With the song “Kush” , DJ Khalil, long-time producer of the Shady/Aftermath family, has created a modernized, yet authentic G-Funk masterpiece. Realizing the strengths of musician collaboration (explained in the clip at left), Khalil was able to produce a hit worthy of Dr. Dre’s legacy. The hook was written by Kobe Honeycutt roughly 2 years prior to the release of what would become the first single of Dr. Dre’s much anticipated Detox. Khalil saw the song’s potential and ensured it had a solid foundation. Dre jumped on it as soon as he heard it, and with the help of Khalil’s experienced ear, the song was sculpted into a brand new Dre hit.

In this Hit Report, ModernBeats examines multiple aspects of Kush’s music production and melodic composition including details on producing Khalil’s synth sounds, piano performances, drum programming, and much more. A special feature of the full report, downloadable at bottom, is our step-by-step drum and music audio examples, plus 3-part interview audio from DJ Khalil himself. (Play examples below)

Kush – Drum Production (Snares)

Let’s start with the snare production. In the full Kush Hit Report, we’ll explain how to achieve a snare sound very similar to what you hear in Khalil’s song. You can hear the full drum production in the Kush – Full Music Production Audio Example (All melodies intentionally different). The full report contains a detailed step-by-step drum production tutorial with multiple audio examples. Here in the web preview, we’ll explain the first steps of how the snare mix is layered within Reason’s Kong drum designer.

Step 1 – Layering Snares

At left are layered samples from our initial snare mix. This is our first step in creating a comparable snare sound: getting the right samples; then blending them using careful filtering and mixing. We’re thus creating a sub-mix for the snares, and we’ll show how we integrate that into the rest of the project. The lowpass/bandpass filters give this particular sample a mid-treble boost.

Step 2 – Attack and Decay

The ride cymbal sample is being used for its high-mid content. It’s been processed with Kong’s on-board drum room reverb to give it ambience and lowpass filter and to shave off the highest, most piercing frequencies of the ride cymbal.

The ambience that this adds to the full snare mix goes a long way toward creating a robust snare sound like you hear in Kush. While it’s often fine to use a single snare sample, it’s also often necessary to layer, if your samples are missing some elements of the type of sound you’re aiming for. For this task, Kong is the perfect tool.

One very important aspect of the Kush mix is that it incorporates a large array of instruments while at the same time giving the vocals all kinds of room. An example of how Khalil accomplishes this is the filtering of the polyensemble synthesizer, which we explain in the full downloadable report at the bottom of this article.

Kush – LFO Synthesizer Production

As illustrated in the Kush Frequency Separation Map (top right of this article), getting a great mix requires that each instrument in the multi-track session is assigned it’s own spectrum range. Other instruments may share the same range, but they’ll be equalized appropriately, and mixed at different levels and stereo positions to avoid conflicts. So, for instance, DJ Khalil’s ascending LFO Synthesizer (asc. synth) is a perfect example of filling the 3khz - 15khz range. While it shares that frequency range with some treble percussion elements, there is no risk of conflicts. In the full Hit Report below we’ll explain some of the filtering tricks that can be used to keep instruments from crowding one another in the mix. For now let’s focus on some aspects of Khalil’s LFO synth production.

The LFO Synthesizer is one of the most compelling aspects of the Kush production, as you can hear in the LFO Synth Production Example. We’ve chosen to use Reason’s Thor polyphonic synthesizer to re-create Khalil’s rising LFO synth. That said, nearly any quality hardware or software analog synthesizer can do the job. All you need is an oscillator, a delay, a modulation matrix, and a distortion. Let’s get started.

Step 1 – Oscillator

We’ve used a single analog sine oscillator to begin creating this patch, then routed it through a lowpass ladder filter. We’re using the drive on the lowpass ladder to add a bit of gain and high frequency color to the sound. A filter frequency setting of 20 kHz, and a very low resonance setting do the trick.

Note that the shaper is off and the button that routes the signal from the lowpass ladder is engaged, routing the signal to the amp section of the Thor Synth.

