Step 1 – The Sound Material

Once you’ve mastered drum layering, you might find that you’ve lost your desire to download drum sounds, because you’ll be able to imagine and create your own by layering sounds you already have. Nonetheless, before we begin layering, it’s important to get some good sounds to start with.

Beatmaker Mafz has a provided a great free drum sounds pack, which you can download at the FL Studio community MakeItLikeAPro. He has graciously given me permission to use these samples in this tutorial. While the sounds used in this tutorial are available in the play pack, you might want to download the whole free pack of sounds he’s made available here (look for Mafz Drumkit Volume 2).

Step 2 – Begin Simply

First I’ll start by layering kicks, but first I’ll look for a good starting point. A good punchy sound in the Mafz pack is Kick 44.

When combining drum sounds I like to have a some sort of pattern playing while I design, because it’s easier to adjust knobs when you have the sound playing and you can hear what you’re doing. For now, I painted a pattern in the step sequencer and here’s what it looks and sounds like. Note that I adjusted the tempo to 100 bpm.

Download audio file (drumlayering1.mp3)

Step 3 – Adding Dirt

That’s a good start, but I want to make the kick sound a little more dirty, so I’m going to look for a dirty sound to layer with it. I’m actually going to look for an acoustic snare sample because I want to make it sound like the kick is hitting so hard it is causing a snare sitting next to it to rattle a little bit. This sometimes happens with acoustic drumsets, so it will actually sound a little more natural than you might think.

The snare I chose from the Mafz pack is Snare 35. I dragged it into the project and painted the same steps as the kick pattern, and I can already tell this going to take a bit of work to make it sound right:

Download audio file (drumlayering2.mp3)

The first thing we need to do is get rid of that snare’s attack. To do this, I’ll open the Channel Settings window for the snare sound, click on the “INS” tab, and adjust the “ATT” knob to put a quick fade in on the sound.

Download audio file (drumlayering3.mp3)

Now that the snare’s attack is gone, two things have become clear. One, the snare’s volume needs to be turned down, and two, the snare’s resonant body is interfering with the kick.

We can filter out the snare’s tonal sound by using the sampler channel’s built-in filter. I’ll change the filter type from “Fast LP” to “HP”, which will make it into a high-pass filter. I’ll also adjust the “Mod X” knob to adjust the filter’s cutoff to 9 o’clock. Then I’ll pitch the sound down six notes by right-clicking the spot above F on the onscreen keyboard. This will make it more grimy, and less sparkly.

Download audio file (drumlayering4.mp3)

The sound is getting there, but I’m concerned that the snare rattle layer sounds too much like a high hat, so I’ll link the snare sound to a mixer track, and bring up a Parametric EQ 2 to filter out some of the highs.

Download audio file (drumlayering5.mp3)

Step 4 – Make it Punchier

We’ve got an interesting sound going right now, but the attack sounds a little wishy-washy to me. There is not enough “oomph.” I’m going to look for a sound that has a deeper, but clearer attack.

To help add some of that I’ll bring in Kick 10 from the Mafz pack and use the amp envelope to remove everything except the attack and some decay of the sound—sort of the opposite of what we did with the snare. To do this, I brought in the sound, painted the pattern in, and turned the ATTack and SUStain knobs all the way down, and adjusted the DECay knob to about 10 o’clock. I also turned the volume down to about 40 percent. Even though the volume is turned way down on it, it makes a big difference when everything is added together.

Download audio file (drumlayering6.mp3)

Listening closely to the sound, I can tell that I might want to EQ some things, for example I may want to take out some of the low-end on our first kick sound so that I can turn up the new kick a little bit. In fact I’ll do this. I’ll link the channels to the mixer, and do just that to see how it sounds.

Download audio file (drumlayering7.mp3)

Well, I don’t like the way it sounds, so I’ll go back to the previous settings. You can learn a lot through trial-and-error—especially when it comes to seeing what works when layering drums.

Step 5 – Bring in Some Claps

I could continue to work on the kick, but I would need a few more tracks in the mix to see what needs to change. It’s time to start working on the snare element. I’ll bring in Clap 22 from the Mafz pack and simply place it on beat 2 and 4 to start with.

Download audio file (drumlayering8.mp3)

Step 6 – Adding Interest

This sounds pretty good to me, but I want to make it more interesting. Almost anything works when layering claps, perhaps because most clap sounds are essentially a group of individual claps recorded/layered together. So in many cases, to add another clap sound would increase the number of people clapping together.

For this step, I just added Clap 2, to beat 4. I chose this clap because it’s longer and sounds more realistic to me. No amp envelopes or filtering were necessary, but I did turn the volume knob of the new clap down to about 60 percent.

Download audio file (drumlayering9.mp3)

Comparison and contrast are important in audio, and at this point I found that the clap on beat 4 sounds too big compared to the clap on beat 2. I want the claps to sound different, but not this much different.

So, I looked for another clap to layer, and found another realistic-sounding clap—Clap 14 from the Mafz pack. I added it only to beat 2, and lowered the volume to about 40 percent.

