Recently, my friend, a beatmaker named Radie Wade, sent me an awesome article in which you can easily find answers to the following questions:

How to create a beat?

How to mix music with rap?

How to make a minus for rap?

How to create a backing track for rap?

The article is very interesting, if you don’t know some concepts, write in the comments and I will explain to you.

Software

1. First, decide what kind of music you want to write (be it rap or funk, etc.). Think about what end result you want to get. Have you thought about it? Great! Let's start choosing software (which no musician can do without now)

2. Software plays an important role in creating music, i.e. a program in which you actually create your creation step by step. All of these programs differ quite significantly from each other, but in fact the principle is the same in all of them. Here is a short list of programs that can greatly help you achieve your goal:

ImagineLineFL (FruityLoops)Studio 8 is a program in which many people begin to master the basics of beatmaking: it is quite easy to learn and does not require a lot of knowledge, although even in it, if you make your own music, you can achieve very good results. The big disadvantage of this program is that it initially contains few samples (sound tracks or sounds) and VST instruments (plugins for creating samples, etc.), so whether you want it or not, you will have to surf the Internet in search of these things.

Steinberg Cubase- to be honest, one of the most professional programs in our time. And let’s talk about the downside right away – it’s very difficult to learn. and if you are a guy who didn’t even know what it was before and only yesterday wanted to write your own music, forget about this program at least until you master, for example, Fruity Loops (fl studio). Since this is a program for professional professionals who they cut a chip, of course you can’t do without real hardware (more on that a little later), although sometimes their electronic colleagues also help out))). Among other things, it is quite difficult to install it, and if your computer is quite old, then it is quite possible that this program will not work for you or will run slow.

Pro Tools- on this moment among rap producers and not only them, the best music program, looking ahead, also like cube (cubase), may well not be installed on your computer, but if it is installed, then we can say that you are lucky, because now you will make your own works, although they probably had no idea before that it was in Protulz that such masters as DR.DRE, SCOTT STORCH, KANYE WEST, TIMBALAND, THE NEPTUNES and other equally famous producers create their hits. I can say that if you have already mastered Cubase, then mastering pro tools will clearly not be difficult for you.

reason- also very good software. Unlike Fruity Loops, it initially contains plugins, and very good ones at that; in learning it is not much different from the same Fruity Loops; it provides no less opportunities than, again, I repeat, Fruity Loops.

Also on the music software market there is such a product as cakewalk sonar- a very good program, although in terms of mastering it is not very different from Cubeys and Protools, professional hacks use it less than the ones listed above, I don’t know why... SO WE’VE FIGURED OUT THE SOFTWARE.

IRON.

It will be very, very difficult without powerful real equipment, so there are things you can’t do without (although if you need three knocks and two claps, then the initial sounds of frutiloops will be enough for you), but if you want to become a professional no worse than Prima or cool & dre , then NOWHERE without it.

Synthesizers.

Korg triton extreme– this is a powerful workstation with the widest selection of instruments, excellent sound, etc. (better read on Google, otherwise I’ll get tired of writing) / It’s worth noting the names of those people who use it: TIMBALAND, THE NEPTUNES, DR.DRE, POLOW DA DON, KANYE WEST et al.

YAMAHA MOTIF ES (OR XS)— there were a lot of disputes between people, which synth is better tritone or motive??? At the moment, people are inclined to choose the second (again, read all the characteristics on Google) famous beatmakers who use this miracle synth: SCOTT STORCH, COOL & DRE, THE RUNNERS, TIMBALAND, J R.ROTEM.

Roland fantom– also a workstation with very good capabilities, for example Swizz Beats creates his hits on it.

All these models, to be honest, cost a lot (about 80-100 pieces), but if you have the money, you probably won’t regret buying them.

Akai Mpc (2000,3000,4000,5000) — also the most important thing in making music. None of the above-mentioned producers can do without her. AKAI is a new generation sampler and every self-respecting dude must buy this thing.

Many people also use drum machines, for example crunk is actually built on its rich sounds. Roland is in first place in their production.

Good vsts (I’ll just give examples):

Steinberg hypersonic

Edition Orchestral

Sampletank

Pro 52 (53)

Ravity

Albino

Z 3ta

Vanguard

MUSIC CREATION.

So, the beginning of the process itself...

For it you need to decide where to start, and the choice is small: beat or melody.

Bit- this is a drum part, if you wanted to start with it, then the main thing is to create a cool rhythm, from which the entire instrumental, and later the track, will build.

