How to Make a Travis Scott Type Beat (2026 Tutorial)
Travis Scott's production style is unmistakable. Dark, atmospheric, psychedelic, heavy. From "Sicko Mode" to "FE!N," his beats create entire worlds that feel massive yet haunting. If you want to learn how to make a Travis Scott type beat, you need more than a dark melody and a distorted 808. You need to understand the architecture behind the sound.
This guide breaks down every element that goes into an authentic Travis Scott type beat. Tempo, scale selection, 808 processing, atmospheric layering, effects chains, drum programming, arrangement, and the plugins that make it all work. No filler. Just production technique you can apply in your next session.
How to Make a Travis Scott Type Beat
The Travis Scott sound is built on contrast. Massive low end against airy, ethereal highs. Aggressive energy against psychedelic ambience. Simple musical ideas stretched into immersive sonic landscapes. Understanding this tension is the foundation of every Travis-style beat.
Key producers behind the sound include Mike Dean, WondaGurl, Tay Keith, Chase B, and Cubeatz. What they share is an approach that prioritizes atmosphere and impact over musical complexity. A Travis beat might only have three or four musical elements, but each one is processed and layered so heavily that it fills the entire stereo field.
Travis productions typically sit between 130-145 BPM for high-energy tracks, or 75-85 BPM for slower, atmospheric moments. Many tracks use half-time feel at higher tempos, creating a slower perceived groove even at 140+ BPM. Start at 140 BPM for classic Travis energy. This tempo gives you room for rolling hi-hats, aggressive 808 patterns, and that forward momentum his tracks are known for.
For scale selection, Phrygian mode creates instant tension. E Phrygian (E, F, G, A, B, C, D) is particularly effective. That flatted second interval sounds immediately dark and Middle Eastern. Natural minor and harmonic minor also work, but Phrygian defines the Travis sound. If you listen to "STARGAZING" or "HIGHEST IN THE ROOM," you will hear those Phrygian intervals throughout the melodic content. Understanding how Drake's atmospheric style differs helps here. Drake leans on natural minor for emotional weight while Travis uses Phrygian for tension and unease.
Travis Scott Type Beat Sound Design
Sound design separates a generic dark trap beat from a true Travis Scott type beat. The melodic content is not just notes. It is an environment. You are building a world the listener inhabits.
Start with your foundation layer. This is usually an evolving pad or atmospheric texture that sustains beneath everything else. Think of it as your sky. It sets the emotional color of the entire track. Use synths with slow attack, long release, and built-in modulation. Wavetable synthesis works well because you can morph between timbres over time, keeping the texture alive and moving.
Next, add your lead melodic element. This sits on top of the foundation and carries the main hook or motif. Travis-style leads tend to be simple. A two or three note phrase repeated with subtle variation. The complexity comes from the processing, not the notes themselves. Run the lead through distortion, then reverb, then a filter with slow LFO modulation. The result should feel otherworldly.
Ghost layers add the depth that makes Travis beats feel three-dimensional. These are barely audible elements. Reversed cymbals, granular textures, field recordings run through heavy effects, detuned synth drones. You should barely notice them in isolation, but remove them and the beat feels flat. This is the same layering approach that makes premium sample packs so valuable. They include those textural elements most producers overlook.
Vocal chops appear frequently in Travis production. Pitched, chopped, heavily processed vocal samples become instruments rather than words. Use Grossbeat in FL Studio or similar tools to slice and rearrange vocal recordings into rhythmic, melodic elements. Layer them with your lead or use them as transitional effects between sections.
Best 808s for Travis Scott Beats
The 808 is the backbone of any Travis Scott type beat. Unlike cleaner hip-hop styles or the smooth low end you would find in an R&B production, Travis beats feature 808s with significant distortion and saturation. The low end should be aggressive, punchy, in your face.
Start with a clean, well-tuned 808 sample. The right 808 sample matters more than any plugin you put on it. Look for 808s with a long sustain tail and a strong fundamental frequency. The initial transient should have punch, but the body is where the character lives.
Now process it. Add a saturation plugin first. CamelCrusher is free and works great. Soundtoys Decapitator gives you more control. Increase drive until harmonics appear in the upper-mid range without losing the sub-bass foundation. You want the 808 to be audible on laptop speakers and phone speakers, not just subwoofers. The saturation harmonics make that possible.