Download audio file (drumlayering10.mp3)

Now the claps on beat 2 and 4 sound really different, there’s a nice low clap / high clap contrast going on. But something I liked about this loop before I added the last clap was the abruptness of the first clap when compared to the second clap of the loop. Having a kick immediately follow the first clap was a good way to have an abrupt feeling, and I want to highlight this abruptness by making the first clap last a short amount of time.

To restore this feeling, I’ll use the envelope in the channel settings of the clap I just added. An instant attack, and a medium-sized decay should be the only things in play in this envelope so I turned down every knob except the decay. You can hear me adjusting the decay knob in this next audio file and see the picture of the end result.

Download audio file (drumlayering11.mp3)

Step 7 – Turning Hi Hats into Shakers

From here it’s time to add some hats. I don’t usually layer hats but we will do some basic sound design on one. Let’s use Hat 13 from the Mafz pack.

With the hat pattern I wanted to have a shuffle feel. Note that the “shuffles” appear in places where there is space between the kicks and snares. When you add more of anything to a project, it’s good to look for open spaces rather than pile everything together (unless you’re layering those sounds). I only reduced the volume of the hat to 40 percent.

Download audio file (drumlayering12.mp3)

Those with keen ears might think that perhaps this hat sound was created in part by layering a shaker with a hi-hat. I don’t know if that’s the case or not, but being able to imagine things like this will come in handy when you try to take pieces from different audio files and put them together to make new ones. For this beat, we’re going to turn this hat into a shaker by adjusting the ATTack knob of its volume envelope as shown.

Download audio file (drumlayering13.mp3)

Step 8 – The Rest of the Song

Now we’re really getting somewhere with this beat. From here, you might decide to try to play in the beat from your keyboard for 8 bars or so. Having varying velocities and slightly imperfect timing will add a lot of humanness to this groove. Another option is that you could simply make another pattern that is very similar to this, and have an “A, A, A, B” arrangement. From here, it would be time to add instruments and you’ll be well on your way to a complete track.

Download audio file (drumlayering14.mp3)

You can greatly expand your sonic possibilities through layering. Drums, cymbals, instruments—anything—can be layered, and sometimes the result sounds nothing like the parts that make up the layered sound. You might discover some new sounds and production techiques. So get out there, make some tracks, and become the master of your drums!

Rewire is often underestimated and in many cases goes unused. Using Rewire correctly can actually expand your sound palette, avoid unnecessary rendering and even add extra processing tools to your DAW. Let’s take a look at how Rewire works, some of its history and a few situations we can use it in.

Step 1 – Understanding Rewire

Rewire is a pretty impressive piece of software engineering, allowing MIDI, audio, transport commands and even instrument patches to be transferred between applications. Using the newest Rewire 2, an impressive 256 audio channels and 4080 midi channels, across 255 independent busses can be utilized. That’s more channels than most of us need and certainly enough to handle even the most demanding projects.

Even though it works with cutting edge software applications, Rewire technology is in no way new and is in its tenth year of existence, having been introduced in 1998. Originally developed in a joint venture by Propellerheads and Steinberg, we first saw Rewire appear in the now discontinued (but classic) Rebirth software synthesizer. Since then the protocol has become an industry standard, with just about every major DAW manufacturer adopting it as their primary inter-application streaming method.

If the concept of ‘Rewiring’ applications still seems a little daunting to you just think of it as a virtual patch bay, with ‘cables’ between your audio apps. The real beauty of the system is the diverse types of data Rewire can carry, so sync, transport, midi and audio are all taken care of.

Even in its complexity Rewire is a really elegant protocol, with most of the routing taking place in a pretty invisible fashion, so all you have to take care of are a few basic control panels.

Rewire was first developed to link Rebirth to Cubase VST

Step 2 – Compatible Applications

Rewire and its relationship with most DAWs has really matured over the years. In most cases its integration and performance is rock solid. This pedigree also shows in the long list of applications that support Rewire out of the box. The bottom line is that if you own a major DAW it is very likely to speak the Rewire language.

The list of applications supported is a little long to list here, but you can check whether or not your software is by visiting this page on the Propellerheads site. The list also gives specific details as to which features are supported in each application.

It’s worth mentioning that the slave/host system that Rewire uses at this point, as applications need to be opened in the correct order if things are going to work properly.

One application acts as the host or master, while the other is slaved to it. This means that the host’s transport controls and BPM settings will apply to the slave, so if you hit play on the host the same will happen in the slave. Also audio is streamed from the slave to the host, so if you are trying to get audio from one application to another you need to decide in advance which is the host and which is the slave.

For an application to be used as a host it must be opened first. Any application opened after that will be treated as a Rewire slave. You are not limited to one application here and can open numerous different programs to act as Rewire slaves, but there can be only one host.

The Rewire panel in Cubase 5 running Reason as a slave

Step 3 – Using Rewire to Add Instruments & Features

The main way Rewire is used is to expand the functionality of a piece of software. Let’s say you are working in Cubase 5, and your track is coming along nicely but you want to quickly audition some loops you have warped in Ableton in real-time.