The choice of drums must be competent, i.e. kick and snare or clap must “pump”. Listening to a professional recording, you understand that practically everyone has a good rhythm, and if you create a mainstream track with clubs in mind, then God himself ordered to create a beat to which women would shake their asses to the beat.

An important part of creating a beat is the transition. Usually they are accompanied when the verse ends and the hook begins and vice versa, it is important that it does not spoil the whole picture, but only complements it positively.

It's up to you to choose bass or kick, snare or clap.

You decided to start creating your track with a melody. First, choose what instrument you want to use, be it orchestral or synthesized sounds, an important part of writing a melody is the ability to play musical instruments (in many cases, the ability to play a synthesizer is enough) because it is easier to create a melody this way, but if you have just started playing music, then for starters, you can just press the keys like crazy, maybe something good will work out, but in the future, of course, it’s better to learn at least the basics of musical notation and playing the keys.

An important aspect in writing a melody is its memorability, that is, when people play the melody to themselves or drink it. It shouldn't be very complicated, because who the hell will remember it. Dr. himself dre says the simpler the melody, the better it is, but in order to create it you have to spend a lot of time and effort in the studio. True, you can take a risk and create something more complex melody. Perhaps you will be lucky and people will appreciate your efforts.

There is also a method called sampling, that is, when a beatmaker listens to recordings of other performers or composers and tries to find an interesting piece of the composition. For example, many famous producers use sampling of other people's songs, for example kanye west, dr.dre.

You continue to write the track, and it’s important not to spoil anything. You can continue with the creation of a part of hi-hats (hi-hats) or percussion, again it is important that nothing merges into mush, the rhythm must be clearly traced, this is an important rule, then you can and even need to write an additional melody for the bridge (part of the track , where the melody and mood of the song changes significantly, usually towards the end), use another instrument, diversify the song. For the best effect, it is better to listen to Western recordings of professional stars and properly study the genre in which you are going to write music. Feel all the features that have become a distinctive feature of this genre in the future, and maybe immediately try to experiment with rhythm or sound and bring something of your own, and this is very important.

So, when the writing is finished, it is time to start mixing.

Mixing is work on sound quality. Those universal programs that were written about, and such sound processing programs as sound forge and others can help you with this.

If you have the opportunity to consult or work together with a sound engineer, then be sure to take advantage of it, but if not, then you will have to do everything yourself, and this is far from easier than writing the composition itself. You can study the tedious literature on training in sound processing or trust your hearing and, through mistakes and endless listening, achieve the sound you need. The pros also don’t get everything right away, so you need to work hard and then everything will work out.

You can also watch videos (on YouTube), where ordinary dudes or even trade unionists share their experience and show how to create tracks.

And the main rules in this and in all matters are desire and perseverance, and then I won’t be surprised when I find out that you produced an album for Snoop Dogg or Basta Rhymes.

Apparently, neither beginners nor professional musicians need to be told that when creating a composition, one of the central places in the track is occupied by the drum part (naturally, if their use is intended). Certainly, the best option To create high-quality beats in the form of individual fragments or an entire batch, you need to record in a studio using a “live” drum kit. But many people work, so to speak, from home, preferring sequencer programs with built-in instruments. with their help? This and much more will be discussed further. It will not be possible to describe all the intricacies of the process, so we will focus only on the most important points, based on the popular sequencer FL Studio.

How to make beats: general concepts of constructing drum parts

Let's start with what exactly we need to create a drum part. It goes without saying that you can use drum VST samplers or the built-in instruments of the program itself, but first we’ll look at how to make beats for rap or for any other style of music manually.

If you approach the solution from a general point of view, it is not necessary to use a full drum kit. A kick drum, a snare drum, a closed/open hi-hat and a crash cymbal will suffice. We are not taking into account violas and toms for now. Thus, the simplest rhythmic pattern can be built only on the basis of these four elements.

How to make a beat in FL Studio: the simplest technique

Now let's turn directly to the FL Studio program. When creating a new project, we immediately have a step sequencer with the above-mentioned drum kit elements (only instead of a cymbal, a clap is used). First, let's replace it with some kind of cymbal.

How to make beats? There are several options here. The simplest is to use the interactive view of the step sequencer, where you simply mark the buttons in the desired positions.

The image above shows the simplest even beat for one bar.

It is clear that it sounds too smooth and unnatural. A live drummer would never play like that. Let's try to diversify the created sequence a little and add a bass drum at the end, which will sound out of the beat for each subsequent repetition. But if you look at how such a sequence is played live, it immediately becomes clear that the weak beat at the end of each measure sounds somewhat quieter.

