Portishead did this, recorded their own lounge/jazz music ("Hookers And Gin by the Sean Atkins Experience" amongst others), had it pressed to vinyl and then sampled/scratched it into their music. Even did it with their own name on Mysterons! All as well as sampling others' recordings.
If I remember right, the first album had only one sample that wasn’t themselves on vinyl? Utley/barrow said it wasn’t an innovation but a necessity as they didn’t know how to produce conventionally.
Awesome tracks! Both the originals and the remixes. I had to do some electro swing tracks a while back and did this exact thing, making some 30s/40s-style big band tracks, running them through a vinyl processor then went to town chopping them up. Writing the originals was almost more fun than the final remixes!
I have been so craving another Alex Ball orchestral mockup video, the kind you did when you first started the channel. This combo hardware synth jam tied in with that is fantastic.
Something that can help are programs that rip turn audio files into midi like RipX. Take some Hendrix guitars, turn them into midi, and then make your own guitar tone. All you’d have to deal with is the easy licensing
Ooh, Spitfire finally found an influencer who would take their money after amplifying hateful crackpots. Benefit of the doubt given here, but the sour taste is too much to keep watching.
Brilliant lifehack!. Now I can rationalize that all those unfinished tracks I have are uncompleted not because I fleshed them out in too much detail too early and then didn't know where to go from there, but because I only wanted to sample and remix that single part anyway. :-)
It's so satisfying to finally see you back doing the orchestration stuff! The synth stuff can be interesting, but this is my jam, especially when it's your doing it
I know that this is very rude, but does this mean you'll finally go back to doing what made esq Árnafjall sign for your channel? I watch your "My Computer is a 50s Orchestra" -series at least once a year
Alex TOP STUFF love the 60s ballad it was so John Barryesque. Out of curiosity what plate reverb did you use was it a plugin or pedal. Thanks for this keep it up
Honestly, these first two and a half minutes were brilliant enough to be a video on their own. And it's just the beginning. This channel truly deserves ten times more subs than it has now.
Just copy this video, Alex is literally showing you how to do it, you also dont necessarily need Spitfire, I use Reason and alot of the same sounds are the same.
Thanks for the inspiration. Although I did download your sound bits here, thank you. Please note, I will be playing the Godzilla minisong over my phone speaker whenever I walk into work from now on.
used to shuv my s900 through my ms20 env follower filter in the 90s gor great effect and a few releases even. I have been using AI to strip out music I made 20 years ago, especially the drums, your own instant sample library! Good work.
I grew up in Houston in the 70s, and that Astros shirt hit me right in the nostalgia! As someone who has never been much into sampling and remixes, this was quite interesting.
Bravo to you sir. Much better than the other 95% of sampling videos that still insist of showing how to slice an Amen break. This was different in a good way and very much out of the proverbial box to get those creative juices flowing😊.👍
Apologies I promised myself No more comments on t'tube But come on.. That is a lot of work A lot Must've taken some time But.. It's an absolute belter of a vid! Just brilliant Good job Sir!
I had the idea to do just this in about 1998 when Cubase VST/24 came out and I saw the possibility of a studio in a box. So I built a super PC and got the Yamaha DSP factory card and was all set to be a one man Dust Brothers. Unfortunately I didn’t count on computers of 1998 being a fair way off being that powerful, and my own inability to somehow write and also play the instruments for those genres. Plus, despite there being all this power, at this point you’d still need a studio to record the parts in. But now it really is possible, which is amazing to do even using a cheap desktop and a bunch of drives. Nuts.
As with all your videos, this one is interesting and fantastically well-presented. Just two little suggestions - there's spare little vowel and consonant in the word "libree", hence many folk choose to say "libRARy". The other thought is have you considered wearing a neck/lapel mic, so that you can move around and speak a bit more directly to the camera? Great stuff though!
Danse Macabre - brilliant choice. Question: how much of what you are doing comes from formal music training (reading, arranging & theory for example) versus skills developed from hands-on use (like how to add nuance to sample library sequencing with MIDI CC)? Are there ways to learn all of this at once, or did you build those skills gradually from different experiences?
Both are important, in my opinion. I have a degree in music composition and learned a huge amount from that, but I've never stopped teaching myself and grabbing tips from others. Definitely a gradual thing.
This process is really up my alley! Trying to make source material for Vaporwave and Future Funk compositions. As well as not having to worry about copyright issues you also learn so much more about music production and music theory than you might have otherwise
Another interesting view into the creative process of a certain Mr. Ball. As someone who dabbles in DAW, I found a few of the tricks applied to this stuff interesting.
