Quik Tipz: How the Heavy-Weights make Hitz

Quik Tipz: How the Heavy-Weights make Hitz
(compliments of MPC Sounds website)

So...you produced a mad beat. The artist and record company love it. They buy it. They take it into the studio to record vocals to it. Now they're ready to mix. But...is the beat truly as hot as it could be?!? Heavy weight producers would say no! Here's why...

Too often in Hip Hop, producers make killer beats only to have artists record vocals over them that simply don't agree with the arrangement of the original beat. The problem is the lyrical ideas of the artist and the production ideas of the producer don't match on first try. So..when a producer sells a beat that isn't then re-arranged to better fit the lyrical performance that is recorded over it, the overall song will lose it's power due to the vocals & beat clashing.

The lesson to be learned is 90% of the time production should not end when the beat is sold. Heavy weight producers take pride & joy in re-arranging their productions to fit around vocal performances by opening up spaces for certain lyrical lines while adding in new fills & riffs in between other vocal lines. In short, professional producers sculpt their beats around vocal performances!

In fact, with the perfect combination of catchy hook vocals answered by catchy hook fills & riffs, hits can truly be born! Nothing makes a better formula for a hit than catchy "question and answer" phrasing. The problem with alot of amateur hip hop productions is that the artist's vocals (the questions) simply run over the producer's riffs (the answers). Real producers re-pave the road and come out with hits!

Sweet.....I've always done this. I always said that I produce like I'm making a hamburger....when I first make the beat, that's the bottom piece of bread. Then, the artist comes in and lays down the all beef patty. After they're done, I go back over it, add onions, lettuce, tomato, pickles, mustard, ketchup....or maybe I'll hold the pickles (i.e. change-ups, drops, breakdowns, sound EFX, etc.). Basically, I see what direction they went in then season it to taste, feel me?

Finally, I let the artist hear how I've "dressed" up the song to get any final input before I mix it down, because sometimes just cause it sounds great to you, doesn't mean that it will agree with the artists vision. So basically, this last bit of input would be the "cheese".

Then the mixdown is the top of the bun, which completes the burger, and my mastering is the equivalent of putting it in the wrapper, 'cause now it's ready to sell and fit for user consumption!

Soundz tasteee Knox do you supersize?

If the price is right!

....and I hate pickles.

Sometimes that is just how it goes. You have to decide if you want to allow yourself to be exploited or take the long route.

4dahaterz wrote:Quik Tipz: How the Heavy-Weights make Hitz
(compliments of MPC Sounds website)

So...you produced a mad beat. The artist and record company love it. They buy it. They take it into the studio to record vocals to it. Now they're ready to mix. But...is the beat truly as hot as it could be?!? Heavy weight producers would say no! Here's why...

Too often in Hip Hop, producers make killer beats only to have artists record vocals over them that simply don't agree with the arrangement of the original beat. The problem is the lyrical ideas of the artist and the production ideas of the producer don't match on first try. So..when a producer sells a beat that isn't then re-arranged to better fit the lyrical performance that is recorded over it, the overall song will lose it's power due to the vocals & beat clashing.

The lesson to be learned is 90% of the time production should not end when the beat is sold. Heavy weight producers take pride & joy in re-arranging their productions to fit around vocal performances by opening up spaces for certain lyrical lines while adding in new fills & riffs in between other vocal lines. In short, professional producers sculpt their beats around vocal performances!

In fact, with the perfect combination of catchy hook vocals answered by catchy hook fills & riffs, hits can truly be born! Nothing makes a better formula for a hit than catchy "question and answer" phrasing. The problem with alot of amateur hip hop productions is that the artist's vocals (the questions) simply run over the producer's riffs (the answers). Real producers re-pave the road and come out with hits!

aight info..thanks

that's why I had to get the 8 outs, too many times I wanted to change things in the mix of a beat after we had done the vocals, if everything is just prerecorded your basically just guessing that it's right

nice gems u drop on dis post playboy

Yo Cash good to see you alright man.

Yo Knox, I never thought you'd be making paper or plastic wrapper fast food beats

Hey, if they're payin' you gotta give 'em what they want.

The customer is always right!

Hey Cashstill, you alright? Everything cool?