Making hip hop beats that really sound like hip hop

[jamie10]

its the skills, not the gear.

with a computer and software + knowledge and skills, you can make the phattest hip hop you can imagine.

in theory.

hardware seems to work for successful people tho.

[Stitch333]

Originally Posted by smoke

Did someone say they used a VCR?

Before ProTools/masterlink/CD burners/etc., a nice 4head VHS deck made an excellent 2-track master recorder.

[bgrotto]

Originally Posted by Stitch333

Before ProTools/masterlink/CD burners/etc., a nice 4head VHS deck made an excellent 2-track master recorder.

I think they called those "ADATs".

[jedilaw]

Dammit, I just had to go and pick Beta to try to record 2-track...

[Aries]

Good Read. I Use The Asr 10 and a Mpc 2000xl both together and each on their own as well. It def boils down to the sound quality that the sampler engine puts on the sound that enters it. The Mpc is my lethal weapon for drums in almost every case where as sometime's i prefer to run my actual samples/chops through my asr10...then record/track each part from its seperate machine into Pro tools.

But really with all the new technology out there people take fruityloops and a midi keyboard(witch i also have) and some plug ins and make the shit sound identical....these days you have 'Tape' plugins and 'static/distortion' plug ins and all these other things that are meant to replace this 'sound' we are talking about...I dont really do things that way although i could if i wanted to. I also use a TEAC A4300sx reel to reel when i really want to 'dirty' somthing up. The preamps in it are great.

[Joemamma]

Use samples from already recorded and mixed music... preferably "dusty" samples...

[Storyville]

and not to be 7L either.... hahaha....ha.... but Hip Hop is a culture. Don't worry, I'm not going to get that esoteric. But, essentially you are talking about a value system when you say making something that really sounds like Hip Hop. Ok, get to the point Story...

Distortion has a psychological effect of making something sound larger than it really is. MPCs tend to add a really nicely shaped distortion, especially when they're pushed a bit, and in addition, you get a hands on feel which can then be quantized to taste. However, this is a tool. There are many tools, such as Soulja Boy - one of the biggest tools of them all.

That being aside, only the purists really care whether a sample came from vinyl, or whether the beat was made in Fruity Loops. Really, the only question is: did you put your thing down?

So put your thing down. Really, I know if you're reading this then you are on the internet, and we all know what you're really on the internet for...... watching Human Tetris on Youtube. Shame.

I would say, grab that mpc if you haven't grabbed something. I've also heard wonders about the new roland mpc knock off. Get your turntables. Get those dope vinyls. And make something that sounds exactly like something that already had that exact same sound. Really. If it doesn't sound that way it's not Hip Hop.

Or.... find something that you can build yourself into, and cultivate your own sound. Truthfully, style in Hip Hop is everything. If you can make something your sound, or your style, then that's it. Real rap, you make something Hip Hop, you don't make Hip Hop with something.

But for real, the mpc is dope.

[jedilaw]

One more thing, sort of a follow-up to the cultural observation above: a lot of what made Hip-Hop special in the early days was the ingenuity those cats showed in making do without a lot of equipment or access to high-end studios. Sometimes it's what your gear can't do that inspires you. At this point, it's very easy to get the technical ability to duplicate what Marly Marl did. When he did it, however, it was hard as hell, and his genius was figuring out a way to get done what he wanted done.

[charliemizza]

Reason. MPK49. game over. like one dude said, its not the gear its the user, but MAN....i havent used my MPC in a minute......

[Key]

Originally Posted by Aries

I also use a TEAC A4300sx reel to reel when i really want to 'dirty' somthing up. The preamps in it are great.

TEAC - A 6010 here . I love the AR-60 pre-amps for some grit.

[T. Gundersen]

I use Logic Pro and good sounds playing good ideas. Works for me, has recall and none of the hassle of the old days.

[7161]

Originally Posted by bgrotto

I think they called those "ADATs".

no it was before ADAT and DAT - someone realised the sony vhs decks had a digital pcm audio record track and so people started putting them in studios as a backup mastering machine to record a digital copy onto.- first budget digital stereo recorders basicaly

[excLOUsiv]

Making Hip Hop sound like Hip Hop?

Keep it simple, and focus on the vibe. Work like how you would imagine dudes with limited amount of money, resources, and gear would would make Hip Hop.

[u b k]

Originally Posted by Storyville

Really, the only question is: did you put your thing down?
...
So put your thing down.
...
Truthfully, style in Hip Hop is everything. If you can make something your sound, or your style, then that's it. Real rap, you make something Hip Hop, you don't make Hip Hop with something.

