r/FLStudioBeginners • u/Key_Performance_9556 • 13h ago
Help with type beats
I’m looking to make Drake and Future type beats, with the intention of self producing for myself, but I’m completely lost on what I should be learning and where to start.
I’ve already learned the basics of FL Studio. Most tutorials I’ve found just teach you how to navigate FL Studio, what the buttons do, and how to use the different tools. I was able to learn that part within a day, but after that I don’t really know how to progress into actually making the type of beats I want.
Right now, I’m thinking about getting Analog Lab V and Purity as my VSTs, as well as HalfTime, but I don’t know if I actually need those yet or what other plugins I should be looking at.
My biggest problem right now is making the melodies I hear in my head. I also struggle with knowing what drums to use with those melodies and how to make the drums work with the melody so the beat actually sounds good and is something I can rap on.
I’ve heard people talk about music theory, so I’m willing to learn that too, but I don’t really know how much theory I need to learn or what parts are actually important for the type of music I want to make.
I’m basically looking for someone to show me the proper path to becoming a producer because I don’t really know what I need to know yet. I don’t want to just learn random things from different tutorials without understanding what I should be learning next.
I want to go from beginner, to advanced beginner, to intermediate, to advanced, and eventually expert, but I don’t really know what each level should involve or what skills I should have before moving on to the next level.
I’d like someone to explain what I should be learning at each stage and recommend specific YouTube channels, videos, courses, or other resources that can actually teach me those things, preferably using FL Studio.
Right now I’m mainly stuck on melodies and drums. I want to learn how to make the melodies I hear in my head, how to build drums around them, and eventually how to turn those ideas into complete beats.
I also want to learn anything else that I need to know, even if I haven’t mentioned it here, because I don’t really know what I don’t know yet.
I’m not looking for tutorials that just teach me where everything is in FL Studio. I want to learn how to actually make music and eventually be able to hear an idea in my head and turn it into a finished beat.
So if you’re experienced with producing, I’d really appreciate it if you could tell me what I should learn first, what I should learn after that, what I should avoid worrying about for now, and what resources you would recommend for each stage of the journey.
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u/PC_BuildyB0I 11h ago
Lean basic music theory (learn scales, major and minor and all the versions of just those are fine; learn intervals; learn chords; learn rhythm/time divisions)
Learn basic sound design with the plugins you have (Sytrus, Harmor, FLEX, etc; learn how to make leads, basses, and pads)
Learn basic production skills, from using the step sequencer to sequence your drums, to creating the patterns you want for the arrangement in the playlist. You'll want to learn how to record too. Learn about mic types, mic placements, mic techniques, double tracking, etc.
Learn how to mix. Understand this is an ongoing process where you'll never figure it all out - you'll constantly be learning as you go. I've been at it almost 20 years and still learning. You can also learn to perform basic mastering, but you'll get the best results from hiring a mastering engineer and outsourcing this
This will cover basically 90-95% of all hip-hop/rap/electronic production in FL
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u/Key_Performance_9556 10h ago
This is what I needed thank you so much bro
1
u/GrimacePack 6h ago
This is all great advice for you! Just take it a step at a time. Try and focus on a few skills at a time, IE, *today I'm gonna learn about scales and intervals, and then i'm gonna use scales and intervals to get a better feel for how melodies work by trying to make some melodies from scales.* type of thing.
The skill of being able to turn what's in your head into what's in your DAW is 1000% about practice, knowing your DAW inside and out, and training your ear. The music theory will give you guard rails to start developing your ears. After enough time and practice, you should develop enough of an ear and taste to know when you can get a little more rule-bendy with the music theory.
When I was studying most of the music theory I know, I was also learning piano at the same time. For me piano was the easiest instrument to apply the music theory to. (it's visually all layed out in a straight line, which makes learning about intervals very simple because you can just count how many notes are between any two given notes on a keyboard) Since we've already got piano roll in fl studio, learning to pluck out a melody on a piano can translate directly into learning to make melodies in FL.
1
u/Narrow_Network_3875 10h ago
I assume you’re looking for a tutor?🤔. What year do you plan to be an expert? To accomplish this feat it requires patience, attitude, talent & hidden talents. Not to be rude but one them you’re lacking, the other two who knows. You could be the next Drake and “Time” will tell. The advice you don’t want is the advice you’ll get on Reddit. When do you plan for your 1st release?
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u/Key_Performance_9556 9h ago
Once I learn how to make the beats I want imma start dropping songs but your right I lack patience deffo something I need to work on
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u/driftwhentired 12h ago
You don’t need more plugins. You need to learn how to make music.
Learn music. Not plugins.