software producers
- Thread starter Reyne
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Beat This!The Beat This! results are in, see what went down.
Fcukisthis?
Beatmaker
ill o.g.
I'm busy D/L-ing Logic Audio Platinum 5 right now...It rarely ever gets any mention...is it any good? Doesn't Pharrell use it or something? Do you need it if you Adobe Audition 1.5?
Peace.
Peace.
N.U.G.
ILLIEN
ill o.g.
Fcukisthis? said:
that's kind of a funny post dude but anyway
I've heard good things about Logic but it's really all about what u do with it.
Pharell uses a lot of things in his production, it shouldn't really matter what he uses to anyone else though nah mean? just do u
Adobe Austion is pretty powerful in itself as I believe you can edit and do multitrack recording on it as well
hope that helps mate
N.U.G.
ILLIEN
ill o.g.
djryval said:
PART 1
# This week begins the first of what will be three installments of an exclusive interview with producer Pete Marriott. Pete has been creating beats and produced tracks since the early 1990’s, longer than most rappers and producers have had careers. But there’s a reason why you haven’t heard of him. Or make that a few reasons. The reasons remain classified for the time being, but when the time comes, all will be revealed.
# Is there a level of secrecy behind Pete Marriott? Not really, then again it could be said that he is hip-hop’s big secret waiting to happen. While others like to flaunt their skills (or lack of them), Marriott is the kind of guy who seems to want to prove something through his hard work and musical output.
# That’s two things: reasons unknown, and something unmentioned. What’s the deal? Or the question could be asked: what’s a deal? Marriott has been asking himself this question for years, sometimes making his views known, other times creating a piercing silence that have left many wondering. And wonder they will, but not for too much longer.
# Leading to a series of projects to come within the next few months, Pete Marriott will take hip-hop and rap music to a new world. Not a new era or phase, but a new world, and perhaps you are welcome to it. He is passionate about his work, what some have called soultronica, and while making beats is much more than just bleeps and bloops, his goals are much greater than his own music. While hip-hop and soul music should be considered distinct entities, the best in what hip-hop has to offer always has elements of soul, something from the heart. Perhaps he’s a renegade with a chip on his shoulder. Perhaps he’s tired of having to live up to another standard, when it is possible to develop your own and make it work. Marriott not only wants to do this himself, but with a collective of producers, rappers, DJ’s, and musicians who are under the umbrella of The Amplifierz. With friends and family who were also a part of hip-hop’s first generation of releases on wax, Marriott was a kid eager to make an impression in those grooves, but was unsure of how to do so. The view of success is different for everyone, but it’s safe to say that for him it was not overnight. Is he a success? The answer is unknown, but all will be revealed. When? Perhaps it’s about that time.
# Forget who or what. Ladies and gentlemen, this is Pete Marriott.
MUSIC FOR AMERICA: When did music first make an impact in your life?
PETE MARRIOTT: Wow... I think it really began durring my time in my mother's womb. When I started DJ’ing back in the 80's I used to play a lot of James Brown and it wasn't because everyone else was doing it but I just loved how that music sound and my obsession for his music was strange to my friends and familly until on my 15th birthday my mom told me that while she was carrying me she used to play nothing but James Brown. I guess in a strange way I remebered those grooves and his approach still influences me to this day.
Post-womb, did you want to be involved in music, or were there other aspirations during your childhood?
I was always a kid that wanted to do something great. I loved playing sports like hockey and baseball and I often dreamed about becoming the first professional black hockey player or being the star right fielder for the New York Yankees but then one day my God Brother Philip "DJ Speed 37" Velez and cousin David "De' 1" Ebanks interrupted those dreams by a musical experiment we did using two fisher price portable phonographs. Back then we had a lot of 45's availible to us and David's older Brother Garth "Magic Slide" Ebanks was a very well known mobile DJ in Brooklyn so David often followed Garth around and learned how to DJ and David was the initial push behind mine and Philip DJing. We used sneak in Garth Basement and mess with his system and one day he caught us and he screamed on us so hard so we all mad a pact to build our own system and we delivered newspapers, scrubbed boats and mowed lawns to earn the money to get our own equipment. David had natural learship skills and Philip was great at organizing and getting us odd jobs in our hood. I love those guys for that because they recognized my talents before I did and they pushed me to continue doing this music thing.
So these first ventures into DJ'ing would be your formal introduction to hip-hop?
