M16 Annihilates The 5th Dimension's "Aquarius"

If you are a producer, I recommend that you subscribe to M16's YouTube page immediately.  Best know for the Playaz Circle track "Duffle Bag Boy" and Jeezy's "I Do", he shows amazing versatility in his videos by making beats on a variety of platforms.  I've written about my interest in iPad apps and their place in the production world in earlier posts, so I was excited to see several videos of M16 using the app Beatmaker 2.  When I previously wrote about the iMPC app, I was especially interested in how it allowed producers to use it in unconventional settings.  It appears that M16 is taking full advantage of the mobility of the iPad as there are several videos of him use Beatmaker 2 on the highway.    

The highlight of his YouTube page is the video that showcases him flipping the fuck out of "Aquarius" by 5th Dimension with FL Studio 10 and the Open Labs Miko (Timberland Edition) keyboard.  The video contains a wealth of information on sample chopping, adding drums, and using EQs to isolate baselines.  It also succeeds at showing how efficient M16's work flow is as he composes a rough draft of the easily and quickly.  Make sure to watch this if you want to be schooled on how to use a sample to create something completely different than the original song.  

303s and 404s: Nick Tha 1da Pt. 3

This is my third installment of 303s and 404s with Nick Tha 1da.  Make sure to check out Pt. 1 and Pt. 2 if you haven't already.  

DJ Sorce-1:  What’s your favorite genre to sample?  

Nick Tha 1da:  I guess bossa nova.   There are so many bossa nova songs that don’t even have a Latin flair but are more on the Jazz/soul side; almost like a funky aesthetic.  The first genre is bossa nova and the second is American covers done by foreign artists.  A lot of times you’ll have a Polish group doing an Al Green song and their take of “Still Here with You” or “Love and Happiness” is so much different, but it still has the same bass line or vibe.  When people hear it they’re like, “It sounds like Al Green, but that ain’t what he sampled.”  I can’t say I have a favorite genre because I like all styles. 

DJ Sorce-1:  How did you discover bossa nova?

Nick Tha 1da:  When I first started collecting records, which was probably around ’97 or ’98.  I went to visit my cousin Paul and Thea and they’re in Texas.  My cousin thought I was only on the new stuff, but I was only listening to things from before I was born.  They were heavy into jazz.  They pulled out Sergio Mendes and Brasil 66 and that was the first time I actually heard older Sergio Mendes.  I was familiar with his more popular songs but once I heard the older stuff I was like, “Oh my goodness that’s a Dilla sample.” 

Shortly after that I went to Brazil.  I went to Rio for the first time and my mind was blown.  What people fail to realize is that bossa nova is totally based on fusion.  They took the cool jazz of the west coast and the east and mixed it with the samba rhythms.  If you listen to a lot of Samba songs it’s heavy in African drumming.  If you like heavy percussive stuff, all of those DJ breaks that you hear people play at break dances like “Soul Makossa” and “Mamma Say Mamma Saw Mamaco Saw” were in bossa nova too. 

When I tried to come out with that first project, BossaBang!, which was all samples from Brazil with hip hop drums, that’s what sealed the deal.  I was fortunate enough to go to Brazil a second time.  I went to a couple of places, but in Rio I realized, “If I only scratched the surface before, now it’s really crazy.”  I came prepared.  The funny thing about that second BossaBang! is that I made a lot of those beats through the TV in the room I was staying in.  I had no speakers, but I had my 303.  I would hook the 303 outs into the TV that was in the apartment.  I would listen to all of the music through the 303.  If you go back and listen to some of the tracks you’re like, “Nick, why does that sound so murky and unmixed?”  It’s because I did it in Brazil, in room, with some bossa nova records.  I feel like a lot of projects now sounds too crispy and too professionally done, when all of the hip hop that we loved was straight grimy.  Onyx?  Grimy.  Kool G Rap?  All them joints was grimy.  I feel like recently everyone is getting into this overproduced sound.  Going to other countries and seeing stuff, I feel like everybody is like five or ten years behind in hip hop.  They still like stuff sounding real dirty and they get crazy when 50 Cent’s “In the Club” comes on.  (Laughs)  They have a stronger respect for the culture, you know?

