Hip-Hop
Five parts of the hip-hop course, filed under names that don't give much away. The Donut Shop is sampling, Lyricists Lounge is recording a rapper - plus percussion, sound design and arrangement.
17 articles
Programming Hip-Hop Drums
Boom bap and trap drums from scratch - tempo, kick and snare foundations, swing and groove, hi-hat rolls, layering, found sounds, giving drums a human feel, and EQ and compression for a hard-hitting kit.
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Mixtape: Arranging and Finishing a Hip-Hop Track
Turning loops into finished songs - hip-hop song sections, bar counts, building the arrangement, transitions, finishing touches, free mixing and mastering tools, and putting together a mixtape.
Read →Mixing Rap Vocals
The four stages of a rap vocal mix - getting it under control, adding air and presence, creative stereo and ad-lib treatment, and delays, reverbs and character effects - with free tools for each.
Read →Lo-Fi Hip-Hop Beats
The lo-fi aesthetic and its roots in tape, vinyl and Memphis and Houston underground hip-hop - jazzy chords, swing, vinyl and tape textures, extreme EQ and sidechain - with a full lo-fi recipe.
Read →Chopping and Flipping Samples
Slicing a sample to pads, re-sequencing chops into a new melody, re-pitching and time-stretching, filtering and layering, off-grid feel, and the flip that makes a sample unrecognisable.
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Sampling: The Donut Shop
Sampling as hip-hop's central art - its history and debate, crate digging, recording vinyl cleanly, warping and organising samples, and finding the moment worth sampling.
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Lyricist Lounge: Recording Rap Vocals
Working with a rapper in the studio - session setup, microphone choice, headphone mix, delivery and energy, punch-ins, doubles, stacks and ad-libs.
Read →808s and Bass
The Roland TR-808 and how its kick became hip-hop's bass, tuning and gliding 808s, the kick-808 relationship, distortion for translation, sidechain, and writing basslines that move.
Read →The Aesthetic and Genealogy of Hip-Hop
Where hip-hop came from and how its sound was built - Bronx block parties and the break, the samplers that shaped it, the regional sounds, and the aesthetic values a hip-hop producer inherits.
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Synthesis and Melody: Champion Sound
Writing strong hip-hop melodies and leads, sound design fundamentals, and two classic synth recipes - the West Coast G-funk whine and trap bells.
Read →Clearing Samples
Why sampling needs permission, the two copyrights in every recording, the court cases that changed hip-hop, how clearance works in practice, interpolation as an alternative, and royalty-free options.
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Beats and Pieces: The Breaks That Built Hip-Hop
The classic drum breaks every hip-hop producer should know - Funky Drummer, Amen Brother, Impeach the President, When the Levee Breaks - and how to loop, chop and flip them into a beat of your own.
Read →Mixtape
Arrangement OVERVIEW At this point, we looked at writing and sketching out some ideas, maybe even started to create 4 to 8 bar loops. Next we should consider extending these ideas into fully arranged composition. Before we discuss arrangement, I want to share a project with you. Common Song Phrases
Read →Lyricists Lounge
Recording & Mixing Vocals RECORDING SESSION WITH ARTIST This will be your time to learn how to record, engineer and work with a professional rapper in the studio. MIXING VOCALS There are 4 main factors to consider. PART 1: Getting your mix under control and removing any harsh frequencies. » Solo you
Read →Champion Sound
Sound Design OVERVIEW MIDI inspirational loops can be a great way to help inspire you with chord progressions and melodies. Try layering your sounds with a sampled based engine like Spitfire Audio’s FREE VST called LABS. WRITING STRONG MELODIES AND LEADS Using effects can be a good way to start but
Read →The Donut Shop
Sampling OVERVIEW Sampling throughout the years has had a polarizing view. Some claim it’s stealing while others will debate it’s creative stance. One could argue that sampling has brought old music to new ears. In fact, DJ’s like Grandmaster Flash would perform a DJ routine looping the ‘break’ or t
Read →Beats and Pieces
Percussion HISTORY Recommended Viewing: Hip Hop Evolution 2020 (Netflix) Sometimes starting with a drum rhythm can help spark a whole new song idea. Don’t take our word for it, listen to Cylde Stubblefield (drummer for James Brown in the early 70’s) explain how the ‘Funky Drummer’ song came to fruit
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