Why don't more beat makers use pedals?? -- AKAI MPC 3000 + OBNE Minim Reverb Delay & Reverse pedal

I can see why guitarists and musicians get addicted to pedals. They're really fun.
Just picked up this pedal made by Old Blood Noise Endeavors called Mimim. It mostly does reverb and delay but also has some interesting time warping features with speed, modulation, and a cool Reverse setting that tends to add higher harmonics to every sound I put through it.
I hooked it up to one of the 8 outputs on my MPC and it led to some interesting sonic ideas that I'd love to explore in more detail later. For some, this is old news. But I'm new to the pedal game, so I love exploring the idea of pairing drum machines and samples with various pedals to achieve new sounds.
Enjoy!
ig:
_eddieleonard
music:
eddieleonard.bandcamp.com

[@ChuckSutton]

I’m so happy to see production content that’s calm and not heady, just honest exploration without an outside voice 😌🙏🏽

[@eddieleonard6925]

I'm glad this resonates with you. Welcome to this un-advertised, hidden little corner of youtube. :)

[@e66iu]

mpc "producer" here. i try to find pedals for everything. I really don't like the idea of renting software, everything being online, and sounding like everyone else who uses the same things... "my method is unorthodox but of course it rocks" ~MOS DEF

[@eddieleonard6925]

love the quote. and i'm following a similar path...love the idea of multiple pedals in a chain, or working together to treat different sounds within the same mix.

[@dwayneanderson908]

I don't know if I'm a beatmaker... but I ove synths and samplers and drum machines and I use a lot of distortion, reverb, and chorus pedals... maybe a phaser here or there

[@eddieleonard6925]

I'm trying to get on your level. So many options..

[@Netm8kr]

Over the years, I've noticed similar things. Pedal use in the past, was likely kept secret or reserved for synths (as stated).Some producers weren't afraid to explore possibilities with them. Myself, I use efx racks. Getting that same desired effect on my sounds. These newer MPCs etc, offer on board efx or plug-ins for those services. But to me, never sound as good as dedicated hw. Keep exploring bruh. I'm enjoying watching your journey. ✊🏾✌🏾

[@eddieleonard6925]

Thanks for the heads up. I have a few old, cheaper digital delay rack units that I love. Don't know why it took so long for me to experiment with pedals, as they offer so much variety for customizing your sound. Thanks for the support.

[@Netm8kr]

@@eddieleonard6925 I can’t wait to see how you evolve using that SU700. If I wasn’t a reformed “GAS” spokesperson, I’d have one. But, I have enough tools to keep me engaged. Whenever I wake up from SEVERE “option fatigue”. 🤦🏾‍♂️ Keep creating brethren.✊🏾👍🏾✌🏾

[@robertlee1176]

When that pedal kicked in at 1:30, I started to believe in magic

[@eddieleonard6925]

me too...

[@rhoslug]

I'd love to see more of this. It's a beautiful mix of ambient and beats, which I really enjoy. Keep up the experiments!

[@eddieleonard6925]

New experiments on the way. Thanks for tuning in.

[@IvarConq]

Effects are great and the higher end pedals are just as great as rack mount gear. I just always try and think in moderation with my effects and how best to arrange like any other voice in a composition. Its a struggle... but I feel I am getting more control to not go full blast all the time. Thanks as always for blessing us with the content and inspiration Eddie. Peace peace!

[@eddieleonard6925]

I'm trying to approach this new interest with the same amount of moderation. They shouldn't take center stage...but they're a great tool that can add subtle effects to our sounds, when needed. I'm excited for the possibilities. Thanks for the support.

[@JUKE179r]

Thanks for the videos mate. Glad to see another MPC3000 and Yamaha SU700 user. 👍🏽 Cheers from the UK! 🇺🇸🇬🇧

[@eddieleonard6925]

Thanks for tapping in! Those machines make a great combo! They each have their own sound for sure.

[@phdirac]

Very cool exploration, thanks for sharing! Those vibrations were bringing the ants out to groove ✨

[@eddieleonard6925]

haha..thanks for vibing bro. always experimenting over here.

