Madlib made all the beats on Bandana on an iPad

[Deleted User]

@EyeOhEss said:

@WillieNegus said:

@dendy said:
What is interesting, at least based on my observation, vast majority of big producers who started using iPad for full production are from hip-hop scene.. wondering why this platform is still overlooked by big names from other generes, for example EDM ... I would love to see such post from people like Deadmau5 or Armin van Buren

Looks like in hiphop scene producers are most forward-looking, ready for new technologies

Good observation. Hip Hop producers like quick and gritty tools. Not so anal about mixing and complicated theory...way more about organic vibes so iPad is perfect. BM3 is better than MpC 2000 which has been the goto for decades. It’s not even close actually. Anyway, Alist Grammy award winning HH producers have been using iPad/BM3 for years. Ask Henny.

I feel way less compromise when using an iPad screen for 4x4 pads stuff than I do when trying to play keys on it. There’s less of a portability trade-off for Sample based pad grid workflow than there is for a lot of keys stuff.

But saying all that, didn’t Gorillaz made an Lp on iPad forever ago now? People just use whatever works for them (or interests them...) in the moment...

Me too. I also use my iPad like a Sensel Morph controller for Logic and Ableton via midi keyboard/chord apps. In fact, I sold my Sensel after a month because it’s just a less capable iPad to me.lol. I can’t play keys and don’t know Music theory. With iPad, doesn’t matter.

Gorillaz, Just Blaze, T-Pain, and so many others have been making “pro” tracks for years. Anderson Paak performed with just a iPhone at an award show years ago.

It should be noted that “pros” are usually just amateurs with a lot of dedication who got lucky enough to make a hit. So whatever they use doesn’t validate anything other than their passion or dedication.

Some of the greatest classics of all time were made with rudimentary tools. Rza from Wutang used one simple drum machine, 4 track recorder and shitty mic to make Enter the 36 Chambers are you kidding me?! Imagine if he had an iPad then.

So as many have said, who gives a bleeding bald monkeys ass what people use to make music?lol. I always laugh at nerds talking about all this complicated shit they do, equipment, preamps, and mixing this, and frequency that... nitpicking apps and such as if they’ll ever make a hit with all their “advanced” knowledge.lol. Too funny.

Most hip hop producers don’t even know shit about music and it’s the number one music genre in the world with no close second going on 2 decades and no end in sight. It’s about having fun and expressing oneself.

dendy

It's a perfectly capable tool when you don't rely on it for everything.

There is no thing which iPad is not capable to do, in modern music production.

It's JUST about creativity of music maker.

Only thing which is limiting is lack of creativity, lack of will to experiment, to change workflows, to get out of own comfort zone an try to do things different way.

That is point of his post obviously and this is something i TOTALY agree with..

i see lot of people complaining why they cannot make music because they are missing this and that feature in this and that app, there are some people which are able to request 10 new features for every new released app...

...then i see people which are simply not complaining but making perfect music.

I never heard any production from this guy (i'm oriented at different genres) but just based on this second post i have now BIG RESPECT to him, it's wise man.

@WillieNegus
It should be noted that “pros” are usually just amateurs with a lot of dedication who got lucky enough to make a hit. So whatever they use doesn’t validate anything other than their passion or dedication.

GOLD !

BroCoast

@dendy said:

It's a perfectly capable tool when you don't rely on it for everything.

There is no thing which iPad is not capable to do, in modern music production.

Sure but generally speaking it's not the best tool for the job for some parts of the process. An RCA release like Bandana is not getting mixed and mastered on an iPad.

Damon Albarn would not release an album mixed and mastered on an iPad. That album was heavily worked on after it left the iPad.

dendy

Ok, mastering is very speciffic topic. Most of big releases are always mastered in label's own mastering studios, or simply by mastering proffesionals, no matter if music itself was made on iPad, desktop or with pile of HW gear ;-)

klownshed

@WillieNegus said:

It should be noted that “pros” are usually just amateurs with a lot of dedication who got lucky enough to make a hit. So whatever they use doesn’t validate anything other than their passion or dedication.

They also usually have access to a decent engineer, producer, mixing engineer and mastering engineer. It also really, really helps when you can record a vocal in a proper vocal booth/nice sounding room. The room you record the vocal in is the most important part of getting a good sound. But that could be a tiled bathroom as well as an acoustically treated vocal booth.

