Classic Tracks on Crappy Kit // Madonna's Into The Groove with 80s gear

[@electrosonicnebula]

"Get into the groove" was so nice and pervy for its time.

[@StarskyCarr]

😂 still is rather pervy

[@electrosonicnebula]

@@StarskyCarr True! If Paul Simon doesn't mind she really should do an album called "Still Pervy After All These Years"

[@unclemick-synths]

This one stings! 😢 I was too focused on what I didn't have back in the day instead of doing better with what I *_did_* have. It didn't occur to me that what I was lacking was imagination, not money!

[@StarskyCarr]

😂

[@billmcnelis5999]

I need to keep this in mind also! I remember in my road cycling days, dropping some guy on the hills the day he bragged about his new $1000 wheel set. My whole bike only cost $1000 but I left him in the dust because I did hill repeats on the worst hills I could find haha. And Lance Armstrong could have beat both of us on a $50 garage sale bike.

[@scott21113]

This is really great. One of the things I love about technology is the ability to extract acapellas from tracks without too much effort. When I started to do remixes and mashups back in the mid-2000's there was no way to extract anything with decent quality. Now it's a doddle.

[@alejandrohualdez5550]

The Human League…Don’t You Want Me would be a good one to recreate.

[@Shred_The_Weapon]

Speaking as somebody who was in his single-digit years when Madonna originally hit and enjoyed hearing songs like “Into the Groove” as they emerged into the public, someone who did not himself become a musician until the following decade and feels as though he missed out on participating in the glorious 80s, I should say that you nailed this approximation, Starsky. You’ve always had it, and I hope you keep making use out of it this way.

[@mathumphreys]

Great video! I love this type of content, it's so much better than listening to someone soap boxing about modern synths being a rip off or whatever. I love your sound design and breakdown videos like this one. Your the best Starsky!

[@pablowentscobar]

Super cool idea for a vid. Top shelf Starsky.

[@mr.kaplanmusic]

Really nicely done! It amazes me to this day how many presets were used for many of the songs we love so much. Thanks for doing this recreation!

[@mitchelstephen7536]

LOL... all I had in 1986 was a Korg poly 800 I begged my dad to get me for Christmas. (I was 15 years old). Then I bought a used TR 707 and a cheap Tascam 4 track recorder from bussing tables on the weekends. I made a shitload of demos with that.

[@StarskyCarr]

If only you’d got an iconic vocalist for Christmas as well 🤦‍♂️👍

[@Leerf-driftingpitches]

Great Job . Ahh the joys of 4 track !! I miss simplicity . Great track to chose

[@unclemick-synths]

In recent years I've been approaching my MPC the way I approached my 244!

[@HJPhilippi]

Luckily you didn't have the knowledge as a teen, so we all can enjoy watching you in the kitchen doing YT videos today. 😎 You're a gem, Starsky. Unique, talented, and humorous!

[@StarskyCarr]

Wow thanks ever so much. 🎉

[@kennyzee3221]

Starsky mate I really enjoyed this video and your other one on the HR16 which is how I found your channel. Back in 1989 I nearly blight the HR16 but opted for the Yamaha V50 which I still have. But this video is amazing and your channel too. I’ve subscribed and will watch as many of your videos as possible. Thanks for this and love your scouser wit and accent.

[@stevehofer3482]

You nailed it!

[@mr.zeitmaschine6878]

Madonnas music truly was iconic for the 80’s and the 90’s. I wish she kept her music and herself that iconic. Still love her music and listen to it to this date.

[@artprojectsnz]

Bloody great - I was doing the same in the 80s I always wanting more gear (still do really!) but you have proved once again - it’s the song - always THE SONG!! Well done.

[@StarskyCarr]

Yeah it’s so much cleverer than I ever appreciated.

