How I Programmed The Bass On Michael Jackson's PYT

In this video I go over step by step the PYT bass sound I programmed for Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones, on my Arp 2600.
In this series Anthony breaks down some of the most icons synthesizer patches that he programmed for Michael Jackson’s Thriller
Anthony's musical touch as both composer and performer is connected with some of the most influential creative minds over the last 40 years. He’s composed and conducted original orchestral scores for over 80 feature films including Young Guns, Internal Affairs, The Man From Elysian Fields, 15 Minutes and Planes, Trains & Automobiles, been commissioned by the Los Angeles Philharmonic for his symphonic work "In the Family Way", written over one thousand TV commercials in a myriad of musical styles, co-founded Levels Audio Post (LA's premiere post production facility) and performed and arranged on big-box-office films and influential hit records such as Michael Jackson's Thriller.
His extensive work as a young arranger, orchestrator and performer for Quincy Jones, Jack Nitzsche, Lamont Dozier, Arthur Rubenstein and Giorgio Moroder was vital in launching his own career. His early years pioneering modular analog synthesizers along with his wide-ranging music scholarship positioned Anthony at the center of the music technology revolution. He attended the University of Southern California School of Music as a piano and composition major.
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[@ratchetheros]

Too many top producers (from the 60s-70s) gone without leaving knowledge to future generations. Glad you did this.

[@crnkmnky]

💯

[@user-jv6ox5gb6v]

A lot of them did, thru tv broadcasts recording, magazines, etc. It’s just people too lazy to archive them

[@JUPITERGANG]

New gens dont give a fuck , they prefer twerking shitty noise.

[@crnkmnky]

@IgaKoga ugh, I left a similar comment on Anthony's other channel, and got a similar reply accusing me of dissing young people. and I'll give you the same reply: at the moment, I don't have time to address you putting words in my mouth.

[@mercurial1025]

@@crnkmnky u obviously do

[@flopasen]

i used to have to scour the old message boards from the 90s and early 00's to find lost info about the golden synths now i'm getting it spoonfed to me by the man who actually made the amazing sounds.. what a world!

[@F-Andre]

yeah modern times do have such benefits :)

[@kane6529]

I enjoy being spoon fed 🤩

[@juanshaftpatel7488]

go intern at a studio.. stop admiring stuoid ngr hip hop beat makers

[@knkyofficial]

Yes, the Internet has absolutely revolutionized how we learn and what we learn. I think i only stay on youtube for the stem videos and the instrumentals and iaolated vocals from songs from artists i love, that ppl post . And producers and djs giving breakdowns of popular songs they helped produce

[@mojojojo6400]

Stuff like this is actually what makes KZbin and social media a good thing.

[@fatlann]

this man is just casually explaining synthesizer science with like the deepest happiness ever 😭Ty legend 🤞

[@donruga627]

And it went straight over my head 😂😂😂

[@kristiannelson1851]

This is INCREDIBLE! Most producers and engineers just say what gear they used, but hardly ever break down the details of the programming! Thanks for the lesson and breakdown!

[@SilverHaze5X]

I agree, i love the attention to details, hearing about the sublte tuning tricks from the og is really nice, even for a profane like me

[@sleeplessnightsofficial6334]

I love how he said the song and production were “last minute” and yet it’s still an absolute BANGER 🔥

[@go-away-5555]

For some reason a lot of fantastic albums turn out that way, rushed and last minute yet better than they would have gotten if they spent weeks on it

[@kaitlyn__L]

@@go-away-5555 I think it’s the same reason a sketch can look better than lineart. It focuses more on the core concepts and lets our brains interpret. Fully produced stuff is often so shiny and filled with layers that it can be harder to focus on the core concept.

[@nullobject7966]

​@@kaitlyn__L Rick rubin has a book that has some interesting theories on this. I highly recommend reading/listening to the audiobook.