[Deleted User]

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[Deleted User]

Well said @dendy !

In my experience, people who complain alot don’t complete much worth talking about. Doesn’t matter what industry> @klownshed said:

@WillieNegus said:

It should be noted that “pros” are usually just amateurs with a lot of dedication who got lucky enough to make a hit. So whatever they use doesn’t validate anything other than their passion or dedication.

They also usually have access to a decent engineer, producer, mixing engineer and mastering engineer. It also really, really helps when you can record a vocal in a proper vocal booth/nice sounding room. The room you record the vocal in is the most important part of getting a good sound. But that could be a tiled bathroom as well as an acoustically treated vocal booth.

Absolutely. Most hip hop producers don’t mix their own tracks. I don’t think most successful producers in any genre mix their own tracks. That’s what engineers are for. Likewise, Most producers can’t write lyrics, most lyricists can’t write catchy hooks and so forth. That’s why much of the greatest hits are collaborative efforts.

Same goes with software developers. Sure, some coders are good at design but it’s very rare. The most successful people in the world are typically great at delegating areas of projects to those who are dedicated and naturally gifted at those specific areas.

brambos

If you need a room specially prepared for optimal listening in order to do a good master, the benefits of mastering on a mobile device don't seem so compelling - you're going to be tied to that location anyway.

Mobile seems much more appropriate for the creative process of putting material together. But I guess being able to do the entire process with a single platform is convenient for users who don't earn their living doing it

lukesleepwalker

@brambos said:
If you need a room specially prepared for optimal listening in order to do a good master, the benefits of mastering on a mobile device don't seem so compelling - you're going to be tied to that location anyway.

Mobile seems much more appropriate for the creative process of putting material together. But I guess being able to do the entire process with a single platform is convenient for users who don't earn their living doing it

"Mastered for SoundCloud" isn't good enough?

DCJ

I don’t think he made the album on his iPad, but I DO think it matters. WE all know the iPad is a capable tool, but a lot of people do not. It’s the prospect that many kids will discover it because their favorite producer uses it. If we want these apps to get all the attention and features and support everyone here constantly asks for, it’s going to take more than our one-time $10 payment or a subscription to make it happen.

[Deleted User]

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BroCoast

@EyeOhEss said:

@DCJ said:
I don’t think he made the album on his iPad, but I DO think it matters. WE all know the iPad is a capable tool, but a lot of people do not. It’s the prospect that many kids will discover it because their favorite producer uses it. If we want these apps to get all the attention and features and support everyone here constantly asks for, it’s going to take more than our one-time $10 payment or a subscription to make it happen.

Sadly I think perhaps most kids & people under 30 just use whatever software they can find cracked versions for Maybe that’s inaccurate these days but was always my experience growing up..

I was at a school only a few months ago to show a music class some looping stuff and they pretty much all had cracked Ableton at home.

AudioGus

@BroCoast said:

@EyeOhEss said:

@DCJ said:
I don’t think he made the album on his iPad, but I DO think it matters. WE all know the iPad is a capable tool, but a lot of people do not. It’s the prospect that many kids will discover it because their favorite producer uses it. If we want these apps to get all the attention and features and support everyone here constantly asks for, it’s going to take more than our one-time $10 payment or a subscription to make it happen.

Sadly I think perhaps most kids & people under 30 just use whatever software they can find cracked versions for Maybe that’s inaccurate these days but was always my experience growing up..

I was at a school only a few months ago to show a music class some looping stuff and they pretty much all had cracked Ableton at home.

Yah in the age of the internet ‘whatever software they can find cracked’ is pretty much the latest and greatest of whatever they want. Heh.

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senhorlampada

They probably all get FL Studio or Ableton Live cracked because it's what you see most youtube channels working with.
They need incentives to work with free stuff (LMMS, Caustic, Nanostudio and Sunvox, for example (on Desktop)) or cheap (Reaper)

kobamoto

NSFW.... start at the 9:23 mark

this is just a funny conversation worth sampling itself about the iPad.
I get the feeling that madlib is just sampling off of his record collection on his iPad, a lot of people do so.

espiegel123

Btw, Madlib has pointed out that people are missing the point of his initial Tweet which is basically: don't worry so much about the equipment you have: just do it.

