How to produce beats

Being able to “keep the beat” has been an age-old requirement in the music industry. Thanks to hip hop, rap, and electronic music, that background sound has been brought to the forefront. Today, beats are becoming major players in every corner of popular music.

But it’s more than just producing the beats. The most successful live DJs are able to seamlessly blend beats from different samples or create beats to augment transitions. But it doesn’t happen overnight. If you want to learn how to produce beats, it’ll take time, practice, and patience.

Learn

We understand you’re ready to start the journey to hip-hop or live DJ stardom. You’ve acquired the necessary software – FL Studio and Garageband are free or low-cost options while Ableton Live and Logic Pro are industry standards when it comes to digital audio workstations. Perhaps you’ve already invested in quality headphones and maybe a Midi keyboard.

Before you spend any more money, consider spending a couple of bucks on researching music theory. By understanding how sounds are created, which notes sound good together, and which instruments work best together, you’ll give yourself a strong foundation to build on.

If you’ve played an instrument in the past, you’ll have a leg up on those who don’t. But even if a kazoo gives you fits, you can still make sick beats. It’ll just take a little more music theory study on your part. Even if you took piano lessons in grade school, it makes sense to get a more in-depth knowledge of the subject.

Listen

There’s a reason you wanted to get into the beat-making business: you heard some funky baselines and fell in love. It’s time to get back to those days of sitting back and listening to your favorites, only now you have something to listen for.

How do the transitions, loops, and tracks blend together? Is there something in particular that gets your head bobbing, or does a beat make you want to hit the skip button? While you listen, think about how you can replicate the beats you like, or even change it a bit to make it your own.

Once you know what to listen for, you’ll never hear music the same way again. It might even make you think twice about the songs you’ve liked before (sorry about that), but you’ll be able to grow your experience and your talent.

Practice

You understand how the notes, instruments, and sounds move in unison as well as how your favorite live DJs craft their songs. Now it’s your turn to put everything you’ve learned together. It makes sense to start slowly and learn the basics of the software. As your skill grows, try to copy your favorites and then move on to your own sound.

As we said, it takes time. Also get a few honest, level-headed friends or mentors to help judge your music. If you want to produce beats for others or become a live DJ, you’ll need to get comfortable sharing your creations. Hopefully, the feedback you get is good, but a few critical comments can be helpful, too.

Shorten the Timeline

Interested in speeding the process up? The Recording Connection Learn Hip Hop and Beatmaking Program will cover everything above and then some. Not only will you learn what it takes to create beats that get bodies moving, but you’ll also do it from inside a professional studio.

Our unique program will set you up with a mentor for real-world, one-on-one training from a beat maker and DJ who’s made a career in the industry. With more than 120 locations located throughout the United State and Canada, chances are, there’s a Recording Connection near you. Apply today.

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