Hip-hop music took a great turn in the early 90's, as well as many sorts of urban music. And as they are all 'peoples' music, the sounds came straight from the streets. Before creating your first tune, try to concentrate on the basics of the beat. How they are composed? Why do more natural sounds fit better in a Hip Hop or Rap beat?
First, think about these sounds first:
* Kick drum and snare - these will be the main sounds in your beat,
* Rim shot - a softer, higher pitched sound,
* Hi-hat, open hi-hat,
* Various cymbals,
* Toms or melody drums, claps,
* Human made sounds and,
* Recorded samples.
Kick drum
The drummers would use some 'portable' or simple drum kit he had available. It might be a trash can, ethnic drum or simple drumsticks etc. So think about it for a second, and first, choose the right sounding, almost 'classic' drum kit you have available in your software. Use low kick - sometimes with an exaggerated bass sound. So called 'release' can be quite long as well - as later in your composition it can blend well with your bass instrument. Don't overdo it though, as the final result can be too muddy in the final mix.
Snare drum
Your snare should have a lot of meat to it. It has to really contrast the lows of the kick drum, and it has to be distinctive enough to stand out from the rest of the sounds. Try a classic snare drum, claps or a nice rim shot. Obviously you can mix all those three together or if your beat maker doesn't allow you to, use them in another layers and then adjust the volume of each one so the overall mix sounds nice. Don't let any of the particular sounds stand out too much in the mix and blend them nicely together.
Hi-hat
Again use your best judgment here, but keep the closed hi-hats sharp and crisp (more breath and volume is possible with the open cymbals). If you don't have that kind of particular samples and you software allows you to - use the noise gate to adjust the length of your samples.
Other sounds
Now comes the most interesting part, when you take full control of your music. Have you encountered any special samples you would like to use? Maybe it was a nice vocal shot; maybe some sampled beat boxing recorded somewhere on the street or at your friend's house? Add this to your creative process and play around with it. You can adjust these new samples in any audio editing software, just have a look around the web, some of them are free and can be really useful. Besides a little 'human' element in your beats will punch in some life into it, and it will make it sound more unique and entertaining. If you don't have any of the above at hand, use your imagination. Everybody now uses a cell phone that allows you to record sounds - use that to your advantage.
You want to have more credibility and originality in your productions, that's why it's good to have your own samples. Many of the music making programs out there don't allow you to use your own samples, and this can be quite limiting for you as an original and fresh sounding artist. Another step is to learn from the Pro's and imitate them, but remember about adding your own twist to it. Software, that comes with a lot samples and kits can be of a great advantage to you.
An interesting beginner to advanced level software with these features is DUBTurbo (Try it NOW!)
Bartosz Klimaszewski is a professional musician, composer and sound designer that helps young artist to make beats and create their own music. If you are interested in how to make beats like a Pro, you can visit his blog by clicking the above link.
