In terms of technology, the group was minimalistic in what they used in production, however, this stems from a low budget. They developed the album in a small, poorly-lit NYC studio called Firehouse Studio. Their sound was created using a sampling machine/mixing station, a turntable for mixing/scratching, and a microphone.
The engineer that oversaw the sessions was Ethan Ryman, but the main producer behind the album was the RZA, also known as Robert Diggs. “For the vocals, the AKG C414 EB microphone was used with minimal vocal audio effects on the album. However, the most influential effects unit used on the album was the Tascam 122 MKII, which recreates tape double-tracking to create a slap-back effect to the vocals (Oliver and Sfirse).” This effect is most noticeable in the album’s opening song “Bring da Ruckus.”
As noted by one journalist, other rap groups of the time were still competing, the RZA stood out. “If Public Enemy brought microsurgery to hip-hop collage, RZA brings a sculptural hand closer to the source than Cubism. Like an African carver, his Orientalist exaggerations of old-school soul song forms sound organic rather than grafted. In this respect Tricky and RZA are similar: they both use samplers in a way that suggests they’re working with flesh rather than found objects (Tate. p 259).” This shows that even though their was fierce competition in the game at that time, the RZA still stood out through his masterful use of his sampling workstations and production equipment.
The sampling workstations allowed for flipping and chopping of film and/or music to utilize in the making of these songs. One example is the track “Can it all just be so simple”. This song uses a vocal sample of the song “The Way We Were / Try to Remember (1974)” by Gladys Knight & the Pips. This is able to be structured into a sample for the song with these workstations. This allowed for their expression.
The synthesizers used allowed for the production of their own beats. These synthesizers allowed the group to load different sets of sounds and make their own sounds, and transmit those to loop and make their own sound.
