Nowadays beatmaking is gaining popularity not only as a simple hobby, but also as a kind of professional activity. And the explanation is simple enough: the musical preferences of the audience are becoming more diverse, the process of creating music is becoming easier and more accessible, and now almost everyone can earn on it.
If you are one of those who decided to master this kind of “art” for yourself, this article is for you. After it you will have a complete and comprehensive understanding of how to write your own unique beat.
Many novice producers create their music starting with fairly simple and primitive compositions. Over time, however, as you gain experience and more professional skills, an ordinary hobby can grow into a profession, and a fairly interesting and lucrative one at that. For beginners professional beat may seem something difficult and incomprehensible, and this article is about how to write beats correctly from the very beginning.
Also, we will take a step-by-step look at an example of how to create your own beat, which looks like this.
What do I need to write my own bit?
Below we list what you’ll need to write your own music. Not everything listed is a must, but many of the things included in this list make the job much easier, and help you acquire the relevant skills faster.
At the same time, the process itself is available to almost everyone today and does not require any special expenses at first.
So, you will need:
- A computer;
- Suitable software;
- A set of samples with sounds in the appropriate musical direction;
- MIDI controller;
A computer for writing beats
There are no special requirements for modern computers in terms of music creation. Most of the new devices fully meet the demands of the software used in this field. In terms of power, the following parameters will suffice:
- 4 GB RAM;
- Processor with 4 cores clocked at 2.4 GHz;
- 64-bit operating system;
- Screen with a diagonal of 13 inches;
- 500GB hard drive (SSD is preferred).
Mac or PC, it’s up to you, it all depends on the software, remember, not all DAWs are supported by Windows and vice versa.
DAW to create a bit
DAW (digital audio workstation) is a software environment for creating, recording and editing music. Such programs include the instruments, effects, and sound libraries you need for writing music, which you can use while producing your tracks.
Software for beginners and software for professionals are for the most part similar at their core, but as a producer grows in experience and expertise, the functional configuration of their software may change. A beginner often needs only a computer, DAW and studio headphones or monitors. Professionals often use a lot of different hardware integrated into the software, plug-ins, expensive equipment, etc. Also software set in the sequencer (for example, external VST plug-ins) can be very different from amateur, although it is not always so.
There are a huge number of sequencers and different music creation software on the market today. There are both paid and free ones. However, we would like to focus your attention on the online-DAWs that are gaining trend today. What is their advantage?
The thing is that online sequencers work through your browser. All you need to run them is an Internet connection. Most of them are either free, or using them costs a pittance compared to desktop software, which costs on average about $500 or more.
That said, online sequencers are an order of magnitude more profitable to use. Why? They run on their own cloud servers and the data is stored there as well. You do not need to clutter your hard drive with gigabytes of unnecessary software and working files, the servers of the services themselves take the load.
In this case we recommend to pay your attention to Amped Studio application. Its advantages are as follows:
- support for all the standard functions of a conventional sequencer;
- support for VST technology (the only online sequencer that supports this);
- ability to work in groups on a project;
- PWA application that runs on a Chromebook, which makes Amped Studio even more accessible.
For beginners who want to write their own beat, online-DAW is recommended because it’s easier to get started. You don’t have to shell out money for expensive software to test it. In this case, testing is completely free.
The structure of a bit
The main feature of a beat is that there is almost always some formula for writing it. When you listen from the outside, the finished arrangement everything seems unrealistically complicated. However, when you start to take it apart, especially today when music has become much more primitive, you are pleasantly surprised how simple everything is.
Standard rap beat can be decomposed into the following elements:
- Drums;
- Percussion;
- Bass;
- Synthesizers or instruments;
- Background effects.
Let’s break it down in order.
Percussion .
When talking about the drums, first of all we are talking about the drum. It sounds louder than anything else and, most importantly, sets the rhythm of the song. The rest of the drum sounds, like hi-hats, shakers, toms, etc., play an auxiliary role.
It often takes the most time to find the right drum, because it represents the “heart” of the track and is the most delicate part.
In the most popular rhythm pattern (straight even beat, which is used in EDM or pop music), a snare (ratchet) is added to every other beat of the drum. It acts as a kind of “ghost” note to add variety and extra rhythmic feel.
Many producers add claps or clicks in place of or along with the snare, which makes the sound more “wide” and varied. This layering of sounds creates the illusion of beat complexity.
At the same time, with such layering, it is necessary to remember not to get too many sounds with the same frequency content. They may begin to conflict, which will create the effect of noise and unintelligibility of the mix.
Percussion
Percussion and all kinds of hi-hats play a role of a kind of “gap filler” in the beat. It gives a certain “zest” to the percussion party, making it complete and full.
Percussion, for the most part, is designed to fill in the space between the drum beats. It gives dynamics, rhythm and creates the mood of the track.
There are a lot of types of percussion: closed hats, shakers, wooden blocks, tambourines, and many others. The choice is almost unlimited. It is probably the most varied set of instruments of the percussion party. Applying percussion, and sometimes you have to, you can let your imagination run wild.
Bass
Many producers are convinced that the right combination of bass and drums is 90% of a track’s success.
The bass is a chord base, that is, it is a kind of basic melody. That said, many, for example, hip-hop producers make tracks on a single bass note with occasional variations to add variety.
If you don’t understand how to overlay the bass on your rhythmic pattern, try starting by overlaying the bass directly on the bass drum – on every note. Experiment further, pushing the bass notes back and forth on each note. Gradually you’ll be able to pick up some kind of rhythm. This is the easiest way to start.
The bass and drum conflict is the most common of the frequency conflicts in mixing music. When choosing them, it’s worth remembering – it’s important that their basic frequencies don’t get cut off. For example, if you have a muffled kick that resembles a heartbeat, it is better not to add a deep sub-bass to it, because it will simply absorb the kick. A drum that resembles a box kick, with lots of midrange frequencies, is better suited to such a low bass.
Melody
Essentially, the melody is the most interesting part of the beat, it’s what your song will be remembered by listeners, as it creates the mood of the track.
What you choose as your melodic instrument depends solely on your taste. It can be a synth, a piano part, a vocal sample that can be sampled on a sampler in a different key, or sliced in different parts like on a drum machine.
What to do first – bass or melody – also depends on your preference, depending on what you want to emphasize. Many producers even start the beat with the bass and build the rest of the song around it, which is often very relevant to hip-hop.
In most modern hip-hop compositions, the melody is looped in 4 bars with an original twist at the end that brings the listener back to the beginning of the loop.
In rap, by the way, it’s important to remember that it’s best to keep the melody as simple as possible, for the simple reason that this direction of music itself is not particularly melodic. The vocals do not change tone over the course of the song, so a melody that is too complex can conflict with the perception of it from both the performer and the listener.
Background Effects
Using effects along the way makes the beat more varied. The constant inclusion of new background sounds keeps the listener from getting bored, and makes each series of bars more “fresh. Effects also allow you to emphasize the most interesting parts of the song.
You can use synth tones, noises, pads, etc. as effects. You can also apply different kinds of effects to existing elements of the track by adjusting the automation parameters. The possibilities in this regard are literally limitless.