How To Chop Drum Breaks With Amigo 2.0

[@dariopotenza3962]

Sickk vid G! I think you forgot to mention this is a BETA VERSION OF AMIGO, If your Amigo doesn't look like this: hold tight, the update is coming soon :)

[@djairwalk]

Was gonna say! I just went to my email to check for an update haha. Looking forward to it

[@synthphilosophy]

Amigo. The gift that keeps on giving

[@HerrWacher]

I was just gonna ask! I like the look of that new equal slicing mode!

[@rorystjohn999]

Good to know thanks!

[@groovining]

EVERYONE this is a secret early beta release of Amigo that is no longer a secret ... 😊

[@VNDM-MUSIC]

Dear George, I'm 54 years old. I've been doing techno for decades. Some of the comments from viewers earlier in your video triggered me. Tho technically they might have a point about old versus new, they do however miss one fundamental entirely. It was never about the tools or techniques. It was always about the sound, the emotion , the spirit of it. Regardless of how it was created. It is a body thing, a soul thing. You or anyone else does not have to defend or advocate any tool or technique. True Techno is about how it makes you feel and move, not about how its was created. And the same goes for Jungle and your art. Love, Pepijn

[@groovining]

Ah Pepijn, appreciate you brother! I couldn't agree more, it's all about the end result and how that makes people feel. Techno, Jungle, Hip-Hop & god forbit Pop, that the ultimate goal whatever genre your making. I guess the problem is that there are so many techniques & videos these days people get lost on the journey to making music with emotion. It's something i'm sure every musician struggles with, especially when making it on computers. I think people just get frustrated with the process & take it out of me occasionally :) Luckily, I have people such as yourself who have given me such positive feedback over the years that I can brush the negative stuff away. 😊❤️

[@louie1litk619]

For every ungrateful viewer just know there is ten of us that are eternally grateful for what you do for us

[@groovining]

Cheers bro - I would say its more like 100-1 & I really appreciate how everyone has supported me on here right from the beginning :)

[@Ezi83]

Don’t mind the haters or the criticism. Keep doing your thing and spreading the knowledge 💯

[@groovining]

Yea for sure, you can't let these things phase you and they hugely outweighed by all the positive comments from people such as yourself! Thanks for all the support over the last couple of years mate :) ✌️🚀

[@justingoers]

Definitely got to the sweet spot at the end there.

[@groovining]

Yea its a fun technique with the longer slices 😊✌️

[@Strafuzz]

Keep going George, you put a lot of work into your content and productions. You present your material in a very polished manner, you give homage to the masters back in the day, allude to their equipment and techniques back in the day and then show how to replicate the end product using today's tools and technology. The technique you taught me about varying my own shuffles, getting rid of gaps in breaks after pitching my reversing hits and so on has meant my breakbeats have levelled up since watching your videos. Keep going, and big up your status!

[@groovining]

Appreicate the kind words & love to hear that dude! 😊 I find it so rewarding that people can take little bits from my vids & have a positive impact on their own productions. It's the whole point really to level us all up together :) Big ups! ❤️✌️

[@RuffNRuffer]

G, I am sure you don't need me to tell you this as you have been putting yourself out there longer than me, but never take the comments to heart. These people generally hide behind the keyboard and produce nothing, whilst firing insults or criticisms at those who share the knowledge. Reading those comments you posted in this video, they come across quite cutting I must admit with some of the language used. I always learn something from your videos and know what goes into making content, so thank you for taking the time and making the effort.

[@groovining]

Ye I know man I try not to but your right, they always try to say something to get under your skin. It's cool though, i've met and interacted with so many wicked people through my channel the good far far outweights the bad. I appreciate your comments mate and look forwards to hearing for releases from you guys! ✌🚀

[@flobama7200]

Amigo!!! my fav plugin ever

[@groovining]

Me 2 :) 😊

[@MrPAULYPOOH]

First time I've heard of it.

[@groovining]

@@MrPAULYPOOH

[@RonaldMark]

Wow! This video is amazing! I have been following your tutorial videos, but this one is the one that really helps me the most with chopping breaks. Thank you for this. It is clear, concise, and not very long.

[@groovining]

Honestly mate that makes me so happy to hear! :) That was the whole point of making this video. It's a confusing topic when you hear 100s of people explain it in different ways so I though going though it like this in one vid would really help. 🚀✌️😊

[@renderedghost]

This is great. I've been making beats for 15 years and still learned something from this. Cheers!

