SAMPLE PACK: alanrpearlmanfoundation.org/product/beat-and-spell/ A note. So...it transpires that whilst this was the setup for Speak and Spell, the sequencer was the ARP 1601. The MC-4 came in on the second album. The information is otherwise correct and it doesn't affect the sounds, just the means of sequencing from one album to the next. I'm human, I make mistakes. Apologies to die-hard Depeche Mode fans. I shall do 3 Hail-Millers and a Hallelu-Gore in repentance.

@MattCulpin

6 ай бұрын

Don't you just bloody hate those die-hard Depeche fans!

@zuur303

6 ай бұрын

I will unzip the just acquired pack with palpable pedantic disgust! 🧐

@AlexBallMusic

6 ай бұрын

@@zuur303 😂

@AMPProf

6 ай бұрын

Balalaika???

@gionspenzers

6 ай бұрын

I was about to comment on why you didn't use the ARP sequencer you used in the outro jam in sequencing the kick drum. All sequence in S&S are done on the ARP (some parts are done by hand!). Funny thing is, one of the reason why Vince left Depeche is because he acquired a MC-4, so why be in a band with the other members doing the parts when you could have a MC-4 do it for you lol.

I _just can't get enough_ of this video.

@sebastien5597

6 ай бұрын

😂

@RockLobster223

6 ай бұрын

I turned the volume down just to enjoy the silence. (Sorry!!)

@user-od4yl3rf4n

6 ай бұрын

Imagine you have all these drum machines... In your room

@roy.jacobs

6 ай бұрын

I thought we wouldn't get these horrible puns, but I guess people are people.

@andlinux

6 ай бұрын

@@RockLobster223 That's so Wrong 😉

Speak and Spell was released in 1981. This kick sounds like a 909 kick. The TR-909 was released in 1983. So, Daniel Miller and Depeche Mode invented the 909 kick before Roland did. That's insane.

I've got a Korg Rhythm 55. My dad bought it new and paid out the wazoo for it just to use it as a timekeeper to cut tracks, then he would replace the 55 with real drums. When he got something better, he gave it to me as a toy when I was about 7 or 8, and I've had it ever since. He also gave me my Casio CZ-101 around the same time. Those two "toys" fueled all my childhood "jams" and early "multi-track" recordings I made layering and bouncing two boomboxes back and forth.😁 I'm so glad I held onto both units because I now know how cool they really were/are, and even with all the amazing gear I now have in my studio, I still use them quite often. Now I just wish I had the hundreds of boombox bounce records I made from 8to13years old.! I'm sure there's some gold in those. ♥️💛💚

I honestly never knew just how inventive early electronica acts had to be to pioneer the drum sounds we all take for granted nowadays. Awesome 😎

@hughman8597

6 ай бұрын

That's exactly what's great about synthesizers! You don't just listen to thousands of kick sounds from your library and then aren't satisfied at the end, you sit down and create your own sound and learn to master your devices. It's more exciting, isn't it?

@jimbotron70

6 ай бұрын

​@@hughman8597Or you heavily modify the available presets.

Your outro jam has a bit of a Yellow Magic Orchestra vibe about it. Awesome :)

@simonhodgetts6530

6 ай бұрын

Anything with a YMO vibe gets my vote!

@pawnotdaw4559

6 ай бұрын

Was gonna say same

@Meteotrance

6 ай бұрын

Totaly nail that band sound.

@newdykung6775

6 ай бұрын

Yeah I can feel the melody vibe from their debut album and sound production from BGM album mix together

@akiatoji5088

6 ай бұрын

I kept thinking "The outro sounds like something from the very first YMO album" Then I scroll down and see there are others with the same refined taste

Incredible how difficult it was in the old days! Kids these days don’t know how lucky they are!!

@olexp9017

6 ай бұрын

Are they lucky though? The old days required a lot of creativity. The copy/paste was practically none.

