3 Mindset Hacks to IMPROVE your Beatmaking
Beatmaking isn’t just about technical skills or musical expertise—it’s also about mindset and workflow considerations. The way you approach music production can have a huge impact on your growth as a producer. So, in this blog, we won’t be talking about tweaking kick drums or layering synths. Instead, these three tips focus on the mental aspects of beatmaking, helping you develop your own unique identity as a beatmaker and helping you to be more productive.
Tip 1: Stop Comparing Yourself to Others
It’s natural to draw inspiration from your favourite producers and artists—after all, they provide valuable musical reference points. However, comparison can quickly turn into frustration, especially when you feel like your beats don’t measure up. This is a common struggle, particularly for beginners, and can even become discouraging.
Remember, the producers you admire have likely spent years honing their craft. They may also have access to teams of skilled musicians, programmers, and even co-producers, along with top-tier studios and professional mix engineers. The polished tracks you hear have gone through an extensive production process.
Rather than letting comparisons bring you down, use them as motivation. Aspire to reach that level, but recognize that improvement takes time. Focus on your own progress, and celebrate the small wins along the way.
Tip 2: Recognize Your Strengths and Work on Your Weaknesses
Every producer has areas where they naturally excel—whether it’s drum programming, basslines, melody creation, chord progressions, sound design, or simply having a great ear for samples. Identifying these strengths is crucial, as it not only boosts confidence but also highlights areas that may need improvement.
Once you pinpoint your weaker spots, dedicate time to strengthening them. Study producers or tracks that excel in those areas and analyze them. It can even be useful to even try and replicate these areas. For example if you struggle with drum programming and drum selection try breaking down and recreating the drum track of a song you love. Stem separation can be a great tool here as it allows you to isolate and really study certain elements of songs. While this may seem like cheating this particular exercise can be a game-changer.
Additionally, take advantage of tutorial videos, online courses, and blogs that provide insights and techniques to help you improve. Ignoring your weak points can limit your growth, but actively working on them will make you a more well-rounded and versatile producer. By mastering your shortcomings, your beats will have a stronger foundation for the areas where you already shine.
Tip 3: Commit to Finishing Your Tracks
One of the biggest challenges many producers face is actually finishing their beats. The initial spark of an idea can be intoxicating—the moment when a melody, drum pattern, or chord progression clicks into place can be a real buzz. But too often, this thrill leads producers to chase new ideas rather than see existing ones through to completion.
If this becomes a habit then it can cause a problem as you’re left with a hard drive full of half-baked beats and no completed tracks to show for your efforts. If you’re selling beats or working with artists, having fully arranged, mixed, and polished productions is essential—not just for your audience, but also for tracking your growth as a producer.
Even simple ideas can evolve into something special when you commit to developing them. For example, a basic loop or rough sketch may only reveal its true potential after layering, arranging, and refining the mix.
If you struggle with finishing tracks, set boundaries for yourself. For example, limit yourself to working on only a certain number of beats at a time keeping this number low. Another effective strategy is organizing your projects into idea folders—such as drums, melodies, sound design, or sample selections—so you can return to them with fresh inspiration and build them into full tracks when you are in the right mindset.
Consistency in finishing your work is what separates hobbyists from successful producers. Push through the creative blocks, learn to love the arrangement process and make completion a habit.
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