Talk and share knowledge on rare records, sources of new samples, vinyl, diggin, etc
By laurencezenel Tue Jan 17, 2017 8:08 pm
Hi all
Have been producing for a while but am pretty beginner to the whole sampling/hip hop side of things... I am aware that questions along the same vein as this have been asked a lot before, but I'm asking about one specific aspect of Madlib/ J dilla or even earlier Q-tip/Pete rock boom bap production that i haven't seen asked before.

Obviously whole drum breaks are sampled (amen, funky drummer ect), but do you lot reckon the individual hits were usually sampled from records too? Or would they have been on sample CDs or stock sounds of some sort. Whats the general consensus on this?

I'm also aware that J dilla was a drummer and sometimes sampled his own drums, but I get the feeling this is somewhat of an exception in hip hop production

Thoughts?

thanks,
L
By DMAC Tue Jan 17, 2017 9:27 pm
The majority of my drums are drum hits found on records, rarely breaks. Usually snares at the end of a song so it has mad reverb and air, or kicks at the start of a song, nice and isolated lots of air just for an example. I can't even count the number of drum hits (snares, hi hits) that i find on old jazz records, far more flexibility and unique sound using drum hits combined into a custom break rather then chopping a break.

As for those producers, i'm fairly certain they got the majority of their drum hits from vinyl early on. Dilla did record his own drums occassionally and as years went on it wouldn't surprise me if they used digital samples/sample packs thats where technology was headed.
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By Living Bate Tue Jan 17, 2017 9:50 pm
DMAC wrote:as years went on it wouldn't surprise me if they used digital samples/sample packs thats where technology was headed.


It would surprise me . . . I don't see any of them taking that route personally . . .
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By abc Sat Jan 28, 2017 12:55 am
For guys like that, that's a big no no, using sample packs. That'd be like a professional chef buying meat that was marinated by Stop N Shop instead of marinating it themselves.
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By peterpiper Sun Jan 29, 2017 2:20 am
i don't think he used samplepacks but not because it's something written in the "hip-hop-rules-book" but because it's just not the kind of workflow he is into. He would "**** shit up" to make it sound the he like anyway so the source is not important. But IMO nothing is more boring then listening to a samplepack to find a drumsample. It's more pleasing to listen thru a bunch of vinyl or to watch a movie and suddenly "BAM" "hey let me listen to this part again, there was a open snare in there that sound nice"
peace
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By abc Mon Jan 30, 2017 11:46 pm
I'm not saying they don't use sources other than vinyl, but I would be seriously surprised if I found out that they used someone else's drums if you catch me.
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By Ill-Green Sat Feb 11, 2017 4:34 pm
Yeah these producers hand pick their own samples, they know its easy to access sample packs so why sound like million other cats when you can sound original digging unearthed stuff. However, its possible they also used drum break records and Dusty Finger volumes :mrgreen:
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By abc Mon Feb 13, 2017 2:31 am
Off topic:
However, its possible they also used drum break records and Dusty Finger volumes :mrgreen:


That's true. I heard a lot of dudes, like Damu, won't even use a drumbreak if it's from a reprint though, nevermind Dustyfingers.