The Chainsmokers on making Roses - The Track

We sit down with US duo The Chainsmokers in London to watch them break down the creation of their global hit Roses, featuring vocalist Rozes.
See more in issue 304 of Future Music magazine: bit.ly/FMU304

[@wowoweejay]

The Sidechainsmokers

[@lilmoderatepollution4447]

haha....hehe...huuhuh....laughs////ohhhh...hehhe

[@ivozoer2635]

😂😂😂

[@ianmichelm]

And that's how you bust a nut from a joke

[@KQY614]

Love Sidechain

[@bradyreid1924]

oh god i love you

[@THECHAINSMOKERS]

ugh haha fuck I mixed up LFO tool and Volume Shaper. Truth is I use both! (well all 3 if you count Kickstart). But yes, Cable Guys make Volume Shaper, and Xfer (steve duda and deadmau5) make LFO Tool. Sorry for the mix up guys, definitely check out all three plug ins!

[@my_hot_hands2505]

+The Chainsmokers Yes, there both great. I've "BOUGHT" both of them.

[@ultanburke5314]

+The Chainsmokers awesome tutorial, thanks!

[@hksande354]

+The Chainsmokers Huge fan of you guys, and it's great to see how the fame hasn't changed you. A lot of producers become cocky dickheads when they blow up... thanks for the tutorial and stay true to your music - it's rad

[@JoTiag0]

+The Chainsmokers This is my art, so... Fuck You! hahahaha

[@mitchiemasha]

And now we have Panshaper. Pancake on steroids.

[@JKarstadt]

Drew was a producer/musician for many years before he met Alex, who had been DJing for many years. So Drew produces the songs with Alex's advice, and Alex creates their live sets (which are fucking amazing), so both members are very valuable imo.

[@Angel_queen470]

Love your comment it feels me safe

[@GOOB3000]

​@@Angel_queen470 um

[@tkwalliscomedy9421]

No

[@jacobsettlemyre4789]

Glad I saw this I was wandering what his actual role was/is

[@RaviYadav-bj6mw]

Tbh if I was Drew, I would've worked alone

[@EagleEye5840]

When you just started going to the gym and want to let everyone know 4:26

[@djcrassus4422]

😂😂😂

[@linupatra805]

Lol lmao

[@paul_nthny]

Bruh

[@anonymousentity5870]

😂

[@willgotrocks5348]

😂😂

[@TheIycegamer]

This is like one of those group projects where one guy does all the work

[@GreyLuciMartin]

So true!! Lol

[@225maine]

Lol

[@icekurimu1688]

Hahaha

[@johndare6]

Alex is the A&R of The Chainsmokers fyi. something that Drew can't do.

[@hottudoggu7712]

@@johndare6 wdym?

[@arthurmiramontes6453]

Mad Respect to the Chainsmokers for taking the time to educate the world on how they made a track. I have seen a ton of people act like its a huge secret... We are all aware of the programs out there and the tools, its just nice to see it put together on camera so we can see how they did it. Thanks guys, you rock!!!

[@alexreeed]

Love the honesty of this guy, doesn't try to dress up everything but clearly knows his stuff

[@TheIycegamer]

Can't believe these guys made "selfie"

[@jonnyvelocity]

Half way through the video I was like 'The Chainsmokers.. I've heard of them before... wait, they did that #selfie song, right?' This is much better.

[@thehawknelsonfreak]

Apparently they made that song as joke, but it took off

[@mynamesjeffhardly]

Alex Pagliari yeah but first...

[@elmermatthew6796]

let me take a selfie

[@AiurIkiza]

Yeah, me neither, it's a horrible track.

[@EGAOFFICIAL]

Anyone ever realize XFER (Makers of Serum) and REFX (Makers of Nexus) are the same name spelled backwards?

[@kasherquon8634]

Ethan Archibald Music holy shit

[@TheViccoTube]

Ethan Archibald Music holy moly

[@thepyrotechnicpenguin4846]

now i do ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[@rickygore1393]

Ethan Archibald Music woah

[@Lotlus]

mind blown.

[@martingarridox892]

This is one of the best examples how less is more. It's amazing how these guys are producing with basic stuff. Just EQ8, Ableton Multiband Compressor, Presets... They don't use Fabfilter or Waves EQ and they don't complicating a lot to using many other plugins or designing a complex Synth Layering to develop this fucking Hit. Just have an amazing idea. That's it!!

[@blixx87]

So truee man!

