They don't talk about software in the article, as far as I'm concerned. Liam uses mostly hardware, Cubase, ReCycle, the Pro Tools stuff and maybe some plug ins are about the only software he uses.
If you're looking for a good step sequencer for creating drums and more, you might wanna check out Fruity Loops.
The best software for creating music on a step-sequencing based format, if you ask me.
Very easy. Reads .wav's and is learned to handle in about half an hour.

Yeah, good idea!

It's really cheap and easy to learn!
And Liam has one as well... :-)

Looks like Arie needs a workstation?

Someting like the W-30 but with better sample-functions.
Unfortunately there are noo cheap workstations around anymore, just Korg Karma and machines like that.
Too expensive and most of the functions ruin the creative flow. Well, a question of taste and workflow, of course, but I wouldn't be able to write something clever with that.
The problem is, that with a synth alone you won't get very far. You'll need something to sequence and something that provides beats and other stuff, all the things Zed mentioned before. But maybe you just want to have some synthsounds?

Okay, if you're *only* looking for a synth, I'd recommend
something like the Nord Lead II or a Virus B.

It really depends on what kind of sound you wanna create.
The Virus for example is said to be a trancey machine - don't be afraid, it doesn't mean you can only make trance-stuff with it, it's totally versatile, but it has this certain twilighted feel to it. Can't explain it better. A Massive Attack machine.
Whereas the Nord Lead is much colder and harder, it's more the one for crunchy lead-sounds and in-your-face-stuff.
Both are avaible with a clavia.

Mhm, wasn't he involved in the Experience-thing as well?
Thought he got credited in the lyrics somewhere.

No, unfortunately he isn't producing (well, I guess he never really 'produced', as Liam is a producer himself. And a very talented one. He might just have helped him finding some sounds and did some left-hand-work).

Ollie J. is doing Neills job this time and they record at the Rollover Studios, where Ollie's father is the owner of.
This guy is highly credited for his fast career.

But, if you ask me, I wasn't very astonished of the BGAT mixing. The drums sounded a bit weak.
Question of taste, of course, but I like my beats punchy and crunchy... ;-)

Cheers

What Drum machine does Liam use to get his famous beetz???
Ok obviosly lotsa different ones but don't u know what is most popular or have a listing of modules used for every track :P or sumthin like that

what would be a good drum machine that sorta kapturez liam's sound

On the FOTL he mostly used the Emu SP-1200 which is one of the most known Hip Hop-drummachines.
It also is the drummachine with the phattest pump if you ask me. Ever.
For example, take the Bassdrums of
SMBU, Diesel P., Funky S., Mindfields, Climbatize, Fuel My Fire.

I'm not sure about Breathe, but all the other ones are not coming from the SP-1200 (-or maybe they aren't compressed/EQued that much).
But those first mentioned bear the typical soundstamp of the
SP-1200 within. You can load in various BD's, they'll all come out like that, by any means.
I don't know how much and good the snares and other parts of the kit are effected by that typical sound, but afaic the BD is the main-reason for that (very expensive) machine.

Typically for Liams drumsound are other habits as well, he often underlines a BD with a short bass-sound.
This is so brilliantly mixed later, that you hardly hear they are not of one and the same origin. (SMBU is a perfect example.)

Another more obvious trick is to route most of the percussion-instruments (HH's, HO's, HC's, just everything that goes fast with the rhytmical pattern) through a vast distortion-unit (this would mostly be an overvalued Se 70).
Snares as well, but not too often. SMBU for example again, is a hellhole of distortion-fx. Nearly everything that's above the tracks bass-border (about 300hz) is distorted here.
Sometimes I really wonder why it still sounds good and clear.
Well, THAT's mastering, guys! You need years of experience to reach this point of mixing. I really hope Neill is mixing the new album as well.

Anyway, you asked for further drummachines, there was an interview with Liam in the Korg-magazine (check out the news on nekosite), where he stated that he used the
Korg Electribe R a lot.
I checked it out some time ago and it's nice gear, but if you have money and nothing else to do than loving and doing music, then immediately get the fuck out of here and buy yourself that SP-1200. Otherwise take the ER-1.
Like me.
Poor lads, aren't we?

If you still want to know more shit, go on and ask, but for today I'm out, I'm hungry. And I just got lust to extensively use my gear.

Seeya,
Ekko

Ahh, at least I got it made.
Okay, I just start off talking a bit, everybody's welcome to interfere.

There are some things I noticed that *might* make the typical Prodigy sound. You all know what I'm talking about, and if not, your subconsciousness must have got it then.
There is a typical way of doing the final touch to a track in Prodigyworld, it's hard to define what, but every album has that certain sound. Sure, all the album sounds different to each other, but within that record everyting is tight.

One thing that is very common on the FOTL are the high 3khz levels. There are even people who don't like Prodigy just because of the aggressive medium range frequencies (well, most of them are engineers).
Then again, ususally songs in the electronic-area are cutted
very harshly at about 35-45hz. Everything that reaches deeper near bottom end steals dynamic and headroom, buuuut... Not so with Prodge! Obviously not trying to produce the phattest dancefloor-killers, the low end in Prodge-tracks finishes at sometimes 20hz (Diesel Power, if I remember right), which massively reduces the overall 'energy'. Very strange if you ask me, cause they now need to reduce dynamic to get a higher overall level again. And you all know, if you write music yourself, that music that gets published (by a record company) never ever is 'pure'.
The material is always re-engineered and mastered.
You would shit yourself, if you would hear Prodigy-music unmastered, it would maybe even sound awful.
Anyway, what I'm trying to say is, that because of the highered overall level and the aggressive medium-range frequencies every track is unique, bassy and very very urrrr...
straight. Small, you know.
Take a good Jazz record for example, if you heard Prodigy all your life long, you'll fall of your chair because of the high dynamic. You will hear stereo-effects you never even thought of.
No kidding, Prodigy is very mainstreamy when it's about producing. It kicks, alright, but it's very boring to hear all day, because of the missing tricks and secrets in the songs.

