The Origins
For those who are budding music artists, the term ‘Trap’ music comes naturally. Although not many know where this term comes from. To shine a light on it for a second, the word Trap was derived from hip hop, it became a sub-genre of it in the US, particularly in the South early in the 1990s.
In Atlanta, the word ‘Trap’ meant “a place where drugs were sold illegally”. This type of music often has its unique sound, comprised of using a few different elements synthesized drums and is based on complex hi-hat patterns coupled with atmospheric synths, tuned kick drums, dark ambiance, and lyrical content, as a result, tends to be very melancholy.
Some of the well-known innovators of this genre include producers such as Shawty Redd, Toomp, and Mannie Fresh, who were involved in it in the 90s. And in early 2000, some famous rappers such as Drama, Young Jeezy, and T.I. got involved in producing music for this genre, and very successfully. If your interested in reading more about this genre and the people who made it famous, head over to this online source.
DAW Plugins
Back in the day, especially when people wanted to become DJs (Disc Jockeys), mixing of music was done at home on a computer, and taken to the arena or clubs. The hardware sequences and analog options recorders let you do that but not entirely efficiently and the output was not as good as the music that is being mixed in a studio with all the right equipment, and as such the idea of producing dance tunes in a digital audio workstation (DAW) is the way forward for many production companies and artists alike.
One good reason for this, besides it being efficient, is that it is cost-effective too. Producing in a DAW is relatively cheap when compared to renting out or building your full-on recording studio, and using a thousand options of DAW plugins, you can let your creative juices flow and make music in the comfort of your own premises, “in the box” without the need for expensive controllers or peripherals.
A lot of these music producers use these Trap VST plugins, because there are thousands to choose from, not to mention, instead of spending months or years trying to learn how to play each and every instrument and then putting everything together for your piece, these plugins do all the hard work for you within minutes. Music producers use them for a good reason, for them, time is money.
The point to note is that you get two types, free and paid. Sometimes it’s difficult to figure out the ones that are good and will have better quality, not to forget you need to go through the thousands to find the right one. But this shouldn’t be an issue because there are tons of online sources that can help you decide which one to use, especially if you’re producing Trap music.
Some of the popular ones that DJs and music producers use are below, but this is not to say there are others online that are just as good, if not better:
- Logic Pro X
- Ableton Live
- PreSonus Studio One
- Bitwig Studio
- FL Studio
- Reason
Choosing the type of DAW you want or need will be highly dependent on where you’d want to use it, so for instance if you want to use it on the stage in front of crowds or just in the studio? Or perhaps you need one for both venues? Besides, it will need to suit your style. A lot of artists improvise and create “happy accidents” while playing around with the software because there are multiple angles you can swing and thousands of instruments you can use, the effects and choices are endless.
In the end, the one that appeals to your ears is the one you should go for. Some of these also have trial periods that you can go for, and if you don’t like it you don’t need to pay for it once the trial is over. It is best to try a few out at first and then decide on the final one or two to use. Investing in this, if you are serious about making music, is one of the best decisions you will make. There is just no competition with machines.
