These days, selecting drum samples for use in electronic music production should be as easy as pie. So why is it so hard and frustrating? There are literally hundreds and even thousands of free drum sounds for anybody to download right onto their computers and then even take onto hardware samplers and such. One of the main complaints often voiced concerns the time needed to sort through these samples; a lot are not organized correctly, and even the ones that are organized are misnamed and mismatched a lot of the time. This all leads to many hours of needing to audition sample after sample to get a good batch together.
Rap, Urban and Hip Hop styles: There are so many ways to alter drums to fit these genres. In fact, it's easier than producing for anything else because some of these styles - hip hop and rap specifically - are basically just mixtures of different cultures and different music, and they contain sub-genres for all different types of music. So fitting samples to these genres is quite easy - most samples could pass for hip hop drum samples. To get an old-school type sound, you could really do it the authentic way and start chopping up vinyls - not physically, of course - just extract the audio using a turntable and look for the drum breaks to 'chop.'
For RnB and Soul: Drum samples for this genre can also be somewhat varied, but the bass component is not as widespread a phenomenon as it is in the rap production scene. Soul and RnB music have a more focused tendency towards coherence, and you will rarely find mixes with drum samples that just don't go together. Sometimes this rhythmic dissonance is welcomed in rap and hip hop, though.
For Dance music: Dance is quite complicated, as simple as it might seem. The drum patterns are very predictable, with the kick hitting on every beat in the vast majority of dance songs. For dance, you can safely add some character and tone or pitch to your kick drum and be met with a receptive ear, whereas in hip-hop the kick drum is usually monotonous. There are some other differences concerning frequencies that you can find out by Googling the production techniques discussed.
Using these tips to make and alter sounds is just part of the process, of course. What makes the rhythmic elements of these genres unique is the timing, signatures and syncopation, among other distinguishing characteristics.
Some closing words on drum samples: try to organize them neatly. If you can develop your own folder of go-to samples for different genres (or styles within a genre), you will save hours of searching as you make beats. Start making descriptive folders and become familiar with the way you organize.
Rap, Urban and Hip Hop styles: There are so many ways to alter drums to fit these genres. In fact, it's easier than producing for anything else because some of these styles - hip hop and rap specifically - are basically just mixtures of different cultures and different music, and they contain sub-genres for all different types of music. So fitting samples to these genres is quite easy - most samples could pass for hip hop drum samples. To get an old-school type sound, you could really do it the authentic way and start chopping up vinyls - not physically, of course - just extract the audio using a turntable and look for the drum breaks to 'chop.'
For RnB and Soul: Drum samples for this genre can also be somewhat varied, but the bass component is not as widespread a phenomenon as it is in the rap production scene. Soul and RnB music have a more focused tendency towards coherence, and you will rarely find mixes with drum samples that just don't go together. Sometimes this rhythmic dissonance is welcomed in rap and hip hop, though.
For Dance music: Dance is quite complicated, as simple as it might seem. The drum patterns are very predictable, with the kick hitting on every beat in the vast majority of dance songs. For dance, you can safely add some character and tone or pitch to your kick drum and be met with a receptive ear, whereas in hip-hop the kick drum is usually monotonous. There are some other differences concerning frequencies that you can find out by Googling the production techniques discussed.
Using these tips to make and alter sounds is just part of the process, of course. What makes the rhythmic elements of these genres unique is the timing, signatures and syncopation, among other distinguishing characteristics.
Some closing words on drum samples: try to organize them neatly. If you can develop your own folder of go-to samples for different genres (or styles within a genre), you will save hours of searching as you make beats. Start making descriptive folders and become familiar with the way you organize.
About the Author:
If you've ever proclaimed, "I want to make my own beats," then you should get started as soon as possible. For information on how to make your own beats, look at forums and other online communities.
Comments (0)
Post a Comment