Posts tagged “trap”
Jun 19, 2026
How to make trap melodies: the five types every producer should know
Trap melodies are everything in the beat except the drums and 808. Learn the five melody types, from dark one-chord loops to call-and-response, without theory.
Jun 14, 2026
How to make your 808 hit hard: a complete trap 808 guide
Everything that makes a trap 808 knock: tuning it to the key, carving space against the kick, placement and patterns, and the advanced moves (slides, octave jumps, switching 808s, saturation and clipping).
Jun 4, 2026
How to make trap hi-hat rolls: a simple fills guide
Build trap hi-hat rolls from a steady 8th-note baseline: where to place fills, which subdivisions buzz, and how to dress them up with pitch, pan and effects.
Jan 27, 2026
How to make dark chord progressions
Dark chord progressions hold an atmosphere tense but not energetic, an ominous bed for rap. This article explains the theory and works through playable examples, each with a short breakdown of why it works.
Jan 17, 2026
How to make wavy chord progressions 🌊
Wavy chord progressions use the same lush chords as soul but in a calmer, more drifting way. This article explains the theory and works through playable examples, each with a short breakdown of why it works.
Jan 10, 2026
Trap chord progressions: a complete guide
Trap chord progressions stay simple in harmony but syncopated in timing. Progressions in A minor, off-bar chord lengths, sustained vs arpeggiated voicing, and the sounds that sit chords in the background.
Nov 13, 2025
Trap kick patterns: the definitive guide for every trap sub-genre
A playable, educational guide to trap kick patterns: the foundation and a handful of archetypes, from spacious to syncopated to heart-beat, that you mix and match across every trap sub-genre.
Oct 1, 2025
How to mix a trap beat: a step-by-step mixing guide
Mix a trap beat from a flat balance to a finished record: gain staging for headroom, leveling, treating the melody first, seating the kick and 808 together, and glue reverb.
Jul 16, 2025
How to make trap drums hit hard: the complete guide
Get trap drums to hit hard: pick the right samples, write the kick and 808 to smack, level by ear, and use one soft clipper on the master for loudness instead of a plugin stack.
May 27, 2025
How to arrange a trap beat: from an 8-bar loop to a full song
Arrange a trap beat with the intro-hook-verse-bridge template: an energy curve, section-by-section sound placement, and drum cuts that mark every transition.
May 16, 2025
How to master a trap beat: LUFS, limiting and loudness for streaming
Master a trap beat for streaming: LUFS targets, true-peak ceilings, how normalization works, and how far to push the limiter before the drums die.