When Makin' a beat...

[BIG J]

...What do ya'll like to start off with first?
I like to start off with a melody most the time, or some type of pad or something to set the mood. Any other time I start with The percussion, and just build it from there. Lately when I've been doin' either of the two, I've been layin' it out for the whole song. I'll lay out melody parts for the whole song(Verses, Bridges, and Choruses.) then just drop drum tracks and whatever else it needs over it.

Sometimes it helps spark my creativity if I start with something different each time

 

[3VID3NC3]

For me its usually just whatever I stumble into first. If Im not feelin a melody Ill start with some drums or vice versa..or sometimes I may start with a pad or sound effect just to get a feel then work from there..
I think the hardest part in making a beat is starting out, once I got a direction to go its pretty easy from there.

 

[Kp]

Yea I like switchen it up too

I usually always do my drums first, plus I can play drums so it's the easiest thing for me. Then I go into melody based off my drums cause most of em are pretty crazy. But alot of the time, I'll be makin a beat and I'll stumble onto something that has nothing to do wit that original beat, but I find a dope melody. So I'll go into another track and just lay the new melody down. And then later on I go back and listen to my melody...and take it from there. I come out with some dope ass shit like that.

 

[Sick Wid It]

I usually have the whole track (or most of it) in my head so it usually doesn't matter where I start since I know what I want to do anyway. Most of the time it's like that but when I do sit down with no clue, I'll start with whatever sound catches my ear first and that really could be anything. If you're creative, your instincts will guide you.

 

[BANETHEMERCILES]

im kinda all around the board with it, sometimes ill make like 3 or 4 drum tracks and then come back to them the next day and drop some melodies, or ill do it backwards, drop a few melodies and then pick what i like, or ill freestyle some piano for long periods of time and let it record them come back to it and chop it up, or ill just sit in front of my gear and just make a cd with some songs i like on it and just play them till i hear someting that inspires me, or sometimes i have the melody in my head that i want, i cant really re-create percussion thats in my head though.

 

[T.C]

i start with percussion......like shakers and hihats then make the melody flow with em'......then i add the snare and kick........then i add some more elements and make the bassline last.