Famous synth sounds of the 80's and 90's Part 1 (CMI, Yamaha DX7, Korg M1, Roland D-50, TX81Z,...)

In this video I'll show you some examples of very famous synthesizer presets used in many 80's and 90's hits. This part 1 of the series.
Featuring sounds from the Fairlight CMI, Oberheim OB-Xa, Yamaha DX7, Yamaha TX81Z, Korg M1, Korg Wavestation, Roland D-50, Roland Alpha Juno 2, Roland JV-1080 and Roland JP-8000.
01. Yes - Owner of a lonely heart (Fairlight CMI)
02. Michael Jackson - Beat it (Fairlight CMI) Correction: It has been pointed out to me that the original track actually uses the Synclavier instead of the CMI.
03. Van Halen - Jump (Oberheim OB-Xa)
04. Harold Faltermeyer - Axel F (DX7)
05. Rick Astley - Never gonna give you up (DX7)
06. Berlin - Take my breath away (DX7)
07. Laura Branigan - Self control (DX7)
08. Bronski Beat - Smalltown boy (DX7)
09. Fresh prince of Bel Air theme (TX81Z)
10. Orbital - Chime (TX81Z)
11. Haddaway - What is love (TX81Z)
12. Enya - Orinoco Flow (D-50)
13. Danny Elfman - The Simpsons theme (D-50)
14. Robin S -Show me love (M-1)
15. Nightcrawlers - Push the feeling on (M1)
16. Cristal Waters - Gypsy woman (M1)
17. Dance 2 Trance - Power of American natives (Wavestation)
18. Joey Beltram - Mentasm (Alpha Juno 2)
19. Prodigy - Charlie (Alpha Juno 2)
20. Human Resource - Dominnator ( (Alpha Juno 2)
21. Countless of oldschool hardcore gabber tracks ( Alpha Juno 2)
22. Faithless - Insomnnia (JV-1080)
23. Faithless - Salva Mea (JV-1080)
24. Sash! - Encore une fois (JV-1080)
25. System F - Out of the blue (JP-8000)
26. Cygnus X - Superstring (Rank 1 remix) (JP-8000)
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[@squeebbb]

I used to avoid presets. But as I have gotten older I have really come to realize there is and should be a vast difference between song writing and sound design.

[@splootyvision]

I’m with you there. Saw a vid ages ago with Herbie Hancock talking about there being a whole industry around sound design and making these presets, so why should he waste time designing sounds when he can pick a preset close to what he wants, tweak it a little to make it his and then spend majority of his time on actually making music 🙂

[@abaker2921]

@@splootyvision but when you tweak it, you still aren't using a preset. It's ABSURD to start from scratch most of the time

[@Joostuh]

Top sound designers in the world; “This is best” Rando amateur; “This is better”😂😢

[@RomanHaussener]

Korg M1 - M1HousePiano. I'm still using this preset nowadays...... 😎

[@cavenew4761]

There is no preset with this name in the M1.

[@user-ik7dw4tj4t]

PCM Piano

[@nanemarnanemar67]

@@user-ik7dw4tj4t the name of the patch is Piano 16’

[@prodyagovinicius]

Same😎

[@homebrewinstrumentals7700]

@@cavenew4761 its in the soft synth version

[@karaokeitaliano]

As soon as I hear Organ 2 from the M1 all the flavored vodka and puke smell from the 90's discos bathrooms shows up in my head!

[@Estuera]

Very graphic but also very recognizable :D

[@michaelmilano4457]

damn....now everytime I wil listen to M1's organ I will think at this description!!

[@natura808]

It was a good times...

[@ciolamorta]

I più gettonati erano vodka alla pesca e alla fragola. Madonna quante ne ho viste...

[@mtjoy747]

Sticky floors, smoke and loud synth music - OMG I long for those days LOL

[@stu7720]

The JP8000 has such a thick, big sound. Incredible. It defined late 90’s trance.

[@siler7]

'90s.

[@emiel333]

Indeed. I love the sound.