Step 2 – LFO1 and Delay

Next, we’re using LFO 1 to ramp the pitch of oscillator 1. Note there’s no LFO delay, meaning the LFO begins to ramp pitch as soon as the note is played. The gradual ascent of the pitch comes from the slow rate setting (.7ms).

Delays often enhance production accents like this one, where pitch sweeps gradually from low to high etc. The delay used here is synched to quarter notes, with medium feedback and just a small amount of wet mix to create the effect you hear in the original.

Kush – In Summary

In the full report below, we explain the LFO synth production down to the final detail, and do our best to provide an overview of every stage of the music production process, from composition, to sound design, to editing, to EQ and compression, right up to offering insights to achieving a final master. If you stick it out to the end of the full Hit Report, we guarantee your production skills stand to become a lot sharper.

Order the “Kush” Hit Report & Get it all…
	Kush Music Production Audio Tutorial! (Play MP3) Kush DJ Khalil Interview Audio! (Play MP3 - Part1) Kush Song Format Map! (View All) Kush Chord Progression Map! (View All) Kush Frequency Separation Map! (View All) Kush Song Arrangement Map! (View All) Kush Melody Map! (View All) Kush - Detailed Audio Examples & Screenshots Kush - Melody and Composition Workshop! Kush - In-Depth Step-By-Step LFO Synth Tutorial! Kush - In-Depth Step-By-Step Analog Synth Tutorial! Kush - Step-by-Step Drum Production Report! Kush - Song Arrangement Step-by-Step Report! Kush - Groove Analysis Report! Kush - Music Production with Ableton Live! Kush - Production Instruction with Reason 5! Kush - Chord Progression Report! Kush - Reason Rewire Step-By-Step Report! Kush - Stereo Enhancement Music Production Report! Kush - Master Buss Multiband Processing Report! Kush - DJ Khalil Interview Audio! Bonus 1: Free VIPKIT#15, 114 Samples, $30 value! Bonus 2: Kush MIDI & WAV Drum Loops, $20 value! Bonus 3: Kush Reason 5 Synth & Kong Presets, $20 value! Instant Download $14.95
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Music Production Video Tutorial - Programming R&B Beats with ‘Neptunian Drumz’ Drum Samples from ModernBeats.com as heard in many R&B dance hits.

ModernBeats.com’s ‘Neptunian Drumz’ hip hop drum samples have been used in several Billboard hit songs such as Beyonce’s “Single Ladies” and Timbaland’s “Marchin On”. This video covers 3 drum programming and sequencing tips to help you achieve an overall professional R&B dance beat using ModernBeats Neptunian Drumz.

BONUS: Order ‘Neptunian Drumz’, Get Free Song Submit Uploads to submit your music directly to record labels and film/tv music supervisors via Song Submit. ‘Neptunian Drumz’ loads automatically into Reason’s NN-XT, Kontakt, Battery, EXS24, Halion, & more. This video covers the following 3 music production tips:

1) Use Kicks w/ Character:

Just as RedZone did using ModernBeats drums for Beyonce’s “Single Ladies”, choose kicks the have character and empower your mix. Sound choice is critical to achieving a hit sound. RedZone understood utilizing drums that both included a live ambience and urban feel delivered the exact energy needed to pull off such a huge R&B dance hit.

2) Vary Drum Length & Duration:

Go beyond mere quantization and understand how varying the length of kicks, snares, and percussion throughout a 4-bar or 8-bar phrase can turn an amateur rhythm into one of appeal.

3) Apply Different Velocities:

Learn how applying different velocity values to each pulse in a drum sequence can provide realism and a human feel to your beat. By applying realistic velocity values to your drum programming, overal drum phrasing becomes more musical and professional as heard in today’s Billboard hits.

Video intro/outro music was produced using ModernBeats Ethnic Music Chopz.
Please comment on this video if you have questions or reactions of any kind!

New York Record Label A&R Team Genius Republic (Credits: Bad Boy, Interscope, T-Pain, Tone Trump, Jordin Sparks) has hooked up w/ Song Submit to find great hip-hop, r&b, pop beats & songs to sign to hit record labels & artists. Upload your best music now to get reviewed & land a possible major record contract!

