Dubstep Software

Dubstep has evolved from its roots in 2001 London to become a much broader genre, encompassing varying styles of dubstep music. In this article I’ll explain in detail the different elements of a dubstep track.

The Beat

The dubstep beat evolved from a two-step beat originating in UK garage. The formula is very simple, a kick on the first beat and a snare on the 9th. The beat gives a stepping motion to the track as it moves between low end and high end in a left right, left right pattern. I wrote more on dubstep beats here.

You can check out some original UK garage tracks in the video below to get a feel as to where the two step style originated from.

While the typical two step beat is very common in many styles of dubstep today, do not feel constricted to it. Feel free to move your kicks around the snare, or move the snare back to the 13th to give a lazy feel to the beat.

The kick and snare do the majority of work driving the beat but you will need to fill those spaces with some high end cymbals and hats. A common technique I see used today is to take a loud short cymbal, remove the low end completely and place it on the 1st 5th 9th and 13th. This creates a driving force and energy to the beat.

Hats will define the flow of your track. While the cymbals, kicks and snare in a dubstep beat are usually very un-syncopated (Fall on the on beats); try not to make your beat too robotic or they will feel strict and stale. I like to build the hats first to define a rough flow to the beat. Then build kicks and a snare around that flow.

High End Synth

Dubstep as an experimental genre of music has very few hard and set rules. This is especially true when it comes to high end synths. There are a million possibilities. Here are some tips however. Try to use bell sounds to give your track atmosphere. I have seen a great deal of dubstep tracks, particularly old tracks use bell sounds to build up to the drop and the introduction of heavy bass.

Modern tracks and mainstream chart toppers tend to use heavier synths for a vocal section of a track that allows a singer to shine. Depending on your style you may wish to go down this route instead. I’ve seen Skrillex type tracks add layered synths and then use a compressor to pump the sound in and out in rhyme with the kicks and snare.

If you do enjoy the Skrillex style, vocal chopping could become a large part of your high end melody. This technique involves taking a vocal loop and chopping it up. Take small cuts of the vocal loop to create the melody. Skrillex’s summit track is a great example of this :

Sub Bass

Finally to the bass! Well sub bass. You can’t hear sub bass, you can only feel it. It’s the rumble to a track, the low end; it’s what gives the track power and force. Old original style dubstep tracks were composed of mainly sub bass. It gave the track its presence and really defined the bass section. An amazing example of this is Skreams In for the Kill remix:

A perfectly defined sub bass such as that is gorgeous to listen to and really defines the tracks purpose. Today modern dubstep tracks mainly use sub bass to prop up the heavy, in your face insane mid bass.

Mid Bass

A staple of modern dubstep are mid bass sounds. You all know what I’m talking about. This is where the experimental of experimental dubstep really comes in to force. Mid bass is created by a range of synthesizers. Monster has risen to become the dominant synthesizer for dubstep producers who want that crazy in your face moving baselines. I plan to write a series of articles on building heavy bass so I’ll leave this here for now. Stay tuned!

I have just created a brand new site called dubstep classroom. Click the links below to check it out:

Many people ask the question “how to make dubstep?” It’s quite easy actually. In fact it is now possible to produce professional dubstep music with just a laptop. There is however a great deal of learning involved before you can get to that stage.

This guide focuses on the dubstep half beat. You will know it as Kick Snare Kick Snare. Using syncopated hits along with this half step kick and snare you have a very dubsteppy beat.
For those new to beat sequencing I’ll explain the basics.

Open any DAW(Digital audio workstation for example DubTurbo, Reason, FL Studio etc …). Open your beat sequencer and you should be presented with a window with 16 blocks.

Kick and snare
Each block represents a beat. There are four beats in a bar. An easy way to understand this is count

1 2 3 4, 1 2 3 4, 1 2 3 4, 1 2 3 4.

With a half step dubstep beat you will need a kick on the first beat of the first bar and place a snare on the first beat of the third bar.

So you would have

Ensure your snare has a tail (doesn’t end abruptly) and has a great deal of reverb and space. Also ensure the kick hits hard.  If you can feel a Kick snare head bouncing sort of feel to your track then you’re on the right track. If not play with more and more samples until you get the right feel.

A good tip is to try layering kicks and snares until you get the right sound. Takes a little experimentation at first but once you have a decent kick and snare you can save the setup and use them for multiple tracks. See making dubstep isn’t that hard is it? Let’s continue.

Crash
When it comes to beat sequencing and making dubstep in general there are a world of possibilities and options. Taking that into consideration don’t take anything I say as gospel it’s all open to experimentation. Anyway let’s move on to the next element Ill place into a beat, the crash.

You should place the crash on the first beat of the bar. The crash is an important part of any track and signals to the user the start of a new section. It helps the loops curl around on itself. When making dubstep you should always ensure each loop sounds good by itself looped around a few times.

You should add a quite short crash for looping small sections of your beat and a longer more intense crash for bigger sections. For the moment find a short high crash and add it to the start of your four bar loop. Sweet now we have Crash+Kick Snare Kick Snare and so on.

