DnB Sounds...

[splattered123]

Not really knowing very much about music creation yet... how exactly do people get the DnB type sounding beats? Do most people use pre made loops/beats or do they throw on effects and create them themselves? Probably a silly question, but i was just driving in my car listening to rabbit junk and i was thinking about how far off most of these actually sound from dry accoustic drums

[Future Proof]

Really, there are many ways that you can go about making DnB beats. The most common way seems to be with sample manipulation. Alot of older DnB went that route, either with one-hit samples or by taking a loop of a beat, dividing it into subsections that isolated each hit and then resequencing those slices into its own drumbeat. I personally would love to learn more about composing DnB though, because I have little idea of how most DnB artists create that sense of chaos and completely mash beats up from one bar to the next.

[adam]

Typically, DnB involves individual samples and layered loops. Loops are selected on the basis of having similar grooves (the same snare pattern), and then are layered up on top of each other. Individually sequenced sample hits are then used to fill out the drums, and provide more variation.

This is based on an article I read in an issue of Computer Music approximately six months ago. If they don't know what they're talking about, neither do I. You may also want to look up the article...it was fairly detailed.

[thee carp dreamer]

the drum programming is the easy part, just chop up any old break and program it at 174bpm.

the hard part is mastering/compressing the drums. sometimes it's better to use a drum machine, but for the love of god don't use 808s or 909s.

[Leon]

Building up rhythms from scratch is the most fun though. Creating your own original sounds. Hmmm

[adam]

And screw the 808 diss. Ain't no sound like an eight-oh-eight.

[Drix]

You can still get great sounds out of both 808 and 909 if you manipulate them right and use some imagination on the way they are buildt.

I'm no master in beatmaking (not even a novice), but i find dnb to be easier when turning a beat into a song as the variation possibillities are close to endless as you generally have more sounds and beats to play around with on a dnb song than on a lot of other genres.

In my opionion you can sample just about anything, make it sound like just about anything and from that build whatever feels right to that sound. If it doesn't work.. throw it in the bin and start over..

[Leon]

Originally Posted by Drix

You can still get great sounds out of both 808 and 909 if you manipulate them right and use some imagination on the way they are buildt.

I'm no master in beatmaking (not even a novice), but i find dnb to be easier when turning a beat into a song as the variation possibillities are close to endless as you generally have more sounds and beats to play around with on a dnb song than on a lot of other genres.

In my opionion you can sample just about anything, make it sound like just about anything and from that build whatever feels right to that sound. If it doesn't work.. throw it in the bin and start over..

Btw Drix, are you joining the Dirty comp or not?

[thee carp dreamer]

808 sounds lush, but 808s and 909s don't work on drum n bass records.

i haven't found a drum machine that does work yet, so i cut up old breakbeats from 60s and 70s funk and soul choons.

[adam]

I adore Battery 2. That is one great piece of kit.