Good ways to improve beat making skills?

What are some good ways to improve my beat making skills? Do you guys read books, watch videos or something else?
My beats are starting to sound too similar and I want to change things up.

Thanks.
 
There is no cheat codes. Read, watch and produce. Do your research and try to understand the new things you're going through. There is so much to it and you just need to experiment around with the stuff you're learning about.

I notice my progress in learning with new projects. I always do something better and differently and that is the goal. Maybe, one day you'll be great.
 
Use anything and everything you can, from books to video tutorials to interviews. I would caution about youtube videos though because the vast majority are full of really bad advice. I would stick to tutorials by industry veterans. Unfortunately, many of these you will have to pay for, but if you are pursuing a professional career it's a small investment. Most of all practice practice practice and always compare your stuff to the stuff on the charts and be really nit-picky about the quality of your stuff. I would also recommend finding a group of peers locally that you can always turn to for advice and feedback. Preferably you could find someone much more talented than you locally you can forge a relationship with.

I will say that I've been making records as my full-time job for about 18 years now and mixing is my primary income. I've had some minor hit records and I still spend time searching out info to improve my mixing skills - talking to colleagues, reading interviews with mix engineers, etc. At my level it becomes harder and harder to find info that I don't already know, but there's techniques people use that I've never used before so it's worth it.

I will also just add as an afterthought, nothing pushes you to improve like working for a client. You become significantly more picky with your work when you know it is going to be evaluated by a client who is paying you money. You probably are not in any position to charge significant money, but even just a courtesy $5 per mix is enough to turn the screws on you just a little bit. Find some home recordists that suck at mixing and offer to mix their song for $5. It will also give you good practice at meeting deadlines and just acting more professional in general.
 
Watch videos and practice. There are only so many drum patterns you can use, at some point you have to create your own original melodies to go along with these common drum patterns.
 
Make AT LEAST one beat a day. Plain and simple that's the best advice I have to offer that hasn't already been said.
 
I definitely think all of the above replies are right on. You'll get better as you continue to make more music. Watching videos is definitely a must as you can see some techniques that you can use for your own production. But I think the number one thing is learning music theory and listening to music outside your genre. Music theory is important because you'll start to develop skills on unique musical ideas based on general knowledge. I promise you when you know start to think in chord language your mind opens up to a whole new world.

I IV II V I is a common progression. Now you may not have any idea what that means right now. But if you LEARN you'll can really experiment. Also sound selection is EXTREMELY important. Sometimes your beats can be simple, but if the sounds aren't highly quality it will sound weak. But, if you start to invest and really listen to the kind of sound you select and use, your beats will improve dramatically and spark some creativity.

As mentioned listening to other genres of music is very important. No matter what when we make music we are creating based on things that we are emotionally attached to. Those emotions are connected to our influences of musical taste. Nothing is every truly original. Therefore, listening to other genre's can increase what I call your emotional vault within you when you're making beats. Certain sounds, rhythms and styles evoke certain emotions so when you're feeling something you dig deep and create a pattern to match the vibe. So listen to dubstep, listen to country, (YES i know that may sound stupid at first). Listen to old and new artists. Find music that you've never heard of listen to them closely. Figure out what things you like or even dislike about the songs and then incorporate similar ideas into your own production. You'll be surprised at how much better you music will sound and how much different it will be as well.

Hope that helps a bit!!
 
Yea, personally I was a lot of youtube videos. I also listen to Apple Music/Tidal's new playlist just to get an idea of the competition's mixes and production styles.
 
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