To be an ORIGINAL, try COPYING other artists.
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- čas přidán 26. 01. 2021
- Weirdly, one of the most effective ways to find your own unique, original sound is to literally clone a song you love. Gregory Scott, Kush Audio’s resident analog and plug-in designer, shares his first experience doing exactly that (on a Beatles song) and spells out all the ways it helped him on the path to finding an authentic artistic voice.
Wanna hear the Beatles song Greg remade in 2004 for his 64-year-old dad to sing on as an anniversary gift to Greg's mom? Check it: bit.ly/2Ns4qC6 - Hudba
"He came over, we got rippin' baked..." LOL Love your work man!
Dank Kush 🤤
why wasn't I aware of this channel before :D
@@truthordarrenmusic q
Me too! Great stuff
@@madvicemusic Welcome to the Light! (I felt the same by the way..........then spent hours going through everything else gregs produced)
By the way Mr KUSH. We your fans are demanding more videos!!! You’re 1 of hundreds of “engineers” who actually know what they’re talking about not only in the technical part of sound but the artistic parts as well. In short we NEED MORE. We will share the videos too! We the People have spoken!!!! 👈
He puts out enough content for me and I don’t pay him so I’m fine. I the individual have spoken
@@AhtoNajeebRashied you kiss up 😘 😂🤣😂
It’s a way of assuring him that his videos are waaaaay better than anyone’s on CZcams regarding audio. And that we appreciate his videos. When u love and appreciate something, YOU WANT MORE ..
My gosh that intro music is so vibey man!
Thank you sir! That's all of two mics on the kit, positioned so each catches a good sound on its own with no mind paid to "imaging" or even "phase coherence". LCR panning on everything else, no verbs!
@@TheHouseofKushTV no verbs im wow-
sound similar to Issac Hayes
Where can we listen to the whole thing? 🥰
@@kelvinmanley6166 yes I thought it’s was Bob James but you’re right.
I’m telling my kids Kylo Ren retired to music production and this is Episode X.
I copied chocolate rain once
Retirement has clearly been stressful, look at all those gray hairs!
The Man, The Legend, The Chocolate, The Rain... Blessed be thy Kush... Afterhours lol
@@TheHouseofKushTV I just noticed
@@TheHouseofKushTV Your hairs are gorgeous
We had to do exactly this for a TV show called 'The Masked Singer' where the record companies would not release the instrumentals, so all the tracks had to be reverse-engineered and recreated. For those that don't know this show, they get a bunch of famous folk in daft costumes singing famous songs and you have to guess who is behind the mask. Anyway, in terms of ear development for listening not just for the notes played but for the tone, the recording space, the effects, the EQ, the compression, etc it was like a fast track course! The first tricky bit was to just ignore the vocal - these were all well known pop tracks wth the vocal as the key element, but like what you had to do in the Beatles recreation the requirement was instrumental only; 'the non-listening' to that vocal being essential (and in doing so you also learn how much everything else relates to that vocal and is there to support it!). The main instruments were challenging even if they were, on the face of it, quite simple - matching that drum machine snare from a cheesy 80s synth track, stuff like that. However, one of the hardest things was to figure out everything that was LOW in the mix, but that still played a critical role in the overall production. This is certainly a really worthwhile exercise, but it comes with the warning that it can drive you to insanity and beyond, haha! Keep up the amazing vids Greg - gold nuggets man!
Was this in Australia?
@@asmqb7222 No, it was the UK
I had no idea they had to re-create all those tracks for that show! Crazy!
@@kronik907 A combination of record companies not wanting to release instrumental masters and often the key needs to be changed to fit the singer. Very challenging but an amazing learning experience.
you can use neural networks to isolate all of the music, its super easy (these days) and I've done it many, many times. On the thing about recreating I hear you loud and clear, there is a group called "the young punx" who are known for using mostly nothing but samples, however, their version of sampling involves recreating everything like for instance there is a video on youtube about them sampling some stewart copeland drum breaks except they went and recreated EVERYTHING from the drum heads, the sticks, the cymbals, room treatment all the way down to the types of sticks used and the mixing gear of that era JUST TO SAMPLE A DRUM BREAK. Its phenomenal but its also super expensive and crazy complicated though I like to think that maybe half of it was to get a more believable sample and that the other half was just because they had the equipment and the resources to do so.
IF YOU WANT TO BE ORIGINAL, TRY COPYING OTHER ARTISTS..
