Does anyone know how producers like Lotus and Ras G get those really off center beats? always sound a little off but still in time. I get results kinda close to it but it always feels like its missing something.

im not familiar with that artist. But a dope way to do that on the SP is leave a little air in the begining of your samples. Use the mark button to edit the air out while you record your sequence and then use the knobs to add some to the beging of the sample to slightly throw it off.

Just sequence your snare with the quantize on 1/8th notes and then sequence the kick and hi-hat with no quantize.

Swing function? I know the MPC made it famous, but SP's do it too

if you have a 303/404 then you dont got a swing function but you can quantize in triplets

i like both of those artists' beats very much. i say... dont program your hi hats into your drum paterns. just make them separate loops than you can trigger on gate. that way you can trigger them a little off or you could make the tempo for the hi hat loop different from the tempo of the pattern. of coarse it doesnt have to be hi hats either, it could be a stab or something but to keep in time, i always quantize the first kick and the snare.

I didn't know that, soz That makes what Frantic said make more sense - you could easily 'fake' swing with a bit of air at the start of the sample..

classic case of no quantize.