(Via Nick Tha 1da's Bandcamp)

DJ Sorce-1:  Yeah, I agree with you though, they seem to appreciate the cultural aspects as much as the material parts of rap music.  Have you ever ghost produced for anyone?

Nick Tha 1da:  I’ve definitely done some ghost producing.  The funny thing is that it’s no big names.  If you hear my track record and know my songs and my beats, I pretty much stay within my own realm.  Just like I was saying, as far as major labels go, it’s a little too overproduced for me.  I’ve submitted several songs to major labels and the first thing they would tell me is, “Yo your mixing is ridiculous…in a bad way.  What is this, it sounds like a two track.”  I’d say, “It is a two track.’  I didn’t put drums on one track, hi hats on another and the baseline on another track.  Nooo.  You just got it straight out the machine.  Like Dilla said, “Straight off of the motherfucking cassette.”  More so than ghost producing I’ve supplied samples to the industry.  I’ve been doing that for years now.  I can say that with confidence.   

  

(Via Paige in Full)

DJ Sorce-1:  You said that the songs you submitted to labels were criticized for their sound quality.  Would it be possible for a producer on a major label to use the 303 or 404 as their main mode of production?

Nick Tha 1da:  Madlib is an inspiration.  He used the 303 to create some tracks for Madvillian with MF Doom if I’m not mistaken.  Madlib does production for major labels.  He did some Erica Badu, he did some Kweli joints, and he did “Shopping Bags” by De La Soul.  He made "Shopping Bags" on the MPC 2000, which he never does.  I wonder if the label had anything to do with it.  The projects where he is solely using the 303 were all released on Stones Throw.  They’re more into the artistic side.   

(Via Brasilintime)

DJ Sorce-1:  Right.  They have a different mindset than a major and that’s why people like them.  I read an interview with the engineer who mastered Quasimoto and it sounds like it took a lot to get the album from what Madlib made to being “studio” quality.

Nick Tha 1da:  I can see that.  I look at him as an inspiration, not only on the beat tip, but also for his aesthetic that you can create what you want and let the people accept it for what it is.  People absolutely loved Dilla’s Donuts and the majority of it was made on the 303.  I’ve even heard his mom mention that he was going through a phase; he called it the Dill Withers phase.  That’s when he was straight up getting the records and chopping them.  For anyone using a 303, it’s the simplest way to do that. 

(Via Wu-Tang Corp)

DJ Sorce-1:  While we’re talking about major label artists, I heard that your Katrina beat was almost used by Lil’ Wayne. 

Nick Tha 1da:  The vocal sample says, “I lost my man down in New Orleans.” You gotta remember at the time, the way people felt about Katrina left the same taste in our mouth as the whole Treyvon things.  As soon as I made the track I was in two beat battles.  In both beat battles I was in, people went nuts.  I had somebody approach me like, “Yo, you need to get somebody from New Orleans on this.”  At the time Wayne was going real hard with The Carter series.  My ideal thing was to pitch it to him, but he never got back to me.  From what I heard it did get down to their camp.  To play it on the safe side, I only give them a snippet with tags on it just because I didn’t want them to pull a jack move.  I wonder in retrospect if a jack move was what I needed.  I love that I can still play that beat and people will go, “Yo, that still sounds fresh and relevant.”     

DJ Sorce-1:  How did you make “Fuel”? 

Nick Tha 1da:  I actually think I made it for a remix.  To make sure that beats are spit-able I’ll freestyle over it myself or blend an a cappella over it.  I think I did Royce’s “Boom” or something.  I made that when I was hitting the battle circuit hard.  People have told me that “Fuel” has a very Primoesque sound.  To bring it back full circle, the sample to that beat is “Ain’t No Sunshine When She’s Gone” by Ken Boothe.  He’s a reggae artist from Jamaica and he did a cover of Bill Withers.  That’s what I was saying when I said we gotta re-write these rules of hip-hop.  I have no problem telling people my samples as long as you don’t come knocking on my door on some crazy stuff like, “We heard what you sampled.  Now you gotta pay this check.”     