AudioGus

Crazae!

kobamoto

@espiegel123 said:
Btw, Madlib has pointed out that people are missing the point of his initial Tweet which is basically: don't worry so much about the equipment you have: just do it.

yeah someone posted his tweets earlier in the thread about that, but you know round these parts the topic of where iPads show up is always of interest naturally.

I think he is just sampling from the ipadmini into an sp/mpc... why make things difficult lol

AudioGus

@kobamoto said:

@espiegel123 said:
Btw, Madlib has pointed out that people are missing the point of his initial Tweet which is basically: don't worry so much about the equipment you have: just do it.

yeah someone posted his tweets earlier in the thread about that, but you know round these parts the topic of where iPads show up is always of interest naturally.

I think he is just sampling from the ipadmini into an sp/mpc... why make things difficult lol

Yah the album sounds cool to me and hats off but it is not like the source material isnt a HUGE part of that.

kobamoto

@AudioGus said:

@kobamoto said:

@espiegel123 said:
Btw, Madlib has pointed out that people are missing the point of his initial Tweet which is basically: don't worry so much about the equipment you have: just do it.

yeah someone posted his tweets earlier in the thread about that, but you know round these parts the topic of where iPads show up is always of interest naturally.

I think he is just sampling from the ipadmini into an sp/mpc... why make things difficult lol

Yah the album sounds cool to me and hats off but it is not like the source material isnt a HUGE part of that.

for sure, it's all about his ear.... one of the best sampling ears on the planet Imo.. dude has such a love for music that he's never been shy about the fact that his greatest skill is digging for loops.

espiegel123

@kobamoto said:

@espiegel123 said:
Btw, Madlib has pointed out that people are missing the point of his initial Tweet which is basically: don't worry so much about the equipment you have: just do it.

yeah someone posted his tweets earlier in the thread about that, but you know round these parts the topic of where iPads show up is always of interest naturally.

I think he is just sampling from the ipadmini into an sp/mpc... why make things difficult lol

I think he does more than just sample on the iPad and move the samples elsewhere. I found years of mentions by him that he uses iOS for beatmaking. There are lots of tools for making and reassembling beats on the iPad. He makes mentions of Beatmaker but that doesn't mean he doesn't also use other tools.

lukesleepwalker

@kobamoto said:
for sure, it's all about his ear.... one of the best sampling ears on the planet Imo.. dude has such a love for music that he's never been shy about the fact that his greatest skill is digging for loops.

nailed it

kobamoto

@espiegel123 said:

@kobamoto said:

@espiegel123 said:
Btw, Madlib has pointed out that people are missing the point of his initial Tweet which is basically: don't worry so much about the equipment you have: just do it.

yeah someone posted his tweets earlier in the thread about that, but you know round these parts the topic of where iPads show up is always of interest naturally.

I think he is just sampling from the ipadmini into an sp/mpc... why make things difficult lol

I think he does more than just sample on the iPad and move the samples elsewhere. I found years of mentions by him that he uses iOS for beatmaking. There are lots of tools for making and reassembling beats on the iPad. He makes mentions of Beatmaker but that doesn't mean he doesn't also use other tools.

maybe so, I get a different vibe, but then again how could anyone like that even resist the joys of Samplr ....

CRAKROX

@kobamoto said:

@espiegel123 said:

I think he is just sampling from the ipadmini into an sp/mpc...

He isn’t using an SP or MPC, Gibbs says in the interview that the process is taking the beat straight from the iPad and recording it to computer then burning it to CD.

All the talk over the years from certain fans about which equipment certain hip hop producers use and how they can “hear it” is self deluded bs really as by the time audio has effects, e.q. etc added it’s nowhere near what it sounds like straight out of the box.

Now this isn’t to say certain machines have their own sound, they do no doubt, but to really hear it the signal would have to basically be sent straight to whatever master you were using and even that untouched can subtly change the audio.

kobamoto

@CRAKROX said:

@kobamoto said:

@espiegel123 said:

I think he is just sampling from the ipadmini into an sp/mpc...

He isn’t using an SP or MPC, Gibbs says in the interview that the process is taking the beat straight from the iPad and recording it to computer then burning it to CD.