[@ceciliafbrown373]

I think experimentation is essential just to allow ourselves to play and have fun. The mpc has the capacity to enable as to do that. I think its a matter of thinking outside the box.

[@eddieleonard6925]

True. For me, at the moment, it's just picking up devices that aren't necessarily marketed to me.

[@jeejeeBlaps]

Definitely on the pedal game over here. I recently picked up an Empress Zoia which gives you a lot of flexibility in how you use effects.

[@eddieleonard6925]

Yoo..that Empress looks insane. I'm kinda intimidated.

[@lechesangre]

Love them…and your way of thinking…you’ve just brought me memories from more than 20 years…thanks…peace!

[@eddieleonard6925]

Glad this brought back some memories. I'm having fun with this..

[@lechesangre]

@@eddieleonard6925 sure!…I envy you, so I hope so!…I mean, you must!!!!!😂…done a research, didn’t know prices had raised so much (should’ve expect it) but if I get the chance on one of those I’ll take it🤘🏾

[@YannisBikuta]

always interesting, from switzerland with love

[@eddieleonard6925]

Thanks for listening to these experiments

[@Noise-Conductor]

Having each out go to a audio-patchbay, then have that connected to 8 pedals, would really be next level since you'd be able to send multiple outs to the same pedal depending how you set it up with your mixer & everything.

[@eddieleonard6925]

I want to create a set-up like this one day. It'd make for some interesting sounding beats/songs.

[@djReason19]

Love this video for a few reasons. One, I'm glad the studio came together nicely, minus the ants. Two, love the experimentation. Three, reminded me about what I've been missing since I've been on hiatus. I do the same stuff, mostly with plugins, but with "analog" controls. Lastly, I enjoyed the sounds in this one. Plenty musical.

[@eddieleonard6925]

Thanks bro. This audio journey is all about experimentation, being vulnerable, trying to new setups and pushing our equipment to the limits. The pedal world has opened my eyes up to some new possibilities. Hope you're back in the mix soon.

[@djReason19]

@@eddieleonard6925 Thanks man. Really cool to see this pedal addition to the new lab.

[@oldbloodnoise]

this is great

[@eddieleonard6925]

your pedals are dope.

[@uriel-heavensguardian8949]

Good question. I would if I had any. Always wanted to experiment

[@eddieleonard6925]

I think it's worth it. Some pedals can be found cheap.

[@_dillon_7489]

Loved that feedback loop around 6:01 such a cool sound

[@eddieleonard6925]

Sampled it! :)

[@mgd9151]

Wow, I didn't know ppl didn't know about it. In the 80's and 90's I did this because I didn't have the cash for all the outboard stuff. I was laughed at but kept it moving and had a good career for it. Still do it.

[@eddieleonard6925]

I admit I'm late to the game. But I'm glad I caught up. They're more affordable, portable, and there's more variety in them than outboard gear, in my experience so far.

[@mgd9151]

@@eddieleonard6925 💯

[@mgd9151]

@@eddieleonard6925 have you tried the zoom B1 and zoom G1? Two affordable peddles with a lot of peddle, amp, eq, chorus, reverb, etc all adjustable with a wah peddle attached. I've used it with my mpc one, it's like magic.

[@eddieleonard6925]

@@mgd9151 how is this thing only 100 bucks? looks so versatile.

[@mgd9151]

@@eddieleonard6925 they are very versatile. I use the B1 for kicks on an insert on the model 12 and the G1 for snares on ch 2. Also having the ability to stack whatever 5 effects and save em is a plus. It has a tuner, looper, and a session drummer(can't front, I sampled it😄). Before buying these 2 I was buying multiple pedals and wanted a solution that had good options like compression, eq, octaver, and reverbs. They are cheap but give a good bang for the buck, plus I play guitar.

[@ghostowndjs8820]

Chase Bliss CXM 1978 Vintage Studioverb

[@eddieleonard6925]

Appreciate this. The bliss looks insane.

