Beat Block - Veterans Perspective ?

[MGTheFuture]

You ever get beat block ? I dont mean, run out of sample or ideas kind...

I mean, you been making beats for years, and you did everything you could possibly want to do ?

Like i flipped ALL of my favorite samples, i played all the chords i know...and i touched/used/had all of my favorite sounds...

Now its kinda like ehhh...

For instance, i made and sold a beat today, the buyer said to me "Now this sounds like a classic Dskillz beat..."

like dudes wnat me to make what i been making for 3-4 years..still ?

While im trying to reach new heights in sound, depth, and originality...i find myself stuck in this box. ALmost impossible to create.

Im constantly trying new programs...but inevitably land right back in FL studio doing what im used to. Not that its a problem to do so...

But what do yall suggest to help through this phase ? Maybe some new moniotrs and a computer ? Maybe that M3 or Motif XS that looks so sexy ? Help me out...

 

[Krazyfingaz]

I would suggest steping away from making beats for a min. IMO you can have all the the software and hardware on the market and still have "beat block"

 

[mercurywaters]

i would say go for a different style of music than you already do. try some techno/dance or r&b or drum-n-bass. i also personally look for different things vocally to build around. try some poetry or some other non-hip hop vocal source to compose music around. right now i'm building beats around the "o brother where art thou" soundtrack. a lot of folk, country and bluegrass stuff on there. it definitely makes me explore new ideas and musical concepts that i wouldn't otherwise do with hip hop.

 

[2GooD Productions]

I hear exactly what you are saying, it happened to me a few weeks ago. I felt it was all getting a bit boring, but I stepped away for a while and now Im back at it.
I get in a box sometimes when Im composing tracks, because I have my way of doing things, it makes all the tracks sound the same. I found that just knocking together some simple melodies to build around solved my problem. I just tried to make them in a way a dont normally do, working up and down the octaves in a sort of arpeggiated way. It added a whole new depth of melody to me.
When in doubt I have to say experiment, like Mercury said, try working on a genre you dont normally do.
Or just have a break for 2 weeks and come back then with a new perspective.

 

[Relic]

Definately take a break, I have to whether I want to or not, if it aint there it aint there, but for the block your talking about you may need to be challanged , like Merc said, do some rock or somthing and come back to what you like, or take a break and play GTA for a week or 2!

 

[paradigmshifter]

IMO, all arts are connected to some extent... before I started producing and really got into sound design and audio engineering, I was studying film and cinematography and it was there where I found my interest in producing music... try a different art; film, writing, painting, etc... even if you haven't done any of it before, channel your creativity into something different and step back from making beats for a while like Mercury suggested... I bet when you sit back down in front of FL you'll feel refreshed and ready to bang-out some new joints for the pure pleasure of doing it instead of just making a beat to sale it...

it was the opposite for me... I started producing electronica, drum & bass & house and met an MC that got me to try doing a beat for him ( www.myspace.com/jbravado ), the resulting beat came out to be a hot joint with a unique touch of the other genres I was used to producing...

peace.
www.myspace.com/sonicparadigmshift

 

[MGTheFuture]

Yeah alot of these ideas are hitting the spot.

If you focus too much on creating to impress or sale, its like you fall in a hole sometimes.

And the need for something new is always there...i just need to maxmize my creativity with what i got...its worked the past 3 years ..

But right now imma just take a step back and focus on the label/business part..and get lost in some video games for a while..

Might even go about and design my website

 

[2GooD Productions]

LOL, building a website is a great idea, I tend to redesign my website any time my beats aint working for me. Websites can be very time consuming tho, but are a great way to forget about the music for a while.

 

[Architect]

another tip that might help you is to go attend a concert, a symphony orchestra, the harlem boys choir, some old funk band that might be playing in your city, etc.

Like what some of the other guys said go listen to something other than Hip-Hop for a while. There is nothing like sitting in the middle of a symphony orchestra or hearing a funky band play live..

There are many aspects of getting in the lab and improving your skills that don't always involve creating and making tracks. Get you a good book on audio mastering, mixdowns, theory, study the way famous musicians worked read up on their history.

If you haven't mastered the audio applications you use then while you are taking a break from beatmaking, you could be studying up on some features that you rarely use and figuring out ways to improve your workflow... All of this to me is still being in the lab but you are letting your mind recharge from one thing meanwhile still building up skills that will help out in other areas of your music production.... Just my two cents..

