CONSTRCUTING A BEAT....

WHAT UP?
I WAS JUST WONDERING HO YALL CONSTRUCT YOUR BEATS. LIKE HOW YOU START. I USSUALLY GET THE MELODY FIRST. THEN ILL MAKE DRUMS TO MATCH, THEN THOW ON THE HATS AND PERC'S AND FINALLY THROW ON THE BASS LINE. BUT FOR SOME REASON I ALWAYS HAVE TROUBLE WITH THE BASS, AND MAKING IT MATCH..OH WELL

i think this questions was asked already and i think what most people would say is what ever way works for u. there is really no right or wrong way to make beats u just have to mess around. peace & 100's

YEAH I KNOW...WHATEVER WORKS..BUT IM JUST CURIOUS TO SEE EVERYONES STYLE..

How about the Production Techniques Forum? http://www.mpc-forums.com/viewforum.php?f=5

These questions are not specific to the MPC1000, we can learn a lot from MPC2000 / 3000 users too.

i actually write stuff down on paper first a lot of times. like if im out somewhere and i get a quick idea, i write it down and play it out later on the mpc.

there's lots of ways.

i'm also curious too , i usually start with drums then add a melody then bass. But after i finaly get the melody right, i change te drum patterns to fit it.

i usually do it the same way everytime. i throw a simple beat into the machine: kick, snare, kick, snare.. then i just hit record (i record EVERYTHING when i'm screwing around, just in case), and start throwing down some melodies, in real-time.

once something catches my ear, i stop recording, and work with it -- if i still like it in 5 minutes, then i save it, and begin to mutilate it from there. pitching it up and down an octave to see where i want it is first -- sometimes a good bassline ends up becoming an EXCELLENT lead, or solo.

next i try to slow the tempo down or speed it up, significantly. again, this can do wonders. what was once a merely-okay speedfest will turn out to be a slow, bouncy head-nodder.

after this, i try to find a supporting melody -- working within the key of the first sound. usually, i'll take a break from this part, because coming up with an excellent additional melody can be hard....

then i come back to the drums. i toss the "boom-psh-boom-psh", and get silly, just throwing down kicks and snares in step or realtime, adding and deleting till i get something fresh.

then, i hit save again, and leave the thing alone for at least 24 hours... why? because (admit it, some of you have done this) if i play ANYTHING too long, i'll get annoyed at it, end up thinking it sucks, and delete it or keep changing it until it sounds horrid. i have lost more than a couple real bangers because of this! giving it at least a day or two really helps to come back at the sounds with some fresh new additions, as well.

there's more to it, but that's my basic MO.

abe m.