Of course you could import them one by one and re-analyze them using Cubase’s system but this would take time and could slow up the creative process. Alternatively to harness the power of Ableton’s elastic audio functions and to use our previously treated loops, we could simply use Ableton as a Rewire slave.

Once set up you can easily stream audio from anywhere in Ableton to any number of channels in Cubase 5’s mixer. You now have the features of both pieces of software available in one session.

Ableton is capable of being both Rewire slave and host

Just as you may want to share features between DAWs, you may also want to use sounds or instruments to expand you current applications sonic palette.

Using Reason as a virtual rack of sound modules and synths is the perfect example of this. Reason is generally very light on your computers main CPU, so it can be a really wise move to use Reason’s sound sources if you are looking to maximize your machines potential. Rewiring Reason to Cubase or Logic (for instance) can provide excellent results.

The mixing capabilities of the larger DAWs combined with the extensive instrument list in Reason makes a great combo, and remember any of these instruments can be sent to an individual Rewire channel for further processing.

Reason as a Rewire slave

Step 4 – Rewire as Mixdown Tool

Just as some people may want to tap into an application’s instrument list whilst constructing a project, others may feel that they need extra mixing features when it comes to the mix-down and mastering stages. Rewire can really help in this area and if you’re not already using it for this purpose, it may be just the thing you’ve been looking for.

Let’s say you have completed an entire project in Reason or Ableton Live. You may feel you need extra mixing and automation capabilities, with more advanced routing options. While you may love Live’s environment for creating music, Cubase, Logic, Digital Performer or Pro Tools could give you the edge when it comes to mixing your track.

It’s simply a case of setting up Ableton Live as a Rewire Slave and sending as many independent channels as you need into your Rewire host. Of course, you don’t have to send every single channel in your project separately, you could send them as groups. This can save time and still give the required results.

Once your mix is complete, the separate ’stems’ coming into your Rewire host can be bounced for later use and both applications can be saved as usual for instant recall of your mixing session.

Cubase mixing multiple channels from Reason

The routing on the Reason hardware interface

Step 5 – Using Rewire as Vocal Processor

Another more unusual use for Rewire is as a vocal processor connection. Celemony’s excellent Melodyne software and also Yamaha’s Vocoloid can both be connected to hosts via Rewire.

Melodyne provides near perfect pitch correction and formant manipulation and although it comes in plug-in form, the stand-alone version offers a fuller feature set and a more complete interface. When used with a Rewire host the playback of any pitch corrected signals is perfectly synced with your host’s clock. This means you don’t have to render your work immediately and any adjustments can be made on the fly.

The excellent Melodyne studio can used as a Rewire slave

The design of the bass sound is fairly simple. One needs a simple mono synthesizer – preferably with filter parameters that can be key-tracked (in this case we’ll use FL Studio’s popular Sytrus synth), a guitar amplifier simulator with a speaker cabinet impulse response for bass sounds, an EQ and a standard compressor. In addition, some effects on sends might be added – we will discuss those at the end of this tutorial. Here’s how it works: first, a filtered saw signal is dramatically attenuated with EQ, then it passes through the amp simulator, and is finally compressed.

Step 1

Firstly, if you don’t already have a guitar amp VST, you’ll need to get one. Other plug-ins needed for this tutorial are already in FL Studio and are perfect for the job.

I strongly recommend the Voxengo Boogex freeware plug-in.

Step 2

Now we’ll program our bass patch. Load a new Sytrus instance into the step sequencer and pick the "Default" preset – it should be the first one on the presets list.

Choose the first operator (OP 1), change the shape to saw and tweak the freq-ratio parameter to 0.2500 – you should get the result pictured below:

Next, set the routing up. We need to patch the first operator (OP 1) through the first filter (FILT 1) with the following parameters:

• Filter Type : SVF x2 (with high quality)
• Cutoff : ~15%
• Resonance : ~80%

The routing matrix is showed below to make things easier. Additionally, we’re setting up the key-tracking for the cutoff parameter:

You can always tweak that key-tracking according to your taste. It’s easier to set up the border points in the first place.

Finally, it’s preferable to switch our bass into monophonic mode with some legato. We do this by setting up channel settings on the Misc tab:

Our patch is now configured. Let’s move onto configuring the FX rack.

Step 3

Bring up the mixer and set the routing from the Sytrus plugin to Insert 1. Load up Parametric EQ 2, Voxengo Boogex and Fruity Limiter.

Focus on the Parametric Eq 2 plug-in. We will do dial in attenuation with peak band in the range between 100 and 400Hz. Depending on which frequency we choose, we’ll get a darker or brighter sound. This decision should be made according to other elements in the mix, such as the bass drum or keys (for example, a Rhodes). In this tutorial we’ll make it 150Hz and a ~12dB boost:

Bring up the Boogex, load up the Speaker Cabinet F Impulse Response and turn the drive parameter to 0dB. Notice how boomy this sounds. Turn the gain parameter to about -18dB.