[@kaitlyn__L]

@@nullobject7966 didn’t realise he’d written a book. Looks to be a bit of a Marmite-y tome! I may have to check it out of the library just to see whether it clicks with me.

[@nullobject7966]

@Kaitlyn L As someone who doesn't read often, I enjoy how the book is structured. Each chapter is short and has a theme that is clear and identifable (success, procrastination, self-doubt, etc). It's very digestible with such short chapters. I haven't finished it yet, but I find his perspective to be helpful to consider.

[@CornellPhillip]

When I first heard PYT I instantly gravitated toward the baseline. I know learnt the whole baseline way before I learnt the lyrics. The way it sits in the arrangement is simply genius.

[@Dartania]

The bass line set the baseline groove ;)

[@delta8tt8]

I learnt people use learnt 😂

[@mojojojo6400]

Man all of the production on Michael's stuff is just flawless and top notch and I just love to listen to his stuff over and over and just for the production and then try to just listen and focus solely on just each aspect individually from like the hihat and then the snare and then the bass and then so on and so forth with each individual instrument and then the same with the vocals and then the mix and the effects and the little tricks and techniques and so on and so forth with each individual song tbh

[@johnnyeco280]

I couldn't even imagine 'Thriller' without PYT!? Thank you so much for opening both your studio and your creative mind to us all 🎹 🎛 🧟‍♂️

[@mooseymoose]

This is exactly why I love the internet! A chance to hear the stories behind the music that shaped my youth! Awesome!

[@DX5]

Nice to see someone on synths that knows what he's talking about, with no forced actings neither artificial, click bait content, etc (as it seems to be trendy lately). Just useful in-depth sound design info. Thank you, Anthony.

[@drinkinslim]

@ghost mall I know this is gonna fall on deaf ears but, could you please stop with all the f bombs.

[@mojojojo6400]

​@@drinkinslim bro I was literally thinking the same thing. But then I also figured that who are we to tell a random person online what to do and then also I do get why they used that specific term because they were putting a big emphasis that it's actually Michael's music of all people and music that we are talking about.

[@chioma916]

@@drinkinslim chile ur on the internet, scroll past ! protect ur energy by moving on, don't invest if it bothers u so bad. cheers.

[@danielpalmersofficial]

“P.Y.T.” is one of my favourite MJ songs of all time, everyone who was involved did an incredible job. ✌️😙

[@adamturner8732]

This is unbelievable. People never understand the creativity you had to have to really come up with that. If you can't feel something like PYT you're dead.

[@bassadelica]

Classic that it almost didn’t make the cut, dare I say my favorite track on there 🔥

[@Rsonixtunes]

I was thinking the same- and the fact that the dude Ingram wrote it in like a day is impressive.

[@STRAIGHTP]

One of my favorite basslines ever. When that song kicks in, the club would hit the floor

[@illanoiz1]

This dude was a beast…..many hits came from him 🔥

[@midnightsocean2689]

And all the 80s kids thought MJ wrote/produced everything. Neat look behind the scenes.

[@Scott-px6mi]

Who said that?

[@hugh-jasole]

​@@Scott-px6mi zoomers

[@drinkinslim]

@ghost mall Not trying to disagree with you here but, I've seen in the comments of other MJ videos where people have said how amazing all MJ's writing and production was. I had to point out that it was a collaborative effort with the likes of Quincy Jones and great musicians. :)

[@lartisan6274]

Mj didnt wrote Pyt, but he did " Beat it , billie jean " and with the team B ( encino family house) team b was more creativ

[@C_71]

I was a teenager back then, and when you read the credits on the album cover... you knew who wrote, arranged, or produced them! Most artists either had background vocals of other stars, were helped by other stars in some way, or were singing songs written by someone else!

[@SeattleScotty]

It's wild how many incredibly talented people it took to create a masterpiece like Thriller, just a total team effort led by Michael.

[@LocaliLLocano]

This is gold on two levels. One for me being an MJ fan. The other is you demoing your workflow on the 2600. Cheers Anthony

[@anthonymarinellimusic]

Thankyou!!