[@Solo-vh9fm]

Well they used a lot of Waves on the vocals.

[@rez9386]

it's because music starts with composition first... then processing and production later people get too caught up with gears and plugins as if you need them first.. but it's all in the skill of composition

[@Jay-407]

as a producer i agree its tough to just stick to the art and worry about polishing it after

[@Jay-407]

Ive always had this notion that my stuff needs to be more complex, which fucks with my creativity and I never end up makin shit. These guys are game changers in that aspect.

[@DerekRoig]

That Ableton skin looks colder than Canada.

[@abdulhalimabdullahi9907]

Derek Roig 😂😂😂

[@dboyagod]

Fl gang ❤️

[@billysanchez-eh6nn]

@@dboyagod cringe fl gang

[@RedMeansRecording]

I love how they don't name half their tracks, especially audio recording tracks. I end up not-doing the same thing.

[@sinetv4624]

"we dont put in unnececary sounds" "yeah i just put it in there for the heck of it"

[@dobakito]

Everyone is hating on Alex for not doing as much work in the music making process as Drew... But Alex makes the sets for their concerts (which is where they make most of their money) and their podcasts. In the end, the work probably gets spread out pretty evenly.

[@tinybosses]

Michael Dobak sooo trueeee man

[@108077854]

The thing is would drew be in the same spot he is now without alex? Yes! would Alex be in the same spot he is without drew? No!

[@eXpas04]

@@108077854 no.

[@tkwalliscomedy9421]

@@108077854 Love this comment!!

[@k_26_kashifahmed88]

@@108077854 Disagree. You should know that The Chainsmokers was already a band before drew came along and they were actually doing good in the djing scene. Plus Alex plays the piano

[@peterhoffman5616]

one of the best tutorials I've ever seen.. so musical and not spending any time on mundane technical stuff

[@danieIlondon]

+Peter Hoffman It's the technical stuff that separates tracks that sound cool and tracks that reach their full potential. Go watch the Noisia video. You'll learn much more useful things - not just experimentation.

[@peterhoffman5616]

+Daniel K I appreciate the sentiment but I'm personally not very interested in the technical aspects of music production, only in musicality and creativity. Noisia are awesome and all but no offense, in my opinion there's not much new going on there.. I'm more interested in making magic than in how to make and re-sample yet another distorted Reese bass. I would say there's well over one million songs made every day, and still there are not that many great songs in any given year, I mean really great timeless pieces of music that touch people. The Chainsmokers have two out of two hits and have created a fresh sound that also has gained a lot of play. To make something fresh and creative and get on high rotation is not easy.

[@jjl4802]

@@peterhoffman5616 Yesss!!!

[@VexillariusMusicEDM]

If I made this guy a donut, it would be crispy and tight

[@EpseLepse]

+Vexillarius Music with presence

[@OfficialAbass]

+Stef Pletinck lmao

[@VexillariusMusicEDM]

***** Thanks, but I commented soon after upload and I made a joke, it has nothing to do with me being a musician XD

[@martingarridox892]

Best comment ever 😂😂😂😂

[@abhinavarora123]

and pretty simple :)

[@TheHoboFrog]

Drew is such an inspirational producer.

[@harrisnmusic]

Harry M. Do Yes he is :)

[@Keikokrafts]

That other guy said like 5 words through the whole video.

[@net6623]

he's like dj khaled another one!

[@ecto3397]

he does the djing

[@iliaslef]

KeikoKrafts Plot Twist: he is the producer of the track

[@EthanRashMusic]

Need Illenium or Said The Sky in there

[@WeirdBulldog]

+MayTrix YASSSS ILLENIUM!!!!!!!!

[@jimfastenau4984]

illenium!!

[@jonnyvelocity]

That would be great.

[@jameyperrigin4318]

Said the Sky PLEASE PLEASE PLEEEEEAAAAASSSSEEEEEEE

[@jireh5941]

i wonder if illenium will make it to mainstream, if he even wants to

[@DJXonar805]

Those are some crispy snaps you got there... Would be a shame if I were to... RIP THEM! *opens Audacity*

[@mandel957]

haha

[@DJXonar805]

+i say qwieuqoie qwoiru qoiuf eqgpoe qpogi qeopgi eqgpoqegi qpoegi qgdg lo fi is the wave fam

[@kyls6827]

OfficialXONE exactly 😂😂

[@raichussbeats3754]

Lol

[@nicolashomez]

I Want Diplo in the studio

[@MerakiiBeats]

I watched the entire video...helps sooo fkn much.

