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Beatmatching/Snares

  • 05-07-2011 9:24pm
    #1
    ThirdMan
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,700 ✭✭✭


    Hi, I'm learning to mix hop hop/breaks. I understand that using the snare is the best option. I'm struggling with it though. Has anyone any tips? Cheers.


Comments

  • #2
    holystungun9
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,933 ✭✭✭holystungun9


    Yeah, this is a pretty useful technique. When I first started buying some drum and bass and hip hop it helped me a lot. If you are finding it hard, I think the first step may be to get two copies of the same record. Not sure if you use vinyl, CDs or digital but play one copy and then just practice mixing in the other. Next step would be to change the pitch / speed on the first and mix in the other (don't just glance at the speed of the other and copy it, this won't help your ear and mixing skills).
    When this is all clear and easy to do then you need to get another record, something that has a very similar straight hip hop beat - boom tish, boom-boom tish. And just go from there. With practice, it will get easier and easier to know what you are listening for and to start mixing and blending tracks together.
    I'm sure that someone is going to disagree with this but mixing hip hop is a bit different to mixing any straight 4/4 dance music. The lead-in is usually pretty short before the rapper comes in so you have watch how many bars you have. Also lots of tracks have some annoying chatter/intro that you might want to jump over. You won't always have the option of beat-mixing in the next track so some basic baby scratches and the ability to drop the next track on verse and on the beat are useful skills.
    Keep listening to the music and practicing your mixing and it will fall in to place.


  • #3
    ThirdMan
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,700 ✭✭✭ThirdMan


    holystungun9 wrote: »
    Yeah, this is a pretty useful technique. When I first started buying some drum and bass and hip hop it helped me a lot. If you are finding it hard, I think the first step may be to get two copies of the same record. Not sure if you use vinyl, CDs or digital but play one copy and then just practice mixing in the other. Next step would be to change the pitch / speed on the first and mix in the other (don't just glance at the speed of the other and copy it, this won't help your ear and mixing skills).
    When this is all clear and easy to do then you need to get another record, something that has a very similar straight hip hop beat - boom tish, boom-boom tish. And just go from there. With practice, it will get easier and easier to know what you are listening for and to start mixing and blending tracks together.
    I'm sure that someone is going to disagree with this but mixing hip hop is a bit different to mixing any straight 4/4 dance music. The lead-in is usually pretty short before the rapper comes in so you have watch how many bars you have. Also lots of tracks have some annoying chatter/intro that you might want to jump over. You won't always have the option of beat-mixing in the next track so some basic baby scratches and the ability to drop the next track on verse and on the beat are useful skills.
    Keep listening to the music and practicing your mixing and it will fall in to place.

    I'll try working with two of the same tracks then. I'm using vinyl, but I have many of the tracks in iTunes as well, so I could just run it through the mixer. It will do for practicing.

    I made great progress matching the kicks. I was surprised actually with how quick it came together. But the snare is a different story. I guess there's no substitute for hours and hours of practice.

    The hip hop I play is the instrumental, sample-based stuff, so vocals aren't a problem. I notice the phrases tend to be shorter though, so placing a mix is different than with house or techno.

    Cheers.


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