How to Re-create Soulja Boy’s ‘Crank That’ in FL Studio
Tutorial Details
- Program: FL Studio
- Difficulty: Intermediate
- Completion Time: 1 hour
Twice a month we revisit some of our reader favorite posts from throughout the history of Audiotuts+. This tutorial was first published in August 2008.
It isn’t often that a simple, under-produced beat is the soundtrack to a song that sells millions of copies. Even more amazing was that Soulja Boy was able to create this song using only stock sounds that come with FL Studio!
In this tutorial I’ll show you how to re-create Soulja Boy Tell ‘Em’s ‘Crank That’ in FL Studio. This process will walk you through the construction of a #1 smash-hit and demonstrate that you don’t need top of the line tools to create a best-selling hip hop track.
Note: this tutorial contains embedded audio that will not display in a feed reader. Click back to the site to read the tutorial with audio or download the Play Pack at the end of the tut.
Step 1
Before we get started, the tempo of the song is 70bpm. I have set the “Beats per Bar” on FL’s Step Sequencer to 8 to keep things organized.
Step 2
The hook in this song is a steel drum hit titled “PERC_SteelDrum_C5.wav.” As stated before, this and all of the other sounds that were used to make this song are available in the stock sound packs that come with FL Studio.
You can find “PERC_SteelDrum_C5.wav” by browsing to Packs > Percs.
Right click the file and go to “Open in new channel”. This will bring the file into a new sampler channel. Turn the volume knob up to all the way, then right click the channel name and click “Piano Roll.”
Once you’ve got a piano roll window up you will be drawing the simple steel drum melody to this track. It uses notes C, G, and G# to create the melody. Copy this rhythm to recreate the hook exactly as it is in the commercial version of the song:
Step 3
Sound like the real thing? Not quite–we’re going to need to put some effects on it to match the original. Put the Steel Drum sample on its own channel, and simply add some reverb and compression to liven up the sound.
Note that I’ve lowered the volume of the reverb effect a bit. Now we’re sounding a little more like the commercial production. Let’s get the orchestral hit in there.
Step 4
The orchestral hit is the first sound we hear in the track, and it is used almost every first beat of every measure in the song. You can find it by browsing to Packs > HIT_2. While you’re there, take a listen to “HIT_3,” which was used by Neptunes producer Pharrell in the song “Moneymaker” by Ludacris.
Again, right-click, load to a new channel, and turn the volume up to 100%. Add a note trigger to the first beat, and your step sequencer should now look like this:
Step 5
Almost spot on, but again, it will take a little work to make it sound like the real thing. And when I say little, I mean another reverb/compression FX chain! Assign HIT_2 to its own channel, and add a reverb and compressor.
The result:
step_3.mp3
That’s it. We can now work on some of the beat’s elements.
Step 6
Southern Rap has gone through a phase where a lot of songs incorporate a fingersnap as opposed to a clap or snare, and ‘Crank That’ is no exception. The exact sound used in this song is called “HIP_Snaph.wav,” and can be found by navigating to “Packs > HipHop”
Load the sample, 100% volume, and assign to a new mixer channel. Put a trigger on every downbeat, and you’ve incorporated the Snap into your project. Your sequencer should look like this:
Step 7
The snap in the song, along with a lot of other elements, is put through pretty heavy reverb and compression. Apply the following, which shares settings exactly like our HIT_2 chain:
Step 8
Now, I may not have the exact sample used for this effect, but it sounds pretty similar so we will use it for this tutorial. The crash used in “Crank That” is probably “RD_Crash.” Browse to it by selecting “Packs > Real Drum Kits”
As you’ve done previously, load, adjust volume, and assign to its own mixer channel. Under the sample properties (this pane pops up when you select the sample name in the Step Sequencer), click on “Reverse” to quickly reverse the sample.
Step 9
We now need to specify when we want the crash to come in, so create a piano roll with this sample (as done previously with the steel drum) and draw the following:
The ghost notes are from our Steel Drum hits. Now all we need to do is apply (you guessed it)… more reverb and compression!
Note the adjustment to the reverb level. I won’t make you do that again–I promise!
snap_and_crash.mp3
Now with it all together, you have the first 16 bars from the original, exactly as they appear in the version that went 3x platinum. Here’s what it looks like in the Step Sequencer:
Simple? Absolutely! Done? Not yet!
Step 10
There is a lot of repetition with the beat and the samples contained in this song, so in the interest of time, we are going to add quite a few drum samples at once.
The samples prefixed with VT_ (BD_2, CL, CHiHat) can all be found in the “Vintage” subfolder in the “Packs” folder. Remember to add two “VT_BD_2″ channels. Samples prefixed with “HIP_” can be found in the “HipHop” subfolder in the “Packs” folder.
Both of the VT_BD_2′s, HIP_Kick_2, and HIP_Kick_6 can be added to the same mixer channel–I chose #1, and added a simple compressor with the “Vintage” preset.
VT_CL can be placed on the same mixer channel as your Orchestral hit (HIT_2).