(Via Nick Tha 1da's Bandcamp)

DJ Sorce-1:  What is your favorite feature of the 303 and the 404?

Nick Tha 1da:  Favorite is the battery power.  I’ve never been able to make beats on the go.  I always had to be in front of my computer or my sampler.  Even with the 303, I would need electricity or something I could plug it into.  With the 404…if I have six batteries and headphones,  I’m on the airplane, I’m on the bus, I’m in a rice field in Cambodia, and it don’t matter.  I’m making beats.  Overall, I think the 303 is a beautiful machine.  It has very warm sound, great pads, great effects, and great size.  

(Via Paige in Full Facebook Page)

DJ Sorce-1:  OK, final question.  What’s the most limiting thing about the 303 and the 404?   

Nick Tha 1da:  With the 303 it’s those smart media cards.  They’re expensive and I can’t go into Office Depot or Best Buy and buy those.  So it’s at an extreme disadvantage, especially when you fill up cards with the quickness.  The 404 sounds crunchier to me, like the highs are a little bit louder on it.  Whenever I want some low end bottom, I need some 808s on deck to play on top of the beat because the highs and the mids are really up there.  I would look at that like a disadvantage.  I’ll play a record and the record will be real warm and fuzzy.  Then, by the time I throw it in the 404, it already went up a couple of notches, even if I didn’t do anything.   

(Via Christylez Bacon's Facebook Page)

DJ Sorce-1:  It’s interesting, Dibia$e said that some people like the sound of the 303 so much that they’ll do part of the beat in the 303 and then dump it into the 404.

Nick Tha 1da:  I have no idea, we’d have to talk to Roland, but I think when they were making the 404 they said, “Let’s give the 404 more effects and let it do more.”  I don’t think they said, “Let’s keep the sound the same”, so they ended up switching that too.  But the sound on the 303 was just perfect.  

(Via Behind the Beats)

Many thanks to Nick Tha 1da for inspiring me to start this series.  His YouTube videos showcasing his talents on both the 303 and 404 are some of the best on the internet.  They are essential viewing if you like this sort of thing.  Also make sure to check out his Bandcamp page and his Behind the Beats interview.  

303s and 404s: Nick Tha 1da Pt. 2

During Pt. 1 of our interview, Nick Tha 1da talked about Roland SP live performance, micro-chopping samples, and the need to limit quantization while making beats.  For Pt. 2 of 303s and 404s, Nick talks about the special bond shared by DMV producers, not pitching up records for sampling, and his love of records with "that grimy" sound. 

DJ Sorce-1:  I like when producers have the attitude that it’s OK to learn the new equipment, but it’s also OK to keep your go-to method that you are most comfortable with.  Sticking with what you know can help you maintain your signature sound.  

Nick Tha 1da:  The beautiful thing about programs these days is that they have the capability to produce sounds that you wouldn’t normally find on a record.  But, as you said, analog all day.  There’s something about physically touching the pads and making music. 

DJ Sorce-1:  I think there is definitely something about the actual touching of pads and pressing buttons that makes people feel something.  I showed a friend of mine one of your videos and he said, “That guy is playing the 303 like it’s an instrument.”  I told him, “It is an instrument.”

Nick Tha 1da:  That was my intention all along.  At the time when I was getting interested in making beats you had Qbert and Roc Raida taking turntablism through the roof.  Before, you just had DJs rocking parties.  I wondered why nobody was taking that approach with samplers and beat machines.  Now you got AraabMuzik and Exile doing killer live performances on the MPC.  It’s actually here now and it has arrived.  

(Via Pigeons & Planes)

DJ Sorce-1:  It seems like the live beat thing has really blown up.  You have guys in LA like Dibia$e, Samiyam, and Ras G killing live shows and making a name for themselves.  It’s crazy, because I religiously listen to rap music and have always been into DJ culture and production, and I really didn’t know about a lot of this stuff until a year or two ago. 

Nick Tha 1da:  Oh man, the rap world goes hella deep.  That’s what I love about being a crate digger.  Just when you think you’ve scratched the surface there is so much more in the culture that you can experiment with and learn about.   

