Georgie Ward works with piano and analogue synthesizers to create intense, rhythmic electronic music. Combining her background as a classical pianist and her experience performing with some of the world’s biggest pop stars, her style focuses on high-energy, instrumental synth-pop.
Georgie is inspired by the bold and experimental approach to pop production by SOPHIE; the glitchy, synth-pop style of Charlie XCX’s albums How I’m Feeling Now and Crash; and the explorative synthesis and ethereal sound-scaping of Oneohtrix Point Never.
We chatted with Georgie on how she uses the Prophet-6 in her music:
What made you choose the Prophet-6?
I had started rehearsals with the Will Gregory Moog Ensemble, playing a Roland SH-09, my first ever synth. I mentioned to the group I was in the market for my first poly-synth and they all said ‘oh you must try the Prophet-6’. I was then kindly lent one by a member of the group, Vyv Hope-Scott. I first used Vyv’s Prophet-6 for a concert with the Paraorchestra. The repertoire included a new musical experiment, ‘Kraftwerk Re:werk’, taking Kraftwerk’s Trans-Europe Express as the starting point for an exciting symphonic trip – a mix of orchestral and electronic instruments. My score (written by Charlotte Harding and Lloyd Coleman) was full of interesting parts; industrial hits, fizzy alarms and whirling melodies, alongside soft pads, bell-like patterns and punchy basslines. I couldn’t believe how adaptable the Prophet-6 was in this situation. Not only could I quickly make these sounds using the pre-sets as a starting point (as I was unfamiliar with the synth at this stage) but the synth blended so well with the acoustic instruments. I think I had at least 20 different patch changes during this piece so I was immediately grateful for the easy patch saving and switching capabilities on the synth. It was after this concert I knew I needed a Prophet-6 in my life and I’ve never looked back. It was the catalyst for a new career direction for me.
How are you using it?
Everyday. My collection has grown quite considerably since my first try on the Prophet-6 but it’s my go-to synth for whatever project I’m on – from session work, touring to recordings and writing. I also continue to use it in more classical settings alongside piano. Whatever my work throws at me, the Prophet-6 will always adapt.
What is one of your favorite things about it?
I’m going to struggle to choose one!
It’s important for me to play something that feels good so I enjoy the aftertouch and velocity capabilities which allow for a more expressive approach to playing. I also get very excited about the polyphonic modulation aspect of the synth which offers interesting ways of layering sounds. I often use poly-mod ‘shape 1’ with the filter set to ‘LP’ to modulate the waveshape of oscillator 1, creating a disjointed but more versatile modulation. I then put oscillator 2 into ‘low freq’ mode to add depth and texture. I love exploring this section and discover new possibilities every time. Oh and who doesn’t love the slop knob!
What does it give you that other synths might not?
The Prophet-6 has that vintage vibe but without the impracticalities of a vintage synth. It’s intuitive yet provides the opportunity for sonic complexities – something I discovered very quickly back on the ‘Kraftwerk Re:werk’ project.
You can pretty much create any sound you want to, making it an integral part of my session work. I always feel in control with the Prophet-6, there’s never any anxiety of it misbehaving or doing something strange that might take me hours to solve. It’s also a practical synth – very easy to hook things up via MIDI/USB and easy to fine tune everything in the Globals.
Any interesting Prophet-6 tricks or techniques you would like to share?
So years ago I was in a recording session at Assault & Battery in London and the studio engineer saw I had a Prophet-6 and said ‘do you know the spring reverb trick?’. I didn’t. So he told me to put the digital reverb on spring and then to hit the synth on its side. I thought he was having me on…..Anyway, I hit the synth pathetically because it’s valuable to me and I care about it. Then he said ‘no give it a proper whack’. To my discomfort I did and a massive reverberant twang came out. Yes it was cool but safe to say, this was the first and last time I tried the trick.
LINKS
instagram.com/georgiefaithward
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