Recreating Visage's 1980 hit Fade To Grey using a Moog One Synthesizer

[@vinylarchaeologist]

You know you‘ve done a good job recreating a song when KZbin flags it as the original recording (and keeps all the money)

[@robertleem5643]

This tune is an all time classic, absolutely love it, can't believe it's 45 years old

[@ashfaq1999]

Brilliant rework of this 80’s classic.

[@trance_trousers]

This is awesome! Fade To Grey is one of my most favourite synth tunes of all time, and you got incredibly close to sounding exactly like the original. I was singing along in my head from start to finish, great stuff 🙂

[@derekbrown7303]

Absolutely brilliant 🎶🎵

[@maka1510]

Instant 80ies flashbacks ... thank you!

[@mima85]

Nice work dude. I did the same experiment at remaking this song with just one synthesizer, namely my Roland Jupiter 6. I have a video of that on my channel, and altough in the video can be seen that I play on two synths (Jupiter 6 and JP-8000), the song's audio file that I linked in my video's description is made just with the Jupiter 6 (and some samples for the rythm part). To do the video I muted the parts I wanted to play live and I played them along the song running in the background. I just noticed a little issue with the tuning with yours: the bass is tuned a bit too sharp (or, in reverse, the other parts are tuned a bit too flat). Apart this, again, great job.

[@glenl8395]

Excellent Matt.Well done.

[@therealmattmann]

Another classic track BRILLIANTLY done! CHEERS from across the pond! 🤘🏼😎🤘🏼

[@tapeexperiments]

nice warmth coming from that synth.

[@johnpearce9023]

at the time of this comment you only had 2 vids on your channel, this and DP's Tora x3. Both are brilliant and I have subbed because I am very looking forward to your next. Please don't stop.

[@MattCulpin]

Thanks for the comment and subscribing. Definitely not stopping, another one coming v.soon.

[@johnpaulpatton9786]

You've nailed it! If I had to guess, I'd say that the bass line was played one-handed with thumb and pinky, which kind of smears the notes together a bit, making it less choppy. Super impressive how close you are with the sounds!

[@MattCulpin]

You're right, it definitely sounds like that but if you watch the Chris Payne vid he says he did with two hands. In any case in my version it was sequenced, no way I could play that all the way through :-)

[@80ssynthfan48]

I was going to mention about the smearing too, I think it would be more a case of adjusting the envelope.

[@mauriciomandara5946]

👍🏻 Thanks for sharing ! Keep the synth pop coming!

[@kuglepen64]

Impressive, very nice.

[@derekholland3328]

cant tell you how much i love this track..you do it justice👏🏾👏🏾🤟🏽🤟🏽🤟🏽🤟🏽

[@mansuit1843]

Love how much passion, interest and ability to recreate these classic tracks. Great stuff, surely subscribers incoming!!

[@joseluisgt2791]

Love this sound ❤❤❤❤

[@pronzac]

Great Dr. Moog!

[@paradisemeco7121]

Amazing

[@superskier2]

Great stuff, Subbed.....love these synth revisits. Underpass by John Foxx......maybe 😊

[@RichardDenRooyen1973]

wonderful

[@prophetate]

God how I love this track ❤️ you made an awesome recreation 😊❤

[@JostSchwider]

👍 - also for the YT algo! 😊

[@peterream9437]

Cracking job

[@stephaneclachet259]

Whouaa, incredible...the sound of my adolescence...great job in any case...well done👌👍👃

[@Northern362]

Brilliant effort, sounds famtastic. Love this song! Look forward to more of these 👌

[@juxty3102]

Excellent recreation of an iconic track. I remember when this song first came out and listening to it. This along with with others around the early 80s got me interested in syntheisers.

[@paulfidler3710]

Just brilliant. No other words!

[@NicolasMelis]

well done!

[@dumafuji]

Quality. Definitive synth pop. Just pristine.

[@jerryseinfeld9815]

This is a series I’m super excited to see grow. I hope Alex Ball catches wind of this

[@MattCulpin]

He certainly knows, I met him at Synthfest at the weekend and messaged him to say I'd referenced his CR78 vid :-) He's influenced many of my synth purchases.

[@fjfrancois]

Man what a lovely video, thanks you so much.

