on a good day i can make 3.5 or 4 beats ... but usually i just spend like a week skipping between like 5 or so beats and keep throwin shit on top of em till i feel they are flow ready.. i never just work on one track ... if you do that.. i dont recomend it.. you will go insane tryint to make it sound perfect and at the same time your only using a fraction of your creative energy.. ive gotten alot quicker since i first started producing .. i "see" where i want that track to go alot quicker.. u gotta go through a phase where you just experimient and shit till u find ur "style" i guess if you wanna call it... some hot beats i made took like 15 minutes and some not so hotties took like 6 months.... nowadays when i get stumped i just go back to old ass unfinshed beats with new knowlegde that i learned and apply it to my old beats.... my advice::: Keep busy and dont spend too much time on one track and you end up getting alot more done!!!!.. 2 tracks a day is easy for me now cuz my library of unfinshed tracks is so big that i can randomly pick a beat and continue working on it.
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Beat This!The next Beat This! Competition is from November 27-28th!
Cold Truth
IllMuzik Moderator
hmmmmmm some interesting ideas here, but heres my take on it all...
"just becasue music can be made quickly doesnt mean that it should"
- Chad Hugo
the bottom line is that you can make a track dope in 15 minutes or it can take 15 hours- all that matters is the finished product. i'm not saying i'm the god of beats, but i aint no slouch, and i havent had a negative review on this site in ages; my last 12 or so tracks were mostly met with glowing reviews and i'm thankful for that kind of love here..... . almost everything ya'll heard fom me progressed from point a to b several times before they became what they are; for instance, "rapture" was done a few times, with the melody slightly different, and next the way t was without the harps, sirens, and intro.... and now it just has the harps and intro. now its solid, and it took me off-and-on for a week or two to get it here- but never spending a whole day at a time on it, although i have done that.
all im saying here is that you shouldnt be so pressed by time- some dudes can crank em out but thats not my steez personally and i dont mind spending a week of tweaking for an hour or two at a time to get it right.
especially since i have been sample free for the most part, i spend a lot of time tweaking the individual sounds, engineering my drums, playin with effects, and mixing different ways, and even doing the sequencing differently. i also spend a lot of time with automation (lately) and so at the end of the project i generally have interesting tracks.
i take time and never rush, unless i want to listen to a sketch of the concept because i have to leave for whatever reason, so in those cases i'll render a quick version of it, but it is never the final product.
some heads will brag about the speed they make tracks with and i just smile, because thats cool for them, but not me. that doesnt make you any better then the next man if you got your little 5 minute tracks, or if you got 5 week tracks... it doesnt matter.
i say, do whats natural. actually, your boy N.U.G dowloaded a grip of my tracks and basically gave me 4 star reviews- he loved them (at least thats what he told me!), and they all took, i'd estimate on average, 3-5 hours total time at different times. i got ten solid tracks for my demo and its has taken since around november to get them all. thats only ten, seems like a small number, but when you work full time, spend thursday night, sunday morning, friday night, and various other times at church and counting sleep, friends, etc- and the fact that there really isnt any filler in there, and that i composed them all from start to finish (hey, i have done five tracks in the last week and a half, but they are all samples) and they all tell a story on their own merit, they are all beats that i get told time and time again that must have a "real mc" and that you 'have to have something to say" to spit on them ......
again, this is all in humility- i aint tryin to boast or nothin like that, i'm just sayin that i put in work to get the results that i get, and thats the point- the results. i dont care if people think that 10 tracks in three months isnt enough. i simply refuse to put out a half assed beat, cause if i settle then i aint doin myself justice. i pour my heart and soul into this and i suggest you take the same approach. if it takes you a week or 2, so be it. it will pay off in the end.
