The Forgotten Art Of Layering Samples Like Q-Tip & Prince Paul

[@eltrainmusic]

What’s your favourite golden era hip-hop album of all time? Let’s hear your picks in the comments!

[@eltrainmusic]

I’ll start: Tribe's 'Midnight Marauders', my introduction to 90s hip-hop!

[@AaronZuniga617]

@@eltrainmusicthat’s the album that made me want to make beats

[@AaronZuniga617]

Definitely nas illmatic

[@str8upndown856]

Midnight Mauraders is mine too! But also Ice Cube’s Death Certificate. DJ Sir Jinx was also a great layering producer. East Coast producers get a lot of the credit for the golden era stuff but there were also great producers on the West Coast during that era. Cheers 🍻

[@At.mos.fEarProduktionz]

Tribes first album. Hands down.

[@ConstantXplorer]

There are folks who swear hip-hop isn't a legitimate musical form. The slick skill it takes to hear these snippets of music and stitch them together to formulate something completely unique is true craftsmanship. Shame on those hatin' on hip-hop.

[@bert3163]

Agreed. If hip-hop isn’t art, then Andy Warhol wasn’t an artist. 👍

[@cbrown940]

it’s the ONLY musical art form where this sort of hybrid creativity can have roots.

[@norakat]

I don’t think people are hating. People who are old enough to have been around before sampling and are used to listening to fully arranged musical compositions might hear a Hip Hop track and think it’s monotonous or too simple musically. Like if you play a sample based Hip Hop beat for Isaac Hayes he might not be too impressed. Sample based music can often be constraining and monotonous but not always.

[@wesleywayne303]

@@norakatcorrect, but the same can be said for bands- you can have a boring shit band or something unique & a mind blower. Most music dudes who shit on sampling are lames that are bitter because no one likes their music instead of being honest w/ themselves that it isn’t that good, & actually working on it, they choose jealousy combined w/ their ignorance to the art of sampling thinking it’s ALL just stealing a loop like Diddy… So sure you could have boring ass trap beat from some 16 year old on whatever free computer program that other teens that don’t know anything about music either & they may all think it is fire- 😂doesn’t mean it is. Then you check out masterclass digger/sampler producer track like (DJ Shadow) “Numbers” Cut Chemist Remix which is a musical journey w/some mega rare funk records & a rad psych break. Shit is ILL.

[@ehlohimwhil5762]

Not really a forgotten art , it’s just people don’t want to clear multiple samples and splitting up more publishing percentages

[@eltrainmusic]

Yeah, that definitely doesn't help! I think with websites like Tracklib now, it's easier than ever to clear samples and not give all your publishing away!

[@elenigmo]

came here just to say this

[@aarondawkins1472]

The Bomb Squad-- Kings of layering.

[@dja.selekta]

Yessir, the Godfathers of the art

[@SPINNINGMYWHEELS777]

Roger Linn inventor of device to layer samples.

[@lordvespatron]

Layering?! Marley Marl was an innovator

[@nickwheatcroft]

Dust Brothers weren't too bad either.

[@earthboundboy]

I think as others have alluded to it was when the weight of sample clearance came down it became pretty impossible to keep making these intricate, layered sample-based pieces. Some like Pete Rock were great at filtering and EQing the various elements into a whole but I had a particular soft spot for Mista Lawnge’s production on the first Black Sheep album. He had an amazing ear. I think that’s what it’s all about, really, having a great ear. Loved this video! 🙌🏼

[@Eli_B3000]

That Black Sheep album is incredible, I had it as a very young teenager when it was out. The Similak Child version with the guitar and dogs and then the drum break comes in, is perfection. Try Counting Sheep is another inspired one, the Hendrix sample and then the chorus just solidifies how slamming it is.

[@eltrainmusic]

Yeah, that's a fair point. I guess it's tough to pay for those sample clearances unless you've got a hefty budget and aren't bothered about giving away large percentages! Damn, i've not heard this Black Sheep album before, thanks for the recommendation, really dope stuff!

