Hip Hop Production Thread Part Deux

The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > No Music Discussion > Musician's Lounge > Hip Hop Production Thread Part Deux

MrSargent: Dec 23, 2003; Sometimes, there's a man, well, he's the man for his time and place. He fits right in there. And that's Jimmy T.

brian posted:

Hey so I've been dabbling with the hippity hop and the sampling and having a whale of a time and I was wondering if any of you fellas had any tips on 1) managing dipping volume in a sample (e.g. in the track I post below right at the start the third side stick hit is lower but if I boost the volume in an envelope I can't really get it to not sound weird as it loudens the other stuff, I'm not that bothered in this track specifically but it's something I run into a fair bit) and 2) how to extend a note a bit so it has a more natural tail, when the sample of the note has percussion immediately after it so you have to cut it somewhat early (e.g. the very last note in the track I posted), I've done some stuff with a tight ping pong delay and some verb but it's not quite right.

Here's the track, any and all feedback is welcome!

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/6564397/PirateRemix.09.10.16.b.mp3

edit: I use Ableton Live FWIW (and a push if that matters)

For the first part about volume dipping in a sample, I'll need a little info. Are you using Ableton's Simpler or just the raw audio? Is the sample you are using a loop with several percussion elements? One thing I have found when working with loops is that I will start with the audio first. If I like a articular hit (say the side-stick you mention), I will cut out just that hit from the audio to a separate track and then duplicate that single hit to wherever it needs to go. This can be done with straight audio or by throwing it into a Simpler. Then you can be sure its the same hit every time.

As far as extending a note so it has a more natural tail, try turning up the Release time on the Envelope. You can also automate this parameter so it only extends the release on that last note.

# ¿ Jan 6, 2017 19:54

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# ¿ Apr 29, 2024 09:14

MrSargent: Dec 23, 2003; Sometimes, there's a man, well, he's the man for his time and place. He fits right in there. And that's Jimmy T.

brian posted:

Made a new beat thing from me and a couple of friends doing the rhythm roulette thing and blind buying cheap records, it's such a fun thing to do and some of the samples you end up with are great

https://soundcloud.com/partybrian5000/nice-eyes

This is actually pretty cool dude. I love playing beat roulette with a couple buddies but I never thought of adding sampling records into the mix, that's a perfect idea.

Does anyone have any recommendations of resources for someone who wants to learn more about hip-hop production?

# ¿ Aug 25, 2017 00:14

MrSargent: Dec 23, 2003; Sometimes, there's a man, well, he's the man for his time and place. He fits right in there. And that's Jimmy T.

illBilliam posted:

Yeah really like this. Well done.

What programs and/ or hardware are you interested in or already using?

I originally wrote a dumb post about my own personal experience but it doesn't really answer your question.

Basically, listen to Hip Hop and learn how to use a sampler or daw.

Oh yah I mean I have been teaching myself Ableton and various plugins for a few years now but focused mostly on house music. I know how to make a fat 808 and some fast hi-hats but I guess I should have been more specific. It would be helpful to see the workflow of a hip hop producer to see the common elements and approaches.

I have also been a hip hop binge lately between buying records and purchasing albums on iTunes. My biggest problem is getting the sub right.

# ¿ Aug 25, 2017 05:34

MrSargent: Dec 23, 2003; Sometimes, there's a man, well, he's the man for his time and place. He fits right in there. And that's Jimmy T.

whoknew posted:

hello hhptpd, long time no see. any of the old heads still hangin out here?

I don't think this thread really sees much action, which makes me sad because I have been really getting into hip-hop production lately. Specifically been making sample-based beats and convinced a friend of mine to get back into rapping. I have been teaching myself production in Ableton for about 4 years now but just recently started making beats and experimenting with sampling.

Might as well share my setup. I have a Roland TR-8 Drum Machine that I use to sketch out quick percussion patterns, and the Scatter can make some pretty cool effects. I have also been running the TR-8 through a Boss OS-2 Overdrive/Distortion Pedal to get some really great distorted 808s. I have a Korg Minilogue Analog Synth that I run through a Bass Big Muff pedal to get some thick fuzzy basslines. I have been sampling records using an AT-LP120 and recording into Ableton. I then isolate a part of the Sample and Slice it to MIDI where I can then map the Slices directly to my Novation Launchpad and start editing/playing the slices. I also use a Yamaha keyboard as a MIDI controller for softsynths like Serum or Sampled Instruments like Strings or Grand Piano.

