How a recording-studio mishap shaped '80s music

Warning: This is an unapologetic ode to gated reverb drums

Over the past few years a general nostalgia for the 1980s has infiltrated music, film, and television. I deeply love those gated reverb drums of the '80s - you know that punchy percussive sound popularized by Phil Collins and Prince? So for my second episode of Vox Pop’s Earworm I spoke with two Berklee College of Music professors, Susan Rogers and Prince Charles Alexander, to figure out just how that sound came to be, what makes it so damn punchy, and why it’s back. 

Correction: At 2:01, a previous version of the video mistakenly said the noise gate only lets frequencies above a certain threshold pass through. We should’ve said “amplitudes” instead of “frequencies.” The error has been rectified.

At 3:45 we noted that plate reverb boxes were made using aluminum. In fact, they were usually made of steel.

Some songs don't just stick in your head, they change the music world forever. Join Estelle Caswell on a musical journey to discover the stories behind your favorite songs.

[amazd]

And maybe this is why learning to play the drums in the 80's always felt like a fail. Tape/socks/pillows and I just couldn't get my set to sound like the radio songs. You just healed part of my childhood. lol

[megaforse]

You could say Phil was really the genesis of the 80's drum sound.

[MeeYeeWeeWee]

The iconic drum fill in "In The Air Tonight" = instant dopamine rush

[syedkahar]

Honestly that gated reverb is probably why I like 80s music. It just makes the song sounds so alive and warm

[natmaccc]

Vox is always educating me about things I didn't even know I cared about

[kaysha]

Such an amazing story. Definitely a defining moment in music

[ndAveScents]

Keep doing more like this. So many people have no clue how music is made.

[joserose]

I like being talked about fondly, thanks Vox

[fnv-wn]

"We really kind of used it to death". About sums it up.

[yoong___]

No mistakes just happy little accidents

[ewthmatth]

Next video: How a Salon Mishap Shaped 80's Hairstyles

[LucidDreamer]

I can give another example of a time when an accident influenced music. When Johnny Cash was getting started as a musician, there was one time he wanted to listen to some music on a reel-to-reel tape player. But he accidentally played the tape backwards. He heard a very unique guitar sound and thought he could do something with it. He later used it in his song “I Walk the Line”, which became his first #1 hit on the Billboard charts.

[Mysteryskatin]

This man's name is "Professor Prince Charles Alexander." Why is no one talking about this.

[umachan]

Interesting stuff. I always thought the sound of the 80's was more synthesizers and things like that. But yeah, now that you've mentioned this I'm thinking back to all those songs and it's just there.

[paulbaxter]

55 years old and im shedding a tear - love my 80s

[frankfisher]

every one of those early solo Gabriel albums are groundbreaking. a stunning series.

[Vox]

A previous version of this video mistakenly suggested that a noise gate affects frequency. In fact, it affects amplitude.

[mikecameron]

I love stories about studio accidents leading to brilliant tracks. "Money for Nothing" and "Spirit in the Sky" are two more examples of studio magic that could never be repeated.

[scriff]

Such a cool little doco! As a teenager growing up in the 80s, I love the music from that era. Now I’m listening to new music and thinking “Wow - that could easily have come from the 80s” without quite understanding why - this doco answers that question - Thank you!

[ginnyjollykidd]

Hey! The 80`s is my decade! I love that everybody is coming back to the 80's sounds! Everything old is new again!