“The 5 Steps To Producing Professional

A Professional Beat”
Thanks for downloading this free guide!

As a full-time music producer, I know how painful it can be when you’re struggling to
produce a great song. And that’s why I’ve put together this guide.

I want to offer you a quick roadmap when you’re producing music so that you never get
lost along the way ever again!

I’m sure you’ve got a few great song ideas that you want to produce, but you’re struggling
to turn those ideas into a great beat or track.

And that’s what I’m here for.

In this short guide, I’m going to walk you 5 steps you can rely on to help you start turning
your musical ideas into professional-sounding tracks.

After you’re done reading this guide, you’ll know exactly what to do to produce a great
track in your home studio.

But a quick disclaimer: You can’t learn music production just by reading a PDF.

If you read through this guide, and don’t take action

after you’re done reading it… there won’t be any
change in your music production skills.

But if you take the lessons you learn from this guide
and apply them the next time you’re producing music…

You’ll be pleasantly surprised with the results :)






ill Factor - Founder, Beat Academy

Without further ado, let’s get into these 5 steps…

 Step 1: Use A Reference Track
When it comes to producing a great track… using a reference track is where you want to
start.

Here’s why: If you’re new to producing music, using a reference track allows you to have
a clear direction of where you want to take a track.

On top of that, you’ll also have a proven structure to model.

Note: this doesn’t mean just directly copying a song… that’s plagiarism!

You’re not making an exact copy of the song you’re referencing. Instead, you’re being
influenced, and simply using what’s worked before to help you build a great track.

Here’s how to use a reference track:

Referencing Step 1: Select your reference track

If you’re trying to produce a dance track, select a dance track you like.


If you’re trying to produce a ballad track, pick a ballad you really enjoy listening to.

If you’re trying to produce a hip-hop beat, pick a song that you’re inspired by.

Referencing Step 2: Figure out the beats per minute of your reference track
Chances are that if you’re referencing a modern track, you’ll easily be able to find the BPM
(beats per minute) of the track with a quick Google search.


While you probably won’t use the same BPM for your track, you’ll want to follow the
general range of your reference track.

Referencing Step 3: Map out the structure of your reference track

Analyze how your reference track has been structured. Does it start with a chorus? A
hook? A verse? A long introduction?
Map out on a notebook, or in your music production software the structure of the reference
track - this will be the structure you’ll start your new song with.

Referencing Step 4: Listen to the reference track carefully

Before you start producing your track, listen to your reference track once more. Try to
figure out what sounds are driving the production and creating the groove/feel of the track.

Ask yourself questions such as:

• What’s the instruments/sounds that are iconic to the track? (bass line, synth riff,
drum beat, etc.)

• What gets you straight into the song? Is it a captivating intro, or a specific hook or
melody that does it?

• How does the production build throughout the song?

• What additional elements added onto the drum beat or overall production that keep
the track interesting?

Maybe you can’t identify all the elements in the song.

That’s completely fine.

But if you have a clear idea of the sound you’re trying to work from, it’ll be a lot easier to
build a song with.

Which brings us onto step 2…

 Step 2: Finding The Right Sounds
Even if you’re using free music production software such as GarageBand, FL Studio Lite,
and Pro Tools First…

They’ve got tons of great free virtual sounds you can use to kickstart a beat with.

There are also online sample sites such as Splice and Cymatics, and I’ve personally got a
free Beat Academy Sample Pack that you can download for free.

Remember: a beat is built up of just a few elements.

1. A drum beat
2. A bass line
3. Some form of melodic riff
4. A pad (synth, strings, guitar, etc) to glue all the elements together

And to build a beat, you just need to fill in each element with sounds that work
together.

Now if you’re a beginner, starting out with a pre-assembled drum beat sample can be a
great way to start.

If you’re more advanced, you can mimic the drumbeat of the reference track and slightly
change it to make more unique to your sound.

But the goal here isn’t to make something perfect.

The goal is to keep assembling a beat until you have something to build an entire
song with.

So when you’re putting a drum beat together with your song, don’t worry if it doesn’t sound
perfect, if it doesn’t sound balanced.

Keep in mind the genre of music you’re producing, and use sounds familiar to that genre.

If you’re making a lo-fi beat, you’ll want sounds that are retro and possibly sampled from
the 60s or 70s.
If you’re making an EDM beat, you want strong, attention-grabbing synth sounds.

And so on.

Start with a 4 bar or 8 bar loop, and experiment with sounds similar to your
reference track.

It may take some searching around, but when you find the right sounds for your beat - all
that effort is worth it.

