Beat Making Software Blog

As a hip-hop rap songwriter, there are a just a few steps to learn to get you started writing a song. In our discussion today, we will discuss these steps so that by the time we are done, you can have a rough draft of your first song written.

Step 1 – Find a subject

What subject are you going to use in your rap song. There are so many topics that you can write about, but you for your first song, write about something that you are thinking about. It makes no different what it is. Let’s say that you are thinking about what you are going to eat for dinner. You could have a song written within a couple of minutes with that as your subject matter.

Step 2 – Just stop and think

Find someplace to sit quietly. Once you have found that place, just let your thoughts flow. Let anything come to your mind. As you are sitting there thinking, just jot down the words to your thoughts. Whatever comes to your mind, write it down.

Step 3 – Create a temporary title

The title will give you some direction as you move forward in your writing. It doesn’t have to be long. Make it descriptive and make it something catchy. Actually creating a title at the beginning of your writing process will give you a great beginning point for writing the rest of the song.

Step 4 – Create Your Chorus

These next two steps can be interchanged depending on how you write, but my preference is to create or write my chorus first. My verses will be created from my chorus. You want to make sure that your hook fits whatever beat that you are trying to use. This is one of the most important parts of the song, so take your time and don’t rush as you are writing it.

Step 5 – Write the rest of your song

Remember that your verse will usually contain 16 bars. Two rhyming sentences will equal 1 bar. Let your verses support your chorus or wrap itself around the content of the chorus. Create your verses to follow your rap song structure. So in this step, make sure that you are creating your verses that will coordinate with your chorus.

Step 6 – Fine Tune It

This is where you will sit back and go over your rap song with a fine-tooth comb. As a rap songwriter this is where you get to let go of your creativity and just allow yourself to use it. Make sure everything fits together. Make sure that your verses and hook go together. Finally you want to make sure that these both match your beat.

Selling Beats Online
I could bore you with business terminologies, concepts, and how to properly apply them to the online beat market. But quite frankly, that kind of information won’t do you much good; business jargon only tend to complicate things, not solve problems. So with that being said I will try to minimize the business jargon, and lay down some fundamentals of branding and apply it to online beat selling, in hopes of increasing your probability of success selling beats online.

Branding
Brand your image, brand your music, and brand your communication. How can you do this? Here are a couple ideas you could experiment with:

1. Create 1 alias only!: A lot of producers fall into the habit of creating several aliases due to legitimate reasons of their own. Fair enough, but in order to maintain a clientele base, instead of a customer basis, you have to be grounded and identifiable.

2. Try to define your sound: This doesn’t mean making the same kind of beats over and over again. It simply means find/ create something distinct about your production. Whether it is layering your drums, passing guitars and other instruments through an effect that you’ve mastered, etc. You want people to be able to identify you, not only by your name but by your product (your beat). Kind of how you hear a Dr. Dre track and you know it’s Dr. Dre without browsing through the production credits

3. Keep at it: Don’t expect to start selling beats over night, or over the span of a week, or a month. Some people do get lucky and start selling their beats as soon as the create an account on social beat networks and upload their music, for the rest of us, we understand that this kind of success requires a great deal of time and patience. During down time, you can focus your time on branding your image. If there is a beat you have that isn’t selling, talk to other producers on the site (successful producers) and ask them to leave feedback on a particular track you are having problems selling, and see if you can pinpoint the problem from the feedback they give you (Remember, their word isn’t golden, it is just a suggestion). If that doesn’t work, try advertising on the main page of beat social networks.

A couple things to keep in mind in case your music isn’t selling:

i. Price: Are you charging too much in comparison to others
ii. Quality: Is it properly mixed, a full song, etc.
iii. Originality: Are there other tracks that sound the same that could be purchased for less
iv. Exposure: Is the track being heard

4. Learn some music theory: Music is an art form that has some basic rules that should be followed. This doesn’t mean that you can’t bend them; it just means you just can’t break them. If you’re really serious about making some money selling beats online, take the time out to learn some theory. There are some sites online that give free lessons on music theory. This will enable you to be more consistent in the quality of music you make, and help you distinguish yourself from other online producers.