@blueberrimuffin6682

6 ай бұрын

​@olexp9017 Yes. Production is more advanced, synthesis is more open for everyone, and you can focus more on the actually important aspects of songwriting in production rather than "ok how the fuck am I gonna get this one kick I want"

@olexp9017

6 ай бұрын

@@blueberrimuffin6682 Well, there is more and more rubbish these days which is result of "synthesis is more open for everyone" 😀

@blueberrimuffin6682

6 ай бұрын

@olexp9017 Oh no, more artists making music means there is more bad music... okay? That's fundamentally the issue with making art more accessible. More lower quality stuff gets released, so what? There'll always be people making good art, and more of them the more easy it is to access the tools necessary. With better tools, even more creativity is an option. Try making the squelches of Patricia Taxxon or any brostep growls in the 80s, see how far you get. Hell, even just try making basic complextro in the 80s with uber-expensive synths and samplers.

This video came up completely at random on my YT feed, and I couldn't be more delighted to receive this video as a recommendation. This video was such a thrill for me, I'm a Depeche Mode super-fan, and to see what it takes to create their "sound" was equivalent of getting the golden ticket and touring the chocolate factory. Ppl always put synth-sound music down calling the music lazy for using electronic devices to make their music, but as you see here, there's a real science to this genre, it's a skill, not just a matter of pressing a single button and presto, you've got a new track. Thank you for sharing your love, enthusiasm, knowledge, and sound engineering prowess with us, my friend. I sincerely look forward to exploring more of your content here on YT. I was in my early teens when I 1st heard bands like D/M and I'm grateful for this kinda music shaping my formative years, I just turned 51yo and "seeing how the sausage was made", if you will, gives me even more admiration for this style of music. And, you gave us a very clean glimpse into the process, you didn't use a bunch of high tech terms or over explain everything, like some channels do. I felt like a welcomed guest taking a private tutorial on sound engineering and presenting it in a friendly and informative manner. Sorry I ramble, I has so much I wanted to convey to the channel creator, and I have so much more I'd love to say, but I'll leave this comment as it is and maybe others will take the time to read this post, and maybe they're experiencing the same excitement and sheer joy of seeing how some of the greatest music was created. Awesome channel, awesome video, and an awesome host. 😉👍💙

@AlexBallMusic

6 ай бұрын

Hi Stevie. Thanks for taking the time to write that, it was a pleasure to read. I'm really chuffed that it all made sense and revealed a little bit about a band you grew up with.

@crazyspeedyjoe

6 ай бұрын

same happened to me!

@melodymaker1979

3 ай бұрын

Same here. Great video and great comment. YT finally recommended something worthwhile and relevant to me (probably because I've been recently looking up synth hardware tutorials 😉).

Another excellent video from Alex, who was obviously getting very excited at 4:51

@AlexBallMusic

6 ай бұрын

💦

Vince Clarke said that during the Speak and Spell days, Daniel Miller would spend hours on the ARP 2600 tweaking the sounds, and it would drive them all completely mad. It probably took him awhile to dial it in the way he liked it.

can't go more retro bliss than Alex Ball. Love this

I don't don't speak synthesizer, but I love these videos!

Daniel Miller is a genius. Examining his methods is a worthy endeavor. Cheers.

Got me at "mines is modded with midi" 😂 Yes to more jingles in the episodes♥️🎶

@AlexBallMusic

6 ай бұрын

I plan to add more jingles until it's all jingles.

@douglasb.5601

6 ай бұрын

​@@AlexBallMusic Well it's coming up to Christmas...when you can jingle all the way! 😂👍🏻

Fantastic video. Love how musicians and nerds mixed in the same brain can come up with these things.

Love the nerdy stuff, specially when its combined with such clear communication and historical background.

It's so cool this album is being analysed and seen as so significant. It's also a great lesson in mixing, reverbs, songwriting, programming - not to mention the power of independent spirit. Thanks for this fascinating insight into DM's & Miller's production - I could listen to KR-55's hats all day long!!

The look on your face when introducing the MC8! GENIUS!

Dan Miller would be proud, very well done that man! At the risk of name-dropping, when we had D Mode in at our studio for the album 'Some Great Reward' in 1984, Daniel would sometimes send everyone out of the control room (even Gareth Jones) while he spent hour upon hour, in his solitary element, programming and refining a patch (yes, usually kick drum) on the Arp 2600. He was by real whiz in the Arp.

@Andy-kd1kb

6 ай бұрын

Lovely to hear your insight.. which studio were you in?

@baward

6 ай бұрын

@@Andy-kd1kb Music Works. They only came to our (not great) studio because their first choice (The Garden) was unavailable.

I believe Daniel Miller used the same setup for Soft Cell’s “Memorabilia”.

