Doctor Mix vs. Robert Miles: Rebuilding ‘Children’ with Ears, Grit, and a Kurzweil K2000

7. February 2026

SPARKY

Doctor Mix vs. Robert Miles: Rebuilding ‘Children’ with Ears, Grit, and a Kurzweil K2000

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Doctor Mix dives headfirst into the trance classic ‘Children’ by Robert Miles, armed with nothing but the original audio, a battered Kurzweil K2000, and his own stubborn ears. No MIDI files, no stems—just raw sound design, relentless tweaking, and a few sponsor-shouted plugins. This isn’t your average YouTube tutorial; it’s a rave bunker autopsy, with every drum, pad, and thunderclap rebuilt from scratch. Expect plenty of gear nerdery, a few near-meltdowns, and a final result that slaps hard. If you want to see how a legend is reverse-engineered, Doctor Mix brings the chaos and the charm.

Reverse-Engineering a Trance Anthem: No Stems, No Mercy

Doctor Mix kicks things off by announcing his mission: reconstructing Robert Miles’ ‘Children’ using nothing but the original audio and his own ears. No MIDI, no stems, no cheat codes—just pure sonic detective work. He’s got his Kurzweil K2000 front and centre, and he’s not shy about flexing some sponsored Pulsar Audio plugins for that extra shimmer and space.

From the get-go, it’s clear this isn’t going to be a gentle stroll through presets. Doctor Mix listens, identifies, and then dives straight into the gritty work—starting with drums and moving through each element like a man possessed. There’s a sense of urgency and a bit of chaos, but that’s half the fun. If you’re expecting a dry lecture, you’re in the wrong bunker.


Kick Drum Synthesis: Punch, Grit, and a Lot of Swearing

The kick drum gets the full forensic treatment. Doctor Mix tries the classic 909 route, but quickly realises it’s not cutting it. Samples? Forget it. He goes full mad scientist, building the kick from a raw sine wave in Nexus, shaping envelopes, tweaking decay, and layering modulation until it finally punches through with the right amount of dirt.

It’s a relentless process—oscillator swaps, EQ surgery, and a bit of existential dread when the knock just won’t land. But persistence pays off. The result is a kick that’s not just close; it’s got the right amount of attack, body, and that elusive distorted edge. If you want to see how much pain goes into a single drum sound, this section is pure gold.

Here is when I realized it was going to be a lot harder than I thought.

"Here is when I realized it was going to be a lot harder than I thought."

© Screenshot/Quote: Doctormix (YouTube)

Kurzweil K2000: Vintage Muscle in a Modern Fight

Because you know when I'm, you know what that is, yeah, I know it's pretty great.

"Because you know when I'm, you know what that is, yeah, I know it's pretty great."

© Screenshot/Quote: Doctormix (YouTube)

Here’s where the old-school hardware flex comes in. Doctor Mix leans hard on the Kurzweil K2000, hunting down the organ bass and string sounds that defined the original. There’s plenty of scrolling, patch hunting, and even a floppy-to-USB hack to keep the vintage beast alive.

It’s not just nostalgia—these sounds bring the track’s DNA into the modern DAW workflow. Doctor Mix layers, tweaks, and occasionally curses at the K2000, but when he nails a sound, you can hear the satisfaction. If you ever doubted that 90s hardware still has teeth, this bit will set you straight.

Pads, Strings, and FX: Building the Dream Trance Atmosphere

The emotional core of ‘Children’ is all about those lush pads, soaring strings, and cinematic FX. Doctor Mix painstakingly reconstructs each layer, from thunderclaps to choir swells, using both the K2000 and a healthy dose of modern plugin magic. It’s a balancing act—EQ here, reverb there, a sprinkle of delay for width.

This section is where the track’s heart comes alive. The pads evolve, the strings sing, and the FX glue everything together. Doctor Mix doesn’t just copy; he interprets, shaping the soundscape until it feels right. If you want to know how trance goes from cold sequence to emotional weapon, this is the bit to watch (and trust me, you’ll want to hear it for yourself).

That is 201, to be honest if this was my original K2000 I wouldn't know exactly where they are, but here I kind of had to extract them from…

"That is 201, to be honest if this was my original K2000 I wouldn't know exactly where they are, but here I kind of had to extract them from a whole bunch of sounds that are on my thumb drive thingy."

© Screenshot/Quote: Doctormix (YouTube)

From Raw Audio to Rave Weapon: The Final Mixdown

With all the elements in place, Doctor Mix moves into the final showdown: arranging, mixing, and comparing his recreation to the original. It’s not just about matching sounds—it’s about nailing the vibe, the space, and the emotional punch. He tweaks everything from kick decay to piano EQ, using Pulsar Audio’s plugins to add that last bit of polish.

The before-and-after comparison is a proper toaster-fight. The rebuilt track stands tall, with every detail massaged into place. Doctor Mix’s relentless attention to mix decisions—reverb, delay, stereo tricks—shows just how much sweat goes into making a classic slap in 2024. Some things you’ve got to hear to believe, and this final A/B is one of them.


This article is also available in German. Read it here: https://synthmagazin.de/doctor-mix-vs-robert-miles-children-zerlegt-mit-ohren-kurzweil-k2000-und-einer-portion-wahnsinn/
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