beatmaking

beat making video - sampling all in FL Studio

2006-02-05T20:20:00.000-08:00

check out this cool video made by OFF. he recreates a Mobb Deep song and does all the sampling and arranging within FL Studio;

peace!
N.U.G.

buy FL Studio / Fruity Loops now and get a 10% discount;

http://www.flstudio.com/promo.asp?p=DFGFDF417

show your support by buying music I've produced;

www.nugpresents.tk

email me;

nugmusic@hotmail.com

Recording In Cool Edit Pro (Part 3)

2006-02-04T13:06:00.000-08:00

here's part three of the Cool Edit recording guide;

...Continued The Cool Edit Studio-a-go-go! Multi-track recording tips - part 3

Punch-In Recording
Have you ever recorded something that was almost perfect, but wished you could change a single section or one word while leaving the rest of the performance intact? That's what Punch-In recording is all about. When you have Cool Edit Pro (or Cool Edit 2000 with the Studio Plug-In), you can record over any section you want to change, without affecting the rest of the recording... In the studio biz, this process is known as "punching in".

To punch in on a track, all you need to do is highlight the portion of the track you'd like to re-record and then go to the Edit menu, and select "Punch-In". The selected portion of the track will turn red to indicate that it's ready to be re-recorded. Now, position the cursor at any point before the section that you will punch in. When you hit the record button the session will begin playing back and will automatically enter into record (punch in) at the beginning of the selected region and will likewise fall out of the record mode (punch out) at its end.

Let's say that you've punched in on one (or more) tracks and you or the artist didn't like the take... no problem! All you have to do is re-position the cursor before the region to be punched and begin recording again. As before, the session will play back and the punch-in area will be recorded over... You can do this as many times as you like.

Ok, now the magic begins! After you've recorded any number of overdubs, you can:

Listen to each take by selecting it from the Edit Menu under Take History.

Delete unwanted takes by selecting Delete Current Take.

Once you've decided on a final take, simply select Merge Current Take to insert the selected overdub into the track.

Auto-recalling a session
In the pro-recording world, the ability to automatically and quickly recall all of the track layouts, mixing, group and edit settings within a session is a feature that costs big bucks! The Cool Edit family of editors will save every aspect of your session automatically... After saving a session, you can pick up from where you started a day, week or year later is as simple as calling up the session and getting down to business. All in a matter of minutes!

Backup
Once you've finished your session, it's always a good idea to back the session and Wavefiles to a backup media. The fastest, most logical and cost-effective backup media type is, of course, CD-R or CD-RW.

If a session directory is larger than a 640 or 700Mb disc, simply use your favorite burning program to split the files over multiple discs.

System Requirements
The PC: Due to CEP's low system overhead, it isn't necessary to spend megabucks on a super-PC. In fact, CE 2000 or CEP will run on almost any modern-day PC running under Windows 95, 98, 2000 or NT. With the Cool Edit software family, you'll be able to mix and edit up to 64 tracks on your PC, regardless of its speed.

The Interface: Any professional multi-I/O audio interface will work with Cool Edit Pro to pass audio to disk in a multitrack setting. However, if you want to take your PC on the road, I suggest that you look into the newer-generation of USB audio interface systems (Such as the Tascam US-428, Roland UA-30, UA-100 and MIDIMAN's Quatro). For laptop owners, USB means that we can finally pass pro-quality audio to/from our laptop with very few bucks!

Dave (who is an avid techno-evangelist for Syntrillium) has finally finished the update of his best selling book "Modern Recording Techniques" (www.focalpress.com) to its 5th edition. His musical explorations can be found at www.51bpm.com
(c)2001 Syntrillium Software Corporation

peace!
N.U.G.

buy FL Studio / Fruity Loops now and get a 10% discount;

http://www.flstudio.com/promo.asp?p=DFGFDF417

show your support by buying music I've produced;

www.nugpresents.tk

email me;

nugmusic@hotmail.com

Recording In Cool Edit Pro (Part 2)

2006-02-03T13:40:00.000-08:00

here's part two of the Cool Edit guide;

...Continued The Cool Edit Studio-a-go-go! Multi-track recording tips - part 2

Porta-system-a-go-go!
Those of you who have a laptop computer, can now throw that all-important word "porta" into the mix. That's to say, by using the laptop's own audio card (or by adding-on a pro-quality USB audio interface)... you're ready to take Cool Edit 2000 or Cool Edit Pro on the road!

Yup, this means that you can save your musical ideas to disk whenever the mood hits, capture that magic jam with the buds at 2AM, even overdub extra track parts on the road... Get the picture?

Global Positioning
Ok folks, now let's take this "on-the-road" concept just a step further. Let's say you have this killer session that's been built up from all your MIDI toys and/or live instruments... you've laid down an amazing vocal overdub... The song's just groovin'! One thing's missing... It REALLY begs for a lead guitar solo... and you know just the person who could pull it off! Unfortunately, she moved to Toronto last year... No problem! She has another friend that has a PC-based project studio who'd be happy to help her to lay down the part!

Literally, through the amazing wonders of MP3, you could simply e-mail the parts anywhere in the world... No ifs, ands or buts. "E-dubbing" is a fairly straightforward process. Here's what you do...

