Production When Your Beat Doesn't Go as Planned

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I've often preached that you should make beats that just come naturally. Everyone has their own way of making beats and their own style, but there are also plenty of producers that make particular styles of beats because that's what's "hot".

I'm not a fan of doing that, but I understand.

So I set out to do an experiment and see if I could make certain styles of beats.

In the end, I failed. But I also succeeded.


I Tried to Make a Hard and Crazy Beat

I wondered what would happen if I sat down to make a really hype beat, something along the lines of early Onyx. Their beats were insane and super gutter, so I thought I should give that a try.

I started off with a really dark 1-bar bassline loop, so I thought to myself, "I like where this is going".

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I then added some drums. Great - now I had the backbone for a really hard and gutter beat.

The problem was that I didn't know where to go from here. From my experience, I tend to always get "musical" and play nice melodies or sample some lush sounds. That's just what I do!

In the end, I came up with this:

Nothing here yet.

Now, the beat turned out great but it's the piano that turned this beat into something silky smooth, instead of something that would make you want to punch a small child and attack a SWAT team.

Where did I go wrong?

It's Just What I Do!

I've always figured this, but the bottom line for me (and I'm sure many others) is that I just make beats. That's it. You could give me a bunch of really gutter sounds to make a beat and I would somehow make it smooth, or at least it would have a decent melody to it.

The fact is that I'm just wired that way.

The problem with this is it's both a blessing and a curse because it's great that I make beats naturally like that, but it's also bad because what do I do if someone wants a different sounding beat from me?

For example, I don't make Trap beats. Plenty of people do, some because they're going for that money, others because they like making Trap. But if someone wanted a Trap beat from me, I can't do it.

So where does that leave people like me? Am I stuck making the smooth beats that I always do? Or is there a way for me to somehow change it up?

My Guess Is…

I once heard DJ Premier say he could easily make Trap beats if he chose to, but that's just not his style, and it's not what his fans expect from him.

I understand what he's saying, but I don't really think he could make Trap beats even if he tried. This is because he's been doing the Boom Bap style of beats for decades, and he has a very particular style, so I doubt he could pull it off. He might come close, but he would have to really change up his approach to beat making.

I think anyone can make any type of beat, but it also comes down to how you're wired. For me, I know what style of beat I'm going to end up with each time, and that's great, but can I make something like Trap if I had a Trap sound kit to work with?

Yeah I could, but it wouldn't be the traditional-sounding Trap everyone is used to. It would probably be smooth Trap or a new style.

In Closing

We all have different styles and different ways of making beats. There are some of us that lean more towards one style over the other, but that could also come down to what type of music we listen to, or how we first got into beat making in the first place.

My advice? Do whatever comes naturally. If you want to make whatever style of beat is popular today, go for it, but I guarantee that you will always throw your own flavor over it.

In the end, we have to remember that music is a form of expression!

Further Reading About Beat Making
 
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and that's why I'm gonna put up my most natural sounding beat on the upcoming Beat This! battle. I have always tried to conform in some way that I thought would be appealing to other people (contestants - voters) but I have decided not to anymore. You're gonna hear the most authentic 'oninkaf' sound that you probably haven't had a chance to listen to till now.
@Fade awesome beat by the way and I must say I can understand you completely
 

Fade

The Beat Strangler
Administrator
illest o.g.
@oninkaf Thanks for the feedback!

Yeah that's the thing that's really lacking today is that people need to just make whatever. Create. Innovate. There's been some guys on here in the past that made super weird beats but you know what? It's all good. I just wish more people would express themselves instead of conforming, like you said.
 

44Beatzz

Ruhrpott / Germany
Battle Points: 143
Here the same.When i try to make a trap beat it always ends up with a beat nearly to boom bap.
But thats fine because peeople like us keeping hiphop colorful and multi-faceted.

It turned out that I have found my own style. It is a mixture of boom bap and spherical music.

As my previous speaker said, it is about expressing yourself. Artists go to trap producers because they know what they get. If another artist wants boom bap, then he goes to a producer who specifically makes boombap.Not always, but often it is so.

Good luck my friends and ENJOY making funky stuff.
 
