I dont know if the analog part makes a difference, but I love the AR’s sound and workflow. I guess any machine would work of course.
The myth behind the machines dilla used for certain projects is clouded and disputed. Dilla had one of the original 404’s, but its unclear whether he used it on anything. For me the 404 and sampletrak are perfect to do certain parts of the process, like sampling, chopping, aplying fx etc. Theyre extremely quick in that regard, and very intuitive. For the more complex tasks like sequencing, mixing etc I use the AR.
You’re getting AR to sound really clean AND phat man, and that’s an art in itself. Sampletrack is seriously such a sleeper after watching @Doug’s vids and now hearing about it from you (idk if it still is)! Asked about the analog comparison because during lockdowns I’d read through a lot of analog vs digital debates, and to my ears there is a noticeable difference. Tape definitely adds some character like it rounds everything off just right. I’ll sometimes run my OT through a Nakamichi Stasis SR-3A Amplifier and 2 Kenwood JL-785 speakers to see how my beats will bump on a home stereo system in small spaces.
I’ve seen those debates, too! Wasn’t he mainly working on a SP 1200/MPC 3k/2kxl? Maybe he used them on some demo tapes/random features Are you able to distinguish a 404 being used in a track from using them often? There was a neat youtube video someone posted here some time ago, that actually raised an interesting point, which was to consider Dilla a great programmer instead of a producer. It changed my point of view a little bit.
I haven’t attempted playing with the two beyond trying to MIDI sync them together as a test, and then fiddled with some faux polyphonic experiments with the RK002 and MPC 60ii being used like a controller with OT having a shared Rhodes sample (thanks to @sezare56) on Tracks 1-7. That was really fun! And it allowed me to finally experience poly on OT haha. It’s easy to forget how fun it can be to have polyphony.
Don’t get me wrong, both the 60/s950 are a powerful combination and provide very unique sound capabilities, but mine have a noise issue in the output which was a bit demoralizing to continue working with, plus things take substantially longer to setup nicely.
The beauty with OT for me is that time stretch is being done live vs. with those older MPCs it’s an entirely different process and one has to guess/calculate if you know that system by % or numerical value how much is necessary. Also, if you don’t get it right on the first try and you go back to correct it even a tiny bit, it’s like stretching an already stretched sample and the sample will sound sort of improper for the results I wanted. Both my 2kxl and s950 are in need of some TLC in order to function, but I can’t justify the costs of those parts/repairs at the moment (need a new screen for 2k). 2kxl is much easier to work with because there is substantially more sample time available but the sound of 60ii is much nicer if you enjoy the low bitrate (think it’s 12 or 14 bit) flavor.
Dilla was a mpc3k user, his 3k LE is even displayed at the Smithsonian alongside his Moog Voyager… but a large part of Donuts was done on a SP303 (with a small plastic turntable and crates of records his friends would pick for him) when he was in the latest stages of his illness, in hospital. And indeed, the Donuts sound is much less refined mixwise than his other beats.
Regarding the OT: you can create as many slices as you want, and define their start / end / loop points at your discretion. The slice grid is just an option to go quicker.
Aw man that’s a sad read, but also beyond admirable of Dilla’s style. Didn’t stop until the end Also for the corrections.
Right on! I’m still technically fresh with OT (just about at the 1 year mark) and it’s a little difficult for me to retain OT’s tricks/capabilities to relay on command before they’re buried under more info Do you know if it’s possible to manually slice in DT or is that function also missing?
Yeah, that function is missing. The Digitakt just has the grid slice. So you can only split a sample into equal pieces. Like I was saying 4, 8, 16, 32, or 64. However, you can use parameter locks to trigger the sample from different start points on different steps.
made a pretty cool beat on my M8 for a homie to rap on but he ended up being too hungover to link up today so i put some AI snoop dog over it in the meantime
@doug Right on man, I understand how you feel now, the picture is clearer and thanks for educating me on DT! I’m still really always in awe in what you’re getting out of it though man you have a solid formula yourself!
I went from DIGITAKT (2 years owned) to MPC one (about a year and a half back to DIGITAKT (had it for a year again.
