Little Brother F/ Chaundon “So Cold”
April 9, 2010
Next track from “Left Back” produced by Hydrosonics alumnus King Karnov!
Hydrosonics-Rough Draft
March 30, 2010
NAME: Rough D.R.A.F.T
From: Cleveland, OH (now in Arizona)
Contact: Myspace
Nodfactor.com:So why the name Rough Draft?
Rough Draft: I used to be a graf artist in high school. My tag was KAOS back then. One day I was sitting in English class and had the most boring teacher ever, man. So we had to do a book report and she kept talking about the importance of the Rough Draft. I started tagging it and it looked good on paper so I changed my name. Today, I spell it Rough D.r.a.f.t.: Draft=Distorted.Reverberated.Amplified.Filtered.Thumpin’ .A lot of people have my name so I had to make it slightly different.
Nodfactor.com I like the “Watching Her Strut” beat on your Myspace page. How much of that is sampled and how much is played? if any?
Rough Draft
All of it is played.
Nodfactor.com
Nice. with?
Rough Draft
REASON and my laptop. No Midi controller, just the mouse pad. I input everything note for note.
Nodfactor.com
When did you first start producing and did you have any mentors?
Rough Draft
I first started making beats in ’93. I had a few mentors in the city. Jazmarc, Robbie Mann and Moe Tex. All those guys used the SP1200 and taught me. I bought my own SP in 1994. I consider those guys Cleveland legends to this day.
Nodfactor.com
I’ve read a lot of different stories about learning the SP. Some people actually read the manual, others were coached and some just jumped in blind. What did you do?
Rough Draft
I literally stayed up for 24 hours straight. When I bought my SP all I had was a ton of disks from my guys and a pair of headphones. That’s it. Jazmarc jokes about that even now. I was a fiend, man.
Nodfactor.com
Before you became a teen…93 seems like a million years ago now. What were your next moves after learning the SP?
Rough Draft
After I learned the SP, I bought the Ensoniq ASR-10 and MIDI’d them together. I used to do my filtered samples and basslines in the ASR, and had the drums thumpin’ out the SP. I put out an underground demo named “Uptight City” in ’94. People still talk about that demo today. I was doing a lot of performing and battling back then and earned my rep that way.
Nodfactor.com
Battling as an MC and as producer or just production?
Rough Draft
Was also doing a lot of production for local artists out of the small studio I had in East Cleveland. I do both, so I was getting at dudes on the mic and on the beats.
Nodfactor.com
When did you move to NYC?
Rough Draft
July of 2001.
Nodfactor.com
Was that a productive move for you? Music wise?
Rough Draft
It was more of a valuable life experience for me. I was up there with a wife and four kids at the time, so my urgency to make money was on a whole different level. More than often my music took the back burner for things that got me faster cash. I met Lord Finesse in the Bronx though. I think he’s one of the most down to Earth brothas in the industry.We kept in contact for a few months before I moved to VA.
Nodfactor.com
Say word? Ok. Did you guys share any production experiences?
Rough Draft
I left a few beats CD’s with him. He told me he felt me but that my sound was behind the times. Most of the time when I talked to Finesse, I was talkin’ to Rob…feel me? The few times we spoke was about life in general and not so much about the music. He’s a great dude.
Nodfactor.com
That’s what’s up. What did you think of his advice though? About being behind the times?
Rough Draft
I agreed with him and he was right. I moved to New York about 10 years too late. When I got there, I was still crankin’ out the old Pete Rock, old Large Pro, old Dilla sound. The whole emphasis of Hip Hop had changed to being ‘Gangsta’, and the sound had changed along with it. So I had to get up to speed on the current sound. It helped me grow as a producer. Now I can give an artist any sound he wants.
Nodfactor.com
What adjustments did you make sonically? Sampling less? Sampling different things?
Rough Draft
Tempo was a main adjustment. The sound texture was another. Less grit and more of a clean sound is what I switched to. NO JAZZ! LOL! Cats in the streets was not tryin’ to hear no jazzy beats. I started sampling from different sources than Jazz records. Started messing with rock, etc.
