Beat This! Beat This! Competition - June 11-12, 2025

[2GooD Productions]

I will for certain elements. Like, if I want that swing jazz ride cymbal feel.

Speaking of, something else I’ve grown out of is having a “global” swing level.

Having different groups or instruments around a similar swing % can yield some cool result and add a more humanized feel. It’s a delicate balance because you can easily end up with an incoherent mess.

I do still use a global swing, but for that humanisation I will just not quantize things, or deliberately shift drums around to get them off a robotic quantization, but most times in all honesty, my drums are still quantized. Because I can be lazy and try not to interrupt my workflow by bogging myself down too much in the small things and lose my train of thought. Ultimately the devil is in the small details, and it's a trade off for me between workflow and attention to the details. Most of my attention to details happens during the mixing stage when I'm listening surgically to what is going on, even then I miss things.

 

[BiggChev]

I agree completely, I use far fewer mixing plugins now, I have replaced most compression with soft/hard clipping and saturation to get the same results. Other mixing plugins I use for very specific reasons, like Submarine or R-Bass to get better deep lows, or MV2 to even out a dynamic bass guitar or dynamic vocals. Using clipping adds more distortion than compression, but I think overall it adds to the grit of authentic hip hop and helps in getting that oldschool dirty sound. As a result my mixing is so much more streamlined, doesn't take forever, and I get much better results, especially when trying to get a loud mix. I can push up to -7db LUFS integrated without over-compression, with a little audible distortion mainly on the kick, but at a degree I can live with.

Fewer plugins and more “basic” stock plugins. These days it’s just the. Hoot in saturator in Maschine. In Logic, EQ, slight EQ and a limiter. Midside EQ has really helped in terms of not relying soo much side chain comp which leaves everything squashed and flat.

As for LUFs, I was having a hard time targeting that -9 figure. I may not have the best mixes, but instead I’ve been using peak and RMS. -9 for RMS and -1 for Peak. Decent spread for some dynamic range, loud enough, and requires less processing so my mixes aren’t completely squished.

 

[BiggChev]

I do still use a global swing, but for that humanisation I will just not quantize things, or deliberately shift drums around to get them off a robotic quantization, but most times in all honesty, my drums are still quantized. Because I can be lazy and try not to interrupt my workflow by bogging myself down too much in the small things and lose my train of thought. Ultimately the devil is in the small details, and it's a trade off for me between workflow and attention to the details. Most 9ff my attention to details happens during the mixing stage when I'm listening surgically to what is going on, even then I miss things.

Yeah, the human feel really comes from
Being super meticulous. Typically the first kick and snares are always dead on for me. Once i get the hi hats (with a variety of velocity) I’ll lay down drums with about 30% swing, then go and VERY slightly nudge around every third snare hit or something. Ghost notes and velocity changes can really help with it too.

 

[2GooD Productions]

Yeah, the human feel really comes from
Being super meticulous. Typically the first kick and snares are always dead on for me. Once i get the hi hats (with a variety of velocity) I’ll lay down drums with about 30% swing, then go and VERY slightly nudge around every third snare hit or something. Ghost notes and velocity changes can really help with it too.

Lots of times my velocity changes get undone to a degree when I compress or clip the drums in later stages. But I always use velocity changes on drum fills and hi hats

 

[Iron Keys]

Lots of times my velocity changes get undone to a degree when I compress or clip the drums in later stages. But I always use velocity changes on drum fills and hi hats

This sometimes... but, sometimes despite it bringing the velocities closer, sometimes there still remains character differences in the hits that still give it a distinct quality, especially if the hats are live or from velocity layered drums.
But in all cases, it's still very worth paying attention too.

My hihats get out of control these days when doing NY compression. But yeah

 

[BiggChev]

^^^ multi-sampled kits are the way to go!

Hence why I love the Maschine kits. The layered velocities are really dynamic. Sometimes I just crank the velocity to 127 to get that timbre then just back off the overall level of the track. Or vice versa.

 

[Mike Free Music]

Edit: How many different ways can I say "Trademark sound"

@2GooD Productions

You got all the major hallmarks in there and made a sick beat. You got the worm synth/sine whistle lead down perfectly. If someone asked for the platonic ideal of a Dre beat - this would be it.

