I HATED This 80's Guitar Tone...Until Now

[@MTLIRocker]

Hey RJ...great vid & great playing. My detuned H-3000 sound was actually delay, not chorus. In my quest to try to cop the Edge's detuned delays I stumbled on the Micropitchshift patch in the 3000. I found that increasing the left and right "p delay" to normal delay times (for example left 300 ms and right 600ms) and adding a bunch of feedback I could get a lovely, Edge-like detuned delay...THAT became "my sound" and I preceded to use it on every single record that I played on! LOL Interesting side note: The micropitchshift patch on my H-3000 DSE had this kind of grainier texture that I couldn't get out of the Eclipse - it was too clean. These days I can get everything I need out of pedals but I still have the 3000 at the ready if I need "that sound". best, MT

[@kma86]

OMG! It's the legend himself! Always loved your playing sir! Great tones, great choice of notes!

[@matijatatomirovic3351]

The miracle of today's internet!

[@RJRonquillo]

I can't believe I'm just seeing this comment - Michael it's truly an honor, I'm such a big fan. Thank you so much for watching and the detailed insight.

[@Dannys.channel]

That’s cooooool!!!!

[@kma86]

@Michael Thompson, I remember watching a video that Pete Thorn & Tim Pierce did at your place where you mentioned exactly that and the whole E-Bow with the vibrato pedal works. Still the only video from both of them that I watched regularly for a dose of inspiration.

[@AchillesWrath1]

I call that the 80's glass tone. I love that tone, reminds me of Prince Purple Rain.

[@chemamehc1]

It's technically called Tri-stereo chorus

[@YaYa-ke1zr]

Yup that Purple Rain Chorus is magical...

[@harrodsongs]

So f*ing pretty.

[@jmclen7]

The chorus sound on Purple Rain was much simpler than this. Non AOR sounds this reminds me of is early King’s X and Whitesnake (depending on your definition of AOR 😉)

[@daanfischer9816]

Its more Dann Huff sound than that on purple rain

[@ejstar8917]

I will NEVER get tired of that tone. It’s so transportive. It just sounds and feels good. Especially when you’re just chillin’ and strumming some chords on a lazy weekend afternoon. Great video R.J.

[@EmilioConesa]

You nailed it! I was a session player in the San Francisco Bay Area in the 80’s and 90’s. I still use these tones on stage with The Whispers.

[@Hamer4114]

Can we just call this what it is: The “John Hughes Movie” Tone

[@tomjulian7226]

played in a cover band and we decided to do an 80's night with my singers students each taking a different song. So I basically had to figure this out on my own...luckily I had all the pedals I needed to get in the ball park. I remember the 1st song was Time after Time by Cyndi Lauper. Then the next one was Don't You Forget About Me....Good stuff! Had a lot of fun learning and playing the songs and the kids really giving it their all for songs way before their time.

[@RJRonquillo]

Hope you guys enjoyed the video! One thing I forgot to mention was how I am able to record this sound in my DAW: I can either record with the all the effects, as I hear it, to a stereo track OR I can record each channel of the mixer to individual tracks (Dry, Tri Stereo Chorus, h3000, reverb, delay) and have more control over when I mix in the DAW.

[@shanebrbich5698]

G’day mate Digging your new format! 👍🇦🇺

[@frankn4skeen]

And a month later, you get a super 80s sound pedal that has it ALL, from our dear friend Robert Keeley. :D Now, all joke aside, I'm sure he's looking for ideas of that kind.

[@DavidDantePhoenix]

Great work. Very thorough. I'm a big fan of the way this was edited, too. Cheers.

[@chrisclermont456]

Hey buddy!! Another great video. I saw an interview with Dann Huff who explained that 80s guitar sound. He said with the invention of the Yamaha DX-7 which appeared around 1983, all music changed to this glassy, overly processed digital sound. Digital keyboards and the Linn drum machine took over pop music. What kept guitars in the mix was chorus and the Stratocaster. The heavily chorused Strat could enhance the digital keyboards and humanize an otherwise sterile sounding production.

[@mdawg1985]

VERY cool video!!

[@mhillaxeman]

The Fixx’s guitarist Jamie West-Oram is one of the best practitioners of this style of squashed stereo-chorused 80s tone…Stand or Fall, Saved By Zero, One Thing Leads to Another…great guitar parts and those songs all stand up today as well as ever!

[@Lance37a]

Great guitar player.

[@kirabarsmith9353]

Sign of Fire is my jam, love the Fixx.

[@danieldevine8588]

West-Oram many years later turned up on the Brian Eno album Nerve Net and played beautifully on the song "Ali Click." You should check it out if you're a fan

[@jch5150]

I've always loved so much of the 80's tones. My favorites being Alex Lifeson, EVH, Jamie West Oram (The Fixx) etc..

