Staying True

but his songs arent like crazy advanced. He just uses really good samples. If you use real dope sh*t from the start, then your job becomes that much easier. Anyone can throw some 808s on a beat, filter some shit, and chop some drums, on ANY sampler/groove box, but finding the right shit to loop is why people dig him so much. So for what he is doing yeah he dont need any fancy sh*t. now on the other hand, i dont work that way. i have my own system and tools that i NEED. I sold off all my unessacary gear, like rack samplers and synths so i can just get down to work with the tools im most comfortable with. Thats what you need to do, just try everything till something sticks and then roll with that. Be it reason, or an sp202. Whatever you are most comfortable with and whatever can supppiment that to make your life easier. Music is music at the end of the day so whatevers clever.

stryke wrote:I hate when cats make mediocre beats with no heart and then brag about how many instruments they play or how much they know about music theory.Madlib is the truth imo,but like i said that's MY opinion.

I felt like that was directed toward me (and i dont know why i dont even talk to you), now if u got something to say about me personally, be a man about it , say it. Dont be a bit*h.
But dont hate on me casue my idea of music is differnt then yours... Buddy



Anyway back to the topic,
all that matters is the end result, it dont matter what you use. Cats like madlibs tracks casue of what they soundlike not what gear he uses.... If he used a motif,Fantom X etc... people would be singing a differnt tune... Just do you and dont worry bout what the next producer is using

What are you talkin' about?

I didn't direct anything at you.Now if i wanted to say anything about you/your music i would p.m you and not put you on blast in the open.But if you feel like your music lacks heart,that's something you have to deal with not me.............buddy.

2.

stryke wrote:What are you talkin' about?

I didn't direct anything at you.Now if i wanted to say anything about you/your music i would p.m you and not put you on blast in the open.But if you feel like your music lacks heart,that's something you have to deal with not me.............buddy.

Like i said if it wasent directed at me then thats my bad i aplogize thats why i asked first...

But if it was like you said call me out, things can be easily mistaken on the internet....

Anyway back to the topic.......buddy

itchyvinyl wrote:But whatever....I don't care what he uses, or what he says he uses. It's all about what it sounds like in the end anyway.

Yep

Madlib isn;t trying to lie about what he uses, its just that the cats that sweat gear misunderstand what he's saying because they often think it's just the gear.

in the environment where 90% of hip hop producers basically use the same things, and where the shiny new keyboards are supposed to do it all for you, he's putting out the message that just use what you have around, make music, not plans to buy more gear. it's about focus, he uses what he uses, he uses some cheap stuff, alot! so hes telling people, you can do it, you don't need a lot to get it done. Cuz when people focus on the gear it fools a lot of people into thinking that it's all about the gear, but it's really only half the story. A lot of people focus on getting the gear together but don't really hone their abilities to make music until later.

madlib will use a lot of stuff, hes gone on record saying he doesn;t like the MPC pads as much because there is no solid click like with the sp 1200 or 303. He's not telling you to get a 303, he's telling you that you don't need much to get going, which is the opposite to what most "hip hop producers" tell you, which is "yeah I'm the shyt, I've got all the beat machines and sound modules, I've got secret techniques, I am a super producer" trying to get people to not even try to compete with them.

A lot of people focus on getting the gear together but don't really hone their abilities to make music until later.

sooooooo true.

it is all about focus. dead on, elmacaco. that's why i'm not buying anything else for a looong ass time, even though i had a dream after readign all this stuff last night that i was playing with an sp303 and was having a blast.

I think it's cool to know all diferent types of gear because we all know what you start off with isn't necessarily what you end up with as your final setup.But once you do get that final one,you should know everything in and out sooner or later.(in a reasonable amount of time anyway)

2.

one thing I've learned from the 60 is that the more you use something the more transparent it becomes and you can just get your ideas out. it lets you focus on your ideas more than on how the gear works, or how do you do x with said piece of gear. Those questions come from people using machines that they don;t know very well and who are allmost working backwards.

If you know your machine you wil know what it an and can't do more or less, and you will also find ways of doing things you never thought of. but all that means is that you nkow your tools, not that you can actually do something wrth while with them.
The idea of upgrading your gear to achive a growth in your sound or production is part of what keeps people at the constant beginner stage. Even on these forums a lot of times we sound like a consumer group rather than a users group.

elmacaco wrote:If you know your machine you wil know what it can and can't do more or less, and you will also find ways of doing things you never thought of..