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One of the most creative music producers of all time is, without question, Tim “Timbaland” Mosely. Timbaland quickly garnered a devoted following by constructing masterpiece beats so stylistically unique, he revolutionized urban music production. Timbaland became a pioneer by integrating organic samples into hard-hitting hip hop rhythms. In our latest Hit Report, we wanted to cover fresh techniques. Timbaland’s Morning After Dark was the obvious choice. The song is thick with valuable lessons. The drum beat alone sparkles with classic Mosely mischief. In the full report, we illuminate every aspect of the drum beat’s production from mix to rhythm, complete with step-by-step audio and illustrations. Plus, we cover the song’s mix and arrangement, and also reveal handy synth programming and arpeggiator tricks. Study this one closely, and you’ll walk out a better producer.

Morning After Dark - Drum Production Audio Tutorial

The rhythmic foundation of a song, the beat, is often thought of in the simplest of terms: lay down a pattern for the kick, the snare, and a ride cymbal or a tambourine, and you’re done; you can move on to the rest of the song. But carefully examining Timbaland’s drum beat shows the difference between making a beat and producing a beat. At left, is a quick glance at all the tracks it took our top producers to re-create Timbaland’s drum beat accurately. The image shows clearly what any producer with ears can hear: that there is more than just a drum recording here.

Let’s explain what’s going on. The blue samples at the top represent the kick drum. Above, we’ve recreated the kick drum sound by stacking the same kick three times, separating each layer with an equalizer in Sonar. As we explain in the full report, stacking the kick allows us to separate it in the frequency spectrum and treat the bass, mid, and high frequencies with different mastering processes, piecing them all together to form a very finely-tuned kick drum sound. On the backbeat are snare samples which have also been layered to match the original beat. Below that is the tambourine line (purple), sidesticking samples that have been separated using a Haas method (gray), and finally vocal samples.

You can click on the image to get a more detailed look at the sequencer, but if you want to see exactly how this beat was made, the answer lies in the full Hit Report. In what’s probably our best Hit Report yet, Hit Talk shows you the Morning After Dark drum beat in every detail complete with screenshots of mastering techniques and equalizer settings, plus audio examples. The fine result can be heard in our re-creation: Morning After Dark - Drum Production Audio Example. By downloading the full report and studying our complete lesson in drum production, you’ll learn how that beat can be built with very specific production techniques that you can apply to any song.

Melody Map Preview - Bass Synth

At the top of the report, you can see the Melody Map preview, showing the first 2 bars of the Morning After Dark bassline. Since many of our readers are new producers, some who don’t yet routinely compose by hand, we strongly encourage you to try to play this bassline as we’ve illustrated it in the Melody Map preview above. It’s a two-bar pattern. Although we’ve shown only one bar, you can simply substitute the B 8th note at the end of the first bar for another A flat, like what’s played in the rest of the melody.

This exercise is not to show you the melody, so much as it is about learning about dynamics. Carefully listening to another producer’s performance, whether or not it was originally played by hand, will train you to play with some sense of dynamics. To this end, you can pick a saw synth patch that’s roughly equivalent to the one that Timbaland uses, but really any synth with a short release time will do the trick. Below, you can see the oscillator section of Reason’s Thor synthesizer. We’ve modified Thor’s “chime bass” patch, which is already close in timbre to the bass synth used by Timbaland.

Above, we’ve modified the balance between oscillators one and two, plus switched up the filter routing. It’s close to Timbaland’s bass sound. The timbre isn’t really the point. Above, the amp envelope is shown just to the left of “Global Env” bottom right. Once you’ve set that envelope, give the melody a try on your own keyboard. You’ll quickly find that each 16th note has to be short and snappy, or else the feel and flow of this integral component to the song simply evaporate. It’s the dynamic contrast between these short staccato 16th notes, and the long drawn out 8th notes that give this bassline the feel and power to drive the song. Learning to re-produce these dynamic subtleties on the fly will make you a better composer, because while you’re playing a riff that you invented, you’ll know how to embellish it and bring it up to its full potential. The Melody Map acts as an aide to this process, and of course any report that contains a melody map will be useful for the same purpose.