[@anthonymarinellimusic]

Haha

[@buzzfunk]

Such an iconic bass line. The first 3 notes gave me goosebumps immediately. Well done Anthony!

[@jerrymcpommes8473]

Hi Anthony! The information you are sharing is such a treasure! Thank you so much. We all know that it was the pure concentrated talent of everyone involved that created this everlasting masterpiece Thriller. But we also know that it was you as a significant part, that made Thriller sound the way it sounds. You can be so proud of yourself!

[@jbraly]

I know zero about music production. I understood maybe 10% of what this man said... yet I found it EXTREMELY fascinating to listen to.

[@anthonyreed480]

Possibly the best MJ song ever. So underrated compared with his other hits. PYT & Baby Be Mine are my favourite songs of his.

[@richiestarks6163]

You can here the analog feels. Just the color and warmth. He is a sound design genius

[@MelloDeeBeats]

It’s so dope that you’re on here giving this information & you actually worked on the record. Thank you

[@rickydesilva]

One of the best songs in my opinion on Thriller, amazing and iconic! Respect

[@fakshen1973]

The patch is super basic. However the knowledge behind finding the sweet spot to make it work is where the gold is. I LOVE how you describe what it is you're looking to get out of the sound as well as showing examples what is too much or not enough. It's a shame that there's no pulse width modulation on the stock minimoog. But that ARP with the ladder filter solves that issue nicely. I also like having a true ADSR rather than the Moog style envelopes.

[@syrus3k]

It's a superb pop song, the contrast between Michael and the synths is great. One of my favourite tunes ever

[@kadiummusic]

Agreed!

[@stevemuzak8526]

It's crazy that we have the best musicians like yourself share the knowledge on youtube. I can't believe it! Thank you for sharing! Respect

[@noxx8608]

So cool that internet allows us to see legends break down legendary tracks from the 80s… this is like gold because no one really broke down how they did it especially back then

[@InfectiousGroovePodcast]

As big of a Michael Jackson fan as I am, I've never loved this song as much as so many other people seem to. Having said that, the bass has always been my favorite part of it. Very cool to get to hear all about that part.

[@inthefade]

It is the best part of the song.

[@crnkmnky]

@@inthefade the synth counter-melody (I think that's what it's called) is pretty cool… and the chipmunks at the end. 😸

[@InfectiousGroovePodcast]

@ghost mall I know, I know.

[@mojojojo6400]

Same here. And then also the main best parts in the production of his songs for me is the baseline and then the drums as well tbh.

[@InfectiousGroovePodcast]

@@mojojojo6400 I was just listening to Thriller again last night and I was thinking the same thing.

[@MrZombieUK]

I am glad I accidentally found your channel! Growing up with MJ I never gave a thought to the music production, only the vocals.thanks for all your awesome work you and everyone put in to make these iconic songs ❤❤

[@MattPicsET]

Now you’ve officially convinced me to add an ARP 2600 to my already crowded synth rig. 😅 Thanks Anthony!

[@michaeldevose8923]

The synth music from this era had so much character because often you had real patch programming done behind the scenes. Michael Jackson's producers, as you can see here, probably didn't use canned sounds very often.

[@drinkinslim]

Until the Roland D-50 came along - a few well chosen canned sounds came from that one. 😅

[@raykane2063]

Back then on the Albums you would see " Synth Sound & Drum Programing Credits" as time went on that vanished.

[@ehvway]

This video is just gold. I am not a musician, but I can't resist these kind of video's. Thank you for sharing your creativity Sir

[@jimmy2tones]

in the old days, it was this type of detail from guys in the studio that created hit , timeless records.

[@noelalvarez9899]

Those analog synths are the real way of making a sound from scratch, and they sound so rich even when recorded to digital.

