Performidi - Finding Sources of Inspiration for Your Beats

Staring at a blank DAW, feeling like your creative well has run dry? You're not alone—from bedroom producers to chart-toppers, we've all been there. Even the most proficient beat-makers have suffered from writer's block. The good news? The days of crate-digging at the local record store for inspiration are long gone. The modern world is overflowing with sources to spark your creativity: music streaming services, YouTube, and even local live shows, just to name a few. From the endless sample libraries of Splice to the unearthed gems on Bandcamp waiting to be discovered, inspiration lurks around every digital corner and reverberates throughout every music venue.

Looking to the Past

How the Brill Building Can Inspire Your Beats

New York's iconic Brill Building wasn't just an office space—it was a pop music factory. Starting in the 1960s, it pumped out hit after hit, churning out catchy tunes with a production line efficiency. Legends like Carole King, Neil Diamond, and Paul Simon weren't just writing songs. Collaborating with other songwriters and producers, they would pitch their music to publishers in the Brill Building, who would then help get the songs recorded by artists at studios around New York City.

So ditch the writer's block, step out of your studio bubble, and embrace the spirit of the Brill Building! The inspiration for your next chart-topping beat might just be hiding in plain sight, waiting to be discovered.

Looking to Present Day

How Modern Tools Can Fuel Your Musical Creativity

Staying inspired as a producer or artist can feel like a daily grind. But how do the pros keep their creative fires burning? The secret is staying plugged into the ever-changing world of music. Immersing yourself in what's happening around you is key to consistently crafting music that resonates with listeners. Luckily, in today's world, this is easier than ever!

Music streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music and sites like YouTube are virtually limitless resources for discovering new sounds and sparking inspiration. With streaming services, you can dive into curated playlists, discover underground artists, or get lost in a genre you've never explored before, all without needing to purchase an extensive collection of songs. YouTube provides you with an even more extensive, diverse selection of inspiration sources, from live performances and music documentaries to in-depth gear reviews and artist interviews. Watch a masterclass on sound design or get an inside look into a top producer or artist's music-making process. Craving something beyond the mainstream? Bandcamp allows you to unearth hidden gems from independent artists around the globe. Looking for something more instant for your next track? Online platforms like Splice and Loopcloud offer vast sample libraries filled with unique sounds and textures just begging to be manipulated and transformed. Both recently added AI features that make finding perfect samples a breeze. The AI can instantly suggest sounds that complement your chosen sample in terms of harmony and rhythm.

Don't underestimate the power of the local music scene either. Attending live shows allows you to experience music in its raw, unfiltered form. The energy of the crowd, the stage presence and on-the-spot creativity of the performers, and the unique atmosphere of a local venue can all spark ideas and get your creative juices flowing.

Don't know where to start? Check out our page, Channels We Watch, for a list of some of our favorite YouTube channels for getting inspired.

Sampling Strategies for the Streaming Era

The rise of streaming services and YouTube's Content ID has introduced a new layer of complexity when sampling, making it even trickier for producers to find and utilize inspiring sounds. Most streaming platforms (and copyright law) require producers to clear the rights to any samples used in their music before it can be commercially released. This process involves negotiating and paying royalties to the copyright holders, which can be time-consuming and expensive, especially for independent artists.

Unfortunately, for many producers and artists, the reality is that the cost of clearing samples often outweighs the potential revenue generated from streaming services. While streaming provides wider reach and accessibility, the low per-stream payouts mean recouping the cost of sample clearances can be difficult, if not impossible.

So, what are the options for producers who want to incorporate inspiration from classic songs into their music?

Although the relatively low payouts from streaming platforms make it harder to recoup costs from heavily sampled tracks, producers and artists can find new ways to spark inspiration. By adopting alternative methods and prioritizing original creation, they can keep the spirit of sampling alive while developing their own signature sound.

Want to take a deep dive into creative sampling methods? Check out the sampling section of our blog, 6 Ear-Catching Techniques to Make Your Music Stand Out.

Looking to the Future

Embracing AI as Part of Your Music Production Process

Like all new technologies, AI has stoked some serious reservations in people. And we totally get it. Nobody wants the AI overlords to take over a la Skynet. Nobody wants their job to be replaced. Nobody wants creators to get silenced by an ever-growing wave of AI content.

But hold fast and try to look at AI through a different lens. One where AI-enabled tools amplify the talents of our most talented. One where our best tastemakers do their best work because they can spend more time on curation than repetitive, soul-crushing tasks. As with any revolutionary technological breakthrough, the resulting benefits will likely outweigh the negative impacts. So far, this has proven true in the music production world. Music producers, engineers, and creators, in general, tend to be innovators. We live on the bleeding edge. Much like hipsters from the 2010s, we were using AI before it was ‘cool.’

Some of your favorite music-making tools have been leveraging AI to speed up the production process and reduce the required brainpower for more repetitive tasks. One AI company you might have tried is iZotope. Practically every iZotope product has been infused with AI since the late 2010s. Tools like Neutron’s Mix Assistant and Neoverb’s Reverb Assistant are designed to help mixing engineers and music producers reach a solid starting point more quickly. They rely on human input to make things work. These assistants are powerful tools on their own, but mixing music and dialing in plugin settings is highly complex, requiring nuance, experience, and, perhaps most importantly, taste.

Whether we like it or not, AI tools are here to stay. But, there’s no need to worry about AI replacing music creators anytime soon. We’ve tried out pretty much every generative AI tool that attempts to create music from scratch, and we can confidently say that they lack the taste and creativity to work on their own. Here’s where creators should shift their focus: AI won’t take their jobs, but music producers and engineers who work more efficiently by leveraging AI might. There’s never a better time than now to start getting ahead of the competition.

Here are some powerful AI tools to help you generate fresh ideas for your music and streamline your production process:

Song Starters: Finding Sources of Inspiration for Your Beats

Have you ever wondered how top producers consistently churn out song after song? Do they have a secret stash of inspiration, or is there a method to the madness?