By itchyvinyl
Mon Mar 21, 2005 6:31 pm
Some of us were discussing the MPC/SP1200 Swing function over in the MPC60 forum. Then Blue Haze posted a Roger Linn article in the Production forum in which he explains the Swing function.
I figured I should re-post it here because over the months I've seen ssooo many posts of people not understanding exactly what the Swing function does. I've tried to explain it, but maybe it's more understandable out of Linn's mouth - the guy who came up with it.
The article is about the Linn LM-1 Drum Machine - and I guess the Swing function was called 'Shuffle' on that machine.......but this is how it works on the MPCs as well.
>>The Linn Shuffle:
"Linn's shuffle feature was unique in the drum machine world, and it's found on every device he's manufactured.... On the front panel of all but the earliest LM-1s is a column of six red LEDs, labeled from 50% to 70% in increments of 4%. Linn explains: 'In order to create a sixteenth-note swing or shuffle feel, you unevenly split the timing of an eighth-note, thereby delaying every second sixteenth-note by some time factor. The LM-1 percentages signify the interval between the first and second sixteenth-note and between the third and fourth sixteenth-note, and so on. If you want both notes to play perfectly even - no shuffle - you would select 50%, which means 50/50. If you make it one clock later, it would be 54/56, or 54%. Delaying it two clocks makes it 58/42, or 58% for the first half and 42% for the second half.'"
PS- The MPC Swing can actually go beyond 70% (it goes to 75%.)
With 50% being no swing.......70% being equvalent to even triplets. If you go beyond 70%, you start to get that real over-swung feel (think JayDee, or D'Angelo ---- not saying they use MPCs necessarily - ?uestlove just has the control to play that feel on real drums)
I figured I should re-post it here because over the months I've seen ssooo many posts of people not understanding exactly what the Swing function does. I've tried to explain it, but maybe it's more understandable out of Linn's mouth - the guy who came up with it.
The article is about the Linn LM-1 Drum Machine - and I guess the Swing function was called 'Shuffle' on that machine.......but this is how it works on the MPCs as well.
>>The Linn Shuffle:
"Linn's shuffle feature was unique in the drum machine world, and it's found on every device he's manufactured.... On the front panel of all but the earliest LM-1s is a column of six red LEDs, labeled from 50% to 70% in increments of 4%. Linn explains: 'In order to create a sixteenth-note swing or shuffle feel, you unevenly split the timing of an eighth-note, thereby delaying every second sixteenth-note by some time factor. The LM-1 percentages signify the interval between the first and second sixteenth-note and between the third and fourth sixteenth-note, and so on. If you want both notes to play perfectly even - no shuffle - you would select 50%, which means 50/50. If you make it one clock later, it would be 54/56, or 54%. Delaying it two clocks makes it 58/42, or 58% for the first half and 42% for the second half.'"
PS- The MPC Swing can actually go beyond 70% (it goes to 75%.)
With 50% being no swing.......70% being equvalent to even triplets. If you go beyond 70%, you start to get that real over-swung feel (think JayDee, or D'Angelo ---- not saying they use MPCs necessarily - ?uestlove just has the control to play that feel on real drums)
