Trap Production

TRAP PRODUCTION TRENDS:

Tempo tends to vary from 130-160 bpm, however on some occassions the producer may set a tempo of 60-90 bpm so that the rapper can then rap twice the speed


Melody's, Chords and Driving sounds varies within the trap genre, sometimes producers will use samples while some will take advantage of MIDI and create their sounds from there using plug ins and internal vsts.

In terms of the sound itself, this will also vary massively and does not have a specific set sound. A trap melody could anything from be an oriental sounding piece to a classical piano piece. The Key and harmonic content of these sounds vary as well, a trap beat may lock to a happier sounding major key or a darker sounding minor key

Meek Mill - Trauma - Uses a sample for its driving sound while Roody Rich - Die Young uses internal MIDI plug-ins for the melody

Drums in trap music do not vary as much and follow certain patterns. Hi-hats follow a pattern of constant playing, creating a pulse for the drums either on every beat or every other beat. These hats will also contain rolls and open hi hat hits. snares can come in sometimes half way through the bar and then just after creating a skippy like groove. Sometimes producers will add extra percussion to supplement the snare.

Kicks mainly come in on the first beats of every bar while also playing along side the bass. The relationship between the kick and bass/808 has become essential in mastering the sound in trap music. The Dynamics and general sounding of the kick must fit well with the same properties of the bass for them to play alongside each other.

All of the drum sounds are sourced from online drum kits instead of live drums.

Future - Hate in your soul contains a good example of the drum patterns we see regularly in trap music. This song was produced by 'Metro Boomin who is known to set trends in trap production, especially drums

Bass sounds in trap are mostly heavy 808's. On some occassions the bass will act as a kickdrum playing one note at a time with some resonance, while other times there could more of a sub-bass that

Effects in trap have a big influence on the sound. Effects like autotune are used heavily on the vocals in some trap tracks. Auto Drive and other forms of distortion are also used on bass sounds

YNW Melly - Mixed Personalities contains a lot of autotune

How My Production Follows These Trends - Within my production, some of these trends can be identified, however when producing I aim to bring unique layers over these sounds. My melodies and chords don't follow specific patterns as I like to switch between keys frequently making my sound more versatile. Sampling older records from different genres is something I use for sourcing material which can do good in inserting some texture into my beat. Although sampling I enjoy, I regularly take advantage of the midi presets and instruments supplied within Logic Pro X. Using MIDI I feel sometimes is better as I find the flexibility of note customisation is very helpful in creating a trap beat


Areas like drums and bass are where trends come in to my music. My Drums are sourced from kits and follow popular drum patterns as mentioned. My 808s can vary however while I enjoy using single hit 808s, I will sometimes use a longing sub-bass, depending on the theme I am aiming for.