I know how hard it is sometimes to just get started on something. There always seems to be a ebb and a flow when it comes to making music. Either you cant stop, or you can't figure out where to start. I have been on both sides of that fence. When you can't stop, that's not too bad. It's when you can't start, that's when you want to start pulling your hair out and punching walls. Over the past few years I have figured out ways of starting up the creative process again. They don't always work, but sometimes it's enough to get you over that hump and start making music again. I hope these help.
1 - Listen to other people who make your same style of music
Sometimes it helps me to listen to other peoples stuff. It gives me a chance to relax and let my mind wind down. Once you clear your head, you can start to listen to the different sounds, chord progressions, drum patterns and other aspects of the music. Even if you just pick out one thing that you like and try to mimick it, that might help you get started on making sweet sweet music again.
2 - Get out, but bring a note pad or recorder
Sometimes I think of some of the best melodies when I'm in my car on the way to work. Again, when you let your mind go, that seems to be when ideas start to hit you. Go hang out with your friends, go see a movie, go to the beach or just go for a walk. But don't forget to bring something to write or record the idea when you get it, you may never get it back again.
3 - Network with other musicians
Part of what makes me progress as an artist is meeting and talking to other musicians. Everyone has their own take on everything, and if you sit down and chop it up with someone who is in the same genre of music as you, you might pick up something you never thought of before. Sometimes that little spark is all it takes to make the creative fire start burning. If you don't know where to meet musicians around where you are then try going to forums and groups online. That has been helpful for me in the past.
4 - Show people your stuff
Sometimes it helps when you let people hear your music, even if it isn't finished. Ocassionally the feedback is enough to get you motivated to either change the song you showed them, or start on something new. Anytime I show people my new stuff and they like it, it puts me in a productive mood. At that point I take it and run with it.
5 - Go back and listen to old tracks
From time to time I like to go back and listen to my old music. This shows me how much I've changed and grown as an artist over the past years. Good or bad music alike, it could help you break out of the rut and get back at it again. Just hearing how you have progressed might get you going enough to move on to the next phase.
Hope those tips help! Keep checking back for more!
-Cheebs
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Donation Donation Donation!
Hey guys. I got my first donation the other day, it was pretty sweet!! I decided I'm going to offer insentives for people to donate. If you donate 10 dollars or less I'll give you a link to 50 MB of drum samples. If you donate 10 to 20 dollars I'll link you to 100 MB of drum samples. More than 20 gets a special gift, you get a choice between a few things!!
If you just want to donate out of the kindness of your heart and don't need drums, that's alright with me also.
A big THANK YOU goes out to Bobby J. for being the first to donate!
I'll be back real soon with some new stuff!
-Cheebs
If you just want to donate out of the kindness of your heart and don't need drums, that's alright with me also.
A big THANK YOU goes out to Bobby J. for being the first to donate!
I'll be back real soon with some new stuff!
-Cheebs
Monday, May 11, 2009
Free Albino 3 Patches
Hey everyone! It's been a little while. I've been busy with music and stuff recently, but I'm back.
One of the synth's I use the most is Albino 3. I use it for both Hip Hop and Dub Step. It has a wide range of sounds and takes very little CPU power. Here is all the presets that I have found. There are hundreds to choose from. Just extract the folders into the presets of your Albino folder.
Here's the link - http://www.mediafire.com/?5mydij5hoyg
I'll post some more tips and stuff in the next few days.
-Cheebs
One of the synth's I use the most is Albino 3. I use it for both Hip Hop and Dub Step. It has a wide range of sounds and takes very little CPU power. Here is all the presets that I have found. There are hundreds to choose from. Just extract the folders into the presets of your Albino folder.
Here's the link - http://www.mediafire.com/?5mydij5hoyg
I'll post some more tips and stuff in the next few days.
-Cheebs
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Free Samples - Khaotic Kicks
Here's another kick sample pack. Almost 5 MB of drums. Some good stuff!
Here's the link - http://www.mediafire.com/?3ynyg2y2w2z
Keep checkin back!!
-Cheebs
Here's the link - http://www.mediafire.com/?3ynyg2y2w2z
Keep checkin back!!
-Cheebs
Sunday, April 19, 2009
5 Tips To Spice Up Drum Loops
This was a request. I'm gunna go over a few ways to spice up drum loops and make them more interesting. Feel free to throw in your input in the comments if you want.
1 - Hi Hat Patterns
A good way to spice up drum loops is to vary the Hi Hats a little. Throw in an extra open hat in a few places or a shaker. Cut them out in a few places here and there and double them up in a few places. It can add a whole different flair to the pattern. Putting the Hat's a little off can give your pattern a cool shuffle effect also.
2 - Layer Up And Vary Snare Samples
When I lay drums down I layer up at least 3 snares and all the way up to 6 sometimes. This makes the snare in your loop sound fuller and more interesting. Another good thing to do is only use some snares at spots and then use the others on different parts of the song. You can change a few at the hook, or like I do often is at the end of 4 or 8 bars I change out a few of the snares with different ones just to add a a little extra something. You might not notice it, but you do. It's subtle differences like that that keep people listening without knowing it.
3 - Make Longer Patterns
Most of the time just doing 2 bar patterns works. But when the drums are more the focus and you use less samples or synth, you should make the pattern longer. Making your loop 4 or 8 bars long makes you focus on where you can change things to spice it up. By getting a bigger picture, you realize where it gets repetitive and you can almost feel where you should switch it up a little bit to keep it interesting.
