My Jan Hammer DX7 Tribute


AndrewRemington

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Hey pals!  Sorry I don't make it on this board very often.  Miami Vice is still my favorite show, though!

I thought you all might enjoy this song I made.  Last year I invested in a Yamaha DX7 synthesizer because I absolutely love the sounds it makes.  I especially wanted one because Jan Hammer used one a lot for his Miami Vice scores.  He used other synths but the DX7 is just purely magical to me.  It was used on a lot of my favorite pop and rock songs of the 80s as well.

Anyway, I make a lot of instrumental music (a lot of 80s-style horror themes) but I finally made a tribute to Jan Hammer (as well as Harold Faltermeyer, another favorite).  I think it would fit for a late night drive with Sonny and Rico!  Tell me what you think!

 

*EDIT: Sorry the original song I posted has been lost. I removed it from YouTube to do some more editing but completely lost the song. I plan to remake it sometime.*

P.S. The drum machine I use is a Yamaha RX11 which is a drum machine that first came out in 1984.  I couldn't afford to buy a LinnDrum but I am very satisfied with the RX11 and it looks very good with the DX7 (see picture below).

 

magic.png

Edited by AndrewRemington
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I like the tune and could definitely picture it playing in a MV episode. For instance the night scene in Lombard starting at the place where Crockett and Tubbs are tailing him, as he's leaving his yacht. Thanks for sharing with us! :thumbsup:

Edited by summer84
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Thank you!  Yes, that sounds like a perfect scene for this song!  I'm glad you like it.  I'm hoping to make more Miami-style songs soon...

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23 minutes ago, AndrewRemington said:

Thank you!  Yes, that sounds like a perfect scene for this song!  I'm glad you like it.  I'm hoping to make more Miami-style songs soon...

The instrumental for sure has that night time vibe/sound, as you also mentioned. Really fits well there. I just listened to your music again and played it while watching that scene in one of the streaming services, (kinda quicker than bringing out the DVD's), but anyway it's incredible, how the music ended right at the point, where Lombard's car stopped. And the "car driving effect", not sure, what it's called slowly faded out. Cool!

Would be great to hear more!

 

Edited by summer84
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Haha, I was just trying to sync up the song with the scene, too.  Pretty cool how that worked out!  That car driving sound is a preset on the synthesizer called "Grand Prix"... Always makes me think of "Florence Italy"!

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GREAT classic Yamaha sounds! Nicely done! Thanks for sharing! Keep 'em coming!

This would also fit on any of the "street scenes"--for example, when C&T are approaching Robbie's club talking to the bouncer on "Buddies". 

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Thank you! It's great to hear that from you because I really love your work! Your Jan Hammer covers are perfect and always spot on.

Yes, that scene would be another good fit for this song!

Edited by AndrewRemington
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7 hours ago, AndrewRemington said:

Thank you! It's great to hear that from you because I really love your work! Your Jan Hammer covers are perfect and always spot on.

You're welcome, and thank you! :thumbsup:

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Really cool, man. What's the name of the bell sound from "Clues"? I've forgotten after all these years. Also, what's the name of the pad? 

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Thank you!  It's actually "Harp 1" but it does have a bell-ish quality to it.  The pad is "Low Strings" but I added chorus effect.  Doesn't it sound close to the string pad for "Clues" and some others? :D I added "Clav Ens" to the strings hits as well to give them more attack.

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Thanks!  That's "Grand Prix".  It's supposed to sound like cars racing by (totally synthesized though).  I don't know if Jan ever used that, but I thought the sound of cars racing was "definitely Miami", lol.

Edited by AndrewRemington
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That is "Clav Ens" (Clavinet Ensemble).  I love that sound... Very punchy and moody.  I'm sure it sounds familiar from many Jan Hammer songs, lol.

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Man, I could listen to the DX7 all day! That pad sounds amazingly analog. Nice work! Thanks for the mention--I'm glad you enjoy my covers, and that we share an admiration for Jan Hammer's Miami Vice music. Keep it up!

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Thank you!  Yeah, I love all the sounds it makes!  I imagine Heaven is the sound of E. Piano 1 in the key of E flat, lol, but seriously.

It can make some pretty convincing analog sounds, especially when you get into using custom presets... But for these three songs I've shared here I only used factory presets.

 

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  • 4 weeks later...
1 hour ago, Jerry B. said:

Nice stuff, Andrew, very vicey sound!

You may also like some tracks in my signature ;-)

I don't see signatures on my browser. Could you please post some links? I'm assuming you're a musician, and you're sharing some of your stuff? Would LOVE to check it out. 

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23 hours ago, Dadrian said:

I don't see signatures on my browser. Could you please post some links? I'm assuming you're a musician, and you're sharing some of your stuff? Would LOVE to check it out. 

Hi Dadrian, yes I'm an arranger and music producer. It's strange my signature doesn't show below my posts. I can see it.

Anyway here's the link to the tracks. They were scored and sequenced in 1989 as a pre-production material for a documentary (never released).

In 2015 I had the chance to recover the original midis and mix them down in my spare time with some gear I own now. Very rough mix and everything, just for the fun of you guys.

https://soundcloud.com/jerrybeck/sets

Enjoy ;-)

JB

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4 hours ago, Jerry B. said:

It's strange my signature doesn't show below my posts. I can see it.

I'm sure I would see it on a computer. I'm looking at Safari on my iPhone. 

Nice work on the song. "Starcycle" vibe. :thumbsup:

Thanks for sharing. 

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