How To Actually Make Boom Bap Beats (Full Walkthrough)

Summary

This video tutorial dives deep into the art of crafting boom bap beats, a style characterized by punchy kicks and crunchy snares, typically from late '80s and early '90s hip-hop. The host breaks down the process, from sampling to drum sequencing, mixing, and arrangement, using tools like FL Studio and the Crate Collection, a bundle of over 500 unique sounds and a production course to streamline workflow and inspire creativity. Viewers learn how to manipulate samples, create drum patterns, and layer textures for an authentic, old-school vibe.

Takeaways

• 🎶 The script discusses the creation of boom bap beats, a style of hip-hop music characterized by hard-hitting drums and often minimal melodies.
• 🔍 It emphasizes the importance of sampling for an authentic vibe, suggesting the use of jazz, soul, and funk records.
• 📚 The video offers a tutorial on various aspects of music production, including sampling techniques, drum sequencing, mixing, and arrangement.
• 🎁 The presenter introduces the 'Crate Collection,' a bundle of over 500 unique sounds and production tools designed to enhance the production of boom bap music.
• 🎵 The 'Crate Collection' includes a drum kit, premixed breaks, melodies, loops, and a phrase kit with live-recorded instruments and vocals for an authentic sound.
• 🎚️ The script mentions the use of FL Studio software and the importance of adjusting the BPM and key of samples to fit the project's tempo.
• 🔧 It provides a step-by-step guide on how to chop samples, quantize notes, and balance velocities for a more natural sound.
• 🎹 The video suggests using EQ, noise reduction, and imaging to clean up and balance the sample, as well as adding effects like chorus and reverb for texture.
• 🥁 For creating drums, the script recommends starting with a snare and kick, using live-recorded drum sounds for authenticity, and customizing drum patterns.
• 🎸 It also touches on the creation of basslines that match the sample and the use of various drum fills and patterns to add variation to the beat.
• 📈 The arrangement of the track is discussed, with the presenter suggesting a structure that includes a hook, verse, and variations to keep the listener engaged.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the video?

The main focus of the video is to break down the process of creating boom bap beats, including sampling techniques, drum sequencing, mixing, and arrangement.

What is the significance of the term 'boom bap' in music production?

The term 'boom bap' refers to a style of hip-hop music characterized by hard-hitting beats, with 'boom' representing the punch of the kick drum and 'bap' representing the crunch of the snare drum.

What is the Crate Collection mentioned in the video?

The Crate Collection is a bundle that includes over 500 unique sounds, a production course, drum kits, premixed one-shot breaks, loops, and other tools designed to streamline the workflow and enhance production skills in creating boom bap music.

How does the video suggest using the Crate Collection in music production?

The video suggests using the Crate Collection to add texture, authenticity, and variety to the music production process, with elements like drum kits, loops, and melody kits to inspire and streamline the creation of boom bap beats.

What is the importance of the BPM in the context of the video?

BPM (beats per minute) is important as it helps in setting the tempo for the boom bap beat and ensures that the samples and drum patterns align correctly with the overall project tempo.

How does the video describe the process of sampling in boom bap music?

The video describes sampling as a process of taking parts of existing recordings, such as jazz, soul, or funk records, and creatively manipulating them to create new beats, often combined with drum breaks from the same or different records.

What is the role of EQ in cleaning up a sample in the video?

EQ (equalization) is used to adjust the frequency components of a sample, allowing the producer to cut out unwanted low frequencies or remove harshness and unwanted noise, thus cleaning up the sample.

How does the video approach the creation of a drum pattern for a boom bap beat?

The video suggests starting with a snare pattern, finding a matching hat, and then adding other elements like open hats and snare fills to create a cohesive and authentic-sounding drum pattern.

What is the purpose of using a bassline in boom bap beats as described in the video?

The purpose of using a bassline in boom bap beats is to provide a melodic and rhythmic foundation that complements the sampled sounds and drum patterns, often using acoustic or electric bass sounds for authenticity.

How does the video suggest arranging a boom bap track?

The video suggests starting with an intro that features the sample, building up with a hook section, transitioning into a verse with a simpler arrangement, and then varying the vibe with different sections, such as a bridge or outro, to create a dynamic structure.

