How to make beats with sample packs
The best way to start your next production and have the most chances to be the next hit..
Is by starting with the best sound source possible.
Nowdays most producers tent to use free samples, copy and paste youtube free links or even rip them directly with simple technics.
And this is something that really has no results at all… You think that you made a difference but instead you made the exact same mistakes beginners tent to do the most.
So what we are trying to explain is that you have to invest in order to obtain or earn.
Producers greats like Dr.Dre or DJ premier knew this before internet was even a thing.
They sold millions before Paypal was even a thing. And guess what they knew, the secret to beatmaking..
Start with the best source possible! Of course they did invest enormous ammount of money in equipment and gear BUT! they also invested
in musicians or in samples they chose from various bands or artists. They were already out of the philosophy of free samples and that is what payed them off.
So because long stories are living in the books, here is what you need to do.
1.Find the best sound source possible
Even if it is a sound bank or even if it is a vst plug-in, there’s only one way to detect a good sound. HAH guess what? Use your ears and aesthetics..
Technology has evolved and producing has too.
Nowdays, there are companies like us providing you with sounds that our producers spend a big amount of time creating and believe us, this is hard. But there is always a reason. We love what we do, we offer a really unique sound and we want to share it with the world to help producers make the best music possible.
You do not need to spend a lot of money on equipment as these companies still exist and provides sound banks and vst plug-ins.
With a decent soundcard, a pair of monitors or even a cheap pair of headphones you can start producing gems. TRUE GEMS.
Most famous producers need only a sound bank with guitar loops or bass or anything they like and a computer mouse. As you can see in the video this beatmaker made a fire beat in minutes and how he does it?
He started with a dope guitar loop. Playing back the guitar loop before starting playing with it, helped him understand where he wants to go.
2. Find the BPM for your beat
Next..
Pitch the loop, chop the guitar sample, play around with it. Here is the creative time but before all that, if you want to build on solid base you have to find the right bpm for your song.
There are many technics on how to do this. You can start counting the beats by yourself while you play with the loop as you can see in th 0:10 second of the video. If this is hard for you, try with a simple 4 bar part, play back with the metronome and you will find the right spot that the loop will turn nice and smoothly without transitions or clips or interapting the loop.
Is really important to find the right bpm from the begining as later you can sync all the elements to fit in together with logic.
3. Record the guitar loop
After you have decided which loop or sample you need and you have found the pitch and the bpm that fit better, it is time to record it.
What is the best method? 10 times play -1 record. Period. If you want a nice workflow without any interaption on your creativity, start playing the part you like as many times as possible until you got it 100%. This will motivate you later on if you need to perform the exact same song live.
At this point, as you can hear on the video, the producer has come out with something totally different than the loop he bought from the sample pack and that’s the skill and the flexibility of the sample packs we offer.
Now it is up to you what the next step will be.. You can add your elements, like other instruments. A reasonable next step is to add the drums that fits in the guitar loop.
4. Mixing the song
It’s not the software, it’s not even the plug-ins… Guess what!! It’s your ears. Sounds simple enough, right? And it often is. But it’s also hugely important! This is the part of the mixing process where we make some of our biggest decisions about what kind of frequencies we’re going to engage. Whether it’s about making a hardcore beat or a rock song through your monitors, this step is always your start, and it will have a major impact on how you’ll go forward.
Here are some tips that if you follow everytime, you will come up with better results.
Take advantage of the stereo spectrum to separate instruments and prevent masking. Masking occurs when sounds stack on top of each other. The effect is like taking a photograph of two people, but one is standing in front of the other so you can see only one person in the photo. If you were to stand the two people side by side, you could see both.
You can achieve a similar effect with your audio by using the entire available stereo spectrum to arrange and present your tracks.
Cut frequencies before you boost frequencies. Boosting frequencies changes the sound in addition to the balance and can cause unwanted phase shift. If you feel like you want a different sound, boost the frequencies. But if you want a track to cut through the mix, either cut the frequencies of other tracks that are masking the track or cut frequencies that are causing the sound to be fuzzy and unclear. Often, reducing bass frequencies (up to 250 Hz) can clean up a muffled sound.
Create three distinct depths in your mix: close, near, and far. Your listener can perceive only two or three levels of depth. Bring elements of your mix closer to the listener by keeping them dry, with no reverb. Move things away and make them large by adding reverb and delay. A short and long reverb can provide all the depth you need.
Use reverbs as effects. Reverbs can do more than recreate acoustic spaces. For example, a gated reverb could be considered an effect and not a recreation of an acoustic space. The Space Designer reverb plug-in includes many gated reverb presets and other weird and warped effects.
In this video we used the guitar pack "Moonshine Guitars"
Moonshine Guitar
A guitar sample collection inspired by the energy of the moonshine. 32 melodic loops ready to add to your next project the illusion of the night. Mellow and atmospheric electric guitar sounds with raw elements. The presence of analogue vibe is intense aiming to deliver depth and feeling to your creation. All samples are distinctive and made from scratch by our experienced team with attention to detail and originality.