[@zibbybone]

1:50, that sound at the beginning of "Beat It" is actually from a NED Synclavier. Geoff Downes was not in Yes for the 90125 album. The Fairlight used in the production was owned by former Yes member turned super-producer, Trevor Horn.

[@Estuera]

Good to know. Very tricky to claim anything reliable about these bands as they were evolving all the time. I already got quite a lot of interesting extra info from the comments section here. Thanks for sharing 👍

[@jonassteur9538]

And see the video description and the pinned comment about the Synclavier ;) Lets say it has been mentioned quite a lot already. I will never forget anymore that beat it was a Synclavier

[@rb8058]

And the synths for that specific album were programmed by members of Art of Noise.

[@callez2402]

@@rb8058 Trevor Horn was/is God

[@BramComposer]

Also a nice detail was that the little pattern was actually from a demo single that came with the Ned Synclavier...

[@guitarslinger3914]

I grew up as a guitarist in the 80s- hated keyboards. BUT since I learned to play piano I'm loving the history behind the sounds of 80s 90s synths and the hits they produced. Brilliant 👍

[@EphemeralProductions]

i loved all these synths and sounds but I would have to say that the DX7, in all it's glorious 80's cheesiness, was probably the most prolific and "most heard" in the 80's not just in pop music, but even in commercials, TV, etc.

[@SudrianAfro]

That Tubular bell preset, sprinkled over so much 80s production music.

[@tiroles]

I simply love this sound. So epic!

[@peradolia]

That Korg m1 is versatile, can never go wrong with it.

[@mournblade1066]

The reason so many people used the presets of the DX7 was because you needed a goddam degree in engineering to program it.

[@vanessajazp6341]

Exactly. God help you if you were brave enough to try and weren’t sure how to do it.

[@darrenhirst9900]

Engineers said it came back with all the presets intact and I'm not surprised.

[@yitzchak3867]

God loves you

[@2112jonr]

Just a myth. It's actually quite straightforward to program. Suits people who have learned how to keep perpetuating that lie for their own advantage.

[@diegohuijbregtsgarcia5102]

Honestly, if you're used to today's electronics, the menu-diving isn't that horrible in comparison.

[@acerventura3538]

JP-8000…. I’m speechless. The umbilical cord of Dutch Trance.

[@velacreativemedia8190]

OOF that Ferry Corsten and Cygnus X REALLY hit me right in the nostalgia

[@NostalgiCrazy]

This is why synthesizers are my favorite instrument :)

[@MedlifeCrisis]

Awesome video. Glad you went into the 90s too, a lot of people just focus on the 80s when talking about iconic synth tracks. I had never heard of lately bass! It’s so common.

[@alexnaturalis1179]

As a teenager, I got my hands on a second hand Oberheim ObXa. Without knowing what it was capable of I immediately recognized the Jump soundtrack patch. I thought it was very similar but I didn't know it was the actual instrument they composed it on!

[@mournblade1066]

Nice. That is a truly classic analog synth. It was also used by Simple Minds on "Don't You Forget About Me." That sound is absolutely gorgeous.

[@awaken77]

OB-Xa also used in Rush "Subdivisions" , probably the same patch as in "Jump"

[@stolenname94]

U got me with the 90s vibes here. I was born in 94 but my older siblings were no strangers to 90s night life. House, trance, techno, dnb, garage etc etc etc I was raised on these tunes with a mix of rockabilly, swing, jazz and rock n roll I just have such a appreciation for it all. But hearing some of these synths here brought back some memories and it really made me feel like I was a small kid again. I would love to see more of this sort of thing it was very interesting.

[@xrpfuture4381]

This whole video is just an elaborate setup to rickroll us at 3:29 😅

[@Estuera]

Muhaha :D

[@vanessajazp6341]

LMAO!!!!! Bravo! You win the comments section!

[@steelframe]

I was a guitarist and knew nothing about keyboards or piano when I first touched an M1. Having more money than sense I bought it, still have it and still play it and about 4 other keyboards I've acquired over these 40+ years. The M1 still has more features than some of my newer boards which have dropped the after touch function that I loved.

