the official Illmuzik "Sending Beats To Artists" thread

N.U.G.

ILLIEN
ill o.g.
hey fam,

just wondering what everyone thinks is the best way to send beats to artists that may be located in other ciyies/states/countries/galaxies

do u send them wavs of all the seperate tracks (kicks, snares, hats, melody 1, melody 2 etc.) or do u send them the beat already arranged or something else entirely?

thanks guys
 

Greg Savage

Ehh Fuck you
ill o.g.
I only pass out mp3's now if someone is interested in the track (paying) then i track it out for them (Sep tracks). If i can get in the studio with them (most locals i can) then we sit down and arrange the track around the artist/idea etc . This way the track doesn't sound like its just a Mixtape joint. Plus alot of the time Artist will inspire new directions for the track as a whole.
 
E

Equality 7-2521

Guest
I give them the MP3 via the internet so they can have a copy while they are waiting for the master WAV. file, multi-track and legal documents in the mail.
 

5th Sequence

Hip Hop Head, Certified
ill o.g.
Battle Points: 198
if they bought it or you are plain giving it to them to work on, send them the mp3 to record to. Then have them send back the acapella and you can track out your beat and mix it down with the acapella so it sits and sounds right altogether.
 

djswivel

Producer Extraordinaire
ill o.g.
The industry standard, is really give em an mp3, and let them record it to the 2-Track (mp3). If they decide they like the track and want to use it for their album or whatever, once the budget has been opened for their album, then you make payment arrangements through the label. And once that has been done, you give them the multi-track pro tools session, and they will generally send it to a mix engineer.

If they plan on using the track for a mixtape, the odds are you're not gonna get too much (if any) $$$ out of it so you just let them run with the 2-Track, don't even bother splitting it into a multi-track for 'em.
 

Sanova

Guess Who's Back
ill o.g.
Battle Points: 9
^ good info. especially if thats industry standard.

also 5th's idea is dope for sellin beats on the internet. but then again, most NetCees.. dont know about trackin out anyway
 

5th Sequence

Hip Hop Head, Certified
ill o.g.
Battle Points: 198
yeah exactly, most emcees dont care to or even know of, or HOW to mix something down even if i tracked it out to them. But for my own sake of making something sound as good as it can ( I dont wanna be associated with something that sounds shitty), i'll request the acapella and mix it out myself. of course if they are getting a mixing engineer or doing it themselves then i'll send it to em. It all depends on the situation, but most of the times i'll do that.

An idea i had a while back was if i got the acapella from the artist and made my own mix of it ... then let them hear a sample of it (sounding much better than their 2 track) and they could buy that final version or keep their own. Cuz it'd be like paying for someone to mix it. Even if they dont buy it, i could use the higher quality version on my own releases or for whatever. i dont know if people would think its a cheap way 2 make money an get angry or something so i've never done it.
 

J Cro

Hulkamaniac
ill o.g.
What I do is send them an MP3. Then they send me multi tracked vocals. I get everything done up multitrack in either Pro Tools or Adobe Audtion, whichever they prefer. Then they get a data disc with the multi track.

9 out of 10 times they have me do the mix. I always save everything because if I ever decide to do a pressed disc of some of my work. I'd want it to be pro mixed. Havin the PT sessions makes it so much easier.
 
ill o.g.
Really great info's coming out in this thread. Props to 5th and swivel on that idea...I think it's definitely smart and business savvy. I don't think that it's a "cheap" way to make money at all. A beat and a well mastered/mixed track should be considered separate charges. Even though the term "producer" encompasses both jobs, you get the service you pay for, i.e. a producer would spend less time (and get paid less) for a mixtape than he would for an official release.

Props also to Stress for the warning also. I am scared of hell of getting my shit jacked.
 

N.U.G.

ILLIEN
ill o.g.
when everyone is talking about mixing are you all actually talking about mixing the levels and all that or do you also mean doing the arrangement as well (i.e. taking the beat out here and there, extra percussion in places etc.)?
 

djswivel

Producer Extraordinaire
ill o.g.
deStructuralize said:
Really great info's coming out in this thread. Props to 5th and swivel on that idea...I think it's definitely smart and business savvy. I don't think that it's a "cheap" way to make money at all. A beat and a well mastered/mixed track should be considered separate charges. Even though the term "producer" encompasses both jobs, you get the service you pay for, i.e. a producer would spend less time (and get paid less) for a mixtape than he would for an official release.

Props also to Stress for the warning also. I am scared of hell of getting my shit jacked.


The term "producer" absolutely, positively, does NOT encompass the beat and the mix. Here is what a REAL producer is (Hip hop is a little different). A producer is someone who works with the artist to get the best possible product out of them. The producer oversees the making of a song. The producer DOES NOT necessarily have to be the one who made the beat. The producer often times hires mucisians, beat makers etc to put together the music, and then he/she will work with the artist to get the best final version of the song. Basically overseeing everything and putting their stamp of approval on it.

