3 Must-Have Effects Plugins for Beat Producers

Making unique beats is a whole lot easier when you have good effects plugins at your disposal. They can help spice up your drums, add variation to your melodies, and even give you new ideas that you would have never thought of without being able to turn a few effect knobs. Here are three must-have effects plugins for any beat producer.

Half-Time

Although it is similar to and has overall fewer functions than Gross Beat, the paid stock FL Studio plugin, Half-Time allows for more streamlined and easy to use effects. Half-Time allows the user to slow down melodies by different looping speeds with useful settings that can change the smoothness and frequency of the affected sound. Playing around with this plugin can lead to some unique sounding melodies.

For only $12, this plugin is quite the steal. Learn more about it by clicking here.

RC-20 Retro Color

If you are looking to make your melodies sound more like they were recorded with actual instruments, you may want to acquire a vinyl effects plugin. RC-20 Retro Color allows you to apply a large variety of vinyl effects, such as crackling, wobble, and distortion, among others. It also comes with presets that have different themes so that you can instantly apply an array of effects onto your sounds (which can also be tweaked to your liking).

RC-20 Retro Color is currently $99.95 - to learn more about it, click here.

Valhalla Vintage Verb

Valhalla Vintage Verb is a reverb plugin that allows for stronger, more deep reverb effects. Although FL Studio and most other DAWs come with their own stock reverb plugins, they are more limited in their functionality. Valhalla Vintage Verb allows for much greater customization and comes with many tweakable presets that are designed specifically for different feels. This plugin is also great for melodies made from one-shot sounds as it makes them sound less dry.

For $50, you could have a whole different world of reverb effects at your fingertips. Learn more by clicking here.

3 808 Mistakes to Avoid in FL Studio

Properly using 808s is a struggle for many newer producers, and it takes a while for many of them to learn how to get better at using them. This guide aims to eliminate some common mistakes that cause 808s in producers' beats sound subpar.

808 is Out of Tune

Since most sounds are tuned to C, they usually don't need adjusting. However, 808 samples are sometimes tuned to a different note. Sometimes, the difference is so subtle that some producers don't even notice. A good way to check is to place the 808 onto the root note of the melody, and pitch it up a few octaves to be able to hear it better. Since the 808 is the bass, it becomes harder to notice that it is out of tune when it is placed on the lower octave where 808s are usually placed.

If the 808 sounds out of tune, right click it, and click on "Edit in audio editor," then right click the sample that is now open in Edison, hover over "Regions" and select "Detect pitch regions." This will display the note that the sample is tuned to. Now, go back to the sample window, and click the wrench icon at the top left, and select the note that was detected in Edison on the piano roll. The 808 should now be tuned to C.

For more screenshots of the process, check out this page.

808 Sounds Drowned Out

Another common struggle for newer producer is getting their 808s to stand out in the mix. Since the 808 is supposed to be at a very low frequency, it can often get buried beneath the the other sounds. Although we don't want it to overpower the other sounds in the beat, the 808 should have a good presence in the mix. The issue often comes down to not cutting enough low frequency out of the melody or just outright making the 808 too quiet.

To EQ the melody, add a visual EQ tool to the mixer track where the melody is (Fruity Parametric EQ 2 works well). Right click Band 1, click "Order," and click "Steep 8." Drag the band to the right until the lower frequency is cut out enough for the 808 to have room.

Another way to make the 808 louder is by boosting the frequencies on the actual 808 sample. Click on the 808 sample, find the "legacy effects" tab in the settings, and play around with the EQ and Boost knobs. This will make the frequencies of the 808 stand out more. Don't overdo it though, because then the 808 will be too distorted.

Use both of these techniques to make the 808 stand out and cut through the mix properly.

For more detailed information regarding frequency editing, check out the official Fruity Parametric EQ description page.

Low Quality 808 Samples

Often times, sound quality comes down to sound selection. If you are using a low quality 808 sample, no amount of effects will make it sound good. Make sure that you are using good sound samples in your beats. A good way to make sure you are using good sounds is to look at what sound kits top producers use. Follow your favorite producers and see what sounds they use. A good place to find kits is on Reddit, at r/DrumKits. Check out the "Shares the Screen" kits, created by Lunch77, which compile sounds that are used by specific producers.

Blog #4 - Why the Simple Beats Are the Ones that Get Used in Songs

When making a beat, it is sometimes unclear at which point you should be done with it. Even after you arrange it and add all of the essential elements, it sometimes feels like you can add even more. The important concept is that just because you can doesn't mean you should. In fact, many of the beats that end up being placed in songs with major artists are on the simpler side.

Simpler Beats are Easier to Rap Over

Many producers nowadays like to "overproduce" their beats, meaning they add too much to the beats. Beats with too many different sounds, switch ups, and patterns can be difficult to rap or sing over. This overproduction can also be distracting to the listener.

A good, consistent beat will frequently be chosen over a cluttered beat. Beats with lots of variety and elements can sound unique and cool, yes, but they usually aren't very practical as an instrumental to the background of an artist in a song.

