I've had a hard time wrapping my head around new concepts my entire life, and for the past year or so I've been brute forcing myself through learning the fundamentals of synthesis out of sheer love for the craft. Your videos by FAR are the easiest to understand and most clearly explained, like it doesn't even come close. Please keep doing what you're doing, my neurodivergent homies and I are STARVED for content with instructions this clear and easy to comprehend 😭
@@superhomsar2112 I think with any song you delve into you automatically believe the synth patch is that key component or a specific bass line you want any synthesiser or plug in has that ability to replicate fundamental sounds but the actual mix processing of a record in a studio could be layered so many times using different synths so it’s that combination of those sounds that you hear on the finished recording or master tapes. And we fall into that trap a lot thinking one synth preset is that sound when it could be so many that’s why some think 1999 was the Oberheim and others the Omni 2 both were used and heavily layered and then probably mixed down to meld together the combined sounds. Also back then there was no cardinal rule when recording tracks nothing was quantised or beats to the bar or even metronomes/click tracks so much it was a case of let’s do this get it out even if the beat was slightly out of sync that was the beauty of these old songs that’s what makes them so unique everything was trial and error if it sounded great to the artist and the producer that was it it went on an album.
One of the key components of the "Minneapolis Sound" was the synthesizer being used in place of traditional horn/brass lines. Urban legend has it that Prince saw a local band growing up and that band had a horn section. Not wanting to be one upped, Prince decided to make his own "horn section" by using a synthesizer to occupy the space horn players normally would.
This is great, Anthony! On my OB-X8 I follow Lisa Coleman's description of how they got the sound, which is "2 sawtooth waves tuned in octaves, crank up the filter" - using LFO on just on Osc 1 as you did. You can also blend saw and square together, but I found it sounded best when I simplified and basically did what Lisa described.
Love hanging out with you in your shows. As one of the kids inspired by all the synth sounds you were making to go on and make my own, it’s truly a joy to share your passion and knowledge for these incredible instruments. The great tradition of synthesised sound and music is relatively new and you’re one of our great founders of the art form. Thanks so much for taking time to make the shows and look forward to enjoy many more of your projects. Peace
Once again, Anthony walks us through how to think intentionally about each aspect of a sound. My patches sound so much better after applying these techniques.
you literally earned the best human being on earth award. you are so passionate, that with your skills and expertise: could have shared this in a different way, or kept it to yourself. but decided to teach strangers, in a free online platform. thank you so much for teaching us all. Godbless you, and your heart for the work that you have done + a legacy you are passing down via this free online resource. bless you and the gift God has equipped you with!
There's so much more that goes into synths than people realize and I'm so glad that there's people like you breaking down the classic sounds like this. Also, what I wouldn't give for a classic Linn Drum and Prophet Five or CS80. Guh.
These are great synth tutorials Anthony! Love how you are revealing how these synth sounds for classic songs were designed and what to listen for when trying to deconstruct these sounds. Keep these videos coming!
Loving your videos, Anthony! I'm a songwriter and vintage synth player who has had some of them since they were new. I'm a big fan of your career's work and really appreciate your simple but intelligent style of explaining the topics you're covering. Sending much thanks and appreciation from San Diego!
This song is literally the reason I got into music and am watching videos about synths all these years later. I was 8 years old when this came out, and that’s when my focus in life went from toys and kids stuff to music. My mom bought me the cassette and I listened to it every second of my life, until she finally gave it a listen and couldn’t believe what she was letting her little kid listen to. Had to steal a copy from a friends brother after my mom tossed it in the trash, lol. Thank god for Prince. And thank you for this tutorial!
i really appreciate the genuine honesty and transparency of these videos "you can do it on any synths" - demystifying and reverse engineering sounds - Anthony really knows what he is talking about! :)
Awesome! Ive always wondered how it sounds so shimmery on the album. Its almost like a oberheim and a string synth at the same time. Almost like an ob through a arp omni chorus.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us, I'm very grateful to you. I grew up listening to music with your synth sounds but wasn't aware who worked on them. It's great to get to know you through your videos. All the best from the UK.
Great, detailed explanation! Also interesting observations about how just on or off on some controls on the OBX is kind of a cool thing, from a certain perspective.
I really appreciate you sharing your knowledge and wisdom. You've already helped me so much with creating a kick outta sin wave. 🙌 It's honestly beautiful getting a peak into your brain
Woo! Love it! Great lesson on the historical context, as well as practical information to synth programming that people can use even if they don't have the expensive hardware. Bravo!
Love it! Love that sound. I like how the pulse wave gave it a less wobbly wobble haha! Thanks so much for these excellent breakdowns. They are so cool!
