THis iS my Intro

[Kevin A]

Greetings all: as you know thus far my name is Kevin A. The A is short for my last name. I have no alias. My friends started calling me Kevin A because that's what I would call myself atleast 4 times before my part in the Freestyle cypher was done. I started making beats because I love music, and I saw it taking a turn for the worse. In anycase I'm still making beats and I'm still not a fan of todays music lyrically. We all know tight beats come a dime a dozen now dayz, everybody and their momma making beats. I prefer to make my beats from scratch, using only hits and instruments, and like your average Joe, I also know how to sample too.
My crew is EPG, you'll find out more about them later, but let me say this, we are what time it is. I rap, make beats and do alot of other artistic stuff. I graduated form the Maryland Institute College of Art.
As for producing, I view it in two catagories, Raw Uncut, and Cut. Raw Uncut is the music made from scratch (hits & instruments) and more personal way of making music. Cut I consider to be easier and less respectable than the Raw Uncut. Your dealing samples and drum loops and you can't really judge a artists skill level, because they use samples that are already mastered and that alone takes most of the hard work and skill out of being a producer. In anycase, I fill Cut music is not competition material because you can't gage the skill level, from creating mellodies, to laying down drum tracks. With Cut music you can tell if the person has a good ear for music (easy as pie) and what they heard. If you use drum loops and cut 4 bar samples out of songs, your are the least on my respect list and fall in the bottom of the Cut catagory, the skillz aren't yours, and it requires basic skill. I know ya'll got some beat competitions here, maybe ya'll could separate them into catagories so we can group the people who got skillz and battle, and the people who got a good ear for music and they can battle. This is the first Beats site I've been excited about joining, I hope this remains a pleasent experience. I can't do nothing but get better. Peace

 

[mercurywaters]

i see you're starting trouble already. if you think there is no mastering or melody building involved in sampling, then you don't sample well. i hate beats that are made of 4 bar samples myself, but i sample and have to build melodies just as if i played the instrument myself. i chop samples down to one and twoo note pieces and pitch them and rearrange them to form new melodies. i'm sure there will be plenty of discussions pertaining to this during your stay here. enjoy yourself and stay involved. good to me you kevin. by the way, what part of md are you in? i'm baltimore, grew up in montgomery county though

 

[WingsOfAnAngel]

Kevin A:

1. welcome on board!

2. i have to totally disagree with you (and so will most of the people here \ other serious beatmakers). sampling = art, sampling = hip hop.
learn your roots my friend. hip hop has always been about sampling. i see sampling as a magical ability. you have the artistic freedom to recreate emotions and sounds, and combine them together; creating something new and exciting. occasionally, i do create my own melodies\patches\sounds, but the truth is that you can't compare the two (sampling versus non-sampling). anyway, there's so much you can do with sampling; it's a whole new universe of possibilities!
you can cut a sample and loop it as it is, flip it in numerous ways, chop it and so on. being a samplist requires an excellent music ear and LOTS OF knowledge (musical and technical). there's more to sampling than you can imagine; a hardcore samplist = a serious music collector. thus, as you can see, your opinion is wrong and somewhat ignorant.

3. "Cut I consider to be easier and less respectable than the Raw Uncut" - YOU consider; WE DON'T!

4. "Your dealing (with) samples and drum loops and you can't really judge an artist's skill level" - YOU ARE SIMPLY WRONG! sure i can judge his skills.

5. "because they use samples that are already mastered and that alone takes most of the hard work and skill out of being a producer" - this is an illiterate opinion mate. as i've already said, you can use these samples in so many different ways... the word 'mastered' does not fit in this context though! mastering has nothing to do with it. samples come in so many ways\forms\shapes. it's up to you to handle them and use them as you wish.

6. "maybe ya'll could separate them into catagories so we can group the people who got skillz and battle, and the people who got a good ear for music and they can battle" -> :lol: :laugh: YEA RIGHT! nobody cares how you made the beat, as long as it sounds good.

6. "This is the first Beats site I've been excited about joining, I hope this remains a pleasent experience" -> i hope so too. i wish you the best of luck! you've started on the wrong foot, but it's ok! no harm done!

Yours With Blessings,
Wings

 

[RigorMortis]

welcome aboard, but like I'd wish my momma would make beats that would be fuckin ill, hope to see you in the showcase..