Always a pleasure watching your videos, Alex :)

Its insane how far ahead the 2600 was. And is.

@AlexBallMusic

6 ай бұрын

Timeless paradigm.

@fakshen1973

6 ай бұрын

It's basically the quintessential semi-modular monosynth. It's great that it's been cloned so that kids can get a taste of it.

@Andy-kd1kb

6 ай бұрын

Daniel got it from Elton John, because he didn't know what to do with it.. Elton John, how appropriately not the father of synthpop ends up covering It's a Sin!

@jamesdefrancesco7765

6 ай бұрын

56 year old kids!

Saw Depeche Mode for the first time on Tuesday this week. Es war fantastische

@AlexBallMusic

6 ай бұрын

Geil!

Yeah! Super influential drums. I always heard a Fad Gadget vibe on Speak & Spell,and I guess he influenced a lot of Mute stuff too.⚡️

@PreJeMe

6 ай бұрын

Just listen to Yazoo's first album, Upstairs at Eric's. Daniel Miller's bassdrum is all over the place.

Thank you for this, and in fact, for everything you do. My day is always better when one of your videos pops up in my feed.

What an incredible display of ingenuity! I love these videos and the way you make them so fun to learn about the programming and sounds. Brilliant, Alex. Brilliant! I'm proper chuffed with this one.

That's why I absolutely love Sunroof, because both Daniel and Gareth know any piece of gear they own inside out. Cheers, Alex!

@Andy-kd1kb

6 ай бұрын

Coming to the London gig? It's going to be awesome.

@jeshkam

6 ай бұрын

@@Andy-kd1kb No, unfortunately I'm from continental Europe. Have fun! 🙂

This is wonderful, thank you Alex!

Still obsessed with the 'Just Can't Get Enough' B-Side 'Shout' .....that Random Square S&H LFO on the 2600 creating that amazing percussive sequence....still NOW sounds forty years ahead of it's time.

@AlexBallMusic

6 ай бұрын

I've not checked that song out, I'll have to do that.

@ringroad

6 ай бұрын

upvote on this. If you've not heard it it's worth checking out the audience recording of the intro they (briefly) used for gigs in Summer 1981 - it's a slowed-down version of parts of Shout, all the really good percussive bits, just a shame the best recording is a bit rough.

@Andy-kd1kb

6 ай бұрын

Spot on! I often drop it into DM DJ sets.. everyone gets it

We all sort of take how sounds are made for granted these days. There's an incredible amount of work, and science involved. This was great fun to watch 🙌

Oh my god this is so awesome, thanks so much for making this video. Subscribed!

OMG. Now I finally know how they did all those super organically sounding fills. And yes, that kick drum... well, kicks!

My dude, you make some of the best synth content I've ever seen and I just love it all so much. Thank you!

Never a delusion. You are great. Knowledge and fun. Terrific mix Alex

I know this has been said befor but your demo songs are absolutly amazing!

Another awesome video Alex, Love the content and keep up the great work!

@AlexBallMusic

6 ай бұрын

Thanks!

Every time I watch one of your videos like this I am equal parts confused and impressed.

@AlexBallMusic

6 ай бұрын

So am I.

Love the idea of reproducing sounds from old tracks on original hardware. Subscribed

such a cool video, thank you so much Alex !

Great video as ever Alex! I do love that KR-55 snare drum, so juicy, and so evocative of that 80s era Depeche Mode.

Great video! I'm getting a "Tour De France" vibe from that super snappy kick 👍

I honestly don’t know how they had the patience to go to so much trouble just to create a single sound. Thank goodness people like me can do it all in the box these days, but kudos to everyone still doing it the old school way

@AlexBallMusic

6 ай бұрын

Yep, they really worked for every detail!

Too good ! Love that demo of yours 🤗

Thanks for this! Wonderful work. That kick drum on the ARP-my goodness.

@AlexBallMusic

6 ай бұрын

SO much punch. Was worth all the fiddling.

Glorious! That was very insightful and interesting. 🎉❤

I have an original vinyl copy of Speak and Spell as well. It's the copy I bought in about 1982 with my allowance money. :) Cool video. Man, I used to drool over those toys back in the day. It's amazing what tech has done with music (good and bad).

