Creating your own 'unique' sound

[Mantas]

When I take samples though, I kinda have it in my mind like "what is every other producer going to do with this..." so I can avoid doin that if i can.

thats bad imho..u're thinkin too much..give the same sample to 20 producers and they'll flip it differently, in their own way..when u think about others, how they would flip a sample, u FORCE yourself to make music..its like if u're doin a task, which doesnt make u happy at all..u cant create good music if u're forced to do it..u cant just wake up in the morning and say "aight im gon make a beat right now"..i cant understand people who make like 5-10 tracks a day..its gettin a routine for them and so they loose their creativity..they even admit that ONLY 1 or 2 beats out of those 10 sound DECENT..music should be all about creativity and not bein forced to make it..and finally u cant learn music..u can only feel it or not..

 

[open mind]

@5th Sequence
you welcome homie.

 

[J Rilla]

also how in the hell did dre's xxxplosive create kanyes whole sound he sounds nothing like dre !?

He stole his drums from Dre on that song on Jay-z's Dynasty album,but I agree they sound nuthin alike

IMO 95% producers sound the same or have simlar sounds and u can usually here who they are trying to icopy or who influcenced them,

Also most cats just dont have the creativtive ability to be unqiue....

again this aint ment to offend anybody, im just keeping it real

my 2 cents

I kinda agree with this and i kinda don't.....I think your right that not everyone is creative enuff to make a "unique" sound. I think its larger than the 5% ur giving though. i think alot of producers are put in a box,especially hip hop ones, to sound a certian way so that kinda retards there creativity. Some one can be on the cusp of some groundbreaking shyt,but because somone in the Showcase says its "wack or aint Hip-hop" the get discourage and start making beats like they hear on the radio

On another note uniqeness(is that a word??) is a neccesity anymore anyways...Scott Storch to this day sounds like Timbo or Dre IMO...But he is still clockin major figures

 

[Precog]

I been tryin to find a sound for myself but it's difficult. Anyone got any tips?

I asked Wings the same question a while ago in his 'Wings Of An Angel's 101' thread, heres what he said.......

As my friend, jmaafia, wisely said: "i found that through experimentation i was able to find a unique style" -> that's the truth right there. In most cases, it takes great time and a lot of experimentation\efforts to find a unique style\niche. But, that should be your ultimate goal.
Eventually, making tracks in different styles may and probably will lead you to finding your own original sound. It usually ain't possible to find a personal direction without serious and long experimentation... Take your time, nobody is chasing after you. It will be worth everything afterwards!

Thanks again for that Wings! Helped me alot.

 

[5th Sequence]

thats bad imho..u're thinkin too much..give the same sample to 20 producers and they'll flip it differently, in their own way..when u think about others, how they would flip a sample, u FORCE yourself to make music..its like if u're doin a task, which doesnt make u happy at all..u cant create good music if u're forced to do it..u cant just wake up in the morning and say "aight im gon make a beat right now"..i cant understand people who make like 5-10 tracks a day..its gettin a routine for them and so they loose their creativity..they even admit that ONLY 1 or 2 beats out of those 10 sound DECENT..music should be all about creativity and not bein forced to make it..and finally u cant learn music..u can only feel it or not..

I couldnt disagree more. Your opinion is definitely your opinion, but your looking at what I said in a different perspective than how I meant it.

I don't FORCE myself to do anything but be original. I dont do the obvious that someone else may do. I see that obvious part and I can go for it but making it unique takes work. I dont settle for average I always push the envelope. Why the hell would anyone ever settle for average? That's all you would ever aspire to. There is no innovation or even motivation to get ahead and improve if you stick to the same thing over and over.