Ride
The ride is a very very important element of any dubstep track. In fact I dare you to find a dubstep track that doesn’t have quite a prominent ride. The ride is a high end hit like a very short cymbal that plays continually. The ride adds excitement and energy to a beat, and thats how to make dubstep It’s the thing you hear that makes you want to throw your hands in the air and jump around.

Any decent dubstep sample pack will include a number of rides. Find one that sounds good and add it to the start of every bar So for example

The ride should hit every one in the bar Do you hear that? Do you hear how much energy and excitement your beat has now?

A good tip is to try playing with the rides pitch to create a different sound. Also turn down the volume of the ride as it’s in the high end it may very loud compared to your kick and snare. There should be some more info on the Dubstep Wikipedia

Hats and other sound effects

What you have know is the basic skeleton of a dubstep beat from here the possibilities are literally endless. Try adding random sounds to random parts of the beat to add variety and bounce. For example try adding a random sound to the 3 beat of the last bar.

Find the right sound and this can sound very good. Also try adding your hats in the first and third bar leaving the second and third. This will give a stop start feel to your beat. So you have Kick + Crash hat hat hat Snare Kick Hat Hat Random Sound.

When it comes to how to make dubstep try experimenting as much as you can. It really can be fun to just open up a drum sampler, create a Skelton beat with a kick snare crash and ride and from there try random things until you get something that sounds good!

Were mid way through 2011 now, meaning its time to check out some of the very best dubstep remixes so far this year. Dubstep has definitley taken another step to the dark side this year. Filthier basses and hard hitting screaching synths have rained supreme. So make sure your sitting comfortabley, turn up the bass and enjoy the best of 2011 dubstep remixes.

Chase & Status – Blind Faith (Trolley Snatcha Remix)

A real classic in the making. I wouldnt go as far as saying its better than the original but different and new is always a good thing!

Professor Green – Jungle (16bit Remix)

Personally I think 16bit has ruined this tune. BUT I have a number of friends that adore this track so I’m putting it up!

M.I.A. – Internet Connection (Flux Pavilion Remix)

Words can not describe …. If you want dubstep and you want a remix and you want the best. Well then say no more

Fenech-Soler – Demons (Sigma Remix)

Personally I think this is one of the best dubstep remixes ever. Sigmas remixes in general are always of very very high quality and this tune is no exception.

Styles & Complete – The Blood Red Cinema (Skrillex vs Feed Me)

More of a mashup than a remix, but for anyone that likes pure gritty madness that hits HARD. Then look no further. I am really loving this track at the moment.

Nero – Promises (Skrillex Remix)

The beautiful melodic elements of Nero combined with the harsh mid range bass of Skrillex. Some like it some don’t but I think we can all appreciate the producing talent shown in this track

Well that’s it for so far this year. Remember this is my opinion! If you have any suggestions for additions or removals for this page just leave a comment!

Dubstep has exploded on the world music scene enormously over the last few years, moving from the underground rave scene to the mainstream. Artists in dubstep can be classified as either underground or commercial.

Below is a list of the top 5 commercial dubstep artists. Remeber this is my opinion of the best dubstep artists,feel free to comment and discuss!

Rusko

Rusko AKA Christopher Mercer saw commercial fame with the critically acclaimed Cockney thug “Wake the F*Ck up!!” Rusko was one of the original big time dubstepers with his first professional release SNES Dub in 2006. He worked initially on dark evil wub wub dubstep (you know what I mean) eventually showing a lighter side with his worldwide success Hold On.

Caspa

Caspa AKA Gary McCann was an original dubsteper from the beginning, with a flurry of collaborations with Rusko. Caspa’s label Dub Police dominated the new dubstep sound of the time. Caspa big commercial success came with Wheres my Money, a massive international success that went on to become one of the biggest dubstep tracks of all time elevating Caspa to commercial success.

Nero

Nero AKA Daniel Stephens and Joe Ray have won numerous dubstep awards, been nominated by BBC’s Sound of 2011 and achieved critically acclaimed success in the commercial charts. Their debut single This Way was released in 2008 and Nero have been dominating the commercial scene every since. Subsequent tracks Innocence, Guilt, Me & You all received extremely high chart positions in the UK and worldwide.

Chase and status

Chase and Status AKA Saul Milton and Will Kennard are one of the main causes for pushing dubstep to the masses. After their success in the underground rave scene with amazing drum and base sets all over the UK, they choose to change their focus to commercial acclaim. After a string of collaborations with commercial artists of all genres from R&B to Grime to Drum and Base, Chase and Status’s second album, No More Idols entered the UK charts at second position and was a huge success leading to an explosion of commercial dubstep.

Magnetic Man

Composed of three initially solo artists Magnetic Man AKA Benga, Skream and Artwork signed to Columbia records in early 2010 and completed their first full length sell-out tour in late 2010. Widely accredited for being one of the major causes for pushing dubstep to the masses, Magnetic Man’s first single I Need Air (What a tune!) rose to 10th in the UK official charts and received world wide acclaim.