Remake Doja Cat’s ‘Need to Know’ Beat in Soundtrap

Learn how to make Doja Cat-type beats with trap-infused hip-hop drawn from R&B and Pop influences. ‘Need to Know’ was produced by Dr. Luke in 2021 and has racked up billions of streams since its release. We’ve teamed up with Danish producer Fabian Mazur to remake the hit song using Soundtrap’s online studio. 

Recreate the hit song from scratch by following the tutorial or access the finished project in the Soundtrap studio to add your personal touch to the beat. Let's jump into the studio and get started!

1. Set the BPM

Always start by setting the tempo to your song. ‘Need to Know’ is set at 130 bpm. You find this setting on the bottom panel in Soundtrap. 

2. Main Synth

Pick the Jump Brass synth from the instrument library in Soundtrap. Increase the attack and release some in the instrument settings. Filter out the high ends of the synth. Add the Chorus effect and Distortion in the effects panel. Use another EQ to make room for vocals in the mix. 

3. Layered Synth

Now duplicate the track and change the Synth instrument on the new track to Feb Pad. Lower some of the notes to beef up the synth and fill out more space in the mix. 

4. Drums

The drum pattern on ‘Need to Know’ is a classic Trap sequence. As the hi-hats are reversed and somewhat splashy, try using the Hype Trap 2 - Champions hats from the Soundtrap loop tab. Reverse the loops and chope them up to resemble the pattern from the original song. Add some Auto Pan from the effects panel to get some movement from side to side on your hi-hats.

For the kick and snare/clap, use the Flux - Moto kick and Jetsonmade - Maggy clap on your drum beat. Adjust the length of these sounds and add effects to texturize them. Place your drums over the track to fit the ‘Need to Know’ pattern. 

5. 808 bass

The 808 bass on ‘Need to Know’ is really what drives the whole track. Create a new instrument track and pick the 808 Cash Clean bass sound from the instrument library. 

Play out the chords over the track like they are played on the original song. Add some Juicy Distortion from the effects tab do make the bass line punchier, increase the attack time to let the kick drum breathe. 

6. Strings/Vocals

In addition to Doja Cat’s lead vocals, ‘Need to Know’ has a vocal sample that repeats over the beat. To add a vocal sample, create a new synth track and pick Voice - Ai from the instrument presets. Lower the octave of that sample and distort it. Place it over the beat and lets move on. 

The strings in the breakdown of the song use the same chords as the lead synth so pick the Feb Pad strings on a new track from the instruments and copy the chords over. 

7. Clean up and structure

Before the beat is ready, you need to structure the song like the original, with its intro, verses, choruses, and breakdown. Add some effects for the transitions to make the beat more interesting and that should do it. 

There you have it. For more tutorials on how to remake famous songs, visit our remake page or subscribe to our YouTube channel.