[@axisgarret2516]

Thanks for pointing out Jamie West-Oram. He truly deserves more praise, attention and recognition than he has gotten. He is an amazing guitar player. I also love The Edge, for those same reasons. Amazingly distinctive and immediately recognizable sound and style. They actually are under-rated guitar players, in that they helped develop and pioneer that amazing 80's Digital Delay / Heavily Chorused British tone, sound and style that unfortunately, barely caught on and lived beyond the 80's. Guitar players claim they do not try to integrate it because it is such a "dated" sound. Yet, I disagree with that assertion. I play some guitar. And, playing with / against a delay and heavily chorused guitar effect is actually somewhat difficult and takes time to learn and get used to playing. It requires exceptional skill and talent to take those extra steps in playing / sound creation. I would argue it is not so "dated" as it is a challenge for too many guitarists to tackle. Between Synthesizers, Pop Music and Guitar Sounds / style, the 80's was a most amazing decade. It was a culmination of so many great things coming from the 1950's - 1970's in Rock and Roll / Music and Sound Engineering / Recording. It was almost a climax or apex from those preceding decades. We got the best of the best. Most everything seems to be on decline from that decade, or trying to copy things from that decade, which often fails miserably in its attempt. But, no doubt, some of the best and most influential guitar players came from that era (mid to late 70's - 80's). Clapton and Hendrix were also great, for example. But, they are who were primary influences on these great guitar players you mention / are referring too, for example.

[@Aaron-zh4kj]

@@axisgarret2516 A hidden gem of a unique guitarist of the 80's: Geordie Walker from Killing Joke. They've gone through a crazy variety of phases and sounds through their career as a band, but for sake of our conversation, their stuff from the latter half of the 80's shows it greatly (Night Time, Brighter than a Thousand Suns, etc.). Actually, Geordie kept a lot of those sounds from the 80's, like the stereo modulation and delays, then tweaked and changed it to fit newer music later on, even when they got into heavier metal and alternative, but it doesn't sound out of place or dated in the slightest!

[@MiddleMalcolm]

Jamie West Oram is hugely underrated, and one of his signatures is that perfect chorus sound, in his version of this "tone".

[@AvvieLanche]

Jamie West Oram is in my too five faves of all time. Compression + FLANGER. Not chorus; FLANGER. I use this sound myself quite a lot.

[@maximilianodelrio]

Alex lifeson is the king of the chorus pedal, so many great tones

[@terroman1000]

I just watched Mason interviewing Dann Huff and then your video popped up. Great video R.J.

[@hrosemd]

Robert Plant with Robbie Blunt on Big Log. Ultimate 80's clean tone for me.

[@narvul]

Probably totally brewed by the studio techs.

[@ScottSudbury]

I met , hung out with and jammed with Robbie , he told me that was his strat with EMGs into a Boss Ce 2 chorus into two old fender supers (for stereo ) and used the spring reverb from the amps . Super nice guy

[@hrosemd]

@@ScottSudbury Wow. That's awesome.

[@Hoagiemon]

One of my favorite tones. That song pops into my head every couple days for no reason other than it’s killer.

[@chrisclermont456]

Exactly!!

[@brettmarlar4154]

Alex Lifeson was the one that truly made me love that tone, though it was Prince who first planted the seed on Purple Rain. Of course a Dimension C will also get you in the ballpark as well. You forgot to mention the active EMG's. That guitar you're using appears to be equipped with them, and will also be a factor in the tone.

[@Remu-]

I didn't know they used active pickups in this type of music. A normal Strat with the middle and bridge pickup together is really really close to the sound as well in my opinion. The most 80's tone in my book.

[@brettmarlar4154]

@@Remu- Yeah in the Signature guitars he played they were loaded with EMG's, if I'm not mistaken. That's the only way, he felt, he could cut through the dense Keyboard mix.

[@JJDon5150]

​@@brettmarlar4154Steve Lukather's guitars in the 80s also had active single and bridge pickups.

[@shaft9000]

Yeah, Alex's "Mystic Rhythms" guitar timbre has _them airy jangles_ like no other, except perhaps some Phil Manzenera stuff came close to that. Vini Reilly of _The Duritti Column_ was another god of '80s clean/vintage-y chorus timbre, well before the shoegazers hit.

[@jasondorsey7110]

Clean tones are underrated.

[@1thess523]

There's a genre in the punk family called Math Rock that's all pretty much clean tones and Telecasters

[@stinky_nut_blast]

And missing from most modern hard rock and metal records.

[@chrisclermont456]

On a session once, the great drummer John JR Robinson told me he started showing up to sessions and they would want some drum sound from some other record he had played on. It became frustrating. Obviously the miking and engineering of the basic tracks which may or may not be mixed by the same engineer would make that request almost impossible to achieve. So when the Dynachord sampler showed up in the 80s, he got 2 of them and sampled every drum sound from a few of his popular original sessions. He would show up to sessions with the Dynachords and a huge case full of snares. If he were asked for let's say that Steve Winwood 'Higher Love' sound, he would pretend to choose a particular snare, let the engineer mic it, then send the signal from the Dynachord he was triggering. He said they almost always ended up using the sample!!

[@70ragtop]

AOR was not corporate rock. It was deep cuts, full length tracks, the antithesis of 80s top 40 which is what you're referencing here. Love the channel, Keep it up!

[@BoltRM]

Songs that were considered either too long or not commercial enough for the general public.

[@DannyKavka]

AOR was corporate rock, but with album cuts approved in addition to singles for airplay. It gave illusion of more freedom but it was still tightly controlled by playlists via the station conglomerates.

[@skyhorseprice6591]

Album Oriented Rock.

