How to produce music that sounds like Justice

This week we're looking at producing a track in the style of Justice (rather than breaking down an existing Justice song).
There's drum machines, drum editing, multiple analogue synth sounds, creative sampling and more.
Sounds used:
Sequential Circuits Pro~One
Sequential Circuits Drumtraks
Korg MS-20
Roland Juno-6
Roland SH-101
MXR Talk Box
Fender Jazz Bass
Squier Jagmaster
Vox Wah Wah
Boss CE-2 Chorus
8dio Requiem Choirs
JJ Jeczalik's "Art Of Sampling" library
samples-now.com/WAV/WAVFileStore/
Spitfire Audio Chamber Strings
Past to Future California Drums
Various audio splices
Steinberg Quadrafuzz
Waves CLA-2A
Waves Abbey Road Vinyl
U-He Satin
Goodhertz Vulf Compressor
T-Racks
Past to Future Reverbs
Many thanks for watching and for your ongoing support.
Social:
/ alexballmusic
/ alexballmusic

[@AlexBallMusic]

Hi. Thanks for watching. Constructive criticism is a good thing and helps us all get better. Thank for you the useful comments I've had on this. In hindsight, the reverb on the bass wasn't right and I should have looked into a Boss HM-2 style distortion. The compression needs to be pushed harder with the release settings tweaked to give it all a "pump". Their treatment of samples is more raw too with the glitches, pops and aliasing often being deliberately used as part of the sound. Anyway, hope the other stuff gave some pointers.

[@ThisIsTheInternet]

Could you consider to not use that filter over the whole video that adds flecks of dust?

[@AlexBallMusic]

I quite like it and others say they do too, but I can make it more subtle, sure.

[@ThisIsTheInternet]

@@AlexBallMusic The colour grading looks fine, it's just the dust flecks :)

[@tylernicolo7654]

@@AlexBallMusic Fuck that I like the dust flecks. Totally agree the reverb on the bass wasn't quite wrong, but it wasn't quite right. Side chain compression triggered by the kick and snare on the whole track would nicely achieve your "pump" effect without crushing it all too hard. Nice work.

[@louierubio]

Alex Ball hahaha I thought the first bit was a real sample!! 😂 so good

[@lavenderllamamusic]

"if you're not willing to make a fool of yourself, you're not gonna get very far in music" very true words have been spoken!

[@AlexBallMusic]

I make a fool of myself every day, so it comes naturally.

[@scottdaniels3777]

@@AlexBallMusic like Magpie

[@leonardomapache]

I'm sad we didn't get a full track out of this. It's amazing.

[@riccitrouille4634]

For some reason most audio tutorials have terrible production, especially in the intros but you my friend, have wicked skills as both a musician, creative producer and audio engineering with surgical precision. Btw you collection of synths is making me drool.

[@RetrogradeBeats]

This is why we have nice things

[@DespairQuietlyPlease]

Your videos are not just enlightening technically, they show considerable musical flair and raw talent. All channelled through heartfelt passion for sharing in a humble and genuine way. I can honestly say at first I thought the sample was from a Gap Band tune or something..the fact it was your own original creation was superb. Do you have your own musical identity as a performer? Do you ever do gigs? Bravo!

[@MakeSomething]

Well said. Totally agree.

[@AlexBallMusic]

Thank you Simeon, that's very kind of you. I hope the tutorials are of use! Basically KZbin is a passion project I do late at night. My day job is a composer, producer and supervisor. The gigging story is a long one, perhaps I'll tell it one day if it's relevant.

[@iqi616]

@@AlexBallMusic I'm not surprised you make a living from music.

[@nasound2473]

Honestly, have no idea how you kept the pace of this SO quick. This had me on the edge of my seat beginning to end. I get bored with a lot of tutorials, but this felt more like a private lesson or even jam session. Well done

[@RedHeadFred]

Wow. One of the most in-depth, detailed, straight-forward music tutorials I have seen. Ever. Great attention to detail, especially with the creation of your own sample. Thanks for the share!

[@AlexBallMusic]

Thanks. Glad it was of use. :)

[@rodrigodelprat]

Very cool! Justice's live bass parts always have a really distinctive sound too, especially on the first album. It's like they've got a very distinctive way of bandpass filtering them, with a quite a high Q, so it's "bass" but without much actual bass.

[@ryangalloway3107]

Recording everything in your own sample. Can’t tell if that’s post-modern, post-post-modern, or anti-post-modern.

[@AlexBallMusic]

Anti-post-post modern?

[@GuidoGautsch]

Meta-modern!

[@AndyChannelle]

Hyper nostalgia

[@ErikEkholm]

Its called being a proper musician. Too many sampling and cookie cutter ”producers” in music these days. This is refreshing!

[@rordrom3234]

@@ErikEkholm Agreed, this is a lot cooler and more interesting to me.

