 What makes the Amen break special? |
BattleDrone 
2161... the future.
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I've heard so many breaks and tried a lot of them, but it seems that the amen still is the king of breaks, no other break seems so flexible, gives instant rolling and can be sliced, pitched and rearranged like hell and still sound great.
What is it that makes this break so perfect?
Is it the distorted character of the drums?
Is it the almost equally long ghost hits?
What's your idea on this?
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31-01-2008 14:57 |
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D2o
Ghost
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31-01-2008 16:22 |
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CULTURE BOY
v v v iv a record missing
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31-01-2008 16:33 |
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BattleDrone
2161... the future.
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| quote: |
Originally posted by Ghost
But i try to steer clear of it. Feels like im cheating if i use it to fill my drums out. |
exactly
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31-01-2008 17:30 |
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Tomos
Infidel
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Yeah, I love the amen and I'm a massive fan of the older junglist tunes but I always stay away from it too in me own tunes. I don't actually think it works that well with a lot of modern dnb because it can easily get swamped by all the FX, basses, synths, etc, occupying the mid-range. You really need a simpler sounding track with lots of subs to give them their full potential.
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31-01-2008 18:12 |
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BattleDrone
2161... the future.
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That's why there are so many tunes that use a non-amen break and layer a highpassed amen on top for rollyness.
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31-01-2008 19:25 |
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Seven Gun
dotbee 4eva
Registration Date: 16-01-2007
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just listened to this twice on the trot!!!
N.W.A -- STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON
AMEN BREAK IN USE
boh!!!
oh and btw...
that squarepusher track is rubbish!!
it really pissed me off listening to that.
proper nonesense with no vibes and no soul to it.
just some attampt to be "modern art" and weird ass abstract.
"LOOK AT ME, I'M DIFFERENT" pfffft.
sucks bigtime imo.
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31-01-2008 20:54 |
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Paracyte
Crazy Bouncin Sinusoid
Registration Date: 07-12-2006
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Lets face it..
Every one drum n bass producer used the Amen ,(you ,me,the big names) every one love it coz it is special ,its a classsssics ! and of course every one will say that they will use them no more... bollocks.
got to love amen !
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01-02-2008 01:53 |
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jemone
Sponsor
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Amen fuckin rocks, i use it with pride in many forms, pitched down, high passed, chopped up, whatever, da badness. 
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05-02-2008 09:52 |
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philbee
Future beats for the streets
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05-02-2008 11:57 |
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CLARKFADER
unregistered
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the amen brother break is deffinatly the best ever breakbeat , i never , ever , get tierd of it , like i do with other beats or songs , i`ve had this conversation with many people , and i have heard it so many times , i never gets boring , and its so versitile !!!!!!! its just so good to the ears , im so sure there is`ent another beat like it , and its so funny , how a small part of an old funk track , could be played and manipulated so many times , lets face it , it must be about a million times now , lol , and it still has the same effect as the first , it has been the most integrall part of so many great songs , hats off to it !!!!!!!!
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05-02-2008 14:05 |
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junglist06
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| quote: |
Originally posted by CLARKFADER
the amen brother break is deffinatly the best ever breakbeat , i never , ever , get tierd of it , like i do with other beats or songs , i`ve had this conversation with many people , and i have heard it so many times , i never gets boring , and its so versitile !!!!!!! its just so good to the ears , im so sure there is`ent another beat like it , and its so funny , how a small part of an old funk track , could be played and manipulated so many times , lets face it , it must be about a million times now , lol , and it still has the same effect as the first , it has been the most integrall part of so many great songs , hats off to it !!!!!!!! |
amen brother!!!!!!!
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10-02-2008 19:11 |
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Halph-Price
Zombie Algorithm
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10-02-2008 21:00 |
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Greyone
Master Producer
Registration Date: 01-04-2005
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i still like it to use for layering , though id like to experiment with the hughe load of other breakz for layers .
+ i love the reason drum sound pack (rewired in fruity 
)
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13-02-2008 12:33 |
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cent
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Registration Date: 24-02-2008
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the amen break was being played by two drummers on two differnet drumkits , it is not one drummer alone. The way it was recorded was with microphones over the drums (as well as in the bassdrum I guess) and it is the way it was recorded basically that makes it have this distinctive sound. I don't remember more information about it. This I was told by Davide Carbone in person.
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25-02-2008 10:09 |
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BattleDrone
2161... the future.
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| quote: |
Originally posted by cent
the amen break was being played by two drummers on two differnet drumkits , it is not one drummer alone. The way it was recorded was with microphones over the drums (as well as in the bassdrum I guess) and it is the way it was recorded basically that makes it have this distinctive sound. I don't remember more information about it. This I was told by Davide Carbone in person. |
That was the re-creation of the amen break for the sample CD from DC. The original Amen has been played by one drummer.
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25-02-2008 10:38 |
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smifff
Cool Tourist
Registration Date: 08-10-2006
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Sylvester "G.C." Coleman
A man who has recently passed away 
Gone, but definately not forgotten !!
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25-02-2008 11:12 |
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-J-
Big Bad Battyman
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| quote: |
Originally posted by smifff
Sylvester "G.C." Coleman
A man who has recently passed away
Gone, but definately not forgotten !!
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none other than !
it's a drumbeat that feels so natural, and yet doesn't sound like a regular drumkit, at all ! the cymbals are constant, the coherent feeling of the sound of the cymbals matching the sound of the snare matching the bassdrum ....
indeed, the original has been played by this ONE drummer,
what makes it so great is this drummer's sound ... you can pick up any given drumkit, and play an amen (if you can actually play drums that is
), and some people even get really close to sounding like it, but never can you get that particular sound, it's a drummer's thing... like no other drummer will ever sound like dave weckl, or like jack the johnette, or like tony williams, while you can all practice the patterns they play, it's a drummer's (all musician's for that matter) quest to find his particular 'sound'
don't we try the same in our productions ??
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It's a spiritual thing !
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25-02-2008 13:52 |
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Halph-Price
Zombie Algorithm
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you may say the durmmer, but it's teh same reason motown records have great drums liek james brown stuff, it's all the mic and the placment. you could get the exact same playing of the Amen by a robot who doe sthe exact same preformance and make ti sound like total udder shit with wrong mics and bad placment of them. infact it's easier to do that. mic placment is god when it comes to drums. and to be honest it might have been 2 or 3 miscs or less ont hat drum kit.
but there's a saying the mo town drum kit in thier studio was nailed down in place after they got the right sound. it's what gives drums the punch and sizzle.
drum kits now are harsh high end from digital recorders, snare durm is way loud and the kick is unnaturally loud in comparision from the The Winston Brothers time.
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25-02-2008 19:08 |
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