Ok, subscribed.. please keep making these. You explain things well so that even novices like me can get some understanding of how things interact with each other, and flow through a synth patch.
Absolutely LOVE your channel Anthony! Request: Pls do the same for "The Beautiful Ones" where the OBXa's soar. IMO, its a masterful use of the synth by Prince.
I’m not the biggest fan of this particular sound, but I love your explanation and appreciate the education! You’re really helping me understand the anatomy of synthesizing sound! Thanks for this!
Amazing. One of my fav Prince songs (and synth riffs) ever. Sounds like a standard Sawtooth, but surely there will be some envelope/detuning/etc details to check
Very well explained, helps loads that you turn off things you have just have demonstrated so we can hear the new thing you are showing us. As intended I can hear exactly what you are talking about rather than trying to fish an answer out of a complex soundscape and think "that's probably what he's talking about?" Bookmarked this so can try it on my budget poly when it gets to me :)
Thanks! Your channel is pure gold! I‘ve been trying to get that sound on my OB-6 for months, but something was always wrong. Now I‘m confident I‘ll get that done, albeit it‘s a slightly different synth.
These videos are great, thanks so much for sharing your knowledge, Anthony! I'd love to see you break down some of the synth sounds the Thompson Twins used in songs like Lies, Doctor Doctor, etc. Those sounds are mainly OB-Xa, are lush and complex and I've never seen any tutorials about them.
Maybe compare the "1999" sound to the "Let's Go Crazy" sound. They're in the same ballpark but 1999 seems less "organ-y" Great stuff Anthony! Always appreciate your vids. Cheers to you and your crew, I hope you're all enjoying a killer 4th! Cheers!
According to *Matt Fink,* on the record: *Prince* overdubbed several *_Oberheim_* layers (tracks). During rehearsal for the live set of the *_Prince 1999 Triple-Threat Tour_* (November 1982), Prince told Fink to play it big with both hands on an _OB-Xa,_ while *Lisa Coleman* doubled him on an _OB-SX_ playing triads
Thank you so much . This is simply the Utube channel for synth programming and especially recreating classic legendary songs. ( coming from the guy who programmed synth for M. Jackson it s not a surprise) . I am lucky to own an OBXa and never nailed the sound like you . Keep doing exactly like this the tutorial are just perfect and very interesting for everyone. I ve been wondering for years if it was the OBX or OBXa but my feelings was that OBXa was used on 1999. Thank you so much. Kind regards from France, Philippe
I’m pretty new on watching this channel. I think i knew every actors related to the Thriller album (my childhood era + my reference album as a music fan + artist / producer side). Apparently i didn’t knew who Anthony was. Really happy to know him by now 😊 He works with every analog synths of this era i really love 🥰 My original music comes most from this period. I really also the idea of Anthony communicating all his knowledge 🤗 Thanks Anthony 😊👍🏻
Thank you for the breakdown on this! It seems there are many small components that are all working together to make this iconic sound what it is. Yeah, 80’s synth riffs are the best! =)
I also remember reading somewhere, maybe Susan Rogers interview, that he layered the synths a lot. You can also hear a lot of reverb on the studio cut.
Anthony you are a Legend & we need your voice in this space! You are greatly appreciated! .... Now: 'I'' chose to NOT do it on an OBX because I DONT have an OBX! (Well I did 💤💭🎹🎛💤 , but then the morning time came :)
Hey Anthony, thank you for showing us how to reproduce the sound of Prince’s song, 1999 on a synth but please get the chords right. It doesn’t matter what key you play it in those are not the proper chord inversions that color the song the way you’re playing it. As you’re demonstrating producing the sounds your chords get further & further away from the right chords. That’s why Prince has that expression on his face in the still shot of this(your) video… 😮
My favourite Prince synth line is 'Do It All Night'. Funky and a really funny song! And it's so damn catchy when that Arp comes in every once in a while as a break in the tune! I can't stop smiling listening to it. It wasn't a hit it seems, but looking at the comments for it here on RU-vid. People really seem to feel the same way. It should have been a huge hit for him! I guess his "Dirty Mind" was too much fun for the general public to grasp.
😎😎😎 love that, and how u break things down to make it easier , I like the OB - keyboards. Thank u, hope u make more on OBERHEIM OB-X8, thanks for all u do😎😎😎
Great ! it would be nice to have a tutorial about the bass from "Maybe your baby " by Stevie Wonder 🎶🎹 - Is it a Minimoog or an ARP 2600 ? The Glides are just amazing
Chaka Khan has a track that Steve Porcaro (I believe) made the most stunning analog intro to. The track name is Hold Her. If you guys could break that down I would be in heaven.