Your disco "Danse Macabre" was fantastic, it reminds me of Ennio Morricone's "Dies Irae Psichedelico" from 1968, which is exactly what the title implies. Your "60's Orchestral Ballad Remix" has a real Yasuharu Konishi vibe to it. Nice work!
Alex, I think your music is awesome! Since I found your channel I have acquired profound respect for synthesis. I have always been intrigued by electronic music and I am an old guy. What you bring to the genre are musicality. I am also a guitar and bass player so I can really apprecitate your love for vintage and modern music. Your music is just top notch and I really enjoy listening. Synthesisers are being used to make real music and not just a lot of wiered noise and SFX. I am subed and have been binge watching your older videos. Thank you for your content and all you do.
Disco is extremely hard to produce! You did a great job. Detroit techno legend Carl Craig uses this approach for his music but uses a DAW to produce something interesting but then samples it and reworks it on a MPC.
really brilliant as always, man! that godzilla-type cue remix is prime boss-battle material, it's so intense. and that 60s arrangement is so lush, with those fascinating harmonies. amazing!
That's the funk. You see, the Funk is a living creature. It's 'bout the size of a medicine ball, but covered in teats. It came from another planet, and landed on Bootsy Collins's house.
Hey Alex, Hello from Bournemouth. Are you still using your Soundcraft MTK 22 or can you advise something similar? I have several outboard pieces of kit but have heard a few issues on the soudncraft with USB ports etc. I'm also using Cubase 12. Great channel!
I actually had the infamous power supply fault on it and was in the middle of a TV deadline, so sprinted out and got an SSL Big Six. I leant the MTK to someone who can also fix the power supply, because they may buy it. I think I'm committed to the Big Six now. The 22 MTK was an impressive offering for the money. I've never had 22 channels over USB before and it totally worked. The only known issue is the OG power supply that will inevitably go wrong. Fortunately it's a known issue and straightforward to sort. I think they fixed it, so later units shouldn't get the fault.
@@AlexBallMusic thanks for the swift reply. I think for the money you can’t go wrong with the MTK so it’s worth a punt, my soldering skills are ok worse case. There are a few 22’s floating about on Fleabay but it’s pot luck on how old they are so I’ll hold out for a newish unit with a confirmed manufacture date if possible, if not take a chance and make a cheeky bid on an older desk. I have literally just fixed the ground loop hum on my DREADBOX Typhon with a board soldering mod and usb/power splitter. Has done the job and no nasty hum! It’s all a learning curve eh!
This has been a thorough video exactly as you described! 😊 Being creative from public domain music is a great way to feel inspired when writer's block happens. I just started playing with instrument samples a couple months ago as VSTs. I'll try this out to see what I come up with. Thank you for sharing this video of recreating audio! 😁
I just spent over an hour trying to fix over 180 files from a sound pack that would not load correctly in My DAW, it was a MPC 3000 sample packs and its codecs not compatible with Reason 12.
Gothic, moody disco does exist. Disco Macabre would pair great with Goblin - Tenebrae or The Immortals - The Ultimate Warlord. Great Halloween disco cuts. But of course someone already sampled/lifted the descending strings of Dance Macabre: Those Guys - I Walk Alone. Big Electrohouse cut from about 15 years ago.
Portishead did this, recorded their own lounge/jazz music ("Hookers And Gin by the Sean Atkins Experience" amongst others), had it pressed to vinyl and then sampled/scratched it into their music. Even did it with their own name on Mysterons! All as well as sampling others' recordings.
Didn't know that! Brilliant.
Damn, I'm strangely disappointed hookers and gin isn't a real song!
They even went as far as making the vinyl they got pressed dusty so when they'd sample it, it would sound vintage (i.e. a bit crackly)
They even stepped on the album with their feet to make it sound bad :) do a search, they tell it in a yt video. Very cool
If I remember right, the first album had only one sample that wasn’t themselves on vinyl? Utley/barrow said it wasn’t an innovation but a necessity as they didn’t know how to produce conventionally.
Dude. This is the kinda shit I've been trying to do myself but have been failing miserably. Thank you for making this.
The answer was disco all along!
That "60s" arrangement is one gunshot away from Bond film main theme.
Awesome!
Yeah, my thoughts exactly :)
To me it sounded like the bridge of Don't Talk by the Beach Boys
A musician! Someone who actually makes music and knows how to do it. Thank you so much for your channel and for sharing your work.
Cheers.
Awesome tracks! Both the originals and the remixes. I had to do some electro swing tracks a while back and did this exact thing, making some 30s/40s-style big band tracks, running them through a vinyl processor then went to town chopping them up. Writing the originals was almost more fun than the final remixes!
