JAN HAMMER - CROCKETTS THEME EXTENDED - Remake with VST replicas of the original synths he used

[@JayDeetrix]

If there was one song dear to me that encompassed the 80s culture, feel and the musical synths of that era...its this one. This song to me is the "take me back to the 80s" song. Beautifully played.👌

[@jonsheltmire]

Thanks! Yeah, creating a new sound is already a major accomplishment, but his sound defined an era for a lot of people.

[@singularity1976]

I couldn't agree more! This is what I wanted to write!

[@n4mro]

Can I just say, as someone who has heard the original more times than I can remember, this version hits all the right spots and more. To me, this version sounds way more punchier than the original in the best possible way - it feels familiar, but yet ever so slightly different enough to make it feel super refreshing. Bravo! 💜

[@jonsheltmire]

That’s a Huge compliment - thank you so much!!

[@georgeerhard1949]

Daaamn, you hit this one out of the park. I find it hard to tell the diff between Jan Hammer's original and this version, until you get to the second half.

[@jonsheltmire]

Thank you George! Was it the guitar that was the giveaway in the second half?

[@BassFunMusic]

BRO♥

[@massimoscalierimusic]

Nice version, clean and relaxing

[@jonsheltmire]

Thank you, Massimo!

[@LukasHannover1988]

I love this song so much. It's one of the most calming songs I've ever heard. Thanks,@@jonsheltmire

[@jonsheltmire]

@@LukasHannover1988 thank you for saying so!

[@LukasHannover1988]

You're very welcome,@@jonsheltmire

[@lospolloshermanos1782]

Impresionante 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏 es un cover que suena prácticamente a la original.Hasta el algoritmo de KZbin la reconoció como original.Grandioso trabajo,tiene incluso esa introducción melancolica, espectacular.De entre los 3 mejores covers de esta canción en KZbin un 10.

[@jonsheltmire]

Thank you so much!

[@rabiroden]

This is extremely good. Great work!

[@jonsheltmire]

Thank you!

[@OgamiItto70]

That's a great cover. *_Really_* close to the original. Congratulations. Well done.

[@jonsheltmire]

Thank you! The hardest part was that electric guitar - and it still isn’t exact, but I felt it was close enough that I could quit and move on before I went insane.

[@OgamiItto70]

@@jonsheltmire I feel your pain. I've been trying to get that electric guitar-sounding stuff off and on for years now. It's something I come back to and gnaw on for a while like a dog with an old bone. But I haven't got it yet. For one thing, a lot of it happens during the crescendo, so it's hard to hear clearly and for another I'm trying to do it on electric guitar. It may not even be possible on that instrument. Maybe one day...

[@heroknaderi]

Super duper job creation. Your hard work outing this together. You are a master.

[@jonsheltmire]

Thank you very much!

[@ronanleberre7782]

Congratulations to the musician. Bravo from France !

[@jonsheltmire]

Merci! (sorry I saw this so late)

[@lassebauer]

Absolutely awesome recreation. I've heard the original hundreds of times since I first watched Miami Vice back when it originally aired, and this is as close to the original as you'll get without Jan Hammer's exact setup and mix. Bravo 👍🏼😊

[@jonsheltmire]

Thank you so much! 🙂

[@lassebauer]

@@jonsheltmire You are certainly welcome 😊

[@martinvoicesynthmusic1732]

WOW !!! You are very close to the original ! You even succeeded the "roll" around 2:40. Great work ! Congratulation ! I will do this one myself one day but I doubt it will be as good as your version.

[@jonsheltmire]

Thank you so much!

[@kristianborisov5928]

Great cover again, Jon! Hope to be able soon to upload my version of this as well. And this is so true: "You can’t help but do the involuntary overbite of satisfaction when playing the electric keytar over the final chorus. This music, perhaps more than any other, instantaneously takes me back to middle school and the excitement of the 80s."

[@jonsheltmire]

Thanks so much, Kristian - and thanks for reading the description too! 😊

[@jonsheltmire]

I can’t wait to hear your version too, btw!

[@richardtoplitsky322]

I love the 80s man i wish i could travel back thew time

[@mcx671]

Un gran trabajo. De las más fieles a la original que he escuchado. Yo toco la melodía de una midi file con el preset Koto del Roland d10 y a veces vario con un performance tipo voice aah del xv2020, pero todo a años luz de los resultados tuyos. Enhorabuena

[@jonsheltmire]

Muchas Gracias!

