When you are learning how to make beats, be very careful to understand that it is not as easy as you think it is! There are simple principles that you should follow if you are going to make it in this industry. Here are some of those principles:
The first thing that you should remember is why you are making beats. If you don't love making beats, stop right now and just go home, seriously. There is already enough mediocre and just downright bad music out there. Don't be part of the problem, be part of the solution! You may be able to fly under the radar for awhile with mediocre beats but it won't last long.
There needs to be a balance. The beat should not have to carry the artist and the artist should not have to carry the beat. That is why it's so important to find talent that is right for the kind of beats that you specialize in. People just think they can produce anybody. Don't get it twisted even for a second. You can't be a music producer just cause you want to be. You gotta learn so much more besides how to make beats and produce beats.
Find your style. You gotta have a particular style that is your groove, that is your signature. You always know when you are listening to a Dr. Dre beat, always. You always know when you are listening to a Timbaland beat, always. You have to find your style, that sound that sets you apart from the rest. Don't be generic. The ones that make it and last in this business are the pioneers. They are the ones that are always looking for that new sound, they are keeping their ears to the streets and you should be too if you want to make it.
To make beats work for you, you can't be held back by the artist. Don't work with artists who you don't like working with! It will seriously affect your beats and will bring out the worst in you. People will hear the disharmony in your beats. To make beats to the very best of your ability, work with an artist that you love. Work with someone where you both have the same music vision, someone that you can feed off of.
When you are really excited about a certain type of beat that you are making, don't worry about how well you think it will sell at this point. Go ahead and let them creative juices flow. Make sure that you let out all your ideas in the software as you can always shape it and edit it later. Think of making beats when you start as like a rough draft. Then you can go back and do the refining long after all the artists have gone home.
A good music producer will in fact determine how successful the artist is. You want to be known as a hit maker. You want to be known as someone to go to if an artist wants a sure thing. Once you get this kind of recognition, you'll be set for life, just like Kanye West. So don't be afraid to experiment and then shape it the way you want when you make beats, this way you can't go wrong. Read below to see what I have for you because if you have talent and are a hard worker, I really want to see you succeed.