I have been so craving another Alex Ball orchestral mockup video, the kind you did when you first started the channel. This combo hardware synth jam tied in with that is fantastic.
Danse macabre as a disco remix? Absolute banger!
Works quite well, tempted to start disco-ing the whole public domain.
@@AlexBallMusic *in the voice of Emperor Palpatine* "Dooo eeeett!"
@@AlexBallMusic Please sir do 🕺 we'll be here watching
fantastic work , enjoying this already and only just listened to your 'original', let's see what's next in the coming 20 minutes... 🙂
Something that can help are programs that rip turn audio files into midi like RipX. Take some Hendrix guitars, turn them into midi, and then make your own guitar tone. All you’d have to deal with is the easy licensing
Love this video. Your talent is inspiring. Thanks for sharing! Edited to add: and I think the track sounds awesome too :)
Ooh, Spitfire finally found an influencer who would take their money after amplifying hateful crackpots.
Benefit of the doubt given here, but the sour taste is too much to keep watching.
K
Hi! First....?
Sampling yourself. Sounds dirty 😅
Absolute filth.
If you know what I'm schaying...
Top marks for the Deodato mention! His versions of Moonlight Serenade and Sprach De Zastava (you know the one) are utterly brilliant!
Yep, fantastic stuff.
Loving them chamber strings. Very Bond like. Must release my chamber pot samples. Money to be had in this game! 😆
😂
Great video. Please never wear that shirt again. 😅😜 ⚾️
Brilliant lifehack!. Now I can rationalize that all those unfinished tracks I have are uncompleted not because I fleshed them out in too much detail too early and then didn't know where to go from there, but because I only wanted to sample and remix that single part anyway. :-)
Exactly this!
If you were a chef, Gordon Ramsay would be jealous of your food.
I once worked as a chef in Whetherspoons. I lasted two weeks, was the worst job I ever had. Well, one of the worst.
This is a brilliant reference video, full of gems for many composers out there. Brilliant as always Alex!
Hey Dervish! Cheers, glad you enjoyed it.
It's so satisfying to finally see you back doing the orchestration stuff! The synth stuff can be interesting, but this is my jam, especially when it's your doing it
I know that this is very rude, but does this mean you'll finally go back to doing what made esq Árnafjall sign for your channel? I watch your "My Computer is a 50s Orchestra" -series at least once a year
I dont usually go to such lengths but still resample alot of My stuff and often terns out well.
Alex TOP STUFF love the 60s ballad it was so John Barryesque. Out of curiosity what plate reverb did you use was it a plugin or pedal. Thanks for this keep it up
Honestly, these first two and a half minutes were brilliant enough to be a video on their own. And it's just the beginning. This channel truly deserves ten times more subs than it has now.
Astonishing! ❤
I can assure you I would never sample another track if I could write a dang disco arrangement of a classical piece in the first place.
Just copy this video, Alex is literally showing you how to do it, you also dont necessarily need Spitfire, I use Reason and alot of the same sounds are the same.
slicing your own sequencing can be very rewarding and spontaneous
That second remix needs to be a full song, like NEEDS to be. So good.
You dirty sampler!!! Why cant you just go and make something original rather than ripping off..... ohhhhhhhhhhh You did make it :p ;) Niiiiice
Thanks for the inspiration.
Although I did download your sound bits here, thank you.
Please note, I will be playing the Godzilla minisong over my phone speaker whenever I walk into work from now on.
used to shuv my s900 through my ms20 env follower filter in the 90s gor great effect and a few releases even. I have been using AI to strip out music I made 20 years ago, especially the drums, your own instant sample library! Good work.
The 60’s ballad came with the Phillips logo! It sounds so Scott Walker / John Barry
Cheers. Was going for the Barry vibe a bit, Humperdinck too.
1:13 Camille Saint-Saëns' Inspector Gadget theme song.
Alex, you're a Grandmaster. We amateurs with three softwares and one midi input keyboard and zero practice time, can't do what you do.
I grew up in Houston in the 70s, and that Astros shirt hit me right in the nostalgia! As someone who has never been much into sampling and remixes, this was quite interesting.
I raided a vintage t-shirt rack and grabbed a bunch of these. 😀
Bravo to you sir. Much better than the other 95% of sampling videos that still insist of showing how to slice an Amen break. This was different in a good way and very much out of the proverbial box to get those creative juices flowing😊.👍
Apologies
I promised myself
No more comments on t'tube
But come on..
That is a lot of work
A lot
Must've taken some time
But..
It's an absolute belter of a vid!
Just brilliant
Good job Sir!