[@VolodymyrBardadym]

Люблю суперову музику!!! Автор за допомогою сучасних синтезаторів створив неймовірний шедевр!!! ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@80ssynthfan48]

You can get a fair approximation of the lead pluck sound on Dexed. It was a great feeling to get to it.

[@cindysheltmire3288]

Terrific work, Jon!!

[@synthof]

Very good work here with all details, deserves way more views and likes but unfair KZbin algorhytm as always, really pisses me off..

[@jonsheltmire]

Thank you! Yeah, I noticed after I reposted “Irlande” that all my views slowed way down. No idea why.

[@morganjarden8461]

way way back my young days as a kid

[@marcopulache5000]

nice version... I remember my childhood

[@jonsheltmire]

Thank you 😊

[@marcopulache5000]

@@jonsheltmire you're welcome friend

[@Owlsrayne]

Best cover I have heard.

[@jonsheltmire]

Thank you so much!

[@LassieFarm]

Very good, I like the snappy brightness 🔅 of this

[@jonsheltmire]

Thank you!

[@stephenericwalsh]

Amazing. Sounds like the real deal.

[@jonsheltmire]

Thank you!!

[@carlosmodegahan4455]

Sounds great!!! Would be helpful for us beginners to watch a detailed video on how to reproduce each of the sounds, including what to tweak on the vst’s, I am trying but am lost. The bass arpeggio did work, I just copied the patch on the video to the vst.

[@jonsheltmire]

I don’t know when I’ll ever get around to posting a walkthrough, but I can tell you that with this particular track, the sounds don’t require much tweaking on the boards themselves, really just external EQ to adjust the tones to taste. That’s the part that takes the most time - and I probably couldn’t duplicate the process if my life depended on it!

[@subaru_mint]

Nailed it!

[@jonsheltmire]

Thanks! 😊

[@baffledanderanged2101]

Fantastically smooth version 👌 😎 ♥️ ❤

[@jonsheltmire]

Thank you so much!

[@baffledanderanged2101]

@@jonsheltmire Keep up the great work 👏 👍 💖

[@Landstrykar]

Awesome work here, this is one of the absolute top recreations of this song that I've heard to date! Could you please shed some light on how you made that NYLONdb1 patch sound so great and full? No matter what I try it keeps sounding so tiny / fragile, it's driving me nuts! :)

[@jonsheltmire]

Thank you so much! What do you use to play that lead nylon sound? I don’t recall having to do much to it for it to sound right… I guess I’d have to hear your version to compare.

[@Landstrykar]

@@jonsheltmire Thanks for the reply! I play the nylon patch with dexed and to me it sounds too bell like. In the original and your version that sound has much more body, it sounds more percussive if that's the right way to describe it. Could be a production issue, but playing the patch as is doesn't give me a satisfactory result.

[@jonsheltmire]

@@Landstrykar ah, I see. Have you tried using the nylon patch on Arturia’s DX-7? I don’t remember whether this nylon sound came with the plug-in presets, but I know you can find free add on DX-7 presets to use with it, which may be where I got it.

[@Callofdutymaster22]

good job

[@jonsheltmire]

Thank you 😊

[@Freef_01]

Love it!!!!

[@jonsheltmire]

Thank you!!

[@docteurgreene]

OMG that's so perfect!

[@jonsheltmire]

Thank you! 😊

[@elotro100]

Is there a free or commercial MIDI File in the Internet for the extended version? I have only found MIDI Files for the short version.

[@jonsheltmire]

I’m not sure - what MIDI files are you looking for?

[@elotro100]

Thank you, in the meantime I have decided that the short version MIDI is ok for me.

[@alexnorton1305]

super job!

[@jonsheltmire]

Thank you!

[@retro-dademusic6403]

Still great! 😎

[@Nates80zCoverz]

Ah yes, the man himself 😎

[@waldmensch2010]

nice cover 🙂

[@jonsheltmire]

Thank you!

[@Czechbound]

Well played ! For me, the sounds are loo light ( not your fault ). I can see why collectors pay big money for the original equipment. For me the driving bass of the original is what gives it its impact. Here, the bass sound is too light ( not talking about its level in the mix ). But you played it very well. Greetings from Prague. CZ

[@jonsheltmire]

Thank you! Yes, I would love to have the space and money for original hardware, but I think with enough soft tools and the knowledge of how to use them, I could eventually get close enough that it would be harder to tell. Still learning!

