Production- & Technical Tips and Tricks: The theory of hit making - Part 1

I bought this book a while back from Modernbeats entitled Hit Theory. It is really an interesting book I must say. If you do not know who is Modernbeats then where have you been? Lol. Just kidding. They are really hooked up with a lot of resources in regards to making beats. From the platinum quality samples & loops to the science of the Billboard hit songs to in depth interviews with managers and producers about the game.

The also have a platform where they can submit your music to the big guns in the game for music placements or even a deal. A deal will be nice but be carefull. Now on to todays info. Today I will give ya some info from the book that cost me a hell lot of money. Of course can I only give an overview in regards to the copyright laws of the book. You can go check out Modernbeats here: Modernbeats

I want you to have a great sound so that you can also kick a** on the Billboard Charts. This post is also more focused on production, though we are covering topics that we covered in previous posts. So here we go!

Some producers if not many think they can just hit the power button, punch a few drum pads and then call themselves a hip hop producer, you got another thing coming! Hip Hop production takes discipline and dedication. Don’t read this post if you’re looking for fast fixes. Read this post when you’re dead serious about Hip Hop, when you’re ready to break out loud with devastatingly intelligent Hip Hop production. Hip Hop is a world of tough breaks and fierce competition; it’s a world where, you need earned respect: the kind of respect that fuels the persistence and determination required to survive the game.

How do you earn this respect? Whether you’re a producer, emcee, or a musician waiting to join a posse and cut tracks, you can’t expect to be taken seriously unless you have necessary skills. You must arrive mentally equipped, mentally armored, and ready to show and prove. That’s why the most important ability this post requires is a steadfast, focused, rock-solid work ethic. After that, anything is possible.

Speaking from years of experience, the more time, energy, and money you spend on developing critical skills and a solid studio set-up, the more seriously you will take yourself, the more seriously you will be taken. Tha only way to show and prove successfully is through committing yourself to the task: mentally, emotionally, and physically. Successful producers – Timbaland, Missy, Storch, Neptunes, Dre, DJ Premier, Pete Rock, Lil Jon, The Runners, all of ‘em – their greatest asset, besides their imagination and ability to mix and produce, is hard work.

Where there’s a will, there’s a way. If you know you can work hard enough, then read on and let me and Modernbeats feed your desire to achieve tha unachievable.

In this post we make three assumptions: 1) we assume, as mentioned, that you’re ready to pick you’re a** up, and work it off, 2) we assume you have an audio sequencing and mixing system, or are in the market to buy one.

And finally, 3) we assume you have demonstrated, at least to yourself, some musical capacity: maybe you’ve pulled a few random grooves from your bro’s set up, and you like the way it hit. Maybe you’re a decent keyboard player, or guitarist, and now wanna produce.

While becoming a successful producer is no small feat, it doesn’t mean you need a degree from Julliard. We’re going to take you from the basics of production right on up to the top, teaching you how to implement all tha advice in this post with efficiency and effectiveness. By tha end, that hit producer inside you will manifest – a producer who composes and arranges professionally, who gets big ideas and makes them happen. Havin’ said that, street smarts are a plus. Any skills you’ve acquired while using an MPC, software DAW (This is like Cubase, Pro Tools or the smaller Digital Audio Workstations like Cool Edit Pro; which is known as Ableton Live today or Acid Pro), or musical instrument before starting this post will only smooth the journey upon which you are about to embark.

Today’s successful music producer’s work off a solid foundation and knowledge; a set of critical production skills: recording, mixing, sequencing, sampling, music theory, dynamics, arranging, and more. We cover it all, setting you in motion toward a fulfilling career in music production so many dream of. In tha end though, it’s all up to you how much you implement what we teach and how far you push it. Words in a post are just words, but words followed through with action equal success.

We start by covering tha essentials on the recording environment, setups, quality tracking, and top gear. From there, we move straight into introductions on music theory and musical dynamics, both necessary in order to compose and arrange intelligently. These topics we will cover over the next following weeks. You may not need a music degree, but without basic music theory, all your melodic and rhythmic foundations will remain limited at best. And yes, we provide the fundamentals that shed these limitations. I will at a later stage go in depth in regards to music theory, a post I know will be important for your music production endeavours.

After our sections on music theory and dynamics, we’ll dig deep into a variety of top music production techniques and secrets: tha imaginative methodz that skilled, platinum producers keep guarded. Despite rules, suggestions, and tips you read about in recording magazines and books, the plain truth is music production is about imagination and capability. We teach you this mindset; to think creatively, to be technically competent, and to refuse falling victim to amateur-level productions. This is the introduction to the world of quality hip hop production. “Quality hip hop?” Yes! Best prepare to raise the standards.

This posts will be illustrated. Our illustrations and advices are presented in an all-encompassing manner, applicable to any recording studio or music production setup imaginable.

Throughout the post series, we present a wide range of illustrations covering leading music software and hardware such as Propellerheads Reason, Ableton Live, Akai MPC, and more. These illustrations and in depth analyses of music production will strengthen your focus and ability to become a respected producer of quality hip hop.

