Make Your Own Beats - What Are You Waiting For?

[Bertha Russell]

Have you ever dreamed of programming drums like Timbaland or Swizz
Beats? Then make your own beats! Are you a rapper or emcee that really
wants to put out a demo or album but just can get your hands on the
right music? Then make your own beats! Are you in a group where one
person handles most of the production of beats and you have to wait on
him or her to give you beats or get into the studio to record? Make
your own beats!
Are you a Hiphoppa in need of some extra cash? Make your own beats! Do
you want to leave a lasting mark on the music industry and have a long
career? That's right - you need to make your own beats! Am I serious
about you making your own beats? Yes, yes, and yes! I'm sure many
people can relate to my story. I've been in the music business since
1988. I've been in several groups where someone else handled the beat
making duties and most of the time I never had a problem with it. I
always felt like I could make my own beats but I never really pursued
it because I was so focused on becoming the best emcee (for those that
are Hiphop dialect challenged, an emcee is also called a rapper - but
not all rappers are emcees. That a topic for another article).
I'm a perfectionist so in my mind, I became one of the best emcees. I
mean I've even performed at the Apollo in Harlem with one group I was
in called The Insane Cirkle so I thought I was "the man". Everything
was fine for a while but we always had to go back to a certain
producer with our ideas and he would charge us by the hour for studio
time to put the ideas together and record songs & demos. I kept
encouraging the members of the group to get our own equipment and no
one moved a muscle. One day, one of co-workers at my slightly above
minimum wage job who had some connections with Dallas Austin and some
other people offered to let me use a Boss 660 drum machine that he had
laying around the house. I accepted and I began to make killer beats.
The only drawback was that I could not make any melodies with it so I
still end up going back to the same producer to help me finish the
rest of the track and I was still paying him for studio time...and
giving him production credits. But I did make some money with the 660.
I knew I could not keep the Boss 660 forever so I bought my first
piece of equipment: A Roland PMA - Personal Music Assistant.
At the time it was cutting edge technology because I could produce on
the go.
I was a public transportation user back then and I could make my own
beats while I was on the train. It was MIDI capable so I could sync it
up with other MIDI instruments in the studio and the sounds that it
produced were not bad. I made some money with it too. Later after The
Insane Cirkle broke up, I found myself in another group called
Prophetix with my homeboy Eddie Meeks. Prophetix accomplished many
great things and once again I shrugged off the production duties to
work on my lyrics because our deejay, Jon Doe, was our producer who
made really hot beats. With me being from down south, I wanted more
bass kicks in the music I rhymed over but no one was feeling me on
that concept. Most of the hit rap songs that you listen to have 808
kick drum sounds in them and so do the classics. As with the last
group I got tired of waiting for beats and waiting to record in the
studio so one day I went out and bought Reasons 3.0 and an EMU X-Board
25 and the rest is history. The members of Prophetix disbanded for one
reason or another and I'm REALLY glad I got my own equipment.
There is an old saying that goes, "God blesses the child that's got
his own". Well, I no longer have to wait on others to make music for
me or wait to go to the studio just to record scratch vocals. Sure,
I'll rhyme over another producers beats but I don't have to wait on
anybody and my studio time is not limited by anybody else. If I have a
good idea, I don't have to wait a week or two to get it recorded. I
can do it all from the comfort of my home studio when ever I want to
do it. The point I'm trying to say is WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? There
are endless optionS for making your own beats. I not a fool though. I
know everyone can't afford an MPC 3000 or software like Reasons. As
much as I love what the MPC does, it was just simply out of my budget.
One great option for new producers to get is to get Music Producer
Pro. It comes with software you can download off the Internet and it
is full of tutorials that can help you get started today. It is
currently selling at $34.95 at the time of this writing but it's
easily worth $250 to $300. If you don't get started making your own
beats now when will you get started?



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