Whats wrong with my beats?

[soladee]

ive been making rnb music for a while but I need some feedback as to what I need to work on. i just can't seem to sell my beats.

by the way heres my link
http://www.soundclick.com/soladee

kindest regards, sol

[dementedchord]

ok... first let me say that most of the time when i check someones files out i usually dont comment because they suck real hard... but i did find some of the music kinda interesting (i think i listened to like maybe 5 tracks) and i think you should be encouraged even though i thought the beats for the most part were boring as hell... (buildem up to tear them down.. sorry) i find you to be alittle heavy handed with the kick... and they were lifeless... are you over quantizing???
perhaps a little "swing" from your prog??? good luck.... and remember i only commented because you might be worth saving...

[Tibbon]

First thought, they aren't "Fun" enough. Many of them are kinda nice, but a little scattered at times. There's too much 'sprinkley" stuff. Windchimes/bells aways make it sound like it's the beginning of a DMB song to me. The beats themselves aren't bad. I'd perhaps think of putting in some real bass, either upright or a Fender Jazz bass in some of them, perhaps a fretless. Really think about what notes your's doing in the bass and how they relate to whatever other chords you're using. Just playing roots is lame, but randomly playing notes is gonna make it weak too. Think about whatever music theory/arranging stuff you know.

Secondly, I'd imagine it's 10x as hard to sell a 'beat' as it is to sell a 'song'. Write a hook for the stuff and give some people an idea what to do with it! In Nashville anyway, there's a ton of people selling songs, but I couldn't imagine that anyone could get away with just selling backing tracks of simple chord progressions and drums. If they put lyrics to it, and sold it as a song... then they might be going somewhere.

[ShaneFontane]

My only suggestions to your questions are:

- If you are selling beats, then the beats need to sound "finished" ie mixed, polished, mastered, etc... if your beats are a finished product, then it shoudl sound like one. From my experience people only buy beats that are demo ready or broadcast ready.

- I agree with Tibbon, if you are trying to sell to A&R, publishers, or particular artists then you need to continue and finish your product by adding lyrics, hooks and vocals. A song paints a clearer and more memorable picture then a backing track especially when the backing track is just that - background music for the focus point to be - VOCALS.

- If you are sure you do not wish to run vocals and lyrics, then maybe you should sculpt your beats into downtempo or such type songs where vocals may not be have to be the focus but instead interesting leads, melodies and arrangement can be your star. Similar do techno music, house music, dub, etc...

Good luck!

[DaKid]

Originally Posted by soladee

ive been making rnb music for a while but I need some feedback as to what I need to work on. i just can't seem to sell my beats.

by the way heres my link
http://www.soundclick.com/soladee

kindest regards, sol

I took a listen- I don't really think there that bad at all. Some good rnb joints.

If you've never sold a beat before it'll be hard selling at first. Try networking with artists either locally or on myspace and offer some tracks for free to someone you respect as an artist. Once people hear songs with your track behind it- if its good- they'll start coming around.

Best of luck.

[quincyg]

i think the ideas are good, but the execution is sub standard for a beat to be sold. i agree that they would be fine for a backing track for shopping sounds and then people could re produce them. the biggest problem is the drum tones. not really pop and definitely not hip hop or rnb. sound muzak-ey. all the other crappy tones would be fine if the drums hit. the keyboard parts need a little more polish too.

my .02$

Originally Posted by quincyg

i think the ideas are good, but the execution is sub standard for a beat to be sold. i agree that they would be fine for a backing track for shopping sounds and then people could re produce them. the biggest problem is the drum tones. not really pop and definitely not hip hop or rnb. sound muzak-ey. all the other crappy tones would be fine if the drums hit. the keyboard parts need a little more polish too.

my .02$

I strongly agree with this. You have to listen to some records and be honest with yourself. Think about some Timberland, Usher, D'Angelo, Dre, Out Kast, Luda, RKelly etc... Do you hear your beats as being at that level?

IF not, then NO you are not ready, but if your answer is YES, you are lying to yourself. The good news is, I hear some good ideas in your stuff. The bad news is that not a single one was fully developed. These days since the producer is more important than the artist (unfortuonately) you have to damn near play the artist the RECORD quality wise and with the Hook idea etc.... already there.

What I hear is you Chording in every song on your keyboard/piano/rhodes sound and playing filler around it. You arangement sounds good for a demo, but for a record, often the chord structure is simple but it's played in parts by different instruments to make the arrangement/orchestration of the song interesting.

Go put on an Rkelly album and listen for his chord structure etc.. You'll see what i'm talking about.

The way to get better in ANY business is via BENCHMARKING. This means checking out the competition and being honest about where u stack up against them.

The reason I suggest you listen to top cats in the game is because there is someone out there who is perhaps BETTER than all of them are.