[@eternal0star]

The Avalanches’ Wildflower & Since I Left You feature a bunch of hidden samples that never got cleared bc they couldn’t track down owner and people snitching on WhoSampled are potentially opening them up to lawsuits. The band makes NO money from the albums and have to recoup everything through touring constantly. It’s partly why We Will Always Love You has far less samples. It’s also, beyond just the complexity of the mixes, why they take so many years between albums. Shame stuff like SILU, endtroducing, paul’s boutique, 3ft, etc are so near impossible to make now. I remember reading that on somebody’s track Bowie’s reps wanted something like 80% revenue for a sample of Fame & Lou Reed wanted 100% for a Velvet Underground sample. Literally every sale would give the band NEGATIVE income. Obviously the track never got made. Don’t recall who artist was. No idea why, but De La Soul couldn’t clear Eddie Murphy saying “anyone in the audience ever get hit by a car?” And had to cut it from their rerelease of 3 feet

[@wesleywayne303]

📌💯

[@wesleywayne303]

@@eternal0starI’d really like a law office interested in protecting artists to fight to retier music sampling pay out & percentages… say a flat fee + a small percentage on publishing. Example: if a beat had 5 samples, 3 being prominent, 2 being element/spice then 3 songs get 5% & 2 get 2.5%. 75% to producer/mc/artist/s b/c they are the creators of a new piece of music. It needs restructuring. No one talks trash about James Brown never paying JB’s or Clyde anything off of their sampled work or Steely Dan offering percentage to Chuck Rainy or Bernard Purdie’s drumming? Whoever’s playing is actually being sampled is who should be paid if we want to be fair about the whole thing! Stubblefield never got a dime for his drumming sampled in over 1000 songs. That’s sad & wrong. Is Bob James paying out Purdie for his drumming? Doubt it. Then they act all out of pocket that it’s “their” work/genius being “stolen” sampled… Then turn around & not pay the players sampled. Also, these old guys need to realize it brings them new interest, streams, fans eventually of work they never have heard. Sampling shows love to them. It isn’t just taking, it gives as well… money, streams, new fans & keeps their music alive. Whole thing needs restructuring & new legal precedence.

[@soulfulandnice]

I love layering. 😊 It's an essential part of making music since way back in the old classical music days. Transposing and tuning are so important with audio samples. We really must train our ears. I'm glad you mentioned this in your video! 👏🏽✊🏽😉

[@eltrainmusic]

100%, lots of people asking how you do this and it's honestly just years of listening and making music, over time you naturally learn what works and what doesn't. I'm sure so many of these legendary producers didn't have classical music training but they certainly had well trained ears!

[@soulfulandnice]

@@eltrainmusic Exactly!! 💯 Unless someone is a prodigy, practice and exposure to new sounds is how most of the legends became good at what they do!

[@SmithTheMister]

Definitely agree. Layering is super important and is something that I never stopped doing in my music production. Great information sir! ☮

[@fakshen1973]

The tools didn't get lost. Producer's just wised up. The more samples you mash up, the less money you'll be getting paid. Having your music stuck in licensing hell and being the last mouth being fed changed production.

[@eltrainmusic]

Yeah, true! I think tools like Tracklib make it easier now, so maybe we’ll start seeing producers layering up samples again without worrying as much about the licensing stuff.

[@colonialstraits1069]

That’s all fine but when you cut corners, I’m a lot less likely to want to listen to it, so the artist gets nothing, as opposed to something.

[@nazauwu6431]

​@@colonialstraits1069 imma be real man the 0.00003 cents that your Spotify plays can give artists aint making a diff in their income

[@fakshen1973]

@colonialstraits1069 No corners are cut if you can create your own rather than sample someone else's work. Why pay someone else for life for work I can do in 20 minutes?

[@brageboogie]

"If you have to ask, you'll never know" Truer words were seldom spoken.

[@djwillypoo]

I’m 42 and the cats you’re talking about have meant the world to me for so long. It’s so good to know other people feel the same. Timeless, seminal, crucial, trailblazing black art in its highest form.