I'll always remember this, thank you Greg
As a bass guitarist for over 30 years, playing both originals and covers, when it comes to covers I have always tried to reproduce the song as accurately as possible. This is the starting position, not necessarily how it will be performed. What I have realised over time is that this has allowed me to build up a toolkit that I now bring to the table as a musician. All of this now becomes available to me as appropriate in a situation and is actually an integral part of my musicianship. The trick is to try and reproduce the cover as accurately as you can and work on it. Do not fall into the trap of “I will do my interpretation of it” because you will fall back to what you already know and can do, so you won’t learn. Once you have the cover nailed, then all bets are off in terms of the end result. Great video👍👍
As a bassist of roughly 35 years, sitting down and learning every old Black Sabbath song on bass note for note when I was a kid - every fill exactly how Geezer played it - essentially taught me how to be a rock bassist. And the thing is, that's what I thought I was SUPPOSED to do. Glad I didn't 'know' too much back then lol!!
Fast forward, and I study Rob Deleo (STP) basslines intently. The way that guy outlines chords and moves a song along? What a teacher . . . he's like Jamerson's long lost grandson.
*"originality is undetected plagiarism"*
William Ralph Inge
Love it!!
Actually, the BS called copyrights and royalties exist for only a few hundreds years, most of the history the artists could copy without being afraid of being blamed for a plagiarism. If my copy is less interesting then the original, nobody cares about my copy, if it is more interesting - it is not a copy already, but a step forward.
It’s very trye
recreating other productions is one of the first things i learnd in music school in the production studies.the best training
I couldn’t agree more!
You’re right
You sir are a legend. Thanks for the video! (Sidenote: You should start a KUSH discord for all your loyal followers. Would be fun to chill with other KUSH fanatics and talk about your awesome content.)
PLEASE
I would cry!!
Discord is for 13year old boys.
@@DrSamE which is why you'd love it!
Dr. SamE maybe the OP is a 13 year old boy 🤔
Me: Been watching usual videos about mixing, recording, you know the ordinary routine, and then yesterday I was like: Wait a second, it's been a while I don't see my buddy Greg around. Wondering how he's doing.
Universe: There you go!
🙌
@@TheHouseofKushTV legend
Same!
Same here.. I usually catch em on a notification but this was a spidey sense thang. Greg is a wizard?
@@th6368 I'm waiting for him to drop the bomb. Already told him I'm in if he releases a course or something spiritually elevated loool about recording/mixing
AMEN! Branford Marsalis told me, when I asked him about being original said, "Learn every jazz solo you can off the record, note for note, by ear. Capture the swing, the nuance, the touch, the feel. Then, you will emerge." (I'm kind of paraphrasing). His dad Ellis was my teacher, he said the exact same thing. I did it and they were right. Very wise advice Gregory, thank you!
This is golden professional advice, I couldn't agree more on this! I've taste this cloning concept, the amount of lessons you learn by copying is priceless.
The thing that stands out the most in my mind regarding this art lesson is something I once saw illustrated by showing a mom with a horizontal stripe shirt, dad with a vertical stripe shirt, and their son had a checkered shirt, a combination of both. "More than the sum of its parts."
I also like "there is nothing new under the sun."
And lastly, I once heard art described as everyone on earth is occupying the same room, and it is a room that looks like a garage sale. FULL of junk. Lots of stuff, maybe some of value. The artist goes through it and finds ONE object to pick up and hold up for the rest to see and say "look at this." We all have the same access to the same reality. That reality exists whether we're good at perceiving it or not. Hopefully as an artist you can be so sharp that you can show the world something that will be so simple but so beautiful.
I think the toms were the most accurately cloned part to my ears. Boy that must have been an undertaking to do all the parts.
This is powerful advice. When you're playing for audiences expecting you to sound like the band you're covering you're forced to copy as closely as possible. I did this for years and noticed something really interesting. First of all I learned how to get the most out of the synths I had and became a really good programmer. Not to brag but like, *really* good. I had to know my synths inside out to get what I was looking for. Second and more interestingly, I found that when I played a song I'd cloned a year or more ago, I found myself playing notes that weren't true to the original. It's like your style can't help but come out at some point. The bonus ime is that you realise that you do in fact have a truly individual style...and that may come as a surprise to some people - it surprised me! It's a confidence booster if you're doubting your creativity. So I agree 100% with Greg - you learn SO much!
