In this article I aim to guide you a bit on how to produce your first lo-fi music alone as a beat maker or hobby musician. I wish to highlight it in the first paragraph that there are hundreds of ways to produce a beat. What I will do is offer some ways for music production. The majority will be either free or budget friendly. I know as I also produce beats as a hobby, I cannot afford to spend thousands of dollars, but I do add some budget gadgets time to time.
A bit about lo-fi music
To begin with, the understand of the genre is the most important. You may take your time reading about the genre, but I also compiled some short articles for you on this matter:
I list tons of Wikipedia and other articles in them so feel free to read them and drop a comment below if you have any question.
Returning to the original topic: lo-fi is low fidelity music, which is the complete opposite of high quality/fidelity (hi-fi) music. It is offering analogue warmth and vinyl vibe compare to nowadays ultra sterile perfect songs. It is usually imperfect, many beats lacks quantisation but it is part of the genre.
Origins of lo-fi music
I wish to offer you some beats and links to broaden your perspective before writing about music creation. Sorry for that, but I do believe unless you know where it is coming from, it will be difficult to create dope beats.
So… how to make lo-fi music?
As mentioned there are tons of ways, but allow me to highlight 3 ways to do so. All of them are easily doable but all three requires practise and time.
Hardware based, DAWless lo-fi beat production
What does it mean? DAW stands for digital audio workstation, meaning a PC or laptop software used my many. When we say DAWless, it means that we aim NOT to use PC during the music production. Truth to be told it can be considered as the “true” lo-fi music production by many. But probably this is the costy and most difficult way to create your songs.
One way to create beats DAWless is with the use of vinyl discs. It is practically DJing, so I do not wish to go too deep on this matter here. Especially as I am not producing lo-fi music this way.
On the other hand there are tons of gadget that offers you a solution. The fanciest one would be SP404 by Roland.
With SP404 you can work on your lo-fi music almost 100% without PC. It means that this tool is a sampler. It samples recorded vocal/music samples. It allows you to cut and layer them, this way producing a full song from chops. However you need to populate your bank with samplers. You may use the previously mentioned vinyl as a perfect tool, but you can also you the internet to grab some beats.
Mind copyright
Now one thing to raise here already: copyright. There is major difference between uploading your beats on YouTube intending to show them to people. And actually monetising out of it. The point is that copyright laws may differ in every country. I would suggest to try and look for royalty free beats on the internet. This is the safest way to create lo-fi music but have no issues later on.
An example where to grab samples.
I would personally suggest to build a bigger bank of samples before you start working on beats. Also to use 2-3 sets of beats (kicks, snares and hi-hats) to have some consistency when you are working on an EP (so extended play, more than 2-3 songs). It will offer you a kind of more unified sound that is pretty much important when you use samples from different sources.
My choice for DAWless lo-fi music production
Lastly for this first way of lo-fi music creation I would mention the gadget I am using. It is the PO-33 KO by Teenage Engineering. The biggest pro of this tool is price. It is roughly 99 USD, whereas most samplers are well above 500 USD.
As I mentioned in the first paragraphs, I am aiming to offer you budget solution for music production. PO-33 KO is definitely one. I has its limitation but it is perfect to put together your first lo-fi beats if you have a simple jack cable to hook it up with your phone. You can record samples off your phone to your Pocket Operator, you can cut and chop them. You can create a beat with 4 different lines (like drums, chords, sample and bass – or anything you like). And finally you can record them back on your phone.
Listen to an album that was produced using PO-33 KO only (no samples)
The best to add, it fits your pocket so you can take it anywhere.
(Much) more about PO-33 KO including beat making and recording here.
Best price for PO-33 KO here.
As you see, we can produce music without PC easily with a “calculator” sized instrument. On the other hand as a final note I wish to add that use of DAW for mastering is more than recommended. In order to achieve that analogue warmth vibe recording beats on DAWless instruments might not be completely satisfying. Scroll for more, I will explain basic rack for mastering below.
Let’s use DAW this time
The second way of creating lo-fi music is using a DAW. It comes with a minimum asset to own before you can start. Generally you need a PC or laptop to work on. That is around 8GB RAM and min. Intel i5 in case your choice is Ableton Live.
Ableton Live is one of the most well-know DAWs on the market also offering 90 days trial. Before you ask yourself why, no, I did not get a cent from Ableton choosing them for the article. Simply, I use it for years and you may have the chance to grab it for a reasonable price.
What does it mean?
Ableton has several versions including Lite, Intro, Suite etc. Now Lite is usually free if you buy MIDI instruments (in case of e.g. Novation and Arturia products). Clearly you need to check them in-depth before buying. But it is much easier to work on beats if you have a MIDI controller.
MIDI controllers
I yet to have time offering you an article on my MIDI controllers I use but I am a fan of Novation gadgets. They are pretty cheap, I get Ableton Live Lite along with them and also they are optimised for music production with Ableton. That means that the buttons and pads are logically located how they are in the DAW as well. It took me a couple of months understanding their roles but worth the time.
One is Launchpad Mini mark 2, which is a couple of years old now, but as you see, I can use it both for music production (that song was produced with the pad) as well as to create a visually appealing performance.
You can read more about it and grab starting 80 USD now.