[@djwillypoo]

And I mean. …. Let’s not forget about all the people that they themselves are emulating, re contextualising , ripping off, drawing inspiration from. We have much much to learn man. Videos like this spread the message of true game changing musicians

[@wiseknowin777]

47 here, and I feel exactly how you do

[@wesleywayne303]

@@djwillypoowell, with all of the layers & levels you mention, there are starting to be sampling classes w/ history & song break downs in them w/ these nuances noted. Ninth Wonder, a pretty dope producer in his own right, I believe teaches a class & goes there w/ a praises & credits due.

[@mpt_house_news]

Layering samples is such a lost art. Thanks for shedding light on this, it’s really inspiring to see how producers like Q-Tip and Prince Paul crafted their sounds!

[@kevinkaiser2501]

Back in the day, I produced a couple albums and an ep’s worth of sample-based music. I spent hours listening to music of all genres, seeking the right sounds. African, Bollywood, jazz, post-rock, Buddhist chanting, spoken word poetry… I don’t even remember where some of the samples came from.

[@nickwheatcroft]

Are they online somewhere?

[@LL-wz7je]

Love this. I started listening to hip hop in 1984. The 80s and 90s truly were the golden era of hip hop. Layering sampling is what really made me gravitate towards the genre.

[@MohamedCherifBOUCHELAGHEMdz23]

Nice video! The issue with layering samples is to. keep all samples at the same key, producers have to know the root note key of main sample and align all other samples at this root note key.

[@aproducernamed2]

Makes sense

[@oldaccc12125]

It gets easy by ear after doing it multiple times 👍

[@BillyBatsonMarvel]

There’s other semitones that can harmonize with the root.

[@SimonPhoenix3]

It’s all about following the feel

[@blkgostnone4092]

No quite But it’s a start 💪🏾

[@aldavis9696]

What I love about this video is it revisits humble old school beginnings.

[@johnthies1150]

Man, some of the best work in layering was also done by the jungle brothers, like good news coming, the way they blend together so many different samples is magnificent. They deserve more love.

[@brageboogie]

The JB's are criminally slept upon.

[@MrTwentytwin]

This is a great technique that I always use. I layer with tracklib, splice, and any thing I have in my record collection. Then mess around with the keys till something fits. MPC progressions is a good tool for this

[@AaronZuniga617]

I love your videos so much I really appreciate the time you put into studying the history of hiphop and deconstructing beats very dope!

[@eltrainmusic]

Thank you so much! I’ve always loved diving into this stuff, so I thought I’d start sharing what I’ve learned along the way. Glad you’re enjoying it!

[@ThadBrown]

Lovely stuff man. I remember doing these chops on a MPC2k and that tiny little screen. Oof. What a glorious time we live in today.

[@regalmonkmusic]

This was a great illustration of the layering technique. Well done. Thank you!

[@kylitos_way_00]

Incredible work on this - my love of music is rooted so deeply in all you discussed here - thanks for sharing

[@eltrainmusic]

Appreciate that. I feel the same way about hip-hop and sampling, so it’s great to hear this resonated with you.

[@leeosborne6560]

Great in-depth info here pal. Nice work. Much appreciated.

[@MrMargaretScratcher]

3 Feet High and Rising is even more impressive when you think it was made on a Casio RZ-1, with all the pitch shifting being done using an Eventide Harmoniser, presumably as the records were being sampled into the RZ-1. We are so lucky these days!

[@sirsilver1968]

I always layer my samples, when you get them in tune riding along together thats the magic

[@92elmmusic]

these videos are fire!! keep em coming 🔥

[@KervinMason]

Thank you wish ppl made more videos like this

[@eltrainmusic]

Thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed it-definitely planning to make more like this!

[@BoomDocs14K]

I understand and agree with your point 110 percent. I produce remixes this way on my channel all the time being an Old School DJ/Producer. I don't know why much of the younger generation of DJs are not all over this. The technology we have today is what I could only dream of years ago. I know every generation is different, but there's more to music than distorted 808 drums and eerie synths melodies. Great content, Bro!! #2thumbsUp!!!

[@CRETELOVEE]

Bro as a Producer , i Pray to meet ah friend like this to just really sit down and learn fr

[@YariBeatsMedia]

Will always have a creative edge over modern production.

[@HOLLASOUNDS]

No it won't because even in My DAW I'm regularly layering samples and always have, so does everyone I know who makes Hiphop it's just the sound don't have to come from Vinyl they can come from, sample library's or you can play in midi and have that be played as any instrument and then sample that. My own composed strings sound real however its just midi triggering a sample based VST.