Battle Points: 9
I was just thinking about this. I cant seem to do anything that doesn't come naturally and im wondering of that's why my music is well..... different and no one really knows what to think of it. Even me. But i used to draw alot and the best art advice i got was. You are your worst critic. I needed to be reminded that music is a form of SELF expression. Thanks Fade! Also check out this weird shit im throwing up in the beats section Serum 3
 

Fade

The Beat Strangler
Administrator
illest o.g.
I needed to be reminded that music is a form of SELF expression
That's exactly my point! There's the whole money vs. art scenario, which I completely understand but I just find it difficult to create something that doesn't come naturally to me. Now I know I'm not alone.
 

eXACT

Member
I don't trust people that "know" what they make.
It seems counterproductive to pigeonhole yourself into a genre. All I know is that I grew up on Wu, Gang Starr, Tribe, Nas, and all that 90's, Golden Era shit, along with all sorts of oldies, classical, soul, rock & roll, metal, and anything else on the radio (yes, I used to tape music off the radio--90's kid,) so my tendency is definitely to fall into kind of boom bap/soul/groove/ melody-driven type beats.
I have tried (and suceeded,) in making hard, Jedi Mind style beats, mellow Phoniks grooves (which is kinda-sorta close to what I make,) Snowgoons symphony stuff (I love classical,) as well as anything with that's got a unique mind behind it. At the end of the day though, the music that I grew up listening to, the songs I learned to teach myself how to play instruments, and always trying to make what I wanted to hear, has led me to my style, whatever that is.
I don't honestly always like what I make, (I usually can't put my finger on it, it just isn't..."right,") even if it is quality, but if other people enjoy it, then I figure I'm doing something right.
Oh yeah; I can make decent trap beats, but I choose not to because I don't like listening to it, I don't like mumble rappers, I don't have any real connection with it, and what's the point of all this if it isn't fun? I think that beatmakers, as well as producers, tend to forget that it's supposed to be fun.
Haha, by the way Fade, I have tried making a hard beat and had it come out softer that yours. XD
I think that you just have to be in the right mood...or something.
 
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guitardep

Beatmaker
Battle Points: 126
I never know what kind of genre of "type beat" is my music.. i just grab the guitar or the piano, make the first thing that come out ot my mind and then i try to give a structure to that.
 
View attachment 4620

I've often preached that you should make beats that just come naturally. Everyone has their own way of making beats and their own style, but there are also plenty of producers that make particular styles of beats because that's what's "hot".

I'm not a fan of doing that, but I understand.

So I set out to do an experiment and see if I could make certain styles of beats.

In the end, I failed. But I also succeeded.


I Tried to Make a Hard and Crazy Beat

I wondered what would happen if I sat down to make a really hype beat, something along the lines of early Onyx. Their beats were insane and super gutter, so I thought I should give that a try.

I started off with a really dark 1-bar bassline loop, so I thought to myself, "I like where this is going".

View attachment 4621

I then added some drums. Great - now I had the backbone for a really hard and gutter beat.

The problem was that I didn't know where to go from here. From my experience, I tend to always get "musical" and play nice melodies or sample some lush sounds. That's just what I do!

In the end, I came up with this:

Nothing here yet.

Now, the beat turned out great but it's the piano that turned this beat into something silky smooth, instead of something that would make you want to punch a small child and attack a SWAT team.

Where did I go wrong?

It's Just What I Do!

I've always figured this, but the bottom line for me (and I'm sure many others) is that I just make beats. That's it. You could give me a bunch of really gutter sounds to make a beat and I would somehow make it smooth, or at least it would have a decent melody to it.

The fact is that I'm just wired that way.

The problem with this is it's both a blessing and a curse because it's great that I make beats naturally like that, but it's also bad because what do I do if someone wants a different sounding beat from me?

For example, I don't make Trap beats. Plenty of people do, some because they're going for that money, others because they like making Trap. But if someone wanted a Trap beat from me, I can't do it.

So where does that leave people like me? Am I stuck making the smooth beats that I always do? Or is there a way for me to somehow change it up?

My Guess Is…

I once heard DJ Premier say he could easily make Trap beats if he chose to, but that's just not his style, and it's not what his fans expect from him.

I understand what he's saying, but I don't really think he could make Trap beats even if he tried. This is because he's been doing the Boom Bap style of beats for decades, and he has a very particular style, so I doubt he could pull it off. He might come close, but he would have to really change up his approach to beat making.

I think anyone can make any type of beat, but it also comes down to how you're wired. For me, I know what style of beat I'm going to end up with each time, and that's great, but can I make something like Trap if I had a Trap sound kit to work with?

Yeah I could, but it wouldn't be the traditional-sounding Trap everyone is used to. It would probably be smooth Trap or a new style.

