Making Rap Beats Sound More Like Rap Beats..

L

Luminosity

New member
Hey :)

In short, I have no difficulty coming up with writing melodies and making nice sounding synths, with good chord progressions. Problem is they always sound really, I don't know.. not rap? They sound processed, or like they're from other genres. My question is, what is the main ingredients to making a rap beat sound, like a rap beat? Any particular VST's? Chord Progressions? Sound packs you guys use? Anything. Just throw some suggestions at me.

I've been making music for around a year now, I do listen to a lot of rap/hip hop, so I know what it sounds like. Just have difficult recreating them. They just don't sound like a rapper would rap over them, if you get what I mean.

thanks in advance.
 
I get the same thing. My only guess is just to make it rawer, more bass heavy, more crisp and varied. Or get the right tones, which seems to be the majority of the problem. A lot of hip-hop is extremely simple, it just has a ton of depth, so layering might be the issue too...
 
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No particular VSTs, though id get the ones that are most realistic. As for soundpacks, try getting more crispy drum sample packs and just overall high quality samples.
 
Hmmm what exactly do you mean from other genres? I feel like you can take any melody and make it hip hop with drums, maybe the problem isnt your melodies but your sound choices?
 
You gotta know the ROOTS mayne!!! (And I'm not talkin' bout the group lol). If you listen to alot of Jazz or Soul or Funk or Blues you'll get a better idea of where some of these melodies and chord progressions come from and what they're supposed to sound like. Compared to the genres that came before Rap/Hip-Hop, the new urban music IS very processed but it still has its roots in the urban music that came before it. Sound choice plays as big a role as playing style though, keep that in mind
 
You should load up some hip-hop tracks in your DAW and analyze them with an EQ plugin. Then maybe try recreating the track after taking some notes of the Equalizer. It actually is so helpful, this one track ive been trying to remake for ages is actually coming along better then it ever has after i did that.
 
Luminosity said:
Hey :)

In short, I have no difficulty coming up with writing melodies and making nice sounding synths, with good chord progressions. Problem is they always sound really, I don't know.. not rap? They sound processed, or like they're from other genres. My question is, what is the main ingredients to making a rap beat sound, like a rap beat? Any particular VST's? Chord Progressions? Sound packs you guys use? Anything. Just throw some suggestions at me.

I've been making music for around a year now, I do listen to a lot of rap/hip hop, so I know what it sounds like. Just have difficult recreating them. They just don't sound like a rapper would rap over them, if you get what I mean.

thanks in advance.
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Ok well for vst's i use sylenth ALOT because well i like it alot! And get some good orchestral vst's like EWQL or Symphobia. As for chord progressions well there arent really any ''hiphop'' chord progressions but also depends on what type of feel you want if you want lets say a rick ross type beat well you would use some jazzy chords like 7ths or 9ths or if you want some more like trappy stuff you should use minor with augmented or diminished and for other beats that you would hear on the radio just the normal major minor chords. And if they sound processed try adding rever,delay and other effects to make them sound more real and have ambience to them and also when you play keys or stuff like that and also for the drums try not to completely quantize because it makes it sound way to computerized even if its just a millie second difference it still makes a big one when it comes to swing and bounce.

Here are some websites where you can get some good stuff

PRO Hip Hop Drum Kits, Sounds, Samples & Loops (the drums on here are really nice)
and for the vst's well here is a list of good vst's for hiphop or any other genre.
-Sylenth 1
- Gladiator
-EWQL or Symphobia 1 and 2
- Nexus (overused but good for beginners)
- Purity
-Omnisphere (expensive but well worth it once you learn it)
and also you can find many free drums that are decent on flstudiomusic.com - free downloads, news, reviews, music production tips and more

Post some of your beats to we can help you out and if you need help pm me :)

-Kizzy-
-
 
its coo you have a sound in mind but dont forget that what you may see as not being this enough or not being that is actually whats making your shit unique. dont try to hard to make something else just keep progressing in your style
 
have you ever tried to get anyone to rap to it, or you try to rap to it? sometimes all you need is to hear it with vocals, i know i've heard some good songs and just tried to listen to the beat and i be like damn they wrote to that.. just saying.
 
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