[@BizzyAmor]

Great video - I appreciate the execution and the tasteful incorporation of your own products without peddling too harshly. Thank you for your efforts.

[@eltrainmusic]

🙌

[@prodkxvi]

super interesting topic good one bro, keep em comin

[@eltrainmusic]

Appreciate that, man. Big fan of your channel too, so that really means a lot!

[@donofman]

It's so funny watching these videos for me. I was never taught by anyone how to sample or how this stuff worked when I was learning to produce so I made up some very weird techniques to create music. My journey has taken me to some very unique places to the point actually will play instruments and design sounds and use samples chopped in really odd ways. I have stay away from the stem splitters (for now) just because it seem like to much power... but I have some samples I have been wanting to use that the techniques will make them finally usable.

[@RGMusicStudio2024]

Amazing tip mi Amigo, thank you! 🙏🏼

[@nene-music-official]

This video is so important for people to see. Appreciate your breakdown fam 🫡

[@eltrainmusic]

Definitely worth checking it out. So much great music (both old and new) on there that you can sample freely with a monthly membership.

[@esotericprana]

Black Moon - Enta Da Stage is probably my favourite Golden Era album, Beatminerz produced some phenomenal stuff. Think Muggs needs to be in the conversation too when you talk about sample layering. Loved the quick tune you knocked up too!

[@bobbymoynahan]

Great stuff!!! Love it! Thank you!

[@Josey17]

Inspiring brother. already liked and subscribed. How you put that together got my creative mindset going.

[@eltrainmusic]

Thanks, glad it was helpful!

[@KutayYavuzMusic]

Great tips and knowledge! Thanks for sharing. Subscribed!

[@eltrainmusic]

Thank you, I hope it was helpful!

[@AfroRedMusic]

Finna get to a beat now! Gonna look for obscure 70s samples 🔥

[@lazyeight01]

Good stuff sir. I wasn't aware that layering samples ever fell out fashion but it's always nice to see a comprehensive breakdown of some classics.

[@Kalhex]

Pete Rock - What U Waiting 4 = masterclass/masterpiece

[@SPINNINGMYWHEELS777]

Without Roger Linn no "Peter Crack Rock"

[@capcussa]

@@SPINNINGMYWHEELS777 idk what this comment is supposed to mean, but pete didnt even use an mpc until the early 2000s.

@@capcussa button pusher is the point - regardless of the robot machine that sequences digital samples

[@stefan-apollo]

Really awesome video about 2 fantastic songs. Always was wondering how the dela soul track was made! I never saw someone chopping an pitching the individual bass parts rally Inspiringly

[@louminati4318]

I love making loops from samples. I've been doing this since the Akia 950 days. Now I'm trying to learn about getting the right frequencies and pitch. I've subscribed to your channel.

[@otakudesuka7376]

The bass line uplift the track so nicely.

[@TufKutBIP]

... @eltrainmusic you missed a couple of ingredients: sax stabs/echoes (with long tail ends) and a percussion track. The percussion track is important for giving depth to the drum pattern, it makes it more than just looped drums. It can be a shaker, a tambourine, congas, or just a hi hat. When you come to arrange the backing track with vocals on top, when you drop out the drums for a quarter bar it keeps the track vibrant. Lots more to add but that's up to those who want to dig a little deeper.😉💯💯💯

[@eltrainmusic]

Oh definitely, I think I need to do a part two because there's so much more I can dig into including all those things you said!

[@mirsoundz9575]

Great history on the origins hip hop and sampling!!! 💯😤🔥

[@eltrainmusic]

Appreciate that sir!

[@DjMiflyn]

Solid video. Lots of folks make these and my time feels wasted, but this was well done. Subscribed!

[@eltrainmusic]

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it!

[@PolymathomasJohnson]

Listen this video was well done and informative and the track was nice bro keep the videos coming

[@ContentScientist]

Great Video - Thanks for Sharing!!!!!