[@WillsJazzLoft]

The DX-7 had widespread and sustainable popularity into the early 90s in no small part because of its selection of EPs. It has a wealth of great analog synth sounds. But it was a go-to workhorse in studios because of its EPs

[@projectptube]

people just used the updated versions all the way up to the Montage today.

[@TheStudioDrummer]

For my workflow- I love presets. They can get the creativity flowing quickly. The more and more you use them and record you might find- oh I want less attack here or more sustain here etc. At that point it’s nice to have the quick ability to control that with knobs, sliders without a ton of menu diving. Long live the Soft Versions!😁🥂

[@norjia]

i made about 3 tracks right now and to be honest. the beauty about synths is that you just get lost in the sound while crafting new patches. by now I already made a track exclusively with the Roland Gaia SH01 and a track with only the Arturia Microbrute. (the brute has no presets) the gaia does have presets (most of em are unusable in music nowadays) but I used my own patches. if the preset is useful in the track you are making, go nuts. if not, make your own. Is my take on this

[@agerven]

What a great way of looking back! Brings back a lot of memories! i never owned one of these either except the D50, which is still part of my setup. i did crave for a Wavestation back then but no money available. Today the Wavestate is a proud and often-used addition to my setup. One remark though: The beat-it base sound was created and used on the -NDE- New England Digital Synclavier, and is in fact a preset on Arturia's version of that instrument.

[@Estuera]

Thanks. And yes, the beat it remark has been addressed in the sticky comment.

[@StretchinBack]

It's amazing to see how vast your knowledge of music spans in regards to genres. Another great video.

[@Tom-Lahaye]

The JV-1080 Bass Pizz is the most iconic synth sound of the 90's for me.

[@iLikeTheUDK]

I know it's from the 70s but I think the Yamaha CS-80 should've gotten a mention for AT LEAST the brass preset Vangelis used so much, and Born In The USA whose synth hook was performed with two of its presets selected at the same time (one on each synth section). The Prophet-5's presets probably had plenty of time on the charts too

[@Estuera]

I completely agree, I'm a huge CS-80 lover myself. Thats's why I started part 2 of this series with it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aIuZoZiObMuNa8U

[@OfficialRainsynth]

I actually managed to get that lead sound of "Superstring" on my main synth (Roland Juno-Di) and I love it. One of the greatest trance leads.

[@fallingabyss]

Fantastic video! I’m so happy to see the oldskool gabber synths included too🤘

[@synthsforfunk]

Great overview of some classic synths and sounds👍Thumbs up👍

[@karljennings5910]

Thank you so much, Estuera, this is a delight.

[@deantiquisetnovis]

I own some of the synths you have shown and I have to say you did a pretty good job at recreating the sounds!

[@huntrrams]

I’m so happy I found this channel! I found so many rave songs I never heard of and fell in love with it!

[@AleScala]

OMG Organ 2 brought up so many memories! Thank you so much for these awesome videos!

[@RayBellis]

Jean-Michel Jarre also used the D-50 extensively on "Revolutions", although most of the sounds were custom rather than presets. Some certainly came from Roland's own additional PN-D50 series of patch preset cards.

[@v-em]

Yup - D-50 cropped up loads on that album.

[@masonjames1]

YAMAHA DX7 MKI BASS 1 was used on loads of 80's records most notably on Aha's Take on Me. Great video tnx 👍🎹

[@Hyper_V]

I also had some of these synths - dx7, jv1080 (with the analog add-on boards), these sounds brought back real fond memories of the 80's and 90's for me!

[@aceazeitona1501]

this is so useful!! I've always tried to find the sounds of specific synth songs and was never able, thank you!! 🙏

[@pranthonyaquino]

I love videos about famous synths and presets, Jonas, thanks for the documentary. :)

[@PierGen]

Thank you so much for the video, i always want to know which synths were used with famous songs, and you also included the preset as a bonus! excellent content.

[@Djboyrimo]

God those sounds bring me back and I’m not even in my 30’s!! Lol that Organ 2 preset is just godly and never knew it was from the M1 till now! Def gonna check out the demo for that vst!

[@FlatEric03]

A great summary of equally great synth presets

[@888berg]

That was amazing... MORE OF THESE PLEASE!!!!