[@JoshuaTMagee]

Thanks so much for such an informative tutorial! I love how you process your videos to look like they were filmed on retro tape, even down to the grains.

[@amulpatel]

I’ve been watching music tuts here on KZbin for years and your channel is some real next level content .. love this! More justice / ed banger stuff

[@paintedfoxes9889]

Finally more people on the same page when it comes to making your own samples!!! I'm going to share this with some of my industry friends. and for some friends getting into music . inspiration is key . thank you for making this

[@GordonBraicks]

Man This is a great producer tutorial. Perfectly explained and all by yourself.....

[@GuidoGautsch]

Mate, this is quickly becoming my favourite channel on KZbin. Amazing stuff. Keep it up. And if you ever wanted to breakdown some FlyLo or Bonobo, well, I wouldn't be sad about it ❤🔥🙌

[@a.bettik9309]

This tutorial not only teaches but inspires you to make music. Good stuff!

[@cyrusparty]

I've been waiting for someone to do a video like this for a few years! Thanks for doing this!!

[@ilikebassmusic]

That was spectacular. Amazing work! Thank you for the video

[@atarkus8]

I'm going through your older videos after finding you a couple of years ago, and I wish you did more of this kind of stuff! More recently you've been very focused on sound design and synth/fx walkthroughs, which is great, but here there's a treasure trove of useful tips for composition, mixing and mastering, which is no less important.

[@carruswan3936]

dude compared to Andrew Huang style gimmicks, this is the real deal that truly inspires and teach people solid stuff.

[@hagen1555]

Totally agree, I saw one video from him and now I get weird looking faces from him on my youtube, alex's videos are so enjoyable. I just found him few days ago and I'm absolutely blown away :)

[@wondashozen]

Huang is awesome. Don't be a hater. Both can inspire people.

[@Rgdonaire_07]

No point in comparing. Enjoy both. That’s what I do. I learn from both. Hang is more of a showman but he is talented.

[@st0rmchild]

They're both great.

[@viorelursu564]

@@wondashozen jokin', right?

[@Jim_Thomas_Draper]

You’ve just got yourself a new subscriber! I love Justice and this is EXCELLENT

[@detective4719]

Brilliant video! I love how you created the sample yourself. Sounds great!

[@calemorris2410]

Being in the mixing and mastering profession. I am staggered by how good this sounds. You have hit the feeling perfectly. I'm now a subscriber

[@marioocepek5231]

Probably The best review/tutorial i have ever seen duuude!!!

[@pelirrogt]

This is awesome. Such a huge amount of work for a one minute song. I hope that you continued the idea, finished the track and it's available somewhere.

[@stevepinnell453]

Blown away!!! Really enjoyed this, thanks Alex!

[@alexhigley8968]

Dude these videos are so well put together, informative and entertaining...absolutely love this. You deserve my subs my dude. ❤️

[@richardalldredge9129]

Love this video! Especially your high choir voices

[@cyb3rk3v]

Great vid Alex, TY. Love the Vulf!

[@LifestyleDJ]

Amazing. Thank you for making this video! Very helpful. You are so talented.

[@alessandrogagliano9444]

Awesome tutorial. Many thanks for sharing it

[@andrearonen3409]

You need far more views and subscribers. The production here, both audio and video, is outstanding.

[@robertaparicio9171]

Dude you are killing it with these productions!

[@J.Polyakov]

Dude you are a magician! Its crazy! I wold really like to know more about your background. Glad I found your channel and thanks for sharing all the tips and tricks!

[@gotmilkblood]

The fact you made your own funk sample is insane. Very inspiring vid.

[@amalgammel9166]

Great video, very informative! Also, that vulf compressor was a pleasant surprise!

[@pierrepratley9268]

awesome work Alex! really been enjoying your videos

[@peter-jamesmmbago8721]

Another great one !! Happy 2019!

[@noisealchemist971]

THANK YOU for going over the techniques instead of just attempting to recreate. Much better for learning instead of the general "hey just copy this" drivel. Your sound was definitely very Justice. I think I remember reading that a lot of their gritty "synth" sounds were actually bass guitar microsamples?

[@bruindodger]

Your channel is amazing. Great work!

[@areameye69]

Awesome track and breakdown, bruh! You are indeed very talented! ✊

[@floccinauci]

Huge thanks for listening, endless gratitude to you.

[@basstentacles]

Amazing video man!, thanks for share!

[@XavierRadix]

Totally throwing out some quality tutorials here recently!! Killer track you created too, sounds phat! All I can say is, keep 'm coming! :)

[@Kung_Fu_Jesus]

I’ve shared this to many producer / musician mates and pointed them towards your superb channel. Thank you for putting in the time to wise us mere mortals up with you excellent production skills. Would love to hear your take on modern techno, not that EDM stuff though.

[@jcookonbass]

Wow. This sounds amazing.