Our bass setup is nearly ready. Still, the instrument could use a better attack and be more stable, depending on the key. We will try to fix this with the Fruity Limiter, which provides us not only with limiting functions, but has a functional compressor. First, switch the tab to COMP. Then, configure the parameters roughly as follows:

• Threshold: ~ -25dB
• Ratio: 1.6
• Attack: ~40ms
• Release: ~50ms
• Ahead: 0ms
• Envelope curve: -4

Then, switch to the LIMIT tab and configure:

• Gain: 1.0 dB
• Limiter Ceiling: -3.2dB

Here’s the result so far:

Download audio file (audio_sample_1.mp3)

Step 4

We can take this texture a bit further and make it more exciting, for example by adding a proper chorus send effect. To do this, first select the send track in the mixer and load another instance of Parametric EQ 2 – we will use it to cut low frequencies off sharply. Next, load any chorus effect plugin (in this case we’ll use Fruity Chorus) after the EQ. Load the “40Hz cut” preset and change it to approximately 200Hz.

This will prevent low frequencies being processed by the chorus – we want to leave them as they are, mostly to ensure the lower sounds remain stable after merging to mono. The chorus plugin can be adjusted to taste. In this tutorial we’re using the following settings:

• Delay: ~6 ms
• Depth: ~3 ms
• Stereo: 128 degrees
• LFO 1 Freq: ~0.36 Hz (other lfo’s disabled, ie. 0Hz)
• LFO 1 Type: Sine
• Cross Type: Process HF
• Cross Cutoff: ~200Hz
• Wet Only: Yes

After setting up the Send 1 rack, we need to route some amount of signal from the Insert 1 track. Turn the Send 1 amount knob to ~64%.

The result should sound similar to this:

Download audio file (audio_sample_2.mp3)

Step 5

If we want this particular bass sound to have more edge, we can use another send, again with high pass and with additional distortion. Set up a Parametric EQ 2 in similarly to Step 4 (this time make the cutoff frequency higher, ~300Hz). Load up Fruity Waveshaper after the EQ and select the “Softmunched” preset from the plugin preset menu.

This time we will send a considerably smaller amount of signal – tweak the Send 2 amount knob to ~10%.

Here’s the final result:

Download audio file (audio_sample_3.mp3)

For a more personalized result, you should experiment with different filter setups, frequencies of attenuation, or different bass cabinet impulses.

Note: this tutorial contains embedded audio that will not display in a feed reader. Click back to the site to read the tutorial with audio or download the Play Pack at the end of the tut.

For this tutorial we will be using FL Studio 8, Styrus VST and Cakewalk’s Z3TA+.

Step 1: Setting Up

First we want to open Fruity Loops on a blank template. We then want to add a Styrus to the sequencer and put it on its own mixer channel. We also want to open the preset CERBERA SAW.

Step 2: Making a melody

Next we want to create a melody on the Styrus channel.

Cerbera without Wobble Effect

Assign a Fruity Fast LP to one of the FX slots on the Styrus mixer channel to set up for the wobble.

Step 3: Making the wobble

Now we must right click the cut-off knob and go to Edit events. This brings up the automation for the cut-off knob. Notice the lower the cut-off filter is the less high end we get on the sound. This is because it is filtering the high out of the sound and only leaving us with the bass.

Step 4: Define the wobble

We then need to create an LFO. To do this we either press Alt+O, or click the spanner icon and select LFO.

Value defines how high the wobble will go; it basically defines the highest point of the cut-off to apply to the wobble. Range defines how low the cut-off goes at the lowest point. Speed defines how fast the transitions between low and high on the cut-off apply.

If you right click the speed knob, a set of predefined steps come up.

If we leave the End box ticked we can set the end of the wobble to change, so that over the length of the wobble you can set it to get faster, higher and lower.

Cerbera with Wobble Effect

Step 5: Using Z3ta+ to wobble

An alternative way of wobbling is to use a VST with a Modulation Matrix so that we can create the wobble inside of the VST. For this tutorial I’m going to be using Cakewalks Z3TA+, with the preset THUMP BASS in BANK C.

First we need to load up the VST into the sequencer. We also need to make sure it’s not on the same channel as the Styrus.

Next we need to open the VST interface and load the preset in the top right corner.

Z3ta+ without Wobble Effect

Step 6: Adding the wobble to the mix

Now we need to assign the LFO to the cut-off filter. We do this in the Modulation Matrix in the bottom left corner of Z3TA+.

In the Source column, select LFO1. In the Range column, we want the value to be quite high but not all the way to the left. We’ll leave the Curve column and the Control column blank.

Last but not least, we want to change Destination column to All Filters Cutoff.

Step 7: Defining the Wobble

In the top right corner of the Cakewalk Z3TA+ VST is a section called Low Frequency Oscillators. This area is where we can define how the wobble sounds.

For this tutorial I will be using a Sine for the Wave 1 value, and leaving the rest as default. As you can hear by turning on Wave 1, the wobble starts.

But what if we want to change the speed? Well, we have to change the Sync. The sync is equivalent to speed on the Styrus LFO; the lower the number, the faster the wobble.

We can also add a second wave to the Wave 2 box to manipulate the sound even further.