Another (in fact my first) MIDI controller was the Novation Launchkey 25. Here you have a wider range, but the mini version starts with 110 USD and given its size you can put it in your backpack along with your laptop. It offers a bit more than pads to my point of view but again, it is a matter of taste. That is clear there it is good if you can play the piano a bit to create more unique beats.
More info about Novation Launchkey 25 mini mark 3 with best prices here.
Back to Ableton and lo-fi music
Either you buy an instrument or simply you are lucky, as many of us were back then in 2020, when Splice offered Ableton Live Lite free for a limited time. The point is that you need a DAW to work effectively on music via PC or laptop.
I do not have own video on using Ableton Live to create some beat but the video above offers a great overview how to add samples, chop beats and overall create a song at the end. Again, here there are tons of way you may decide to choose if you are working on a lo-fi music. Like the amount of samples used, or whether you use the drums of Ableton Live or choose to sample those either.
What matters is how you finish it.
Mixing, mastering
Let us not use this article to deep dive between the differences on mixing and mastering. There are tons of other articles and videos YouTube-wide to do so. What matters on the other hand is what you are putting on the master track on the bottom. Any effects you are using there will be affecting the whole beat. And this is what matters for us.
When you are working on lo-fi, you should use lo-fi samples, it is good if you chop the beats and play them unquantised, but also what you put on master track.
Well my fave are the following three in this order.
Izotope Vinyl
This effect is completely free and you can offer your beats some great vinyl warmth. Use it with care, test the different options not to make your beats over weary and dusty, but a hint of some to offer your great lo-fi aura. Another pro for this tool is that it has a dedicated “lo-fi” button which really does the job unless your beats has high-pitched notes like piano on top quarter or crash. Using lo-fi in Izotope Vinyl might make them sound weird to me. Again it is really a question of taste.
Add some reverb
No videos needed, my second master rack VST (Virtual Studio Technology – aka virtual instrument or effect) is reverb. I like to add between 10-15% to offer more space to my beats. Especially if I am recording the beats DAWless but after touch it in Ableton
Izotope Ozone Elements
Finally Ozone Elements. It is really a tool you have to play with. A great mastering aid that offers large variety of sound designs and therefore offering a unique output for you. Open it up and test, test and test. Once you found your taste, I would suggest to save that setup and use it on the same EP again to offer a unified sound.
And how to get this one? Kind of easily. Literally free 2-3 times a year if you are cautious. I got it from this place for example. Registration is required, but you can learn a lot about music production here.
Closing this paragraph, let me share another album of mine, Stay Home that has been produced this way (incl. Ableton Live Lite, Ozone and the use of Novation Launchkey and free samples)
Now you hear quite some differences between the PO-33 KO produced Wabi-Sabi and Stay Home. Both lo-fi music albums were produced by me and well, there has been less than 6 months between the production of the two releases. Still sounds pretty different right? Which one you prefer? Are you ready to learn about a third way to create lo-fi beats?
Lo-fi music with smartphone…only?
Yes, it is possible fairly easy. It has its costs… 5 USD. Yes. Probably the cheapest to start with if you are into producing lo-fi music, especially if your budget is tight. The app I am talking about is Koala Sampler. It is available for iOS and Android users either. To add some more, Ableton Live Lite is currently free for iPhone users for that 5 USD but read more about it here. Make sure update your info about the free Ableton Live Lite if you are to buy Koala Sampler just for the DAW.
Though I have it as an Android user (so without Ableton Live Lite) and no hard feelings on my side. On the contrary, much of beat production such as this song.
Haha don’t get shocked by my little hedgehog’s photo. In fact the point is that you can add your own effect and background image as well to boost your gear.
Now Koala Sampler is working pretty similar to how SP404 is working, only you are to do the while thing on screen which comes with some limitations. Definitely pro the price as well as the fact that it is in your pocket. If you are getting the taste of producing lo-fi music with Koala Sampler, I would also suggest to check Samurai mode. It offers some additional extras that will make your beat production easier. Also, learn more about the possibilities here.
Going hybrid with Koala Sampler
Once you get accustomed to Koala Sampler, you might realise that you can mix things. For example due to recent updates Koala Sampler does support MIDI controllers as well with a simple USB cable. You might need an extra cable to attach your gear to your phone but as the example video shows, literally nothing is impossible. I tested it with some of my gears and it works well with Akai LPD8 for instance.
You may have guessed: I am taking this article seriously and trying to offer you examples for the different methods. Even though I hope you will head to YouTube after reading my article and see other artists making probably better lo-fi beats then I do. I still hope to broaden your perspective through the examples brought. One of my first EP with Koala Sampler was Turtle Island. It is a nature chill-out EP inspired by the sea and some travels in Greece. This EP uses free samples only, making its sound quite different from Stay Home and Wabi-Sabi albums.
Final thoughts
I hope you enjoyed the journey. Producing lo-fi music I guess is pretty easy. You have tons of apps and gears starting from 5 USD at your choice. A 4-5 year old iPhone with proper screen size and stable internet is more than fine to start up your hobby and conquer the world.
On the other hand finding your flavour, what will make you a different lo-fi artist from the rest takes time. Learn, check videos, listen to other artists and gain from them.
Once you have your beats you wish to share on Spotify and other channels, consider using Distrokid. It is my referral link there: it offers my few USD if you register through the link. But it also gives you 7% off from first year prices.
Thanks for reading, have any questions, let me know below. Also follow me everywhere and hope to offer some new lo-fi music articles soon.
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