What Equipment Does Rap Producer Dr Dre Use in The Studio
Sounds
On his classic 1992 album The Chronic , Dre made famous the G-Funk (gangsta funk) sound. He became known for his style of rap beat which often utilized studio musicians replaying sounds from funk music, instead of sampling directly from 1970s/80s bands such as Parliament/Funkadelic.
The way he mixed synthesizers with older style rap production was a huge influence on rap/hip hop music for many years. The long synth sounds on rap hits like Nuthin’ But A G Thang or Dre Day make them instantly recognisable as Dr Dre beats.
Dre stresses the importance of EQing (equalizing) his drums properly. He admits to using the same drum sounds on different tracks on an album, but they’re EQed to sound totally different so you wouldn’t notice. Rap fashionista Kanye West famously copied the drums from Dre’s song Xxplosive on the beat for This Can’t Be Life .
Equipment
Dr Dre uses an AKAI MPC 3000. Actually he claims to use 4 or 5 of them at a time, just because he is too lazy to swap the discs out.
If you are unable to find the outdated MPC 3000 you can get a MPC 1000 . It has all the functionality you need to record and sequence samples. Despite the lower model number it is actually newer then the 3000 and has better features like compact flash card storage instead of old fashioned floppy discs and more upgradable memory for increased sample storage.
The MPC 500 is similar but missing some features. However it is portable. The latest MPC is the AKAI MPC 5000 which can do some cool things but is much more expensive. These days many producers use a strictly software setup, the situation has changed a lot since Dr Dre started out making beats.
The software Dre uses is Pro Tools , which is pretty much standard for major rap producers. However there are plenty of cheaper sequencing programs available, including FL Studio and Acid Pro . There are a lot of choices but any sequencing program is capable of helping you create amazing music, it just depends how you use it and what sounds/samples you put in. This means you can use these programs for any style of music you can think of, not just rap or hip hop beats .
Headphones
Of course Dr Dre endorses Beats By Dre headphones. The Studio models are quite expensive however there are some cheaper ones. Real rap producers don’t use headphones; they use monitor speakers. But sometimes its nice to listen to rap beats on headphones, so maybe check them out. They sure look nice.
Chair
Dre spends long hours working in the studio so he needs a chair that offers comfort and support. That’s why he uses a high back leather executive chair from Boss . Rappers, musicians and other beat makers love to come and chill out at Dre’s studio because the seating arrangement is so great.
Toothpaste
No discussion of music production equipment would be complete without a note on toothpaste. Dre has been a long time proponent of dental hygiene, as shown by his famous Toothpaste Rap . He likes to use AquaFresh Fluoride Toothpaste to prevent cavities and leave his breath fresh. Of course he also gets his teeth professionally whitened to keep him looking his best for music videos and red carpet events.
So just follow these simple tips and model every aspect of your life after Dr Dre The Great, one of the coolest guys and best rap beat makers in the universe. You will be making a splash as a Grammy award winning rap producer in no time. Good luck!
