8/11/2013

The Importance Of The Drum Machine In Hip Hop Beats And Rap Instrumentals

By Delroy Wilkins


In the past, getting information about the drum machine online was quite difficult. You could easily get overwhelmed by the large number of equipment available then. Understanding what specific function a piece of equipment performed was even harder. Majority of equipment available then performed different tasks at once. It was easy to get confused about different equipment such as synthesizers and keyboards. This article will discuss the different terms you might come across and their respective meanings.

The drum machine has evolved from being a piece of music making equipment to existing in different forms including as software. However, even in software form, it cannot function on its own and must come as part of a larger music making program. Days have changed and one piece of equipment can handle a variety of tasks.

The main function of the drum machine is the creation of drum sounds that can be used in beat making. Early drum machines came with pre-created drum sounds that limited the producer's ability of making custom sounds. Music producers were therefore expected to buy a drum machine after carefully identifying the types of drum sounds the machine came with. The Roland TR-808 is one of the popular drum machines that were recognized due to its distinct and clear sounds. Today's drum machines offer more flexibility as you can now use your own sound samples. You can also download and use samples from third party sources as well as existing tracks.

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.

Both functions, creating drum beats and programming beats are the most important in the drum machine. Every drum machine needs to have these functions to work properly. Thanks to technological innovations, modern drum machines can perform other different functions above these two. There are other indistinct functions performed by drum machines. These functions also play a major role in hip hop beat creation. Be sure invest and invest a lot of time an energy into your drum sounds.




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