What is your routine/How do you go about making a beat?

Y

You Foria

Chray
Lately, ive been having trouble getting ideas for beats, and whats even harder is when I have a certain sound in my head, and I search forever in the countless presents in my vsts.
So I want to hear how yall cope with this, and yalls routine for making a beat (what do you start with, where do you get ideas)
 
The first thing that i usually start with is a sample, if im making a sampled track, and i chop that all up as desired. If not a sampled track i usually lay down some dry keys or guitar first for chord structure and melody. After i have a set progression or melody, i usually add in a drum beat from a drum machine or by hand with a pad just to see how the track will groove. The hardest part is getting started, but once you get on a roll everything just comes naturally.
 
^ I'm the opposite ha i lay down some drums, usually just kick and snare to begin with. Then vibe on the keyboard for a bit to see what sounds good get decent melody and chord progression down then add percussion and whatever else i'm feeling. Although if i got a melody in my head i'll get that down then add drums later. If i'm stuck for ideas i usually listen to a few tracks by other artists with a similar feel for what i'm going for to get some inspiration, or just let what i've done so far loop over and over while i'm doing other things and often ideas will just pop into my head. As for getting a sound out your mind onto the track i personally avoid presets and just tweak various nobs on a synth to see what they do, doing that also seems to give me new ideas.
 
I usually have melodies laid out in my head, and I grow from that with chords that would fit and different instruments that would make the sound unique to the theme of the song. If I can't find the sound, I make it. I can hear a certain sound that would sound amazing on the song in my head, and I take that idea until I make a similar sound from my head to the console.

Then, I decide if the beat should be simple or intricate depending on the style of the song. If it's electropop or techno, I usually just do the normal 4 on the floor beat, but if I want it to be more unique, I make rhythms on top of rhythms and that usually works for me.

Next, I add filler instruments (the instruments that give the song more depth but aren't necessarily necessary...) for the verses and the hook, then build up from there the bridge and the pre-chorus. If I wanted another addition, like a end part to the chorus for vocalists to breathe or for some DJ scratching magic, I usually just take parts from the chorus and tag them to the end.

Finally, I listen to the track all the way through and change up a few things from the first and second verses, maybe something in the bridge or chorus, until I'm satisfied with the sound. But I normally don't do this step unless I'm 200% sure someone is going to want the track I made. If I'm keeping it for myself, I usually just do enough to let me hear it off of the console.

I hope this helped in any way.
 
there are certain moods, atmospheres, that will make you creative, in a way that maybe sounds will just play in your head, and yeah, sometimes it is hard to make this get out of the speakers.. I always start from an idea. You shouldn't get too tied up to a sort of "ritual" because this can end up making similar songs.. I like too play around with everything, until suddenly comes a dope bass line, or a cathy melody on a synth, or a sick drum beat, then I build everything around it with other ideas that come up. And try not to think "oh, I don't think people would like this" or "damn, i'm not creative today", this kills the mood and smoothness of the process. You can be surprised with how sometimes that single idea can lead into something you didn't even imagined before

---------- Post added at 08:38 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:35 PM ----------

I'm not suggesting anything, just saying that when I smoke weed the ideas come so naturally haha, you just get really sensitive musically
 
Sometimes I start from different angles. May start with the bass line...may start with a piano melody..may start with drums. If I'm having a severe block and can't create from one of those points I just take a break and listen to a bunch of new music for inspiration and come back fresh!
 
YoBanyon said:
The first thing that i usually start with is a sample, if im making a sampled track, and i chop that all up as desired. If not a sampled track i usually lay down some dry keys or guitar first for chord structure and melody. After i have a set progression or melody, i usually add in a drum beat from a drum machine or by hand with a pad just to see how the track will groove. The hardest part is getting started, but once you get on a roll everything just comes naturally.
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As long as you have a melody that's all you need right? Like you don't have to have a chords or a chord progression? (Whatever that is) and how do you know when you have enough instruments?
 
im usually digging for a song to chop up, i hear something sweet and i get inspired. thats enough to push me through a track till the end. the order i lay stuff down always changes though. if im feeling like ive hit a wall i take a break for a little bit, sometimes even an entire day. go listen to some new music. watch a movie. take in some art, that kinda stuff always inspires me.
 
