How to find beats that fit your voice
Let's say you hear a mellow trap beat and think, "Future would sound amazing on this"; it's not because you know that Future likes trap beats, but because you know that Future's voice sounds amazing on them. A common mistake rappers make is rapping on beats that they like to listen to, instead of rapping on beats that their voice sounds good on.
We were recently working with an artist who persistently asked us to produce club bangers for him. He wanted up tempo beats, but they weren't working for his voice. We asked him to record a few verses acapella, so that we could switch out different beats to see what fit. Since he had a softer voice with a lot of mid tones, it fit perfectly with a smooth beat.
This technique is an easy way for you to find beats that fit your voice. Follow these 4 steps:
- Start by recording your vocals on a metronome and make sure you stay on beat.
- Once you have your acapella, download as many different styles of beats as you can from a free source like Beatcamp.
- Take the beats you downloaded and place them under your vocals.
- As you run through each beat, take notes on which ones you like and dislike.
Eventually you will land on a beat that suits your tone perfectly - don't worry if it's not perfect; the idea is to find a direction and sound, not to make a hit song just yet. Once you find the right style of beat that fits your voice, you'll see how much easier it becomes to knock out songs. With a great direction and a fitting sound, you'll be making hits in no time.
Best of luck! Carter from Beatcamp
