Dilla delay on the snare for producers

TACTIK

The most unique producer on here
ill o.g.
Battle Points: 527

At first I couldn't quite understand how J Dilla did his snare delays so proper on his beats until now that I use the drum pad playing to the rhythm of the sample, not all super quantized anymore like in Fruity Loops thanks to Ableton. When I hit the snare playing this way dancing with the rhythm of the samples they hit later than a quantized snare would look and I am now feeling how it works with just listening to the sample and not looking at the point you want to make longer! Try it if your making beats and know what J Dilla is all about...this really gives you more rhythm with your beats if you go with the flow of the samples to play drums on a drum pad. Makes a bigger difference from my FL Studio days not playing live...All Ableton now!
 

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TACTIK

The most unique producer on here
ill o.g.
Battle Points: 527
Real nice "feel" you've got on this one brother.

When i was making disco style tracks I'd push the snares slightly forward. I also used to push em slightly forward on some hiphop tracks. Sometimes to flam a snare with a clap or something.
Thanks bro! Good idea on pushing the snares. I was using breakbeats a lot to do it but now I wanna add individual kicks and snares more. Multiple snares sound so unique even if you mixed a popular one with a rare one...
 

Delta_Nine

Arm the homeless
Dope read. I stopped quantizing long ago. Dibia$e said in an interview a while back "a live drummer doesn't use quantize". When I record my drums I just do it live on my pads. For my style of production, it works well for me that way. Dope that you mentioned dilla @TACTIK
Knxledge, madlib, dibia$e, jon wayne, flying lotus....check em out if you haven't already. Super wonky hiphop.
 
Im still quantizing my drums, but like @Iron Keys said about delaying a snare to cause different amounts of flam on different snare/clap hits is a great way to humanise drums, but there is nothing more human than just banging them out yourself.
Im not the tightest keyboard player, especially when Im stoned, but I still tend not to quantize practically everything else I play, basslines, keys, strings, whatever. I really shouldnt quantize my drums and just bang them out on the pads, but every time I try it sounds shit to me. I remember one particular track by Dilla many years ago that I just couldnt get my head around, it was so unquantized it was off, I just couldnt handle it. I stopped and said "No! Im not fucking having it!"
 

Drago Zetić

ILLIEN
Battle Points: 104
I've should've added that I go keep my drums on a grid sometimes on slower beats. Anything that's between ,idk, 88 to 92 bpm I'll do live just for swing. Does pete rock or preemo quantize?
They quantize all the time, usually with the swing setting to achieve the duDun kick sound at the end of a bar.
it's Dilla and the whole wave he created that didn't do it as often.
 

DJ Wax-Turtle

ILLIEN
Battle Points: 1
Also, if the beat's pretty quick (BPM in the high 80s and faster) loose drum programming isn't as noticeable and you might as well leave them quantized.

100% Correct.
I tried it in a House beat and you can't really hear it when it's in a higher BPM so yes, House music i would keep quantized.
I personally do everything by mouse in Fruity.
I just place the Hi-Hats in between the Beats 1/3 step to the right. and also the Kick right before the Snare 1/3 step to the right.
Than you must also play your melody notes landing on those places to keep it as a groove.

I mean i've heard people sampling songs with drums in it that's totally played straight but than they try to smack some off-beat drums on top of it and call it a day. (Super stupid IMO)
 
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