If you are interested in making hip hop beats, there are some tips I would like to share with you. A lot of people make the process of making hip hop beats complex, but it’s really not hard to do at all…especially if you are using beat maker software which is actually the best way to go.
1. With making hip hop beats, the drums are the first major component you need to start with. Many people use MIDI, but there are royalty free drum sounds you can use if you’re not familiar with MIDI. The drum beat measures are usually four to eight measures long.
2. Another aspect of making hip hop beats, but not a necessity is the use of samples. Me, personally I try to stay away from samples, because a lot of artists are starting to see that if you created a hit record and the track contains samples, you are ultimately responsible for getting the sample cleared. To avoid headaches, artists tend to stay away from samples. Kanye West uses samples a lot. It tends to give the track a ‘soul’ feeling since it’s basically an older sound.
3. A lot of major producers today have a certain sound that you can distinguish which producer may have made the track. Lil Jon has a ‘dirty south, crunk feel’ sound to his beats. DJ Premier has an East Coast sound and etc. If you’re not a major producer, I find that mastering a diverse sound of tracks is more valuable. If you mastered a West Coast sound, most likely you can only shop the track to West Coast artists. So get your feet wet with different sounds and make yourself valuable. Once you have reached your plateau, then you can concentrate on what you love.
