The Hip Hop Beat Maker Dictionary
When you’re going through the net or even this site, you’re definitely gonna encounter a lot of different terms. If you are new to beat making in general this can seriously mess with your head. I’ve put together a list of essential terms for you to help get you going.
The Hip Hop Beat Maker Dictionary
Arpeggiator: A function on both hardware and software that gives you access to pre-programmed arpeggios.
Arpeggio: When the notes of a chord are played one after the other instead of at the same time.
Attack: The initial response to a note being struck.
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Beat Production: Managing the beat so that it gives your song its overall drive.
Chorus: An effect which makes copies of the original signal, detunes them slightly and then piles copies of the original signal on top of one another. The result gives you a thicker and more layered sound.
Compression: An effect which makes the quieter bits louder and the louder bits quieter. It is used to make the high and low peaks in drum patterns sound less extreme.
Decay: The time it takes for the attack to die down
Delay: An Audio effect that makes a copy of the audio and plays it at a slightly later time than the original.
Distortion: Using compression to make a sound thicker and warmer.
Dynamics: How a note behaves over time when struck.
Equalization: The process of reducing or boosting certain frequencies .
Gain: Volume or the amount of amplification on the input.
Ghost Notes: Notes that are almost silent when struck. Ghost notes add life and body to a drum pattern because you can feel them rather than hear them.
Limiter: An effect which keeps a signal from going beyond a certain level. It differs from a compressor in that it only affects the highest peaks.
MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface): How hardware talks to software. A MIDI instrument will not make a sound unless plugged into software first.
Multi-Band Compressor: Divides the incoming signal into multiple audio bands and compresses each band independently of the others.
Panning: The placement of the various sounds in between the speakers.
Parallel Compression: Running the sound through two channels. One is “dry” or unaffected by the compression, the other is “wet” or affected by the compression.
Ping-Pong Delay: When the delay switches back and forth between the speakers.
Plug-ins: Software effects or instruments they can be used with (plugged into) your music production software.
Release: How long it takes a note to end.
Reverb: An effect that simulates multiple echoes like those heard in real spaces.
Stereo/Dual Channel Compressor: A compressor that controls both signals on a multiband channel.
Sustain: How long the body of the note continues.
Time Signature: Used when writing music The time signature is represented by one number on top of another. The top number shows how many beats to a bar and the bottom number shows what type of note it is, eg, full note, half note or quarter note.