Z3ta+ with Wobble Effect

Step 10: Final touches

The last step in the process is to add the final touches. I’ve added some drums, an arp, sirens, beat box kicks and a lead. You can check out the Fruity Loops file in the sound pack.

Final Track

In this tutorial you will learn the time honored techniques of manipulating one of these famous breaks and fashioning it into Drum & Bass sensibilities.

Note: this tutorial contains embedded audio that will not display in a feed reader. Click back to the site to read the tutorial with audio or download the Play Pack at the end of the tut.

Step 1

In this tutorial we will be using FL Studio, but the principles would be the same in any DAW.

We will be working with a reproduced version of one of the most famous breakbeats in history: “Amen, Brother”. The original live drum solo was preformed by Gregory Sylvester, and the beat was sampled from the 1960 Soul/Funk Song “Amen, Brother” preformed by The Winstons. It has been used extensively throughout early hip-hop, and many would argue it is the reason why Drum & Bass is with us today.

So, go grab yourself a cookie, ignore your boring neighbours and let’s get down to business.

amen.wav [Right-click to download]

Download the ‘Amen’ sample provided here. This loop is entirely royalty-free and you can use it anywhere, anyhow and in any which way you like! Copy it to your sample library in FL Studio.

Step 2

Drag and drop the Sample directly into the FLS Step Sequencer. We will be usings FL’s standard Slicer as opposed to Slicer X, which is tailored for triggering samples on the fly using its integrated filters.

FL Studio will conveniently load up the loop, pre-sliced and ready to roll.

Click on the miniature piano-roll display alongside your new sample channel. This will open FL Studio’s Piano Roll. From here we can now take a closer examination of our beloved breakbeat. Trigger Playback at the default tempo of 140 BPM.

Ah yes, there she is, ain’t she just glorious! Of course, for this loop to begin to sound a little more Drum & Bass like we need to up the tempo accordingly. Select the tempo and choose 160 BPM.

This is sounding a little better, but let’s move right into the nitty gritty and teach this break a lesson!

Step 3

Let’s drop the tempo back to 120 BMP for a moment. This allows us to observe a clear distinction between the individual elements that comprise the loop.

BAR 1

Slices 1, 2 and 3 are essentially the “core” or the “body” of the break comprising of a simple kick, kick snare. Believe it or not—and you soon will—it is these three little innocent sounding slices that make up the majority of the loop’s structure.

Slices 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 are a mix of open hats, closed hats and a secondary snare (PERC section for short.)

BAR 2

The second bar of the loop is essentially the same as the first but with a single rhythmic variation on the initial kick. You can highlight and delete this entire bar now.

This simple structure not only makes this loop incredibly robust and re-usable, it also makes it a lot easier to work with. In effect, it almost becomes an instrument in itself—and over time this has indeed been the case.

It’s prudent to name your individual slices to avoid confusion and to generally make working with the slices more enjoyable. You can do this by bringing up FL Slicer and left or right-clicking the upper Slice Properties menu.

Go ahead and name slices 1, 2 and 3 “Kick 1″, “Kick 2″ and “Snare”. We will deal with the latter perc notes further on.

Rename your slices by left clicking here.

Step 4

Firstly, it is imperative that you familiarize yourself with Cut, Copy and Paste commands and also using the Pen Tool + Shift key to highlight notes as groups and to drag and drop chunks of notes. These are both very simple functions and absolutely essential. If you are new to FL Studio, now would be a good time to take a quick squizzy through the supplied documentation.

Of course, if you’re really keen you purchase a copy of the FL Studio Bible.

“Thy solemnly swear my allegiance to FL Studio” (and AUDIOTUTS too!)

Step 5

Highlight and select our first three notes: Kick 1, Kick 2 and Snare slices using Copy and Paste. Select the Pen Tool, hold down Shift, and drag the three-notes as a group across, duplicating them once. Repeat the process and duplicate the same three notes again, this time deleting the last snare so it fits nicely within the first bar (look at section one in blue).

From here, Copy and Paste this section we just created and duplicate until we have an 8 bar loop.

Now set your tempo to 180 BMP and trigger playback.

Luuuuvley Jubbly!

What we have now is a seamless loop, which not only sounds great, but is the basis for the rest of our editing and malarky.

audio_1_seemless_loop.mp3

Step 6

From here we can begin to build-up the body of our break via edits and adding various rhythmic variations. One excellent way to do this is to incorporate the use of FL Studio’s event editor. Automation clips have been incorporated in recent versions of FL Studio, but for the purposes of this tut we will be sticking with the inline event editor and piano roll, which in my opinion offers a far more intuitive way of working.

Through the event editor we can now automate various effects, including pitch, filters, velocity and all sorts of goodness by drawing-in automation events via the Pen Tool.

The following are some popular break manipulation techniques commonly employed by contemporary breakcore and DNB artists. Each technique that follows will employ only our prepared break and we will progress one technique at a time.

Down that caffeine!

Step 7

Time for pitch adjustments. This may seem obvious to some, but unfortunately it is very often overlooked and many an aspiring producer will fail to recognize its potential as a major creative tool.

