Making Trap with Reason

Reason super user Al Swettenham is back with another series and this time it's all about Trap! Join Al as he shows how to use Reason 7 to create all the characteristic genre tropes of this hugely successful genre of bass music as he creates a track from the ground up.

Videos
Introduction (08:40) - In the last year or so Trap music has exploded on a global scale, it's popularity has grown to the point of even rivaling that of genres like Dubstep and Drum'n'Bass. As a multi genre producer and DJ I've produced a lot of original Trap tunes as well as Trap remixes for other artists. In this series of tutorials I'll be teaching you how to use Reason 7 to create all the characteristic genre tropes of this hugely successful genre of bass music. In this introductory video I'll give a brief run down of my settings and preferences.
Making Trap Beats Pt. 1 (18:59) - One of the most characteristic aspects of Trap music is the drum beats. Over these next two videos I'll demonstrate building up a great kit in Kong and how to get the most out of our drum hits with further processing in Kong. I'll also demonstrate how to program the distinctively complex rhythms that are the hallmark of Trap music and how to make your beats even fatter with the use or parallel compression, which more convenient than ever thanks to Reason 7's new parallel channels feature! All the drum hits I'll be using in this video come directly from Reason's factory sound bank so no need for third party refills!
Making Trap Beats Pt. 2 (19:20) - In this video Al programs his Trap beats using the kit created in the previous video.
Sub Bass in Trap (10:27) - This is a very simple element of Trap music but it's arguably the most important. Heavy sub bass is the driving force behind Trap music and is essential if you want your track to sound huge on a club system! In this video I'll demonstrate how to use Reason's Subtractor synth to create a simple but devastating trap sub bass.
Composition in Trap Pt. 1 (14:18) - So we've got our beats and our bass and now It's time to look at things from a more compositional perspective. In this video I'll demonstrate how putting together some simple musical elements you can very quickly build the basis for a strong trap tune. Advanced music theory knowledge is not required, two chords will do, as it's more about building up a rich timbre. Along the way I'll also be demonstrating some of Reason 7's fantastically handy new features such as the new spectrum EQ and bus routing. I'll also demonstrate how to make the instantly recognizable trap "riser FX" sound!
Composition in Trap Pt. 2 (10:50) - In this video Al adds a few more elements to the song as well as some effects such as reverb.
Processing and Resampling Vocals Pt. 1 (16:52) - In this video I'm going to demonstrate some techniques for mashing up vocals in Trap music. One of the key characteristics of Trap is the use of short vocal clips, heavily processed as part of the aesthetic of the genre. The first technique we'll look at involves taking a short rap line, time stretching, pitch shifting and ultimately resampling it in an NN-XT. The second technique involves sampling a female acapella and using the powerful tools of Reason's NN-XT sampler to turn it into a unique lead sound.
Processing and Resampling Vocals Pt. 2 (10:50) - In this video Al picks up right where he left off and adds more glitchy processed vocals to the song.
The Drop Pt. 1 (11:22) - In this video we're going to major on the filthy lead synths which will populate the part of the arrangement often referred to as "the drop." We'll be using four instances of Thor to create four unique synth patches. The sound design techniques we'll be using to achieve these patches include FM synthesis, oscillator syncing, pitch modulation and filter sweeps.
The Drop Pt. 2 (14:49) - Al continues building the drop section of the song.
The Arrangement and FX (19:05) - In this video I'm going to talk you through the final arrangement of our Trap tune, as you heard it in the introduction video. Having put together a killer arrange, we'll need to populate it with a few FX sounds like noise sweeps and pan risers. So we're going to use Thor to create three unique FX sweeps to be the icing on the cake of our song!