??? Check out smart:chain by sonible HERE: https://bit.ly/drmix_smartchain ???
? This video is kindly sponsored by sonible — thank you for supporting the channel!
? Get the MIDI for the entire song + the full multi-track ? https://doctormix.com/sound-packs/the-final-countdown-multi-track?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=desc&utm_campaign=0h2o2CU-Lao
? FREE printable poster — the story of the sound, the song and the riff — when you join my mailing list ? https://doctormix.com/free/final-countdown?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=desc&utm_campaign=0h2o2CU-Lao
I rebuilt Europe's "The Final Countdown" note by note, from scratch, then mixed it to sit as close to the original as I could get. ? Drums, a bass line played with a pick, the guitars, the pads, that bendy intro synth on a Jupiter-8 (it sounds a bit like Terminator, doesn't it?) and of course the fanfare everyone hums.
That fanfare is two synths layered: a Yamaha TX816, which I played on my DX7, the same FM engine, and the JX-8P "Stab Brass" patch in Roland ZENOLOGY. ? Then sonible smart:chain did the groundwork across the whole mix: drums, bass, hi-hats, overheads, guitars and the horns. When I put it on the drum group, all I could say was "Dude, are you kidding me?"
? Want the whole thing in real time? The full session is on my Patreon ? https://www.patreon.com/DoctorMix/posts/everything-i-174386874
? GEAR & PLUGINS IN THIS VIDEO
?️ sonible — smart:chain, EQ, compression, saturation and auto-levelling across every track (link at the top)
? Yamaha DX7 — the FM half of the fanfare
? Roland ZENOLOGY Pro — the JX-8P "Stab Brass" patch ? https://www.roland.com/global/products/rc_zenology/
? Roland JUPITER-8 — the intro synth ? https://www.roland.com/global/products/rc_jupiter-8/
? UJAM IRON 2 — the guitars ? https://www.ujam.com/guitarist/iron/
? Native Instruments Kontakt — Drum Lab and Studio Drummer for the kit
? Valhalla DSP — the reverbs
? Steinberg Cubase — where it all happened
"The Final Countdown" written by Joey Tempest, performed by Europe (Epic Records, 1986). This is an independent reconstruction for educational purposes; Doctor Mix is not affiliated with Europe or Epic Records.
? That intro synth sounds a bit like Terminator to me. Who did it first? Tell me in the comments!
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⏱️ Chapters
0:00 The Final Countdown
1:16 smart:chain by sonible
2:59 Analysing the intro: a bed of pads
4:34 Why the drums stay on four
5:15 The bass line doesn't gallop
7:10 Building the drums
11:50 Recording the bass (with a pick!)
16:35 Mixing with smart:chain
21:29 Guitars with UJAM IRON 2
24:25 The fanfare: TX816 + JX-8P "Stab Brass"
28:43 Taming the DX7 brass
31:45 MIDI, multi-track and the free poster
33:14 The intro synth on a Jupiter-8
39:15 Pads and the low synth
44:59 Refining the mix: reverbs and slap
46:56 smart:chain fixes the horns
48:49 smart:chain on the drum group
49:53 The Final Countdown by Doctor Mix
#DoctorMix #sonible #TheFinalCountdown