This is the person you'll be battling for the next spot in the game.
Become a student of the game

Also HIRE SOME MUSICIANS. I use the term Hire loosely. It can be friends who work for free, or some folk you swap services with. But get it outta your hands alone. (most of the records you know and love are from the combination of efforts of many people, and not someone working alone.)

In your case, I'd say find someone who can do drum tracks.

You DO have some talent. You just need direction and direction does not come by working at home alone.


Also take ALL advice you receive with a grain of salt. Hell you may hate my material, so I could be the absolute WRONG person for you to get advice from. BUT, either way, you have my opinion.

[doctah]

I try not to post "filler" responses here...

but I'm rolling after listening to your "south track".

that made my day.

[nukmusic]

best way to promote yourself is to get a nice local artist(or artists) to sing/rap on a few of your tracks. and when I say artist, I mean someone that's out in the streets/clubs performing live.

people buy what they hear (or hear about)...

....."Man, that's a nice song.....but who did the beat"

price is also a factor.
What can the artists in your area afford to pay you?
What price would make you comfortable?
find a combination of the two.

[quincyg]

just checked the south track too. pretty funny. that is a joke...right?

[cynic one]

Originally Posted by doctah

I try not to post "filler" responses here...

but I'm rolling after listening to your "south track".

that made my day.

wtf is wrong with that shit......ahahahahahah im ****in rolling here.

[filterayok]

you probably made that south track as a joke, but notice how your getting responses?? thats cause that track, although rediculous, has a quality that makes people RESPOND to it... it STANDS OUT, if for nothing else how amazingly horrid it is... now i wouldnt reccommend going that direction, but i'm trying to make you see that THAT is exactly what ur other trax lack... they are just...BLAH---try to make something rediculus, but GOOD sounding and then your trax might be...well...rediculous

[youngkain]

South Music...Yea man, i enjoyed that one !!!

Hookup with some musicians and take your music to the next level. Good Luck
Peace

Your south track (Assuming u were joking, and YOU MUST HAVE BEEN JOKING), shows that you feel free to criticize someone elses beats (I'm guessing lil John and others who make "southern tracks").

This would be cool if your own tracks were off the chain, but they are not.



GOOD LUCK. THat shit was still funny as hell.

[quincyg]

Originally Posted by no ssl yet

Your south track (Assuming u were joking, and YOU MUST HAVE BEEN JOKING), shows that you feel free to criticize someone elses beats (I'm guessing lil John and others who make "southern tracks").

This would be cool if your own tracks were off the chain, but they are not.



GOOD LUCK. THat shit was still funny as hell.

i think it is always good to critique others, even if you can't do better. i helps to make clear in your mind what you like and don't like. so long as you don't think you are better when you are not...



concept is the most important thing. south is a great concept so the track is great.

[soladee]

first off ive gotta thank you all for your feedback... im gonna go thru all that you said step by step etc.

and yes that south beat was a joke.

the beats on my soundclick are just a taster, not really my best - just stuff to post up.

i really make beats for the fun of it, i dont wanna be the next dre, kanye etc cos im happy with my job... but i just want to keep improving so i could make maybe a lil cash on the side.

i just wanna let you know that to pay you guys back im gonna be leaving feedback for you guys when i get some more time.

peace for now.

[soladee]

ive taken all y'alls advice and came up with this joint:

Lowrider.

let me know what you think

[Teacher]

The road to selling a beat is a long and arduous one...Persistence is the key Element. Not compromising YOUR sound IMHO is one as well...as well as talent.

But right now your beats still sound like they are in the developmental stage, keep working, and like No SSL said listen to the pros and how there joints sound and are arranged i'll take it a step further listen to OTHER genres of musics arrangement like rock, soul etc....

[billwarner]

"In Nashville anyway, there's a ton of people selling songs, but I couldn't imagine that anyone could get away with just selling backing tracks of simple chord progressions and drums. If they put lyrics to it, and sold it as a song... then they might be going somewhere.[/QUOTE]"

I agree with your basic premise, but the reality is there are NOT a ton of people selling
songs, typically the top tier writers are getting most of the cuts. There are a lot of people writing though...

Bill

www.warnerworks.net

www.icandemusic.com

[Big 3rd]

What I am missing out of your tracks are "feel" and "soul."

Put it like this...your beats are the equivalent of someone trying to learn how to dance by reading about it. I do agree with Nossl that you have some talent but you are missing the "it" factor which usually comes after more years of experience. Now if you told me you were doing beats for 6 years then I'd say you probably aren't going to get much better....but if you have about a year or two under your belt then I'd say all you need is more experience and you WILL really understand the "it" factor.

The "it" factor involves music arrangement, unpredictability, and emotion. Even a repetitous loop with very few elements can have that little something that just keeps you bobbing hard as hell....that is if done properly. Your music comes off as very sterile and lifeless because it doesn't have those curveballs that you need to shock the soul. "Sprinkles" and "transitions" are great when used judiciously at the right times. A problem I noticed with your sprinkles and transitions were that they were very predictable. And when they repeated, I knew ahead of time that they would be identical to the first go round....only because they came across so lifeless and sterile.