[@ModulatorX]

Awesome video! It shows it's not the gear, but the incredible songwriting and of course Madonna's vocals that made it a hit

[@timweinheimer1]

Thanks I love this so much fun and good vibes

[@m.o.n.d.e.g.r.e.e.n]

always loved this record. madonnas vocal slaps, so evocative

[@stoatystoat174]

Fan of Audio Pils Bad Gear channel 👍

[@JayKaufman]

Well that was fun!

[@billmcnelis5999]

I should play this video on a daily basis so it can be the only one I watch everyday, instead of watching like 15 different synth demos thinking "I wish I had that." Of course there are synths that can do things other synths can't. My Pro 800 or Minilogue XD isn't going to sound as good as a Subsequent 37, but if a top notch producer used the 800 and XD, and I used a Subsequent 37, I'm pretty sure they'd wipe the floor up with me. *So that no one "points it out" I know the first two are poly and the third is mono. You get the idea though.

[@pablowentscobar]

I think the big difference between realy good/experienced musicians/producers and people just starting out or hobbyists is that they know the sound they want and how to get it out of whatever gear they have in hand and people like me look to the gear to give us a sound. Great musicians make any gear sound good. I have a close friend that is a super talented guitar player and he's alway shredding on $200-300 guitars and old cheap amps and bargain bin pedals, and it always sound good.

[@billmcnelis5999]

@@pablowentscobar I think a guitar is where price actually makes a big difference, but for sure if you can't play, a $6000 PRS isn't gonna help you haha

[@muzikman2008]

Great job Starsky!.. Sounds like there's a lot more going on in that track than there actually is. It's just the busy brass stabs and bass line that carries it on the drum track. Simple is definately best! I think we are spoiled these days with unlimited tracks, sounds, synths, and of adding too many parts to songs (me included) I'm learning to restrain myself 😂 lol.

[@AutPen38]

The parts seem fairly simple, and they are simple in the sense that you can ape them with a single preset and one hand, but there was a whole lot of layering on the original song. The chord stabs, for instance, are actually 3 layers (a Juno-106 - or Super Jupiter - and two hard-panned OBX pads) that are playing 3 different inversions of the same chords over 3 octaves. For those "simple" stabs, there are up to 9 different notes being played at once. In addition, I'm pretty sure the Super Jupiter bassline was layered with the infamous DX7 E.Bass 1 to give it some extra bite. So the basic elements are simple, but the way the parts were layered and arranged is really important.

[@muzikman2008]

@@AutPen38 absolutely, layering is the key on this song. 👌

[@StarskyCarr]

Yeah it’s very clever. I never appreciated it until now

[@MikeLanders100]

Loved it. I sold my TR-626. Still have and love my AJ2.

[@cheesyquaver]

Fantastic video and inspired me to dig out the sh4-d for some (slightly cheating) 5 track imitation. Great stuff. Cheers.

[@andrewrossy]

Love this ... I all ever wanted back in the late 80's was the DX7, Mirage and 707. All I could afford was the 808, 909, Pro-1, SH-101 and CZ-101 .. ahhh what could have been!!!

[@StarskyCarr]

Haha..

[@Johnsormani]

Gear I had I had in the 80s : moog the source, juno6, dx7, Ensoniq Esq-1 and and a tr505 . Tascam 244 for recording. Everything still in my possession except the juno6

[@derlio2086]

Great perspective! ... keep them coming 👏

[@cthulholmhastur5317]

⚡👍 Nice! IMHO, the magic of this track is in the vocal (of course). And in turn, that comes from a GREAT producer pushing the artist for the best take.

[@qidevrich]

If you’re chucking out that Alesis…I could totally get it working 😊

[@StarskyCarr]

😂

[@scratchanitch]

That was great! I did something similar with Howard Jones Equality...mainly because I loved the thick Jupiter 8 lead and spent ages trying to get it as close as I could. I *think* the patch makes use of the J8 unison mode which spreads out the voices when more than one note is on. Fun stuff.