I had the idea to do just this in about 1998 when Cubase VST/24 came out and I saw the possibility of a studio in a box. So I built a super PC and got the Yamaha DSP factory card and was all set to be a one man Dust Brothers.
Unfortunately I didn’t count on computers of 1998 being a fair way off being that powerful, and my own inability to somehow write and also play the instruments for those genres. Plus, despite there being all this power, at this point you’d still need a studio to record the parts in.
But now it really is possible, which is amazing to do even using a cheap desktop and a bunch of drives. Nuts.
awesome!! The string lead once remixed almost sounds like Texas Fagott's Back to Mad lmfao
Danse Macabre is one of my favourite pieces of music. and you made it even better. Brilliant as usual Alex.
As with all your videos, this one is interesting and fantastically well-presented. Just two little suggestions - there's spare little vowel and consonant in the word "libree", hence many folk choose to say "libRARy". The other thought is have you considered wearing a neck/lapel mic, so that you can move around and speak a bit more directly to the camera? Great stuff though!
Inspiring!
Those 60s ballad strings have DJ Premier somewhere like "...wait a minute"
Lurved this sampling episode! Better release that Macabrodisco quick before someone nicks it.
I don't suppose you teach private composing/producing lessons do you? Everything you do is rad.
Third, beans
Cool beans!
🫘🍛
"I don't have a Clavinet, I don't think many people do" - Geert Van Schlänger
That'sch right shexy viewer.
The start of your version of Dans Macabre sounds a bit like Altin Gün, nice 😎
I'll have to check them out, not heard of them.
ASTROS Baby!
I've tried to get into the habit of banging out stems for every project I do, they're such a sampling goldmine.
Good idea.
This is utterly fantastic Alex! Well done again mate.
Danse Macabre - brilliant choice. Question: how much of what you are doing comes from formal music training (reading, arranging & theory for example) versus skills developed from hands-on use (like how to add nuance to sample library sequencing with MIDI CC)? Are there ways to learn all of this at once, or did you build those skills gradually from different experiences?
Both are important, in my opinion. I have a degree in music composition and learned a huge amount from that, but I've never stopped teaching myself and grabbing tips from others. Definitely a gradual thing.
@@AlexBallMusic that explains a lot!
All I can hear is the Jonathan Creek but played by John Travolta instead of the floppy haired git.
Why you d ont give shows like J M Jarr ??? You have maybi the best colection of synth ...
This process is really up my alley! Trying to make source material for Vaporwave and Future Funk compositions. As well as not having to worry about copyright issues you also learn so much more about music production and music theory than you might have otherwise
Can I sample your talent?
Ive got a bunch of vinyl under the bed i have no idea what it is. I figured i would just use it for sampling.
Am i the only one thinking of a Castlevania soundtrack right now..? 😂
Another interesting view into the creative process of a certain Mr. Ball. As someone who dabbles in DAW, I found a few of the tricks applied to this stuff interesting.
Cheers, glad it was of use.
I had 97 clavs, but then I got some ointment from the vd clinic, cleared it up!
Your disco "Danse Macabre" was fantastic, it reminds me of Ennio Morricone's "Dies Irae Psichedelico" from 1968, which is exactly what the title implies.
Your "60's Orchestral Ballad Remix" has a real Yasuharu Konishi vibe to it.
Nice work!
Why does the beginning bit sound like the OST to the og Dragon Ball?
Ducking the filter omg thats complicated. ❤
Fashion on point with Astros jersey. Great idea for a video, as usual your composition is choice as well. Nice work sir! 👏
Isn't Disco Macabre ripping off Spooks in Space? 😁
The one stop shop for all your disco arrangements of Danse Macabre.
the last one reminds me of the first ratchet and clank soundtrack. well done :)
If you're a brilliant multi-instrumentalist and composer and have a studio in your home, you can sample yourself!
;)
False.
You can suck at every instrument, compose crappy songs, have a shitty room for studio and still be able to sample yourself.
You just a mic, audio interface, daw, headphones and imagination. 🙂
I would love to see a follow-up video of you making vaporwave with this 'false sample' technique.
Alex, I think your music is awesome! Since I found your channel I have acquired profound respect for synthesis. I have always been intrigued by electronic music and I am an old guy. What you bring to the genre are musicality. I am also a guitar and bass player so I can really apprecitate your love for vintage and modern music. Your music is just top notch and I really enjoy listening. Synthesisers are being used to make real music and not just a lot of wiered noise and SFX. I am subed and have been binge watching your older videos. Thank you for your content and all you do.
Please release an album/an EP with these songs and their remixed counterparts (a release on vinyl would be a great match, right?) 🤩
Or a remix comp with the stems.
