8 Music Production Tips to Instantly LEVEL UP Your Beats (2022)

Summary

This video offers eight innovative tips to enhance music production, covering unique techniques applicable across genres. It introduces effects like spectral blur for dense textures and offbeat drops for dynamic entrances. The tutorial also covers creative uses of reverb hold, emphasizing crucial beat elements early, pitch modulations for dynamic tracks, and variations in drum elements for realism. Additionally, it suggests incorporating foley and ambient sounds for texture and recommends using free vocal samples to elevate beats, providing a link to a resource for such samples.

Takeaways

• 🎶 The first tip is to use the 'spectral blur' effect to create a dense, textured sound from the original audio, which can be found in various DAWs like FL Studio or Ableton.
• 🎹 To add body and texture to a sound, duplicate it, apply the blur effect, and pitch the copy down an octave to sit below the original in the frequency range.
• 🥁 Adding an 'offbeat drop' can make a beat more interesting by introducing the kick and bass at a different point than the beginning of the bar.
• 🌐 The 'reverb hold' effect can be used to sample and splice together interesting parts of a sound to create a new instrumental element.
• 🔑 Introducing crucial elements of the beat early on is important for capturing the listener's attention, especially when selling beats online or finding vocalists.
• 🎛 Adding pitch modulations to synths, pads, or bass can make a track sound more dynamic and interesting.
• 🥁 Tip number six suggests adding variations in pan, pitch, and volume to hi-hats to give the drums a more realistic and less robotic feel.
• 🌌 Using unique effects, foley, and ambient sounds can add texture and make the beat more immersive, depending on the genre.
• 🗣️ Incorporating free vocal samples can elevate an average beat, turning it into something exceptional.
• 🔍 For those looking for free vocal samples without copyright issues, a video listing the 50 best free sample packs is available for reference.

Q & A

What is the first production technique discussed in the video?

The first production technique discussed is the 'spectral blur' effect, which can create a dense, textured cloud of sound from the original audio.

In which DAW is the spectral blur effect demonstrated in the video?

The spectral blur effect is demonstrated in FL Studio, but it is mentioned that similar effects can be found in other DAWs like Ableton.

How can the spectral blur effect be used to add body and texture to a sound?

The spectral blur effect can be used by duplicating a sound, applying the blur to the copy, and then pitching the blurred sound down an octave to sit below the original in the frequency range.

What is an offbeat drop and how can it make a beat more interesting?

An offbeat drop is a technique where the kick and bass are introduced at a point other than the beginning of the bar. This can make the beat sound more interesting by breaking the standard rhythmic pattern.

How does the reverb hold effect differ from the spectral blur effect?

While the reverb hold effect creates a similar dense sound to the spectral blur, it can be used in different ways to sample and extend sections of a sound, creating unique instrumental elements.

Why is it important to bring in the crucial elements of a beat early on in the track?

Bringing in the crucial elements early helps capture the listener's attention more quickly, which is especially important when selling beats online or finding vocalists.

What is pitch modulation and how can it transform a beat?

Pitch modulation is the process of altering the pitch of sounds like synths, pads, or bass. It can add a unique feel and make the track sound more dynamic and interesting.

Why is adding variation to hi-hats beneficial for creating a more realistic drum sound?

Variation in pan, pitch, and volume of hi-hats can add a subtle human touch to the drums, making them sound less static and robotic, thus more realistic.

How can unique effects, foley, and ambient sounds enhance the texture of a beat?

These elements can add depth and atmosphere to a beat, making it more immersive for the listener. The specific effects used can depend on the genre of music being produced.

What is the advantage of using free vocal samples in beats?

Free vocal samples can elevate an average beat to an incredible one by adding a unique human element without worrying about copyright issues.

Where can viewers find free vocal samples as mentioned in the video?

The video creator has made another video running through the 50 best free sample packs, and a link to that video is provided in the description.

Outlines

00:00

🎶 Unique Production Techniques for Music Beats

This paragraph introduces eight unique tips to enhance music production. It discusses the 'spectral blur' effect, demonstrating its application in FL Studio and Ableton, and how it can create a dense, textured sound. The paragraph also suggests using the effect to add body and texture to sounds, like a piano, by duplicating, blurring, and pitching down the copy. Additionally, it touches on the idea of an offbeat drop for a more interesting beat start and the use of reverb hold for creating unique sounds from samples.