"just becasue music can be made quickly doesnt mean that it should"
- Chad Hugo
the bottom line is that you can make a track dope in 15 minutes or it can take 15 hours- all that matters is the finished product. i'm not saying i'm the god of beats, but i aint no slouch, and i havent had a negative review on this site in ages; my last 12 or so tracks were mostly met with glowing reviews and i'm thankful for that kind of love here..... . almost everything ya'll heard fom me progressed from point a to b several times before they became what they are; for instance, "rapture" was done a few times, with the melody slightly different, and next the way t was without the harps, sirens, and intro.... and now it just has the harps and intro. now its solid, and it took me off-and-on for a week or two to get it here- but never spending a whole day at a time on it, although i have done that.
all im saying here is that you shouldnt be so pressed by time- some dudes can crank em out but thats not my steez personally and i dont mind spending a week of tweaking for an hour or two at a time to get it right.
especially since i have been sample free for the most part, i spend a lot of time tweaking the individual sounds, engineering my drums, playin with effects, and mixing different ways, and even doing the sequencing differently. i also spend a lot of time with automation (lately) and so at the end of the project i generally have interesting tracks.
i take time and never rush, unless i want to listen to a sketch of the concept because i have to leave for whatever reason, so in those cases i'll render a quick version of it, but it is never the final product.
some heads will brag about the speed they make tracks with and i just smile, because thats cool for them, but not me. that doesnt make you any better then the next man if you got your little 5 minute tracks, or if you got 5 week tracks... it doesnt matter.
i say, do whats natural. actually, your boy N.U.G dowloaded a grip of my tracks and basically gave me 4 star reviews- he loved them (at least thats what he told me!), and they all took, i'd estimate on average, 3-5 hours total time at different times. i got ten solid tracks for my demo and its has taken since around november to get them all. thats only ten, seems like a small number, but when you work full time, spend thursday night, sunday morning, friday night, and various other times at church and counting sleep, friends, etc- and the fact that there really isnt any filler in there, and that i composed them all from start to finish (hey, i have done five tracks in the last week and a half, but they are all samples) and they all tell a story on their own merit, they are all beats that i get told time and time again that must have a "real mc" and that you 'have to have something to say" to spit on them ......
again, this is all in humility- i aint tryin to boast or nothin like that, i'm just sayin that i put in work to get the results that i get, and thats the point- the results. i dont care if people think that 10 tracks in three months isnt enough. i simply refuse to put out a half assed beat, cause if i settle then i aint doin myself justice. i pour my heart and soul into this and i suggest you take the same approach. if it takes you a week or 2, so be it. it will pay off in the end.
E
Equality 7-2521
Guest
very good points from everyone. ive picked up several good tips from this thread.
ive decided i need more beats in progress so i can jump between them when i get stuck on one.
ive noticed that with me, i am actually able to bang out most of the beat in about 4 days. then i tend to spend another week and a half just doing technical things with it. so the beat ends up being very similar to the way it was afyter 4 days....only tighter. most of the things i spend all that time fixing probably wont even be heard by the listener cos they are subtle things but to me they are like huge problems. i suppose its knowing when its worth spending the time fixing it and when its not worth it.
from this thread ive been told that taking two weeks stunts your growth and that doing it quicker is not worth the loss in quality.
so im assuming there no staple way of doing it and its up to the producer.
im thinking that a week would be a good time frame to aim to finish a beat with mixing down and everything. that seems to give enough time for quality and quantity.
what do you guys think?
ive decided i need more beats in progress so i can jump between them when i get stuck on one.
ive noticed that with me, i am actually able to bang out most of the beat in about 4 days. then i tend to spend another week and a half just doing technical things with it. so the beat ends up being very similar to the way it was afyter 4 days....only tighter. most of the things i spend all that time fixing probably wont even be heard by the listener cos they are subtle things but to me they are like huge problems. i suppose its knowing when its worth spending the time fixing it and when its not worth it.
from this thread ive been told that taking two weeks stunts your growth and that doing it quicker is not worth the loss in quality.
so im assuming there no staple way of doing it and its up to the producer.
im thinking that a week would be a good time frame to aim to finish a beat with mixing down and everything. that seems to give enough time for quality and quantity.
what do you guys think?
sup ill peeps just do you, what i mostly do is get the basic or main portion of the beat done i usually take anywhere from 15 mins to an hour plus ive been doing this for a while now so its a bit easier once i have the main portion of my beat i leave it alone i like to get the vocals and then i finish the beat to match the vocals, add drops and get a melody to match the rhythem of the chorus plus for me i find the more i mess with the beat i start getting lost and bored and sick of hearing it but thats just me do you if your sh#t is hot and it takes a month just charge extra my nigga lol
M
MIKELABZ
Guest
FOR ME MIXING A TRACK WITH VOCALS CAN TAKE ABOUT AS LONG AS MAKING THE ACTUAL BEAT. SO THEN IM LOOING AT BEAT PRODUCTION AT AROUND 45- 60 MINUTES WITH AN ACAPELLA AND ANYWHERE UP TO 3 HOURS IF THE VOCALIST IS HERE IN THE STUDIO TO RECORD.