Oh wow! The part with the ARP 2600 is gorgious for me - must try that on the weekend! Thanks Alex

Thanks for the video and tutorial. It looks so simple, but when you imagine how many hours they've spent at studio when they invent it... DM is my favorite band since my 15. And all of this sounds touch different parts of soul so deeply.

love your videos, but when they touch on personal favs like this I cherish your efforts. thanks!

@808v1

6 ай бұрын

that first machine you demo'd also sounded very much like OMD as well - Enola Gay I think.

@AlexBallMusic

6 ай бұрын

I recall that being a CR-78, but I might be wrong.

Fantastic. Thank you for doing this!

Absolutely Fab Alex!! ❤ as per usual! Kinda brings a new life to the 2600..😮

@AlexBallMusic

6 ай бұрын

New life, new life!

Another brilliant video. One of the many excellent things about Alex Ball's videos is that he show his research references, in this case primary source data from Keyboard Magazine. Thanks Alex!

Thank you for sharing. Amazing banger at the end 👍

Wow, what a great video and insight as to how DM put together their sounds. I just saw them two weeks ago at the United Center in Chicago and they sounded fantastic! Saw them twice this year and 4 times in my lifetime. I took my 10 year old daughter this last time and felt like I was passing the torch over to her. She knew most of the songs and made papa very proud. Subscribed!

Wonderful as always!

I always loved the drums on their first 2 albums "Sprechen & Buchstabieren" x3 and "A Broken Frame". Their early phase was awesome and i really miss that hard electronic drum sound but i'm glad they had gotten back to it again in recent years.

@LerxstLand

6 ай бұрын

Nothing to fear has some of the best electronic drum sounds I’ve heard

@KRAFTWERK2K6

6 ай бұрын

@@LerxstLand The tom toms in it really are a good speaker test x3 if they sound okay, everything else does.

The midi mod jingle would’ve subscribed me alone had i not already. God bless you Alex Ball

@AlexBallMusic

6 ай бұрын

It's the correct way to announce these sorts of things.

Brilliant as ever Alex

Absolutely wonderful! Thank you so much. :)

Just subscribed to your channel. You are a genius. Long life to Depeche Mode.

I don’t know what I just watched and got lost trying to find out.. subbing since my curiosity made me through this vid and learned much. Looking forward to checking out the rest of the channel 👍🏽

That kick is THICK. Love it. I've never really bothered synthesizing my own kicks (apart from one, done on a CZ-1) and I really should since it seems like a lot of fun.

@AlexBallMusic

6 ай бұрын

Always fun to synthesize your own drums, definitely. Still never played a Casio CZ-1.

@markpeters284

6 ай бұрын

@@AlexBallMusicI’m sure one of us synth nerds out here will now send you a CZ1 to have a play on. 😀

@tonystevenson26

6 ай бұрын

@AlexBallMusic I have a Casio Vz 1 . It has the most convoluted O.S. and interface I've ever experienced ! Horrible....capable of some blistering tones, though....My first set up was Sequential Pro one, Korg poly 800, Arp Odyssey and my trusty DR RHYTHM 110,, , the king of all drum machines ! 🤪

@benanderson89

6 ай бұрын

@@tonystevenson26 CZ, not VZ, but still. I actually have a VZ and I don't find it that convoluted. Tedious, sure, but it's easy enough to understand. kzread.info/dash/bejne/oI1qt6OBkrjfnco.htmlsi=yshikQG1AFjkRvIY

Great video...thanks, Alex!

Thank you for this great video!

Alex. Thank you for this. You take me back to my sixth form disco, when is earnest goths would cheer up to dance to Depeche Mode!

@kbtube8125

6 ай бұрын

very funny. glad you came out of it okay.

Thank you for your time. You are great!

Completely nailed it Mate! 👏👏👏👏

Mate ur videos are absolutely excellent. My fave so far was the prodigy one. Another cheeky prodigy one would be lovely 🤘🤘🤘

Im mainly a guitar player tbh. But got into synths via Steven Wilson, Depeche Mode and a few prog bands. I've been getting into drum machines and sequencers a bit more recently and have struggled to find really good tutorials and demonstration videos. I have to say after watching your temporary secretary vid and now this you truly are doing gods work, really helpful and fun to watch... I just can't get enough!.

Absolutely outstanding

Very punchy drum machine, i love it!

