New to the MPC production world? Got a music production question that's not really specific to any particular MPC? Try your luck here and get help from our experienced members.
By suringe Wed May 09, 2012 7:58 am
whats happening

im sur.inge one half of the rap group the stronghold out of tulsa oklahoma
im new to producing,,,some what,,,,i know and understand the art of sampling
and are very experienced with mixing and mastering vocal tracks.
i rap have been since i was very young.for an example you can check us out
on youtube/stronghold918 or reverbnation under STHD. im was tired of rapping on beats i havent purchased downloaded online,,,so i went and bought myself an mpc 2500 off craigslist for six hundred,,,i have made attempts at making beats using my older brothers set up he has a 2000xl,,,a mini korg,,and a a big roland sampler at the time,,,,,years ago,,,lets get to the point,,,back then seem like i could come up with a better drum pattern,,, now my drums sound redundant and outdated.....stale even
i know i can find a break and tune it,,,,time stretch it and all that,id rather not,, so my kick drum doesnt seem to be up to par,,,,so my pattern falls flat,,up against a perfectly sampled loop,,,even if i was to play a loop on the keys i dont think it would be much better.

what am i doing wrong,,,i know it takes time and practice which i have done much of,,,but i still seem to be lacking,,,i have tried to record a drum pattern and mimick
but it never really does come out sounding the same,,or close

i know i need more time and practice,,,,but what do i need to practice,,,,what fundamentals do i need to build a solid structure with,,,drumming in general?
drums as far as notation?for right now im strictly rap and hip hop,,i study but cannot seem to translate that into making the pads do what they are meant ,,,please,,,please,,,,please,,,please,,,please,,,,,,,someone withsome experience in the subject give me some guidelines to follow,,,, music is everything to me,,,i cannot waste my time doing the wrong things,,,,,



thank you...
User avatar
By damien907 Wed May 09, 2012 8:14 am
your basic boom bap pattern is gonna have a kick on the 1 and a snare on the 2 and 4

most of your beats are gonna be in 4/4 time, check this website out, it gives you audio examples and also free midi files you can download.

check it out, listen to them and try and emulate them, or use them as starting points.

keep in mind, all the extra sounds are interchangeable (cowbells, ect ect.)
but a snare usually lands on the 2 and the 4, and the kick lands on the 1.

check out number 8 on here, it says its in 4/4 time, is a strait pattern (as in not a swing groove)

listen to the mp3, download the midi file, load it up in your mpc, and add your voices to the respective midi notes, (if you have a DAW, this might work a little faster for you right away, but your mpc will work just fine.

use these as a starting point, or something you can dissect and lean from, i think thats one of the best ways to teach yourself midi drumming.

http://www.prosonic-studios.com/Midi-Ph ... ctionID=88

this is from their hip hop/rap kit, but they have all kinds of other musical styles here too, all free to download, check some other genres out too.

http://www.prosonic-studios.com/Midi-Ph ... ubCatID=14
User avatar
By cozy Fri May 11, 2012 11:05 pm
Ill-Green wrote:Don't think, FEEL! It is like a finger pointing away to the moon. Don’t concentrate on the finger or you will miss all that Heavenly glory.


hahaha hell yeah!!! I busted out laughing when I read that..

User avatar
By Roger Nodge Sat May 12, 2012 2:29 am
cozy wrote:
Ill-Green wrote:Don't think, FEEL! It is like a finger pointing away to the moon. Don’t concentrate on the finger or you will miss all that Heavenly glory.


hahaha hell yeah!!! I busted out laughing when I read that..



True words though, emotional content!! I had a homie who was a drummer do the drum tracks on my first couple of beats, then one day I didn't want to wait for him to finish the project and it just flowed out of me.
By suringe Sun May 13, 2012 7:21 am
i fully understand what you guys mean,,,,i do but what if what comes out sounds like the last pattern or ends up not following the dynamics of the sample,,,,,even when the bpm matches perfectly,,,,seeing the wave form would prolly help a little as far as setting my sample to the groove better,,,if i can create i better drum track,,,,

you know what,,,im having some luck with drum tracks translated from the accutual
sheet music or played out,,,,,it will be a longer road down but i fruitful one

thanks cuzzzzzzzzzzz