[@groovining]

Happy to hear mate! Everyone has their own method on this which are all viable. Good to have this all in one video I can point people towards now ✌️🌴🚀

[@arendbehiels7600]

Verrrryy niceee videeoooo thank you !!

[@DeusExAurum]

Man, your tutorials and explanations are amazing. I already know how to chop and slice so there is nothing new for me, but I do believe that beginners could learn ALOT here. Your videos are top-notch! Keep it up!

[@groovining]

Thanks so much mate. I know that this is bread and butter to lot of the more experience producers like yourself but I've been wanting to make some more beginner friendly stuff for a while. I love the super nerdy & creative techniques also so I guess its good to find a balance between the two. Amigo is fun too, need to do a jungle from scratch in Amigo vid! 😊🚀❤️

[@the1gresh]

All right, fine. I'll finally buy a plugin. I've been heavily considering this one because of how much of a Jungalist I am.

[@groovining]

It's a steal for the price & their still updating it. Good to support plugin producers like that 😊🚀❤️

[@xVILOx]

Battery is a fun one aswell 😅

[@groovining]

Yea Battery is solid. Tal Drum also is great

[@xVILOx]

@@groovining ye tal is a beast

[@ghal3on]

lol @ the salty comments. Try not to pay attention to the haters, your channel is special and loved by many! Of course theres no RIGHT way to do it, whatever works best for YOU is the ideal method. When I started out, it was advice off of DOA or somewhere... 1) Get a clean 1 or 2 bar loop 2) Fit that loop inside the BPM of your track 3) Find the kicks / snares/ crashes in the break 4) chop the break right before these elements, but the leave the rest of the break intact So essentially you end up with a series of long chops (except near the end of the break) with the original groove of the break intact with each chop. You could do a simple patterns (chop1 chop2 chop1 chop 6) that sound instantly dope. No quantization, minimal fuss. If a chop sounds off, or the groove dosent sound right, simply dont use the chop, or change the groove until it sounds good. Interestingly, the more intricate you get with your patterns this way, the "tighter" things become. Less of the original groove of the break is there, b/c now the sampler/sequencer is firing off the chops exactly where you put them, which is usually "on the grid"

[@groovining]

Thanks ghal3on! Yea for sure - it's just the way of the world. I've met so many dope & talented people through this channel. You're always going to pick up a few people who dislike you along the way. Cheers for all the support over the years. ❤️ Yea that's the classic Photek method with long slices which is a fave of mine also. It definitly the best way to get that rolling, old school vibe with your chops. I also agree that things can become a little tight when you lock everything to the grid. This is sometime when you want with certain tunes and can make it easier to layer breaks etc. There's lots of ways approach chopping your breaks so I made this vid to hopefully highlight the main ones to stop some of the confusion when beginners are trying to learn. :) ✌️

[@eugene.solomko]

Really appreciate your effort for educating and desire to share!!! thank you very much!!! don't be offended by somebody who doesn't want to listen and take time to learn

[@groovining]

Cheers mate - yea its just the way of the world. There's so many good people out there like yourself who give me such positive feedback, it more than cancels out the few people that get mad at me! 😊❤️

[@actionrag1]

I love the videos and also the live streams, it’s interesting to watch other people work and pick up little pieces of gold from the way they do things, especially on different bits of kit and DAWS as it’s all transferable but sometimes shows a different process due to limitations. Keep it up mate

[@groovining]

Nice thanks dude :) Yea I need to do more of the live streams - really enjoyed the last couple & found them way less stressful than before when its just me online making a tune. For sure I'm the same, everyone works so differently even in the same DAWs, it facinating watching peoples workflows. 😊🚀✌️

[@bubaondesign]

I love your content! Respect, sensei! ❤️

[@groovining]

Appreciate you fam, got lots planned for when am back from a little break :) ❤️

[@NoyaD9]

Very comprehensive tutorial! Loved it!

[@groovining]

Thanks mate - glad you found it useufl! 🌴🚀

[@jchief40]

thank you brother

[@groovining]

No problem - glad you found this one useful :)

[@Tuckerslam]

Dude, you're running a legit based retro channel at this point.

[@groovining]

We're certainly heading that way! :) 🎮🌴🚀

[@bewusstsein7061]

Great work 😀

[@groovining]

Cheers for the comments mate! 😊

[@azurebluu]

Fantastic content! Again, as people have said, there's videos/content of --experienced producers going into the weeds, -- but far too few videos of experienced producers explaining the basics!!