[@xp50player]

Adult Oriented Rock. That 80’s stuff had nothing to do with album deep cuts.

[@BillLaBrie]

Come to think of it, aor was a misnomer. The bands dismissed as AOR usually weren’t on those stations. Deep cuts of Journey and Foreigner didn’t show up…

[@Alex_Martz]

Nailed it perfectly!, another BIG factor contributing to that ultra-clean tone is the use of EMG active pickups like the ones you used in the video but didn't mentioned, the set of 89/SA/SA was as classic as the effects used too!

[@iwillnevergetone5]

wholetime, the PYT guitar tone is perfection. always has been, always will be. hate begone

[@jejd9092]

Mj for life

[@DanGibson]

Robert Cray’s “Right Next Door” has a good example of this 80s tone during the 80s blues revival.

[@curtislynch8189]

Ah. The “Don’t Dream It’s Over” guitar tone.

[@MajorUpgrade]

...There is freedom within...

[@MusicTherapyLaz]

@@MajorUpgrade Try to catch the damage on a paper cup... what a line! Thank you Tim Finn! 😎🎸🎹🤘🐦

[@hrosemd]

@@MusicTherapyLaz I always thought it was "try to catch the deluge in a paper cup".

[@kurtisr2339]

@@hrosemd It is indeed! Written by Neil Finn--in a genuinely crowded house, of all places--recollecting Lennon/McCartney's Across the Universe line, "Like endless rain into a paper cup," as Finn tells it. ^5

[@kurtisr2339]

"Don't Dream It's Over" is definitely emblematic of the 80s, but for me it's one of the few that transcends. Maybe because it leans harder into this vibe than most? Verges on an almost Brian Setzer kind of thing, rather than the more sparkly, hyper-processed RIchard Marx area. (Is "Richard Marxist" a thing?)

[@newtondelmar4416]

My fave 80's guy is DEF Andy Summers (Police!!!)...guy had fabulous chords and phrasing...he didn't use a ton of dirty tones...just loved his chorus/flanger/reverb all at once ...killer player IMO.

[@hubriswonk]

Andy's chord choices really made his parts stand out and fitted so nicely with Stings bass parts.

[@xebio6]

I was about to write that Andy started all this in the late 70s

[@donewithmodernlife]

* Tim Pierce has entered the chat He even played on Don’t Dream It’s Over

[@miketmcquinn]

Why not use a daw where you can have more aux channels?

[@miketmcquinn]

Lol! Stop fiddling with your computers everybody! That won't make you no better!

[@miketmcquinn]

Computers don't have knobs

[@donewithmodernlife]

@@BeefNEggs057 because at some point a lot of folks (myself included) want to document songs we’ve written & let others hear them. For that you have to record them & learning to use a DAW & record is just as important as learning to play. When people hear my music I want the playing & the production to be the best they can be. Chill out grandpa.

[@BeefNEggs057]

@@miketmcquinn You’re a knob

[@duxgarnifex3678]

As a kid, I heard this sound from a Roland Jazz Chorus 120. There was that multi-chorus pedal that needed a bit more compression to get that punchy sound Lukather had. Nice. Thanks for this great video.

[@hecticsceptic592]

I love 80's tone. I love chorus effects. This is one your best videos so far. David Gilmour sounded awesome in the 1980's "Delicate Sound Of Thunder" era. I would love to hear what it sounds like if you add some univibe into your "rack" mix. Please do more videos like this one.

[@MrTom-Songwriter-Composer]

Yep, the Stereo Chorus was and still is the big part of 80's New Wave (or Retro wave/ Synth Wave as people call it). Not only for guitars, back in the day we used to put synths through external Stereo Chorus pedals or rack fx with pretty awesome results. I write and record commercially licensed music as a composer (under performance rights organization, BMI, Inc) and if I am writing in any 80's New Wave / pop genres, I use a Fender Telecaster and Stereo Chorus Fx all the time. I also recommend the Flanger Pedal Fx (Listen to some of the band: "The Cure" albums from the 80s, their sound is all around Flanger Fx) Also Phase / Phasor pedal if you want late 70's/early 80's Funk / Pop / New Wave sounds. Have a great weekend.. stay safe out there.

Thanks for this breakdown! What type of gear would you recommend nowadays, in order to get a sound like RIchard Marx, Steve Lukather, Dan Huff, Etc ...

[@ulfdanielsen6009]

Best two versions of the 80s guitar tone: Clean: Bryan Adams: Run To You Crunch/ Hi-gain: Chriss Oliva-Savatage: Hall Of The Mountain King Both instantly recognizable and glorious.

[@jimbeaux4988]

Yeah, Run To You is a very special example of that sound.

[@ralphyulo3175]

You have discerning ear ! You nailed it .

[@5roundsrapid263]

The intro to Journey’s “Stone in Love” is another incredible clean tone.

[@_itseskay]

my favorite hi-gain is Corrado Rustici’s guitar solo on Whitney Houston - So Emotional. that is the most/the best 80’s hi-gain in my opinion!

[@teddydavis3504]

When Brian Adams solos the rhythm guitar part at the end, it sounds incredible. It’s the only time that four chords with a clean tone makes you want to drive faster.