I have been mostly sampling older funk/soul/r&b records like Parliament, Isley Brothers, Patti Labelle, Anita Baker, and recently just made a beat using a Hall & Oates sample. It has been a lot of fun digging through old records and I have found a ton of great music that I otherwise would have never listened to. Anyone else producing hip hop or working with samples?

# ¿ Feb 2, 2018 06:29

MrSargent: Dec 23, 2003; Sometimes, there's a man, well, he's the man for his time and place. He fits right in there. And that's Jimmy T.

I am getting to the point where I feel like I could really benefit from some personal instruction on production/mixing, specifically on drums. I can make interesting patterns using a variety of elements, but when everything else is added in, I just feel like they don't have enough punch. I have tried a lot of different techniques from transient shaping to compression to try to achieve the desired effect but either my ear isn't good enough to hear the subtleties at this point, or I don't really understand how to use the Compressor to get my desired effect. Or hell its probably a combination of the two.

# ¿ Feb 14, 2018 00:11

MrSargent: Dec 23, 2003; Sometimes, there's a man, well, he's the man for his time and place. He fits right in there. And that's Jimmy T.

JCW posted:

coming out of retirement https://soundcloud.com/thejcw/blassie-21418-657-pm

Awesome vibes man. Mind sharing your production setup?

# ¿ Feb 16, 2018 23:20

MrSargent: Dec 23, 2003; Sometimes, there's a man, well, he's the man for his time and place. He fits right in there. And that's Jimmy T.

JCW posted:

thank you! I use GarageBand for chopping and Reason for everything else. Actually just got a new computer so I jumped from Reason 5 to Reason 10. Whole new world. If u have any other questions just lmk

Nice dude! I do all of my production in Ableton but have some hardware I like to mess around with (TR-8, Minilogue, Launchpad for playing samples). I was thinking about posting a couple loops I have been making with record samples even though they are pretty rough, just to get some feedback. Have a couple ones I really like using samples from Hall & Oates, Patti Labelle, and The Isley Brothers.

# ¿ Feb 17, 2018 00:39

MrSargent: Dec 23, 2003; Sometimes, there's a man, well, he's the man for his time and place. He fits right in there. And that's Jimmy T.

Here is a little clip of 16-bars of a track I have been writing lately. I sampled the intro to "Paradise" by Grover Washington Jr. and chopped it up to get the pattern you hear. I also sampled Kanye at a show yelling "Listen to the Kids Bro!" My good friend recorded the bassline and did a kickass job I think.

The inspiration for this track came from survivors of the recent Parkland shooting who have been using their voice to push for gun control. Seeing these 17 year old kids deliver clear, confident, and intelligent statements on the issues has given me some hope in this lovely time we find ourselves in.

This is the first hip-hop beat I have shared here so feedback is definitely appreciated! The volume will probably seem low since it isn't mixed/mastered at this point and is sitting at about -6-7dB on the Master for headroom.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1iUDKasLrEH64gfiV5oSxHpxTVflfpmiX

# ¿ Mar 6, 2018 18:29

MrSargent: Dec 23, 2003; Sometimes, there's a man, well, he's the man for his time and place. He fits right in there. And that's Jimmy T.

whoknew posted:

The bass line is sick af. I think you need a bit more to the opening, building up into dropping your sample and getting your listener excited to hear the full arrangement. That being said it's a sick sample. A++++++

Here's a thing I did recently that could be rapped over... sorta some retro revival bell biv devoe poo poo, also prolly good background music for fraggin noobs on the interwebs: https://soundcloud.com/packsee/chunked/s-m3xcU

Thanks so much for the feedback dude! You are definitely right about the intro, I just threw that together really quick to give my rapper buddy a 4-bar lead in to the verse but was planning on making a real intro this week. I�m not in my studio right now but I�ll def take a listen to your track when I get back.

# ¿ Mar 12, 2018 19:38

MrSargent: Dec 23, 2003; Sometimes, there's a man, well, he's the man for his time and place. He fits right in there. And that's Jimmy T.

Hey man, sorry I didn�t get a chance to really listen until now, but that beat is great. Drums are super punchy and come through great on lovely speakers. The synth lead is really cool but I think if you were to lay vocals over it, the lead would need to be dropped a few dB. I can�t listen in my studio right now so it might be my headphones or phone pumping up the highs but it just sounded a bit loud in relation.

Great work dude, I really dig the simple bassline you have that perfectly compliments the beat.