Morning After Dark - Closing Thoughts

Morning After Dark is a classic example of the depth, detail and creativity Timbaland is capable of as a producer. And though the vampire-themed song has fared better on charts overseas than it has at home, Morning After Dark is still an irrefutably sizzling track, well-worth studying.

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	Morning After Dark Drum Production Audio Tutorial! (Play MP3) Morning After Dark Song Format Map! (View All) Morning After Dark Frequency Separation Map! (View All) Morning After Dark Song Arrangement Map! (View All) Morning After Dark Melody Map! (View All) Morning After Dark - Detailed Audio Examples & Screenshots Morning After Dark - Step By Step Drum Production Report! Morning After Dark - Song Arrangement Step-by-Step Report! Morning After Dark - Synth Sound Design Report! Morning After Dark - Production Instruction with Cakewalk Sonar! Morning After Dark - Production Instruction with Reason 4! Morning After Dark - Mastering and Equalization Report! Morning After Dark - Synth Arpeggio Production! Super Bonus: VIPKIT#24, 135 Samples, $30 value! Instant Download $14.95
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Beyoncé’s Single Ladies - written and produced by Chris Stewart (a.k.a. Tricky), Terius Nash (a.k.a. The Dream), and Kuk Harrell of Atlanta-based RedZone Entertainment - rapidly ascended the charts in late 2008, and, at the time of writing, tops Billboard Hot 100, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, and Hot Digital Songs. At first listen, Single Ladies may sound like a simple club beat, but actually, the depth and detail of this song’s composition, arrangement and production is paramount. The backbone of Single Ladies is an explosive kick drum sample taken straight from the ModernBeats Library, further empowered by RedZone’s clever accents and embellishments: snappy delays, reversed samples, crafty downsampling, epic-sounding strings playing against pitch-bending ARP2600- style synths. Single Ladies uses every trick in the book, plus invents a few of its own. To help understand RedZone’s daunting skills, Hit Talk reveals the production techniques used in Single Ladies in our most elaborate Hit Report yet! You can find out about the mix and frequency separation, plus the woodwind production in this online preview, or purchase the full report below to read our comprehensive analysis.

Mix & Frequency Separation

As we mentioned, Single Ladies sounds simple. However, one look at Hit Talk’s frequency separation map shows a much more complex tale, revealing the frequency ranges occupied by each track in the song. The kick occupies a conventional range of about 30Hz to about 200Hz, yet what makes the kick special is that it fills that range. It has resonant peaks at 36Hz, 55Hz, 95Hz, and plenty of resonance between 95 and 200Hz. Any acoustic kick will have several peak resonances, but this is an exceptionally full kick: a perfect choice for a song like Single Ladies that contains intermittent bass parts.

The bass parts within the song consist of a huge-sounding synched organ-style synth (sysn1, sysn2) and a bending square wave bass synth (bsn1, bsn2). Both of these instruments are introduced in the hook, starting with the synched synth which contains upper harmonics extending past 500KHz. Since the two instruments play a call and response, naturally their frequencies do not conflict.

Single Ladies’s synched organ synth sound is a 3-oscillator combination. One oscillator is a rich sub-bass sine wave, and the second oscillator is a gritty saw waveform one octave above the sub-bass (both occupy sysn1). The third oscillator resides in the tenor range (sysn2). All three oscillators are controlled by a common pitch wheel bending one full octave up, then back down. At the top of the frequency diagram are the noise swells. The swells are integral components of the song serving as segues throughout the song. Specifically, Single Ladies’s noise swells function as seamless transitions from one section of the song to the next - an excellent tool to append a song’s arrangement with finesse and style. A noise swell can be accomplished via a simple process like applying a modulated filter signal to a synth’s noise oscillator, however, the swells in Single Ladies are more complex. They use a programmed patch containing oscillator and noise sweeps, filter and pitch modulation, and delay. The oscillator pitch and filters modulate to the higher frequency range toward the end of the swells, resulting in the characteristic low to high crescendo. Next, starting from the very beginning of the song, there’s a brief staccato note played at E4 (fb). If you’ve ever played a finger bass or a fretless bass on the high frets, you’ll recognize this timbre immediately. Miking a bass amplifier, then playing E4 on the high frets is an easy way to produce this timbre.

