Old Skool House Tutorial

[@bourgeoiscaesar1949]

For only $10k and some change, you too can make 30 year old music! Seriously though, really great and informative video, and great track at the end. Very Marshall Jefferson-esque

[@AndrewTSq]

Not now, with Behringers gear :)

[@veisszero]

funny how behringer remade most of these, and they sound great

[@Jaysusitsme]

More like $1,600 max.

[@SSquirrel1976]

Behringer: RD-8 $350 TD-3 $150/each MS-1 $330 Roland: JU-06A $400 Boss: DM-2W Analog Delay Waza Craft $150 (I have an old DM-3 lying around, but lots of delay options) Boss MT-2 Metal Zone $100 (may not need since TD-3 has distortion built in, lots of other distortions available too) Rd-8, 2 TD-3, MS-1, JU-06, both pedals...$1630. Assuming you have a controller laying around or just use the MS-1 keyboard to program the chords on the JU. Also entirely likely to find things used cheaper.

[@SSquirrel1976]

@@definitelynotafox6262 That's rough.

[@TwoShedsMurray]

Well produced videos, amazing gear, content with actual musicality and fantastically clear breakdowns of what’s going on - this is my new favourite channel.

[@AlexBallMusic]

Thank you.

[@JBrasil]

I loved this video! Thank you for your tips 🙏❤️

[@retrosound72]

Old school in new house.

[@AlexBallMusic]

Haha. Yes!

[@hightower196X]

„My house is your house and your house is mine!“ 😉

[@leeontos]

Mi casa tu casa

[@marmite-land]

It's far more frequent to see new house in old school

[@dt2981]

Man, thats so great - those sounds bring me back to my youth

[@autoy]

The magic of the "Roland System" on display, where triggering and connection between instruments, even completely disregarding MIDI, works across different generations, seamlessly and with perfect timing. It lends itself to a certain workflow where ideas develop fast, often with unexpected and pleasing results.

[@AlexBallMusic]

Oh yes! And the 808's timing is unique to it. You can see it on the grid, it's not 100% locked. Talking milliseconds, but it gives it a feel for sure, which gets passed onto other kit it's triggering. Love these machines.

[@iqi616]

Interesting how sounds that by themselves are a bit weedy work brilliantly in the mix. Reminds me of solo syndrome where perfecting tracks in solo mode results in a crap mix.

[@ale9507]

@@williamtopping You couldn't be closer to the truth. I'm just discovering this now. My mixes have been disastrous. Working on an old school underground house track, and messing around with this.

[@colliemon]

William Topping Can’t tell you guys enough how helpful that is to hear. I’ve also been finding myself mistakenly searching for “uber sounds” rather than complimentary ones that are in their own space sonically. I guess I should’ve understood this when learning about compression.

[@ToyKeeper]

Meanwhile, I'm over here trying to make songs with an extremely overdriven distorted monosynth, and finding that the sounds are just too big to layer anything else with it. I may not be too bright, but at least my sounds are! :P Maybe some day I'll learn to stop doing this. But I swear, those feedback and distortion knobs are made of cocaine or something. I can't leave the damn things alone, even though I know I'll regret it later when I try to fit things into a mix.

[@tatsujincorp]

Why aren’t you already the world best music producer ever?

[@habichiblah7534]

Everytime I hear an 808 pattern (on it's own), I immediately flash to '19' by Paul Hardcastle. Love the machine.

[@fohdeesha]

You are an incredibly talented musician, dont ever think otherwise

[@TheJimbothecat]

This is brilliant! Is it just me or is anyone else humming along the melody from Belfast by the Orbital when he plays the Juno 6?

[@leocarne]

TheJimbothecat yes. That and Ultramarine at some point. Not sure which track though

[@Cubik303]

Great track! There’s something really satisfying about a steady 303 line with thick chord changes underneath it. Very informative and interesting video!

[@tokyochillbient7309]

アシッドなのにポジティブで明るいトラックで最高です。 名機揃いの機材に囲まれてとても楽しそうです。

[@emrazum]

Beautiful piece of music, great tutorial. Thank you!

[@AlexBallMusic]

Thanks :)

[@tage6716]

that intro song scratched my brain, in a good way!

[@justlisa1599]

Thanks. Now I know why my DAW and all the add-on/plug-in instruments come with all those loops! You might say I was 'out of the loop' for quite a few years. ; )

[@michaelproctor8777]

Reminded me of early orbital, nicely put together tune.

