A question about Dr. Dre's engineering

[Tommy Gibbs]

First of all, this is NOT a Dre hate thread. I haven't and never will accomplish .5% of what he has so I am in no way diminishing anything he's done. So you mfers ready to come in here talking about some "hating" can stay the fukk out of this thread. My question is how much of Dre's engineering skills is him compared to the actual equipment? Once again, I am NOT shytting on Dre because he is who he is and his legendary status is solidified. He uses a Sony c800g Mic, which is basically an $11,000 mic. He's said he doesn't even have to eq it after recording. He uses the best SSL boards, best mic preamps, and best drum sounds(as he should). So how much is it Dre and how much is it the equipment?

The reason I'm asking is because the first time I was in a big studio over 20 years ago with a real recording booth, preamps, console and great mics, I had been there for about 2 weeks and learned the equipment. My bullshyt setup got the job done, but this was state of the art stuff here. I recorded and engineered a song for someone ( I still have the wav files on a disc) and I swear the vocals were so clear and crisp, along with the beat I had made on the MPC at the time, when dude came back and heard it he told me, "you did a great job on the mix". I'm thinking, "I didn't do anything, but cut 1db at 150hz while adding compression on the vocals and added very little reverb on the sample" and the shyt was completed. The equipment was that good.

So is it mostly Dre and not the equipment or vice versa. Do you think Dre can work his magic with a laptop and Cubase?

 

[ADP]

Several people have mentioned that he used to enhance the sound, even if very expensive others could afford it, can they do what he does ?

Dre is behind too much hip hop history from a musical stand point for me to question his credentials, he may be overated, he may have ghost producers, me personally feel like hes done too much for DECADES, to say that he aint all that... to each his own though

 

[Aje]

Think about it this way: every major producer has the same access to similarly high-end equipment, so if it was just the gear, than all the big producers would also be considered great mixers - but there not.

Check out Efil4zagg!n album. That's '91. Compare that albums amazing sonics with, say, Redman's 1st album - which came out a year later. That NWA album is pristine compared to the Redman record.

 

[MurderToCassette]

I understand what you're saying, but just like in every other trade its mostly the carpenter and not the tools.

An unbiased example is on It Was Written. (yeah I know everyone hates Nas Is Coming) Strictly from a sound quality perspective, Dre's song stands above Trackmasters, Premier, LES, Havoc, who all had access to the best equipment, pro studios and engineers. He was combining the best of the drum machine and live instrumentation to do sample replays early on and (as maligned as it is) I think its a dope beat that really stands out.

Engineering wise, I think his stuff peaked from 95-2002. After that I think he got into pro tools and the stuff was a little too over compressed for my ears. His stuff was always VERY compressed, but if you notice around this time, his arrangements were very sparse which allowed for the extreme compression. That's stuff the average beat maker doesn't think about.

I think his reputation is earned

 

[get these nets]

OP

How do Dre's early productions sound compared to his later ones? I have an untrained ear, but to your ears, how do the first round of full Dre albums (Eazy Duz it, Straight Outta, No One Can Do it Better, Supersonic) compare to what he's done since he got top shelf studio equipment?

 

[⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐]

First of all, this is NOT a Dre hate thread. I haven't and never will accomplish .5% of what he has so I am in no way diminishing anything he's done. So you mfers ready to come in here talking about some "hating" can stay the fukk out of this thread. My question is how much of Dre's engineering skills is him compared to the actual equipment? Once again, I am NOT shytting on Dre because he is who he is and his legendary status is solidified. He uses a Sony c800g Mic, which is basically an $11,000 mic. He's said he doesn't even have to eq it after recording. He uses the best SSL boards, best mic preamps, and best drum sounds(as he should). So how much is it Dre and how much is it the equipment?

The reason I'm asking is because the first time I was in a big studio over 20 years ago with a real recording booth, preamps, console and great mics, I had been there for about 2 weeks and learned the equipment. My bullshyt setup got the job done, but this was state of the art stuff here. I recorded and engineered a song for someone ( I still have the wav files on a disc) and I swear the vocals were so clear and crisp, along with the beat I had made on the MPC at the time, when dude came back and heard it he told me, "you did a great job on the mix". I'm thinking, "I didn't do anything, but cut 1db at 150hz while adding compression on the vocals and added very little reverb on the sample" and the shyt was completed. The equipment was that good.

So is it mostly Dre and not the equipment or vice versa. Do you think Dre can work his magic with a laptop and Cubase?

I don't know breh, you tell me

This song was recorded with Sony C800G into Neve 1073 pre-amp and mixed on a SSL G console



From what you describe, a lot of what you experienced may have been studio monitor and room acoustics ... Mixed with studio high

 

[⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐]

OP

How do Dre's early productions sound compared to his later ones? I have an untrained ear, but to your ears, how do the first round of full Dre albums (Eazy Duz it, Straight Outta, No One Can Do it Better, Supersonic) compare to what he's done since he got top shelf studio equipment?

By no means were any of those projects that you mentioned recorded in a budget studio

 

[Kool]

Check out Efil4zagg!n album. That's '91. Compare that albums amazing sonics with, say, Redman's 1st album - which came out a year later. That NWA album is pristine compared to the Redman record.

This.

I tell dudes this all the time. Listen to the NWA's "nikkaz4life" album and then listen to everything else that came out that year. That sh*t came out in 1991 and that albums music production and sonics are lightyears ahead of those other producers in the early 90's. Nothing came close to the sound of NWA's music back in the early 90's. The only one's that came close was Public Enemy's "The Bomb Squad". But as dope as The Bomb Squad was... I'd still give it to Dre. And then when Dr Dre dropped The Chronic... GAME OVER!

But as dope as the production on The Chronic was... some people still say that the production on the nikkaz4life album was more ahead of it's time for the time period that it was released... 1991.

Dr Dre has been making hit records since 1987. Dr Dre has made legendary songs and legendary albums over and over and over again. He has made world wide super stars out of several rappers with his music production.

Um... I'm going to go out on a limb and say it's Dr Dre's production and engineering skills and not just the equipment.

 

[MurderToCassette]

This.

I tell dudes this all the time. Listen to the NWA's "nikkaz4life" album and then listen to everything else that came out that year.

Putting that album on a good set of speakers is like listening to a movie