Sunday, June 3, 2012
Programming a solid drum pattern is essential for any electronic musician. The drums are what drives a beat and what keeps the rhythm solid. Everything else builds upon this rhythm. If your drums are banging, it makes everything else sound on point. Here are a few tips to help you program better drum sequences.
1. Rely on the basics. The snare and kick drums provide the beat for all kinds of electronic music, including house, bass, drum and hip-hop. Starting with solid kick and snare samples establishes the backbone for the rest of the sequence. Experiment by programming in multiple variations on solid snare and kick patterns. Start with a 4 bar pattern and add variety by making each bar slightly different. With practice, you can move to a more ambitious 8 bar pattern incorporating a simple fill and variations. Click here for a video tutorial on how to make dubstep.
2. Use layers. Once you have your basic kick/snare structure down, it's time to layer the drums with some other percussion. The most common would be a closed hi hat. You can add some open hi hats as well creating variations between the two as you did for the kick and snare. You can add other percussion like cow bells, bells, or some glitch drums or synths etc. to add some color to your rhythm. Remember, it's all about creating an interesting, rhythmic pattern when it comes to adding this second layer. Experiment with some 1/8 note or even 1/16 syncopation. This will show in your production as the willingness to put in that extra time and effort to make your drum pattern more interesting. You'll want to record your kick and snare and percussion on separate tracks if possible so you can EQ these later. This is a different tutorial all together.
3. Do not underestimate the power of fills. I incorporate snares, kicks and pitched toms into my basic fills. You can experiment with these and use your own creative talents to incorporate other sounds and produce your own unique patterns. Song structure will dictate where fills will be most effective but you can try mini fills every eight or sixteen bars and something more complex during transitions if it works for the song.
I used to hate programming drums, but now I love it. It takes some time and practice and getting used to but once you have it down, it's loads of fun!
1. Rely on the basics. The snare and kick drums provide the beat for all kinds of electronic music, including house, bass, drum and hip-hop. Starting with solid kick and snare samples establishes the backbone for the rest of the sequence. Experiment by programming in multiple variations on solid snare and kick patterns. Start with a 4 bar pattern and add variety by making each bar slightly different. With practice, you can move to a more ambitious 8 bar pattern incorporating a simple fill and variations. Click here for a video tutorial on how to make dubstep.
2. Use layers. Once you have your basic kick/snare structure down, it's time to layer the drums with some other percussion. The most common would be a closed hi hat. You can add some open hi hats as well creating variations between the two as you did for the kick and snare. You can add other percussion like cow bells, bells, or some glitch drums or synths etc. to add some color to your rhythm. Remember, it's all about creating an interesting, rhythmic pattern when it comes to adding this second layer. Experiment with some 1/8 note or even 1/16 syncopation. This will show in your production as the willingness to put in that extra time and effort to make your drum pattern more interesting. You'll want to record your kick and snare and percussion on separate tracks if possible so you can EQ these later. This is a different tutorial all together.
3. Do not underestimate the power of fills. I incorporate snares, kicks and pitched toms into my basic fills. You can experiment with these and use your own creative talents to incorporate other sounds and produce your own unique patterns. Song structure will dictate where fills will be most effective but you can try mini fills every eight or sixteen bars and something more complex during transitions if it works for the song.
I used to hate programming drums, but now I love it. It takes some time and practice and getting used to but once you have it down, it's loads of fun!
About the Author:
The Author is an upcoming electronic artist from Los Angeles. Download and stream some of his best dubstep songs from his project, Good Lyfe Addikts. He also has an ebook on piano improvisation.