How to Make a Sean Paul Type Beat (+ Free Loops)

What BPM and key is a Sean Paul type beat?

Most loops run 110 to 140 BPM, with the bulk sitting around 135 BPM.

The key is mostly minor. Easiest is to take the key straight from your loop and put the 808 and the melody on the same root.

How to make a Sean Paul 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 and guitar in minor, 110 to 140 BPM. Grab a loop from the list right below, one that already moves before any drums.

   • ▶
     VHS
     110 BPM · C#min
     AmbientDancehallVirtual
     @ndacompany
     ↓
   • ▶
     Pillow
     140 BPM · Amin
     AmbientDancehallVirtual
     @ndacompany
     ↓
   • ▶
     Bondage
     128 BPM · D#min
     AmbientDancehall
     @ndacompany
     ↓
   • ▶
     Cold Air
     126 BPM · F#min
     AmbientDancehall
     @ndacompany
     ↓
   • ▶
     Shame
     113 BPM
     DancehallMallets
     @ndacompany
     ↓
2. 2Lay the 808▾

   It is the foundation. On the root of the loop key, eight bars kept plain. Set it to cut itself so the notes cannot overlap and give it some saturation, then it pushes.
3. 3Hi-hats on top▾

   Start with a two-step pattern and take single hats back out again. The open hat goes into that gap, that is where the bounce comes from. Keep the fast rolls only in front of the changes.
4. 4Clap and kick▾

   A hard clap or snare on two and four, plus a second quieter layer panned to one side. The kick stays quiet under the 808 and shares the low end with it.
5. 5Try the pitch▾

   Only once the drums sit. Move the whole melody group one or two semitones up or down and hear which position fits your voice. Pull the 808 to the new root afterwards.
6. 6Arrange▾

   Keep it simple, less is more. 16 bars as the hook, then a verse with one layer gone, then a bridge with a different sound. The hook comes early, that keeps the beat catchy and easier to place.

Which sounds do you actually need?

For the melody electric piano, guitar and piano are enough. Keep the loop dry and let it breathe instead of burying it in effects.

The 808 carries the low end on its own. Set it to cut itself and give it some saturation, then it pushes without a long effect chain.

Clap and hi-hats hold the grid. A hard clap on two and four, hats as a two-step with gaps for the open hat.

Arrangement in bars

16 bars as the hook, then the same thing as a verse with one track taken out completely and a simpler 808 pattern.

A bridge with a real change: a different lead, stretched chords or a second melody layer. Coming back into the hook, let the drums arrive one bar late.

Pitch the sample up and down

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

Up the melody gets brighter and thinner, down it gets heavier and darker. The key moves with it, so pull the 808 to the new root afterwards.

Common mistakes

Too much stacked up. A few clear sounds carry the whole beat, every further layer after that only takes up room.

Leaving the lows in every track. Cut the low frequencies off each melody track with a high-pass so the bass stands alone at the bottom.

Only other type beats as a reference. Those are built to rap on, the originals sound different. Listen to the real songs first.

In FL Studio and in Logic

Nothing in the steps above depends on the DAW. You need a sampler for the 808, an EQ and a reverb, nothing else.

FL Studio: the 808 goes in a sampler channel with cut itself on and some saturation in the channel effects. Draw the hats and rolls with the paintbrush instead of slicing them.

Logic: Quick Sampler for the 808, set to mono, and pull the hold up in the amp envelope. Step Sequencer for the hats, one bus for all melody tracks with a Channel EQ cutting the lows plus a reverb.

Using the loops from NDA Company

Every loop here is played by hand, no AI, and free as an mp3.