Sampling ethics

The Amen break has been sampled over 7,000 times. Some artists have paid royalties. Many have not. The legal landscape is murky. The ethical landscape is clearer:

• Sample yourself: clap, sing, hit a desk, record your own voice. You own the copyright.
• Sample with permission: services like Tracklib (https://tracklib.com) license samples for commercial use.
• Use royalty-free samples: services like Splice (https://splice.com) and Loopmasters (https://loopmasters.com) sell royalty-free samples.
• Use Creative Commons samples: sites like Free Music Archive (https://freemusicarchive.org) and ccMixter (http://ccmixter.org) host samples with permissive licenses.

For commercial release, you must clear every sample. For practice and learning, sample freely and ethically.

Sample sources

• Tracklib: commercial samples, cleared for use.
• Splice: subscription-based sample library.
• Loopmasters: per-sample purchase.
• Free Music Archive: Creative Commons samples.
• ccMixter: Creative Commons remix samples.
• Freesound.org: Creative Commons sound effects.

Further reading

Music theory

• J. Anthony Allen, Music Theory for Electronic Music Producers (Slam Academy, 2018). The book this course draws from. Covers harmony, chord progressions, and song structure for electronic music.
• Michael Hewitt, Music Theory for Computer Musicians (Cengage, 2008). The other book this course draws from. Covers rhythm, melody, harmony, and song structure for producers.
• Mark Levine, The Jazz Piano Book (Sher Music, 1989). For those who want to go deeper into harmony.

Production

• Rick Snoman, Dance Music Manual (Routledge, 2019). The textbook for dance music production.
• Mike Senior, Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio (Routledge, 2011). The textbook for mixing in a home studio.

History

• Jeff Chang, Can’t Stop Won’t Stop (Picador, 2005). The history of hip-hop.
• Tim Lawrence, Love Saves the Day (Duke University Press, 2004). The history of dance music.
• Simon Reynolds, Energy Flash (Faber and Faber, 1998). The history of rave culture.

PO-33-specific

• Teenage Engineering PO-33 K.O! Manual. The official manual. Fold-out sheet of paper.
• Ravine: Phoenix DESIGN.md. The firmware design document for the Ravine: Phoenix project (this is what you are reading this book alongside).
• Teenage Engineering YouTube channel. Videos of PO-33 artists at work.

Listening

• Spotify “lo-fi beats” playlist. The best of lo-fi hip-hop.
• YouTube “PO-33 K.O!” playlist. Videos of PO-33 musicians at work.
• Bandcamp “PO-33” tag. PO-33 tracks uploaded by users.

Final word

You have finished the book. You can now make beats on the PO-33. You can build beats in hip-hop, house, techno, and lo-fi genres. You can layer drums, bass, melody, and chords. You can perform a 4-minute live set. You can record your music to a DAW. You can mix and master your track.

The next step is to make a track. Pick a genre. Pick a sample. Pick a chord progression. Make a beat. Record it. Release it. Share it. You are a music producer.

The PO-33 is a small device. Its memory is 40 seconds. Its polyphony is 4 voices. Its sequencer is 16 steps. These are not limitations — they are boundaries. Within those boundaries, you have made music. Within those boundaries, you have built beats that sound like the records you love.

The boundaries are small, but the music is yours.

Good luck.

End of Part 5 (final). The book is complete. Total word count: approximately 21,000 words.

End of book. Edition 1.