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Learn How They Made Lo-Fi House In The '90s With This Video Tutorial

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This official video series explains how to use the cult-favorite Boss SP-202 Dr. Sample box.

“Lo-fi house” is the kind of snappy name that’s just so 2017. But while a raw, unpolished take on house music has the kind of catchy marketing ring of today, its production techniques have existed in some shape or form since at least the early ’90s, when samplers were cheap and powerful enough to enter the home music studio en masse.

Now, the neglected vintage samplers of that era are starting to look like the ultimate lo-fi house production tools; and it’s the Boss SP-202 Dr. Sample that reigns above them all.

The digital phrase-sampler plays up to 32 different samples ranging from four to 35 minutes in length depending on sample rate. This means you can construct complex, interweaving tracks of drums, vocals and synths sourced from a universe of recorded sound, and compositions like DJ Boring’s “Winona”, are possible using just one machine.

Using the SP-202 just got a lot easier, too, thanks to this wonderfully-’90s video tutorial playlist. We were tipped off to the video series thanks to a recent Instagram post from Umfang, who claims the Dr. Sample’s sibling drum machine is one of her favorite pieces of gear. Watch the whole tutorial in full above, and get to producing your own lo-fi classic.

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