How Do They [Kraftwerk] Make This Sound So Good?

[Jathon Delsy]

How do they make this recording sound so good?

Specifically, I'm interested in the sticky, palpable attack tone that is present on the kick, the bass and the staccato synths. This sound seems to permeate the whole song. Although not subtle, it is not overdone either. To my ear it sounds highly attractive and seductive in a sort of technological way that perfectly suits the ethos of this seminal band.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaoBbCC66I4

Is it an eq boost, perhaps in 1kHz. Or some sort of compression or transient treatment, maybe combined with eq?

For me it's certainly a unique sound, I have not heard it on other synth-based records.

Or am I over-analysing it? It it just a case of the whole being more than the sum of its parts, due to a consistent quality in the sound design, arrangement, musicianship, engineering and production?

I wish my songs sounded this good!

[Drew Stephenson]

Only had a quick listen, and it's not something I'm familiar with, but my initial take is to focus on the arrangement. There's no fat in there. Things come in and out but they do their job then disappear, nothing's fighting with anything else for bandwidth.

[Arpangel]

What Drew said, plus, I find getting a clean well defined "clear" sound involves taking things away, the less there is in the signal chain, the better. A lot of Kraftwerk records have this sound, the philosophy is to make it as artificial and "technicolour" sounding as possible, which equates to clean, and direct, they are electronic instruments after all.

[James Perrett]

My first thought is that you need to forget about processing - get the sound at source and preserve it rather than processing a less than perfect sound.

They haven't made it sound good - it was good to start with.

[Arpangel]

My first thought is that you need to forget about processing - get the sound at source and preserve it rather than processing a less than perfect sound.

They haven't made it sound good - it was good to start with.

That’s right James, I've always tried to get my synth sounds right on the instrument, rarely using external processing, or EQ.

[tea for two]

Thin Kick :
For this clear mix imo is the thin Kick.
If the Kick was deep heevee stacked Kicks it would drown out the other Synth sounds which would make it a muddy mix.

Robotic voice :
Pitched where it would sit well with the other Synth sounds phrases.
If it was a Barry White voice it would probably become a muddy mix.
If it was a Falsetto Barry Gibb voice it would clash with the higher Synth sounds phrases.

Arrangement and choice of sounds :
The choice of Synth sounds phrases are sculpted played where they won't clash with one another, where they might clash then one Synth sound phrase drops out.

Mix :
Is not shoved in our face.
There's things in the background.

::

Listening on AKG K245 for bottom. Shure Srh1440 for mids highs. On this 2009 remaster the highs are trifle too high for me, I would taken the highs down a notch.

::

Ps. To me it sounds as We are F*ing Roboter on this 2009 remaster. Lol.
Early 80s first heard it no idea what was being sung who song was by.
Early 90s a chum gave Man Machine album as a present as soon as I heard We are the Robots .... eureka.

[Arpangel]

The mix of Expo 2000 on 12 inch single is earth shattering, potentially speaker destroying. The bass is so powerful, and the voices are an inch from your face, you can almost "see" into that vocoder.

[Forum Admin]

They haven't made it sound good - it was good to start with.

Precisely! All about the song and arrangement structure - love the Question (vocoder) and Answer (synth motif) style halfway through.

It's not for no good reason that Kratfwerk's music influenced so many electronic musicians. [Boring as f**k to watch live, though - saw them at Newcastle City Hall when they did the 'shop dummy stage presence' period. Went to the bar and sunk a Newcie Brown. Could still hear the music and it sounded better to my ears, like having a very loud Jukebox in the corner.]

The group are a bit more animated in this 1976 Paris gig video from YouTube:

https://youtu.be/rEGSnE-5ypg

[tea for two]

Saw 1/2 KW first thyme 2004 Brixton Academy : just 2 original members + 2 newbees. I was too close to the stage had to step back because the bass was altering my heartbeat.
Later became 1/4 KW : 1 original member + 3 newbees.

It's not for no good reason that Kratfwerk's music influenced so many electronic musicians.

For me this is because didn't need to have sublime compositional improvisational ability of Vangelis, didn't need to have solos intricate sequencing of Tangerine Dream Klaus Schulze, didn't need to have sound design layering interweaving synthesis inventiveness of JmJ.

Main thing needed was sparse Funk Beats sparse Funk Bass simplified electronified which is what KW did copied, with bits n bobs of other stuff chucked in.
Karl Bartos was the only KW member to openly say enormous influence James Brown and Funk upon KW.

[Jathon Delsy]

Thanks for the usual brilliant replies.
For me this songs is a masterclass in music production. As I suspected, much of its power comes from the incisive, sculptured economy of its composition and arrangement.
Yes, I can hear the James Brown influence. Also I hear a classic Europop influence, that is using simple, standard changes and structures and snappy beats to create a catchy, poppy song.
But I believe that prior to all this is the band's clear, precise artistic vision. You've got to know where you're going to get anywhere.

I can hear their seminal influence in many places, but for me no other group gets such a clearly defined sound, both sonically and artistically.

[The Red Bladder]

Specifically, I'm interested in the sticky, palpable attack tone that is present on the kick, the bass and the staccato synths.

They just added a digital click to the beginning of the sound, esp. the kick.

Back then they had to programme it in on the sequencer - today you can just add it in your DAW.

[Jathon Delsy]

Specifically, I'm interested in the sticky, palpable attack tone that is present on the kick, the bass and the staccato synths.

They just added a digital click to the beginning of the sound, esp. the kick.

Back then they had to programme it in on the sequencer - today you can just add it in your DAW.

Wow! Thanks The Red Bladder. That is precisely the answer I was looking for! Bravo.
Any suggestiens as to what to use, or where to get, a suitable click tone. I suppose the clicks used with many metronomes will work.

[The Red Bladder]

Any suggestiens as to what to use, or where to get, a suitable click tone. I suppose the clicks used with many metronomes will work.

Any unwanted electronic click will do - experiment! I use the clockwork metronome for adding oompf to handclaps and I put a nasty click in front of the kick sample from a dDrum head. Try smacking a wooden baton on a table or the floor.

There must be a million ways to get a funky kick drum. Gun fire. Try slapping a very fat person on the arse! I bet that makes one hell of a good noise!

[James Perrett]

They just added a digital click to the beginning of the sound, esp. the kick.

Back then they had to programme it in on the sequencer - today you can just add it in your DAW.

Wow! Thanks The Red Bladder. That is precisely the answer I was looking for! Bravo.
Any suggestiens as to what to use, or where to get, a suitable click tone. I suppose the clicks used with many metronomes will work.

I don't think it is a digital click - I'd say they layered a short synth blip over the longer tone. You should be able to program something appropriate on any analogue synth or VST emulation (if you want to know how then look at the Juno 6 manual for inspiration as they have something similar there, at the top of page 27 in the sample sounds section).