That little burp sound is called a "frog chirp," and is one of those brilliant little details that makes a composition like "Thriller" so amazing. Also, helluva lot of engineering went into this. Back in the day, most studios were still using 16-track analog tapes. One of the problems is that the "crispness" of the tracks, especially on the outside edges, would dull after a few dozen playbacks and high-speed shuttles. Westlake Studios in L.A. used a new 24-track setup, and engineer Bruce Swedien did something brilliant: he took each mix and *didn't play the tape again until the final mix*. That way, when he re-recorded the analog to the digital master, he retained the "crispness" - the analog tapes we're pretty much brand new when the got mixed in to create the digital master! The organ was indeed a real unit, recorded at the First Congregational Church of Los Angeles. Jones insisted Michael sing the verses in the dark, with all the studio lights off, to "set the vibe." This actually worked, because Jackson would spend entire nights memorizing the lyrics (and dance moves). So, the shut off the lights and, voilá: a killer (thriller?) vocal track was born. Jones also went to a local electronics store and got the "smallest little speakers" he could find, and installed them in the recording booth during mastering. "If they sound good on those, they'll be even better on the big ones," he reasoned. And he was right. They went back, several times, re-recording the Minimoog parts, so the bassline would come through on those little speakers. Seems it payed off. Oh, and the original title Temperton wrote was "Starlight"! After Jackson had seen "An American Werewolf In London," he approached Jones about doing a horror-themed song, instead of the happy-vibe "Starlight." Jones liked the idea, as it fit Michael's evolving bad-boy image, and Temperton rewrite the entire lyrics (keeping the base rythym and Melody intact) in about 4 hours. Temperton knew he wanted a spoken-word outro (like the old horror films), but didn't know how to word it, or who to have voice it. Jones' wife at the time, actress and model Peggy Lipton, knew of a friend in town, who could do the take. So, on the day of recording, in the back of a taxi on his way to the studio, Temperton re-wrote the outro for Peggy's "acting friend," Vincent Price. He did it in one take.

@boswell255

4 жыл бұрын

Price did at least three takes, and there's also a cut middle verse, which are all present in the multitracks.

@SeattleGenXDude

4 жыл бұрын

I have been trying to figure out that sound for 20 years

@rithantony

3 жыл бұрын

thanks for sharing these priceless details.

@laurencenoble3629

3 жыл бұрын

They actually did a demo of starlight (you can find it on KZread) which was well received and it was decided it would be the title track for the album, but it needed a retheme. Vincent Price did it in three takes

@FreneticZetetic

3 жыл бұрын

That's literally my favorite sound in the entire song it sounds like a swampy bog monster coming out of the water right toward you. FROG CHIRP FTW!!! That's THE Thriller "sound".

Thriller is a masterpiece of arrangements and production!

Michael would be proud of you for trying so hard to reconstruct this, and to do it so well with all the time you've put into this.

I would need a 100 page INSTRUCTION BOOKLET to use that Jupiter... Incredible.

You know for me there is a thousand unspoken lessons that I have learned from you today; not only about the musicality of this master piece but abut the Synth world and basic technical factors affecting it and how to convert a simple wave into a beautiful effective sound. You make it understandable and so clear to digest. Thank you so much for you r generous efforts; I really appreciate these wonderful videos/

Your Thriller analysis is so accurate and helpful. And on top of it,... you are such a cool and entertaining guy. 👍🏼 Thx so much. 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽 I am listening to this song for days over and over again to rebuild similarities in an own song. This here is pure gold!!!

ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS! **please** do a Smooth Criminal breakdown in the future, I'd absolutely kill to learn that.

@louis-sebhamelin6421

5 жыл бұрын

Yessss Smooth Criminal please!!

@euamofelipenetoyeahc9425

5 жыл бұрын

Amo triller minha musica favorita

@GeloGalvez

5 жыл бұрын

Definitely would love to hear that! :D

@JonayPS

2 жыл бұрын

Smooth Criminal uses the Roland D50 "Pop Bass" preset, a muted Steinway piano, the Synclavier, the Yamaha DX7 "Electric Piano 1" preset and some other stuff. Would love to see a deconstruction!

@SmoothEmJay

2 жыл бұрын

@@JonayPS Yep! and if there's one man that can remix and deconstruct Smooth Criminal to PERFECTION it's Doctor Mix.

Wow... just... wow! Fantastic analysis, I'd love to see (and hear!) more MJs masterpieces!

Smiling. Thank you, Dr Mix! Best, Daniel 🙏🏽

3:25 "Fartness falls across the land"?! :D

@t.o.o.smooth5870

4 жыл бұрын

😂😂😂

I teach keyboard at a music school and have enjoyed teaching this to my keyboard students a few years ago. Admittedly, you've done a great presentation that I will recommend to my future and current students as a guide. I didn't realize a theremin was used, as I thought it was a Minimoog.

