Friday, October 26, 2012

Guide to Making Hip-Hop Beats for Sale: Pads

By Frank Lubsey


In this article, we will explore an often under-appreciated role in a hip-hop beats, the pads. Pads have never been a prominent feature in hip-hop, but nevertheless, when used correctly, pads can be an effective way to spice up your beats.

As stated in earlier articles, music is really the synchronization of rhythm and harmony. While the drums are the part that establishes the rhythm, it is the pads that can really establish the harmony when used effectively. Through their role in building the harmonic foundation of a song, pads have a powerful ability to add emotions to a track that the drums simply cannot. Whether the mood is triumphant, reflective, or sad, pads can easily bring those emotions into a beat. For example, listen to the intro to "One Mic" by Nas and hear how the subtle pads instantly give the song a reflective vibe to it. Another example would be "I'm Not Afraid" by Eminem, where in the intro of the song, the pads once again instantly set up a mood of triumph. Follow these examples and explore the different range of emotions that you can put into your track via the use of pads.

Another great use of pads is their ability to fill space in a track without taking away from the main part of the song. Because pads are long and sustained, they can easily complement other parts such as the groove and the lead parts without distracting the listener. If you tried to fill in space in your track with other parts such as the lead or the groove (both of which we'll cover in later articles), they can often times take away from those parts because they will distract the user. As a result, pad sounds are one of the primary sounds used for layering ( a concept that we will talk about in later articles). The key to having pads fill up space in a track is to mix them in at low volumes in a mix. Pads should be audible but not noticeable in a mix in order to get the maximum effectiveness out of them.

Use the space filling ability of pads to help distinguish parts such as the verse and chorus from one another. Experiment with bringing in the pads during the chorus and leaving them out during the verse. Now listen to the beat and notice how the song has a more dynamic impact when the chorus kicks in. You can also experiment with this by doing it the other way around. Have a full-sounding verse and a sparse chorus.

Now that you've learned about the pads, keep an ear out for them next time you are listening to beats and start incorporating them into your tracks. In our next article, we'll the discuss the next role, the groove.




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