How to Make a Luh Tyler Type Beat (+ Free Loops)

What BPM and key is a Luh Tyler type beat?

Most loops in the catalog run 105 to 140 BPM, with the bulk around 134 BPM. A lot of Florida producers actually count the session higher, around 170 to 180 BPM, and the groove reads as a laid-back half time. Either way you count it, the feel stays relaxed, because he rides behind the beat rather than on top of it.

The key is mostly minor, but kept light and mellow rather than dark. Take the key from your loop and put the 808 and the melody on the same root.

For the voicing, reach for minor 9th chords and invert them. A move producers lean on is not starting on the root: in F minor you might open on an A sharp chord, which unlocks a different set of combinations and gives the progression that signature off-center motion.

How to make a Luh Tyler type beat in 6 steps

The loops in step 1 stream right here and the mp3 is free. Then work through the six steps.

1. 1Pick a sample▾

   Take a loop built on electric piano or Rhodes in minor, 105 to 140 BPM. Grab one from the list right below with a tranquil, mellow feel that already moves before any drums. To thicken it, layer the same melody on a second keyboard and strip the top line off one of them so the chords lock together without clashing.

   • ▶
     Selfish
     140 BPM · Cmin
     DarkEthnicVintage
     @ndacompany
     ↓
   • ▶
     Oscar
     100 BPM · D#min
     ShorelineVintageDeutschrap
     @ndacompany
     ↓
   • ▶
     Polite
     121 BPM · C#min
     AmbientStringsVintage
     @ndacompany
     ↓
   • ▶
     Mute
     105 BPM · Cmin
     ShorelineVintageDeutschrap
     @ndacompany
     ↓
   • ▶
     International
     100 BPM · F#min
     EpianoShorelineVintage
     @ndacompany
     ↓
2. 2Lay the 808▾

   It is the foundation. Follow the root notes of the loop over eight bars, kept plain. Set it to cut itself so the notes cannot overlap, add a little saturation, and leave the mixing alone past a touch off the top end. It pushes without getting aggressive.
3. 3Hi-hats on top▾

   Start with a two-step and take single hats back out. The open hat drops into the gap, that is the bounce. Pitch the hats up a few semitones for the Florida feel, and keep the rolls sparse so the groove stays relaxed.
4. 4Clap and perks▾

   A clap or snare on two and four, pitched up rather than down, plus a quieter counter layer panned to one side. Tyler likes snares that behave like perks and land where you do not expect them, so spam a few perks into tight spaces while still leaving room. That is where the bounce comes from.
5. 5Shape the pitch▾

   Only once the drums sit. Move the whole melody group one or two semitones and pick the brightest, airiest position. Pull the 808 to the new root afterwards.
6. 6Arrange▾

   Less is more. Build a long loop, drop a hook early over 16 bars, then a verse with one layer gone, then a section with a different sound. Each repeat strips one element, pull the 808 out of one, the hats out of the next. Keep plenty of empty space for an unhurried flow.

The laid-back Florida pocket

Luh Tyler sits inside a Florida tradition of feel-good melodic rap, and his signature is lightness. Where a lot of the scene goes hard, he goes airy. The beat should feel easy, not aggressive.

The pocket is the whole trick. Leave gaps in the drums, keep the hats from getting busy, and let the keys ring out. He raps slightly behind the grid, so a beat that is too tight boxes him in.

Two moves separate a Florida beat from a plain trap beat. First, pitch the claps and hats up instead of down, which is what keeps the drums bright. Second, drop perks and the odd shaker into tight spaces to carry the bounce. A touch of a steel drum or a bright island sound nods to the Haitian, Jamaican and Caribbean roots of a lot of the Florida scene.

Reviewers trace his backdrop to tranquil piano lines and muted, bright keys. Keep the melody simple and mellow, and let the mood carry the record instead of a wall of sound.

Which sounds do you actually need?

For the melody, electric piano, Rhodes, piano and guitar are enough. Keep them warm and a little soft so the beat stays mellow, and stack two keyboards on the same chords for a fuller bed. A tubular bell or a bright lead following the root notes adds the sparkle without crowding anything.

The 808 carries the low end on its own, following the root notes of the key. Cut itself plus some saturation makes it push without turning harsh, and the kick stays quiet underneath so the two share the low end.

Clap, hats and perks hold the grid. A clap on two and four pitched up, hats as a loose two-step with gaps for the open hat, only a few rolls, and perks dropped into the gaps for bounce. On the keys, cut the sub and lows with an EQ so they do not fight the 808, then a little reverb and a shimmer to sit them back.

Pitch the sample up and down

The position of the loop is not fixed. One or two semitones change the whole mood.

Up the keys get brighter and airier, which suits Luh Tyler, down they get heavier and sadder. The key moves with it, so pull the 808 to the new root afterwards.

A common finishing move is to render the melodies to one audio loop, switch the clips to stretch, and nudge the whole thing down a semitone. It smooths the loop out and gives it that slightly melancholy Florida tint without touching the arrangement.

Common mistakes

Making it too hard. His lane is feel-good and mellow, so a dark, aggressive beat fights the voice.

Pitching the claps and hats down. That pushes it toward a regular dark trap beat and kills the bright Florida feel.

Busy hats and constant rolls. The pocket is laid back, so keep the drums sparse and leave room.

Only other type beats as a reference. Those are built to rap over, the originals are not. Listen to My Vision or Mr. Skii first.

Using the NDA Company loops

Every loop here is played by hand, no AI, and free as an mp3. Pick a mellow electric piano or Rhodes loop, layer it, pitch it to taste, and build your Luh Tyler beat around the pocket.