[@nycpny8396]

That chord is very very Larry heard style. very nice explanation . I'm a veteran prod. I have some of this gear & you've got me thinking of pulling it out,dusting it off & putting a few tracks together for a small project. God willing, I'm gonna do it. 📿 thanks for this inspiring video . Peace ✌

[@AlexBallMusic]

Yes! Do it. It's what the gear was meant for. :)

[@nycpny8396]

@@AlexBallMusic probably about 122bpm....? Take a check of me messing around with my mini weasel... kzbin.info/www/bejne/hWGwc5Z3d5J-qqM

[@martaraymusicproduction2051]

Magic! The real music! 👍 go on!

[@AlexBallMusic]

It's a timeless sound!

[@daggersdukc]

I bought a couple of Jack Trax CDs, plus the House Sound of London compilation in about 1988, 89. Been hooked on this kind of stuff ever since: your track made me really nostalgic for this kind of music coming out of Detroit and Chicago, and of course, Kent (with Orbital). It really was my generations's version of punk, e.g., DIY music-making. Thank you for the really clear demo.

[@AlexBallMusic]

Yes, it's a great sound. So distinctive. I also love all the drumbreak stuff with old vinyl samples. A whole other story.

[@EspenKraft]

Jepp, that brightens my mood considerably. A little summer in the grey of February is just right! ;-)

[@AlexBallMusic]

Cheers Espen. We're weirdly having a warm snap in the UK. Out in t-shirts!

[@horder2344]

The simplicity of it all is it genius..love it.🙌🙌

[@chupathingy5862]

I absolutely love how worn the paint is on your 303. Super worn gear like that just makes me happy for some reason.

[@waltermays5551]

It shows that it's been used for making music. Same with worn guitar finishes.

[@KuroMicra]

Great sounds from classic tech. I used to own a 101 and a Juno 6. Bitterly regretting parting with them now.

[@pahema472]

Thanks for keeping it alive, brother. You're doing God's work with all you've put up on YT, mate. Cheers from the land of Aus.

[@ashitanojoe69]

It's really cool. I had 606,303,101,202 in the 80s. Thanks!!

[@althejazzman]

It's rewarding that you have such excellent music theory even when creating electronic music.

[@AlexBallMusic]

Thanks. Yes, the theory is the universal constant when dipping in and out of different genres. Invaluable (at least I think so).

[@althejazzman]

I don't often find electronic musicians who know theory. In fact a lot of good house, dnb, etc is created as a result of the lack of theory knowledge, so it can be quite atonal and clashing.

[@kaitlyn__L]

@@althejazzman funnily enough it was getting into synthesisers which made me want to finally learn theory and not just play notes off a sheet without knowing why, like I had done with my more traditional instruments.

[@newtronix]

Old school Italian dream house, nice! X

[@simontunnicliffe2107]

Great work. Simple but catchy song.

[@AlexBallMusic]

Thanks. :)

[@FuZZbaLLbee]

Recreating this setup with Roland boutique synths and a TR-8 😀

[@gregcarson4704]

Thanks for posting, one of the best / well explained tutorials I've seen on here.

[@vintagesynths]

Fantastic made, as ever. Thanks for the great work for our community, Alex!

[@AlexBallMusic]

You too Rüdiger. I enjoy your uploads. Congrats on the blue SH-101 btw!

[@misterfitz1]

great vid...you make it look easy, thanks

[@Horaciowild1]

You make great video and music ! 🇨🇭👋

[@theComaCalling]

THANK YOU! Beautiful work!

[@samjhylton]

Thanks for explaining what these iconic instruments can do! This is quickly becoming one of my absolute favorite channels!

[@rjbush7955]

Brilliant! Thanks Alex. You've made my y morning.

[@AlexBallMusic]

Thanks!

[@2YLITE22]

Absolutely fantastic... great vibe on this one!

[@MichaelOglesby]

Lovely video. Instant Orbital vibe at the end.

[@markzzzsmith]

Another brilliant video. I'm getting into synths because I need a new alternative interest from my work, and it has always been a remote interest since my music teacher got a DX 7 in the 80s. Thanks very much for your videos, they're filling in knowledge, history and practical answers that would take a long time to acquire otherwise.

[@tgin4984]

Loving the wear marks on the 303!