[@simonhmackie]

Very cool, thanks Alex. Picked up some great tips here, even if I wouldn't ever make a Justice style track :)

[@anick2144]

Revisiting this to get ready for Justice's upcoming release. Really this is as good as it gets in terms of youtube tutorials. Bitcrushing and overdrive goes a long way, and the pro one sounds massive. It's worth mentioning the chokehold that the plugin dBlue glitch had on all blog house and french touch at the time. Have an upcoming 8 bar loop and want to do something different, but not feeling particularly ambitious? Have glitch just mess around with it and see what happens!

[@OneTwentyOver80]

Wow. That's awesome man. Well done.

[@TundrahSounds]

You are the coolest! Yet another great video from you!

[@galeftube]

Amazing dude, solid work

[@retrosound72]

Very informative Alex. Like your vids a lot.

[@AlexBallMusic]

Thanks Marko. Love your work too!

[@imageofsin]

absolutely incredible!!!!

[@ilovecody7514]

This was such a banger, oh my goodness I love this.

[@simontrem080]

I'm so impress! Your sooo talented!!

[@CashMattock]

I thoroughly enjoyed this. Good fun🙌👍

[@VS3d0v]

Gosh. This is a high quality pro stuff right here.

[@KNHSynths]

Real great job. Thanks for sharing.

[@adih9264]

Love these videos. Tnx man!

[@ArturTadevosyan]

Great work Alex!

[@user-th1wn2ns8o]

Man, you’re a stone cold legend 👌

[@conradfreeman]

Fantastic video! Great track!

[@djeternl1594]

finally someone with the right drums and sounds and effects

[@Basantaband]

9:59 “and then with the drums...” HOLY SHIT 🔥🔥🔥

[@RedBullRemixLab]

Great vid! Love Justice †

[@benjiarias9599]

sampling yourself is 🔥! awesome track btw

[@DrTune]

Ah, nice to start the year with someone who really knows what they're doing. Thanks!

[@DrTune]

plus the casual "I made my own loop" :-)

[@orpheus1313]

This is awesome!

[@Jackson-df3rv]

Your original sample is so funny, great video!

[@TachyBunker]

This is golden content man!

[@chedhead3278]

Cheers Alex, loved it. :)

[@MaximilienNoal]

Very impressive. Nice samples !

[@enriquetorres5863]

Great video mate!!!! Quite justice sound

[@deepsounds2628]

Transition on the end was dope man.

[@giatomm]

Really cool, loved this. Actually, Justice use less stuff in their songs, they're really clean in number of things that are happening, but at the same time they're so gritty and punchy!

[@ignaciomolina7462]

Great stuff man!!

[@KhanSoulo]

Amazing!

[@lieciorodriguez]

Another great video!!!

[@AlexBallMusic]

Thanks 👍

[@juanpeirotti]

Very cool!

[@fallout__boy1130]

Very impressive !

[@luisespinosa3542]

Amazing!!

[@mazvita18]

fantastic video

[@eggaiug]

I also got quite surprised on how quick you did it, I saw that Daft Punk vid and the comments there where asking for it, and already it's here, shows you care about your public s2

[@DoctorJezz]

You have a genius ear ... I wish I'd worked harder on that years ago, but then again I had to go to medical school and stuff I suppose (excuses for lack of talent etc ☺️) ... still I absolutely love the fact that you're willing to help the rest of us out. Awesome is overused .... but you ARE (is?) that :) Thanks yet again Alex 👌👌

[@N1K5TA]

wow! excellent Alex :D

[@mrbieler1]

You are freakishly good my man

[@franciscominaca3239]

crazy good

[@stu9000]

Wow well done.

[@vinylwrap5571]

Really really good!

[@mikeprice25]

I’m currently making a remix of rapture that’s slowly turning into a justice remix. This has helped

[@lostboy1984]

love the bass

[@nubeslocas]

very good videos! thanks for sharing

[@midierror]

great tutorial, really well explained

[@marklholloway]

@3:34 "That kind of, DYEWWWW kind of thing." Love your interpretation of that MS-20 sound :) Justice recently posted IRIS: A Space Opera on KZbin and I had to come back and revisit this production overview!

[@iqi616]

Great stuff

[@bastiaanw3519]

Awesome insight in how good music is hard work, because holy crap that's some laborious sh*t! Now I understand why my own music often sounds empty and uninspired. I'm just only doing 10% and expect to be done... but the work hasn't even started then :D Especially the rhythm track (or rather, collection of tracks) is impressive.

[@zamba3612]

I googled "how does justice make their music" thinking no chance i'd get anything worthwhile. boy was i wrong. Amazing vid.

[@mikewhiteman23]

great one

[@justinjones2595]

Dope. I would buy that track!

[@kambennett2487]

Hey, I loved this. I really F#cking loved this, man. Thank you so much, and keep it up. :)