friends...

most of the artists into my studio over the last two years are rappers. what they always seem to do is bring mp3's from youtube & expect to overdub vocals on top (i know, i know).
recently, I aquired Band-in-a-Box 2012...& realized that if there were more hip hop & rap styles, I could generate backup tracks for them myself & establish a local market at the same time.

but sadly...there are not (hip hop/rap styles in B-i-a-B)

so...I'm now thinking...are there OTHER software packages out there that are geared toward hip hop & rap...in the same vein or using similar methods as Band-in-a-Box...(meaning...the user establishes their own Chords, Tempo & Arrangement...& picks a Style...& the software creates the song)...???
 
is Music Creator something I should look at...???...(& do add-on's such as Instant PopStar go along w/ this app...???) 

looking for answers...thanx,


mark4man


[btw - the method mentioned is just what I am used to...& this would mean a quick transition w/ a minimal learning curve.  but i'll learn whatever work it takes.]

Mark.... 

Not that I am aware of.   

BiaB is a very cool and useful program but it does have it's strengths and it's limitations. I am not into the HH/rap genre but I do believe there are a limited number of styles there in BB for that genre. I have played around with a few of them just experimenting.  I'm into country mostly but even in that genre, I have found styles to be lacking for certain songs that I write or work on.  With over 3000 styles you would not think that would be the case, but it is. In addition, getting BB to play a time signature other than 4/4 or 3/4 is pretty difficult. (at least in the version I have...2011) 

Ultimately, you will probably need to create your own loops and beats to be current with the HH/rap genre since it is probably one of the fastest changing genres in the music world today. Using the tools in Music Creator will allow you to do this and the only limiting factor in MC6 is your imagination. 

In MC6, you can easily run any synth VST to get the sounds you need and MC6 has the ability to play what you give it. Building beats and loops is easy to do with either staff or PRV or importing premade loops and editing them as you see fit.


Not being a rap/ R&B/ HH kind of guy, but listening to the music from time to time.... I saw a guy on youtube show... in just 5 minutes... how he used his DAW software to create and record a complete song in that genre/style. using looping and a simple one finger technique with a synth keyboard. It was quite amazing and it sounded really good. I don't have time to look it up right now..... but search youtube and see for yourself how others are creating new music in this genre.  what I saw in that video was very simple and easy, and the results were as good as anything I've heard on the radio. 

Besides, if you take someone else's music, you have to pay licensing & royalties to use it legally. write your own and you own the copyright. 

The band in a box approach does not work well for hip-hop. I have seen failed attempts at this sort of thing and they sound kind of like the one key style presets on consumer keyboards. The challenge of hip-hop is that the rules are inconsistent at best. Hit songs have been made with four bar loops with a kick and snare thrown in for extra emphasis. Hit songs have also been made using orchestras and even bagpipe players. The popular methods have waivered between heavy sampling only to keyboard based sounds. The current pop hip-hop trend is low in sampling and high in euro styled synths. i say this to emphasis that how you produce hip-hop will depend heavily on what style your clients are trying to emulate. The methods to re-create the latest Lil Wayne song are going to be like night and day compared to someone trying to recreate an underground MF Doom track.

Dub makes a great point. But I would go on a rapper basis, meaning that each rapper is going to want completely different things. Just look at the subtle differences between ASAP Rockey, Kanye, Nas, and Dr. Dre. I think having a catalogue of samples/loops will just box the rapper in and ultimately make them unhappy. I'd also watch very closely about the legality of using samples from youtube, and even taking another persons music and recreating it so you can use it for profit.

Really how could they not rap over the youtube tracks themselves? I've done something similar so I could play a keyboard duet with a youtube video. IIRC I just used a Y audio splitter with all male-to-male ends, with the bottom leg going to the input of a pc, and the other legs going to output of a pc and keyboard.

thanx all...
 
good advice from everyone...& i'm more-than-likely to go w/ the the 'construction king' series from FatLoud...the generated style tracks of which i'll bring into sonar for custom production.  as has been sed...producing one's own is both original & rewarding
 
[that is...if that app works in that way].
 
the samples i've heard sound as close to contemporary as can be had, tho...so it's off to experimentation land for me.
 
thanx again,
 
 
mark4man