“Ok, ok enough with the hype, Dawg. Fo’ real, how’m I gonna rise up to become the next big-league producer?” Well, G, the knowledge, smarts, techniques, tips, tricks, secrets, and skill lie before you. If you apply our lessons conscientiously, give them due respect, and put them to work, you’ll by no doubt become a Jedi of radical Hip-Hop intensity. So, enough with this intro, fool! It’s time to get your hands dirty and engage in some serious, on point advice for producing platinum Hip Hop beats. It’s time to catapult your way to the charts!

So You Want to Produce Hip Hop, eh? Well, Listen up…

Quality music production, as we said, comes from grit and determination: painstaking, time-consuming, finely-calibrated recording care and detail. It’s that care and detail that differentiate the pros from tha amateurs. But you must understand care and detail alone will not launch your songs onto Billboard.

You need knowledge along with that care and detail, and that knowledge begins with learning and knowing your recording environment. You must understand every aspect of a producer’s surroundings. Without that understanding, you can’t begin to consider yourself a big-league producer. Don’t believe it? Just wait and see how you do the first time attempting to engineer a multi-mic recording session.

Your inexperience will jump right outta the mix. Your clients will flag down the nearest taxi, catch the next plane straight to Atlanta, and get into a real studio where they can collect a professional recording. So much for your attempts to please, so much for the show and prove. Without proper recording skillz and knowledge, your money-train stops cold.

We should mention: if you’re a fly-by-night beat chemist who hasn’t got time, money, or space to install proper sound reinforcement yet, your best bets for quality mic recordings are local recording studios. In a quality local studio you’ll spend less time converting part of your own living space into a home studio and more time capturing recordings you can be proud of. Does it make that much of a difference? Hell yea! We’ll tell you why… and yea – the truth hurts. Let’s roll…

There are three main obstacles to achieving quality recordings: 1) ambient noise, 2) sympathetic resonance, and 3) room acoustics. There are simple solutions to all these obstacles such as soundproofing and acoustic treatment, room redesign and reconfiguration, or installing a portable sound isolation booth to name a few. First, you must know your enemies.

I. Ambient Noise

Ambient noise is any noise that can seep into your recordings from the surrounding environment. A non-soundproofed environment, unless it’s in the middle of a windless desert, is going to have ambient noise. The first step in dealing with noise is locating its source. Probable sources are air conditioning, heating systems, refrigerators, plumbing, computers, electronics, speakers, and perhaps the most frustrating of all: street traffic.

Once you identify all your noise sources, your next challenge is figuring how to sever them from the mix, or at the very least how to minimize them. If getting away from a noisy environment is unfeasible, the next best technique is finding a place where ambient noise frequencies don’t overlap with the frequencies of your recorded content.

For example, if you’re recording an acoustic bass or cello, and notice a high frequency hiss at, say, 6.6kHz, it’s possible to knock out that frequency post-recording using a lowpass or notch filter. If your signal is polluted with enough noise to warrant excessive filtering, you will lose high-frequency detail. In that case, consider using instead an electric bass, or a keyboard with bass samples through a direct input (DI) box. A DI box allows you to connect to your microphone preamp using a low-impedance, thus completely avoiding any ambient noise.

If you don’t hear the noise around you and aren’t sure how noisy your environment truly is, simply set up your mic and record. Upon listening back to your recording, any undesired noise or signals will then stand out like a sore thumb. But ambient noise isn’t tha only problem and carefully monitoring your recordings between near-fields and headphones won’t always highlight all tha imperfections hidden within a given recording. Such is the case with the next two hazards of the recording environment.

II. Sympathetic Resonance

You may think most inanimate objects in a given recording environment don’t make noise, but don’t be fooled! While inanimate objects may not make noise, they can, and will, resonate sympathetically with other sound sources. For example, if you crank up a loudspeaker and slowly sweep a sine wave from very low to very high frequencies, you’re going to hear every single resonant object in the room vibrate – the chairs, the door, the bookshelf, the snare drum. This, G, is called sympathetic resonance, and 99% of the time – ya ain’t gonna like it!

There are numerous, unobvious sources of sympathetic resonances we guarantee you’re not identifying and hence, can’t prevent without knowing. One particularly insidious, stealthy example involves good ol’ loose wood paneling. If paneling isn’t nailed down tight, it bounces off the studs causing an ugly buzz. When recording an amped guitar, you won’t notice that buzz, but the mic will surely pick it up. More and more, track by track, problematic resonances will raise their ugly heads and gnaw angrily at your recordings.

Without addressing sympathetic resonance, you’re left second-guessing your entire mix. Maybe something’s wrong with the signal chain? Maybe it’s your DAW?? Maybe it’s your preamp?!? The troubleshooting is a nightmare! Even if it’s miniscule, sympathetic resonance will still subtract valuable tone from that nice Les Paul your guitarist keeps jawin’ about.

So, look and listen for every possible source of sympathetic resonance. You’ll find them everywhere – desks, shelves, loosely anchored paneling, rattling windows, and house plants. When objects in your recording room try to participate in your mix, nail ‘em down, seal ‘em up, do whatever you have to do to make sure nothing moves that ain’t supposed to.

So that is it for this week. Come back next week and we will go further with this series. We also would like to thank Modernbeats for such a great book!