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The Ultimate Guide to Drum Programming

Sam Matla / February 20, 2015 /
Arrangement & Composition (http://edmprod.com/category/arrangecomp/) /
22 Comments (http://edmprod.com/drums-guide/#disqus_thread)

Its been a while since I wrote an Ultimate Guide, or mega-post. The last one, I
believe, was on writing better and more memorable melodies
(http://edmprod.com/ultimate-melody-guide/) which many of you found
helpful.

This time around, were looking at an area of music production thats just as
importantif not more importantthan writing melodies: drum
programming.
Now, this post is particularly long (around 6,000 words). Its not the kind of
article you should skim over or read while youre having a conversation with
someone on Facebook. It will take a fair amount of time to get through.

On a more important note: whats covered in this guide? Why should you read
it?

The short answer? A lot. The long answer:

What is drum programming and why is it important?

Source material: where to nd great samples and use them well
Simplicity, complexity, variation and interest
Swing and groove

Following that, theres a section titledGenre Studies. This is where well analyze
a track in each major genre (Trance, House, Drum and Bass, and Dubstep),
studying the style of drums and giving a breakdown of how those drums are
programmed.

Also, if drum programming interests you, and you want to delve deeper into it
and go above and beyond whats taught in this article, I highly recommend
reading the#HitIt The Ultimate Guide to Programming Drums
(http://edmprod.com/hititguide) ebook.

And nally, before we start, if you nd this article helpful in any way, Id love if
you could share it around. Sharing on Facebook and Twitter help
immensely, but even letting a producer friend know about it is just as helpful.

Enough of that, lets get into it.

Update:Ive put together a pack of two cheat sheets that you can easily
reference while producing. You can download them here.
(https://edmprod.leadpages.co/leadbox
/147a7e9f3f72a2%3A13634110db46dc/5747976207073280/)

What is Drum Programming?

Drum programming entered into existence with the invention of the rst
programmable drum machine. Apparently, before then, people used real
drum kits and actually played them. Who wouldve thought?

Drum machines were used extensively in electronic music, but also other
genres as well. The rst programmable drum machine was the Eko
ComputeRhythm (http://www.synthtopia.com/content/2009/08/25/the-
eko-computerhythm-jean-michel-jarres-drum-machine/), released in 1972.
Several years later, Roland released two drum machines that would change
the face of electronic music forever. The TR-808 (https://en.wikipedia.org
/wiki/TR-808) and TR-909. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TR-909)

Nowadays, very few electronic music producers use drum machines in the
classical sense. You might have a NI Maschine, which can act as a MIDI drum
masch- I mean, machine; but Im willing to bet that most of you reading this
program your drums with amouse.

Drum programming is essentially composing with drums. Youre not playing

live, youre plotting out sounds in a particular sequence. It diers from drum
synthesis (http://www.musictech.net/2010/12/drum-synthesis/) in that youre
not actually creating the sounds youre using (though one could argue that
drum synthesis is a part of drum programming).

The Importance of Good Drum

Programming
Theres one musical element thats fundamental to dance musicGroove.
Without a solid groove, dance music is not dance music, its just some other
weird experimental form of music.

Groove should be the basis for all your tracks, assuming your goal is to make
people dance (by dance, I mean anything from tapping a foot to spinning with
all limbs ailing everywhere).

People get hung up on this because they think groove means lowering the
tempo to 125BPM and make a funky tech house track. This is bad thinking.
Groove can take on many dierent forms; a 175BPM drum and bass track can
have groove, just as a 140BPM tech-trance banger can. Groove does not mean
swing, it just means the track has a solid rhythm that people can identify with.

How Groove is Formed

All instruments in a song should contribute to groove, but there are two in
particular that lay the foundation for it: drums and bass.

Though the two work together, theres a signicant dierence between drums
and bass in terms of their contribution to groove. If you solo your bassline, its
not going to have much of a groove. It needs to work in relation to something,
i.e., drums. However, if you solo your drum section, then youre going to have a
groove.

