Posted By Peter on June 16, 2010

Sleeping on the airplane is always a challenge for me. I am dependent on getting a window seat so I can sleep. Last night I caught the redeye to Nashville for the Summer NAMM show. My girlfriend was kind enough to let me have the window seat after I whined about all the meetings I will have to attend while she is sleeping in the hotel room. While trying to get comfortable, I came up with a killer idea that makes it so you don’t need a window seat (see pic)! All you need is a hoodie and an airplane pillow. I also rock the eyepatch, ear plugs, and noise cancelling headphones (by audio technica…my small sales pitch). I slept super well. This is better than putting your head on the window because your body isn’t torqued so hard one way the whole flight. It is also a lot better than one of those neck pillows because it keeps your neck more upright, and hey, if you have a hoodie already, it is free. Check out my pics from Summer Namm soon! I can’t wait to eat some BBQ!

Category: Pete's Perceptions
Tags: Kamuela Kid, NAMM, peter, peter dods, summer namm, travel

Posted By Peter on June 4, 2010

Two more beats.  I used the Korg MicroSampler to chop up some vinyl on both of these beats.  The actual drum sequence is coming from the Akai Mini-Ak.  I have them midi connected.  It is even easier to get a feel for how my beat would sound now.  I can chop up a beat and get it rocking like this in less than five minutes…This enables me to comb through my vinyl collection faster and easier than I could have ever imagined before because I have spend little time sequencing and chopping and zero time assigning sounds to pads.  The first video is a sample from an Ohta San record “Love Story”.  The second is from a Japanese (made in Hawaii) record for children “Kokeshi Shindig”.  One day this will all get properly sequenced and recorded, but for now, I am happy to just have the foundation laid out.  It is a lot of fun to play it live…The Korg Microsampler is the best thing to ever happen to my beatmaking!

Category: Blogs, Featured Products, Pete's Perceptions
Tags: akai, beats, jdilla, Kamuela Kid, keyboards, korg, madlib, mf doom, mpc, mpc1000, prince paul, production

Posted By Peter on May 27, 2010

I have the Korg Microsampler synced to the rhythm section of the Akai Mini-Ak here.  Naksinator is filling in drums on the MPC2500 as well.  The samples you hear are actually on the Korg, but the keys on the Mini-Ak are a lot more fun to play so I’m triggering them from the Mini-Ak.  The drum sound you hear triggered with the samples are a sequenced drum from the Akai Mini-Ak.  Each time I trigger the sample it replays the sequence, and it is synced from the tempo on the MicroSampler.  It sounds sick when you do that!  The Mini-Ak normally sells in the store for $499, but there is a $100 end-user rebate  coming up in June.  We will make sure to have some extra Mini-Ak in the store on hand.  The Mini-Ak is the perfect sound companion to an Akai MPC or something like the Korg Microsampler.  I love sampling vinyl, but sometimes you need to fill in the gaps of sound with something else.  You can download the rebate form now: Akai Pro _MiniAK Rebate 6_10.  The rebate starts June 1st.

Category: Featured Products, News, Pete's Perceptions, Product Videos
Tags: akai, akai mini-ak, akai miniak, beat productionm, doom, finger drumming, hip, hip-hop, hiphop, hop, Kamuela Kid, Kamuelakid, keyboards, korg microsampler, live production, madlib, make beats, mf doom, mfdoom, microsampler, mpc, mpc1000, mpc2500, ms1, Naksinator, performance, preamps, prince paul, production, the Naksinator, trip-hop, turntable, vinyl

Posted By Peter on April 15, 2010

Okay.  Normally I get a new toy, get super hot on it, use it intensely for a few weeks, and then it gets buried under a pile of other gear in my apartment never to be used again (the curse or luxury of owning this store and getting to try out new gear all the time).  Not my Korg MicroSampler!  I’ve been super busy this past month so I had to take a hiatus from it, but last night I had about a half hour to bang out a beat, and I did.  Yea…my sequencing sucks…all of my projects on the MicroSampler so far have been very rough draft sketches of where I would like this to go, but the foundation of the beats I am cooking up these days is the sound I have been seeking for years.  Eventually I am going to transfer the sounds I am sampling from vinyl over to my MPC1000 where I can sequence it more efficiently. 

Category: Featured Products, News, Pete's Perceptions
Tags: beat production, hip-hop, Kamuela Kid, microsampler, mpc1000