Some advice for a Beginner?

[burgsprinta]

I got a few questions. Do most of you use the built-in drum sounds, your own sounds, or a combination? I got my music theory down-pat, but even though I always loved hip hop music, My only real experience performance-wise is in Jazz on the Trombone, Blues on the piano, and Classical on brass. A lot of times I'll here a song and i can reproduce it on the keyboard/synthesizer, but I have a helluva time with the drums, since i have no percussion experience. Any Tips, or is that just trial and error? Any help for anything production related would be greatly appreciated.

 

[UNORTHODOX]

Are you making hiphop specifically or Jazz?

 

[dangerous]

There are three main ways I've used to make drums:

1. Drum machine -- you can get samples of classic drum machines like the 808 to get a well-known drum sound.

2. Individual drum samples -- similar, but with individual drum/cymbal sounds sampled individually. Allows you to get a nice sound that fits in with the rest of your beat. This is what I usually use.

3. Break beat -- take a drum break (Amen Brother, When the Levee Breaks) and chop it up and rearrange it using your audio software.

Hope that helps. Remember to keep the kick fat and the snares crispy.

 

[dacalion]

My philosophy is - focus on your weakness and display your skill. If drums are your weakness thats where you focus. As a beginner, my suggestion is to continue to chop up break beats, rearrange them and make them doper. Model them after your favorite drum patterns, your bass kicks and snare hits are the bread and butter, everything else should just adhere to them.

 

[burgsprinta]

Are you making hiphop specifically or Jazz?

I'm doin hip hop, but my background is more in Jazz. The only real background I have in hip hop is a fan. That's what i was saying. I want to reflect that in some of my beats eventually, but now, im just trying to get the basics down.

 

[UNORTHODOX]

The heart beat of hiphop is dance aka the kick. It is king, the focus. Where melody would be king in other genres, it plays off/with the kick.

What you basically need is a solid strong kick and snare. start a simple groove. compose keyboard string bass etc. and fill in the spots with more rhythm parts (Or dont! which ever sounds best to you lol)

Post something on here real quick

 

[2GooD Productions]

When it comes to drums, I think its a good idea to start with good quality samples in the first place. Kicks and snares are most important, then hats and open hats. Other percussion can come later. When working with stock sounds you nearly always have to use eq's and compressors to get the most out of them. Being new, you really dont want to get into compression yet, just work on equing sounds to good effect. And get some good quality drum samples, the importance of good drums can never be stressed enough.
Ive always found that some swing on the drums adds some funk, which IMO is always good.
The drummer is the heartbeat of the music.

 

[Greg Savage]

Study drums
copy drum patterns from popular songs

get familiar with EQ and layering