What is your WORST beatmaking habit?
If you're a perfectionist, use the 90% rule
I was hanging out in my community recently, and I came across from a post from one of my members Paulie G that I think every beat perfectionist needs to read.
He talks about his struggles with perfectionism, and a new rule that he's come up for himself.
I think this can help you too...
"The 90% rule.
When I get a beat 90% done, it's done. I can't stop at 80%, that just won't satisfy the inner perfectionist that's been ingrained my whole life... So I'll allow myself an extra 10% worth of tinkering. But chasing that last 10-20%? It's a waste of time. Most listeners aren't gonna even notice it.
Join me, a perfectionist in recovery, and embrace the jankiness of the 90% rule! Yeah, we'll make some duds, but that's part of it. We'll make some bangers too! I'd rather have 9 duds and 1 banger than a load of unfinished ideas."
Here's why I love this idea.
Perfectionism often gets in the way of making progress with your beats. How?
Well, here is the secret that no one will ever admit. The best beatmakers in the world make incredible beats because they ALWAYS do the fundamentals.
So think of it like this - if you spend all your time tinkering around with small little details, you're not practicing the fundamentals. You're getting caught up in the fancy little stuff that doesn't actually matter, that people don't care about.
But even worse, perfectionism can often become a way to hide. It is scary to put your beat ideas out into the world. So a way that I see producers avoid this is by telling themselves they're perfectionists. That way, they don't ever have to share their beats, because nothing is ever truly 'complete' or 'ready'.
But this exactly what keeps their progress flat-lined. Because they never figure out what they need to do to improve their production.
So if you suffer from beat perfectionism, change your criteria for what you consider to be a 'finished' beat. Use Paulie's 90% rule.
I bet you will start seeing far more progress with your beats overall
PS For producers who want hands-on help with their beats :)
>> Apply to Better Beatmaker, my full online program
www.betterbeatmaker.com/apply
-Navie
Try this exercise to get better at producing
It's hard to make a good beat if you don't understand what makes good beats good.
So let's try and practice and get better at this.
Exercise:
Select any beat that you like, and answer the following questions in the comments below:
1.What is the BPM of the beat?
2.What is the POI (Point of Interest)?
3.What makes it the POI?
4.What other instruments appear in the beat?
5.Rank each instrument's pattern by complexity.
Here is the beat I will choose:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSqI1...
What is the BPM of the beat?
78ish
What is the POI (Point of Interest)?
i.e. What makes this beat different/unique to you?
The bassline
What makes it the POI?
The notes aren't extended/sustained like most basslines. Instead, The Alchemist uses frequent short notes, and creates a melodic pattern using them. This is a bassline technique I rarely hear, and thus helps the beat stand out.
What other instruments appear in the beat?
A sample (Nautilus by Bob James. This sample is made up of electric pianos from the sounds of it)
A layer of strings
Drums (Kick, Snare, Tambourine, Shaker, Crash)
Vocal Samples
Rank each pattern by complexity
1. Bassline
2. Sample
3. Drums
4. Vocal Sample
5. Strings
Try doing your own analysis for whatever beat you choose in the comments below
-Navie
PS I will be opening up new spots to Better Beatmaker soon
www.betterbeatmaker.com/apply
For those interested in getting my direct help with your beats
:)
Here are 20 strategies to make progress with your beats.
A major beliefs of mine is that you get better by doing what you're not currently good at.
Let's come up with a list of strategies someone could use to try and get better.
Please share strategies of yours!
1. Use a new BPM
2. Avoid using your 'go-to' samples/sounds
3. Use that plugin that you barely use
4. Start a beat using drums
5. Limit how many total sounds you're allowed to use
6. Avoid using effects (i.e. you must pick good sounds)
7. Build a beat using a simple 2 note progression
8. Start a beat using samples
9. Make a beat from scratch
10. Try to recreate a beat
11. Take an old beat of yours, and 'fix' it
12. Only allow 15 minutes per activity (starting, building, arranging, etc)
13. Use a different template
14. Use that soundpack that you barely use
15. Only allow yourself 1 plugin for all of your sounds
16. Make an entire beat using one sample pack
17. Avoid a 'category' of sound (i.e. no pianos, no guitars, etc)
18. Give yourself a deadline of 2 hours to finish a beat
19. Explore a plugin with no goal of beatmaking
20. Select a random preset, and make a beat out of it
Try using one of these each time you sit down and make a beat.
It will be struggle. It will be hard. But you will get better.
PS join my mailing list if you want more stuff like this
www.betterbeatmaker.com/list
-Navie
My beats were stuck for a long time.
