Top 5Has said they use
Akai Professional
MPC3000“I even like how this machine looks. Like it makes me want to work.”
Said in Black Milk's digital divide (Engadget), July 2013
Photo: thecomeupshow · CC BY 2.0
Independent research by truerecs. Not affiliated with, endorsed or verified by Black Milk. Every item links to its public source.
16 items · Last checked What's in Black Milk's studio?
Black Milk has said they use an Akai MPC Touch with Ableton Live, after years programming beats on an Akai MPC3000 and MPC2000XL. They have also said they edit in Pro Tools, and a 2013 studio visit showed an iMac, a Technics turntable and a Minimoog Voyager.
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Top 5
Where to start with Black Milk's gear.
01
02
Top 5Has said they use
Akai Professional
MPC Touch“that’s what I use mainly, MPC Touch and Ableton.”
03
Top 5Has said they use
Ableton
Live“Everything is software now.”
04
Top 5Has said they use
Akai Professional
MPC 2000XL“Back then, the drum machine I had was a MPC2000 XL.”
05
Top 5Has said they use
Avid
Pro Tools“I still do a lot of my editing in Pro Tools, but yeah, by the time it reaches it, the track is already pretty much sounding good.”
Said in Black Milk's digital divide (Engadget), July 2013
What studio gear Black Milk uses: a sourced gear guide
Independent research by truerecs: every item links to the public source it comes from.
Studio
Has said they use
Akai Professional
MPC3000“I even like how this machine looks. Like it makes me want to work.”
Said in Black Milk's digital divide (Engadget), July 2013
Has said they use
Akai Professional
MPC Touch“that’s what I use mainly, MPC Touch and Ableton.”
Has said they use
Ableton
Live“Everything is software now.”
Has said they use
Akai Professional
MPC 2000XL“Back then, the drum machine I had was a MPC2000 XL.”
Has said they use
Avid
Pro Tools“I still do a lot of my editing in Pro Tools, but yeah, by the time it reaches it, the track is already pretty much sounding good.”
Said in Black Milk's digital divide (Engadget), July 2013
Has said they use
Casio
RZ-1“I just bought this little drum machine, this little Casio RZ1.”
Said in Black Milk's digital divide (Engadget), July 2013
No store page for this one.
Seen using
Seen using
Technics
SL-1200 turntableSeen in Black Milk's digital divide (Engadget), July 2013
Seen using
Digging
Apple
Shazam
Has said they use
Apple
Shazam“I use that and apps like Shazam.”
Said in Black Milk's digital divide (Engadget), July 2013
Records that shaped me
Has said they love
Slum Village
Fantastic, Vol. 2 by Slum Village“That’s my favourite hip hop album of all time.”
Said in Interview: Black Milk (Sampleface), October 2013
No store page for this one.
Has said they love
Virgin Music Group
Voodoo by D'Angelo“D’Angelo’s Voodoo, that’s a huge inspiration for what I do today”
Said in Interview: Black Milk (Sampleface), October 2013
No store page for this one.
Has said they love
Stereolab
Dots and Loops by Stereolab“Stereolab’s Dots and Loops album… that played a major part in my creativity and the way I thought about music.”
Said in Interview: Black Milk (Sampleface), October 2013
No store page for this one.
Has said they love
Prince
1999 by Prince“Prince’s whole catalogue but I have to pick one album.”
Said in Interview: Black Milk (Sampleface), October 2013
No store page for this one.
Has said they love
RCA Records
Wu-Tang Forever by Wu-Tang ClanSaid in Interview: Black Milk (Sampleface), October 2013
No store page for this one.
Has said they love
Ruthless Records
E. 1999 Eternal by Bone Thugs-N-HarmonySaid in Interview: Black Milk (Sampleface), October 2013
No store page for this one.
Questions
About Black Milk's gear.
What DAW does Black Milk use?
Black Milk has said they moved over to software around the album Fever and work mainly with an MPC Touch and Ableton Live (Red Bull Music Academy, 2018). In 2013 they said they still did a lot of editing in Pro Tools.
What drum machine does Black Milk use?
Black Milk has said they used an Akai MPC2000XL on the early albums and an MPC3000 on No Poison No Paradise and If There's A Hell Below, and they bought a Casio RZ-1 for its 12-bit sound (Engadget, 2013).
What synth does Black Milk use?
A 2013 Engadget studio visit showed Black Milk's setup with a wood-paneled Minimoog Voyager next to the MPC3000 and iMac.
What records influenced Black Milk?
Black Milk has named Slum Village's Fantastic, Vol. 2, D'Angelo's Voodoo, Stereolab's Dots and Loops, Prince's 1999 and Wu-Tang Forever, and said the first album they bought was Bone Thugs-N-Harmony's E. 1999 Eternal.
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Black Milk
About this guide · Last checked
Black Milk is the Detroit rapper and producer Curtis Cross, known for MPC-built, sample-heavy beats. This guide covers the drum machines, software and records named in interviews and shown on the artist's own channel.
truerecs put this guide together from public videos, interviews and posts. Each item says how we know and links to the source. Black Milk didn't write it or choose anything on it. How we source gear guides.
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