What do you use for hip hop / techno ?

[rjx]

For those of you that have worked with these types of genres, what did you use that you felt did the trick? Usally phat, hard thunderous kicks are the name of the game. Bass lines that will vibrate your ass to the dance floor. Sceamin leads, warm strings and thick evolving pads.

What gear do you like to use to achieve these results? Please don't answer with analog synths or analog drum machines. ;)
What consoles, Digital Signal Processor's, comps, limiters, eq's, etc.

Maybe if you could elaborate on the signal chain that you used.

Thanks

[RyanR]

I'm just getting into the high end hardware, but when it comes to software, I think the UAD-1 is a must have for hip hop and techno. Considering hip hop and techno music making is more in box than other forms of music, the UAD-1 is a great tool to have.

[RobAcid]

ill use Costum Pultec,Costum stereo 1176,Sontec,EMT 156,Spl Machinehead,Waves L2..... as master-chain..... this kicks every dancefloor to the moon.

[e-cue]

I went over a lot of specifics of what I use here. YRMV, but they should at least light a spark of inspiration.

[Kaneepa]

On the synth / sound generation side I use:

for rhythm production: Mpc4000 (24/96 sampler + hardware sequencer) , Jomox Xbase 09 (Analog drum machine, very powerful kicks, snares and hhs ), Elektron Machinedrum (swedish drum machine with 4 different synthesis engines), Waldorf Rack Attack (the hardware version of the VST plugin).

For Bass Generation, the hardest lines with a FutureRetro 777 (Analog 303 Clone, and MUCH MORE!), or an old but really good Roland SH101 (mono analog), sometimes I use Trilogy (the plugin) too.

For synth parts: standard sounds : Korg Triton (a classic for the genre), a Nordlead 3 for more ethereal pads, a Virus C for the TEKNO and HARD sounds (check OS version 6.5 for added DSP simulation of MOOG analog filters!), a Nordelectro 2 for Epianos, Wurltizer and so on, and a Elektron Sidstation for that crazy videogame sounds a la COMMODORE CBM 64!!


Not using very much all soft synth/virtual instruments apart from REAKTOR 4 (really cool, especially for its Synth/sequenced part that locks to incoming midi timecode) and a bit of Absytnh 2,
and the full Logic suite (es1, es2, evoc20)

Special effects: Vokator from NI (really cool to put an entire mix through it....and filter the hell out of it!).


Hope that helps.

Michele

[filterdude]

we do mostly house/tech stuff so here goes :

protools mix++++++ on os9. logic tdm + esb native stuff.

beats : cutting up loops from vinyl records :-) + 909/808 for extras.
we use lot's of heavy compressing and a few side chain tricks.

synths : nowadays almost all softsynths...all the logic, native instruments and spectrasonics stuff. a few tdm's : virus, mcdsp synth one, bruno/reso. hardware : nord2+nord modular, waldorf xt & q.

we love the logic plugs : autofilter and tape delay are essential.

in house it's not about "that perfect neve sound" it's all about funkyness. so pump that bass through a bitcrusher into a chorus then back into a overdrive and some more goofiness :-)

cheerz,

bert

ps. make sure you have some good reference material when you're mixing. mixing for dancefloor can be tricky.

[entropy]

funky outboard toyz in no particular order:

DBX 120xp. Instant PHAT kiks/bass, nice and cheap. use on an insert...only one instance per tune otherwise it just becomes a subbass massarce.

Pultec eq on kik and snare. If you can't find the original, the manley pultec's no slouch either.

Tubetech LCA2b for smashing up breaks.

SPL Transient designer, for designing transients. nuff said.

Lovetone Meatball. THE envelope filter, except no subsitutes.

deserves a mention: emu sp1200/mpc 3000, focusrite compounder (for kiks), proper monitoring.

[shapemod]

Which compressor do you use for sidechaincompression? I've used the Logic compressor, that worked ok and on the hardwareside a alesis 3630 is doing the trick pretty good. Anybody knows a proper hardware-compressor which does the trick best? A friend of mine used the cranesong, effect was not really satisfying, Valley people dynamite was good though!
Any ideas?

[filterdude]

there are a few good sidechain compressors in tdm. ren comp, mcdsp compressorbank, drawmer. each have their own sound. it depends on how deep the sidechain must go...you can go from subtle setting to make loops fit, you can do the daft punk pump thing or the almost gate like sidechain for tribaltechno...

a nice trick : use a ghost kick (no output, only use it as sidechain) and move it around in time until you find the sweet spot, when everything glues together...

you can find some great compressor sounds in french house. old daft punk, alan braxe and sebastien leger (my favorite)

bert

[filterdude]

another cool trick : for logic users, try the autofilter sidechain. experiment with single sounds and loops as a sidechain.
try it on discosamples, strings, basslines, pads, guitars, whatever.
have fun!!!

bert

[shapemod]

I totally love the sidechaincompression in Daft Punk stuff. They told they are using the 3630, could be true for 'Homework', Benny Banassi does the trick ****ing good as well, getting the reverb pumping like hell!

[filterdude]

that benny benassi track really hits you in the face!!! :-)

yeah you can use sidechain tricks on anything. extreme ducking on reverb and delays can be really cool.

i also read that daft punk's homework album was done "at home" on cheap gear. anybody has more info on this?

bert

[shapemod]

What I read about Daft Punk:

Main gear used:

SP1200
909
808
303
Roland S-760
Alesis 3630
Mackie 1204

But for Discovery I heard that they had a 12 channel Neve!
A friend of friend of mine knows these guys personally and said that they now have a locker full of spare 909s and 303s and they gave him a 909 as a gift!
Good story!