[@musicartguy1]

sounds like Ty Tabor to me. The greatest 80s clean tones: Jamie West Oram of the Fixx, and Robbie Blunt off the first two Robert Plant albums. And of course: Andy Summers.

[@lotharroberts5978]

Yep!

[@m0j0b0ne]

Robbie Blunt had Stratocaster 002 direct into the board.

[@sl3102]

I was just about to say the same thing about Ty.

[@itchyvinyl]

Yeah, the dude from the Fixx had a cool Strattastic style. Tabor is a King.

[@TeleCustom72]

It’s like Purple Rain - cool AF

[@gintonic003]

I was totally fascinated in the 80's with the guitar sound of the pop music as I was learning guitar. The first pedal I ever bought was a Boss Chorus, that was to mimic Madonna's Open Your Heart. Good job RJ.

[@DavidDiMuzio]

Dude, how could you ever have not liked the guitar tone intro for Endless Summer Nights..🤘😍🤘

[@SignificanceOfThePassageOfTime]

“Oooooooohh, I remember.” 🎤 😉

[@philgowan6298]

As a forty something year old....... Killer sound.

[@themadmattster9647]

I think (same age group as R.J.) that we kind of ignore stuff that's all over the place and ubiquitous growing up. Early on as a metalhead, all that stuff was "gay" (not saying that in a modern context, just what we used to say back then and I wouldn't use the term today) and lame and "poser". But being a musician and getting into more and more stuff, sometimes we go back and listen to this stuff and hear/see more things than we used to. I've been rocking Foreigner, some Journey, Dare, Fortune, Alien, Styx, and all sorts of stuff I didn't used to like lately (well Liked Styx for quite longer but the rest no). I just can't get enough of that atmosphere and the keyboards and all that. The wussy love lyrics are a blessing and a curse though, since sometimes if I'm dating someone they're ok but otherwise eww lol

[@4GuitarTrance]

Angelia!

[@brianstewart23]

I'm a sax guy. Endless Summer Nights is my jam.

[@chriswaldrop5641]

I have to give solid props to this man for having an 80's Mark Gonzales skateboard hanging on his wall. Well done sir. You are clearly a man of astute taste and demonstrating you are winning at life.

[@rikshredder]

I absolutely love that 80s clean tone as well as the crunch tones. And how bout the solo tones?! Anything by Huff, Luke, Landau. Those Richard Marx albums had those tones everywhere. Great tunes imo. I love it.

[@stinky_nut_blast]

Tim Pierce on Rick Springfield albums.

[@bobjoe7508]

Dann Huff mainly used an SPX-90 (pitch change c) for solo tones. He usually didn’t use too much delay or chorus for solos unlike with cleans. It was mainly micro pitch detune and insane playing!

[@jwhitty14]

It's the guitar plugged into a rack mount Scholz Rockman. Lazy engineer's set up turned into an iconic tone. Absolutely love that tone.

[@Aaron-zh4kj]

Crazy, those rockman units are what Def Leppard used for all guitar tracks on the Hysteria album. I really want a company to come along and make a hardware clone of the old Rockmans (the new ones are a joke, don't sound good, and are beyond noisy).

[@shaft9000]

Also the ART SGX and SGE rack units had a (cheap) sound like that, which could not be gotten away _from._ Though at the time being all I could afford to 'splurge' on, it ended up feeling like more of a prison than a destination, heh.

[@christopherdorsch8623]

The 80s was truly the last decade of variety and now so much of the kids today are become obsessed with that sound. TOTO'S I'll be over you is the record that sticks out for me so I am happy you mentioned Steve Lukather.

[@gbaren]

Lukes best recorded solo tone ever IMO

[@burntvirtue]

Nah the 90's had a TON of variety.

[@DMDvideo10]

SL played on a ton of 80's hits and songs. He also played on and co-wrote Talk to you later by the Tubes.

[@StephenGibb1]

When I was a kid (back in the ‘80’s) this was just known as the “clean tone” 😂 But I’ve never hated it. I was very fortunate that I got to sit on the control room floor and watch some of the masters of that era (Steve Farris, George Terry, Reb Beach, Tim Cansfield, Alan Kendall, Midge Ure, Eric Clapton, etc.). I have to pinch myself when I think back to those days...Your analysis and reproduction of this tone is excellent bro ! Keep it up R.J. 👍🏻👍🏻 🙏🏻

[@kristopherguilbault5428]

Clapton?!?! :O

[@tonechaser]

I saw Toto back in the 80's, Luke was on fire. I remember he had Mesa Boogie's and a rack so enormous it had it's own spot light !! I think they introduced it at the end of the show ha ha ha. This was before he played his Music Man's. He was playing his Valley Arts guitars. I remember i wanted that tone so bad but couldn't afford it.

[@lukather1]

Best sound he ever had ! Saw him 3 times just sounds dull now ! Great player bring. Back the rack !

[@michaeltaylors2456]

You weren’t the only one.

[@gratefulape12]

He remains an exquisite player, but I wish he'd go back to the EMG pickups

[@Dmunson3]

I made my living with that tone in the 80s. I still have most of the gear left. Thanks for the inspiration.

