Friday, July 26, 2013

The Guide To The Drum Machine And Hip Hop Instrumentals

By Delroy Wilkins


Until recently, information about the drum machine was not easily available online. With the large number of equipment available and little information, consumers could easily get overwhelmed. It was even much harder understanding what functions a specific piece of equipment performed. The reason for this is that most equipment available performed multiple tasks at once. Buyers could easily get confused about different types of equipment such as keyboards and synthesizers. This article will look at the different terms you might come across with regard to drum machines and their respective meaning.

It is no longer ideal to think of the drum machine as a piece of equipment, as it can exist in both hardware and software form. Even when it is in software form, the drum machine still does not exist as standalone equipment, but rather it is essentially a part of a much larger program. There are no longer the days when one piece of equipment handled one task only.

The drum machine, as the name suggests is designed to create drum sounds which producers can use in music production. The first models came with stock drum sounds. They limited the music producer's ability to edit and change these sounds. Producers were therefore forced to buy specific drum machines on the basis of the type and quality of sounds it came with. One drum machine that was quite popular is the Roland TR-808 known for its clear sounds. Over time, drum machines have evolved allowing you to use your own sound samples, changing them as you like. In addition to this, you can even use sample sounds created by other producers as well as sample sounds from existing songs.

The second function of the drum machine involves creating different drum parts through a programming function. That is, the sequencer feature on the drum machine can be used to create different drum sounds. The sequencer is used in the creation of constant sounds on a bar. This is done by either filling in spaces on the sequencer or, using drum pads. These techniques are fairly easy to learn and implement.

The two functions that are discussed above, which are creating drum sounds and beat programming are the most important parts of a drum machine, without which the machine would be meaningless. However, thanks to modern technology, it would not be right to assume that the drum machines can only achieve those functions. There are some other hidden functions that a drum machine performs and that are still critical in producing hip-hop sounds.




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