Nodfactor.com
Tell me about the beat battles you attended. Were those helpful in advancing your career at all?
Rough Draft
Honestly no. The first beat battle I was in was at CBGB’s Lounge and it had an all-star panel of judges. Finesse, Primo, Diamond were there, and I think Hank Shocklee was too among others. The judges wanted to see you actually push MPC pads and improvise on stage. I was one of the dudes who just had a beat CD though…no MP. So I blew out this dude in the first round but got taken in the 2nd because that brotha was doing things live on the MP for the judges.At Nuyorican and 5 Spot it was a different story.
Nodfactor.com
How so?
Rough Draft
At those battles I was outnumbered terribly. It was guys that had what I felt were garbage beats but had they whole damn neighborhood in the spot. So in those battles based on crowd response, I came up short every time.I didn’t come to the battle with no more than 3-4 people.
Nodfactor.com
yeah, I’ve been to the Nuyorican battles before. That crowd judging is a little suspect LOL
Rough Draft
So you know how it can be!
Nodfactor.com
Definitely
Rough Draft
Still was a learning experience though. Taught me showmanship. A lot of times the crowd want to see more than you just push and button and let your beat play. They want to feel your presence and personality.
Nodfactor.com
Yeah, the Fight Club cats were doing Beat club like that for a minute cats were PERFORMING on their MPCS. Was around 2005.
Rough Draft: I had just moved to VA by then.
Nodfactor.com Tell me about your crew the Synconauts
Rough Draft
My Brothas Jazmarc came up with the name about a year and a half ago. Were were part of a much, much larger collective called The Soulful Senate. Over the years things happened to members. Death, Jail, some just stopped rhymin’ and gave up on the dream. We stayed close like brothers though. It’s me, Jaz and Dominator. Jazmarc taught both of us how to make beats back in the day. Since then we have evolved into out own distinct sounds. Into our own. All three of us pull double duty on the mic and on the beats. Jaz uses the 3000 for most of his stuff, Dominator uses the 4000, and I use REASON now. I have CD’s of beats I did on the SP, the 60, and the 2000 though.
Nodfactor.com
You’ve done some music related things to pay the bills over the years. How did you get into the sound editing and voice over work?
Rough Draft
My kids used to dance at Uptown Dance Academy in East Harlem. They do a production every Christmas called The Black Nutcracker. They found out that I do music and we worked out a deal for me to do all the music editing for their productions. I used to be on the Connex List, an industry contact list provided by DJ Sonic and Lord Vader of the Wonder Twinz. I got the voice over work from being listed in there.
Nodfactor.com
wow
Rough Draft
I used to sell CD’s on Times Square from time to time, too. That, and at a couple of Bronx barber shops.
Nodfactor.com
I probably gave you the Heisman a few times not even realizing LOL
Rough Draft
Nothing has changed..I’m still looking for ways to get my music placed and earn income.
Ad agencies, Rocbattle.com, dance theatres..whatever. However I can get it out there and get paper.
Nodfactor.com It’s good that you are thinking outside of the record business. Because I think there is more money in advertising than records these days.
You hear the beats on some of these GMC ads?
Rough Draft: Man, I would LOVE to get music on one of these commercials. The car could be ugly, I don’t care.
Nodfactor.com There is a producer, Wendell Hanes that put out a book called The 30 30 Career. You should check it out
Nodfactor.com
Bet. So what’s on deck for 2010?
Rough Draft
I have the OK the release a few instrumental albums on the Cleveland based indie label ClevelandTapes. My guy Rafiq runs the label and seems to have a pretty talented, diverse roster. My music will be available for download online. I’m also in the process of posting beats to Rocbattle.com to see what that’s about. It would be cool if I could make a couple of dollars on there. I’ve been writing new songs to perform live. That way I can sell CD’s at the shows. I’m excited about the whole process of writing and performing again. The advertising thing is what I’m really pushing for this year though. I want my music in commercials and film, man. That’s looooong money right there.
The Official Nodfactor Hydrosonics Mixtape
February 3, 2010
For all of you hungry, independent, up coming producers out there that have been wondering about the the details of the Hydrosonics mixtape here you go!
