Masters at Work: James Wiltshire (Freemasons, Beyonce) Creating a Drum Track from Scratch - Pt1

[@4partmedia]

This man is the Producer's producer. Man, this guy walked me through so damn cleanly, it's scary. A true master of the craft.

[@pointblankmusicschool]

+ngomusicgroup Agreed!

[@chillwalker]

After producing for almost 30 years professionally: This was refreshing! And fascinating! Thanks, Master Wiltshire! Greetz from Germany.

[@wa1no137]

Certainly not a house guy but I can appreciate this dude fully understands everything he has in front of him. Thanks for sharing the knowledge.

[@doqtrshine6012]

I'd like to learn from your comment, if you'd be so kind, can you tell me in your view why he's not a house guy?

[@khalidmonzur5333]

I think they mean House music is not a genre they're into or at least not looking to produce

[@wa1no137]

Lol I mean I'm not a house guy 👍🏻

[@Audiotent]

James Wiltshire is the absolute BOSS! Always packs in extremely useful information and is most definitely a "Master at work".

[@pointblankmusicschool]

+Audiotent We agree!

[@malenky4057]

I love watching people like this work, so genuine and talented.

[@KennyLauderdale]

Pretty good info here. I love how he knows the hidden secrets of each piece of equipment. I own the SP 1200 though I rarely use it anymore. I just use Reason or FL Studio now... But if I want a dirty sample, I can chop in FL then sample it into the SP then spit it back out into Pro Tools.

[@samsidique8662]

Its been over two years and I still come back to this particular video from James for inspiration.

[@nodz007]

You can get this lofi sound if you have Maschine. Just put it in SP 1200 mode in the engine and pitch the sample up or down by a few semitones. Then grab the audio from Maschine and put the sample in your DAW. Try it. Your clean drum sounds will get fatter and they will have some texture overlaid into them. You also get the artefacts of ring modulation, noise etc, similar to what James is looking for in this video.

[@pointblankmusicschool]

+Nadeem Inayat Definitely a great tip

[@nodz007]

+Point Blank Music School Thanks and to add. Once I have that sample from Machine, I put it into a Drum Rack in Ableton and then put a really small amount of pitch and filter modulation on it. This way I get the slightly different nuances to each drum hit in the arrangement which Is something James also mentioned. Thanks for all your videos PointBlank. These ones and the ones by JC you do from time to time are invaluable resources for any budding producer. James is simply a legend.

[@Area32AudioMCR]

caught up with this a long time after it was shown but really enjoyed it as an owner of a lot of older hardware it was great to see the old and new integrate with each other and explained well thanks

[@sugarpuppies]

Watching this part AGAIN since there are so much to learn from James. This is one of my favorite online tuts evah

[@pointblankmusicschool]

+Sugar Puppies Woo!

[@Nonloso443]

best tutorial point blank has ever done!! a mix of analog devices and tricks to design and shape the sounds using Ableton, they only forgot the cabling process for all those hardwares into Ableton

[@TroubleinZION]

So much fun watching this guy! He knows exactly where he wants to go. One day I hope to produce like that.

[@turkscfc]

Really enjoyed this. So much passion.

[@GoodfaYou]

I’ve watched this over n over finally pulled the trigger on that lil ms1 sampler ..pretty dirty lil trick ..thanks

[@Claidheambmor]

They're really cheap aren't they? What do you think of it? I've had SP-404s and wondered if the wet sound is similar to the lo-fi sampling mode on that.

[@IUsedToBeAPygmy]

I'm in at @2:35 and I have to correct a tiny mistake - the difference in bits doesn't mean there's a difference in *samples*, it means there's a difference in *accuracy* in which *each sample* can be stored. The amount of samples is determined by the sample frequency. The bit-depth tells us how many individual values each sample can have.

[@raffygeneralespaldon8977]

Brother James I am a sound engineer myself and a brother from Southwest Lodge 283 nice tutorial, keep it up!

[@DRISCOLLAZ]

Im so mind blown by all of his equipment, I have so much to learn!

[@djvartan]

This guy is impressive.

