Beatmaking Skills Prior to DAWs

Taking Short Break from Computer; Self-Imposed Refresher Course May Rejuvinate and Improve Creativity

By Amir Said (Sa'id)

Recently, I made the decision to spend a week making new beats without the use of my computer. That is to say, without tracking my beat into Pro Tools, my DAW of choice.

What brought about this decision? Two things. First, I want to revisit the mind frame that I was once in, when I didn't have regular access to or the convenience of a computer. Second, and this is perhaps more important, I want my son, Amir Ali Said, to view the computer as an aid, not a necessity, to his beatmaking skills.

My son, Amir, now 13, first began watching me make beats when he was 4 years old. Back then, I didn't have a computer...I didn't even have a CD recorder. Nope. I had a cassette recorder, and that's what I used to record my beats to.

Looking back on that time, I realize how much I adjusted my beatmaking style to accommodate how I would be recording my beats. In fact, every new piece of gear that I added to my setup—that was supposed to improve my tracking (recording) process—actually prompted me to change how I made my beats. When I first got a mixing console, a 16-channel Mackie board, I changed up how I modified my bass lines. When I got my first CD recorder, I doubled the time I usually spent on "mixing" my beats. And, finally, when I first got Pro Tools, I tripled the time (if not more) that I spent on "mixing" my beats.

In the past 12 years, I've probably acquired five different mixing consoles, three different versions of Pro Tools and its hardware interfaces, four different CD recorders, and no less than seven pairs of speakers and monitors. And with each of these new acquisitions, I increased the time I spent tracking (recording) my beats, while at the same time, I decreased the time I spent actually making my beats.

Lately, this dilemma has been resonating much more. Particularly, because my son's understanding of and interest in beatmaking has grown dramatically—much more faster than it took me to understand certain things. So as Amir becomes more in tune with the art of beatmaking, I'm finding that some of the best things I have to teach him are the many things I learned prior to getting a mixing console, prior to getting a CD recorder, and prior to getting Pro Tools.

BeatTips Daily Favorites: "Nas Is Like;" Nas and DJ Premier

Chopping and Drumwork Again Sets DJ Premier Apart

By Amir Said (Sa'id)

The genius of the "Nas Is Like" beat comes down to how DJ Premier chopped up an otherwise light and soft harp-violin sample, and juxtaposed it with a hard 3-note bass line and a hungry drum framework.

Nas - "Nas Is Like;" produced by DJ Premier
(Easily one of my top seven favorite hip hop/rap songs of all time.)

BeatTips Favorite Drummers: Stuart Copeland

Lessons Learned by Drummers; Stuart Copeland's Drumwork Taught Me Much

By Amir Said (Sa'id)

Because hip hop/rap music can—and often does—draws on a variety of music forms, it should come as no surprise that there are real jewels to be learned in those music forms. Although I would never that anyone substitute the fundamentals of another music form for hip hop/rap's fundamentals, I still have found that there are some key lessons that can be learned from other music forms and specific instrumentalists within those music traditions.

Stuart Copeland, drummer for the group, The Police, is one such instrumentalist. Until I began closely studying Stuart Copeland's drumwork, I didn't really understand how different drum sound velocities could affect the texture of a beat.

For example...

The Police - "When the World is Running Down

Arrangement "Changes" in Beatmaking

Arrangement in Beatmaking is More Common than Not; Changes Often Run Parallel to Other Popular Forms of Music

By Amir Said (Sa'id)

One of the greatest things about hip hop/rap music is the fact that, as much as it is different from other popular music forms, it still employs some of the fundamental practices of those forms. Perhaps there is no better example of this to be found than in the area of arrangement.

Because hip hop/rap music is so steadfastly based on the groove, more specifically, the loop of a groove, the prospect of adding in changes (commonly known as "switch-ups" in beatmaking) is sometimes challenging. However, with a number of basic guidelines for adding in changes to your arrangements, you'll likely find that it's not as quite difficult as you might think. Thus, below I have included a number of basic (but key) guidelines that I follow, when it comes to adding in changes to an arrangement.

(1) What kind of rhyme and rhyme voice will go with the beat?

After you've established the main groove of a beat, let it play for a while. Do this for one main reason: You want to really think about what kind of rhyme and rhyme "voice" would go well with the beat. Figuring out what sort of rhyme and rhyme voice would match up well with the beat helps you determine if the beat needs any changes. Remember, even mix drops can serve as effective changes. Therefore, sometimes, after you've established a great groove, you might not need to add any changes.

(2) Is the arrangement of the beat sample-based or non-sampled-based?