An i dont know where you get this whole idea about me forcing myself to make music. You act like its a grudging thing. I get a kick, almost a mental high, when i'm in the zone and knowing that i'm comming with this beat, using a certain angle of this sample that nobody would have thought to do. And it takes time, and thinking, more so experimenting with all of the possibilities before I settle down in a particular direction.

lol its funny that you think I wake up an do a million beats or something. Not at all. I'll make one beat and spend at least 3-8 hours on it (if its gone in the right direction, and i'm fully arranging it, mixing it, listening to it and brainstorming ideas till its complete). Usually i'll have beats that I start and then listen to for a period of a few days and steadily make changes as I listen to them with fresh perspectives. The most i've done in one day that were actually both "keepers" was actually 2. Happened only once mind you.

You tellin me that I think too much makes me think that you dont think enough.

To eaches own though.

And Precog, I agree with you complitely. Experimentation builds that unique sound.

 

[Mantas]

An i dont know where you get this whole idea about me forcing myself to make music.

Im not speakin about u..i was speakin about cats GENERALLY..i dont know u, i havent heard your beats and i cant tell about u..that was just my humble opinion..dont take it personal..

I'll make one beat and spend at least 3-8 hours on it (if its gone in the right direction, and i'm fully arranging it, mixing it, listening to it and brainstorming ideas till its complete). Usually i'll have beats that I start and then listen to for a period of a few days and steadily make changes as I listen to them with fresh perspectives. The most i've done in one day that were actually both "keepers" was actually 2. Happened only once mind you.

thats where i agree with u..u gotta always polish your beats..

 

[5th Sequence]

my bad for takin it like that, but you started off talking to me using the word "you" an then the rest of what you said you kept using the word "you" also.

 

[Mantas]

well, u gotta forgive me if i dont express myself clearly..im not from english speaking country..

 

[5th Sequence]

its all good, dont sweat it man.

 

[pancakebunnny]

Hell, i think we can all agree that Scott Storch be sounding like Lil' Jon's nephew sometimes.


I base my whole flavor around my influences... classic rock, jazz, stanley kubrick, reeses peanut butter cups, adderral and alcohol.

Oh, and I'm the king of the snare/tamborine layer.

 

[Qwerty]

you can't just decide to go out and find a sound for you just continue to make beats and your sound will come with time, it will just develop naturally try to listen to more than just hip hop aswell !

also how in the hell did dre's xxxplosive create kanyes whole sound he sounds nothing like dre !?

This is exactly what I was going to post. I did want to have my own sound, but i found out that the best thing is to focus is making something hot, no matter what it sounds like. I don't care if I make a beat and someone says: Oh that's a dre beat. As long as they say this after "but it's straight fiyya"

Like someone said also, your sound is really based on your background, the type of music you like. Me when I make a beat, I try to make a beat as a listener, not as a producer. Cuz I feel that if I start making beat as a producer i'm gonna end up doing some experimental wack shit, or try to always come up with something different and end up busting my head to make something.

 

[deStructuralize]

I'll make one beat and spend at least 3-8 hours on it (if its gone in the right direction, and i'm fully arranging it, mixing it, listening to it and brainstorming ideas till its complete). Usually i'll have beats that I start and then listen to for a period of a few days and steadily make changes as I listen to them with fresh perspectives.

Ahha, that's what's up! I'm totally with you on that one, I like to take my time too.

Eventually, making tracks in different styles may and probably will lead you to finding your own original sound. It usually ain't possible to find a personal direction without serious and long experimentation...

I like this concept as well. While you're striving to create hip-hop as you see it best you ultimately need to find new ways to present your vision so that you don't sound repetitive or drab. And in doing so you'll probably change your sound by discovering different techniques.

IMO 95% producers sound the same or have simlar sounds and u can usually here who they are trying to icopy or who influcenced them,

Also most cats just dont have the creativtive ability to be unqiue....

That's very true...talent and originality have a lot to do with it as well...