Hey Alex - Great idea! And the Jonathan Creek theme to boot 😄👍
Oh wow varying the portament speed!!!
Often I forget to smash the like button. Not this time.
The intro song sounds like a hidden 70s disco classic. Schöner track. Best wishes.
Alex, you're a flipping boss. Great ideas, man, sick!
Disco is extremely hard to produce! You did a great job.
Detroit techno legend Carl Craig uses this approach for his music but uses a DAW to produce something interesting but then samples it and reworks it on a MPC.
Great info, thanks!
how do you come up with those different ideas Alex,great audio melange 😎
Three videos in one. Exceptional!
fantastic and inspiring video, but i gotta say im quite puzzled by how you ended up with a houston astros shirt
Raided a vintage t-shirt rail. £5 a pop, I grabbed a bunch. 😀
“ I’m not a remix kinda guy” nails it not once but thrice
Thanks for the video..
That's great fun and inspiring, take it easy.
really brilliant as always, man! that godzilla-type cue remix is prime boss-battle material, it's so intense. and that 60s arrangement is so lush, with those fascinating harmonies. amazing!
Cheers!
Hey, I know this user.
@@hellomynameisjoenl oh hey! lmao
SOUNDS LIKE SPIDERMANS THEME SONG AT THE END
"Ra Ra Rasputin, Lover of the Russian queen!" Ow wait different song 😄 Great video!
😀
Says mini song... makes full song
Great as always. Btw i like the Dave Smith shirt👍🏻
I really watch these videos for the music.
is it a bad thing that I'm now tapping my feet and bobbing my head?
That's the funk. You see, the Funk is a living creature. It's 'bout the size of a medicine ball, but covered in teats. It came from another planet, and landed on Bootsy Collins's house.
Step 1: produce an entire song
Haha! If only I could get past step 1, remixing your own material is fairly easy. Just need to produce something decent in the first place 🤣
Can you do that with a footpedal?
I can’t even finish a track….
Those horns at 19:30 are massive.
Hey Alex, Hello from Bournemouth. Are you still using your Soundcraft MTK 22 or can you advise something similar? I have several outboard pieces of kit but have heard a few issues on the soudncraft with USB ports etc. I'm also using Cubase 12. Great channel!
I actually had the infamous power supply fault on it and was in the middle of a TV deadline, so sprinted out and got an SSL Big Six.
I leant the MTK to someone who can also fix the power supply, because they may buy it. I think I'm committed to the Big Six now.
The 22 MTK was an impressive offering for the money. I've never had 22 channels over USB before and it totally worked. The only known issue is the OG power supply that will inevitably go wrong. Fortunately it's a known issue and straightforward to sort. I think they fixed it, so later units shouldn't get the fault.
@@AlexBallMusic thanks for the swift reply. I think for the money you can’t go wrong with the MTK so it’s worth a punt, my soldering skills are ok worse case. There are a few 22’s floating about on Fleabay but it’s pot luck on how old they are so I’ll hold out for a newish unit with a confirmed manufacture date if possible, if not take a chance and make a cheeky bid on an older desk. I have literally just fixed the ground loop hum on my DREADBOX Typhon with a board soldering mod and usb/power splitter. Has done the job and no nasty hum! It’s all a learning curve eh!
Sampling is beautiful
This has been a thorough video exactly as you described! 😊 Being creative from public domain music is a great way to feel inspired when writer's block happens. I just started playing with instrument samples a couple months ago as VSTs. I'll try this out to see what I come up with. Thank you for sharing this video of recreating audio! 😁
I just spent over an hour trying to fix over 180 files from a sound pack that would not load correctly in My DAW, it was a MPC 3000 sample packs and its codecs not compatible with Reason 12.
I know you are trying to trigger me personally with the astros shirt and its not going to work:)
I'll confess, I raided a £5 vintage t-shirt rail and I have no idea what any of them mean. Most are US sports teams.
Hey Alex. What kind of keyboard stand is that?? I’m in need of one like that.
I use Jaspers stands.
@@AlexBallMusic thank you
Disco Macabre could vibe really well with some ABBA style vocals over it!
Gimme, gimme, gimme Saint-Saëns after midnight..
@@AlexBallMusic Haha, excellent!
I’m getting Daft Punk and Orb vibes… and I’m all in. Another amazing video, matched with great technique and application. Chef’s kiss!
Gothic, moody disco does exist. Disco Macabre would pair great with Goblin - Tenebrae or The Immortals - The Ultimate Warlord. Great Halloween disco cuts.
But of course someone already sampled/lifted the descending strings of Dance Macabre: Those Guys - I Walk Alone. Big Electrohouse cut from about 15 years ago.