BEST things to do :
- follow Greg's mentorship, think and walk the talk
- go follow his band SNEAKY LITTLE DEVIL, and help share their music
- try copy one of his tracks !
I'm working on my favourite, Slow Ride to the Dark Side, awesome track and LEARNING TONS trying to copy it, from figuring out chords to hearing tons more sounds and working on composition and mixing.
Love you Greg !! THANK YOU !! Your videos are unlocking lots for me, I am just so thrilled to follow you and work through all your advice.
I listened to your Beatles rendition and think it rocks. Loved the accent in the chorus, and thought the harmony was righteous!
Interestingly, I just finished "cloning" a song I love by some favorite artists by building it up completely with VIs in my DAW. It was much more difficult than I imagined, but I learned a LOT. I spent days listening to the song over and over trying to pick out every single instrument, or vocals, or harmony. I began to hear things I didn't know were there before. I learned that slapping a violin instrument, or a piano or snare sample on a track and producing the MIDI on a keyboard is in no way creating that instrument as played by a person... at all. What followed were LOTS of velocity changes, articulation changes, legato, sustain, etc., all stuff I didn't know before, but had to learn to match the original. That is, I had to create the "feeling". And I'll be doing it again. Appreciate you sharing your knowledge, experience, and insights. Oh, and I'm digging your plugins!✌
Steal Like An Artist wasn’t a joke. Your perspective is more valuable and unique than you might think
Oh, I get it, believe me!
@@TheHouseofKushTV love this video, thanks for sharing!
Well this makes me feel better! I've been at this for a little over 2 years and the first song I recorded was an original. The song was OK but the recording was absolutely horrible, as I had no idea what I was doing. Part of the problem was I hadn't established my recorded "sound" so I didn't know what it was supposed to sound like. No roadmap to begin methodically sculpting a polished mix. A light bulb went off that the best way for me to learn how to mix and produce music was to record covers, because... I knew what it was supposed to sound like. For the first few covers my objective was to get as close to the original as possible. I then gradually started putting elements of originality into subsequent covers (example: what if Stevie Wonder happened to be recording in the room next to where the BeeGees were recording Staying Alive, and added a Clavier track to the session). I'm nearly finished with my education through covers. I'm currently building a 15 person choir of me to replace the Kate Bush parts on Don't Give Up by Peter Gabriel with a gospel oriented production theme. I don't pretend to be a production expert but after recording 30+ covers I think I'm ready to start recording my originals again. Using covers as a study, I learned how to arrange for recording purposes (quite different than live), I learned how to use essential tools like EQ, Comp, and Saturation, and I learned how to incorporate movement and depth. And... I had fun doing it. I'm still not sure if I know what I want the character of my music to sound like, but at least I now know how produce a respectable recording and I'll have a fighting chance of creating and replicating "my" sound once I find it.
Early training as a vocalist was all about the “sounds just like the record” school of performance. Cloning the masters may not be the only path to making great music, but I don’t think I ever met a hardcore who didn’t get seriously in touch with the music of their idols. Subtleties missed listening to tracks we listened to hundreds of times years ago often reveal themselves down the road when we listen with fresh ears. I used to try to memorize every part I could discern on my favourite albums back before I ever starting playing instruments or writing my own stuff. It helped with the ear training at the very least.
Excellent, Excellent, Excellent, Excellent, Excellent video! And thank you so so much for putting this out there! I totally agree with you Gregory! I have played and taught guitar, music and production for some years now and the number of times I have had an advanced student ask me 'I don't get it! how do you manage to play and solo like your favourite guitarist so easily? how did you learnt that???' (my favourite guitarist being George Lynch) and I tell them that I basically learnt all of the music that I loved to EXACTLY as it had been played. I spent hours 'cloning' that style! And then a lot of the time they tell me 'My previous teachers always told me to just learn the scales and then figure out my own style and not to copy anybody and just be original!' You know, learning the styles of my heroes taught me a tonne about playing, arranging, writing, production. Why? Because they had already done it! And this has helped to be discover who I am as an musician and my own originality. Yes there are lots of remnants of my influences in what I play and how I write but they are just shades on top of my own musical personality and indeed make up who I am as a guitarist and musician 😊 I use the analogy with my students of learning a new language - if a teacher hands a student a dictionary and says 'all of the information you need is contained in this book' they are technically correct! But a dictionary doesn't teach you how to speak a language right? 😊 It is so much more helpful to hear somebody speaking the language and then copying them 😊 For me music and production is the same. Learning from our inspirations is akin to reading a text book that explains how it all works. We then have the option to apply it in our own way - thats is what gives us the tools to become original 😊 🤘 🙏 Awesome topic. Thank you so much again! Here is a video of my cloning my favourite guitarist... czcams.com/video/feNt__SAw88/video.html - and then a video of me being myself - czcams.com/video/Syc-2kBuBOE/video.html. Enjoy and have an amazing day! 🤘
"Fake it till you make it". Music is just one big homage from one artist to another.
