Hip hop production is the production of hip-hop music in a recording studio. While the term incorporates all parts of hip hop music creation, including recording the rapping of an MC, a turntablist or DJ giving a beat, playing tests and “scratching” utilizing record spinners and the making of a rhythmic backing track, utilizing a drum machine or sequencer, it is most normally used to refer to recording the instrumental, non-lyrical and non-vocal parts of hip hop production.
10 Most Important Hip Hop Production Tips
1. Sample Selection
Having an ear to pick the right samples in any situation is one of the main abilities of a talented music producer.
It might sound simple, but it can take more time to arrive at the level where you know exactly what sample will sound the best for your beat – and where to track it down in your documents, so do it quickly.
Abilities like this are the main while you’re working in a meeting with hip-hop production artists also because you would rather not keep individuals sticking around while you search for the right catch sound.
2. Kick & Bass
The connection between kick and bass is significant in any genre of music but specifically in hip-hop production.
You don’t need the frequencies of the kick and bass conflicting with one another, and that implies you don’t need them playing simultaneously.
To handily fix this issue, we utilize what’s called “sidechain compression” to dodge the volume of the bass track any time the kick track is producing an audio signal.
3. Hi-hats Are Key
In current hip hop production, it’s typical to observe a sixteenth note design for the hi-hats, while the open hats are put in the odd. The groove is accomplished by the switch-ups from the essential pattern to 32 or 8 note sections.
However, making the right section is difficult. On top of observing an ideal example, you want to give them a human vibe. This can be interesting while continually attracting them to your DAW. If you are very much into hip-hop production, you can also learn the best DAW for hip-hop music production online.
4. 808 Saturation
One mystery to a thick 808 bass is saturation.
You believe that your 808 bass to carry a weighty low-end, yet additionally, be felt through your PC speakers (which are not truly adept at projecting low end).
You can accomplish this by applying different saturation techniques.
Saturation is the method involved with twisting and adding sounds, so it becomes audible on most speakers. Without Saturation, your sub-bass will sound weak and will not produce sufficient energy on your track.
5. Keep It Simple
One of the main things for a hip-hop producer to remember is that there should be space in the blend for somebody to rap on.
The vocal should be the focal point of the mix, and when there are an excessive number of components making the mix occupied, it can make a ton of issues while attempting to make a quality, proficient-sounding song. You can use the best free music production software for your hip-hop tunes, it will give you the best results for your work.
6. Reference Your Favorite Beats
Concentrating on the beats that arouse you is an extremely misjudged method for figuring out how to structure your own productions.
Not just listening, but focusing on when every percussion hits, how they change subtle things from one bar to another to keep it fascinating, and how they use quietness in specific parts to make space. These are the minute details you should be listening for and observing then carry them out into your own beats.
7. Don’t Overuse Quantization
No one wants their drums to be robotic.
So how would we accomplish that ideal balance of flow, rhythm, and tempo and refine your drums?
Indeed, if you totally switch off quantization, your tracks will feel human. Notwithstanding, in this genre where tempo and rhythm are its core, you risk losing your MC.
The flow should be steady all through the track so the audience and rapper know what the musicality will be and will not be thrown off.
8. Triplets
A triplet is when the beat is split into three notes, instead of two or four, as shown here:
Hi-hat triplets are basically standard in most present hip-hop beats now, normally blended in with a straight Hi-hat pattern and coming in at various focuses to add variety. One more typical strategy with triplets is to pitch the hi-hat down when the triplet roll comes in.
9. Utilize Melody Loops
Sometimes it can feel overwhelming if you are not in the mood to sit down and think of another beat from scratch, particularly if you don’t know the music theory, attempting tunes or chord progressions on the fly can take some time.
Fortunately, there are huge loads of royalty-free song loops you can download to help rapidly give motivation to take in any direction you want.
10. Find Unique Samples
Sample digging is one of the most exciting parts of hip-hop production. Examining hip hop started with producers removing samples from vinyl records they gathered and cleaving them up. This is probably how the most famous hip-hop productions ever were made.
You can utilize a similar sample tracker attitude to the early crate diggers even if you do not have a record player.
Conclusion
In the end, music production is an art, and these guidelines don’t constantly apply to the same thing, however as everyone says; “you need to learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.”
Begin executing these techniques into your hip-hop music production workflow and figure out how and why they apply to hip-hop production specifically.
If you find this blog helpful, you can read more about Pop music production.