Outlines

00:00

🎶 Introduction to Boom Bap Beats and Crate Collection Showcase

The script begins by introducing the topic of boom bap beats, explaining what they are and how to create them. The speaker mentions a tutorial on dark underground boom bap melodies and then focuses on sampling for authenticity. They promote a bundle called the Crate Collection, which includes over 500 unique sounds, a production course, drum kits, loops, and other resources to enhance production skills. The Crate Collection is highlighted for its live-recorded drum breaks, unique presets, and royalty-free content. The speaker also discusses the characteristics of boom bap, its origins in the late '80s and early '90s, and the typical creative process involved in making these beats.

05:06

🔍 Sampling Techniques and Sound Manipulation in Boom Bap Production

This paragraph delves into the technical aspects of creating boom bap beats, starting with sampling techniques. The speaker uses FL Studio and demonstrates how to work with samples, including setting BPM, using the Slicer plugin for chopping, and adjusting the grid for better alignment. They discuss quantizing, velocity balancing, and pitch adjustments to refine the sample chops. The paragraph also covers sound manipulation, including EQ adjustments, noise reduction, and stereo balancing, as well as adding effects like chorus and reverb to enhance the texture of the sample.

10:06

🥁 Building Drum Patterns and Basslines for Boom Bap Beats

The focus shifts to constructing drum patterns and basslines for boom bap tracks. The speaker discusses using live-recorded drum breaks and creating custom drum patterns from scratch, emphasizing the importance of authenticity in sound. They detail the process of selecting snares, hats, and kicks, adjusting velocities for a natural feel, and creating a drum pattern that complements the sample. Additionally, the paragraph covers bassline creation, choosing the right bass sound, and matching it to the sample's rhythm. The speaker also talks about arranging the drum fills and experimenting with different drum sounds to achieve the desired vibe.

15:06

🎵 Arranging a Boom Bap Track and Adding Variations

The final paragraph discusses the arrangement of a boom bap track, starting with the use of a sample to establish the pitch and rhythm. The speaker outlines a simple structure for the track, including a hook and verse sections, and demonstrates how to build up the arrangement with fills and variations. They mention muting certain elements for a cleaner drop into the verse and suggest adding crashes for impact. The paragraph concludes with the addition of guitar elements and automation for a dynamic introduction, highlighting the importance of variation and progression in the track's arrangement.

Keywords

💡Boom Bap

Boom Bap is a subgenre of hip hop music characterized by its strong emphasis on the kick drum ('boom') and the snare drum ('snap'). Originating in the late 80s and early 90s, it is known for its hard-hitting, old-school beats, often created using drum machines like the MPC 60. In the video, the creator discusses the importance of achieving an authentic Boom Bap sound by sampling jazz, soul, and funk records, and creatively merging drum breaks.

💡Sampling

Sampling in music production involves taking a portion, or sample, from a sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a sound recording in a different song or piece. The script mentions various sampling techniques, such as using jazz, soul, and funk records to create a Boom Bap beat, which is a fundamental aspect of the genre's production style.

💡Drum Sequencing

Drum sequencing is the process of creating a pattern of drum sounds in a digital audio workstation (DAW). It is a key part of making beats, as demonstrated in the video where the creator discusses creating a drum pattern from scratch, starting with a snare and building up the beat with additional drum elements.

💡Mixing

Mixing is the process of balancing and adjusting the levels of individual tracks in a recording to create a cohesive sound. In the context of the video, mixing is crucial for achieving a polished Boom Bap beat, as the creator talks about using EQ to cut low frequencies and remove unwanted noise, as well as adding effects like reverb for texture.

💡Arrangement

Arrangement in music refers to the structure and order of the various components of a piece. The video script discusses the arrangement of a Boom Bap track, including creating different sections such as the hook and verse, and how to transition between them for a dynamic listening experience.

💡FL Studio

FL Studio is a popular digital audio workstation used for music production. The script mentions using FL Studio for the techniques discussed, such as slicing samples, drum sequencing, and applying effects, indicating it as the primary tool for the production process outlined in the video.

💡Drum Breaks

Drum breaks are sections of a song where the drums are more prominent or have a distinctive rhythm. In the context of Boom Bap, drum breaks are often sampled from older records and used as the foundation for a new beat. The video mentions using premixed one-shot breaks for convenience and authenticity.

💡Melodies

Melodies are a sequence of single notes that are musically satisfying. The script refers to creating melodies for a Boom Bap beat, with the creator suggesting the use of a loop kit with composed melodies to spark inspiration and add a melodic element to the track.

