How to Make Da Dubstep Music

The other day I was asked how to make dubstep music. I was a little taken aback.

What is Dubstep?

Dubstep is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in South London in the late 1990s. It is generally characterized by sparse, syncopated drum and percussion patterns with bass lines that contain prominent sub-bass frequencies. Other typical features include:
* Offbeat echo-y drum machine snare drums
* Heavy reverb and/or delay on synths, pads, and lead vocals
* Pitch shifted and time-stretched samples

Dubstep emerged as a recognized genre in 2002 with the release of ”Benga Beats” Vol. 1 by Benga. It continued to grow in popularity throughout the 2000s, culminating in mainstream success in the 2010s. Today, dubstep has been succeeded by several related genres including future bass, wonky music, trap, brostep, and drill’n’bass.

The History of Dubstep

Dubstep is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in South London in the late 1990s. It is generally characterized by sparse, syncopated drum and percussion patterns with bass lines that contain prominent sub-bass frequencies.

The Elements of Dubstep

There are four main elements to dubstep: the Bassline, the Drum Beat, the Wobble, and the Amen Break. The Bassline is the foundation of the dubstep sound. It is typically a simple, four-to-the-floor kick drum with a heavy bassline. The Drum Beat is the second layer of the dubstep sound and is usually a complex, syncopated drum beat. The Wobble is the third layer of the dubstep sound and is typically a low-frequency, heavily distorted bass sound. The Amen Break is the fourth and final layer of the dubstep sound and is typically a short, percussive break.

The Drop

In dubstep, the term “the drop” is used to refer to the moment in a song when the bass and percussion increase in intensity and the tempo drops. This change is usually accompanied by a change in the melody, which makes it even more dramatic. The drop is usually the climax of the song, and it is often followed by a breakdown, which is a period of time when the music becomes more simple and subdued.

The Wobble

The wobble is probably the most iconic and well-known element of dubstep. It’s a very distorted, low-frequency, often sub-bass sound that gives dubstep that signature “wubby” sound. The wobble is usually achieved by using a low-pass filter to heavily distort a square or sawtooth waveform.

The Build-Up

In order to create the perfect build-up, you will need to spend time thinking about the desired effect that you want to achieve. This is where having a clear idea of the song’s overall structure will come in handy. Work backwards from the drop, and think about what sort of emotion or feeling you want your listener to experience when the bass finally hits.

One common mistake that producers make is including too many elements in the build-up, which can cause listener fatigue. Too much movement will also make it difficult for you to create a smooth transition into the drop. A good rule of thumb is to start with two or three elements and then add more as needed.

The other important thing to keep in mind is the BPM (beats per minute) of your track. The build-up should gradually increase in speed as it goes along, so that by the time you reach the drop, the track is at its peak tempo. This will help create a sense of anticipation and excitement in your listener.

How to Make Dubstep Music

Dubstep music is a type of electronic dance music that is becoming increasingly popular. It is characterized by its heavy bass and percussion, and often has a dark or aggressive sound. If you’re interested in making your own dubstep music, there are a few things you’ll need to do. In this article, we’ll walk you through the process of making dubstep music.

Step 1: Choose Your Software

The first step to making dubstep music is to choose the right software. Some of the most popular programs for making dubstep include Fruity Loops, Ableton Live, and Logic Pro. If you’re just getting started, we recommend Fruity Loops because it’s relatively cheap and easy to use. You can get it for around $100.

Once you have your software, you’ll need to spend some time learning how to use it. We recommend watching tutorials on YouTube or reading one of the many excellent books or online guides that are available. Once you have a basic understanding of how your software works, you’re ready to start making dubstep!

Step 2: Choose Your Samples

The first step in making dubstep is choosing your samples. There are a few things to consider when doing this:
-What kind of mood do you want to create?
-What kind of drums and basslines do you want to use?
-What other sounds would complement your chosen samples?

Once you’ve decided on your samples, it’s time to load them into your software and start concocting some sick beats!

Step 3: Create the Drop

In order to create the signature dubstep sound, you’ll need to create a “drop.” This is the section of the song where the bass and drums suddenly drop out, leaving only a single element playing. This element is usually a synth or a sample.

To create a drop, start by finding a good synth sound. A lot of dubstep producers use NI Massive or Sylenth1 for their synth sounds. Once you’ve found a sound you like, create a simple melody with it. This melody will be the main hook of your drop.