That brings us to step 3…

 Step 3: Creating A Mood With Chords
If you’re new to producing music, the thought of putting chords together to form a beat can
be downright frightening.

However, you don’t need to have a deep understanding of music theory to put
together a few chords.

(In fact, it can sometimes work against you to know too much music theory!)

If you’re experienced and have produced several tracks before, simply start testing
different chord progressions to the beat you’ve already made, and see what works best.

If you’re less experienced, there’s nothing wrong relying on a chord progression

plugin such as Captain Chords or using a chord pack to get you started.

Remember - all great producers and artists have to start somewhere, and if you don’t get
started… you never get where you’re going :)

As this is a topic that can take a ton of explanation, I’ve put together a free training that
shows you how to put chords to a beat. (as well as how to put a beat together from start to
finish!)

If you’d like to see me demonstrate how to put together an entire chord progression
from start to finish, click here.

However, here are a couple tips for chord progressions:

Chord Progression Tip #1: Keep it as simple as possible

Unless you’re making jazz music, there’s no need to have over 5-6 chords in your entire
song.

You can easily use the same chords for your verse, pre-chorus and chorus, and just have
a breakdown in your song before your final chorus.
Chord Progression Tip #2: Use what’s worked before
There’s nothing wrong with taking a chord progression from a song you like, as long as
you make a different spin on it.

In fact, tons of popular songs rely on the same chord progressions.

But if you’re going to take a popular chord progression and use it, how do you stand out
from the pack?

That’s why Step 2 is about finding the right sounds - if you use unique sounds with a
familiar chord progression…

That’s how people can get hooked on a brand new artist or track :)
 Step 4: Adding A Bass Line
Once you’ve got a solid chord progression, adding a proper bass line is just the cherry on
top.


All you need to do is use your chord progression as the starting point to your bass line.


For starters, you can just have your bass line mimic the root notes of your chords.

However, if you create a slight melody or riff in the bass in your beat, that increases the
“hook” factor of your beat, as it’s an interesting element that will capture a listener.

And remember: you don’t need to have a bass guitar to create a bass line.

Most DAWs have amazing bass sounds, from bass guitar emulators to bass synths that
you can use to make your bass line with.

A great tip for beginners is to use a stock synth sound they like, but to add on plugins to
color and shape the sound of your bass line.

Plugins such as chorus, flanger, distortion and overdrive can all help to create a unique
sound that defines your beat.

To see how you can use certain plugins to color your sounds, click here.
 Step 5: Shaping Your Arrangement
At this point, you’ve got a completed beat!

But it’s just a few bars… what do you do to turn it into a song?

Here’s the truth: most successful songs today tend to just loop the same chord
progression over, and over again.

You might wonder - how are people not bored of these songs then?

Well, listen to Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You”, or Billie Eilish’s “Bad Guy”, or even a pop
ballad like Taylor Swift’s “Style”.

These songs are hits because of a catchy chord progression, a hooky melody, and an
arrangement and production that hooks you in.

Through layering more parts into the production and harmonies and melodies, a listener
gets pulled into the song

That’s why this guide is centred around teaching you how to make a catchy beat…
because once you’ve got a catchy beat…

All you need to do is build a song from it to make a great track!

How do you do that?

You start by stripping back your beat.

So your beat is your chorus. How then do you work up to your chorus?

You start with an introduction, then a verse, maybe a pre-chorus, then it’s the first chorus.

A second verse, then the second chorus, then a short bridge and a final chorus…

And your song is completed!

Remember to model your reference track when doing this - it’s a great way to stay
on track when you’re turning your beat into a full production.
 Conclusion
And that’s the 5 steps to producing a professional song from your bedroom or home
studio!

But as this is a simple PDF guide, there’s simply no way for me to cover everything I’d like
to teach you in it.

You’ve now learned that to make a beat, it isn’t rocket science - instead, it’s just
following the right steps and taking things one piece at a time.

You’ve learned that to turn a beat into a song, all you need to do is to rely on a tested and
proven structure from another song, and you’re off to the races.

Where do we go from here?



Well, if you’d like to see me go through these 5 steps and produce a professional
beat in less than 90 minutes…

I’d like to invite you to an exclusive free online music production workshop where I
walk you through this entire process.


Click here for the full details on the online workshop



However, I would hate to see you read this guide and not take action on anything you’ve
learned.

So don’t leave this knowledge as just knowledge.

Instead, set aside some time either today or tomorrow where you can start applying
these 5 steps to the next beat you produce!

I can’t wait to hear the music you produce.

ill Factor
BeatAcademy.com