 

[Kevin A]

You know I didn't come to start trouble, my friends will be who they are. I tried to make my definition as clear as possible. Unless you play live, almost everything you do or use on the computer is going to be a sample. Wether it's in your synth or on your hard drive. Sampling a sound and using it as a instrument is not the same as sampling a bar of a composition. Sampling sounds to use as a instrument I would put into the Raw uncut. I guess the thing that bothers me the most is a person who will take a drum loop and paste together a track then say I make beats. There is no reason under the sun that a person should use pre-made drum loops. I believe even the people in the rap industry that sample bars of melodies do program their own drum tracks. For me it's not wether it sounds good, because that's just sound, it's about knowledge and process. It's like judging a book by it's cover, or better yet, buying a samauri sword that took a month to make, or one that took a year to make, (which one would you want to carry into battle?). Yes they can look good, and sound good and give you pleasure, but when you finally hear the original some how some way, it takes away from the authenticity, that you thought it had (which it really never did).
Pay close attention to the 1st half of my intro, and don't ignore something I covered and make statements like I didn't cover it, Who can't sample? I first started sampling when Gemini was selling that little rectangle sampler, I forgot the name. How and why people sample is another response pending on each individual response to the question. Personal Raw Uncut Competitions would be more exciting, an productive (building skill & talent) for producers, rather than let everybody in. That's like putting a photograph in a drawing competition, yeah they are both images, but made by a different process. Can drawers render images to the point they look like photographs? yes, So how to you gage the skill level? It would take more skill on the drawers part, and a push of a button for the photographer. Turn it around and give the photographer a pencil and the drawer a camera and you think about who will have the harder time performing at a decent skill level. It's the difference between making art and making a product to sell. Art is personal, the other is made for other people to like and buy. There is really too much to say about this topic, and it's a free country so do what you do. Just don't tell me you use drum loops and cut 4 and 8 bars out of song and say I make beats. I can respect a person who is composing their own songs down to the note, mixing and using effects, manipulating sounds, holla if ya fill me. I'm a trained artist, am I'm just giving a critique and view on why Raw Uncut and Cut don't belong in the same competition. Don't bring the hate if you feel offend, just ask yourself, why not go Raw Uncut? and you have all you need to know. I don't know any one who is Raw who can't sample. If you have never pulled a whole composition out of your soul, you are missing the best part of the game. Get good at that, who can stop you?
Oh I'm from Baltimore, just moved to Glen Burnie and work in the city everyday. Not your average Baltimorian either, don't exactly run wit the crowd.

 

[WingsOfAnAngel]

Kevin A, thanks for replying.
i appreciate your serious attitude towards the topic.
you see, i understand where you're coming from. i only respect those who treat sampling as an art. as for myself: i combine sampling with composing; i DO write my own melodies and i DO make my own drum patterns. when using samples, i use every technique possible in order to get the sound i'm after. however, at times, i just loop the sample without touching it, as it all comes down to what i want and need. remember that most of hip-hop (at least the hip-hop i listen to) is sample based. anyway, you were'nt starting trouble, and i deeply respect your intellectual wordage and phraseology.
good luck once again,
Warm Regards,
Wings

 

[mercurywaters]

you're a trained artist? did you ever attend mica? i used to work there is all.

now that we got the first discussion out of the way, lets hear some beats! go check the showcase

 

[Kevin A]

Mercury, Wings, and Rigor Mortis, thankx for welcoming the new kid. Who knows when I'll get 40 points and is able to compete. I think I'm at the point I am right now that competition will only make me better. Ya'll have alot of points, would it be silly to ask if any of you have battled and won? Anyhow thankx for welcoming me again, and I'll keep my eye out for you all. Peace

 

[Kevin A]

Mercury

Yes I graduated from Mica, I spelled it out in the last sentence of the 1st paragraph of my 1st post. I'm at work right now, can't post beats from here, and I hate realplayer, I never use it, so I have to see how I can make those type of files they call for. I'm bout to leave work, so I'll get in touch later in another forum because I'm getting no points in here, nah mean. Catch you later Mercury

Maybe if there is a Freestyle thread in here, you might find me there. I like to freestyle.
later tho

 

[WingsOfAnAngel]

Kevin A, i have never battled, nor do i plan to. i prefer to showcase my music \ release it (when there's such a chance). battling is definitely not for me... i don't like the concept of winners\losers in general you see...
best of luck,
Best Wishes,
Wings

 