1. Create a stereo or mono mix of the relevant parts of your session.
2. Encode the entire song (or just the section to be worked on) as an MP3 file. The file compression choice use is totally up to you, as the receiving party will simply use the track as a monitor guide track.
3. Send the song or section to your buddy as an e-mail attachment (along with any instruction notes, lead sheet jpgs, lyrics, etc.)
4. Once your buddy receives the files, he/she can import the MP3 directly into Cool Edit Pro, Cool Edit or any multitrack editor that can import MP3 files. If their editor doesn't deal with MP3, a number of conversion programs are available for translating between the MP3 and Wav file formats.
5. Once imported, they can go about the task of laying down their part onto a separate track.
6. Once an acceptable track has been recorded, the new track can then be converted to the highest-quality MP3 file format possible. It's been my experience that the file will literally be "CD Quality", when it's been encoded at 160 Kbps. The quality will be especially high when the original Fraunhofer codes are used (which are included in the Syntrillium MP3 plug-in). Go ahead, encode a file and check the quality out for yourself!
7.Have your friend or hired-musician email the MP3 file back to you.
8.Convert the file back into the .Wav format and drag it into the original multitrack session at the appropriate spot. It's been my experience that there will be no loss in quality and you'll have full mixing control over the newly recorded "e-dub"... just as though it was recorded in the next room!
In session
OK, let's come back down to earth and get to the simple nuts n' bolts of recording a simple session into CE 2000 or CEP - it's easy and fun! For starters, let's walk through the process of recording a basic demo into the program, from start to finish:

Step 1:Select the "Live Update During Record" option. By making sure that this option is selected (Options/Settings/General Tab/Play from Cursor), you'll be able to watch the tracks automatically draw and update on the computer's screen as the session progresses.

Although it isn't necessary, this option lets you see where you are in a session's timeline and makes recording a heck of a lot more fun. Definitely a recommended practice for CE2K and CEP, in general.

Step 2:Switch the program to the Multitrack Mixer View mode (F12). Pressing the upper left-hand Multitrack Mixer View button (or F12) will place CEP into the multitrack mode.

Step 3:Name each channel input Although this isn't necessary, naming the track (or tracks) that you're about to record on will make it easier to identify the channel inputs during this and future sessions. Equally as important, it'll cause CEP to save each track to the session directory under the given track filename (i.e. kick drum.wav). For archival purposes (and peace of mind) it's a lot easier know what's been recorded onto a file called "Steves kick drum.wav" than one that was automatically called "Track34-1(2).wav"!

This simple practice of naming each track will definitely make the session and any future changes to the session go much more smoothly.

Step 4:Place the desired track (or tracks) into the "Record Ready" mode. Arming the desired track or tracks is done by pressing the red " " button within each of the track control boxes. Once you're ready to roll... simply press the transport's record button and start laying down your track(s)!

Once you've laid down your first track or set of basic tracks, you can start recording additional tracks... while listening to your previous tracks over phones or speakers. This is done by disarming your previous tracks and then arming the next track or tracks to be recorded. Once several tracks have been laid down, you can start to mix your levels and pan positions, using the programs various mixing options.

Step 5:Mixdown. Once you've finished recording, the process of creating a final mixdown can begin. This involves making final adjustments to your mix, pan and effects levels. Effects can be added to a particular track by simply double-clicking on the waveform (this will automatically open that track into the edit waveform view). Once done, all or a defined portion of the soundfile can be effected by calling up any effect from the Transform Menu.

Step 6:Save the completed "mix" to disk. When using CE 2000 or CEP as a porta-system, this process can take either of two forms:
· 1. The individual track files can be saved to hard disk within the session's directory. This is usually a wise precaution, as you might want to go back at some future time and continue working on the session, or you might want to take a killer riff and copy it into another session or special project.
As always, it's a good idea to save important sessions to a removable backup media (such as CD-R, CD-RW or Jazz disk).
· 2. In addition to (or instead of) the above, the program can mix a multitrack session down to a mono or stereo file, eliminating the need to transfer the session tracks to a DAT recorder, etc. In this way, CE 2000 or CEP can internally mixdown the multitrack session to two hard disk tracks for archival as a wavefile, MP3 file and/or for burning to a CD.
Sounds easy? Doing it is just as easy, fun and powerful! If ya don't believe me, check out the demo and take it for a porta-spin yourself!

peace!
N.U.G.

buy FL Studio / Fruity Loops now and get a 10% discount;

http://www.flstudio.com/promo.asp?p=DFGFDF417

show your support by buying music I've produced;

www.nugpresents.tk

email me;

nugmusic@hotmail.com

Recording In Cool Edit Pro (Part 1)

2006-02-02T16:53:00.000-08:00

here's part one of a three part guide on recording vocals in Cool Edit Pro (part 2 and 3 coming soon)

The Cool Edit Studio-a-go-go!
by David Miles Huber

In the not-too distant past, recording your own music meant hiring out a professional recording studio to record and mix your own music. Nowadays, with the dawning of the project studio, laying down your tracks at home, on the road or in your project studio is a basic fact of the music biz. Still, with all the tools and technology that at our disposal, the concept of laying down your own tracks for the purpose of making a pro-sounding demo or creating a finished project can be an expensive, complex and technically-frustrating task.

One of the most basic of tools for the aspiring musician, songwriter and producer is the portable studio. (I can't really use the word "Portastudio(r)", cause it's a Tascam trademark, Well, I could, but that wouldn't be right...). These hardware devices originally started out as cassette-based recorders that offered four tracks and housed a simple mixer/transport user interface. More recently, these boxes have begun to appear as hard disk and minidisk-based devices that can store mix and process audio in the digital domain. At last, this means that the audio quality is finally acceptable enough to record, overdub, bounce and mix audio with truly pro-sounding results.