Yeah that's what all the kids were doing back then. It's not like now where everything is so mass manufactured and oppressive, it was a thing that we did because we actually loved what we were doing. We didn't even call it hip hop back then, it was either you rhymed; DJ'd, wrote graf or danced. It was about fun and getting your props for being good at what you did but then Hollywood and the industry came along and now I don't even recognize it anymore because you have all these clones with no identity. I recently decided that I'm no longer working with MC's because I don't find hip hop music interesting anymore. It appears to me that the songwriting in hip hop is not there anymore. I'm only checking for Jean Grae and Infinite Space these days and that's because they write very honest and personal lyrics. There a lot dope cats out there but I can't see myself listening to their songs for their lyrics, it's the beats that keep me interested.
At what point did you want to try to produce and make beats professionally?
I have to blame my third cousin Howie Tee for that. Howie used to be signed to Fred Manao's Select Records and produced those classic records for U.T.F.O. and The Real Roxanne and he had a modest setup in his crib and because he was too busy for me I ended up hanging out with his best friend DJ Professor Paul of the group E.S.P. and Paul, DJ Clark Kent and DJ A.D. and myself used to practice daily in Paul's basement. We would all battle each other and one day Howie asked me to give Paul a TB-303 he had because he was going on tour with the Real Roxanne and I took it home hooked it up to my system and messed around with it and I was intrigued with the sounds so I gave it to Paul who scolded me for taking so long to bring it and when Howie came back from off the road I made it a point to go with them to Pete Diario's and Questar Welch's Studio Brooklyn Sound Lab. They had all this cool shit and I loved being around it so I learned from watching how Howie did things programming-wise and I especially enjoyed watching Questar work. I remember Questar would yell at me for being over his shoulder so much but then he got smart and taught me how to patch the console and outboard gear. When Pete Diario and Questar went their separate ways Howie went with Questar and I followed because I really wanted to learn the engineering side.
PART 2
MUSIC FOR AMERICA: Was there ever a point where you wanted to stop producing and move on?
PETE MARRIOTT: Oh yeah I’ve had too many of those moments in the 90’s but this weird relationship I have with my music won’t let me go. I’m telling myself I want to quit right now at this very moment but I can’t because I know if I do it would be lying to myself out of fear of failing again. I must fail to succeed for it’s my failures that make me a better sound designer, composer and producer; so I know in my heart I will never stop producing, I will only take time off, music is apart of who I am and I need it to survive.
Let's move forward to the last few years. What have you been up to, up to this point?
I’ve been redeveloping my sound design and production skills because I made the transition from using hardware samplers, synthesizers and recording gear to using this incredible software by Image-Line called FL Studio 5 to create, record, mix and pre-master my music. Although the learning curve was amazingly easy I had to retrain my mind to adjust to this evolving technology because I fell into the habit of using my eyes instead of my ears but I’m over that issue now and the quality of my work has improved greatly. I believe it’s partially attributed to my being able to pay greater attention to detail because I can solve these musical and sonic problems instantly. The other part is because I had to make the convergence from the sound designer/beat maker/ghost producer mentality to the sound designer/composer/producer mentality. I had to literally sit down for two months writing my musical ideas down on paper and read it to myself to imagine the sound I wanted to create for each composition before I actually got into the sound design for each idea. I did everything I could to concentrate, I shut down my telephone, my internet connection and my cable TV so I would have as little distractions as I could have so I can rebuild my creative mind. Now I’m working on 5 EPs, 2 Albums, and a very special project I won’t talk about until a certain issue is removed, but this one project is going to set the record straight.
Some who have been in the hip-hop community for years have seen a lot of change, specifically within the music business. Obviously, it has become a multi-billion dollar industry, but for whom?
What you need to understand is that the holding corporations that own the major record companies control nearly 40% of the music industry. The remaining 60% is split up between the attorneys, independent distributors, and major retailers, merchandisers, publishing companies, and radio and television outlets, urban lifestyle marketing firms and in some cases the artists and producers themselves. The problem is most hip hop artists and producers are not aware of how much power they actually have because of how the system is designed to keep us ignorant. It’s easy to keep artists ignorant when you dangle money like a carrot. Most of these young hip hop artists today are not really thinking about investing the time to really learn this business. They don’t understand that the money they are getting from these companies is loans. They don’t understand that these labels are really lending institutions that take ownership of your intellectual property in exchange for a few pennies compared to what they are going to make off of your work for centuries after you’re dead and gone. It’s just another form of slavery but this time around you’re giving master legal rights to beat, torture, rape and kill you with stress. To simplify it when you sign to a record company you are a field slave with house slave status.
