Question for producers.

[TaylorV]

So I’ve been reading more about people being mad about “biting” styles and whatnot. So I’m curious what do y’all do that you think is different or unique to just you? Is anyone innovating anymore or are we all just imitating what we like?

I feel like this topic can spread to all genre soul,rock,hiphop,funk,jazz,etc. But when we’re talking about innovation we’re talking about new approaches and new ideas, new techniques. I mean a lot has been done in music. Any chord progression you have thought of has already been done. Most melodies are reminiscent of others. Rhythms are the oldest part of music and have been covered somewhere else before you did it. So, What makes you different? Does it matter as long as people like it? Are you still biting style if you give props to your influences? Is sound selection the biggest separator from new and fresh to old and “done before”?

 

[thedreampolice]

Chord progressions have mostly all been done as have melodic elements. But you can always put them in a new context. I would argue that your job as a producer is to find your own sound. Using stock sounds AT ALL its completely lazy. Why in the world would you want to not make your own sound? Learn how to make record and make sounds from scratch. Learn synth programming etc. Being inspired by and biting are two different things. Why steal from someone? The world is full of noise and its an insult to the listener to not go out of your way to make something as new as you possibly can.

 

[TaylorV]

So like the actual engineering of sounds? I like that. I recently just started taking sounds from vinyls, setting loop points and turning them into instruments. I’m not too deep into programming synths yet. @thedreampolice what would you say is something unique to your sound?

 

[thedreampolice]

My main thing is that I use almost all real instruments. If you hear a bass line, I played it. If you hear a synth I made the patch. I get other musicians to play on the tracks as well so its all real performances. I do sample and twist up old records from time to time but its always supplemented with real performances. Here is an example

 

[OGBama]

I don't produce but if I did I'd learn the ins and outs of stock sounds relative to my DAW and how to manipulate them but I'd stay away from loops and sampling.

 

[2GooD Productions]

I went through a phase of sounding like Dr Dre, not purposely, it just sort of happened. I never try to sound like anybody else, and just try to do me. I have more creative control because I predominantly compose now, but can also sample if the needs be. My sound is characterised by banging drums and hard bass IMO, how others see my style is purely subjective to them. Im at a stage where I make music to satisfy me, if others like it, then bonus, if not then Im still enjoying myself

 

[TaylorV]

I feel you. Looping and sampling are at the foundation of hip hop beats tho. I feel its hard to stay away from it. I’m a bass player myself and can dabble in most instruments but sometimes there’s nothing like a sample.

 

[TaylorV]

I think if you show love to where you were influenced from then it shouldn’t be taken as a negative thing to have a similar sound as someone

 

[Memento Beats]

Chord progressions have mostly all been done as have melodic elements. But you can always put them in a new context. I would argue that your job as a producer is to find your own sound. Using stock sounds AT ALL its completely lazy. Why in the world would you want to not make your own sound? Learn how to make record and make sounds from scratch. Learn synth programming etc. Being inspired by and biting are two different things. Why steal from someone? The world is full of noise and its an insult to the listener to not go out of your way to make something as new as you possibly can.

I definitely disagree with that. What about Avicii (R.I.P.)? He used only presets when he was making music and he was massively successful. I don't think that we should question tools that someone uses to make music. It's completely individual thing. If something works for somebody, it works. Of course I'm aware that the example I brought may be not relevant to most of you but personally I really like music by Avicii. Does the fact that he was using presets had influence on the quality of his music? I doubt it. Definitely not for me. What is more you can take a "stock sound" as you said, and turn it into a completely different one.

As far as what @TaylorV mentioned is concerned, like it or not we are all the representation of everything we heard in the past. All of the melodies you heard are stuck within your brain and you use them in a more or less lucid way. Besides, personally I immitate other producers when I try to learn certain things when it comes to beatmaking. When I was learning how to sample I was imitating 9th Wonder. When I was learning how to make trap beats I was imitating 808 Mafia and Lex Luger. And it goes on and on. Now I'm looking up to Hopex, Sdms, Jurgaz, BEATSMASH and EBEN because I try to modify my style into more instrumental one. And also to make more trap but different to the one I was making already with more changes in terms of arrangement.

But I think despite the fact that I have a lot of inspirations not only when it comes to rap/trap but music in general only helps me. And I don't think that inspiration or "copying" someone else's style is something bad. As long as it's not a pure plagiarism or something.