Although these "studios in a box" are simple in nature and can be taken virtually anywhere, the main drawback to the portable studio is that it's basically limited in nature, usually offering:

Only four or eight tracks (which usually means that extensive track copying (bouncing) is needed when additional tracks are required.

Limited or no internal effects capabilities.

Limited mixing features w/o automation.

Limited or no editing features.

Cool Edit Studio-on-the-go
CE 2000 and Cool Edit Pro both combine the ease and straightforwardness of a portable-studio, with the power and flexibility of a digital audio editor... allowing even the most technically-challenged to record, overdub and mix finished tracks... all without the big bucks, complex gear and the technical frustrations that can often plague even the most modern of project studios.

Seriously, folks... CE2K and CEP is not only cheaper that a hardware porta-system (much cheaper than the newer, hard disk systems)... it's FAR more powerful. For example, the Cool Edit family of editors:

Are easier to use than most dedicated porta-systems.

Offer more tracks (up to 64)!

Include an impressive number of great-sounding DSP effects.

Offer on-screen editing, grouping and track layout options.

Offer advanced mixing and output-routing options.

Let you mixdown your music to a stereo wavefile that can be instantly burned to CD!

The desktop Porta-system
Literally, CE 2000 and Cool Edit Pro act as straightforward yet powerful production systems that let you translate your musical ideas directly to hard disk, without the need of complex outboard gear and expensive recording hardware. All you need is a computer and a high-quality soundcard interface. Using a mic to record a live source means that you'll probably need a mixer (like the Mackie 1202), a mic preamp or an interface that has a built-in mic preamp (like the Tascam US-428). Getting your sound onto hard disk, mixing it and even burning the finished tracks to CD couldn't be easier...

Record it! You can record tracks into Cool Edit Pro in either mono or stereo (or if you use a soundcard that has multiple inputs, you can record several tracks into a session simultaneously. Once recorded, the track(s) can be mixed, panned, processed and saved as a session file (Any number of session mix versions can be saved to disk for later recall.) Overdub it! Wanna add an instrumental or vocal track to the existing mix at a later time? No problem; simply assign an audio input to a new track, arm the record button, place the curser at the point where you wish to begin and get down to the biz of making music! Mix it!Once you've finished recording your tracks, you can go about the task of setting the final levels, pan positions and effects (using any of the 40+ out-of-the-box DSP or 3rd party DirectX effects). Burn it!Now that you have the perfect mix, simply mixdown the session (along with any other songs in the project that you might have finished) to a wave file... import the songs into your favorite CD burning software program and voila... you'll have a finished CD project in your hot little hands for all the world to hear!

peace!
N.U.G.

buy FL Studio / Fruity Loops now and get a 10% discount;

http://www.flstudio.com/promo.asp?p=DFGFDF417

show your support by buying music I've produced;

www.nugpresents.tk

email me;

nugmusic@hotmail.com

FL Studio Scratching Video

2006-02-01T12:36:00.000-08:00

FL Studio actually has some very decent scratching tools as shown in this video by SPYRO. Click the PLAY button to view and you can also check out SPYRO'S website at http://www.s-p-y-r-o.tk/

peace!
N.U.G.

buy FL Studio / Fruity Loops now and get a 10% discount;

http://www.flstudio.com/promo.asp?p=DFGFDF417

show your support by buying music I've produced;

www.nugpresents.tk

email me;

nugmusic@hotmail.com

9th Wonder Interview from REMIX Magazine

2006-01-31T13:08:00.000-08:00

here's a cool interview with 9th Wonder. He talks about his equipment among other things... enjoy!

LITTLE FEAT

By Tamara Warren

Apr 1, 2005 12:00 PM

It's 2 p.m. on a dreary day in Morrisville, N.C., and by North Carolina standards, it's plum nasty. Rain droplets cling to tree branches sprinkled among church steeples and quaint homes set along lolling country roads. Clad in camouflage fatigue pants, Pat “9th Wonder” Douthit is going to work. Like many music producers, 9th Wonder arrives at his finest moments working the second shift in studio sessions that run well into the wee hours. With a wife and children to think about, he's serious about his music — there's no room for wild and crazy partying in Wonder's world.

After sending off MP3 files that contain yesterday's recordings, the producer makes the crosstown trek to his record label's brand-new offices in Durham. With a flurry of productivity, the Hall of Justus label has outgrown its current digs in a cozy condo tucked away in sleepy Morrisville. Even though fax machines and filing cabinets still need to be transferred over, the key component is up and running in Durham: the studio.

Wool hat pulled protectively around his ears to ward off the rain, Wonder climbs into his GMC Yukon Denali, fiddling with the car stereo as he juggles cell-phone calls from Atlantic Records label executives and local Raleigh artists. Leaning into the steering wheel, he looks the part of a 30-year-old man on a mission as producer Khrysis and rappers Chaundon and Joe Scudda, also part of the Hall of Justus arsenal of beat and rhyme makers, hop into the truck. The label, headed by Big Dho, boasts about a dozen acts but is best known for last year's Foreign Exchange album collaboration with Dutch producer Nicolay and rap trio Little Brother — the freshest princes in the game.

