So, you've been listening to hip hop and rap and watching BET and MTV and you realize that none of what those clowns are doing seems like it's very hard. I have to agree with you there. It's not hard if you learn how to do it, but you're not going to be able to make your own beats until you learn how to do it.
At this point in your career as a soon to be triple-platinum, Grammy award winning, record label owning hip hop producer, you have some tough decisions to make. Should you buy a drum machine or get some software to make your own beats? I mean, you've already got a computer right? You're probably not reading this from a hip hop newsletter.
Here's the thing, equipment costs money. And while I think owning actual hands-on equipment is the way to go in terms of learning more faster, I also think that you should start making your own beats and learning the ropes fast as you can if you're serious. So let's break it down a little so you can see where I'm coming from.
Having your first bit of musical equipment is an awesome feeling. Most musicians can tell you the first piece they ever owned. I mowed lawns and saved money and bought a red fretless yamaha bass. I don't know why in the heck I thought I needed a fretless bass but it sounded silky smooth and playing was all I wanted to do. I started out learning with my hands, not a mouse. And everyone develops a bond with their equipment that allows them to personalize their music and creative style. That's why I think you should have real equipment. Twisting knobs and tapping buttons will get you in to the feeling aspect of the music, which is why we all want to make music anyway, right? We love the way great music makes us feel!
But software is so versatile. Even cheap software can do a lot. And you can experiment and tweak and filter and add more and change things instantly. But you're stuck at your computer. That's the down side. I could take my laptop outside and sit in my backyard and click out some cool beats right now. But it's much more fun to go play guitar outside. And it's much more fun to make my beats on the computer at my desk with the speakers cranked up. And I can have a song laid out in minutes and start mixing it just as fast. There's power in that flexibility.