The beat volume can be adjusted directly in the step sequencer, but it is better to send it to virtual keyboard Piano Roll. There are many more parameters available for adjustment here, especially since they can be changed for each note.

By the way, it is advisable to apply the change in the volume of each even bit to the hat. This will liven up the sound somewhat. If you don't like this approach, use the built-in FPC drum module. In it, the principle of creating a party is almost the same, only there are more tools.

Using VST Instruments

How to do it First of all, use ready-made sequences that are available in special libraries of drum samplers like Superior Drummer, EZDrummer, etc. Let's look at the use of such combinations in the Steven Slate Drum Sampler plugin. Once you've selected the style and sequence you want, simply drag it to the desired channel in the step sequencer, and then go to the Piano Roll window.

Since initially all the parts were played live, you can immediately figure out how to change the volume or which notes to shift so that the sound is not machine-made.

Features of the “swing” of the bit

After practicing with the plugins, we return to our beat. How to make a “quality” beat even from such a simple sequence? Elementary! It's not just the volume that needs to be adjusted. Separately, you should pay attention to setting a slight offset of the notes along the grid in order to create the so-called draw, which is very often used for the snare drum.

Set the note to start sounding not in the standard flat position, but with an offset, specifying, for example, a starting position with a value of 1.05.04, as shown in the image above. When you bring all the notes to life in this way, you'll immediately hear how much more natural even the simplest beat sounds. But you shouldn’t set the delay or volume values ​​to the same. Change them within small limits, but don’t get too carried away.

I became acquainted with the school in the early 2000s, when they were based in Russian Academy theatrical art.

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Regular studios did what they still do today - recording music. And these guys were also involved in technical education of young people, introducing them to knowledge of sound, sound engineering skills, and the ability to create modern music modern means. At that time, the courses were short-term, and they provided basic knowledge of sound theory, as well as skills in working on digital sound stations, but the main thing was the development of creativity, the ability to apply the acquired knowledge and skills in working on your composition, on your music. Students were provided with professional studio equipment, which is not always available to university students. Many students later became professional sound engineers, producers, arrangers, and remain in touch with the school for many years.

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I have a problem: in my work I constantly need audio engineers with studio experience. I don’t have time to teach, and finding a competent specialist is not easy. I remembered school. I called. Several people recommended me. Everyone is already prepared. Now I don’t have a problem if I need a good specialist. Thank you.

I would like to write not directly about the School of Music Makers, but about its founder, Alexander Tsyplukhin. There was a time when I was just starting to study arranging and working with sound

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I tried to look for any information on this topic - books, schools, etc. At home I already had a small budget PC-based studio equipped. I was already recording something, mixing it, trying to achieve a professional sound in practice. In order to raise my level and at the same time record several of my songs, I, as a client, turned to the Cream Records studio. There were several songs for which I made arrangements at home, and turned to Alexander for mixing. Of course, I wanted to be present when the track was mixed. I wanted to watch a professional work, ask questions along the way) It was very interesting, but it didn’t help me much in learning how to mix on my own) So I made a “spy” move))) I asked Alexander to mix my track in my studio. My "spy" idea was to analyze the project after mixing. To my surprise, the mix turned out to be about the same quality as the mixes he mixed at Cream Records. This gave me complete confidence that the main thing is not the equipment, but the person. Later there were many other things that allowed me to make great progress along this path, but Alexander was definitely one of those who influenced me during that period of time.

Before I met ProSound, I had already recorded two albums. I worked as a poet, composer

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and performer, performed in Ukraine and North America with concerts, so technical control over my product was critically important to me. Sound engineering fascinated me, and I decided that in addition to the creative side, I was also interested in the technical aspect of creating music. The material was conveyed in an accessible and understandable way in theory and in practice, the most necessary, the most basic, without water. The main thing is that you could try everything with your own hands in real time, learn on expensive equipment that is used in the music industry in studios around the world! The student instantly finds himself in a real work process! After graduating from school, I entered the American University Full Sail University, but I turned to the notes and knowledge acquired at ProSound throughout my studies at the American university! I remember compiling student material in America, leafing through the ProSound notebook, referring to the notes “which frequency to highlight in which instrument, etc.”, and it was also possible to become smarter at the American lecture based on the knowledge acquired earlier. I received a colossal base, knowledge that can be consolidated and supplemented! I would like to add that in 2012, 2013 and 2015, several of my songs were featured in Hollywood films, such as “Chernobyl Diaries” (in Russian release – “Forbidden Zone”), as well as in the film “Arthur Neumann the Golf Gro”, with famous actors Emily Blunt and Colin Furst, as well as in the famous American series The Blacklist on the prestigious HBC channel. Search Vika Vasilevich – “Magic”, and “Want you” www.vika.mobi

Atmosphere. This is how I would describe in one word what I remember most about the School of Music Makers.