[@BrianKupferschmid]

Man, I’m glad it wasn’t just me who went through this. I hated that sound, now, it’s the mainstay of my clean tone. Back then, I was obsessed with Nuno Bettencourt’s tone and Ty Tabor’s tone. Now, I’m using a lot less gain and more of a retro tone.

[@MajorUpgrade]

King's X? Yes please!

[@Aaron-zh4kj]

Oddly enough, though, some of the stuff our friend was planning here reminded me of Ty Tabor's clean sound in tracks like "Summerland". But I hear what you're saying (you're talking about his dirty guitar sound).

[@christiantrebour1319]

I absolutely agree. I never really cared for this tone in the 80’s. I was always into the hard stuff

[@californiamusic]

Spot on.. any guitar player in the 80's who listened to luke/Landau wanted this sound - great deep dive into their gear

[@Lance37a]

Lukather played on so many songs back then, Olivia Newton John's Physical comes to mind

[@Sandman60077]

I thought AOR stood for Adult Oriented Rock, cuz it was the type of music your parents listened to.

[@j.reveille6815]

It does

[@emjs1574]

It does

[@DannyGadish]

🤦‍♂️ ALBUM oriented rock

[@ortanchibiri]

It does, or so I've heard since I was a kid and started reading music magazines.

[@DannyGadish]

@@ortanchibiri Album

[@zoomzoom3950]

One of my favorite guitarists, and guitar tones, is Johnny Marr. All you need is a Boss GT-100; Marr even used one for a few years (search for the video), and he may still be using it. I can also get Cure tones with my GT-100; another one of my favorites for guitar tones. The GT-100 can do more than 80's tones, but it does the '80s tones very well. IMO. I was there in the 80s, and had a refrigerator rack built around my ADA rig.

[@eskemeldgaardkrogh4145]

Like you, I'm in my mid '40s and am catching up with all the great music that I missed in my youth... because it was dad rock-y. I'm now knee deep in Toto, Mr. Mister, Journey, Chicago, Pages and all that good stuff. I too used to HATE that sound... but I'm now running a compressor, stereo chorus and circular delay (all analog BTW) and I'm LOVIN' IT! I haven't gone W/D/W (yet), but stereo is a wonderful thing... and I will probably break my all-analog ethos soon - as I need a good hall reverb ;)

[@chrisclermont456]

A few British guitarists helped popularize what became the 80s sound: Robbie Blunt, Andy Summers, Jamie West Oram, James Honeyman Scott, Andy Taylor, and Mark Knopfler were all tonal game changers!!

[@mikaelsjoberg1894]

Really good comment

[@richf6111]

chris clermont Don’t forget the brilliant Steve Rothery from Marillion. 👍🎸

[@neoschenker]

Andy Taylor used an Eventide. Still does based on a pedal board photo he shared a few months ago. Totally agree on JWO - fantastic tone.

[@lightningstrikes7314]

Don't forget Alan Murphy!

[@philipatoz]

RJ, I think one thing that widely drove this '80s guitar sound to be widely used in studios, A) those chorus-type effects were relatively new and brought an interesting spatial dimension (IF used properly), and B) they were clean-sounding and easy to mix and blend - so engineers loved them. But while someone like Andy Summers was a genius at using them, others just made cheesy songs with them.

[@chefallen520]

Mike Landau -Steve Lukather-Dan Huff-Steve Lynch.. The processing was just part of it..The players were and still are amazing..

[@blackiejames1843]

Not to mention you need a Strat style switched to the 2 or 4 position to get this as that is a huge part of that sound.

[@hubriswonk]

I never really cared for it in the 80's or any time until I was hanging out in the studio and the engineer and a guitar player were working out this sound with vintage gear and I instantly had an appreciation for it. They tried to get the same sound with plugins but had no soul.

[@robsternicol4499]

Do you know the name of the second song he’s using as an example in the vid?

[@robsternicol4499]

@@razorcola5434 ye plug-ins can sound soulless

[@rylieriley]

My feeling towards that tone is that it's another tool in the toolbox. If it fits within a song then it's useful. At least I think that's how I feel about it. 😄 You did an excellent job getting the tone. It sounds amazing!

[@tomcoryell]

Rylie Rainbow This!

[@halsinden]

odd, this is honestly the first time i've heard it referred to as 'ALBUM-oriented rock'. even back at the time i remember people referring to it as 'adult-oriented rock'. as 80s kids, it makes sense that it resonates with us now.

[@marcogman8905]

I feel that that sound was heard in new wave as well - the Police, the Damned, someone already mentioned Crowded House. I love that tone, but never figured out how to achieve it other than it revolved around the 2 or 4 positions on a strat (also previously mentioned). Great video. Just recently subscribed. Not regretting it at all. Looking forward to more of these types of videos. It's like a detective series - solving that tone. Take care and God bless.

[@alsacrime4806]

Exactly, 2 or 4 position, clean, compressed, chorused, touch of digital reverb and delay.

[@BTsMusicChannel]

I learned how to make this sound from Jamie West-Oram of the Fixx and Andy Summers of the Police back in the day. The stompbox formula you need is a cranked compressor, a modulation effect, and a delay. I tend to use am mxr custom compressor + hartman flanger (rather than chorus) to make it because it is a vintage electro mistress clone, which is what Andy Summers used. I skip the EQ and all the bullshit. Three stompboxes is all you need to do it on stage: a good compressor, flanger (or chorus), and delay.

