How To Make Rap Beats
Fans of rap and hip hop music will know, despite what ivory-tower so-called musical experts may say, that a rap beat IS more than just rhythmical thumping, and NOT everyone can do it. Rap beats can be incredibly multi-layered and complex. Moreover, a good beat can make a rap song stand out from its thousands of competitors. Laying down a good rap beat is the first crucial step to making a successful rap song.
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But do you know how to make rap beats? If you're a beginner who has never tried it before, the task can be intimidating. You may have a great beat in your head, but once you tap it out, it may sound too plain or simple. For all you beginners, this article will give you step by step instructions on how to make rap beats.
You need to understand the basic structure of a rap song in order to know how to make rap beats. The industry standard for lyrical verses are sixteen bars. Keep this in mind when writing your lyrics, so you can keep your timing and cutoff points straight. The instrumental hook before the vocals begins is usually half the length of the verses, or eight bars long. Once you've got your lyrics, you can start learning how to make rap beats.
First, lay down your "hi hats," or cymbals. These are the high tons. Use these to determine the timing and tempo in your beat track. This will become the backbone that you'll build the rest of your beat line upon, so it doesn't necessarily need to be that complex.
Next, add your kicks and snare drums. The kicks are the "booms," or low, tones, and provide your bass line. Snare drums add a crisp crack, which you can use for mid and high tones.
Once you've laid down your high, mid, and low beats, it's time to add the instrumentals. This is where you create the actual melody or flow of the song. You can use a MIDI instrument or a samples instrument for this. Most rap beat making software include virtual keyboards for this reason. However, you can set that keyboard to sound like anything-piano, strings, brass, synths, voices, even random noises. The keyboard will turn those noises into notes, and the notes into melody.
Alternately, you can use samples instrumentals. This can simplify and speed up your instrumental creation process dramatically. However, do your research beforehand. Be aware of any potential copyright issues that would prevent you from using those samples in music you plan to sell. Only proceed if you are sure you have or can get permission.
The final step is to add little extras, such as sound effects, to help establish the mood and atmosphere of your song. There are tons of free VST plug-ins, which can create different audio effects, available for download over the internet.
Now that you know how to make rap beats, all that's left for you to do is experimentation and practice. Once you've mastered the basics, you can try to bend the rules a bit and see if you can come up with an interesting, experimental sound that is still listenable.
Until you've mastered the basics, however, stick with the formula outlined in these steps for how to make rap beats. It's worked for hundreds of musicians for decades, after all. Why mess with a good thing?
