or higher. All content loads in Logic Pro as well; version 10.5.0+ recommended

  • 5.8 GB free space

  • SSD (solid state drive) for sample streaming

  • Although it will run on lesser systems, a quad core i7 with 16 GB RAM & dedicated graphics processor is recommended for best performance


RECOMMENDED FOR FULL FUNCTIONALITY

  • An 88-note keyboard controller

  • Any iPad (9” or larger, all the way back to first generation) running TouchOSC

  • Free TouchOSC Bridge utility running on Mac

FAQ

  • No! Tri-State Digital is a completely separate, standalone product with its own interface (for MainStage). However, Tri-State Digital is part of the BackStage Pass “ecosystem” so it will integrate perfectly with those other libraries in whatever way you want. You can import patches between any of these libraries, or your own MainStage/Logic sessions. So, while those other libraries are NOT required, they really compliment each other!

  • Absolutely! Each BackStage Pass instrument has its own unique interface for MainStage that’s designed for live performance. However, the sounds themselves are shared with Logic Pro, and are completely interchangeable. You can create any combination of sounds you can imagine; you can also load any of them into your other MainStage templates. The forthcoming Kontakt versions can of course be loaded into any DAW on either Mac or Windows.

  • It is in development. While all BackStage Pass instruments are developed in MainStage because of its advantages for live performance, the Kontakt versions can be used in any DAW, on both Mac or Windows. The custom GUI and performance environment will always be exclusive to MainStage, but the sounds themselves are identical in Kontakt.

  • See the previous answer re: Kontakt. Logic and MainStage share a common library, so Logic users can natively open any of the Tri-State Digital files (channel strips, sampler instruments, patches, etc.).  Tri-State Digital also includes a custom Logic demo session with all sounds loaded so you can hear them as intended.