billie jean

[Sascha Franck]

Here's the original in comparison with the "recreation":
http://home.arcor.de/s.franck/billie.mp3

The recreation is a little slower. That's all!

Pardon?
The recreation is using a 16th note shaker which simply isn't present in the original not at all. It's ALL 8th notes, even the shaker entering after 4 bars. This is the HUGE difference!
Apart from that, the sounds used in the "recreation" aren't even remotely close to those used on the original. There's no claps at all and kick/snare on the original sound like real drums whereas the recreated ones are sounding like machine drums.

[Edited for whatever reasons...]

Seriously, I don't mean to slag off the attempts at a cover, but regarding the beat there's NO similarities at ALL, others than a kick on 1+3 and a snare on 2+4 - which would just be as similar to any contemporary groove from the last 30 years.
Regarding all other aspects it's got nothing to do with the original at all.

[Sascha Franck]

Eh? It's a competely different sound. I'm not saying that it sounds bad, but it sounds nowt like the first clip soundwise.

Phew - at least someone's got a pair of what we call "ears" over here.

[clueless]

has anyone seen my pet elephant? sure I left it around here somewhere

[Timfonie]

Here's the original in comparison with the "recreation":
http://home.arcor.de/s.franck/billie.mp3

The recreation is a little slower. That's all!

Pardon?
The recreation is using a 16th note shaker which simply isn't present in the original not at all. It's ALL 8th notes, even the shaker entering after 4 bars. This is the HUGE difference!
Apart from that, the sounds used in the "recreation" aren't even remotely close to those used on the original. There's no claps at all and kick/snare on the original sound like real drums whereas the recreated ones are sounding like machine drums.
(...)

I'm wondering why my comment is being interpreted as a serious one. Of course I completely agree with Sascha's analysis.

The recreation of the complete song is accurate enough to be very recognizable. This is not due to the sounds used, nor is it in the details. It is thanks to the overall compositional similarity with a legendary 'one of a kind'-song.

B.t.w. nicely done Sascha, an mp3 to directly compare the two. It's the best way to notice the huge differences.

[FunkyBunch]

808??????? clap??????
i would sample it but i hate sampling,
and i want a better sound quality too
isn't there a drumkit with the original sounds?

[clueless]

it even tells you which snare he used and everything...

[Sascha Franck]

it even tells you which snare he used and everything...

In fact, the groove shouldn't be hard to reproduce at all. Apart from the nasty reverb perhaps.

[Timbre]

I used Smartelectronix Asynth for the synth sounds and used some drum samples from my collection...then i spiced things up a bit with compressing, eq etc..
nothing special really.

I did not try to clone an 1:1 Billy Jean, at the time
i was making the "recreation", i never compared it with the original at all.

[Timbre]

the reverb can be done by using a very low wet setting, but pulling it a bit up with a compressor

[Pouckypluysch]

A producer involved with the recording of Billy Jean was at the producers forum at the Namm show a few years back, to tell about how they made the beat. He was an apprentice at the time, and got the instruction to make a drum sound that would be instantly recognizable. (I missed the forum, and a colleague told me about it, so I can't tell for sure whether it was Quincy Jones, or an apprentice of Quincy Jones, but probably the latter)

He did a great job.

I once 'recycled' the beat, but everytime I use it in a track (no other processing, but only different tempo's), you can hear instantly that it's taken from Billy Jean.

[C00kie]

has anyone seen my pet elephant? sure I left it around here somewhere

You mean this one that calls by the name of Ndugu Chancler

A producer involved with the recording of Billy Jean was at the producers forum at the Namm show a few years back, to tell about how they made the beat. He was an apprentice at the time, and got the instruction to make a drum sound that would be instantly recognizable.

Could it be it wasn't a producer but a certain Yamaha endorsed drummer at the Namm??

“It’s ironic,” Chancler says, reflecting on his “Billie Jean” performance, which became one of the most iconic drum parts of all time. “For all the drums I’ve played with everybody else, that was the simplest I’d ever played, and the largest seller.”

[clueless]

has anyone seen my pet elephant? sure I left it around here somewhere

You mean this one that calls by the name of Ndugu Chancler

why, yes!

[akisd28]

I thought it was absolutely clear that it was a real drum kit, anyway... The loop "Medium Pop" in Spectrasonics "Backbeat" is the closest thing I've heard to Billy Jean's drum sound and feel.

[alvakorn]

I alway assumed that Billie Jean was done on a LinnDrum MkII, but I guess i was wrong. You can find the samples at www.hollowsun.com and judge for yourself. The kick and snare sound like they *might* be the same ones, with proper eq and verb applied. The high hat doesn't really sound the same to me. Anyway, those LinnDrum samples will get the right 'vibe' for that era.

[seldom]

http://www.audiocourses.com/article-print-117.html