I had the 'little fart' sound on my Casiotone 403 I had as a kid. Only its tone name was 'frog'

@MrArsg13

4 жыл бұрын

😄

Note: the “burp burp” sound was played at two octaves. The current octave and two down

@annother3350

5 жыл бұрын

Yes it needs the lower note

I’ve really enjoyed all these Thriller videos. Thanks so much for taking the time to make them.

It's a great accomplishment that you've analyzed the whole track and put it all out there for everybody, I was 13 when it came out, but I haven't ever really appreciated it in this way. Hearing the individual parts as you've reconstructed them, they're each so funky and original, how they all fit together like a beautiful puzzle, just makes you realize why this was (is?) the highest selling track of all time... It's so valuable for any musician at any level, to really dig deeply into a track and figure it out on a molecular level, each time you do it you improve your own abilities. I can't tell you how much I've enjoyed this whole series, it's really blown my mind, thanks so much.

@Doctormix

6 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much for your kindest words. It really means a lot to us that you appreciate how much effort and love with put into this project. Groove on!

Damn, Doctor Mix! I just discovered your channel a month ago and can't get enough! Your ear and vids are great, thank you so much! Also, love your intro to all your videos! Thanks so much for sharing your enthusiasm and knowledge!!! Oh, and your Jupiter 8 and knowledge and skill utilizing it is absolutely AMAZING! Thank you!!!

That's it!!! All sounds!! The 7:25 "killer sound" and the pipe organ are my favourites

Wow!!! That was so cool. Please keep it coming. Love hearing what you do Doc.

Damn... you really love doing it.... I felt your energy throughout the series... I was also so excited.... Please do a smooth criminal also! I enjoyed it so much... And learned a lot too!

Loving this analysis and that Jupiter-8!

@mipmipmipmipmip

6 жыл бұрын

David McGarry Checked the price of one for fun, crazy!!!

@DaveMcGarry

6 жыл бұрын

mipmipmipmipmip I dare not even look... If I win the lotto then I'm in

I'm glad I discovered your and Anthony Marinelli's channels. I'm currently obsessing with Thriller since I believe its the crème de la crème of music production 😌

The theramin was also used along with backing vocals on the intro to "Off The Wall". This video is FANTASTIC - THANK YOU!!

that "dldl dldl" squarewave lfo double tap makes the whole loop. Without that, you don't have a million house remixes. It doesn't hurt that Michael and Quincy themselves basically begged house producers to sample them when they looped it for a whole minute in the extended video cut during the zombie dance sequence.

Claudio, you just answered my questions about synthesizer layers ! Amazing video! Thanks a lot!

Awesome video, such interesting facts about the structure and sound development of this great song.

Great video asa always! The bass was a ARP 2600 according to Greg Phillinganes.

I love your videos. Congratulations! 👍

Written by Rod Temperton - a very humble man from a tiny seaside town on the east coast of England, Cleethorpes - where I'm from! If only I were even a tenth as funky as he.

I always liked "Thriller", but I have to confess that I understimate the arrangement, and the choise of the sounds. Now I'm realizing it was a real masterpiece! Thanks, Claudio. Ciao!

It’s great to learn so much from one masterpiece

So good, talented and detailed work....Congratulations :)

I love Doctor Mix . Hello from France !! You studied a lot MJ … I studied 1983 Italo disco .

I just reacted it today using thanks to your videos... I can’t thank you enough.

You nailed it! bravo sir!

That first "square wave drop" sound is, to me, the creepiest sound in the song when i was 7 years old. Back then, the sound was intended to make a person's "courage factor" and countenance fall to the point of flight or running away from something unreal. Then, the C minor 9 synths that followed made one visualize a windy nightfall in a moonlit dark field. You knew you were in trouble.

grreat as always!

Great vid and I'm super jealous of that Jupiter 8.

11:03

another top notch video

OMG THIS IS SO PERFEFCT

The most difficult part of Thriller is getting the mix/levels correct....some tracks take priority over other tracks and get a front row seat in a way. I spent some time listening to the original thriller recording and the final Dr. Mix track...certain elements, like the brass section were given a higher volume level with Dr. Mix, but in the original track, they seem more distant/background, and not overpowering the other layers. Another element is the guitar track during the instrumental sounds much more defined and full-almost like a drum machine beat...I was actually shocked to learn that it was a guitar from Dr. Mix when all these years I thought it was some really good keyboard tapping with a guitar sound. Another Dr. Mix video showing the levels/arrangements of track preferences would be enlightening to us mere mortals. Great video and thanks for the education.