Brilliant, all of it.

My own tweak to the OP: fµck making beats that 'sound like hip-hop'.

Make beats that FEEL like hip hop.


Gregory Scott - ubk
.

[coyotekells]

Originally Posted by u b k

Brilliant, all of it.

My own tweak to the OP: fµck making beats that 'sound like hip-hop'.

Make beats that FEEL like hip hop.


Gregory Scott - ubk
.

Nice touch.. I feel ya.

I hate hip hop though.. well mostly. But at least there's no banjos.

I would hate all my favorite rap records if they came out now (Only Built For.., It Was Written, ATLiens, etc.)

If The Blueprint came out now, I'd still think it was good. The other ones only get a pass because they arrived at the right time.

You don't want to copy the way those records sound, only the way they make you feel.

[beat you down]

Originally Posted by coyotekells

...You don't want to copy the way those records sound, only the way they make you feel.

funny... i was listening to "only built..." just yesterday and noticed how mixing actually becomes (almost) irrelevant when the beat and mc's are on point.

i really don't feel "only built..." would've been a better record if it was mixed and mastered to today's standards.

[sd-cd]

Originally Posted by beat you down

funny... i was listening to "only built..." just yesterday and noticed how mixing actually becomes (almost) irrelevant when the beat and mc's are on point.

i really don't feel "only built..." would've been a better record if it was mixed and mastered to today's standards.

September 8th 2009 is the official date of Only Bulit 4 Cuban Linx 2 release. 2 beats are made by Dr Dre, so maybe the mixing will be better on this LP. I will definitely check it out. One.
Amazon.com: Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, Vol. 2: Raekwon: Music

P.S.
Marley Marl, Pete Rock are also the producers there.

[beat you down]

prediction...

"we will rob you" borrows from queen somehow.



will check it out but... a sequel to a classic like that? not sure how pt 2 is going to be able to live up to people's expectations.

[Stitch333]

Originally Posted by bgrotto

I think they called those "ADATs".

I'm waiting for the plugin...

[gorillainthemix]

I wrote my MA thesis on Sample-Based Hip-Hop (in Dutch though , sorry) and one of the books I read, and really enjoyed was:
Making Beats: The Art of Sample-based Hip-hop Music/Culture: Amazon.co.uk: Joseph G. Schloss: Books

Title is kind of weird, it's not a "How To..." but more a sociological view on hip-hop producers. One point that keeps coming back is "the sound", very very crucial.

[sd-cd]

Originally Posted by The Dutch Master

I wrote my MA thesis on Sample-Based Hip-Hop (in Dutch though , sorry) and one of the books I read, and really enjoyed was:
Making Beats: The Art of Sample-based Hip-hop Music/Culture: Amazon.co.uk: Joseph G. Schloss: Books

Title is kind of weird, it's not a "How To..." but more a sociological view on hip-hop producers. One point that keeps coming back is "the sound", very very crucial.

My thread about this book:
Great book.

[CRACKPIPE]

Hip-Hop has so many different styles, that's like asking how do I make it sound like rock music. An electric gutar is not all you need. You need to understand the blues, etc.

I was a Hip-hop DJ for years so when it came to making beats that sounded like hip-hop it was automatic.

Listen to all eras of hip-hop and learn how the sound progressed over the years. The more you understand a sound, the better you can copy it.

[Key]

Originally Posted by u b k

Brilliant, all of it.

My own tweak to the OP: fµck making beats that 'sound like hip-hop'.

Make beats that FEEL like hip hop.


Gregory Scott - ubk
.

I would for sure agree with this. I forget who it was that went on and on about this (some producer I respect haha but I am terrible with remembering names details). He said it's more like Jazz where you are influenced by the process rather than totally copping someones sound. You strive to innovate and carve out your own style/sound just like the producers who came before. And it's not so much about copping there sound or techniques but more about using that same hunger when in the process of making your own shit.

[ncoak]

not trying to sh!t on anyone, but this thread's title gives me the chuckles every time i see it....i mean come on...

[str1ke4ce]

Originally Posted by entropy

second that

[MikeyMike]

Third that.

The majority of people that don't know the answer or are confused are the ones that have no talent. If your ears don't tell you then you're lost and will never be a good hip-hop producer.

[E.rOk.stA]

Originally Posted by coyotekells

Nice touch.. I feel ya.

I hate hip hop though.. well mostly. But at least there's no banjos.

I would hate all my favorite rap records if they came out now (Only Built For.., It Was Written, ATLiens, etc.)