Sample-based beats, because of there more strict adherence to the groove, often allow for fewer and less-complex changes; such changes can cause too much distraction throughout the beat. However, non-sample-based beats typically allows more room for changes. However, that doesn't necessarily mean this "room" should ever be filled up!

(3) What sort of changes could the beat handle? minor (e.g. an embellishment) or major ones (e.g. an "switch-up")? And how long should they be?

Having determined that the beat could indeed use a change(s), the next thing you want to assess is the kind of change that would work best with the beat. There are different types of changes that can be added to a beat, but just like with other popular forms of music, the most common change is an embellishment. Embellishment typically refers to embellishing (decorating) of a melody. This applies in beatmaking and hip hop/rap music as well; however, because of the dimension of the groove in hip hop/rap music, it is the groove (and rhythm) that is most often decorated. Thus, for our purposes here, think of an embellishment as just any musical component(s) that decorates the main groove or any aspect of the rhythm of the beat.

A "switch-up" in beatmaking can be a much more elaborate affair. Unlike an embellishment, which more often than not is simply a musical element based on something already present in the beat, a "switch-up" is often an independent musical phrase, one that isn't based on something already in the beat (specifically, the main groove).

As far as how long a change and/or switch-up should be, well, each beatmaker is different. That being said, however, anywhere between 1-4 bars will be quite effective. If you need more, just duplicate the changes you created, and take out or add an additional element to it.

(4) Where should you add the changes in at?

Typically, for embellishments, it's a good idea to work them in the chorus (the hook) and near the beginning of the second verse—the second pass (the second installment of 8-, 12-, or 16-bars) of the main groove.

(5) How many times should you add these changes?

Generally, if you add your changes in too much, that is to say, on every pass (8-, 12-, 16-bars), the beat may sound cluttered, overworked, or too complicated.

Customizing Snare Sounds

Presets Get the Job Done; Customized Sounds Gives You Style

By Amir Said (Sa'id)

The first set of snare sounds that I ever customized were part of a classic rock kit (on floppy disk) that came with the E-Mu SP 1200. After being discouraged that none of the snare sounds "fit" with the feel and style of music that I was going for, I decided to tweak a few of the sounds. At the time, I didn't have an analog mixing console to run my sounds through. Therefore, I couldn't easily boost up the bass (the low end) of the sounds I wanted to tweak. But I did have a dual cassette recorder and some imagination.

First thing I did was record each snare sound to cassette tape, then I dubbed (duplicated) them. After dubbing the sounds, I sampled them into my Akai S950. After they were inside of my Akai S950, I got even more creative.

Using a Shure SM-58 live microphone, I went around my room sampling all sorts of sounds. I took a hammer and rocked the bottom of a metal folding chair. With one drum stick, I rapped on a Nike sneaker box that was filled with socks—I should note that I sampled the sneaker box with and without the lid on, there was indeed a noticeable difference. I hit the inside of a window pain with a wooden hanger. Needless to say, I sampled every sound that I thought might be interesting.

Having sampled this wide assortment of sounds—all in the same room, mind you—I went about "matching" the sounds with the cassette versions of E-Mu's classic rock kit. This was around the time that I first began to understand layering sounds and its potential for customizing not just a drum sound, but also a sound stab, and the overall tenor of your beats. Not too long after that, I began applying these techniques to all of the drum sounds that I used. And it wasn't too long before I stopped buying other peoples' drum kits and started making my own.

Special Note. Since I first began customizing my snare sounds, I have never used a pre-set drum sound again. Although pre-set undoubtedly serves a purpose, I've always found that coloring your own sounds goes a long way in helping you carve out your own unique style and sound.

Short list of items great for customizing snares:

-Live microphone...with a LONG chord
-A tambourine
-A wood block
-At least one drum stick
-A mallet AND a hammer
-A shaker
-A real set of bongos are ideal but not absolutely necessary
-A cassette tape player (they're dirt cheap and they allow for connection by to analog age; plus, nobody will ever be able to duplicate your sounds)
-Some sort of wooden board that you can strike with anything, like a bottom of a shoe, a mallet, a set of keys, a hockey puck, whatever you can think of (it's cheap, effective, and more authentic than downloading 5000 snare sounds you'll never even use once)
-Some studio foam

Jewel Droppin': Rich Keller

Hip Hop Breaks All the Rules; Mix Engineer Discusses Challenges of Mixing Hip Hop/Rap Music

By Amir Said (Sa'id)

Sa'id: What’s the biggest challenge that mixing hip hop/rap Music presents to you?
Rich Keller: It was really about learning how to mix, out of the traditional style. Basically, it’s breaking rules. Hip hop broke the rules. And the reason I was able to become a Hip Hop engineer was because I understood and I was taught by these early guys I mixed with, by the producers, how to mix hip hop… and how it was different from regular music..