DJ Sorce-1:  You recently started rocking the 404 as well as the 303.  I’m curious what your opinion is of the different effects and features of the 303 and 404.  Sometimes a feature that people love will be removed from an upgraded SP.  

Nick Tha 1da:  Well, going from the 303 to the 404, Roland did make improvements, and that’s what it’s all about.  For instance, I really like the pitch adjuster of the 404 over the 303.  The 303’s is absolute hot garbage.  It makes it sound like you’re playing samples in a metal trash can.  With the 404, if you mess with the knobs and adjust the drive and the resonance correctly; it’s the same exact sample, just in a different pitch.  It doesn’t change any of the time stretching or any of that.  I love that effect on the 404. 

I never looked at the machines from a DJ point of view; I looked at them from more of a producer point of view.  I was always more concerned with sequencing beats and how to clean up my chops so they cut off at the correct time.  After I construct the beat, then I worry about the effects and all of that.  The effects are awesome for doing live shows.  That’s really relevant when you’re looking at the LA beat scene.  That’s one thing we don’t have over here.  People in the clubs in DC, New York, and Philly, they don’t want to start around for 30 minutes hearing a set of me just playing beats.  They need some type of singers or open mic.  That’s all cool, but like I said, I really respect the LA beat scene for what they are doing with bringing the producer to the forefront.    

I have a couple of beat homies who are originally from the East Coast, same as my side, and now they’re over there in L.A. doing their thing.  My homie MNDSGN is definitely a favorite of mine on the producer tip.  Mind Design uses a few different things, he has a good ear, and he can play a lot of stuff out.  Ohbliv uses the 404 and he does his thing with it.  

(Ohbliv Live Via Ohbliv's Facebook Page)

DJ Sorce-1:  You seem to be friendly with a lot of the DMV producers.  How did you get involved in that scene?

Nick Tha 1da:  I feel like Kev Brown, Roddy Rod, and Street Orchestra really influenced me to keep moving on my journey as a producer.  I remember when I was getting into it seriously and there was a Beat Society producer showcase.  Beat Society was brand new; I mean it hadn’t been out a year.  At the time I was only 20 and the event was 21 and up, so I couldn’t even get in.  I was like, “Damn yo, this is what my life is about right now.  I totally want to check this out but I can’t get in.”  I saw Roddy Rod and he said, “That beat CD you sent me was good.  You had some joints on there.”  I told him, “Yo, I appreciate it, but I really want to see the show.”  Sure enough, Roddy Rod gets me in. 

The show that night was Raheem Devaughn, Kev Brown, Street Orchestra, and another producer who I can’t remember right now.  They had SP-1200s, the MPC-2000, and everything else sitting on the stage.  People were going nuts.  They were doing their beats live and Kev probably rocked Albany.  At that moment I was like, “Personal goal.  I gotta get on stage and play my junk.”  It was pretty much after that time that I got to know people.  I’m a pretty open, talkative guy.  We were already here and we were already bubblin’ on the open mic and beat scene.  It just blossomed into watching each other evolve into the producers we are today. 

(Via Ticket Fly)

DJ Sorce-1:  I like the community vibe.  When I watch the behind the Behind the Beats series or Scratch Magazine TV, I can tell that people legitimately respect each other when there are a group of producers in the same room. 

Nick Tha 1da:  It’s no secret now that sometimes you can get more satisfaction if you’re part of a movement.  Look at Wu-Tang and even 9^th Wonder and his SOUL Council.  If you get a lot of like minded individuals together, it gives you more of a push in the direction that you want to go.  

(Via The Real Producers of the DMV Video)

DJ Sorce-1:  Earlier in the interview we discussed sampling off of vinyl.  I saw in the Behind the Beats interview that you don’t pitch your records down when you are sampling them.  Is that still the case? 

