Beat Crazy in Atlanta

Mar 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By Mike Levine

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SIDEBAR

a View From Dakitchen

If you're sitting in the mix position of the control room at dakitchen, LRoc's studio, his Minimoog (which has obviously seen heavy use) is on your extreme left (see Fig. A). In front of it is a rack containing a number of outboard synth modules, including a Roland V-Synth XT and Fantom XR, an E-mu Mo Phat and Proteus 2000, and an Oberheim Matrix 2000.

A Roland SP-808 Groove Sampler is on a rolling stand to the left. A desk in front features an old Korg Triton, some patch bays, a PreSonus Central Station monitor controller, an Apple monitor for LRoc's G5 (which runs his Digidesign Pro Tools HD setup), and his most important piece of gear — an Akai MPC3000.

Dynaudio BM15A active monitors are on either side of the Apple monitor, and KV Audio EX 10 monitors on speaker stands are farther out to the side. A KV Audio EX 2.2 subwoofer is on the floor. On the right is a rack with his Pro Tools hardware and mic pres.

When he records vocalists, LRoc uses a Soundelux U-195 mic. “It's not too rich, but it fits everything I'm doing,” he said. “If I need something that's high end, then I rent. I haven't decided yet what other mics I'm going to get, but the Soundelux has been working fine — it's an old faithful.”

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Mike Levine is an EM senior editor.

LROC: A SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

Producer, Songwriter, Instrumentalist
Mariah Carey, “Say Somethin'” (So So Def remix featuring Dem Franchize Boyz) (Island Def Jam, 2006)

Chingy, “Pullin' Me Back,” Hoodstar (Capitol, 2006)

Dem Franchize Boyz, “My Music,” On Top of Our Game (Virgin, 2006)

Janet Jackson, “So Excited,” “This Body,” 20 Y.O. (Virgin, 2006)

LL Cool J (featuring Jennifer Lopez), “Control Myself,” Todd Smith (Island Def Jam, 2006)

Bow Wow, “Big Dreams,” “Caviar,” “Do What It Do” (no sample), “Do You,” “Is That You,” “Mo Money,” “Fresh AZIMIZ,” Wanted (Sony BMG, 2005)

Jermaine Dupri, “Gotta Getcha,” Jermaine Dupri Presents: Young, Fly, and Flashy, vol. 1 (Virgin, 2005)

Nelly, “Grillz,” Sweatsuit (Universal Records, 2005)

Bonecrusher, “Back It Up,” “For the Streets,” “Lock and Load,” “Peaches and Cream,” AttenChun! (Arista, 2003)

Lil Jon and the East Side Boyz, “Get Your Weight Up,” Part II (TVT Records, 2003)

Ice Cube, “Go to Church,” Laugh Now, Cry Later (Lench Mob Records, Inc., 2006)

Mario (and Mario featuring Juneville), “Boom,” Turning Point (J Records, 2004)

Usher, “Yeah,” Confessions, Special Edition (LaFace Records, 2004)

Lil Jon and the East Side Boyz, “Diamonds,” “I Don't Give a F***,” “Knockin' Heads Off,” “Nothin' On,” “Ooh Na Na Naa Naa,” Kings of Crunk (TVT Records, 2002)