Sa'id: Listen, when you say “Break the Rules”, what was the #1 thing that you had to forget when you started to approach mixing hip hop/rap Music?
Rich Keller: LOW END! I look at mixing hip hop like mixing what a cartoon, or what a comic book looks like, like a Superman, like where the f*cking arm is huge and big and red. As opposed to like a piece of art, where it’s like subtle and detailed. It’s big, it’s bold and clear, and right in your fucking face. And that’s hip hop. It’s different…You’re painting big, broad strokes. Like the 808 is like, BOOM, whereas on some rock records, kick drums can be buried and blurry in the mix, and that’s cool. For those records that’s all you need. But in hip hop, basically the drums are driving the beat, by being really up front… It’s about the drums and vocals.

Sa'id: What sets hip hop apart from Heavy Metal? What’s in common?
Rich Keller: Well, it’s started to blend now. Hip hop has really influenced rock. Vocals are getting dryer and more in your face. They are coming way up, and there’s hardly any effects on vocals, or anything for that matter. Things are not as wet as they used to be. Things are definitely getting dryer. And drums are getting more in your face. And since people are playing their beats on instruments more, you know, like on a Triton and sh*t like that. That really changed the sound a lot. Comparatively to when they used to sample and have to deal with a loop sound, you know, you got the sound already. Like RZA’s shit is a perfect example. You know, I did “Bring the Pain” for him and a few other joints. He picked the sound because it was the sound. You know what I’m sayin’. He pulled it off the record, and it was about manipulating and changing it into something else. Whereas like an 808 out of a Triton, you know, we gotta doctor the sh*t out of it to make it rumble.

Sa'id: What do you do with a sample. You Know what I’m sayin’… Hip hop/rap is basically a loop driven thing, so what are you trying to achieve with the main loop?
Rich Keller: I mix for groove. I wanna hear what the producer did. I wanna hear how the beat was made. Where the levels were that the producer put together. I wanna hear his kick and snare against the music, how does he see it? What made this artist buy this beat? Cuz if there’s a bunch of tracks, it’s not obvious what’s leading and what’s background. I need to hear what it was before I give it my own picture.

*Excerpt from exclusive interview with Rich Keller. Interview conducted by Sa'id for BeatTips. More excerpts of full interview first published in The BeatTips Manual, 4th Edition

Big Influence: Teddy Pendergrass

A Great Inspiration; Soulman of the Finest Grade

By Amir Said (Sa'id)

In my car's CD changer, there is one song that I have never removed...nor will I ever remove: "I Miss You," by Harold Melvin and The Blue Notes featuring Theodore Pendergrass. The talents and significance of Harold Melvin and the other members of The Blue Notes aside, Theodore "Teddy" Pendergrass is the reason that the song stays in my car's CD changer.

Of the many black American soul recording artists that I favor, Teddy Pendergrass has always been among the top five (or so) who have influenced my musical understanding the most. With a steady, stern, and unmistakeably masculine vocal styling, Teddy Pendergrass didn't so much as sing as he did croon. In spite of the fact—or, perhaps, because of the fact—that his singing voice was an unapologetically raspy-tinged bass cadence, Teddy Pendergrass cradled each lyric in a song, always mindful of his limitations but even more deferential to the soulful possibility of each note he considered.

I've always believed that Teddy Pendergrass' unique cadence was further enhanced by his uncanny mastery of any song's groove. Slow, mid-, or up-tempo, it didn't matter, Teddy Pendergrass would take the rhythm and groove of any song, and suspend its factual tempo, prompting even the most basic of arrangements to come much more alive and vibrant.

Here, I'm compelled to point out that Teddy Pendergrass, even as a bass-baritone vocalist, was a master of the "understated note." He never took more from a note than it could spare. Instead, he allowed each note to breathe on the terms of the lyric's poetics. Whatever the context, whatever the direction and depth of the song's lyrics, he would always conjure up the exact tone and feeling. Undoubtedly, Teddy Pendergrass' command of time, notes, and lyrics was due, in large part, to his abilities and training as a drummer.

Teddy Pendergrass has now passed. And although it is perhaps cliché to say that his music will still live on, I find solace in that fact; especially when I consider how far contemporary soul—or rather, "R&B"—has fallen.