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It’s beyond words when you accidentally find out that your most favorite records and compositions were recorded within these walls and by the very people who pass on their knowledge to you. Gradually, you begin to put these skills into practice, which is not only allowed at the music studio, but is also required to complete the course. It was on one of these tasks that I learned personal experience that the same track can be mixed in completely different ways. This is what we call “directing” in the word “sound engineer.” There were 4 of us in the group and we received 4 completely different tracks in mood. Unfortunately for me at that moment, there were already evaluation criteria for mixing the track, according to which I did not score high. BUT! A huge “but” in favor of my mix was the creative component, which melted the hearts of the listeners. After the technical debriefing, Alexander Tsyplukhin told the audience that there are many examples of when the track was mixed absolutely incorrectly and crookedly in all respects, if you break down the composition according to the same criteria. But at the end, the sum of all these errors gives what we call “creativity”. I am sure that my work was most likely an accident. After all, in order to make “creative mistakes” you need to have the same set of knowledge to make a creative composition out of a mistake!

I graduated from Musicmakers School in 2009, and during these 6 years a lot happened in my life:

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creating his own studio, producing numerous albums, mixing sound for films, producing major music projects, and authoring more than 70 compositions. Of course, you can refer to talent, hard work and love for your work, and this is certainly important, but you cannot do without knowledge. I remember very well that before studying at music-making school, all my actions were marking time... It seemed that I intuitively understood what and how to do with sound, but it barely reached the level of a demo recording. And only after graduating from school I was able to consciously approach working with sound. They have already appeared various methods work and already have my own accumulated experience, but no one has canceled the fundamental knowledge about frequency, dynamic or spatial processing. It is this knowledge that helps me find a way out in a completely different situations during my work, for which I want to say a huge thank you to Alexander Tsyplukhin and his team!

My journey began before entering the school of music makers, but only there I was able to systematize and structure my knowledge of sound engineering.

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Learn a lot of new things and most importantly start making mixes at a new, modern level. The school teachers are very attentive and friendly. Upon completion of the courses, graduates receive the necessary set of knowledge to enter the profession, the ability to listen and solve problems that can be encountered in the work of a sound engineer, as well as a Steinberg music production certificate.

What should rap fans who decide to try to create their own music do? It turns out that it is not necessary to have the appropriate education. Specialized software will help. Let's look at what kind of program there should be for creating beats for rap.

What it is

Beats - music (minus drum parts) to which the rap is read. They are created like this:

1. Pieces of music from different compositions are cut, arranged and edited by an editor. Effects are applied;
2. Creating a composition from scratch.

Let's take a closer look at how to create beats.

FL Studio

This is a virtual studio for creating and editing music on a PC. Rap beat maker FL Studio is available at: https://www.image-line.com/flstudio/.
After downloading the installation “exe” file, double-click on it to install. It is simple and will not cause any difficulties even for novice users.
Its feature is a user-friendly interface. After launch, the necessary tools are available from the main application window. For example, mixer, piano keyboard.
Supports working with advanced plugins for writing compositions: DirectWave, Squeeze, ReFX. The created file is saved in the following format: MP3, WAV, FLAC. The application offers to save the result in the FLP program format, which will allow you to continue working with the composition after some time. Suitable for both professionals and beginners.

Software for creating rap beats on PC Ordrumbox

To create beats, install free software with open source source code Ordrumbox. Download from: http://ordrumbox.com/download.php.

Peculiarities:

1. IN automatic mode composes bass lines and compositions. There is a built-in database of rhythms and musical elements;
2. Creating a song based on a template;
3. Selecting bars. From one to twenty-four;
4. Changes settings to suit the style of music;
5. Import sound files.

Reaper

Multi-digital workstation. You can download a program for creating rap beats at: https://www.reaper.fm/download.php. Record from a microphone, import and export audio files.

The developers added a virtual machine to the program. The plugin runs on JavaScript. It is possible to edit or remake some of its functions yourself.