[@mikevenus4117]

I love using guitar pedals! I own the Empress Zoia and the Poly Beebo. I use them as my modular systems to make instruments, effects, and whatever I can think up. I want to build a pedal board to use with my Akai Force and Mpc 2000xl. Great video.

[@eddieleonard6925]

That sounds sick. You're the second person to mention that Empress device, and it looks like it will open another rabbit hole of sonic possibilities.

[@mikevenus4117]

@@eddieleonard6925I could do a video about the zoia and the poly beebo, if you like?

[@eddieleonard6925]

@@mikevenus4117 PLEASE do!

[@mikevenus4117]

@@eddieleonard6925 👍🏽, I got you.

[@miladbarikani3591]

I always sample your sound tests I don't know it's mpc 3000 or what but it sounds so cool and variable

[@eddieleonard6925]

i appreciate that. the 3000 has a sound, but i also use a ton of old dusty analog gear. I'll try and keep the sound tests coming.

[@dontcallmejon]

I don't use them because they are expensive, but the SP404 can basically be used as a pedal if you track one channel at a time running it through there

[@eddieleonard6925]

That's my favorite way to us the SP404.

[@BigCore-]

That ant is dangerous!

[@eddieleonard6925]

killer.

[@mgyb8269]

I think a good option would be getting a patchbay. That would give a lot more flexibility in routing options and creative effects chains.

[@eddieleonard6925]

agreed. I've looked into trying out a patchbay but haven't made the move yet.

[@mgyb8269]

@@eddieleonard6925 Yea, it should be fun hehe

[@Noise-Conductor]

@@eddieleonard6925 Used these: Samson S-Patch Plus 48-point Balanced Patchbay. They have all the switches on the front of the unit. Very powerful!

[@deanivan3951]

My favourite use of pedals on a hiphop album has to be Edan - beauty and the beat.

[@eddieleonard6925]

I need to check that out. I know Edan but haven't heard that lp.

[@deanivan3951]

@@eddieleonard6925 Make sure you do brother, i can see you're a man that loves hiphop in it's rawest form and the album does not disappoint, sonically it's incredible with features from Mr Lif, Insight, Dagha and the legend Percee P. All Praises 🙏🏿

[@Fundaground]

Peace! Good topic, bruh! Man you know Sunlight album was the prototype of set ups. I give Herbie the props for my electronic aspirations. Got to experiment and see for one’s own self . I got a dual phase mu-from clone and a space echo and a some other joints. I call ‘em salad dressing. Many flavors. 4:03 I want all the pedals lol✨🎶🔇

[@eddieleonard6925]

We're on the same page. What's that Sunlight album? I love Herbie and many of the early pioneers of new technology..George Duke, etc...

[@Fundaground]

@@eddieleonard6925 That is that iconic red Herbie Album was in my house from the 70’s . JayDee touched for get dis money (for modern references) wonderful piece of work. Herbie always stayed in the current with his tech and sound.

[@Doit4mojo]

Peep the Fairfield Circuitry shallow water modulator (basically a vibrato pedal) & meet maude analog delay from them. It’s something I wish I saw more outside of the ambient/synthpop/guitar stuff

[@eddieleonard6925]

Added to my list! These look incredible. Thanks for the tip.

[@customerservice9602]

I always liked the Ensoniq DP4 for samplers with no integrated effects. I'm out of the box though. I have a few earthquake devices pedals I use with the Korg DSS 1 or the Yamaha VSS joint. But hip hop and specifically true school era style hip hop is not heavily reliant on effects and definitely not effects pedals but that's probably because that was not a thing generally done. But I think it has a place in sound design. Because I like to use them with the DSS 1 and VSS for example to create sampling material with a 4 track or double decks. But yeah they are definitely fun to experiment with.

[@eddieleonard6925]

Nice. I used to have a korg DDS, too, but it eventually failed on me. I love old digital delays as a cheap alternative to something like a space echo tape delay. This new era of beatmaking where everyone loves the sp404 effects seems prime for experimental use of pedals for new textures and tapestries. Thanks for checking the experiment out.