Here are some examples of effective Pitch Adjustments:

Right-click on the mysteriously blank grey box to open up the contextual menu. From here select Note Fine Pitch. Remember this menu as we will we be referring to it later.

Draw-in the event manually using the Pen Tool. Right-clicking and dragging while drawing makes it easier to create straight lines.

Select our Kick and Snare notes beginning just prior to bar 2, and ending thereof. As highlighted below, proceed to drop the pitch by 300%. This will create an “ask” and “answer” decapo rhythmic structure.

audio_2_pitch_adjust.mp3

Step 8

Here we’ll create a pitch adjustment with simple ghost snare variation. Let’s start with the rhythmic variation. We’ll achieve this using both the Note Fine Pitch event and introduce our first ‘ghost snare’.

Select Slice 5 and rename it ‘ghost snare’.

Proceed to add the snare notes as depicted above.

By adding a simple doubling of a ghost snare we have given the break a new groove. Exploring this technique is a fantastic way to make fresh and arresting rhythms.

audio_3_pitch_and_snare.mp3

Step 9

While we’ve explored some interesting techniques so far, this loop will quickly get boring if we do not begin to add and build-up rhythmic edits. Let’s start by creating a filtered snare roll to nicely tail-off our 8 bars. Highlight and select the last 5 notes on the 8th Bar. It’s these that we’ll be working with. Select the Snare and dupe it 6 times, then draw-in a cut-off freq event and drop the value to 90%

Now we have a cool glitchy snare roll that ends the 8 bars nicely. Incorporating this technique and using the cut off frequency at sporadic intervals can help create interest and inject lifeblood into a loop.

Any DJ or producer worth their spit always know how to drop, alter, mix, edit, glitch up, mash up, smack up anything at unexpected intervals! A skilled beat-master will focus on the off-beats—and never eat freakin’ jellybeans! EVER!

Step 10

Let’s add even more rhythmic variation. We will achieve this using both the note fine pitch and our new ghost snare. Above the first 2 kicks on the 2nd bar, add 2 ghost snares as shown below.

On the 3rd and 4th bar let’s draw-in a Note Fine Pitch Event, again using the Pen tool and selecting Note-Fine-Pitch. From that mysteriously unlabeled large grey rectangle, bring up the context menu.

Draw in one pitch adjustment event at 600% on the very beginning of the 3rd Bar. Draw in another pitch adjustement event beginning just after the first Kick on the 4th Bar at 300%, and on the 4th Bar, if you feel like it, delete the kick at the end. This gives a “tighter” sound to the edit.

If we play back our entire 8 bar loop, we should have…

audio_4 ghost_note_pitch_and_roll.mp3

Hell yeeah!!

Step 11

As you can see, the Amen break used alongside a simple toolset can be a highly expressive instrument. The most important aspect of this, in my experience, is the body of the break, which underpins the whole structure. Remember: it only takes a very limited toolset to achieve great results.

Don’t be seduced by all the frilly extras until you have your foundational techniques mastered. Sit down, get yourself in the right mindset and explore mixing these techniques together to create new and interesting rhythms.

From here on out it is a matter of exploration, and in all honestly this is the best advice I can give you. To give you a number-by-number account of notes, which were placed by ear to begin with, would only lead you to recreating my exact edits. This is not something you want.

Instead, think along the lines of using this loop as a instrument. Here are the techniques that I employ to play it.

1. Pitch
2. Cut-off Filter
3. Velocity
4. Ghost Notes
5. Delay (occasionally)

Knowing where and when to drop in the perc sounds is a creative process. There is no one set of rules for you to follow every time. This doesn’t mean there isn’t a formula that must be followed—there is!—but it does mean that the only true way to discover what works and what doesn’t is to immerse yourself in as much of the music as possible. And if you love it, this is hardly a challenge!

I am sure there are numerically inclined perfectionists cursing me right now. But if you take a numerical approach to producing beats, it will often show. To capture energy and expressivity requires personal inspiration, and a little bit of skill.

Although these are basic tools they are the bread-and-butter of understanding Breaks. The more you limit yourself to a particular discipline, the quicker you will discover your creativity has no choice but to flourish. Beginning by learning how to mangle the crap out of the Amen Break and other select breaks is a path some of today’s biggest names have walked, and you too can follow this in this time-honored tradition.

Below is a little snippet of what using only the techniques explored in this tutorial can do (with a bit of patience and a lil’ bit of lurrrve…)

Listen to the finished product:

amem_edit_final.mp3

Mostly importantly, keep your ego at bay! Allow yourself to listen. Let the music speak through you.

Please be aware this is my first tutorial on behalf of AUDIOTUTS. If you’ve enjoyed it, feel free to drop me a comment about this tut or anything else you might interested in knowing (mixing theory/EQ/Compression/Effects/Tricks/Programming Beats/Gnarly B-Lines/Analogue and FM Synthesis).

Thanks to Skellie, Collis and all those associated with the Envato Network—and very special big-ups to a very special girl… Kuyan.

Amen, Brothers!