💡SLE

SLE, or Slicex, is a plugin for FL Studio that allows for easy slicing of samples. The video script mentions using SLE to automatically find and chop samples to the beat, which is a time-saving technique for creating drum patterns from samples.

💡Alchemy

Alchemy is a synthesizer plugin within FL Studio that allows for sound design and manipulation. The script mentions using Alchemy to create unique presets for Boom Bap and soul music, emphasizing the importance of texture in achieving an authentic sound.

💡Crate Collection

The Crate Collection is a bundle of sounds and resources mentioned in the video, designed to enhance Boom Bap production. It includes a drum kit, loop kit, phrase kit, and other tools to streamline workflow and add authenticity to the sound, as discussed in the promotional part of the script.

Highlights

Introduction to boom bap beats, their significance, and how to create them.

Explanation of the term 'boom bap' and its origins in late 80s and early 90s hip-hop.

The importance of sampling in creating an authentic boom bap vibe.

Introduction of the Crate Collection, a bundle of over 500 unique sounds for production.

Description of the drum kit included in the Crate Collection, featuring over 250 premixed one-shot breaks.

Inclusion of royalty-free loop kit with 30 melodies composed by the creator for inspiration.

Discussion on the variety of styles within boom bap, such as modern and underground.

Technique demonstration using FL Studio for creating boom bap beats.

Use of the Slicer tool in FL Studio for chopping samples to create beats.

Tips on adjusting BPM for boom bap beats and the creative process of sample chopping.

Use of EQ, noise reduction, and imaging for cleaning up and balancing the sample.

Adding texture with chorus and reverb to enhance the boom bap beat.

Creating a bassline using one-shot samples from the Crate Collection.

Building drum patterns from scratch using live-recorded drum samples for authenticity.

Techniques for arranging and layering drum fills and patterns for a dynamic beat.

Using the Alchemy analog lab Bank for adding texture and depth to the beat.

Incorporating harmonizer, delay, and reverb effects for a cohesive sound.

Final arrangement and mixing tips for a polished boom bap track.

Encouragement for viewers to share their thoughts and check out the Crate Collection.

Transcripts

boom bat beats are talked about a lot

but what exactly is a boom backat beat

and how do you make them well in this

video I'm going to break everything down

for you including sampling techniques

drum sequencing mixing and Arrangement

if you're interested in making Melodies

check out this dark underground boom bap

tutorial first where I make one from

scratch but in this video we're going to

be focusing around sampling to get that

more authentic Vibe and yo if you want

to elevate your boombap game I just

dropped a crazy bundle called the crate

collection which has over 500 Unique

Sounds and a whole production cost

you'll get a massive drum kit with over

250 premixed one shot breaks spills and

midies to streamline your workflow a

royalty-free loop kit with 30 Melodies

composed by me to spark some inspiration

a huge phrase kit with all Live recorded

instruments and vocals to get a more

authentic sound a versatile onot kit and

analog lab Bank to add more texture and

hours of in-depth content to enhance

your production skills Plus for a

limited time you'll receive exclusive

bonuses including additional kits a gift

card a whole mystery bundle and a month

free of my exclusive Community the

cactus creators Club the bonuses are on

only available for a few more days so

make sure you click the link in the

description before it's too late and

let's get straight into the video okay

so I'm using FL Studio but this

technique should work in any door and

let me just quickly show you the crate

collection because look how beautiful

it's looking in there man my favorite

thing is the drum kit because all of

these have been recorded by live drums

and mixed by me you have a whole bunch

of drum

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braks just arrange of different styles

and all of these are Tempo sync too so

as soon as you drag them into your

project it will lock in with your

project

BPM same with the

fills and then of course all the usual

sounds that You' find in the drum

kit all of which you won't find in any

other kits we've got the Alchemy analog

lab Bank as

well all unique presets designed for

boom bap and soul then a huge Loop kit

with Melodies composed by

me this might be my

favorite just that raw gritty boom B

sound

some old school hip-hop

too another one of my favorites

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too A whole phas kit with sax space

acoustic guitar electric guitar and

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vocals vocals are so clean huge one shot

kit with everything

need a mix of accents and one

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shots and then the out of boombap course