There are songs I love that I want to be able to emulate. These are songs that I've listened to probably hundreds of times, but when I started studying their production elements, trying to recreate them, I found things in them I'd never noticed before. It's one of the best learning methods there is, and it gives you a deeper appreciation of the music itself.
That's my experience as well!
Totally agree! I’ve been writing music my whole life but rarely played cover songs. I took a gig as a bass player for a professional cover band when I was 30 and did that for 8 years. The amount of stuff I learned from playing those cover songs note for note, learning the arrangements and trying to get everything perfect made me a much better songwriter. Same thing with recording.. sitting down learning exactly how an artist played the song. Getting the rhythms right, capturing the same vocal inflections and finding the right bass tones. It has all help dramatically with my own music. #Kushalwaysonpoint.
Playing bass in a cover band is when you discover that some of the things about music that people think are the most demoralizing are actually the most inspirational.
I completely agree! "Trace/copy/draw from memory" this is how we learnt the alphabet. It's a fantastic exercise for sure.
Thanks for sharing the wonderful stories, "Something" is a beautiful song.
This is a great meditation on the journey of "becoming a part of popular music"
I can attest to this so much. I had a band for several years where we did a mix of originals and covers. A lot changed during and after the pandemic and sadly the band dissolved but I still play for a lot of the same audience as a solo performer now. Missing the energy and vibe of the band, I decided to record and mix “clones” of the covers we did… everything from producing the drum tracks in Superior Drummer to keys and even different ethnic percussion. Doing this for several dozen songs over the past 3 years has dramatically improved my productions when compared to my work before trying to recreate covers. I even have paying clients now. So great to hear you affirm this concept. More videos please!!
Marvellous a hard work pays a great lesson for me
To link your point to earlier videos, on when is the mix finished" , and how to reference,: I learnt early that when I would recreate a song for fun, everything would sound better than my own material or mixes. And I mean everything, the mix, the tones, the song (obvs) I would come to learn everything I know as a pro now from referencing and 'copying' others. Arrangement tricks, production, fx, tone, mix, structure, Its just a great ear exercise in active listening, your brain starts to learn in the insides of audio. To this day I still insist a client brings me a useful reference, even if its just for a starting idea/influence, getting your 'aural memory' latched on to that direction can not just help you get started, but can save you a ton of work down the line with sonic decisions too.
I’ve tried doing this with dazed and confused and communication breakdown and it taught me a lot about mixing. thank you so much for your videos ur amazing keep going!
This video gives me confidence in what I'm doing. I'm at the end of my first year in music production, and a lot of my sound design and learning so far has been trying to recreate things that I've heard that I really enjoy. Always excited to watch your new videos.
This is so timely, been reading a tiny book called Steal like an Artist which is on point for this video!
Oh wow - Gregory, the message in this video is so on-point for me. This has been my approach over the years and I have learned SO SO much about not justing mixing, but also songwriting, arranging, production as well as live performance. I'm a huge believer in this concept and it has really helped me grow as a musician. Most of the covers I put up on YT are for exactly this purpose - and I love the journey of discovery and learning more about every aspect of music. Thanks for sharing this.
So happy to have found you here. You calmed my anxiety a little bit. :)
So genuine, I love your videos. Thank you
Your CZcams channel has the best sound I've ever heard. I love how you're all about hearing, and it shows in your sound. 🐝💤
Just when I thought your videos couldn’t get any sexier...you drop a touch knowledge of the painting world and relate it back to music. Maestro!
Great content as always. You did a great job on that song and your dad picked one of the best songs of all time. It would be cool to see you redo it now to use all the knowledge and tools you have acquired since then.
I’ve just done two clones of my favorite artist. It’s crazy how much you learn. it’s so encouraging to hear this!
The cover was grand- your advice sage, your delivery sublime.. from one old engineer to another- Thank you!