So, we can argue that groove is formed rst and foremost with drums. In that
case, dont you think we should put a fair bit of eort into programming them?

The Benefits of Learning How to Program Drums

At its core, drum programming is easy. Its not dicult to create a basic
kick-hat-snare drum pattern.

When you go deep into drum programming, however, you nd theres a hell of
a lot to learn. It might be a certain technique, the use of polyrhythms,
programming complex hi-hat patterns, trying to make your drums sound more
human, and so on.

Learning how to program drums, like anything else in the eld of music
production, is a lifelong process.

But there are key benets to being a good drum programmer:

You have a good sense of rhythm

Your tracks generally have good groove
Youre great at choosing samples and manipulating them
You understand the balance between simple and complex

Why? Because the skills you learn through drum programming also apply to
other facets of music production.
Good vs. Satisfactory
If you didnt notice, the heading for this section is called The Importance of
Good Drum Programming.

Good drum programming stands out. There are some beautifully composed
tracks out there that fall short when it comes to drums, andits noticeable. It
doesnt mean the track isnt great, but its just somewhat of a disappointment.

Which begs the most important question, how do you become good at
programming drums?

Listen, Listen, and Listen

You cant draw a house if you dont know what a houselooks like, just as you
cant program good drums if you dont know what good drumssound like.

Nine times out of ten when producers come to me with a problem, I respond
with You need to listen to music.

The problem might be that they cant come up with an idea for their drop. No
worries, go listen to some drops.

The problem might be that their intro sounds too boring. Okay, go listen to
some intros.

Listening is essential. You need to listen to tracks that have good drums. Not
only do you need to listen, you need to analyse them. Take down notes,
question why they used particular sounds, think about how strong the groove
is and what sounds are contributing to it the most.

In other words,itsactive listening. Treat it as production time and spend 30-60

minutes listening to tracks, specically the drums in those tracks.

If you need a starting point, here are tracks that I consider to have fantastic
drums:

House
 John Mayer Free Fallin (Matoma & Nelsaan Tropical Mojito Remix)
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RCx712GKqU)
Above & Beyond Sticky Fingers (Pierce Fulton Remix)
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWqWRYA4F9M)
Ella Henderson Ghost (Oliver Nelson Remix) (https://www.youtube.com
/watch?v=1hKSuXECnA4)
Oliver $ & Jimi Jules Pushing On (https://www.youtube.com
/watch?v=vxwVhSClB74)
Disclosure Latch feat. Sam Smith (https://www.youtube.com
/watch?v=93ASUImTedo)
Axwell Centre of the Universe (Remode) (https://www.youtube.com
/watch?v=fjCbW_pOuWY)
Florence And The Machine Youve Got The Love (Mark Knight Remix)
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lp3dQ2Jmk4)
Matt Lange Underscore (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-
PtzXqboho)

Trance

Audien Wayfarer (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhZlO4IpEP8)

D-Mad Tay (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DihGdaHkviw)
Jaytech Electron (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVWxUMo_5w0)
Andrew Bayer & Matt Lange feat. Kerry Leva In And Out Of Phase (Norin &
Rad Remix) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1A1QoaIDqI)
Parker & Hanson Gravity (Jason Ross Remix) (https://www.youtube.com
/watch?v=Mf5R2dZAz1o)
Ron Hagen & Pascal M Riddles In The Sand (Omnia Remix)
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrSR2Nv1QlY)

Drum and Bass/Breaks/Dubstep

Calyx & Teebee Elevate This Sound (https://www.youtube.com

/watch?v=epsUfFZ5i6Y)
Mat Zo Hurricane (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_W-bpyTXaA)
 Foreign Beggars feat DonaeO Flying to Mars (https://www.youtube.com
/watch?v=zgWApfPXvXw)
Asa, KOAN Sound This Time Around (https://www.youtube.com
/watch?v=7mXCxOehVI0)
Nigel Good feat. Johnny Norberg There For You Now
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pg8qg-PEN2o)
Noisia & Phace The Feed (https://www.youtube.com
/watch?v=uEgjtDkgWNo)
Photek Ni Ten Ichi Ryu (Teebee Remix) (https://www.youtube.com
/watch?v=ynzK4rDIFOo)

Note: if you read this list and get annoyed at the fact that I havent included
song X, leave a comment with a link to it and Ill update the post to include it (if
I think it has great drums).