Nick Tha 1da:  I’d say 75% of the time they are the exact same speed that was played on the turntable.  That’s for the simple fact that at one point, I wanted people to figure out what I was sampling.  This was early on.  I thought, “If I can keep it the same pitch they’ll be like, ‘That could be Bobby Womack, but I’m not sure.  He just killed it’.”  You have to remember in the late '90s and early 2000s everybody was pitching up records.  There’s nothing wrong with that; I’ve made plenty of beats like that too, but at the time I wasn’t putting these releases out, so I wasn’t worrying about sample clearances.  I just kept it at the original tempo.  I also found it easier to be able to have a portable turntable with the sampler and make beats while traveling.  I could immediately make a beat as opposed to saying, “Oh man, I could change this pitch.  I gotta go home and throw this on the computer and do this and do that.”  There would be too much hesitation as opposed to actually getting a track completed. 

DJ Sorce-1:  I’ve heard several producers talking about having a preference with sampling a 45 or a 12” versus sampling off of a LP because of the difference in sound quality.  Do you have any preference, or is it just whatever song catches your fancy?  

Nick Tha 1da: Strictly albums.  I like to play albums all the way through.  Sometimes you find your best stuff in the middle of the song or at the end of the song.  Songs are always hot when they have the sample straight in the front, but a lot of people miss out because they are just looking for samples instead of actually appreciating music.  The way you’re sitting at home trying to make music, you gotta remember that somebody thirty years ago was in the same position.  They wanted people to hear their music, not just skip through it.  I don’t put out a beat CD for you to listen to the first three seconds of each track.  I want you to listen to it. 

DJ Sorce-1:  That’s a great point and I think you’re the first person I’ve ever interviewed about sampling to make that point.  The people that we are sampling from had the same dreams as us.  

Nick Tha 1da:  There is a group called 21^st Century.  If you’re not familiar with them, as soon as you look it up you’re going to be like, “Oh, this person and this person sampled them.”  I remember one time I was talking to a friend who is in the industry now.  I was like, “Yo, check out this beat I just made.”  It sampled 21^st Century and I thought the beat was fire.  He said, “Yeah, the beats alright.”  I was like, “Just alright?!”  He said, “That’s my father singing on the track.  It’s cool, but I talk to him all the time, and he’s always questioning, ‘What if this had happened differently with my group?’” 

Musicians then had the same struggles that we go through today as an artist.  I feel like once you have that real mutual respect and you can see where an individual is coming from, it translates in your music and it’s more organic.  Know something about the artist, as opposed to saying, “I’m taking this Bob James” and you don’t even know who Bob James is or what groups he played in.  I’m not saying you have to do that for everything you sample, but at least be knowledgeable.  Show respect, the same way you want that respect.     

(Via Nothing Can Save You)

DJ Sorce-1:  I think that’s a great point, especially in the digital era.  It’s still important to listen to things carefully.  Do you have a favorite digging city or town?  

Nick Tha 1da:  I don’t have a favorite city; I just make a point to dig wherever I go.  Actually, to be honest, my favorite place to dig is overseas.  Everywhere I’ve been overseas they have 50 cent records.  With the conversion of American money it comes out even cheaper.  The whole issue with digging overseas is shipping it back, unless you have some crazy DJ bags. 

You know what I think is the best kept secret here in the states?  A lot of people turn their noses up at it, but Goodwill and the thrift shops.  Don’t sleep because a lot of people are loading off records they inherited.  The records just don’t have value to them that it did to the person in their family who was collecting them.  Here in Maryland we got a place called Langley Park.  It’s basically a Latino community, and if you go to the thrift shops there it’s all salsa, meringue, bossa nova, and stuff that you wouldn’t find at a normal record store for those prices.  You gotta always keep your eyes peeled.

DJ Sorce-1:  Do you have any dollar bin miracles or expensive records that you’ve found for cheap?

Nick Tha 1da:  I have a lot of friends who are DJs and producers and they’ll say, “Yeah man, I saw that Cortex record, but it’s all scratched up so I didn’t get it.”  When I ask them how much it was they’ll say, “99 cents.”  If you’re making beats it shouldn’t matter if it has scratches or anything on it.  If you’re a DJ, I can understand because you don’t want the record the jump, but I like that grimy. 

