I read this part:
Anyone have any suggestions?
And have no idea what you want for advice. Do you want a pat on the back like "It's gonna be okay, keep at it"
Or misery loves company hug: "Don't worry, I sucked too when I fist started, but now I'm great!"
There's a huge gap between "I like making beats" and "I just released a finished recording that is worth listening to"
All that grey in-between is where you learn:
1) Technical aspects: How to MAKE music
2) Creative aspects: What's been made before, what's being made now and what would be nice to hear in the future.
3) Your ear and slant/signature: WHY you have ANY reason to be listened to or taken seriously. [hint: Passion isn't part of the answer]
4) Reason you make music: WHAT you create is (or should be) leading you toward that destination.
After you get to 4, you re-evaluate 1 through 3 to make sure they align.
If that sounds a little high and mighty (a little too pragmatic perhaps) then consider....
You need to learn enough about the music making process to bring your ideas/vision/sound into existence.
That means learning your tools. Learning how to present your music at a QUALITY level that matches your vision.
Lo-Fi is a choice and not a limitation. That means you gotta learn the basics of mixing or hand it over to someone that does.
Mix for ALL ways of consuming your music. Listen to professional albums on your system and see how they sound. Train your ears for what a commercial record sounds like in your car and in your headphones and on your studio monitors (get a set if you don't have a set). Mix so that your mix sounds good at neutral settings. In other words, mix so that it works WITHOUT having to crank the base or EQ. For example, let the listener have the option to drown your beats/music in bass [do not do it for them].
Research and seek knowledge. There are 8 million resources for production/mixing help. Books, blogs, websites, podcasts, videos...forums...
Nothing says you can't dive in and expand your knowledge.
Want to study arrangements? Grab some popular songs and WRITE DOWN their arrangements...LISTEN to see what works and what feels right.
8-bar intro
16 bar verse
8 bar hook
16 bar verse
8 bar bridge
16 bar verse
8 bar hook
4 bar bridge
8 bar hook as song fades
That's just a random example- study MANY songs and gain some ideas....
Everything in life requires teaching, study and practice to get better. Why would music be any different?
You also need outside opinions from your target audience.
Yep, let rappers decide if your beats are rhyme-able.
Learn the difference between nice to listen to and worth writing and performing over.
Study the difference between worth making and worth releasing as a $ingle.
Be creative, be imaginative, be original, but also remember IT HAS TO WORK in the required/intended context.
I like criticism, but I sometimes think it's useless until it passes your own filter.
If someone on the internet says "your drums need work" what does that mean? You thought they were just fine. So that's only THEIR opinion and if YOU didn't hear them as problematic, how can you possibly fix any issues? You gotta be happy with ALL ASPECTS of your music before you start sharing [and that's only my opinion]. There's no need to be out here if you still have technical concerns or things wrong that YOU haven't addressed.
Don't like your drums? Work on them. Ask yourself what's wrong. Work on that.
Sounds? Get better drum sounds or mix them better.
Drum patterns? Use new ones or practice your timing or learn to control that tool better (that might mean no quantizing and just play with a better natural rhythm or chopping breaks better or looping more cleanly.)
Or not even play better, but try harder and don't stop at 'good enough' = keep recording it over and over again until it's right.
Music production is nothing more than a particular sound placed when.
Your ear/personality decides what sound and where it goes in your music.
I say listen to more music with a discerning ear and make more music so you can study what you have made and see what works and what doesn't.
Experiment., explore and expand. You'll begin to see a pattern and that will let you know what you need to do next - to either keep going or make a course correction.