Inspiring video! I've hit a block with my music production, but I remember trying cloning in the past and finding it helpful, just like you've described. You've inspired me to do some full clones and see if that helps me!
Ive been doing this for years. The mixes I most often go back to & perfect are cover songs. I save all the old mixes but render newer versions & can hear & showcase all the things I learned since.
It helped me to ask the questions i didnt know to ask. Now my mind knows how to better identify instruments, think about transients, consider room ambiance vs digital reverbs, & understand the limited options the original artists had at the time.
I know how to identify music more technically because I learned how to listen to music that way via covering songs...it forced me to learn how to modulate synths & play with intimidating knobs(pause lol) etc.
Love my subscription. Miss your podcast, miss YOU. I hope you are well and 2021 will be a great year for you and yours Gregory.
i got the shivers...your right. i diddnt realize i was already doing this on some level. thank you.
I truly like that Zen "other side" perspective you always bring to your musical ideas, its a very healthy thing to adventure to such a perspective. Great channel, have subbed for awhile now and you do a fine job of it!
Had a similar story where my wife and I did a Sgt. Pepper album parody (not the whole thing, but pieces of each song), and recording each song was a great lesson. We did love The Beatles and had heard those songs many times, and yet, the arrangements and harmonies and instrumentation choices were so interesting and valuable to really dial deep into.
Great vid, as always!
I appreciate all your help and insight have yourself a good set of holidays!
I Just found Your channel Gregory, And believe I Spent All Day watching Every single video of Yours, I Found Myself needing all the info that you have put in here. thanks alot.
I recently found my sound, your advice on production really helped my ear fatigue when mastering...glad I found your channel!
This is the best advice. I learned this myself because I originally wanted to learn how a certain artist produced their sound and in the process realized how much I had learned just from trying to replicate that one song. Now, everytime I have writer's block, I do this or I try to create another genre and I learn a ton everytime. Great video!
You're dead right --- this is an amazing tool for overcoming or getting past writer's block or any kind of creative slump --- and I wish I had said that in the video!
Great video and advice...however, the best part was listening to the final production you got to do with your dad. There are no words to describe what a special thing that is. Good for you and your dad (and mom)! Something all of you will treasure forever, and that right there is the true power of music.
I have been watching your videos for awhile now and I must say you're like the Guru of Audio. You've inspired me to try this out! So thank you for this and all your videos, your advice is gold :)
I'm glad I guessed which Beatles song it would be. :D Great cover. You really nailed that rhythm section.
This series is without a doubt the most likeable on CZcams. Thank you!
Thanks, I'm so glad you enjoy it!
Thank you for your advices, your video really make me think and inspire me to try new stuff to learn and improve. Thank you.
Always informative - always insightful - really appreciate your videos!
Thank you very much Gregory, you have come into my awareness as i've needed to hear your words. Thank you brother for being Awesome and Awe-inspiring
These videos of yours are so invaluable. Thank you so much!
You're so welcome!
I love this advice and explanation of it. I'm newer to producing music but have been an illustrator for many years, and I can say so many of these same learning processes have a lot of overlap. I wish that when I was younger somebody would have explained the reason for copying the way you did. My teachers in my art classes in high school would have us copy famous artwork and I used to hate doing it because I thought the point of art was to make your own stuff. It took until I was an adult to realize that when you're copying someone else's stuff you're not always making art, you're learning how to make art in ways you wouldn't have thought of on your own.
Fantastic message here. I had nearly the exact same experience trying to recreate Blue Christmas for my daughter to sing on. Not my style or a sonic headspace I occupy a lot but man did it teach me a lot.
That snare in your intro music sends me back to your compression video and I leap with joy, at that insight, that opportunity everyday to include the knowledge, the excitement of using new tools and the adventure of working on a 2 year set. Two year set? Yes, totally different now but still my set, it's set-life.
Your enthusiasm for the process is so inspiring...I always feel so grounded and curious after listening to you...Your guidance has been a big help! And what a sweet story about your parents - you did a good job! Thank you!
Wow! I found you a few weeks ago. Wow! I just love your knowledge and insights. Thank you so much for sharing them with us. 💓
Boom. Nothing like a video from Greg to shake up your world and tease a new, creative perspective. Brilliant stuff - as usual. Cheers
I get so many little wisdom nuggets from your channel, sincerely, thank you.
