How to Create a Great Sounding HipHop Beat Using Beat Making Software
If you want to start making your own beats, I strongly suggest you start with an affordable beat maker. You can pick one up for less then most producers charge for a single beat. If you're a complete newbie, a program called "DUBturbo" would be a good choice. It's a lot less expensive then most beat makers and it has a very easy learning curve. But don't be fooled by the price. It's a very powerful program. Some more expensive programs out there can be down right intimidating. You would think you would have to be a rocket scientist to figure them out. You could spend months learning all the features. "DUBturbo" lays it out in a simple to use fashion and gives you support and video tutorials to walk you through. You could be making beats in a day.
How to make your own Rap Beats?
You should start by listening to songs on your favorite CD's or on the radio and analyze the structure of the music. If you have a beat instrumental CD, that would be even better. That way you won't be distracted by the lyrics and you can really focus on the layout of the beat. That will give you a good idea of what sound elements are making up the beat and where they come in and drop out. It will also give you an idea of how to create transitions in your beat. If the beat has the same loop playing through the entire thing, it can sound repetitive. Think about the transitions from intro to verse, verse to chorus, chorus to bridge, and outros. You have to make sure the transitions fit with the overall sound or theme. There's no standard format that you have to follow. Do what you think sounds best and be creative.
Simple Steps in Making a Hip Hop Beat
When you start your beat, you should probably start with a drum foundation. Build your drum tracks first and then layer everything else on top. You don't have to do this but in my experience, this works the best. Then you should try to come up with a killer bass line. Next you can layer in the rest of your sounds and melodies with guitars, piano, organ, synths, and keyboards until you have a great sound. Some instruments compliment each other well so try to use those instruments together. Remember not to have too many instruments at once or things could sound cluttered. Another trick I like to use is to drop out certain elements here and there. The subtle changes can make the beat sound a lot less repetitive.