In Closing

We all have different styles and different ways of making beats. There are some of us that lean more towards one style over the other, but that could also come down to what type of music we listen to, or how we first got into beat making in the first place.

My advice? Do whatever comes naturally. If you want to make whatever style of beat is popular today, go for it, but I guarantee that you will always throw your own flavor over it.

In the end, we have to remember that music is a form of expression!

Further Reading About Beat Making
eh idk I mean you should end up making whatever you love making anyway, but you Should be able to translate any Feeling into art imo. of course u have your own way of making each feeling happen, but u should be able to do it. idk tho, on one hand I think a bit too "dreamy" when it comes to this stuff like "one should be able to do Errythang". on the other hand tho, film composers can make literally Anything, right? u just happen to figure out "this one is definitely john williams" when u hear the soundtrack to "Big Fucking Giant" for example, but still the Purpose of the sounds are versatile, yk?

Another rule of thumb I learned over the years is u should try Not to have a style if anything. inevitably, you WILL have your own style and for instance in a battle, people who usually heard ur shit will end up figuring out that it's your beat anyway. so by trying Not to have a certain style, I mean getting out of your comfortable zone and being an Alive free-flowing musician.

so to an Extent, it's a matter of getting out of your comfort zone once a while. fuck-hard feedback helps a lot sometimes; when u play ur shit for ur bro and he goes "yo didn't u make this just last week?" and you realize ur goin somewhere wrong. you might end up subconsciously changing your style too. I mean, a lot of the times u define ur style around where u get gratification. so in a way, maybe the reason you might be... "stuck" in a certain style is that you just love the old times and the vibe back then. your music kinda reminds you of it so you keep chasing after that feeling, yk?

Maybe you should change ur life to change ur music.
 
Oh and just for getting off-track and a bit more personal with it, I for one found myself CONSTANTLY looking for outside gratification, especially when I'm more depressed. I aimed for storchy shit mainly cuz my brother loves that, started making rock after I met this emo chick (although scott pilgrim and arctic monkeys were more of an influence, but scott pilgrim was her thing too so... (and technically, again, my brother found the movie first but... u get the point))
Hell, I heard someone on the ill once say my style is something of a new-sounding boom bap. of fucking course y'all would think it is, that shit just wins here :D at the end tho I love the stuff that I make for my own sake the most. they're usually dreamy, full of reverb and sound like acid trips. or they sound like the 70s.
 

Iron Keys

ILLIEN MBAPPÉ
ill o.g.
Battle Points: 543
This is a good article.

And one that hits with me and where I'm at now, and also hits with where I've been at before.

I think the concern for me now, is taking my natural journeys and detours like the curious inquisitive lil monkey that I am, am I making stuff that 'don't work' or 'isn't good'. I'm making stuff that varies greatly, but having a tendency to splash some funk up on it.

I used to fight myself to need to have a 'sound', then I later realised, you have a 'sound' whether you realise it or not, like you describe in the article.

I been having a bit of inner clash with taking new directions at the moment, and either with them not working, or working but still sounding like what i make. Maybe it's a good thing. Maybe it's not. Maybe I should just flow with it. Or just keep learning n doing new things that gradually keep changing and shaping what your 'thing' is.
 

1301.36

Member
Battle Points: 6
Nice Arguments and they are all true!

Because it depends on what you want to achieve for yourself.

Little Example out of my Experience.
It was , when Trap/Drill was starting to get in my ears and the first thought was " Bro, thats not good " , because of the unclear Mixed 808 Drums and noisy stuff going on... But i was curious...I had a Rapperdude/Dealer around the corner who was into Trap/Drill and i tried to mix some of his work and do some Beats for him. I failed totally and it gets me some laughers out of his crew ^^ ...But...I learned to feel the 16 or 32 triplet stuff whos going on the Hihats and i was able to use sick Bassdrums layered with soft "clicky" Kicks . Step by step it was getting clear that i will use Elements from this Genres and dont become a part of them.

Now i use this ELEMENTS just if i need them and dont do Genre specific shit on a whole track. And i guess thats how new things are Born.
We are all creators of the Next "Big thing" in Hip Hop but everyone take time to grow and learn what is used and when do i use it to get a Dope Sound.

And yes, like ARMANI said, it can be helpful to change your life to change your Music.
everything depends on your Will to achieve things.

Peace out Fellows & Have a great Time:micdrop:
 
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