Entertainment

Drums: Drum Beat Sample

If you listen to hip-hop music, you probably have already realized that many of the drum sounds you hear are made with a drum beat sample from a previously recorded song that is looped over and over again to provide the track with drive a flow. During one brief stretch of time, recording artists Missy Elliot and Bubba Sparxx used the same exact drum beat sample on their songs and each artist scored a hit in his/her own right. They helped to prove that its not the originality of the sample that makes the difference, its what you lay over the beat that counts.

Electronic music, including hip-hop, is a different animal than, say, blues or rock and roll. Your responsibility as an artist is to gain an understanding of the style of music you play. There is no right or wrong in music, only personal preference and the artists who chart the hits are the ones who are able to tune into what the masses prefer.

One Drum Beat Sample Away From Immortality
With so many drum loops and guitar tracks to choose from, youre always just one right or wrong decision away from a hit or a miss. Your best bet is to try as many different combinations as you can. This is known in the industry as re-mixing. In re-mixing a song, a producer selects original elements of a song and replaces them with new ideas.

A re-mixed version of a hit song may feature a completely different drum beat sample than the original, or even a totally new vocal track. Usually it is the vocal track that remains the same in the re-mix, but innovative producing teams such as N.E.R.D. and The Pharcyde, have replaced lead vocal tracks and proven that when talent is involved, nothing is impossible.