>That album expanded the frequency range of not only the final >mix....but each instrument itself. The bass drum had >presence....the snare drum had body.....Almost ALL hip hop of >that time had very contained frequency ranges for each >instrument/drum part. Mostly due to all the low-pass, >high-pass and shelf eqs. A necessity when picking apart >samples and also for a general aesthetic that became popular. > >Dre's 'Chronic' was the first hip hop album to break-through >that aesthetic. Opened hip hop to the audiophile crowd. No >dusty grooves...no sax samples played back only above 2000K so >the accompanying bassline can't be heard. No transient hats >over the 'real' hat cause they happen to fit and they >accompany the string sample. > >Pure, clean, full range sound. No accidents. Everything >deliberate without the incidental genuis of sample-based hip >hop.
As a beatmaker constantly balancin between dusty and clean to find the perfect mix, this certainly made me think...