Outstanding as always!

@AlexBallMusic

6 ай бұрын

Thank you! Cheers!

Very cool!! I have to say too that I’m so glad that semi modular kit is so much more affordable nowadays for exploring music - the joy of patching wires!

Speak and Spell is a huge influence on me. Showing how the drums were done is just fantastic for me. As soon as you said about the trigger was the wrong way round, I was like that clip of Leonardo DiCaprio when he's sitting, then sits up, points and whistles 😂 I straight away knew you were going to use the inverter. That Daniel Miller though eh? Superbly nerdy content, Alex👍 Love the tune!

@AlexBallMusic

6 ай бұрын

Haha - when you know, you know. :) Voltage Processors fans unite.

Great video, thanks for making this!!

@AlexBallMusic

6 ай бұрын

Cheers!

Your videos are always fun but switching to music for some of your lines is next level. Thank you

@AlexBallMusic

6 ай бұрын

Thanks!

Thank you for confirmation that I too am an insufferable retro nitwit, not only because I too have an original vinyl copy of Speak and Spell, but because there more retro nerdiness you pack into these videos, the more excited I get. Great work as usual.

@AlexBallMusic

6 ай бұрын

You are indeed an insufferable retro nitwit. Your membership card is in the post.

great video as always ...also, congratulations on the total body transformation.

Amazing video very good stuff!!!

Cheers for that Alex. BTW brilliant song at the end

@AlexBallMusic

6 ай бұрын

Thank you!

brilliant video, thanks so much

Aaahh nice one mate. I`m singing along at 8:28 "I`ll be your operator baby - I`m in control" 😆

Thanks a lot Alex! I'm gonna try the kick on my ARP 2600.

O teu conhecimento e perícia sobre as máquinas é fantástico!

Flippin' heck - what an intro to your channel this video is, the very first one I've found/seen. Brilliant level of detail and just hearing you talk about CV and gate, plus plugging in pathc cords takes me right back to fledgling attempts to make electronic music back in 1981. Love the 2600 and you really know your way around it. My fave 2600 moment is Billy Currie's outro to Numan's live version of On Broadway - stunning. And you've set me right on a long-held assumption. I always thought the Daniel Miller kick was a Pro One, I can convince myself I saw an interview where Vince said that. (Although that may be where I got confused as I think the first Yazoo album had the the Pro One kick?) I've subscribed and am going to binge all your videos of this lovely kit. I see you have a CR78 video - my one remaing bit of kit I still own :-)

@AlexBallMusic

6 ай бұрын

Glad you enjoyed the trip down memory lane. I fact, I live at number 17, Memory Lane, Nostalgiaville. Pro~One - big part of the Yazoo sound, yep. Vince had a Kawaii and Jupiter-4 whilst in Depeche Mode.

That midi korg KR-55 is sick.. Anthony Marinelli can help you program some dope kicks on the Arp-2600 !!😂 great work Alex!

@AlexBallMusic

6 ай бұрын

He can! I've watched many of his 2600 videos.

@keyboardkingpin

6 ай бұрын

@@AlexBallMusic he's the Alexball of 2600s

Amazing work, thank you! :)

That ending jam was amazing

Jeeezus wept.. this is the most beautifuly nerdy nerd off about the nerdiest band that ever smashed the charts.. thank you and god bless KZread 👍

This video has given me new life!

Hello Friend! It was easy and educational. The balalaika on the wall also pleased me :-)

Unrelated. Lol. Found Get your love through the radio this morning on the drive to work. Traffic Laws were definitely ignored . Absolutely slaps!

I'm just there looking at the amount of nerdiness to get to tune the ARP 2600 and comparing the wave from the album to yours to confirm and wow. Yes please!

Great Video. Thank You!

Thanks very much for this. I think it was only last week that I made a comment requesting some DM coverage. 😎👍

This was so good. I love Speak & Spell and I own KR-55. It’s a nice trick that you can use its trigger out and the instrument volume section to get different sounds. Luckily I have a Yamaha to trigger without worrying about the voltage issue.

Thanks a lot Alex.

Fucking crazy sounds, congrats Mr. sound tech! Greetings from Mexico

This is genius Thnx for sharing 🙌🏼🙌🏼

My God, this is truly nerdy!! I love it!!! 😅😍