Comprising enough loops to make up 11 tracks – all the loops are there ready, you just have to decide their arrangement. It’s a construction kit for an album’s worth of hip hop songs.

Introduction

This method means ease of use is on of the biggest advantages here. While the more seasoned producers may find this useful for creating quick tracks if they have deadlines coming up, I think the people that would find this most useful are beginners.

Here is a chance to get some really high quality (The string loops in the more orchestral hip hop tracks are absolutely lush in this pack) loops to put together a song that, provided you understand what a “tempo” is, will sound professional. It’s a brilliant place to start; even vocalists with no producing experience could put together a decent track with this pack.

All that said, the loops are all very usable separately, especially the drum loops which are ace, so if you just consider the collections they are in suggestions you can be a lot more creative with this pack.

The Sounds

The best sounds in here as I mentioned earlier are the orchestral ones. You can just feel the quality of the strings, which makes all the difference. There are a variety though – from some really dark and dirty Gangsta Hip Hop loops to some more light and airy tracks which could almost be RnB if the beat wasn’t so head-noddingly hip hop.

Overall

If you were to combine this pack with some of your own synth samples or existing loops I think that is what would give you the most out of it – to me it would be best as an inspirational tool rather than a complete construction kit – different people would find the pack useful in different ways.

I think the people that would find this most useful are:

- Seasoned Producers with deadlines to hit
- Producers who want a bit of a kick start when they feel uninspired
- Beginners who want professional sounding tracks
- Vocalists who want more control over their song than just one beat looped for the whole thing
- People who want a top up of high quality hip hop loops

Take a listen to the demo on the primeloops website to hear the quality of the pack!

Pure Chronic Hip Hop Grooves from Primeloops.com

But whether it’s incredible talent or an intense atmosphere people are there for, every live show must be entertaining – that is the whole point!

Here are 10 of the most awesomely entertaining live Electronic music live acts in existence.

10. The Glitch Mob

When it comes to Glitch Hop, you can’t get much better than the Glitch Mob – and the awesome music isn’t where it ends. They have some intense live performances up on youtube, but I think this video is brilliantly underground. Going to a random street, setting up and disturbing the peace. Now that is entertaining.

9. Scooter

Never underestimate the power of cheese. Scooter comes out with tune after tune of cheesy hardcore techno and yet people still buy the CDs and go to the shows. There is a reason – the shows are spectacular. In both the “lol, it’s scooter” way and the “Christ, that’s an amazing setup!” way.

Two live electronic musicians at the back keep the noise coming, dancers give you something to look if the lighting isn’t awesome enough and the frontman is freakin’ hilarious. What more do you want?

8. DJ Qbert

In the world of electronic music, Hip Hop is sometimes just thought of in much the same way as pop – a backing track with live vocals on top (assuming they’re not miming), but turntablism is an offshoot of hiphop that has provided countless talented musicians a versatile outlet. DJ Qbert is one of them.

Arguably the greatest Scratch DJ, watching him live makes you wonder
a) How he doesn’t have RSI, and
b) How many years of practice went into that?

It is insane how tight he is. More something to sit back and appreciate than dance around, but for an electronic musician, that is entertaining in itself.

7. Angerfist

When people think of entertainment, headaches are generally not on the list, but in this list they come in at number 7. Representing for the Gabba genre are Angerfist – their insane live shows, unrelentingly heavy music and painfully yet melodic lead lines are a sight to behold, as this clip from their subtly titled “Pissin’ Razorbladez” live DVD.

Just take some Paracetamol with you if you ever see them.

6. DJ Kentaro

Our second DJ on the list, Kentaro is another one whose talent can make you question whether you’ll ever amount to anything. Absolutely increadible beat juggling and some ground breaking use of the ones and twos leave onlookers who actually know how difficult it is to do in awe.

5. Hifana

This duo know how to make a spectacular routine. With instrument switching, live MPC solos, Some cer-azy Turntablism and a setup to make even the most seasoned electronic musician drool, Hifana are definately one to watch live. Even their first PV was a live performance!   Definately give them a youtubing if you like this – there’s tons more.

4. The Prodigy

With their dark big-beat electronica and two of the greatest buzzmen in the game, there is a good reason that The Prodigy have been around for as long as they have. Few acts could keep the energy up this high through the whole set. I’ve heard stories of sweat dripping like rain from the rooves of overcrowded festival tents. It’s scary and it’s awesome.