[@therealc0rax]

Holy shit man I was making a track yesterday and I couldnt get the bass tone right and here it is right here... it is mind blowing I can get this info straight from you sir.... thank you so very much

[@RoyMaya]

PYT is one of my favorite tracks from MJ. And awesome bass sound too.

[@jaymoney6233]

Me too, PYT is timeless!!!!!!

[@etpslick100]

Wow! Very cool! Never realized how popular that Arp 2600 was back in the day. That bass sounds so full, so nasty! Love it! Thanks Anthony!🤨🎹🎶❤️👍🏾

[@Rsonixtunes]

Agreed- and it is the bass behind Thriller (the track) as well 😊

[@ylgotbars4531]

Bless you for sharing your story and the excellent work you did. You guys were mad scientists with your gifts 🎁 🎶

[@you-tubero]

Anthony, you're a legend! Never forget that! You helped make timeless hits with sound design way ahead of it's time 🙏

[@TayWoode]

This is so interesting. I watched a video of how Jam & Lewis layered 4 synths to get the bassline for Janet’s What have you done for me lately. It ended up being so popular Yamaha sampled it as a preset & it was then used on so many dance songs in the 90s. I’ve got a Yamaha EX7 and sure enough it’s there in the preset as “lately bass”

[@lartisan6274]

ah the lately bass :o the sound of 90's its Fm sound ? i forgot , before i made some sound design for fun

[@mojojojo6400]

Wow that is fascinating! And I also never even knew that and obviously ever even heard about that until now because you just mentioned it and so thank you so much for sharing this piece of music history!

[@TheJoeGizzle]

I never thought I'd see this. Thank you for providing your insight on this impeccable bass sound. Iconic is an understatement. I am grateful!

[@DJAakaAnsell]

The "MAGIC" of the real oldskool "MASTERS"....Absolute Creative Mastery at it's BEST!!!! Never forget the Pioneers that paved the way 🙏- THANK YOU

[@floydland3509]

My mind is blown right now. MJ is my favorite artist. And to learn the behind the scenes the diligence that went into crafting the sounds is nothing short of extraordinary.

[@ischmidt]

This is great! I was 11 when Thriller blew up and as I got older I was able to appreciate how well crafted everything on it was, including this awesome bassline. In the late 90s I worked with someone who'd written one of the many songs for Thriller that didn't make the record. It got to a rough demo with a scratch vocal, but no further, which is probably why he ended up working with me. I'm still in awe of the ability of LA producers in the 60s/70s/80s/90s to come up with dream lineups of musicians and have them playing together in a studio the same day. Thriller had so many talented people involved it must've been a full time job for Quincy to direct who was playing on what. I can't imagine "I need a keyboard part, do I want Michael Boddicker or Greg Phillinganes?".

[@N0B0DY_SP3C14L]

I have taught others this lesson many times, but you have done a far better job of explaining it. Hats off, sir.

[@Scuba_Bro]

This is one of those dudes that clearly knows what every button and every dial does… and more importantly which wire goes into which hole 😂 love listening to guys like this discuss their wizardry!

[@mathiasdeschamps1637]

Oh my god ! An arp2600 ! I always tought it was a Minimoog ! Thank you so much for all your videos

[@alphabeets]

In a way, it IS a Moog. His ARP had the Moog ladder filter in it. ARP eventually got sued by Moog and had to replace the Moog filter with their own design.

[@Jasonr2803]

Easily one of the best basslines ever. Thank you for the video.

[@dme1016]

Digital? Being one of the "best ever"? You young pups fail to realize what good ol' playing with fingers means.

[@robd1329]

I think Billie Jean is the most memorable bass line ever!

[@drumngrewve]

Rediculous clip....super informative! Hearing the real life back story is worth the warch and like the information that goes along with it is stellar!!! Great drop!!!