[@pointblankmusicschool]

+djvartan We agree!

[@DontPickLemons]

He knows his technical stuff that's for sure and definitely impressive, though I'd like to see him create a more interesting and dynamic beat than the typical house beat we've all heard and made thousands of times

[@simonyricools]

Addictive watching.

[@lrrrruleroftheplanetomicro6881]

he don't pussyfoot.

[@PsychoCaki]

@@simonyricools true!

[@PsychoCaki]

At half of the video I must say my eyes are wide open while watching this! Freemasons are one of my favorite remix duo producers.

[@ninjafukwan7]

JAMES I get a kick at watching you in your studio around all that awesome gear...don't care if they all get used or not !!!

[@AbcAbc-qb8lj]

His productions are fabulous.

[@RogerHembrough]

Thanks for this series of videos - one of the most informative I have seen. James gives some wonderful insights into Ableton and music production. More from James please.

[@pointblankmusicschool]

+Roger Hembrough Nice one Roger!

[@adjaxa]

Great video ! It is funny that the buttons make so much noise when pressed .. Old school . Respect ..

[@Racingheartrecords]

Damn. That 808 sounds fantastic.

[@Mclennnan]

Brilliant. TY PB and the very generous Mr Wiltshire X

[@pointblankmusicschool]

+John Mclennan Glad you enjoyed it!

[@Mclennnan]

+Point Blank Music School Gunna watch it again and again. Hopefully my gear lust won't kill me first though :)

[@mantax55]

Personally, I always loved MIDI's off timing, it adds to the groove and the drift between the notes adds to the human feel. Never straight set bpm

[@misatzu]

my sentiments exactly

[@TheBumpdjs]

really really awesome vid - great too see this workflow and that even the pros get the MIDI jitter! I love how he just deals with it and moves on - cant tell you how much i loved this vid!

[@skrie]

Back when I used Fasttracker to make beats I used to tune every clap slightly different to get that same effect.

[@bigulful]

Because of Audiotool,, I have used the digital versions of the TR 808 and 909. I just wish I could hold and play one in my hands for real.

[@seansavageca]

Great video. I achieve the same thing with much less work. Using NI battery I simple select vintage on the sample and choose SP 1200 then tune it. The Neve and SSL comp and eq I use plugins after.

[@bobjob3694]

He's got 'producers knock' Fumbling about beneath the desk for cables he's bumped his head lol

[@andrewgarcia7199]

thanks Ive been a BIG fan of freemasons for many years and now you,,your a great teacher ... Muinto obrigado Peace

[@davidstoneback6159]

Best video on all of youtube.

[@Niele160]

Exceptionally well explained, thx for sharing!

[@TheDddkkk]

you build some awesome almost like real looking midi controlelrs. love it.

[@WorksopGimp]

Love the Freemasons sound

[@taimans]

so professional, wow

[@twoscoops2]

I love and miss The Freemasons. James is awesome, thanks for the video!

[@LeslieSmits]

I love his tutorial. Always nice and easy with a great sense of humour.

[@DemiGodsMusic]

Brilliant video. Great idea to resample the whole loop for transitions/breakdowns etc.

[@MikePreset]

inspiring..especially in buying SSL components and the sampler MS1

[@jhonatanstadler6230]

He knows what he's doing, he has showed exactly what I wanted to see, not too extravagant but effective, using ableton's native plugins

[@mattlouv]

Very humbling to watch someone so competent.

[@alf3k1]

The bit depth is not the "number of samples" (that would be the sample rate), it´s the number of "loudness steps" (which is the bit depth).

[@misatzu]

I wanted to comment the same thing until I realized that he said it correctly a few seconds earlier.

[@fizzygreen]

This is a superb video, explains the fundamentals so well

[@rockstarjazzcat]

Best holiday special ever.

[@bobbynikolopoulos5720]

You're background is beautiful. As an electronics engineer who wishes to go musical at one point, thank you for sharing.

[@LFOVCF]

PURE BLOODY GOLD!