[@metalore]

With such a good synth sound at his disposal, it's a shame Michael Jackson wasn't more popular.

[@Estuera]

🤷‍♂️😁

[@shykall]

Yaeh, too bad ... What name again ? Michael what? never heard ...

[@user-kv1vb7wn5i]

@@shykall I totally agree, who even is "Michael Jordan"? Long live the king of pop, Michael Jackson.

[@karlhans6678]

He had such an expensive and badass synth.

[@OfficialRainsynth]

That deep and wide supersaw sound at the end is just beautiful. I'd like to get that from at least one of my hardware synths.

[@herrjingjing]

Love this! Very nostalgic video and very useful for producers!

[@Phractal]

So interesting to see how these were done! Thank you.

[@_mickmccarthy]

Can't believe there's no appreciation for the Strange Planet t-shirt here in the comments! Keep up the great work!

[@Estuera]

Finally someone noticed :D haha

[@YanaMaryunti]

Surprised that I'd find Strange Planet here of all place

[@TwstedTV]

I have all those records and of course I still have all those hardware's...... as soon as you played System F and Rank-1 records - I nearly fell off my chair, I used to play that in clubs. aaah man the memories...... life is too got damn short......

[@1969ashley1969]

So many great memories of the 80's and 90's locked up in this video. :-)

[@SamuelKaruta]

great video and examples of use of synthesizers.

[@EphemeralProductions]

love it! i remember all these sounds as i grew up in the 1980s! :)

[@Patrick94GSR]

Superstring!! I totally fist pumped on that last bit, one of my favorite tracks ever!

[@ashwinshriyan9438]

Thanks for the video. Found some of the names of the patches I was looking for

[@arsenalz4400]

I saw never gonna give u up in the list, but it is worthy to watch

[@EnigmaState]

Great video!! Nothing wrong in presets at all. Sometimes it just needs the right sound with the right person and there's still so many unused presets on these old machines. I've just finished a 90s revival in my studio and bought some of the synths used back in the 90s. Roland JP8080, Supernova 2, Yamaha AN1X, Nova Desktop, AKAI S2000, Novation DrumStation, TD3 (303 Clone), MS-1 (SH101 clone).

[@Kattywampus]

This was a fun video. Thanks!

[@JorgeSilva-lw9nl]

GREAT .. !!!!!!! Congratulations for wonderfull recreations.

[@arkibott]

Wow. Thank you for the educational examples.

[@RogueBeatsARG]

JV-1080 is my fav synth from the 90s

[@imme.7106]

More knobs than an Apollo space capsule!.

[@rafaelpiccolo]

You missed the most overused DX7 patches of all time: electric pianos

[@Estuera]

Those are for a possible part 2 ;) DX7 alone is enough for multiple videos probably.

[@pascalvanelstlande6954]

@@Estuera especialy when you try all the patches I found here dxsysex.com/SYSEX_DX7/I/dx7-sysex-I.php

[@DaveMuller]

Rafael - the ep/tine DX7 patch is one of my favourites of all time :)

[@computer_toucher]

I reckoned that would be the first but no. And you can't have a video like this without Doogie Howser intro music ;)

[@robinsss]

@@Estuera i have heard that the synth gong sound on Beat it was a preset on the Synclavier synthesizer

[@mutzbunny]

i just love these 80s and 90s synths. I myself am a lot just goofing around playing with presets and so oin

[@cryptout]

Bedankt voor her delen van je geweldige kennis!

[@jonassteur9538]

I already added this in the description weeks ago but I'll pin it here as people are still commenting on this: The 'Beat It' intro sound is a Synclavier and not a CMI as I mentioned in the video. Actually I'm more and more convinced it was sampled from the Synclavier demo by Michael Jackson's producer... So it might have been both ;) A CMI sampling a Synclavier ! (But this is speculation) To add to the confusion Arturia added this as a preset to their CMI vsti which led to this mistake in the first place. To add some more to the confusion, check this out: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gGXcfHdrm9uFmLM . A Fairlight CMI 'Michael Jackson Tour' disk being played. Anyone knows some more about this ?

