Synth-pop drum pattern
Straight and quantized, felt as written (fast revival hits up to 170 stay in four, not half-time); hats move in sixteenths with velocity variation. Here are its drums on a step grid, at the tempo it starts at, to hear and to change.
118 BPM · 808 kit · 1 bar
The pattern, step by step
Each step is a sixteenth note, four to a beat: step 1 is beat 1, 5 is beat 2, 9 is beat 3 and 13 is beat 4. A lit square is a hit; a fainter one is played softer.
- Hit
- Softer hit
| Drum | Steps |
|---|---|
| Open hat | 3 |
| Closed hat | 1, 2 (soft), 4 (soft), 5, 6 (soft), 7, 8 (soft), 9, 10 (soft), 11, 12 (soft), 13, 14 (soft), 15, 16 (soft) |
| Snare | 5, 13 |
| Kick | 1, 7, 9, 10 |
They open as one drum lane on a step grid, at 118 BPM. No account needed to start.
How synth-pop drums go
LinnDrum and DMX sounds: a kick on 1, the and of 2, 3 and the e of 3, a big gated snare on 2 and 4, sixteenth hats with one open hat on the and of 1, tambourine a few milliseconds ahead of the snare; tom runs as fills.
The bass, chords and sounds are on the Synth Pop page.
Questions about synth-pop drums
What BPM is synth-pop?
Usually 110 to 130 BPM. This pattern plays at 118 BPM.
How do you make a synth-pop drum pattern?
Start with the kick on steps 1, 7, 9 and 10, the snare on steps 5 and 13, the closed hi-hat on steps 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 and 16 and the open hi-hat on step 3. Each step is a sixteenth note, four to a beat: step 1 is beat 1, 5 is beat 2, 9 is beat 3 and 13 is beat 4. Open it in the free editor to change any step.
Do synth-pop drums swing?
No: every hit lands straight on the grid. The editor’s Steps view can add swing if you want the groove to bounce.
Make a synth-pop beat
The free editor opens with a whole synth-pop beat: drums, bass and chords, each part yours to change, add to or take away.
Keep going
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