How about musically? Some say change is necessary, but do you feel it has changed for the better?
Yes and no. On one hand hip hop music has evolved to the point where great bands like The Foundation, Crown City Rockers and The Roots can make albums and tour successfully as long as the labels and fans will support their efforts. Producers and artists with a vision can now easily find each other on the web which opens the door to great collaborations and that’s wonderful. But on the other hand; hip hop music as a genre is very stale now because the majority of this music is very cookie cutter and oppressive. This includes the underground scene too. It’s very clear today in the mainstream hip hop world it’s more of a race to chase the almighty dollar. In the underground hip hop world it’s becoming more about seeking validation by the legends, hipsters and backpackers. So there are only a small percentage of overall hip hop artists that are doing something creative that they can say they own and because of that their style and sound stands out and that’s why they can be successful. But the underground which used to be the creative fountain of inspiration has become very boring and I feel it’s because the majority of the underground MCs and producers don’t know how to create effective songs anymore. The producers appear to be more interested in playing it safe with a proven formula that can easily be approved by whatever legend they worship. It’s like they forgot how to just let their minds go so you have a bunch of clones of clones walking around and their creative mind is actually devolving as a result of the limitations they are setting on themselves.
The MCs are the ones who are really blowing it. The majority of them are writing lyrics with their egos as their inspiration rather than their hearts. They can’t seem to grasp the concept for the need for the James Taylor’s of hip hop; they don’t understand why we need the Carly Simons’s or Johnny Cash’s of hip hop. But When I listen to lyrics by Jean Grae or Infinite Space I not only hear poetry but I hear honesty, love and integrity in their words and I will more than likely remember their songs because of their great songwriting abilities. A great song will continue to make you money for decades but hip hop artists are more focused on that short term money. Who says art music can’t be profitable? Producers like Philip Glass and Brian Eno are filthy rich and they make art music. Is hip hop not an art? Think about what they are doing and why they are artistically and financially successful.
With a lot of experience behind you, when did you decide you wanted to make a change for yourself?
I think the turning point for me was when I woke up one morning in a state of self-hatred and I realized how I cheated myself by taking the easy way out. I let my inner fear of fame allow me to sabotage myself and in a lot of ways my music. My creativity made other people rich and I fooled myself into believing the women, booze and drugs were the sources of my inspiration when all along the truth is I have that gift most producers covet. The same gift I had since I produced my first record at the age of 15, I still have today and I now know how to use that gift for myself now. I decided I’m only going to work with artists I truly believe in and make the music I believe in. I’m not going to be like most producers and run everybody down to get my music placed. Rock producers don’t do that and they make more money than most hip hop producers because they know how to navigate their way through this business. So you can now say I’m a hip hop dude with a rock ‘n roll attitude and my brand of music is called Soultronica. I created it over a decade ago and I own it and everyone else who done it after me are the innovators. This young producer from Canada, I’m friends with wrote me a strange email and told me how I was his Father and reading it at first gave me pause because I didn’t read what he was saying correctly. He was telling me that I Fathered his production style and I realized that he was right and that’s why I’m both loved and feared by so many producers who know about me. Not to sound like I’m boasting but the truth is plain and simple, I’m the Sound designer and I want to let everyone know by building a new culture in black music and that movement is Soultronica. For upcoming projects my credits will read “Designed by P. Midi”. That will let everyone know instantly that I’m not the typical producer because I actually designed the music I create.
Let's talk about the project you are currently putting together right now. What is the goal behind it?
What Hassen and I did was create a custom label called Designer Music. How that come to be is due to my talent as a designer. I don’t only mean as a sound designer but as graphics designer and I’m now applying that skill set to motion graphics and video production. This puts me in a very unique position compared to some of my producer friends because I’m now empowered to have complete control of my music career. I’m now in the position to go to any distributing label I please because I not only have the business and marketing plan ready but I also have music, the videos and the artwork completed and ready for manufacturing. I can now show them my vision rather than letting them just hear it. My multiple EP project is designed to be a limited collection that will clearly express the creative ideas of me and my collaborators. My aim is to encourage more artists and producers to creatively free their minds and work together to create songs of substance again while entertaining my new audience. On the business side I want to move certain units while giving the people quality music and I know the only way I can do this effectively is if I give the people a strong reason to support Soultronica as a genre so I designed these EP projects to show this new audience how nice P. Midi really is with the beats. There are other goals behind this project but I don’t care to reveal that yet. I think overall this project is really about freedom.
