Instrumental Beats Hip Hop

You Don't Need Equipment

One of the biggest misconceptions people have when they are interested in getting into beat making is that you need a lot of money to buy fancy equipment. Over the last few years software has pretty much replaced hardware in the current digital revolution. This is an exciting time because for the first time in the history of music, the playing field is finally evened out - you don't need a lot of money and fancy equipment for you music to sound professional. A common myth is that software doesn't sound as good as hardware - this is simply untrue. I've had a huge rack of hardware worth thousands of dollars only to all be replaced by my laptop. All you really need is a computer, a midi keyboard, and a solid software program to make solid tracks.

I highly recommend starting out using either Propellerheads Reason or Fruity Loops. I say this for a few reasons. The first is that these aren't difficult to get started and start using. The learning curve for these software isn't bad so you can start making beats immediately after you download the software. The second reason is that these programs are extremely powerful in the music you can potentially make. Reason and Fruity Loops are easy to learn but very challenging to master. You'll have the peace of mind that you have the power at you fingertips to make tracks just as hot sounding as a Timbaland or Dr. Dre beat. With these software, you'll have all the resources to make great music - you're only limited by your creativity and the work you put in.

Important Points to Note

One of the most important things in perfecting your craft is having a deep understanding of music. You need to know where music has gone, where its presently at, and where its going. If you ask any great producer what its going to take to be great. In a recent interview, Timbaland was asked what advice he would give new producers on the come up. "I would tell them to go back and listen to real music, 70's and 80's music, something that ya'll young people don't know nothing about. Notice I said ya'll young people. Ya'll don't know nothing about it. Go back and study the art of where real music comes from. Feel me?" I hope you guys take this information to heart and have fun listening and making music - that's what it's all about.

This is probably the most important piece of equipment to make beats. Your choice of software could have implications in the style you develop as a music producer. But for somebody starting from zero I would recommend to not pay too much for this yet.

Most of the peripherals needed to make beats come with light versions of popular music software. Even though the purpose is to temp you to upgrade to the more expensive versions, these light editions have more than enough sounds to keep anyone going for a long time.

If you have absolutely no experience you could check something like Sonic Pro, a very popular online program that for only .00 USD offers a sequencer, sounds, instruments and more important, video tutorials on how to make your own beats.

An Audio Interface

One of the most important reasons why to get a decent audio interface is their handling of a common problem with computers and music, latency. This is the amount of time that it takes the computer to process an incoming signal.

Latency can create very annoying issues when making beats, like playing a midi note and hearing the sound a second later. It would be extremely difficult to record live that way. Also if you want to connect instruments, external synths and drum machines, audio interfaces feature the proper inputs.

A Midi Controller

Most of today midi controllers plug to the computer via USB and are recognized automatically by most music software, requiring almost no technical knowledge to get them going.

The most popular midi controllers come in 2 flavors, keyboard or pads. The keyboard is the most popular and the most practical, but rubber pads can yield more rhythmically interesting beats. Even better is the new breed of controllers that blend both together.

Monitors

It might seem like the least important feature for someone getting started, but this depends on how much you enjoy making music. The issue lies in the reproduction of the entire frequency spectrum. Small computer speakers by default mess with the audio content, hyping up frequencies because of their inability to fully reproduce them.

Even though the monitors at beginner prices are not the full solution, as you go up in price you start to get a more realistic image of the sound you're working on. At lower prices most monitors still hype up the sound a little, but in a way that compliments music making and not video game playing.

A rap song can be pretty boring without the right beat. The beat is in my opinion the element of the song that takes the rap to the next level and makes it stand out in the crowd. Even 2pac and Biggie would have a hard time if their beats were not up to par.

The two most important elements of a rap beat are its depth and its originality. By depth I mean how it makes you feel when you hear it. Every rap song has a message, and the beat needs to bring that message home.

It is also important that the beat stand out in the crowd. This is where originality comes in. In the first seconds of your beat you have to make it unique so the person who listens to it recognizes the song and are ready to join in on it.

A rap beat typically consists of a loop. A loop is a set of bars repeating over and over. So how to you make a great loop?

Begin with your hi hats. The hi hats sets the basics for your rap beat and let you decide the speed of your beat. There is nothing complex with you hi hats so make it simple. You can add more hi hats later if needed.

Second step is to add the kicks and the snares. The kicks are what most people will consider the baseline. These are the deep elements of the base. The snares are the mid and high tones and are usually lighter than the kicks.

After you have configured the speed and your base line you have your skeleton ready. Next thing is to add your instrumentals and vocals.

It is the combinations all these elements that build the feeling and originality in your rap beat.

There is no need to overdo your rap beats

Many newbies does the mistake of working too much on their rap beats. They add layer upon layer of instrumentals and work the beat line to much.

Keep the beat as simple as possible. It is not how many sounds you have that counts. It is how much the rap beats can bring emotions upon the listener. Spend some time listening to the beats of your favorite producer and you will probably notice that their beats are not very complex. They are simply unique.

Also keep in mind that you are not the Star of your rap beat. This is the rappers job. Your job is to make the rapper have an easy day at work and help him or her bring out the creativity inside.