The vocals (voc1,voc2,voc3) are separated on the Frequency Map into their fundamental notes, harmonics, and sibilant consonants. There is some overlap between voc1 and voc2 because there are so many vocal harmonies. One of the key tracks in this mix is the woodwind melody (w1, w2; fundamentals, harmonics), which we’ll explain at length below in our track detail map. The claps occupy a broad range of frequencies in the treble range, and finally a vibrato synth (vsn1, vsn2) can be heard playing an E5 note on the backbeat throughout the song. This track adds critical interest to the song by using a sine-wave LFO to modulate the pitch of the synth, which is routed periodically through a chorus filter. So, from a glance at the Frequency Map, it’s easy to see just how complex this straightforward-sounding song truly is.

Woodwind Accent Production

One example of how a simple-sounding accent can take many production steps is the woodwind accent that plays throughout the song. This accent acts as a playful taunt. It sounds more like a bird song than a melody. First, let’s explain the pitch of this sound. It’s quite easy to load a flute or clarinet sample into your sampler, set your pitch bend range to 8 or 9 semitones, and get something that sounds like this woodwind sample. Most likely, however, the pitch bend wheel won’t satisfy. That’s because this sound was created using the pattern of notes shown in the illustration above (B3, D4, E4, F#4, Ab4, B3). They’re played quickly enough that they effectively blend together. The last B3 is attenuated so much that it’s barely audible compared to the other notes. In addition, the last B3 makes a quiet bend down to a A3.

The previous step doesn’t quite complete the effect. You still need to add yet another layer of editing. The woodwind is layered with a quick left-right delay effect, that we’ve explained here. At right, we’ve used the free synth called Oatmeal to emulate a woodwind sound. Next, we’ve used Live’s Simple delay (a stereo delay) to control the left and right channels of audio. The simple delay allows you to delay via synched “steps,” or via milliseconds (but not both - hence ignore the gray highlighted “4″ and “6″). We’ve set the right channel to 3.34 ms, and the left channel to its absolute minimum: 1 ms. Setting the delay to 100% wet separates the left and right channels completely. Hence, the left channel hits the ear just 2.34 ms before the right channel. That creates what’s called the Haas effect, where the listener perceives directionality and width in the signal even though both channels use exactly the same volume.

These few steps should create a close match to the woodwind sample in Single Ladies. Like the clap production (which we explain in the full report), this may look like a lot of trouble for a small effect, but look at it this way: a producer builds an arsenal of production skills and techniques, and begins to implement those skills with increasing ease and fluidity in every production. It might take a lot of talk to pin down specific pro techniques, but when you’ve learned and practiced these techniques, half of your work is done. Now you just need to rely on your producer’s ear to employ them wisely.

Chris Stewart, Terius Nash , and Kuk Harrell, have all proven themselves independently, and collectively as Redzone Entertainment, earning their highest acclaim as co-writers and producers of Rihanna’s ethereal masterpiece, “Umbrella.” Beyoncé’s Single Ladies is further proof of the magnificent synergy that ignites when their complimentary skills unite.

