Why do I suck at making beats?

  • Thread starter Thread starter XerobX
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One thing that helped me starting out was to work the shitty tracks to death. Really polish those turds. Get them as good as they can possibly be. That way when something good comes along, you'll be able to turn it from good to great. Another thing I used to do often, and still do occasionally, is start with something really simple, but that sounds good (a kick and snare maybe). Then I add stuff slowly, and always trying to support the initial idea. If it starts to suck, I remove layers back to when it didn't suck, and keep trying to build it up.

Also, here's a quote that sounds like it applies:
Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, I wish someone told me. All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase, they quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know its normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you will finish one story. It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I’ve ever met. It’s gonna take awhile. It’s normal to take awhile. You’ve just gotta fight your way through. ― Ira Glass
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Preach! This mans right! It's the negative thought your bombarding your subconscious with. It's all good man because it can be reversed into the extreme exact opposite! First off stop using a million one different sound kits. When you hear a Kanye West beat you can tell its his beat even if he's not on the track. Neptunes, Timberland, Justice Leauge-they all have their own signature. You can't do that with a million and one different sounds!

Each master is selective with their sounds. They each use no more than a few kits and shape and chisel their sound with added effects; chamber hall, delay, plate reverb.

Next is making your own sound and not someone elses. You can make it sound similar to trap, because when you notice every Trap producer sound is still slightly different, with some key components in Trap added-808, mpc clap, ie. Justice Leauge! They stand out with their own style and drums, when they do a trap record for say Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, or Dj Khaled they add the ingredients necessary for Trap
ON TOP OF THEIR SIGNATURE SOUND.

These are a few tips. The best tip is to disgard your negative energy like a heavy log. You'll do good and feel good knowing it!
 
Don't listen to the bozo above. Keep it avante garde' , keep it underground, keep it changing, keep it relevant, keep it futuristic.

Get yo head out ya ass potna~!
 
For one, trap beats are better with simple melodies. Don't over do it. Also you should look into a little music theory to help you understand why you're putting certain notes in the order you are, and what makes it sound better. Starting the structure of your beat with a simple chord progression can help you build the rest of it from that structure. Also a lot of the difference in sound you're hearing is due to either lower quality synths or bad mixing. Mixing is the key to getting that commercial sound, not just laying out the instruments. Send me a message with some of your work and ill listen n see what I think could help your tracks out.
-2i
 
Try and search for new sounds, try finishing a beat and letting other people hear it, see what I needs and go back and adjust. Also Try and develop your own sound, stop trying to be like other producers out there. they have a different story.
 
Take a composition and music theory class, and then take up an instrument. They'll teach you the fundamentals of musicianship and give you a basic idea of how to make music :-)
 
I see a lot of advice given that isn't concrete.....try searching youtube on FL Studio mixing...learn how EQ works, research song structure, build your knowledge on music theory, learn the difference between mastering and mixing. I think you're question is more of "How do I get a CLEANER, CRISPER sound?" rather than 'How to build a beat' which I see many people apparently explaining. It's never the sounds you're using....literally any sound can be radio quality if you put the right mix to it. I can't imagine anyone disagreeing.
 
Exactly, if you try and compare yourself too hard to people that are already established in the industry you will get discouraged.
 
Wow!!!!!! That's not funny lol but I was like that back in 2005 when I first started and to make matters worse, I was in college going to school for music and music education. So what I did was PRACTICED. I practiced and remained inspired because I knew where I wanted to be and what I wanted to do. I also had to realize I wasn't going to be a beast overnight hence my reason for practicing. Also I had inspiration from the producers who lived next door to me who gave me a copy of their software. I've been on this for 8 yrs. some have been in it longer but I do know that with all things you must practice and look for information. YOUTUBE is a great source.
 
Learning to produce music takes time! You won't learn it in one day. It takes YEARS of practice. I've been producing for a couple of years now and now, finally after all practice I can make pretty great tunes.
Never give up, even if it sounds shit. By trial and error you learn and improve!

Some things that might help you:

- Get soundpacks with great professional sounds
- Learn music theory
- Practice
- Practice
- Practice

Good luck!
 
Take the time to learn music theory (even basics), get quality drum samples and Vsti, and study the music you want and figure out what exactly makes yours different!
 