[@jameshancox1]

I would have dreamed of this stuff in the 80s, did have a juno 2 at one point but wanted d50s, dx7 etc.... I used to spend my time around music shops in town like Hessys, Rushworths and Curlys. Never believed I could create these things because we did not know how they did it, if only I used my imagination, was much more interested in multitimbral synths.

[@StarskyCarr]

I got the Juno2 in Curlys! It spent most of the e next 6 months there getting the keyboard repaired. It never really was and is still knackered 40 years later 😂

[@fischek]

super fun and beautifully done

[@StarskyCarr]

Thanks 🙏

[@mrr2816]

What an interesting concept sir! Great job! Just let the flow take me through the video Happy Days! My one caveat to the conceit There is a certain something to owning a special piece of gear Say a Super Jupiter for instance That gives us a certain confidence Perhaps owning such equipment now as we do Back in the day We would've made the tracks we wished we'd made Just a light counter debate to your notion.. 😂 Love the channel sir Been a pleasure all these years

[@tailbiterz]

Excellent, really like this.

[@jjrusy7438]

speaking of madonna, a later album "ray of light" has some of the best synth patches and performances i have ever heard. every song is quite different. imo, a masterpiece and favorite of mine.

[@StarskyCarr]

That was the one produced by William Orbit I think. It has his sound all over it - listen to his Strange Cargo albums.. superb. Water from a Vine Leaf was a favourite track of mine back in the day. Very much of its day but a masterpiece of 90s production and highly influential.

[@ferenclucas7280]

great idea for a video. I had a 244 and an rx21 and a jx8p and ex800 in the day and maybe I should have tried doing recordings of covers with that kit back then!

[@StarskyCarr]

Yeah. I never did covers but looking back they were a great way of working out how things are put together. It what guitar bands have done for generations but us synth heads I reckon have always looked forward not to the past.. which could’ve taught us lots

[@groovindj]

The MIDIVerb PSU is 16 volts AC 1A made by Sceptre model PA-1610AE (there's a MIDIVerb on eBay and the PSU is visible!). A suitable replacement is around ten quid.

[@StarskyCarr]

Thanks Yeah I’ve seen that one - but never thought to look at the photo! I still can’t find one though, not with the 3 pins at least.

[@groovindj]

@@StarskyCarr after a bit more Googling, it seems that's not the original PSU. The text on the MIDIVerb says 16V CT which means centre tapped i.e. 8-0-8

[@bob-rogers]

Nice! Just goes to prove that it's more about knowing how to use the tools you have.

[@paradoxstate5018]

Excellent, I had a Odyssey, Cat, SX2000 I did ok, I had a really dodgy 4 track reel to reel, so I know its totally possible, luckily for me I was able to access a Jupiter 8 and a DX7 in a studio.

[@StarskyCarr]

Show off 😂 look back and wish I’d blown some cash in studios rather than battled with my kit, but a day in a studio versus owning the kit never felt like a winner.

[@paradoxstate5018]

@@StarskyCarr Not really a show off, my dad bought me the Odyssey in the 70's, I got the Cat second hand because the guy who bought it was hoping it'd be a Odyssey but cheaper, I got it for a song, the SX2000 was the first one I bought myself with money saved from work. I was just very lucky, the reel to reel was the one I battled with day and night, I kept having to get it repaired.

[@blazingday8596]

.......that is a great education for all of us with GAS. Just superb Starsky......✌

[@StarskyCarr]

Nice one.

[@LouisTorres-ut4ks]

Awesome 👍

[@GeorgeL909]

I love this kinda stuff. Super inspiring. Hell, I'd be down to see you try and create stuff with even cheaper gear. Building a classic song out of casios with effects, or a sampler with pocket operators or volcas, or just a single very budget synth, trying to make a crap synth sound good with clever tricks. I just want more content. And cheesecake. Anything with cheese really. I'm so hungry.

[@eancurtis9333]

Cool !

