I need to replicate the sounds of the ancient ARP Pro Soloist keyboard from the 70's, and am wondering if anyone knows of the availability of them, in one of the following formats:
 
1) VST
2) Kontakt library
3) EastWest Play library
4) Dim Pro library
5) Rapture or Rapture Pro library
6) Reaktor Ensemble
7) Any other Native Instrument component
8) Any of the Arturia V Collection components
 
I am likely joining a Genesis tribute band project as the keyboard player, and Tony Banks made extensive use of the ARP Pro Soloist for many of the early epic tunes (Cinema Show solo, for example).
 
There seems to be one individual I have located thus far, that has built a Kontakt sample library, that may be becoming available for a small charge - in the coming weeks.
 
I am just wondering if there are any other options, so that I could compare available choices.
 
I should also point out that I located and downloaded freeware sample files for the ARP Pro Soloist, but have VERY little experience mapping those into a viable Kontakt instrument.
 
Thanks, 
 
Bob Bone
 
 

forum member jimkleban sampled the presets am made them available http://scsarp.blogspot.co.uk/?m=1

Yes - thanks.  He was the one person on the planet I was referring to in my initial post.  I have been in contact with him via email, and am awaiting him notifying me of a new Pay Pal link to buy a copy of the library from him.
 
He has indicated it might be another week or so until that gets set up, and in addition to my being in quite a time crunch to obtain such a library, I also would like to see if there are other options that I could review - either as freeware, or as other commercial choices, for comparison.
 
The most likely outcome is that when he has the Pay Pal stuff set up at his end, I will be puying a copy of the library from him.  Should he have to delay its availability, or I determine the library to not meet my needs, I would like to develop as comprehensive a list of alternatives as possible.
 
Bob Bone

AM Music Technology released this as VSTi freeware/donationware a long time ago, in 32 bit of course. They also released an L-122 organ. You could probably find it floating around the web still (ProSoloVst). Both these were quite or even very good but I let them go because of the 32-bit.
 
Any Arp Pro-DGX VSTi/sample should get you fairly close. If I remember correctly it was mostly the filter that changed.
 
Not a solution for this particular problem maybe, but just so you know about it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3bId_9V9Pg
http://www.synthmagic.co.uk/quadra.html
 
There's also the expansion tank below that has a lot of Genesis (including prosoloist (look at sounds)) but I guess it's made for the older "Sampletank 2" instrument. Should be possible to import into the new one though, and I think the free ST3 actually can import nowadays, you'd have to check that yourself though. Dave Kerzner who's behind esoundz and SR has worked with Genesis.
 
https://www.esoundz.com/sounds/sample-arp-solo-sampletank-expansion/4743.html
 

I had forgotten about the Sampletank/eSoundz option. I bought the ARP expansion years ago in a fire sale and I had not tried it since updating to SampleTank 3.
  
I just ran through the ST Pro Soloist sounds in SampleTank 3 and compared them to Jim’s in Kontakt. ST sounds marginaly better "out of the box" as effects have been applied whereas Jim's are DI straight out of the instrument, but they are more detailed. Add effects of your choice and Jim’s will sound better than ST IMHO.
  
While SampleTank 3 was a disappointment for us studio bound types they seem to have some very nice ideas for live work, indeed I think this is what they prioritised and as long as you can load the old library in the free version it will probably serve you well.  There is a feature where you can line up patches in the required sequence and step through them in the gig, to that Tony Banks trick of stepping through the pre-sets as he soloed should be straight forward. The sequences can be saved too.
 
As for the Pro-Soloist the sounds are pretty basic single oscillator synth so you could get pretty good approximations out of many VSTis. I assume Tony Banks chose this over, say and Odyssey, was it was one of the very few synths of the time with pre-sets; Convenience vs versatility.

As an FYI, there are a small number of Arp sounds in the Muz3um free sound set for Rapture/Rapture Pro including a half dozen or so Pro Soloist and some additional Odyssey leads that are very nice sounding. Might be useful in the OP's case as an adjunct to another sound set/VSTi.

Bob,
 
I can vouche for the Synth Magic Quadra for Kontakt.   Have used it on a few Genesis covers.   The Mama cover in my signature link below uses the Mama Gated Quadra by Ray Pitt available at this link. http://www.synthmagic.co.uk/quadra.html
 
This Quadra product includes some popular presets from Abacab, Behind the Lines, Follow You Follow Me, Invisible Touch, the Brazilian, etc....   The Mama spooky synth lead voice in the cover below is from UVI, The Beast and is a preset called Strange Voices.  http://www.uvi.net/en/vintage-corner/the-beast.html
 
Also includes a number of older presets including the Cinema Show Trumpet Lead and Violin, Firth of the Fifth Lead, Deep in the Motherlode, Behind the Lines.
 
Hope this helps and good luck in your cover band..

Regards
 
 

Brando
As an FYI, there are a small number of Arp sounds in the Muz3um free sound set for Rapture/Rapture Pro including a half dozen or so Pro Soloist and some additional Odyssey leads that are very nice sounding. Might be useful in the OP's case as an adjunct to another sound set/VSTi.

Quick NVA (no value added) post so I do not lose track of this comment. I had not heard of Muz3um before, and they have patches for Z3TA+2 as well.

mettelus

Quick NVA (no value added) post so I do not lose track of this comment. I had not heard of Muz3um before, and they have patches for Z3TA+2 as well.



Mettelus - Yes Muz3um is definitely worth picking up and highly recommended. I believe the Z3ta2 set includes the same samples with some extra modulation capabilities specific to z3ta - fr4ncesco and chad did an awesome job putting this together. I believe the original samples came from Hollowsound.
 

Here is a link to a decent Pro Soloist VST:  http://www.vst4free.com/free_vst.php?plugin=Pro-SoloVst&id=1491
 
This one is quite close to the original. Add slow speed LFO for more motion to the sound plus add in some echo and it sounds quite good.
 
Jim