BACK ON TOPIC:
MESSENGER YOU GOTTA FIND YOUR MEDIUM. NOT EVERY BEAT TAKES 15 MINUTES AND NOT ALL BEATS TAKE 2 WEEKS. TO GET A GOOD IDEA OF HOW LONG YOU SHOULD BE SPENDING ON YOUR TRACKS TAKE YOUR HOTTEST INSTRUMENTAL AS AN EXAMPLE OF HOW LONG YOU SHOULD BE WORKING A TRACK BEFORE ITS FINISHED.
Formant024
Digital Smokerings
ill o.g.
4/5 hours starting from scratch, but also depends on what I am producing, considering that hiphop is ez. My common routine is actualy just to work on a library for half a month or so, finding/creating samples, loops, the whole lot. When it is packed with only usefull material I get to work on tracks which probably will then take me 2/3 hours including mastering etc. In any case I rather spend a lot of time working on such a library than to whack out 4/5 tracks a day. I have projects in mind, I dont work compulsive.
Cold Truth
IllMuzik Moderator
MESSAGE TO MESS:
this is all the advice you need.
2 weeks doesnt "stunt your growth" and 10 minutes wont make you better.
just set yourself a goal and work towards that goal. dont adhere to anyone of our own formulas, as we all work differently. just pursue the goals you set for yourself. a week is more than reasonable to do that.
but playing around with a few tracs at once is a good idea. i did one ready to have people hear in an hour and a half the other day- mixing and all. all that is missing is bass, and i wont force that. when it comes it will come..... so in a week or tewo it will be complete! dont worry about leaving something there for months if you have to- always be mindful of your finished product.
this is all the advice you need.
2 weeks doesnt "stunt your growth" and 10 minutes wont make you better.
just set yourself a goal and work towards that goal. dont adhere to anyone of our own formulas, as we all work differently. just pursue the goals you set for yourself. a week is more than reasonable to do that.
but playing around with a few tracs at once is a good idea. i did one ready to have people hear in an hour and a half the other day- mixing and all. all that is missing is bass, and i wont force that. when it comes it will come..... so in a week or tewo it will be complete! dont worry about leaving something there for months if you have to- always be mindful of your finished product.
My joints take as long as it takes. There is no set timeline for me. If it takes me 1 hour or 2 days to make a beat acceptable to my taste, I do what I gotta do to make it happen. I think if you start settin timelines on your beatz, they will become half-ass jobs that could have been better if more time and thought was put into it. I think your question should be "How long does it take the pro's to make a beat?" I'm sure as shit they will say they have no set timeline.
If it takes a week for that one specific beat to "come together", I'm sure it wasn't a week straight.
If I'm having problems on a specific beat, I'll go back to it later that day or the next day and give it another go. Sometimes I will go back to that specific beat several different times because I know it has potential to be hott but it was missing something.
Peace
dB
If it takes a week for that one specific beat to "come together", I'm sure it wasn't a week straight.
If I'm having problems on a specific beat, I'll go back to it later that day or the next day and give it another go. Sometimes I will go back to that specific beat several different times because I know it has potential to be hott but it was missing something.
Peace
dB
C
CooGi_dice
Guest
messenger what exactly is it that takes you so long on a track?
"so im assuming there no staple way of doing it and its up to the producer."
exactly... its best to work how ever you feal the most comftorbal and how ever u make the best quality music.
one thing though, evrything aout the recording industry is high paced, and as a producer you not only want to have a large catalog of quality tracks (at least 100) but you want to have a good amount of new finished material weekly...
personaly, when i work with an artists im fealing i like to make tracks for them right in front of them. it not only gives the songs a good vibe but it gives them a life and a personality all there own, plus there is a "wow" factor for the artist and its also GREAT practice.
lots of pros do most of there work at the studio, some do it all at the studio, im not saying you or anyone else should try to work like that but its just good to keep in mind.