-It will be 15-20 tracks in total
-Illmind will be the host he and will also play a big part in helping us select the producers/tracks that will be featured on the project
-we will be asking producers that are selected to send in video footage of them making tracks which will be a part of our viral campaign
-the project will be released online to all forms of media, we will also be sending the project to different industry professionals such various A&R’s/Managers/Artists/Etc.
Our goal is to gain exposure for the producers who we essentially deem as the “Best of the Next”. All mixtape participants will be featured in Hydrosonics if they have not already been selected. The expected release is to be next month and we will be taking submissions until the project is complete to our standards so there is no concrete deadline as of yet, we will provide a date once we get closer to our goal.
Send submissions to Hydromixtape@gmail.com or hydrosonics@gmail.com
Hydrosonics-The Letter C
January 26, 2010
In our next installment of Nodfactor.com’s “unsigned hype” for producers we interview Beast Of The Beats II Champion and Grind Music apprentice, The Letter C.
Hydrosonics-The Letter C from Jerry Barrow on Vimeo.
Hydrosonics: Parlay, “We Speak Beats”
November 24, 2009
Meet Parlay of Dreamcatchers, LLC. The Paris born producer recently tore down an iStandard beat battle and made everyone say Missy needs to get this kid on the phone pronto. He met with Nodfactor.com to share how he tweaks Fruity Loops to make some out of this world instrumentals.
HYDROSONICS: $port Is True To The Game
July 10, 2009
Name: $port
From: Toledo, Ohio
Contact:
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1) Your track “Check In” has been heating up the ‘net. Tell me about the making of the beat and recording of the song.
Well, with that beat, it just kinda took on a life of its own. The beat was originally titled ‘General Made’, because of where I got the sample. I won’t say exactly what it is, but if you knew, you’d understand why. It was this one little part I heard and it just caught me. It sounded so monstrous. So I started messing around with it, et voila. The way the strings where screeching, I knew it deserved some really harsh drums.
I eventually sent that, along with a bunch of other beats, to Theo. He hit me up later like ‘Yo, I think I have something for that ‘General Made’ joint.’ I was excited right out the gate because I wanted to see where he would take it. About a week or so later, he hit me up again; ‘I’m going to record the joint on Monday.’ Now this was the day before I left for the One Stop Shop, so I’m already amped about that.
Come Monday morning, I get another message; ‘I’ll have it the track to you later on.’ Mind you, I’m in Phoenix, so it’s mad early in the morning. Later that evening, I finally land back home. I turn my phone on as the plane pulls to the gate. And, you know, you get that wave of messages you missed because you can’t have your phone on in flight. Sure enough, I get an email with the subject ‘Checkin’ In’. Now I’m scrambling trying to claim my bag, then find an outlet to plug my laptop into, all before my ride comes to pick me up. I found an outlet in a corner, opened the email and boom. I know people were looking at me like I was crazy because I was sitting indian-style in a corner, headphones on, shaking my head.
The song was everything I imagined it could be and more. If you know Theo, then you know he’s really cool and laid back. He doesn’t drink or smoke. But for him to black out the way he did was just insane. The response has been great from all types of people. Because of that, Theo and I are working on a full-length project right now. This is the resurrection of the ‘one emcee, one producer’ era. You have Blu & Exile. You have Torae and Marco Polo. Now you’ll have Theo & $port. We’re working on the strategy as we speak. It’ll be dropping in August.
2) You were one of the few and proud at the One Stop Shop Conference this year. What did you learn from that experience?
Honestly, the one main lesson I learned was that I don’t need a beat battle or showcase to validate what I’m doing. When the main battle came around, I actually had to leave the room because I was so upset. To see people who I consider legends and my heroes all nodding and going crazy to all this music that wasn’t mines just lit a fire under me. As a producer, you’re always thinking that you have it and you want to press play for everybody in the world.
