madlib on the sp606

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sampie

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Scratch mag: Are there certain pieces of gear that you feel more comfortable around, that you tend to use alot?
Madlib: Just these little box machines, like the Roland SP-606 and the Boss SP 303. I like the 606, 'cause it has a gang of effects on it. I like an MPC too, but these are so easy to just turn on and use. The only thing i did on the MPC is the De La **** (shopping bags)
 
so what, Madlib the back kid talks about what he used.. probably makes little dough doing it too..

the only thing it means is that it takes very minimal equipment (sp303-606) to put ill beats together..
 
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I honestly think madlib gets a check from roland every time he plugs a roland sampler. I still think he uses them, just gets an endorsment check though. just my opinion
 
if not, they should try have him endorse the 303. bet their sales climb everytime a new interview qoutes him using the sp303...
 
I think something like that might be already in play.. I saw an add for sp303 and chance to win something with Madlib while back.. anyways, good for him, I hope he gets paid.. he's goods..
 
he he deserves it. and if he was innocently advertising them and not gettin **** (aka.. roland indirectly using him) that wouldnt be coo. But ye I saw that roland ad where u could win a signed SP-303.
 
I dont write, I keep all my rhymes in my head.

No but honestly, yes I did make that up (no I dont rap so it wasnt meant to be rhyme or anything like that), I just feel that so many people make too much of gear. One could probably make a hot beat with two pencils, a table, a plastic bottle, and an audio recorder.


What is more important is having a good ear and being comfortable with your gear, no matter what you are working with.

MaZe
 
Its all in the ear, not in the gear.

MaZe
Click to expand...

for the man who lacks talent the end is near.

sorry i jus wanted to play off what you said maze.
 
just to throw it out there. He uses lot more than an 303, and an 606. Howabouts a mpc4000, sp12000, at one time a mpc2000xl, then a sp303, a sp606, alot of multitrackers, and a korg a esx1. I peraonally don't care what he uses b/c I dig his issh. He makes good music.
 
well he uses different equipment on different tracks. the madvillan cd i think was made with just the sp303.

yea it is totally true that a good producer/musician can make good music with minimal equipment, and thats something that madlib proves on those tracks where he uses just the sp303, but i think it proves something else too....

when a producer has the luxury of picking his equipment without many cash restraints, it is sometimes good to go for workflow over functionality. samplers especially sound just fine in general, so yes while a good producer doesnt have to jump for the crazy functionality of a sampler on steroids, it is good to pick according to your personal workflow. i had an sp303 for a bit and i loved it. i had been using reason/recycle/acid to work with my samples, and they had a TON of functionality when used in combination, but as soon as i got the sp303 my beats got a whole new flavor and i loved it. i just approached the tracks differently with a different workflow.

modern mpc samplers dont pack much more functionality than software samplers (arguably they provide less functionality than certain software samplers), but they cost waaaaay more and still sell like crazy. so what is so special about the mpc series? well, aside from the cool sound coloring (that little punch it adds to samples), mpcs have an unrivaled workflow for drum/punch-in sequencing. yes, you can program the same stuff by clicking in midi tracks to your software sequencer, but the mpc workflow just FEELS so much cooler, and you might come up with better stuff on an mpc. like pete rock said, you feel really in touch with the music when you work on samplers like that, which might enable you to make better music.
 
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I like that quote about the "gear & ear". Years ago I used to use this piece of shh..casio sk1 sampler. Although the sound quality was f*%cked I found many ways to make some dope tracks.

The whole point of hip hop is making something out of nothing. If you have any talent you'll find a way to make any sampler work your way. I believe that madlib has this mentality and is why he can make such tight work with limited equipment.
 
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