[@how3recordings]

gr8 video full of handy hints, even for seasoned professionals

[@bkxt]

love his 'bats & cats' metaphor

[@Hartekist2France]

he gave us lot of tricks, dudes! what a man. cheers

[@thomasmatthews5732]

This is good stuff. I actually apply all these techniques using my MPC, Casio Keyboard and FL Studio.

[@fundementalroast7002]

Literally watching a Master At Work!!

[@fundementalroast7002]

@DeeJay1210 They used to be great producers , today not so much.

[@allowambeBOWWAMB]

The Heston Blumenthal of music :)

[@AndrewLeSynt]

awsome vid ! thanks for this

[@djscottfrenzy]

Absolutely brilliant so interesting thanks for the upload

[@GIANT299]

ur great ...bless to have sp 1200 & the 808 wow

[@neosashi]

This is all amazing, I think I learned at least a handful of new things just based off of his off-handed comments. The thing that videos will never be able to teach you though are abilities that producers take for granted or don't realize should be taught. At 22:38, for instance, he decides that the setting of "8" sounds like too much swing and "5" sounds about right without even listening to the 808 playing along with his house beat. How the hell could he tell that without listening to the 808 in context with the other drums? I'm guessing it is his years of experience, but is there a rule he follows? Or something specific he listens for?

[@grubbytron]

Living metronome maybe?

[@rtarbinar]

great point! i love playing around with the swing knob in a DAW, and i totally agree with his decision (and your point) about the setting. 8 sounded a bit too cramped for the beat.

[@Punisher0107]

great job james

[@SriharshaaPrabhakar]

OMG! This is one great Tutorial. Loved the way this has been put together !

[@nogoogleplus]

Great vid, cool to see you work James

[@dopenerd9180]

to be highly recommended. Cheers

[@jrosboston9106]

how can i put a setup like his???? i would like to know how to use hard ware with a DAW system?????

[@the13thTone]

this is great, I love the "cut in's". genius.

[@WorksopGimp]

One complaint its hard to hear when you hit the button, your finger makes more sound than the sample

[@guynamedowl1313]

does anybody know how he patches his hardware into the AD ? synth A into pre B into compressor C into AD? I don't see a patchbay...

[@Mr_ToR]

19:38 WTF

[@kavokei1337]

Exactly my thought...

[@Morenob1]

Wow shows us we are allot behind with our software applications, this is how music should be made. this are people that are behind all these Vengeance sound loops.

[@LaymensLament]

i love this guy

[@moksh8]

Really Cool - thanks for the video ! Where can I find the shaker at 6:02 please ? The grunge shaker hit.... The 24 Bit wav project files doesn't seem to have it. Also the Logic X link comes up with an error - so can't download it for Logic X.

[@h-dawg969]

Do you plug the rack stuff as a chain from an aux send/return on mixer, or do each instrument go into the rack stuff same as how a guitar would go through pedal chain to amp? Someone has given me an old Dbx gate/compressor, a behringer fx unit and a patch bay. I’ve never used any rack hardware before so have no idea what I’m doing and how to set everything up? I have tr8 and 2 boutiques at the moment. Can anyone help at all?

[@LaurentLaborde]

4:57 : no, i don't hear the extra harmonics on youtube. But the button have a nice sound :p

[@jjbranches7342]

I could easily hear them. What were you listening through?

[@LaurentLaborde]

Focal Alpha 65

[@LucasBarbuzzi]

I could hear them too

[@gtao22]

Is he a real master at work? More like a genius at work in the genre!

[@firepurge]

What's the track in the credits (at 30:40) please?

[@unrulysoldier2140]

James I have the SSL 4000 brown knob eq and band pass stage modules in a rack. What compressor would you recommend to go with these ? Nice work.

[@AlexJohn2us]

Thanks James x

[@penguin0075]

Amazing bloke, top advice. OT - Shorts in December? I'm a Penguin and that makes me feel cold.

[@markemerson98]

ah so glad i discovered this gold nugget

[@ianvjones]

So good! Thanks guys!!

[@Kazemijazi]

Some pretty high peaks of ear satisfaction.

[@RobertParenton]

This sold me for Point Blank Music School.

