Tempo/BPM in DAW and Beat Making...???

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Chew_Bear

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I am messing around with FL STUDIO with the drum sequencer window to try and get a feeling for how to assemble a simple drum pattern/beat.

I am originally a DJ and so I know how certain BPM's "FEEL" vs my "NATURAL" rhythm/tempo.

Seems like...No matter which BPM I set the project to...the pattern I play feels either TOO SLOW or TOO FAST.

I can't seem to find the "optimal" bpm to make the drum beat sound good, tight and like its together. Sounds like a "jumbled" piece of S#$T..!! Like clanging kitchen pots/pans together in a random order.

1. Is this typical for a newbie....???

2. Am I going to hear the same pattern/characteristics no matter which DAW I choose...???

3. Or is it simply a matter of just time, patience and practice before my ears will 'naturally' figure out the speed and pattern at which certain beats sound good together...???

Thanks.
 
There is no right tempo, just go with whatever sounds best to your ears and what sound you are going for. I never had a problem with this..

If you were to use another daw you may or may not have the problem, it depends on how you relate to the program. If it makes sense to you then you may not have the problem. That's no reason to go around trying 10 different daw's though. If you like the one you are with you should just stick with it for now.

It will be a matter of time, yes. If you stick with it that is.. Chances are, your problem is a combination of multiple factors. Maybe the drums are off-beat, or just don't sound good. You will know when something is right, because your head will start bobbing. If you can get your head bobbing, keep going in that direction! It's all about the feeling it gives you.
 
I would recommend tapping out the BPM you want in FL. To hear the count, play an empty pattern with the metronome on. Then just raise/lower the BPM to adjust the metronome to whatever you want if it still doesn't fit. If setting the BPM isn't the actual issue and it's how the drums sound when you make the groove in the sequencer, you're doing something wrong. To fix this, count 1 e + a, 2 e + a, and so on for each drum part (kick, snare, etc). That way the groove you want will never be out of time. Hopefully that helps.
 
This is interesting, very interesting. What is the right tempo? Some people say, for example, that house music NEEDS to have a tempo of 128bpm. Some people say that drum and bass NEEDS to have a tempo of 174bpm. And some people say that dubstep NEEDS to have a tempo of 140bpm.

What if I want to make a music with house structure with a tempo of... let's say, 156bpm? If it sounds good, it sounds good.

Normally the feeling of a tempo higher than what is shown in the DAW comes from the number of samples used. Example: dubstep tracks are normally at 140bpm, but their drum patterns are arranged in a way that you don't have too many hits (kick, snare, cymbals and percussion), so you basically have the drums with a 70bpm feel to it.

Some drum and bass tracks (in it's sub-genre called "half-step" or "downtempo") has the drums clocking at 87bpm, even though the tempo of the track is at 174bpm.

See what I'm saying there? The more you put in a drum pattern, the "faster" it will sound.
 
Thanks guys.

1. Can the length of a sample also play a factor into what speed/Tempo the beat/pattern wants to move to...?

For example a kick drum with a long attack and long tail/release vs a kick drum with a fast attack and little tail/release.

I have noticed that when I choose samples that have the "same" or similar length (attack, sustain, release)...that they all seem to "gel" more and move in-sync properly and therefore making it easier to determine the speed/tempo I need.

Vice versa...when I choose samples that have different lengths in their 'envelope' (attack, sustain, release) sound...that its harder for me to make the samples 'gel' together.

Anyone else notice this...???

2. Also...are there certain Drum patterns, beats, rules and guidelines I should be trying to follow...? Drum beat music theory...???

For example the kick on the 1 and 3 count. And the snare on the 2 and 4 count for a 4/4 time signature.

Ddream:

Your are sooo right!!! Seems like the more instruments I try and incorporate into my drum pattern...the faster it "wants" to move.

For example when I only start with a simple kick, snare and hi hat. It seems to want to move at 'my' pace which is kind of slow. But than when I incorporate a closed hi hat, tom and a clap. ALL of a sudden...the beat wants to move faster and I have to move the tempo up.

Thanks for helping me notice that.

Final Kingdom:

Will definitely be trying that technique out. I always count my beats and see how it matches the tempo/bpm I have set up.

Conclusion:

The problem I have seems like...when I have a "specific" bpm/tempo I have in my "head" already for a beat....BUT...it doesn't sound right when I put certain drum samples into the sequencer.

For example....If I am counting a 4 count at 100 bpm in my head...I will set the tempo to 100. Than...when I go to put out some kicks, snares and hats in the sequencer and I count it against my 4 count 100 bpm....ALL of a sudden it doesn't want to move or is not in-sync with what I am counting in my head.

So therefore...I am forced to move the tempo/speed up or down to determine which speed sounds "natural" for those particular samples I have already put into the sequencer.

Hopefully that made sense.
 
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Can my problem also be tied to the drum samples I am using and the genres they are specifically used for...???

So...could it be that I am choosing the wrong samples that don't work in-sync with each other and is therefore causing a "CLASHING" of genre specific sounds.

For example:

1. An 808 kick drum from a trap/hip hop kit....VS....a snare from a EDM/dance kit....VS....a hi hat from a 909 kit.

So maybe the solution to my problem could be just choosing drum samples that are in the same genre/kit/drum machine....right....???

Or is genre/drum machine/kits clearly irrelevant to drum samples and I can use any drum sample from any kit I want and still make them sync or gel together with a little work...???

Thanks.
 
I think I need to go and do more research into genres and the "SPECIFIC" drum patterns/beats that work within those genres.

This would also mean going back and listening to ALL my music...and really "LISTEN" to the drum patterns and try and figure out what kind of beat/pattern the producer utilized.

I have a lot of Dubstep songs so thanks for the dubstep example. I am gonna listen to a bunch of them and see if I can figure out the bpm and pattern of the drums and than compare that to the rest of the songs tempo.

I guess I also need to figure out which genre I am wanting to work in.
 
Chew_Bear said:
I guess I also need to figure out which genre I am wanting to work in.
Click to expand...
Certain sub-genres have a "rule" about tempo, like the 130-140 for dubstep (with half-tempo drums), 160-180 to drum and bass, 128 for house, 130 for electro-house, 145-150 for trance (depending on the sub genre of trance you want to work with, dark psytrance has a tempo of 180+, for example).

you must have noticed I put as "rule", because you'll get to decide what you really want, what you think it's suitable for YOUR music.
Example: I'm doing a collab now with a friend for his release. It's a mix of ambient, industrial, noise and drum and bass. I'm working at 87bpm (as my main work is ambient/industrial) and he'll work doubling this, at 174bpm as he's more into drum and bass.
 
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