How do I choose presets or patches when making a beat?

Choosing sounds is an important part of making beats. What decisions do you think are involved in choosing sounds?

Think About

• Why do beat makers choose certain sounds over others?
• What makes a good sound for a beat?
• How do I choose sounds when making a beat?

Get Started

1) Go to websynths and try out different “patches” and “presets”.

A Preset or Patch is a way of configuring a synthesizer such as WebSynth to make it sound like a particular instrument. 

For instance, the WebSynth can be configured to sound like a trumpet, a bass or a string sound.

2) At the very top of websynth, click where it says “001: light show”, then click on the categories of sounds where it says “all” :

3) Play the sounds by either clicking the letters on the screen or playing those letters on your computer keyboard:

If you have access to a MIDI keyboard controller and know what that is, you can use the MIDI controller as well.

4) Listen to the different sounds and try to identify their types.

5) Think about how the sounds relate to songs you like.

• What sounds would you use to make a beat?

Share What you Learned

If you are using the LRNG platform:

• You do not need to submit anything for this XP
• You should be able to share some of the patches you liked and explain how they relate to songs you like

If you are not using the LRNG platform:

• Continue below and share with your teacher or organization:

Sharing What You Learned

• Share some of the patches you liked and explain how they relate to songs you like

Next Steps

Return to the XP How do I choose sounds when making a beat?

or

Return to the Getting Started Making Beats Music Learning Playlist