Distortion comes next. Subtle distortion adds grit. Heavy distortion creates that screaming 808 sound you hear on "BUTTERFLY EFFECT" and "HIGHEST IN THE ROOM." Some producers run 808s through guitar amp simulations like Amplitube or Guitar Rig for organic-sounding distortion that responds dynamically to velocity.
Slides and glides between notes add movement. Program your 808 pattern, then add portamento so notes slide into each other rather than jumping. Aggressive pitch bends define the menacing quality. A rapid downward pitch bend on the initial hit creates a punching effect. An upward bend at the end of a sustained note adds tension before the next hit.
Keep the 808 mono below 150 Hz. Above that, you can add stereo width through distortion harmonics or subtle chorus. But the fundamental low end must stay centered and tight.
Travis Scott Drum Patterns and Hi-Hats
Travis Scott drum patterns combine trap programming conventions with unique rhythmic choices that create his signature bounce. The foundation is a standard trap framework, but the details set it apart.
Kicks follow the 808 pattern closely. In many Travis productions, the kick and 808 trigger together or the kick provides the initial transient while the 808 provides the sustain. Use a short, punchy kick layered with your 808 for maximum impact. Sidechain the kick to the 808 if they overlap to prevent low-end mud.
Snares hit on beats 2 and 4 in most patterns. Travis-style snares tend to have more crack and less body than typical trap snares. Claps layered with snares add width. Process the snare with a short room reverb to give it space without washing it out. The snare should cut through the dense atmospheric elements.
Hi-hats are where Travis patterns get interesting. Rolling 32nd-note hi-hat patterns with velocity variation create forward momentum. Program your hi-hats at 1/32 notes, then pull back the velocity on every other hit. Add occasional triplet rolls for emphasis. Use two or three different hi-hat samples and alternate between them for a more organic feel.
Open hats placed strategically create rhythmic accents. A quick open hat on an off-beat followed by a closed hat creates that signature trap swing. Panning hi-hats slightly left and right adds width without making them distracting. Study the drum programming on tracks like "goosebumps" and "SICKO MODE" to hear these patterns in action. The principles behind effective drum sample usage apply directly here.
How to Create Dark Atmospheric Melodies
The melody in a Travis Scott type beat serves the atmosphere more than it serves traditional musicality. You are not writing a catchy pop hook. You are creating a sonic environment that feels dark, vast, and slightly unsettling.
Start with a simple motif. Two to four notes in your chosen scale, usually Phrygian or natural minor. Play them slowly with long sustain. Now duplicate that MIDI and assign it to a different synth patch. Detune the second layer by 5-10 cents. This creates thickness without adding new musical information.
Omnisphere handles atmospheric melodies exceptionally well. Its evolving pads and textural presets sit perfectly in Travis-style production. Load an atmospheric preset, play your simple motif, and the built-in modulation does half the work for you. Serum works for more aggressive, designed lead sounds where you need precise control over wavetable position and modulation routing.
Layer your melodic elements from back to front. The rearmost layer should be a wide, reverb-heavy pad that establishes the harmonic foundation. The middle layer carries the main melodic phrase with moderate processing. The front layer, if you use one, should be a sharp, present element like a pluck or bell that cuts through occasionally for emphasis.
Automate everything. Filter cutoffs should move over time. Reverb sends should increase during transitions. Volume should breathe. Static sounds are dead sounds in Travis production. Every element should feel alive and shifting.
Effects and Processing for Travis Scott Style
Effects processing is arguably the most important aspect of Travis Scott production. Raw sounds become Travis sounds through processing chains.
Reverb creates the sense of space that defines the style. Use a large hall or plate reverb on synths and pads with tails of 3-5 seconds. Pre-delay of 30-60ms keeps the initial attack clear while the tail blooms. On snares, use a medium room reverb with 1-2 second tail. Keep hi-hats dry or with very short reverb. The 808 stays completely dry to maintain tight low end.
Delay adds dimension and rhythm. Tempo-synced delays at 1/4 or 1/8 with feedback around 30-40% create repeating echoes that add movement. Filtered delay, where a low-pass filter on the feedback loop darkens each repeat, sounds more natural and prevents the delays from cluttering the mix. Ping-pong delay adds stereo width to leads and vocal chops.