So I was angry about not being able to show and prove. But I was a winner anyway. Turns out, I spent the entire weekend building with none other than Just Blaze, Matt Fingaz and Paul Cantor. We all ate dinner together both nights, and while doing that I was able to fortify some seriously great bonds with both Gooch (Paul Cantor) and Just. I learned so much just from listening. A lot of the conversation wasn’t even about music at all. Hell, we were talking about sneakers and turns out Gooch was filming the whole thing one night as Just gave me props on the kicks I was wearing that night. The footage ended being all over the blogs! I had people hitting me up like, ‘Did I just see YOU and JUST BLAZE talking about Nikes??!’
There was one moment that stuck with me. We were all chillin’ out and I just happened to be ranting about not being in the battle. Gooch told me straight up, ‘Yo, you don’t need to be in a f*cking battle!’ He was absolutely right. I walked away with memories and connections that some of my peers would give a kidney for. Plus, when I stepped off the plane, Theo had a bomb planted in my inbox.
3) What did you start making beats on and what are you using now?
When I was about 15, I started using a game for the Playstation, MTV Music Generator. It was a pretty dope game. You could sample and it had some decent sounds for what it was. I guess I was indirectly preparing myself. Eventually, my older brother Kev had bought a Yamaha Motif and a MPC 2000XL. That was the setup for a while. Once he left the house, I was stuck. A friend of mines was always telling me how Reason was so great and how I needed to get with that. I finally took his advice. Now everything I do is done in Reason. Everything is right in front you and I’ve found a great workflow. I am going to get another MP soon. That’s my first love.
4) What is the biggest mistake you’ve made in the studio and how did you fix it?
I’m still making mistakes. That’s the beauty of the craft, there’s always room for improvement. I will say that the biggest mistake I’ve made is trying to do what somebody else was doing in one way or another. It took me a second to find my own lane. Once I did, I just ran with it.
From a technical standpoint, the biggest mistake I’ve made was on the mixing side. I had to learn the hard way that the way the track sounds is so crucial. I had to learn what it means to listen with fresh ears. I had to learn what translation is. Like I said, I’m still learning. It’s a process, but it’s coming along.
5) If you could ask your favorite producer one question what would it be?
If I had to pick ONE question at this very moment?? That’s not fair, J. I would probably ask Dilla just how he did it with ‘Time: The Donut of the Heart’. I’ve listened to that beat hundreds of times and each time feels like the very first. For him to do that like he did, he made me realize that I have so far to go.
6)” Sax Blue and Yellow” is dope. What’s the story behind that beat?
I’m a huge fan of A Bathing Ape. All of my friends will tell you that. It’s to the point where I don’t feel that my outfit is complete unless there is at least of piece of Bape involved. That particular beat was a part of a small EP dedicated to A Bathing Ape I had put out some months ago. Sax Blue and Yellow is actually a color combination that Bape uses often in clothes and shoes. When I heard that sample, I just saw those colors, hence the title. It’s kinda weird, but that’s the honest truth!
7) Why the name Sport?
It’s funny because the name is really a remnant of my old rapping days. Years and years ago, I wanted to rap. I know, what was I thinking, right?? But I wanted to rap, and would call myself ‘Shine’. Then Shyne came out, so I had a problem. I added ‘Sport’. Shine Sport. I got smarter and quit rapping and calling myself Shine. All that was left was Sport and some beats. The dollar sign was just me being silly about it, but it worked. Everybody knows me by $port. It’s not hard to forget. It’s succinct. I’m not changing, either! It’s too late for all that.
For profile consideration submit your beats to Hydrosonics@gmail.com
Have a beat question? Send them to AskKhrysis@gmail.com
HYDROSONICS:Nick Cicero “We Got The Jazz”
July 3, 2009
Name: Nick CiceroContact: Myspace
I started making beats 3 years ago. I had always been fascinated by the instrumental only tracks of hip-hop songs. I had tapes and cds of them that I would just play over and over. I started out composing a lot of jazz songs and classical compositions, and discovered through an experimental jazz phase that I could use my Apple iBook and Garageband to make beats. I know it sounds weak and all, but that’s what I happened to have available at the time. From there I moved on to my current setup, a MacbookPro with Logic 8 and Reason 4, MIDI keyboards, Numark Turntables, and the Akai MPD16.
