Electro Presets

Welcome to our main page for Electro Presets for Ableton live, and some other synths too. As I make them I’ll add them here, I really like the Ableton 12 Sequencers so they feature heavily. I’ve included some sample packs as well, including two Roland tr808 drum kits sample packs.

You can sign up to the mailing list to get all the free packs here:

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Free Electro Preset Packs

All the files for these patches are available on the email list a above – you get sent a link to download all the free presets, samples and racks we’ve ever made too.

I’m a big fan of broken 808 electro, both listening to it and making it, so they’ll be a lot of these coming out…

How To Make A Generative Electro Beat In Ableton

Youtube link / Article Link

Here I run down how to make a generative electro beat In Ableton 12, with just 4 ingredients – A Roland tr808 kick, snare, hi hat and clave drums samples. This is an example of how to use the new step sequencers in Ableton 12, as well as the Drum Sampler. It gets ‘modular’ with the 4 lanes from the Rhythmic Steps sequencer sending modulation to the effects on each different drum sampler for some glitchy, alien electro beats.

Electro Drum Patterns

Youtube link / Article Link

Our guide to electro drum patterns and 808 drum programming techniques. There’s 7 electro patterns below all with screen shots and audio previews, feel free to use them and change them/ edit them as you want.

I’m a massive fan of electro, especially the Roland tr808 drum sounds, and taken influence from them for this article… artists like Drexciya / Elecktroids, even Kraftwerk, Juan Atkins/Cybotron, as well as Underground Resistance, Aux 88, Dopplereffekt, and more modern releases by DMX Krew, Helena Hauff, The Exaltics, Jensen Interceptor, Dexter, Steffi, Anthony Rother, Gesloten Cirkel and Legowelt.

I’ve used my own Roland tr808 drum samples which you can download for free here.

Drexciya Electro Beat Tutorial

Youtube link / Article Link

This is my Drexciya electro beat tutorial – making an electro beat in homage to this legendary Detroit sound, with some Ableton presets to download too.

I love the music of James Stinson, especially the Drexciya releases on Underground Resistance. Their alien underwater themed art and music isn’t just dance floor orientated, but conjures amazing alien underwater soundscapes. They conveyed this through only a few elements from a drum machine and one or two synths. I think the key to this sound is a lot of filtering and overdrive.

It gave birth to a wider sub genre of ‘Drexciyan Electro’ with other artists from Detroit and beyond inspired by the sound.

Here I’ve tried to set up an electro loop based on these principles. It’s an 808 drum kit, a sub bass, a distorted analog stab and a pad. They are all filtered, the filtering really helps to convey that underwater feel, along with a lot of delay and reverb.

Here I’m not trying to recreate a particular track of theirs, but I’ve made something (at least I hope!) in their style as an exercise in sound design. I’ve tried my best to do the sound justice, hopefully this helps in making your own electro tracks by using this style, as well as developing your own sound.

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Electro Sample Packs

All the files for these patches are available on the email list a above – you get sent a link to download all the free presets, samples and racks we’ve ever made too.

Studio Brootle 808 Sample Pack

Article Link

Welcome to our 808 sample pack. Possibly the most sampled drum machine of all time the tr808, known for its booming kick and huge snares (especially when layered with the clap ala 80s electro). Used in techno, electro, house, hip hop and further afield for 40 years, it is a beast of a machine. I’ve processed it here with various saturations and overdrives for more mid range and high end, and added eq-sculpted distorted reverb rumbles from the kicks and low toms for modern techno bass.

I love the 808 drum samples… I use them in techno, electro, I gate the drums short for IDM, I use the kick tail in a sampler for basslines (just removing the main punchy part at the start). They sound great on their own, and processed heavily with distortion too.

Studio Brootle 808 Processed Kicks and Subs

Article Link

This 808 kit is just kicks and sub bass. Each kick has it’s own sub bass made from the kick, using the old-skool techno ‘rumble’ process of reverbing and filtering the kick drum. You can use each sub bass with the kick so they complement each other.

Korg Volca Drum Sample Pack

Article Link

I love the Volca Drum, it is a great little drum machine to be honest, and really good glitchy sounds and sequencing… I made a sample pack with over 400 samples running it through a fuzz pedal. These sounds are great for electro drum programming.

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