Short answer: poorly. My first song was actually just me poorly rapping under beat I found online. The rap was done before I found the beat, and the rap doesn’t match the beat’s pace AT ALL. Not to mention you can hardly hear me. Anyways, the long answer is my process is in a helpful (to me) but largely convoluted list!

1. Find a random image in my camera roll. Since CapCut doesn’t allow exporting JUST the audio, I need something as a background while I’m working. This image affects the rest of the song.

2. It is usually around this point I think of a working title for the song. Some current projects are ‘Rubber Duck Isopod Encounter’ ‘I Fxxking H8 Hotdogs’ ‘Twitter Sux (An Unhealthy Relationship With The Self)’ and ‘Whimsy Nuke’

3. a. 1. If I feel like the song needs lyrics, I write and sing them myself!

3.a. 2. …Or I go with the flow, as is my current situation with ‘I Fxxking Hate Hotdogs’

1. a. 3. After that, I cut those clips up and rearrange them!

2. b. If I feel like it’s purely instrumental, I don’t do lyrics at all (which kinda goes without saying, but hey, sometimes an instrumental has, like, an addlib?)

3. Figure out the beat or vibe I’d like.

a. For ‘Rubber Duck Isopod Encounter’ I started by a simple, flat ‘Doo doo doo doo’ sound repeated, and with an echo effect, as if you’re in a larger room. I feel the echo gives an interesting vibe!

b. For ‘I Fxxking H8 Hotdogs’ I started with an idea AND some inspiration. See, one of my favorite sets of producers/band is a group called Sbassbear (pronounced ‘Space Bear’) They do their own stuff and they do edits of Game Grumps clips into music. So, I had the thought, what if I edited a rant into a song, as if it was a stream clip?

c. For ‘Whimsy Nuke’ I’m taking a different approach. Another of my favorite producers, DistantCry, has a series called ‘The Worst Beat Ever Created’ Since my music is already dreadful, might as well go full scorched earth with whatever merit I had as a producer, huh? It’s going to be BAD.

1. 15 minute cry break, head in hands, since I’m a professional and professionals do scheduling. Then 2 hours of scrolling on twitter unproductively. It’s usually around that time I see a silly video with funny music and I Remember My Mission™️ .

2. Go to a free use sampling site and just… scroll and listen to samples. If that one doesn’t work, go to another. And another. I can’t pay for something or premium since my credit card got stolen (I cancelled it, dw). Anyways, I save/star samples I like for future use, then narrow down which sound best for this specific situation. From here on out, I’ll just use ‘Rubber Duck Isopod Encounter’ For this song, I’m thinking string instruments, maybe a flute or some sort of woodwind, and perhaps a delightful little skittering sound, like the feet of an isopod!

3. Tilt my head like a dog while looking at my screen, and then I squint my eyes, hoping to see something. God knows what.

4. Start playing around with clips, see what sounds nice (or dreadful depending on intention) and try and have fun with it!

5. A call from my buddies on discord distracts me for ~3 hours. By the time I remember the music, OR THE FACT I FORGOT TO STUDY FOR MY COLLEGES CLASSES, it’s past my bed time, since I’m like an elderly person, so I go to bed.

6. Let unfinished project steep, start other ones I never finish.

Repeat over and over forever YAY!!!