Tutorials - Production - The Importance Of Pre-Production

To the producer of Hip-Hop there is nothing more important than pre-production. Pre-production saves enormous amounts of time, both studio and song development time. Too many times I have seen producers or labels rent costly studio time, only to waste it going through record after record, looking for that one sample that will spark the idea for the next song. To the prepared producer, the studio is where you do vocals, effects and the mix. A turntable at a recording session should ideally be used only for scratching, or maybe if needed for that missing horn hit in the chorus or that additional kick or snare that will fatten the beat just enough. To use precious studio time simply looking for samples is a waste. A typical 24 track studio can vary in price from about $25-200 per hour, If you waste ten hours looking for samples while producing a four song demo or a full LP, you have probably spent enough for that first or additional sampler at home that you could have pre-produced with. This brings us to the basic question, "Do you have the ability to do the initial production at home?" If the answer is yes than do it at home. If the answer is no, then consider purchasing the right equipment. Not only will you be able to do all pre-pro at your own crib, but you can do it anytime of day or night(many time I was asleep, dreaming about samples going together and then was able to get up at 3 a.m. and throw them on the S950 or the SP-1200.) Not only will you be more creative, to work whenever you get an idea, but your tracks will end up phat because you had the time to really experiment on your own time, not paying someone else.

If you can't afford to start your home studio there are still a couple of options, first there are many pre-production facilities open, or opening up, that are usually cheaper then a recording studio. Here they usually have most of the popular equipment. While it still costs money, it is cheaper than a studio and you can get the track nice before recording it. If this still costs too much then at least plan your @#%$ out. Lay your main sample on cassette and then try a beat with it from your turntable, keep doing this until you have a basic idea what you have before you start paying for the studio. Also make sure you label or write down where your sounds are coming from: record, song, etc. You don`t want to spend an hour looking for that Funkadelic bassline that you were sure was on One Nation Under a Groove..., or was it Cosmic Slop. Like the man says, "Be Prepared," and your tracks as well as your production in general will come correct. Out.

Added by - Looperman

Date - 2006-05-16 18:32:07

Viewed - 4619 times

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