[@kevinford9963]

Yo, as a golden era hip hop head, this was righteous. Gave me a new appreciation of the art even if I don’t like the song. Also, people should understand just how much different music than HH these guys have to consume to expertly do this. A testament to constant learning and keeping an open mind. You should do Madlib next with layering.

[@eltrainmusic]

100% those hours and hours of digging and listening to jazz, rock, disco and any music they could get their hands on can definitely be heard in their music

[@threal6870]

Thanks for going before Herc. Good quick history lesson.

[@lostinjazz]

Really enjoyed watching this. Thanks for creating!

[@Loafy-n1t]

I’d go with No More Mr. Nice Guy by Gang Starr. Early Gang Starr, raw and underrated compared to their later classics.

[@Ru5hMusic]

durrit durrit you no no na no... 💯

[@nathanchennell]

Great work. I found this insightful, helpful and inspiring. Thanks. Additional subscription

[@eltrainmusic]

Thanks Nathan, glad you enjoyed it!

[@MegaVern1]

Thank you for sharing!🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@eltrainmusic]

My pleasure, I hope it was helpful!

[@obi1kalong197]

What you created was awesome!!! Worked so well together!

[@eltrainmusic]

Thank you, glad you liked it!

[@DJ279V]

Been making lots of layered beats lately using my 2000xl (est. 2015). Main reason to try these types of beats lately is from 90s era hip hop. Incredibly fun to do especially when manually adding samples on top of the main loops. Nothing like the hardware and manually putting it together. Thx for sharing!

[@mcDontSpeak]

Great content as usual broski! Keep it going!

[@MarariMusic]

layering is everything

[@asmrbruh8070]

9:02 OH MY GOD!!!! This is soooo nice. Thank you for inspiring me :)

[@oldhead5947]

Dope work🔥🔥🔥

[@eltrainmusic]

🙌🙌🙌

[@djwillypoo]

Watching this video grinning looking at my mpc and framed copy of midnight marauders on the wall . Thinking …. Fucccck. There are other people in this world that are the same as you and care about this crucial stuff. Thank you and all the best from A yacht rock loving , sample craving , dilla DLS Tribe purist mpc loving , otis worshipping , soul obsessed human being who stumbled on this video you made . Big ups xx Will

[@Tshepo-nc1lz]

this content made my heart skip a beat

[@obi-wankenobi4959]

Absolutely brilliant breakdown and beat. Thank you

[@eltrainmusic]

Thank you! Really glad you liked it, appreciate the kind words!

[@wiseknowin777]

Awesome bro. Thanks!

[@seethelieutenant]

Dag this vid might’ve just changed my life will update in a few years

[@B.I.B.L.E.]

This was fantastic

[@WillhouseBeats]

Love the editing and style of this video bro! Hoping to get my second channel with similar videos up and running soon and found this super inspiring!

[@willhelliwell]

As someone who has just downloaded the Flip Sample app, this was really useful. I'm used to a daw and writing music from scratch. Sampling is gonna be fun

[@eltrainmusic]

Glad it was helpful! I've been meaning to try out the app for a while actually, how is it?

[@willhelliwell]

@ koala is much more versatile. But flip is ok. Really nice UI

[@HBNNateLavish]

🔥🔥🔥 bro keep inspiring us to be great 💯

[@vinylloops2216]

I love layering. Thats how I started making beats 4 years ago. Studying QTiP and Prince Paul

[@eltrainmusic]

For sure, there's still people out here doing it, I feel like a lot of the younger generation have never tried it though!

[@jonez2020]

I'm a fan of layering samples. In my opinion, it gives you a creative way of learning how to arrange different blends of sounds. Marley Marl is the king of layering samples. after that, Prince Paul!

[@eltrainmusic]

100% Marley Marl was incredible, the production on 'Mama Said Knock You Out' was sick!

[@acebutter9241]

Large Pro is another who could do that well. Main Source had alot of that going on.

[@Spectacular66]

Layering was such a big part of early hip-hop. I love how it was used in the early 90s. Too bad we didn't see that kind of thing anymore

[@AngelNieto-m5t]

I wasn’t familiar with sampling layers at all. Or maybe I heard it in a song yet I never considered the idea of it. Either way you helped me create a new skill to look out for when listening to music. Your sample layering it’s self was beautiful too 🪽

[@PorchTalkwithLORENZO]

Incredible work 😊

[@greg-un8du]

love love LOVE everything about this video!! #WELLDONE

[@mpbangamusic9673]

Dope video mate, subbed

[@eltrainmusic]

@mpbangamusic9673 appreciate that, hope it was helpful!