[afriquedeluxe]

wasup kevin, i feel u on dat topic bout samplin.i mean how wud mos people feel if dey had dey stuff sampled, i kno id b screwin, lol . but u c 4 me i luv both, samplin n composin from scratch. ive won a beatthis comp wit a full composition once n da otha time wit a sampled piano. now dis jus even reassured me of wat i thought b4, no1 really cares whether its sample or not as long as its dope, da only person dat cares is u. so for some producers, dey get mo satisfaction composin dey own stuff n less from samplin, but 4 me i jus feel da same. i tink ive gone off topic or i may jus hav typed some stuff dat dnt make sense, lol ,ah well wat d a heck, WELCOME ABOARD, u shud jus kno u part of history in da makin, hehe

 

[RigorMortis]

I dont battle, not my style, I only battle with the mic in my hands and that is in Dutch. Besides that I dont care, I'll rape every bit of music I lay my hands on, cause I aint making money with it, I am making music because I find it relaxing and I like too do it. And I just started makin music less than a year ago and in this short period (just like the fruity vs reason discussions) I've seen this kind of discussions too much allready.
But enough of this transparant discussion, lets make music and learn from each other.

have fun.

 

[Haze47]

Sup man, i hear you on the raw uncut, but i hear the others on sampling as well, personally, i dont sample, probably, because i cant, i also play live bass on some tracks, and am going to to get my guitar back, because for sure, live bass and guitar sounds better than synthesised sound, but welcome, and have fun, this is the most friendy "beatsmiths forge" i have found.....

 

[Kevin A]

I plan to battle as soon as I get the chance

I've been making beats for a long time now. I do no promotion, and only my crew (EPG) hears my beats. I been on the secret weapon tip. I first started off by sampling back in 96. I spun some turn tables for a couple of years then moved straight into producing because all along that's what I wanted to do deep inside. After I left college, I was force to leave my record collection (around 20-30 crates) at my mothers house because I had no space for them. I haven't been through my record collection since 1998, and I've been waiting patiently for the time when I will be able to use them, but it doesn't look like anytime soon. I started making my tracks from scratch because 1, my record collection wasn't at hand, and 2 I felt like I didn't want to have to owe anybody nothing. The feeling of not owing anyone anything for a sample was the driving force of pride behind my music. With that being the situation, I explored
myself on the track. Melodies, moods, emotions, and gut things you just can't name. I'm getting off the subject again, but I consider the battles competitions, and I think they are good for productivity. I can't be crushed at the stage I'm in, and if I can't deal with these underground producers, how am I gonna hang in the industry? So I figure I'll get in here get beat up and do some beatin up: Polish my skills accordingly.
If I take a loss, I can go back to the drawing board and come harder on the drum track,melody, mood, whatever. It's like driving a stick shift for those of you who know about that. I want 5 CD's from bangin beats, that's one thing that excited me, five cd's is alot of sounds.

Live Bass is a wonder in it's self, to this day I have no proven formula for bass that I'm satisfied with. On all my tracks, the bass is like a new encounter, nothing that will stop me in my tracks, but I do have to think more about that than anything else in the song. Sometimes I even settle for a real heavy distorted bass kick and say bump the bassline.

My personal opinion is I think people are scared to totally give themselves to the track. Maybe they can't do well at Raw uncut, so they do what they been doing. It's a beautiful thing when you can put something down from the soul, that's the music you liked in the first place anyway. I wasn't the best at it when I started, but I loved it, and I kept doing it, and got better and better at it. I work at a faster pace now too because of it. By the time it takes me to find a sample, I can have 60% of a Raw Uncut song done. Expecially if I don't have a sample in mind and I'm trying to make something out of nothing. I average 15-25 minutes in my first session with raw uncut, and it will be almost finished by then. Then I come back later, or forget I made it and get surprised all over again. I'm getting a labtop so I can have a mobile workstation and see what happens with different moods and atmospheres. With Raw uncut your possibilities are organic, circular. I can move in any direction at anytime. I can make the track laugh,cry,anger,rage,shame,hump, go outerspace, whatever I feel like. It reminds me of the Matrix part I, when Morpheus told Neo that the agents would never be as strong or fast as he could because they are made in a system with rules. Anyone who samples know, that samples have it's limitation, although you can do alot of things with them. When you cross over don't worry, you will never forget how to sample, that is one thing that I think is impossible. Don't be scared that you will never make a Raw Uncut song that will be a hit, that's not how immortal hits are made anyway. If you never tried it, try it for a season, and do nothing but that when you make tracks, figure out ways to get done what you want, and if you need some help, I'll be glad to help. Bet you waitin to see some proof. Keep waitin. And don't think I'm dissin sampling, I'm not, you can us samples Raw uncut, even though they will not play intune on all the keys of your keyboard, I'm going to stop now, because I hate reading long messages, because I don't like to read in the 1st place. Sorry

 

[WingsOfAnAngel]

Reply

Kevin A:

1. "My personal opinion is I think people are scared to totally give themselves to the track" - i do not agree. period.

