How I Make My Music

One of the most common questions I get is, "How do you make your music?" For "Indiependent," I discuss the creative process in detail here. So, this page will give more of an evolution of how I've made my music. I'll start with "Intro To My Mind" and bring you up to current day.

Intro To My Mind (1992-1996)

When I started rapping in 1992, I didn't know how to play any instruments, so I used a Yamaha PSR 500 keyboard for my beats. I mostly freestyled over them, and battled with my friend, Cleveland "Baby Jordan" Fuller. We wrote and recorded a few songs on a tapedeck with a mic built in. I use the term mic very loosely; if you've ever had one of those old tapedecks, you can still visualize the three ridges at the top that was called the mic. I wish I still had those recordings, but I haven't seen them in at least 12 years, when I lived in Florida.

Once I moved back to Ohio, my brother told me he'd pay for the recording and pressing of a CD if I used the name Wakefire Records. I used to be at WakefireRecords.com, and still will mention that name if anyone asks. If I sign more artists at a later date, that's what I'll use. Once he told me this, I was extremely excited. It was May of 1996, after I had finished my first year of classes at Miami, but before I walked for my Talawanda High School graduation. In those 3 1/2 weeks from mid May to early June, I wrote the lyrics for 13 songs, and kept 12 of them. I had a song called "Chillin" that was absolute garbage. The 13th song I used was "Inventor," the 30 second freestyle I did back in October of 1992. I was in Florida, staying with a friend during the time that I wrote my lyrics. When I got back to Ohio, I broke out my Yamaha PSR 510 and the PSR 500, and found beats for all of the songs. I practiced for hours every day because I knew I only had 1 day to record the CD. My friend Lamont was nice enough to drive me the 3 1/2 hours to Liberty, KY to record at Applebarn Recording Studios. I didn't have a car at the time, and my brother had a friend who was a producer in Liberty. I recorded the music first, then the vocals. I only had multiple takes on 2 songs because I had practiced them so much. 3 hours in the studio, and the recording process was done.

Delve Deeper (1997-1998)

For Delve Deeper, I still just had the keyboard, and recorded everything at home with a Soundblaster Live card, and using SoundForge as my recording software. There are major timing issues because I didn't have a multitracking program. I recorded the vocals separately from the music, and guessed where the merge should be.

Transitions, Out of the Shadows (1998-2000)

While recording Delve Deeper, a friend of mine gave me the best insult I've ever received. He was complaining about my inability to record well, and I said "It's fine for what I do." He replied, "It may be fine for what you do, but it won't work for music." It was harsh, but true. Musically, I used a keyboard for my beats. His words inspired me to pick up some instruments. I started with playing the keyboard as an instrument, instead of just pushing buttons, and then I picked up the bass, and the guitar, and after a year of playing those, I spent $999 plus tax on my Yamaha DTXPress drumkit. It's an electronic drumkit, but it's laid out like a real drumkit. That's the model I have on the left. It has a bass drum, a snare, 3 toms, a high hat, a crash, and a ride. They no longer make this model, as they've upgraded to a DTXPress III.

I bought a multi-tracking music program as well, called Data Becker Music Center, for recording "Transitions." I still only had the SoundBlaster live card, though.

For "Out Of The Shadows," I bought Vegas, then by SonicFoundry, who has since been bought out my Sony. They also make SoundForge. I also bought an M-Audio Delta 10-10 soundcard, with 24-bit digital recording capability, though I use 16-bit because 24-bit would have to be reduced to 16-bit quality to go on a CD anyway. 24-bit digital CDs do not exist yet, to my knowledge.

A Different Kid, Antis Trype (2000-2004)

Antis Trype was a combination of keyboard tracks, such as Chillin' at the Papa, There Was a Man, and You Gotta Want It, and live instruments. World Without Mirrors uses keyboard drums, and the rest are live instruments. A Different Kid was all live instruments.

Put Down The Pen (2004-2005)

Put Down the pen used all live instruments, and was entire freestyled. I didn't write down a single lyric or idea. I just let it out all naturally to see what would happen. I also wanted to get back to some of the vocal rhythms I had on "Intro To My Mind." There's a lot more flexibility when you can just loop a beat for 4 minutes than when you have multiple changes that require tighter timing.

Indiependent (2005-2006)

You can find full details on the creative process for "Indiependent" here.

Process in general

I almost always start by writing the lyrics first, as they drive how much verse, chorus, and break I need. They also determine style, as the music needs to fit the mood of the lyrics. I'll then put down a click track, or drum guide track, and then a guide vocal track, and start recording individual parts. I don't loop. I record a part all the way through on an instrument, which allows for the occassional leads just to keep variation in my music. Music's also supposed to sound like a human made it, so I'll keep the occassional mistake as well.