Do you play any instruments? Any formal music training?
Yeah I’ve been playing jazz trumpet since I was seven, and been in music allmy life. Right now I’m a Music major at Nazareth College in Rochester NY. There are so many great teachers here that have taught me so much, and I’ve tried to take that knowledge and parlay it into my music production.
I think that the bigger mistake facing sample-based producing these days is the lack of digging that’s going on. The Internet is a great tool, and there are a lot of albums goingaround different forums and things, but for me I need to get dusty in the crates. That’s the essence of hip-hop. It was real cool when I “discovered” sampling. I have been collecting old jazz and soul records for years because I loved the music, so when I figured out that I was sitting on a goldmine, it was on. In fact I still haven’t made a dent in the records…and I’ve got a few crazy discs that I’m waiting for the right time to sample.
I see you have some TV deals in the works. How is producing for TV
different than for songs?
Well TV calls upon knowledge in a variety of music genres. I’ve written simple
doo-wop jingles, and I’ve also done large cinematic numbers for independent films. The important thing in composing for video is that you need to realize that people aren’t going to be watching and listening for the music first. If you can put your pride on the backburner you can really have fun decorating the action.
Hydrosonics: Divine Drummah
May 4, 2009
Name: Divine Drummah
From: Trenton, New Jersey
Contact: MySpace
This brother tore down the iStandard Producer showcase in NYC in March so I had to find out a little bit more about him. He’s been making beats since 1990 and we spoke about how he got started and some of the connects he’s made doing the beat battle circuit.
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Hydrosonics-MP3
October 6, 2008
Name: MP3
Representing: Philadelphia, PA
Contact: MySpace
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Interview by Christopher Buckley
Nodfactor: What does MP3 stand for? How did you guys come about?
Alex: MPIII was a random name that came about one day as we were looking through iTunes. We had to convert some files to mp3 format and Alex said “YO” that’s the name for us. We all agreed on the name and ever since that day we were MPIII, which stands for Music Producers x 3 brothers. We knew one another since birth. We were a squad since we came out the womb.
Nodfactor: How do you define MP3′s sound?
Alex: It’s kinda difficult to describe MPIII sound because we are so versatile. If we had to describe our sound we would be a mixture between Polow Da Don and Kanye West.
Nodfactor: What are some of the obstacles your team has faced so far?
Rog: We’ve had problems with previous management earlier on in our musical journey. We also had a lot of cats who loved our music but weren’t willing to put money in our pockets. We never got the support from our parents, and also struggled to get studio time when we didn’t have our own equipment.
Nodfactor: Give me a little musical background on each of you guys; what are your strong points?
Freddy: We grew up deeply in Jamaican heritage and music was always in the house.. We all play different musical instruments. Alexspec and FreddyGenivs are the drummers of the squad and Rog Rebel plays keys and bass, so we try to gear our production around our roots.
Nodfactor: Who are some of your musical influences, who would you compare your style or sound to?
Freddy: Some of our musical influences are Kanye West, Heatmakerz, Timbaland, Neptunes, Polow Da Don but mainly Jimmy Rose and Drumcrazie who are close friends of ours. When nobody encouraged us they were the ones who told us not to give up and because of that our music has evolved into what it is today.
Nodfactor: How is MP3 representative of the Philly music scene & also how are you guys different?
Freddy: We represent the Philly music scene in the way of being musically talented. Philly is known for a lot of great musicians. Although we are producers we are musicians as well. We are different because we are not afraid to experiment in different genres. We provide a wide service. We’re like Wal-Mart, a one-stop shop, while other people from Philly are your Dollar Tree, who don’t offer a wide variety.
Nodfactor: What are the group’s personal goals for the upcoming year?
Rog: Our goals are to stay humble, to press toward the mark of a higher calling (Philippians 3:14), and to get these placements!
Nodfactor: So I understand MP3 is a group within in a group, The Yuppies right? What are the positives & negatives you find working together in a group that size?
