Thriller - Michael Jackson. Instrumental cover

This is my instrumental cover of Michael Jackson's Thriller. A song that practically defines the 1980's and was one of Michael Jackson's biggest hits.
This track was immensely complex to figure out, and the original production still stands the test of time today. Quincy Jones who produced the original was genius in my opinion.
I've been wanting to recreate this track for years, so I'm excited to present my instrumental cover today.
Everything in this production was worked out by ear, and I used only VST istruments, which include Native Instruments Battery 4, FM7, Session Horns, Refx Nexus and Steinberg Retrologue. It was produced in Cubase Pro 12.
The Vincent Price monologue and laugh I recorded myself in the morning to get an appropriate tone, with some EQ, reverb and compression (Native Instruments Raum).
Any questions? Please post them in the comments.
If you enjoyed this, you might want to check out my 80's cover collection here:
• 80s Music covers

[@YourVabsy]

You reach 04:18 and suddenly you get elevated to another LEVEL. Awesome 😍🎶👍

[@juliancroot]

Glad you liked it. Thanks for checking it out. 👍

[@matthardern1594]

Amazing!

[@juliancroot]

@@matthardern1594 Thanks 👍

[@decadish04]

Bro you are so underrated man, good job 👍👍👍👍

[@juliancroot]

Thanks man 👍

[@doctorjones945]

SO cool! Nice job again!

[@stormlord3309]

It’s a yes from me 👍. Excellent job and very atmospheric.

[@MarkBowenPiano]

Another great recreation. Well done!

[@LoveUnlimit]

Your laughing sound at the end was so funny and 😈..... Made me have very big smile 😁....

[@juliancroot]

Mission accomplished 👍. Thanks for watching.

[@ge0music307]

Brilliant, you always make your compositions flawless.

[@juliancroot]

Thank you. I'm glad you think so. 😊

[@jorgeandrade20]

So good!

[@jarnopereira]

I found your channel today and I'm delighted, you deserve to be seen by the whole world 😍😍😍😍😍😍😍

[@juliancroot]

Wow, thanks Jarno.

[@doctorjones945]

Excellent! Awesome! 👍👍 Cheers from Quebec!

[@juliancroot]

Many thanks!

[@CDK11]

This in amazing! Soo good!

[@juliancroot]

Thanks 👍

[@themaskedviolinist1075]

Great job.. As always 😉👍👍👍

[@juliancroot]

Thank you so much 😀

[@TachyBunker]

Came here from doctor mix. Great cover, more hyped up

[@maj373]

Wow!

[@ThomasLeypoldt]

love this!! I remember you playing this brilliantly on the piano back at the film workshop. It was great to hear your recreation of the original! I noticed lots of small, interesting melodies within the composition that I have never really noticed before as well!

[@juliancroot]

Thanks Thomas. Yeah great memories from the workshop. Thriller never gets old IMO.

[@steveschnetzler5471]

Nice Vincent impersonation, I am always impressed by your videos, thanks.

[@juliancroot]

Always appreciate your watching Steve. Thanks.

[@bio-kismet]

From fb and here to support ~~ It's amazing!!!! 🌷🌷

[@juliancroot]

And your support is greatly appreciated. Thank you very much.

[@burakkonak2342]

awesome performance

[@juliancroot]

Thank you 🙏

[@carminegontzmusic]

This is really cool. Good job!

[@juliancroot]

Thanks Carmine.

[@Tavarcio]

this is great

[@juliancroot]

Cheers Tavarcio :)

[@jameskvo]

I wish my studio was a tidy and slick as yours. I'm surrounded by empty coffee cups, cables disappearing into places I can't remember where, a stack of redundant gear and too many screens

[@juliancroot]

You only see what I want you to see 😁.

[@sonnyraine8159]

Very Cool Bud

[@juliancroot]

Thanks for the visit

[@mathiasstoewer5488]

Absolutly fantastic, or like we say in geman: "Einfach nur geil".

[@juliancroot]

Thanks Mathias 👍

[@Jon_Soti]

Wow!!! Great cover! Love the overall production and the sounds! May I ask for your permission to add vocals?

[@juliancroot]

Thanks Jon, and thanks for asking. Feel free to add your own vocals.... If you want to use it on your channel, please clearly credit me in the video and description. Thanks 👍 Also contact me directly if you want to colab more closely...email is on the channel description. Thanks.

