Making Trap with Reason
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Tutorial 1
Introduction
8:40In 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.
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Tutorial 2
Making Trap Beats Pt. 1
18:59One 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!
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Tutorial 3
Making Trap Beats Pt. 2
19:20In this video Al programs his Trap beats using the kit created in the previous video.
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Tutorial 4
Sub Bass in Trap
10:27This 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.
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Tutorial 5
Composition in Trap Pt. 1
14:18So 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!
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Tutorial 6
Composition in Trap Pt. 2
10:50In this video Al adds a few more elements to the song as well as some effects such as reverb.
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Tutorial 7
Processing and Resampling Vocals Pt. 1
16:52In 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.
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Tutorial 8
Processing and Resampling Vocals Pt. 2
10:50In this video Al picks up right where he left off and adds more glitchy processed vocals to the song.
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Tutorial 9
The Drop Pt. 1
11:22In 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.
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Tutorial 10
The Drop Pt. 2
14:49Al continues building the drop section of the song.
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Tutorial 11
The Arrangement and FX
19:05In 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!
Reason 7 super user Al Swettenham is back with another series and this time it's all about Trap! Join Al as he shows you how to use Reason 7 to create a killer Trap track containing all the elements of this hugely popular and successful genre of music, from the ground up.
After a quick introduction and running down all his Reason settings and preferences, Al gets to work on the all important Trap drum beat. Al builds up his kit in Kong, programming his drum track in distinctively complex rhythms that are the hallmark of Trap music. Moving on to the sub bass, Al shows how to use Reason's Subtractor synth to create a simple but devastating Trap baseline.
Once the beats and bass are created, Al focuses on introducing musical elements to the composition, and quickly builds strong melodic parts in the Trap fashion. Next up are vocal elements that are heavily processed short vocal clips, enhanced via time stretching, pitch shifting and ultimately resampling all in an NN-XT.
Now it's time for the drop! Al builds some filthy lead synths from scratch using techniques such as FM synthesis, oscillator syncing, pitch modulation and filter sweeps. After putting together the final arrangement, Al creates a few FX sounds like noise sweeps and pan risers to close out the track and the series.
If you use Reason for your productions and want to learn how to make a killer, authentic Trap song, then this is a must see... Watch "Making Trap with Reason" today.
Reviews
Submitted 3 months ago
Another Top Groove3 video
First off I highly recommend this video, lots of great insights to Trap Style Secondly, This is something I think should be a pre requisite on every Tutorial and that's "an initial play through", not just a few bars, or skip altogether, but an actual full play through of what you're going to create, as happens with this course, an absolute must. This course and a few others I've checked out recently are starting a trend I hope continues, and that's towards producing a much more polished very professional final track. I think the stakes are getting higher now, and there is a movement past complete beginner amateur sounding productions, and going towards more world-class polished end productions. Some of these videos have a lot of information in a small space so be forewarned all in all an Excellent video series. Also I don't even use Reason, but still found the information very valuable.
I am a: Professional
Submitted 5 months ago
great tutorial
Excellent tutorial, very useful and clear.
I am a: Semi-Pro, Musician, Producer, Audio Engineer, Ableton Live, Pro Tools, Reason
Submitted 10 months ago
Way more than I expected
Some very good advices. Unfortunateley in Reason I'am not a Reason user. But anyway, Top-Tutorial...
Submitted 10 months ago
Thanks
take a gift and make it better!
Submitted 11 months ago
Very Helpful
top top top, very good
Submitted 1 year ago
A good tutorial covering a broad range of aspects of trap music.
A good tutorial covering a broad range of aspects of trap music. I think it's especially for beginners helpful.
I am a: Beginner, Hobbyist, Musician, Producer, Beat Maker, Reason
Submitted 1 year ago
Sooo Good!
Swettenham knows Thor, Reason and production in general so well and gives many awesome techniques in Reason!
I am a: Semi-Pro
Submitted 1 year ago
love it
great really trying to learn
I am a: Beginner, Hobbyist, Beat Maker, Sound Designer, Reason
Submitted 1 year ago
A good amount of information here about Trap.
Great examples on how Trap uses builds and sweeps and how to work them into the transitions. Lots of little tips and tricks in here as well. Easy to understand and follow.
I am a: Musician
Submitted 2 years ago
Very well done
I really learned a lot from this tutorial! Well done.
I am a: Producer, Audio Engineer, Beat Maker
1. When did you start dabbling in music?
I've been dabbling in music for as long as I can remember in one way or another. As a toddler, my Dad used to sit me at the piano while he played and I'd just bash the keys! But it was in my early teens that I first started trying to write electronic music and learning to program MIDI. I wasn't great at it then but I really enjoyed it and I knew from then on that all I wanted to do was music. When I was 14 I made a CD of my own self made house tunes and persuaded them to sell it in my local record shop down the road. The tracks were pretty basic but I sold all 20 copies!
2. What training have you had?
I did an A-Level in Music Technology, it was pretty retro; we were recording onto analog tape with a Tascam MSR-16 and there were usually only about 8 or 9 channels on the 16 channel desk actually working at any given time! Then I did a BA (Hons) in Popular Music Production at the University of Huddersfield, they were a lot better equipped! I also spent a year working as a trainee studio engineer at ICC Studios, a great recording studio down on the south coast of England. That was really where I cut my teeth, learning to use with Pro-Tools and SADiE. It was hard work but also great fun. ICC was also where I learned the people skills necessary to be a studio engineer. Helping musicians feel comfortable and relaxed so they can give a great performance is a vital part of the job and those skills have come in very handy when working with vocalists on my own music.
3. When did you get into recording?
I first got into recording when I did my A-Level, before that I was really just making crude general midi tracks using a really basic version of Cubase called Cubasis AV. That was a really important step on the road to becoming a producer, before then I didn't really know how to use EQs and compressors effectively. Given that most of my experience up to that point had been teaching myself how to use various bits of software to write dance music, getting some proper training in micing up guitar cabs and drum kits, all using analogue equipment was really valuable.
4. People you have worked with/for?
I'm one third of Rebel Sonix, audio visual bass merchants based in Brixton, London. I joined after having done a few collabs and remixes with them over the last year. I've also worked with Adam Freeland, most notably on a dubstep remix of the James Bond theme for the launch of the videogame Goldeneye Reloaded. I've remixed several tracks by FeralisKinky, the UK's first ever white, female raga vocalist, and I remixed Delirious' last ever single before they broke up, which was a real honour since I remember going to their gigs as a teenager! Other artists I've worked with include Whiskey Pete, Adam Fielding, Steve Leach, Tom+Olly and You And What Army. I get approached quite a lot to do remixes and collabs and I try to do as much as I can, with the inevitable consequence that I'm always really busy!
5. Why are you so good at training people?
I've spent more than 10 years now learning about studio recording, computer composition and sound design and music production. As a producer I never stop learning because I'm always trying to improve my own production skills. I'm comfortable working in a diverse range of genres as well as a diverse range of software and plugins. I also believe I'm clear, concise and articulate (a trait I've absorbed via osmosis from my parents who are both teachers.) But most of all I'm really passionate about this stuff, music production is my life and when I discover something new I get really excited and want to tell people (just ask my wife!)
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tutorial videoMaking 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.
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