DR BEAT

Get your low-end groove on with this month’s guide

Get the piano roll secrets for tying drums and bass together

In all forms of music involving the drum kit – be it acoustic or electronic – the relationship between drums and bass is key to achieving a powerful, energetic rhythm section. Actually, we can be even more specific than that and narrow it down the partnership of kick drum and bass, as we’re really talking about making those two particular low-end elements work together to bring solidity and vibe to the all-important bottom end of the mix – the foundation of any groove, on which the hi-hats, snare and other percussion have no direct bearing.

In very general terms, the bass should follow the kick, and that can mean anything from the two sounds literally landing at the same time, note for note, to the bassline weaving around the kick drum, each one filling the low-frequency void created when the other isn’t present, to a combination of the two. Indeed, there are countless ways to get these two inextricably linked instruments to support and complement each other, and in this tutorial, I’ll walk you through three of the most ubiquitous and straightforward. To follow along, get the videos and tutorial files from FileSilo.