[@olivierfloury5573]

So true ! It is even said to be in the demo tape of the Synclavier

[@simonsays335]

I was just about to add this comment after re checking it, yes 100% Synclavier 👍👍

[@pthomas36]

You'd figure they'd add the preset to their Synclavier VST, as it's also part of their collection.

[@jonassteur9538]

@@pthomas36 Indeed.

[@philippezsiga1125]

it s even more than a preset as said above , it s a demo. of the synclavier!!!

[@joergfuchs8130]

All great Synth of this Time but the Fairlight impressed me by the authentic Sound. Korg M1 and DX7 are very good emulation. So the Sound of the 80th 🤘

[@lairdtomfrenchelectromusic2545]

Retour dans le passé ! Back to the past ! Beautiful retrospective of these synthesizers which defined the sound codes of the 80's /90's... And that we find in current musical productions ! TIMELESS I tell you !!! Bravo again for the quality of your interpretation, your research and your video. Thank you Jonas !

[@Estuera]

Et merci for watching and the lovely comment ! :)

[@lairdtomfrenchelectromusic2545]

@@Estuera You're welcome, it's deserved! And I still have some old videos of yours that I haven' t seen to watch ! 😊

[@paolonoal9950]

Cygnus X - superstring still gives me goosebumps today!! What a sound!

[@grzegorz__]

I agree. So big and hmm one of the best melodies, chords of that times. But yeah, Synaestheasia, Out of The Blue, Carte Blanche, Chicane - Saltwater, or Oh yeah, even now I love the melody - Three Drives - Greece 2000, werent definitely worse xD

[@joebyrne4064]

Michael Jackson's intro to "Beat It" was actually played on The Synclavier II There is a KZbin video of the Synclavier preset which was recorded on a Vinyl record Hers is the link kzbin.info/www/bejne/r6vKp32iqKqsrLM Skip to 6:41

[@Estuera]

I have been notified of this by some other people as well indeed. I got mislead there by Arturia that added it as a CMI preset. Will add the correction to the video description.

[@nelauren]

@@Estuera There is a preset in the Fairlight CMI that was titled “Synbell5” that sounded exactly like the Synclavier.”

[@nelauren]

Interestingly enough, the Fairlight CMI also had the same preset called SYNBELL5...which it sampled from the Synclavier.

[@jonassteur9538]

@@nelauren I guess that's where this whole confusion started :D

[@Dr-Stu]

They didn't even use the preset did they? I definitely read they just sampled that demo straight from the vinyl and used it.

[@sub-jec-tiv]

Digital Native Dance on D-50. It was heard everywhere in the 90s. Including the soundtrack to practically every episode of Star Trek TNG.

[@olegkonchenkov]

One of the best KZbin channels on Earth. Thank you!

[@Estuera]

Thanks 🤩

[@manolousi]

This is a damn good video. Enjoyed every second of it

[@alexvoorhees]

The patch of Take my breath Away (Berlin) is Fretless 1, actually (Yamaha Bank 3)

[@fernandodgc]

excellent video. Please more presets of the 80's and 90's.

[@garethallen9127]

Great video... Thoroughly enjoyed

[@TheJesterboy1969]

This was awesome! Thank you!

[@demuvisounds]

10:41 superstring was one of my fav tunes

[@matthewfrostmedia3286]

TX81 Lately Bass. It's what we used on all our Dirty Rotten Scoundrels Tracks, with a few added elements to make it dirtier. Got us to No.4 in the UK Charts with it ;-)

[@Estuera]

It fits so well in the mix. Totally understandable it was used that much. (and still is)

[@djcj]

This is great man thank you!

[@brianscarborough8642]

Loved this video! Thanks for this!

[@avva3802]

Thanks. Interesing.

[@roberthurless4615]

The horn sample on Owner were actually recordings of the James Brown horn section. I forget who it was but they went to a JB concert in New York and recorded the horns. Then they sampled them into the Fairlight. Alan White played all the drum parts on the Fairlight also.