I also need help

XerobX said:
Im 16 and I had fl studio for 2 years almost now and im still not good..i can make a beat here and there but they don't have that radio feeling sound..they sound different...i make trap beats, but they sound different from what you would normally hear. I wanna make professionally sounding beats not whatever im making..i try extremely hard and watch all these tutorials on YouTube and these cats making it look easy..i try and fail..so once i fail about 4 times in a row to even get a good melody(which where i struggle the most) i end up pissed off for the rest off the night with a bad mood..im already hot tempered and/or bi-polar and mixed with the fustration of sucking at what i strive todo..it drives me insane...i cant expressed how pissed i am..once im like this i cant even take a break cuz its like a tumor that just sits in my mind and all i can think bout is the rap beat that im unable to produce in my head..wtf can i do...i got nexus and purity and gladiotor with a crap load of great kits..
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i have the exact same problem, the painful part is i have a friend that also make beats (mehn his beats are banging) and he has been on it for like one complete year and i have been on it for a year(not thoroughly), we share the same drum kits, we use laptops no MIDI controller or keyboard just A laptop and speakers, i try so hard, sometimes when i listen to his beats, i feel like its a human being like me that did this.I feel like QUITING. Please i need help, i know GOD will soon come to my aid, but is there something am missing or i have to do physically or mentally. PLEASE RESCUE ME i feel like quiting
 
PresentProducer said:
The anger isn't helping, you need to channel positive energy. No wonder your beats suck.
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Well somebody has never heard of Beethoven.

Be more analytic about music. Recreating songs you like is a great way to learn.

Someone else said laying down chords may be better before laying down a melody. That's definitely a great way. The melody gets the attention, but most often the melody is nothing without a good harmony.

I also recommend listening to every kind of music (even the kind you hate). You can learn something from anybody. You may hate a Bieber song, but he may have one cool thing in one of his songs that you can use.

Now I don't know your background, but you should probably look at the major and minor scale formulas. Idk if you're making beats out of key or not, but you should really be keeping things in key until you learn how to use dissonance. The Natural Minor is the most used scale in Hip-Hop. It can come in a lot of different colors, From Gangster Rap (Dr. Dre, Some 2004 Eminem, Royce da 5'9", 50 Cent) To Trap (T.I., 2 Chainz) or other tones like Lyrical (Other Eminem, Nas, Pac, Grieves).
 
You can't expect to be the best instantly. 2 years is nothing compared to the producers/beat makers you hear on the radio who have been doing it a lot longer than 2 years. Just make sure you keep at it and try to improve one step at a time.
 
real talk dont get down from this its okay. not to sound douchey but some ppl just got it some ppl dont. its an ear thing amongst other skills. And YES you can learn/get better. Learn music theory bruh thats gonna save you. Learn what notes sound good with other notes, learn about the scales, major/minor, CHORDS are crucial. Trap is all minor scaling/chords. Its doable but it'll take time/effort.

Technically speaking, entertain the listener will little switchups or fx here n there. FL Studio has limitless possiblities once you tap into it. STACK your sounds, lol theres so much i can say but start from the basics
 
crimsonhawk47 said:
Well somebody has never heard of Beethoven.

Be more analytic about music. Recreating songs you like is a great way to learn.

Someone else said laying down chords may be better before laying down a melody. That's definitely a great way. The melody gets the attention, but most often the melody is nothing without a good harmony.

I also recommend listening to every kind of music (even the kind you hate). You can learn something from anybody. You may hate a Bieber song, but he may have one cool thing in one of his songs that you can use.

Now I don't know your background, but you should probably look at the major and minor scale formulas. Idk if you're making beats out of key or not, but you should really be keeping things in key until you learn how to use dissonance. The Natural Minor is the most used scale in Hip-Hop. It can come in a lot of different colors, From Gangster Rap (Dr. Dre, Some 2004 Eminem, Royce da 5'9", 50 Cent) To Trap (T.I., 2 Chainz) or other tones like Lyrical (Other Eminem, Nas, Pac, Grieves).
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I feel like its better to do melodies first rather and then lay down chords after. That way your not confined to the chords since the melody should be a little more active than the chords
 
I read a really interesting book. It was called "Effortless Mastery", I believe. One of the points made by the author that really hit home for me was that you should make the music that just comes naturally and easy to you. "Music should be easy". The author explained that the music that comes easily is usually the best music you can make.
 
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