[@miamivicer]

Scott here from leo’s in como.

[@jonsheltmire]

Hey Scott! Give a listen and let me know what you think!

[@yassineelhadeuf9115]

i love your cover , how did you play the automatic random fast bass ? 2:51 ? when i was 14 i get my first Keyboard , a brand new Roland D20 ( thanks Dad ! ) i made a cover too , a long time ago 1988....Miami Vice was so magical back time ...

[@jonsheltmire]

Thank you! The bass is an arppegiated sound on the Jupiter 8 v and uses the randomized function on the synth - the same way Jan Hammer made the sound.

[@yassineelhadeuf9115]

Thanks for you fast reply !! i click the bellll ! ! @@jonsheltmire 🤩😁👍

[@juangranados9040]

I am trying the same myself and cannot get the distorted guitar effect to work on dx7, rockman, and flanger. I am using the jazz guitar for the base of that guitar but no dice on sound. What and how are getting that sound. Much appreciated if you can help me out

[@juangranados9040]

i just saw your notes on presets. What tweaks did you make to it. Also the virtual rockman devices, are you setting them up like the picture shows?

[@jonsheltmire]

Hey Juan, one of these days I have GOT to start making videos of my process. I'll labor over tweaking these things for days on end and then once it's finally where I think it should be (or I just finally give up), I move on and never look back - usually forgetting exactly what I did. And for this track, I uploaded and deleted a couple of versions before I settled on this one. To answer your question, the picture does not show what settings were used. I took a screenshot of it, but there's no way for me to add it here. I can tell you that I took out the flanger and just had DX-7 (Portasound guitar), then the Rockman, then Valhalla Supermassive Reverb. Let me know if there's a place where I can send you that screengrab. And thank you for listening! @@juangranados9040

[@lz7036]

top

[@jonsheltmire]

Thanks!

[@raphaelleroy9391]

Thank you for the video. I cannot load your presets on the latest version of the Arturia VST. I wish I could but no 😢

[@jonsheltmire]

You’re welcome, and I’m sorry about the presets! I don’t always use the latest version of the synth if I like the previous version better.

[@IvarFritjofHansen]

almost as orginal:) very good done.

[@jonsheltmire]

Thank you!

[@IvarFritjofHansen]

You do a great work on this icon song:)@@jonsheltmire

[@kronosbalmond6472]

This is so awesome man. Clean and very close the real one. Can you do the same for Pet Shop Boys songs like It's a sin, Heart, Domino Dancing, Always on my mind etc.

[@jonsheltmire]

Thank you! I like those other songs too - Hopefully I’ll get around to them at some point before too long. Currently, I’m still working on some more Vangelis tracks.

[@gamesdog9067]

Main Miami Vice theme next?

[@jonsheltmire]

It’s on my list! 😊

[@AWLSynthCraft]

Hey Jon! Amazing! Yes! The lead melody sound sounds much more accurate than mine! so, DX7's "NilonDB"... noted :D. +1 Sub ;)

[@jonsheltmire]

Thank you! Yes - there’s a link in the description to the patches, including NylonDB, and many others!

[@80ssynthfan48]

Also fantastic, just as petty nit-pick the deep bass I think is absent from the first "verse" in the original song, but this is still totally amazing and is in the top 2% of covers that are out there.

[@jonsheltmire]

Thank you! I’ll go back and listen - if you’re right, shame on me for missing that!

[@80ssynthfan48]

@@jonsheltmire not that there is anything wrong with the way it is now.

[@CT666666]

Amazing remake Jon! I wanted to have the exact lead pluck sound so I purchased the DX7 V after reading the description.Unfortunately it seems that it doesnt contain this NYLONdb1 patch... and it's not really showing up on google either, I'd love to hear some tips! Also if you have the saved ''pre-set'' of your custom rolling base for the Jupiter 8V, it would be awesome! Thanks so much in advance

[@jonsheltmire]

Thank you so much! Yeah, I had to search for that lead preset before I found a great source of free presets. But what I’ll do is upload mine to Dropbox and post a link to it - that should save you some time!