[@lyomon9981]

Damn crazy

[@eddieleonard6925]

it is.

[@constantinflux]

Nice one! Small typo in the title though.. its Minim not mimim for the pedal.

[@eddieleonard6925]

Thanks for catching that!

[@ryanhursh6322]

I use a pedal on each of my outs. It’s why I bought a Live instead of the One and then have multiple sends on my mixer for those outs as well. For me that’s crucial… especially since the Live has a very good, but sterile sound. Also, its built in effects sound like plastic garbage so as far as I’m concerned, they are a necessity. I think many are using pedals these days but unfortunately in the current class of beat makers, most fall into 1 of 2 camps. It’s either they wanna be Dilla or they wanna make “hits” so they just produce the same shit over and over. It’s always “watch me cook up in 3 minutes.” So yeah, not so many pedals in the genre but they’re out there. A lot of microcosm users out there.

[@ceciliafbrown373]

Amen to the latter!

[@Doit4mojo]

The microcosm is sick for resampling but u won’t see that beyond the stuff it’s mostly used for out there.

[@eddieleonard6925]

Just peeped. It looks dope.

[@eddieleonard6925]

Solid points. I admire that you've got one on each out...that's soooo much more control over your sound. Where can I check your stuff out? I'm already designing some new experiments and ways of working with hopefully a very similar approach. And yes...more beatmakers than ever, but much less originality these days.

[@ryanhursh6322]

@@eddieleonard6925 I go by “Michigan 25 Years Ago”… any streaming platform will work. I’m not a hip hop producer, though my drums are often more boom bap inspired than anything else since that’s what I grew up with. I’d say it’s somewhere being ambient, glitch, downtempo boom bap… with a hint of RPG video games. I’ve got a 3 song EP up which is only Elektron gear (and pedals) but the full length that’s up is with the MPC, some Elektron and DSI Mopho X4. The pedals definitely play an important role though, not just for control, but to escape the sounds of the machines. Elektron gear sounds really Elektron in the way SP beats generally sound very SP, you know? Sample selection helps differentiate but machines really have sonic qualities that can be hard to escape. Of course the audience doesn’t care, just us producer nerds haha.

[@ghostowndjs8820]

I Use Pedals with my MPC and My SP-1200...The right pedal is better than any sample or sample pack...Chase Bliss Makes Dope Pedals....

[@eddieleonard6925]

Agree. If used smartly, they're a solid alternative to plug-ins and stock sounds.

[@uriel-heavensguardian8949]

✊🏾✊🏾✊🏾✊🏾✊🏾✊🏾✊🏾✊🏾✊🏾✊🏾✊🏾

[@LordBiffMusic]

im not on mpc anymore but i want to set up a patchbay so i can route my daw out into pedals and back

[@eddieleonard6925]

That sounds like a great idea.

[@johngorgis]

Many people get turned away at the fact that most pedals are made for instrument level not line level so they have less headroom , there are converters made by radial engineering that fix that

[@eddieleonard6925]

Good point! Do you know what the convertors are called? Are they DI boxes? or something else? I wanna try one so I can get my levels right.

[@WesWookBeats]

Chase Bliss GLv2 and Walrus Audio Julia for the win!

[@eddieleonard6925]

oooo, just looked these up. I'm being picky because there's sooooo many options in the pedal-rabbithole, but a solid chorus is necessary. that Walrus Julia looks enticing

[@WesWookBeats]

@@eddieleonard6925 Walrus Audio has "Julianna" as well, the stereo version.

[@marcferry]

Hello Eddie, Pedals are a very good option, however I think they are not used more because they are not designed for beatmakers, and it is a shame since there are true wonders for sound modeling, perhaps it is because each pedal requires 9v or 12v power and if you have Several already need a power supply for them and to route them, as a bassist I have quite a few but it seems a bit heavy for me to route them for the MPC. Nice video ¡¡ regards

[@Settii]

Use a small format mixer and you can connect your pedals to the Aux/Send channels while having your bass DI'd into the mixer and the MPC into the other channels. This will give you analog EQ and drive on each channel and, depending on the mixer, possibly some decent digital hardware FX in addition to your pedals being fed to the Aux/Sends.

