Then, there is the legendary guitar solo by Eddie Van Halen. When isolated in the multitrack session, Van Halen’s contribution is a marvel of spontaneity:
The multitrack reveals how Jackson treated his voice as a percussion instrument, adding "hee-hee" and vocal grunts at precise moments to amplify the groove.
The production techniques used on "Beat It" are notable for:
When you solo the drum tracks in the "Beat It" multitracks, you hear the rock-solid precision of Jeff Porcaro on drums. Interestingly, the iconic intro beat was actually a preset on the digital synthesizer.
In the isolated solo track, you can hear a faint knocking sound right before the solo erupts. This wasn't an instrument; it was a person knocking on the studio door. During the recording, someone walked into the room, unaware that Eddie's mic was live. They left the mistake in the final mix, and it remains a hidden gem buried in the multitrack layers. 4. The Vocal Architecture of Michael Jackson