One of the most overlooked things that inexperienced producers miss is the use of the pitch bend. The pitch bend when used with synth leads, bass lines, and etc can breathe life instantly into a very sterile sounding riff…once again if used properly.

So my biggest advice for you is to think bigger than what the standard demands…..the typical intro, verse, hook, verse, bridge, hook...and so on. Make the music LIVE, BREATHE, and CONNECT WITH THE SOUL whether its made to make you feel scared, happy, angry, make you wanna drive fast, whatever.

Don't make it sound so much like it's cut and pasted...even if that is the case.

[Big 3rd]

Oh my God! I didn't even get to the "South Music" before until all the fun was being poked at it....

But holy sh*t...I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard. I refuse to believe that that was anything less than a joke.

LMFBAO........

[Agzilla]

I liked the lowrider one.....

How much you trying to sell them for? and how have you tried?

I don't wanna buy, so don't get the wrong idea, i just had a good listen and now i'm gonna jack your shit... (joke!)

But i liked that one...

Keep it up and good luck, try getting them sounding bigger mixwise.. sounds a lil like a one keyboard composition!

Peace.

Zz.

[ShaneFontane]

lowrider = much better

keep hacking... beakdown more beat structures... this song, def sounds more trip hop then hip hop... find more trip hop artists to listen to.... listen to what they are doing...

later man

[MBOY]

I took a listen and I dont think anything is wrong with your beats. I particularly like "All Day All Night" and "Lush". I agree with other folks that for r&b it would help if you submit a whole song instead of just the beat or atleast put a hook with the beat. For rap thats not neccessarry. You may also want to get a better manager. Keep up the good work I'm sure you will land a placement with the proper grind.

[primeminister]

The reason you cant sell some of your hip hop beats, is because you got way too much shit going on at one time. You shouls focus on simplifying the sound. Also, I can't stress how important mixing is is the music world. It doesn't matter what you are doing, the mix can make or break a song. Try to learn what the people you like to listen to, do to make thier tracks sound that way. Read up on basic music theory and put it all together. I've been selling hip hop beats for about 4 years now, and trust me, you have to spoon feed people. Keep it simple. Peace.

[reinvention.of.man]

Originally Posted by soladee

by the way heres my link
http://www.soundclick.com/soladee

kindest regards, sol

SNAP YO FINGERS & SOUTH MUSIC..

Watch out!

Lil Jon can suit you for copyrighting his beats.. tutt

[JoeStrange]

Yes...Simplify your music....diversify your bonds.....and I think that was the best I ever heard lil jon sound.....Its a bout time he changed his beats up and I like that new style...LMAO.

Ok no. For real now,
Dude you need take time and work out them drum sounds...thats first and foremost. Make drum sounds....do whatever it takes...Get your drums BIGGER and sounding more hiphop or R&B-ish or whatever your looking for. Definitly dont think too hard when your writing...simplicity is a big key,but along with simplicity you need excitment and fullness without over doing it.

The drum sequences are alright...its just the sounds. And as for the music, well it takes patience to find sounds that sonicly work with your track and also patience to sequence things over and over and edit things over and over to get the music polished. Try to keep things pitch corrected also....Keep the kick tone matching the tone of the song.....Not a jungle juice of tones(pitches)......Cause that sounds sloppy.

Take a listen to some songs I have produced for a local guy.....The mixes are not perfect but all these tracks are real simple...yet energetic and BIG.

Maybe this would give you a good idea of what im talking about because im a local guy selling beats and producing for local artists.

www.myspace.com/strangeboyproductions

[BigArt]

Simplify your music, I think you are good, just know when to say enough. Also remeber the time that we are in for hiphop. Some of your songs may be better suited for an older artist like the Isley's Hey don't knock the south thats whats selling right now

[VictorUlloa]

This is really good advice, The only advice I'd like to give you is this.

Be jealous. Be Envious and do worry about your competition.
Why?
Because that is exactly what is going to make you better in the long run, Listen to other artist, Grab a dre beat, Put it in your DAW, Copy the drum pattern try to mock the rythm and cord progression then turn off that dre sample and play your own, See the diffrence?

Its mastering/polishing of the track, Beats are easy man
Its polishing the tracks that count the most, Ive seen hit songs with basic ass drum patterns and chords.

Just remember, Dont be afraid to ask good artist for help, tips, Technique tricks and etc..

Thats what I do and if I havent Id still be stuck at level 1 in the game.

[Jeezo]

Don't waist your time ....people (major ) if they like your songs will simply redo them re arrenge them without even tell you !!

Find a good artists , make some solid tracks and start shoping ....easy you can make tracks , good tracks , videos ...Ect ...find a real good concept , a good script and make a video ..post it get plays on yo tube or dauily motion and get paid with publisings this will generate money more than selling beats (trying)