2. "Maybe they can't do well at Raw uncut, so they do what they been doing." - i do not agree once again.

3. "By the time it takes me to find a sample, I can have 60% of a Raw Uncut song done" - the whole beauty is to sit and dig. digging = listening to music = the FULL experience!

4. "Expecially if I don't have a sample in mind and I'm trying to make something out of nothing" - again, this is the beauty of sampling. you can come up with numerous combinations and sounds out of a single loop. IT'S AMAZING!

5. "Anyone who samples know, that samples have it's limitation, although you can do alot of things with them" - i'm sorry, but as a serious samplist, i'm telling you that SAMPLING HAS NO LIMITATIONS WHATSOEVER! PERIOD.

6. "When you cross over don't worry, you will never forget how to sample, that is one thing that I think is impossible" - i don't think you should be telling this to people. each one has his own technique and way of working with sounds.

7. "Don't be scared that you will never make a Raw Uncut song that will be a hit" - :laugh: :lol: WE DO NOT CREATE HITS, WE CREATE MUSIC.

8. my last point: do not, i repeat: DO NOT, use the terms: Raw uncut & Cut.
we're talking about music here. Come On!
don't judge music by how it was created. and i reiterate: HIP HOP WAS BORN OUT OF SAMPLING! SAMPLING IS THE TRUE SPIRIT OF HIP-HOP. there are no such things as: RAW UNCUT \ CUT.
beatmakers sample, and that's a fact. but most beatmakers also combine other techniques with sampling. so it's never (in most cases) one hundred percent sampling.
:yes:

 

[Kevin A]

Theory is Good for The Brain

As far as I'm concerned, if it's about hip hop roots you can keep Hip Hop. The whole time I'm saying there is a difference between the process that makes them different. Sound will always be sound and if you can hear, then you hear sound. I'm not trying to go back to the begining of a genre that's was built by fragments, cause it really didn't start there. Musicians make music, and have have been since B.C. It does not start at hip hop, or the 70's & 80's for me. Hip hop was not a advance in music, just a differentiation to produce sound. Technology bumps it up, and now we are able to emulate musicians and create sounds and sequence them with a theory or concept more closely related to the original musician who plays an instrument plus more(One man bands and all that other creative stuff). Take a step forward mentally, I use everything, when I sample, I use it in the raw uncut way. What's the harm? in school you learn different ways to do the samething, what's the damn deal? step out your comfort zone and get another notch under your belt. I'm a better sampler now just because of the thinking process that is envolved with the method. I heard someone say before hip hop is dead, if it is or ain't I don't know, but it ain't original it's recycled. So keep the roots theory, keep hip hop, I've differentiated. Yes you have a endless resourse of samples to choose from (so do I), but the endless resource of the depth of your mind, your mind is a filter of everything you've heard in your life wether you can pull it up or not, it's in there. The fastest processor you have, you won't even use at full potentual. But don't worry, these forums are healthy, the more we think about it, the differences will become more clear, and I can find out where I belong. Some people just get caught on that word sample. I got a great Idea for a New Thread, be back at ya'll later.
peace
And by no means am I'm saying don't sample not a thing what so ever, some people still haven't cought on as to the difference of cutting and manipulation samples to use a notes, I roll wit that, that's not what I'm talking about, and I thought I explained that, but you know when people hear the word sample, something just clicks in their head. You can sample so manythings in different way, and plus it also means a standard thing, I think the word is vauge when you break it down this sensitive. We just cleaning up the mess.

 

[mercurywaters]

good lord kevin you can talk or write. whatever it is. you better not have some wack beats. tee hee. i'm sure everyone is waiting to hear.

 

[RigorMortis]

hehe mercury did you really read all that..
i'm not gonna read all that..
but it's nice you want to prove yourself,
me on the other hand i'm not interested in that..

 

[BROUSSARD BEATS]

i don't sample i play all my music drums and all so maybe one day you guys and ladies can sample me lol

 

[mercurywaters]

i didn't read a lick of it. enough talk. now is the time for beats