How to Make a Burna Boy Type Beat in Soundtrap

By: Robzilla

BUILDING BEATS WORKSHOP LEADER & MUSIC PRODUCER MISHA “SILKY” SAVAGE LAYS OUT HOW TO CREATE A BURNA BOY TYPE BEAT, USING THE FREE BROWSER-BASED MUSIC PRODUCTION PROGRAM SOUNDTRAP. YOU CAN ACCESS SOUNDTRAP ON YOUR LAPTOPS, PHONES, AND IPADS USING THE CHROME BROWSER.

For this track, Building Beats producer Misha “Silky” Savage is working at a tempo of 94 beats per minute (BPM). 

In the rhythm section, Misha has a drum track using Soundtrap’s Latin kit. We are using just one sound from the kit — the rimshot — and the sequence emulates a Latin clave rhythm. It’s a syncopated rhythm, meaning that it accents parts of the rhythm that aren’t on the quarter-note. If you are familiar with Latin rhythm, it’s one bar of a 3/2 clave pattern.

Next, you’ll see another drum track using the Boom Snap kit. Misha has a high-hat on each quarter note, and snares playing a syncopated rhythm similar to the rimshot, and on the low end there are three kicks.

It’s important to notice how these two drum tracks line up to emphasize the clave rhythm. The snare and rimshot hit the same rhythm in the beginning of the loop, but the snare hits at a different time at the end of the loop. The rhythms between the two different drum tracks work really well together.

In the verse, Misha uses a different rhythm from the chorus, utilizing a clacky sound that Soundtrap refers to as Other, and accenting different parts of the measure.

For melodic parts, the first sound Misha uses is the kalimba. The kalimba is a hand piano instrument made up of metal bars on a piece of wood. As you play the bars, they resonate and make different pitches. 

Misha uses three different chords with the Kalimba instrument: G minor, C minor and D minor, then back to G minor in a lower octave. This part is a two-bar loop that only happens during the chorus.

For the bass, we have the Clean Sub, which is a basic fat sine wave. Misha has made three different parts with the bass. In the beginning section, the sub is arranged in long extended half-notes. Afrobeats, the modern genre (not to be confused with the ‘70s Afrobeat genre), is all about sparseness, with the rhythmic movement defining the track.

In the chorus, Misha arranges the bass in shorter notes in a rising pattern over the course of two bars. In the verse, we simplify down to mostly one note, G major, with E major once every second measure for a change.

Misha also has a cool Lo-fi Upright Piano playing harmonically rich chords. The piano uses a new effect that Soundtrap just added, a Lo-fi effect. Misha mostly plays chords in the chorus section, with small melodic lines in between them. There is a vibrato effect on the piano which gives it its wobbling sound. In the verse, the same chord is played, but one octave up.

The only element coming from outside of Soundtrap’s pre-existing sounds is the guitar part, because a lot of Burna Boy’s music has a guitar in it. Misha plugged his guitar into a soundcard and used Soundtrap to record. He uses an effects chain on the track, with five of Soundtrap’s effects: compressor, chorus, vibrato, filter and finally a medium reverb.

Finally, for the verse, Misha plays a simple melody in the upper octave. In the chorus, the melody changes slightly. With the guitar, the aim is to create a simple vibe in the high-end frequency range. We still want to leave a lot of space in the mix for the vocals.

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