Source Material Before Skill

Good sounding drums starts with good samples. As the old saying goes, you
cant polish a turd.

The better your source material is, the less work you have to do. Theres
nothing wrong with layering 7 claps together, but sometimes one clap is all
thats needed. The same goes with kicks. Layering kicks is a complex process in
and of itself, and often its better to nd just one quality kick sample.

Obviously using good samples still means you have to actually sequence your
drums. Samplesdont do the work for you. What they do is increase the
odds of your drums sounding great from the get-go, and unlike bad quality
samples, they dont need as much processing in order to t with the rest of
yourdrums.

Im not going to tell you how to pick the right samples for your drum section,
because that should be an intuitive process. Theres no method or technique
for picking good samples, its about using your ear. One thing that helps, of
course, is to develop your ear to listen for samples that will t well. The best
way to do this, other than to practice, is to again listen to other music.
Where to Find Great Samples
Unfortunately there are a lot of low quality sample packs out there, free and
paid. A good quality sample pack should last you many years and allow for the
production of many tracks, but theyre hard to nd.

Fortunately, Ive wasted a lot of money on these things, so Ive got a fair idea of
whats good and bad. Ive listed a few good sample packs for each major genre
below:

House/Modern EDM

Melbourne Energy Bounce (http://edmprod.com/melbournebouncepack)

Deep House & Garage Vol. 3 (http://edmprod.com/deepgaragepack)
Small Room House (http://edmprod.com/smallroompack)
Vengeance Electro Shock 2 (https://refx.com/products/vengeance
/samples/)
Mike Vale Tech House Edge (http://edmprod.com/mikevalepack)

Trance

Activa Trance Essentials (http://www.freshlysqueezedsamples.com/activa-

trance-essentials.html)
Sunny Lax Studio Essentials (http://www.freshlysqueezedsamples.com
/sunny-lax-studio-essentials.html)
Studio Essentials Progressive House (http://edmprod.com/studioprogpack)
Progressive House Drums (http://edmprod.com/progdrumspack)

Dubstep/Drum and Bass

Leviathan (http://edmprod.com/leviathanpack)
Proton Drum n Bass (http://bhksamples.com/product/proton/)
Melodic Dubstep and Beyond (http://edmprod.com/melodicdubsteppack)

If youre thinking ofbuying a particular sample pack, I strongly recommend

you download afree taster pack or demo pack if itsavailable. This is a good
way to test the quality of the samples and decide whether you think the pack
is of quality. Another tip that I wish Id been told is to keep your sample
collection to a minimum. You really only need a few good packs and thats it.
The more samples you have, the more time youll waste looking for the right
sound. Save money and get creative with what you have.

Free Samples?
Ive only linked a few premium sample packs above. I highly recommend
buying at least one sample pack, because the quality is generally a lot better
than free sample packs, but that doesnt mean that good free sample packs
dont exist.

There are a number of places you can nd free samples:

Bedroom Producers Blog (http://bedroomproducersblog.com/)

MusicRadar (http://www.musicradar.com/news/tech/free-music-samples-
download-loops-hits-and-multis-217833)
Producer Loops (http://www.producerloops.com/Download-Free-Samples-
Loops-Download/)
Function Loops (http://www.functionloops.com/free-samples.html)
Computer Music (http://www.musicradar.com/computermusic)
Future Music (http://www.musicradar.com/futuremusic)
MusicTech (http://www.musictech.net/)

Your Samples Arent as Bad as You Think

When you have too many sample packs, you tend tolook for the perfect
sample. In fact, this can happen regardless of how many sample packs you
have.

