SuperProducerBosko.com

Logic Studio 9 out now!

No Comments Written by spbosko on July 25, 2009 – 4:41 am

Excuse my excitement, but I am a Logic User since 1994 and the program just keeps getting better. The newest version came out today and includes some major enhancements. Something called “Flex Time” being the most notable IMO. I will be posting a review of the program shortly! Stay tuned

Big Boi feat. Bosko “Ringtone”

No Comments Written by spbosko on February 19, 2009 – 9:54 am

Big Boi is back with his new single “Ringtone” featuring yours truly on ElectroSpit (aka “talkbox”) and back ground vocals! I got the call at about 1AM one night from my friend Chris Carmouche, Big Boi’s main engineer at Stankonia in Atlanta. He said “Big wants you to do your magic on this new cut… he thinks it’s gonna be a single!” So of course I arrived on the scene a few minutes later and put down some nasty ElectroSpit tracks to complement the classic Big Boi lyrics…and here we are with Big Boi’s 1st single of 2009!

Dynamic Producer Panel @ BeatLab, Atlanta

No Comments Written by spbosko on January 20, 2009 – 5:05 am

I had the pleasure of sharing the stage this past Friday with fellow Super Producers the JUSTICE League (Jay-Z, Rick Ross), Maestro (Lil Wayne, Ice Cube), Needlz (50 Cent) and Linx (Day 26) at the DynamicProducer.com Winter Seminar. Young hungry producers from all over the world packed into the “hip-hop-producer-lifestyle-shop” BeatLab, Atlanta to get some firsthand knowledge on how to come up in the music game.

(L to R) Needlz, Bosko, & Maestro on Dynamic Producer Panel, BeatLab - Atlanta

We broke it down on a variety topics, beginning with what equipment we started on. I cut my teeth on the Ensoniq ASR-10, but I always used a computer for sequencing (the ASR internal sequencer sucks). So, when Logic came of age, I was one of the first to do serious hip hop production all virtual (year 2000!). I was tired of dragging my racks up to the Bay to work w/E40, and I’m never going back to racks! Needlz and Maestro both started on the MPC and then moved to Logic Audio software (however Needlz has since switched back…). The consensus on the panel was that the gear doesn’t make the producer. With the low cost of high tech today, skill is what separates. Master what you have. I cautioned against becoming a gear/sound collector instead of a beat maker…. or as Maestro put it, ”If you’re a producer, PRODUCE!”

Another topic was how we got our first placements and the role of management. The panelist each had different takes and experiences. Needlz has been managed by the well connected and well respected Folayan Knight allowing him to focus on the music. Maestro and myself on the other hand are both self-managed, which brings the challenge of balancing making music and networking. Maestro felt comfortable on his own with the addition of a lawyer to handle finer deal points. For me, not having a manager sucks…especially considering I’m already balancing being an Artist and a Producer. However, even with a Grammy and over 10 million sold, finding a great manager who is powerful enough to help with placements yet still accessible has always been a challenge…so I feel your pain up-and-comers! We agreed that you just have to hustle, but (especially if you are the shy type) you may need to hook up with someone who will hit the streetz.

The night ended with heated producer battle. The “sweet sixteen” top up-and-coming producers went head to head, beat for beat, in a 45 sec tournament style contest judged by our panel. The production duo “Raw Talent” took home the trophy and it was well deserved. They showed depth and breadth of skillz on everything from dirty south 808 tracks to techno. Look out for them! Runner up “Fuego” from Germany probably had the hottest beat of the night, and Stupid Genius, ManBeast, and Sweat Shop Productions all made strong showings.

Much thanks to DynamicProducer.com’s Felisha Booker for having me on the panel! We will have some video and more flicks up soon! P.S. – if you have additional footage please send me the link so I can include it.

Looking forward to your comments and questions!

NAMM 09 - RETURN OF THE MPC!

No Comments Written by spbosko on January 18, 2009 – 10:02 pm

The MOTU BPM virtual drum machine

The MPC is back! ….kind of. One of the most striking things about all the new gear announced at NAMM this year is the focus on virtual drum machines both with and without real hardware control. Native Instruments the Maschine, MOTU’s BPM, and OpenLabs Bump MP update, all have jumped (back) on the mpc-style pad bandwagon. With old-school hardware drum machines like the MPC, sampling time and more features were the dream. Software Sequencers like Logic & Cubase with millions of plug ins took us into outer space with limitless sounds and sequencing possibilities. Geeks (like me) rejoiced, but it took 10x longer to make beats since you had to audition at least 20 different snares and click through 5 different sub-windows just to truncate a loop (ahem… EXS24).

Thankfully, simplicity and speed are back on the radar and I’m hoping that these new tools can help us get back to knockin’ out 10 beats a day…we need to to keep up with rappers like Lil Wayne! These new tools are a perfect opportunity for Old Schoolers to come out of their caves and experience the ease (and cost savings!) of using a laptop. MOTU’s BPM combined with a keyboard/pad controller like Akai’s MPK25 or Korg’s padKontrol will open up a whole new world to any MPC addict. This is also a chance for laptop only producers to get physical and really bang out like the pioneers (think Primo, Pete Rock).

This has inspired me to take a hard look at simplifying my setup and workflow. I believe successful producers have to remember to be beat makers and not sound/plug-in collectors.

What are your thoughts? Do you like the MPC-style pad trend? Did you work faster on the MPC than you do now on a laptop? Check out the new stuff from NAMM below and tell me your thoughts?

Akai MPK25

Native Instruments - The Maschine

Open Labs Miko LXD