[@horizontalblanking]

The "horn stab" from Owner was sampled by Trevor Horn of The Art of Noise. He produced the 90125 album. The source for that "horn sound" came from the song "Kool is Back" by Funk Inc. The drum break was also sampled from the same song. You can check it out here - kzbin.info/www/bejne/i4CoooeQis94mas

[@philippezsiga1125]

Absolutely true

[@thefantompianist4165]

Excellent video! Given me so many ideas for new tracks to play with. Subscribed👍

[@flipster7285]

I feel sooooo nostalgic now....and a bit old....

[@MrShiffles]

Lately Bass still one of my favorite bass sounds...and the M1 Organs.... My God ❤️

[@Estuera]

Yeah those sounds will forever take me back to my youth. (And they're still very useful today as I show here for lately bass: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rJ_HYqycjtqrfJo)

[@alduderinodude]

Some of them are that accurate (and played) that shazam recognised it

[@trancevoyagesessions]

Awesome video, loved them all. But wow JP 8000! What an incredible sound!

[@Estuera]

It really became _the_ trance synth in the late 90's indeed.

[@urbanklange4482]

This is a great review great gear!Keep it up💯

[@FrogSpl4sh]

So hard to pick one, but Superstring by Cygnus X is one of my all time fav. Trance tracks. Cool video. Let's watch part 2

[@st33Npuist]

rIght back at sensation first..

[@imdustincredible5227]

I think the DX7 is my fav

[@Harmen85]

This is so much fun to watch and lissen! Thanks! Great Inspiration for my DIY music playing!

[@GeorgeMCMLIX]

Brilliant presentation! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@RemotelyHuman666]

One of my favorite synth sounds of all time is from The Talking Heads, Burning Down The House. Nobody ever seems to go deep into the sounds of that track and I would love to see that.

[@Estuera]

Not sure what they used but if I find out it might be an option for part 2.

[@karljennings5910]

Was it Bernie Worrell, whom David Byrne hired, to add that advanced keyboards sound? If you can determine what set up that Worrell favoured, you might be on the right track. Yes, astonishing synth sounds on Burning Down The House. Nice one!

[@ncapone87]

Mostly the Prophet 5

[@scottbirch968]

Sounds like a Prophet 5. Definitely analogue synth.,

[@ncapone87]

@@scottbirch968 it's what Bernie Worrell used on stage in Stop Making Sense

[@cessposter]

never heard of this jackson dude might check him out

[@chisel316]

I'm so glad I discovered your channel. I've been enjoying all of your videos! 😀

[@Estuera]

Thanks 😊 a lot more is coming.

[@chisel316]

@@Estuera Great! Please visit my channel when you get a chance. I have many live performances of 80s and 90s cover songs, including some classic Trance covers you might like. I call them covers, but I try to make them sound as close to the original as possible using my gear. Take care.

[@alexanderivakov]

Great video. Very informative. Love it

[@JoseVGavila]

I have several of the synths you show (DX7, M1, D50, Wavestation, ...) and they have something special on them, even if overuse of PRESETs have ruined somewhat the experience, as you immediately hear the song or songs it was used on. I am a PRESET user, but tend to tweak them

[@_innerscape_]

Burzum also used a D50 in Filosofem. Probably all across the album and in the previous ones too (pretty sure it was a stable piece of hardware in the Grieghallen Studio he recorded) but easly spotted in the long ambient 20 minutes track.

[@forrestperkins6237]

This comment got me

[@IsseyLelay]

Great demo !

[@walterpintus1734]

Beautiful video!

[@MySoundscore]

Great video as always! But one thing - Michael Jackson‘s Beat It intro came from the Synclavier II. It actually was the original demo sequence of it.Maybe that sound was also avail able on a CMI, but it definitely was a Synclavier II originally.

[@Estuera]

Thats correct. See the sticky comment 😉

[@MySoundscore]

@@Estuera There we go! 👍😎

[@WasKammer]

The Roland alpha Juno 2 patch was used also by The Bloody Beetroot in the track Warp 😉

[@scop8036]

fanTAStic video!!

[@apreviousseagle836]

That Roland JV Pizzicato is one of the most awesome sounds in existence. I don't care if it has been beaten to death.