The other important elements of R&B

[CyanJaguar]

hi all,

in hip-hop and R&B, there is always,
the kick, the bass, and the snare.

What else do I need to make get a signature R&B song. I use pianos now, but I am tired of pianos.

Also, what kind of equipment would you say is minimum to make succesful r&b. Can I make kicking songs with just an xp-80?

[Trak]

Instead of pianos try a harp sound, or a guitar sound on your xp-80. I would suggest that you look into buying an Akai MPC series drum machine/ sampler, because the drum sounds on the xp-80 are not exactly "right" for r&b, hip-hop tracks. Most r&b and hip-hop producers use an Akai MPC series drum machine.

[CyanJaguar]

thanks trak,

a harp or guitar seem like great ideas.

I don't have an xp-80. I have all the xp-80 sounds in my jv 1010 , and I also have a korg ns5r.

How about the hits and sweeps. Do you sample those or do you get them off module?

[Trak]

the jv 1010 has a lot of sounds for you to experiment with man. My hits and sweeps I usually get from sample cd's or sound disks. The JV series modules have some nice hits that i sometimes play. On my trinity I use "band hit"and "staccato hit" a lot, I blend the two to get a different sound.

Basically you should go through your sounds and find the ones you like the most, then experiment with them.