If The Blueprint came out now, I'd still think it was good. The other ones only get a pass because they arrived at the right time.

You don't want to copy the way those records sound, only the way they make you feel.

Exactly.

BTW, Hip Hop is still happening. I don't mean underground either. Jadakiss, Lil' Wayne, whatever. Hip Hop is NOT a style. It is NOT limited to a sub-genre (East Coast, Dirty South, etc.) Hip Hop is taking whatever means you have; sampling, synths, keys, live bass, an 808.....even autotune, anything you have available and make the music that moves people. Hip Hop keeps evolving, cats need to realize that. (not aimed at you, coyote)

I've been present at about 1,000,000 conversations or debates about this very thing. As soon as you try to timestamp a year and say that is "real" Hip Hop, you have just killed your chances of making "real" Hip Hop. You will spend time trying to resurrect the corpse that Hip Hop shed when it grew to the next...

Alot of people wanna weigh in on it, but don't plug in to their local scene or any scene if they don't have one. Where do you see cyphers any more? What about the battles? Cat's are so scared to get punked that they don't show up anywhere they might be criticized. That's why you have all the wack posts even on this forum. It used to be that you got punked, you did 1 of 2 things. You got better and came back to win or you quit. Hip Hop weeded itself of all the pests and wannabe's. I could keep going, but I'm not gonna. The sooner people consider this, the sooner the music will get better.

[messiahwannabe]

a lot of these posts are true, but maybe not as helpful or practical as they could be. why not try this, this is exactly the process that got me signed to a major label:

1. put on a pair of headphones, listen to your 10 favorite rap albums all the way through, and analyse the shit out of what you're hearing. listen to what the drums sound like (not "wow, that's bangin'" but "hmmm, that's an 808 snare, but it sounds a bit more distorted than on that other track" or "there's a bit of echo on the vocals, but only during the chorus" "they keep dropping in and out different elements of the beat, and then there's a different hi hat sound that only comes in on the chorus" etc) it's little details that you really gotta listen to closely, that makes the difference between an amateur track and one you hear on a major label. now take all the things you noticed, and try to bring them to your own tracks as best as you can!

that's probably the biggest key to making your productions sound more polished. here's my shortlist of things that *i* noticed that way, that made my productions sound way more like a major label rap cd:

1. LAYER DRUMS! AND START WITH GOOD SAMPLES! take one basic drum sound (an 808 soundbank is a good place to start, but chopped up samples from old 60's/70's records are also good, depends on what style you're going for... actually an 808 or 909 blended with a vynil sample almost always sound good) then layer it with another completely different sound. mess with the volume of the two till it's got the sound you're looking for. add a third to give it even more crack or thump if you want. i take HOURS to find the right drum sounds for a song... GURU is a great program for doing this, but you can do it with most software these days really.

2. either record the drum parts by hand (or at least some of them) or slide various elements of the beat around by a few milliseconds. you could try sliding the clap a few milliseconds to the right in your daw, for instance (or the high hat or bass or anything really) and see what it does to the groove. then slide it to the left instead, and listen to the difference. or play something extra sloppy, then quantitize it at 50 percent and see if it sounds good. if it doesn't, try the same process again - sometimes it's kinda random which take is really gonna have a good groove... when you find a really good feel to the beat, loop 16-32 bars of it and use it for the whole song

3. learn to use the right reverbs. put one kind of reverb on your drums, another on the verse vocals, a third (different) kind of reverb on the chorus vocals, a fourth on your keyboards, a gated verb on your snare/clap, etc try to use as much/little reverb as on major label tracks you really like

4. try to eq as little as possible unless your using good, flat-response monitors.

5. put a limiter/mastering plugin on the final mix. play around with the settings to make it roughly as loud/clear/balanced as the major label stuff.

6. do a track or two using the above suggestions, burn it to disk/cd, then compare it on headphones to those cd's you were listening to before. listen to the differences, then go back and do a couple more songs. repeat this process about 50-100 times and you should start getting somewhere!

[jsrockit]

Originally Posted by MikeyMike

Third that.

The majority of people that don't know the answer or are confused are the ones that have no talent. If your ears don't tell you then you're lost and will never be a good hip-hop producer.

Yeah, I'm sure your first beat sounded great...

[MikeSV]

Originally Posted by jsrockit

Yeah, I'm sure your first beat sounded great...

+1 Becoming a good producer/beat maker/keyboard player/etc takes time, patience and practice. I can't stand this attitude of, "well, if you suck now you'll suck forever". No, we ALL sucked at some point, it's just a matter of sticking with it.