Speaking about the classic early 90's East Coast sound here. How did they manage to get those deep booming bass lines by filtering but with out having them sound ''muddy'' for want of a better word?
I have an MPC that I use and I end up tuning down the filter and turning up the resonance (to taste) and it sounds good but seems to be missing something at times.
I 'm thinking about songs like Dead Presidents, Half Time etc etc. I know the records and can replicate the programming etc but am struggling to get the sound.
Any clues on how they would've done this?
My experience with the resonance is not pleasant. Though I only understand a little of the theory behind it, I think the reason you aren't hearing pleasing sounds by doing that is due to the fact that you are blindly accentuating the resonant frequency, which seems counterproductive. Unfortunately, 99 times out of 100, the wrong frequency ends up being pushed the the front of the mix, or is pushed too far.
In my experience, the best way to achieve ANY kick/bass tones is with a combination of EQ and compression. With JJOS (the only MPC OS I have experience with), on your MPC, you should be able achieve good results, but I think you'd get closer to the mark if you composed on your MPC, and tracked out and mixed in your computer.
When I EQ a kick, I usually look for its resonant harmonics and turn them down a couple of db's, so that my kick hits harder (after being compressed).
On the other hand, a lot of that 90's MPC-driven NY-style is in the dirtiness of the samples. It's hard to get an authentic 90's sound out of something like a Korg Triton sound library. What you should try to do is build a collection of drum hits on your MPC, that you collect from vinyl. Read up on drum breaks, and you'll be following in the footsteps of people like Primo and Dilla. If you set up your tool chain for it and tune your ear for it, you can eq and compress (in that order) each drum hit in real time, before saving it on your MPC.
If you could somehow filter, and/or then eq, then compress the sound, you'll be on the right track. There are shortcuts to this process, as obviously there are MPC wizards who know tricks, but that's the orthodoxy I've found...
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/dec00/articles/adcompression.htm
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jan01/articles/advanced.asp
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/sep09/articles/compressioneasyaudio.htm
I just bought a used MPC1000, so I'll get back with you if anything else comes to mind...
Enjoy!