Sometimes youll be looking for a particular sound, say a clap, and youll come
across one that ts perfectly without any adjustment. This happens from time
to time, and its great. Most of the time,it doesnt happen; youll come across
samples that sound like they might be able to t, samples that are okay,
samples that have minor aws, and so on.

These are the samples you should be using. Do not waste your time browsing
for the perfect sample, its an ineective use of your time. Lookfor the sample
that worksalright, and then process it so it becomes the perfect sample.

For example, youre looking for a meaty snare that has a nice thwack around
200Hz and a crisp high-end. You come across one that has a nice thwack, but
not enough high-end. Use it. Its not the perfect sample, its not exactly what
youre looking for, but it will do the job. After that, you can either boost the
high-end with an EQ or add somedistortion, or you can layer it with another
snare that contains the high-end character that you want.

Instead of listening to the sample as it is, listen to what it could be. Do this,
and youll nd that the samples you own are far more usable than you think.

The Creative Potential of Using Samples You Hate

Problems require creative solutions, which is why its a good idea to use a
sample you absolutely hate from time to time and do your best to make it t
with the rest of your drums.

Youll probably fail the rst time you try this, but that doesnt matter. Using a
sample that you hate forces you to think outside-the-box to x it. You might
have to add reverb in a certainway to cover up ahorrible artifact in the
sample, or do complex surgery with an EQ.

Its not something I recommend doing with every track, but if youre in need of
a creative challenge (http://edmprod.com/music-production-experiments/),
then its denitely worth doing.

Simplicity and Complexity

Drumprogrammingseemssimple, but isnt.

To get a cohesive sounding drum section, you might need to spend ludicrous
amounts of time adjusting the velocity on your hi-hats, or the reverb decay tail
on your clap. Its the minor intricacies that reect your taste and add
complexity to a seemingly simple part of yoursong.

Simplicity Goes A Long Way

Many producers, however, feel they need to focus on complexity more than
anything. They feel their drums need to have at least 15 dierent channels,
and that the more percussion they add, the better.

The problem of over-complexity or over-producing is a big one. Its such a topic

that Id rather address it in a dedicatedpost.

The important thing to note here is thatthe simple solution is often the best.
This means if youre making a Deadmau5-like progressive house track and
youre not sure if you need to add an extra percussion sound, you should err
towards not doing so.

The other reason for avoiding complexity is that your drums, while essential,
only make up a single part of the track. You need to leave room for your
basses, synths, FX, and other bits of audio scattered around the place. If
you work on your drums early on in the production process (and I recommend
you do), you should think ahead about what youre going to add afterwards,
and make room accordingly.

In addition to all that, the more simple your drums are, the more impact
they have. The hard-hitting dubstep that was popular a few years back had
incredibly simple drums, as did a lot of earlier trance. What stood out was
thateach drum hit punched through the mix. When your drum sections are
too complex, the main features (kick, snares, claps, toms) of your drum section
often become hidden.

Adding Interest and Variation

No one wants to listen to the exact same 1-bar drum loop for 16 bars. Its
boring. Yes, you should have a core drum loop: in most dance music this will
be your kick, clap, hat, and maybe toms or other percussionthe sounds that
play every bar. But you alsowant to add material to make the drum loop more
interesting.

I recommend following the 2/4/8 approach, which goes something like this:

Every 2 bars, have a particular drum hit play

Every 4 bars, have a new drum hit play thats bigger or louder than the 2
 bar one
Every 8 bars, have another drum hit play thats bigger than both the 2 bar
and 4 bar hit

In practice, this might look like:

2 bars: reverse clap before the last clap on the 4th beat of the 2nd bar.
4 bars: deep tom on the last 16th of the 4th bar
8 bars: gated snare on the last beat of the 8th bar

Doing this turns what would be a boring 8 bar loop into a far more interesting
one. Its also a good way to incorporate micro-tension into your track.