When did this idea originate?
I had this idea in my mind for two decades but the technology to make it happen wasn’t there until now.
Who are some of the artists you plan to work it in the future?
I’m actually working with them now. I don’t want to reveal them all because I want to recreate the feeling of surprise I had when I was growing up. I didn’t know who these artists were then until I heard the music and I think people need to know first and foremost my projects are not compilation projects because I’m the artist and the vocalists and MCs are my guests. The only names I will reveal for now are Infinite Space, C-Note, Darryl Reeves, DVS and this artist I’m musically in love with and for special reasons I’ll only call that artist The Phoenix…I think I said enough on that one. Next question please?
Why do you feel so many people aren't willing to work "out of the box"?
Fear. Too many of these new artists and producers have this needy mentality of wanting to be accepted. I don’t care about fitting into no elite group of people. I just want to have the freedom to make music without boundaries and whoever accepts my art are the people I want to roll with because they are free thinkers. There are a lot of robots walking around with these huge batteries in their backs and I don’t really care for those types. So I gladly say to them that if they can’t let their minds be free don’t listen to my music until they can evolve because my music is about the freedom to evolve.
I've read recently that you wanted to put hip-hop behind you, and move to something else. For someone whose love of the music and community is obviously deep, do you feel that moving away from it is something you need to do?
Yes. But what you need to understand is I’m not abandoning hip hop music as a fan, I’m leaving hip hop as a producer. I’ve done it all and I have a project lined up that will clearly express that. My musical interests these days are more about developing Soultronica because I see soultronica as being the new black music culture. Hip hop used to be about innovation, it used to be about being yourself and letting your mind be free but nowadays most cats making the music are just doing it to be doing it. I’ve outgrown the hip hop mind state because in my humble opinion hip hop as a movement failed and I have another vision for another culture that is more concerned with freedom, creativity, love, peace and the elevation of music as art, that vision is Soultronica.
Do you find this frequently, that those who have enjoyed the music for many years are choosing to either leave it behind, or try something new?
Oh man if I could only tell you how many cats are calling me and writing me telling me about how they are sick of hip hop and they are rolling with me on building Soultronica. But some of these cats are doing it on covert level because of that fear of public opinion so my EPs are like the testing ground for this new movement. I have a lot stress on my shoulders but I can handle it because I’m confident it will inspire more to do it and I’m not the only ones doing this music. There are others out there like Sa- Ra, J*Davey, GB, Georgia Ann Muldrow, Platinum Pied Pipers, Darryl Reeves, JP and Infinite Space who are doing this music. I think the timing is perfect because it’s easy for someone that loves hip hop, funk, soul, jazz and electronic music to get into so it won’t scare them.
Or how about, why do people feel a need to say "I will leave it behind"? There's a sense of loyalty to the music that may be celebrated to a degree, but is somewhat unspoken, isn't there?
Yeah, because of the cultural attachment to it; it’s kind of hard to leave something you grow up with. It’s like how some high profile rappers occasionally pay visits to their old hood. I personally won’t go back to East Flatbush because there is nothing there for me anymore. Why would I want to go backwards when I’m trying to move forward? I could never understand that school of thought and I see hip hop like I see my old neighborhood, it’s not my scene anymore. I want to live in a nicer neighborhood where the people actually care about where they live.
Many articles have come out over the years, talking about the decline of the music industry, how improvements need to be made, how the business structure needs to be changed. Yet it doesn't seem to welcome change, at any speed. Is this the perfect opportunity for independent and self-released artists to take charge of their music?
