Creating a Beat in the Drum Machine: A Step-by-Step Guide

Tutorial | Nov 30, 2020

In this video, I'm using a drum machine to create a beat. I'm using four hi-hats and a clap, and then I'm experimenting with quantizing and layering different sounds in order to create a more natural and chilled out beat. I'm also using a synthesizer to create a kick drum and I'm adjusting the levels and the speed to create the exact sound I'm looking for.

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Questions & Answers #

Maybe you dont watch the video, here are some important takeaways:

What drum machine is being used in the video? #

The drum machine being used in the video is a XO drum machine. It is capable of creating random patterns and includes a variety of hi-hats, claps, and kicks.

What is the purpose of synthesizing a kick drum? #

The purpose of synthesizing a kick drum is to create a unique and custom sound that is tailored to the particular song. Synthesizing a kick drum allows a producer to craft a sound that fits the song perfectly and gives it an individual sound.

What is the difference between using samples and synthesizing a kick drum? #

The difference between using samples and synthesizing a kick drum is that samples are pre-made sounds that have already been created by another artist or producer and are often used as a starting point for making music. Synthesizing a kick drum, on the other hand, allows producers to create a sound from scratch that is specific to the song they are creating.

How can a producer use a drum machine to create a unique sound? #

A producer can use a drum machine to create a unique sound by combining pre-made samples with synthesized

Transcription #

This is what im talking about in this video. The text is transcribed by AI, so it might not be perfect. If you find any mistakes, please let me know.
You can also click on the timestamps to jump to the right part of the video, which should be helpful.

[00:00.000] Okay, let's use the drum machine here, which I never use.
[00:07.040] The recent streams I always used XO, but the extract with the XO works also with the
[00:11.980] drum machine.
[00:12.980] So I'm just using four hi-hats here in my library, because I have a lot.
[00:24.820] I just drag a bunch here into the drum machine, which creates a lot of pads here, then I can
[00:34.020] step in and make some random patterns.
[00:39.020] Yeah, let's just start.
[01:07.540] Okay, like this, then maybe here I bring in some in the three ghost notes.
[01:34.620] Okay, so I'll use a clap here, let's see what I have, let's call a clap.
[02:04.540] Clap, clap, clap.
[02:11.540] Are you simple, mostly, to kick two seems more like for EDM stuff?
[02:28.900] Yeah, true.
[02:30.540] But before I search for the right kick drum in my sample library, most of the time faster
[02:37.780] just synthesize my own kick drum.
[02:46.180] After feeling the title was just paid, it could be, yeah, sorry, I mean, you all know
[02:57.660] how it did, if I write something in the title, which is in the video itself, no one clicks
[03:06.340] it.
[03:07.340] And if I write some bullshit title, everyone clicks on it.
[03:14.740] Hey, AJ, thanks for tuning in, nice wipe, yeah.
[03:26.620] So you're able to 10 years or no, I used it before for a live acting on not live acting,
[03:33.420] I'm used it for DJing, but this was 10 years ago, ideas, it's better, the samples, but
[03:46.940] if you know what kick you want, there's kick to faster, yeah.
[03:51.100] If you know exactly what you want, some kind of deep bass drum, it's, yeah, it's easily
[03:58.540] done with the synth plug-in.
[04:02.980] But it's not that I don't use samples for kicks, I also use samples a lot for kick drums
[04:09.460] or layering, so let's use this clip here, no, it's a nice clip, oh, it's a kick track
[04:31.180] why, why is that?
[04:49.220] I maybe cue this bit here to remove the low end, and maybe the clip is too much, maybe
[05:00.380] a half time, maybe also here the heads are too much, over the long run I want to keep
[05:13.940] it chilled, you know, not like, I don't want to have a clap tune, that's maybe too much
[05:28.420] here.
[05:56.260] Maybe you want to humanize this a bit here with the quantized function a bit of travel.
[06:23.620] Yeah, use a second.