How To Make My Own Beats
Every time I make my own beats, there are several things that I always keep in mind, and I am happy to share them with you so that you, too, can make your own music beats the right way.
These best practices were learned based on experience, and by knowing them you won’t have to go through a series of trial-and-error processes in order to find out what works best and what to avoid.
Things I Need When I Make My Own Beats
The traditional way to make beats is to use high-end musical devices and varied instruments to create different resounding sounds and beats. A sound-proof studio is necessary, as well. These things are costly. A single musical instrument alone, such as a guitar for that matter, will already cost you more than a hundred dollars.
Fortunately, things have changed today and technological developments have made it possible to make your own beats without having most of these requirements, and without spending so much as initial investment. Naturally, investment is still required but it will only be minimal and affordable.
Laptop
First of all, you need a personal computer, either a laptop or desktop PC. It doesn’t have to be a high end computer with powerful features. A standard laptop will do. Nevertheless, here are the minimum system requirements:
- 4+ GB RAM space
- 20 GB memory drive space
- Windows 7, 8, or 10
- 2+ GHz Quad Core Processor
Good Quality Speaker System
Aside from the computer, you also need to have a good speaker system. While computers nowadays come with free speakers, you are better off if you upgrade your speakers to a better and more powerful one that will allow you to appreciate in more details every beat and sound of each instrument.
Take note that proper positioning of your speaker can make a lot of differences, as well. A perfect scenario would be a 4-way speaker system for a surround sound. They have to be arranged in a square pattern, with you right in the middle. But if you only have a 2-way stereo speaker, then position them in a triangular form with both speakers right in front of you, while you are in the middle at a far end.
Headset
On top of the speaker, you also need to have a good headset. This will allow you to appreciate every sound to the minute details. This will keep you away from distraction, as well.
Beat Making Software
An important requirement that make things possible for you to make your own beats is a beat maker. This contains many different features that allow you to create varied sounds using different musical instruments. That is why you don’t need to have a guitar, a piano, a drum, a flute, and so on. This software will produce the same beats using a real musical instrument through your keyboard or mouse.
Top Tips When Making Your Own Beats
Turn off the Equalizer
While many will use the equalizer to appreciate the sounds of their beats, you will create way much better beats if the equalizer is turned off. This is because the equalizer highlights the sounds of certain instruments based your personal preferences. In short, it modifies the sounds of your piece, thereby creating a false impression that your beats are already good; when turned off, your beats may sound bad or off beat.
Know the Tempo of Your Song
This is the speed of your beats. Your beats become faster as the tempo is increased. You should set the tempo of the beat maker based on your personal preference. You can change the temp many times as you go along.
Start with the Samples
These are custom-made beats using certain instruments. Your beat maker should have several samples to give you better flexibility on your choices. Mix and match different samples while ensuring they are in harmony at the same time.
These best practices on how I make my own beats are just the start. You learn more as you go along. The important thing is to have fun and enjoy along as you make music. Emotions play an important role in beat making.