How to Make a Tate McRae Type Beat: Rhythmic Dance Pop

What BPM and key is a tate mcrae type beat?

A tate mcrae type beat on her dance pop and pop R&B side usually sits around 100 to 115 BPM, with Greedy landing near 110 BPM. The groove reads with a bounce, so the beat feels rhythmic and catchy without ever rushing.

Her guitar driven pop rock side runs faster, up to about 150 BPM, more energetic and uplifting. Pick your lane first, because the tempo changes how everything else sits.

The key is usually minor, which is where a lot of her writing lives, something like D flat minor. The uptempo pop rock material can turn up in major instead. Take the key from your chords or your hook and lock the bass to that same root.

What sounds define the Tate McRae sound?

This is modern dance pop built around the vocal, so the production stays clean and leaves space. The core palette is a hard stomp kick, a plucky melodic hook, a fat but controlled bass and lush pads underneath.

A short, bright melodic ostinato is the signature. On Greedy it is a steel drum or hang style sound running an arpeggio the whole way through. A plucky bell synth does the same job on the darker records. Keep it simple and let it loop.

Underneath the hook you want wide, soft pads, a Juno style or super saw chord bed, plus washed out background vocals drenched in reverb. On the guitar pop side, swap the synth hook for muted and power chord guitars doubled wide across the mix.

How do I program the drums and the stomp?

Start from the kick, because the stomp kick is the engine of this sound. Layer a short stompy kick for the room feel with a second, cleaner kick that carries the body, then compress them together so they read as one punch.

Keep the pattern syncopated but open. A worn, slightly lo fi snare or a clap pushed just off the grid gives that human flam, while the hats stay simple. Panning two different hat loops left and right builds a call and response that widens the groove.

Leave room. The space between the hits is what makes the beat feel rhythmic instead of busy, and it leaves a pocket for the vocal to sit.

How do I build the chords and the melodic hook?

The verse often rides on a single chord or one repeated pluck, and the lift comes when the chorus finally moves through a progression. That contrast is what makes the hook feel like it opens up. Do not overfill the verse.

Write the main pluck in minor, keep it short and catchy, and let it repeat. A steel drum, hang or plucky bell patch all fit. Layer a second softer synth under it for shimmer and let a filter slowly open as the section builds.

If you would rather start from a hook that already breathes, the free loops further down are made for this. Every loop on ndacompany.de is hand-played by real musicians, not AI, and the mp3 is free to download. Grab a pluck, bell or guitar loop in a minor key, loop it as your hook and the melodic core of the beat is done in minutes.

How do I handle the bass?

The bass is fat but never muddy. A detuned Reese or saw bass out of a synth like Serum gives the width and grit, and you layer a clean sub underneath to cover the real low end. Filter the top bass so it does not fight the sub.

Sidechain the bass to the kick so the stomp always punches through. A touch of distortion or saturation adds the analog bite her records have, and a short pitch slide into the downbeat is a classic move straight off Greedy.

Keep it locked to the root of your chords and let it follow the hook. Simple and tight beats aggressive every time in this style.

How do I get that washed out vocal pad effect?

The dreamy background vocals are one of the most recognisable parts of the sound. Record or sample a soft vocal, stack a hard panned left and right version, and bury them in a long, very wet reverb so they wash out behind the lead.

Pitch a copy up an octave and blend it under the dry take for that impossibly high, airy top. A shimmer reverb turns the tail into a pad of its own, and filtering the highs pushes the whole thing into the background where it belongs.

Use small vocal adlibs and chops as an extra instrument too, fluttering in the gaps and smoothing the transitions into the chorus.

How do I add the switch ups and ear candy?

The details are what make it sound like a real record. Reverse effects are everywhere: bounce your hook or a kick to audio, reverse it and drop it in right before a section drops as a sweep that resets the ear.

Add risers and down sweeps into the chorus, a reverse vocal lead into the drop, and the odd percussion fill to keep the groove alive. Keep them subtle so they lift the moment instead of cluttering it.

Automate the hook so it changes slightly between the verse and the chorus, more plucky in the verse, following the chords in the chorus. Small movement like that keeps a looping beat from feeling static.

How do I finish it and get a placement?

Keep the arrangement simple and vocal ready. Sixteen bars as the hook, pull sounds in and out, use a reverse sweep as your switch up and leave clear pockets for a topline. Simple beats get placed because an artist can instantly hear themselves on them.

When a loop sparks an idea, download the free mp3 and run with it. A free account on ndacompany.de just lets you save the loops you like, so your next session starts with your own shortlist of hooks ready to flip.