Miami-based rapper Pitbull is riding high, enjoying worldwide mega-success with his 2011 release Planet Pit. The CD showcases the sharp-dressed Cuban-American entertainer’s engaging charisma, and features collaborations with a who’s who of today’s hottest music artists, including T-Pain, Marc Anthony, Enrique Iglesias, and many others. Planet Pit is a smash around the globe, spawning four hit singles in the U.S. alone, including the chart-topping “Give Me Everything” with R&B sensation Ne-Yo. Pitbull recently turned in a guest spot of his own, appearing on Jennifer Lopez’s hit “On the Floor.” He’s currently got a new album in the works called Global Warming, with a track from the upcoming record, “Get It Started” featuring Shakira, just released as a single.

Known as “Mr. 305” and “Mr. Worldwide,” Pitbull is always in the spotlight, on the road nearly non-stop for the last six years delivering his South Beach EDM sound to millions of fans. With a roster of personnel dubbed “Team Pitbull,” the artist has assembled a close-knit family of musicians, managers, and support staff for his travels around the globe. The Agents, his backing band, features a number of highly skilled young players from Miami’s multi-cultural music scene; with their backgrounds in jazz, salsa, rock, and pop music, these talented and versatile musicians bring Pit’s dynamic sound alive on stage with a unique edge, using an arsenal of Roland keyboards and samplers to get the job done night after night.

“Our relationship with Roland has been great from the very beginning, and I couldn’t be more thankful,” says drummer, programmer, and musical director Omar Tavarez. With an SPD-SX Sampling Pad set up next to his acoustic kit, Omar has a full array electronic percussion at his disposal to bring the sounds of Pitbull’s records to the stage. He’s recently transitioned to Roland’s latest sampling pad after years of using the previous-generation SPD-S. “When I first started the gig with Pit in 2008, I was using the SPD-S,” says Omar. “I personally bought my first SPD-S because I knew that the Roland gear was just right. It was hip, it was something different, something new, and now [the SPD-SX] is the continuation of something great.”

Omar makes use of the SPD-SX’s quick-access pad banks to organize all the sounds he needs for the show. These include the EDM-staple TR-808 sounds onboard the pad, as well as a large selection of samples from Pitbull’s records, plus samples that Omar has created himself. “It’s easy—it’s plug and play,” says the drummer. “You plug [the SPD-SX] in via USB to your computer with the software, [and] you drag and drop all your samples. When we do rehearsals or whenever I have to work on a new song with Pit, I just go to my banks. I have a good 15 banks that have my own samples that I can swap and move around. I loaded the whole thing with all my sounds.”

The approach Pitbull and Omar take for the live show is to capture the sound of the records, but with an enhanced live feel that creates a unique concert experience for the audience. “On a live aspect, you want to modify it a little bit,” Omar says. “We’ll take parts of his vocal, of his verse or his pre-chorus—and anything that has any type of rhythm to it that’s pretty hip—[and] we’ll add accents [with] the drums and we’ll compliment that with keyboard parts. It’s cool. It makes it fun.”

Omar also works together with DJ Chino to create a dance-club flow in the concert arena. “Chino provides the non-stop element to the show with the blending of songs,” he says. “The DJ ties the songs together. The difference between a solo DJ and the band’s DJ is that he will fill in briefly between songs by providing the transition, while a solo DJ blends songs into another all night. In some instances the band plays over the DJ. This gives the surprise element to the audience—it’s not the same old show or tune.” A centerpiece of DJ Chino’s rig is the SP-404SX Linear Wave Sampler, which he uses to trigger a large array of samples.

Pitbull’s electronic-based music is dominated by keyboard and synth sounds, all of which are covered on stage exclusively with Roland instruments played by Jorge Gomez Martinez and David Palma. “The way we split up the parts is kind of like the concept of having two guitar players: lead and rhythm,” says MD Omar. “So, one is playing rhythm keys, the other’s playing lead keys.”

Jorge holds down the “lead keyboardist” spot with the Fantom-G7, Fantom-G8, and JUPITER-80. I like the JUPITER a lot,” Jorge says. “It’s really comfortable to play, and finding the sounds [is] really easy. It has really good sounds, too. It’s an amazing keyboard.”

David’s primary instrument in Pitbull’s band is the saxophone, but he doubles on keyboards, playing a Fantom-G6 and JUPITER-80. Like Jorge, he finds the JUPITER very user-friendly, which is especially helpful for him since the keyboard is not his main axe. “It’s very easy and cool for me to understand what I’m doing,” he says. “I like how easy it is to change stuff on the fly. You have all your presets here, you can change something real quick, you can edit it, immediately write it, and save it in two seconds. That’s what I love about it.”

Leo Brooks is the group’s bassist, and he alternates between electric bass and a Roland GAIA synth to deliver the bottom end. “The guys that get to stretch out the most are David on the sax and Leo on the bass,” says Omar. “It’s a free-for-all. I let [Leo] go nuts, because he’s phenomenal both on key bass and electric.” David’s been impressed with Leo’s GAIA, and he’s going to be adding one to his setup soon. “Even the stock sounds that come with it, they’re usable right away for playing key bass for a lot of the house tracks we’re doing right now,” he says.

Manuel “Papayo” Corao rounds out the band, playing Latin percussion and singing. “That guy’s talented, man,” says David admiringly about Papayo’s wide range of music skills. “He sings, he plays, he writes. It’s amazing. The guy’s like a little factory.” David learned how to play keyboards while attending the University of Miami, and emphasizes how important being versatile is for today’s musicians. “It ended up being a really valuable tool,” he says. “I wouldn’t have this gig if I wasn’t competent on the keys. Nowadays, you’ve got to be a one-stop shop for everything. That’s what people want. You’ve got to wear a bunch of hats.”

Pitbull and his band enjoy an extremely close bond, unlike other big-name touring gigs where the musicians are merely revolving-door sidemen. In addition, Omar, Leo, and David have known each other since they were teenagers. This unity creates a real sense of family, which is important for long stretches on the road. “Our touring schedule is hectic,” says Omar. “I’m on the road all the time with Pitbull and I’m super-proud of it. The band sees more of each other than their biological family. From the beginning, it was based on friendship and unity. We do not outsource—we keep it in house. If you are in our band, your job description keeps expanding. We collaborate on everything.”

The band is so close that they even spend time together back at their homes in the brief periods when they’re off the road. “When we go home to Miami after tours we have a celebratory dinner/meeting to recap and make decisions for improvement,” says Omar. “This is our version of a family meeting.” “They’re all great musicians, and great [people],” Jorge adds. “We spend a whole year together. It really is a family. The friendship goes further than that. Out of 365 days in the year, we’re together like 350. It’s incredible. Even when we’re [at home] for two or three days, we go and get together.”

Ultimately, the mission of Pitbull and his band is to have fun, and to share that fun with their audiences night after night. “It’s a fun gig, people have a lot of fun,” Jorge relates. “I think that’s the best part. When you’re playing, you see all the people happy, jumping. It’s a really, really a great experience.”