Hip-hop music has evolved in so many ways since the first solo drum break played by the God father of hip-hop DJ Cool Herc. The 90’s brought about many new techniques and equipment used to create many iconic records. The art of sampling has been the essence of hip-hop by manipulating different loops and drum breaks from old soul records. The use of samplers, drum machines, synthesizers, and turntables has all been the go-to equipment for modern hip-hop production. Here are a few of the exemplary pieces of hardware that legendary producers in the industry have used to create some of hip-hop's notable records.
Akai MPC Series
The introduction of the MPC changed the way music was created in hip-hop. The MPC 3000 was introduced in 1994 and had the ability to replay sampled drums and loops on a 16-pad layout. The introduction of this new technology allowed producers the ability to keep the “swing” element to their rhythm while correcting human error with the quantize feature. Notable producers such as Dr.Dre, Dj Premier, and J Dilla have used this drum machine to make some of the best hip-hop hits in history.
Ensoniq ASR-10
Despite the intense competition between music manufacturers Akai and E-Mu the Ensoniq ASR-10 was one of the go to samplers used in hip-hop. This sampler was used as a one-stop production tool that featured a sequencer, digital effects processor, and a built-in synthesizer used to manipulate samples. Wu-Tang Clan producer RZA used this sampler as his career flourished and able to create Wu-Tang and Method Man’s albums with this vintage hardware. In recent times producers like DJ Toomp were able to create notable records like “Good Life” by Kanye West and Jake One with Drake’s “Furthest Thing.”
Technics SL-1200 MK4
In 1996 Technics released their latest model of the SL series with the SL-1200. This new model was used to focus more on high-end music lovers as opposed to DJs. This new model added the ability to use 78 RPMs along with the standard 33 and 45-rpm buttons. The use of the pitch slider also contributed to the custom listening of vinyl records.