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	Single Ladies Song Format Map! (View All) Single Ladies Frequency Separation Map! (View All) Single Ladies Song Arrangement Map! (View All) Single Ladies Groove Analysis Map! (View All) Single Ladies Chord Progression Map! (View All) Single Ladies Track Detail Map! (View All) Single Ladies Song Arrangement Step-by-Step Report! Single Ladies Mix & Frequency Separation Report! Single Ladies Music Production Report! Single Ladies Vocal Production Report! Single Ladies Drum Production Report! Single Ladies Hook Production Report! Single Ladies Synth Report! Single Ladies Effects Report! Super Bonus: VIPKIT#20, 193 Samples, $30 value! Instant Download $14.95
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Universal Records & more are now signing pop, r&b, & dance songs. Universal/Jive Production Teams have hooked up w/ Song Submit to sign pop, r&b, and dance songs for Missy, Ciara, Plies, Jason Derulo, plus new artists are also being considered as well. Submit your songs now to be considered for possible signing & label placement! Upload your best music to Song Submit now to be considered for Major Record Label Placement!

Major Record Labels Seek Pop, R&B, & Dance Songs to Sign via Song Submit:

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Step 1 - Highlight and Chop

The sample we used, taken from ModernBeats Urban Anthemz 2, is called “B01H197.” Here we’re beginning to construct a new beat by slicing out the first brass hit of the sample. At left, we’ve highlighted the brass hit by left-clicking the mouse and dragging the cursor across it, taking care to include the whole sustain and attack. Now, we simply hit “Ctrl+C” or click “copy” in the “edit” menu at the top of Audacity’s GUI. This copies the desired slice of audio. Since we’re not using the rest of the loop, we’ll get rid of it by pressing the “X” button in the top left of the track. Pressing “Ctrl+V,” or clicking “paste” in Audacity’s “edit” menu places the brass hit at the beginning of a new channel, ready to be implemented in a sublime new beat.

Step 2 - Locate the Digital Artifact

We’ve cut the sample at a spot where the wave amplitude is relatively high, hence there’s a good chance the sample doesn’t start at 0 dB. The result is the characteristic “tick” we discussed in the intro of this tip. Audacity is an extremely flexible software, and gives you numerous options for correcting problems like these. The “envelope” tool (the blue and white button next to the pencil icon at the top of Audacity’s GUI), allows easy creation of fades and mutes, the “draw” tool allows you to re-draw waveforms, but perhaps the best tool for microfading a one-shot sample is the “fade in” tool.

To use fade in, you’ll first have to zoom in on the sample. If you own a Mac, you can zoom in on the sample by holding “Cmd+1,” or “Cmd+3″ to zoom out, or you can press the magnifying glass icons at the top of the screen. At left, we’ve zoomed in to the very beginning of the sample, where, as you can see, the waveform does not begin at 0dB. This will cause an ugly interruption in the smoothness of this channel’s signal if it remains uncorrected.

Step 3 - Correct the Problem Using Fade In

All you need to do now is highlight a very small piece of the sample’s introduction, go to the effect menu up the top and select “fade in.” Now your sample will look something like what you see at left. The end of the sample will need the same treatment; but be sure to apply “fade out,” rather than “fade in” to the end of the sample. In addition to editing the edges of your chopped samples, zooming in on your sample using Audacity will provide you with even more opportunities to clean up your sample. For instance, the waves in Audacity can be tidied up using the “draw” tool (represented by the pencil icon). If, for example, your sample contains unwanted transient clicks, you can edit those out simply by re-drawing the waveform while zoomed in. These, plus many more of Audacity’s free audio editing tools, make

this software an impressive freebie, and a perfect beginner DAW. Any DAW is capable of the same technique of micro-fading is usually quite easy. Mackie Tracktion, for example, places an button on either side of every single clip in the Tracktion sequencer allowing for quick microfades. Armed with this knowledge, you’re now ready to produce pristine, glossed mixes. Whatever DAW you use, always remain disciplined and comprehensive when it comes to editing your audio files. Strive for uncluttered mixes, free of artifacts, polishing your productions so they shine.

*Many thanks to John Rutter of Essex, UK for supplying screen captures, and for writing the rough draft on which this article was based.

Hit Topline Writers who have written for Britney Spears, Lady Gaga, 3LW, Janet Jackson, Backstreet Boys, & Aaron Carter are now looking for pop r&b dance beats to sign at Song Submit. Submit your beats now for a chance to sign a major record deal with hit recording artists. Upload beats now at Song Submit to get reviewed firsthand by Top Label A&R.

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