Archive for the ‘100-120 BPM’ Category
Via Wikipedia: A cajón (Spanish pronunciation: [ka'xon], 'crate', 'drawer', or 'ass box') is a kind of box drum played by slapping the front face (generally thin plywood) with the hands.
This year for my birthday, my wife gave me a card with a picture of a cajón inside of it. This is a drum that I've talked about getting for years, but never got around to buying for myself. Knowing that I'm very particular about the sound of my instruments, she figured it would be best to let me be the on...
Read More
Loop #132
This is what it sounds like when you take a drum groove with no muffling (even on the kick) and run it through a completely overdriven Brownface amp.
[caption id="attachment_5892" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Not just for guitars"][/caption]
[audio:108_WideOpen.mp3]
Get the .wav file here.
Get the .rx2 file here.
Get the .aiff file here.
108 BPM...
Read More
As I mentioned in my previous post, I was fortunate enough to finally become the owner my dream jazz kit, a Gretsch USA Custom. After breaking open my piggy bank and selling 63% of my bone marrow, I finally had the sufficient funds to make the trek up to the wonderful Drum Center of Portsmouth and pick her up.
And why are these drums so great? Well, it's all about the way they SOUND. They have a certain characteristic and tone that only Gretsch drums seem to possess. It's that warm, round...
Read More
Loop #128
My studio has a time machine. Does yours? For today's loop, I set the dial to 1964 and typed in "Destination: Stax Studios". I was only there long enough to record a three minute session, overdub some tambourine and eat a pulled pork sandwich, but all in all, the trip was a success. With the vinyl master under one arm and a gallon of BBQ sauce under the other, I transported myself back to current day Boston, where I just finished digitizing the session for your pleasure. Subscr...
Read More
Well, not for good... but for the next week I'll be spending the majority of my time sitting here and drinking this. Don't look for any new loops to be posted on this site, but for some highly insightful, tequila-fueled rants and observations, be sure to keep up with me over on Twitter.
Loop #125
As I pack my bags (and 30 SPF sunblock), I leave you with a loop inspired by this guy:
[caption id="attachment_5602" align="aligncenter" width="223" caption="Funky hair. Funkier Beatz."][/cap...
Read More
It's another cold and snowy day in Boston. I love living in New England because I really get to experience all four seasons, but I also hate this time of year. Three months into winter, late February is when I usually start perusing various travel websites, looking for an escape from the daily routine of scraping ice off of my windshield.
I have a rather vivid imagination, so rather than dropping a few grand on a trip to the Caribbean, sometimes I'll just crank up the heat in my studio to a...
Read More
Such a pun-laden headline could only mean one thing: Another funk loop. And rather than picking up the sticks and burying the VU meters into the red, I decided to to go the subtle route and use brushes to lay down the back beat.
[caption id="attachment_5263" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Jim Keltner - Master of brushes, forks and pens."][/caption]
Loop #119
I'll admit, I'm not breaking any new ground with today's groove. Drummers like Steve Jordan, Jim Keltner, and even the ...
Read More
I had good intentions of recording a rather straight ahead, Gadd-esque linear drum loop. In fact, that's pretty much what I had... before I reached for the vocoder:
[audio:102_prefilter.mp3]
[caption id="attachment_4816" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Old School Vocoder"][/caption]
Loop #111
With a delay set to a dotted eighth note and the EVOC 20 filter (my SIGSALY is in the shop) heavy in the mix, I give you some tripped out, space funk.
[caption id="attachment_4802" ...
Read More
After putting my stomach and liver through "The Grinder" (aka Thanksgiving), I figured it would only be fair to do the same with my loops. Digging into some of the other new features in Logic 9, I discovered just what I was looking for: a virtual distortion pedal appropriately named "Grinder".
[caption id="attachment_4736" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Freshly Ground Beats"][/caption]
Loop #110
Today's loop takes what was once a pristinely recorded, 16th note-heavy funk groo...
Read More
I can't tell you how sick I am of hearing tired, canned dance beats. I don't even like dance music. But if I have to hear it while out in public, away from the safe confines of my iPod, I might as well try to improve the quality of the drum sounds. The world has been overrun by shitty producers with their 808 samples and re-mixed Ableton Live schlock. And don't even get me started about the kitten DJs who spin said schlock.
[caption id="attachment_4672" align="aligncenter" width="300" capt...
Read More