Kanye West Drums

[MitchGeist]

HAven't a topic on this yet. How does Kanye get those good drums he's got? I'm especially talking about the drums used on The College Dropout. He has really nice claps and his kicks are really hard, and sound very vinylish. Does anybody have any info on how he gets em like that or where he gets his drum samples from?

[TheArk]

Originally Posted by MitchGeist

He has really nice claps and his kicks are really hard, and sound very vinylish.

Because the majority of his drums ARE sampled just like ALL his beats lol
But on a more serious note, his drums are usually mpc default drums. I seen tons of vids of him just using an mpc with default drums and he has his people tweak them. He really doesnt use anything special.
We are talking about a guy who uses the old school mpc, tons of vinyl, and the beautiful ASR 10 lol hope that answers your question man

[MitchGeist]

I especially dig the kick on Family Business - YouTube - Kanye West-Family Business-The College Dropout (With Lyrics) - Really hard and sounds great! MPC default drums? I never had the 2000 (what kanye uses) but I did have the 1000 and none of the drum sounds are like his.

[Studio507]

Uses lots of breaks actually. Standard shit that everyones got. Also has a proteus 2k that he might utilize and sometimes uses other producers to program (does anyone read credits anymore?). There also used to be a story about him jacking a zip disc from a Eminem session...I didn't even know that there was standard MPC drums. Also, I frequently program w some bs drums then replace/stack more layers later so I wouldn't be surprised if that's what you were seeing in those YouTube beat makin vids.

[MitchGeist]

In all the beat making vids his drums sound great. Like the beginning of this one- YouTube - Kanye West in the studio (Rare)

[CRACKPIPE]

Anybody with a respectable record collection has them. This used to be a prerequisite of the artform. Many of you are missing out on the essence of the game.

[MitchGeist]

Originally Posted by CRACKPIPE

Anybody with a respectable record collection has them.

Has what?

[CRACKPIPE]

Originally Posted by MitchGeist

Has what?

The drums Kanye uses.

Originally Posted by Studio507

Uses lots of breaks actually. Standard shit that everyones got.

[MitchGeist]

Usually the drums I try and get are too choppy (possibly able to fix with reverb or tempo change? ) Also what are some of your guys preferred drum break series?

[thick accent]

Originally Posted by MitchGeist

what are some of your guys preferred drum break series?

tutt

[MitchGeist]

[Abdul-Kadir]

IMO drums are the weakest part of his music. The kicks on some songs sound like he's banging on a cardboard box.

[MitchGeist]

Maybe, I think everything sounds great. Also the snare/clap he used for Guess Who's Back is great. Probaly just EQ'd really well.

[TonyBelmont]

Originally Posted by MitchGeist

Maybe, I think everything sounds great. Also the snare/clap he used for Guess Who's Back is great. Probaly just EQ'd really well.

He jacked those drums from another song... you could do the same.

Then... Just hire one of his engineers to make it sound good when you're done with it.

[Balalaikka]

Family Business = 2Pac - Ambitionz Az a Ridah
Guess Who´s Back = Dr. Dre - Explosive

So not so original. Even Kanye said he "bit the the drums of off Explosive".

[MitchGeist]

Right, but the layer of that snap really adds alot to it. He uses that clap/snap in a lot of songs. Through The Wire and Overnight Celebrity to name a couple of top of my head. I don't see the 2pac sample though..

[rexall75]

They're mostly sampled. If your drums are coming out choppy when you sample you need to learn how to use the adsr envelopes on your sampler. Pretty easy sound to achieve honestly. It's all about sample selection.

[BeatMatters]

Originally Posted by Abdul-Kadir

IMO drums are the weakest part of his music. The kicks on some songs sound like he's banging on a cardboard box.

Hahaha. I agree with you that a few tracks have a weak kick, but his drums also have a very unique, organic, and natural sound to them that not many other producers have.

[down_town]

Also what are some of your guys preferred drum break series?

All The Breaks - 300 Essential Drum Breaks CD - Turntablelab.com

[mgthefuture]

I second the motion of plain ol drum breaks...honestly.

I got one of these Dr. Dre Battery Kits that leaked from one of his engineers

And its simply a bunch of drum breaks setup to be layered and programming.

To get them to HIT or SNAP is all in the EQ and Compression..with a touch of the circuitry that it passes through before you hear the final product.

in other words...the mix.

And yes his drum sounds are usually the weakest part of his music, the patterns is where its gets you.

[Synthy08]

Get gets his drums from chopped drum breaks...Also, his drums "knock" harder than the avg sample based producer. I think he lets an engineer boost his drums up. I just layer my sampled drums with "commercial bought" drums to give it that proper "smack" that it needs to stand out in todays music scene.

[mike dean]

Eqed very well. Thanks!

[Infamous .45]

record them loud into the mpc

[MitchGeist]

Originally Posted by mike dean

Eqed very well. Thanks!

Cool! Which tracks did you work on with Kanye?

[KevWest]

I didnt think Kanye's drums were all that special or great. Just break beats with good eq

[jjboogie]

FYI: He's been known to use ASR 10s too

[TonyBelmont]

BTW, there is no less than 10 co-producers he has worked with, so there are likely drum sounds coming from various sources.

XXLmag.com - » BLOG: Who Makes Kanye’s Beats While He’s (Not) Blogging?

[rizeup7]

Originally Posted by TonyBelmont

BTW, there is no less than 10 co-producers he has worked with, so there are likely drum sounds coming from various sources.

XXLmag.com - » BLOG: Who Makes Kanye’s Beats While He’s (Not) Blogging?

Talk about accurate!

[Edward Cheddar]

I think Kayne's drums are some of the best... Yes, he's just using the same old break that most are able to get their filthy hands on BUT, just like the RZA or premier or J Dilla, he has an ear for it.. He knows which drums to use when and where... And somebody in his camp knows how to tweak them to perfection...

[pdx2lahiphop]

Originally Posted by Balalaikka

Family Business = 2Pac - Ambitionz Az a Ridah
Guess Who´s Back = Dr. Dre - Explosive

So not so original. Even Kanye said he "bit the the drums of off Explosive".

Yo RZA used those same drums, that DRE/Kanye used, on Rainy Dayz. Isn't it from a Jackson 5 or MJ song originally? Seems like I used to have that break but I can't find it. Maybe it was Bernard Purdie?