In this tutorial I’ll show you how to re-create Soulja Boy Tell ‘Em’s ‘Crank That’ in FL Studio. This process will walk you through the construction of a #1 smash-hit and demonstrate that you don’t need top of the line tools to create a best-selling hip hop track.

Note: this tutorial contains embedded audio that will not display in a feed reader. Click back to the site to read the tutorial with audio or download the Play Pack at the end of the tut.

Step 1

Before we get started, the tempo of the song is 70bpm. I have set the “Beats per Bar” on FL’s Step Sequencer to 8 to keep things organized.

Step 2

The hook in this song is a steel drum hit titled “PERC_SteelDrum_C5.wav.” As stated before, this and all of the other sounds that were used to make this song are available in the stock sound packs that come with FL Studio.

You can find “PERC_SteelDrum_C5.wav” by browsing to Packs > Percs.

Right click the file and go to “Open in new channel”. This will bring the file into a new sampler channel. Turn the volume knob up to all the way, then right click the channel name and click “Piano Roll.”

Once you’ve got a piano roll window up you will be drawing the simple steel drum melody to this track. It uses notes C, G, and G# to create the melody. Copy this rhythm to recreate the hook exactly as it is in the commercial version of the song:

step_2.mp3

Step 3

Sound like the real thing? Not quite–we’re going to need to put some effects on it to match the original. Put the Steel Drum sample on its own channel, and simply add some reverb and compression to liven up the sound.

Note that I’ve lowered the volume of the reverb effect a bit. Now we’re sounding a little more like the commercial production. Let’s get the orchestral hit in there.

Step 4

The orchestral hit is the first sound we hear in the track, and it is used almost every first beat of every measure in the song. You can find it by browsing to Packs > HIT_2. While you’re there, take a listen to “HIT_3,” which was used by Neptunes producer Pharrell in the song “Moneymaker” by Ludacris.

Again, right-click, load to a new channel, and turn the volume up to 100%. Add a note trigger to the first beat, and your step sequencer should now look like this:

Step 5

Almost spot on, but again, it will take a little work to make it sound like the real thing. And when I say little, I mean another reverb/compression FX chain! Assign HIT_2 to its own channel, and add a reverb and compressor.

The result:

step_3.mp3

That’s it. We can now work on some of the beat’s elements.

Step 6

Southern Rap has gone through a phase where a lot of songs incorporate a fingersnap as opposed to a clap or snare, and ‘Crank That’ is no exception. The exact sound used in this song is called “HIP_Snaph.wav,” and can be found by navigating to “Packs > HipHop”

Load the sample, 100% volume, and assign to a new mixer channel. Put a trigger on every downbeat, and you’ve incorporated the Snap into your project. Your sequencer should look like this:

Step 7

The snap in the song, along with a lot of other elements, is put through pretty heavy reverb and compression. Apply the following, which shares settings exactly like our HIT_2 chain:

Step 8

Now, I may not have the exact sample used for this effect, but it sounds pretty similar so we will use it for this tutorial. The crash used in “Crank That” is probably “RD_Crash.” Browse to it by selecting “Packs > Real Drum Kits”

As you’ve done previously, load, adjust volume, and assign to its own mixer channel. Under the sample properties (this pane pops up when you select the sample name in the Step Sequencer), click on “Reverse” to quickly reverse the sample.

Step 9

We now need to specify when we want the crash to come in, so create a piano roll with this sample (as done previously with the steel drum) and draw the following:

The ghost notes are from our Steel Drum hits. Now all we need to do is apply (you guessed it)… more reverb and compression!

Note the adjustment to the reverb level. I won’t make you do that again–I promise!

snap_and_crash.mp3

Now with it all together, you have the first 16 bars from the original, exactly as they appear in the version that went 3x platinum. Here’s what it looks like in the Step Sequencer:

Simple? Absolutely! Done? Not yet!

Step 10

There is a lot of repetition with the beat and the samples contained in this song, so in the interest of time, we are going to add quite a few drum samples at once.

The samples prefixed with VT_ (BD_2, CL, CHiHat) can all be found in the “Vintage” subfolder in the “Packs” folder. Remember to add two “VT_BD_2″ channels. Samples prefixed with “HIP_” can be found in the “HipHop” subfolder in the “Packs” folder.

Both of the VT_BD_2’s, HIP_Kick_2, and HIP_Kick_6 can be added to the same mixer channel–I chose #1, and added a simple compressor with the “Vintage” preset.

VT_CL can be placed on the same mixer channel as your Orchestral hit (HIT_2).

VT_CHiHat can be placed on the same channel as the Steel Drum, “PERC_Steel_Drum_C5.”

Step 11

For what seems to be a relatively simple song, there quite a few variations in the beat. The song uses multiple kick samples, along with seemingly random Clave (VT_CL) use, and occasionally throwing in some hi-hats over the verse.

To capture the hi-hat rolls, I created a piano roll with the following score:

With 18 variations on the beat’s sequencing, explaining each one would take far too much time–reference this tut’s Play Pack for the completed FL Studio project with full sequencing.

