Sound Samples
Music industry employs a wide range of products which are not solely based on the artistes’ expertise. The post 90’s grunge rock has seen an increase in the number of variations music has offered. However with the advent of all such variations, the music industry has also started using previously used samples of music and instruments to provide a more varied sound.
The use of such sound samples results in a variant which does not resemble the unadulterated sounds of guitars or drums. Such sound samples have become an essential in the R7B genre, where lyrics form the prime focus of all artistes and thus melodies are left to producers who rely heavily on these to provide the adequate melody.
Sound samples vary in not just the range of instrument employed but also in the types of formats used to play them on. There are numerous formats, but the more popular ones include Wave format, Mp3 format and MIDI format.
Mp3 formats are used by most of the upcoming systems and provide a high quality and easy to use format for sounds to be recorded and manipulated. Wave format has been an older and therefore more widely acknowledged platform for playing sound samples. This format is compatible with most other systems and is extremely popular in the music industry as well. Midi format was developed for sending music files between electronic devices like synthesizers and personal computers. Midi format enables a sound file to be compressed and therefore allows much more space.
However, sound samples are most commonly used in the wave format due to its easy accessibility and wide use.
Sound samples are an important tool, not just for music producers, but also for novices like students. They can range from instrumental beats which are solely sound samples of particular instruments, to sound loops which utilize all instruments and are therefore much more comprehensive.
The adequate use of sound samples is a sophisticated art which is not readily mastered and thus needs to be honed.
With the music industry relying more and more on catchy, ready to use riffs, sound samples have become a lucrative industry which employs not just musicians but also technicians. The progress in music composing software has allowed more and more sound samples to be formed with increased intricacy. However, it should be noted that sound samples are still a growing phenomenon and still offer plenty of opportunity for development.
Making Rap and Hip Hop Beats
It is very common among the amateur beat makers that they aim straight for the top position even before they have started knowing their field properly. This makes them commit mistakes and fall short of success in their career. Although they think that they are capable of attaining great success in their career, but they still cannot accomplish their dreams.
The problem mainly lies in the quality of their production and their beats. Even though they have good melodies and great lyrics, they fail in good sound quality and unique and attention-catching beats. They can make their beats successful by just realizing that the beats make an important part of their sounds. Hence as an amateur beat maker, you should search on the internet for all kinds of professional beats including hip hop beats, instrumental beats, jazz beats and Reggae beats etc. By listening to these beats, you can get a fair idea as to how these beats are made successfully and what makes them different. You can then built upon your ideas and create your own beats based on that.
In order to choose what kind of beats you want to produce, you should be able to first realize what you intend to produce. You should know what kind of audience you would like to perform for, if you are planning to go for an independent label or just stick to the underground music, how far do you want to go, like do you want to become a popular artist all over the country or even the world, and whether you want to attain fame and fortune or the popularity. Hence, you should be clear in your mind about your vision.
However, the beats still make an important part of your career, whether you want to go public and popular or you want to stick to the underground scene. Your beats should be created in such a unique way that they attract the attention of your audience and keep them interested in your music.
If you are planning to go for the pop then you should choose a slick or commercial beat. If you are looking for a slow style, then you can consider the southern hiphop beats; however, if you are looking for the high energy beats, then you can use the Hyphy or Crunk.
Apart from your audience, the venue of your performance or your audience also makes a difference. Some people just look into the target venue and create their beats accordingly. You can get a clue from your audience’s preferences and interests, so it’s better that you analyze your audience before deciding about beat making.
Once you know about your audience, then you can better decide whether you want to make the Rap beats or the hip hop beats.
While considering your audience, you should not give up your own preferences and the style. However, you should be able to make such beats that take into account both your and the audience’s preferences. You should also learn from your performance and try to make necessary changes that are required to make your beats better.