3. Daft Punk

And the last 3 come down to atmosphere. With Daft Punk’s live show, you are experiencing the closest thing to robot DJs you will get for the next 100 years. Everything feels futuristic, from the sounds to the lights and the obscure helmets they wear. The iconic computer voice and the irresistably funky dance all attribute to the electric environment they cook up at their shows. Actually incredible.

2. Tiesto

The number 1 DJ in the world, Tiesto shows have an atmosphere that you could cut with a knife, box up and sell as paperweights. When it comes to making you feel something, there’s nothing quite like the epic breakouts in Trance music and Tiesto is the master of them.

It may consist of Dance, hands in the air, Dance even more, rince and repeat – and yet the skilled mix DJ still manages to entrance people with his record breaking live performances. You have to check out his live DVD. It is freakin’ amazing.

1. Pendulum

Who’d've thought that a genre as seemingly closed as Drum and Bass would spawn such a spectacle. Audiences at Pendulum live shows span all walks of life, from metalheads to old school ravers.

That’s what makes them number one – they appeal to so many, so regardless of how you act outside the venue, everyone is on the same page when the Kick and Snare are pumping, the MC is keeping the energy up and the musicians are playing.

All live performances are so rare in the Electronic music world, but Pendulum pull it off brilliantly with their triggered drums, MIDI Guitars and gorgeous vocoders. They have talent, variety (A lot of DnB breakouts with cool riffs for sure, but songs ranging from the intensity of blood sugar to the hands-in-the-air-ness of Propane Nightmares, the beauty of Hold Your Colour and the freakin’ coolness of Slam prove it’s not all the same) and atmosphere. A deserved number 1 position.

Incidentally, I couldn’t find any good quality live shows from dubstep djs on youtube – any points in the right direction and this list might have to be changed!

Do you disagree with any of the choices? Think I’ve missed out any acts that should be up there? Put your thoughts and suggestions below in a comment!

Dubstep Forum. It has it all – whether you’re looking to find mixes from some new Dubstep DJs, get some tips on production, find Dubstep events in your locality or just make some like-minded homeslices (nice flow to those words ), it is totally the place to be!

Have fun!

Gotta love the French for their poppy electronica!

Check out the tutorial here

i love music and dibble in it i make hip hop music and i love reason, the problem i have is i love to sample but i really want to create my own sounds, my question to you is where did you learn about synths? i watch you and i try to take notes on what does what and why your doing it but i still get a little lost so im just wondering where did you learn about these things there are alot of good synths in hip hop now (i.e The Dream she rocking that thing  , jamie foxx blame it on the) but what are you listening  for when you remake them?

And my response was…

I taught myself everything I know about making electronic music.   Trial and Error.   I’ve learned a hell of a lot from making tutorial videos, that and reverse-engineering existing preset synths.

I’ve become reasonably good at recognising the different tones that you get from different synth-making techniques, so I usually have a pretty good idea of where to start, then it’s a case of playing for a bit to get the sound just right!

So if anyone else is looking for similar advice – the best thing to do I found is to firstly look at existing synths, then change everything back to its initialized state one by one, noting what changes about the sound as you do so.   Doing this with your favourite presets will help you understand what makes them work.

Couple this with following as many tutorials as you can find and, once you’re reasonably comfortable in your knowledge, helping out people who are struggling with their synths (I’ve learned more about synths since opening boyinaband.com than in the 4 years beforehand!)

The best way to learn is always to teach!

Oh, and if you make any tutorials yourself or decide to start your own synth-y blog, leave me a comment and I’ll be sure to link to them/you

How did you learn what you know about synths?   Know any good methods/books/websites?

Now I guess I should get a phone that’s not 7 years old so I can be one of those twitter/facebook addicts!

I’ll miss my polyphonic ringtone though…

Here is the Top 10 list of Top 10 lists involving rappers!   (Don’t worry, I haven’t put this list in since I’m pretty sure that’d break the internet.)

10. Top 10: 10 rappers Eminem won’t disrespect (I think)

I love the lack of conviction in this article’s title.   Anyway, pretty much a list of, rather than lyrical prowess, scary rappers that hurt people for no reason.   Quite hilarious.   Also check out Top 10 rappers that will smack a blogger for a similar, grammatically better list.

9. Top 10 lame excuses by wack rappers

This made me giggle since I’ve heard quite a few of these before.   Number 6 in particular struck a chord; hip hop isn’t the only thing in the world being stupidly criticized.

8. Top 10 rappers turned actors

I didn’t realise until this list just how many rappers had made the jump; popular ones too.   Cool idea for a list!