VERY TRUE..

I could go into the "cats wanna be handheld" issue but I won't cause in ties into this.

elmacaco is speaking the gospel right there. Good points well made

And yeah, Madlib has lots of different Keyboards, samplers, percussion etc. He can play em all too. He's a dope jazz drummer, no Pretty Purdie/Art Blakey/Gene Krupa, but believe he is good. He's said before he learnt how to play all his instruments himself so he could make his own loops.

I think he's a resourceful, varied and very talented musician. Long may he continue.

Peace.

maxlifo wrote:And yeah, Madlib has lots of different Keyboards, samplers, percussion etc. He can play em all too. He's a dope jazz drummer, no Pretty Purdie/Art Blakey/Gene Krupa, but believe he is good.

Ok, I like madlib...love the quas stuff, the madvillain stuff, and the Jaylib stuff...sure, it is Lo-Fi, it is sloppy, at times it is as basic as basic can get...but in the end it does it for me as a listener...and that is all that matters. However, he is not a dope jazz drummer at all. I just don't see that...and I have seen him play the drums live. It gets old quick.

"I have seen him play the drums live. It gets old quick."

hahah, yea, you ain't bulls#!ttin'! I saw him play live about 2 years ago.. It was like watching a two year old pick up sticks for the first time. He was drunk, or high, and it was as if the guy didn't want to stop. No bs, he played that wackness for about 15 minutes straight. People got tired of it and started walking away. Well, I have to admitt, I picked up the 'Yesterdays new quintet,' and I don't know if it's Madlib, or his father, but whoever is on the drums ain't playing around. If your interested in hearing it, it's the cd titled, "Stevie." I played it at work and constantly got bugged to make people copies, or they just were amazed at what they heard. It's an excellent cd.. short, less than 40 minutes, but refreshingly good.

Yoshimi wrote:I'm a gear whore...I can't help it. Without understanding what is out there and what others are using you are just being ignorant. Somehow you got turned onto the MPC no? You were not born with this knowlegde. True, the focus should be on making music...and not collecting machines. There are people that say things like "man, once I cop this machine...I'm gonna make the dopest beats"...and then the buy it and sell it and the cycle starts over...and never make a beat. That sucks. However, as long as you are making music...I see nothing wrong with knowing what tools are out there and who uses them. The stuff I use isn't the norm in hip-hip...but I still use it cause it works for me.

we already know what is out there. U mostly hear about the same gear. it isn't rocket science. and i am being honest i dont care what the next man uses. i base my gear purchases on trying out equipment whether it is used by a hip hop producer or not. my point is that if u took away what these guys currently use and gave them something else u would still get heat from them. be your own man and use your brain a little more instead of gear. i am not a slave 2 gear, gear is a slave to me.

Beat God wrote:

Yoshimi wrote:I'm a gear whore...I can't help it. Without understanding what is out there and what others are using you are just being ignorant. Somehow you got turned onto the MPC no? You were not born with this knowlegde. True, the focus should be on making music...and not collecting machines. There are people that say things like "man, once I cop this machine...I'm gonna make the dopest beats"...and then the buy it and sell it and the cycle starts over...and never make a beat. That sucks. However, as long as you are making music...I see nothing wrong with knowing what tools are out there and who uses them. The stuff I use isn't the norm in hip-hip...but I still use it cause it works for me.

we already know what is out there. U mostly hear about the same gear. it isn't rocket science. and i am being honest i dont care what the next man uses. i base my gear purchases on trying out equipment whether it is used by a hip hop producer or not. my point is that if u took away what these guys currently use and gave them something else u would still get heat from them. be your own man and use your brain a little more instead of gear. i am not a slave 2 gear, gear is a slave to me.

Why are you dissin me? Have you ever heard my music? You are assuming I don't know shit because I'm into gear? New gear comes out all the time and some of it is worth knowing about. If you are ok with your set-up that is cool...but I'm still into adding pieces. Why is that wrong to some? I can make beats with a computer, with an MPC, with any synth / drum machine and with regular instruments. I don't get it why people look down on someone for being in to equipment and talking about it. I am my own man more than most people I know. I try to make my music different...not the same old cookie cutter beats you hear all over. I'm not saying I always suceed...but I try.