The Right Start
Plan Your Work - Work Your Plan. Pick where you want to end before you start. Then, be INTENTIONAL - do everything on purpose, with purpose, to get there.
Planning is one of the keys to starting right. Planning is starting with the end in mind. This is what beat makers and music creators of all kinds do all the time. Every beat you make has a start and an end. When you start making a beat, you know that it has to end at some point in time and in some kind of way. As the beat maker, you determine the end by how you start.
Music is a part of your life journey. You have already started your music journey. Where do you want it to end? Planning will help you navigate through your music journey and avoid many of the ptfalls that end the music journey too early. Having guiding principles will help you stay on course to your music journey destination.
TaurusBeats Music Journey Guiding Principles
- Watch Your Mouth! Avoid negative talk about others and yourself, especially, talking about what you can't do.
- Elevate Your Mindset! FOCUS your mind (thinking) on success. Set Your Mind on Success.
- Protect Your Time! TIME is more valuable than money. Once you spend it, you can't get it back!
- Use What You Got! Use what you already have. "Use what you got to get what you want!"
- Stay Humble And Hungry! Remain TEACHABLE, master listening and learn to love learning.
- Help Other Producers Elevate! People need help in this journey. Use your music can help other people elevate. Use your knowledge can help other producers elevate.
Many beginners ask me, "What do I need to make beats?", "What is the best software for making beats?" and "What equipment do you need to produce music?"
The answer: You need the right beat making equipment FOR YOU!
Beat making Equipment
- Computer: Desktop or Laptop or Mobile Device
- Digital Audio Workstation (DAW)
- Audio Interface
- Studio Monitors and Headphones
- MIDI Controller
- Studio Microphone
- Sounds: Samples, Sound Banks and Instrument Libraries
- Other Beat Making Tools
The right knowledge is critical to the success of any project. While your music journey is unique, there are some common concepts you must understand, regardless of the type of music or beats you make.
Some Basics
Let's start with some basics about beat making. We start with a definition in order to get on the same page.
What is a beat?
A beat is a basic unit of music. (Music theory answer)
For music, we recognize the time signature of a song by recognizing the number of beats in a measure. For example, 4/4 time signature means there are 4 beats in one measure and each beat is a quarter note.
In the beat making context, the above is true, but it is not the first thing that comes to mind.
In beat making, a beat is a piece of music primarily created for some vocal element to be added to it.In other words, beats are made for rappers or singers or other artists to add vocals to.
Making Beats vs Making Music
What is beat making?
What does making beats mean?
Technically, they are the same - music. But there is a distinction you must recognize as a beat maker.
Beats leave space for vocal content. You will encounter the saying, "LESS IS MORE", especially when it comes to Hip Hop beat making.
Music, on the other hand, may fill the available "space" with other instruments or musical elements where the vocals would normally go. This is instrumental music, rather than a beat (in the beat making sense).
Types of Beat makers
- Software Beat makers
- Hardware Beat makers
- Software+Hardware Beat makers
Know how music works: Music Theory
You do not have to know music theory in order to make beats. However, I strongly encourage you to learn music theory so you know how and why music works the way it does.
Strategy
Beat making strategy is simply a master plan or plan of action to accomplish an overall aim.
If your overall aim is to make a beat, you make a plan of action to do just that - make a beat.
When you make a beat, then what? What are you making beats for? what are you going to do with the beats? Why are you making beats?
These are questions to get you to think bigger about your "overall aim" and plan ahead.
Process
The beat making process is a common set of steps to make a beat. Every beat maker takes these steps.
- Choose Sounds
- Build Patterns
- Create Structure
- Mix as you go
- Final Mix-down (pre-mastering)
- Mastering
Beat making is Music Production, but there is a distinction between the two. One important thing to remember is that the beat making process is only part of the overall music production process.
Workflow
Workflow is the way you work to make a beat. Your workflow is unique to you and it may contribute to your creativity. For example, we all have to add sounds to our DAW, but the way I add sounds to my DAW will probably be different from the way you do it.
Tips
How to make good beats?
Actually Make Some Beats
Beatmaking is a skill you can get better the more you do it. Like other skills development, you have to consistently practice using what you learn on the equipment to achieve the desired goals. Then, you compare / test the beats you make against similar beats by other beat makers.
Sampling vs Organic Beat making
How do you make original beats?
Organic beat making is simply making beats while playing everything yourself - no (song) samples. Organic is a term used to distinguish between sample beat making, which uses samples from existing songs within the beat being created.
Get More Beat making Tips
Get More Beat making Tutorials
Learn How to Make Better Beats
How I Make Beats
As TaurusBeats, my primary aim is to make Moody Instrumental Music. I make beats, too. I intentionally move my beats into the instrumental music lane by adding piano freestyles (improvisations) and other musical elements to fill the space where vocals would sit.
I have "stripped down" versions of all of my music - beats - which vocalists can use.
My overall aim has never been to make beats for industry artists, vocalists, rappers, etc. My overall aim is to create Lufe Story Music, telling the story of my life through the music I make, for my daughter. As I learn and grow, I share what I know with others on this music journey.
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Mood Music