[@RegebroRepairs]

Yeah, a cheap 4 track cassette wouldn't have had that quality, even with the tape emulator on, but a 4 track reel to reel probably would have. Now of course, the vocals are the hardest to make good and you would have needed a good microphone and nice vocal room for that. It just hit me! I don't know why we didn't record the vocals in the local radio studio we had access too. They had dampened rooms, and decent mics!

[@StarskyCarr]

Haha. Funny how we miss the tricks! Yeah just couldn’t get an effective emulation of portastudio tape sound - most seem to be fun Lofi wobble and noise plugins but not really similar to tape. I may have to pick one up to do more like this - just to make life hard for myself 😂

[@AutPen38]

When you're Madonna in 1983-85, your local studio is Sigma Sound Studios in the Ed Sullivan Building in NYC and you record in the same room that Talking Heads did all their best work. (I think Whitney Houston's 'I Wanna Dance with Somebody' was also done there around the same time). Madonna's original vocal was a bit of a rush job (the bridge to the song was improvised in the studio) with quite bad background noise and drum spill, but the Eventide Harmonizer's digital double tracking made everyone sound great in the '80s.

[@StarskyCarr]

@@AutPen38yeah those harmonisers were part of the reason I picked up an eclipse years ago. I don’t use it anymore but I’m loathed to get rid of it.

[@morespaces9061]

Alpha Juno 2 and TR505 here too!

[@StarskyCarr]

All the best people did 😂

[@morespaces9061]

@@StarskyCarr ❤

[@FLH3official]

Great demo, mate! A guy who began in the 80s with a TR505 and an Alpha Juno can't be totaly bad! 😁. Add a TX81z, a second hand Torque spring reverb, a Boss BX16 mixin' desk and you get my setup in these times 😉 The sequencers varied, from a Yamaha QX21, an Alesis MMT8 and then, what a revolution! an AtariST+Notator. Yeah.

[@StarskyCarr]

Aaah the Atari ST. What would’ve we done without it?

[@FLH3official]

@@StarskyCarr Undouptedly, but we made things before with all kinds of hardware sequencers. The QX21 was, well, primitiv (2 MIDI tracks and you had to merge...), but the MMT8 was a fairly good machine actualy despite its recuring contacts problems on the rubber knobs.

[@unclemick-synths]

​@@FLH3official my mate had Notator. I still have my Atari and Cubase 3!

[@FLH3official]

@@unclemick-synths I still have my Atari and last year it booted up, no problem. But I don't have my C-Lab Notator dongles anymore (updates policies when you had to give back the dongle in order to get the update for cheap, I'm now on Logic. It's logic..long story 😁)

[@MaggieKeizai]

Oh man, that Alesis reverb would be a cinch to get working again.

[@StarskyCarr]

Any pointers welcomed 😀

[@MaggieKeizai]

@@StarskyCarr It's a standard connector, just not one that's commonly used on external connections. It won't be a hard part to source. Then you'll want to track down the information on the missing power supply and find one somewhere that puts out the right amount. Then splice the proper connector on in place of the new power supply's old one. The trick there is knowing which pin does what, which you'll need to be able to do a little bit of basic circuit tracing to accomplish yourself. A really good way to do this if you're not up to the job yourself would be to find the local electronics nerd/HAM radio community. There's a big overlap in that venn diagram both in terms of user base and supply shops. A little bit of asking around and you'll find someone willing to do the job, likely for a beer, and might make a friend in the process.

[@botany500kojak]

@@MaggieKeizai I know Starsky is in the NW, (as I am). There is a repair place for Hi-fi, etc. in Wallasey he could try called SS Radio, who may be able to help. Not used them, but apparently they are OK.

[@JohnMcGFrance]

Aaah fond memories. I started with a Fostex X15 4 track cassette and a Casio keyboard. Thought it was great when I got an Atari ST and Steinberg Pro 24 and a Roland D10. Great job on the track. I’d love to see more of these. Or how about an entire song done with only one cheap synth like the Behringer Pro800 and 8 tracks maximum? I got a Behringer Pro1 today and I’m trying to do a Berlin School track using only that and a DFAM. Such fun!

