The unseen producer behind the drum sounds on your favorite hits
Producer Nicholas Piantedosi, known as Decap, whose drum samples appear on countless hit songs, discusses his tools and creative philosophy in a new interview. His "Drums That Knock" sample pack series, launched in 2016, is now on its 11th installment.
Nicholas Piantedosi may not carry the name recognition of artists like Kendrick Lamar, Olivia Rodrigo, or Charli XCX, but under his stage name Decap, his drum sounds have shaped tracks by all three, along with Freddie Gibbs, Bad Bunny, Mac Miller, and BTS. His work has even reached film scoring, appearing in Ludwig Göransson's music for Oppenheimer.
Decap is best known for creating Drums That Knock, a series of drum sample packs that debuted in 2016 and has since grown to its 11th installment, becoming a staple across multiple music genres. Producer Kenneth Blume, formerly known as Kenny Beats, has credited Decap with changing countless careers through the impact of a single snare sound.
In a recent interview, Decap named Ableton Live as his essential production tool, while pointing to the soft clipper effect as an underrated tool that transformed his sound by giving drums either a warmer analog quality or a harder punch. Despite having access to modern digital production tools, he still relies on his original sampler, a Boss SP-202 from 1998, which he first used to chop samples as a middle-school student — the device that started his career.
Decap also voiced frustration with phone speakers, noting that raw low-end sounds like 808 bass are nearly inaudible on them, which pushes him to engineer his drums so they still hit hard even on limited phone audio. He rejected the idea that gear or software choice determines whether someone is a legitimate producer, arguing that a computer alone provides everything needed to create.
On staying productive, Decap described using meditation to align his focus and relies on what he calls the "3M" approach — make it, mix it down, move on — to avoid getting stuck chasing perfection. He also mentioned that good food is one indulgence worth spending on, citing the abundance of quality restaurants in Los Angeles, where he lives.
