Joe Perry’s Spider-Man Theme: Inside the Mix

In 1993, Joe Perry of Aerosmith recorded the theme for Spider-Man: The Animated Series, playing guitar, bass and talkbox, while I programmed the drums and co-produced. In this video I open the original tracks and break down the mix, from getting the call from Joe to the drum overdubs and recording in the box.

Few projects from my years with Aerosmith get asked about as often as this one. The theme has a life of its own with fans who grew up watching the show, and revisiting the multitracks brought back how fast and how fun the session was.

Getting the Call From Joe

I had been working with Aerosmith since 1989, when Joe Perry and Steven Tyler took a chance on a 21-year-old with a MIDI setup. By 1993, when Joe got the Spider-Man call, we had a way of working that let ideas move quickly from his guitar to a finished track. In the video I talk about how the request came in and how we shaped the theme.

Exploring Each Track

Breaking down the mix means soloing each part: Joe’s guitars, his bass, the talkbox that gives the theme its voice, and the drums. I programmed the drums and then added overdubs to give them the energy of a live performance. Hearing the parts on their own shows how much character Joe put into every layer.

Recording in the Box, Then and Now

This was early in the era of recording in the box. MIDI, sequencing and digital recording were changing how records got made, and that was my world. I helped pioneer turnkey Pro Tools studios and released one of the first drum sample libraries, and this theme is a snapshot of that moment. At the end of the video I talk about what we would do differently with today’s tools. Today, I mix catalog projects in Dolby Atmos, and Frangioni Media explains how that works in how a classic album gets remixed in Dolby Atmos and on our immersive audio page.

For more on the technology side of my career, see MIDI and electronic drums.

FAQ

Who wrote the Spider-Man: The Animated Series theme?

The theme for Spider-Man: The Animated Series was recorded in 1993 by Joe Perry of Aerosmith, who performed guitar, bass and talkbox, with David Frangioni programming drums and co-producing.

Who played on the 1990s Spider-Man cartoon theme?

Joe Perry performed guitar, bass and talkbox on the theme. David Frangioni programmed the drums and co-produced, including drum overdubs.

How was the Spider-Man animated series theme recorded?

It was built around Joe Perry’s guitar, bass and talkbox parts with programmed drums and drum overdubs, using the digital recording and MIDI tools of the early 1990s. David Frangioni breaks down the mix track by track in his YouTube video.

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David Frangioni