As a music producer or beatmaker, you’re always looking for ways to improve. And improvement can come in many ways, not just those that seem conventional. That’s why I put together this list of 10 tips to improve your next beat.
You may be at a point where it isn’t any technical tips you need, and it may be something as simple as speeding up your workflow. How can you turn ideas into a completed beat at a faster rate?
Or, you may be looking for new ways to get inspired. We’ve all been in a creative rut before. What are some practical tips to get you out of that beat block? How can you improve so you generate more revenue for your beats?
Here are 10 tips to improve your next beat
- Create your own samples. Sometimes you may create your next great melody or sound for a beat you’re producing when you aren’t even working on it. If you’re into sound design, you may end up creating something that inspires your next beat. You can also profit quite a bit from selling sound kits and sample packs.
- Less is more. Try creating your next beat with fewer elements, and using only those that will make the biggest impact. When you narrow your focus, you’ll be surprised at how creative you can get.
- Create a custom template that matches your workflow in the DAW you use for making beats. This is an easy way to speed up your workflow.
- Produce with emotion. We all get caught in the technical details sometimes, and that is okay. But, you don’t want to hinder your creativity by being so technically robotic. Go with the flow and stay adaptive. Sometimes it is okay if your drums are clipping, for example.
- Create dynamics to take your listener on a journey. Remember you are producing music for someone, so keep your audience in mind when you make your next beat.
- Try stepping away from the computer screen. Sometimes you can get in a rut and caught up in looking at the meters on your computer screen instead of actually listening and absorbing your beat. Stepping away from your computer and just listening to your beat without the screen in front of you will take you to a different place.
- Sculpt your sound by carving out spaces in your mix using EQ. Your track will sound a lot better. There are many affordable plugins that can help you with this. It’s also great to have space in your mix when you’re producing music for television and film projects.
- Innovate, don’t imitate music. Try to stay uniquely YOU. It’s okay to take inspiration from some of your favorite music producers, but try not to copy their style completely. It’s so important to be yourself and stay authentic. So, don’t be afraid to try something completely new.
- Create an instantly recognizable riff, motif, or sound that will make your track memorable. Ask yourself what will make this beat stand out?
- Add elements that add to the vibe of the beat. Textures, FX, etc. Give your beat a feeling.
What does improvement mean to you?
Remember, everyone is different and can improve and evolve in different ways. Try to focus on the ways that can make the biggest difference for you and your music career. Hopefully, you can pull something from these 10 tips to improve your next beat as a starting point. But don’t be afraid to push your boundaries and go beyond this.