Now hip hop, is a little different. In hip hop, the producer is generally the beat maker, and the artist does their own vocal production themselves. Unless you are hiring one of the major players (eg. Dr. Dre, Timbaland, Neptunes), the odds are the artist is going to "produce" the song, and often times the beat maker (or Producer, in the case of hip hop), isn't even present during recording. Most cases, the producer (or producers manager), comes to the studio, plays beats, the artist pics some tracks they like (if any), and then record to them at a later date.

Obviously there are exceptions to the rule. My FIRST major label production just came recently, and it was aactually a great experience for me as a producer, as it was completely different than the norm in hip hop. I produced a track for Consequence (Signed by Kanye to GOOD Music/Sony). This is how it went. I invited him to the studio to listen to some tracks, he picked out one he liked, and started writing right away. He actually didn't even write. He listened for about 5 minutes, then went into the booth ala Jay-Z and just started mumbling a bit, and after a while, he had a verse and spit it. He came back at a later date (last week) and spit is second verse. And now we're gonna go back into the studio and re-lay all the vocals now that he's more comfortable spitting them. All the sessions were quiet. Just he and I, and sometimes his manager. We really got to work 1-on-1 to make a record. And I actually got to "produce" in the real sense of the term. Help him work out different lyrics, let him know when its sounding hot and when its not, etc. Actually injecting the track with my flavor, not just letting him run with the beat.


Now getting back to the topic, the producer will NOT mix the record 95% of the time (in professional situations). The producer creates the song with the artist, and then sends the Pro Tools to a mix engineer to mix it. It then gets sent over to a mastering engineer elsewhere to do the final touch ups and then its ready for radio/CD/etc. In low/no budget situations with unsigned artists or indie labels, then yes, maybe the producer is expected to do a half decent rough mix, but in the professional industry, there are professionals who make a living of just mixing. Who would you rather trust your multi-million dollar budget of a product with, the producer who will give you a decent rough mix, or a mix engineer who will make sure it sound the best it possibly can?



OK WOW, I didn't realize how long this was...Anyways, hopefully this didn't bore you all..
 

5th Sequence

Hip Hop Head, Certified
ill o.g.
Battle Points: 198
couldnt agree more with you smivel. But in my case, and a lot of others cases, that multi-million dollar budget isnt quite happenin with the artists we encounter lol. I would love to hear one of my beats mixed by a mixing engineer and then mastered by professionals though. Damn i think i'd cry
 

wrightboy

Formally Finnigan
ill o.g.
Battle Points: 7
djswivel said:
The term "producer" absolutely, positively, does NOT encompass the beat and the mix. Here is what a REAL producer is (Hip hop is a little different). A producer is someone who works with the artist to get the best possible product out of them. The producer oversees the making of a song. The producer DOES NOT necessarily have to be the one who made the beat. The producer often times hires mucisians, beat makers etc to put together the music, and then he/she will work with the artist to get the best final version of the song. Basically overseeing everything and putting their stamp of approval on it.

Now hip hop, is a little different. In hip hop, the producer is generally the beat maker, and the artist does their own vocal production themselves. Unless you are hiring one of the major players (eg. Dr. Dre, Timbaland, Neptunes), the odds are the artist is going to "produce" the song, and often times the beat maker (or Producer, in the case of hip hop), isn't even present during recording. Most cases, the producer (or producers manager), comes to the studio, plays beats, the artist pics some tracks they like (if any), and then record to them at a later date.

Obviously there are exceptions to the rule. My FIRST major label production just came recently, and it was aactually a great experience for me as a producer, as it was completely different than the norm in hip hop. I produced a track for Consequence (Signed by Kanye to GOOD Music/Sony). This is how it went. I invited him to the studio to listen to some tracks, he picked out one he liked, and started writing right away. He actually didn't even write. He listened for about 5 minutes, then went into the booth ala Jay-Z and just started mumbling a bit, and after a while, he had a verse and spit it. He came back at a later date (last week) and spit is second verse. And now we're gonna go back into the studio and re-lay all the vocals now that he's more comfortable spitting them. All the sessions were quiet. Just he and I, and sometimes his manager. We really got to work 1-on-1 to make a record. And I actually got to "produce" in the real sense of the term. Help him work out different lyrics, let him know when its sounding hot and when its not, etc. Actually injecting the track with my flavor, not just letting him run with the beat.


Now getting back to the topic, the producer will NOT mix the record 95% of the time (in professional situations). The producer creates the song with the artist, and then sends the Pro Tools to a mix engineer to mix it. It then gets sent over to a mastering engineer elsewhere to do the final touch ups and then its ready for radio/CD/etc. In low/no budget situations with unsigned artists or indie labels, then yes, maybe the producer is expected to do a half decent rough mix, but in the professional industry, there are professionals who make a living of just mixing. Who would you rather trust your multi-million dollar budget of a product with, the producer who will give you a decent rough mix, or a mix engineer who will make sure it sound the best it possibly can?



OK WOW, I didn't realize how long this was...Anyways, hopefully this didn't bore you all..


nice explanation. i've been trying to explain this to a couple people for the longest. maybe i'll just make them read this.
 

Sanova

Guess Who's Back
ill o.g.
Battle Points: 9
yea props swiv, i've been tryin to explain this to people but i didnt have enough facts and examples to get my point across clearly. so i could def use this
 
Top