GHF Presents the Producer Q&A Series Part 4: Samples
Ben Samples is one half of the live remix project Fresh2Death that is based out of Boulder, CO.  His style is crunk glitch-hop, complete with bass-heavy remixes of your favorite club anthems and hip hop.  His professional DJ career started in 2006 when he picked up a weekly variety radio show for CU Boulder's KVCU.  His show covered many styles and genres, with a focus on dance music and hip hop.  Now, Samples blends both hip hop and dance music into a hybrid club hip hop sound that is redefining the genres. Samples is a member of the Denver Bass Squad, which is the essential crew that pushes the heavy bass-line scene in the Denver/Boulder area.

Now is your chance to get inside the mind of GHF's very own superstar. Samples will be answering any of your questions for a brief period of time, so be sure not to miss your chance to ask him that question that has always been on your mind.

I guess I'll start this off then. I was wondering a little about the template you're using for your live performances of both Samples and Fresh2Death. I use an Akai MPD24 myself and I was wondering how you set your sliders, your knobs and what you use the drum pads for. Are there any specific effects that you're using with your live template?

Also, is glitch hop really all about banging groupies till sunrise?

I would love to know what the main synth on "Boss" is composed of... It sounds like you have multiple lazers glued to this gigantic bass which is so heavy i'm amazed it didn't break my harddrive on the download.

You have possibly the highest amount of output of any producer. What percentage of the tracks that you make in a week do you release?

Also wtf is with "Vamplife". Please explain.

How does it feel to be the sexiest glitch hop producer?

Good Q. Actually my solo template is basically the same as the 2DJ template, except for routing differences.
I'm using an MPD24 as well, so you'll understand. I have it divided into 4 banks for the pads, A-navigation and one shots, B- "B" Deck remixing, C- "C" Deck remixing, and D-dummy clips.
All knobs/faders are the same, so I have my set divided into 4 main channels (plus one-shot channels and a scratching fx i use) and the 4 faders are set up to control high-pass filters on those. On the knobs, I have low pass filters on one side and fade2greys on the other to control the same 4 channels.
The A bank buttons have 4 separate beat repeats at the top, which I have a global rate control set up on one of the faders. The next row in A is for selecting individual songs or selecting the effects view (which is done by mapping both the clip view parameter and the effects view with the same button)
The bottom 8 buttons are just like lazers and one-shots

The B and C bank are pretty much the same, except they launch different clips. I have them mapped to trigger clip launching in a 4x4 grid at the top of my set, and tehn the C bank is the 4x4 grid below it. I use this to perform my tracks live as if I was using an MPC or something. This gets reallly detailed so I'll just kinda skip it for now

The D bank is dummy clips, primarily beat repeats. The difference is that I rout 2 of my 4 channels to one dummy clip group and the other 2 channels to a different dummy clip group. This way i can be triggering different dummy clips for instrumentals and acapella tracks, or for mixing new songs into previous songs.

The 2 dummy clip channels are set up to have different outputs on my interface, so from there I actually have separate volume control on the mixer for both channels. This is why I don't map volume in my ableton set. And, if i have a mixer with effects, I can put different effects on my A and B channels.

For F2D, its pretty much the same, except since we never play 2 songs in a row I just use the same output for both dummy clip groups.

And yes, Glitch Hop is sometimes all about banging groupies til sunrise, but it doesnt have to be

Sure, I'll let you in on that secret (i dont remember perfectly so i'll attach it too). Its a massive patch where i think i used probably Roughmath II on bend+/- mode with intensity about half. Probably had some in parallel, maybe even detuned from each other for a reese-like effect.

The beauty of the bass in Boss was when I ran the osc through a Comb filter, and automated the cutoff with Massive's Performer. This way it was a moving resonance that spikes like Doctor P (or flux pavillion, etc) bassline but also disappears and formants the lows.

From there, with Massive, its always important to EQ the piss out of your bass, massive's flat EQ sounds like your bass was made in a controlled environment, not in a mad scientists studio

I never finish tracks that I don't like and wouldn't play out, so I would like to think that 100% of my output is releasable, but thats not really true. Sometimes I make music just so I can get my head in the right place, its a very therapeutic process to me. Also, since I try to keep my live set somewhere around 50% unreleased material, it drives me to keep making new music and to also not really have desire to put out the older unreleased stuff that has become staples in my sets (keep it exclusively live).

Also, i've had side projects where I make drum n bass, future garage, house, etc, and those were more academic pursuits. Lets just say that searching my name in my iTunes displays 300 songs and I've probably only put out around 30 songs.