Made up of Wonder and MCs Big Pooh and Phonte, Little Brother is gearing up to release its sophomore album, The Minstrel Show (Atlantic, 2005), which XXL magazine designated as one of 2005's most anticipated albums. It's the trio's first effort on a major label since its indie release, The Listening (ABB, 2003), became an instant underground hip-hop classic. Wonder's trademark soul-sampled flow complemented the album's simulated radio broadcast, sampling noticeably from groups such as A Tribe Called Quest. On The Minstrel Show, the group intends to bring back the Little Brother flavor with Big Pooh and Phonte's hard-hitting lyrics.

IN THE BLACK WITH JAY-Z

On his own, Wonder has production credits of note including “Threat” for Jay-Z's The Black Album (Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam, 2003) and two joints on Destiny Child's album Destiny Fulfilled (Sony, 2004): “Is She the Reason” and “Girl.” “Jay is a pro,” Wonder says. “I made the beat on an IBM ThinkPad laptop. He loaded the WAV files on Pro Tools in the big studio, and then he rhymed over that. And Guru mixed it.” Jay-Z famously sought him out to do the Destiny's Child release after being impressed by his production skills. This time, Wonder supplied beats from a Toshiba laptop at a Los Angeles studio and then handed over his beat tracks to an engineer.

With the exception of Jay-Z and Destiny's Child, Wonder and his crew handle their own engineering and mixing from their Spartan studio. “You can jump in there, or you can't,” he says. “There's not a school that teaches you how to mix well. Either you're born with it, or you're not. We engineer our own stuff.”

Wonder ratcheted up his status and ignited the trend of remixing entire albums when he remade Nas' God's Son (Columbia, 2002) into God's Stepson (available only on www.hiphopsite.com). Meanwhile, Wonder has also produced for Murs, Buckshot and Masta Ace, who all sought out his distinctive style. “I guess it's because of the sounds I use,” he muses. His sound is flavored with accents and beats that blend with full-bodied sampled hooks entirely drawn from vinyl. Wonder might be next-generation, but he relies on classic hip-hop sensibilities. He scours record stores fueled by Raleigh-Durham's large population of college students and delights in the joy of unearthing songs with that certain feeling. “I don't use sample CDs; I just straight sample from old records,” Wonder says. “I wouldn't even make a sample CD. They got to go record shopping like I do.” The producer grins, like a veteran of his craft.

The last stop en route to the studio is at rapper Jean Grae's hotel. Everyone is primed for the task at hand for the day: knocking out a good chunk of Grae's album, produced by 9th Wonder and Khrysis. He is hyped about working with Grae, who he worked with for “Supa Luv” from her last album, This Week (Babygrande, 2004). “Watch out — she's the next Lauren Hill,” Wonder proclaims. “Just don't forget the little people,” he kids with her as they discuss the work that's already been cut.

BASIC BOOM-BAP SCIENCE

The posse arrives at the new studio offices off a Durham side street. The actual studio is a cramped space, with a small sound booth and bare-bones production tools. Sony Book Shelf Speakers serve as the only monitors, and the only gear in sight includes a mixer and a Sony MiniDisc player that Wonder says are never used.

He heads straight for his innocent-looking Dell computer with a 25GB hard drive and Windows XP. “It's like the black Dell they advertise on TV, nothing major,” he says matter-of-factly. He pauses to respond to a common inquiry. “The only people who don't ask me why I don't use a Mac are people who have been doing beats for years,” he says with a knowing chuckle. “This is what we learned on. We stick with what works. This is how the first album was done. We go by the motto ‘If it's not broke, don't fix it.’”

While Grae settles in the booth, Wonder fires up Syntrillium Cool Edit Pro 2.1 (now called Adobe Audition). “I do all the mixdowns in the PC using Cool Edit Pro,” he says. Like a painter dabbling at his palette, he begins clicking the mouse with ease as beat patterns fall neatly into place. He calls up the beat files composed in the program he swears by: Image-Line FL Studio 4. He insists that everything he needs is squarely within this program, formerly called Fruityloops, running DXi instrumentation. “I can make it do any type of beat I want to,” Wonder says. “I listen for bass lines and the way I can tighten up the drums. I can make it sound like a crispy, empty beat or a dirty beat.”

The loop-based program allows Wonder to chop up his samples and create spacious rhythms, leaving room for vocals as well as a little swing. “Some samples you can chop up and make sound like a loop,” he says, stopping short and shaking his head defiantly — he won't divulge his process for extracting samples. “I can't talk about how I do beats. I very selectively choose who I show what I do with the beats.”

Nevertheless, he does reveal one clue about adding a little swing to the mix. “I learned this from producer J Dilla: Move your hi-hats, slidin' your hi-hats on the scale,” he says. He scatters the samples across the loops, resulting in hooks that move with the grace of the soul songs that Wonder loves, including his favorites by Curtis Mayfield and Al Green. From old-school singers to classic hip-hop producers, Wonder studies the masters. “I learned a lot from Premier and Pete Rock and J Dilla [aka Jay Dee] from bass lines,” he continues. “Wails and moans, I learned from RZA.”

With his beats in place, Wonder's writing process is usually pretty complete by the time he meets with a vocalist. “I might hear a drum track first; I might hear a sample,” he explains. “I might hear a drum track and try to match up a sample. Sometimes, I make [the track] and hear someone [who would be good] over it. Every artist has a certain type of track they pick.”