[@paanda3867]

+JVKENGELBEATS The Sidechainsmokers

[@dauntingdefiance8436]

+Music By Nimorrax Haha

[@wannabe6615]

JVKENGELBEATS if u r a beginner it helps

[@magicmystery4211]

i think this tutorial is made for the guy with glasses...

[@tracevideoproductions]

Lol, truth

[@abinshakyaa]

+santosh hamal lol haha

[@peterhoffman5616]

+santosh hamal hahahaha!!!

[@Jay-407]

it reminds me of the knife party duo. the other dudes must be doing alot of other shit, otherwise wtf.

[@rajansubedi7000]

+santosh hamal haha sahi kuro !!!

[@procyonlotor5678]

I love the tutorials. Most producers who get famous don't do them, I guess cause they don't want more competition lol

[@iliaslef]

Strawberry see Nicky Romero's masterclass and KSHMR's on KZbin

[@sparxpraxtasrandomvideos9916]

martin garrix majes tracks live .. and alan walker gives some clues too

[@nobIzAwSomEEEEE]

I feel like Alex is more the dj and Drew is more the producer

[@aaronevens4857]

+Efrain Entrertainment He looks like more the manager/business side to me. The guy with lots of connections that helps push the brand. If Drew can produce like this I'm sure he's not gonna have a problem playing great DJ sets!

[@LiveItUpDaily]

+Efrain Entrertainment Alex went to school for music business so most likely he is the business side of The Chainsmokers. No doubt he knows basic producing, DJing, etc. as well

[@tipfertilizer4595]

Anyone can work on Alex's part, but no one can work on Drew's part. This is the real point.

[@EricTheYounger]

@@tipfertilizer4595 That's actually wrong I think. There are literally thousands of producers out of there equally or more talented than Drew, but they never see the light of day because they don't know the business side or how to make connections.

[@josephstalin188]

They are both excellent keyboardists if you have seen some of their live performances

[@JayPeek]

12:05 "I'll add the sound that you don't even realize is there but you can hear the sound better in the (final) mix." Thats what it means to do your homework. Kudos to you Drew!

[@VaylewMusic]

The other guy is learning so much.

[@attarsharik302]

He's the main man behind live sets and mixing and mastering Don't judge a book by it's cover

[@tkwalliscomedy9421]

@@attarsharik302 Clearly not 😂. He is like Alan Walker

[@danielkhanin9615]

@@tkwalliscomedy9421 no RyanBee is right. He is less of a producer and more of a DJ but he still contributes to the mixing and mastering

[@costinvaly1]

@@danielkhanin9615 Contributes to the mixing and mastering? Have you checked their songs credits on Spotify? Someone else is mixing and mastering their music. Alex is just the DJ and a second ear during the production but he doesn't get personally involved. It's mostly Drew that produces for the Duo. He also produced for BTS, Logic, Khalid, etc. in his spare time. Check his credits.

[@Noisa]

this is one of the best "making of" videos i've seen. thanks for being so forward and knowing and showing what everyone wants to know about.

[@joshk8554]

These guys are super chill and I've definitely learnt some more stuff for my productions. Thanks!

[@Diego-qy4or]

You guys dont even know how much this and your own tutorials videos inspire me. thanks :)

[@jjl4802]

Yesss!!!

[@slim7574]

2020 been rough that I forgot this is my favourite song

[@Bizzeplayn]

This song moved me SO much, that i can remember sitting in my room, playing it over, and OVER...AND OVER....and feeling so many emotions. Brilliant work guys. And thanks so much for this video Future Music Magazine.

[@WaWor]

What you can learn from this video: "Oops."

[@zambination11]

Oops..!

[@Leotique]

and "ahhmmm"

[@RockstahRolln]

and "like...like"

[@Leotique]

***** no but its human..

[@jonnyvelocity]

Uh-um!

[@GreyLuciMartin]

Alex is like "Wtf is he saying!?" 😂😂

[@matthewchristian2872]

So great to see how far these guys have come! Been a fan for so long and these guys truly deserve it.

[@thelastshaun]

This was everything I could have possibly wanted out of a tutorial. It's especially useful to not only know what techniques you used, but WHY you chose to use them. Thank you!

[@WilliamSpencer100]

I find it really admirable that these guys are willing to share and teach others. So sick and inspiring!

