How to make a beat sound lo-fi

Lo-fi is mostly about taking things away. Cut the lows below about 150 Hz and the highs above about 3 kHz, so the sound gets narrow like an old speaker. Add a slow, small pitch wobble (like worn tape), a bit of vinyl crackle, and some gentle saturation. Do it on the whole beat or just the chords.

How to do it

1. High-pass at about 150 Hz and low-pass at about 3 kHz.
2. Add a slow pitch wobble: a chorus or vibrato at under 1 Hz, very small depth.
3. Add vinyl crackle or tape hiss on its own track, quietly.
4. Saturate a little for warmth and to soften the peaks.
5. Compare at the same loudness, and back off if it starts to sound broken.

Why it works

Old records, tapes and cheap speakers lose the extreme lows and highs and add wobble and noise. Your ear links those things to warm, nostalgic sound.