Discuss the various methods you use in music production, from compressor settings to equipment type.
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By Quartz Loque Sun Oct 26, 2008 2:12 am
I've never really gotten into the whole EQing before sampling thing but it has started to seem more appealing to me recently.

I guess the problem I have is that I usually sample whole breaks rather than just a kick, then snare then hats or whatever, and the method that Pete Rock mentioned sounds like its for individual hits.

Thats a pretty interesting concept, though I could see myself getting throughly frustrated sampling individual kicks and snares into the MPC
By Donlong Sun Oct 26, 2008 3:54 am
Quartz Loque wrote:I've never really gotten into the whole EQing before sampling thing but it has started to seem more appealing to me recently.

I guess the problem I have is that I usually sample whole breaks rather than just a kick, then snare then hats or whatever, and the method that Pete Rock mentioned sounds like its for individual hits.

Thats a pretty interesting concept, though I could see myself getting throughly frustrated sampling individual kicks and snares into the MPC

yeah individual hits is good on software, in mpc is time consuming
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By Dj Pound Mon Oct 27, 2008 11:28 pm
thats basically my process too....I use a 3 channel, 3 band gemini mixer that i do all my EQing on before recording into the MPC....I actually have the gemini hooked up into a microkorg which also has kick ass EQ/filtering capabilities....and if i need compression i run the sounds through a korg ES-1...than back into the MPC.
By Donlong Fri Oct 31, 2008 12:05 am
Dj Pound wrote:.and if i need compression i run the sounds through a korg ES-1...than back into the MPC.


if i want to compress the drums with my hardware compressor before they are sampled into the mpc, how can i make that part of the chain?

It would be perfect If the drums could be compressed by my hardware first, then eq'd into the mixer and then str8 into the mpc recorded.
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By peterpiper Fri Oct 31, 2008 7:50 am
@Dong
what mixer do you got? Just a DJ Mixer? Compressors usually uses the Insert of a mixing board. Many Mixers got that insert jack. Its a stereo jack and uses a y-cable to insert the compressor.
DJ Mixers dont have isert jack.
How does your setup look like and how is the chain right now??

peace
By Donlong Fri Oct 31, 2008 8:38 am
peterpiper wrote:@Dong
what mixer do you got? Just a DJ Mixer? Compressors usually uses the Insert of a mixing board. Many Mixers got that insert jack. Its a stereo jack and uses a y-cable to insert the compressor.
DJ Mixers dont have isert jack.
How does your setup look like and how is the chain right now??

peace


ah ok. yeah i was reading the manual of my dbx and thats why it didnt make sense.

at the moment my set up is ecler nuo 2.o dj mixer(not in my hands yet but will buy later), turntable, s950 (getting it on monday), motu 828 mk II, dbx 160A compressor, roland xr, midi controller, monitors, sonar 3, vsts, mpc 2000xl.

The reason i dont have a mixing board is the price cant afford it and also i dont have the skills to make pro mixes, so i was thinking i would get a studio to mix and master my stuff.

I still havent worked out the best way to sample and link the 950 (people mentioned midi, im sure ill work it out when it arrives and i mess with it). anyway for the moment i was thinking of doing the eq with the dj mixer, sample stuff into the 950, then play thru the mpc. I guess until i get a mixing board (won't be for well over a year if not longer) i will have to compress in sonar or not compress at all.

i havent chained anything yet because my equipment is arriving and also wont afford the ecler and turntable for at least a couple months to three months. just going to use cds for now to sample or maybe get the mixer early and eq the cd samples into the mpc.
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By peterpiper Fri Oct 31, 2008 10:09 am
You got everything you need with this equipment.
The Nuo 2 has FX Sends so you can directly send the Turntable thru the Send to the compressor and then to the s950 or the MPC.
But more flexible is the solution with your motu. The motu also has the Sends (Gtr/Mic input could be used as sends). Read the manual of the motu for more info.

Your Roland could use the SP/DIF of the motu.

The motu is a great Interface and its a small digimixer (so to say) that can also be used without a PC.

peace
By Donlong Fri Oct 31, 2008 12:01 pm
peterpiper wrote:You got everything you need with this equipment.
The Nuo 2 has FX Sends so you can directly send the Turntable thru the Send to the compressor and then to the s950 or the MPC.
But more flexible is the solution with your motu. The motu also has the Sends (Gtr/Mic input could be used as sends). Read the manual of the motu for more info.

Your Roland could use the SP/DIF of the motu.