[@hankybostik7634]

T Gin it’s called patina

[@tgin4984]

HANKY BOSTIK thank you! That’s a fuckin great word. I must admit I had to google it. Never ashamed to learn.

[@darrenstewart4189]

well done fella......i came from that era . took ,me back with the kit

[@bandfromtheband9445]

F'ing beautiful!!! This shows you how great Roland instruments are!

[@AlexBallMusic]

Yes, the work together so well.

[@bca10101]

After having a Virus kB as my only polysynth for about 18 years, and having been so proud of how much sonic territory it could cover, I grew increasingly uncomfortable with the fact that it was *simulated analog*. There was just something missing (a "soul" maybe?). Borrowing a Microbrute from a friend woke me up to the joys of hearing (perceiving) real voltages surging through real circuits. That was the setup. Then one day, a few years ago I decided to watch this video, not expecting too much from the Juno (being an overly-simplistic synth, compared to my Virus). But when Alex's hands first dropped onto those keys and the chords met my ears, I almost fell off my chair. I had no idea a simple synth could sound so beautiful. To this day (5 years later), I still rank it as my #1 favorite sound ever heard coming from a synth, in any song, video, demo, real life, etc

[@afi6061]

Love that track. Great sound.

[@Lets-Drone-With-Bone]

Excellent little tutorial, takes me right back this suff, God I'm so old lol

[@AlexBallMusic]

You're only as old as the synth you feel. ;)

[@commandercortez]

So rich...wish i was less enchanted by this sound and open minded but...what a sound

[@everpuremusic]

Those Juno chords also give me an immediate Underworld vibe. Dreamy.

[@StarskyCarr]

Haha love it - from someone who was doing it back in the day :)

[@YUSSEB8E]

Juno always reminds me of Larry Heard. Whatever it’s on

[@phillytee9106]

He used the Jupiter 6, which sounds a lot like the Juno 6/60 due to the same DCO's etc. love Larry Heard's music pure deep Chicago house. 😎👍✌️

[@AlexBallMusic]

Jupiter 6 is actually VCO (2 per voice) and digital envelopes / LFO. So it's a little different. Closer to the JX-3P I guess. But it's certainly the Roland character. Jupiter is a better instrument. Hopefully get to try one at some point...

[@phillytee9106]

The Jupiter 6 has VCO's but they are Curtis chips and sound more like a Juno 6/60 than say a Jupiter 8 does, I always think they are more like DCO's but technically they are not so you're right @@AlexBallMusic

[@AlexBallMusic]

Very interesting. Thanks for the info. Would be interesting to have them all side by side to compare.

[@SPAZZOID100]

Philly Tee he also used the Juno-6

[@RetroPlus]

I love a bit of old skool house. The 808 is such a good drum machine too, very influential.

[@richardalldredge9129]

Your videos inspired me to get into synths. It was your Roland video that really got me hyped!

[@peterball3079]

What a gem of a find Alex ball :)

[@adih9264]

tnx for this! it was great to watch. i love all of your "how to videos".

[@kgbinfo]

Those Juno chords are bliss

[@grahamball7210]

clear mate telling it right straight great

[@diegotasis]

Great tutorial, beautiful tune you did mate

[@lukecurran5572]

Great gear! Enjoyed this thanks

[@WoodyPianoShack]

way to go alex, great music, i always thought the 909 was house, but your 808 rocks!

[@AlexBallMusic]

Cheers Woody. 909 was also used heavily, absolutely. It has a more aggressive sound and is an analogue / digital hybrid, so slightly different flavour. Both classics. 909 will appearing in a certain video very soon. ;)

[@livier3970]

That was epic, gotta try this

[@NAANsoft]

I love Roland kit!

[@isher9035]

The interesting thing about the Roland TR-808 is I just can't behind most of the sounds it has, but I end up using samples a lot to reinforce other ones. Need a boomy kick without a transient? Throw an 808 in there for the sub. Need a noisy snare that doesn't have much of a transient? Throw an 808 snare in there. To me, the biggest thing about the 808 was the hats...not so much the sound, but how the machine handled them.

[@AlexBallMusic]

Yes totally. People even use the 808 kick and tune it to make bass lines. The charm and usefulness is because it occupies an area that other kit doesn't, as you were saying.

