Producers: Having signature sound vs NOT having it

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Gluee

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I know this might spark a lot of debate but debate is always good, huh?

As a producer myself, lately i've been studying different producers signature sounds and i came to a conclusion that having your own distinct signature sound makes your career lose it's longevity.

Think of few producer with their own really disctinct signature sound for exmaple Scott Storch or Lex Luger. These guys made some great hits and basically took industry by a storm but now, nobody's really going for that sound (let's be real, Lex Luger's sound is kinda falling off now). Whether on the other hand producers like Just Blaze or Kanye don't really have their signature sound and are constantly in demand considering they have been in the business since early 2000s.

You might disagree with me on Kanye example but let's be real here, apart from high pitched sampes you can't really tell whether it's Kanye beat or not (for example Common's albums). Same goes to Just Blaze but these are just 2 examples i chose.

You might even throw in Timbo here as best of both worlds (longevity and signature sound) but he basically re-invents himself every 6-7 years.

So is really not having your own signature sound means longer career?
Let's also not forgot that not having your signature sound doesn't mean you're a bad producer all of a sudden.

At the end of the day - i might be DEAD WRONG here and i really want to hear your thoughts on this topic.
 
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Producer's should strive to have both. If you can compose and craft productions that resonate well with people(preferably a large audience) then stick with the formula. Your side hustle should be working with an "out the box" artist in another genre on your own private subsidiary label so that you can grow without alienating your core fan-base.

Rami Yacub's signature sound is CHA-CHING! Dude has a "signature brand".

Also hiphop producer's need to start engaging in real producing. Cats seem to think that a producer is this monolithic being that slaves in the studio banging out tracks....that person is trading TIME for dollars(not smart). Get out and put some more people on, write the check and develop your business systems..its 2013 not '88!
 
It's because those 2 producers you mentioned were too easy to bite on.

Lex - fast high hats, 808s, high synths, brass. Storch - piano, pitch bend

If your style is unique enough and not easily copied, you're onto a winner. If Lex wasn't bitten as bad as he was, he'd still be around. The trap sound is starting to evolve somewhat which is good, A$AP Ferg and Travi$ Scott are good examples of this.
 
It is not really that much about having a sound or not I believe.
If you have a sound you have to be willing to improve it and even reinvent yourself when it gets played out.

Every good producer has a sound. But some just don't change it. Or people are not calling these producers for their upgraded sounds but just chasing the former hit recipes.

Also some producers are not really diverse within their own sound. It works better for sample users because they sample from a variety of sources.
 
the best producers are versatile and adapt, like just blaze
 
I always been on both sides of the fence with this subject. I remember early on one reaction I got. It was like wait so you saying him...the same person who made that made this? That was asked by a mix and mastering engineer that worked for some ppl I worked with. I've kinda been hooked on that and not having a specific sound or style. Sure I can give myself a sound, but doing the same things get boring for me after a while and it will expire when ppl get tired of hearing your same methods so you gotta constantly keep moving and changing it slightly still. Then when I think about it...on the other side of things its like well ppl will never know its me if I'm like the chameleon of beats. Usually if you got a sound then you get loyal fans of your music because they know its you they are getting what they came for. People who like r&b beats probably don't give a damn about your trap beats, dance, dubstep etc and they get skipped or ignored...I just don't like to limit and force myself to be stuck somewhere and have weakness when someones like I'm looking for or do you have any ___ kind of beats. This is something I contemplated on and came up with a war of mixed thoughts on.
 
I agree.

The problem with signature sounds is that after you hit mainstream and you become the IT sound, it is inevitable that after a while you become the "old sound". That's just how trends are. So the blame is more on the labels that drive that sound the ground by overusing. The same happens with hook singers. TPain got buried to the grown, too many hooks... Future is the new guy, eventually they'll drive him to the ground too.
 
Zonic said:
I agree.

The problem with signature sounds is that after you hit mainstream and you become the IT sound, it is inevitable that after a while you become the "old sound". That's just how trends are. So the blame is more on the labels that drive that sound the ground by overusing. The same happens with hook singers. TPain got buried to the grown, too many hooks... Future is the new guy, eventually they'll drive him to the ground too.
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Exactly.



A signature sound is nothing but a Pigeon Hole. Eventually your "signature sound" gets old, and nobody comes to you anymore, because your name is now synonymous with "that old sound".


Then you have to RE-ESTABLISH yourself with a new sound. It's damn near like starting from the bottom.


Sure, you need to get all the money you can from your "signature sound", but there comes a point where you have to cut people off from that signature sound before it becomes a pigeon hole, and throw a new sound out there.