 

[slik da relic]

IMO 95% producers sound the same or have simlar sounds and u can usually here who they are trying to copy or who influcenced them,

Also most cats just dont have the creativtive ability to be unqiue....

i agree with this to a degree bcuz cats ARE influenced by who they like, buy the equipment they use and copy that persons style. there r ALOT of people soundin like Kanye now, usin chipmunk beats. i think it starts wit equipment... not everyone digs deep into what they have. alot of the FL users sound the same also. alot of times, those r the ones that get left behind unless they grow. should i STILL be hearin chipmunk beats in 06??!! they do sound phat when done right, but only the RZA and Kanye been doin it for a long time. when u r just startin out, yea, u can copy ur idol's style. but after uve gained more experience and understanding of music, u should start groomin ur own style.

da relic

 

[Hitz_Production]

Personally, i believe that ALL producers who call themselves true producers..should strive to earn their own niche and sound for Hip-Hop in general....feel me? So, picture it like this...Our ultimate goal is for the rappers to come to us looking for our sound for their album...My artists come to me lookin' for that 'Hitz' sound...i'm still establishing my sound as of yet and forever, but even at 18, I'm being looked at for my own sound, not a Kanye, Just Blaze, or Dre sound..cause I will be walking in their footsteps...just a shadow in their image, but to be a superproducer, we all must establish a UNIQUE sound, while learning from those who came before, so folks can come looking for Hitz, Grafik, Da Relic, Rhytmikal...feel me? -HITZ

 

[Haze47]

i got my own unique sound fo sure, nobody makes beats like me, cept maybe Madlib...but no i am my own man....

 

[bigdmakintrax]

some of yall are a little naive (no offense

but NO not everybody has their own unique sound, as a matter of fact its pretty rare to find a producer with thier own unique sound these days. It takes alot of skill to get to that point, most cats THINK they have their own sound but thats not the case at all. IMO 95% producers sound the same or have simlar sounds and u can usually here who they are trying to icopy or who influcenced them,

Also most cats just dont have the creativtive ability to be unqiue....

again this aint ment to offend anybody, im just keeping it real

my 2 cents

Thats True also think of this too....going beyond a producer think about Bands, like EWF, Chicago or Parliament......these bands jelled together and were able to create something that sound like no other.....how???? they played together so long but each musician has a unique way in what they do.....now I played in my share of live bands the number one element to that is for a band is usually they have a key they like to stay in usually the board player and the guitar and bass players always feel comfortable in unless they are playing a cover song.........so for a producer picking out similiar samples to use, using similiar keys and breakdowns do it....but the biggest piece also is the drummer with that developing your own sound may have something to do with skill but to me it has much more to do with the elements that you choose and how you use them (OVER and OVER) i think you start developing a unique signature the first time you start making beats...you could probably give two producers the same elements to use for a track you have two different outcomes based on creativity, skill like Classic said.

 

[sYgMa]

I'm not really trying to have my own sound, but here's the thing. I think I have at least two or 3 sounds right now... strange huh?

It actually depends what my state of mind when I make a beat. I try to always have a thumping drum line, but, lately I've experimented with sampling, and when I do, my sound is completely different than when I compose, cuz my thought process is completely different!

But, saying that, people actually prefer my composed beats better, and some say my beats are kinda dark... that because my beats are always in minor chords... I have to learn to compose in other chords...

 

[WingsOfAnAngel]

I asked Wings the same question a while ago in his 'Wings Of An Angel's 101' thread, heres what he said.......

As my friend, jmaafia, wisely said: "i found that through experimentation i was able to find a unique style" -> that's the truth right there. In most cases, it takes great time and a lot of experimentation\efforts to find a unique style\niche. But, that should be your ultimate goal.
Eventually, making tracks in different styles may and probably will lead you to finding your own original sound. It usually ain't possible to find a personal direction without serious and long experimentation... Take your time, nobody is chasing after you. It will be worth everything afterwards!

Thanks again for that Wings! Helped me alot.

Superb - always at your service! Best of luck!

All The Best,
Wings

 

[TheDeen]

I think that the type of samples you use and how you utilize them is also a big part of having a distinct sound.

 

[Rhythmikal]

also how in the hell did dre's xxxplosive create kanyes whole sound he sounds nothing like dre !?

that came out Kanye's own mouth. listen to the drums on Xxplosive and tell me you didnt hear that sound/pattern in 90% of early Kanye records.