Drum Patterns/step sequencing

digital cause · Post by **digital cause** » Mon Mar 05, 2007 6:09 pm

Hey all.

Im just wondering exactly what hit the snare should go on out of 16. I have always been putting it on step 8 of 16, but listening and trying to mix my tunes in with commercial tunes ive found it is probably on step 9??? I need help.

Im putting a nice kik n snare on redrum in Reason, and adding some loops on top in logic..

any help is appreciated, but mainly is it step 8 or 9 for the snare , or is it either or, if so, doesnt it sound a bit weird when mixing?

nice1

gravious · Post by **gravious** » Mon Mar 05, 2007 7:03 pm

Put the drums where you think they sound good.

There isn't a place where they should be, so don't worry about it.
There are places where the drums are commonly put, but you don't want to sound like everyone else do you?

digital cause · Post by **digital cause** » Mon Mar 05, 2007 7:10 pm

no not at all, and i was worried id get that response, but let me ask you if you mix ? the main reason for my question is a dj one... wouldnt it just sound weird if the snare is one off eachother when mixing?

basicly, what defines dubstep then, 140 bpm? because psy trance is around there, and that aint dubstep. (IMO)

digital cause · Post by **digital cause** » Mon Mar 05, 2007 7:18 pm

if you try mixing a dubstep tune with a snare on the 8 with one that has a snare on 9 im just saying it sounds like its bad mixing, and on dubstep mixes it doesnt sound like that, even though the tracks have been blended in rather than just dropped in... know wha me say

random trio · Post by **random trio** » Mon Mar 05, 2007 8:48 pm

digital cause · Post by **digital cause** » Mon Mar 05, 2007 9:07 pm

thanks that what i thought

djdinyr · Post by **djdinyr** » Mon Mar 05, 2007 10:14 pm

There is no simple answer to this question. First off, dubstep, as far as I know, has no typical drum pattern like four on the floor genres (kick drums on 1, 5, 9, 13). In fact, dubstep is about getting away from convention. Even if you put a snare at 9/16 of the bar, that doesn't means its going to hit with other tracks that have snares at 9/16. That's because different tracks may have different amounts of swing (also known as groove in Live, and maybe some other labels in other sequencing software) which will shift the drum hits around some. Actually, I love the swing function in Reason because it's easier to get that syncopated feel that dubstep is know for this way than trying to program in straight 16ths. Also, not all producers program beats in straight 16ths.

Not all dubstep tunes will mix well together, at least while the percussion is happening. This is true for all genres, especially breakbeat derived music. That's part of the challenge for djs.

Hope this is helpful.

Sharmaji · Post by **Sharmaji** » Mon Mar 05, 2007 10:45 pm

Digital Cause wrote:if you try mixing a dubstep tune with a snare on the 8 with one that has a snare on 9 im just saying it sounds like its bad mixing

not if it's mixed well. i really hate the idea of programming-by-numbers. it's exactly-- i mean EXACTLY--like paint-by-numbers.

mix a dancehall tune w/ a hiphop tune, or a ragga-ish d&b track w/ a straight up 2step one, or "bury the bwoy" with anything, you get the same kind of misaligned beats. if it's done w/ 2 tunes that complement each other, it works beautifully.

loki · Post by **loki** » Tue Mar 06, 2007 5:14 am

Please please don't do paint-by-numbers programming. As a DJ nothing bores me faster than predictable and repetitive tracks. I like the challenge of playing weird shit!

parson · Post by **parson** » Tue Mar 06, 2007 6:53 am

8 is not for beginners

gravious · Post by **gravious** » Tue Mar 06, 2007 10:22 am

Digital Cause wrote:no not at all, and i was worried id get that response, but let me ask you if you mix ? the main reason for my question is a dj one... wouldnt it just sound weird if the snare is one off eachother when mixing?

basicly, what defines dubstep then, 140 bpm? because psy trance is around there, and that aint dubstep. (IMO)

Trying to define dubstep is opening a whole other can of worms!

But all I was trying to get at is you shouldn't worry about it too much. If you put a snare in a 'strange' place and manage to make it sound good, then people will still play it!

I know what you mean though, and when starting off making beats its good to get the basics sorted first I suppose. Yer typical halfstep thing would probably have a snare in the middle of the bar (9/16), but this is just a starting point.

forensix (mcr) · Post by **forensix (mcr)** » Tue Mar 06, 2007 10:47 am

How about listening to some tunes and tapping your finger on the table i aint that hard is it?

Littlefoot · Post by **Littlefoot** » Tue Mar 06, 2007 1:26 pm

get one of these

tap in what sounds groovy

blip · Post by **blip** » Tue Mar 06, 2007 5:47 pm

TeReKeTe wrote: mix a dancehall tune w/ a hiphop tune, or a ragga-ish d&b track w/ a straight up 2step one, or "bury the bwoy" with anything, you get the same kind of misaligned beats. if it's done w/ 2 tunes that complement each other, it works beautifully.

Actually, that is one of the things that I like hearing the most in a mix, the mixes that were supposed to be wrong but are so very right. And as a dj, yes, if it is good and I can't make it work, that's my fault, not the producer's.

djake · Post by **djake** » Tue Mar 06, 2007 9:29 pm

Loki wrote:. As a DJ nothing bores me faster than predictable and repetitive tracks. I like the challenge of playing weird shit!

i agree!!!

meka-one · Post by **meka-one** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 6:01 pm

it makes no difference as long as it sounds how you want. if your looking for the common way I guess 9 but if you notice, plenty of tunes are written differently and in fact it is discusting to formulate in such a way.

rekordah · Post by **rekordah** » Sat Mar 17, 2007 4:45 pm

i know it sounds like a blag, but lots of producers will of done this when trying to emulate a beat.

just import the track that u like the sound of and place your kicks,hats,snare etc. where they are placed in the track your working with. from there you can mess around with re-positioning your hits.

I appreciate i might get slagged off because of this but this is the way music has always worked....ideas get stolen and manipulated, it's all about progression. infact the track that you try and emulate has very proberbly been through a similar process.

Drum Patterns/step sequencing

Drum Patterns/step sequencing

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