05:00

🥁 Adding Life to Beats with Variations and Effects

The second paragraph focuses on techniques to make beats more dynamic and engaging. It emphasizes the importance of introducing crucial elements early in the track to capture attention quickly, especially when selling beats online or seeking vocalists. The paragraph also covers adding pitch modulations to synths, pads, or bass for a more dynamic sound. Furthermore, it discusses the impact of varying pan, pitch, and volume in hi-hats and symbols to add realism to drum loops. The use of unique effects, foley, and ambient sounds to add texture to the beat is also highlighted, along with the suggestion to incorporate free vocal samples to elevate the quality of the beat.

Keywords

💡Spectral Blur Effect

The spectral blur effect is a production technique that creates a dense, textured cloud of sound from the original audio. In the video, it is demonstrated using FL Studio, and it helps add body and texture to sounds by blurring a duplicated track and pitching it down. This technique can be applied in any genre to create unique soundscapes.

💡DAW (Digital Audio Workstation)

A DAW is software used for recording, editing, and producing audio files. The video mentions FL Studio and Ableton as examples of DAWs that can implement the spectral blur effect. DAWs are essential tools for music producers, enabling them to apply various production techniques and effects to enhance their beats.

💡Offbeat Drop

An offbeat drop is a technique where the kick and bass are introduced at a point other than the beginning of a bar. This creates a more interesting and dynamic rhythm. The video shows how this technique can make a beat sound more unique compared to the standard drop that kicks in at the start of four bars.

💡Reverb Hold Effect

The reverb hold effect samples extended sections of sound to create new instrumental elements. This effect is similar to the spectral blur but is used differently to change the vibe of a beat. In the video, the free plugin Ambience is used to demonstrate this effect, showing how to sample and splice interesting parts of a sound.

💡Pitch Modulations

Pitch modulations involve changing the pitch of a sound over time to add a dynamic and unique feel to the track. The video illustrates how adding pitch modulations to synths, pads, or bass can make these elements stand out more and enhance the overall interest of the beat.

💡Variations in Pan, Pitch, and Volume

Adding variations in pan, pitch, and volume, especially to hi-hats, can make drum loops sound more lively and realistic. The video explains that these subtle changes can add a human touch to drums, making them less robotic and more engaging.

💡Foley and Ambient Sounds

Foley and ambient sounds are background noises that add texture and atmosphere to a beat. The video provides examples of how these sounds can be used in different genres, such as lo-fi hip-hop and trap, to make beats more immersive and interesting.

💡Free Vocal Samples

Free vocal samples are vocal recordings that can be used without worrying about copyright issues. The video suggests using these samples to transform average beats into more impressive ones. It also mentions a video that lists the 50 best free sample packs.

💡Unique Elements

Unique elements refer to the distinct and important components of a beat that should be introduced early in the track to capture the listener's attention. The video advises bringing in these elements within the first 10-20 seconds, especially if the goal is to sell beats online or attract vocalists.

💡Production Techniques

Production techniques are methods and strategies used to create and enhance music. The video covers several unique production techniques, such as the spectral blur effect, offbeat drops, and reverb hold effects, which can be applied to any genre to elevate the quality of beats.

Highlights

Introduction to eight unique tips for elevating music production.

Spectral blur effect demonstration in FL Studio and its availability in Ableton's free creative extensions pack.

Creating a dense textured sound cloud from the original audio using the spectral blur effect.

Technique to add body and texture to a sound by duplicating, blurring, and pitching down the copy.

Adding an offbeat drop for a more interesting beat introduction.

Using reverb hold effect to create unique sounds from extended sound samples.

Importance of introducing the most unique and important elements of a beat early on for online sales or attracting vocalists.

Adding pitch modulations to synths, pads, or bass for a dynamic and interesting track.

Technique of adding variations in pan, pitch, and volume to hi-hats for realism.

Utilizing unique effects, foley, and ambient sounds to add texture to the beat.

Examples of effects and foley for different genres like lo-fi hip-hop and trap.

The impact of using free vocal samples to transform an average beat into an incredible one.

Link to a video with 50 best free sample packs for sourcing vocal samples.

Encouragement to leave a comment on the most useful tip and a call to like and subscribe.

Conclusion and thanks for watching, with an invitation to the next video.

