Given that he worked on Michael Jackson’s Thriller album, Anthony Marinelli should know a thing or two about programming classic ‘80s synth patches. In a new video, he switches focus from the King of Pop to a famous synth part from another musical royal: the intro to Prince’s 1999.
Originally recorded using an Oberheim synth - there’s some debate as to which - Marinelli sets about recreating the 1999 intro using an OB-X. However, he suggests that any synth with two oscillators and pulse width modulation should be up to the job.
Marinelli takes you through the oscillator, filter and modulation settings he’d use to create the patch’s distinctive tone, playing the riff as he goes along.
This is one of several synth tutorial videos that Marinelli has been posting recently. Other guides show you how to create the bass sound from Daft Punk’s Da Funk, the lead from The Weeknd’s Blinding Lights, and the bass from Tyler The Creator’s Igor’s Theme.
And, naturally, there’s plenty of Thriller-related content on his channel, too.
