The Midnight 5 Iconic Riffs Explained! (how to synthwave like The Midnight)

Get your FREE account at Synthwave Dojo today and take the Synthwave Fundamentals Learning Path for FREE (over 26 hours of synthwave education): synthwavedojo.com/courses/syn...
In this video I’m going to analyze 5 iconic riffs by The Midnight so you can learn from them and apply similar ideas in your own tracks.
Chapters:
00:00 Intro
00:51 Los Angeles
06:02 Sunset
08:58 Days of Thunder
12:36 Vampires
16:00 The Comeback Kid
19:53 Putting it all together
22:55 Creating our own The Midnight style riffs
Here are my notes regarding each of the riffs:
1) Los Angeles:
- Triad Over Root (tonic major)
- Ostinato motif "rooted" on the tonic (16th notes)
- 1 bar pattern that doesn't change
- Uses the 1, 3, 4 and 5 degrees for tension and resolution
2) Sunset:
- syncopated ostinato motif, played twice with a variation the second time
- Uses the 2, 3, 5 and 6 degrees for tension and resolution
- Harmonized with the tonic (C)
- Anacrusis for momentum
3) Days of Thunder:
- Based on the Boys of Summer arpeggio by Don Henley (1, 7, 5 from the major scale)
- Triad over root (tonic major second inversion)
- Ostinato motif with a variation at the end
4) Vampires:
- 2 rhythmic motifs with variation
- chord tones and non chord tones for tension and release
- With rest at the end to give the listener time to enjoy it
5) The Comeback Kid
- Triad Over Root (tonic major)
- Syncopated ostinato motif "rooted" on the tonic (16th notes)
- 2 bar pattern that doesn't change
- Uses the 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 degrees for tension and resolution
🥋 If you dream about becoming a Synthwave Black Belt (advanced producer), I run a community of synthwave producers on Discord where you'll find support and peers to help you on your journey. This is a FREE community but it is exclusive. Only those actively seeking to build their skills will be allowed in. If this sounds like you, fill out the application form here: forms.gle/n7FhSeKAH45Mwtqw6

[@pixel325]

This is some awesome analysis and thanks for doing this and sharing it! I can't even begin to explain how much your videos has done for me and my musical journey, in the last year or so, since i started watching your channel. Working on a new album with roots in Synthwave. Seven tracks done so far, more to come. I was in a rough patch in life back when i started watching your channel, lost in who i was, where i wanted to go and how to express it. Thanks to your videos i found a path that i am now walking along to see where it leads. Thanks Alonso.

[@SynthwaveDojo]

Music has the power to heal and to save us. It has done so for me many times in the past. I’m grateful to have helped you out when you needed it. I’m looking forward to your album so please share when it’s done. Thanks for watching! Oh and there’s plenty more The Midnight to come so stay tuned!

[@pixel325]

@@SynthwaveDojoYes, music does indeed have that power, and i will make sure to share the album when it's finished, I'll make sure of that. Looking forward to more The Midnight videos and more from you!

[@Time_wav]

I'm so thankful for this Video.

[@SynthwaveDojo]

Glad you found it useful my friend!

[@deepbassgrooves4318]

Thjank you very much for these videos. After years of playing guitar I fell in love with Synthwave and these videos help me a lot to understand the fundamental structures of synthwave songs. Right now FL Studio confuses the the hell outta me. Maybe a more traditional DAW might be better for me. I'm thinking about switching to Studio One or Reaper.

[@SynthwaveDojo]

The Midnight uses Logic, Timecop1983 uses FL Studio, plenty other big names use Ableton Live. It’s a matter of trying out a few and finding the one that works best for you. Personally I’m in love with Studio One and wouldn’t change for anything 😊. Thanks for watching!

[@sergeysergeev9117]

A lot of practical information in this video. Have been waiting for the midnight videos since i discovered your channel. Thank you, Alonso.

[@SynthwaveDojo]

Great to hear!

[@jayclark050385]

Brilliant tutorial, thanks man

[@SynthwaveDojo]

My pleasure! 💪🏻

[@_mickmccarthy]

Awesome video Alonso, super informative! I really appreciate the effort that goes into these, keep up the awesome work man! Edit: Also, you can be damn sure that when I first got my sax, the first thing I did was absolutely murdered that Vampires riff! I never thought that riff could sound terrible, but I managed it!

[@SynthwaveDojo]

Thanks mate! We’re slowly building towards some tutorials on how to put it all together and make The Midnight style music 😊. I wish I could listen to that vampire killer of a performance 😂

[@_mickmccarthy]

@@SynthwaveDojo 😂 I can probably just say those squeaks and inadvertent octave jumps are me just jazzing it up a bit 😉

[@SynthwaveDojo]

@@_mickmccarthy 😂

[@JayKwaLyn]

Really like those analysis

[@SynthwaveDojo]

Glad you’re finding them helpful my friend!

[@dirontomusic]

Keep up the good work!

[@SynthwaveDojo]

Thanks, will do!

[@ShifuDaxiongmao]

Maybe this is a suggestion for a future video. But a focus on how to use bass notes as "hidden melody notes" like is being done on The Comeback Kid could be an interesting video, if you have not already done one like that. :)

[@SynthwaveDojo]

Hey friend! I have a video about The Midnight chord progressions with pretty much the same songs, so I just played the root notes of the chords shown on that video 😊

[@wolfsdenmusic9404]

Fantastic video Alonso! This is sooo what I needed right now. Just be careful evening mention The Eagles or Don. One of my favorite bands/performers...but not so nice with things on KZbin. :) Btw...what synth/patch are you using here? Really nice, rich, mellow pad.

[@SynthwaveDojo]

Are you camp Henley or camp Frey? Personally, I believe Glenn to be the OG of synthwave with You Belong To The City 😊. The patch is custom made by me on the Arturia Prophet 5V. Remind me on Discord PM and I'll send it to you. Thanks for watching my friend!

[@wolfsdenmusic9404]

@@SynthwaveDojo I can't choose sides...I love Glenn and Don's vocals and song writing equally. :) But yeah...You Belong To The City...synths, 80's clean guitar sounds, sax...it's all right there. :)

[@RobRippa1]

Alonso another fantastic video my friend. Thank you so much for everything you do for music. Quick question, what does your mastering process consist of ?

[@SynthwaveDojo]

Hey Rob! My mastering chain is very simple: -EQ with high pass filter at 40Hz on the Stereo signal and a HPF on the SIDE signal at 100Hz -Gentle mastering compressor -Gentle mastering EQ -Tape/Saturation/Transformer -Stereo enhancement -Limiter Hope this helps and thanks for watching!

[@RobRippa1]

Awesome thank you getting back to me. I'm going to try and do some of what you you told me here in my chain. Maybe cover the master buss in an upcoming episode. Your music sounds great both musically and sonically, keep up the great work. :) @@SynthwaveDojo

[@Soundcheck-GiuseppePalladino]

A tutorial for the sound patch!

[@SynthwaveDojo]

Yes. I’ll be making a tutorial on The Midnight sound design soon 😊

[@Soundcheck-GiuseppePalladino]

@@SynthwaveDojo thanks man 😉

[@SynthwaveDojo]

my pleasure!