[@robertlee1176]

KZbin needs a love button

[@slcone9051]

Impressive. Love the equipment :)

[@Jdinrbfidndifofkdndjoflfndjdk]

What do you do if you want to lower decay after recording out of a drum instrument? EQ? Automation? Just curious cause I wouldn't mind getting out of the drum instrument in ableton

[@PoppAlex-r3i]

Spot on! Is he so fast or is the video playing in fast forward!!! Amazing guy!!! :-)

[@Mr_ToR]

some parts (fx/mixing/etc) are actually left out and some sounds are selected earlier. So it's a bit in fast forward.

[@mleecthulhu]

Alex Popp umm no...thats house music..its always around 130 BPM

[@fireghost5988]

what all these things around you? how many time did it takes to learn about all those stuff around you?

[@norakat]

What is the point of having a couple of analogue channel strips from Neve and SSL? How do you use them?

[@cortreynolds-bolan6738]

toronto loves u bro

[@jackbixby2471]

The legend and his knoledge:)....does anybody know how to organize the places folders....he has separated folders with dark gray written building....how to achieve that??

[@basehead617]

What AMS Neve product is that around 25:24 ?

[@remichoro2776]

Hey , James Wiltshire has a stereo bus Dynamics module , the name is Brain audio system life01 . where can I find the publisher's website ? or where can i buy it ? thanks

[@DissTrackTed]

The Freemasons?

[@stefangustafsson7424]

No relation. House music gods though: kzbin.info/www/bejne/apXRZmuLjJ5qh9k

[@UnstableAudioProductions]

Thats what they want you to think...

[@hillarysqueeks5501]

Who cares if he is a Freemason ?

[@jamesswindells5628]

Eye eye.

[@misatzu]

Stefan Gustafsson Thanks for that link! I googled some of their tracks to see if I do remember them, but none of them was nearly as good as that one ♥

[@remichoro2776]

hey, James Wiltshire hat ein stereo bus dynamics module, der name ist brain audio systems life01. wo finde ich die hersteller seite? oder wo man es kaufen kann? thanks

[@MatthewNash92]

god, this guy sounds like he knows his shit.

[@pointblankmusicschool]

+Matthew Nash That's cause he does ;-)

[@AveMcree]

yet he can't explain why the SP1200 give a specific harmonic character to drums.

[@1pauluzz1]

So what. The guy is an expert at using that machine to create. He's not the engineer who built it. There's plenty so called experts online who intellectually understand everything about certain production gear or software, but whose songs sound like poo. I'm not saying you are, but if you'd expect a guy like that to explain why the SP1200 gives a specific harmonic character to drums, you might be focussing on the wrong thing.

[@SheepdogColumbus]

Its easy to sound like you know your shit. Sounding like he knows his shit, and making some standard junk, while getting folks to think he's amazing, is a whole other level of genius.

[@F9Audio]

I certainly can - Its a whole lot of little things adding up - The 12 bit DA converter was fairly ropey by todays standards and suffered heavily from Jitter thanks to the basic internal digital clocking .. the Filter chips used inside the SP1200 are close to the holy grail of filter ICs from around that time ( filters were used to stop the digital aliasing of low rate sample playback - see here for more info : en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aliasing) . The 12 bit sampling resolution ( actually 14 bit companded to 12 I believe ) , low sample rate and filters necessary to remove the artefacts mixed with the VCAs employed gives this early digital devices enough analogue soul to make it remind many users of worn vinyl ... Top end disappears from vinyl reproduction the further into the recorded side you go - as the SP1200 had a fixed sampling rate of 26.04 kHz its probably able to reproduce as much top end as halfway through a 33rpm 25 minute album side - James Wiltshire - F9 Audio

[@maximrowan9339]

you can add that kind character to a kick drum using redux effect in standard ableton effects.

[@naturecollision]

what stool brand?

[@incognito8219]

What monitors are those please?

[@MrMikomi]

Parts two and three?

[@roxylatinfoxy]

thank you thank you thank you!!!!!!!!!!! Love your Channel

[@dimitripetrenko9734]

Fantastic