[filterdude]

their debut album really gave the genre a serious kick in the butt!

bert

[shapemod]

I checked the -sidechain on the Autofilter- thing! Pretty cool, got to check every sidechainable plugin now!

[Burt]

Rjx

could you be more specific with the type of music you need advice on?

Hip Hop is quite different from techno in its production requirements/techniques... and although there have been some
great suggestions above - they have been mostly techniques for French House, Filter Disco, etc... quite different again from Hip Hop or techno (although RobAcid sure knows how to make a good techno track :-)).



Burt

[e-cue]

Originally posted by shapemod
What I read about Daft Punk:


But for Discovery I heard that they had a 12 channel Neve!
A friend of friend of mine knows these guys personally and said that they now have a locker full of spare 909s and 303s and they gave him a 909 as a gift!
Good story!

They worked on part of Discovery across the hall from me at Southbeach studios in the Pro Contol room. Not a Neve in site.

great dance record. It never sounded like something you'd hear in the teens section of department stores in the mall.

[shapemod]

I read it in some audio magazine that funky junk sold a small Neve(I think it was a 12 channels ) to Daft Punk. Thought that's cool, so they can keep their 12 channel mixer concept!

[DanV]

I've heard that most of daftpunk's filtering action is done with a mutator.

[DanV]

Originally posted by Kaneepa
On the synth / sound generation side I use:

for rhythm production:..........Waldorf Rack Attack (the hardware version of the VST plugin).

Hey Kaneepa,, how does that sound compared to the soft version? I never liked the software very much. Thanks!

[zarathoustra]

Originally posted by shapemod
I read it in some audio magazine that funky junk sold a small Neve(I think it was a 12 channels ) to Daft Punk. Thought that's cool, so they can keep their 12 channel mixer concept!

actually i don't think the little neve went to the dafts. crydamour, the label of one of them, got it.

[shapemod]

What ever. I don't think that a mixer is the key to their trademark sound.

[DanV]

Anyways, back to what we use:

Listed below are the things I use on just about every track:

Insane Logic 5 environments: lotsa mults, lotsa sends, basically a lot of routing all being triggered through midi notes. I also have logic generate a lot of my beats for me these days.

SE Omega 2: Killer BASS and leads.

Oberheim Matrix 1000: Lush pads.

DR008: Awesome synthetic drums, also a good sampler.

Lots of home-made samples, lots of vintage drum-machine samples.

Uad-1 card: Lots of practical great sounding plugs, also a fan of some of it's lesser known nooks and crannies - for instance, that rs-1 has some amazing delay patches that I'm sure a lot of users haven't even discovered yet.

Smarte:ectonix - free plugs that give payware a run for its money - a lot of these developers are doing things none of the commercial companies would even think of. Super fun stuff.


Now if only I could afford an H8000 already.....

[zarathoustra]

Originally posted by shapemod
What ever. I don't think that a mixer is the key to their trademark sound.

i do agree

[shapemod]

'Insane Logic 5 environments: lotsa mults, lotsa sends, basically a lot of routing all being triggered through midi notes. I also have logic generate a lot of my beats for me these days.'

Can you tell more in detail what you're doing?

'Smarte:ectonix - free plugs that give payware a run for its money - a lot of these developers are doing things none of the commercial companies would even think of. Super fun stuff.'

Didn't found any information about that. Do you have a link?

[DanV]

Well, what i do in the environment is sorta secret.
I wouldn't want to go too into detail, maybe I can show you how to do a simple thing or two though,, it's pretty fun what can be done once you get your head into it.
It took a lot of experimenting before I had anything desirable.

I've made a lot of fader / routing moves midi trigerable.
I also rig up a lot of cool macros for xy editing of certain effects and synths. The movements on the xy pad can then be recorded - this way with a few moves of the mouse I can be adjusting a whole lota parameters with ease.
The environment saves a load of time.

I've also made it so that the environment can generate my percussion rythms to an extent - I've got it down so that I can get some pretty pleasing results. The machines I make can be controlled well, its not just like boring random notage or anything, there are real rythmic patterns going on usually I have all the parameters of my machines controlable through midi notes..

It's algorithmic beats, I can get a lot of complex percussion in a short amount of time.

I can post a fun sample of some enviro-beats in a bit if you are interested. They are pretty IDM-ey.

Here is a pic showing how crowded some of my creations can get!
After a certain point I have to pack em into macros,,, the thing labeled DrummBot for instance is really a huge enviro-patch that was stuffed into a macro.



Here is the smartelectronix link: http://www.smartelectronix.com/

Cheers!

[RyanR]

That's insane danv1983 - makes me wish I was more into Logic


Shapemod - http://www.smartelectronix.com/

Check out Destroy FX, they have some hidden gems in there.

[RobAcid]

@danv1983

very interesting logic concept !!!!! could you post some demo mp3 ?

[Renie]

That looks fascinating Dan, another vote for MP3's please.

Do you know of anyone selling or offering environments?

[RobAcid]

i just bought a API 2500 bus compressor.......... hope it will bring my sound also a next step forward...