Hell yes! The majors are actually spending money to try and keep people ignorant to what’s really going on in the music industry. For instance I went to a movie theater the other day and first I saw this PSA about downloading movies on the web and then it was followed a stupid spot pitching the popcorn stand and that was then followed by another PSA. But this time the PSA was about downloading music from the web. I was so amazed by how these cats are actually fighting a war by misinforming people by only telling half of the truth. They don’t want to tell people that most of the albums they sell to these kids are sub par and soulless because that will make them look bad. They have other reasons to do it too because they have shareholders to answer to. The media is just as guilty because they are not telling people things like how some well known independent artists refuse to sign with these majors because they realized that they don’t really need the majors. The majors especially don’t want the hip hop artists to know about great solutions like www.theorchard.com. They don’t want cats like me to succeed because they know if I do; it could actually make a difference. It’s so funny because I’m seeing more people walking around with mp3 players everyday. If they these companies were smart they could evolve into something else that could be very beneficial for everyone involved but they won’t because they don’t want to hear such ideas from former slaves like myself. It’s a shame because I can show them how to do it but they would have to pay me a reasonable consulting fee that would sum up the past 20 years of my life.
In a way, it's always been easy to release your own music; it was just a matter of knowledge and know-how. Yet even with the internet, people are still hesitant to go at it on their own. Why is that?
Once again it’s fear. Some people are so attached to a socially proven system that is only proving that system no longer works. The RIAA is spending so much money on financing these lobbyists in D.C. because they want to legally dismantle the freedom the internet gives artists like me. Another thing is these guys don’t realize is you can actually sell your music in a secured digital format online by using www.easybe.com. I was put on to it by a good friend Ayaana Soyini. After my EPs drop I’m going to release two online albums in the spring and summer of 2006. The first online album is going to be given away for free. The idea behind that is thank those who support my EP projects and to create more awareness of my music to those who still are not aware of my work. The second Album will be sold for 99 cents per song and that one is going to be my last album. After that I’m just going to do singles and an EP here and there. Sometimes people just want to see a name they recognize do it before they do it. So if my peers like how things turn out for me they will eventually try it themselves. I personally don’t have any doubts about easybe because I know that it works and I will do well from it. I sort of wish I knew about easybe before I made these deals because I could just sell this music directly from my site (www.petemarriott.net). Well at least I learned something new again.
PART 3
# MUSIC FOR AMERICA: Let's get into the new collective that you are a part of. They're called the Amplifierz. How did you get involved?
PETE MARRIOTT: Okayplayer.com is where it all began. One late night Darryl Reeves, JP and myself had a conference call that ranged from what production tools we enjoy using to whose music inspires us to real life issues about much the music industry are ignoring the power of the web. We pretty much made a pact at the end of the night to create a support system for independent artists who make good music but are limited on marketing funds. My doing all of these EPs is about financing our collective’s website and projects.
What is the mission, or missions, of the Amplifierz?
I would love to say something childish and stupid like world domination, but the simple truth is to bring quality music to the people and to hip everyday people to good artists the mainstream is not making them aware of.
Do you see a time when those within the Amplifierz will collaborate or perhaps tour together?
Actually it’s happening already. I can’t speak for the others, but I’m doing projects with several members of Tha Ampz and we’re even planning on doing a project with another Okayplayer Collective called Omni and that’s a super collective we’re building with them called the Alliance, I’m hoping to get the Lessondary involved too. We’re going to donate the proceeds from that project to a charity that deals with inner city kids and maybe VH-1’s Save the Music program. I know for sure Hassen wants to create a tour and I’m excited by that notion but I need more intelligence to go on before I can openly say there will be a tour. I’m hoping to do a remix or song for everyone eventually, but my plate is kind of full right now so my main focus is on my current projects.
In your view, what makes the Amplifierz different from others? It's still young, but yet its members have a lot of potential.
Talent is an important factor but the other major components are creativity and originality. I don’t want to point fingers at this other collective out there but I’m very thankful Tha Ampz are not like them at all because their producers seem to clone each others production styles which I see as a harmful move for their creativity because what they are doing is not making their own music but more so cloning their star producer’s style. In our crew there is no copy cats everyone is confident enough to create their own sound and that’s why the industry is actually checking for us like that. I don’t sound like Darryl Reeves, Brook D'Leau, JP, Ascension, Aaron Harris, Katra Quez, Ritz or Gensu Dean and none of them don’t sound like me or anyone else for that matter because we are all our own artists and our music is just as good as anyone else out there so that’s the distinct difference between us and the other music collectives out there today. The other major difference is we are not exclusively a hip-hop collective; we have artists that do other styles of music. I’m not disrespecting other cliques out there but there is more to good music than the backpacker style of hip hop. J*Davey and Trump Dawgs are on my iRiver and wireless phone 24/7. We got a legend called Foley that is producing tracks for George Clinton’s new album and he was one of the last musicians to record and tour as a sideman in Miles Davis’ very last lineup. We also got this lady named Fire who is crazy nice on the vocals and I’m doing a complete project with her when she has some free time for me. We even have another band called Velvet Stylus that I also want to work with when I build my dream studio or buy an already existing studio like Just Blaze and ?uestlove have done. I can go on and on for days about why our collective is special but I don’t have enough time for that right now. Dig?