[@dethswurl117]

"I love the male and female voice together" I see you with your "Closer" and "All We Know"

[@victorcoupeful]

really enjoyed this. inspirational to see how messy the process of making a hit can be, and the explanation of the vinyl-stop style glitch at 37:47 is a great example of that pure geeky glee we all get from going too deep when making electronic music.

[@seive7733]

I love how honest and collaborative they are, they don't hold back.They literally shared every thing with the audience. Cause nowadays people think like if they give information to others they're losing something and at the end it gets them nowhere. When u share, u gain something back too

[@greensleeves32]

Props to Chainsmokers and FM for this video. This is how art evolves and a culture thrives. Lots of inside info and tid bits to pull from. I feel inspired to rewreck shop now

[@rodu15]

I love this kind of videos! You learn a lot of stuff

[@RiderZer0]

Seriously the best tutorial on KZbin. It's nice to learn techniques from real professionals who have the modern sound. KZbinr tutorials generally tend to sound cheap and sloppy without ever using modern stuff. I guess that's why they aren't music professionals. Love this video.

[@RaccoonUniforms]

Awesome, I was really afraid you'd skip the post chorus part with the massive preset. That sound is my favorite and it baffled me as to what it was so I was super glad you skimmed through it at the end! Thanks a mil guys

[@RichardRosiles]

Love how quickly and natural this song came about

[@newschoolaesthetics]

That's pretty sick even though I don't know about half the stuff you're talking about Drew. Such an incredible process and being insanely creative.

[@h.hristov]

So genuine and willing to give! I love you guys! Thanks a lot for the great music and tutorials you provide us with!

[@christopherklix1113]

I rly like the attitude of those guys! It's about art and having fun and not about the "right" way to do stuff.

[@TheOutlawJon]

"This is my art, so fuck you!" I love it. Amazing video

[@vb7e8]

Gotta love and respect The Chainsmokers, so amazing what a lot of simplicity can do!

[@agoodyear1969]

Love these guys seeing them live!

[@DamianHarrisonMusic]

Great stuff!!! Wish there was more stuff like this on the internet

[@benbrooker]

Can you please get Clean Bandit in the studio; I would love to see how Jack actually produces their perfect "poppy" house records.

[@paul8ish]

the title should be called : The Track: The Chainsmoker on making Roses

[@kidsnek]

hahahah GOTCHA what you mean lool !!

[@paul8ish]

vivek ghavri because it's mostly one guy who show's us the track!

[@kidsnek]

Lol Yes cuz other one has to make coffee, so, Everybody has its own area of interest and perfection lol

[@DeerektorJ]

This was really awesome. Shoutout to them for going thru this trouble to show aspiring producers how to be creative. Big props

[@orbituary]

Producing is doing a hundred different little things and changes that nobody would ever notice but every song is the culmination of those little things adding up. These guys get it

[@moksh8]

Bless your heart to be so honest and open to sharing the process. Thank you ! Just on a side note - is there a simple way to process snaps - recorded on phone - to sound production ready ?!

[@yaboyRafael]

Why not record with a good real mic? You'll be limited by the raw recording to how good you can make something sound

[@ronyjimenez3894]

4:27 when you wanna tell people you’ve been working out but don’t wanna be obvious with it

[@Dryyskull]

one of my fave songs. thanks

[@KoniferMusic]

Loved this, learned a lot of small tips that I wouldn't have known otherwise. Thanks so much guys, I love how transparent you are with your process, it's extremely helpful and really shows the kind of artists you are!

[@lazypablo8505]

did anyone realize they only used les than 7 plugins (for mixing) per channel?

[@medwaystudios]

Great feature FM. 4:20 he means Steve Duda Xfer for LFOTool, Cableguys make VolumeShaper (which they use according to Twitter).

[@PakinhoZ]

+Jesse Skeens and LFOTool and VolumeShaper are somewhat contenders haha

[@theofficialmuffincrc]

+PakinhoZ LFOTool does way more than Volumeshaper though.

[@blanemurphy3795]

+Rob volume shaper does 3 band muliband sjidechaining though. i don't think lfo tool does that

[@DanIlletschekMusic]

+Jesse Skeens blaze it

[@Riicefrenzy]

After watching this, I notice a lot more different sounds listening to the full track. Amazing..

[@handsomeclark6725]

This is one of my favorite vids. The way the made this track is awesome. Simple but affective. #HandsomeClark

[@halftimefan7360]

4:27 I just started working out... 😂😂😂

[@whitehorseaudioproduction1067]

I love that they were not holding anything back at all, thank you!

[@SouldyeRemixes]

I like the way you expressed your love for art within music!