YOUR TONE IS RELAXING AND INSPIRING AT THE SAME TIME. THANKS FOR THE GEMS MY FRIEND.
My pleasure!
Ha! Sincerest form of flattery and all that (if only the original artists cared!) I, being a drummer and hobby rec/mix/master dude, find it's the best way to learn techniques ... I hear something I really like, and try to figure out why it sounds like that. Of course channels like this and others provide valuable technical know-how, but there is some pride in having something turn out "right" by doing it in some possibly novel way. Out of sheer necessity (due to lack of skill, budget, gear, room, time, whatever). And having someone like you validate that approach is a bonus! Keep up the great content, which is not just your typical "how to turn the knob on a plugin" vid. And if you care to listen, here is a cover we did this year using these exact techniques ... A/B with the original a million times, and figure out every bit. Did we get close? Maybe ... but we sure had fun, and I sure learned a bunch of new ways to tweak the knobs! Enjoy: czcams.com/video/ICLNl8CIwMQ/video.html
Thank you for this! I was so much against playing and recording covers because I deemed it without authenticity. Always wanted to try to do it all on myself. Forward 20 years and I've joined a cover band for fun. The things I've learned by practicing about 40 popular songs is insane and boosted my confidence for trying to record my own music and incorporate the things the pros had already figured out.
i have done this for years, its such an amazing way to learn
Dear Mr Greg
You are so professional...
I'm thinking for a long time to start to use your plugins...especially the ubk compressor...it seems to be very precise and concise.
Thank you for work...amazing!
This is exactly what got me started with music again. It’s fantastic. I bought a master class in techno production from one of my favorite producers, I got lessons in Balkan music to try to emulate the sound and I learned sooo much. I was stuck blindly twiddling synthesizers in ableton trying to get “my sound”. In the end, understanding how someone else produces teaches you a bunch. Thanks for your videos! Also loved the hearing compression one!
The TED talk iI needed today. Love the added bonus material, terrific work.
Well said, Gregory. And your timing with this topic is remarkable because a couple of days ago I've asked myself the fundamental question: What is sound and has it anything to do with music? I mean any sounds. Sounds of our daily lives which we've never questioned because we're surrounded by them anyways and all the time. And as I'm a little into sound design and synthesizers, I've started to recreate sounds of nature, animals, insects, all sorts of water, interacting winds and even telephone dialogues where the sound of the voices is telling a complete story without actually understanding words. I mean everyone understands laughing for example, the tonality of a question, the amount of confidence of an answer, etc. And as far as I can tell, and you're absolutely right, I've never learned more about creating sound than by trying to copy it. Cheers man :)
Excellent advise! I’ve played for 40 years and learned/grown the most in the last 5 years just by trying to copy recordings. Many times missing the mark. But a few times I’ve hit and surprised myself. It’s great for motivation and inspiration.
Great advice. Listened to your recording of "Something". Very cool. Thanks for sharing!
Heard your version, really good Greg! Has it´s own special vibe which I think is quite organic in sound and capture. Great channel by the way, amazing advice your giving out here. Cheers
Ngl this channel is the best advertisement for your plugins I've ever seen. Going to purchase some when I begin to learn the limitations of stock compression in Ableton.
I have to say this is some of the best advice I've heard in increasing your skills as an artist. I feel vindicated as this has had a LOT to do with my career. I've made a great day job for myself playing covers which has allowed me to expand my interests. DUPLICATION is the key word I use when it comes to covers. My philosophy is that people are not really "there" mentally when you perform a cover. They're hearing the original in their head. If you play it very close to the original and don't distract them, especially when it comes to song structure and vocal phrasing, they sometimes have a tendency to think you're "faking it" which has been one of my favorite compliments that I continually receive. I've recently put in massive numbers of hours doing backing tracks on a Madonna tribute act. She wanted everything to be as close to the original as possible. Though I'm not a Madonna fan at all, I have to say it was an amazing learning experience.Implementing this same idea into those tracks has not only increased my ability but has contributed to her show's success. Thanks Greg!
Another great video. Your advice from an earlier video is now my central philosophy. "You don't listen to the speakers, you listen to the room.". It's changed the way I approach any mix not within my own wee studio. Your advice is Tops, man.
Jesus the drums immediately gave me chills they absolutely copped the vibe. You really nailed the rhythm section, bass was on point too. Makes me angry that I’m relying on ezdrummer and don’t have access to a kit or the space.
