If you’re starting off making beats – or any other type of music – and you’re just a little like what I once was, you’re probably thinking that you need the latest Korg Pa4X and the best pair of KRK Rokits in the market, to start making dope beats. But of course you’ve already read or heard somewhere (everywhere, come on) that this isn’t true. Let’s talk about it.
Let’s start it off from ground 0. You
haven’t even started making beats, but you want to, like right now. The
problem is, a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) can go from 50$ to over
600$ – depending on what you’re looking at. Now, taking a leap into
purchasing a DAW without even knowing the basics could turn out
frustrating: you won’t understand how the program functions, where or
what everything is, and you’ll just get scared. I remember the first
time I opened Ableton Live, I thought I’d never understand how it
worked. So here’s my suggestion. Nowadays everyone knows someone who
makes (digital) music. Why not ask for a couple of hours a week to get
your head around their DAW, get to know the basics and to feel more
confortable about purchasing one of your own. If that’s not possible,
head out for free DAWs. There’s tons of them: REAPER; PreSonus Studio One 3, ProTools First (yep, even ProTools). Heck, you can even use Audacity
if you start sampling. Apollo Brown did it, why can’t you? Just one
thing though. When you do decide to take that step and buy a DAW, check
out all the demos possible. Putting a price tag on it kind of makes you
want to stick to whatever decision you make and even though all DAWs can
do the same (aside from a feature or two), it all comes down to
workflow. I started on a friend’s FL Studio, but when I wanted to
sample, I just couldn’t deal with that kind of [work]flow. Ableton
changed that. So always keep in mind: just because others find it
perfect, it doesn’t mean that you will.
So, you still with me? Next up,
instruments. Because we live in a digital era, nowadays you don’t need
to buy a guitar to play one, or a trumpet, or the violins, or whatever.
You just need a DAW or a VST (Virtual Studio Technology). So basically,
you can have your instruments in your computer and play them with your
computer’s keyboard. Dope, right? Now, of course it won’t be the same.
It isn’t going to feel as realistic most of the times, plus, you won’t
be playing the actual instrument. But it’ll get you started and maybe
further ahead you’ll be able to play real instruments, or work with
someone who does. If you already got a DAW, it’ll most likely bring
instruments. That’s a good starting point. But if you’re looking for
more, the internet’s filled with free VSTs . Here’s an example – Combo Model F.
But you should actually be looking out for soundfonts as
well. Soundfonts are basically sampled instruments, prepared to be
played as MIDI instruments. But for this you’ll need a player first.
Native Instruments gives out a free version of Kontakt that’ll work perfectly for this. And hey, here’s a bunch of soundfonts: NewGrounds.
As for controllers, honestly, your
computer keyboard will be enough for you at the beginning. I know I used
it a lot. But yeah, at some point you will feel the need to buy a set
of keys, or a drum pad, so make your research first. When it comes to
physical stuff, people often make impulsive purchases. My first midi
controller was an Akai LPK25 and don’t get me wrong, it was a good
purchase, I still use it on a daily basis. But had I waited a couple
more months, and I would’ve bought a keyboard with 49 keys instead.
Don’t be impulsive. It’s not about making bad purchases. It’s about not
waiting for making better ones. If the low price version of whatever you
want serves your needs perfectly, then go for it, otherwise, just wait a
little more time, save the money and buy exactly what you need. I
needed a bigger keyboard, in fact, I still need one, but I went with the
cheaper version, because I wanted a keyboard ASAP. But as for a
drumpad, after comparing all the MPCs and Maschines on a price-quality
ground, the Maschine Mikro was, and still is, perfect for my needs.
Lastly, mixing. I’ll post something on
better mixes in the near future, but for now let’s talk specifics. Of
all things you’re going to invest on, this might be the most important
one. Not because it’ll make your sounds greater automatically. If you
don’t know squat on mixing, it doesn’t matter if you have the highest
quality racks. BUT, having a good sound image is key to
know what you’re working with. If you’re working with a pair of
earplugs (please don’t do that…just, don’t), you might think your sound
is the hottest thing on right now, when in fact it isn’t. Or vice-versa.
When I made the People Change
beat, I thought it sounded alright, but when I got to hear the drums on
a pair of monitors…damn, they were lit. Both scenarios are possible.
What sounds good on headphones, might not be the same on the car stereo
system, for example. So, if you can’t afford an audio interface and a
pair of monitors/studio headphones, work with what you have. Get a
standard pair of headphones (these’ll give you more low ends) and get to
know how they sound. Try mixing a beat, take it to your car and see the
differences, test it out until you get a clear mix. I’m working only
with a pair of AKG K518LE. These are great headphones, but for mixing,
they aren’t as accurate as studio headphones or monitors. But knowing
how they work on all ends (and after a lot of ear training), I’m
starting to get my mixes a lot nearer to where I want them to be. Train
your ears, understand what you’re working with, compare your beats with
what’s out there, and mix a lot – DON’T BE LAZY.
Hip-Hop instrumentals were made by
people who couldn’t afford any instruments, and look at where it got
them. You don’t need a lot to start making beats. Just work, research
and a lot of trail and error.
Hope this gets you going a little
further, and hope you didn’t fell asleep halfway. Leave any more
opinions or suggestions in the comments below.
