Hey cats and dawgs, having a good week? I have so far, and it’s mainly
because I’ve paid all my bills and don’t owe the government any more
money.
Also, because I have been feeling generous enough to share gems of
knowledge with fellow budding musicians, and that one day in the
future you will all hail me as the Amazing Mr. Rock. Anyways, this
time we’re gonna look at successful track producers and what gives
them their edge in the wide wide world of music, and how you can learn
from them.
Neptunes, Dr. Dre, Timbaland, Kanye West, Ali Shaheed Muhammad,
Danja… these names should ring bells to hip-hop music writers.
That’s because they are successful track producers who have managed to
carve out their names in a high-profile manner as producers (and some
as performers as well as producers). That means you can bet that if
your track is produced by one of them, you’ve got a potential hit
right there in your hands.
Now if you are an ambitious beatmaker/producer, you should be looking
into what exactly makes your beat yours? When I listen to a billboard
track, most of the time I can guess if the track was produced by Timbo
or Neptunes or Danja because these guys have their own sound. Timbo
has really heavy beats with experimental sounding synths or ethnic
samples, and that ever-present shaker. Neptunes and Pharrell have
weird drum kits and loops and simple synths. You get what I mean.
Ravihans and OSA uses complex synth and/or pad layers over dancehall
beats, while my own productions (not OSA) are big on funky bass
melodies. What about yours? Have you developed your sound?
Surely it’s not an instant thing, but over time as you settle with a
certain style, you’ll find that your productions have something in
common, and at that point you should try to emphasize on that in
future productions if you seriously want to distinguish yourself as a
producer. Also, you should know exactly how your mix should be, so you
probably want to learn some basics so you can direct the engineer.
Otherwise you can dabble in different sounds, but you won’t have that
Timbo effect where people can recognize your work even without you
declaring it.
It’s not necessarily of critical importance, but it is something to
think about. Are YOU interested in developing your own unique sound in
your industry? Well, I guess the trick is to listen to all kinds of
music and not be boxed in your favorite genre, and keep makin’ those
beats, because you get better over time. When you do get your sound,
always insist on being credited when producing for others (by having
your name in the “featuring” or being credited on the album cover).
Then people will start to recognise it.
So I think that’s it for now, I’m gonna hit the sack. If I missed
anything or if you want to discuss anything, drop a comment and let’s
get some talk going.
Ciao.
