A lot of our readers know that a weak beat can be strengthened with a compressor, but what settings are best for what applications? What are the optimal compression settings for a Hip Hop snare, kick, bass, or percussion? In Hip Hop, if you want to compress like the best, you need knowledge of standard compressor settings used by Hip Hop producers. Read more

What’s the difference between a solid drum beat, and a flimsy drum beat? Many times, the difference is the mix. A good drum mix requires an evenly balanced stereo field & soundstage. Many amateur productions have narrow, almost mono, drum mixes. These narrow drum mixes throw off a song’s overall balance where instrument tracks Read more

How much difference does one 8th note make? How much difference does one instrument make? In fact, they can make a huge difference! A big part of becoming a songwriter or becoming a music producer is learning how very small changes to an original idea can transform it dramatically. In our previous hook composition tip, we showed Read more

Ever come across instruments that sound narrow, bland, or just plain uninspiring? If you’ve determined that timbre, rhythm or performance isn’t the problem, then what’s left? Why does it still sound flat? If the recording is in mono, that could be your problem, and how many times have you recorded a guitar or voice through a single mic input? There’s no Read more

Everyone listens to what’s hittin’ the top of Billboard. Hundreds of those songs get copied, remixed, re-invented, and imitated by hundreds of artists. How many times have you heard a novice producer’s beat and thought “hey, I recognize that”? Really, there’s nothing wrong with learning or sampling from melodies that are already popular, but what if - instead Read more

To create catchy melodies, all you have to do is play an instrument, and channel your creativity. Easy right? Sure. The hard part is paving the way for that creativity. So, how do you pave the way for that creativity and compose compelling melodies? Let’s take a look at melody composition using basic musical exercises as a starting point. Read more

Have you ever wondered which mics are best for beat boxing? We’ve got the answers. Whatever your price range, there is a perfect microphone for the job. Most up’n'coming producers begin building their studio with an all-purpose large diaphragm condenser, like the Rode NT-2, but when you want your homie to beat box, havin’ a condenser Read more

Understanding how and how not to record acoustic guitar is critical knowledge for a producer in any field of music. First let us say that an acoustic guitar almost always sounds better through a microphone, but noise, and other culprits can often force a producer to plug directly into a hi-z input. Thus, Hit Talk’s first guitar recording tip deals with plugging the Read more

Slicing tools like Propellerheads Reason’s Dr. Rex player, and FL Studio 8’s Slicex plugin are powerful remixing tools. With either of these tools in your arsenal, your creativity is limitless. Both programs slice up songs or beats into tiny pieces that can be re-triggered. In the Dr. Rex player, as well as in Slicex, each pulse within a beat or song is Read more

Subwoofers are a respectable medium of creativity. Urbanites might respectfully disagree, but we maintain that the subwoofer is a unique creative medium for the most inventive of Hip Hop production. If you appreciate sound design, this tip article is for you. Let’s give you an idea of what we’re talking about. The introduction to “Bring me to Life” by Read more