My Top 10 Aha Moments as a Music Producer
“Don’t fuck up the drums” — Travis Scott
During an interview with Clique TV in 2015, Travis Scott was asked about the most important aspect of mixing sound. He replied, "The drums, the drums. I don't give a fuck about anything else, you hear me? Nothing, bro. Nothing. I don't care. The drums, bro. Don't mess up the drums. You can do everything else wrong, but just don't mess up the drums."
My takeaway: Travis Scott's response during the interview highlights the significance of drums in music production, particularly in the context of sound mixing. His emphasis on the drums suggests that he views them as a fundamental element in shaping the overall sound and vibe of a track.
Interscope Made Copies of Suge Knight’s Drums
In Episode 6 of “Collect Call with Suge Knight,” Suge shares a story about how his archives were allegedly stolen by Interscope. He claims that Interscope first made copies of all his drum beats so Dr. Dre could create songs with them.
My takeaway: Drum beats form the backbone of many songs, providing rhythm, energy, and groove. Suge Knight's claim suggests that Interscope recognized the value of his drum beats by copying them for Dr. Dre's use.
“Splice is like Canal Street” — !llmind
In 2019, hip-hop producer !llmind shared with me his disdain for Splice due to its abundance of low-quality sounds. He compared Splice to Canal Street, known for vendors selling counterfeit Louis Vuitton bags. His analogy emphasized the prevalence of “cheap sounds” on Splice. Over time, as I refined my ear for discerning sound quality, I acknowledged the validity of his critique. While Splice indeed hosts numerous cheap sounds, there are still valuable finds amidst them. For top-notch drum loops, I highly recommend exploring the Oliver: Power Tools Sample Packs. Additionally, Pelham & Junior, X10, and DopeBoyzMuzic offer exceptional songstarters on Splice.
“It’s not how you make the sounds; it’s what you do with them.” — Diplo
To promote his new sample pack on Sounds.com, Diplo crafted a humorous yet insightful commercial. In it, he demonstrates how he created the sounds for his pack. The storyline follows his evolving perspective, initially believing he was cheating by using samples in his new sample pack. Then, he questions if programming drums was also cheating, so he learned how to play the drums. Next, he considers whether the drumsticks weren’t made by him, so he planted a tree, and so forth. Ultimately, he concludes that it’s not the method of sound creation that matters, but rather how one utilizes them.
My takeaway: Whether it's sampling, programming drums, or any other technique, what truly matters is the end result and how it's utilized.
Diplo gradually comes to realize that what's important is not adhering to arbitrary standards of "authenticity," but rather embracing one's own process and vision.
Know your strengths and weaknesses. If you can’t create a dope melody to save your life or you can’t program drums outsource it.
Bottom line: Im not romantic about programming my own drums nor creating my own melodies. I’m romantic about finding the best drum loops and melodies and creating something amazing. I’m romantic about song structure!
When I go to the grocery store, I didn’t make the ripe tomato, but damn does it go well with this ripe onion. I picked them out. I made a kickass dish with them! That is still being a producer.
Cooking up Efficiently
After realizing how important drums were to the overall beat, I started paying attention to what my favorite drum loops were on Splice. Eventually, while using Splice, I noticed that my ear was consistently drawn to the same quality drum loop for a particular BPM. So, I ended up making a list of the best drum loops on Splice for every BPM. Now, whenever I find a sick melody, I look it’s BPM, and already know which drum loop to use.
“Sound selection is what will seperate you from the amatuers” — T-Minus
I was watching an interview where !llmind asked T-Minus what he's learned over the years about sound selection. T-Minus kept it real: “What separates the big producers from the little producers is who has the better sounds, who has the more developed ear, and whose beats knock the hardest.” And the first name out of his mouth? Timbaland.
That stuck with me—because to me, Timbaland is the gold standard. His sounds were always wild, different, and his drums hit every time.
That’s why I take sound selection so seriously. I want to know who’s making the best sample packs, where to find the hardest drums, the craziest melodies, the cleanest acapellas. You gotta know where to “shop” as a producer.
Winning a Grammy feels just as good at 80
When I downloaded FL Studio in 2019, the first thing I said to myself was, "Winning a Grammy at 80 feels just as good as winning a Grammy at 30." When you believe that, truly believe that, you give yourself permission to enjoy the journey. If you give yourself time, you're more likely to continue with the craft for a very long time.
The last thing I’ll say is that my favorite moments as a music producer have been with friends late at night, talking about life, tired as fuck, vibing out to a shitty beat. Those are my favorite moments dude. Fuck the accolades. Fuck em.
Being creative and having fun with someone in the studio was far more important and memorable than ever making a good beat or song.
If all I did was make mediocre beats with my friends and we had a ton of fun doing it, I would consider that being successful at your craft. Straight up!