I dig, but this is a perfect time to touch on recording studios and the so-called tricks of the trade. Do you consider yourself a gearhead?
Heck yeah, but this time around I’m a plug-in head. I often say to my friends that if this technology was around during back in 1985 when I first started out I would more than likely be a very wealthy man today. On the other hand I’m glad things turned out the way they did because I can truly enjoy my tools and get the most out of them because I have the 20 years of experience behind me to create whatever comes to my mind today. It doesn’t really matter if you had ever piece of gear or plug-in in the world your music can still sound like crap if you don’t use it in the right way for the song you’re creating.
You mentioned a few moments ago that you have a dream studio in mind, but you have a set-up right now?
Yep, I got my home built desktop system and my Dell Inspirion laptop. I love it because it doesn’t eat up too much space in my home and I have the portability I need to make my music anywhere I please. I can often be found at the Barnes and Nobles at Union square making music. You’d be surprised how many ladies you can meet that way and it inspires me in a great way because I can meet a beautiful woman and decide right there and then that I want to compose a song about her and how she made me feel at the moment I met her and then bring it home and mix it down. To me personally, nothing beats making music on a laptop because you can be anywhere and when inspiration strikes you and make music right on the spot. But when it comes to mixing you have to be in a central environment where you can focus your ears on the monitors, because using headphones for mixing is not a smart move sonically and that’s where my desktops come in. So I have a lot of freedom and flexibility to my avail.
Talk about some of your toys of choice in the studio.
Well of course there’s FL Studio which is like the absolute best tool I ever used in my life. I love my Midi keyboard controller and my Akai MPD-16 Midi Drum controller. Then there is ToonTrack’s DFH Superior and the Superior Custom & Vintage kit and I also got FXPansion’s BFD they all serve as the source of my drum sounds these days. Because I stopped sampling I wanted to go all the way with my creativity because most of my listeners love my drums and how I program them; so it was very important to me that I kept that real hip hop element to my sound so I won’t lose my artistic integrity. I finally got it down to a science where I can make these drums sound like I sampled them off of a record which to a non sound designer may seem insane because it sometimes can be a long painful process, but it’s important to me that I have that warm, gritty sound I love so much. My drums have to have that raw and authentic hip hop sound that knocks so if I have to work extra hard to do it then so be it because I’m not afraid of hard work and I’m glad I do put in that time in my sound design because I actually learned how to recreate some of my all time favorite classic break beats to the point where it could fool the seasoned hip hop producer if I want to. It took me creating a beat over the phone and sending the track to Gensu Dean to prove to him that I really stopped sampling and that dude is a certified master of the SP-1200.
I also have Reason, Hypersonic, and Project5 which I occasionally Rewire into FL Studio for the synths but what I really enjoy using is what I consider my essential effects plug-ins like; NI Guitar Rig, Amplitube, Sonitus Effects and Antares Microphone Modeler which I always use on my drums because I can simulate old school microphone techniques that way.
But what I’m very excited about is all of this freeware you can download off the web. If I knew about all of these free plug-ins before I spent so much money on the tools I already purchased I would have saved so much cash because they are that good! Once again I learn another lesson but that’s cool with me because I’m a certified plug-in addict and it really comes in handy when you have over 800 synths, samplers and effects plug-ins to your avail. Even if you’re only really using a handful of these tools at a time you can never be stuck for a sound. It’s impossible for me to go back to sampling now; I’m having too much fun creating my own music and sonic identity.
A lot of young kids are getting their own equipment for the first time, but may not even beware of what existed and what didn't. How much has changed in terms of studio equipment over the years?