Teddy Pendergrass - "My Greatest Inspiration"

Teddy Pendergrass - "My Greatest Inspiration" (Live performance)

Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes featuring Teddy Pendergrass - "I Miss You"

Beat Breakdown: Gorillaz - "Stylo"

New Music by Gorillaz feat. Bobby Womack & Mos Def Serves Up Yesterday Feel; 1980s Style Synth Construction Strikes Warm Chord

By Amir Said (Sa'id)

I have always admired the work of Gorillaz. And if "Stylo" is any indication, my admiration for the Gorillaz' musical creativity will likely continue.

"Stylo," the first officially released single off of the forthcoming Gorillaz album, Plastic Beach, is a jaunt down the 1980s synth lane. The core groove takes up two bars. It's dominated by a syncopated, four-note synth arrangement (can't tell if it's a sound module or VST...and that's a good thing) that bounces and struts for three consecutive measures, then "walks out" chromatically, before the collective phrases (all four measures, in sequence) loop over and repeat. As for changes, there's the long chromatic synth passage that reminds me of the 80s band, Flock of Seagulls. Also, various sound effects round out the assortment of changes that are intertwined with and added to the core groove.

The drums on "Stylo" are basic; there's not much going on in the drum framework, except for the syncopation found in the hi-hat hits and the occasional brushed snare hits. I suspect that Damon Albarn (the likely producer of this track) didn't want to rough up the well-defined landscape of the synth arrangement. Still, pedestrian drum framework aside, I did like the sonic pallet of the drum sounds that he chose.

The kick drum is barely noticeable, but it does its job as the anchor of the rhythm. The hi-hat, light and choppy, peppers the beat in the most unassuming manner. Finally, the snare—the most audible of all the drum sounds on "Stylo," as is often the case on most beats—is a straight-forward, electronic "rock" snare. Dope thing about the use of such a typical snare sound is that it always allows for the most effective mix. Here, the snare is allowed to breathe; it's not squashed and smothered by over compression, and the reverb sounds like its right in line with the snare sound, pre mix effects.

RZA Scores 'Afro Samurai Resurrection'

Weapons and Sensibility; Video Offers Rare Glimpse Into the RZA's Unique Creativity

By Amir Said (Sa'id)

I've always held The RZA in high regard, but after watching (studying) this video of him inside the studio, my respect for him has increased exponentially. In this rather extreme close-up look of RZA at work in his home recording studio, many myths and rumors—about the setup he uses—are dispelled. Indeed, in this video, RZA reveals the core combination of tools that he employs to make his unique brand of music. More importantly, RZA briefly (but thoughtfully) expresses key factors in his creative process as well as how he sometimes finds inspiration for his musical activity.

RZA in Studio for Afro Samurai Resurrection
(Please note. The volume is a little low on this video.)

Building Grooves with Highs and Lows

Using Opposing Forces to Deliver Sonic Impact; Throwing Bass Sounds Against Lighter Ones Makes for a Unique Audio Composite

By Amir Said (Sa'id)

One of the greatest lessons that I've learned in beatmaking is how to create musical arrangements in which the lows and highs confront and offset each other. Unlike other musical processes in other popular forms of music, the art of beatmaking is not necessarily about coming up with music phrases that are based solely on pitch relation. Instead, because beatmaking is fundamentally about the use of recorded sound (samples or synthetic sounds) it is more often than not about the management of musical "forces." What I mean to say is, in beatmaking, we spend most of our time pairing up, layering, and blending recorded sounds in a fashion that yield the sort of grooves that we admire.

Through this understanding, I was able to recognize that one of my best strengths in beatmaking is my ability to use opposing sonic forces, in a way that is timbrally balanced, sonically agreeable, and complimentary to my drum frameworks. In my beat below, notice how the entire track is driven by a 3-note bass sample going head-up with a truncated piano sample. I should also point out that instead of splicing (merging) these two samples together, by keeping them separate I'm able to make use of the "silent point" between where the bass ends and the piano begins. Indeed, this silent point between the two samples actually works like a launching pad that slides one sample into the other.

What also makes this particular groove interesting is the way in which I programmed my hi-hats. First, for the main hi-hat pattern, there's the quick-ticking 1/8th hits. Here, I turned the timing correct off, and played the pattern all the way through—free-hand—for one bar. After that, I copied the bar to itself (duplicated it) to give me two full bars of the pattern. For the secondary hi-hat pattern, I used a brushed semi-open hat (truncated), which played in live at every quarter point of the two-bar measure.

For example...

Sa'id - "Galaxy"