[@themadmattster9647]

The Police actually helped invent that sound. Rush listened to the Police and Lifeson wanted to ape it, so he started to culminating in his usage of the famous/infamous Gallien Krueger 250ml amp.

[@geraldfriend256]

@@alsacrime4806 all that yep

[@kristopherguilbault5428]

What about INXS? nobody has mentioned them yet!

[@BurkeBurnett]

I love the crisp, compressed chorus-y guitar tone. IMO, Jamie West-Oram hit the pinnacle of it, though there are a great many others who used (and use) it so well. I loved it then, love it now, and never stopped loving it. Thanks, RJ for this explanation of how you set up your DAW rig - it sounds pretty spot on to me.

[@thejship]

Every time he hits that B chord, my ears are anticipating Goldilox.

[@MrWilander88]

Eric Johnson has one of the sweetest clean tones

[@richf6111]

That was brilliant R.J 🎸👍 Made me want to watch my old Steve Lukather Starlicks video where he explains his stereo rig from the 80’s where he talks about putting ‘Grease’ on his guitar tone !

[@RJRonquillo]

Hell yeah! You might enjoy this then...kzbin.info/www/bejne/bnrMdX-XpNmAqa8

[@richf6111]

R.J. Ronquillo 🤣 Hey ..thanks R.J ..that’s great, thanks for the link, just watched it....you obviously know all about the ‘grease’ 👊🎸 Just found your channel. I love old 80’s rack stuff. I have a system in my studio I put together for nostalgic reasons. I have a Marshall JMP 1 for overdrive , distortion, preamp stuff. The warmth is great and it has some mojo when you need to take a break from the DAW plugins. Anyway, thank you for your channel. I’ve subscribed and will be following from across the pond. All the best buddy. Keep up your great content. Rich United Kingdom 🇬🇧🎸👌

[@gregorywall7586]

Dann Huff is watching you....

[@Mark_B585]

Shut up

[@soundzofnoize8603]

good to see and hear you have matured, in musical outlooks and tastes. The 80's were the best times for all things guitar!

[@seanemmettfullerton]

Thanks RJ. I never get tired of hearing Michael Thompson's clean strat sound. Glad that he chimed in below! That glassy shimmering strat tone works well when blending acoustic guitars, pianos, violins etc... it's a classic sound for quality rock, pop and ballads.

[@portlavacaboy]

Ty Tabor from King's X used this sound a few times on their early albums.

[@lucasdelay89]

Summerlaaaaaaaaaaaaannnd

[@LintBisquick]

Yes, He danced around the Summerland chord progression a few times!

[@joint2joint2k]

I think Ty used a bit more dirt, but certainly had that 80s chime.

[@bernardogui3933]

in my humble opinion, the first one was Andy Summers with comp and phaser/chorus pedal and a digital rack delay. Then, Allan Murphy with diferents rack units.

[@mattt8861]

Don't dream it's over, Purple Rain. That's what i think of when i hear that tone. Classics.

[@rodrigozamo]

Purple Rain was a little different. It was the Roland Dimension D, sound that you can find nowadays in the Boss Dimension C pedal and now Waza version of it. It is it's own thing, yes it has he same sort of post processing going on but this effect was a chorus but with a weird phasing thing going on at the same time.

[@NotMarkKnopfler]

You can get that 80s chorus sound in 10 seconds with the Arion SCH-1 stereo chorus pedal from the 80s. Try it. It's fabulous. Add a delay and there you go. Two floor pedals. Been doing it since 1988 👍. Great video with some lovely tones.

[@geraldfriend256]

Ha! Just suggested that pedal to someone.

[@craig9802]

Maybe a little Purple Rain in there too, man. Not exactly, but a starting point. As a guy who once rode around in a Camaro Berlinetta with his best friend and a couple of girls with a shitload of hairspray, this brought back a lot of memories. ;D

[@kellyjackson7889]

You probably used more hair spray than the girls...

[@royweissman5295]

Definitely Purple Rain intro except not much compression on it. His recordings always sounded like demos

[@Havanacuba1985]

Absolutely loved this video, will definitely watch again . Big fan of Graydon, lukather,Landau ,Jackson Jr etc loved also the direct sound you did like Michael Thompson . Fantastic

[@liquidSpin]

Ain't nothing wrong with liking Richard Marx's music. Yeah, definitely soft pop rock style but as a kid growing up listening to mostly hard rock/metal/grunge Richard Marx was kinda my secret guilty pleasure music.

[@mikemooney1757]

Richard Marx is a badass. Wrote and sung all his songs and has written songs for big stars for years. He only left the music scene once he had kids so he just wrote music for artists.

[@BobbyLaneProductions]

good job at creating this iconic sound.. I've chased it for many years.. recently I added the Vertex Nyle to my rig.. and it's helped immensely.

[@JensLarsen]

I don't know why I missed this video. It is a great breakdown of a tone that I really don't like, but I enjoyed the video :)

[@wakjob961]

God... I loved that 80's clean Comp./wide stereo Chorus sound. Chasing it for years. Nice work man! Boogie preamp (clean) DBX160x compressor Dytronics CS-5 Chorus Eventide H3000 pitch detune Lexicon PCM "circular delays" & Reverbs Kristian Larsen and Ethan Brosh are some folks that are in to it today.

