|
Log in to post
|
Print Thread |
|
|
|
|
|
Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
|
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 137
Apprentice
|
OP
Apprentice
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 137 |
I have read articles and books which essentially say that Motown music has a great influence on American popular music.
However, I still try to understand what is its influence on the music that we hear today, or the music that we have heard since the 1990s.
When I listen to the original Motown hits, I can see that the rhythms are very distinctive and different from today's music. Of course, when you listen to Happy by Pharrell Williams, you can recognize its Motown vibe. But what about other music?
So what do musicians like Alicia Keys, Mariah Carey, etc learn from Motown and use them in their own songs?
Could you pls help explain?
Thank you.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
|
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 22,454
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 22,454 |
Consider what Motown did in little more than a decade;
Diana Ross & the Supremes, Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, Stevie Wonder, the Temptations, the Four Tops, Marvin Gaye, Michael Jackson & the Jackson 5, Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Lionel Richie & the Commodores .. and most of the above had multiple hit albums for Motown.
Even if 'Alicia Keys and Mariah Carey' never consciously learned from the above artists, their trainers sure did.
Also, Motown artists were trained to handle success. This part really perked my ears when I learned it. I think it might be a really important part of developing talent.
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome
Make your sound your own!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
|
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 21,021
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 21,021 |
Hmmmm
The question is a great one, and RHarv's answer is absolutely appropriate.
For me, it's impossible to know where the influence for what we are hearing now came from. Musically, most of it is a world apart from what came out of Studio B - "on another planet" might better describe some of it...
BIAB & RB2026 Win.(Audiophile), Windows 10 Pro & Windows 11, Cakewalk Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Session Keys Grand S & Electric R, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M, Pioneer Active Monitors.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
|
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 7,913
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 7,913 |
fantasyn,
All music builds upon the past, whether immediate past, or distant past. This is actually true with clothing fashions as well.
Other influences that may not be obvious on the surface would be song structure in terms of it's intro verse chorus prechorus bridge sections (not that this is the pattern of Motown songs), overall song length, instrumentation, EQ of the songs themselves, the concept of a studio 'house' band (Funk Brothers) which underlaid countless hits (you have the Muscle Shoals folks down south, and the Wrecking Crew out in La-La-Land) that were slightly after the Motown guys (I think - someone might jump in here and correct this assumption), etc.
Something else that Motown brought to the forefront - more than 4 tracks to work with when mixing down. I think it was Motown that had one of the first 8 track simultaneous recording capabilities anywhere, with ability to pan - (even though much were mono mixes).
If you want a deep answer to this, you could hit up some of the Detroit chapter AES folks. I was in the Detroit section for a couple of years and my favorite meeting was on the main studio floor of the Motown studios and this was the lecture:
"May 2008: Tony Bongiovi of Bongiovi Acoustics spoke at the Motown Historical Museum on the secrets behind the famous “Motown” sound. Tony gave a presentation on the methods that were used to give Motown recordings that unique sound. The methods gave a small midwestern recording studio an advantage over larger more established studios in New York and LA, and allowed Motown to make its mark on music history. The meeting drew a large turnout including former Motown engineers. "
I could also possibly connect you to David Clark, one of the engineers referred to above (not of the Dave Clark 5). Dave co-presented with Tony Bongiovi in that May 2008 meeting - they talked quite a bit about the EQs that were in the rack at Motown. Hit me up with a private message if you want me to make the connection for you.
-Scott
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
|
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 22,454
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 22,454 |
Again, just taking the tour makes you realize the influence.
Pictures of the studio in use (and the little control room) with more stars than you can imagine, and they were coming in regularly.
I'm pretty sure they had the process covered right down to actually cutting the vinyl .. so they knew exactly how to get the end result. I know they created new Labels at will. That way I Heard It Through the Grapevine could be played twice as often according to the common Radio Playlist rules at the time. If it was two versions on two different labels it could be played twice. Smokey Robinson, Gladys Knight, and Marvin Gaye all recorded that song within a couple year span.
Marvin Gaye, hired as studio drummer in the beginning, then moved up the ladder.
Diana Ross and the Supremes, Jackson 5, Martha & Vandellas etc etc.
In their day Motown was 'the sound'. And it lasted for quite a span. Abbey Road Studios may have had such a span, but not many others. Funny how close in time the success of these two studios are.
For Comparison Abbey Road has claims to recording the Beatles, Pink Floyd, the Hollies, Badfinger .. again pretty powerful in it's day.
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome
Make your sound your own!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
|
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 3,733
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 3,733 |
Lenovo YOGA 900 Window s 10 Home 64bit M4 pro Mac mini 1tb HD 24GB mem casio wk7500 presonus audiobox i2 usb interface
casio wk-7500
biab & realband 2025 everything pk both with Current builds
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
|
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 5,086
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 5,086 |
Motown is one of my favorite sounds - loved it growing up and love it now. You can still hear it's influence today in artists like Bruno Mars and Adele to name two.
I think the other huge influence that was influenced by Motown was the soul sound out of Muscle Shoals. If you haven't seen it, watch the movie MUSCLE SHOALS - that rhythm section and those players were on more hit records than anyone before or since. Incredible. Great movie too.
Josie
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ask sales and support questions about Band-in-a-Box using natural language.
ChatPG's knowledge base includes the full Band-in-a-Box User Manual and sales information from the website.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Windows Special Offers End Tomorrow (January 15th, 2026) at 11:59 PM PST!