Program for creating beats for rap on Android (Android)

Install the AutoRap application. Launch the program, select one of two modes:

Rap To Beats

Record lyrics to professional beats. Download the app at: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.chikay.demotapetest.
Read a rap, record it using the application. Use headphones so that the sound does not go into the microphone from the phone speaker. The developers have added 125 backing tracks, which are available after installation.
Peculiarity:

• small application size;
• recording to SD card.

Drum Pads 24

Create songs in Drum Pads in 1-2 minutes. Click the button on the main panel to play the rhythm. From the selected parts, assemble the finished composition.
Save the finished melody in your phone, or send it to a page on a social network.

Software for creating rap beats online

What to do if you don’t want to install additional software on your PC. Take advantage specialized services. Let's look at the most popular ones.

Audiotool

Developers constantly update the software. The interface is simple and clear.
Peculiarities:

1. The Piano roll function is used for MIDI recording;
2. Virtual mixer;
3. Cloud storage;
4. Working together on a track.

Registration

Go to the address: https://www.audiotool.com/. To save your work, create an account. Click the “Login” link at the top right. Go to:
Will open registration form. Register via social networks or by entering your login, password and email.

Beginning of work

Click the "App" button in top menu.
The application allows you to:

1. Create a new project;
2. Use a template;
3. Open a project you were previously working on.

Save on PC

For the service to work, install . The browser must support working with it

Soundtrap

Located at: https://www.soundtrap.com/. Works only with registered users.
Peculiarities:

1. Recording from an external source;
2. Group editing function.

Registration

Click the "Join Now" button

Check private operating mode:

Listen to lots and lots of hip-hop/funk/music in general and enrich your mind with different rhythms. The fact is that hip-hop as such often uses quite inventive rhythmic tricks. You can learn about them if you (in addition to listening to music) study playing percussion instruments. Even by watching videos on YouTube. There they will show you fills, shuffles, swings, pulls, guest notes and many other tasty things. The problem with modern beats is boring, unmemorable rhythms. And this, by the way, is the basis of the beat. If you look at how beats were written in the 90s and 80s, you will see how much importance was attached to this.

First, highlight at least an approximate direction in which you want to work. It can be instrumental hip-hop, aggressive symphonic epic, cute trap or snotty lyrics. Study, listen to what is used in the direction in which you want to write. Choose for yourself a few of the coolest beats that get played the most and analyze them. Try to figure out why you like them, and then try to come up with something of your own based on them. And I don't mean plagiarism or repeating tunes. Try to understand the very trick of the bit that is being rolled out to you and use it. For example, I love aggressive, angry, epic symphonic beats. Many of them are built on a simple principle - there is a continuous direct melody (some kind of “bustling” in eighth notes), and under it the whole orchestra notes the accents. Well, for example. Also in such bits there are often rises, falls, and so on and so forth. Then I simply wrote something of my own, based on this information, and then added some more of my own tricks and ideas to this skeleton. That's what I wrote at the beginning.

Learn to use the tools you will have to work with. At first, most likely, you will download all the synthesizers, effects and libraries that come to hand. But over time, you will select for yourself a small set of all this, which you will use. In the meantime, look at how to use Kontakt, how libraries work, how synthesizers work, and what libraries and synthesizers there are in general.

1) The Producers Choice - they have one bible with a bunch of different hip-hop samples. Percussion, distinctive kicks, 808 basses, snares and cymbals, thousands of them. In addition, this Bible contains clips of all sorts of voices, shouts, and phrases from which you can create fancy effect samples. One of the best hip-hop libraries.

2) Massive synthesizer. Easy to use, if you know the basic concepts, you'll figure it out. its advantage is that there is an overload of all sorts of presets for every taste and color.

3) Heavyocity - Damage. Industrial drum library. Very juicy. It’s unlikely to work in commercial hip-hop, but you can experiment.

4) Cinematic Strings - a simple and quite sound (up to a certain point, of course. It won’t fulfill any of your wishes, but for beats it’s very good) bibli with strings.

5) Thousands of them.

Learn basic music theory (aka "elementary music theory") and don't worry. It will be very, very useful, no matter what anyone tells you. If you have a creative streak, you will instantly learn to write melodies and select harmonies for them, to assemble a form. Also, study the arrangement. You will learn how to create the mood you need in a specific beat, what you need to do for this, what you need to use. And don’t watch people on YouTube that make videos on “how to write a beat in 5 minutes.” They won’t explain anything to you, they’ve already been through it, it’s trash. Or rather, you can glean something from these videos at first (some specific techniques, something else), but you won’t find the essence in them.