which if you received this part of the

promotion you'll get the login details

for and it's a whole structured course

too it's not just video files or a

Dropbox link that you get okay so when

we're talking about boombap of course

there's a variety of styles like modern

boombap underground boombap but for the

most part we're referring to hip-hop

from the late 80s and early 1990s the

boom represents the punch of the kick

and the back represents the crunch of

the snare so it's usually known for

hard-hitting old school beats which were

mostly made on things like the NPC 260

producers would take all Jazz soul and

Funk records and Sample them in creative

ways and they'd also take drum braks

from either the same record or different

ones and then merg them together these

days sounds are just way more accessible

which is why you have things like my

crate collection just to make it easier

for you but the Beats themselves would

be quite minimal because the artists who

would jump on them would be quite

lyrical too so the producers would save

a lot of space for them so going to try

and create something authentic and I

found a sample to flip so all I've done

is drag the sample into s sample but I'm

going to show you how to do it with stop

plugging soon so if you don't have this

then don't worry now s is sick because

it gives me the BPM and the key so it

saves me a lot of time but if you don't

have that we can just drag the sample

into the playlist right click on the BPM

and click tap and now we can just tap

along with it so it would be like this 1

2 3 4 2 2 3 4 so just by counting I'm

hearing the bpm's around 72 so right was

saying 73 so I wasn't far off now with S

I can just click down here and set

random and this will just find random

chops for

me then I can use my keyboard or the

piano roll to draw notes in but if I

just go back what I usually like to do

is make sure that the grid set on the

first beat so you can see we've got this

dead space here which we don't need if I

click grid we can just move that to make

sure it's lined up now if I click here

can choose set slicer and then slice now

it's going to chop everything

evenly so now we've got these even chops

and from here we can play with the

key we can bring the BPM up as well a

lot of Boom B was made around 90 BPM now

all I'm going to do from here is just

play around with a chop so you can

either use a midi keyboard drum pads if

you have them or if you don't have any

of that just hit F7 to go to the piano

roll and you can start drawing notes in

and these are a l bit different chops

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now we can just press control and Q to

quantize everything shift and left click

to balance out the velocity of

volume now if I think any of these chops

are a bit off I can just bring the

starting points back we'll just pitch

that up one more

twoo and then with this chop I like the

start of it but I want that first bit to

stretch so all I'm going to do is just

half it

let's see it

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now yeah that's the one then if you're

getting any clicks you could just bring

the attack up and the release so this is

just another chop that I

found I like to have two different

sections at

least I change that last

part so I'm feeling that chop and if you

don't don't have SLE this is how you do

it with stop plugins so I've got the

sample here we're just going to cut out

the dead space at the beginning we're

going to listen

through we're just going to count around

like four bars so if I cut it there we

could get a perfect Loop and I just

counted that as four bars so all I'm

going to do is activate this stretch

button hold alt and left click and then

bring it back to the fifth line which

just means there's four bars there cuz

now

listen

perfect then we could just double click

hold alt and left click pitch and this

will reset it I'll also set this to

generic bleeding it just moves out the

beginning and end and then we'll

consolidate that time selection cut

remainder checked now if I open this I

can right click and select open a new

fruity slicer Channel I can click this

knife select beat and then with pitch

shift we could bring that up four cuz

that's where we had in srattle bring the

attack and Decay if you want more smooth

chops and then you have the same thing

so if you just copy the pattern

in see what I'm saying you can get the

same results next I just want to clean

up the sample a bit I've pulled up an EQ

I could start by cutting out some of the

lows cuz I'll probably add my own

base and we'll remove some nasty

frequencies like

this I'm also going to use x noise just

to get rid of some of that

hissing I also thought the sample was

leaning too far to the right so I just

pulled up imager and just made it mono

and then I added another one and spread

it so now it's still stereo but it just

felt more balanced might just throw some

chorus on it too just to give it some

texture and then the last thing will

just be some

Reverb okay so for this pan I'm thinking

we could have this one twice and then it

can switch to this and then I think I

want a third section so I'm going to

pull up half

time oh that sounds crazy you know I

think for a verse that could be sick so

we'll just ultimate that and then just

have this in one section then we'll go

to the Alchemy analog lab Bank just find

a sound with some cool texture

we'll just add a bit of delay and some

Reverb just so it fits to bube more and

with boom back bees it's all about

texture so I'm not trying to come up

with any complex Melody I'm just trying

to find sounds that sound good to me

that fit the vibe and that can create

something interesting for example I

might just use this for one note that we

could throw some harmonizer on it go to

delays and then select void just bring

the mix down could add a couple more

maybe here

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maybe one more sound as well got this

cheap guitar preset which by itself

might not sound good but for these

beasts it's

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perfect so now I've just got some tape

delay some

harmonizer chorus and

Reverb so this is

before then after okay now to get them

sound a bit more cohesive I've just

highlighted everything we'll root them

to the same boss we'll just throw on

some

[Music]

rc20 all right so now we've got a few

different parts to work with but the

next thing we need is a basine so I'm

going to go to my drum kit and we're

just going to use a one shot because the

boom back beats I either like to use

something like an upright bass or an

electric bass guitar or just something

acoustic

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sounding we can already hear the