[@CT666666]

I appreciate it very much! I'm saving up for the Jno emulators aswell, but especially the bass and lead here I wanted to get my hands on for years! Let me know how to enter the dropbox, again thanks a lot! That Miami Vice vibe is the best @@jonsheltmire

[@jonsheltmire]

@@CT666666 I've posted a link up in the description - let me know if it works for you! I've included presets from three of the Arturia instruments that I used in this track: CMI-V, DX-7V, and the Jupiter 8. For the Jupiter-8, play with the rate knob at the right of the arpeggiator to make that rolling bass do the trills. For the DX-7, the nylon preset is pretty much good to go, but I did add some reverb and used an equalizer to bump up the 3k frequency so it sounds a little more like Jan's.

[@CT666666]

@@jonsheltmire I'm gonna check it out, very cool that you took the trouble! Purchasing the CMI-V might be worth it as well huh...

[@jonsheltmire]

@@CT666666 well, it is if you want to cover Jan Hammer songs-he used the CMI for a lot of things. However, sometimes you can find a good deal on the whole Arturia synth collection, which is a far better deal than buying the synths individually.

[@ALEX-R-62]

Отличная версия.. один в один 😊😊😊

[@jonsheltmire]

Thank you!!

[@pedwaydoc]

Great job! Is it possible to get the memorymoog bass preset? I just can't get it right and it's my favourite sound.

[@jonsheltmire]

Thank you! Yes - I've just added the memorymode bass preset to the dropbox link in the description above. Let me know if it works!

[@pedwaydoc]

@@jonsheltmire Amazing. It worked! Thanks so much

[@jonsheltmire]

Awesome!

[@darklord_ice]

Please make a video with the miami vice theme :)

[@jonsheltmire]

What about Evan's Theme? If I get around to doing another Jan Hammer, I was thinking I'd try that one next.

[@darklord_ice]

@@jonsheltmire would be nice aswell .. or "Finale" from the Secret Admirer soundtrack :) kzbin.info/www/bejne/lXWlqXabZtKGacU

[@electromen7768]

Where can i find the NYLONdb1 preset? I've searched for it everywhere, yet there's nowhere I can find. Please help!

[@jonsheltmire]

Is it in the presets link I posted in the description? If not, let me know and I’ll add it for you.

[@electromen7768]

@@jonsheltmire oh yeah, indeed it is there, sorry I have never seen that the link was there. thank you a lot! and have you ever heard of any way to convert the .dx7x file into the .syx which can be patched into the Dexed synth vst?

[@jonsheltmire]

@@electromen7768you’re welcome! Nate of Nate’s Covers might be able to help you with the sys file - he’s a Dexed guy!

[@kazymarty111]

perfect guitar, better little louder than original, big surprise that this sound comes from dx7

[@jonsheltmire]

Wow, thank you so much! And yes - hard to believe it's just a DX-7. Stroke of genius on Hammer's part for discovering what happens when you run a keyboard through a guitar distortion box.

[@ElioDeAngelis-76-]

amazing!

[@jonsheltmire]

Thank you!!

[@josesvintagekeys]

great job! I also used the Arturia Fairlight in my version. My question: how did you add the music rights part / does YT add this automatically?

[@jonsheltmire]

Thank you! Yes - YT scans for copyright violation and flags it automatically 🤷🏼‍♂️

[@josesvintagekeys]

@@jonsheltmire I got flagged as well; but didnt get that afditional info - maybe it takes some time. Txxs for your quick reply. BTW: you will like the fact that in my comparisson videos between hardware synths and arturia plug ins quite some people cant hear the difference ;-)

[@walterblackledge1137]

I always thought he used a Kawai K1.

[@jonsheltmire]

Interestingly, the K-1 happens to resemble the DX-7, so I can see how one might think he used one! Of course, it’s entirely possible that he did use it for something.

[@walterblackledge1137]

@@jonsheltmire So back in the day, I saw/read something about him using the K1 Crockett's theme. If you have access to one, you will hear that main melody that you referenced as Koto. Its spot on. I can't speak to the rest of the song and Synths.

[@80ssynthfan48]

@@walterblackledge1137 I thought the K1 was released in 1988 after Crockett's Theme? However, Jan did have the Kawai K3m which came out in 1986, though I'm not sure if it was used on Crockett's Theme.

[@walterblackledge1137]

@@80ssynthfan48 you maybe right. Doesn't mean that Jan didn't' have access to prototypes back in the day. Let me do some more research.