How to spice up your drum patterns in Reason (Propellerhead)

When you're programming your drum tracks you might often find your self using the same old patterns. Every track you write doesn't necessarily have to have the same old 'four-to-the-floor' beat going though the whole song. Why not spice things up with some variations and changes.

Having the same drum loop throughout your track can get boring, not just for you but also the listener. Changing the drums every now and then can give your tracks a little more interest and a new breath of life.

In the video below Mattias from Propellerhead Software takes us through a few tricks that he uses when programming drums. He shows us how to use ghost notes to give a basic pattern a little more interest. Using ghost notes can make your electronic drums sound a bit more human especially when you change them up every two bars or so.

Mattias also shows us how he creates a simple top loop using Reason's Dr. Octorex. using the built in highpass filter he removes all of the unwanted low end elements (primarily the kick and snare) from the percussion loop and places it over his existing drum pattern.

Reason's 'alter notes' feature is also mentioned in the video. Personally this is one of my favourite features in Reason as it can be used to instantly change MIDI data (much like a randomizer function). This is a good way to create some alterations to your beats when you're feeling a bit stuck with the creative process.

The final thing that is mentioned in the video is polyrhythms. Polyrhythms might seem confusing at first but they are a great way of giving your beats a more organic or evolving quality. A polyrhythm (or polymeter in the case of this video) is where you take two parts and play them in different time signatures. for example: if you program your kick in a traditional 4/4 measure but your hi-hats in a 5/4 measure then you can get some quite interesting results. If you're still confused about polyrhythms after watching this video then there are plenty of resources online that go a little more in depth on the subject.

One thing that wasn't mentioned in this video is adding groove to your beats. All DAWs have a groove function where you can add some swing or shuffle to your programmed beats. Giving your beats a bit of swing or shuffle is a great way to get them sounding more human. If you combine the groove feature with ghost notes (mentioned earlier) then it is possible to fool the listener into thinking that they're listening to an actual drummer rather than programmed beats.

Even though the video is created for users of Propellerhead's Reason all of the techniques mentioned can be recreated in any DAW. So next time you're working on a track pay a little more attention to your drums, if they're lifeless and uninspired them maybe try a few of these mentioned tricks. They can change a dull track into something a lot more palatable.

Kick drum compression in Reason (Lucky Date)

Drum processing is always a hot topic when it comes to electronic music. everyone wants to know the secrete to huge sounding punchy drums. Getting your kick to stand out in the mix without dominating everything else is a task that most of us face in pretty much all of our productions.

In the Video below Lucky Date shows us how he processes his kicks. It's a fairly basic method using just the Mclass compressor and EQ that come with Reason. This is a fairly minimalistic approach but it does show how easy this can be, all that you need is a basic knowledge of compression and you can get the job done with little to no effort.

However, like most things in the world of music production this is a matter of taste, things can vary depending on the style of music that you're working on and the kick that you're using. I find that it's best to experiment a little bit before deciding what works best for you. The technique that Lucky Date uses in this video is ideal as a starting point but don't expect it to work flawlessly for all of your productions.

Creating an 808 style cowbell with Dune CM (Computer Music)

I've posted on here before about drum synthesis when we looked at the Dubspot tutorial about creating a TR-808 style kick drum with NI Massive. This time I'm going to share a video from Computer Music with you. In the video (below) you will be shown how to create a synthesised cowbell sound (again, similar to the one from the TR-808) using the Synapse Dune CM synthesiser.

Dune CM is a great synth that is available on the free DVD that comes with Computer Music magazine. It might not be considered to be a beginners synth but it's definitely worth checking out. Along with Dune CM, you will find a treasure trove of freebies on the Computer Music DVD, including other synths, effects and software. The magazine itself is also packed with valuable information about music production, so it's a must read for beginners and experts alike.

Although the tutorial below is much easier to follow than the DubSpot one, it still gives you valuable insight into drum and percussion synthesis. Creating your own drums can be fun and it will also give you a set of sounds completely unique to you, meaning that it will give your tracks that extra personal feel.

If you do go about creating your own drum sounds, then I recommend that you sample them. By doing this, you will build up your very own sample library that's full of original drum sounds. this way, you can call upon them in future projects. Sure, there are plenty of drum samples readily available on the Internet but nothing can compare to making your own.

Using Massive to Create Sub-Heavy Kick Drums (Dubspot)

This tutorial from DubSpot might be geared a little more at the advanced user. It goes into detail about how you can use Native Instruments' Massive to create a classic 808 type kickdrum sound with lots of sub. To follow this tutorial you might need to put on some headphones as it works primarily in the low end of things and you might find it difficult to hear if you don't have high end studio monitors.

Drum synthesis is a very important skill to have when it comes to electronic music production. If you can learn how to create drums and percussion using synthesis then it can save you a lot of hassle when you're looking for that certain sound.

The guys over at DubSpot know their stuff when it comes to electronic music production and you can pick up quite a lot of valuable knowledge from their free online tutorials. It's also worthwhile looking at their online courses; if you're looking to learn about music production then maybe their courses are something that you could benefit from.

Redrum Micro Tutorial (Propellerhead)

Redrum was the first drum machine to be introduced in Propellerhead's flagship beat-making software Reason. Redrum is a classic sample-triggering drum machine it can load up 10 different WAV or AIFF audio samples that can triggered from the on-board sequencer.

Drum machines play a vital roll in electronic music and Redrum does the job quite nicely. It's a simple device that allows you to quickly take the ideas from your head and put them into your productions with minimal effort.

Redrum has been in Reason since day one and it's still the 'go-to' device for many producers when it comes to drum programming. Over the years Reason has evolved and new devices have been added, devices such as the Kong Drum Designer (introduced in version 5) have given producers new ways of programming their drums and percussion, but Redrum still stands it's ground as a fan favourite.

If you've ever used a hardware drum machine before then the interface of Redrum will look instantly familiar to you. However, if you're new to music production then you might require a little introduction to the whole concept. The guys over at Propellerhead always do a good job of putting together mini tutorials that explain their instruments quite clearly, and this Redrum video (below) is no different.