Input on my Beats/Production?

[Jerome]

and why the hell do they call it beats?

Because they decide how many beats per minute the 'song' is going to be. That dictates everything else. It's as a result of portastudios, groove synths & electronic drum machines etc. where someone sets the BPM and then puts other sounds on top of it. There are even groups who will only use one fixed BPM for all their material. Talk about painting yourself into a corner! Most of the other instruments are samples that are repeated over and over ad nauseum which ultimately results in a lifeless sound. If you look at the audio waveforms of these tracks they all flatline at some point, so there are no real dynamics (or any variation in the dyanmics). Usually the sound is compressed beyond repair - a result of the loudness wars. This music will go the same way as disco - just a matter of time. One of the reasons it's so popular is that it costs practically nothing to create this sort of stuff. Which in turn makes it accessible to everyone. Copy and paste music as opposed to organic electronica which still maintains a 'feel' - al la Tangerine Dream. Even though the sounds might even originate from the same synth or device, the organic stuff manages to maintain a human performance element to it, whether via midi or analogue synths, whereas this stuff is emotionally 'dead'. Amen......(as you always say - preach it brother) - End of sermon!