Production: 5 ELEMENTS TO MAKING A BEAT
I have a lot of people that come up to me when they find out I’m a producer saying, “Yo’ I make beats too...”. Sometimes they’ll have beats on their phones or a CD (yes, still) and cannot wait to show me their “HOT BEATS”. To be honest, not everything I hear is great. A lot of times it's raw, and very quickly put together which made me think of putting this list together. These five elements or “keys” are for those who already know the basics, have a program they prefer like Fruity Loops, Ableton Live, etc.and are just wanting to make better instrumentals.
There are elements we have to take into consideration when creating music that we tend to throw out the window because we are so eager to finish. Making beats is like cooking. You have to take your time, find your ingredients, and go through the process of putting them together. You can “under cook” a beat, or you can “over cook” a beat. What does this mean? Well, to explain this we have to look at the qualities of a good beat. A good beat requires the following:
Sonics
A distinct progression/melody
Breaks or change-ups within the beat
Cohesive drums
Pockets for a singer/rapper etc.
If you are making beats, the first question you want to ask yourself is: Who am I making this beat for? Most of the time people want to make beats, but don’t take into consideration where a rapper would rap or where a singer would come in. If you’re making beats for the sake of just making beats then I guess this shouldn’t matter however, I am sure I speak for everyone that beat making culminates when we hear someone talented take it to a whole new level with their voice.
So the first thing I mentioned is sonic. The sounds you decide to use for your song can either make or break your beat. Finding the right piano, guitar, synth can take a while but the process of slowly and purposely selecting a sound can add depth to your song. A lot of plugins have great presets and if you are not versed in sound design, this is a great place to start. Once you find a preset you like, don’t settle. Tweak the sound and make it your own.
The second element is a distinct progression. I take progressions like the canvas for an artists. The progression of the song (chords throughout the song) can lead the writer to really explore different melodies and sing a certain way. Sometimes the progression can be real simple but the timing of the changes are different or the singer takes that simple progression and makes it work to his or her benefit. A lot of rappers that I’ve worked with aren’t happy with loops anymore (not that loops are bad but we’ll discuss LOOPS vs Progressions in another blog.) I used to think rappers just wanted loop-based instrumentals, but meeting more and more rappers I found this to not be the case at all. So this really depends on the artist. They might be more loops and sampled based but that’s an exception. (Another blog coming “What a producer and a beat-maker have in common”. LOL)
The loops topic leads me into the third element of a good beat. Changes and breaks. We all need breaks. We all need times off. If we work 8 hours straight, we would go crazy. That’s why we need 10 minute breaks or 1 hour lunches. The same goes for our ears. Our ears want a break from repetition. Good songs in general always have elements that keep you interested. After 2 minutes of the same beat, your ears and mind begin to lose interest. It’s just human nature. So, add changes to your beat. Maybe drop (mute) your drums. You can add or take away elements to create this effect. Usually, what I’ll do is take the drums out on certain parts. I’ll bring in an unexpected instrument to change up the melody or to harmonize with the melody. Sometimes you can change your progression or change style all together. There is no wrong way of doing this as long as you make it mesh together well.
Cohesive Drums is the fourth element. You can have a great progression, a great melody, maybe you added some good breaks, but if your drums aren’t cohesive to your beat then it will ruin the whole track. I literally have disliked a beat because of the drums. Notice I didn’t use the expression BANGIN’ DRUMS or LOUD DRUMS. This is because it’s not what I mean. When I say cohesive, I mean make sure they fit. My advice, take your time with your drums. Don’t just select a snare, kick and go. Select your ingredients wisely because it will affect the quality of your final product.
The fifth element is pockets. What are pockets? This the areas where we as beat makers or producers leave room for the singers rappers etc. If I overload or “over cook” a beat, I won’t leave any room for a singer or rapper’s voice. “Over Cooking” would be to overload the track with instruments to the point where it makes the beat pretty much useless for the artist. On the other hand “under cooked” beats, miss these 5 basic elements and aren’t examined to ensure that everything works together. “Under cooked” beats will have drums that do not match, instruments that clash, or sometimes will just feel like something is missing.
UNEAK