Wario Lemieux
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In the proud Byron tradition of writing lots of words about generally inconsequential shit, I'm gonna start writing lots of words about filthy rap beats and the process that went into making them. This thread could also be called "Overthinking Crackheads With MPCs." Essentially, I'm going to talk about the beats themselves, the samples and what they did with them, and how they made them all mesh.
First on the list (and really, only on the list, so if this interests you guys you should name more beats, yo) is the immortal "Shook Ones (Part II)."
Mobb Deep Shook Ones Instrumental Pt II (With full MP3 free download)
Maybe the meanest beat ever put together, "Shook Ones" chugs along at about95 BPM. Fast for hip-hop, but a typical speed for really mean beats ("Deep Cover" is 97!) 92 BPM, my bad. It's based around three samples, the bass being a synth that's low-passed* to death a la Pete Rock. The first sample is the drums.
Daly-Wilson Big Band - Dirty Feet
The sample starts at the very beginning. Here, the way Havoc put the drums together is actually pretty interesting. First, he slowed the break down from 105 BPM to the more rap-friendly tempo it is now, which is why the kicks sound deeper sampled than they do in the original. Then, he high-passed** the shit out of the drum break until he got just the very remnants of the highs off the high hat and snare, making for that signature ominous tik-tik-pap-tik-tik-tik-pap-tik that opens the song. He then layers that with the break itself to make the actual drum break. If you listen closely on the instrumental from 0:14 to 0:16, you can hear where Havoc cut the break off because he just wanted that little jump with the first bass notes. The reverb cuts out.
The next sample is that awesome ominous whiny buzzsaw terror death sound.
Quincy Jones - Kitty with the bent Frame (1972)
The sample is between 1:16 and 1:20. Havoc high-passed this to make it tinnier and probably to make room for the bass and kick, and just looped it over the intro and for the hooks.
Finally, the melody that makes the song, and the most complicated process that went into this.
R.Grainer - Thackeray Meets Faculty (1967)
It's that note at :01. Seriously. That one note. What Havoc did was sample that and load it into his sampler, then 16-level it. What this means, basically, is that it would play the same sample no matter what BUTTon he hit, but at a different pitch. Then, he played that melody himself, essentially using that guitar note as a synth. It's easier explained than done.
So, that's how Havoc did that, and how you do that. Hell, I even took a whack at 32 bars of it. It didn't come out the exact same, but they used different technology, sampled off of vinyl, and are good at this. And knew what goddamn tempo it was. Mine's 3 BPM fast.
http://soundcloud.com/frdoubleezy/shook-ones-part-ii-remake
If you want to see more of these, let me know, suggest beats, all that sort of thing.
*low-passed: Used a low pass filter on. Low pass filters exclude all frequencies above a frequency you set, and are used to reinforce the bass in sounds or just cut out an annoying higher pitch. Instant Pete Rock bass: Play bass with any synth bass. Low pass filter set to 80hz, crank resonance 3 or 4 dB.
**High-passed: Used a high pass filter on. Same concept as a low pass filter, but reversed. All frequencies below a frequency you set.
First on the list (and really, only on the list, so if this interests you guys you should name more beats, yo) is the immortal "Shook Ones (Part II)."
Mobb Deep Shook Ones Instrumental Pt II (With full MP3 free download)
Maybe the meanest beat ever put together, "Shook Ones" chugs along at about
Daly-Wilson Big Band - Dirty Feet
The sample starts at the very beginning. Here, the way Havoc put the drums together is actually pretty interesting. First, he slowed the break down from 105 BPM to the more rap-friendly tempo it is now, which is why the kicks sound deeper sampled than they do in the original. Then, he high-passed** the shit out of the drum break until he got just the very remnants of the highs off the high hat and snare, making for that signature ominous tik-tik-pap-tik-tik-tik-pap-tik that opens the song. He then layers that with the break itself to make the actual drum break. If you listen closely on the instrumental from 0:14 to 0:16, you can hear where Havoc cut the break off because he just wanted that little jump with the first bass notes. The reverb cuts out.
The next sample is that awesome ominous whiny buzzsaw terror death sound.
Quincy Jones - Kitty with the bent Frame (1972)
The sample is between 1:16 and 1:20. Havoc high-passed this to make it tinnier and probably to make room for the bass and kick, and just looped it over the intro and for the hooks.
Finally, the melody that makes the song, and the most complicated process that went into this.
R.Grainer - Thackeray Meets Faculty (1967)
It's that note at :01. Seriously. That one note. What Havoc did was sample that and load it into his sampler, then 16-level it. What this means, basically, is that it would play the same sample no matter what BUTTon he hit, but at a different pitch. Then, he played that melody himself, essentially using that guitar note as a synth. It's easier explained than done.
So, that's how Havoc did that, and how you do that. Hell, I even took a whack at 32 bars of it. It didn't come out the exact same, but they used different technology, sampled off of vinyl, and are good at this. And knew what goddamn tempo it was. Mine's 3 BPM fast.
http://soundcloud.com/frdoubleezy/shook-ones-part-ii-remake
If you want to see more of these, let me know, suggest beats, all that sort of thing.
*low-passed: Used a low pass filter on. Low pass filters exclude all frequencies above a frequency you set, and are used to reinforce the bass in sounds or just cut out an annoying higher pitch. Instant Pete Rock bass: Play bass with any synth bass. Low pass filter set to 80hz, crank resonance 3 or 4 dB.
**High-passed: Used a high pass filter on. Same concept as a low pass filter, but reversed. All frequencies below a frequency you set.