[@blinde5580]

I respect a lot. They now what their doing and how to make their own tracks with their own style. And I love their music as well as many other producers like marshmello and slushii

[@wlkngmachine]

Somebody get this man a keyboard!

[@L3uX]

Depends on what genre you're focusing in, but pretty much, simple is more. Also, Kickstart is amazing.

[@DJJCHA]

Great tutorial, one of the Best and covered almost everything! They should do more on their on channel.

[@soapyowl3042]

wow love the way he changed the preset sound to what he has now. didnt know cut off was this cool

[@Diego-qy4or]

best video ive seen on youtube tbh

[@andrewfriedman8902]

“This is my art so fuck you” is honestly one of the most inspiring things I’ve ever heard

[@MrLawrence0071]

I am very grateful for the chainsmokers being so generous to share their knowledge. I wondered about "how did they do this and that" and now I know :-) In the end they use very simple techniques in a creative way to make big hits. I love most of their tracks and their show in Belgium Lotto Arena was awesome. Thanks for sharing guys! Highly appreciated!

[@NUCLEU5]

Big shout out to FM for bringing unparalleled content, also to the producers and writers willing to share! It is very much appreciated.

[@speirz]

drew taggart is a god

[@VeeTuz]

4:19 yeah! Of course! Who doesnt know the famous LFO Tool from cableguys, i mean steve duda made it but whtevr.

[@Light-wy8ij]

best part that ppl can learn from this in my opinion is less is more and the vocal layering. good stuff guys

[@FizzENT]

Love this video. Very inspiring ! Keep posting more video's like this please !

[@JeppeEmborg]

its fun to hear roses after watching this!

[@EricTorres713]

29:50 yes, you're right in thinking that Andrew :D

[@toby6976]

Thank you for taking the time to give back!

[@layfield42500]

I go to a music production school this one video taught me more shit than ever😂😂😂

[@daillocruz3606]

And your school made you famous?

[@bryceh2585]

Where the hell are u going then haha

[@dennman37]

This track really reminds me of Young Blood by The Naked and Famous

[@ryanbarry1138]

Please do an episode of "The Track" with Illenium. That'd be great for something like his tracks "Afterlife" or "Fortress"

[@idkwho1719]

17:54 Drew, you should have turned the reverb quality to high. Really makes a huge difference. The people who don't use the high quality mode are the ones that actually end up considering the plug-in bad.

[@DustinTunes]

Awesome video!! thank you Future Mag and thank you Chain Smokers!

[@RUDEMusicUS]

Would to hear an album from these guys.

[@liamcarmody4217]

RŮDE there is one. It’s called “Memories...Do Not Open”

[@adamfoster6036]

yo he posted this comment before the album also MDNP is a shit album

[@yoitsromani4303]

@@adamfoster6036 it's actually not that bad

[@hksande354]

Was I the only one who checked to see if he had actually bought his sylenth?

[@NickNick-zb6hj]

These guys enjoy making music and sharing what they know and have learnt. Thanks.

[@TroubleinZION]

Awesome word on simplicity. I love love these videos.

[@adamunruh2931]

This was super awesome

[@pianomariusoriginal]

great that he kinda goes into detail :) wish i could work that fluent, guess practice makes perfect

[@Joel-Monterra]

Dudes. I'm really excited, because this is the first time an artists says he only took about half a day to finish the basic song. Love this! I think this is what next gen music is all about!

[@screendrem]

I wasn't a chainsmokers fan until seeing this tutorial. So good.

[@Tommy9111k]

I'm not into producing I'm just watching because it's one of my favorite songs

[@_luni_2834]

Tommy Price what a losser

[@nicolasgarcia7984]

@@_luni_2834 there's no need to be rude lmao

[@zeepster]

LFO Tool is by Steve Duda from XFER, not Cableguys. :)

[@geovannytorrento6019]

zeepster that's true, but what about VolumeShaper4

[@JesusFreakAwesomeness]

Geovanny Torrento Volumeshaper is from Cableguys

[@joeynice123]

This is the coolest. Wow. So much nuance that makes the tune go platinum

[@andrewwolf7798]

Fantastic seeing the creation of the synth effect on the chorus. Always blew me away hearing the synth with such a unique dynamic of bass and crispy treble rolled into one. The Sylenth "Icicle" tone he used was okay, but after cranking the sustain and tweaking the EQ levels it became something truly dope. Yes, the chord progress does make it great, but the tone is nearly equal in importance. Super dope track.