5. Mixing DOES matter: Although this may seem completely out of left wing, it is very instrumental in your production. Imagine if the sound guy didn’t have the volume high enough during the president’s inauguration. Take time with your mixes. It’s like yin to yang, the music isn’t more important than the mix, or vise versa. They compliment each other, so if you can’t mix, find some one who can, or learn how to

6. Don’t compromise yourself: A lot of producers fall into the habit of selling their beats for next to nothing. This is only hurting you in the long run. You cripple your ability to evolve as a producer, because you are satisfied with your quantitative success, and you’re only creating a brand for yourself that you’ll find difficult to get out of. I mean, if you made a beat that you thought was hot, and posted it for a substantial price difference in comparison with the other tracks you have for sale, the probability of selling it will be pretty low, because they’d rather look for a substitute

7. People are watching: The way you respond to people could affect you even if your intentions where good. Never forget, even though you may feel you are right about something, there are a million people out there that disagree. Keep your opinions unbiased, briefly address the issue and or concern, and let it be. * As long as it doesn’t attack you as a brand*

E.g. – You may run into a situation where someone disagrees with the genre or sub-genre of music you made. Since this could affect you indirectly, you should stand up for your brand, BUT ONLY DEFEND YOURSELF & WORKS WITH FACTS. The person you’re arguing with might be ignorant, but the rest of the people reading those posts aren’t

8. Be humble: Online producers are a dime a dozen, you have to turn customer into clientele. Go online to producer forums, get to know the people on there, get to know artists, post up pictures of your self on your profile. Use these social tools to gain an advantage over your competitors. Treat people with respect and you will get respect back. It’s one thing to be competitive, it’s another thing to be arrogant.

These are just a couple things that could help you sell more beats. I’m not guaranteeing you that following these guidelines will guarantee you success; it is merely a step in the right direction. Good Luck!

Let’s face it. Hip-Hop, and rap in particular, is HUGE right now. Some of the biggest beats and tightest sounds are coming from the South, and consumption is at an all time high. So how in the world do you break in? Well you can try becoming a rapper, but the industry is full of broke rappers making no money and struggling to pay for beats and studio time.

Perhaps the most solid way to break into the biz is the tried-and- true model of super-producers like Timbaland, Kanye West, and Dr. Dre. These guys all started out making music and finding rappers hungry for fresh sounds. Now, you can hear these guys on their own albums because they took the
time to build up a brand name and establish their own niche in the business. Nebula is another producer but his idea is very revolutionary.

He has decided to exploit the power of the internet by getting his fresh music out to rappers across the world. Best of all, this music is totally royalty-free, meaning you don’t have to pay for repeated usage of the music. You could hypothetically use affordable cool edit pro software with Nebula’s beats to craft your own album, skipping the costs of a studio.

Think about this for a minute. The big problem with hip hop today is that many songs are formulaic. This is bad because innovation falls by the wayside. But its also great for newcomers because the demand is always high and once you grasp the formula, you can create new songs based on what is tried and true. That is when you achieve true artistic freedom. To quote Dr. Dre himself: “Now I’ma be able to do whatever I wanna do,” he claims. “If it works, it’s on me. If it fails, it’s on me. But I’m an innovator. I like trying things.”

In conclusion, joining up and coming producers such as Nebula who have interesting strategies such as providing royalty-free beats allows you as the burgeoning mogul to leverage on the quality work of others to build your own name brand and skills. It also provides a great opportunity to work on your
own product without sinking under the costs of studio time and paying royalties. Don’t be afraid of taking your game to the next step. See you in the streets!

A lot of people would like to know how Timbaland gets his tracks to sound so unique. While he is an amazing producer. One of the major keys to his success is his relentless search for new sounds. Timbaland uses a sound library that makes an amateur producer look like he is using a kids keyboard. To get the sounds that made Justin Timberlakes last two albums slam, you are going to have to look for synths or synthesizers. Two of Timbaland’s favorite are the Vanguard and a synth from Re FX. They were actually made popular by techno producers.

Don’t expect Timbaland to stay their for long though. While you may be able to make tracks like him, He got their first. Labels and publisher are looking for what will be hot in 2 or 3 years not now. If you are an artist, Google chasetrackmusic.com Their is an up and coming producer named Chase McMorrough that has producer some really hot Timbaland style beats, and he is still in the underground so you can get a track, although not for long, for only a couple thousand. We used one for one of our artist. It was the one that got her a deal.