You dont need to add extra samples to do this though. What you can do is
simply vary the sequence at certain points to create interest. For example,
instead of having a reverse clap before the last clap every 2 bars, youhave the
last clap hit twice (one hit on the beat, and then another straight after on the
obeat). Instead of having a low tom on the last 16th of the 4th bar, you add an
extra kick in. And instead of having a gated snare on the last beat of the 8th
bar, you remove everything apart from a clap.

Using Swing and Groove

Beyond picking the right samples, laying out a drum section, and adding
variation, theres one other thing you can do to make your drums sound
better.

Swing.

Almost all DAWs provide the option to add swing to audio and MIDI clips.
Typically, its under the quantise section of whatever DAW youre using, but
some DAWs will be dierent. For example, Ableton Live has a dedicated groove
pool as shown below.
(http://myzone.edmprodlimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02
/Screen-Shot-2015-02-20-at-10.09.15-am.png)

Adding groove or swing to your drums can take them from being straight and
boring to funky and exciting, or it can completely screw them up.

I like to use subtle swing on almost every track I make. Its unnoticeable, as in,
if someone listened to it theyd be hard-pressed to hear the swing doing its
work, but as soon as its turned o, you notice its absence.

I encourage you to experimentwith swing. Theres no way to really teach you

how to use it, because its so subjective. You might produce funky tech
housewhereusing heavy swing will make sense, or you might make 138BPM
uplifting trance in which case heavy swing wontwork as well.

Adding Swing to Individual Sounds

Its generally a good idea to add swing to all your drums, butyou can also
apply it to individual instruments.

For example, you add a shaker that playsevery 16th note to your drum loop,
but you nd its a little too straight and boring. At the same time, you dont
really want to add swing to everything else, so you add swing to just the
shaker. Thisdoesnt always work, and depends largely on the strength of swing
you add as well as the other drum sounds youre using, so its wise to
experiment.

Genre Study: Trance

Trance isnt a genre that relies on drums as much as others do (such as house
or drum and bass). That being said, there are still many interesting things
about drums in trance which well take a look at.

Well be looking at the drums in two main strands of trance music: uplifting
and modern.

By uplifting, I mean tracks from artists like Ian Standerwick, ReOrder,

Photographer, and so forth.

By modern, I mean tracks from artists like Beat Service, Mark Sixma, and
Shogun.

Uplifting Trance
Uplifting trance is heavily focused on melody and progression. In more recent
times, however, the drums in uplifting trance have become somewhat more
important, especially the kick.

Breaking it Down
Uplifting trance is pretty straight forward in terms of programming. Heres the
pattern for Boulevard by Jamie Walker (https://www.youtube.com
/watch?v=JfBmEsOlCI0):
(http://myzone.edmprodlimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02
/Boulevard.png) And it sounds like this:

00:00 00:00

Key Points
There are a few things you notice when listening to the drums in uplifting
trance. The rst is how powerful the kick is. Uplifting trance tracks typically use
a very heavy kick that has a lot of power, sometimes this can even sound
overpowering, but it works in the context of the track.

The second thing to notice is how important the o-beat is. Often therell be an
open hi-hat on the o-beat to help move the track forward, which works in
unison with the pumping sidechain that most uplifting trance features.

Another thing to point out is the claps used in uplifting trance. The claps are
often very simple compared to other genres, and tend to have a long tail which
leverages the pumping eect. This can be achieved by adding a reverb with a
long pre-delay to a basic clap.

As a whole, uplifting trance isquite basic in terms of drums. If theres

complexity, youll nd it in the high-end with the hi-hats and ride cymbals.
Theres rarely any low-end percussion due to how the bassline is arranged,
and also very little percussion in the mids due to the bassline taking up that
area of the frequency spectrum as well.

Modern Trance
The modern trance sound thats become more popular over the last couple of
years is much harder to dene. On one hand, youve got the Enhanced-style
electro-inuenced trance, and on the other hand youve got a smoother sound
thats still considered modern.

Im going to stick to the sound that artists like Beat Service and Shogun
produce.

