Hip-hop/instrumental workflow?

Discuss music production with Ableton Live.
vanngogh
Posts: 32
Joined: Wed Jan 25, 2012 3:33 am

Hip-hop/instrumental workflow?

Post by vanngogh » Sat Nov 17, 2012 7:33 am

Hey, I'm interested in how you guys approach a beat, whether it's something like Pretty Lights or Gramatik, or a beat made by someone like Sap for others to rap over..

I generally find a sample, chop, tune, etc. , add a simple bassline, create a sound for some background filler (pads), then chop up a couple more samples and make a melody of some sort.

What are your guy's processes?

Keydaking01
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Joined: Fri Jul 15, 2011 3:57 am

Re: Hip-hop/instrumental workflow?

Post by Keydaking01 » Tue Nov 20, 2012 10:03 pm

I typically work the same way. Once i find a sample, if im not using the sample as is, ill chop a section i like. Once i have a good melody down, ill lay the drums,hats,snares and perc. Once all that is sounding husky enough, ill move on to bass. I typically work on the chorus after the intro/outro and verses are complete. Then ill go back and add the spice to the entire track. I like to mix last, cause by then i have an idea how i want everything to sound. BTW its good to hear some hip hop talk on this forum.

Matt_Quinn
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Joined: Fri Nov 27, 2009 2:47 pm

Re: Hip-hop/instrumental workflow?

Post by Matt_Quinn » Tue Nov 20, 2012 10:07 pm

Keydaking01 wrote: BTW its good to hear some hip hop talk on this forum.

Agreed. I've really been getting into it for the first time (making it, been listening for years).

I was actually having a little internal debate last week about whether or not you can make classic/authentic hip hop without sampling. I find it to be almost impossible. Obviously you can make plenty of cool stuff, but to me it never sounds like real, classic hip hop without some kind of sample.
the_planet wrote:Trap music is not supported in the current version.

Upright
Posts: 315
Joined: Sun Nov 30, 2008 3:27 pm

Re: Hip-hop/instrumental workflow?

Post by Upright » Wed Nov 21, 2012 2:11 am

Great thread! Hello Ableton hip hop family! :D


Gosh, where do I start...

I have about 2,000 vinyl records so obviously I love to sample but lately I've been more into classic sounding boom bap drum framework with synth melodies. Typically I'll start with the melody because the melody dictates what type of drum sounds I go with. With the type of melody structure I've been using, I'll start with a simple synth melody (like a 4 bar loop) and build on the melody by adding another melody and finally a lead melody. Even though I'm using synths more, I still like to keep things extra dirty. I'll even go as far as adding in record hiss and vinyl crackle. Once I have a dope melody I do drum work and bass last....I tend to mix as I go.

Here's one of my most recent joints :D

https://soundcloud.com/upright/labwrk

vanngogh
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Joined: Wed Jan 25, 2012 3:33 am

Re: Hip-hop/instrumental workflow?

Post by vanngogh » Thu Nov 22, 2012 12:19 am

Typically I'll start with the melody because the melody dictates what type of drum sounds I go with.
Can you elaborate on this? What sorta drums do you pick for certain sounds, what makes you decide to use those? This is really interesting and fresh to me, I'd love to hear more!

Upright
Posts: 315
Joined: Sun Nov 30, 2008 3:27 pm

Re: Hip-hop/instrumental workflow?

Post by Upright » Thu Nov 22, 2012 1:37 am

vanngogh wrote:
Can you elaborate on this? What sorta drums do you pick for certain sounds, what makes you decide to use those? This is really interesting and fresh to me, I'd love to hear more!



:D Well, once I get a fundamental melody laid out I'll auditioning drum loops/breaks to chop up and layer. Usually as I listen I'm paying the most attention to how the snare drum and cymbals/hi hat work with the melody. For me, it's important to get the right snare sound up front. What about you Vanngogh,..where do you usually go for your drum sounds?

simmerdown
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Location: Northwest Nowhere

Re: Hip-hop/instrumental workflow?

Post by simmerdown » Thu Nov 22, 2012 3:21 am

damn upright, youve got a shitload of listeners on sc...cool track

Upright
Posts: 315
Joined: Sun Nov 30, 2008 3:27 pm

Re: Hip-hop/instrumental workflow?

Post by Upright » Thu Nov 22, 2012 3:39 am

simmerdown wrote:damn upright, youve got a shitload of listeners on sc...cool track

Thanks for listening Simmerdown! Much love bro. :D

Upright
Posts: 315
Joined: Sun Nov 30, 2008 3:27 pm

Re: Hip-hop/instrumental workflow?

