Friday 21 June 2013

How Hip Hop Producers Use Technology To Create Hip Hop Beats In The Studio

By Richard L. Steinbaum


Many people wonder how Hip Hop producers use modern technology to create professional beats and instrumentals in the studio. This distinctive and popular form of music has been around for over thirty years and has a large following. The leap in technological advancements has really had a big impact on the music scene in not only Hip Hop but all electronic music.

The original producers used turntables to create their effects. Loops, beats, breaks and scratches were all part of the interesting sounds to hit the music scene in the eighties. There are basically two main elements to the music, the instrumental tracks that do not use lyrics and the vocal tracks.

Some tracks do use vocals and these are typically rap. They are used over a track that has a computer generated repetitive beat. Only those who really understand the world of Hip Hop are able to decode the messages and recognize the meaning of the tracks. The layered effects can be confusing for those who do not understand and appreciate the inner city origins of this style of music.

By using a DAW, or digital audio workstations, Hip Hop producers utilize programs such as Logic, Pro Tools, Cubase and Reason. This offers them many different ways to create their beats. They can also work in a much smaller setting such as a home. The results are good, but not as creative as a studio based work. Some people feel that using too much technology is not good as it begins to lack individuality or the sound does not have a human feel to it.

Many young people love to experiment with music. Recording your own tracks is a fun and satisfying thing to do. The availability of free beats online means using a lower quality product. However, this is still perfectly fine for someone new to the field who just wants to try putting together a few of their own tracks working at home and not having to spend any money. All the latest equipment is wonderful, but out of the price range of most people.

Using the new computer technology does keep the costs very low. Many people would simply not be able to afford to work in a studio. Having computer generated beat tracks is the perfect way to make music production available to everyone.

It is interesting to see how Hip Hop Producers in Phoenix AZ and across the U.S use modern technology to create Hip Hop beats and instrumentals. They spend many hours either in the studio or at their homes putting together layer upon layer of sounds. Eventually they arrive at the right combination of sounds and a new track is born.




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