@hiziezer

Super smooth beat! Intro may be bit too long for the 2 minute time limit. I really liked the drums on this. The plucks that come in around the 0:40 mark are really cool. My main critique is the energy. There's a few elements in the mix that are distant and spacey coupled with a more laid back vibe, I feel like it lets the energy down. Otherwise, super cool beat!

@Iron Keys

Really liked the bass line on this. Again, you got all the hallmarks in there (piano, strings, funky bass, synth lead). I do like the "I need a doctor" vocals and how you capture this late 2000/2010s era. Mix is great as usual!

@Armani

Like the others, you got the hallmarks. Mix is great, and great groove with this one. I do like how some of that Scott Storch - eastern music - influence kinda pokes in. The only thing about this beat I didn't like was the melody that comes in at 0:27 - instrumentation and everything is cool, just didn't care for the melody.

@Mike Free Music

This was on the shortlist for my vote. I think where the others got you was a bit more complexity and mix. You have a bunch of cool elements in here, but they're tucked away in the mix a bit, that could've really contributed to a bigger more robust sound.

@BAS Beats

Influence by Dre rather than a Dre beat. This is a cool piece of music and like Armani, I like some of that eastern sound/instrumentation in there. For me, beats like this are tricky. That early to mid 2000s "Aftermath" sound was really hard to get away from. It was also super polished and shiny. Your beat, while very cool and nostalgic, kinda feels like a B-side for a lesser known artist from Aftermath.

@cjcool

I really like this beat. Similar to my comments on BAS' beat - this has that "lost in the aftermath shuffle" feel. I don't mean that in a bad way either. The drums are a bit too much for Dre, but I really enjoyed it. I can imagine this being the track from an album people speak of fondly and being slept on.

@COOL J.

This is an absolutely epic track! I love everything about this beat. Any other Beat This, this would've been a contender. I just think others did a better job of tapping into the trademark sounds and nostalgia of Dre. Again, really dope!

@DJ Excellence

I can hear the influence - again, I think other's did a better job of nailing his signature sound. Maybe not my favourite from you. There sounds like some dissonance in either the strings/pad and plucks that takes me out of it too much.

@Earsblower

Another one that was on my short list. Like COOL J's beat - I feel like in any other battle, this is a serious contender. While I really like this beat, I just think the Dre fingerprints are more explicit on others' beats.

@K-waz

The epic, cinematic intro is sick! Like I said earlier, I can hear the likes of Xzibit doing un-godly things to a beat like this. As others have mentioned to, this is Chronic 2040 lol. I think most agree we can hear the extrapolation or evolution of the sound in your beat. Love the high energy. Really fucking cool!

@Mefisto Beats

The ONLY reason I didn't vote for your beat was because of the drums. Overall, this is probably my favourite of all entries, but the drums just aren't Dre - and I think you knew that and said fuck it - because these drums knock! Loved this!

@PhxAzTracmaster

LOL great title! Definitely has that Dre DNA, but the drums missed the mark IMO. The kick isn't something I'd reach for, and does't fit right with the rest of the more acoustic sounding drums. Another cool piece of music with lots of harmony and melodic content. I did like the cinematic intro.

@them

Good effort trying to get a funky bassline. I don't want to sound mean, but this and your other works sound like half finished ideas rather than fleshed out complete pieces of music. Keep working at it and study some of the guys like PAT, Bandia, and Memento.

@TjombaBeats

Not a "Dre Beat" to my ears at all. In fact, this is kinda on the fringe of conventional hip-hop. That being said there's some really cool atmosphere and emotion in this beat. I prefer the back half more as that's where the atmosphere and texture picks up.

@V.J. Retro

Another cool beat that get's all the elements. I think the challenge with a producer theme is finding a balance between 'copycat' and musical extrapolation. I definitely struggled with the theme, and this kinda sounds like you were boxed in a bit with it as well. The 50 Cent vocals also sounded like a bit of an afterthought.

@WHAT1000

Hearing a lot of progress in your music! This beat misses the mark entirely lol but as 2G mentioned, there is a really cool idea (or two) in here. Keep working!

Thanks. I have recently moved into a new space. So there will be a lot of ear training for the room.