I Want to Start Making Beats as a Hobby: How/Where Do I Start?
I’m pretty active on the question and answer site Quora. Recently someone asked, “I want to start making beats as a hobby, how/where do I start?” Here is a modified version of my response.
Blue Scholars producer Sabzi has a great quote about producing. To him, it’s less about gear/setup and more about making music. He said, “You can cultivate and develop your craft by using any equipment you have.” In the video below, he admits that his setup is super basic, inexpensive, and that it probably isn’t even set up right. After talking about his gear, he absolutely destroys it and makes a beat on the spot with a multi-track program called Acid Pro. Acid Pro isn’t the most expensive or sought after program, but several great producers like DJ Pain 1 and Tall Black Guy have successfully used it during their careers.
Studio setup, preferences, and process vary from producer to producer. Some producers do the majority of their work in a multi-track program like Acid Pro with very little external gear. Others learn more on traditional samplers like an ASR-10 or MPC. And many combine the best of both worlds, using a physical sampler/s and a computer program. K-Def is a great example of this. He uses a whole gang of DAWs and still uses his MPC and the newer MPC Renaissance. Check out his Instagram page for some nice videos of him putting in work.
“You can cultivate and develop your craft by using any equipment you have.”
The key seems to be thinking about what method seems most appealing to you, figuring out what you can afford, and taking that first leap. You can buy a refurbished iPad for a couple hundred bucks and the Beatmaker 2 app for $9.99. Mannie Fresh used that app to make a beat for a 2 Chainz single. You have options, but don’t let them overwhelm you and stop you from taking the leap.
“I think the difference between someone who does it and someone who just thought about doing it is the months or years sucking. You’ve got to suck for a while before you actually get good.”
Another key that many producers talk about is the willingness to practice and accepting initial struggles. Producer Mr. Green has a great quote that speaks to this. When I interviewed him about his early days using Cool Edit Pro and Fruity Loops to make beats he said, “I think the difference between someone who does it and someone who just thought about doing it is the months or years sucking. You’ve got to suck for a while before you actually get good.” I went to college with him and I can attest to the fact that he used to spend hours upon hours just messing around with Fruity Loops, honing his craft one day at a time. He didn’t stress the fact that he didn’t own an ASR-10, MPC, or SP-1200. He just started working with what he had. Now he makes music like this for a living.
14KT has a great quote about how little he knew when he started to make beats. He started producing with something similar to Acid Pro called Cool Edit Pro. Now he works with the likes of Black Milk, Bun B, and Mayer Hawthorne. In an interview I did with him where we talked about his early days as a producer he said, “I didn’t even use a metronome or sequencer. I just nodded my head and chopped…I didn’t know what a grid was. I didn’t know what BPMs were.”
Don’t let a lack of experience or knowledge stop you from going for it. In the end, like many creative activities, the most important thing is to get started. If you spend too much time overthinking equipment or waiting for inspiration, you will waste precious time. Think about the bare minimum you need in terms of gear and start making music. Good luck.
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