Help me improve my SP game!!!

[spwarlock]

https://soundcloud.com/spwarlock/e0000002rechop
So I've been on these forums for about two years on and off but i feel like my sp skills are staying the same.So to try something different i am posting this beat and i want anyone and everyone to pick it apart and help me improve.Mix advice,effects tips,structure...really anything you can think of to make my shit better....thanks y'all for any help i get

[ellaguru]

not listned on monitors, buto n stero.
the mix seems to fit cool.

[spwarlock]

not listned on monitors, buto n stero.
the mix seems to fit cool.

Thank you Usually I can never get my bass end right and I just got a sub so I'm trying to get my low end right.its hard though because a lot of times I end up with not enough bass and it ruins the whole beat

[yo-yo crunch]

its cool but i think it needs more samples or instruments to add to or counter the main loop. like some flutes or vocals to add harmony. also the drums are maybe a little too dirty. i could hear some percussion on it too

[spwarlock]

its cool but i think it needs more samples or instruments to add to or counter the main loop. like some flutes or vocals to add harmony. also the drums are maybe a little too dirty. i could hear some percussion on it too

thanks for the help.I think thats one of my biggest problems is not using enough samples/synths to keep it interesting.Im afraid a lot of the time if i do that the beat will sound too busy.I guess i need to just practice more and eventually ill learn to strike the balance between not enough variation and too much haha

[janglesoul]

Hi,
I think the beat sounds fine. More variety could probably make it stronger. Hiphop and the beat scene might have its own rules, but I believe the old ideas of songwriting still applies. Not meaning to start a lecture, but here are some ideas:

A song might go Verse, Chorus, Verse, Chorus - ABAB
or Verse, Verse, Bridge/middle eight, Verse - AABA

In music (and some other arts) there are three powerful tools to be used: Repetition, Variation and Contrast.
Take the AABA - example
A: Establishes a pattern
A: Repeats the pattern with variation.
B: Bridge - contrast
A: Returns back to the "home pattern", a feeling of relief.

(I once studied some russian structuralist Jurij Lotman who talked a great deal about the differing third quarter in literature.)

A tried but working way of writing a pop song could be to have verses starting in a-minor, and each chorus starting in the relative major key - C Major. In that way you get some happy/sad-contrast that can bring a lot of movement to a song.

If you play some traditional instrument as well, it could be a good idea to get deeper into some basic music theory. (not too deep...)

Or samplewise, let's say you sample some jazz tune. Let's assume it has a classic song structure. Try to chop some things from the verses and use for your A-section, and use some other chops from a chorus/bridge and make a B-section from that. Could get you some nice contrasting parts that still fit together.

Your beat has an A-part, but right now the B-part is just the same loop with DJFX stutter, right? So, there's no "harmonic movement" - I make it sound like I know the technical term, I don't. Still, I think that could be something to develop further.

Overall, I've been impressed with both the quantity and quality of your beats. Keep it up! And asking people "how can I make this better" instead of "what do you think" (fishing for praise) is the best way to improve. I read that in a book.

[spwarlock]

Thanks Jangle...I agree with what your saying.I need to spend a lot more time on structure and songwriting type stuff for sure.And thanks for the tip about the jazz sample.Now that i think about it does make sense to sample for different sections of the song to get some variation going.Im gonna do the beat battle this week and that will be my main focus for sure.

[janglesoul]

Thanks Jangle...I agree with what your saying.I need to spend a lot more time on structure and songwriting type stuff for sure.And thanks for the tip about the jazz sample.Now that i think about it does make sense to sample for different sections of the song to get some variation going.Im gonna do the beat battle this week and that will be my main focus for sure.

I think we had some Monk-tune in a battle earlier this year. If you think of his piano chords as drum hits you can make really tight chops. Lay them out on the pads and just go improvising your own chord-riffs. Put some reverb on for more natural tails. Two great riffs for different parts might be all you need.

[rak]

shit is banging man!
could fit some effects and variation stuff.you can always dig for crazie fx like sci-fi and blips bloops using effects over whole track on specific point may also improve the listening pleasure
vibe is on!

[spwarlock]

shit is banging man!
could fit some effects and variation stuff.you can always dig for crazie fx like sci-fi and blips bloops using effects over whole track on specific point may also improve the listening pleasure
vibe is on!

thank you!Still working on my variations and not being repetitive but this post has definitely yielded some great advice...thanks homies!!

[YUBA]

when i am stuck in a rut musically and aware of it i will try and learn a new trick and apply it to a track, i mean like learn a new method, or try something outside of my own usual formula.. this kind of approach can shake things up and sharpen yr sword at the same time

another tip is to go sample something u normally wouldnt..
sorry this advice doesnt help on the composition or contain music theory and it doesnt refer to the track u posted at all
but i myself get stuck in a certain mode of making beats all the time and i think if u want dif results it will not hurt to try more new things all around from sample source to chop methods to composition to mixdown

but whatever u do keep on choppin

[Mr. Davenport]

I think making beats on the sp without the sequencer via the resample method allows much more creativity having more satisfying results. Just playing pads over a previous tapped out loop for a good 30-60 bars. Then pick out a couple bars from that performance and looping it and repeating over and over. It's a lot of fun with no pressure. Plus no annoying metronome.