Wonder's skills shine as he applies his beats to accent the vocalists. “The challenge is trying to find a sound that fits the artist and will still stay you,” he says. “I'd like somebody to say, ‘I know a 9th Wonder joint.’ I'm a ‘boom bap’ producer. I do a lot of straight drum tracks. I'm an old-world producer. I'm a Pete Rock and Premier descendent because that's who I learned from. Whatever I learn from them, I take it and make futuristic. I want to make younger listeners hear what they missed. Everything runs in circles.”

His beats move with an even flow that sounds sweet on the dancefloor or on the Apple iPod. “Most artists devote everything to making a club track,” Wonder says. “Outside of Dr. Dre and Pharrell, there's nobody else getting in the club. I make tracks for the cats in the jeeps, the cats in the streets.”

SKIES ARE GRAE

As Wonder gets down to business, he separates each vocal track, building about 10 tracks before him on the screen for each vocal part. “I've got 64 tracks that can be overlapped,” he says. “It can be 128 if you know what you're doing.” His ear is immaculate, and with Khrysis by his side, they listen for imperfections in the mix. When the sound gets louder, he opens Cool Edit's modification panel and levels out the streams, aligning the waves using the program's compression function. Khrysis and Wonder speak in codes formed over long-standing working relationships. Khrysis plays the part of the studio's executive engineer. “The beat's gotta come up,” he says. With two sly clicks, Wonder is satisfied and bobs his head anticipating each nuance, feeling the depth of each change and staying in tune with how much compression is needed. “On vocals, some words come out louder than others,” Wonder says.

An audience of about five people crams in the studio to watch Grae and Wonder interact, with a lot of hooting and hollering going on at the results. A clear communicator, Wonder makes the studio experience fun for all, pushing through tough spots and celebrating victories — even singing the beats in pitch.

“Double that again,” he says to Grae, instructing her to layer another track on top of the last to thicken the sound. She hugs into the mic and nods, clearly vibing with her producer. “There's a big difference in the way the beats sound and the vocals since she started coming down here,” Wonder says. He turns a random 16-bar loop into a more full-bodied song, running Cool Edit Pro's filter plug-in to streamline the sound. “That's a graphic equalizer we use to make a high lift,” he explains. “It brings up the hi-hats so it just don't sound muffled like the high end or the bass end of it.”

As he continues to edit, he flavors the vocals and drums with Cool Edit's echo effects. “In a big studio, the engineer would do that,” he says. At lightning speed, he matches the vocals with time and pitch functions to get the tempo just right. “You can pitch your time to match whatever vocal you're using,” he continues.

Using studio code, he communicates with Grae. “You gonna ad-lib that?” And boom, bap — half the song is laid down in less than 15 minutes. Wonder's instincts are smooth and graceful, honed from years of experience with synthetic music.

AS A WEE LAD

While growing up in Winston-Salem, N.C., Wonder played in the school band and learned the basics of several instruments. “I played some drums,” he says. “Anything on the treble clef I could handle: clarinet, baritone saxophone. The trombone gets a little confusing. And I can't read piano music. My first keyboard I got was in sixth grade, and I kept upgrading keyboards. Every Christmas, I would ask for a new keyboard.”

But it was Wonder's devotion to hip-hop that laid the groundwork for his future. “When I was a kid, hip-hop was really on the incline,” he remembers. “I got into replaying what I heard on the keyboard. I really didn't know it was a sample from an old record. I tried to play what I heard. I'm playing overtures in the daytime, and in the nighttime, I'm hearin' Brand Nubian and A Tribe Called Quest.”

But the keyboard was not Wonder's choice vehicle for sound. “All my keyboards are gone,” he laments. He sold his last keyboard, a Yamaha PSS-480, in 1996. “I pawned my keyboard to go to see a girl,” he says. “And we broke up shortly after. I hope I see her again and it'll be like Ricki Lake — look at me now.”

North Carolina Central University brought Wonder to Raleigh-Durham and provided the foundation for his recording interests. “I was trying to save up to get an MPC,” he says. “I had a good friend who had a computer. He started makin' beats and showed me what he did. Once I found something that worked, I stuck with it. It was the only option I had to make beats, but it worked.”

At school, he began to collaborate with Big Pooh, Phonte and the Justus League clique. They were committed to creating real hip-hop with meaningful lyrics and soulful backdrops. “They try to label us like the rest of the South because we're below the Mason Dixon,” Wonder says.

As a student, it took time to find an affordable system that he could manipulate with ease. “For beats, at first, it was the HammerHead Rhythm Station,” he says. “It was the worst, but it was all I could get. And then JavaSound FM BeatBox — I left BeatBox and went to Fruityloops and found Cool Edit Pro from the jump.”

BEATS KNOCK 'TIL THE TRUNK POP

Although his equipment is somewhat primitive, Wonder has the industry's finest touting him as the dude with the ill beats among the leaders of the brand-new school of hip-hop. When Jay-Z and Grae seek you out, you know you've found a formula that's hotter than hot. “The beautiful thing about hip-hop is that you can't overthink it,” Wonder says. “As long as you got a nice, quality hook, let it go.”

As the night oil burns, Wonder and Grae plow ahead to cut four tracks, working off existing loops and her rhyme writing. Without taking breaks, a flurry of activity in the tiny studio speeds along until 2 a.m. And then, it's time to go to Waffle House.

