Calling all the veterans

This is an appeal to some of the veterans here to share one or two tips or techniques that you have learned over the years that some of the new guys can use to add to their arsenal.

Maybe we can get a little discussion going on, because there isn't much of that around here any more.

I would really love for everybody here to be the best beatmakers we can be, it makes for far more competitive battles, and helps build a little bit of community, create friendships and make us a force to be reckoned with.

So much of my style has come from observations of other beatmakers here over the 20 years I've been a member here. Let's keep that going.
 
My first tip is to study other people's music. Listen very closely to how your favourite producers put their beats together. From the types of sounds they use, the swing, the way they keep their tracks interesting, from subtle to more complex variations. Don't be afraid to copy little things they do, but don't become a copy of their whole style. As a means to learn yes, copy a style completely just for the learning experience, but please dont become a clone of another beatmaker, try to adapt things into your own style and become a unique beatmaker with your own style. If somebody wants a Dre beat or a Preemo beat or an Alchemist beat they will go to that producer. Make your own mark in the world, don't be afraid to experiment and make mistakes. Mistakes can be some of the biggest epiphanies in music making where great discoveries are made. I learned to play keys by making mistakes that sounded good.
 

Iron Keys

ILLIEN MBAPPÉ
ill o.g.
Battle Points: 790
it makes for far more competitive battles, and helps build a little bit of community, create friendships and make us a force to be reckoned with.

Funny you say the above... today, or yesterday maybe, I don't fucking know... I was listening to the Warzone beats, also thinking about your reappearance, and thinking the levels are really raising.

That battles would almost become a complete wildcard because everything is so good.

Which led me to think... we could take it all 'out there', representing the ill, collectively, destroying battles/comps/whatever/etc.

ILL 2G, ILL IK, ILL Armani, ILL TWU, ILL DELTA etc

The ILL ARMY gunning down the rest of the competition out there.

Or something similar. Out there repping individually and collectively. Eachother's success would raise the other's, and the ILL's.

Maybe im just ultra nerding or having video game withdrawals. Was a spur of the moment hit of inspiration

lol
 
@Iron Keys There are ways each of us can all step up our games, the pursuit of making the perfect beat is never ending. The learning never stops, the more you learn the more you find there is to learn, I've been doing this for 3 decades and I'm still learning, still getting into ruts and doubting myself.
Other times I'm on a roll and I can't put a foot wrong, then I make a load of music that I feel just doesn't cut the mustard.

Being a creative is a funny old game.
We are always improving but why get stuck in the same way of doing things forever, gets boring in my personal experience, which is why I attempt other genres to keep it interesting for myself.

I just want us ALL to be the best we can be, to be consistent. I also want to get back to the discussions we used to have here, to get the community to be a community. I fear that is dying in the age of social media and the age of self.

I have noticed interactions have died only to be replaced by an emoji response.

Many posts have very little interaction and the showcase is almost dead. I think we all could do a little to help illmuzik out, just by taking part a little more. Just my 2 cents.
I think we could all benefit from it.
There is a wealth of talent here that isn't being utilised to it's full potential, only we can make that happen together.
 

Iron Keys

ILLIEN MBAPPÉ
ill o.g.
Battle Points: 790
For sure,

That's why I've been dropping things like the "IRON TIP" threads, or the mix thread I did.

My personal growth has been pretty massive over the past year in regards to mixing. So when key concepts set in for me, I'm keen to share them to elevate everyone.

And still feel excited that there's an immense amount of further growth ahead I can see.



I agree with the "dying off" thing... I think it's, as you say, a social media thing, or more maybe of how people consume content now;

It's one liners (or a paragraph) in comments here or there, instant messaging in discords etc, or just watching the next "content creator" clone with their inauthentic personalitiss and ramblings and soulless promos, if they're not busy trying to be that next youtuber themselves.

Forums/message boards are like, old-old Internet. Now you got maybe reddit, but this one-society means you got one massive group all trying to plainly copy a trend, as opposed to separate societies following their own trends or at least the same trends but differently.
 
Too many are chasing trends instead of setting them. Following paths already laid out instead of making new paths to be followed by the sheep.
Boom bap is having a little bit of a resurgence, an old path itself that I myself follow, but I do try to be unique within that path and do things my own way.
I'm not chasing money and fame and do this for fun and just the love of it, so for people that want the fame and fortune things might be a bit different, I would like to hear their perspectives too.

I think you really have to have a passion for the music to get the most out of it, even if you are dreaming of making a fortune from it, personally I think that ship sailed a long time ago, but there are people still making good careers in music, if they are lucky and have a good team around them.
 
Here's a quick hot tip.. When using reverb, especially on drums, but really in all cases IMO, cut the low frequencies off of it. It really stops for example a snare sounding boxy and muddy. Low frequencies don't sound very good with reverb so just cut them off, I usually chop off below around 300 to 400 hz, this helps for a clean, realistic reverb.
 