7. Top 10 most swag rappers of 2009

I didn’t even realise “Swag” was an adjective.   This list made me laugh, if for nothing else than the pictures of rappers, shockingly enough, being “swag”.   Brilliant.

6. Top 10 MCs white people love

Nothing like a bit of racial stereotyping to spice up your top 10 list!   I found it funny since I’m not really a big fan of most of them.   Number 1 is an awesome choice though!

5. Top 10 rappers who went to prison during their prime

I love the whole “Rappers are criminals” thing that has been stereotyped, just because of how often it follows through.   Have a look at this list for proof!

4. Top 10 murdered rappers

I think it says something about a genre when a list like this exists.   Take a wild stab in the dark at who’s #1.   I’m kinda disappointed number 5 wasn’t higher up though!

3. Top 10 most ridiculous rapper chains

Genius idea for a top 10 list.   I lol’d all the way through – especially at numbers 5 and 3.   Absolutely awesome.

2. Top 11 most unintentionally gay rap lyrics ever

I know this has 11, but technically that also means it’s a top 10, right?   Either way this list had me laughing my head off.   Brilliant.

1. Top 10 best freestyle rappers

I know it’s a serious one, but I think freestyling is the ultimate test of a rapper’s ability.   I absolutely suck at freestyle and am fascinated by how people pull it off.   Just YouTube any of these (especially Eminem and Jin) and prepare to be blown away.   In fact, here’s a nice compilation of Jin’s stuff to get you started:

And there you have it.   10 Top 10 lists.   That’s 100 things to look through! (I did A level maths, me.)   If you’re still hungry, check out some of these:

Top 10 rappers of the 80s

Top 10 Hip Hop songs that sampled a Video Game

Top 10 most conflicted rap songs ever

Richest Rappers for 2008 (I couldn’t see a decent 2009 list yet)

I didn’t pick any “Top 10 best rappers” lists, since I don’t think any of the ones I saw did justice to the genre.   If you know of any, leave them in a comment!

Check it out…

Incidentally – his hair is an inspiration to us all.

He uses FL Studio too!   Proves that software is just as good at making pro quality sounds as anything

Know of any more ace dubstep masterclasses?   Share them in a comment below!

There’s one for using audio, effects, the mixer, guitar, reason integration and the basics in what I’ve just realised is reverse order.

The guy who does them is cool and quirky as well, so good one, random American disembodied voice!

These videos made me frickin’ excited about the program – especially this one;

Head over to the page and check them out yourself.

Actually wow.

Propellerheads Record.   The name pretty much sums it up – it’s simple.   It’s for musicians.   Which is where the whole market is going.

This is the piece of software I have been waiting for since getting my grubby mitts on Reason 3 all those years ago.   Here’s Why:

No More ReWire

I am so sick of dealing with ReWire and its awkward interface – here we have the perfect integrated package.   It integrates seamlessly with Reason 4.   No need for fiddly ReWire.   Maybe there is a god after all.

Industry-changing Timestretching

The Timestretching is MENTAL.   On this blog by Reasonstation.net, I found a link to A demo of timestretching.   Have a listen.

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

What in the name of hell.   First Melodyne do their changing pitches of notes within chords, now this?   It’s only a matter of time before we won’t need instruments at all.

Stupidly Professional Quality

Also, since it’s modelled after the SSL 9000k mixer (one of the best mixers, like, evaaahh according to rich studio owners everywhere) it comes with this amazing master bus compression.   Is this the secret formula to making your mixes sound like the pros?   We will soon see.

Line6 POD integration for Guitarists + Bassists

Oh, and integrated bass POD and guitar POD modules?   Freakin’ hell, it’s like they said “Hey, Dave – what do you want in your dream piece of software?” and added everything except the “insert awesome scratch solo” button.

Record <3 Remixers

It’s also built for remixers – I read in my computer music magazine that there is a stem export function that uses a simple checkbox menu.   So no more bounce, export multiplied by however many zillion tracks you have.   Holy crapoly.

In Conclusion…

I am actually more excited about this than my own birthday.

If this eventually has Autotune, Scratch Emulation (somehow) and Quality drum emulation (like that of the ezDrummer software – Drums From Hell is AMAZING for metal) then I’m pretty sure I could give up having a social life, since I wouldn’t need anyone to help me calm down from the frustration of an awkward workflow.   Who needs lifelong friends anyway?

It’s out on 9 September 2009

Check out more about it on Propellerheads’ official page www.record-you.com