VT_CHiHat can be placed on the same channel as the Steel Drum, “PERC_Steel_Drum_C5.”
Step 11
For what seems to be a relatively simple song, there quite a few variations in the beat. The song uses multiple kick samples, along with seemingly random Clave (VT_CL) use, and occasionally throwing in some hi-hats over the verse.
To capture the hi-hat rolls, I created a piano roll with the following score:
With 18 variations on the beat’s sequencing, explaining each one would take far too much time–reference this tut’s Play Pack for the completed FL Studio project with full sequencing.
Here’s what your final product will sound like:
soulja_boy_crank_that_fl_studio_recreation.mp3
Download the Play Pack for this tutorial (6.2MB)
Contents
- FL Studio Source File (Completed Track)
- Audio files
- Printable PDF tutorial
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By Nic Bertino
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Nice tutorial.
I have a hip hop website, is it possible to join your network of sites?!
Very nice tut!!!
Please add tuts- edit, mix, master- rapper voice and rap track+samples (loop)
great tut!
‘Crank That’ is definitely a love/hate song so I’m sure it’s not too long before we get some groans here, but I’m glad people are liking the tut so far! Definitely great to get some more hip hop content at AT. Now we just need someone to write us a Drum ‘n Bass themed tut!
Awful song, great tutorial. Keep up the good work
hate it or love it this teaches some useful hip hop production skills
Well, whether or not you like the song should be irrelevant, the tutorial is great either way. Just goes to show that something doesn’t have to be overly complex to be catchy among the masses.
That is the best tutorial so far on this site! (and this says more, since the others are great too)
I would love to see more FL Studio tutorials, and more tutorials on creating beats/songs.
@ Boris: I’ll see what I can do
FL Studio tuts are always popular so maybe our authors can produce a few more? I know Nic has another one ready to go soon, on side-chaining.
hahah shows you how easy it is to make some dumb hip hop beat now days.. you just need a few rappers to trade off verses and you have an easy hit.
The only version of this song that is actually pretty cool is the one where Travis Barker drums on it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKQgDY0pZ68
Nice find, and good job!
“hahah shows you how easy it is to make some dumb hip hop beat now days”
the catch phrase being “now days”….
My RD_Crash doesn’t play in the pattern and the sound is choppy. I’m using FL8 XXL Producers Edition
“Just goes to show that something doesn’t have to be overly complex to be catchy among the masses.”
hahah.. f*** the masses tho.
VERY VERY NICE
Soulja boy sucks,the song is whack as hell..But thats totally irrelevant,I mean he made millions didnt he?!f**k it,the kid really sucks…but hey thanx maine gr8 tut,I didnt know about the reverse option thing on the sampler settings till today,its never been on my mind,I usually edit or automate the volume envelope to create such dynamical effects,thanx man this is cool…
Ah, this is great
Thanks for sharing.
I would like to see how to make those fat electro beats. Let’s say, for example ‘The Toxic Avenger – Bad Girls Need Love Too’?
Can you guys post an electro/house tutorial for FL in here? =)
im struggling to get an electro sound as nice as ‘deadmau5 – the reward is more cheese’ for example… any help would be appretiated… contact via http://www.myspace.com/mistersixmusic
What possessed you to make the reverb on the orchestral hit so thick?!
Seemed that thick on the original track – it isn’t a great sample, so the reverb was thick to kind of sonically blur it in post production. That’s what I think, anyway
Nic tut.
nice tut. downloading the play pack right now. Still a newbie so i’m sure this will help a lot.
I’ve been to these FL Studio Type things
I love it but…
There’s so much button’s and thinggymujiggs
I don’t no hwere to start.
And I can’t make songs for some resson
Please help me out!!!!! AWWW!
its not about making a complex sound… its about making something people enjoy to listen to… doesnt always have to be complex… everybody should do their own thing!! right?
Hey, I luv Soujia Boy’s sogs.der TOTALLY AWSOME like no lie!!!!
We all enjoy hearing soujia boy’s songs i mean who doesnt
Hey sup man thats fantasic….anyway man i need your help what if we get in touch through e-mail it will be gud plz…. and ya soulja boyz They ROCK!!!!!!
what version fruity loop is?
Cool. When can we expect something advanced? Maybe something from Will.i.am?
You forgot the super-low piano key during the hit.
nice find i wil start doing good music folowing yor guides
thanks….
Well done. I love tutorials like this.
PLEASE KEEP MAKING FL STUDIO TUTS I NEED INSPIRATION!!
Does anyone know how to get the sound packs from FL 8 in FL 10? i want to do this but the SP’s aren’t the same in FL 10. Thanks
the sounds are in the ‘legacy’ folder under ‘packs’
That was a great tut guys… A 11 out of 10 I can say but what must I do if I need more lessons on hip hop and rap???? Please I’m not intrested in vedios but a step by step thing that you just did would really help…. But thanks for the tut it showed me that making quality music is not about what you have but its about what you can do with the little that you have!!!!!!