# Decap's drums knock on every chart

> Producer Nicholas Piantedosi's sample packs have shaped hits across genres for a decade, from Kendrick Lamar to BTS.
- Title: Decap's drums knock on every chart · The Verge | Shortify
- Summary: Producer Nicholas Piantedosi's sample packs have shaped hits across genres for a decade, from Kendrick Lamar to BTS. Decap's Drums That Knock sample packs…
- Keywords: decap, nicholas piantedosi, drums that knock, music production, sample packs, kendrick lamar, olivia rodrigo, charli xcx, bad bunny, bts, technology, culture
- Source: The Verge — https://theverge.com/report/1000994/decap-drums-that-knock-interview
- Author: Terrence O'Brien
- Published: 2026-09-26T19:30:00+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: decap, nicholas piantedosi, drums that knock, music production, sample packs, kendrick lamar, olivia rodrigo, charli xcx, bad bunny, bts, technology, culture
## The invisible hit maker
Nicholas Piantedosi, known as Decap, is a record producer whose fingerprints are all over tracks from Kendrick Lamar, Olivia Rodrigo, Charli XCX, Freddie Gibbs, Bad Bunny, Mac Miller, BTS, and Ludwig Göransson's Oppenheimer score.
## Drums That Knock changed music
Decap created Drums That Knock, a series of sample packs that debuted in 2016 and is now on its eleventh installment. Producer Kenny Beats said Decap changed a million lives with a single snare.

> changed a million lives with a single snare
## Ableton Live is his foundation
Decap uses Ableton Live as his digital audio workstation of choice. He says it's how he gets his ideas out, though he still relies on his trusty Boss SP-202 Dr. Sample from 1998.

> It's how I get my ideas out
## The clipper changed everything
Decap credits the soft clipper as his most underappreciated tool. It can give drums a warm analog sound or make them hit super hard, and he says it's the tool that changed his music.

> The tool that changed my music
## Phone speakers can't handle bass
Decap wishes phone speakers could reproduce low-end frequencies properly. A raw eight hundred eight with no processing is basically inaudible on a phone speaker, so many people never truly feel the low end.

> A raw 808 with no processing is basically inaudible on a phone speaker
## Gear gatekeeping holds music back
Decap rejects the idea that you need specific hardware or software to be a real producer. He believes the dopest producer might be a kid in North Africa with Skullcandy headphones, and the only thing that matters is if you're dope.

> The dopest producer might be a kid in North Africa with Skullcandy headphones
## His father's advice on decisions
Decap's best advice came from his dad: make a decision and put a stake in the ground, but remember you can always pull it up and move it. This guides his approach to creation and focus.

> make a decision and put a stake in the ground. But remember what a stake is. You can always pull it up and move it
## The three M technique keeps him moving
When stuck, Decap uses the three M technique: make it, mix it down, move on. He says it doesn't have to be perfect, because staying in the action of creation is where the magic happens.

> It's about staying in the action of creation, because that's where the magic happens
## Key takeaway

Decap's Drums That Knock sample packs, launched in 2016 and now in their eleventh installment, have become foundational tools across music genres, used by major artists and producers worldwide.