Fab Four virtual instrument by EastWest Sounds plugin interface

Fab Four: Beatles-Inspired Virtual Instrument by EastWest Sounds

Rated 3.1/5 on Plugin Boutique (7 ratings)

Fab Four is a virtual instrument from EastWest Sounds, built from period guitars, basses, drums, keyboards and amplifiers inspired by the Beatles. It is available in VST2, AU and AAX formats for Windows and macOS.

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01Overview

Fab Four is a sample-based virtual instrument that gathers guitars, basses, drums, keyboards and amplifiers in the style of the Beatles' recordings. The developer says the instruments are period pieces, recorded with microphones, desks, preamps and tape machines of the same kind used on the original sessions. Ken Scott, who engineered several Beatles albums, is credited as the sound engineer, and Doug Rogers produced the collection. It suits composers and producers who want sounds that sit outside standard sample libraries.

Best for

Retro rock guitars
Vintage drum kits
Film score textures
Sixties-style pop production
Harpsichord and harmonium parts
Tape-style double tracking

Developer: EastWest Sounds
Category: Virtual Instruments
Store: Plugin Boutique

02Key features

What you get

Period guitars, basses, drums and keyboards from the 1960s
Multi-sampled drums with up to 16 velocity layers
Guitars sampled with up and down strokes and multiple picking styles
Period amplifiers including Vox AC30 and Fender Bassman
Software ADT effect with built-in tape simulator
Built-in delay and multiple reverb choices
Produced by Doug Rogers, engineered by Ken Scott
Runs as VST2, AU or AAX on Windows and macOS

03In depth

Period Guitars, Basses and Amps

Fab Four samples a collection of vintage guitars and basses, including a Gretsch Firebird, Rickenbacker 360-12, Fender Stratocaster, Gibson SG and Hofner 500 Bass. Guitars were captured with up and down strokes, multiple velocities and picking styles, and some are sampled with chords and effects.

The electric guitars were recorded through a range of period amplifiers, among them Vox AC30, Vox AC50, Fender Bassman and Fender Showman. The developer also describes a "revostortion" guitar sound, made by running an Epiphone Casino through two EMI REDD 47 preamps in series, as the original engineers did.

Drums, Keys and Tape Processing

The drum kit is a 1960 Ludwig downbeat kit with Zildjian cymbals, multi-sampled with up to 16 velocity layers for left and right hand. The sounds are matched to named styles, and some cymbals were recorded through a Fairchild limiter.

The keyboard and stringed selection includes a Baldwin Electric Harpsichord, a Clavioline and a harmonium. Fab Four also includes a software ADT (artificial double tracking) effect with a built-in tape simulator, plus delay and several reverb choices.

04Specs

Will it run?

Formats, systems and requirements as listed by Plugin Boutique. Missing details are left out, not guessed.

Developer	EastWest Sounds
Type	Plugin
Category	Virtual Instruments
Formats	VST2, AU, AAX
Operating systems	Windows, macOS

05FAQ

Questions, answered

What is Fab Four?

Fab Four is a virtual instrument from EastWest Sounds with period guitars, basses, drums, keyboards and amplifiers inspired by the Beatles. It was produced by Doug Rogers and engineered by Ken Scott.

What formats and operating systems does Fab Four support?

Fab Four is listed in VST2, AU and AAX formats. It is listed for both Windows and macOS.

What do I need to run Fab Four?

The listed requirements include 8 GB of memory and 13 GB of disk space. On macOS, an Intel Core 2 Duo at 2.1 GHz or higher is listed, and on Windows 7 an Intel Core 2 Duo or AMD Dual Core at 2.1 GHz or higher with ASIO sound drivers.