So you’re tired of rapping over type beats… I get it.
In this series, I’m showing how to create your own sound from scratch using the Pocket Operator PO-33.
No more relying on YouTube beats — we’re cooking everything ourselves.
Part 1: The Pocket Operator 🎛️
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A Dope Facebook Marketplace Find
A year ago, I discovered the Pocket Operator on Facebook Marketplace. This is the PO-33. This is the exact (*version of) pocket operator I found on Marketplace. The guy let it go for 40 bucks and I knew that was a steal without really ever having used one. I saw the P.O.33 K.O. on marketplace immediately knew I needed this bad boy thinking “This is going to help me make beats and and enjoy it.”
Turns out I was right.
So, if you’ve been a a rapper who has mainly been using YouTube beats or you’ve been making beats in a DAW: FL Studio, Ableton, Logic, whatever, and you’re you’re sick of it, try DAWless production for a change. This is the device which started my journey.
If you really want to make your own beats, it doesn’t take long to learn this device. If you really want to learn it then take the time and invest in yourself.
There are a bunch of different pocket operators, but the beauty with the PO-33 is you can record samples via the 3.5mm jack on the side as opposed to only working with a pocket operator with preloaded sounds (although the PO-33 does come with stock sounds).
There’s a headphone jack on the left side and a headphone jack on the right side. I routed the PO-33 to my other device, the SP 404 MKII. I’ll make another video on that. I had my iPhone hooked up to the left end with an iPhone to 3.5 mm jack. You can you can import audio this way. And they they make these for USB-C as well.
So, basically, there are two separate banks of audio on the PO-33. The top two rows is your melody side which means any sound imported here it’ll like turn into a musical note then on the bottom two rows it’ll chop it in and like drum break.
The point of this post is to introduce you to the world of samplers because it can help your creative block when it comes to making music, especially in a world that’s like streaming dominated.
You want to be consistent, but there are all these like hurdles and challenges to to getting a your own beat. So this is, you know, this is how those YouTube producers produce. Mind you, each sampler has its own sound quality. And when I say that I mean each sampler has its own sound characteristic.
So like this is a very like lo-fi type device, which means the sound is low quality that comes out of it, but it adds character to the sound.
Pattern Mode
When you select the pattern mode, whatever is blinking is what’s selected.
You can chain different patterns together to make a full beat.
Great Entry Level For Beginners
Now, this is a device I recommend for people who are just getting into the world of sampling. Because even as you go up the the different devices that I’ll end up doing videos on, the more you the more you advance, like you’ll get tired of like this this little crunch here. Unless that’s just your sound, which if that’s the case, you know, more power to you (6:10-6:35).
But this thing is is very powerful as it is like as I’ve I just mentioned the SP 404 and I’ll make other videos on that but there are plenty of videos on YouTube about it. I just got the SP-404 MKII which has a step sequencer kind of similar to the PO-33 and using the MKII has made me respect the PO-33 even more.
What’s your weapon of choice? -@verysickbeats (J Filt)
I don’t know if he has any PO-33 tutorials, but very Sick Beats at @VerySickBeats. J Filt is the man when it comes to tutorials on samplers, y’all. Throughout this series, I’m going to shout out my favorite tutorial guys (Not calling him just a tutorial guy — you know, creators, producers etc.
One thing I love about J Filt’s videos is that his personality is just contagious, man. And he always asks at the beginning of his videos, “comment below, your weapon of choice”
For me, in my head, if aliens came to invade Earth via music, what are you choosing? You know what I’m saying? To to combat.
The PO-33 reminds me of Men in Black where Will Smith got that tiny ass gun. It reminds me of the scene in Captain America Civil War where Iron Man has that iron “glove” rather than the full suit.
That’s what the PO-33 is–but it’s still it ain’t no hoe! This is this is a serious recording device. You can get a full track laid out with this. You can’t record vocals on here. I mean, I guess you have very limited sample time.
BUT: You only have have 25 seconds of sample time. Use it wisely.
The Cool-ass Effects
So, another cool thing about the pocket operator is the effects. So, we’re going to play going to hold effects and then you’re going to hold any one of these banks which all have different effects. One thing I like about the pocket operator too is you can bake these effects in to whatever pattern you have.
Never Gonna Give You Up
And that’s about it for the Pocket Operator, man. I’m never letting this thing go. This is this is still one of my favorite devices to make beats on. And this thing opened me to the world of making beats. Man, this is my favorite device to just sit at the bar with a drink and you got your sample loaded in already.
And they they make these for USBC as well.
You can do so much with this too, like that I haven’t covered in this video and maybe I’ll make a full tutorial, but there are plenty of tutorials on YouTube.
I just feel like rappers don’t know about this. This was really a video for LA Wood so I could put her onto the world of sampling.
So It’s been a year since I really picked this baby up and since then I’ve certainly added a few devices to my arsenal.
Like, comment, subscribe. (to my Youtube) It’s your boy @modernemcee.
