Apart from that, we hear our favourite jam hijacking attention at weddings, baby christenings, birthday parties and drink-ups, and it moves our feet willy-nilly.

But have you ever wondered how these songs are put together? Have you ever bothered to find out what the process of production for your favourite hits are?

Well, I have, and I acted on my curiousity. This past week, I set out on a journey to discover the painstaking hard work or otherwise that goes into producing beats. I visited the talented Peewezel, one of Ghana’s most sought-after sound engineers, to quench my knowledge thirst.

Having plied his trade in the music business for many years, Peewezel is known for producing timeless hit songs like “Small Girl” performed by Atumpan, “Take Away” by Aka Blay featuring Cabum, “Dumsor” by Sarkodie, “Boys Abre” by Guru, “Kupe” by Ebony and “It’s Okay” by Okyeame Kwame.

Aside from his local work, he has collaborated with international acts such as Nigerian rapper M.I Abaga, Mavins’ Reekado Banks and Mr Eazi.

He’s known for having produced some of the hit tracks on E.L’s acclaimed “B.A.R II” mixtape and “B.A.R III” album.

Peewezel started making beats in Kumasi while he was at KNUST. Interestingly, he started his career without going through any tutorials or professional coaching. With the popular beat making software, Fruity Loops 3.5, he began his journey by sampling beats before going on to produce his own infectious sounds.

Making good beats isn’t what Peewezel always does; he really knows what it entails. So, I caught up with him in his own recording studio (with complete instruments) at Ashongman Estates, Accra to walk me through the process of producing a song.

Join me as I attempt to simplify the stages of the complex process.

Lyrics & Genre selection stage

First of all, he advised that the performer needs to prepare his/her lyrics and be certain of the genre. “Your lyrics have to be ready first. Then you have to know what you really want to do – whether Jazz, Afrobeats, Hip-hop or whatever,” Peewezel told me. “And as the sound engineer, think about the drum kick that would suit the genre. You have to decide whether you want the kicks to be hard or soft. Also, you have to consider the tones to use – either hard, harsh, or soft tones. You can also choose sweet tones but it all depends on you and what you want to achieve.”

Beat creation stage

After that, beat creation is the next stage. According to Peewezel, beats can be created within a span as short as three minutes. He however added that on the average, some beats are supposed to take days of creation. “Beats can take you days but I can create within three minutes,” he said.

I was watching him when he created an Afrobeat in less than 3 minutes.

Recording stage

The next step is recording the song.

It’s not just recording – but something more, embedded in a trick he divulged.

According to Peewezel, he uses Fruity Loops to create the beat and record with Cubase software. When asked why he uses Cubase for recording, he explained:  “I record my vocals with Cubase because it gives voice clarity.”

We dragged Kankam, one of the fast-rising singers and brother of award-winning singer Nana Yaa, into the booth to do a simple hook and chorus on the beat Peewezel had just created.

Yes, there’s apparently a difference between a hook and a chorus.

Here’s Peewezel: “A hook calls a chorus and a chorus is the summary of a verse”.

Mixing stage

Mixing is the next stage after recording. It’s the process of summing a multitrack recording down to mono, stereo or surround sound print.

When mixing, the sound engineer considers setting levels, setting equalisation, using stereo panning, and adding effects.

Mastering stage

Finally, the song is mastered. Stressing why mastering is the most important part of the production process, Peewezel said: “When levelling the vocals and keys and all that, at the end of the day, you will end up getting a lower volume of a song. So you have to take it to the next level – that is the mastering. It’s the stage of brightening or polishing the whole song and giving it the standard volume that is required.”

He also had a message for all up-and-coming Ghanaian musicians. “I will urge the youth to be creative, learn and be vigilant with whatever they see. Because someone’s tapping toes can give you a rhythm to create a beat. So you have to be vigilant, read and research.”

We came out with a sample of a mastered song featuring Kankam, and the best part is you can listen and share your views on it with me below.