The one I just mentioned, Cortex, was a good find.  It’s a French record and it’s hella rare.  The famous sample on it is MF Doom’s “One Beer”.  It was also used on Jaylib for the song “No Games”.  That record normally goes for all types of money because it’s no longer pressed and it’s French so it’s hard to find here.  I found it for $10 and that’s way outta my budget.  I probably have dozen records that I paid $10 for.  Everything else is a dollar or less.

(Via The Weekly Beat Sessions)

DJ Sorce-1:  I haven’t heard of it before.  I didn’t get into trying to produce until two or three years ago, so I wasn’t really digging that hard for samples before that.  I was trying to pick up 12 inches and stuff that I would actually play out.  

Nick Tha 1da:  I’m the complete opposite.  I like buying stuff that’s not even danceable.  I found another good rare record for a dollar, the Lyman Woodard Organization.  That’s a fire album.  It’s been sampled a couple of times.  I notice that when people sample records they take the easiest song that is sample-able as opposed to listening to the whole track.  If I find a good record; I’ll go ahead and sample the entire album. 

(Via Soulstrut)

Click here to read Pt. 3.  

303s and 404s: Nick Tha 1da Pt. 1

The second entry of 303s and 404s features the original inspiration for the series, Nick Tha 1da. Hailing from the D.C./DMV area, Nick works the 303 like few others. In addition to teaching a variety of music classes at the nonprofit Words, Beats, and Life and DJing in and around the D.C. area, Nick has achieved beat placements with Boog Brown, Chaundon, Grap Luva, and Kenn Starr with his refined micro-chopping and gritty sound. Having recently upgraded to using both the 303 and 404, Nick broke down the his favorite features for both machines, his digging philosophy, and his affinity for Cool Edit. I am honored to present my second entry in 303s and 404s with Nick Tha 1da.

(Via Nick's Facebook Page)

DJ Sorce-1:  In addition to producing, I’ve read that you also teach music classes.  What sort of music classes do you teach?      

Nick Tha 1da:  I teach music production, engineering, recording, composition, and freestyling.  I’ll go wherever, like New York and Boston, but I mainly teach in DC.  I do that through a nonprofit called Words, Beats, and Life. 

(Via Nick's Facebook Page)

DJ Sorce-1:  I know from talking to you previously that you lost some of your setup in a fire.  Can you tell me a little bit about that?   

Nick Tha 1da:  At the time my setup was just vinyl and an SP-1200.  I didn’t even have the 303 yet.  My upstairs neighbor’s furnace caught fire and burned a hole in their floor and my ceiling.  Then, when the fireman came to put out the fire, I also got all of the water damage that came through the ceiling.  That was kind of sucky. (Laughs)  But you know what they say.  Whenever those kinds of things happen, it makes you stronger.       

DJ Sorce-1:  You had an SP-1200 at that time.  Was that the only equipment you were using to make music? 

Nick Tha 1da:  I was just rocking Cool Edit and the SP-1200.  I’m still an avid fan of Cool Edit.  Shout outs to my Cool Edit fam, ‘cause I know Apollo Brow gets down with it still.  I don’t know if 14KT still uses it, but he can make a full beat off of Cool Edit.  After the fire, I had to get rid of the SP-1200.  I found out that Damu the Fudgemunk got that same SP.  It’s a small beat world.  

 (Via Jazzle You Francis)

DJ Sorce-1:  Do you ever exclusively make beats in Cool Edit?

Nick Tha 1da:  Before I got any hardware, that’s how I learned.  You just copy and paste.  You’re working with everything from micro-chopping to straight loops.  Peter Quistgard was the person whose name you had to enter in order to unlock Cool Edit after you downloaded it.  Whoever he is he gets big up because he sparked a whole revolution of Cool Edit producers.  

DJ Sorce-1:  Would you ever put out the beats you made on the 1200?   

Nick Tha 1da:  They were a little amateur.  (Laughs)  But that style seems to be in now, especially on the 1200 tip.  I have put a couple out as remixes.  If you go on Underground Hip Hop, I did a project for this guy K-Cromozone.  A lot of that project had 1200 beats. 

(Via UGHH)

DJ Sorce-1:  It seems like when the fire happened, you changed your setup to Cool Edit and a 303 because the 303 was inexpensive. 