[@eddieleonard6925]

True. Even though they're not designed for us, I'd still like to find more ways to utilize them, even if it means an additional mixer or power strip. Thanks for checking the vid.

[@Settii]

@@eddieleonard6925 You are correct. Some pedals have been designed primarily for guitar or bass and are best served in that capacity due to their frequency response being optimized for those instruments and tambres. But a significant share of modern fx pedals are designed with synthesizers and full-scale musical production for electronic and acoustic signal sources in mind. This is highly evident by dint of the fact that pedals by many popular brands such as Strymon, Chase Bliss, and Hologram are speced for things like line level signals and stereo input. It is also ideal to use a reamp box whenever going into pedals with anything other than a high impedance, instrument level signal. In reality all this stuff is made for all of us because "we are the music makers"... there are no rules!

[@ceciliafbrown373]

Its a shame the Moog fx pedals have been discontinued.

[@eddieleonard6925]

@@ceciliafbrown373 i imagine they can be found on the used market? a friend of mine had a moog filter pedal that i found really interesting.

[@jayoli7073]

DaVinci of Soillaquists used them back in the day

[@eddieleonard6925]

I'll have to revisit their work.

[@larrytan73]

were you apart of a group ?your name is really ringing a bell!

[@eddieleonard6925]

hmm...nope, i just starting releasing music under this name.

[@larrytan73]

cool! @@eddieleonard6925

[@larrytan73]

what do you think about the newwer mpc's? @@eddieleonard6925

[@SclimBeats]

Hey Eddie maybe you can help me. I’m new to outboard gear I bought some old VLA 2 compressor, analog heat and guitar pedal compressor from EH I’m running my signal trough this chain using Mpc x and then I print audio in to ableton using scarlet 3G 8i6 but the wave is quiet I’m picking about 12-10db but I’m controlling inputs and outputs signals running trough this gear it should be loud I guess and the wave form seems tiny 😅 dunno My grammar is not that great but I hope you understood my question is clear.

[@eddieleonard6925]

Try experimenting with your devices one by one. It also might be the cables. It could be a number of issues causing the loss in gain.

[@SclimBeats]

@@eddieleonard6925 thank you for answering I already solve this problem everything is new too me… but I have a lot of fun shaping the sound and playing with those units That I dig eBay for more cool old devices 😅

[@eddieleonard6925]

@@SclimBeats I'm glad you figured it out. Peace, and happy music making.

[@BigCore-]

I know you weren't really making a beat but it sounds aaight....

[@eddieleonard6925]

Appreciate that. but definitely a throwaway.

[@TTTTTTTTTTTTTTT55689]

your videos are dope dude, but you should really work on gettin that hum out of your audio, its pretty distracting. much love

[@notreally-sf3df]

Finally, someone said something. Normally, people complain like crazy, but the fuck, this is unlistenable. Like, you can get a $99 usb mic and solve all of this.

[@eddieleonard6925]

workinonit!

[@Settii]

Man...not for nothing... I kind of like it. It gives the whole channel a sort of LoFi vibe to it. And here I am thinking it was an intentional aesthetic choice 🤔...Nevertheless, the content is indeed dope, as you've stated, and deserving of a worthy following! Production values can always be addressed.

[@eddieleonard6925]

@@Settii Appreciate the support. I'm glad you dig these sonic explorations. I'm not focused on being a proper "youtuber" but on music. All the content production stuff is distracting from the actual practice of making music, so that's where my priorities are.

[@12bitizthewaytogo92]

ummm actually they do use pedals bro you just arent payin attention not everyone shows beat videos but its in their arsenal

[@eddieleonard6925]

I'm late to the party, but I'm glad i showed up.

[@xlilxillx]

because plugins exist...fym??? xD

[@eddieleonard6925]

i don't use a daw. but yes.

[@xlilxillx]

@@eddieleonard6925 ah yea, i too often like to make things more difficult than they need t be 😅