Another great trick to get drums to hit harder is to layer your kick with another 1/32 off time, and change the attack to hard. It really make the beat jump. Hope fully this information was helpful to you. I am going to recommend some materials for you if you are just getting started or even already in the game.

When you’re just starting out how to make beats it can be fun and frustrating at the same time. Trust me I was there. But it really is easier then you think. If you’re making a beat here are 10 tips that will get yo stated.

1. Pick a style- Know the style of beat you want to make before you start making it. Like rnb,rap,pop, etc. There have been plenty of beats that I made and could not figure out what style it was.

2. Pick A Major Artist- Think of a known artist that you would want to make the beat for. Like if you chose a style a rap, think now what rap artist do you want to make the beat for. Try to imagine that artist on your beat. This will make your hip hop beat-making experience a whole lot easier.

3. Listen To Their Song- Take a listen to the rap artist you are making the beat for songs. See the style. Get a feel for the kind of hip hop beats the artist raps over.

4. Formatting The Song- Very important. formatting is, the intro, verse, chorus, verse, bridge, etc. That’s all it is but basically you just change the order around however you feel like it. Turn on the radio and see how your favorite artist formats there song. When instruments come in, when they drop out. The most basic form to start with is, 2 or 4 bar intro, 16 bar verse, 8 bar chorus, 16 bar verse, 8bar chorus, 16 bar verse, 8 bars chorus. This is the most basic beat-making song format. This is very common in rap. If you want an even simpler way, you can create an 8 bar loop and keep it the same throughout the whole song. I have seen this done a lot.

5. Laying down the beat- I have learned that for starters, it’s easier to start with the drums. Kick, Snare, Hi hat, are always a good start. Record a pattern for four bars with those first. Then layer that with maybe some toms, cow-bell, symbols, etc. Whatever you want to use. THE DRUMS ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT IN MAKING HIP HOP BEATS! Your drums must hit and hit HARD. The best way to get your drums hitting hard is by not using “pitty pat” free kits you downloaded from the internet for free. If your drums are weak, then your beat is going to be weak.

6. Laying Down A Melody- This is where most hip hop beat-makers have the most trouble. Because most eat makers can’t play the keys. For starters, you might want to learn basic keyboard skills. The major thing you need to learn are, major and minor scales. After you learn that, try and do different combinations and patterns with the drum beat you have made. Use an instrument like, a lead guitar, horns, clav, something that will stand out. Your melody can be however you want it, but for starters, you could do a 4 bar melody, or an 8 bar melody.

7. Layering The Beat- What is done a lot in beat making is layering. If you have your whole beat finished. You can go and make it sound bigger by layering. All you do is fill in some gaps, do the same pattern you did with one instrument with another instrument. Do this throughout your beat. This will make you beat sound a lot fatter.

8. Pan- Panning is basically having an instrument all the way to the right, all the way to the left, and anywhere in between. You pan for all kinds of different reasons. It gives each track its own little space in the stereo field. There are no rules for panning, put you have to do it. So just try it out and see what you like best.

9. The Mixdown- Very important! Very Important! Very Important! If you have a poor mix on your beat, then you have pretty much wasted your time. When mixing a beat, start with each track individually. Solo each track and make sure it sounds good by itself. EQ it if you have to, but if each track sounds good by itself, the whole beat will sound that much better. DO NOT DISTORT! If your master levels are in the red before you bounce to disc or .mp3, your distorting. Don’t worry about if its not loud enough. You never ever ever want to distort. If you are distorting, check any instrument that has boom or low end, Like a kick, bass, sub, etc. these tend to distort more often.

10. The Bounce- Now that you made you’re beat, Its the hottest hip hop beat ever, you want to put it on cd or upload it to the internet. When you’re exporting a beat for cd, Use .wav file. 44.1 16bit. If you want to upload to the internet use, 320kbps (the highest .mp3 quality) or 128kbps. Most websites wont accept 320kbps because the file size is too big. So go with 128kbps.

These are all just guidelines to help you get started. There are millions of ways to make a beat, But this is just to help you get your feet wet if you don’t know where to start.