Layering Drums For Dance Music

[xpoc]

Can anyone Help me with some info of layering drums for tempos of 120 - 140 bpm.
Techniques would be nice....:thumb:

[billdrum]

That's pretty vague.....what is it exactly that you want? Patterns, advice, ideas?

[crazyguy832]

WTF do you mean by layering?

[Evgeny]

layering usually refers to complex parts, with different layers of rhythm.. like Garibaldi's work for instance. but I am not sure if topic starter refers to that. if the music is contemporary, for most part you can go with bass drum on each quarter and hi-hat on each 8 between them. :)

[billdrum]

I wonder if he's referring to drum machine programming though....layering various drum and percussion sounds to create a more complex grroove than one person could lay down by himself?

[Surf]

What kind of dance music?

Trance style or IDM?

Either way its going to be a different approach...

[xpoc]

That's pretty vague.....what is it exactly that you want? Patterns, advice, ideas?

YEs im lookin for patterns and ideas

[xpoc]

layering usually refers to complex parts, with different layers of rhythm.. like Garibaldi's work for instance. but I am not sure if topic starter refers to that. if the music is contemporary, for most part you can go with bass drum on each quarter and hi-hat on each 8 between them. :)

yes i know what u mean. i think u kno what im talking about. Im wondering how to create drum pattern loops and then find out if its good for different drums with different speeds and rythem going on at the same time.

I know that the tighter the drum loops are closser to each other the better.

I have drum loops patterns from simple cds but i figure its a lot better if i use the drum seprate and create my own drum loop patterns for the songs im working on.

[xpoc]

What kind of dance music?

Trance style or IDM?

Either way its going to be a different approach...

Im tryin to creat electro & trance

and the drums r similar then the bass synths between electro to trance or anytype of music.

Thats my point of few tho

[Josiah]

not advanced.

listen to the kind of music you want to make. as far as learning how to use the programs.. there are more approriate places by far. spend a lil time on google man, it's not that hard to learn just about anything with a lil effort now a days.

[xpoc]

not advanced.

listen to the kind of music you want to make. as far as learning how to use the programs.. there are more approriate places by far. spend a lil time on google man, it's not that hard to learn just about anything with a lil effort now a days.

yeah im actually spending 2-4 hours everyday on this. And its really helping. I would love for my drums to just be the best they can b for my music. Thanx man ill keep on tryin harder to find ways and better programs.
Iv come across a program called stylus rmx for drums.


Im sure you know about that program tho

[Josiah]

I don't program drums, I play them.. *shrug*

I know theres lots of DJ forums where they talk about programming and sharing beats, etc

[Chippy569]

if you could use some proper spelling i could understand what you want a little better.

What programs are you using right now?

[xpoc]

if you could use some proper spelling i could understand what you want a little better.

What programs are you using right now?

stylus rmx

And im from a foreign country and only 16

so if your going to be a faggot *** about it **** off i dont need your help

[Chippy569]

the spectrasonics plugin? that's not really the kind of vst you want. for making drum loops...

do you have a particular song that demonstrates what you're trying to do?

[xpoc]

the spectrasonics plugin? that's not really the kind of vst you want. for making drum loops...

do you have a particular song that demonstrates what you're trying to do?

heres two songs by deadmau5 that i love the drums http://w13.easy-share.com/4082601.html

Those are the types of drums im trying to make. I could make the everything else when im in a studio computer.

spectrasonics is proply the best iv used so far. But im young and need to explore a lot more, so if you think theres something better for making drums just say the names and ill google.

[Chippy569]

so just some deep, punchy kick drum, a very clean, open hi-hat, and a high pitched, dry snare/rim. Here's what it'd look like as tabs:


Hh|x-O-x-O-x-O-x-O-|
Sn|----x-------x---|
Bd|x---x---x---x---|



from there, you just need to vary that basic structure up. such as...


Hh|xxO-xxO-xxO-xxO-|
Sn|----x-------x---|
Bd|x---x---x---x---|


or


Hh|x-O-x-O-x-O-x-O-|
Sn|-g--x-g--g--x-g-|
Bd|x---x---x---x---|



or



Hh|xxXxxxXxxxXxxxXx|
Sn|----x-------x---|
Bd|x---x---x---x---|


or whatever variation you can think of.

(oh. the little x is like a medium velocity, no accent hit. the big X is a higher-velocity, accented hit. the O is an open hi-hat)


basically, what you really need to find is the samples you want. That makes all the difference.

[xpoc]

Thanks a lot it was what i was looking for. What can i give you or what do you want so you could teach me some more of this.

[Surf]

Get Reason. It sems pretty suited to yours needs. You can create beats, or drop samples in.

However, it seems like the examples you want to use are pretty common beats so I would suggest using the samples rather than making up your own.

