Programming beats with the drum machine in Loop by Zaweba
Loop by Zaweba's drum machine gives eight synthesised kits, 16 pads and a 16-step grid on the selected clip. Add one with Track > Add drum machine track.
Drum loops get a song moving quickly, but the beat is the part listeners feel most, and it's often the first thing you want to make your own. The drum machine in Loop by Zaweba is a classic layout for that: eight synthesised drum kits, 16 pads and a 16-step grid that programs the selected clip.
Add one with Track > Add drum machine track. It lives among the instruments in Studio mode.
Kits, pads and steps
The kits are the sound palette. Each of the eight is synthesised by Loop itself rather than built from recordings, and switching kit changes the character of the whole beat at once, which is a quick way to find the right feel for a genre.
The 16 pads are the individual sounds in the kit, the kicks, snares, hats and other hits that make up a beat.
The 16-step grid is where the beat is written, the classic drum machine layout. Pick a pad, then switch on the steps where it should hit. The grid writes into the clip you have selected on the arrangement, so each clip can hold its own pattern.
Building a beat
Start with the kick. For house, a steady kick on every beat is the foundation. For hip-hop, try fewer kicks and leave space between them. Then the snare or clap, usually on the second and fourth beats. Hats come last, on every other step for a steady feel or on every step for drive.
Listen, then take away. Removing a hat or two often makes the pattern swing more than adding anything would.
Making variations
Because each clip has its own pattern, variations are simple. Duplicate a clip with Ctrl+D and change a few steps for a fill at the end of a section. Use the clip right-click menu to rename it "fill" so you can find it again. A song that changes its beat slightly every eight bars feels alive; one that repeats a single bar for three minutes does not.
Mixing the drums
In the mixer, the drum track has its own volume, pan, mute, solo and meter. Effects such as the compressor or the EQ can go on the track: a compressor makes a beat punchier, and taking a little low end out of the hats with the EQ cleans up the mix. A touch of the reverb bus on the drum track adds space. Automation can bring a filter in over a build-up.
Other ways to get drums
The loop library has drum loops in every genre, which are ideal for starting quickly. The riff editor offers drum pads on a step grid too, with accents. The General MIDI tracks include the GM drum kit, which is the right choice if you plan to export MIDI for another program, since drums go out on channel 10. The drum machine is for when you want to shape the kit and the pattern yourself.
Beats that get muddy
Too many sounds at once is the usual trouble; every pad on every step turns into noise. Another is a kick and bass that both hit hard at the same time and blur together. Shift one of them or turn one down. Everything is undoable, and the drum machine in Loop by Zaweba plays as you edit, so let your ears decide.