[@StarskyCarr]

I’ve still got a knackered D20 in the loft. It was synth number 2 - and had a floppy drive. Very futuristic!

[@rjbush7955]

Really good example of how creative we can be when we have limitations. Do we need a DAW with infinite tracks, or could we work with free versions limited to 8 tracks. That was a luxury in the 90s. I miss the old Tascam Portasudios and their like, having to think about the minimum number of bounces before the tape's floor came apparent.

[@unclemick-synths]

@@rjbush7955 the other benefit of 4-track was having to do a demo version of each song in order to plan the bounces for the proper version. There were quite a few crap songs that never got beyond the initial demo unlike these days where everything is the "proper" version and we only realize it's crap way too late! 🤣

[@DawlessHouseMusic]

l really love the 626 sound, actually.

[@StarskyCarr]

I’m liking it more… great for that 80s pop tone.

[@jjhcw]

Nice!!

[@lundsweden]

4:12 Stand clear, doors closing!

[@StarskyCarr]

It’s almost ‘Good morning campers’

[@EdgyNumber1]

1:47 Hey Starsky., If you can find out the input voltage, you may be able to convert it to USB power, using a PID. Find a good electronics technician and they may be able to sort it for you.

[@Sammysixex]

This video just goes to show that it is the musician ...rather than fancy gear... which determines the quality of the output.

[@StarskyCarr]

Definitely .. fancy gear is nice though 😀 but a load of top notch kit in the hands of the wrong person isn’t going to make anyone a musician

[@fakshen1973]

In 1991, my kit was a Kawaii Q80 with DumbFSK, Fostex Model 80-track reel to reel, a Boss 16 track mixer. It had 2 sends, plus high and low EQ. Yamaha RY30 drum machine, Roland MKS50, and Ensoniq Mirage 8 bit sampler. I did start out with a Tascam portastudio but immediately returned it. The quality was just terrible. So I maxed out a credit card and got myself into debt for the Fostex

[@eancurtis9333]

get into the groove was recorded on a 8 track then taken into a studio to mix according to the co writer

[@StarskyCarr]

And you can totally see how. Such a cool simple arrangement.

[@AndersRomin]

Great stuff! Although I guess you cheated a bit with the computer… Especially the bass line that needs to be sequenced and synced to the drums, which is soo much easier in a modern daw. Would have been fun to see you pull that off on some cheap 80s sequencer..

[@StarskyCarr]

Haha.. too right! although being a masochist id probably have attempted to play it live (about a hundred times!)

[@PabloDeModeOfficial]

If you sold this one as the real Madonna Demo, people would surely buy it! What an excellent piece of cake ❤

[@ManCalledMif]

great reconstruction. i wish i knew about synths in the 90s. i blame Oasis for leading me down the guitar path and video games for being too damn good back then lol

[@StarskyCarr]

😂

[@Kkidzz]

Sonic Youth - Into The Groovey .....only version that matters.

[@robert-wr6md]

That was fun, master stroke getting Madonna over she added to the authentic vibe. Do you have Annie Lennox's number? I bet Alison Moyet would be up for a trip down Pro One memory lane. Can't wait, this could run and run.

[@StarskyCarr]

I couldn’t get rid of her.. once Emmerdale started there was no budging her… then Corry. She was all set for the evening!

[@purpl3t1m3]

I'd love to see a patch collection for TAL-Pha!

[@StarskyCarr]

I should work out how to export my user bank to tal-pha I’m sure it’s possible. Maybe just load the sysex and save it as a bank or something - I’ll take a look .

[@mf_robespierre]

i still prefer the 707 sounds over the 808 and 909. processed of course. my fav version of this still is the one by ciccone youth. better known as sonic youth ;D.

