Writing a track.

By what means do you fellas & felletes write a dope track? Will you write all the drums first or the bassline etc...whats the structure?

I always lay a basic 1/8th hat pattern, then do the regular snares on 2 & 4, then a basic kick pattern.. after I have that, I lay the samples over it. I'll redo the drums with velocity changes and precise programming. After that's complete I lay the bassline and any keys going on the track. After that I tweak levels a bit, then multi-track it into Cubase where I mix / master using Waves Direct-X FX.

i pretty much do the same as ares, i think thats the basic foundation on building a song.

i always laydown the kick/snare..

after that i try mutiple hat patterns ... the hat is so important for the track..if i feel like a swingin track i adjust the hats to that..if i feel like a boom bap track same thing


then i add the samples..

or!!


ik got this dope loop/sample I lay it down then i layw doen the drums (to make it fit!)

^ That's true.. if im looping a sample, i just trim it, find the BPM, record that first, then build around it.

can't really say, but first i start out with the hi hats, then the kick and snare and maybe some cymbals...then the samplings

i've never started out with the "beginning" of the track, i allways start out with the section where i/them rapp over..then i make the intro and then some variation in the rap-over section...and last the outro

sorry my bad english, im swedish

word I always start with the "main" loop

^ Yep.. always the main loop.. or occasionally the chorus section, because for the main loop I just drop out a few instruments.. I almost always do the intro / outro last

I do whatever my girlfriend says or I flip a coin.
Random Causality Baybeeeeee

I write the drums first. I need rhythmic basis to jam over if I'm writing hip hop or other rhythm based music. Then I just take it from there.

IF IM SAMPLING I'LL START WITH THE MAIN LOOP...BUT IF IM NOT I'LL USUALLY START WITH THE INSTRUMENTS TO GET A HOT MELODY... FOR ME THE DRUM PATTERN JUST FALLS INTO PLACE.

when dealing with a loop or longer sample, i drop a snare, hat, kick over the sound and feel it out like a drummer would accompany his band. when using stabs and such, you can make them fit a pre-arranged beat a bit easier. but it's all about the alchemy of it...i'm still learning as well.

when dealing with a loop or longer sample, i drop a snare, hat, kick over the sound and feel it out like a drummer would accompany his band. when using stabs and such, you can make them fit a pre-arranged beat a bit easier. but it's all about the alchemy of it...i'm still learning as well.

damn we're alike haha..then you hear directly if the sample would work.

and I always (most of the times) got this little vox samples..sometimes its just "ooohhhh" and sometimes i dono wtf it says haha!!


but I like to tell a story with a beat..for me If I handle beats to a rapper he have to write his lyric to the beat! or he has te tell me where the track is all about, when making the beat

nah mean when i got this track with a lil sample "im feeling down" and he got this lyric from "top of the world ish" it just don't work haha[/quote]

its cool to zone a loop or a bunch of hits from wherever, then lay down your own cut up pattern of them. That could give you a better idea of how the drum pattern could fit nicely.

I start with drums normally an 8 bar loop then i put on some hi hats then bassline, melody export drums to a visual sequencer, tweek then back into mpc and work that whole process again tweeking sh**t ! my best advice when your just starting out is to get a couple of things going on the mpc in a 8 bar loop and spend some time tweeking the sounds using parmeters, fx and the mixer

laters Kid CoLlectT

http://www.visionfiunk.com