RIAN O'GRADY
Classic Breaks: ReEngineered (a Number 1 Best Seller on Loopmasters)
“Amen”, “Think”, “Funky Drummer”, "Apache"… these breaks have become household names in music production; their familiar rhythms and sonic makeup have lent themselves to being manipulated into genre-defining sounds.
But for all their character and natural groove, they can require a decent amount of processing to squeeze out all that low end rumble, ugly resonance and boomy reverb in order to get clean, hard-hitting drums in your mix.
That’s why I wanted to remake them for the modern producer. Painstakingly recreated using new and old gear, “Classic Breaks: ReEngineered” provides a fresh perspective on played out sounds. For each break we carefully considered drum tuning, microphone choice / placement and outboard routing, using rich saturation and analog compression to try to match the tone of the originals.
The pack is comprised of 10 classic break recreations at their original tempos. It includes “modern” and “vintage” mixes which feature blends of different microphones and processing, both with and without reverb. Also included are over 100 pre-chopped loops in all your favourite rhythmic permutations across a range of tempos, ready to drag and drop in your DAW.
For those who prefer to programme their own beats, there are multi-sampled one-shots available for each kit.
This sample pack is available on Loopmasters, courtesy of Rewind Samples.
One of my breaks from this pack was recently used by contemporary drum and bass legend Venjent!
A review of my Classic Breaks: ReEngineered pack from Future Music Magazine (October 2024 issue)
Soundcheck Breaks
Whilst on tour in 2022 I recorded myself playing during soundchecks. I had this idea to make drum breaks that emphasised the sound of the room, so that when they’re chopped up together in sequence you can hear the size/shape of the space changing.
I don’t know how successful I was in achieving that, but what I did end up with is 50+ unique sounding drum loops, all of which I smashed through a vintage SpectraSonics 610 Complimiter for some real analog grit and saturation. This special unit makes everything sound great.
These breaks are rough around the edges; recorded on a single mic setup in the 30 seconds between setting up and soundchecking for that night’s show, expect some ambient noise, background voices and the occasional muted toot of a saxophone. I like to think they’re full of character and capture an energy unlike that of a studio environment, perfect for chopping up, stretching, warping and rearranging.
This pack is available to buy from Bandcamp