[@thedoc1210]

9:30 can't get Missy Elliot to leave my house🤣

[@StarskyCarr]

😂

[@bassboomboing]

The 626 has a nice South African 80's disco feeling (plus a Juno) . I always wonder if early Madonna influenced Shagaan disco, or vice-versa.

[@bassboomboing]

Fantastic breakdown btw, please do more of these

[@StarskyCarr]

Thanks… yeah I think the 626 has the same sounds as the 727 which was the Latin version of the 707… I think!

[@th3soundmachinz]

You should definitely do a comparison between the SonicProjects OP-X PRO-II vs Arturia OB-Xa V vs discoDSP OB-Xd vs Synapse Audio Obsession vs GForce Oberheim OB-X vs Oberheim OB-X (hardware). I would love to see the difference on all of these, and which one is the closest.

[@clauscombat418]

Crappy stuff i had in the 80ies: Roland Alpha Juno 2 😧 I thought of an old Casio toy keyboard...

[@StarskyCarr]

Haha I had that too! A VL-tone my first ever! The Juno / was considered crappy back then as well too 😀

[@petersegerdahl5386]

@@StarskyCarr VL-Tone was my first too. Mine is signed by "The Human League" (Phil, Joanne & Susan) so I still have it. :-)

[@michaelpierce3264]

man I was hoping you would do your own vocals!

[@StarskyCarr]

haha... my God, I couldn't think of anything more harrowing!

[@electrosonicnebula]

On the tape machines, did you find it hard to create a drum mix and bounce it and then have the levels all wrong or was it not that much of a problem if you planned it carefully in advance, and it still had a cool overall sound? I don't mind the hiss I'm just wondering how much of a pain it was to do all that bouncing and if the quality of the sound really suffered? EDIT: I'm tempted to buy an old basic 4-track, you can get nice ones for 200 euros. Seems like it would be super fun, especially the super basic ones that fostex and tascam made

[@justovision]

3 pins. No one could ever figure out how that works. It probably needs 5v, ground and 12v but I assume it's been figured out somewhere.

[@Milton_Andrew]

Not a fan of Madonna, but this track has always had a ripping groove.

[@ManNoName-c9u]

Nothing 3rd rate about an Alpha-Juno, the world stepped out of the dark ages with the default 'Hoover' rave stab! (Just ask Liam Howlett).

[@StarskyCarr]

That’s what I was getting at… before it came into its own in the 90s it was defo lower tier. Now not so much, and with a controller it’s a great bit of kit.

[@suspiciouswatermelon7639]

Crap gear is sometimes the best gear.. as long as it's derrrhty...

[@StarskyCarr]

Haha

[@RutgerS.]

Don't like the Tape plugins on the 4 tracks, sounds a bit too lo-fi. Other than that, great recreation. More please :)

[@StarskyCarr]

Yeah they’re not great, I was just trying to make it not so hi-fi and to make it sound a bit rubbish!

[@litemakr]

Fun but I can't get past how far off the music is in the verse. The chords aren't even close, you can do better Starsky ;)

[@StarskyCarr]

Nah.. not for this. This isn’t replicating the track per se - but replicating the idea of building something like it on a 4 track with a single synth and drum machine.. using a ‘real’ track to show something poptastic could be made of only we had the skills back in the day.

[@fowchiiiliedpuppiesdied]

Bass should be more staccato, I think

[@StarskyCarr]

The whole point of this wasn’t to replicate the track precisely, but to demo a demo. I specifically didn’t get bogged down in exact replication, it’s more about how to put something decent together with the stuff you have.

[@RJ1J]

As am unmastered mix it's ok, but this would have been mixed on a classic desk, not with cassette tape, should have used UAD Studers. Sounded much too muffled.

[@StarskyCarr]

The point here wasn’t to recreate what they did.., but to see if I could’ve made it on my 4 track with my kit. It’s meant to be an unmastered rough demo.

[@RDHamel]

junk then, junk now.