 

[Hi-Lo]

listening to new types of music is always good, but i'd generally just say I don't believe in the whole stay in the box way of thinking. you may think your clients only want one type of beat, but thats just because its all they know...you haven't showed them the future yet, you dig? the bottom line is, if shit is hot shit is hot...if you bring a new sound to people you just have to make it so hot they realize that's the new direction to take. don't be afraid to experiment. and especially if you're looking for a new sound, i'd stay away from a generic rompler like a motif or m3, get something real creative like a moog, polyevolver, or an omega 8 (or any studio electronics synth really).

 

[woohff]

My level of selfcriticism is getting waaay out-of-fucking-control. For weeks now I haven't done anything that I could've sent to my frends even to hear. Year ago these joints that I been making lately would've been good beats but now... well I dunno what has happened now

So I'm going thru (another) beatblock right now it seems haha...

One thing too, I haven't had the 'DAMN I just made a fucking BANGER' feeling for ages now... That's scary.

 

[LDB]

First of all, the game is much much bigger than just making beatz! Sometimes you have to stop bangin' on the MPC or whatever, long enough to "really really" try to get your music out there. You can't count on others to do this for you i.e the dude that just cop'd a beat from you that thinks it's hot. Unless that person has a foot in the door of a label or has the finances to really push there project that hot track can fizzle just as fast as it bubbled! Outside artist are usually about self promotion and not u!

I'm trying to push my tracks to labels by way of PMPworldwide and a few othe avenues, but I have had the most success working with my group and putting my shit in the streets on my own.

Stop, stack some cheese, get on your grind and produce an artist or group if you don't already have one. Get on your grind with "one" solid project and put everything else on the back burner. Sometimes we spread ourselves to thin as "unsigned" producers.

You'll be amazed at how "inspiring" it can be to your production just focusing on other aspects of the business. Especially when you start getting positive responses to your work. Do some radio drops for your local radio stations and hit the clubs,showcases etc etc where these radio personalities hang out thru the week. Not Friday and Saturday...Mon-Thurs. They're too busy on the weekend. Put your group in these showcases.....put that radio drop str8 into the radio personalities hand afterwards. If you rip the show trust me....that radio person will find away to get your drop on the air.

Just this morning Hot107.9 in Atlanta did their daily 7:30 am free style to my second single "A Town". Shit was crazy....the phone lines blew the fuck up soon after. They called my brother on his job for a phone interview and asked if we would come thru the Royal Peacock this Wednesday to perform the song live.

Now tell me if that wouldn't be a beat block remover for you?

Your boyz can tell you all day long your shit is hot but until you put it out there for the masses it means nothing IMO! Because the morning show liked the track so much they'll now be using it as background music for commercials spots. A very good look for an unsigned group and producer! They normally never do this unless you're signed!

 

[dahkter]

Just this morning Hot107.9 in Atlanta did their daily 7:30 am free style to my second single "A Town". Shit was crazy....

Congrats LDB, I've never heard one of my joints on the radio (heard it in the club, but never on the radio). That's dope, nice work on that placement....

 

[Krazyfingaz]

First of all, the game is much much bigger than just making beatz! Sometimes you have to stop bangin' on the MPC or whatever, long enough to "really really" try to get your music out there. You can't count on others to do this for you i.e the dude that just cop'd a beat from you that thinks it's hot. Unless that person has a foot in the door of a label or has the finances to really push there project that hot track can fizzle just as fast as it bubbled! Outside artist are usually about self promotion and not u!

I'm trying to push my tracks to labels by way of PMPworldwide and a few othe avenues, but I have had the most success working with my group and putting my shit in the streets on my own.

Stop, stack some cheese, get on your grind and produce an artist or group if you don't already have one. Get on your grind with "one" solid project and put everything else on the back burner. Sometimes we spread ourselves to thin as "unsigned" producers.

You'll be amazed at how "inspiring" it can be to your production just focusing on other aspects of the business. Especially when you start getting positive responses to your work. Do some radio drops for your local radio stations and hit the clubs,showcases etc etc where these radio personalities hang out thru the week. Not Friday and Saturday...Mon-Thurs. They're too busy on the weekend. Put your group in these showcases.....put that radio drop str8 into the radio personalities hand afterwards. If you rip the show trust me....that radio person will find away to get your drop on the air.

Just this morning Hot107.9 in Atlanta did their daily 7:30 am free style to my second single "A Town". Shit was crazy....the phone lines blew the fuck up soon after. They called my brother on his job for a phone interview and asked if we would come thru the Royal Peacock this Wednesday to perform the song live.

Now tell me if that wouldn't be a beat block remover for you?

Your boyz can tell you all day long your shit is hot but until you put it out there for the masses it means nothing IMO! Because the morning show liked the track so much they'll now be using it as background music for commercials spots. A very good look for an unsigned group and producer! They normally never do this unless you're signed!

Good shit Homie!!