Thriller

Hi ho,

I was listening to the radio this morning and Jacko's Thriller came on. Although it sounds a bit dated, I think the bassline kicks arse. I'm referring to the one that goes:
"di doo doo doo doo doo *CLAP* di doo doo doo doo doo *CLAP*"

Does anyone know how that bassline was made? Was it a synth or a bass guitar?

Equalizer

[This message has been edited by Equalizer (edited 01-31-2003).]

I know exactly which line you're talking about and there's no way that's not a synth. I don't know what synth exactly, but it's definitely a synth.

As much as I hate Michael Jackson's music , he is one of the few that is really good at programming the Roland MC-8 . Not many people like to really sit down with that machine , but it was one of his favorites . Each note is entered using the keypad , you have to even program the gate time for each note .

Did he really do it himself? The name I keep hearing thrown around during that era of Jackson's career is Quincy Jones.

its funny because ive often wondered what made that bassline. its really great sounding. and yes Q is the man behind the MJ sound of the 80s.

Yep, he da man at Q-West Productions. You're talking family now. LOL no I'm not black hehe. He dubbed my given nick a long time ago at Evergreen in beautiful Burbank, CA (quack!). (Hell, I just hope no one would presume I thought to call myself MORPH! ?) Thank God he stopped smoking those giant cigars. I know for sure that the beats were Linn, as I have the very machine that plotted the track. As far as Michael at 44 (late August if mem serves me correct), what can I tell ya. He as done well for the hard life he's been given. (Would you want to be in his shoes?) On the other hand, it beats Donny Osmond who repeatedly had scored deep red ink consecutive flops and is now a game show host. Personally, I would rather deliver the early morning LA Times at 3AM than be a game show host. I wonder how Marie is looking these days. Heard she had a lot of babies. You know the Mormons, they're into big family's and stuffed full pantrys. Wasn't she on the Home Shopping Network? (Only 4 minutes left on only 4 dazzling pieces of shhhhmmmerchandise...left! Only 4 easy payments of only 44.44 ...look at how it compliments Marie. Doesn't she look lovely in pearls! Why she . . . okokok time to leave it alone. ugh sick sick sick I tell ya. Every once in a while, these things happen.
Morphstar

Is there a prize for the person who can work out what the hell Morphamatic is talking about?

im convinced morph does lots of meth

In plain dutch eeeehh english:

1. Morph confirms Quincy Jones did the baseline.
2. Donny Osmond has fallen down more as Wacko Jacko, because he is doing game shows.
3. Marie Osmond has fallen down even more as Donny, as she had a lot of babies and is doing advertisements for cheap imitation pearls..

Did somebody say Marie Osmond and "pearl necklace?"

so many fantasies fufilled with that mental image.

Donny still sings his A** off and was a great addition to Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Joseph", as well as Disney's "Mulan".

Marie is STILL a stone fox, and you'd never guess that her hips spit out about 8 kids.
(I'm a fan, can ya tell?)

..... talk about a mental image?!?!? ...
... but you're right UD, she has 'matured' well ....
t.

same synth was used in "west end girls" by pet shop boys.

DX7?

-tek

Lets not forget how much money he has , even back in 82-83 . He had access to the Fairlight CMI , Synclavier ( which was big in R&B , Nile Rodgers swore by them ) , and the Alpha Syntauri ( Apple IIe based FM synthesizer ) . Even the EMULATOR which was close to being replaced by the Emulator II . He had access to all the high end gear .

I would agree with tek's reply ... DX7

Even though there were other systems around at this time they were only low resolution samples and weren't really suitable for pushing up front in a mix like this sort of bassline. Great for background pads, drums and breathy sounds which would hide the sound problems of early sampling. I used a Fairlight CMI MK1 in a studio and found that trying to use it as a featured pitched instrument was a problem. The lores samples paled next to real instrument recordings and attempts to EQ them to provide better dynamics simply made the digital problems more prominent. The DX7 although being early digital still produced a punchy sound through its 12bit DACs and its slap bass sound drove many early 80s hit songs and TV themes.

I like the digital noise of the older gear . To me , nothing is more pathetic than digital samples of acoustic instruments . I like the noise , it makes it more synthetic . The Alpha Syntauri has more than the DX-7 , as far as noise . The Synergy , and the old 360 systems digital replay keyboard are my favorites . Of course my old RMI KC-2 is a raspy sounding beast too . It wouldn't suprise me though if Michael did use the DX-7 , he certainly had the money to get one before anyone else did . Or even it's earlier FM brothers like the GS-1 , GS-2 , and CE-20 .

Yeah I know what you mean about digital noise. It can really be a good thing. But there is good noise and bad noise. I have a TX-802 and SY-77 FM synths and the noise can actually add a nice grit to the sounds. In this case the noise is good. On the early Fairlight I referred to the noise was just hiss and the sound lacked the dynamics of FM at the time. Hiss is not good noise in the digital or analog domain.


[This message has been edited by Nigel (edited 02-17-2003).]

Equalizer
Member posted 02-02-2003 03:42 PM
Is there a prize for the person who can work out what the hell Morphamatic is talking about?
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Just a little quakery that hits involuntary at times (pay no attention to me amusing myself)
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MRT1212
Member posted 02-02-2003 09:38 PM
im convinced morph does lots of meth
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I am convinced that I joke around about a serious thing to the point where some may actually take it seriously
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freddynl
Member posted 02-05-2003 04:27 PM
In plain dutch eeeehh english:
1. Morph confirms Quincy Jones did the baseline. >>>it was a Q Production.
2. Donny Osmond has fallen down more as Wacko Jacko, because he is doing game shows.>>>>>>>>he is doing game shows
3. Marie Osmond has fallen down even more as Donny, as she had a lot of babies and is doing advertisements for cheap imitation pearls.. >>>>>>>>If anybody's doing Meth it's Marie. 8 kids with that body? comon..you tell me she never did a stimulant! She's OK. after a couple martini's that is. LOL (just kidding) actually, I'm in "Puppy Love" with her.
MORPH!
. . . and they called it puppy love . . .


[This message has been edited by Morphamatik (edited 03-01-2003).]

tek, you straightened them out. DX7.

YES... DX7

Umm... Uhhh...

Met... from the words of Jermaine...

"don't take it personal"

Thriller was made in 3 months and released in December of 1982 whereas (as far as I know) the Yamaha DX7 came out in 1983.

The aforementioned title track (composed by Yorkshireman Rod Temperton) features at least an LM-1 drum machine, Rhodes and Roland Jupiter-8. Vocals were compressed with LA Classics Class A silverface 1176LNs and it was mixed on a Harrison 32c desk.
It's known that Quincy Jones (the song and album's main producer) sometimes used a Yamaha CS-80 in recordings of that period.
It's my guess that the Thriller bassline was played on a Minimoog.

[This message has been edited by Misnomer (edited 03-31-2003).]