Once you have your melody, it’s time to add in the drums. Dubstep drums are usually very simple, consisting of just a kick drum and a snare. You can add in additional percussion if you want, but make sure that it doesn’t clutter up the mix.

Once you have your drums and melody in place, it’s time to add in the bass. The bass is arguably the most important part of any dubstep song, so take your time and make sure that it sounds good. Again, simplicity is key here – don’t add too many embellishments or try to get too fancy with your basslines.

Once you have all of these elements in place, it’s time to arrange them into a song structure. The typical dubstep song structure consists of an intro, build-up, drop, breakdown, and outro. Feel free to experiment with this basic structure and change it up to suit your needs.

Step 4: Create the Wobble

Now that you’ve got your basic dubstep beat down, it’s time to add some wobble! This is key to creating that classic dubstep sound.

First, you’ll need to find a good 808 bass drum sample. This can be tricky, as many 808 samples out there don’t have the right kind of low end for dubstep. If you can’t find a good one, try layering two different samples together.

Once you’ve found your sample, load it into your sampler of choice and create a new MIDI track. In your MIDI track, create a 4/4 bassline using only the root note and octave of your bass drum sample. For example, if your sample is an A at 140 BPM, your bassline would be eightnotes on an A at 140 BPM.

Next, add some distortion to your bassline. This will help give it that squishy, distorted sound that’s essential to dubstep. Finally, add a low-pass filter and automate the cutoff frequency so that it opens up during the drop and closes during the buildups. This will give your wobble bassline even more movement and energy.

Step 5: Create the Build-Up

Now it’s time to create the build-up. A build-up is a gradual increase in the intensity of the music, usually culminating in a drop. In electronic dance music, the build-up typically consists of a series of rhythmic elements that are introduced one at a time, each element layered on top of the previous one. As the build-up progresses, the elements are combined and mixed together, creating a sense of anticipation and excitement.

There are many different ways to create a build-up, but one common technique is to use a synth line or melody as the main focus. Start by playing the line or melody at a low volume, then gradually increase the volume over time. Another way to create interest and excitement is to add new elements as the build-up progresses. For example, you could start with a simple drumbeat, then add a second layer of drums, followed by a bassline, then some synth chords. By the time you reach the drop, you should have a complex arrangement that sounds full and exciting.

Step 6: Add the Finishing Touches

Now that you have all the basic elements of your dubstep track in place, it’s time to start thinking about the little details that will make your song unique. In this step, we’ll add some finishing touches to our track to give it its own identity.

First, let’s add some effects to our bassline. Effects can really help bring out the character of a sound, and can also help fill out the mix and make it sound more polished. For our bassline, we’re going to add a bit of reverb and delay. Reverb will create a sense of space around our sound, making it sound bigger and more powerful. Delay will create an echo effect, which can help add thickness and interest to the sound.

To add reverb, insert a ‘Reverb’ effect plugin on the bassline track. Then crank up the ‘Mix’ knob until you have the amount of reverb you want. For delay, insert a ‘Delay’ effect plugin on the bassline track and play with the ‘Delay time’, ‘Feedback’, and ‘Mix’ knobs until you get the sound you want.

Next, let’s add some interest to our lead synth line by using a technique called automation. Automation is when you use a plugin or other tool to automate (or change) a parameter of your track over time. For our lead synth, we’re going to automate the filter cutoff so that it changes over the course of our song. To do this, insert an ‘Automation lane’ on the lead synth track by clicking on the ‘+’ icon next to the track name. Then open up your automation lane and draw in a curve that gradually rises from left to right (you can use whatever shape you want). This automation curve will now automate the cutoff knob on your filter plugin so that it gradually rises over time.

Finally, let’s add some Amen breaks or other drum fills to our song to break things up and keep things interesting. Amen breaks are short drum loops that DJs would often use to fill up empty space in their tracks (they got their name from being commonly used in gospel music). You can find lots of free Amen break samples online – just do a quick Google search. To add an Amen break (or any other drum fill), create a new MIDI track and load up a sample-based drum machine like Kontakt or Battery on it. Then program in your drum fill however you like – again, there are lots of tutorials online if you need help with this step. Once you have your drum fill programmed in, route it through an instance of your favorite equalizer so you can give it its own unique sound (this step is optional).

And that’s it! You should now have all the elements in place for your dubstep song – all that’s left is to mix everything down into a final stereo file that you can share with friends or release online!