"Vamplife" is when you no longer desire to live in the day, so you stay up all night and party all night. Sleep happens in the day, like a vampire. Gold fangs just complete the look

And as the sexiest "male" producer, it feels great. But sexy is about how you cary yourself, so I just go out there and make myself completely desirable to all the women i meet. And staying single is a good lesson on that topic

love how clean your productions sound. do you have any tips on very general approaches to mixdowns? how do you treat your synths (bass, sub, leads, fx, other) with eq, compression, distortion, panning, and balancing? i know it really depends on the material, but any insight would be good.

skyscraper ~ man. your best stuff yet bro.

can't wait to meet you and jam out at the same show here soon!

peace dude.

There's is always general advice on mixdowns, so I'll run you through stuff that i usually do without thinking much.
Drums- Kick @0db, Snare@0db, reverse kicks/sounds@-6db, hi hat@-12db, crash@-10db, percussion @-6 to -8db. THis is just a formula that works most of the time. Usually I never use effects on my drum buss, but I tend to use Brooklyn compression on it if I want some beef. Brooklyn comp is splitting your buss into a dry and wet channel, and on the wet channel running heavy compression on just the high and low frequencies. For punchy house like effects, brooklyn comp kicks ass

Bass- depends on the song but i don't really use a separate sub unless the bass is really crazy and loses low presence. A good tip for EQ on bass is to cut out your 250-300hz frequency range by 10db and boost your 7khz range about 4db. This literally goes miles for making your bass sit correctly in the mix

Synth- depends on what sound, but typically EQing is all you need, tho I don't really have great advice on that, you kinda have to build your ear. Pads should be high passed at 300hz and low passed at 1khz. If I have 2 synths sitting in the same EQ range, I will sometimes notch a frequency on one synth while boosting it on the other, and that just makes them stand out more (or pan them to different sides).

*By selecting which frequency range you play your instruments in, it can make a big difference. The idea is that in an orchestra, you have instruments for every different frequency range, such as a violin in the top, viola just below that, cello below that, etc. In every song you should be trying to emulate the same pattern of instrument selection for your mix to work properly. And of course you can highlight certain instruments at certain times, but a song with 1 synth and 1 bass and a drum track is extremely boring. Probably why I listen to a lot more classical music than rock music

What are your top 5 Plugins that you use as software Instruments and whats one piece on hardware you could not live with out?

Also what do you credit as your biggest influence?

Top 5:
1. Sampler
2. Massive
3. Vanguard
4. Operator
5. Predator

I know that is a simple list, but i really only use a few synths because I do all the sound design for my bass and synth sound, and I find that if I'm really comfortable with a synth than I can do more with it without having to spend hours researching how the filters are routed or something.
As far as hardware, I don't really use much but I really like the Pioneer DJM800, i think that the ability to use and control a mixer in a live environment is crucial. I still consider myself a DJ first, and all the music I make is with the intention of playing it out at clubs, releasing albums is just a bonus.


So since you said What do i consider my biggest influence, I won't answer with another person. I actually find that reading and making my mind active is a bigger creative influence than anything else. When I started making music I was getting my degree in Mechanical Engineering, which is obviously not really related to bassline music one bit, but I would come home every night and just have such different ways of looking at music because I spent all day doing calculus or quantum physics. I really learned to keep my left brain and right brain in harmony, and I still try to do that today, though its harder when all I do professionally is make music and play shows. I guess thats probably why I'm into sound design so much, it gives me a balance

Since I know all of the technical Questions will be asked....

How do You go about coming up with ideas for Production; is there a method or structure that you use to put your mind in a creative state?

Do your melodies come from an certain inspiration?

What is your advice on the matter of Creativity is what I am trying to say.

Also you stated that you listen to more classical music then Rock. Any favorite composers that you can share?

:

ben I love your drums, any tips on synthesizing the kicks and snares.

Ideas for production: My mind is kinda always in creative/open mode so I just get inspired by all types of things. I'm really into classical music and R&B, so my melodic creativity flows from non-bass oriented music. I find this way i tend to make more melodic stuff that still works on dancefloors. Also, I've found that the more I produce in different keys than are in my comfort zone I tend to make different melodies. Last week I was writing a lot in Em which I've never really worked at, and I found the stuff sounded completely different than the typical Gm stuff I write.

Composers: Mozarts 40th is an amazing piece of music (and its one of the few symphonies written in Gm) as well as Mahler's 8th. I also really like Sergei Prokofiev. I've got an idea for writing a "dance symphony" which is more like an extended piece of music based around the key and tempo changes that are present in typical Sonata form. The classical listener used to expect certain changes in music and todays listener is content with listening to one tempo with one key for an hour. I'd like to change that

Snares are really tough to synthesize, I typically just blend a lot of snare samples to get a smooth sound. As far as kicks go, I mentioned my technique in an earlier forum post and I'll just copy that.

i use 3 layers on my kicks usually, the hi, mid and low. The low should have a longer attack and be beefy in the sub range. A "punchy" kick is gonna be about B or A#, 61-58hz, a clubby kick is gonna be more like 52hz and a booming kick is gonna be your 44-49hz range. You really want that part to ring through so you can feel the bass

