UNIQUE BEATS

Rip up the rhythmic rulebook and customise drums with our guide,

Creating a beat in your DAW is easy. Throw a few samples on the timeline and drag them into position; or fill up a drum sampler with one-shots and lay down MIDI notes. With the quality of software and sounds that are available to us today, even an absolute beginner can manage to piece together a generic drum groove with relative ease.

But the key word in that sentence is, of course, generic. On a daily basis, streaming services and download portals are flooded with thousands of new tracks, making it harder and harder for new artists to get their music heard. In this day and age, generic simply doesn’t cut it.

What’s the solution to this? A producer must cultivate a unique signature style in order to rise above the masses, and seeing as electronic music is predominantly driven by rhythm, drums are one of the best places for you to start.

That’s why, throughout this feature, we’ll take you through three essential areas of beatmaking: programming, sound design and processing. Yes, we’ll get you up to speed with crucial techniques in a generic sense, but the real aim is to go beyond the functional and unleash your creativity. In your mind, work out how you can massage some of our ideas into your own tracks, and stretch past your usual methods in the search for beats that stand apart from the boring.

So whether you’re crafting bangin’ dancefloor beats in your bedroom, or you want to freshen up your grooves in a unique way, it’s time to get stuck in with our tutorials. First up, rhythm and programming…