A lot! I’m so thankful I was born when I was because I got the opportunity to witness first hand the transition. I had to explain to this kid the other day that even though I only use software today for my production the reason my music sounds so good to him now is because what I learned from using old school analog and digital hardware. I also had to explain to him that he’s very lucky to be apart of this new generation of producers because it’s so much more affordable for him to build his own studio as opposed to when I owned my first semi pro-quality home studio which cost me over 40 grand to build. That was back when I was messing with ADATS and the Mackie console with outboard dynamics running through every channel. Now I feel like I’ve been cheated because I can get true pro-quality sound with better results because I now have full automation, non destructive editing and a massive amount of plug-ins for a mere fraction of what it cost in the old days. I’m just waiting for some body to come up with a stylish Wi-Fi fitted baseball cap that reads your mind so I can produce a song within an instant of thought, I can see the MIDI controller purists complaining now.
Who knows, maybe someone has that already planned.
Maybe not in my lifetime, but these days you never know.
What are the pros and cons of having your own home studio?
The obvious pros are the comfort, freedom and security of working on your music in your home or on the go like I do but I do sometimes miss being in a big studio 24/7 because you can be amongst a few extra ears that can offer an instant opinion if you need one. Other than that I can’t really complain about it because you can be in a studio that has over 3 million dollars of gear and the song can still sound less than stellar. The consumer actually doesn’t care because what they really make a connection with is the song. Look at Madlib; his production work is sonically the grimiest Lo-Fi progressive hip hop on the market and he has a dedicated following that will buy whatever he puts out there because of the connection they have with his music. Dr. Dre’s production work is by far the glossiest street music out there but again it comes down to the connection his following makes with his music. In this day and age the pros and cons are where your mentality is so it doesn’t really matter where you make your music as long as you do it the best you can to your ability.
Offer some helpful information to people out there. Here's an example. Some kid was able to get a lot of studio equipment, programs, and he creates what he feels is his ultimate set-up. He's in his room for a month or two, has some friends over to rhyme over it, sing, add sounds, etc. Once his mixes are over, he's ready to press it up. As a producer, would you suggest to him a set of "outside ears" to hear his music before pressing copies, or should he bypass everyone and just do it?
Make sure those outside ears are qualified ears. They don’t have to be famous ears either because a celebrity’s opinion doesn’t really matter because the ladies will decide in the end. If you’re not a DJ then get DJs you know with steady gigs that can listen to your music and tell you what they honestly think. If you really look at hip hop music right now the very best producers out there are DJs. The Angel, Just Blaze, J Dilla, Premier, Pete Rock, Madlib, ?uestlove & Hi-Tek are all DJs and it shows in their production. I’m a DJ and I still go to other DJ’s to get their opinions before I commit to mastering and pressing because if another DJ is not going to play it in a club where the ladies can dance to it then what’s the sense of putting it out there? I also suggest running your sound by a specialized mixing engineer who throws a few pointers in your direction before you take it in for mastering. If your music is not there sonically then you’ll lose out big time. As dirty as I like my sound to be I also know the reality that it can’t be too dirty because the women need to be able to hear it on the radio or on a podcast in order for the word to get out about my music so I make sure I get each project has a sonic continuity to it so the mastering engineer can do the best job he or she can do with it. Producing a record is more than just making a beat, there is an actual science to this art and a lot of these kids today don’t seem to understand that, but I can’t be too concerned with those who are not open learn because I myself could be learning something new and benefit off of that.
It’s definitely all about the ladies. Well let’s get back into The Amplifierz, and look back at other collectives of the past. Without naming names, what do you think went wrong with other groups who may have prospered, but fell apart soon after?
Egos, lack of leadership, egos, lack of discipline, egos, lack of business sense, egos, lack of loyalty and respect. Did I forget to mention egos? I have seen a few crews disintegrate because of egos. To me egos are why the music is not sincere and fun anymore. Call me crazy but I have this insane theory that if people actually leave their egos behind and join forces a lot more would get done in a shorter amount of time and everyone in that crew would benefit. Hey wait a second that’s what we’re doing, how about that?
Does the crew have interest in other things besides music?
Yeah but Hassen and the rest will have my head on a platter if I told you what we got in store. On the other hand I can tell you that most of our people do other creative things beside make music. We got plans but I can’t break protocol and give away the farm.
The world is literally in front of our hands, with computer access. The potential is great, and yet many do not utilize this access, I have been guilty of that myself. Yet you can't talk the talk without walking the walk. How does one make themselves known when they have made the effort, but are wondering why no one is giving them the time of day?