[@groovining]

Thanks friend! I think I've been too much in the camp of not being beginner friendly enough before but i recognise how important it is to help people overcome those initial hurdles with music production. I've got a atmopsheric jungle for scratch video for beginners lined up for the future I think will be great. Cheers 😊🚀

[@shortattentionspa.....]

Enjoy Wales fella, have some time off. Appreciate you taking the time to put together this content!

[@groovining]

Thanks bro - was a great trip! Feeling refreshed back in the studio today. Ready to get after it :) ✌️🚀

[@Pyroific]

that intro interview with the teenage boy hit close to home for me lol

[@hroyd]

They are source direct!

[@groovining]

Haha yes, love that clip!

[@reflux69]

I watch. I learn. Thank you.

[@groovining]

I teach & feel happy to read you comment. Thank you 2 :)

[@Quiet_Forge]

Cool, always good to watch anything about break chopping, no matter how advanced you think you are there's always something to remember or learn. I enjoyed Amigo enormously and have it on a couple of tracks I think but I've moved over to TAL Drum and TAL Sampler this year, they are so good, very warm and rounded - the Akai / saturation circuit in the sampler especially. It's superb on JW2 Standard 808. Thought Forms has some good vids iirc. I particularly appreciate the individual drum hit controllability in TAL Drum as well. Actually thinking about it the other day I dragged Standard 808 into Ramzoid, that was interesting, it was like being in Brockwell Park in 94. Enjoyed the track yesterday, reminded me of some of the stuff being played on Bassdrive in around 2010. Have a listen to Colourful by Sigurt, great track. Watch out for the 20 limits in Wales

[@groovining]

Yea man Amigo is so fun! The UI especially make it so enjoyable to use and simple to get your head around. I have TAL Drum and have used TAL sampler a bit also. I agree their the best VSTs for emulating the hardware sampler workflow/sound. TAL Drum is dope - I love the random pitch and offset settings. I need to dive into that more actually. I also need to check Ramzoid looks cool as hell but I have so many distortion plugs already! Cheers about the tune also - going for a more summer vibe atm - that track by Sigurt is great - lovely rolling amens. Oh thanks for the heads up on the speed limit, looks like that just came in. ✌️😊🚀

[@theblowupdollsmusic]

That intro was really good!

[@groovining]

Thanks bro - Was just a fun tune for the vid. That clips of Source Direct actually went really well with the track. Always makes me laugh also 😊 ✌️

[@TheStephenHall]

Nice vid as usual. I liked that you picked funky drummer. It's always great to see something other than amens (though I love amens). I've had similar issues dropping audio into the Amigo plugin but with Ableton. In Ableton, the issue seems to only occur if I have an existing midi track with an Amigo sampler on it, drag and drop the sample onto an audio track or record a live audio track. If I create the midi channel and add the Amigo plugin AFTER I have audio on my channel, I can successfully drag and drop the audio into the Amigo.

[@groovining]

Cheers Stephen, Ye Funky drummer is my second fav after the amen! Logic has never been very good at dragging audio like that sadly. I'll have to have a tinker and see if I can do something similar. ✌️😊🚀

[@Flux_One]

I'm sickened by the fact that there are foolish people out there who complain about free content. Especially when the content is top class like yours. They seriously need to check themselves.

[@countorringtonludlow5211]

Yeah very few actual channels run by proper Junglists who know the tricks of the trade and are just general fans of the same artists and techniques.

[@SpikesStudio3]

Across the board,sir. Its never been so good and yet, pissing and whinging prevail.

[@mckaman8353]

Thank you! Very Nice Video. Good job G!

[@groovining]

Cheers Bro! Glad you enjoyed this one. Amigo is dope :) ✌️

[@iyoseioshv549]

Yooo, that intro tune mate. Class

[@groovining]

Cheers bro. Was just a fun thing I whipped togeather for the vid! Love that clip of Source Direct at the start. Always makes me laugh 😊 ✌️

[@droidattack3092]

Nearly 12k subscribers, your going to have some negative comments. Unfortunately its human nature to focus on them. Im very grateful for your channel. Like a couple of others in the chat Im in my 50s and been there since the start and what your doing is fine. Haters gonna hate 👊🏻

[@groovining]

Yea I agree for sure. It's just the way people are, especially on the internet. This community through all the discords, DOA, KZbin etc. is full so so many dope people. Appreciate all the things you said and the support over the years! Big ups ✌️😊

[@joeykayvongsone4662]

Thanks!

