Dub Techno Drum Pattern

Welcome to our Dub Techno drum pattern guide – here I run down to make a dub techno drum beat (and bassline) from scratch and how to program and process these patterns.

Here’s what we’re making:

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Dub Techno Drum Pattern – Step By Step

We are going to set up a fairly simple beat with classic drum machine hits. The key here is in the processing: as well as the obvious delays and reverbs, filtering is very important – cutting away frequencies so the drum hist are more subdued and it also gives them more space in the mix which is important once you start delaying everything. The filters can also be added between delays and reverbs and modulated too for movement, as well as given stereo phase to make the effect wider across the stereo field.

Step 1 – set the bpm

First of all I’m going to set the bpm to 120bpm, you can change it later if you like , but this is a good starting point for dub techno.

Step 2 – set up a Drum Rack

Second of all I set up a drum rack, which I add to a new channel in Ableton. I also add an Auto Filter after it to cut off the very top end as there will be a lot of reverb. And you can use the Drive on the filter to add some subtle distortion if you like.

Step 3 – add dub techno effects sends

I also add two effects sends to the Drum Rack unit itself, one with an An Echo unit in Ping Pong mode and some timing errors (the percentage settings under the ’16th’ drop down in the image below) on each channel and Reverb in the Echo unit. Then an Auto Filter set to Bandpass, with an LFO to modulate it, and the Phase turned up for stereo wideness, and some subtle Overdrive after it. I add modulation and ‘Wobble) in the Echo settings too, for movement and ‘tape error’.

Then I add another effects send for Reverb, you can see the settings in the image below, and you can see the Auto Filter I added after the Drum Rack too.

Step 4 – add classic drum samples to the drum rack

Now I’m going to set up the drum sounds, this will be a really simple pattern of classic sounds. It will gain it’s character from the filtering and delays and reverbs. I’m using some classic Roland and Casio drum samples. You can get them all by subscribing to the email list here, they are all in the first email that is sent out immediately.

I then add 4 drum sounds to the drum rack….

• I add a Roland tr-909 Kick, from our Roland 909 sample pack.
• I a nice digitally crunchy 1980s Casio RZ1 clap, from our Casio RZ1 sample pack.
• I add a Roland tr-70 hat, from our Roland 707 sample pack.
• I add a Roland tr-808 Kick, from our Roland 808 sample pack.

Then I go through all 4 channels and right-click on the top bar of each Simpler and select to convert it to a Sampler. Now all channels have Ableton’s Sampler, which has great filter and distortion options built in.

Step 5 – set up the kick midi pattern and process it

I then set up a simple drum beat…. I use this midi pattern:

Then I process it… I filter the 909 kick right down so it less punchy and no top end, and I add Shaper distortion. I do all this in the Sampler. Cutting away frequencies and then distorting or saturating slightly is key for a dub techno kick. I add an Overdrive unit for more drive, and a filter unit with some more drive and to take more the top end off.

It should sound like this:

Step 6 – add a clap to the pattern and process it

I set the clap with this midi, just a simple hit on 2 and 4:

Then I process it.. I pitch it down a bit, then filter it right down and add resonance and then use the filter envelope to make it tight and snappy. So just a small amount of sound comes through the filter for each hit. I add Drive and Shaper all in Sampler. I then add a bandpass filter (12bd) to cut away frequencies and I add Drive too I use the filter’s LFO to constantly move the cut-off slightly and I turn up Phase for stereo width. After that I add an Echo unit with a Ping Pong delay for wide delays, I add 12% and 16% errors to the timing of the delays to make each channel a bit late and off. I add another Echo unit for longer delay chain.

It should sound like this:

Step 7 – set up the hit hat pattern and process it for dub techno

I set up the hi hat with this midi, note some notes are shorter for some movement and variation, we’ll cut the envelopes short as well.

Then I process it… I distort the hat in Sampler with the OSR setting and bandpass filter it too. I make it tight and short with the amp envelope too.

I add an Auto Filter with a resonant bandpass filter, like with the clap I add Drive, Phase and LFO movement.

I add an Echo unit, followed by an Auto Filter to cut some of the top end off (also with LFO movement and Phase), then another Echo unit, and finally a Reverb and EQ8. This makes for a really moving, rhythmic and evolving hi hat chain.

It should sound like this, there is a lot of rhythmic movement:

Step 8 – set up an 808 kick as a sub bass

I set the 808 kick sample with this midi. Note that I moved some notes off the grid for groove. The rest of the dub techno drum pattern has all on the grid notes, but I want the bass to add some groove and be a bit off.

Then I process it… I change the loop point on the start of the sample so it cuts off the punch of the 808 and I just get a low end sub. then I filter it down in the Sampler and add OSR distortion and Shaper for a heavy, low sub bass. I make it boom and move with the Echo and Reverb units, and then an Auto filter to low pass it and Drive it even more.

It should sound like this:

Step 8 – go back and tweak everything and mix it

At the end you want to go back and tweak each channel and mix the levels and make sure the Kick is loudest, and I I tweak the effects sends to make sure it sounds good. Then the finished whole loop should sound like this:

Note without any effects or filtering on it sounds like a fairly standard beat:

The character is all in the processing. If I add in some chords and all the processing you get this. They’re fairly standard chords, you can see how they’re made in the Ableton file (available in the downloads section below).

You can get this file in the Downloads section below. You can buy our dub techno preset and sample packs here for ready to go dub techno chords and more.

Buy our packs at our Shopify store, use this code for 60% off: SBCOM60STWD

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Dub Techno Drum Pattern – Video:

Here’s a video tutorial and run down of the rack on our Youtube channel….

Please subscribe to the youtube if you haven’t yet: youtube.com/@studiobrootle 

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