 

[2GooD Productions]

As far as what @TaylorV mentioned is concerned, like it or not we are all the representation of everything we heard in the past. All of the melodies you heard are stuck within your brain and you use them in a more or less lucid way. Besides, personally I immitate other producers when I try to learn certain things when it comes to beatmaking. When I was learning how to sample I was imitating 9th Wonder. When I was learning how to make trap beats I was imitating 808 Mafia and Lex Luger. And it goes on and on. Now I'm looking up to Hopex, Sdms, Jurgaz, BEATSMASH and EBEN because I try to modify my style into more instrumental one. And also to make more trap but different to the one I was making already with more changes in terms of arrangement.

There is an old saying..."There is nothing new under the sun"

We are all just the result of the things that influence us, we hear things we like and incorporate them into our own styles, the we reinterpret them to our own taste, but the original foundation of everything comes down to the things that inspire us, none more so than the things that inspired us to become music makers in the first place.

 

[Memento Beats]

There is an old saying..."There is nothing new under the sun"

We are all just the result of the things that influence us, we hear things we like and incorporate them into our own styles, the we reinterpret them to our own taste, but the original foundation of everything comes down to the things that inspire us, none more so than the things that inspired us to become music makers in the first place.

Couldn't agree more. And furthermore, we are all humans so we have tendency to do similar things.It's something common and normal for us. Especially these days when the internet and access to the same tools really reduced the differences between people not only in terms of music but in the whole culture.

 

[2GooD Productions]

Couldn't agree more. And furthermore, we are all humans so we have tendency to do similar things.It's something common and normal for us. Especially these days when the internet and access to the same tools really reduced the differences between people not only in terms of music but in the whole culture.

After millions of years of evolution we are tribal creatures, our continued survival as a species depended on it, then the survival of tribes against other tribes depended on it. It is ingrained into our DNA, people like to feel accepted, to be a part of a group. These psychological traits in all humans are what make them susceptible to cults, and other ridiculous ideologies. By making people welcome and part of a family you can make them go so far as to murder for you(Charles Manson), or even themselves(Jim Jones, Heavens Gate).
Vulnerable people are very easily taken in by those that make them feel welcome, its a part of human psychology that is in all of us.

 

[TaylorV]

I agree with all this. I think we represent what we listen to and you can hear that from what we create. So would you say hip hop producers saying “so and so” is biting my style is more of a egotistical thing to say? Just so y’all know this in reference to bink!, just Blaze and Jake one.

 

[OGBama]

Speaking of psych I @2GooD Productions suggest you research the idea known as love bombing w/respect to cults.

 

[thedreampolice]

@Memento Beats Avicii is an interesting example as he layers TONS of stuff. He may start with a preset but he messes around with it quite a bit. See So when he is all done its different from the original

I am a huge Avicii fan as well. I see a LOT of hip hop guys using stock FL or Reason drum kits and all the beats sound the same. You need to do something with it to make it your own.

 

[Memento Beats]

@Memento Beats Avicii is an interesting example as he layers TONS of stuff. He may start with a preset but he messes around with it quite a bit. See So when he is all done its different from the original

I am a huge Avicii fan as well. I see a LOT of hip hop guys using stock FL or Reason drum kits and all the beats sound the same. You need to do something with it to make it your own.

I agree but as I said above you can take the stock sound and turn it into something different. Personally, I have the very similar approach to Avicii. I also use mainly presets but I layer them in order to get a thicker and more powerful sound. However, if I encounter let's say a good sounding piano, good sounding pluck or something that fits my concept I do not refrain myself from using it.

Of course if you only use stock sounds it's gonna sound pretty flat but as I said you can use stock sounds as a base.

 

[2GooD Productions]

Nothing wrong with presets to get a song sketched out quickly, I used reason stock sounds for many many many years, its how you add the effects like reverb and delay or saturation and distortion. I always use good drum samples though, I gave up on trying to make the best out of shitty drum samples years ago.
I sometimes dabble in a bit of sound design, but its a long process and kills my creativity if I just want to get something together quickly.
So to be totally honest, most of my sounds are presets, with a little tweaking to taste to make them fit. Its how I mix it that makes all the difference. Which if Im also honest, is still very hit and miss, even now after many years doing it.

 

[2GooD Productions]

Speaking of psych I @2GooD Productions suggest you research the idea known as love bombing w/respect to cults.

That is exactly what I was talking about.Love bombing is a direct weapon against the human trait I was describing

 

[DJ Wax-Turtle]

I never try to sound like somebody else on purpose but sometimes it comes out that way cause of the sample is reminding me of them.