Today's article is about "auxiliary" sounds and how you can incorporate them into your tracks to instantly make them more interesting. I use the term "auxiliary" (for lack of a better term), because these songs aren't core to your track like a lead sound, the bass, or pads. However, these sounds are little touches that can really elevate the sound of your track. Taking the time to incorporate these sounds into your track shows that you as a producer are 1) not lazy 2) take your craft seriously. Here's how I breakdown aux sounds:
Accents: Accents emphasize important beats in a measure and make them "hit harder". Crash cymbals, timpani hits, marcato strings are some staple sounds for accents, but almost anything within your imagination can be used. For good examples of accents in hip-hop, check out "The Setup" by Obie Trice and listen to how the dark strings at the beginning of the song really help the song hit hard. Another example is "Work Hard, Play Hard" by Wiz Khalifa. Notice how during the chorus, there is a timpani hit that comes in to accent different beats. These little touches really help the track to have impact.
Transition Sounds: The sounds facilitate smooth movement between one part of a musical arrangement and the next (i.e from verse to chorus etc.). Traditionally, drum fills have been a great method to do this (and they still are). However, there are a host of other sounds that can assist with this as well. This includes those swooshes and sweeps that you here in trance and many electronic songs as well as synth sounds that rise in pitch.
Ear Candy: The last category of sound is any sound that just gives a touch of ambiance or unique character to a track. Your imagination is the limit to this type of sounds. Probably the master of ear candy is Timbaland and his now-infamous baby-crying sound in "Are You That Somebody" by Aaliyah. It's not a core sound, but it's a nice little touch that makes the song unique and more interesting.
While not core to a song as other roles in music; do not neglect to incorporate transition sounds into your tracks. After you have gotten down the basics of laying down the core roles of a track (drums, bass, pads, the groove, etc.) start adding and experimenting with the above categories. You'll soon notice your tracks will have that extra touch that make them more polished and professional.
Accents: Accents emphasize important beats in a measure and make them "hit harder". Crash cymbals, timpani hits, marcato strings are some staple sounds for accents, but almost anything within your imagination can be used. For good examples of accents in hip-hop, check out "The Setup" by Obie Trice and listen to how the dark strings at the beginning of the song really help the song hit hard. Another example is "Work Hard, Play Hard" by Wiz Khalifa. Notice how during the chorus, there is a timpani hit that comes in to accent different beats. These little touches really help the track to have impact.
Transition Sounds: The sounds facilitate smooth movement between one part of a musical arrangement and the next (i.e from verse to chorus etc.). Traditionally, drum fills have been a great method to do this (and they still are). However, there are a host of other sounds that can assist with this as well. This includes those swooshes and sweeps that you here in trance and many electronic songs as well as synth sounds that rise in pitch.
Ear Candy: The last category of sound is any sound that just gives a touch of ambiance or unique character to a track. Your imagination is the limit to this type of sounds. Probably the master of ear candy is Timbaland and his now-infamous baby-crying sound in "Are You That Somebody" by Aaliyah. It's not a core sound, but it's a nice little touch that makes the song unique and more interesting.
While not core to a song as other roles in music; do not neglect to incorporate transition sounds into your tracks. After you have gotten down the basics of laying down the core roles of a track (drums, bass, pads, the groove, etc.) start adding and experimenting with the above categories. You'll soon notice your tracks will have that extra touch that make them more polished and professional.
About the Author:
Frank Lubsey is a founding member of the Jam Sonic music production team. Check out his site for hip-hop beats for sale and beatmaking articles and videos.