Even after a grueling studio session, a weary Wonder is still polite and laid-back. “I'm a Southern boy; I grew up with good manners,” he says. Back in the Denali, he pops in a beat CD containing tracks with the session's results. Grinning from ear to ear, he's rockin' to the beats as he rolls off into to the night, making good on his own words: making beats for the low-key cats riding around the streets.

A SMALL WONDER OF A STUDIO

Computers, DAWs, recording hardware:
Dell Dimension 2650 computer
ViewSonic Professional Series PS 775 monitor

Consoles, mixers, interfaces:
Behringer Eurorack UB802 mixer

Samplers, drum machines, turntables, DJ mixer:
Technics SL-1200 turntables

Synths, modules, software, plug-ins, instruments:
Image-Line FL Studio 4 software
Syntrillium Cool Edit Pro 2.1 software

Mics, mic preamps, EQs, compressors, effects:
Apex 430 condenser mic
ART Tube MP mic preamp

Monitors:
Sony MDR-V600 headphones
SSK10ED Book Shelf Speakers

SOURCE: http://remixmag.com/artists/remix_little_feat/

peace!
N.U.G.

buy FL Studio / Fruity Loops now and get a 10% discount;

http://www.flstudio.com/promo.asp?p=DFGFDF417

show your support by buying music I've produced;

www.nugpresents.tk

email me;

nugmusic@hotmail.com

Audacity: The Free, Cross-Platform Sound Editor

2006-01-30T12:08:00.000-08:00

Just in case you didn't know about Audacity already, it's a FREE sound editor that is very handy for recording and chopping samples. you can download it for free at the link below. great program...

http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

peace!
N.U.G.

buy FL Studio / Fruity Loops now and get a 10% discount;

http://www.flstudio.com/promo.asp?p=DFGFDF417

show your support by buying music I've produced;

www.nugpresents.tk

email me;

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Computer Music Magazine review of FL Studio 6

2006-01-30T01:00:00.000-08:00

here's a good review of FL Studio 6 that some peeps may be interested in (click images to enlarge);

peace!
N.U.G.

buy FL Studio / Fruity Loops now and get a 10% discount;

http://www.flstudio.com/promo.asp?p=DFGFDF417

show your support by buying music I've produced;

www.nugpresents.tk

email me;

nugmusic@hotmail.com

new link www.warbeats.com (dope FL Studio tutorials/videos and info)

2006-01-28T12:25:00.000-08:00

here's a dope website that has some excellent FL Studio tutorials and articles. check it out at www.warbeats.com

peace!
N.U.G.

buy FL Studio / Fruity Loops now and get a 10% discount;

http://www.flstudio.com/promo.asp?p=DFGFDF417

show your support by buying music I've produced;

www.nugpresents.tk

email me;

nugmusic@hotmail.com

Khrysis Interview

2006-01-27T11:56:00.000-08:00

here's a cool interview with a DOPE producer named Khrysis who is part of the Justus League... it's interesting to read that his setup is just FL STUDIO, COOL EDIT and a turntable...

What made you want to start making beats?

I was always fascinated as a little kid by music…plus its in my blood. I had a gang or relatives that sang and played instruments. My dad had mad crates of jazz and R&B records...I used to sneak and make pause loops when he wasn't home.

What equipment did you start with?

If you wanna go way back then it was some records and a dual cassette boombox....When I was 16 or 17 I ran into this computer program called SAW...its kinda like Cool Edit or Pro Tools...there was no metronome or nothing like that...id have to cut and paste the hi hats and all that shit...I didn't get Fruity Loops till 2000 or so...bless from the ALLIES put me on to it when I was at WSSU

What did your first beats sound like?

OOOHHH....maan...they SUCKED! Well...not all of them. They were real choppy, plus I was real experimental. I went from sampling, to playing them out, and back to sampling where I stayed. However, there is one beat that I did recently without sampling. You will hear it in time.

How has your sound changed?

I have a much better handle on music theory and a warmer sound. However it still has that edge. Sometimes I can make a beat that's dirty, driving, and bouncy. Then I can turn around and make a beat that's clean and smooth. I've also learned how to be more versatile. For the most part, I kind of perfected my technique, but the sound ain't where I want it to be quite yet...I'm just getting warm.

What equipment do you use now?

Fruity Loops and Cool Edit...a turntable and a gang of records

How long does it take you to make a beat?

Anywhere between 15 minutes to an hour...

How do you know when you're done with a beat?

When the song is finished....As a producer you gotta do the complete package before you call it a finished product.

How and what sounds do you look for in a sample?

Anything that stands out to me...I'll hear a record and hear how chord progressions are...stop it for a second...imagine a chop or loop with drums...think of what kind of bounce I want to give it...if it works there...i get it poppin. Sometimes I might get a change of plans while I'm still workin the beat...but that's just how it works out sometimes.

What's the best sample you've ever found?

I'm not telling till the record comes out...sorry

How did you get down with the Justus League?

It's a looooong story...I met Chaundon when I was still in high school when I was workin at the NCCU radio station. Then he introduced me to Pooh, Tay, 9th and Mike Burv. Ran into 9th again when i was in college, we both moved back into raleigh/durham around the same time. 9th introduced me to the rest of the League, me and Boog formed the Away Team and then me and flash was voted in...

What made you want to get down with them?

For the most part, we all had the same intrests. I was rollin wit niggas before the Listenin was finished. It kinda worked out. We a family at this point. For real.