Breaking it Down
Because this style of music is so diverse, its extremely hard to give what would
be an average example of the drum sequence. Some modern trance tracks are
very simple, following a pattern similar to that of uplifting. Others are far more
complex. Ive used the Beat Service remix of Armin van Buurens Waiting For
The Night (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19RnkADIkBc)as an example.

(http://myzone.edmprodlimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02
/Beat-Service-Drums.png)

Heres what it sounds like:

00:00 00:00

Theres also a fair bit of swing added to this pattern.

Key Points
Compared to uplifting trance, modern trance drums tend to bemore broken.
Short percussion sounds break the ow and make the pattern sound more
complex and interesting.

Electro-inuenced trance tends to feature more toms and percussion.

Transcend by Z.E.R.O is a good example of this:
Because modern/progressive trance is generally a lot slower than uplifting, you
can program drums in a certain way (a complex way) and it wont sound as bad
as it would at a faster tempo. For example, if the above song was playing at
138BPM, the drums wouldnt work anywhere near as well.

Genre Study: House

House is very diverse. Ive used the term house to encompass a wide range of
sub-genres from deep house to modern big room, festival-type music. Well be
looking at the following sub-genres:

Electro house
Deep/future house
Tech house
Tropical/melodic/chilled house
Big Room

Electro House
Before we look at drums in the electro house genre, I want to clarify what I
mean by electro house. I dont claim to be an expert on genres and whats
what, so you may disagree with how I categorise things, but thats not what
matters here. What matters is learning how to program drums.

When Italk aboutelectro house, I mean artists like Wolfgang Gartner, Feed Me,
Mord Fustang, and so on. You could call it complextro. The reason Im doing
this is because of how many dierent styles of music electro house
encompasses. If Im going by Beatports standards, which I dont think are the
best, then Id have to put Melbourne Bounce, Big Room, and many other styles
under the same umbrella, which is far too dicult to do.

That being said, if theres enough demand, I will update this post to include
genres like Melbourne Bounce. Just let me know in the comments if youd like
this to happen.

Breaking it Down
Im using Mord Fustangs remix of Fussy Boys Gold (https://www.youtube.com
/watch?v=j1FYtZYzRko)as an example. To me, its the perfect example of classic
electro house drums. Simple, dirty, and eective.

(http://myzone.edmprodlimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02
/Electro-House.png) Heres what it sounds like:

00:00 00:00

Key Points
One thing to note about electro house drums is the incredibly simple patterns.
The track above is literally just a kick, hat, and snare pattern (though there is a
hi-hat layered with the kick). Why are they so simple? I would argue that its to
provide contrast to the complex arrangement of basses and synths, but thats
just me.
Another thing worth pointing out is the sound of the drums. This correlates to
mixing rather than programming, but generally electro house drums are very
dirty and rock like. A good way to achieve this is by using parallel distortion or
simply picking samples that have a rough characteristic.

Deep/Future House
Now for the hot genre at the moment, deep house. Ive included future house
too, just because I dont want an elitist to come along and tell me that what Im
calling deep house isnt deep house. Im talking about style of drums used by
artists such as Tchami, Gorgon City, Disclosure, and Oliver Heldens. Call it what
you want, Im going to stick with deep/future because the drum style in both is
very similar.

Breaking it Down
The song Im modelling is Dreams by Tough Love (https://www.youtube.com
/watch?v=rfD63MqgFMI).

(http://myzone.edmprodlimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02
/Deep-Future.png)

Heres how it sounds:

00:00 00:00

Key Points
The key thing to note with deep/future house is the use of swing. Its not
always used, but most of the time it is, and its heavy swing. It also generally
only aects the 16th notes, so the open obeat hi-hat isnt being aected. Its
the closed hi-hats and the snare drums that contribute to the swing.
Its also interesting how loose the drums are in most deep/future house songs.
Its much dierent to trance, for example, where the drums are tightly
quantised and clean. This certain style of music also allows for samples that
sound a little more dirty than usual, similar to electro house.

And nally, the drums are quite simple in terms of samples and layering. Many
deep house tracks use a standard 707 clap, for example. The bassline is the
focus, and the drums are there to support it. Not the other way around.

