Take Your Beats to the Next Level || “J Dilla-Feel” Tutorial || Jerky/Slippery/Neo-Soul Style Beat

by @mattkolb

[cesarramirezmartin]

Thank you this is so helpful 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼

[MacMic]

Today I figured out MIDI offsets for writing beats which I then learn to play on live kit, then I saw this page! Very cook thanks for your in-sight.

[matthewciejka]

There's really is a theoretical reason for how long notes should get "delayed." Learning about quintuplet/septuplet swing and applying it to your beats can mean your musical choices are more valuable than just delaying the hi hats and snares all willy nilly.

[cdot]

Thanks for this man! not sure if you read Dilla Time yet, but thanks for translating this to Logic Pro X.

[djmmjd]

Thanks! Do more videos like this. And what's the shortcut to keep bringing up that Event list window when you're inside the piano roll?

[TxmmyBeats]

I don’t think it’s quantization presets, but more so swing / groove presets. Quantizing would make it straight.

[anxiousmindmusic]

People are not going to like you saying that Dilla quantised :) I like to play drums out on Maschine and quantise by 50% - loose is cool but often without some adherence to the grid it slides towards being sloppy. Enjoyed this take on Dilla, subbed.

[onemotrack]

Hi, I was wondering if you could also show and explain the processes while you were chopping the samples and programming the beats. I also was wondering is it necessary to have a drum machine or sampler to do the job above? Or could it be done all by its own plug in, which is quick sampler. Thanks!

[deeforlp]

Can someone please help. Every time I change the quantization (i.e., 1/16 Swing E) it changes all the other tracks as well. How do you get the tracks to have their own quantization preference?

[troyrichardson]

What was that thing you did to bring up the little window where you slightly delayed each note on the midi grid?

[SamSilk]

This can't be Dilla's original workflow. He used to work with an MPC which only allow for a very limited choice of quantize values. Most of his work was done with his fingers and ears and he really didn't use quantize that much. I'm pretty sure he knew how to finger drum quintuplets and septuplets though.

[DaveDEF]

And yet another one who did not really master that feel at all but felt the need to make a tutorial...

[AdriRamiAKAETHG]

Not really, Dilla is known to just not quantize. Sometimes he would, but he also would not loop. Many times he would actually embrace most of his mistakes and incorporate elements that compliment the mistakes he makes to make the beats sound perfect. Due to most of his most famous works being only done on his MPC, he never had access to any of this micro quantizations. He would just chop in a very human way that cannot be just narrowed down to just something as simple as a very specific kind of quantize. All of his music is supposed to sound live and real, or very different. Dilla just made what felt right, which automatically starts off with turning off the quantize. Another thing that most people forget about is the sounds he used. He mixed his sounds in such a different method and eq’d samples to make his music sound otherworldly, that he mastered Sound design for drums. The records were also handpicked, and examined very closely by Dilla so he can know what he is sampling before he sampled, checking the back and looking at the instruments that musicians were using in records, who the drummers were. It will probably almost be impossible to get the Dilla feel right, since he rarely quantized, making his drums unique only to him, but also because Dilla dedicated all of his talents on music, and was so passionate over it that he would even lose sleep, or forget to eat at moments because he loved making music so much. This is still an extremely informative video on what you can do to spice a beat up and make it sound more fresh, and less bland, but it’s definitely not a dilla technique.

[vabstract]

Why not just play everything without Quantization, you just have to groove with your beat. Not really much to it.

[chriscash]

Still kind of stiff not Dilla like really. I find the best is to completely turn quantize off and nudge everything thats off into being on time. BTW, not bragging but I won Dilla Week on a weekly contest beat making forum I sometimes participate on

[jovantrendmaker]

In your video "boring" sounded better than "dilla" so it shows you its not all about timing. Most is ear for sound and sample selection. Bass also makes groove move diferent and sounds way more complex. All on all just do what you like and what is fun to you

[dylanschweitzer]

Bro I can hear ever nuance of your voice and your tongue and smacking, turn down that gain playa

[modaroho]

no need to say "however" so much

[mudhuthanudimmudkahagadulh]

That beat does not have the dilla feel to it. Go back listen to his opuses again

[esahm]

I'm certain that J Dilla did not work this way! Your approach is way too theoretical, mechanistic and unintuitive.