[@jae6220]

There’s so many pretentious people on KZbin even certified producers sometimes that want to boast about that one song they did that people actually know but, it’s a relief to actually hear from someone whose work was part of a major project and has the talent, knowledge and skill to share with the masses without so much of an ego about it. There’s so much musical insight to learn listening to someone with this level of experience. Nobodies project will ever dwarf Thriller. It’s so nice to hear from real music guys that we’re putting in the work on albums from 40 years ago that changed the entire face of the music industry and shifted the entire sound of music. The drum and synth programming work these guys did on thriller forever changed music production and even to this day people still try to capture and use these sounds. So thank you for sharing your mastery and talent with us.

[@kadiummusic]

P.Y.T. and Get On The Floor are two incredible tracks that really bring out the joy of MJ when he was at his very best, in my opinion. 😎

[@kevinpowell268]

Man this was an amazing video for a synth junky like myself It was wild to hear the story of how the song came into existence but to watch him work that vintage equipment was PRICELESS!!!!

[@daniellepreyar]

This is so cool. I love PYT, it must be amazing being apart of such a groundbreaking album. Thanks for sharing.

[@broklee]

Thanks for marking this video! Looking forward to more!

[@prodbymef1537]

This man can remember patch cord setups from 1982. That's almost 40 years ago!

[@SuperWave86]

Omg such an amazing tutorial! Such an iconic sound! Ur amazing to redo it and show us step by step! Amazing, more videos ❤thx 🎶

[@AmsterdamRichard]

Fantastic to see and hear this story about the way this bass synth sound is created. I had the single when I was a teenager and always loved that funky bassline. Still love this song. One of my favourites of MJ.

[@matthewcassette]

Can't wait to try this out. Thanks for making a legendary song and explaining the nuance of the sound involved with it. This has helped me with 80s style sound design! Much appreciated

[@21daystill]

This channel is a goldmine. I've heard MJ since 90s as a kid but just started appreciating the production quality. I went on a rabbithole just a few months ago to see which synth was used on Who is it. This is even better. I'm thoroughly grateful this exists! - thank you!

[@GrischaEkart]

Very funky baseline and a great sound supporting it. Thanks man! More of it ;)

[@sukekiyo2945]

Absolutely fantastic, thanks for making this video. One of the most memorable bass lines from my childhood ... it's great to see how it was actually made. I didn't know it was an ARP 2600 ... or that the synth is doubling a bass guitar, interesting! I recently bought the Korg 2600m ... so it is great to see how pros such as yourself used this synth and your programming techniques on such a legendary track ... fabulous!

[@Tetherel]

Anthony this is so detailed! Very well done, listening through studio monitors so I can really tune into the subtle changes you're making. Love all of this Michael Jackson content

[@newvaguecity]

Goosebumps! Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful articulation and historic insight. ⚡️♥️

[@lukehoudini]

Thank you for creating this iconic sound! Very interesting process

[@wizardmix]

Hi Anthony, I just want to jump on and say THANK YOU for your work and thank you for setting up on KZbin to share your knowledge and experience. This is the first video of yours I've seen and already it's the walls talking, goosebumps and realizing I'm hearing it from the originator. The musicianship, production and raw talent behind these albums that often goes unspoken needs to be heard more and I'm glad you're speaking to that process. This is how it gets to the next generation. The way you're putting the language of synthesis in context with "feel" is excellent. Count me in! Subscribed, bell hit, all thing things. So happy the YT algorithm linked me to you, it must have heard me listening to the Thriller 40th anniversary mix on Qobuz. P.S. Are you like me in thinking the Sherman Filter II is one of the greatest secret weapons? Happy to see it flying high on your rack. Peace! Evan

[@johnfalexander]

I absolutely love this series of videos you are dropping! Thank you!

[@JayTheBarber603]

This is the most useful synth patch tutorial I’ve ever seen. I absolutely love how you explain what the sound does if you push each variable one way or the other. Definitely can’t wait to check out what else you have.