On the studio recording of “1999” it sure sounds like the predominant keyboard is an ARP Omni. Just combine the violin, viola presets, and a touch of the brass synth, and that’s it. Try the keyboard riff on an OMNI sometime!
Fantastic video Anthony! Excellent breakdown as usual! If you’ll permit me, I have a question for you on vintage Oberheim OBXa synths. I’m given to understand that the pitch on older synths were sometimes prone to problems with their pitches drifting…I’ve heard of them drifting up and I haven’t heard of them drifting down. I know they can be calibrated using a strobe tuner for an accurate reference, but it is a real chore for a professional to calibrate/tune the OBXa. What is your experience with this pitch drift? Would it be possible for an OB-Xa to drift Up 1/4 of a step more or less uniformly across the entire keyboard? I’m moved to ask because I transcribe Van Halen music for guitar in extreme detail and Edward had said that he “couldn’t keep the OB-Xa in tune” and that he began using the OB-8 whose pitch was apparently more stable though he preferred the timbre of the OB-Xa. He used the OB-Xa on “Jump” and the guitars are tuned above standard pitch (roughly three-quarters of a whole step above concert pitch to be exact). I theorize that he tuned the guitars 1/2 step up for ease of playing in certain positions on the guitar, but I believe he tuned up an additional 1/4 step above that so he could be in tune with the drifting pitch of the OB-Xa. Any thoughts you might be able to share about your experience with vintage OB-Xa synths or indeed with any vintage synths that might have pitch drifting issues that might make the whole instrument go up a more or less uniform 1/4 of a step higher than concert pitch? Thanks for all you do!
Suggestion: could you talk about the Synclavier part on "Under the Milky Way"? by The Church? I always thought it was a bagpipe but recently found out it was the synth.
Isn't it an Arp Omni-2, like on Head & Dirty Mind? Probably on tour the Oberheims were there, but I think Dr. Fink said it was an ARP Omni-2 on the track.
Just wondering.... There's a song by the band Curiosity Killed The Cat called "Misfit". Is it possible you could do a video on those synthetic and keys?
Dear Mr. Marinelli. This time I can not fully agree. Right now I'm listening to the original recording. There seems no VCF but VCA Atk. Vib amount is smaller & In early to mid 80s live concerts that 1999 sound in general seemed quite poor concerning PWM or other modulations. In 91 Matt Fink told that Prince had mainly put several OB tracks together for that rich sound.. Your quote at 04:12 ".... you can NOT modulate the Pulse of the Sawlooth." In general that's not true. I've never had an OBX or Xa but an OB-8. Since Oberheim are THE initiators of modulatiing Sawtooth instead of pulse If PW & Saw are pressed simultaneously, I definitely can not reveal( some) OBs are THE quint essence of controlling Saw (tself)! by PW controllers and its modulators: After Saw with Pulse are pressed, in knob PW setting fully left, a sound occurs 1 oct above the basic frequency. Turning PW knob clockwise returns the sound to a usual saw. The magic evolves in modulating that floating. Soundwise it has not a bit to do with activating several waves on a Prophet 5 or other gear allowing several waves at once. Usually they still are modulating just the pulse. In my rig my gone OB-8, even AN1x, Z1 & Vsynth GT are capable of that seldom saw modulation but manufacturers have different terms for that. (I'm not writing about supersaw 😂) Even one of Alesis ion's/microns comb filters does something similar, If set correctly. Roland Alpha Juno theoretically can do that also but since with those synths that function neither does sound similar nor same great like an OB, its just a variation....
Fun fact, Prince ripped the riff from Mama's and Papa's Monday Morning. .. Listen to the background vocals..Pa.. Pa ..Paa ..Pap ..Paa..He also used Stevie Nicks Age of Seventeen. This song is about Stevie's uncle dying and Stevie seeing a dove when he died. Prince used the theme as inspiration for his own Doves Cry ... Brilliant anyway ...
@@antwaynetube No actual sampling involved. Sampling wasn't possible those days. They are real musicians they could replay anything they hear on their guitars and synths. According to Prince's longtime childhood friend, ex roommate , and bassist Dez Dickerson, Both he and Prince copied the chorus and rhythm from "Monday Morning" and replayed it as the "1999" lead synth parts. . Dez is the guy singing the second verse on 1999.. If you listen to the chorus on Monday Morning and the synth riff on 1999, you will see that they sound identical... One is vocals and the other is keyboard synth parts. Prince's other bandmates Jam and Lewis later copied the same riff for a song they produced named "didn't mean to turn you on" for an artist called Cherryl ..Listen to that as well.. . One riff , three mega hits. I aint mad at em