When people think Justus League, they think 9th Wonder, does that ever get tiring?

Nope...I like to see myself as the secret weapon. While he's kickin in the front door...I'm sneakin in the back window, and we both ready to tear shit up. Just wait...

What MC's in the Justus League are the most slept-on?

I believe, LEGACY, Sean Boog, Joe Scudda, and Pooh was there till his album came out... things are coming around if u ask me...the truth will show in time.

What's up with the Away Team?

The Away Team is me and Sean Boog...he does the raps...I do the beats...on some Gangstarr shit...The album is called "National Anthem" that drops on May 17th, the first single is called "Likka Hi (Last Call)" which should be out in the next few weeks...we also have a single out right now called "The Shinin" b/w "Let Off A Round".

How did you link up with Desi Relaford?

My manager Big Dho hooked that up...Desi came to the crib last month tho...he's a real cool cat...he can come around whenever.

You've worked with Sean Price, what's that like?

I had a ball workin with that dude...he's likely to do or say anything. He showed niggas mad love and we gave it back...all them Boot Camp niggas...I love workin with them dudes...

How do your beats complement his style?

He's real aggressive, and the beats can be the same way, my favorite thing about him is how he can take a beautiful pretty ass beat...and turn it to an anthem...

Who would you like to work with next?

I wanna work wit Styles P, Busta Rhymes, Ghostface, and some others…

What's the last beat you've heard by another producer that amazed you?

It's a kid outta Jersey named Ill Mind…he impresses me amost every time

What's coming up for you?

The Away Team "National Anthem", L.E.G.A.C.Y. "Project Mayhem", Little Brother "The Minstrel Show", Sean Price "Monkey Bars", Smif-Wessun "Reloaded" Chaundon the Back Twista "No Excuses", be on the lookout for Joe Scudda, The A.L.L.I.E.S., these cats from Boston that are real dope...NBS...be on the lookout for them...

How can Heads reach out to you?

Talk to my manager...Big Dho...dho@hallofjustus.com

By Brian Kayser

SOURCE: http://www.hiphopgame.com/index2.php3?page=khrysis

also, here's a link to a track produced by Khrysis "The Away Team - Likka High" (left click)

peace!
N.U.G.

buy FL Studio / Fruity Loops now and get a 10% discount;

http://www.flstudio.com/promo.asp?p=DFGFDF417

show your support by buying music I've produced;

www.nugpresents.tk

email me;

nugmusic@hotmail.com

FL Studio / Fruity Loops - what version to buy?

2006-01-27T11:07:00.000-08:00

I've had a few people emailing me asking what version of FL Studio / Fruity Loops I recomend for them to buy, so here's a small guide explaining what I recomend...

FL STUDIO BUYER'S GUIDE

okay, there are basically 3 main versions of FL Studio - Fruity edition, Producer Edition, XXL Bundle. In more detail;

1. Fruity Edition $99US ($90 with 10% discount - see bottom of thread)

This is a good basic edition and it will help get you started making beats. It does have some limitations in terms of recording and editing Audio within FL Studio though (which may or may not effect you).

2. Producer Edition $149US ($135 with 10% discount - see bottom of thread)

This is the version I recomend for most people as it has all the best features for making dope beats AND it also includes some valuable Audio capabilities such as recording and editing Audio within FL. Highly recomended.

3. XXL Bundle $348US ($314 with 10% discount - see bottom of thread)

This version is basically Producer Edition combined with all of FL Studio's additional Plugins including the Directwave Sampler, Soundfont Player, Styrus amd more. This is the version I have and I love it.

CONCLUSION

In my opinion, FL Studio Producer Edition is the best version to start with for most people as it has all the main features needed to make dope beats. The XXL Bundle is worth considering too (for it's cool plugins) but I realise some people may not be able to afford it which is cool and those peeps should go with the Producer Edition.

I hope that helps!

NOTE: if you're considering buying FL Studio, you can get a 10% discount on your purchase by clicking this link;

http://www.flstudio.com/promo.asp?p=DFGFDF417

peace!
N.U.G.

buy FL Studio / Fruity Loops now and get a 10% discount;

http://www.flstudio.com/promo.asp?p=DFGFDF417

show your support by buying music I've produced;

www.nugpresents.tk

email me;

nugmusic@hotmail.com

Little Brother MTV performance

2006-01-26T04:06:00.000-08:00

i saw these videos from Little Brother's performance on MTV and I thought some of y'all may want to see them too

peace!
N.U.G.

buy FL Studio / Fruity Loops now and get a 10% discount;

http://www.flstudio.com/promo.asp?p=DFGFDF417

show your support by buying music I've produced;

www.nugpresents.tk

email me;

nugmusic@hotmail.com

9th Wonder Interview

2006-01-26T01:09:00.000-08:00

here's an old 9th Wonder interview I scanned for y'all (click pic to enlarge);

peace!
N.U.G.

buy FL Studio / Fruity Loops now and get a 10% discount;

http://www.flstudio.com/promo.asp?p=DFGFDF417

show your support by buying music I've produced;

www.nugpresents.tk

email me;

nugmusic@hotmail.com

Cool Edit Pro 2 download link, manuals and tutorials

2006-01-25T13:15:00.003-08:00

Cool Edit Pro is an easy to learn and fun to use Audio Editor and Multitrack Recorder. A LOT of hip-hop producers use this program (including 9th Wonder) for chopping samples, editing audio and recording vocals. Interestingly, Cool Edit Pro has now been replaced by Adobe Audition but a lot of peeps still stick with Cool Edit Pro. As the software has now been replaced, it is no longer available to buy, however by downloading the demo below and looking in the right place or asking the right person, you should be able to find a working serial number for this great program pretty easily (shoutouts to the homie Peter Quistgard!).

