Trap and Bass music arguably has one of the most saturated sample pack markets of all time. There are countless sounds, many of them “me too” ideas and rehashes of whatever is already out there or currently trendy. We don’t want to make that.
Instead, we want to go back to the roots of electronic trap and bass, back to hip hop and modernize its flavor, bringing a new sound and interpretation to the scene.
This pack does just that. We worked our hardest with some of the most talented musicians and sound designers in the industry, going back and forth through constant variations and iterations of many different concepts and sound designs until we arrived at something we’re truly proud of. This is Trap & Bass: an interpretation of the roots of hip hop and southern trap in harmony with electronic music.
Like any other Deep Exploration Project pack, we start with research: understanding the scene, talking to tastemakers, and studying each element as thoroughly as we can. We knew we could knock it out of the park if we stayed as true as possible to hip hop while drawing inspiration from the pockets of electronic trap music, Hard Trap, Crunk, Acid Trap, Breakbeat, Wook Trap, Hybrid Trap, Hard Wave, Club Trap, and more.
This is the culmination of that work by some of the most brilliant minds this industry has ever seen. Trap & Bass comes loaded with some of the best vocals. During our research, we wanted to capture authentic crunk and southern trap, specifically the Memphis and Atlanta lineage. While capturing authentic rap vocals, we knew we wanted producer-friendly phrases from female vocalists,a everything from hype vocals to almost sensual pre-drop vocals, meant to be chopped up, post-processed, and molded into each producer’s own unique character.
With Trap & Bass, we also made some Serum 2 presets. We wanted to give creators the flexibility of the timbre we had spent so long creating, and help them shape it into their own productions.
And last but not least, we documented our research and approach in three Production Methods Blueprints. We explore trap’s roots, how different cultures have made it their own, and the swag, groove and weight that make trap feel like trap across those different interpretations. We also get into a first-principles approach to sound design: understanding how a sound is built and what your tools actually do to it. From shaping distortion and creating movement in basses to turning recorded sounds into new phrases, we’ve included illustrated examples that give you room to experiment and find your own way.
Everything in Trap & Bass comes back to the same intention: giving you distinctive sounds that you can shape around your own style. The samples and vocals give you character to work with, the presets let you get inside the sound, and the blueprints share ideas you can take further. We’ve put our interpretation of Trap & Bass into this collection. We’re excited to hear where you take it.