More Room for Vocals

Often, beats with crazy melodies don't work very well in songs with singers or rappers. Just like having too many different sounds, complex melodies can leave no room for a voice on the top.

To know when they don't need any more melody layers, producers like to add them until it seems like there is room for one more, which will end up being the vocals of the artist. Leaving room at the top for actual vocals is an essential when making useable and practical beats.

Simplicity Sounds Better

In many cases, simpler songs just outright sound better. People like music that is easy to listen to, which is why much of contemporary popular music is repetitive and doesn't require much focus to enjoy. 

The beat of a song acts as the framework or skeleton to the song, and the artist's vocals are based on the beat's elements, such as the melody, tempo, and arrangement. Of course, it is not necessary to oversimplify your beats to the point that they lack variation or flavor. It is possible to keep your beats on the simpler side while giving them life, personality, and feeling.

When making beats, you should cater to the artist that the beat is intended for while keeping the listeners in mind.

Blog #3 - Three Mistakes That Producers Make While Working in FL Studio

FL Studio is one of the most popular digital audio workstations that is used for producing rap and hip hop beats. It is used by industry professionals and beginners alike, and it is a great tool for many purposes. For many producers, including myself, it was our first experience working in a music production software, aside from maybe Garage Band, a simplified D.A.W. that comes with Mac computers.

FL Studio is very versatile, meaning there are many things that can be done, correctly and incorrectly. In this post, I will be bringing to light three mistakes that are frequently made by producers when using FL Studio.

Using Fruity Limiter

Infamously, the Fruity Limiter is known to be the cause for lower quality mixes in beginner beats. Since it is enabled by default, it is frequently overlooked. This stock plugin acts as a limiter and compresses certain frequencies in the mix, contributing to lower volume levels and random ducking when different sounds clash.

Fruity Limiter itself is not a bad tool and can be manipulated to work properly, but the default preset on it does not work well with rap beats. Instead of using it, create a new preset with the Fruity Soft Clipper, a different limiter that comes with FL Studio. This way, upon startup of the software, the Fruity Soft Clipper, a limiter with a much better default preset for beats, will replace the Fruity Limiter.

Not Saving Frequently

One of the biggest mistakes beginners and pros make is not saving their projects frequently while working. FL Studio is known to be prone to crashing, and losing a project file that you were working on can be heartbreaking.

FL Studio actually autosaves every so often, and if you know this, you can navigate to the file folders with FL Studio files and retrieve the projects. This is surprisingly a function that many aren't aware of.

Despite the existence of the autosave, it is much easier to just periodically save to ensure the availability of the most recent version of the project file.

Not Speeding Up Workflow

Although FL Studio is designed in a way that streamlines the process of making beats, there are still many ways to make your workflow even faster. FL Studio has many keyboard shortcuts to speed up different parts of the process, such as Ctrl+B to duplicate selections, various key combinations to switch to different tools faster, and other methods of speeding up various actions. This can improve your rate of productivity as you will be getting things done faster.

Additionally, FL Studio allows various means of organization. Sound samples that you have downloaded can be placed in different folders and these paths can be customized to your liking. For example, I like to organize my drum kits by creator so I can find the sounds that I am looking for easily. 

If you like to use similar patterns in many of your beats, with hi hats for example, you can use midis that can be dropped into the piano roll which will tell the software to create certain patterns.

As mentioned earlier, FL Studio startup presets can also be created. If you like to use certain plugins in each beat, you can make a preset which will cause FL Studio to load them with every new project file.

Blog #2 - Why You Shouldn't Worry About Having a Perfect Mix

There are many different factors that go into making a professional sounding beat. Although there are no set rules for how one should sound, as art doesn't have rules, there are certainly standards and guidelines. Having a good melody for a melodic beat and loud and aggressive drums for a more contemporary and "ignorant" style are what many producers strive for to make a good sounding beat. 

However, good mixing is the universal feature of all beats. If the drums are too quiet too distorted or if the bass clashes with lower frequencies of the melody, the beat may not sound as professional and will likely not be used or purchased. Different kinds of mixing works for different beats, but upholding the standards is important. Despite this, perfecting the mix is not an essential, even for experienced producers. Here are a few reasons why.

Most Listeners Won't Even Notice

As a producer, your ear is trained to hear all of the little things that most people wouldn't notice themselves. This causes many producers to overdo or over-perfect their projects. You need to keep in mind that most listeners will not notice these slight imperfections. To them, the finished work is what is correct, and even if they notice some slight distortion or clipping in the audio, this won't bother them. 

There are plenty of popular songs released by big artists that have crackling in certain parts of the melody or sections of the song. It sometimes isn't possible to fix everything, and even if it is, it is frequently not worth it. As creators, we judge our own work harsher than we judge the work of others. Sometimes, it is important to shift our focus to other avenues that can be improved that would actually make a difference. Slight mix imperfections are not detrimental to the overall quality of the product.

