Aiight, I'll go through my whole process.
First, I'll start with the drumline (unless I have a melody that won't leave me alone and then I'll record it on one instrument and then do the drumline).
I'll make the hi-hats first (depending on the type of beat I'm making, I might put them in and then remove them completely). Then I'll lay in the drums. Sometimes I'll use two different drums like a 909 and then an 808 here and there for added effect, sometimes I won't...all depends on what sounds good on my ear. Then I'll add in the claps or woodblocks (or both if it sounds right). Then I'll add in stuff like reverses, brushes, cymbals, gongs, bells, guiros, and shakers. Last thing I'll do is add some sound effects to blend in with the drums and give it depth.
After that, I lay down a smooth bassline to give it added punch without it being too muddy.
Then I'll work on my main melody. Sometimes the main actually isn't intended to be as in front of stuff as other instruments, but it makes for the backbone of the track...without it, it wouldn't carry as much weight. I usually make those with pianos, guitars, or strings. If I go ethnic, I might switch up to like a sitar, koto, or a flute or something.
Then I'll copy the melody and choose another instrument to back it to give it depth (this is cake to do in Reason but I don't know about the Fruity...been a LONG time since I used it like version 3 or something). Sometimes I'll even do this with 2 different instruments and have one of the extra instruments coming only in certain parts of the verse or in the hook.
Then I make a second completely new melody that accompanies the first one. I usually don't layer instruments with the second melody so I use an instrument that will stand out enough to where I don't have to do that so it won't overcrowd the beat and a artist can use it easier.
After that, if I add anything that goes in and out of the beat like synths and extra sound effects, I'll put that in.
Then I'll make a third melody that might be only for the hook. Something to make it stand out and say "that's where the hook gon' be...an' I'ma say you need a hook on this beat LOL" (yeah I went there...shoot me later). You can also put a weak instrument with this melody somewhere in the verse and then have multiple instruments playing the third melody in the hook.
All I really do after that is double check my sequencing and mix the damn thing down and test the mix in different speakers and systems since right now I mix all my beats on the laptop from headphones that I trust.
As far as tempos, mine range anywhere from 80 - 110
Hope that helped you out a little bit,
Fiev.