If you sit back and study things first you’ll have a better chance than most, but you have to also continue to develop your craft no matter what that is. It’s sad to say this but if you do not have a business and marketing plan that you don’t follow to the letter, you are going to fall flat on your face. I’m not going to give you details but I once gave a business proposal on the web two years ago on a certain website and out of the 300+ kids that downloaded it from my site 4 of them really understood it and wrote business and marketing plans of their own and two of them got financing based on how they wrote those business plans. What that tells me is most of those kids didn’t understand what was written in plain and simple English because of how they read what I wrote in plain simple English.
Do you feel that the Amplifierz have the potential to be an influence on how not just hip-hop, but all music transactions from this point on will be presented?
Oh certainly. I wish I can tell you what we have planned but when we’re ready to let the world know what’s happening, a lot of people in the music world are going to be amazed by what we’re doing.
Looking from the outside in, what would make your typical hip-hop fan give the Ampz the time of day? Or are you targeting more than just "the typical?"
I’m not going to speak for the others on this question you just asked me, but I Pete Marriott personally don’t care what the typical hip-hop fan is into. The typical hip-hop fans are males and I make music for women because that’s who I want to be around. Have you ever seen Sa-Ra’s CD cover? That’s what I want in real life but it’s just me alone with the ladies. I don’t want to sound like I’m a homophobe or I’m dissing the fellas but I don’t want no males around me other than my friends and business associates. I like hot fun chicks with positive and sexy vibes, always have and always will. I do find that most American music listeners are a bit naïve to the possibilities of what quality music can be compared to European music lovers. But can you blame them they have MTV Networks and Clear Channel conditioning them everyday. I prefer music listeners that enjoy good music for what it is rather than the disposable material that gets crammed down their throats 24/7. I hope most of the people who like Tha Ampz like us because we make timeless art that is fun and insightful and not because we fit in a new trendy category created by the media. I especially want to capture the ladies because they are the true inspiration of what I do as a producer and artist. Most male artists are afraid to say what I’m saying right now but I’ll keep it very real. I want mostly the ladies to support my work. Any guy that can’t appreciate what I’m saying is not in my time zone if you know what I mean.
Definitely, I just finished reading a book co-written by Wynton Marsalis, and he touched on the exact same theory. I never viewed Wynton as a ladies man, in fact my perception of him was very different. But in the book, he hinted many times about being a ladies man, and his live performances are based on the environment. He said that when it’s an afternoon festival, and he seems women in summer dresses, he will play what he sees, what he wants to see, and what he feels about what he’s looking at. Essentially, flirting with the ladies . Many musicians of the past have done this from jazz to rock to funk, even punk, to react from the crowd, but perhaps admitting the obvious in may be too upfront, honest, almost shameful if one shows too much emotion.
Perhaps.
Let's set up a small term plan. Where do you see The Ampz in two years?
On the cover of Urb Magazine, it’s my very favorite black owned publication. To me it gets no bigger or better than URB; mark my words Urb Magazine is the new Rolling Stone and its way better at covering urban music than Vibe! What I really want to see is all of us become home and business owners but if I told you how we plan on doing that then I would be giving away the pineapple farm where I plan to build my dream home and businesses, you dig?
As long as it’s not a pineapple field being covered up by another golf course, I think that’ll be alright.
Got it.
# Pete Marriott has four EP’s scheduled for release in the next twelve months, to be followed by a box set, along with various productions and session work within The Amplifierz collective and outside collaborations, to be announced at a later date.
# For you cratediggers, the Pete Marriott name may be familiar to you if you picked up the 12” single by The Choice MC’s back in 1988 called “Let’s Make Some Noise” (Idlers Records in the U.S., Gee Street in the UK). Outside of being considered the first U.S./French hip-hop collaboration, “This Is The B-Side” (which featured Chubb Rock) became an influential track for those into the possibilities of sample-based production, right alongside M|A|R|R|S’ “Pump Up The Volume”, Simon Harris’ “Bass! (How Low Can You Go)”, Bomb The Bass’ “Beat Dis”, and Coldcut’s “Beats & Pieces”. However, that was then, and Pete Marriott is about the now.
# Now, you can go to PeteMarriott.net for more information. (Special thanks go to the entire Amplifierz collective, Hassen, and especially to Pete Marriott for granting me this exclusive interview).