Most Beats Will Be Remixed Later Anyway

In many cases, the mix that you have created will end up being modified, adjusted, or just flat out redone later on. When artists work at studios, they have professional audio engineers work on the mixes of songs. It is very unlikely that your mix will end up being final.

Often, beats are rearranged or remixed due to a differing opinion of what sounds good, or simply because the artist's vocals don't sit as well with the mix you have created. Once the individual sound files of each sound used in the beat, or "stems," are imported with the vocals, the sounds are readjusted by professional mixing engineers.

As for beats that are sold online through a lease and don't come with the sound files split up, the mix will end up being final due to the fact that the buyer has no way of changing it. However, if a beat is leased, the artist is unlikely to be a professional in the industry, as a big artist would have purchased the full rights to the beat. Leases are usually taken advantage of by small artists who are likely to be less picky about the sound of their music anyway, so the mix won't be the biggest factor.

Music Has No Rules

As previously mentioned, there is no set rule for what sounds "good." There are guidelines and trends based on what is commonly done, but there are frequent cases in art when the guidelines are broken. The purpose of art is to create without boundaries. In fact, some songs are purposely mixed poorly, with crunchy drums and loud, distorted basslines. Create what you want with purpose and build off of what is considered the norm.

Blog #1 - Why You Shouldn’t Give Up if Your Beats Aren’t Selling

The feeling that you get when you realize that your beats are starting to become worthy of being uploaded online is great. All of the time you have spent making tracks is really starting to pay off and you can sense your improvement as you proudly listen to the beats that you have selected to present to the world by posting them on your pages. However, you soon realize that getting to this point has only been the first step. As great as the beats that you posted are, they aren’t getting very many plays and you aren’t garnering an audience, seemingly no matter what you try. It is very easy to get discouraged in this stage and it is one of the most difficult stages in this whole process. However, you should be persistent and keep trying, even if it seems pointless, and in this blog post, I will tell you why.

Slow Start Leads to Success

There are thousands of online producers that upload and try to sell their beats via social media sites like YouTube, SoundCloud, and Instagram, and music production-specific sites like BeatStars that are created specifically for this purpose. This has become a very popular business and many are trying to cash in on it, so many, in fact, that the market is almost oversaturated, in a sense. Because of this, some people believe that it is “too late” to get into it and try to get somewhere.

Although it may be more difficult now than it was back when the competition was limited, it is still very possible. Just because competitors exist doesn’t mean that your beats will be completely overlooked. It happens all the time that an artist finds a beat online with hardly any views from a producer who has hardly any following and buys the beat, jump starting their career. It can and does happen.

Posting beats can be compared to a lottery. Just as more tickets in the box means more chances to win, more beats uploaded and available online means more chances to get found. It may seem discouraging to see your beats drowned out under the many popular producer profiles that regularly get thousands of views, but it is still worth it to continue climbing, even if the climb feels very slow. In the end, everyone who is currently at the top were once at the bottom and had to go through the same experiences and troubles.

Working Together

Having your own identity and works is one of the greatest appeals of becoming a producer. After all, making your own beats is the goal and the fun of it. Working solo has many perks and allows you to have complete control over what you create, how you create it, and what you put out. However, working with others can be an incredible plus. Most great works of music were put together by many different people who all worked to fulfill their part.

Every person has their own strengths and weaknesses, and if multiple people with different strengths come together and channel them into a project, that project will come out much better than if it was worked on by one person. Successfully networking with other producers is a skill on its own and also requires effort, but the whole process of getting better at it is also beneficial. Learning how to network and meet people is something that will help a producer in the future.

All major producers work with others to elevate themselves, each other, and their work. By collaborating with another producer, you can help promote each other and build new connections through each other, which will lead to other connections. Having people to work with that will push you to new heights is essential to success, not just in music, but in almost every aspect of work and life. That being said, get on social media and search for some other producers, offer to support them, and start building connections.

Taste of the Future

The truth is that nothing is guaranteed in the producer industry. Unlike most jobs, there are no set hours, tasks, or guaranteed payments. You are your own boss and motivator, and your success all relies on your own decision making.

This first hurdle that you will face as a producer, trying to get noticed and getting beat sales and placements, will not be the last. This is a preview of the obstacles that you will face. Once you have a following and are consistently selling beats, you will still need to put in work to stay relevant in the industry and grow as a producer. Even notable producers aren’t guaranteed sales or placements with famous artists.

This first phase can act as training to ready you for future endeavors if you let it. Just like school is meant to prepare you for the “real world” and once you have graduated, your work doesn’t just stop, trying to get your beats to be played and growing your business is only the first part of the journey. The only way to fail is to give up, so don’t give up and keep uploading beats, because this is the path to getting where you want to be.

About The Beat Box

The Beat Box aims to create concise rap music production guides for beginners and pros alike, created from the perspective of a producer who was recently a beginner and is now a pro. Follow The Beat Box on all socials to stay up to date with video guides, livestreams, and showcases of beats!

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