# ¿ Mar 15, 2018 08:37

MrSargent: Dec 23, 2003; Sometimes, there's a man, well, he's the man for his time and place. He fits right in there. And that's Jimmy T.

I figured I would cross-post from the "Post Your SoundCloud" thread since this thread sees very little traffic as it is and it would be nice to see it pick up a bit. I started a Beat Series playlist on SoundCloud where I am uploading rough sketches of the sample-based beats I have been making. They all have varying degrees of mixing and no mastering at this point. Would definitely appreciate some feedback.

https://soundcloud.com/bradley-freeman-3/sets/bradwise-beat-series

# ¿ May 25, 2018 20:15

MrSargent: Dec 23, 2003; Sometimes, there's a man, well, he's the man for his time and place. He fits right in there. And that's Jimmy T.

Tolkien minority posted:

How do you start producing hip hop music? I've wanted to for years but I've been too lazy and I figure it's time to actually do it. Do I just pirate fl studio and watch youtube tutorials or is there a better way?

What style of hip-hop are you going for? I make sample-based beats from vinyl which requires some extra hardware but isn�t needed if you are planning to make all-original music or sample from digital sources.

# ¿ Jul 7, 2018 16:34

MrSargent: Dec 23, 2003; Sometimes, there's a man, well, he's the man for his time and place. He fits right in there. And that's Jimmy T.

Tolkien minority posted:

Honestly I just want to learn the basics, probably not physical sampling for awhile til I know what the hell im doing. I guess that means digital because it seems the easiest to learn

I should have been a bit more clear. Are you looking to use sampling as your primary method of making beats? Or are you interested in creating all-original music? It seems like you want to go the sampling route based on your response, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with sampling from .mp3's or any other digital format. Honestly, the only difference is the method by which you get the record/song into your software. Once it is in your software, the process for warping/chopping will be the same.

If you are going to pirate the software, I would recommend looking at a couple different DAWs to find the one that works best for you. I recently read Curtis King's book on hip-hop production and he has been very successful using FL Studio's slicing function to sample. I make my beats in Ableton Live, using a turntable/mixer to sample, and then using my Push2 controller to chop/tweak the samples. I really like the Ableton workflow and they recently upgraded their samplers to be much better for chopping/warping. But Ableton is much more expensive than FL for the full version if you decide to buy it. After getting the software, you will want to find a bunch of drum samples to use for your beats. You can find a lot of free sample packs online, which would be a good place to start.

In terms of hardware, my Push2 controller acts as the MPC in my setup. It has pads and knobs that I can use to play and edit each sample but I didn't always have this in my setup. The thing I found most limiting about my original setup when making beats was the lack of a physical controller to "play" the sample with. For me, trying to arrange sample clips with a mouse and keyboard was really uninspiring, but as soon as I got a controller, it clicked. I would definitely recommend getting a feel for the software first, but keep in mind that most producers making sampled beats will have some physical pads to play on. If you get to that point, feel free to message me with questions.

Oh, I have started putting some of my beats up on a SoundCloud playlist and I put the link below. Maybe check out some of the tracks and see if the style is close to what you are going for, and then feel free to ask me anything about the production.

https://soundcloud.com/bradley-freeman-3/sets/bradwise-beat-series

MrSargent fucked around with this message at 18:14 on Jul 9, 2018

# ¿ Jul 9, 2018 18:12

MrSargent: Dec 23, 2003; Sometimes, there's a man, well, he's the man for his time and place. He fits right in there. And that's Jimmy T.

Yah the album is great. I have it playing pretty regularly in my rotation, grabbed it when THNDR posted about it a while back.

# ¿ Jul 24, 2018 08:14

MrSargent: Dec 23, 2003; Sometimes, there's a man, well, he's the man for his time and place. He fits right in there. And that's Jimmy T.

I added a few more beats to my SoundCloud playlist and would love some feedback from other hip-hop producers if any of you get a chance to check them out. Most are rough mixes and some are more complete than others.

https://soundcloud.com/bradley-freeman-3/sets/bradwise-beat-series

# ¿ Jul 31, 2018 18:43

MrSargent: Dec 23, 2003; Sometimes, there's a man, well, he's the man for his time and place. He fits right in there. And that's Jimmy T.

Mao Zedong Thot posted:

I've been getting a bit more serious about producing over the past month or so, would appreciate any feedback on the snippets I've been making https://soundcloud.com/sofuture/nieve

I'm pretty obsessed with whitearmor (which you can probably tell) and wheezy (which you probably can't). Rap music makes my brain tingle so good, I just want to contribute something of substance back.

