How to Make Hip Hop Beats on Your Computer
If you want to make hip hop beats on your computer, the basic steps are to choose a tool to make the beats, experiment with various sounds to find and create the beats you like, and (if applicable) integrate one or more of these hip hop beats into a song.
In terms of finding a beat maker to create your hip hop beats, you have plenty of tools to choose from. The main thing is to find the right program to suit your needs and budget. If you're just starting out as a hip hop artist, you may not need (let alone be able to afford) the more expensive, professional level systems... but you may not want a low-end solution that you'll quickly outgrow either.
A few factors to consider when purchasing a hip hop beats program are the fundamentals like:
- -- Does it have all the features you want?
- -- How user-friendly is it?
- -- Can you afford it?
When it comes to features, consider whether the beats program you're evaluating comes with a range of stock sounds to get you started. These might include drum beats, bass tones, strings, synths and various percussion sounds. Also, check whether it is relatively easy to sample sounds... and what sound modules can be used with the tool. While your main aim may be to create hip hop beats, having a lot of sounds to play with will help you create some unique beats. If you're looking to create songs with a range of instrumentation and special effects, you'll want these added features.
Okay, so assuming you've chosen a software tool, the next step is to start creating some hip hop beats and, if applicable, songs.
If your main focus is creating hip hop beats to sell, then you may only really be interested in making lots of different beats. In this case, to ensure you create top quality, distinctive beats, consider playing around with the stock sounds in your program, download other sounds from other sources (e.g. the web), and experiment with sampling.
If you're only (or also) interested in creating actual hip hop music, there are lots more things to think about! When it comes to creating a song, you'll want to consider such things as the lyrics, rhyme, melody and any other percussion, instrumentation you want in the song.
There are many hip hop artists out there, so if you want to stand out, I would urge you to be original... but not too original. Have something different to say in your song and try to use some interesting melodies and beats to stand out. But be aware that hip hop - like other musical genres - also follows certain conventions, and that hip hop fans have certain expectations. For example, hip hop songs generally have a rhyme every 2-4 syllables and one rhyme every two bars.
Finally, don't overlook your "image". Strictly speaking, your image has nothing to do with making hip hop beats on your computer... But it does have a major influence on your success as a hip hop artist. So, while you creating your own unique sound, consider how you wish to project your music - and yourself - as a hip hop artist.
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