Baseline in the sample so I'm just going

to try and match it

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might even slide some notes as well

let's try

this we're just going to switch it up in

this

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part you know what might even use an 8

in this part just something really

low yeah I'm feeling that probably need

headphones on to hear it now for boom

back drums there's a few different

things you could do you could start off

with a drum brake which is why I

included this whole brakes folder

now there's loads of different styles in

here that have all been mixed and

they're all Tempo synced as well so

whichever when you drag into FL it's

going to match up so you won't need to

stretch

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it so straight away you'd have some nice

drums there and then from here you could

go in and chop the drums up and

rearrange the pattern for this tutorial

I actually want to make the drums from

scratch start with a

snare and you'll notice with all of the

drums in this kit they've all been

recorded by live drums because we're

trying to get that authentic sound

[Music]

turn up the

velocity and we'll find a hat that

matches so I like this green one but the

hats as well I also had a lot of live

Loops recorded and again these are Tempo

synced so you could drag in one of

these I don't think this one matches the

snil we using now so I'm actually going

to make my own pattern start with this

one we'll use one of the midi because

with the MIDI files I've already played

with the velocity and I've already moved

some of them off grid so you're going to

get a way more natural Vibe with this

one press contrl and a to copy it shift

and click to copy these over then we'll

just bring down the velocity holding all

and using the mouse

wheel so I like the way the pattern

sounds Let's test some of the hat

so o this one you

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know so I've just boosted it brought

some of the velocities

down okay let's go grab an open hat as

well and to try and replicate a real

drum set we're going to mute a high hat

every time we add to open

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hat

Mad we add it in

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again so we've got the main pattern in

we just want to add a few things now to

spice it up a bit so maybe some more

snares let's

see feeling that that one then we got

this one at the end

here then I think at the end of every

eight bar maybe we could add a drum

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fill one part let's get one of these

rides in as

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well let's move some off grid

too then we can play with the

panning all right and I also want to

drums to sound a bit more cohesive so

I'm just going to grab everything except

for the kick we'll right click on an

empty Channel then select route to this

track only and this will just group the

drums together and then we're just going

to throw on that same Reverb sometimes I

add a different Reverb like a plate one

but I think this one will work just to

fit the vibe we'll bring the mix right

down the low cut up and the Decay down

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too there we

go sounding a bit grimier all right so

we're getting there now next thing I'm

going to do is split the drums look get

just figure out the arrangement properly

and the easy way to to start a boom bap

track is to take the sample we'll change

the pitch so it matches the

chops and then we're just going to take

the first eight bar we'll send it to the

same mixer

Channel and maybe we'll just take four

bars for this one and just get straight

into it and then we'll add the fill too

see how this

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sounds see what I'm saying sounds hard

we'll get rid of the ride in this part

we'll get rid of the open hat in this

part and then we'll also mute this

snare so it starts off simple can go to

this

part so this whole bit could be like a

hook cuz then when it drops into the

verse we've got this part here so yeah

that could be the hook and then we've

got the verse section here so again

we'll save the open

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hats so this will be the verse cuz it

drops down a bit copy the drums over

then we'll just bring the fill back

in okay maybe one last thing could just

be a crash this can just play on each

drop and then from here we can just go

ahead and copy it over also split The

Melodies and with that guitar we can

just have it coming in on the second

half and we'll have the hook one last

time maybe so that intros is just

sounding a bit different we'll set it to

stretch Pro and bring the foran all the

way

down then we'll create an automation

click bring it back to normal copy the

value and then at this point we'll paste

the value instead it's a single curve

okay let's have listen from the

beginning so you can see the form is

just rising

up J

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Cactus this is SED clean you

know so this will be the hook

we got the

verse this part's crazy completely

switches up the

vibe and we got the guitar and the

[Music]

ride so we got a nice bit of variation

in this one

man that second

shot and then just coming back into the

hook so I hope you're feeling this one

if you were and let me know in the

comments and make sure you check out the

crate collection in the description

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