5 Secrets to Producing groovy original beats for writers, singers and composers.
My studio at its early days. you can feel the vibe.
Hello dear friends, family, listeners and readers, how are you this days? it was a true adventure and a real pleasure releasing Dor HaBeat, i had fun going live with the album songs, with my friends soma and Tomer, My Mexican Fender Jazz bass JiZele and groovy self produced beats. That brings me to this article`s topic. How did I make all those beats and produces a whole album in a few months time you asked? let me tell you 5 Secrets to Producing groovy original beats for writers, singers and composers.
here before you are 5 tips for producers and songwriters with a producer beat maker mindset
Tip #1 - Where to begin
So where to begin? you need to create yourself an empty canvas, open up a new project on your favorite Daw, my personal favorite is Studio one 5, Cubase, Ableton live and FL studio are also fine, I don`t judge.
now start jamming, drop samples, play your favorite instrument, find a musical motive, a drum groove, a chord progression, a melody, a hook, a sentence. this first track of music will be your foundaion for building the beat. loop your idea, find the bpm and Key signature if needed. play it on a loop and start recording, sampling and adding tracks to the project, most common layers you can hear on my beats are Bass, Guitar, Keys, Synths, Percussion, Drums, vocals, sound fx, brass, strings, bells, ukulele and more. i love using samples, i get them from Landr but splice and other services are just as good. spice up and magnify your music with many tracks and layers of sound at different volumes.
after you have many layers playing harmoniously on a loop of 4 or 16 bars. duplicate it across the project. now its time to arrange, to reduce, to clean, to shape the structure of the beat.
Tip #2 - Original and brave
your sound is who you are, what you love about music and life, how you feel and how you connect to culture and humanity. you don't have to do nothing in particular to be stunning and original, just be yourself. you sound like yourself even when you make a fully sampled production and don`t play a single note in person. When you listen to music for inspiration, don't try to copy it, listen to it's elements, sounds, structure, mix, scale, BPM and mood. Analyze it and take the most important points and most profound ideas of the music that inspires you.
ok, we got a beat running. did 80% off the work, 20% off the effort. lets continue.
“My future starts when I wake up every morning. Every day I find something creative to do with my life.” Miles Davis
Tip #3 - create first, edit and critique later
Ok, now that you`ve got the groove, the melody, a fat bass line and all your tracks and loops, we need to prepare them for the real world. first spread your loop over 3 -4 minutes, or as much as you need. just copy the loop with all of the tracks. make sure it sits well on the time grid. now we start shaping this beat with reduction of sounds at some parts. for example, mute the drums on the first part, and add them gradually into the song, hihat first, then kick, then the snare and so on. add the bass on the first chorus. make sure you leave space for the listener to hear your great musical ideas and melodies, by muting some tracks, other tracks will get more attention and presence. silence and quiet are good, use them as well. be patient, and do not delete the project. if you are tired from it, rest. or even better, mix and release it.
Tip #4 - Mix it up
A lot of brave young musicians struggle with mixing, let me tell you this little thing, you need to practice and mix a lot of projects, don`t get stuck on one track or song, because you will never grow up. Get experienced, mix 100`s of songs, in different styles, try different effects, different Daws, Rooms, monitors, headphones, hear it in your car, on your phone, on your JBL or Marley or what ever. get your hands dirty, and don't forget that you mix it so you can finish the song, don`t edit and interfere in what's already there.
Tip #5 - Finish the project and release it
Release your music, respect your work, respect your sound, respect the procces, don't try to be better than you are or sound like someone else. Progress happens when art meets the public, don't worry, you will always have amazing conclusions about your sound and production that will drive you to make some more music. Don't over chew it, don't let your beat get old and lonely, and most importantly trust your insticts and do what's right for you.
My studio this days, you can see the style
most importantly, Keep up the good job, keep creating, writing, composing and producing
It's the best way to gain confidence and to get better, bigger and faster. be consistent in your way and compassionate with yourself, your musical taste and sound, there is no one else like you, i guarantee it. be consistent in your release rate, for your peace of mind and growth, regardless of streams or attention. if you need some fuel for writing or some inspiration to make a new project, check out my beat store TiVonibeez.com