Fade

The Beat Strangler
Administrator
illest o.g.
Good thread.

You all know I've written countless articles over the years with plenty of tips lol. But off the top of my head right now....

If you're in a beatmaking rut then just do something. Anything. Even just for 5 minutes. Even if you just turn on your machine or open your DAW and then close it - just do it. It might take a while to get around to finally making something, but just keep reminding your brain that you want to make beats.

Even if you've had a long day, even just touching the pads or keys and the machine isn't even on, it doesn't matter. I remember this working for me back in the 90s when I was trying to figure out how to scratch and beat juggle. I'd work a 12 hour shift, come home and at least just touch the tables, but most of the time I'd turn them on and do a quick scratch. I think it's a way of just subconsciously learning, even though it's only for a few minutes. It's like keeping your brain active and reminding it how to do this particular thing. Over time you'll still know how to do this and that even though you haven't made a full beat in a long time.
 
Good thread.

You all know I've written countless articles over the years with plenty of tips lol.
I know, if people went through them they would find everything they needed to know, I made this more as a way to get us all talking to each other, its the only way we really get to know each other and build some community spirit. I really miss the old days and want them back. Hip hop wasnt built by one man alone, it took a whole team of people getting involved that made hip hop great in the first place. I might be pissing in the wind a little with the modern mindset, but it's worth a try. It can't hurt.
As for breaking my own rut, I've downloaded a few promising tracks from tracklib and I'm getting my swerve on as we speak.
 

Fade

The Beat Strangler
Administrator
illest o.g.
I know, if people went through them they would find everything they needed to know, I made this more as a way to get us all talking to each other, its the only way we really get to know each other and build some community spirit. I really miss the old days and want them back. Hip hop wasnt built by one man alone, it took a whole team of people getting involved that made hip hop great in the first place. I might be pissing in the wind a little with the modern mindset, but it's worth a try. It can't hurt.
As for breaking my own rut, I've downloaded a few promising tracks from tracklib and I'm getting my swerve on as we speak.
I agree. This is why over the years I've left it to everyone else to reply to certain topics because I felt like it was just me doing the work. I know nowadays not many people post (not just here, it's EVERYWHERE), but it's a shame since they don't know what they're missing.

There's been plenty of members that made real life friends on here, or created groups, collabs, etc. For a long time now people only really seem to post their stuff and wait for the likes. This is why Tiktok is huge. People post videos and wait for the reactions and comments. But community is basically gone everywhere and it's a shame.

I've said many times before, it's the Basement or off-topic discussions that were always the most popular on here! But now it's "hey here's my beat" and that's it. That's why sometimes I just reply with a gif because whatever.

Lets Go Film GIF by Arrow Video
 
Cleverwon had a whole crew with Benny Buku, Stresswon and others. Smash Brothers did their thing. Lots of collabs going on back in the days, there was an element of teamwork making the dream work. I know its a fucking cliche and I hate that saying but it does ring true. Building relationships, in business or otherwise requires communication.
I'm not the most sociable person in the world, but likeminded individuals are very hard to find in this world and we have the tools right here.
If I can reach out for a bit of community then anybody can TBH.
 
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Fade

The Beat Strangler
Administrator
illest o.g.
Cleverwon had a whole crew with Benny Buku, Stresswon and others. Smash Brothers did their thing. Lots of collabs going on back in the days, there was an element of teamwork making the dream work. I know its a fucking cliche and I hate that saying but it does ring true. Building relationships, in business or otherwise requires communication.
I'm not the most sociable person in the world, but likeminded individuals are very hard to find in this world and we have the tools right here.
Yeah that's it. It was cool that I got to meet a few of these guys. Clev, Excellence, Holmz, and a couple of others I did/almost met up with. Today everyone would run and hide instead of meeting someone in person.
 

Iron Keys

ILLIEN MBAPPÉ
ill o.g.
Battle Points: 790
If you're in a beatmaking rut then just do something. Anything. Even just for 5 minutes. Even if you just turn on your machine or open your DAW and then close it - just do it. It might take a while to get around to finally making something, but just keep reminding your brain that you want to make beats
Shit advice... had a frustrating day, decided to make some fire beat, except, I couldn't get any of the fucking thing to click.

Now I'm more frustrated than before.

Fucking music. Fucking life.

Anyway, gonna go try a-fucking-gain now.

Great advice. sincerely
 

Fade

The Beat Strangler
Administrator
illest o.g.
Shit advice... had a frustrating day, decided to make some fire beat, except, I couldn't get any of the fucking thing to click.

Now I'm more frustrated than before.

Fucking music. Fucking life.

Anyway, gonna go try a-fucking-gain now.

Great advice. sincerely
Maybe you have early stages of dementia.

Or it could be beat-itis.
 
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