[@LitosDiaz]

So good that I use Reason Studios for so many years, made me understand this language so well, if I see one of this in real life, I will know what to do to get what I want! Beautiful to see this, and to know how much ahead of the time this machines and the persons made it and use it they were. ❤

[@samgod]

Holy crap! Thriller will be part of the human story centuries after we're all gone. Thank you for documenting the BTS for the record. The bass does have the subtle teeth of funk that gives PYT its soul.

[@OtherMike5000]

YOU DONT EVEN LOOK OLD ENOUGH TO HAVE BEEN A GENIUS BACK IN THE 80’S!!! …and I’m 55 years old!!! MIND: BLOWN!!!

[@NightShift-kx9pb]

Ridiculously cool. Thanks for sharing this with us!

[@Cubik303]

Anthony - a good story to add to your video collection might be James Ingram's performance with the portasound keyboard on the P.Y.T track. There are various versions of the story, would be interesting to hear your take! That keyboard part is a huge part of the song, imo.

[@KILLAGORILLA7000]

This is just so awesome. One of the all-time best bass sounds in history

[@joeydirt9746]

I just gained a lot more respect than I already had for older producers who had to do this kind of work. We really got it easy today

[@Bass_Levelz]

This is so awesome! Thank you for sharing the backstory on such a legendary song and album

[@johnpaullovetek1809]

O seu estúdio é maravilhoso!

[@Dani-El.]

He must have been about 12.

[@TCOLE-tc7vs]

Anthony, that was FUNKY!! Thank you for this.

[@mattsephton]

It really is wonderful watching somebody with such command of a machine like this, where you don't even have to think about it, like it is an extension of yourself.

[@CoachRayne]

What A blessed day this is🙌🏾. Thank you for making this video

[@adeeponionbreath]

Very generous chat. Thanks for revealing this world of sound!

[@ewwitsantonio]

This is why I love the internet and youtube.... people like you sharing such AWESOME content, with insights into your work and approach. Thank you for sharing this with us, what a gift!!!

[@marcofioravanti4176]

Such great and useful informations. Big, big like! The way you combine simplicity in an understandable "no-bs"-approach together with precision, musicality and finesse...is just art!

[@clintlagerberg]

You're the gift that keeps on giving! As if it wasn't enough you helped shaped the music of my childhood you're now giving it a whole new life with these videos. THANK YOU!!

[@willd7582]

Rare opportunity to hear 2600 bass in action

[@lilxibibi]

oh my gosh. thank you for makig this video!! and nice to meet you too 💚 PYT is one of my favorite MJ songs 😃😄😄

[@jdogmusic]

Fascinating story. And, AND the secret behind that awesome ARP 2600 sound. Dude! Thanks!

[@Jefftheproducer]

Love this man thanks! And the Prophet & Jupiter in the background 😍2 of my favorites!

[@sampletheworld-music]

You do a really great job of explaining most of that patch and it seems this could be applicable to any (dual osc) synth! Thank you for being so descriptive!

[@ace.8812]

absolute gems, thank you anthony!

[@idemditto]

You're a Legend!! I was wiggling on my chair how you created the bass. And what a great story!! Thank you!

[@williampamblanco]

I love this song mostly because of the bass, and it's enlightening to see how dialed in the sound is and how decisions are made based on understanding the hardware components well. Thank you sir!

[@combrogos]

What a great insight into creating a synthesised bass sound. PYT has always been my favourite MJ song. Thank you for sharing your technical skill. [edit spelling]

[@dustasdu]

I really enjoyed this, Anthony!

[@lexgblack]

I understood about 20% of this and loved every minute

[@fender1000100]

For me the best groove on Thriller. So glad you have shared this gold with us. I've played PYT a million times. After "Rock With You". It's my 2nd fave MJ track. Killer groove. And killer vocal delivery by Michael.

[@21daystill]

Great to see the brilliant minds behind this timeless production

[@CiroVilla]

This is an absolute pearl from legendary producer Anthony Marinelli!

[@Jamusictv]

Man what a story. And your room is gold! Look at those beautiful pieces of gear!