[@raybergstrom]

Fantastic, fascinating explanation. Thank you! I started writing 80's-influenced music this year and this is super helpful. I already have a Rockman X100 and an ADA MP-1, so this will be another great tool in my tone toolkit.

[@Aaron-zh4kj]

You lucky dog (or maybe intelligent or wise is the right word)... the old Rockman's are awesome! I just wish a company would make an affordable hardware clone of them sooner than later. The new rockman's are unbelievably noisy and don't sound good.

[@dunki-dunki-dawg]

Try using the ADA for lead solo tones. Basically run the chorus effect however set everything flat or as close to zero as possible. It turns the tone into that ''Liquid'' sound. 'Is This Love' solo is what I am talking about. It almost sounds like a doubler but in the same octave. For the neck PU sound it is wonderful and highly addictive.

[@ToneGuy007]

Great info!... I was re-creating this sound back in the 80s live with a Roland JC-120, Boss CS-3, and various delays and reverbs in the loop.

[@juanfichtl2011]

Get a Tom Scholz Rockman! Those things are pretty much that 80s sound in a box

[@maxmustardman298]

Only if you rock man😆

[@devinthierault]

Well...what do you know

[@devinthierault]

I loved his Rockman vid

[@tonymerritt7141]

Boston in a box.

[@AndiKravljaca]

I'd love a VST plugin of that.

[@gavinmacfarlane7044]

Great story RJ, I feel the same way about those 80s tones EXACTLY... so weird hearing you describe it.

[@korhansoydan]

When you discover the beauties of the 80s, you can never stop digging more.

[@eaglechildkeys]

That’s the tone of the pure heavenly AOR ❤️👌✨very underrated style IMO

[@ollilehtonen2762]

That sure is! I really prefer that to metal or hard rock. Depending on the mood. Personally, I have made a lot of effort re-create the 80s guitar sound because it is the very esseence 80s.

[@jackpasternak7586]

eric johnson’s clean tone can sometimes sound pretty similar to this, songs like victory, trademark, s. r. v.

[@lieutenantdan2217]

+1☝️

[@DF-ve6wm]

@@lieutenantdan2217 you realize EJ came up with and played with Christopher Cross so he is likely an unsung pioneer of that sound!

[@freemanchrisx]

Dude. How TF you hate THAT tone? smdh You didn't enjoy the 80's did you? I'm GEN-X to the bone and I enjoyed all of it. ALL. OF. iT. I had friends that were into one clique or trend or another, but I loved everything about growing up in 80's pop culture. Thank GOD for KZbin, tho, it gives everyone, even those of us like you that grew up in the 80's the chance to relive it at a click.

[@SpookieVonDookie]

Back in the 80 and early 90s I think they called it ‘adult contemporary’ in my area

[@greacen]

WOW - that volume pedal swell sent me RIGHT back. It's those little details that make the difference. Thank you!

[@automatics1im]

You’re speaking my language. It’s not just the over processing per se (😏) but the bridge/middle position on a strat. Don’t know why but that quack sound drives me up the wall. An unpopular opinion, but the only guys who can pull it off are Alex Chilton, Robert Cray, and soukos musicians. It’s apparent why grunge was the cultural answer to the 80s.

[@lueysixty-six7300]

'per se' , brother 😉

[@automatics1im]

Luey Sixty-six thanks for that catch.

[@TheGlassasylum]

I actually chased this tone along time ago with the Boss pedals. Digital Delay, Stereo Chorus, EVH Phase 90 & Volume Pedal. No EQ or Compressor. Two Combo Amps, wet is a Guitar Amp & dry is a Bass Amp. As an amateur, I'm happy.

[@xeroblade012]

Loved that tone, and at the same time, I would ALWAYS hear that in every cover band here in the Philippines. It's like a default patch that we have here. :D Some of the songs I use this tone for: Another Day - Dream Theater All This Time - Tiffany Never Say Goodbye - Bon Jovi

[@jayallen6049]

RJ! I realize this is an older video. You hit me in the feels! I'm from the 80s, and always will be, and this is amazing. I play guitar, and this is the sound I've chased my whole life, without realizing it. Thank you so much. Rock On.

[@6StringStories]

Up next: RJ teaches 80s AOR Guitar Licks, Tips, and Tricks

[@khanfu7582]

Nailed it! Freakin awesome...Im an 80's teenager and was never a huge fan of 80's pop. However, there were several bands that we did covers of that had this tone - The Fixx, Wang Chung, Prince, etc. Love how you recreated it man! UA needs to make an RJ 80's template for this DAW!!

[@boctok55]

We called it flaccid rock.

[@GDawg2K2]

As an 80s engineer & player let me just add a couple pieces of rack gear in heavy use. One was called a Panscan it offered a ton of panning options from auto sweep to triggered to envelop control. My no1 gtr effects unit was a TC Electronics 2290 Delay that offered massive stereo fx! All Lexicon reverbs/processors were good. 224, 224x, 480xl, PCM70, ... and the two AMS units were expensive MUST HAVES! DMX DELAY SAMPLER & RMX REVERB.