Tech House
Tech house is very similar to deep house, but there are obvious dierences
when you listen closely.Drums tend to take precedence over the bassline, for
example.

Breaking itDown
There are tech house tracks out there with complex drum patterns
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GL3CzA6pfe8) which I could use as an
example. However, due to the size of this article, and it not being tech-house
specic, Im going to use a track with a relatively simple yet classic tech house
drum pattern; Coee by Guille Placencia (https://www.youtube.com
/watch?v=XswUWXj-aUQ).
(http://myzone.edmprodlimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads
/2015/02/Coffee.png)
Heres how it sounds:

00:00 00:00

Key Points
Tech house can be quite diverse, so the drums in one track may sound a lot
dierent to another. However, there are a few key takeaways.

The rst is that theres a big focus on the obeat. In the example above, theres
a strong ride cymbal coupled with an open hi-hat thatdrives the song forward.

Secondly, tech house tends to have a lot more percussion than say, deep
house. Youll often hear tribal percussion, toms, snare rolls, and more.

Another thing that I havent touched on yet is that tech house, along with
other genres including deep house, often uses a double kick before the start of
a phrase (every 8-16 bars or so). This means that instead of the kick playing
X X X X on the last bar, it plays X X X X
X This often adds a bit of energy and is an eective way to bring a new
element in.

Tropical/Melodic House
One of my favorite genres at the moment, and for good reason. This type of
music is always enjoyable to listen to. Its very creative, and the drums are
always amazing.
Breaking it Down
Im going to be using Kygos popular track Firestone (https://www.youtube.com
/watch?v=j8WSspA9gB4)as an example:

(http://myzone.edmprodlimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02
/Firestone.png)

How it sounds:

00:00 00:00

Key Points
Unlike other genres, there isnt really a common drum pattern in the genre.
That being said, there are a few key things to notice, especially with Kygos
track.

The thing that most stands out, at least to me, is the amount of reverb on the
drums. Barring the kick, every hit has a tonne of reverb on it. You could argue
that this is part of Kygos style alone, but a lot of artists in this genre do the
same thing.

The use of samples also stands out. A lot of melodic house songs will feature
the clap on the second beat, but not the fourth. Or theyll use a dierent
sound for for fourth beat. In the case of Firestone, Kygo has a very interesting
pattern, with a snap on the second followed by a sidestick/snare on the third.

Big Room
Ah, big room. The most controversial genre of our time.

What am I talking about?

I mean the festival music. The big hardstyle like kick, the supersaw melodies,
and simplistic drop. It might not be considered house music, but its worth
covering, especially considering how popular its become.

Breaking it Down
Because the drums follow a commonpattern and style, Ive made my own
pattern instead of remaking one.

(http://myzone.edmprodlimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02
/Big-Room.png)

How it sounds:

00:00 00:00

Key Points
The rst thought is, why is this drum pattern so simple?

Its simple because it works. Festival music isnt made for listening at home and
lavishing in its artistic complexity. Its purpose is to make people jump up and
down, go crazy, and enjoy themselves. The average festival-goer doesnt care
much as to whether a producerputs in a few extra shaker hits here and there.

Typically, big room will feature a subby, distorted kick. This is obviously a key
element. Often its layered with a clap, which often has a lot of reverb added
and is sidechained to the kick. Also, its not uncommon to hear a ride cymbal
on top of this also.

Occasionally youll hear a tom playing the same pattern, or similar pattern to
the one above. This can drive the track forward and add extra energy after the
initial 8 or 16 bars in the drop have played.

When it comes to choosing samples and programming big room drums, you
need to think BIG and keep it simple.
Genre Study: Drum and Bass
Alright, weve looked at the four-on-the-oor stu, so its time to branch out
and look at two other popular genres, starting with drum n bass.

