How to Make a Hip Hop Beat with the VMPC Plugin

If you’re into beatmaking, you already know the MPC is legendary. It shaped hip hop, period. But you don’t need to drop racks on hardware anymore — with the VMPC plugin, you get that same workflow right inside your DAW.

In this post, I’ll break down step by step how to make a hip hop beat using VMPC, and I’ll explain what Sequences and Songs really are. Once you get that, you’ll move like a real beatmaker.

Sequences vs Songs: The Foundation

Here’s the deal:

• Sequence: think of it like a loop, usually 2, 4, 8 or 16 bars. Inside, you record your tracks: drums, bass, samples, hi-hats, whatever. Each sequence is a pattern.
• Song: that’s the final arrangement. You chain sequences together to build your full beat.

👉 Example:

• Sequence 1 → Intro (just kick + snare)
• Sequence 2 → Verse (full drums, bass, sample)
• Sequence 3 → Hook (bigger drums, maybe a synth)
• Song → Sequence 1 → Sequence 2 → Sequence 3 → Sequence 2 → Outro

That’s how most hip hop beats are structured.

Step 1 – Set Your BPM

• Classic boom bap → 85–95 BPM
• Trap vibes → 130–150 BPM (or 65–75 BPM if you’re counting half-time)

Step 2 – Load Your Sounds

Go into a Program and load up your drum kit and samples:

• Kick
• Snare
• Hi-hat
• Sample chops or loops
• Bass

VMPC feels just like banging pads on a real MPC — that muscle memory kicks in quick.

Step 3 – Lay Down the Drums

1. Create a new sequence (start with 4 or 8 bars).
2. Hit REC + PLAY.
3. Lay down the kick and snare first.
4. Add hi-hats for groove.

👉 Pro tip: leave quantize off if you want a raw, human feel. Turn it on (1/16 or 1/8 swing) for that tight MPC pocket.

Step 4 – Add Bass and Samples

• Record a bassline on a new track.
• Trigger your sample chops across the pads.

This is the heart of hip hop: drums + bass + sample. That’s your foundation.

Step 5 – Copy and Flip Sequences

Don’t rebuild from scratch every time. Instead:

• Copy your main sequence.
• Strip out the hi-hats → boom, you’ve got an intro.
• Add crashes or fills → now it’s a hook.

This keeps your beat moving without killing your workflow.

Step 6 – Build the Song

Jump into Song mode and line up your sequences. For example:

• Intro (4 bars)
• Verse (8 bars)
• Hook (8 bars)
• Verse (8 bars)
• Outro (4 bars)

That’s a solid hip hop beat layout right there.

Producer Hack

A lot of beatmakers (me included) just make one long 16-bar sequence with everything in it, then copy it and mute or add stuff to create the different sections. Way faster.

Wrap Up

The VMPC plugin gives you that classic MPC workflow without touching hardware. Sequences let you loop and experiment, Songs let you arrange — together, they make your beat come alive.

But here’s the real talk: reading about it is cool, watching it in action is way better. If you really want to get comfortable with the navigation, the pads, and all the hidden functions, make sure you check out the tutorials. That’s where you’ll see the workflow in motion and learn the little tricks that separate rookies from real beatmakers.

So dive in, load up your sounds, and peep the tutorials — once you catch that VMPC flow, you’ll never look at beatmaking the same way again.

👉 And yo, if you’re not super confident playing pads yet or just wanna jump straight into that raw boom bap vibe, I got you — you can grab my pre-made MIDI pack with that authentic 90’s groove. Just load it up, and you’re already in the pocket.

So dive in, load your sounds, peep the tutorials, and if you need that extra push, cop the MIDI pack and lock in that golden era feel right away.