Things I missed most on the Digitakt were how fluid it is to automate the start points/ end points. The envelopes are super fun and snappy. Love making minimal sounds using control all feature to either change the end point or envelope. Really missed doing this on the one. ALL CAPS MAIN GRIPE FOR ME WAS THE LACK OF CREATIVE LFOS, and extremely convoluted interface of the one.
The MPC was the easiest sampler I have used to make golden era hip hop beats tho. Classic MPC workflow, linear sequencing, different quantize settings per pad. Record some pads mutes and you have pretty much a track. Was super fun, but felt like it always lead me down the same paths and was harder to get to the experimental roads I prefer to take.
That being said, using it for a year was fun for going back to the golden era foundation with new appreciation for the digitakt uniqueness in samplers.
You are amazing at what you do tho, so it would be super fun to see you crack the code on the MPC. Sure you can get weird with it! or the 404 MK2.
Also owned the Sampletrak back in 2009. Loved using the DJ Effect so make drones like a poor mans paul stretch. Bit rate reduction sounds wonderful too! Love your stuff, truly a master of your craft!
I appreciate the kind words. Yeah, I can already see what I would miss a lot of the same things if I switched over. I like all of the ways you can set things up on the MPC but I’m iffy on the sequencer. I like my parameter locks and conditional trigs. I like my individual track lengths. And yeah, I like pointing my LFOs at whatever I feel like pointing it at.
Depending on how things go, I might just stick with the free software. 8 tracks is what I’m used to anyway. And yeah, the layout seems weird. Compared to the way the Elektron boxes are laid out, the Q links don’t seem super well thought out. And everyone seems to mostly just use the touch screen half the time anyway. I’m not super enthusiastic about that aspect of it. So I’m not sure it’ll be worth the money to me.
For that reason, I haven’t ruled out giving the new 404 a shot. But yeah, I’ve been super lazy about selling so I’m probably not going to be making a decision for a little while at least.
I’ll be getting weird with something. Don’t worry about that.
My long-time friend and incredibly talented emcee/producer Smoke M2D6 just released this collaboration we did… I’m first verse (for those who care beyond usernames, I’ve released music for 2 decades as IAME while my self-produced stuff is under the moniker Wool See). Beat and 2nd verse by Smoke M2D6 and 3rd/last verse is Claud Six of Jellyfish Brigade.
Weird visuals by a homie who spends too much time in the metaverse…
I should probably add a disclaimer that this is a tongue-in-cheek song about conspiracies because I’m sure there are plenty of people making very serious songs with some of the same ideas. We’re just 3 old heads who used to get stoned and watch loose-change and stuff like that but we wised-up a bit… vax are probably safe and jet fuel can probably melt steel beams lol
Yeah, this is delightful. What a weird timeline we find ourselves in. If the metaverse sparks this kind of creativity, perhaps not all is lost. Nice teamwork!
I liked that. And yeah, I remember back in the late 90s even through to the 2000s all that conspiracy theory stuff was fun to check in on. Now when I look at what folks are talking about I can laugh but I mostly just hope no one gets murdered over it.
Thanks for peeping the video @Doug - def feel the same way about that kind of stuff. Social media is breaking brains and it’s been scary. I thought shit was bad here but just read this book “The Chaos Machine” by Max Fisher (highly recommend) and what social media has done in some other countries where the access was less gradual is absolutely terrifying.
This mix was inspired by the legendary Dakim. To me he’s one of the most inspiring artists on this planet. I used his live loop beat method to record this session.
The Cosmos is looping half a bar and i’m adding elements and let the loop fade out a bit from time to time to make room for new stuff. I’m using the rhythmic firmware with the Cosmos and the normal looper mode which just loops without the random glitchy stuff that the Cosmos is typically known for.
Wasn’t he mainly working on a SP 1200/MPC 3k/2kxl? Maybe he used them on some demo tapes/random features 
Are you able to distinguish a 404 being used in a track from using them often? There was a neat youtube video someone posted here some time ago, that actually raised an interesting point, which was to consider Dilla a great programmer instead of a producer. It changed my point of view a little bit.
Also 
for the corrections.
Do you know if it’s possible to manually slice in DT or is that function also missing?