"so im assuming there no staple way of doing it and its up to the producer."
exactly... its best to work how ever you feal the most comftorbal and how ever u make the best quality music.
one thing though, evrything aout the recording industry is high paced, and as a producer you not only want to have a large catalog of quality tracks (at least 100) but you want to have a good amount of new finished material weekly...
personaly, when i work with an artists im fealing i like to make tracks for them right in front of them. it not only gives the songs a good vibe but it gives them a life and a personality all there own, plus there is a "wow" factor for the artist and its also GREAT practice.
lots of pros do most of there work at the studio, some do it all at the studio, im not saying you or anyone else should try to work like that but its just good to keep in mind.
o-a-ksavage
ILLIEN
ill o.g.
If you start worrying too much about speeding up your production, the quality of your beats might drop. Just do your thing the way you do it best and don't bullshit too much, just make the damn beat. I'm kinduv a rookie though, but that's my advice.
young_keyz
ILLIEN
ill o.g.
I have found that i make my best music when im just b.s.ing just like a rapping spitts his hottest rhymes when aint tring. I use to get stuck on making beats now i just play with the mpc and make a nice drum track then ill grab the keyz and practice melodies.....at this point im not even tring to make beat cause i havent even put my zip disk that i save my work to in the mpc or smart media card in the motif. Some days i might not comeup with nothing and other days i will but im gona get stronger at my piano melody skills or something might just sneak out. If i like something i was playing around with i will build on it and at the end if its too hot to to just turn off the mpc or motif i will pop in my storage disk and save it. Someday off the bat i could have a hot beat done in 30 min. to a hour and somedays im just making new drums patterns and just working out melodies skills and that could have me goind for 4 or 5 hours and at the end i might come up with something but most of the time im just practiceing lil things im not counting mins. O i use to make 25 beats a weak but i slow down to learn the in and outs of music and not just hip hop or rnb.
MassProduktionz
ILLIEN
ill o.g.
I usually take anywhere from an hour to two or three hours. Anything longer than that and I stop and come back to it because my ears get tired. But its not about how long you take - its about the end result!!
Streetwize
Beat Architects !
it takes from about 7 hours altogether to a day to make beats
K
Kramit
Guest
For me it depends how fast an idea progresses. If you start of with something catchy and solid, everything else seems to fall into place from there. Mind u I am a tedious worker with wateva i do, I wont settle on something till its perfect for me. Sometimes that can be a hinderance tho. I could spend 1 hour on a track or I could spend 2 weeks on a track, it varies 2 much.
I think it all comes down to how solid the idea is and how much potential it has and how far it can be taken. It is very easy to make work for yourself. Naturally if a track isnt bangin from the beginning and needs a lot of ironing out, its gonna take time, hopefully not 2 weeks tho!
Kramit
I think it all comes down to how solid the idea is and how much potential it has and how far it can be taken. It is very easy to make work for yourself. Naturally if a track isnt bangin from the beginning and needs a lot of ironing out, its gonna take time, hopefully not 2 weeks tho!
Kramit
at first, it took me like 4 days of atleast3 hoursessions to produce a track, but that was when i was learning. now i make much better beats in about an hour, not including the final mixdown which is an extra halfhour maybe.
my man madlib did the beats on qousimoto the unsees in like 15-20 min. he said in a interview.
my man madlib did the beats on qousimoto the unsees in like 15-20 min. he said in a interview.
N.U.G.
ILLIEN
ill o.g.
maybe he meant recording it then, but from the interview I read Madlib would get in a zone and make music for like 20 hours at a time. Here's a lil of the interview;
MADLIB: That's right. I got nine albums.
EGON: The first of which was Lootpack's 'Sound Pieces: Da Antidote'
MADLIB: We made that album in a day, on cassette. After the Lootpack record, I did an album called 'The Unseen' as Quasimoto.
T
Tello_CHI
Guest
I think it depends on how inspired you are. If if I get an idea in my head, I can lay it down and polish the beat in 10 minutes. If I try to force it, then Im messing with the same beat for weeks trying to perfect and make other people like it. The best beats are the quick and inspired ones than the long drawn out ones that end up sounding too mainstream and too busy. I like to wait for it to come to me.