Post by Upright » Thu Nov 22, 2012 3:48 am

simmerdown wrote:damn upright, youve got a shitload of listeners on sc...cool track


I used to spend a lot of time on SC..listen to other people and giving feedback...I think that's where all the listeners came from. :D

vanngogh
Posts: 32
Joined: Wed Jan 25, 2012 3:33 am

Re: Hip-hop/instrumental workflow?

Post by vanngogh » Fri Nov 23, 2012 2:48 pm

Upright wrote:
What about you Vanngogh,..where do you usually go for your drum sounds?
For me, I have a bunch of 128's... So I guess I do the same thing, finding sounds that fit with the sample I've cut by scrolling through the different sounds. I have 128's for each sound; Hats, snares, kicks etc, which are all in a master drum rack. I then put a multiband dynamics processor on each sound, and add two or three layers to bring out the full frequency ranges I want. Fun stuff!

I followed you on SC, you've got some amazing stuff man!

Upright
Posts: 315
Joined: Sun Nov 30, 2008 3:27 pm

Re: Hip-hop/instrumental workflow?

Post by Upright » Fri Nov 23, 2012 3:30 pm

vanngogh wrote:
Upright wrote:
What about you Vanngogh,..where do you usually go for your drum sounds?
For me, I have a bunch of 128's... So I guess I do the same thing, finding sounds that fit with the sample I've cut by scrolling through the different sounds. I have 128's for each sound; Hats, snares, kicks etc, which are all in a master drum rack. I then put a multiband dynamics processor on each sound, and add two or three layers to bring out the full frequency ranges I want. Fun stuff!

I followed you on SC, you've got some amazing stuff man!

Give me a link to your SC so I can follow you back man...thanks for the love. :D

vanngogh
Posts: 32
Joined: Wed Jan 25, 2012 3:33 am

Re: Hip-hop/instrumental workflow?

Post by vanngogh » Sat Nov 24, 2012 6:25 am

Upright wrote:
vanngogh wrote:
Upright wrote:
What about you Vanngogh,..where do you usually go for your drum sounds?
For me, I have a bunch of 128's... So I guess I do the same thing, finding sounds that fit with the sample I've cut by scrolling through the different sounds. I have 128's for each sound; Hats, snares, kicks etc, which are all in a master drum rack. I then put a multiband dynamics processor on each sound, and add two or three layers to bring out the full frequency ranges I want. Fun stuff!

I followed you on SC, you've got some amazing stuff man!

Give me a link to your SC so I can follow you back man...thanks for the love. :D

http://soundcloud.com/nickvann


And here's my latest creation - started on a plane yesterday, and it's very rough. The last few bars where it gets choppy would be ideally rapped over... Would love some feedback from you guys!!

http://soundcloud.com/nickvann/rainin-i ... -1/s-K4uoZ

Upright
Posts: 315
Joined: Sun Nov 30, 2008 3:27 pm

Re: Hip-hop/instrumental workflow?

Post by Upright » Sun Nov 25, 2012 2:08 am

vanngogh wrote:

http://soundcloud.com/nickvann


And here's my latest creation - started on a plane yesterday, and it's very rough. The last few bars where it gets choppy would be ideally rapped over... Would love some feedback from you guys!!

http://soundcloud.com/nickvann/rainin-i ... -1/s-K4uoZ
\


Man,....fresh tracks bro! I'm a big Matisyahu fan!! Props for that,...his message is straight solid! :wink:

boderekstits
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Re: Hip-hop/instrumental workflow?

Post by boderekstits » Wed Jan 09, 2013 4:08 am

Upright, that's a great track man.


i have a few tracks and some dj mixes at my page: soundcloud.com/derekrusso

i'm just getting to the point of finishing tracks in Ableton, I'm not really feeling a lot of the stuff I'm doing....I have a ways to go and much to learn.

Learning workflow tricks from folks like yourselves really helps out.

Upright
Posts: 315
Joined: Sun Nov 30, 2008 3:27 pm

Re: Hip-hop/instrumental workflow?

Post by Upright » Wed Jan 09, 2013 6:01 am

boderekstits wrote:Upright, that's a great track man.


i have a few tracks and some dj mixes at my page: soundcloud.com/derekrusso

i'm just getting to the point of finishing tracks in Ableton, I'm not really feeling a lot of the stuff I'm doing....I have a ways to go and much to learn.

Learning workflow tricks from folks like yourselves really helps out.

Thanks for the compliment Boderekstits. :) I think the more time we spend making tracks the better we get. We are all learning...I don't think the learning part ever stops....that's part of the reason I love making music...it keeps my mind engaged. :D

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