[@broccolihart1]

Prince Paul to me is very underrated. He laid the foundation for classic beats using funk and soul records

[@davidgin8207]

dope session

[@djfingersflores]

Great video man, keep rockin' steady Peace

[@Tuna_Meltdown]

This rules. Thank you!

[@Streets_is_a_Mother]

Thx for this one! Perfect to learn

[@eltrainmusic]

My pleasure, I hope it was helpful!

[@djwillypoo]

My barometer amd litmus test , is it legit , tick worthy , real deal no BS, YT tutorial/ knowledge sharing clip such as this is always ……. Does this person make me want to turn on my MPC, wire some shit up and create things . And I’m currently turning on my battered MPC. Thanks again man . Xx

[@omarsorianolopez5290]

Excellent video bro, keep it up

[@steph6766]

wow appreciate dis fr. you cold w it 👾🧙🏿‍♂️

[@PuffinPass]

Qtip did a lot of cassette sampling rather than using an MPC until a bit later in his career. So his level of art and sampling was on a whole other level once he learned to use the MPC, it almost made it too easy for him at that point.

[@Joseomoore]

Well made 👏

[@N8_rickles]

Good looking out. I appreciate the video.

[@eltrainmusic]

🙌

[@horger3017]

its been 30 years i produce hiphop beats , and i ALWAYS layering sound ! to me its a must so my beat is not a clone of a " full sample" beat

[@wiseknowin777]

I don't want to upgrade to Ableton Live 12 for the stem separation or the latest version of Logic for theirs, but this is making me rethink that.

[@paullawson8610]

In the 90s I was making hip hop and jungle we had to use the EQ on the mixing desk to remove frequencies from samples it was a pain but worth it I was using Akai s1000 and Cubase on Atari st 500 just running midi recording on to cassette 4 track things that you can do on a daw in seconds would take hours on a 4 track

[@PatrickObiang]

AWESOME!

[@SPINNINGMYWHEELS777]

Roger Linn is the Man. He invented the idea you can chop up and layer samples on a quantized or not grid for fabricators of sound.

[@KelbaHuld]

When it comes to layering never forget about RJD2. A true master of this craft!

[@BeatsbyAttarus]

Great approach. Have done this many times. The next step would be presenting the mixing techniques to achieve a golden era sound. Back then, they used hardware samplers and analog gear that originated that magic sound we all love. Now working in a DAW it all sounds way too clean and sharp, lacking that classic warmth and smoothness. But it's possibile to recreate it, you need to reproduce digitally the same conditions. Problem is that people that grew up in the digital era often don't know much about that processing and approach mixing in a modern way - nothing wrong with it but you don't get that sound.

[@eltrainmusic]

Oh yeah for sure. I didn't really have enough time to cover it in a 10 min video, maybe a part two is in order where I can talk about RC-20 and plugins that give you that old school sound you find from using analog gear.

[@peakingmantis5331]

That chop you put in at 7:28 was so dope. I think it sounded even better without the low cut

[@eltrainmusic]

You might just be right to be honest!

[@youceethrillz]

Agreed!

[@stevennwogu2976]

Your sample is so amazing!!! I would definitely love to use this and use my inner soul of J. dilla to flip this track!!! My goodness you have such a great ear!!🙂‍↕️😌🙂‍↕️🙌🏾

[@eltrainmusic]

Appreciate that!

[@jammawun]

The technique isn't forgotten. It just evolved with time. We still stack.

[@eltrainmusic]

I hear you!

[@ooothatslaps]

Nice vid. I enjoyed it. Hip Hop Vibes🔥

[@jacobmarley6781]

This is great.

[@donmakesbeats7314]

This one was goooooood.

[@eltrainmusic]

Thanks, I hope it was helpful!

[@Pure_KodiakWILD_Power]

Sampling gone wild 😂🔥