New SoundKit Series:
East Coast DrumKits!
From NYC to the MIA, these
samples are eveything that the
East Coast represents. Each kit
is injected with big city flavor
to give your beats a truly
professional sound. Go!
New SoundKit Series:
Vintage Vinyl SoundKits!
Scratches, cuts, and effects are
just some of the tools that our
producers have thrown into this
masterfully crafted toolbox of
sounds. Its unique patterns
will put you up a level. Go!
New SoundKit Series:
Slow Jam DrumKits!
You better turn down the tempo
when you pull out these kits,
because they can make magic.
Get ready for the sleekest and
sexiest set of drum sounds you
have ever heard. It's official,
these sounds are smooth. Go!
New SoundKit Series:
Guitar Cuts SoundKits!
Finally, a crisp and authentically
hip hop set of riffs, loops,
chords & chops from the steel,
acoustic, 12-string, electric, and
other types of guitars! All with
that true pro flavor. Go!
35 Do's and Dont's of Music Production
By RapDrums.com
1. Don’t work at loud volumes. High levels can fatigue your ears and lead to a sloppy mix. It can also cause permanent hearing impairment.
2. Do copyright all songs that you create, no matter what!
3. Don’t sign any contracts without having them reviewed by a professional.
4. Do use legal contracts in every financial transaction, or prepare to be broke.
5. Don’t work in an overly echoic environment.
6. Do listen to your work on different monitoring systems and make sure a clear sound is produced on all occasions. Not everyone has your setup.
7. Don’t work in a non-echoic environment.
8. Do work with the treble output at ear level for prime monitoring position.
9. Don’t work for more than a few hours at a time. The ears can become fatigued very easily.
10. Do use speaker stands to avoid undertones caused by vibrating desks and tables.
11. Don’t mix with headphones. Don’t mix with studio monitors. Mix with both!
12. Do have all your songs mastered (preferably by RapDrums.com) to stay competitive with the professionals.
13. Don’t keep your editing tool on ‘quantize.’ To maximize flexibility, make sure you are editing with the smallest increments possible.
14. Do backup all of your files.
15. Don’t try to sell songs with vinyl melody/vocal samples that have not been cleared.
16. Do listen to all genres of music for a better appreciation of hip hop in its entirety.
17. Don’t avoid using compression effects. They can be your enemy, buy they can also be your best friend.
18. Do use condenser microphones for vocals. Cardioid patterns provide the best sound for lead vocals.
19. Don’t forget to save your work in an editable format. In other words, don’t export as .wav and then delete your DAW (digital audio workstation) file.
20. Do use a subwoofer to help pick up bass tones and ensure a crystal clear sub level that is neither too much nor too little.
21. Don’t forget to turn off any equipment before anything is plugged into it.
22. Do show your work to your peers. Evaluating your music is essential to improvement.
23. Don’t upload your music to any musician databases or free band pages without putting a tag on it.
24. Do read any and all agreement information on any musician databases, because believe it or not, some of them make you agree to hand over the rights to your songs when you upload. People have been sued by those companies.
25. Don’t forget to roll off all unnecessary treble and bass. No frequencies should exist outside the range of the industry standards. Having your music mastered professionally is the best way to take care of technical problems like this.
26. Do run a virus/spy-ware scan at least once a week.
27. Don’t keep your own music files in any file-sharing program directories. Say goodbye to your income if your music gets circulated into any of these programs.
28. Do put a clause in your contracts that prevents an artist from sharing any of your music, whether for profit or not.
29. Don’t save your music in only one place. Security is a must. Save in multiple locations on multiple systems.
30. Do be open to criticism. Yes, your music is your own, but other people have to listen to it too.
31. Don’t backup your music in just one format. Use DAT, tape, CD, flash, etc.
32. Do use cyclic-routing on a digital recording setup to enhance flexibility in recording, monitoring, and editing.
33. Don’t spend your time worrying about inter-track levels or standard frequency responses. Have your music professionally mastered and forget about it. (RapDrums.com performs mastering services for various budgets).
34. Do keep records of all your wiring systems and routing information. This is a lifesaver if you ever need to relocate.
35. Don’t allow internet access on the computer in your digital recording setup. It is extremely easy to become infected with spy-ware and viruses, even with proper protection. Keep a separate computer for access to the internet.
"These samples are crisp. The
warmth & presence are on
another level." T. Thomas
Credits to Luke Cage (Sony)
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"I was expecting some average
sounds that I could get any-
where, but DAAANG!"
R. Phar
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"You all have really stepped up
the game in the world of beat
samples. RapDrums.com is the
next generation of production." P.Linder
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"Professional sound with
a nice price. Unbeatable." K. Toohey
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