I suck at making beats in front of people. Is this a horrific quality?

T

The Questionaire

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If it's not one of those quick 5-10 minute bangers (bout 30 -40% of my tracks), watching me make beats can sometimes be the most BORING thing in the world! For one, I'm not the most skilled keyboardist, so I may take 25 minutes sometimes just trying to get that 8 bar synth or piano loop right I just came up with. This is fine when I'm home alone but with someone over my shoulder I don't function the same.

I'm a believer in it doesn't matter to me or the consumer how or how long it took the track to come together as long as it turns out dope. But obviously I'm referring to when the artist/talent is in the room with you expecting to hear their next hit.

For instance, I read a Drumma Boy interview where he was talking bout how he made the "No Hands" beat right in front of Waka Flocka, Roscoe Dash and a slew of onlookers. I've never make a hot beat in front of someone before but it's not that normal of an occurrence. Usually I make my tracks in solitude or in headphones if in front of people.

I've been wondering how often this is required in the industry if you expect to make it big time.

You're gonna "lol" at the mere idea of me thinking of this but with my luck I could see me sending something to someone like G.O.O.D. Music and Kanye be like " yeah that's straight fire you got. I'm gonna fly you out this weekend. I wanna see how you work."

Screwed... lol

Those same beats he loved when he heard em? Man he's gonna think I'm the wackest negro ever once he sees the sometimes ugly/tedious/boring process used....right?
 
This is where musicanship comes in my friend. A guy who knows his way around the keys, guitar etc, can pull something out that he has hidden away. Heck a lot of dudes will just run down scales and pick something out. Gottta have something to pull from if ya in a situation like that. But, to ease ya pain, in 2012 it's not necessary to be a great musician, Lex Luger, and other guys, don't even necessarily play, they pencil stuff in, and when they do play, nothing great about it. Not taking away from these guys talents, no diss. The best bet is to have some dope records tucked away, in case someone wants something new on spot, if u don't feel creative in that moment.
 
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lmao..


with me its like this.... It usually the first hour or so I make people slowly get MAD.. haha its like all the lound out of pitch sounds randomly played for hours, all differnt sounds that dont even make sense.. I got to play with sounds for at least an hour when starting fresh.. i usually have the same drums looping for hours, my neighbors must think we are nuts on this side of these walls lol..

I could make a beat infront of people but it probly would be influenced by what i thought THEY would like, thats why i work in private becuz i cant make MY KIND of beats infront of people without them sitting through a few hours of what they might condersider horrible NOISES LOL but my final beats get good revies so im ok with that
 
61Key said:
I could make a beat infront of people but it probly would be influenced by what i thought THEY would like, thats why i work in private becuz i cant make MY KIND of beats infront of people without them sitting through a few hours of what they might condersider horrible NOISES LOL but my final beats get good revies so im ok with that
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This.


This is precisely the reason I can't make music in front of people, because I end up making the music that THEY like, and looking at THEM for approval, instead of following my instincts.

Sometimes, it takes playing with an instrument for a hour to get it to sit right. Sometimes the shitty melody you used as a guide line for all the other instruments gets replaced at the very last minute. Sometimes those drums are gonna sound off, until you put in that one thing, that makes everything gel together.


I tell people making music is like a haircut. It's gonna get alot worse before it gets better!



So dude...you're not the only one. Now I will admit, I'm at a disadvantage not being a true instrumentalist, but it is what it is. I do what I do, and I get the results I get. If you don't like it, then piss off.
 
I'm going on hour 7 of arranging a song.

I can make a song in 30 minutes mixed, arranged and ready to go.

One's on my Soundcloud with a free download and the FLP.
 
Agree with all of the above, but I don't know you deal with continuous input. It's like I have to defend every keystroke.

I like the other bassline better [That's why this one is the bridge]
I don't like that sound [Melody first, sound second - relax]
Keep doing that! [can't for an entire song, it's the desert]
It's busy [that's the hook]
It's sparse [that's the intro]
Maybe you should [I got this]
I wouldn't [It's not your track]
You should let me [it's taken]

Worse is to take input cause I've seen someone pick one string [from a Motif {and you how similar those sounds can be}] over another string and feel like they 'helped' create the track. I find, when observed, I don't experiment, do any sound design and mostly try to just be impressive. Like every split second has to be larger than the music.
 
61Key said:
I could make a beat infront of people but it probly would be influenced by what i thought THEY would like, thats why i work in private becuz i cant make MY KIND of beats infront of people without them sitting through a few hours of what they might condersider horrible NOISES LOL but my final beats get good revies so im ok with that
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couldn't of said it any better..
 
Actually to be honest, I prefer it. Being alone you tend to over think things when they're hot the first time.
 
Just this weekend I had a couple of folks in my barracks studio and booted up that FL. Made a standard 808 drum beat and threw a loop sample on it and they freestyle'd over the same 8 bar loop for like 45 minutes. They were so impressed and I was like for real, that was too easy.
 
When I DO make infront of people, i'l try to open a project that is pretty bare bones, and work from that.. they dont understand the shit gotta be in Key and all that shit, they be makin damands like, "yo do it like this".. its hard explaing "good idea but its not suppose to be like that, let me tweak it till its right".

I understand they want it a certain way, but its a certain process you gotta take to get those results.. I try to avoid making infront of people, i try to have product ready to go, and ready to be worked on with little tweaks here and there.. it all comes down to other peoples patients compared to mine, mine needs to focus while im working.. im not one of these people who push out a few beats everyday just because i can, i LIKE taking my time. the results are AWAYS better..
 
I don't have a problem making music infront of people but I hate people around when I'm creating. I hate side conversations. If you can't create in front of people.... then don't do it. I will say depending on what you are doing and who you are with later on in life it might come a point and time where you need to do so.
 
Word. Dat shxt be crazy. Niggaz start sittin around lookin bored. U thinkin like "these niggaz jus dnt get it". But all we gotta do is learn how to zone in to our beats. Feel me? Them niggaz like Shawty Redd, Scott Storch,Timbaland and da rest have mastered dat skill to jus link in to they shxt.

Thats something im sure took years. But once we get use to dat shxt yall know it aint gone b nuffin but bangerz everyday. Lol
_Slim Junior
 
you "suck" at making beats in front of people bcuz you care too much what people think of you.
 
Thank god i'm not the only one with this. I've tried it a few times and i honestly can't concentrate. I like to be in my own world where i don't have to think about people in the room here listening on how im messing around with scales or chords and switch from synths to piano's etc.

Cause it will take a while before i make something that's good to me.
 
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