The motu is a great Interface and its a small digimixer (so to say) that can also be used without a PC.

peace

thanks man u really know ur stuff. i will save this comment u made and utilise it when i am smarter. the motu is the best value interface in my opinion!
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By zbigi Fri Oct 31, 2008 6:46 pm
a long time ago, when using fruity loops i would even eq everything before sampling. it's the christian way
By Donlong Sat Nov 01, 2008 5:36 am
zbigi wrote:a long time ago, when using fruity loops i would even eq everything before sampling. it's the christian way

but i grew up in a Pentecostal church
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By talontsiawd Sun Nov 02, 2008 6:59 am
Maybe it's just me but i think with what is available now to the average person, just record it in strait. I think it can be a disadvantage to pay attention to people who have been producing for more than the last 10 years, in this case, closer to 20. Remember, they have habits like anyone else who has been doing something for a long time that may not be the best with newer technology. Pete Rock wasn't recording into his mpc, making a beat, then tracking into to protools with a ton of plug ins when he was in his prime, it just didn't exist. Alot of people who have been producing for along time have advice i wouldn't personally give, nor would most engineers appreciate you doing if were working in a real studio.

That's not to say i won't boost the bass in a sample every now and then before i record. That's only when i know i'm going to filter the bassline and it's not heavy enough in the sample straight. I am also most likely going to filter out any of the eqing i do to the main melody, or most of it.

I'm not saying don't do this (although i would concider how much of this eqing you will most likely undo when you mix and eq again), i'm more saying, don't do this JUST because Pete Rock, or others, said so.
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By Dj Pound Sun Nov 02, 2008 8:33 pm
don

What i do is take my mixers master output and plug it into the MPC's sample input connection. That way i have all 3 sound sources at my disposal.
The microkorg, the es-1 and the turntable.
If i want to compress individual sounds or compress an entire track, i'll just feed the turntable into the es-1 or run a connection from the mpc into the sample inputs of the es-1. In the meantime i can do even further EQing in the microkorg, by making the proper re-connections.

It sounds way complicated, but its easy.
By earwolf Sun Nov 02, 2008 9:58 pm
talontsiawd wrote:Maybe it's just me but i think with what is available now to the average person, just record it in strait. I think it can be a disadvantage to pay attention to people who have been producing for more than the last 10 years, in this case, closer to 20. Remember, they have habits like anyone else who has been doing something for a long time that may not be the best with newer technology. Pete Rock wasn't recording into his mpc, making a beat, then tracking into to protools with a ton of plug ins when he was in his prime, it just didn't exist. Alot of people who have been producing for along time have advice i wouldn't personally give, nor would most engineers appreciate you doing if were working in a real studio.

That's not to say i won't boost the bass in a sample every now and then before i record. That's only when i know i'm going to filter the bassline and it's not heavy enough in the sample straight. I am also most likely going to filter out any of the eqing i do to the main melody, or most of it.

I'm not saying don't do this (although i would concider how much of this eqing you will most likely undo when you mix and eq again), i'm more saying, don't do this JUST because Pete Rock, or others, said so.


yep yep yep yep yep

from what i read on here sometimes, it seems like people try to get everything person X had, and then make a whole bunch of nothing with it when they realise it still takes an ear, an idea, and the ability to persevere (i made that rhyme to help some of the slower readers)

UM YEAH I GOT THE SP1200 THE S950 THE GLI PMX9000 THE AKAI 6-TRACK AND YEAH WORD I'M ALL SET MECCA AND THE SOUL BROTHER BABY LETS DO THIS UM JUST ONE THING HOW DO YOU GET THEM THICK DRUMS THANKS IN ADVANCE
By takkin Mon Nov 03, 2008 5:51 pm
haha.

Donlong, seems like we a shared goal this christmas.

I've been obsessing over that exact bit of the pete rock interview also (sad, i know) and the DJ premier remixmag interview also, read it if you haven't. He says 'when sampling always tap the red, go as far as you can go without distortion'.

I was thinking he was refering to the preamps, but i'm thinking maybe he just means the input of the sampler. I was gonna get a tube preamp to phatten up the sounds after eqing, but people i've only just realized that on consoles and channel strips the eq is after the preamp in the signal chain, so i was confused as to how premier gets his drums so 'phat' and 'saturated'. i think he hits the inputs of the sampler really loud, and mastering to tape helps.

Let me know how your purchases go this christmas, coz i'm in the same boat.