Most...hell, if not ALL artists/producers with a signature sound fail to do that. They only put out a new sound when they can't sell the old sound anymore.


By then, it's pretty much too late.
 
Too me I believe having a signature sound and being versatile can be one and the same thing. In fact I do believe you have to have that signature to be known as a producer and not just be studio producer b on track #3 the fourth single on the album.

NOW the question following that is how you evolve. Your sound can't just be a specific genre, it can't be specific presets or samples. it can't be a certain sample but he has to be overarching elements that play a part of your music. In your example your right Kanye doesn't have a signature sound because he uses beatmakers to make the backdrop of the music most the time, and he has other's pick out samples for him. BUT he had to start with a signature sound to get widely known for the producer he his

Just Blaze DEFINITELY has a signature sound though. But it isn't just a certain sound but certain elements and a certain mood that flows through everyone of his tracks. Its usually MASSIVE in scope and feel, its usually something thats a bit aggressive in feel, and demands the rapper raise his voice on it. It usually involves live instrumentation like strings and piano. And it almost always has live drums playing from Just himself. Here's a selection from throughout his career























and finally



the difference is you can't recreate the way he plays drums, you can't match his record collection which he personally cultivates, he often engineers so you can't always match the mix, he knows the rappers he works with for years so you can't match the emotional match between the rapper and the beat so overall you can recognize it and you can recreate it after the fact but you can't co-opt it, even though he's about 14 years strong with about the same sound he had when he started.
 
Storch had a "hot sound" for a couple of years, sure, BUT he also was versitale as f**k. It's easy to pick on him for his personal problems, but lets give credit where it's due.

Listen to:

The Roots - "You Got Me"
Beyonce - "Me Myself & I"
Dr.Dre - "Still Dre"
Mario - "Let Me Love You"
Fat Joe - "Lean Back"
 
You wanna be able to provide a product no one else can.

There's only one person you can go to for a Dre beat.

There's only one person you can go to for a Premo beat.

So to me, both is definitely the right answer, but If you can only do what the industry standard is you will never be above the average, unless you want that.
 
DaBomb said:
Too me I believe having a signature sound and being versatile can be one and the same thing. In fact I do believe you have to have that signature to be known as a producer and not just be studio producer b on track #3 the fourth single on the album.

NOW the question following that is how you evolve. Your sound can't just be a specific genre, it can't be specific presets or samples. it can't be a certain sample but he has to be overarching elements that play a part of your music. In your example your right Kanye doesn't have a signature sound because he uses beatmakers to make the backdrop of the music most the time, and he has other's pick out samples for him. BUT he had to start with a signature sound to get widely known for the producer he his

Just Blaze DEFINITELY has a signature sound though. But it isn't just a certain sound but certain elements and a certain mood that flows through everyone of his tracks. Its usually MASSIVE in scope and feel, its usually something thats a bit aggressive in feel, and demands the rapper raise his voice on it. It usually involves live instrumentation like strings and piano. And it almost always has live drums playing from Just himself. Here's a selection from throughout his career


the difference is you can't recreate the way he plays drums, you can't match his record collection which he personally cultivates, he often engineers so you can't always match the mix, he knows the rappers he works with for years so you can't match the emotional match between the rapper and the beat so overall you can recognize it and you can recreate it after the fact but you can't co-opt it, even though he's about 14 years strong with about the same sound he had when he started.
Click to expand...



You clearly don't know your Just Blaze...













That was Just Blaze's sound when he first started. His career didn't start with his production on Jay's The Blueprint. He had a career Pre-2001. His initial "signature sound" was not sample based at all, and had very minimal drums.

His current "signature sound" came later in his career. And he had to "re-brand" himself from his initial sound that became big, once that sound played out.



Know The Ledge, young padawan.
 
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All those guys are versatile, but you're making a mistake by comparing the old industry with this new "mixtape" industry...also there are a few other things like Just being a touring DJ, and Kanye being a superstar.
 
That's a very good question to pose..

A producer with his own sound will have his time to shine... Lex Luger had his time to shine and eventually everyone copied him now you barely hear about him these days...

Versatility is hard, there's not many versatile producers who last... But if you could pull it off, go for it.. It's worked definitely for Will I Am and he shows no sign of slowing up..
 
I don't think Lex Luger fell off out of trend...I think someones lacking somewhere or could care less...What makes a Luger beat so different from a Southside beat?...Yet Southside and 808 Mafia are all over mixtapes and albums still.
 
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