chudge said:
im usually digging for a song to chop up, i hear something sweet and i get inspired. thats enough to push me through a track till the end. the order i lay stuff down always changes though. if im feeling like ive hit a wall i take a break for a little bit, sometimes even an entire day. go listen to some new music. watch a movie. take in some art, that kinda stuff always inspires me.
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I see, when I'm making a beat I'm real into then it gets stressful because I'm new and don't exactly know the pattern sequences for a song besides chorus intro and verse. Then it ends up sounding receptive to much after the first 8 bars and I add more but don't know how much more stuff I should add or leave and whatnot. For samples would you build around the melody that the original is or kind of base it in a similar octave?
 
I always try to start with a melody. I've found that if I start with drums I always fall into the same sounding patterns if there's no melody driving it.
 
randy7027 said:
I see, when I'm making a beat I'm real into then it gets stressful because I'm new and don't exactly know the pattern sequences for a song besides chorus intro and verse. Then it ends up sounding receptive to much after the first 8 bars and I add more but don't know how much more stuff I should add or leave and whatnot. For samples would you build around the melody that the original is or kind of base it in a similar octave?
Click to expand...

when im chopping up pieces of my samples im keeping in mind intros, bridges, chorus, verses. arrangement always changes for me, but i like to do a few bar intro, 16 or 8 bar verse, 1 bar bridge, 8 bar chorus, back the verse, sometimes i throw in little 1 bar changes to make things less repetitive, outros. a lot of the time im chopping something up too much to be recognized as anything else, so if there were a melody in the sample, its gone now. if i need to add basslines or if im trying to tune my kicks or add some pads or something ill try to figure out what key everything is being played in and add stuff accordingly.
sometimes im not using samples, and if thats the case then im writing everything with a certain scale or key in mind. im also at all times thinking about filling up the spectrum nicely and trying not to have any area too crowded.

just keep making songs, your arrangement skills will get better and more complex.
 
chudge said:
when im chopping up pieces of my samples im keeping in mind intros, bridges, chorus, verses. arrangement always changes for me, but i like to do a few bar intro, 16 or 8 bar verse, 1 bar bridge, 8 bar chorus, back the verse, sometimes i throw in little 1 bar changes to make things less repetitive, outros. a lot of the time im chopping something up too much to be recognized as anything else, so if there were a melody in the sample, its gone now. if i need to add basslines or if im trying to tune my kicks or add some pads or something ill try to figure out what key everything is being played in and add stuff accordingly.
sometimes im not using samples, and if thats the case then im writing everything with a certain scale or key in mind. im also at all times thinking about filling up the spectrum nicely and trying not to have any area too crowded.

just keep making songs, your arrangement skills will get better and more complex.
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So do you use different samples from different songs for a beat or just a song with a few samples from it? And do you always have to play everything in the same key? Does it matter or why? And what's the difference between a bassline and a sub bass? And how do you know when you have enough?
 
randy7027 said:
So do you use different samples from different songs for a beat or just a song with a few samples from it? And do you always have to play everything in the same key? Does it matter or why?
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i use different samples from different songs sometimes, and sometimes i dont. finding different samples from different songs in the same key has been hard for me, i usually end up warping the fck outta some of the samples to make them mesh well, but sometimes they seem to fit on their own. they just have to play well with each other.

randy7027 said:
And what's the difference between a bassline and a sub bass?
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sub bass is real deep, like 60hz or lower. more felt than heard usually.

randy7027 said:
And how do you know when you have enough?
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it never feels like enough. less is more i think a lot of the time
 
I have been trying to make my drums better so usually I will listen to a sample, find some drums that fit it and then lay down some drums. Next I will lay down the sample and baseline and then add little bits and pieces to dress it up and then I am done.
 
I usually start by laying down the melodies then the main drums. Then accent melodies and accent drums. then sequence and FX.

Lately I've been getting bored with my usual way of starting of with melodies so I ventured into the starting with drums techniques. Once I started that, my whole sound and style has changed and I admit my productions sound a ton more professional.

Listen for yourself in the player in my sig. I started that beat of with drums and the beat is a lot smoother and different than any other beat I've made.
 
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