When I first started trying to produce, I made zero progress for a while. Every beat I made sounded wrong, and I couldn’t figure out why. It was super frustrating. I felt like I was in a never-ending loop of trying and failing. I kept thinking, “My beats suck.”
I was determined to find a solution. I spent hours online, reading and watching videos. And everywhere I looked, people said that mixing and mastering were the keys to making your beats sound amazing. They said that pro producers had these secrets to mixing that made their beats sound so much better. So, I thought, “That must be the answer!”
I decided to go all in. I signed up for a mixing and mastering class. It wasn’t cheap. I also paid a lot of money to get direct help from a mixing engineer. This whole thing cost me thousands of dollars. I was so excited, thinking my beats were finally going to sound awesome.
But guess what?
Even after all that, my beats still didn’t sound good. I was even more confused than before.
So I had to go back to trying to fix my beats myself. I kept trying different things, experimenting, and learning. It took a lot of time and effort, but after many trials and errors, I finally figured out the real problem.
Do you want to know what it was?
It was my snares.
My snares weren’t right for beatmaking. That was it.
It wasn’t about the mixing or the mastering. It was just the wrong snares.
So here's what I realized. None of the mixing experts could help me because they weren’t beatmakers. They didn’t understand that beats need specific kinds of snares to sound 'right'. They were focused on frequencies and cleaning up my mixes, but they didn’t have the expertise in making beats.
Here's why I share this
Be careful about taking generic advice, even from me. Sometimes, advice isn’t specific enough for what YOU need. Always think about what YOUR goals are and whether the person giving advice has achieved those goals.
I like to think I’m pretty good at making beats and helping others with it. But if you want to win a Grammy, DON’T LISTEN TO ME. You probably need to learn from someone who has done that.
That's all I wanted to say. Also, make a beat today. No excuses.
PS join my mailing list if you want more help with your beats
www.betterbeatmaker.com/list
-Navie
Struggling to ADD Sounds to Your Beats?
Here’s How to Fix It
This is a common problem that many beatmakers, including myself when I first started, run into. So, let’s dig into why this happens and what you can do to fix it.
Why Adding Sounds Can Be So Hard
One big reason is something I call the "preset problem." Think about it this way: if you were designing a plugin and had to come up with presets, would you make them unique and attention-grabbing, or kind of plain and boring? I bet you’d go for the bold and exciting ones. After all, you’d want producers to go, “Damn, this sounds wild!”
These bold presets are perfect for starting a beat. They fill a lot of space and make your track pop right from the start. But when you start adding more sounds, that’s where things get tricky.
Here's what usually happens:
When You Start the Beat: You pick a big, unique sound that makes the track stand out. But as you add more sounds, you try to add other bold sounds, but they don’t fit because the first sound is already taking up so much space.
So, how can you get around this and make adding new sounds easier?
Three Tips for Adding Sounds
1. Use Subtle, Plain Sounds
While bold presets are great for kicking off your beat, when you get to the third or fourth sound, try something more subtle. These sounds might seem boring on their own, but they’re perfect for fitting into the mix without clashing with everything else. Think of them as the glue that helps everything stick together.
2. Dial It Down
If you still want to use those big, bold sounds, you need to make them fit better. Grab an EQ and trim down the frequencies they take up or adjust their volume and depth for example. This way, they won't overpower the rest of your track.
3. Know What Your Beat Needs
The key is to understand what your beat actually needs. Take a step back and listen for the spaces that are still open. Where can you fit another sound without it feeling crowded? This involves knowing the main components of your beat, like:
Frequency: What frequencies are already filled?
Stereo Space: How wide is the sound spread across the stereo field?
Depth: How far back or forward does the sound sit in the mix?
Shape: How long does this sound last?
By figuring these out, you can add new sounds that complement what’s already there instead of fighting for the same space.
Wrapping Up
If adding new sounds to your beats has been driving you nuts, think about the preset problem. Instead of reaching for the biggest, boldest presets every time, try leaning towards simpler, more subtle sounds that will actually fit into your beat. By dialing down bold sounds and really understanding the gaps in your track, you’ll have a much easier time adding new elements.
Remember, not every sound needs to be a star.
Sometimes, the quiet ones are what make your beat truly shine.
PS if you found this helpful, join my mailing list! I give out tips like this all the time :)
www.betterbeatmaker.com/list
-Navie
What do you think of this beat?
I think it's very very very gooooood
soundcloud.com/paulie-g-1/depth-charge
Which of my videos help you the most?
Congratulations to Karasama!
He just crossed 5 million+ streams on a song he produced.
For those that don't know, he was actually my first BB member :) Absolute legend.
I've produced music for world-renowned artists, top-selling video games, and everything in between. Now I'm showing how to do it yourself.
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