[@antonfokker4671]

Excellent job ! What is that little keyboard part at 0.53, what exactly do you play there ?

[@juliancroot]

Oh that's just a Rhodes Piano patch, playing a C sus2 chord (I think from memory), but without the 3rd. In context it sounds more complex than it really is.

[@stefanczarnecki9190]

wow ...amazing hello From WARSAW

[@juliancroot]

Thank you Stefan. And hello from the UK 🙂

[@stefanczarnecki9190]

@@juliancroot I see that you use AKAI. I wonder what sound you would achieve on a Yamaha or Moog

[@juliancroot]

@@stefanczarnecki9190 the akai is just a controller. All the sounds are VST instruments

[@The-Logician]

It’s close to midnight, and Julian’s lurking in the dark, under the LED light, you see a sight, that almost stops your heart. You try to scream, but Cubase takes the sound before you make it.

[@juliancroot]

Lol, you feeling ok Trevor?

[@The-Logician]

@@juliancroot never better! Great rendition of one of my all time favorites

[@juliancroot]

@@The-Logician mine too!

[@jessegimbel]

Wow, these sounds are excellent. I'm working on a project where I'm building a track with many elements similar to Thriller, also working in Cubase, and while I've got the bass sound dialed in nicely, I haven't found trumpet sounds in Cubase like you have here, nor been able to work out the nice verse pad, or the electric guitar-type sound. After seeing this video I'm going to have to keep looking. Any tips would be greatly appreciated!

[@juliancroot]

Nearly all my synth sounds are layered, so my tip would be to look beyond what you get with a single preset sound. When it comes to emulating real orchestral instruments, like the trumpet, I use real instrument sample libraries like EastWest Hollywood Orchestra and NI Session Horns.

[@jessegimbel]

@@juliancroot very helpful, thank you!

[@juliancroot]

@@jessegimbel 👍 Happy music making.

[@Jabbaaaaaaaaaaaaa]

We def need a top gun danger zone remix!

[@juliancroot]

I've been thinking about doing this one... Or maybe Meet Me Half Way (also Kenny Loggins) from Over The Top.

[@saimarboston6209]

Крутяк👍

[@oldendays9554]

Wow! Better than Doctor Mix.

[@RafaelLima15]

How Can I get your multitracks?

[@elhijodefrancisco]

Can I use for a video? In the description I give you the credit!

[@juliancroot]

Very sorry, but no. My current wish is to keep my content unique to this channel.

[@elhijodefrancisco]

@@juliancroot Ok!

[@vkanth2]

Listening between the first 10 -30 seconds seemed like "West End Girls" by Pet Shop Boys 😀. Perhaps you can do a cover for this too? Nice work on the instrumental covers!

[@juliancroot]

I have a few Pet Shop Boys tracks on my 'to do list'. West End Girls is one of them. 😀 Thanks.

[@vkanth2]

@@juliancroot Thank you looking forward to the release.👍

[@user-um1my7rh7e]

SMOOTH CRIMINAL PLS

[@juliancroot]

That and Stranger In Moscow are on my list. 😁

[@decadish04]

Hey, i have made a better version of your cover, how can I send it to you so you can review it, i have used your cover and added and corrected some parts that you may have missed, please provide me with your public email, so that I can email you my cover of your cover, hoping for a reply......😊, Just want you to listen it.......

[@juliancroot]

My contact email address is in the channel description, but please know I'm very careful about downloading anything or opening links from people I don't know. I have a newer version myself, it's just not on KZbin. But feel free to send me your version, if it looks ok I'll check it out.

[@decadish04]

@@juliancroot Sure I'll send it as soon as possible, and I'll make sure, it will be legit☺️

[@decadish04]

It is not in the channel description, i checked 😢

[@juliancroot]

@@decadish04 Its not shown mobile, only on full desktop site under 'About', then click 'view email address'. Its there. I just checked while logged in under a different profile.

[@decadish04]

@@juliancroot Oh thank you ☺️

[@johnpeace971]

I could never stand the artificial sound of Thriller. Synth drums, synth bass, synth synth synth. What artists need to do is stop trying to reproduce this sterile record and re-make it with real instruments and MJs vocal trax. Let's hear a real bass, real horns, real strings. All that should survive from the original recording is the vocals and the guitar

[@juliancroot]

Ooof.... Each to their own I guess 😁. Of course I disagree and I appreciate those nostalgic synth sounds. But it's the complex arrangement that really makes it work.