I love that he did the theremin type sound (I was waiting for it) during the line "for you and I to cuddle close together" and when Vincent Price does his voice over (towards the end). I wonder if he's correct. Great video!

Great break down.

Great stuff, thanks

This is excellent. Thank you.

5:05 it is a Minimoog, Michael Boddicker himself confirms this. Check out his interview with keyboard mag from 2009, he talks about how many MJ synth sounds were created. Thanks for these vids by the way, very interesting!

@infurnus1

6 жыл бұрын

Indeed it is two modified Minimoogs www.keyboardmag.com/artists/michael-jackson-keyboard-sounds-of-his-signature-songs-then-and-now

@dpalaoro

Жыл бұрын

But the guys who made the song said in a recent documentary, that it's an arp2600 with a moog ladder

@benmarshall404

Жыл бұрын

@@dpalaoro Yeah I know Anthony Marinelli on the Stories In The Room series has said this recently…..as he was the one that programmed the synths on that track I’m more inclined to go with him. Boddicker could be remembering things differently.

@dpalaoro

Жыл бұрын

@Ben Marshall Or could be a combination of things. The brrrp brrrp can definitely be a different machine then the actual baseline. That's what I want to know.

Nice job! Thanks, very interesting!

This was hilarious because of the sounds but I enjoyed every bit of it. Took me back in time.

I loved all these Thriller videos! 😍 please do "Threteaned" by MJ 😍❤

Because of the "belch" sound... I can fully understand that you`re so proud to recreate this sound... because as easy as it sounds- it`s not so easy to find the waveform and puzzle:" what kind of sound is that" ? Is it a formant-sound, a "belch" or "R2D2" or what ??? :D It also took me "ages" to recreate the sound. The funny thing is that I did not even notice him that much in MJ`s "Thriller", because I perceived him in George Michael`s "Killer" where a similar one was used. In my instrumental I used the Moog to recreate this sound but I`m sure and think the Jup8 was the right one for the og "belch" ;-)

It's really cool that Anthony Marinelli revealed this "Frog" sound to be just from a cheap Casio keyboard. And the "Falling star" from an Arp2600.

Id love to see a video of you trying to breakdown what the synths are in a song and then remaking them on your own synths. Like a making of video in a way

Hey doc. Love your videos and music man. And I love your intro. Can you extend it to a full track? That would be so cool. Thanks in advance. Love from Sri Lanka

Marinelli loves his square waves. So do I!! I have many square variants in my live menu at all times. I love the cartoon like sounds you can dial in with square waves... like nursery rythm music 😆 Phillinganes' Moog parts on Thriller are also very square sounding. I started with saw waves being my favourite... but Squares have caught up!!

You are a Genius! You have bloody good ears to hear that all out of the song. Btw. How you do it with the copyright issues with this song? Just amazing KZread dont block your videos.

Amazing explanation❤️👌👌👌

Very interesting implementation of synths. Really like your creativity man :) For that wah synth as well as the synth playing the riff along with e. Guitar, I believe it was made by oberhiem. Just try out the freeware obxd and You'll feel the warmth of its unison just as in the original song. For the intro part, there's like sort of acoustic guitar, I think it was just a plain fender without overdrive. For the church organ, seems they were using the trusty synclavier as it has a sampling capabilities and can even crystallize the sound by adding more harmonics to it due to its fm engine. Some might say it is a fairlight, but I don't think so as it has a dull sampling rate.

The derr derr part sounds like it could be made on a minimoog with a high rate square lfo modulating the filter. It gives me the vibes of the sounds you get from the mini when you start going past the LO frequency range on OSC 3

Thanks a lot for doing this!!!!!! Awesome!!!!! Amazing!!!!!!! Great Videos!!!!!!!!!! Love it!!!!!!

"I'm not sure... all the sequences... how they're built together..." Well, you've done a bloody good job if that's the case!

wow! soooo cool man

Genius!! 🙌🏻

Fun fact: The pipe organ is in fact a Synclavier. Gone are the days of Rick Wakeman taking a reel-to-reel down to the local Cathedral.

Two things happened watching this video… My dogs nearly gnawed off my leg and I’m certain an outer space craft landed nearby! 😆. Just kidding. That was truly interesting and makes listening to Thriller way more fun!

i love the way you say "thriller" Michael Jackson sings "tileee"... love you.