Here’s what your final product will sound like:

soulja_boy_crank_that_fl_studio_recreation.mp3

Note: this article contains embedded audio that will not display in a feed reader. Click back to the site to read the tutorial with audio, or download the audio files at the bottom of the post.

Listen to some examples of this effect in action:

You may assume that it takes a masterful engineer and a lot of money in hard effects to get that autotuned sound, but that’s not the case: using only a few steps and a simple plugin you will be well on your way. In this tutorial we’ll go one step further and show you how to create an autotuning effect that sounds as good as the pros.

This tutorial assumes basic knowledge of VST effects and FL Studio. You will need Antares AutoTune VST or a similar autotuning VST to perform this effect correctly, and of course, a microphone that is able to record into FL Studio. Besides that plugin, I will be using the effects packaged with FL Studio to finish shaping the sound.

Tutorial Setup:

• iMac Core2Duo 2.16ghz
• 2GB Ram
• Audio Technica ST90 Microphone ($25!!)
• Alesis IO 26

Step 1

Make sure you’ve purchased Antares AutoTune, a similar VST, or have picked up the demo. If you’re wary of purchasing this product, I’ve found that if you are working with any sort of vocals it pays for itself almost immediately.

We are going to setup a mixer channel in FL Studio to pickup our microphone. Mine is on Blobusound Channel 2, so I select that accordingly.

If done correctly, you should have activity on the input meter. If not, you’re going to need to check your ASIO/WDM settings, or make sure that you have a soundcard or interface that can support a microphone input.

Assuming you have activity coming in and that you can hear yourself, load Antares AutoTune onto the first slot of the mixer. Notice any difference? You probably can’t–we need to change some settings before going further.

This is the raw vocal I’ll be working with in this tutorial:

raw_vocal.mp3

Step 2

At this point, you’re going to want to change the “Input Type” at the top. This helps the tuning engine accurately adjust the incoming signal (in this case, your voice) to “tune” correctly. We are going to manipulate the tuning engine by changing it to “Alto/Tenor Voice”. This will trick the AutoTuner into shifting your voice upwards, and “filling in” your missed notes with a synthesized “voice.”

With the input type changed, it is now time to change the key and scale. T-Pain’s hit song ‘Buy U A Drank’ is in B-flat minor, so we’ll change the key to B-flat and the scale to minor.

You may notice some difference here, but the key to real auto-tuned vocals is to change the “Retuning” threshold to as fast as possible, in this case “0.” With it down at zero, when your voice fluctuates from note to note, it detects what note your voice is in, then jumps it to the next note in the scale, keeping it in key. With these basic settings in place, you should be singing your robotic heart out.

vocal_autotuned.mp3

But this is just the basic effect, and through my $25 Audio Technica mic, it is sounding a little dry.

Step 3

The spirit of this effect is to sound a little more robotic, so what we are going to do now is further create that robotic/artificial sound using other effects. These effects will change from microphone to microphone, so it is important to experiment until you get the sound you’re looking for.

The next thing in my FX chain after the auto-tuner is going to be an EQ plugin. I’ll be using this EQ to brighten up the highs, and exaggerate the artificial effect. Using EQUO, I’ve boosted all of the frequencies past 2.5khz to about 400%. This exaggerated EQ will add even more definition to the robotic effect. This may produce too much brightness on nicer microphones, so you may want to start at 400% and work your way down until you’ve got a reasonably bright vocal.

vocal_autotune_eq.mp3

Step 4

After the EQUO, I’ll add a Reverb effect to the chain. This is my standard vocal Reverb palette, and I’ve placed it at about 50% volume to make sure that it isn’t too overpowering on my vocals.

vocal_autotune_eq_reverb.mp3

Step 5

Optional: At this point, I’ve found that inserting the newly-added Soundgoodizer plug-in after the Reverb works very, very well on autotuned vocals. Give it a shot in the effects chain to get some interesting effects due to Soundgoodizer’s limiter. It also keeps the volume level high and limited, which adds to the artificial sound.

Step 6

After the Fruity Reverb, I’ll add what is probably the most important and delicate effect in the chain, a chorus. Refer to the settings snapshot to recreate this wonderful effect: it will give your vocal plenty of depth, and it has convinced many of my listeners that I am not, in fact, recording on a $25 microphone!

vocal_autotune_eq_reverb_chorus.mp3

Step 7

Moving on from there, my next effect is the Fruity Delay Bank. I’ve kept this one simple, and it will create a little more atmosphere along with the Reverb that was added earlier in the chain. Notice that I’ve used some pretty crazy volume/mix values for the effects. Sometimes an effect becomes too overpowering at full volume, so experiment with turning it down until you achieve a nice balance.

To smooth everything out after the Fruity Delay Bank, I’ll throw a Fruity Compressor onto the channel and you are recording-ready and set to sound like T-Pain!

Listen to the final product:

vocal_autotune_eq_reverb_chorus_delay_compression.mp3

Download the Play Pack for this tutorial (1.4MB)

Contents:

• All audio files
• Printable PDF tutorial
• Bonus audio: autotuned vocal acappella.

Nic Bertino is a professional producer and recording artist from Sacramento, California with over 9 years of production experience.