MJ’s Thriller Frog Bass … Found!

THRILLER SYNTH GIVEAWAY

Want to win the same model synthesizer used on THRILLER to make the iconic FROGGIE BASS sound? Visit the above link to find out how to enter. Hurry because the giveaway ends Oct 30th!

This is the conclusion video of the search for the Froggie sound that appears during the breakdown section of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" song, I originally thought the sound was performed on the Casiotone 401 based on leads given to me by followers on social media. This was soon debunked when three of my friends that were at the "Thriller" recording sessions told me that the sound was performed on a small and light weight cream colored Casio keyboard. I was not in the room when that particular sound was recorded.  After this revelation, I purchased the MT-60, which fit the description and had a frog sound on preset #13. In this video, we show the phone calls to my friends Steven Ray (assistant to Quincy Jones), Matt Forger (assistant engineer on Thriller) and Greg Phillinganes (who played the sound on the record) so you can see their reactions to seeing and hearing the keyboard. I can now conclude that the froggie sound was performed by Greg on a creme colored Casiotone MT-60. I also give instructions in this video about how you can enter our contest to win a Casiotone MT-60 with the sound.

00:00 Introduction
00:26 MT-60 Giveaway Information
00:59 Steven Ray Phone call (assistant to Quincy Jones)
03:11 Matt Forger Phone call (assistant engineer)
03:27 Original Thriller Track Sheet written by Matt Forger
06:25 Greg Phillinganes phone call
09:29 Conclusion

In this series Anthony breaks down some of the most icons synthesizer patches that he programmed for Michael Jackson’s Thriller

Anthony's musical touch as both composer and performer is connected with some of the most influential creative minds over the last 40 years. He’s composed and conducted original orchestral scores for over 80 feature films including Young Guns, Internal Affairs, The Man From Elysian Fields, 15 Minutes and Planes, Trains & Automobiles, been commissioned by the Los Angeles Philharmonic for his symphonic work "In the Family Way", written over one thousand TV commercials in a myriad of musical styles, co-founded Levels Audio Post (LA's premiere post production facility) and performed and arranged on big-box-office films and influential hit records such as Michael Jackson's Thriller.

His extensive work as a young arranger, orchestrator and performer for Quincy Jones, Jack Nitzsche, Lamont Dozier, Arthur Rubenstein and Giorgio Moroder was vital in launching his own career. His early years pioneering modular analog synthesizers along with his wide-ranging music scholarship positioned Anthony at the center of the music technology revolution. He attended the University of Southern California School of Music as a piano and composition major.

[enricopallazzoofficial]

It so incredible to think that something so "useless" became a signature sound for one of the most important song in the history of music.
This means that there are no useless sounds in music. Everything has a purpose.

[gregsullivan]

Despite the sound being humorous in isolation, in the context it's in, in the song, it takes on a very haunting, ominous quality - it works so well and whoever discovered it and suggested it be used was very clever!

[sjay]

(1:57) <-- That just significantly jacked up the price of the Casiotone MT-60 on the secondhand market. 😁

Keep up the great content, Anthony!👍

[puppetsnob]

Casio is so under-appreciated! There are many incredibly powerful synths that never get to be in a hit song, and here's a little Casio keyboard that beat 'em.

[LCOmusic]

The Thriller frog bass is one of my favorite sounds in all of sound design 🤩

Thanks Anthony for continuing to share all the incredible insights and anecdotes. Your channel is a boon to the whole platform.

[ShawnTewes]

Wow! Completely mind blowing! I had this exact keyboard as a kid, and learned to play piano on it from around '85 or so. A year or two prior, my dad had just bought a new tape deck, along with a copy of Thriller which was the first tape used to christen it. I was instantly mesmerized and it left a lasting impression to this day. I can actually remember messing around with frog and mimicking the same C# bassline from Thriller thinking "hmm, it KINDA sounds like it" 😂. Man, now I really wish I kept that keyboard.

[martijn_nl]

Such a great episode! That iconic sound had to be recovered and confirmed by this league of extraordinary gentlemen! I think that creamy white MT-60 suddenly has become much more expensive and sought after. Thank you Anthony!

[westscape]

I'd love to think whoever programmed that sound for Casio got to realise it became part of such an amazing and famous recording.

[Michael_Smith-Red_No.]

This scratched an itch I've had for a few decades. Thank you.

[IlkoBirov]

A truly iconic sound! And a testament to the importance of sound selection.
Thanks for sharing, Anthony! It's so enjoyable watching you recreate the sounds from Michael Jackson's legendary project.

[nunofernandes]

It's so cool and amazing that most keyboard parts on this huge worldwide hit were played in real time by humans and not sequenced. Maybe that's why older music sounds so magical?

[DevanSabaratnam]

It's so nice that these videos introduce us to so many 'behind the scenes' people that are responsible for the most iconic music of my lifetime. It is so easy to forget that it took a crew of talented people working behind stars like MJ, and I am grateful to Anthony for pulling back the curtain like this, in such a real, genuine, way.

[stephenellis]

I used to sit on a saturday night back in the 80`s in the car as an 11yr old waiting for my dad to come out of the local pub`s outdoor (having a few pints) before collecting a take away listening to this sound (and the rest of Thriller) and wondering what it was ...the search is over, i`ve been into composing from as soon as i could afford my first synth a few years later..one thing that always amazes me is how lo-fi the "dry" sound sounds, then how great it sound on Thriller !, it`s the magic of big budget music productions i guess ! .. thanks for posting not only did you bring back many fond memories but i also learnt something today ....

[trstack]

Greg is still incredible...love his talent, vibe and need him on more Spectrasonics videos please!

[jangayen]

Big thank you synth master Marinelli🙏!! I remeber being the first to ask you about this ”frog” sound. It was on one of your first videos about thriller. You politely answered you had no idea, and I thought I never would know….Despite all the top gear in the studio… it was a tiny Casiotone behind it. 🐸 I would never have guessed. So grateful for your commitment and engagement! The holy grale of mysterious sound on Thriller is found!!!🤩❤️

[brysonedwards]

Also on that sheet it said Jupiter 4 for the synth clavinet on thriller wow 🤩

[mush]

This has always been one of my very favourite sounds in any record, so when my brother directed me to your channel recently I thought "wow great, I can finally find out how they made it", assuming it was going to be some complex squelchy modular synth or something and... Nope! Frog. And a Casio frog at that! I suppose it just goes to show that a well-placed preset can be just as iconic as anything more complicated! Love the channel btw, it's endlessly fascinating.

[TronDawg]

So stoked to see the Froggy bass continuation. Love the Casio MT60. So good:)

[andrewduncan]

The primary reason I like music is for the music itself, but I wish there were more people out there tracking the history of what happened in the studio like this. It's really fun to learn about the gear and atmosphere in the studio when the music was recoreded.

[peterzee]

My casiotone CT-101 has the frog sound as well.