The mid range, or the meaty part is gonna be dominant around 1khz, which is also around where a clap sits. For this, you may want a little pitch mod, or even use something like a tom as a layer (which i often do). Sometimes a high quality lazer sample or field recording can go miles in this range too. Usually band pass or high pass this one so it doesn't fight with the low channel

The high range is a "pop" that lets your kick cut through the mix. Anything works for this, such as rim shots, lazer blips, or even a sample of chopping wood (which was the last kick i made). This one you want to high pass around 2khz so it doesn't muddy your low or mid range

If you're synthesizing your kicks, typically just pick your low frequency, then put pitch mod to about 26-36steps on the sine wave and compress and EQ.
THE MOST IMPORTANT EQ PARAMETER is to cut the frequencies around 250hz as this will just create a lot of mud in your kick that makes it sound bland in the mix.

And that is the science of bad ass kick drums

Amazing stuff. Feel like I'm learning so much, I'm a huge fan of Massive but have still only scratched the surface of its power.
Is there any advice to a new Massive user you can give for Synth creation.

Also your idea of Dancefloor symphony is amazing and will be a masterpiece in its own right I'm sure.

Ben, I'm a huge fan of your work. I would just like to say thanks to you and the folks here at Glitchhop Forum for providing these Q+A sessions. I have been producing my own beats for a while, and I find it both helpful and generous to have guys like you providing tips and techniques. Your music is definitely next level and I'm always amazed by the sounds you create. I certainly have my own list of favorites, but is there anyone out there in glitch that you've been pumping a lot lately? Whose future bass inspires you right now?

With Massive, you really have to learn it completely to be able to use it well. Its not really hard to grasp if you understand the basics behind synthesis, such as oscillators, wavetables, filters, fx, etc. When i started really enjoying Massive I was just experimenting with different oscillators and wavetable settings. So I'd take a random oscillator and put it into Bend mode, or maybe put it into formant mode and turn the pitch down to -48 so it sounded cool. From there, just experiment with the features that you don't use normally. One of the coolest sounds I made was from using a Band Reject filter with the cutoff automated by an LFO and then turning the feedback up really high. It made a super lazer sound, and I would've never thought that a high cutoff on band reject coupled with feedback would sound so nasty

Dancefloor symphony is a long way from being started even, right now I'm doing a lot of research and I don't want to start something like that unprepared

To be honest, I don't listen to a lot of Glitch Hop or Dubstep, but I'll name some artists that you guys probably wouldn't know (cause my real list would be made up of half the ghf board and a ton of ppl you already know)
Black Rock City All Stars (reno hip hop crew), Unlimited Gravity, Project Aspect, Cryptex, Omega, this kid Tantric Decks sent me stuff thats pretty ill, Elfkowitz (but he just got picked up by Daly City) and theres probably some more that I'm forgetting.
I tend to listen to a lot of old school jams and then the newer stuff I listen is more in the James Blake, Mount Kimbie

sweet, samples for part 4! you're one of the few people on the forum whose soundcloud i actually go listen to more than once (no offense to the others, i just get bored easily)
damn wish i could've been in denver for NYE bet that shit was CRAZY

Anyways let me think of a question now.

Explain to me the process of your creative workflow.
Like for the bass, do you just hit notes like "Hmm i'll put a G on the first bar, then a D, then a G, then Ab" or whatever, and then add rhythm to spice it up?
What do you do first, how do you connect all the other parts, do you get stuck anywhere, and what do you do to solve that? Do you work more with a loop playing many parts at once, or do you isolate each track with maybe one other track to really get down to that particular sound?

(I always get stuck on high end melodies that are rhythmically interesting and complementary to my low end/drums)

I've been a member here for a while and have been lucky enough to get to watch Ben Samples go from nearly-unknown DJ/producer to glitch-hop superstar. How'd you make that happen? Any tips besides "have a limitless supply of dope original music"?

When you write tracks, do you have a release in mind for them? In other words, did you write all of Snowstorm (for example) knowing it was going to be one EP, or did it just come together that way?

Can I press you a little on how exactly you replay your songs as if they were on an MPC? I've been doing live PA type sets for the past year and I'm curious how you set things up--how you break up your tunes, what kinds of live remixing you do, etc.

Yo man! Thanks a ton for the shout out! Your music is a huge inspiration of mine.

I actually had a couple of quick questions for you in terms of the track process, surprisingly enough. I know, shocking.

One of the main problems that I always seem to run into when creating a track is variation. I'll create a solid loop/multiple loops, but then can't go much farther than that. Also, within that, I find trouble when trying to create tracks longer than about 3:30... Do you have any techniques for avoiding this or any tricks for progressing your song a little farther than point A?

