>Step by step

Programming authentic Motown-style drums in your DAW

1 First, a backbeat-based Motown groove. For any classic-style drum part, capturing that live, human feel is essential, so we’re going to record this in real time using MIDI trigger pads. Getting the right drum sound is obviously also key, and here I’m loading up a vintage kit with a damped snare in Toontrack EZdrummer 2.

2 If you’re not a drummer, you might want to record each kit element separately. Let’s start with hi-hats, as they define the ‘grid’ for the kick and snare. I set up a fourbar loop, activate the metronome and record an eighth-note pattern. I apply 16th-note quantise at about 40% to tighten the part up.

3 Now for the kick and snare. First, I enable MIDI overdub so I can record into my existing clip. I don’t need the metronome this time, as that role is now filled by the hi-hats. There’s nothing fancy about the kick/snare pattern in this particular Motown style – it’s simple but funky.

4 Applying 42% 16th-note quantise to the kick and snare tightens the whole groove up a touch. With any live MIDI drum recording, there will inevitably be the odd errant hit that needs sorting out after the fact. In this case, it’s a rushed hi-hat and a noticeably quiet snare, both of which are easily fixed by hand.

5 Despite its frequent appearance in Motown, that particular groove is actually quite generic. There’s another beat often used in the genre, though, that’s much more idiomatic: the 4/4 snare, as deployed by the Four Tops in Reach Out I’ll Be There. Start by recording an eighthnote hi-hat line and a snare on every beat.

6 The kick drum hits on beat 1 and the eighth-notes between beats 3 and 4, and 4 and 1, sitting with the bassline rhythm that invariably accompanies this particular groove. Easy! Finally, throw in the classic fill of the genre, and that’s every Motown drumming box ticked.