[@groovining]

Cheers ledge! Appreciate the SuperThanks! Big Love ❤️✌️🚀

[@bromy2251]

Great tutorial

[@groovining]

Cheers friends :) 😊

[@cypress22369]

okay time to try this again

[@groovining]

Let me know how you get on. Hope this helps 😊✌️

[@cypress22369]

@@groovining So far so good. Surely better than previous attemts, so i guess It really helps. I understand that chopping breaks isn't that complicated for basic needs but for some reason it was a little problem for me 🗿and i making beats for a long time.

[@groovining]

I think it's overcomplicated by a lot of people including myself. As there is a few techniques & pathways to go down, everyone is doing something slightly differently when you watch their break chopping workflow. Glad this is helping to clear things up a bit for you! ✌️

[@cypress22369]

@@groovining it's probably too much information that i'm trying to use at once. So yea, simplifying things at least for the start is helping so much. A little hard to stop myself to overcomplicate everything right at the start, but your video is a good reminder that i shouldn't do that 💀

[@MetalFaceNope]

great vid dude

[@groovining]

Appreciate that mate! glad you enjoyed :)

[@stekker1]

bigup the groovin man

[@groovining]

Big ups Stekker! Everyone is clamouring for the new Amigo update now 😂 :)

[@hroyd]

Whatever way you do it, someone is going to suggest a different way, but at the end of the day it should just be a personal preference of one of the techniques shown here. Any way you do it, when you listen to the old tracks (as I do everyday 😂), what you are really listening to is the syncopation between the kick, snare and bass and how that evolves over 16 bars. It can be good to focus on that pattern and fill in the rest once you are happy… or not fill, because often it is also about what you leave out. Add in a bit of break layering/swapping and some individual hits like rides and bongos from instruments like the jv1080 and you will get closer to what they were doing back then

[@groovining]

Yea exactly this! There is a whole bunch of pathways to take when you wanna chop breaks so it's just about experimenting and deciding which is best for you. It's all about that syncopation between kick/bass Photek/Paradox/Seba/SD all amazing at this. 🥷🚀✌️

[@dmzbdg]

THANS G 🥁

[@groovining]

All good bro :) 🚀🌴

[@itchydez]

I was going to ask how you got the 1.1.6 version of the Amigo but then I saw your description. Something to look forward to I guess!

[@groovining]

Yes! Coming soon ish I think. In a month or so :)

[@JR_Music]

I think you do cover all basis, sometimes it’s a bit over my head sometimes it’s something I didn’t even know I needed. It’s all Stella content to me. On a side note, how did you find the alto 1604, Did it sound good? How does it compare to the topaz?

[@groovining]

Appreciate that mate. Yea I try but there's often little bits scattered all over my vids rather than in one place so I think it helps to have videos more specific like this one. The Alto was not the best to be honest. I actually broke down on me after about 2 years of use. It's quite a clean/modern mixer which dosen't sound great when driving the channels etc. It's fine for what it is but nothing special. I think there is honestly two good routes to go down. Either you get something like the Topaz which has a distinctly vintage/soft/rounded sound to it and give you lovely saturation when you drive the levels. Lots of Soundcraft, Soundtracs & old Mackie's do a similar thing. Or you go for something modern with great functionality. The Tascam Model 12 is a multi-output USB mixer so it bascially doubles as a audio interface and mixer in one which is insanely useful. It really depends what your after. I bought the Topaz because I try to reinvest the money I make from Patreon into music & it was a great price locally. I talk a bit with arcologies who also makes wicked 90's jungle music on KZbin and he loves it so sort of sold me one one. 😊✌️

[@AutoNamer1]

I’ve been chopping breaks caveman style from their wav making the glitches by hand what a ball ache

[@groovining]

Ha yes, It's still a good method just doing it with the audio files but you can't do the cool pitch & ADSR decay tricks in quite the same way. Whichever way works best for you though :)

[@AutoNamer1]

@@groovining yeah exactly I felt like somet was missing

[@richarddublin4364]

Great vids as usual. I notice you are rocking Amigo V1.1.6!!!!! I have V1.0d and functionality is not same eg. no "equal" function. Where can I get latest, latest version. Even Potenza update shows only v1.0.2?????