Do you tend to quanitnize most of your tracks? And if not, how do you go about piecing together your tracks?

In terms of a glitchy sounds, do you ever create any of your sounds using any form of field recordings?

Thanks so much for the tips and I so look forward to hearing more of your future tracks!

Sincerely,
Tyler Chase
AKA - Cryptex

When I'm working on a tune I usually start by making a unique sounding drum kit. This usually doesn't take me too long but in the time that I do it I'll end up subconsciously selecting certain sounds that are layered in my kick or clap and those end up being what pushes me to the melodic side. (such as picking a sample that has a resonance at a certain frequency that makes me think, hey, C#m?)

Usually next, I try to make a synth line, and I typically just start working in whatever key feels right, if you look at my music you'll see that its pretty much all in minor keys and its pretty much all over the place, I don't stick to one main key really.
Since I make so much music, I rarely start a track without being able to visualize a finished product, which I think is a very important part in songwriting. Even if you cant visualize how you're gonna individually craft every instrument, you should at least have a strong goal. Sometimes its easiest to even take a song that you like and look at the arrangement, style, tempo, etc and just kind of follow that lead. Rarely will your song sound too much like anyone else's music, and if it does than that person made their song too simple

As far as getting stuck with songwriting, I find a lot of time I'm not content with the original basslines that i write for songs. I'll have a solid arrangement and melodic root, and I'll write a sick bass sequence, but it just won't be enough for my taste. So I usually end up just making lots and lots of different basslines, mostly played out on keyboard, and some programed and automated, but I won't stop til it feels right for the song. The bassline on Drop Bombs actually took me over 2 weeks to write, but the rest of the song probably only took a day. I sat there with hundreds of bass sequences, literally, and just kept working til it felt right.

Honestly, there are a lot of factors that come into play to expand your market from a local level to a national level. If you were from CO, you would know that I'm out every night hustling and networking, and in the year or 2 that I've grown my career I've opened for hundreds of bigger DJs and artists. It really goes far getting recognized by people, and you always have to play to the best of your abilities. Also, the festival circuit was crucial in expanding my market this year, I went to 11 festivals and played at 7 of them. Even when they were just for fun sets at sunrise in some random campsite, ppl still remember that and have fond memories of it.

As far as planning for releases, sometimes I have a general goal in mind, such as for Choose Your own adventure, I ended up writing all those songs exactly for that album, with a label already selected before really finishing most of it. I wrote 20 songs and cut it back to 14 for the album, but the B-sides I ended up reworking and now they're gonna be on Skyscraper (forthcoming EP on Simplify) which is all dubstep. Snowstorm I literally had no idea, it was my first release and I wasn't even gonna include Drop Bombs on it, I kind of wanted that as a single, but it ended up making the EP in the end. Nowadays, I typically write in blocks, where I'll have 2 weeks off and write an album or EP in that time, and I usually have a general idea of what i want to do or where I wanna release the EP/LP.

For playing songs live on the MPD, I end up breaking up the individual pieces of the song into 1/8th or 1/4 clips. From there i quantize the clips really fast, say to 1/16 and then just play it live. I usually use pieces from the original song, so I'll play the intro live MPC style, then work into a breakdown and let the song play out, and when the song breaks for teh second time, I'll be playing the bassline live with drum loops and stuff in the background. Wish a had a video, I did a workshop on it a few weeks back in CO at a laptop battle

Sounds like if you're having problems with variation and making your songs longer than you need to approach the transitions from a melodic side. A good way to do this is actually listen to a lot of prog rock (even though I kinda hate prog rock) because the way they change keys and develop melodies is really unique but the listener always seems to expect it. This doesn't always mean having your song based around melodic movement, but the idea of melodic development makes a song much easier to be a lot longer without getting boring.
Another good tip is using different synths and instruments for the same hook/melody in different parts of the song and in recapitulation movements. The idea of layered synths working in harmony and then removing certain layers or reintroducing them is a good way to develop your song. Also, if you have longer phrasing for your bass/synths, it doesn't seem as repetitive.

Quantization: I tend to use a good amount of quantization in my stuff, I've always pushed the "crunk" sound and I really want my leads and bass/drums to fit together like clockwork. Because of so many things being at nearly the same time, it kinda forces me to use a lot of sidechaining in a creative way as well as tons of Eqing on every track. sometimes if i write a piano lead or something a little more delicate i'll turn of quantization, but thats kinda rare

I was actually doing a lot of field recordings around the time I made the Samples Glitch Hop IDM Drum Kit (shameless plug http://www.zenhiser.com/products/Dirty- ... it-01.html ) but i tend to re-edit and reprocess everything i record. Its really hard to get the digital monster of a sound out of field recordings that I like, so I'll use a lot of filtering, lfos, envelopes, frequency shifters, etc to make the samples sound unique in the end.