[@jimbeaux4988]

Ha ha, I played in the 80's and you HAD to have that. Then in the 90s I needed it in country. I use rack effects but I cant quite get the same thing with plug-ins. I think what I get in the DAW is much more subtle and I frankly like it more because it does NOT sound like the 80s. EDIT: You nailed it!

[@petemoore8923]

This explains a certain guitar sound I’ve heard in arena applications. I am not a touring musician but I know good tone. I worked for a session guitarist in the 80’s that was also an amp and guitar tech. He taught me about good tone.The arena sound/tone Ive heard was beautiful but not natural to a single stand alone amp. I knew I could replicate this sound but wasn’t quite sure until I saw this video. Thank you!

[@sonjaadamson1714]

Alex Lifeson's tone on the Presto album is probably my favourite version. He makes his almost sound like an acoustic guitar.

[@hubriswonk]

WOW! I thought I was the only person on the planet that thinks his sound is amazing on this album. I am not a Rush fan at all, but this record is amazing and full of awesome details most miss.

[@dossman6]

Omg you nailed it. Its so glassy, Petrucci gets it on early DT as well. The Fixx and Lifeson really captured this

[@dave3805]

As a Rush fan, I have a hard time with the overall albums thinness of sound. Very much a product of the late 80’s

[@bradleyconrad678]

Great video. I love the attention to detail. But... the very first thing you should have mentioned - the first - is to use the “out of phase” bridge and middle pickup settings on a Strat. Once you do this 3/4 of the sound is there. Ad some stereo chorus and reverb and doodly doot. The rest is just window dressing for this particular sound.

[@greacen]

Exactly - I got goosebumps from what RJ played (especially that volume pedal twist - wow) but I think Strat pickup positions 2 & 4 would have taken it into the stratosphere

[@esqinanda]

also Whitesnake’s Is This Love, Looking for Love has insane Choruses guitar tone too!

[@gbaren]

Landau played on that track :)

[@themadmattster9647]

@@gbaren nope, just John Sykes. Mainly a Mesa Mark III Colliseum head. Has a great clean tone.

[@ronp7762]

Love the video, very interesting and fun! A quibble -- AOR wasn't originally the Richard Marx type stuff. It really was album-oriented, by which they meant the deep-cut FM stations of the 70s that would play stuff like Yes' Heart of the Sunrise, the full cut of 2112, or side I of Thick as a Brick -- that kinda thing. Listening to the local AOR station when I was a kid got me into a lot of interesting stuff a lot earlier than I otherwise would have.

[@dciccoritti]

I get where you're coming from because much of the 80's music turned me off with that 'sound'. Truthfully it's a cool tone that was just simply overused.

[@NewFalconerRecords]

Yes, I think the word "overused" is the key. Just like that gated snare drum from the same era. A fantastic effect, but it ended up being the ONLY snare drum sound for years.

[@stricknine8623]

Every "era" of music comes with its signature sounds. It wasn't "overused" when it was the new happening and popular thing... It only became overused when you and/or the majority grew tired of it.

[@NewFalconerRecords]

@@stricknine8623 True, and obviously people thought it was super-cool to begin with, otherwise they wouldn't have bothered to emulate it. But eventually it reaches saturation point. A bit like that distorted megaphone vocal effect that was often used in the middle section of rock songs in the late 90's-early 00's. That ended up getting sooo old.

[@l.scottnielsen2482]

Such an iconic sound, you did really well with it. I have grown to appreciate the 80's sound as I have aged and through session guitar players like Lukather and Tim Pierce. Awesome job!

[@PsyloRide]

Try "Soda Stereo" (band) sound. I guess 80's spread over the world

[@arnulfoparra9498]

Sodastereo for life !

[@HerschelRiffs]

haha, this is my ideal clean tone so I'm happy you came around to it! Great video as usual!

[@craigcoughlin1834]

I completely identify with this. Having grown up in the same era, I discounted this 'sound' for not having any 'balls'. I think you have to look at post punk for the origins of this sound at the beginning of the 80's. These players were rejecting everything that came before them - blues based soloing, distortion, punk barre chords, machismo - and trying to define a new direction. For me, Johnny Marr epitomizes this. Worth a watch to start you down the rabbit hole. kzbin.info/www/bejne/gYjbl5icYpJ1jMk

[@adamsrober]

Great Video!! not a huge fan of 80's tone, but you may have temped me to play with it!! Also, this is a great demonstration on how you can use UA Apollo for guitar!! thanks again

[@mos6507]

Sounds like Cyndi Lauper Time after Time.

[@studiomonster2012]

Man, one of you’re best vids. Thanks for you’re input into creating the best ear candy sound ever. Still gets me when I hear that lush sound. No one did it better than Landau. Huff a close second and then Thompson. That’s the holy trinity of the studio sound. You nailed it. Pickups had everything to do with the sound as well. But that’s a completely different video. Thanks man for all you do.

[@gbaren]

Great players, all three!

[@amadorbautistajr591]

can we go back in the 80's?😔😔I miss the sound of 80's..

[@jsantos1104]

Same boat here RJ, I always felt the same. We seem to be about the same age and my musical taste continues to grow. Good topic and nice discussion. Thanks for the video.