[@groovining]

This was a bit of a mistake on my half showing the an early version Amigo before it's launch! The update is coming in about a month 😊 ✌️

[@ikarugamoo]

Groovin in G - ALWAYS ON POINT! George, for us Renoise users do you think there’s any benefit in using Amigo for breaks if you’re not going to use the Amiga / Paula sound and Protracker functionality?

[@groovining]

Cheers Matt! It's a good question actually. Amigo definitly has a cool sound to it when you stack them up across the project. The timestretch is great & the sample reduction/interpolation is super handly to play with right in the plug-in. That being said, having all the Renoise Commands etc. for the native sampler is such an advantage and probably one of the main reasons people use Renoise. I think it's good to have restrictions sometimes so use Amigo a fair bit in Renoise but not all the time. Mainly just for my drums and breaks for some of that old-school crunch. Renoise sampler/editor is still my favourite. :) ✌️

[@Artersa]

Yo George! Thanks for the numerous videos on this topic. I do have one Renoise-specific question re: breaks. I understand that you enjoy doing breaks using the phrase editor so that each new note in the phrase activates a part of the break, especially useful for keeping breaks at OG tempo. But with Renoise having such chunky divisions in the sequencer, how do you recommend keeping the break groovy and funky at lower tempos? I'm finding that my groovy bits (ghost snares, kicks, sort of off hats, etc) are cut-off because they don't have time to play (or play fully) before the next note activates. It's all sounding pretty staccato, tbh. What tips do you have for this?

[@groovining]

Hey Ninjilla. All good bro :). Yea it’s actually the same principle as I show in this video. You can offset the slice markers like when you chop the break evenly and still program dead on the grid and introduce groove that way. I would still usually have the kick/snare markers dead on. If things are sounding staccato is usually because your trying to use a break that doesn’t have enough tails in each hit to reach the next one. The main reason for this is using a break that has been sped up to like 175BPM and your project is at 160BPM. If you pitch that break down does it sound better? Maybe try using the original funk break rather than one from a pack. There are other clever ways to extend the hits like ping-pong loops on the samples but it’s sometimes hard to get them to sound authentic. Breaks can also sound a bit choppy like the example in this video if there not pitched up enough. In this instance there isn’t enough time for the transient and tail of the drum hit to play but once you pitch the hits up, they speed up so work better.

[@Artersa]

@@grooviningI think it’s that my break tempo is too slow, it’s not getting to the tail and so it’s all transient. Will do a bit of pitching up, but not too much, going forward. Thanks yo!

[@groovining]

All good bro - The other thing you can do is shorten some of the hits with a transient shaper or by pulling in the decay on the ADSR. This can add a little definition to the individual slices.

[@funkedubs3538]

❤

[@groovining]

❤️😊🚀

[@undercoretf]

Amigo Sampler 1.1.6 🧐🤩

[@dariopotenza3962]

@@undercoretf 1.1 b for beta 🤫🤫coming soon

[@groovining]

Yea its a Beta! 1st reveal I guess 👀 ;)

[@MrSnivs]

Ahh ok, I was looking for the time division slicing on my version (1.0.2) and was confused.

[@channelite]

Just wondering if you’re still using Renoise?

[@groovining]

All my most recent music is made in Renoise. I just use Logic to teach more as it translates better for most people. :) kzbin.info/www/bejne/n2XdkHqDd6ihrKs

[@AuT0maTe1]

How does your Amigo have all these extra buttons? is it a logic only thing or was there an update or something?

[@stekker1]

its beta version, update releasing very soon hold tight :)

[@groovining]

yes, its a secret early beta release that is no longer a secret ... 👀

[@AuT0maTe1]

@@stekker1Well thats certainly awesome news I actually cannot wait :)

[@johncitizen8828]

LOL @ the first timestamp for this video. Out to Source Direct, and their poor ear drums. 😧

[@groovining]

Haha I know! Always make me chuckle that vid. I know tinnitus for life surely! 😊 ✌️

[@johncitizen8828]

@15:53 - when you saved your sample, your OSX interface had all this tagging functionality. 😳 What is that? Is that an additional sample management plugin in for OSX or something?

[@groovining]

Ah, this is just when you export audio from Logic X.

[@RT8083]

Still a bit long-winded explanation

[@groovining]

Haha fair enough.

[@fahadha]

I thought it was bang on myself, thank you, must take a lot of time and effort