[@isher9035]

@@AlexBallMusic Even I don't use anything else sampled from an 808 (Sometimes I use Simmons samples instead, just depends), I almost always use 808 hats. I try to use other Hi-Hats, but even if the rest of the drums are completely different, I always come back to 808 hats.

[@AndersEngerJensen]

One word: UNDERWORLD!

[@ShawnTewes]

Yes! I was getting some "Jumbo" vibes from this too.

[@danec1384]

Clicked so fast. Been making acid lately with a TB3, this is great

[@LIDOfficial]

This is a solid tutorial brother.

[@abelmartinez208]

very smooth and goooood.

[@hightower196X]

Aaaahhh! There we go! 😉❤️ 303, only the original! It sounds so massive, so huge! Again, great job!

[@althejazzman]

Look at the wear on those knobs! That thing has been seriously played.

[@AlexBallMusic]

Love my 303. Had been after one for a very long time, so treasure it. Would love to get my own 808 at some point, but there seems to be no tricks to find affordable ones. Too iconic I guess.

[@hightower196X]

Never give up, follow your dreams (and needs) ... 😉

[@phetrop2243]

Great stuff Alex, I very much like your channel. Pure quality, highly enjoyable.

[@AlexBallMusic]

Thanks very much. :)

[@AppaBoy]

beautiful track

[@Andf-kc4xx]

I was actually able to somehow find a way to emulate the TR-303 tone on my Roland Juno DS! Amazing video!!

[@bobz1736]

Great job. Lucky guy to have all this fab old kit in such great working order 😎

[@Digiphex]

Beautiful sound.

[@djmastergroove946]

Beautiful. Love it

[@clintturner4155]

This track is a tune.

[@AlexBallMusic]

Thank you

[@fantasyproduct1042]

Reminds me of something The Beloved would have made 😊

[@charlesboyle9223]

Most excellent,sir! You're great with the ear worms!

[@jasonsea6110]

Great video, man! Thanks a lot

[@thekidgt929]

Wow super cool!

[@TeeNineJulius]

Nice. 👍🏻 Thanks for being concise.

[@markf.3617]

Great vid for inspiration! thanks Alex!!

[@enzotorresi5693]

Firt rithm with it variations sounds similar to Vogue by Madonna. What incredibles machines, that look so old now, but they was essencials to create thousans of unforgettables hits from the eighties, not so long ago. Very interesting man!

[@AndyVonal]

Great stuff, Alex...makes me feel my age!

[@EnCrypticon23x]

So awesome.. That Juno is fire!

[@AlexBallMusic]

Absolutely. It does the basics so well. I was reading that the 6/60 have the same VCA, VCF and envelope IC chips as the Jupiter 8. So certainly not cheap parts. And then there's _that_ chorus. :)

[@Superlover]

sounds lovely

[@RickyTinez]

sooooo sick. great job man

[@NedBouhalassaVideos]

Really nice! Funny, I've been getting into early Chicago house and Detroit techno the past few months. Must be something in the air?! Another great vid - thanks!

[@AlexBallMusic]

Spring's nearly here, the mood lifts? Next thing you know, you're laying down major9 chords. :)

[@mrblue1976]

What a great video!!

[@phillytee9106]

Great stuff reminds me of a tune I used to hear in the clubs in the early 90's, can't remember the name which is not surprising! 😎✌️

[@deepsoundproduction]

Frankie Knuckles - The Whistle Song

[@NEDMInsane]

Nice thanks for the tutorial. this will help me out.

[@SAVANTI711]

So helpful thank you so much

[@akesvensson3778]

Great channel! Great videos! Great comments! What more can you ask for a wintery grey morning?

[@taotechnique]

Excellent! Love it!

[@djbonne1]

Nice guy nice work thannxxxx

[@williamsterben]

Very nice indeed.

[@ThorstenOllermann]

Nice gear, nice Song. :-)

[@tonematrix]

Awesome track and tutorial, made me think of Orbital's Belfast :)

[@daniberlanga]

It is totally Belfast inspired.

[@sierrawhiskey5144]

Was totes gonna say the same! Great ninds, Amirite?

[@spanishmackerel]

Brilliant, thanks so much for this.

[@leftmono1016]

Nostalgia overload! I used to own these beasts circa 20 years ago! Now I make do with a Volcas and a TT303. Still great fun though. Thanks for the vid, subscribed :-)

[@Impulse-One]

Dude this is amazing and a really great tutorial thank you

[@mattopaipa]

So good