I checked out a bunch of your tracks and I really enjoyed them. There is something minimal about them that I really like but they don't feel thin or like they are missing anything. Your percussion work is pretty great and has a unique touch compared to other stuff I have listened to. It's hard to know what to make suggestions on when I don't know your intentions, but the only thing I thought could maybe use a little work was your kick drum. I think it could punch a little more but that might be an aesthetic choice and completely subjective.

# ¿ Aug 8, 2018 17:21

MrSargent: Dec 23, 2003; Sometimes, there's a man, well, he's the man for his time and place. He fits right in there. And that's Jimmy T.

jryan42988 posted:

https://soundcloud.com/jryanmusic/venus

Check out my latest track^^

Feedback is hugely appreciated.

I really like it, really cool trippy melody but it isn't so weird that you can't groove to it. While listening to the track, I think at some point I was waiting for a faster hihat pattern to come in. That might just be personal taste, but I thought it could help the rhythm variation a bit. I am also not too familiar with trip-hop and how it is generally mixed, but I think the kick could be a little louder in the mix, the melodies seem to overpower it a bit when they are all playing together. Again, this could be personal preference but you asked for feedback so I wanted to provide some. I really like the track and overall it sounds great.

I just uploaded a new beat I made as a kind of tribute to Pete Rock's style. Been listening to him a lot lately and wanted to pay homage to his genius. Let me know what you think!

https://soundcloud.com/bradley-freeman-3/a-nod-to-pete

# ¿ Sep 27, 2018 18:23

MrSargent: Dec 23, 2003; Sometimes, there's a man, well, he's the man for his time and place. He fits right in there. And that's Jimmy T.

jryan42988 posted:

Thanks for the feedback! I'll likely change a few things around and reupload.
I followed you and liked the Pete Rock style track you made. The drums on that sound great.

Thanks a lot! I'll keep an eye out for the re-upload. Curious what is your DAW of choice and general workflow? Don't get a lot of traffic in this thread and it makes me feel like I am the only one on this forum making hip-hop, haha.

# ¿ Sep 27, 2018 19:17

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# ¿ Apr 29, 2024 09:14

MrSargent: Dec 23, 2003; Sometimes, there's a man, well, he's the man for his time and place. He fits right in there. And that's Jimmy T.

jryan42988 posted:

I'm using Ableton Live 9. I hope to upgrade to 10 soon but it's about $300 that I don't have to spend right now.
I've got a template that I've put a lot of work into in order to have a nice workflow. I can start up Live and have all my microphones ready to record, a sampled piano, a synth, a really flexible drum rack, return tracks (Short reverb, Long Reverb, Short Delay, Long Delay, Parallel Compression, etc.), and some auxiliary tracks. You?

Ooh, that's a great idea to split out return tracks like that, I am totally going to steal that. I always end up creating them as needed but I always need them haha.

I'm running Ableton Live 10 (the upgrade is really really nice and you should be able to find it on sale at some point) and also use a template that I have been working on for a while now. For hardware (outisde laptop) I am using:

Focurite 18i8 Audio Interface
KRK Rokit 6 Studio Monitors
Push2
AT-LP120 Turntable
Traktor Z2 Mixer
Korg Minilogue
Yamah YPG-235 Keyboard (use as a MIDI controller when I want to play keys instead of the Push2)
Rode NT1-A Microphone

I will usually start with grabbing a few records from my collection and searching for a sample I like. Once I find something, I will warp, loop, and/or chop it up to figure out how I want to re-arrange it. Then I usually lay down a simple drum pattern to give me some rhythm to play the sample over and will start toying with different patterns. Lately though I have also been working with a talented artist as his engineer/producer/mixer. He'll come over to my home studio and we will just start jamming away. I'll set up a bass or synth he can play through the keyboard while I jam out some drums on the Push2. We'll record a bunch of parts and then I'll go back in and arrange everything to give it structure. I have learned a lot from these sessions and am really pleased with the music we have been making. It's more on the Funk/Soul side of things but I am really liking the opportunity to work with someone and epand my skillset.

If you get a chance to check it out, the song "Getting Lost" on my soundcloud is one we wrote together recently.

# ¿ Sep 28, 2018 20:08

The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > No Music Discussion > Musician's Lounge > Hip Hop Production Thread Part Deux