How do you come up with beats?

Do you get inspiration from that "one" song you heard that day? Do you just go straight to your home studio and just create it outta thin air? Do you hear it in your head first? Do you dream about beats? Do you get a band to create music with you? Do you collab with another beatmaker/producer? Do you get natural sounds from things outside your home (like a woman walking in high heels, a car door opening, when you hear the wind blow, etc.)

Right now I am cold and I neeed something to get me energized and creative with my work.

Sometimes I be dreaming about music (and of course it sounds dope) but when I wake up, I forget.

I am going to start a band, but I have the same problem. I don't know how to get that sound (you know, your personal signature). I don't know how or where I'll find it, but maybe it will come out while playing with a few other people, maybe?

Yep.

At the moment I use programs to come up with beats to use.

Im inspired by everything. One time I was woken up by my dad banging on the wall behind me from the other side hammering a nail in the wall. As I was being brought up to conciousness I heard the most crazy beat that stuck in my head all morning. Im being influenced by a lot of hip hop now a days. I just made a mix with alot of chopped and screwed versions of Three 6 Mafia tracks. I dont know if thats showing but I dunno. I used to be influenced by alot of NIN. I use Reason 2.5 to produce.

One of my beats is under my avatar.

Playing with a few other people who have similar interests and musical influences as you will definitely help define a signature sound for the band. Using a particular style of guitar playing, such as upstrokes or having two guitars in a duelling kinda thang add muchos interest to the sound.

Also, when every one in your band is together, then just jam with them, see what sounds good, WRITE IT DOWN and then mess about withh it until every one likes it. Voila, a song. Then do similar things again and again. If the band happens to have one compositional genius in it, then after the jam session, give that person all the stuff that was written down and let them finish it off so it sounds like a proper song, not just a bodge job. But don't let them change it too much, or it'll become a band based on their style, not a group style, and that kinda sucks. The Three Rules of Voila, A Song:
1. Jam with the band
2. Write it all down
3. Finish it, and Voila, a song.

And the Golden Rule of not making a really shitty song,
DO NOT WRITE LYRICS FIRST. It's a sure fire way to never use them and slave for a chord pattern that will fit the tune in your head. Trust, it doesn't work unless someone in the band happens to be Elton John. Music first, then Lyrics.

Hope this helps.

(Rasta Digger will take no responsibility if the band ends up totally sucking.)

I and I have to point out, that the one forgot to refer to the other one as the one, and use the I and I, for the one.

Ah, but I and I have to point out that while the one has a piont, that I and I didn't want to cause any confusion to a one who may read I and I's post, and so I and I avoied places where this may happen. Sorry if it offends. I and I will happily amend this if the one feels I and I has done the one or a one or H.I.M. a disservice.

No offense, but to my mind, trying all the things that come to your mind till you come up with something okay is called luck, not composition skill.

The jam session part is luck, yes, but the part where a one finishes it does require some kind of compositional skill. But I and I will agree luck is a pivotal part of it, although to take what sounds ok and turn it into something better needs some degree of talent. It's just the way I and I see it.