Nov
1
Written by:
masterblogger
11/1/2011 12:19 PM
This month marks the 20th
Anniversary of A Tribe Called
Quest’s The Low End Theory, a
landmark project widely recognized
for ushering in a new era of hiphop
production. Bob Power, who
engineered the record, was at the
forefront of the movement, crafting
complex, elaborate constructions
of samples that would have been
impossible to perform by real
players, in real time.
Working in the box, we tend
to take the ease of sample-based
production for granted, but back in
the day, it wasn’t so simple: In our
interview with Power,
he reminisces about the endless
layering involved on the album;
how, using an Akai sampler with a
whopping 75K of memory (that’s
about two seconds of sample
time), he worked meticulously,
laying tracks, loading samples, and
repeating. And repeating.
Well, we’ve come a long
way since 1991. In our “Loops,
Samples, Kits!” Roundup, obsessive looper Craig
Anderton takes a look at the latest
generation of sound libraries,
which include everything from
truly realistic samples of exotic
and rare instruments to highly
tweakable construction kits to
a convincing virtual rock band.
And if you’re feeling a little more
DIY, Craig’s “Refined Repetition”
Master Class (page 86) breaks
loop construction down into
11 easy steps—whether you’re
creating loops for hip-hop, techno,
or straight-up rock and roll.
Sarah Jones
Editor
sjones@musicplayer.com