[@NormanStansfield1]

I always wondered if the bell sounds 2:04 if they were a PPG Wave 2.2. This song was around the time that Midge Ure, Billy, Chris Cross and Warren relaunched Ultravox 2.0. The band had debts that had to be paid off plus they bought some new gear. They did buy the PPG. Midge said he made a good bit of money playing with Thin Lizzy as Billy Curry played with Gary Numan during this period. I think by the time they did Vienna, they had a PPG Wave 2.2. This could also have been in Conny Plank's studio where they did the Vienna album. Though the album was recorded in RAK studios in St. John's Wood in London and Conny mixed it in Germany. Maybe RAK had the PPG Wave 2.2 or Midge bought it. Great job and that Moog One is stunning.

[@MattCulpin]

The bells do sound a little digital. However, the track was released in Nov '80, and I don't think the Wave 2 came out until '81. Although they could have used the PPG 360 wavecomputer.

[@scottptolomey3498]

The bells came from the ARP Odyssey as did the portamento siren. The PPG Wave synths didn’t come out till late 1981. Rusty Egan explains the track was made at Genetic Studios Reading not RAK and owner Martin Rushent was the co producer of Fade To Grey and the Visage album. Conny Plank had nothing to do with the Visage project despite producing Vienna for Ultravox

[@NormanStansfield1]

@@scottptolomey3498 Thanks. The bells sound almost sounds like a polyphonic chord at one point. Not at 4:58 he plays two notes. This is the sound I was talking about. Maybe on the Polymoog? Martin Rushent (RIP) also did Human League - Dare and Heaven 17 - Penthouse and Pavement. I think Phil Oakey said Martin had the first Linn Drum (LM-1?) in the UK. It was used on both albums.

[@scottptolomey3498]

@@NormanStansfield1 Yes Martin did have the LM-1 and the first to do so in the UK he had a full set up in his studios for the Visage album including the Yamaha CP-70 electric grand and CS-80 which by all accounts cost a fortune back then and the Visage members were skint at that time Rusty explains everything in one of his podcasts.

[@NormanStansfield1]

@@scottptolomey3498 Great. I will check it out. The Ultravox guys had gone into debt even though Systems of Romance is Gary Numan's and possibly one of my favorite albums. To make some money and pay down the debt, Midge toured with Thin Lizzy, Billy Currie played with Gary. CS-80 was astronomical then and now. Ha ha. It seems like the only newish gear Ultravox Mk 2 (circa Vienna) had was a PPG Wave 2.0. I think they had old Mini Moog and ARP Odyessy. Not sure if they had a Polymoog. I think John Foxx took the CR-78 drum machine when he left. Warren may have also added Simmons syn drums.

[@fredjou0]

great!

[@oceanofsound73]

Great cover. Love this number😘

[@brianainslie754]

Subscribed. Good stuff.

[@wrightbytes]

That bass synth. Omg it sounds so amazing

[@rmstylebyruganmolenomorganatee]

Nice video Nice track ! 👍👍

[@scottptolomey3498]

I recreated this track myself a few years ago although I didn’t have the best audio outputs then so it sounded sketchy. For the sounds I used mainly the ARP Odyssey plug in via MIDI on my Korg Kronos. The booming sound you hear is called a Synare also used by Joy Division with a very heavy reverb I thought originally it may have been a Simmons SDS but they didn’t hit the market till 1981 although I do believe session musician Cedric Sharpley also used real drums on the original along with the CR-78 particularly the Kick/Hi Hat and Snares but low down in the mix. The only thing I noticed about your re creation is on the organ intro just before you go into the bass line you came in a bar early on the last chord sequence and a bar late after the final verse to chorus. Just an observation not a criticism as I’m no skilled musician but do have a good ear for music !!! Love the ice bell sounds the bass line and Humana are perfect well it is a Moog they came from so they’re bound to be lol Fantastic work mate ❤️

[@bigbasil1908]

Ah ah we fade to grey

[@Zeisslermusic]

Thats was so cool. ❤🇩🇰

[@MrMoogman1]

Did you purposely detune the octave bass line as it sounds off to the rest of the track? Not sure if the Moog One is prone to drifting like it's lookalike the Memory Moog! Haha

[@LFOVCF]

That is 'The Dog's....'

[@sK3LeTvM1]

Very nice recreation. But please, use plugins. They cost you 1/10 of the Moog wich is a big chunck problem machine.

[@ThePalle44]

Missing some chords on the strings, move your thumb, but you didn't and I got irritated and turned of 😂 But great job

[@bigbasil1908]

Devenir gris

[@oxiigen]

Quite OK, but additional notes sounds 'wrong'.

[@horowizard]

I'm being honest here when I say this track does not have the crispness and high end of the original. I think if you make an A/B comparison to the original recording, you'll agree.

[@Ni5ei]

Is it me or is the vox humana out of tune?

[@rybakzwioski4531]

słabo to brzmi..nie umiesz..