In what order...

[djdarwin]

Asking anyone who makes beats using samples and a Midi sequencer;

I always start my beats off with the drums. Hip hop/rap is all about a fat kick and a tight sounding snare/clap right?

So when do you guys EQ and Compress these sounds? Do you just pick your kick and snare, lay out a few bars and then start adding instrumentation? Do you wait till you have a rough draft of you beat ready and then you start EQ, Compresssing, Efects and reverb till its perfect?

Or...

Start with the kick... compress and EQ it till its perfect.

Pick a snare to match... EQ till its perfect.

Pick a HH to match... EQ till its perfect

Pick an instrument... EQ/compress/effect till its perfect

Pick another insturment... EQ/compress/effect...

??????

Which is the better process?

Ill make an entire beat that sounds hot to me, but when i solo the drums it sounds like some robotic shit banging on cardboard boxes and kitchen pans.

Solo DR Dres drums on any of his tracks and they could be a beat by themselves.

How do I achieve that loud standing out hip hop drum sound?

 

[mentalattica]

There's no better way, it's just how you prefer to work. I do tracks ass backwards sometimes. I think the most common way is to lay down the drums first, then baseline and a main melody then what I call "filler" sounds. Just my opinion though.

I would advise against EQing anything before the composition is complete. It might sound like some freq's need to be boosted or cut or compression needs to be added but you should wait to hear what it sounds like in the mix. People with real good ears and who are skilled with EQ's can probably get away with eqing each track as it's recorded. But if your not skilled in EQ's or Compressors you could find yourself spending hours trying to undo something you've done.

And to answer your question about getting that loud fat drum sound, it starts with your samples. Loud fat drums going in = Loud fat drums coming out. Get yourself some nice drum samples.

 

[DesertEase]

I start off with the drums snares hats keep it going in a loop pattern and play some notes on my keyboard to go along with it using various instruments to see which fit better. I use fl6 and I create multiple patterns and mix them all together through the song mode, then once it's where I want it i will add effects and eq things to give it that edge. The main thing is to just be creative and never doubt yourself.

 

[crosstudio]

i tend to start with the kick snare and hats, then the bass, then other instrumentation since the hook usually hits me first.

but if a definitive melody hits me first, then i get that down and then work around it.

i don't bother with the EQ and stuff until i'm ready to mix the whole thing.

 

[REEK BROCK]

I start with the snare,then the melody,then the kick.everything else just comes as I feel it.

 

[talontsiawd]

I always find the kick i want to use first. I may pick out a sample, or pick an instrument, but nothing goes down until i have the right kick. So usually, find sample (or not if i'm not sampling), kick, snare, arrange a basic pattern to keep rhythem with. Then as i develop the melody, i'll add, subtract, change the drums up, etc. And the bass comes last.

 

[djdarwin]

Good looks guys.

Thanks for the feedback.

Anyone else have any comments?

 

[Garik]

i'm the same way,

but like crosstudio if i have a nice tune in my head i lay it down first.

But if not i just start with kick and snare first to get me pumped up for that bass line,then it goes down hill

 

[misscc803]

Hi Hat, Drums, and then melody. Then the rest falls into place.

Nicole

 

[BeatsBuY]

It depends on what kind of song I'm doing. It could be I have this drum line in my head. I'll lay down the kick and snare first and work off of that. Or sy I have this new melody I just made. I'll lay down the melody first... But, most of the time I like to make the beat first...

 

[tone_aot]

It depends for me. If i'm having one of those inspirtational days, i'll have the whole beat mapped out in my head and i basically just replicate what i hear with a few extra goodies! If i'm in a dry spell, i'll start with the drums, then bass, then melody, extras. Also depends on what kind of beat. If i'm putting music theory behind it, i'll start with getting crisp drums, then get my chordz and bass right, then add the extras to bring it all together.

 

[Levinin]

I normally try and get some thoughts down about the melody first. That way i know how the beat should drive it. Other times I get an idea for a rhythm and just loop it to give me something to try melodies out to. Then, when I've got that going, I record the melody and fill out the beat for it as I normally would.

If I do it the other way round and make the whole drum part first I find that I want to change the melody to follow the drums which can restrict the freedom of what I'm doing.