Beat It Multitrack | Michael Jackson

One of the most famous anecdotes in rock history is Eddie Van Halen’s uncredited contribution to "Beat It." Listening to the isolated guitar solo stem reveals why his performance remains legendary.

: During Eddie Van Halen's legendary guitar solo, a distinct "knocking" sound can be heard on the isolated solo track. This was actually a technician knocking on the studio door, which was left in the final mix. Drum Precision michael jackson beat it multitrack

Steve Lukather handled the heavy lifting for the rhythm guitars. His stems reveal a wall of sound created by layering multiple tracks of crunchy, tightly locked rhythm riffs. This riffing provided a heavy metal foundation that was still clean enough to dance to. One of the most famous anecdotes in rock

The song opens with an eerie, metallic five-note synthesized gong sequence. In the multitrack, this is isolated as a stereo synth track generated by the Synclavier II, a cutting-edge, incredibly expensive early digital synthesizer and sampler. Drum Precision Steve Lukather handled the heavy lifting

The solo is completely dry on the raw stem, showcasing the natural saturation of his amplifier. The stereophonic delay and reverb that give the solo its stadium-sized depth were added later by Bruce Swedien during the mixdown.