Written by Suspicious Techniques
Oddly enough, there's not much about fine tuning music samples on the
internet, so I decided to share how I go about fine tuning samples in Fl
Studio. This should apply to all other DAWs, since they should all have
a fine tuning option.
First, you have to figure out if the sample is actually out of tune and obviously you have to add other sounds to hear that. I suggest to start with a piano sound and try to play along with the sample. Pianos have a nice strong sound and make it easier to hear if the sample is out of tune. If the sample is out of tune, you want to go to the misc tab in the Fl channel sampler.
First, you have to figure out if the sample is actually out of tune and obviously you have to add other sounds to hear that. I suggest to start with a piano sound and try to play along with the sample. Pianos have a nice strong sound and make it easier to hear if the sample is out of tune. If the sample is out of tune, you want to go to the misc tab in the Fl channel sampler.
Once you're in the misc tab, there will be a fine tune knob at the bottom right hand corner.
Then you can adjust the the fine tune knob to what you hear is best.
This is where your ears come into play. There really is no correct value
to set it at, but I recommend to start adjusting the knob between 0 -50
cents down or 0 +50 cents up. That's usually a good range to find the
proper tune to match up with other sounds. It usually never ends up a
100% in tune, but it'll be good enough to not clash with other sounds.
Also, if you're wondering where to look to see how many cents you're
tuning the sample to, it should show up right above the Fl
browser.
You could also do the opposite and fine tune your instruments to the sample.
Most vst plugins have a fine tune knob, so that might help if
you're still having problems with the sample's tune.
In the end, fine tuning samples really comes down to using your ears. If
you aren't comfortable trusting your ears, it never hurts to do a
little ear training. There are plenty of online free resources that can
help with ear training.
Hope that has helped some of you guys out and I'll be sharing some more tips soon!
Hope that has helped some of you guys out and I'll be sharing some more tips soon!
Written by Dar'rell Banks
Today, I'm going to share a cool different way to do slides and tricks
with your sub bass. First things first, you need to load up a bass
sample and set it up so that you have complete control over the sample.
You can do this by slightly moving the CRF knob so that it uses loop
points, or you can go into the INS tab and set the envelope to do the
same thing.
Ok, now you want to go to the FUNC tab in the sampler and mess around with the arpeggiator settings.
I recommend turning the slide setting on, so you get a smoother sound
out of the arpeggiator and set the gat knob to the middle or all the way
to the left.
If you right click the time knob and go to set, the knob has preset values to help keep things on tempo too.
So, that's pretty much it! Have fun playing around with this and
hopefully you come up with some interested slides and sounds. Also, here
is a link to a Mini Pack of Slides I came up with.
Written by Dar'rell Banks
A lot of times I hear solid beats made by producers, but after 30
seconds the beat fails to keep me interested enough to listen to it for
any longer. So, today I'm going to share 5 tips that have helped me
maintain relatively interesting beats.
1. Change those drums. This is probably the simplest tip on this
list, but it's one of the most overlooked when making a beat. Repeating
the same 4 bar drum loop for 4 minutes will get boring quick. Add drum
variation throughout the beat. Take things out to build tension or add
drum fills/snare rolls to transition into different sections of a beat. A
really easy trick is to copy your existing drum pattern and change
around the kicks, snare, ect. Keep doing that over and over and you'll
end up with a bunch of different drum variations.
2. Copy. Paste. Change. Usually, when us producers are arranging a
beat, we'll simply copy and paste whole chorus and verse sections. Too
many producers will just stop there leaving each chorus and verse to be
the exact same. Doing that is obviously going to make things too
predictable, so take the extra time to add, remove, and rearrange things
for additional verses and chorus sections.
3. Transition effects...use them. It surprises me how many
producers don't use transitions in their beats. No cymbal swells to
build into a crash. No synth effects to transition into the chorus. Just
nothing. Transition effects are a great way to let the listener know a
new section is coming in and keep things feeling fresh. Of course not
all beat needs transitions, but the next time a beat is feeling a little
stale try adding some in.
4. The power of Low pass filters, High pass filters, phasers, flangers, ect.
Using a filter can turn a regular old beat into something amazing if
used properly. I've noticed a lot of people have gotten hip to filters,
but only use them in an intro or outro. Think of filters as another way
to build tension and create release at parts of a beat. Using a filter
right before a chorus can cause it to hit harder or using a filter on a
sound can cause a nice contrast between the verse and chorus sections.
Phasers, flangers, and chorus effects are also great things to play
around with. Adding them on certain sounds at different times in a beat
can make things sound new or even adding them on the overall beat at
times can beat a good way to transition into different parts of a song.
5. Expand your musicality. This tip takes a lot of effort.
Especially, for me. I'm lazy at times...I must admit. Anyhow, really
focusing on changing up musical elements in a beat is truly one of the
best ways to keep a beat interesting. We'll often settle for a 4 to 8
bar musical loop and just omit things at parts to change things up.
Sometimes, it's best to take things a step further by adding a unique
intro, prechorus, bridge, and outro. Doing that, adds a sense of realism
and keeps the listener on their toes.
Well, I hope my half decent written tips has helped somebody out there
and if anybody has more tips to keep a beat interesting be sure to let
me know and I might to a part two to this.
Written by Dar'rell Banks
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