I don't really believe it, I don't think he saw the process and I think that's why he said he didn't want to talk about the process. I don't think he was there when the beats were made, madlib said there were 6 cds and that others had a chance before Gibbs and didn't take the beats and that Gibbs took them all.. of course anything is possible and madlib could be making beats on only an iPad mini now as a rule, but I think there are too many subtle contradictions in the statements, but as far as really proving something one way or the other isn't really important as we're just talking about it cause we like iPads a lot on this forum

All the talk over the years from certain fans about which equipment certain hip hop producers use and how they can “hear it” is self deluded bs really as by the time audio has effects, e.q. etc added it’s nowhere near what it sounds like straight out of the box.

Maybe but how is that relevant to this thread, I don't recall anyone in this thread saying anything like that but maybe I missed it?

Now this isn’t to say certain machines have their own sound, they do no doubt, but to really hear it the signal would have to basically be sent straight to whatever master you were using and even that untouched can subtly change the audio.

ok, but again I'm not sure how this is relevant to the discussion. Personally I love beat machines so much that I could never purchase one based on colorization however I can see how it could be an important factor for some people not unlike tone for guitarist

reasOne

But why Freddie Gibbs 😩 there's so many better rappers he has access too lol... Like bring madvillan back!
Haha just my opinion based on how I relate to lyrics, not hating ( to hard) lol I just don't have a common relationship to this albums lyrics

CRAKROX

@kobamoto said:

I don't really believe it, I don't think he saw the process and I think that's why he said he didn't want to talk about the process. I don't think he was there when the beats were made, madlib said there were 6 cds and that others had a chance before Gibbs and didn't take the beats and that Gibbs took them all.. of course anything is possible and madlib could be making beats on only an iPad mini now as a rule, but I think there are too many subtle contradictions in the statements, but as far as really proving something one way or the other isn't really important as we're just talking about it cause we like iPads a lot on this forum

I think you’re deluding yourself because that’s what you want to believe and your bias is effecting your judgement.

Both the artists involved in this album have clearly stated the beats were made using an iPad.

Madlib on Twitter and FG in this interview.

Now what do you think is more likely ? FG didn’t want to discuss the beat making process in depth because ;

1 : He and Madlib are for some reason collaborating in obscuring the process for an unknown purpose.

Or

2 ; FG doesn’t really know much about making beats and may not even be interested in the way it’s done, therefore didn’t want to get bogged down with “technical” questions about the software used etc.

If they wanted to be obscure for some reason it would be better to not discuss equipment at all.

AudioGus

@kobamoto said:

@CRAKROX said:

@kobamoto said:

@espiegel123 said:

I think he is just sampling from the ipadmini into an sp/mpc...

He isn’t using an SP or MPC, Gibbs says in the interview that the process is taking the beat straight from the iPad and recording it to computer then burning it to CD.

I don't really believe it, I don't think he saw the process and I think that's why he said he didn't want to talk about the process. I don't think he was there when the beats were made, madlib said there were 6 cds and that others had a chance before Gibbs and didn't take the beats and that Gibbs took them all.. of course anything is possible and madlib could be making beats on only an iPad mini now as a rule, but I think there are too many subtle contradictions in the statements, but as far as really proving something one way or the other isn't really important as we're just talking about it cause we like iPads a lot on this forum

All the talk over the years from certain fans about which equipment certain hip hop producers use and how they can “hear it” is self deluded bs really as by the time audio has effects, e.q. etc added it’s nowhere near what it sounds like straight out of the box.

Maybe but how is that relevant to this thread, I don't recall anyone in this thread saying anything like that but maybe I missed it?

Now this isn’t to say certain machines have their own sound, they do no doubt, but to really hear it the signal would have to basically be sent straight to whatever master you were using and even that untouched can subtly change the audio.

ok, but again I'm not sure how this is relevant to the discussion. Personally I love beat machines so much that I could never purchase one based on colorization however I can see how it could be an important factor for some people not unlike tone for guitarist

I am reminded of an Amon Tobin interview I saw (read?) years ago where any questions related to process and technique seemed to get dodged and it felt to me like he mostly didnt want the conversation to wade into the subject of sampling as that tends to be a loaded minefield. Plus I think for Gibbs to speak on Madlibs behalf wouldn’t be very cool so he probably just wanted to quickly stick to the fragment of the story that existed and move the conversation along.

rezidue

I think there is some truth to all of what has been stated but I do think they are toying with people. Gibbs sounds like he’s exaggerating being in the studio with him because of how it had been said previously that a ton of tracks are sent to Gibbs who then runs with them on his own and that this album was created from their original effort on Piñata. I’m sure an ipad was used along with a bunch of other tools.