I'm sure most Prodge-listeners won't mind, but I would like a more 'deeper' record very well.

Anyway, I'll try to go short till here, there are more things which make the sound unique.
As some of you might know, Liam is using this old SE-70, which distortions the signal when the reverb is overloaded.
Well, if you know that gear, you will notice that in fact EVERY distortion is made with this, at least on FOTL and MFTJG.
He must have loads of them.

As it should be done: Every Bassdrum is mono and centered but not every snaredrum is mono (well, centered never as well), you can hear that on Climbatize. Okay, it might be an open hihat-sound from a synth lying over it, I'm not sure, since I got the same hihat here on my Virus.

Well, I must go to work now, maybe I'll write more about it (if there's still someone awake out there...) cause there's more about Liams & Neills trixx.

Seeya,
Ekko

When I have the next opportunity to get one, I think I'll get one.

We could exchange sounds then

Cheers

P.s.: How does it look at Roland's there...?

Mh, what I'm really interested in, is, if the W's totally functional.
Have you checked it through yet?
The most common thing breaking down on it is the LCD-screen and the keys of course.
Have you played all keys yet?
Sometimes the W starts to make some scratchy noises when you give out too much signals. Are all outputs ok?
And I heard that the midi-ports are very susceptible to damage.

Maybe you can find some old disks, they're compatible to an old Roland disk-standart from that time, so they shouldn't be rare.

Have fun!

Really? Do you use it? Do you like it? What effects are you looking for? Ah, bollocks, you don't more than a couple of
SE-70's !

How you gonnae give me one?

Harr harr, THIS is not your problem dude, just make sure the money's in time...

Watched too much Bullit, I guess

Well... HAVE YA

You want one?

That wisnae meant tae be a greetin face by the way, it just came up that way when a pit 3 ?'s next to each other.

??? like that

Well, that's what the "Disable Smilies" - check is for...

Absolutely, it doesn't depend on the drummachine, good music comes out of nearly every piece of equipment.
No one would have believed that an album like MFTJG could have been written with something like the W-30.
It's just a question of taste, imagination and innovation and of course how much time you are willing (and/or are able to) to spend for those things.

But still the drummachine-thing is important sometimes.
I personally wouldn't go for anything less than e SP1200.
For a hundred reasons, but mainly because you don't need to alter the sound much, it comes very fat and punchy as it is and it has a very deep and extended character. Hard but yet broad and warm. I'm talking about the BD's right now...
Way too expensice, though.

No question. Emu Sp1200, really.
If you need thick beats (especially BD's).

Depends on what you're up to.
If you need this groovy electro-feel, than I'd recommend a
TR-909, still one of the best beatspitters around.

The MPC's are very good too, maybe more phat soundwise than the 909, but they lack the groovy feel.
They don't have this much of an own sound, they 'just' sound good, whereas the SP1200 gives you about one and the same BD out everytime you put one in. Sounds silly, but if you listen to Funky Shit, Smack My Bitch Up and all those overproduced Prodigy-smashers - that's the SP1200.
They come out extremely thick and the nice thing about it is, that you mostly don't need to eq them much (and don't even think about dynamic editings, that would just ruin the phatness...).
Refered to as 'the' HipHop drummachine.
They're expensive as hell, though. I saw one on eBay a few days ago, went for 2300

btw, it seems there is a little mistake, there says the synth
created in 1984, but my one is manufactured in 1982...

Then you have a promo-synth, eh? ;-) Harr Harr!

Sounds good, I'm looking fwd (trans. as forward) to the examples.
Is that thingie Midified? Or are you gonna play it live?
I bought my Rogue two days ago, it should ship soon, the only thing it lacks, is Midi-implementation, but that's not a big problem, I just have to record an extra-track for it all the time (gets my lazyness in the way).

I also plan on rebuilding the Rogue totally, I'm gonna replace the mod and pitch-wheels with transparent wheels and put some blacklight dots onto it somewhere. Mostly optical changes. I thought of changing the power supply as well, did that with a BassStation kb, it so absolutely smacked me into the corner the first time I heard it. Like a 303 without this nasal sound and more squelching power. You should try that out, give it about 0.3V more, but beware, old synthis aren't renown for their stamina. And never do it with a digital synth...

My favourite Prodigytrack?
Don't know, changes about every day.
I'm hearing the Experience a lot by now, you know, summertime-feelings and so on...

But I think it's Break & Enter.

Oh no, dude, I hope he at least gave you a huge diamond for that...
The SH-101 is hot. Have you had it modified or in it's original shape?
I plan on buying a Moog Rogue soon (my favourite analog synthie), still saving up.
Have you seen Liams studio on the new website?
Very interesting, but he's hiding some gear. He must have a room full with stuff he's not using at the moment, or - he sold
everything. I dont think so, though.

Maybe we must start a new topic:
Analog vs Digital

Oh we so must!