Chorus thickens thin sounds. A subtle chorus on pads adds width and movement. On leads, chorus creates a detuned, psychedelic quality that fits the Travis aesthetic. Do not overdo it. The effect should be felt, not heard.
Flanger and phaser create the psychedelic movement that appears throughout Travis production. Automate the rate and depth of these effects so they sweep slowly through sections. A slow flanger on a pad during a verse, increasing in speed during a build, creates dramatic tension. These are the same techniques that work in genre-blending production when you want to push hip-hop into experimental territory.
Bitcrusher and lo-fi processing add grit and character. Drop the bit depth on a melodic element to create a degraded, vintage quality. This contrast between pristine and degraded elements adds visual texture to the mix. Half the sounds feel expensive and polished while the other half feel raw and broken.
Travis Scott Type Beat Arrangement and Structure
Arrangement in Travis production follows a principle of escalation. Tracks build from sparse to dense, creating a journey rather than a loop.
A typical Travis structure looks like this. An atmospheric intro of 8-16 bars introduces the sonic world. Just pads, maybe a filtered melody, minimal drums. The verse drops in at reduced energy. Core drums, 808, and melody, but not everything at once. The hook or chorus brings the full arrangement. All layers active, maximum energy, the moment everything hits.
Beat switches appear frequently. "SICKO MODE" is the most famous example, but tracks like "STARGAZING" and "BUTTERFLY EFFECT" also shift energy dramatically between sections. You do not need three completely different beats in one track. Even a tempo change, a key shift, or a dramatic filter sweep that resets the arrangement counts as a beat switch.
Transitions matter enormously. Risers, reverse cymbals, filter sweeps, drum fills, and silence all serve as bridges between sections. The silence before a drop is as important as the drop itself. Travis productions use one to two bars of near-silence before major sections hit. That gap creates anticipation.
Study "STARGAZING" as an arrangement masterclass. The psychedelic intro builds tension for nearly a minute before the beat drops. When it hits, the contrast makes the impact enormous. That is the architecture you are aiming for. If you are newer to beat arrangement, start with the fundamentals of beat making before attempting complex Travis-style structures.
Frequently Asked Questions
What BPM Are Travis Scott Beats?
Most Travis Scott beats sit between 130-145 BPM for high-energy tracks. Slower, atmospheric tracks land around 75-85 BPM. Many of his biggest hits use half-time feel at higher tempos, so a track at 140 BPM feels like 70 BPM in terms of groove. "SICKO MODE" famously shifts tempo mid-track. Start at 140 BPM and program your drums in half-time for the classic Travis feel.
Best Plugins for Travis Scott Type Beats?
Omnisphere is the go-to for atmospheric pads and textures. Serum handles aggressive lead design and bass. Valhalla VintageVerb or FabFilter Pro-R for reverb. Soundtoys Decapitator or CamelCrusher for 808 saturation. Gross Beat in FL Studio for stutter and tape-stop effects. RC-20 Retro Color for lo-fi texture. Output Portal for granular effects processing.
What Scale Does Travis Scott Use?
Phrygian mode is the most distinctive scale in Travis production. E Phrygian and A Phrygian appear frequently. Natural minor and harmonic minor are also common. The flatted second degree of Phrygian creates that dark, Middle Eastern tension that defines tracks like "STARGAZING" and "HIGHEST IN THE ROOM."
How Do I Get the Travis Scott Reverb Sound?
Use a large hall reverb with 3-5 second tail and 30-60ms pre-delay. The pre-delay keeps the initial transient clear while the tail creates space. Apply this generously to pads and synths but keep drums relatively dry except for snare. The 808 should always stay dry. Layer multiple reverbs at different settings for depth.
How Do I Make My 808s Sound Like Travis Scott?
Start with a clean, well-tuned 808 sample with long sustain. Add saturation first to bring out harmonics, then distortion for aggression. Use portamento for note slides. Add pitch bends for character. Keep the sub frequencies mono but let the distortion harmonics spread in stereo. The 808 should be audible on small speakers, not just subwoofers.
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