How to Make Lo-Fi Hip Hop Beats from Scratch 2026

What BPM is lofi hip hop?

Lo-fi hip hop typically runs between 70-85 BPM, creating a slow, relaxed pace that suits study beats and chill playlists.

How to make lofi drums?

Lo-fi drums are defined by heavy filtering and degradation rather than punchy, compressed hits. Start with a kick that has less sub-bass presence than typical hip hop.

How to make lofi piano chords?

Lo-fi piano chords prioritize warmth over brightness. Start with a sampled jazz, blues, or classical piano recording and apply a low-pass filter to remove harsh high frequencies.

DAW workflow for lofi production

When producing lo-fi hip hop in your DAW, whether FL Studio, Ableton, or Logic, start with a clean project template that includes your go-to lo-fi processing chain.

Lofi Hip Hop Tempo Comparison

How to Make a Lofi Beat from Scratch

1. Step 1: Set tempo and choose your foundation
   Set your project to 70-85 BPM depending on the energy you want.
2. Step 2: Create or source lo-fi drum sounds
   Find or process drums that sound dusty and filtered.
3. Step 3: Add the melodic element
   Sample a jazz or blues record and chop it, or program warm piano chords using minor 7th voicings.
4. Step 4: Layer ambient textures
   Add vinyl crackle, tape hiss, or ambient field recordings underneath your beat.
5. Step 5: Apply tape saturation and EQ
   Run your drums and melody through tape saturation to add harmonic richness.
6. Step 6: Add swing and shuffle to hi-hats
   Apply swing timing to your hi-hats so they fall slightly off the grid.
7. Step 7: Chop and rearrange the sample
   If using a sample, chop it into segments and rearrange them to create variation.
8. Step 8: Add subtle automation for dynamics
   Automate filter cutoffs, saturation amounts, and volume throughout the track.