@annother3350

5 жыл бұрын

Hi An Other

8:10 I think it`s the clean Strat... played via a "Flanger"...the Flanger gives him this "whining" (portamento) character. (When you look at the soundsetup-even for LIVE performances- it makes sense that the guitar will be used at the beginning as well, I think). That`s the way I realized this sound in the Intro of my instrumental for example.

you are a genius! please do same job for other mj songs! you must do it!!! 😘

Thanks you and i must say well done ! i came here to find about that "little fart" sound XD, It is a little bugger when you notice that in the song ,and you don´t know what "IT" is , So thank you once again for all of this ,it was truly the pleasure to watch this video I find the rest of the videos truly amazing and HQ as well I would like to see "Herbie Hancock - Rockit" song done like this one day if it is possible

Great vocal performance ;)

I learned a lot on your videos mostly on reconstructing the synth sounds of those classic hits. thanks for sharing your talent....by the way, can you do the machine/engine sounds on the intro of Paul MacCartney's Silly Love Song? thanks

OHH THANK YOU!!

Fartness almost fell across the land. Could sit and watch your videos all night Doc.....Amazing !

@annother3350

5 жыл бұрын

The pooping hour is close at hand

nooo i hope this is not the last video of these kind of stuff, pls atleast do the guitars or do other mj songs

7:24 "Jizz in my Pants". Sorry I had to, I know how a certain part of a song can affect your body. Total respect for your passion! :D

The LFO turns the Roland 8 into the prize wheel on the Price is Right!

cool, thanks

one of the best rock songs EVER MADE, now I know why our spines tingle while listening to it:))))) . WISH you could combine these and do a "performance" yourself.

@annother3350

5 жыл бұрын

It's pure funk!

Wow, very complex!

Came across this video again after getting a Roland Jupiter X. Tried out the "bleep bleep" square wave with LFO. Worked perfectly! Do you do a class on synthesis and analog synth sound design? (You should)

so when i buy the thriller kit, i can use the what version of kontakt and also i can use all of the presets and arrange my own tracks, also if i want i can put the midi together to show off the power of what you did?

Do the same with “Beat It” please!!!

@ztevozmilloz6133

5 жыл бұрын

he'll need a synclavier, and this toys is really, really expensive. maybe 200 000$ theses days. BUT, thanks to Arturia, there a plugin of this synth :)

Please be doing more songs!

Seeing you breaking down all these parts really makes me realize that "Thriller" is a monster. No pun intended ha! Would love to see you guys deconstructing songs from the "Thriller" album.

Nice video

I did the "derrr derrrr" sound on a Moog myself. Same principle as the Jupiter though! :-)

@Doctormix

6 жыл бұрын

niiiiice!! Post video pleeeeeeeaze

@tobyriding

6 жыл бұрын

I can't do a video but I can email you my cover version if you want with a screenshot of the Moog settings I used! info at doctor mix dot com - is that the right address?

That opening gliss down ends up sounding like a slide whistle. That's hilarious. :D

Cool!

4:41 in this video...that has always been my favorite sound on Thriller :)

More more more! Thanks your for awesome work! :D Drrr-Drrr... Drrr-Drrr...Darkness falls across the land... Drrr-Drrr... Drrr-Drrr

I've been trying to find some help trying to learn every synth part for a school concert and this has been great, we are using the Arturia instruments which has been working great

You are an ear genius…

8:53 Played on Rhodes actually, explaining the mechanical feel.

Incredible work!!! There is one synth sound that even to this day nobody gets right, it's Europes the Final Countdown. It's said that they did it with a DX7 and a JX8P but there's more to it as people with those synths try to recreate it only with partial success. Please solve the mystery, I now you can Dr!! 😎🤘🏼

@banggangwien1854

6 жыл бұрын

Oberheim Matrix 12?

@JonayPS

2 жыл бұрын

I think it's an Oberheim OB-Xa.

Hey there, I bought your thriller sound pack, but can’t seem to find the church organs and Rhodes. Is there anything you can do to help?

You forgot the main sound from the Jupiter that runs throughout the song, it's a sort of a pad that begin when the linn drum kicks in (with just the hats)....

Doctor Mix, could you one day make a little set with Shamus Theme(Roland D50)? I think it is very lovely sample(as others strings)..

Hey doctor Mix. I was just wondering if you by any chance have the sheet music for the brass wind line. I can't seem to get it by ear, so I was wondering if you add the sheet music for it. Love from Jamaica🔥🎇

4:47 I have been trying to figure out what that sound was for such a long time.

My mans got some nice air maxs.

10:03 No you`re wrong here if you say that they didn`t have the technology at this time :D They had the SYNCLAVIER II :-) (and next to the famous "Beat It- bell", fantastic church-organs) :D

@ForceStudios

4 жыл бұрын

You can hear the "Thriller Church Organ" on the 1981 Synclavier LP demo, too/ A Side- Sound No.2).