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Low End Theory
For SM55 we’ve headed Stateside to
explore one of the most interesting and
innovative electronic music scenes of the new
millennium: the edgy and experimental LA
beat scene.
Coalescing around the Low End Theory club
night, from which this collection lends its
name, a diverse crew of outsider bedroom
producers have risen to global prominence
with their unique, DIY fusion of sample-heavy
hip-hop, noisy electronica, sunsoaked chillout,
psychedelic jazz and soulful funk.
Producers like Flying Lotus, Gaslamp Killer,
Nosaj Thing and Daedelus continue to push
the limits of this near boundaryless sound
and with Low End Theory we’ve immersed
ourselves in their world of urban skylines, weed
smoke and hazy sunsets.
The result is a sprawling opus to the LA beat
scene: punchy low-slung beats, thick and
fuzzy bass, languid keys, kaleidoscopic synths,
skittish percussion, wildly pitched vocals,
heavily processed FX alongside stacks of
characterful drum hits and melodic shots.
To do the sound justice, we dusted off the
finest tools for the job: classic drum machines
such as the Roland TR-808 and 909, stalwart
synths like the Korg MS-20, Roland Juno-6,
Nord Lead 2 and Yamaha DX7, envied
outboard including the Urei Teletronix LA2A
and Roland Space echo, as well as variety
Low End Theory
recorders and samplers from the likes of
Studer and Akai to achieve that textural
collaged aesthetic.
For the beat fiends there’s stacks of swung
grooves fusing classic west coast hip-hop and
crunchy Dilla-style beats with contemporary
trap influences. All are offered with a full drum
mix alongside the stripped stems to offer you
complete freedom to build custom beats.
Those seeking more beat ammo can find a
choice selection of fat one-shots curated into
5 custom drum kits for all major samplers.
On a melodic tip, there’s everything from
dirty bass riffs to tweeter-freaking subs, cosmic
synths to rippling keys, woozy progressions
to smokey chords that ooze with vintage
warmth and analogue charm. All loops are
key-labeled for complete convenience and
offered with the associated MIDI file to give
you absolute control over both the sound
and music.
As always, everything in this collection
has been created and optimised to work
together. All the loops are tempo-synced
and precision-cut at 140bpm, allowing you
to mix and match sounds with ease to create
inspiring motifs in minutes. We hope you enjoy
exploring all the collection has to offer.
This is Low End Theory; it’s time to get deep…
The Producer
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Kit list
Roland Juno-60
Nord Lead 2
Yamaha DX7
Korg Polysix
Korg Mono/Poly
Korg MS-20 Mini
MicroKorg
Roland TR-606
Roland TR-808
Roland TR-909
SSL Mynx
Urei 1176
Urei Teletronix LA2A
Neve Portico 542
Chorus Echo RE-501
Space Echo RE-201
Akai GX-635D Reel to Reel Tape
Recorder
Akai GX-M10 Cassette Deck
Studer A800
Akai APC40
NI Maschine
Low End Theory
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Producer tips
Low End Theory
Saturation
Manipulating source material
Saturation processing is great way to
add a richness, warmth and fullness to
your mix, helping your tracks sound less
“in-the-box” and by injecting harmonics
and texture into the sound sounds.
Both tube and tape saturation are
great ways to dirty things up in order to
capture the raw, heavily re-sampled
aesthetic associated with the LA
beat scene.
Heavy sample processing is a staple of
the LA beat scene. Whether it’s a vocal,
percussion loop or field recording, try
using a combination of filters, phasers,
bit-crushers and distortion alongside
re-looping and re-ptiching to create
totally new and unique leads, pads
or textures that barely resemble the
source material.
Feel the groove
Exotic instrumentation
Producers working in the LA beat scene
often re-appropriate sounds, rhythm
and instrumentation from around the
world. Delve deep into other musical
cultures and explore the sonic, melodic
and rhythmic potential of less familiar
instruments such as kalimba, marimba,
harp, koto and sitar.
A great way to create beats which
have that distinctive wonky groove
is to use a sampler to program drum
patterns rather than using the piano
roll. Not only is it undeniably more fun
than clicking a computer mouse, the
freedom of finger-drumming gives that
innate human feel into your beats and
helps take your groove “off-the-grid” in
new and interesting ways.
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Folder setup
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Accessing the files
Credits
Collection created by
Comakid
Drum Loops
Low End
Theory
Sample Magic online
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140bpm
Tops Loops
140bpm
Bass Loops
140bpm
Synth Loops
140bpm
Music Loops
140bpm
Vocal Loops
140bpm
FX
Loops
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Artwork by IWANT Design Limited
One-shots
kicks
Claps
Hi-hats
Percussion
Drum Hits
Snares
Low End Theory created by
Produced by: Comakid
Executive production: Barry McManus &
Lukas Lyrestam
Audio formatting by: Henry Brown
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– Downtempo Electronica
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