Alex: The positives and negatives are definitely dealing with perspectives because we’re each different but we still think 6 heads are better than 1. In the beginning we were competitive but after a year of working together we realized that as a camp we need to have unity and help rather than hurt one another, and now things couldn’t be better. Since we’re all are about making music our careers everybody just plays their role. We wouldn’t want Konscious who’s a writer to start making beats in MPIII. He’ll hear the beat and immediately begin doing his part which is writing and we just keep it moving. That’s why we formed the Yuppies. Most of us grew up together prior to the group but when we were trying to get a name for MPIII the name Yuppies was in the mix. We discarded it because MPIII was the name for us but when we researched the word Yuppie it was used for young urban professionals in the 1980s and we just wanted to bring that whole idea back. We’re all young, urban, and professional so we felt that the word embodies everything we are. The group consists of MPIII, David “Drumcrazie” Curby, Dana Starr, and Rashard “Konscious” Bryan. In October we will be having the one year anniversary of The Yuppies and we are just focused on making progress.
Nodfactor: Is there any artist that your currently working with that the industry should take notice of and watch out for?
Alex: The hottest rapper out the south Sugar Tongue Slim and Dana Starr and Local artist Chess. Watch out for them, they “CRAZY”.
Nodfactor: Many producers are looking for publishing deals nowadays because it so hard to get work on an album to album basis, is this something you would consider and if so why or why not?
Alex: HELL YEA! To see so many producers doing it and by seeing them do good makes us that much more hungry to get placements. So a pub deal would be a blessing from the most high. JAH!
Hydrosonics-Ken B “Kind of Blue”
October 2, 2008
Name: Ken B
Age: 27
Representing: Willingboro, New Jersey
Side hustle until first placement:
Audio/Visual Tech for the hotel, resort and conference center industry.
Contact: http://www.myspace.com/kenfocus
Key Tracks: “Black Magic” “Never Blue”
When did you first start producing and with what equipment?
While I was in high school I would piece together instrumentals onto cassettes by recording, then pausing at the end of a 4 or 8 bar break, rewinding the tape and recording the loop over and over again. I broke many play and rewind buttons back then. In 2002 I found a software program called Fruity Loops. A couple years after that, I attended an Audio Engineering school where I was introduced to Reason and thats what I’ve been using since.
How would you describe your sound?
Melodic, Cinematic, Vivid, Jazzy, Dream-like, Epic. I try to maintain the sound and feel of live instrumentation, but with that Hip-Hop groove.
Your “Blue Magic” remix was really good. How did you make it?Well, to be honest, the marriage of that acapella and my beat was kind of random. I had already composed and arranged the music inside of Reason, when I noticed the tempos were similar. I made some adjustments on the beats tempo/BPM (beats per minute) to match up with the acapellas BPM. Then I synced up the vocals with the track and mixed them down together in Cool Edit. The track just so happened to be in key with the hook so it worked out. When your doing remixes, all you really need is the tempo/BPM and its like a kid having the keys to a candy shop. You can flip the song and give it a whole new vibe, with your own little signature. This remix, I felt, represents my sound to a pretty good degree, and I hope people that dig that mellowed out sound like it as much as I do. I had a lot of fun putting it together.
What was the last piece of equipment you acquired? are you more software, hardware or instruments?
An M-Audio Radium 49 Midi Keyboard. Being computer savvy, I would say I’m more software oriented. That being said, nothing beats a good, clean recording of a live instrument.
What mistakes have you made in recording that you’ve learned from?
The first mistake is that I didn’t backup a lot of my early work and a hard-drive crash wiped out two years of worth of work. So BACKUP, BACKUP, BACKUP!
The other thing I’ve learned is that not everything has to be loud in the mix. I recently read an article, in which, a mastering engineer showed how running your sound through equipment that simply made it louder, squashed the stereo image and compromised the dynamics of a good mix. It’s a lesson I’m still learning as I try to sharpen my skills in mixing and mastering. Quality and Dynamics are becoming more important to me as I’ve grown.
What artist would you like to make a beat for the most and why?
It’s a tie between Pharaoh Monch, because of his energy and the way he animates his voice on a track, Black Thought, because of his substance, and Jay-Z, because his conversational tone fits well over my music. One.Be.Lo. is another artist that I would like to work with.