Nick Tha 1da:  That was the action plan after the fire.  I wanted to find a way to start making a whole bunch of beats again and not cry too much over my situation.  I was thinking about my options and my pops came to me with the whole SP-303 thing.  I wasn’t even looking at it.  I have a secret love affair with the ASR-10 and I said, “Yo, I’m going to do whatever I can to find an ASR-10.”  Then my pops found me a used 303 at Guitar Center and ever since then it was on.   

(Via "Black Amora" Video)

DJ Sorce-1:  You have several videos on YouTube showcasing your skills on the 303.  It seems like there aren’t as many videos as you would expect of people killing it on vintage equipment.  Do you think producers want to keep an element of secrecy to producing?   

Nick Tha 1da:  That’s a great point you just brought up.  I’m tired of all of this hip-hop supremacy, secrecy bs.  If you can find out what I sampled props to you.  You figured out the Holy Grail.  If we show people certain tips and tricks, they can help develop it so we can all use it for the better.  You feel me?

DJ Sorce-1:  Yeah.  Talking about the process and sharing information helps people make better music.  I realize that a lot of producers probably don’t agree with me, but that’s my take.    

Nick Tha 1da:  Absolutely.  The funny thing is that when I made those videos, I wasn’t like, “Alright, I’ma make a tutorial for the world to see.”  I was actually making them for these projects I had when I was in college.  At the time I was just 100% crate diggin’ and making beats.  That’s how they started.     

Everybody gives me flack for the SP-1200 video I made because they’re like, “Yo, he’s sampling to the SP-1200 straight out of his computer.  That’s wack.  I thought Nick was about vinyl and samples.”  The funny thing is I had to rip the vinyl to the computer to sample it.  It’s not like I didn’t have the vinyl.  I see cats sampling off of YouTube now, which is crazy to me.

 

(Via Nick's Facebook Page)

DJ Sorce-1:  Yeah, people sample anything now.  And I’m finding out that a lot of people used stuff other than vinyl back in the day.  Do you use anything besides vinyl for samples?

Nick Tha 1da:  I say everything is fair game except for YouTube.  For me, the quality isn’t there.  It’s already been lowered from CD quality.  I’m like, “Damn, how you gonna go from record quality, to CD quality, to YouTube quality.”  Unless you just don’t care and you’re really manipulating the sample.  And I’m not hating on anybody that does that.    

(Via Mello Music Group)

DJ Sorce-1:  I’ve seen videos where you do some serious micro-chopping.  I’ve also heard beats you’ve produced where it sounds more like a straight loop.  When you’re doing stuff on the 303 and 404, which method do you prefer?  

Nick Tha 1da:  I like to chop.  I mentioned this in the Behind the Beats interview, but I learned how to chop so small on the 1200.  I’d take any piece I could and add filters or make it trail off so that I could extend the sample.  By the time I got to the 303, I was like, “Yeah, no problem, I can flip this any way I want.”  This is me giving away a secret, but the key to the 303 is that the metronome throws you off.  If you can do a beat completely live and keep your timing, you can actually use more sample time and flip it and all of that.  A lot of times quantization makes it sound a little bit more rigid and your samples don’t come out the way you want.  I’m not saying I get everything on the first take; I gotta do it a couple of times.  I also like using the 303 and the 404 for their live capacity. 

DJ Sorce-1:  I’m curious how much of your live shows can be internally sequenced in the 303 or 404.  Do you need a computer or anything else to help you out? 

Nick Tha 1da:  Not at all.  The beautiful difference with the 404 is that it holds so much more.  Between the 303 and the 404 you don’t need anything else.  I just did a show a few days ago with no computer, no turntables, no PC, just the two systems themselves.  Basically all I had loaded up was a couple of drum kits.  I always keep drum kits loaded on there just in case I want to do live beats or make a quick pattern.  Then I run off the pattern and do all of my chops.  It gets no more simple than that.  I feel like it’s just a muscle and the more you practice, the more efficient you get.      

   

(Via Shibuya-kah Video)

DJ Sorce-1:  How many hours a day would you say you have to practice to get to that level?

