my beats sound really generic

F

FlashG

New member
ive been making beats for at least two months now and im noticing all my instrumentals just sound really simple and boring.I try to force myself to make at least one beat a day so i can get better.It seems that after about an hour of work it just seems to sound worse and i just end up taking alot out.I mean i dont know if i just dont have good sound kits or what?

ill try and post some of my instrumentals here soon so i can get some actual feedback
 
If someone says they've been playing the guitar for two months I don't suppose anyone expects that to sound very good. Take your time with it.
 
FlashG said:
ive been making beats for at least two months now and im noticing all my instrumentals just sound really simple and boring.I try to force myself to make at least one beat a day so i can get better.It seems that after about an hour of work it just seems to sound worse and i just end up taking alot out.I mean i dont know if i just dont have good sound kits or what?

ill try and post some of my instrumentals here soon so i can get some actual feedback
Click to expand...

You might not want to do this but honestly if you want to get better...fast!... copy people. Find out what they are using sound wise and listen close to what fx they are using on their sounds. It's going to be hard to now exactly what someone is doing to their sounds but it doesn't hurt to attempt and practice. Once you have what they're doing under your hat venture off and do your own thing


This will do a few things for you. 1. It will build you confidence..2. It will train your ears and 3. it will expose you to new techniques
 
I started out copying beats by watching YouTube tutorials.


And stop making loops. Most people start by making 4-5 loops then repeating it. I started off with my songs having not even 20 tracks. Now They have about 70-120.

But that's from the genres I make. I don't make hip-hop anymore. It's too easy.
 
stop forcing out a beat a day. If you make something good spend 2 days or even a week on it if you need to.

Stop using presets, stop using traditional song structures, start using tempo changes, distortion, filters etc.

It's so easy to be inspired in this day and age, even if you are entirely in the digital domain.
 
he probably means creating different layers and new harmonies that require their own track and give the song depth and variation.
 
CoolBrees said:
I started out copying beats by watching YouTube tutorials.


And stop making loops. Most people start by making 4-5 loops then repeating it. I started off with my songs having not even 20 tracks. Now They have about 70-120.

But that's from the genres I make. I don't make hip-hop anymore. It's too easy.
Click to expand...

What does that mean?
 
I agree with not forcing yourself to make a beat per day, this makes it unenjoyable to do and quite frankly if you're not enjoying it then you are'nt going to see positive results! Maybe start a track with some melody :)
 
pfeezing said:
he probably means creating different layers and new harmonies that require their own track and give the song depth and variation.
Click to expand...

TONS of variation. Make the melody from Verse 1 slightly different to Verse 2. Change the drum patterns up. Lots of different breaks. White noise fills out the "empty" space. Add FX for emphasis. Once you think it's done, keep adding more.

From what I see on YouTube these days, every song has 1 or 2 drum loops, no breaks, same melodies with only 3-4 keys repeating, same boring structure.

I rarely play any track more than once other than my kick and snare/clap patterns.

Use EQ automations if your into the pop genre. I specially make Dubstep but I started with "generic" hip-hop beats.
 
In time it will get better, just like when you learn to dj your ears take time to adjust, plus your skill level and understanding will develop over time.

I suggest looking up tutorials on eqing
 
FlashG said:
ive been making beats for at least two months now and im noticing all my instrumentals just sound really simple and boring.I try to force myself to make at least one beat a day so i can get better.It seems that after about an hour of work it just seems to sound worse and i just end up taking alot out.I mean i dont know if i just dont have good sound kits or what?

ill try and post some of my instrumentals here soon so i can get some actual feedback
Click to expand...

Spend half of your time making Beats and the other half learning HOW TO Make Beats. Learn Basic Music Theory and Piano, watch Beat Making Videos, learn the fundamentals of arrangement, mixing, etc. The info's out there, go for it.
 
Cyko said:
You might not want to do this but honestly if you want to get better...fast!... copy people. Find out what they are using sound wise and listen close to what fx they are using on their sounds. It's going to be hard to now exactly what someone is doing to their sounds but it doesn't hurt to attempt and practice. Once you have what they're doing under your hat venture off and do your own thing


This will do a few things for you. 1. It will build you confidence..2. It will train your ears and 3. it will expose you to new techniques
Click to expand...

I second this, it makes great practice for finding what sounds good. Just DO NOT take credit for other peoples beats you copied.
 
jus practice ,experiment you wont find your sound it will find u in a matter of patience practice an persistance an dont forget faith in your work ..
 
Alter your mind state with the joys earth has provided:berzerk:

Also stop listening to generic music, pick a genre that you have never really been into and try to draw inspiration from a totally different place.
 
Try making the worst beats possible. Seriously. Try and create the worst piece of fo-shizzle you've ever heard. Put elements together that should never be played at the same time and add something totally cheesy or totally outside the genre.
I find that this forces you to play with sounds outside your comfort zone which actually can spark new ideas in new songs.
Every time I've actually tried this I came up with something awesome in the end.
 
2 months is not a long time when it comes to making beats. sometimes taking a break is the best thing to do. While you are taking a break just study your genre. There are no short cuts. When you make a track you should send it to someone you trust to honestly critique it. Not only pointing out the bad points of the track but the good ones aswell so you can further your development at a faster rate.
 
Start listening to your favourite beats/instrumentals and try to study them from a beatmakers perspective. When I started making beats, my ear for music changed completely. I started hearing hi hats differently, I noticed sounds in the instrumentals that I would never have noticed before, etc.

My best advice would be like someone said, try to copy some of your favourite beats but at the same time keep it simple. You aren't going to become some superproducer overnight, just take it slow and keep learning new things.

When I first started, I couldn't even put together a simple drum beat, and now I can make some pretty decent beats.

And if that doesn't work, try some mind-altering substances. Weed and mushrooms are a good start. :D (lol just playing)
 
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just keep going. find some weird sounds,vsts,effects and just go wild. try not to use sounds that are stock. try to tweak every sound you use a little bit so you can make it your own. And another thing. don't force beats out. rushing/forcing almost always = Garbage
 
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