4 - Throw In Other Drum Loops
Every 4th or 8th bar add in a pre-made drum loop. I have a link in one of my older posts to download some if you don't have any. It gives a good little change before a hook or just in the middle of a verse. It can help emphasize what the emcee is trying to say or help with a transition. I don't do this as much, but it is pretty cool to try out every once in awhile. Just make sure the loop matches up to the BPM of your track.
5 - Get Pads
I didn't realize until I had a MPC how easy it is to lay out drum patterns with your fingers by hitting the pads. You can get units from a few companies that connect USB or MIDI to your computer to allow you to do the same thing. By playing on the fly and recording you can get a human feel to your loop and you will also vary the pattern more than when you sit and draw it out. If it's too far off you can always quantize to put things closer to where they should be. The Akai MPK49 is a good unit that has 12 pads, 49 semi weighted keys and a transport control built in. The pads really help.
Those were a few ideas. Just listen to your loops and anticipate what it needs. After awhile of making and listening to them you will get a feel for where certain things need to go in order to spice it up.
Don't forget to donate through my pay pal link in the top right of the page. Everything helps.
-Cheebs
1 - Hi Hat Patterns
A good way to spice up drum loops is to vary the Hi Hats a little. Throw in an extra open hat in a few places or a shaker. Cut them out in a few places here and there and double them up in a few places. It can add a whole different flair to the pattern. Putting the Hat's a little off can give your pattern a cool shuffle effect also.
2 - Layer Up And Vary Snare Samples
When I lay drums down I layer up at least 3 snares and all the way up to 6 sometimes. This makes the snare in your loop sound fuller and more interesting. Another good thing to do is only use some snares at spots and then use the others on different parts of the song. You can change a few at the hook, or like I do often is at the end of 4 or 8 bars I change out a few of the snares with different ones just to add a a little extra something. You might not notice it, but you do. It's subtle differences like that that keep people listening without knowing it.
3 - Make Longer Patterns
Most of the time just doing 2 bar patterns works. But when the drums are more the focus and you use less samples or synth, you should make the pattern longer. Making your loop 4 or 8 bars long makes you focus on where you can change things to spice it up. By getting a bigger picture, you realize where it gets repetitive and you can almost feel where you should switch it up a little bit to keep it interesting.
4 - Throw In Other Drum Loops
Every 4th or 8th bar add in a pre-made drum loop. I have a link in one of my older posts to download some if you don't have any. It gives a good little change before a hook or just in the middle of a verse. It can help emphasize what the emcee is trying to say or help with a transition. I don't do this as much, but it is pretty cool to try out every once in awhile. Just make sure the loop matches up to the BPM of your track.
5 - Get Pads
I didn't realize until I had a MPC how easy it is to lay out drum patterns with your fingers by hitting the pads. You can get units from a few companies that connect USB or MIDI to your computer to allow you to do the same thing. By playing on the fly and recording you can get a human feel to your loop and you will also vary the pattern more than when you sit and draw it out. If it's too far off you can always quantize to put things closer to where they should be. The Akai MPK49 is a good unit that has 12 pads, 49 semi weighted keys and a transport control built in. The pads really help.
Those were a few ideas. Just listen to your loops and anticipate what it needs. After awhile of making and listening to them you will get a feel for where certain things need to go in order to spice it up.
Don't forget to donate through my pay pal link in the top right of the page. Everything helps.
-Cheebs
Saturday, April 11, 2009
3 Dubstep Links For Beginners
Hey everyone! I just recently got into Dubstep. I'm not even really sure how it's made yet. Here's a few links I found real helpful when starting to make Dubstep for the first time. You should bookmark these links for future reference.
1 - http://lazyrecords.co.uk/articles/dubstep-production.html
This is basically a rundown of how a Dubstep track is laid out. What programs you need, how to make every synth, the history behind stuff. It's a good site to give a look at a few times.
2 - http://www.bedroomrecords.co.uk/musicproduction.htm#albino3\
This page gives you a step by step tutorial with pictures about how to make the signature wobble bass in Albino 3. This bass is in almost all Dubstep tracks. Get Albino 3 or Massive, both great VST's for bass.
3 - http://www.dubstepforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=14797
This is a post in a forum titled "The Dubstep Production Bible". This is a great post to check out. It's broken down into chapters and links to everything. Check it out and bookmark it because you will need to check it out again.
That is all for now. If you can spare a few bucks, please donate to my Pay Pal account. The button is on the right side of the page at the top. Thanks!!
-Cheebs
1 - http://lazyrecords.co.uk/articles/dubstep-production.html
This is basically a rundown of how a Dubstep track is laid out. What programs you need, how to make every synth, the history behind stuff. It's a good site to give a look at a few times.
2 - http://www.bedroomrecords.co.uk/musicproduction.htm#albino3\
This page gives you a step by step tutorial with pictures about how to make the signature wobble bass in Albino 3. This bass is in almost all Dubstep tracks. Get Albino 3 or Massive, both great VST's for bass.
3 - http://www.dubstepforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=14797
This is a post in a forum titled "The Dubstep Production Bible". This is a great post to check out. It's broken down into chapters and links to everything. Check it out and bookmark it because you will need to check it out again.
That is all for now. If you can spare a few bucks, please donate to my Pay Pal account. The button is on the right side of the page at the top. Thanks!!
-Cheebs
Free Samples - Fat Drums
This is a huge almost 10 MB pack of all kinda of drums. If you download and like these drums please donate to my Pay Pal account, the link is on the right side of the blog. Thanks!
Here's the link : http://www.mediafire.com/?zcmnimhdkoj
-Cheebs
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