Amazing work on the song across the board, and as always great video/content! You have a new fan! You have really good ears bro! All the best!!!
To my experience this one is absolutely true. Right now working on such a clone and can confirm that there's a huge amount of learning behind each instrument line. And that there are points it really drives you insane :) Really liked that fine art students comparison 👍
The thing I currently want to copy is your outro jingle! SO SMOOTH
Fantastic advice. We had to do this in school. While trying to make a carbon copy out of Tin Soldier by Small Faces did drive me on the edge on lunacy, I think it was one of the most valuable learning experiences I've ever had as a musician, singer, producer, recording engineer and mixing engineer. Not only did I learn how little low end and how much cymbal wash can sound wonderful if the song and performance are high class, it also taught me how much less details other people hear in your work than you when you've spent a month working on it. Including highly trained ears. I thought I hadn't got it even in the same ballpark (not the least because it was basically impossible to sing like the original), but the feedback I got was (gladly) something else. The problem is applying this knowledge every time when your working on something. It's so easy to get caught in such small details no one else will ever notice! Digging out and copying all the little details you possibly can is a fantastic "dive to the deep end" experience.
Killer recommendations Gregory. Luv your work mate..
Great Vid ... i did this alot 5 years ago and The journey to get to Where they got ends up being FULL of exercises that force you to think in new ways , experiment and trial and error.
Thank you for sharing this with us!
Wow, what a timely find - I just came across this after finishing my copy/clone of Depeche Mode's Enjoy The Silence. You describe the exact feelings I had during the process as well: Trying to discover the "How" of the arrangement, the various harmony elements, the various nuances of the sounds used in the mix, trying to carve out various EQ settings, playing with the faders to adjust all the levels to match the original mix dynamics, trying to understand what effects were used, etc. In the end I nailed some things and missed some things as well. It was an absolute blast, but also maddening at the same time! Right on point - Subbed!
Did you post it? I want to hear.
Thinking about thinking! Thank you!
By the way, I dig your production and your own music, as much as your plugins.I especially dig the drum sound and playing on your beatles cover.
Thank you!!
Zen Paradox!! Thank you for your insight my friend!
I come here to learn about production and always leave each episode
with more than I could ask for.
Bless bless familia.
Much Love, One Love.
V/r
EgoDeathDUBs
best music production channel right now ; and with the coolest music
Great great advice! Brilliant explanation, as usual! Thanks!
Hi Gregory, That's such great advice. I so very much agree. I have cloned two works in the past and plan to do allot more in the future, they were great learning experiences just as you've described. Unlike when you began, I started these cloning reproductions with an immense amount of theory and ear training experience, having the background of being a music teacher. However, from an engineers' standpoint, l learned so much from doing it; I'm only a beginner and have a ton to learn there. It all started with a concert I was fortunate enough to attend right before the pandemic. I saw and got to speak personally to Midge Ure of UltraVox. I was then inspired to clone Vienna, one of his more popular songs. I
think I did an okay job at it. From there I did Mad World by Tears for Fears. I think on both songs I had some gain staging and level setting issues. But still had a blast. Just thought I'd share that. Fun fact if you didn't already know: It was said that J.S. Bach taught composition lessons and the only thing he would do with his students was to have them copy verbatim his written manuscripts in every detail. Looking forward to more videos. Thanks allot Greg. -Dave
Love that Bach story!
Hey Greg, dig your videos.
My buddy and I did this with 2 tape decks when we were 12 back in the late seventies. We had my dads stereo console cassette recorder and my buddys mono table top cassette deck. So we bounced the tracks by playing both speakers into the mono table top recorder🤣😂.
I worked as a recording engineer for 20 years after that! 🥴
Oh yeah- we recorded the Cars ‘My Best Friends Girlfriend’.
We had a snare drum, a suitcase, and an acoustic guitar.
Ahh good times..
Gregory, really dig your channel. Any chance you might do a video describing how you got into the audio equipment production business? Your path through education, influential mentors, "a-ha moments", breakthroughs? That would be super interesting to hear about.
What a great video, Gregory. Such spot-on advice. Inspirational :)
Woah great, finally a mixing engineer that shares knowledge in such a way that actually makes me stay awake 💢👊🏼💢 and good advice! A playful way to learn is to copy, that way you will eventually understand the possibilities and find your preferences in creating your own audio worlds✨
Your ramblings are golden , my new original music is far beyond what I was capable of before. Dang shaman you