MALIK ARSHAQ
Think out of the box
Being a producer or a beatmaker, you're bound to get
to a point where you feel like your beats are starting to
sound very similar and repetitive, a production slump
of sorts. You might feel like your favourite producers
have a lot of character and identity to their sound while
your work sounds pale in comparison. This has a lot
to do with the samples and sounds that you chose to
work with and how you go about processing them.
You might find yourself using the same techniques
that you've employed for quite some time over and over
again, making your music sound a bit contrived
and run-of-the-mill. In this edition, we'll be
discussing a few out-of-the-box production
techniques to make sure that your
work sounds interesting and fresh.
One of the most important
factors that determine
how unique your end
product is gonna
sound is the
samples that
you pick.
At a time where
we have pristine
sounding samples readily
available to everyone, it
is easy to end up with music
that sounds mechanical and overly
processed. While it is essential that your
instruments sound clear and well-rounded,
it is also important that they sound organic. For
example, instead of using conventional drum samples,
you can use strange sounds to serve the same purpose. For
example, sounds such as snaps, claps, wood block strikes
are pretty common replacements for a snare drum.
Effects such as using a flanger on the snare also makes
things more interesting. Simple EQ filters can also make
a huge difference. For example, gradually automating a
low cut filter from about 200Hz to over 20kHz during a
build-up gives the listener a feeling that something big
is approaching. This effect is widely used in a variety of
genres, ranging from EDM and hip-hop to, even, metal.
36
The
Score Magazine
highonscore.com
If you're a fan of weird percussive sounds then sample
stretching is a great way to go. Stretching out your samples
gives your drums an electronic, elongated sound that sounds
robotic and a little eerie. Re-pitching samples is also a great
little trick to leave your listeners wondering and intrigued.
Nowadays, sampling has been embraced by a lot of different
genres but they only seem to reflect the creativity when
they're utilized innovatively. Side-chaining techniques
are one of the most commonly used production tricks
in genres such as EDM. Compression when used in
a sidechain gives out a pumping effect with respect
to the source track. Gates can also be side chained to
produce a rhythmic slicing effect as the gates only
open when they're triggered by the respective track.
These techniques are a few good examples of how you
can process samples to make your productions sound
more unique and original. While these methods can
definitely help, the key is to figure out your own processing
methods that suit your specific style and taste.