Transcripts

hello and welcome to this video on eight

unique tips to instantly take your beats

to the next level so in this video i've

tried to include production techniques

that hopefully you may not have come

across before and that can also apply to

any genre of music so without further

ado the first tip is the spectral blur

effect now i'm going to demonstrate this

effect in fl studio but you can find

this effect in any daw for example in

ableton the spectral blur plugin can be

found in this free creative extensions

pack so let's say we have a sound like

this

[Music]

using this blur effect we can

essentially create a dense textured

cloud of sound from the original audio

for example if we add the blur tool in

edison over here it now sounds like this

[Music]

so yeah using this method you can create

some really cool completely unique

sounds and here's a specific way you can

use this technique to add more body and

texture to a sound so if we have a piano

sound like this

[Music]

we can duplicate the sound blur the copy

only then pitch the blurred sound down

an octave so it sits below the original

in the frequency range and now it sounds

like this

[Music]

one very simple way to add a unique

touch to your beat is to add an offbeat

drop so the vast majority of beats will

kick in at the start of the four bars

like this

[Music]

and of course there's nothing wrong with

this but sometimes the drop sounds way

more interesting if you bring in the

kick and bass somewhere other than the

beginning of the bar for example we can

have this drop come in here instead like

this

[Music]

so yeah like i said it doesn't apply to

every beat but if you feel like

switching things up i definitely

recommend trying out this method another

way to create completely unique sounds

is to use a reverb hold effect this

creates a similar effect the spectral

blur effect that i mentioned earlier but

it can be used in completely different

ways to do this i'll be using the free

plug-in ambience so let's just start

with a basic sample

using this hold function we can sample

extended sections of this sound in

interesting ways

[Music]

so this part sounds interesting so let's

record that and then we can find another

interesting part of the sound and record

that too and then we can splice these

recordings together

and just like that you've got a

completely new instrumental element that

changes the vibe of the entire beat so

tip number four is about bringing in the

most unique important elements of the

beat early on if you're trying to sell

your beats online or trying to find

vocalists to sing or rap over your beats

it's important to bring in the crucial

elements of the beat within the first

section of the track this way you'll

capture the attention of the listener

much quicker for example if your beat

has an amazing vocal sample don't bring

in the sample late into the beat as you

want to capture the listeners attention

within the first 10 20 seconds another

great tip that can completely transform

a beat is to add pitch modulations to

things like synths pads or bass this can

add a really unique feel to the track

and can also make the track sound more

dynamic and interesting for example here

is a basic pad sample with some hip hop

drums

[Music]

now if we add some pitch modulations

like this

[Music]

as you can see it makes the pad stand

out a little bit more and like i said

adding modulations to the baseline works

really well too

[Music]

tip number six is to add variations in

pan pitch and volume to your hi-hats one

of the easiest ways to add some life and

realism to your drums is to add

variation to high hats and symbols for

example this hip-hop drum loop sounds

quite static and robotic at the moment

however if we add variations to the

hi-hats so that the pan pitch and volume

slightly changes each time the hi-hat is

played it adds a subtle human touch to

the drums that can make a huge

difference

you can also do this with other drum and

percussion sounds but it's definitely

the most effective with high hats tip

number seven is using unique effects

foley and ambient sounds to add texture

to the beat now obviously the type of

effects you use completely depends on

the genre you produce for example if

you're a lo-fi hip-hop producer using

some of these background sounds can add

a lot of ambience to a beat and make it

much more immersive for the listener and

if you're a trap producer here are some

examples of effects and foley you can

use to make your beats more interesting

so here's a beat with and without some

basic effects and foley

[Music]

[Music]

[Music]

hey

[Music]

okay so the last tip is to try to use

free vocal samples in your beats a good

vocal sample can sometimes turn an

otherwise average beat into an

incredible one if you are wondering

where to find free vocal samples where

you don't have to worry about copyright

or anything like that i did make a video

running through the 50 best free sample

packs so i'll leave a link to that one

in the description if you do want to go

and check it out and there we have it so

that was eight tips to instantly level

up your beats in 2022. hopefully you got

some value out of this video and leave a

comment letting me know which tip you

want to start using in your beats also

make sure you leave a like and subscribe

to the channel it really does mean a lot

and as always guys thanks for watching

and i'll see you in the next video