here's some links for ya;

download Cool Edit Pro 2 demo

download Cool Edit Pro 2 manual

view website with Cool Edit Pro tutorials

NOTE: if any of these links stop working, email me and I should be able to provide new links for you

peace!
N.U.G.

buy FL Studio / Fruity Loops now and get a 10% discount;

http://www.flstudio.com/promo.asp?p=DFGFDF417

show your support by buying music I've produced;

www.nugpresents.tk

email me;

nugmusic@hotmail.com

Cool Edit & Fruity Loops Tutorial (Extreme Basics)

2006-01-25T03:52:00.000-08:00

here's a cool tutorial by BESERK that may help some cats;

Cool Edit & Fruity Loops Tutorial (Extreme Basics)

This a tutorial I wrote when i first stared out myself... I wrote it from a UK perspective with beginners in mind... If you have any questions or feel that you disagree just reply...

If you don't like beats made using samples - Stop reading now!

This is a tutorial on all the different elements of beatmaking on a budget by me - Berserk.
You might disagree with a few things or feel you need to add something extra.
If so just bang on a reply.

Digging
You don't need to have the world's greatest vinyl collection, by no means do you even need a turntable, you can sample off absoloutely anything; TV, Tape, CD, MP3. Even your pet animals and pieces of celery. So don't worry about going to collector's stores. What I tend to do is go to HMV and look for box sets, You can normally find lots of different varied music box sets for around £4.99 for 4 cds, Thats about 80 tracks, and about 30 tracks worth of sampling material and sometimes more. Just look around (I tend to grab Funk, Movie, Jazz & Classical). Once you got your box of magic download a grabber. A Good grabber/ripper is Audio Catalyst. Once you got this start ripping away tracks with either samplable intros/interplotations/breaks. A good way to find "hidden" samples is by checking the Left/Right Stereo sides and just taking them.

Looping
Once you got your samples ready you're gonna need to loop them somehow and make it a full song. Get yourself a fully working Cool Edit Pro and play about with the looping function for a bit until you got something that sounds nice. Once you got this loop save it and look for another loop from the same song, you're gonna use this for the fourth bar. If you can't find another loop don't worry you can always make a sliced beat, sliced beat's often sound immensely ill so i wouldn't get too stressed out if you can't find a loop. Now bang you're loops in Fruity Loops by dragging the saved file to one of the little grey boxes on the drum pallette. Now you're gonna have to play around with the bpm and where you place the sample. Making it faster by putting it nearer the top often makes an easier loop with an easier bpm to find. It also sounds better a lot of the time.

Slicing
If you want to have that stop starty feel to your loops in Fruity Loops your gonna need to take your sample back to Cool Edit Pro select the whole loop, right click and then click wave properties then look for a looping option which has a white box with new & remove below it. Click new and Loop1 should appear. Click ok and save the file. Go back to fruity loops and reload the sample and select, use loop points. Now when you insert the file on the piano roll change the length with the horizontal arrows; the loop should now stop once the length of the little bar is up.

Drums
Get drums from f***ing anywhere, internet, sampling - anything. Normally you want hard, un-cheesy sounding drums. The best beats are normally simple with a nice melody behind them, so don't try and over complicate things unless you're trying to be the next Timbaland.

Snares
Same with snares, jack f***ing everything. You want a nice live snare half the time. By live i mean it should have a goodd snap and not sound too computerised. If you have a nice snare but it isn't snappy enough put a glock or low clap over the top. If you have a mic, get a piece of celery and snap it over the mic, then put that on top of your snare. Lol, trust it sounds good. Some1 told me this as a joke and I did it and it worked.... Jokes on him...

Hi-Hat/Shakers
Hi hats normally need to be continous simple metronome pattern and any hi hat normally works if its a nice short tick. Shakers can be all over just experiment. Also with hi-hats and snares experiment with the panning, adds an extra dimension to the track.

Bass
Bass is a hard one, I can't make a bassline for s**t, but good basslines normally stick in your head, are simple and are thumping... I'm afraid that's all I can say.

peace!
N.U.G.

buy FL Studio / Fruity Loops now and get a 10% discount;

http://www.flstudio.com/promo.asp?p=DFGFDF417

show your support by buying music I've produced;

www.nugpresents.tk

email me;

nugmusic@hotmail.com

"Jay-Z - A Million And One Questions" remake in FL Studio

2006-01-24T11:58:00.000-08:00

here's a dope video of MANTAS remaking "Jay-Z - A Million And One Questions" (produced by DJ Premier) in FL Studio. This video basically shows the process of making sample based beats in FL Studio. check it out by pushing the play button below!

NOTE: I do not agree with or in anyway condone the message at the end of the video about software piracy. I own my version of FL Studio and I encourage everyone who uses this software to properly own their version too.

peace!
N.U.G.

buy FL Studio / Fruity Loops now and get a 10% discount;

http://www.flstudio.com/promo.asp?p=DFGFDF417

show your support by buying music I've produced;

www.nugpresents.tk

email me;

nugmusic@hotmail.com