If you download a sample pack, it'll contain loads of pre-made stuff like this, and it'll save you the effort of making in note by note.

I use Sony's ACID software and that's pretty good sample-wise, but I'm into the more IDM aspect of it.

[Chippy569]

really i think you're using the wrong software. See if you can buy a copy of Reason by Propellerhead. Or, since you're using a VST plug-in i'm assuming you're already running a Cubase or Protools kind of system, in which case see if you can find a Reason Adapted. It's about $150 new. Although if you wait about a couple more months, Reason 4.0 will be released, meaning you can get a copy of Reason 3.0 for CHEAP.

I definitely think a copy of Reason is what you're looking for. go to http://www.propellerheads.se and download/try the demo -- extremely cool.

[Imperial Star]

yeah i use fruity loops for this kind of thing, similar thing to reason.

[Talos]

For ideas Wikipedia dance music, im a music student and the first area of
study I did was dance music, it covered: Garage, House, Disco, Trance, Rap, Hip Hop, RnB, etc. and all the features of those styles are on there.
Four-on-the-floor is the main feature in all of those styles. You should include that.
And dont go for drums that sound too acoustic like, it sounds crap on an electronic record.
I know this because I make electronic music in Fruity Loops

[xpoc]

iv tryed reason and its not all that good..... I use ableton live and i have over 5 gigs of samples and 4 gigs of REX2 files. So im all i really needed was the patterns for making drums.

IS there a website i could find with different genres of drumloop patterns. I would really like to make some hip hop rnb and reggae type of music. Thanks a lot for the help again :thumb:

[Surf]

ACID is great for making sample based music. Fruity loops is kind of weak if you're doing it more seriously.

You need more samples. Always need more samples. Its a much better idea to use samples than building up a drum beat from scratch. You can take a sample and make it do what you want, but it usually sounds more cohesive and balanced when premade.

Check this stuff http://www.myspace.com/huwthomasmusic Its what I've made in ACID, all sample based; same basic principle. The last tune, ShadowBox is a drum and bass track, maybe that's near what you're looking for.

[xpoc]

Thanks surf ill check that myspace out right now

I made a drum loop just now it took a sec

sounds good

heres a link tell me what needs to be done or what iv done wrong

http://www.mediafire.com/?emxycwmgxdy

[Chippy569]

IS there a website i could find with different genres of drumloop patterns. I would really like to make some hip hop rnb and reggae type of music. Thanks a lot for the help again :thumb:

the easiest way would be to go get yourself a bunch of hiphop, rnb, and reggae music and LISTEN to the drum beats.

[Ollie The Drumming Legend]

In what way are techno and other "club" type beats advanced? Just buy one of those compilations that are always advertised on TV - essential club hits 2007 "40 of the freshest most crucial must-have dance anthems to come out this week" or whatever they're called. Or just go to a gym, they always play them there.

Really, they're mostly just bass drum on every crotchet or quaver (4th/8th notes) with long crescendos with parts gradually added (basic hihat and snare rhythms, and similar synth drum sounds - think offbeats and 16th notes) and sudden drops in dynamic followed by everything coming in together.

Despite my general dislike of this sort of music, I do hope this sort of helps.

As for hiphop, there is loads of hiphop around, I would say just listen to it. Some of my favourite hip hop "drums" are from NWA's Straight Outta Compton cd, listen to them some of the beats are pretty funky I think, e.g. the straight outta compton (the song) has a good groove if I remember correctly. :)

[Chippy569]

NWA's Straight Outta Compton cd, listen to them some of the beats are pretty funky I think, e.g. the straight outta compton (the song) has a good groove if I remember correctly. :)

ha! cuz it was sampled from the AMEN BREAK!
http://youtube.com/watch?v=5SaFTm2bcac

[Ollie The Drumming Legend]

ha! cuz it was sampled from the AMEN BREAK!
http://youtube.com/watch?v=5SaFTm2bcac

haha, awesome, I never realised that. That video is incredibly interesting and informative btw :)

[Surf]

Trance beats can be more complex. But its music to dance to, complicated style of phrasing would be wrong for the music. IDM drum beats are extemely complex. µ-ziq does some great work, and Squarepusher uses alot of live drums, which he plays himself.

For stuff like the Amen, this site is great: http://www.junglebreaks.co.uk/

[Ollie The Drumming Legend]

Trance beats can be more complex. IDM drum beats are extemely complex.

But its music to dance to, complicated style of phrasing would be wrong for the music.

Now I'm confused :confused: Complex or not? Also, what is IDM? I have not heard many dance tracks with complicated drumbeats, or much of a groove to them (hip hop being a major exception though, IMO it follows fairly straight on from funk). I guess it depends what type of dance music you're talking about. Could you further explain ? Jungle has more complex drums am i right? As does DnB?