Nick Tha 1da:  I make beats every day.  Got to.   I split my time between doing all things hip hop.  If I’m working on a theatrical show for somebody with a hip-hop soundtrack I’m working on that for 3-4 hours.  Then I’m working on beats for another four hours.  Another night I’m DJing here in DC for like six hours.  Then after that, more beats.  I probably spend at least eight hours a day.   

(Via The Washington Post)

DJ Sorce-1:  Wow.  That is serious dedication.  When you’re making a beat are you more of an early morning or late night person.  

Nick Tha 1da:  You never know when inspiration will hit, but I’m definitely a night owl.  Sometimes I’ll get in at three in the morning from DJing and I just can’t sleep yet because I’ve been playing Ruff Ryders Anthem all night.  (Laughs)  Or Simon Says by Pharaoh Monch.  So I still have my energy up.  I’ll use that time to make something until I wind down.  A lot of times I’ll break it up and have days or mornings where I just work on drums and nothing else.  That way I don’t feel like I’m too stuck in a box trying to complete a beat.  I also have something called Sample Sundays where I pretty much spend all Sunday digging through records and listening to samples.  I’ll play the whole record, front to back, all day.  

DJ Sorce-1:  I need to start doing more of that. 

Nick Tha 1da:  You got to.  I got records that I’ve bought and still ain’t heard yet.     

DJ Sorce-1:  You seem so comfortable with the 303 and 404.  Are you ever tempted to branch out to another machine?

Nick Tha 1da:  Those two are my favorites.  The funny is that I just got put on to the 404.  I was using the 303 exclusively for a minute, but the buttons started sticking on me.  If you look at my videos, I’m hitting the crap out of them pads.  Out of the eight pads, four or five weren’t sticking.  I started making beats and I call them the four button beats.  They sound real simple, but they were being made with what I had available.  So I went to a recording studio session for one of my albums and UnOwn was there.  He’s a hot producer from the area.  He’s done a lot of work with Oddissee, he’s part of a group called the Jazz Addixx, and he did production for a whole bunch of people in the area.  UnOwn was like, “Man, I just got the SP-404sx, but I got this regular 404.  I’m not doing anything with it if you want to hold onto it for a minute.”  Once I got my hands on it I was like, “Oh man, this is just a super upgrade to the 303.”  Essentially, that’s what the 404 is.

(Via SP-404 Video)

DJ Sorce-1:  It’s like the 303 on steroids. 

Nick Tha 1da:  Basically.  The memory cards are easier to find and cheaper.  They’re larger gigabyte cards.  It has a built in mic which is awesome.  You can beat box into the machine.  Its battery powered so I’ve been on airplanes, busses, and trains just making beats.   

(Via SP-404 Video)

DJ Sorce-1:  When you’re on an airplane, train, or bus, do you get distracted by people looking at you?

Nick Tha 1da:  Not at all.  I try to just stay in the zone.  Just so they don’t think I’m crazy I’ll be like, “Yo, you want to listen to it and see what I’m doing over here?” if they seem really interested.  A lot of times the youth are more accepting than the older folks.  And to answer your earlier question, the 303 and 404 are what I love, but I made a personal mantra to myself to be able to sit in front of a machine make a beat on anything.  I’ve been teaching myself to make beats on Maschine, Logic, and all of the above.  But I’m never gonna stop using the 303, 404, and Cool Edit.       

(Via Paige In Full)

Click here to read Pt. 2.

ASR-X Pro/Street Orchestra

The ASR-10 has been made famous over the years through high praise from producers such as Kanye West, Pharell, Timbaland, and The Alchemist.   While Ensoniq's ASR-X Pro doesn't have the same star studded list of users, there are some excellent videos of different producers putting this former competitor of the Akai MPC 3000 to good use.  I especially enjoyed this artistically shot tutorial video from Philadelphia Music Magazine featuring Sparrow the Movement producer Street Orchestra.  The shots of his massive, chaotic record collection alone are worth the watch.

It should be noted that this isn't just an ASR-X Pro video as the E-mu SP-1200 is also prominently featured.



Let The Beat Build w/Street Orchestra from Philadelphia Music Magazine on Vimeo.