Time really is running out! Save up to 50% on Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® upgrades and receive a FREE Bonus PAK—only when you order by 11:59 PM PST on Thursday, January 15, 2026!
We've added many major new features and new content in a redesigned Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®!
Version 2026 introduces a modernized GUI redesign across the program, with updated toolbars, refreshed windows, smoother workflows, and a new Dark Mode option. There’s also a new side toolbar for quicker access to commonly used windows, and the new Multi-View feature lets you arrange multiple windows as layered panels without overlap, making it easier to customize your workspace.
Another exciting new addition is the new AI-Notes feature, which can transcribe polyphonic audio into MIDI. You can view the results in notation or play them back as MIDI, and choose whether to process an entire track or focus on specific parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®.
There's an amazing collection of new content too, including 202 RealTracks, new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two RealDrums Stems sets, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!
Upgrade your Band-in-a-Box for Windows to save up to 50% on most Band-in-a-Box® 2026 upgrade packages!
Plus, when you order your Band-in-a-Box® 2026 upgrade during our special, you'll receive a Free Bonus PAK of exciting new add-ons.
If you need any help deciding which package is the best option for you, just let us know. We are here to help!
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® Special Offers Extended Until January 15, 2026!
Good news! You still have time to upgrade to the latest version of Band-in-a-Box® for Windows® and save. Our Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® special now runs through January 15, 2025!
We've packed Band-in-a-Box® 2026 with major new features, enhancements, and an incredible lineup of new content! The program now sports a sleek, modern GUI redesign across the entire interface, including updated toolbars, refreshed windows, smoother workflows, a new dark mode option, and more. The brand-new side toolbar provides quicker access to key windows, while the new Multi-View feature lets you arrange multiple windows as layered panels without overlap, creating a flexible, clutter-free workspace. We have an amazing new “AI-Notes” feature. This transcribes polyphonic audio into MIDI so you can view it in notation or play it back as MIDI. You can process an entire track (all pitched instruments and drums) or focus on individual parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's an amazing collection of new content too, including 202 RealTracks, new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two RealDrums Stems sets, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!
There are over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®.
When you order purchase Band-in-a-Box® 2026 before 11:59 PM PST on January 15th, you'll also receive a Free Bonus PAK packed with exciting new add-ons.
Upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® today! Check out the Band-in-a-Box® packages page for all the purchase options available.
Happy New Year!
Thank you for being part of the Band-in-a-Box® community.
Wishing you and yours a very happy 2026—Happy New Year from all of us at PG Music!
Season's Greetings!
Wishing everyone a happy, healthy holiday season—thanks for being part of our community!
The office will be closed for Christmas Day, but we will be back on Boxing Day (Dec 26th) at 6:00am PST.
Team PG
Band-in-a-Box 2026 Video: The Newly Designed Piano Roll Window
In this video, we explore the updated Piano Roll, complete with a modernized look and exciting new features. You’ll see new filtering options that make it easy to focus on specific note groups, smoother and more intuitive note entry and editing, and enhanced options for zooming, looping, and more.
Watch the video.
You can see all the 2026 videos on our forum!
Band-in-a-Box 2026 Video: AI Stems & Notes - split polyphonic audio into instruments and transcribe
This video demonstrates how to use the new AI-Notes feature together with the AI-Stems splitter, allowing you to select an audio file and have it separated into individual stems while transcribing each one to its own MIDI track. AI-Notes converts polyphonic audio—either full mixes or individual instruments—into MIDI that you can view in notation or play back instantly.
Watch the video.
You can see all the 2026 videos on our forum!
Bonus PAK and 49-PAK for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®
With your version 2026 for Windows Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, Audiophile Edition or PlusPAK purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons for FREE! Or upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK for only $49 to receive even more NEW Add-ons including 20 additional RealTracks!
These PAKs are loaded with additional add-ons to supercharge your Band-in-a-Box®!
This Free Bonus PAK includes:
- The 2026 RealCombos Booster PAK:
-For Pro customers, this includes 27 new RealTracks and 23 new RealStyles.
-For MegaPAK customers, this includes 25 new RealTracks and 23 new RealStyles.
-For UltraPAK customers, this includes 12 new RealStyles.
- MIDI Styles Set 92: Look Ma! More MIDI 15: Latin Jazz
- MIDI SuperTracks Set 46: Piano & Organ
- Instrumental Studies Set 24: Groovin' Blues Soloing
- Artist Performance Set 19: Songs with Vocals 9
- Playable RealTracks Set 5
- RealDrums Stems Set 9: Cool Brushes
- SynthMaster Sounds Set 1 (with audio demos)
- Android Band-in-a-Box® App (included)
Looking for more great add-ons, then upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK for just $49 and you'll get:
- 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums with 20 RealStyle.
- FLAC Files (lossless audio files) for the 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums
- MIDI Styles Set 93: Look Ma! More MIDI 16: SynthMaster
- MIDI SuperTracks Set 47: More SynthMaster
- Instrumental Studies 25 - Soul Jazz Guitar Soloing
- Artist Performance Set 20: Songs with Vocals 10
- RealDrums Stems Set 10: Groovin' Sticks
- SynthMaster Sounds & Styles Set 2 (sounds & styles with audio demos)
Learn more about the Bonus PAKs for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Forums57
Topics85,734
Posts795,443
Members39,941
| |
Most Online25,754
Jan 24th, 2025
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dansk
Deutsch - Windows
Español
Français - Windows
Italiano - Windows
Nederlands
Polski
Português
Svenskt
русский
Japanese
Simplified Chinese
Traditional Chinese
Korean