To be upfront, Im not a drum n bass producer and never have been. My

knowledge is somewhat limited, so just keep that in mind as you go through
this section. If youre looking for tips from the pros, I highly recommend
reading Trevor Waldorfs guest post: Drum Tips From 6 Talented Drum & Bass
Producers. (http://edmprod.com/6-drum-tips/)

Breaking it Down
Im using Calyx & Teebees Elevate This Sound (https://www.youtube.com
/watch?v=yQgVg6uk6Fo)as an example. Please note that Im modelling the
middle part of the track that doesnt contain all the percussion.
(http://myzone.edmprodlimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02
/DnB.png)

How it sounds:

00:00 00:00

Key Points
Drum and bass is fast. I would argue its the hardest genre to program drums
in, not only due to the speed, but the importance of the drums themselves.
After all, it is called Drum and bass.

One of the key things that stands out in drum and bass is the snare. Its
absolutely essential that you get the snare right. In house and trance music,
the snare or clap is a supplementary sound. In drum n bass and dubstep, its
a foundational sound (like a kick would be in house music).

Another thing that stands out is the use of hi-hats. There are often many
dierent layers of hi-hats going on at the same time. The above example is
relatively simple as far as Drum n bass is concerned.

Genre Study: Dubstep

Like trance, theres sort of a disagreement on what real dubstep is. Youve got
the original sound being pushed by artists like Benga and Coki, and the more
modern sound that Zomboy and others are proponents of.

Breaking it Down
Im going to be using the middle ground as an example. A track I consider to
have modern elements while still staying close to the original sound. That track
is Flying to Mars by Foreign Beggars feat. DonaeO (https://www.youtube.com
/watch?v=zgWApfPXvXw).
(http://myzone.edmprodlimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02
/Dubstep.png)

Heres how it sounds:

00:00 00:00

Key Points
The drums in dubstep are supporting elements for the bassline, and therefore
are quite simple and straightforward. One thing to note is the laid-back feel of
the drums, especially in this particular track. The shue-like rhythm of the
hi-hat makes for a very loose groove which works cleverly with the bassline.

The other thing to notice in this track is the subtle percussion. I didnt notice it
at rst, but after listening more closely it becomes clear.

Tips and Tricks

Use ADSR extensively to make samples t with the rest of your drums.
If you have to add a lot of eects to your sample to make it t, its probably
a bad sample.
Use bad samples on purpose to invoke creative and unique solutions.
Use swing on individual elements to add complexity.
Simplicity goes a long way. Always ask yourself whether you need to add
another sound.
When picking samples, use the search function in your DAWs sample
browser. Its far quicker and easier than opening up sample pack folders.
Add interest and variation. Have a sound that plays every 1, 2, 4, and 8
bars.
To improve your drum programming skill, remake patterns from existing
tracks in your genre.
Always keep room for other elements (bass, synths, vocals, etc).
Conclusion + Cheat Sheet
Weve covered a lot of material. Weve looked at the importance of good drum
programming, why you need to listen in order to learn, and weve also worked
through a range of dierent genres, analysing the drums in one song from
each.

If this article helped you in anyway, I would really appreciate it if you shared it.
Twitter and Facebook shares help immensely.

And nally, if you have any questions, leave a comment below and Ill get back
to you as soon as I can.

Photo Credit: ebaycustomers001 (https://www.ickr.com/photos

/50703440@N03/6334273224/) via Compght (http://compght.com) cc
(https://www.ickr.com/help/general/#147)

(http://getworkowbook.com)

Tags:drums (http://edmprod.com/tag/drums/), ultimate guide

(http://edmprod.com/tag/ultimate-guide/)
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aviatrik 6 months ago

Awesome guide. This really helped me step up my production game
1 Reply Share

AdamO a year ago

Another song I think has a great groove is Oliver Heldens' remix of "A Lot Like Love":

1 Reply Share

Kaloyan > AdamO a year ago

It's actually some kind of a collab thing, at least according to the Voyagers. Anyway
here's a tutorial from the guys themselves:
 (https://edmprod.leadpages.co

/leadbox/147ae2173f72a2%3A13634110db46dc/5680316245082112/)
(http://edmprod.com/marketingschool)

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