Bicep Chord Rhythm
Genre: Melodic Techno, House · Tempo: 124 BPM · Time signature: 4/4 · Length: 16 steps · Style: Bicep's chugging, emotive rhythm-section programming under chord stabs
Open this pattern in the interactive Patchpad (with playback)
The pattern
| Instrument | Steps (1 = start of the bar) | Velocity | Timing and chance |
|---|
| kick | 1, 5, 9, 13 | 112 | on the grid, always plays |
| hat-closed | 3, 7, 11, 15 | 66 | on the grid, always plays |
| hat-open | 4, 12 | 50-52 | step 4: late by about 4% of a step, plays 40% of the time; step 12: late by about 4% of a step, plays 40% of the time |
| clap | 5, 13 | 92 | on the grid, always plays |
| tom-low | 8, 16 | 62-68 | step 8: late by about 4% of a step, plays 65% of the time; step 16: late by about 4% of a step, plays 70% of the time |
| perc1 | 10 | 45 | step 10: late by about 8% of a step, plays 55% of the time |
Digitakt II
Tracks
- T1: kick
- T2: clap
- T3: hat-closed
- T4: hat-open
- T5: tom-low
- T6: perc1
Settings
- Tom-low (T5): TRIG PARAMETERS PROB p-locked to build across the bar — around 65% on step 8, 70% on step 16 — with VEL locked slightly higher on step 16 (~68) so it reads as a rolling fill leading back into beat 1, not a fixed accent
- Clap (T2): AMP page ATK locked to 0 and layered directly on the kick hits (steps 5, 13) with no offset, for the dense, chugging low-end this pattern is built on
- Hat-open (T4): AMP page DEC kept short (~35) with VOL locked low (~40) — it's a lift accent (steps 4, 12), not a feature
Digitone II
Tracks
- T1: kick (ALGO 8, FM click-into-boom, chugging)
- T2: clap (high-FDBK FM noise, layered on kick)
- T3: hat-closed (ALGO 8, metallic RATIO A)
- T4: hat-open (high-FDBK FM noise, short lift)
- T5: tom-low (ALGO 1, plain carrier with pitch movement)
- T6: perc1 (ALGO 1, plain carrier)
Settings
- Kick (T1): SYN page 1 ALGO 8, RATIO C 0.50; SYN page 2 Operator A ATK 0, DEC 15, LEV 110 for a hard, driven click into the boom; FX page OVER locked to 55 for the chugging, pushed low end Bicep's rhythm-section programming is built on
- Clap (T2): SYN page 1 FDBK 100; AMP page ATK 0, DEC 35 — layered directly on the kick hits (steps 5, 13) with no offset, for the dense chug
- Hat-closed (T3): SYN page 1 ALGO 8, RATIO A 3.41 (non-integer, metallic) with FDBK 40; FLTR page 1 TYPE toward HP (~95); AMP page DEC 30 — kept perfectly on-grid (0 microTiming on every hit), no swing; the emotion here comes from the tom fills, not the hats
- Hat-open (T4): SYN page 1 FDBK 105; AMP page DEC 35, VOL 40 — a lift accent (steps 4, 12), not a feature
- Tom-low (T5): SYN page 1 ALGO 1, RATIO C 2.20 with FLTR page 1 ENV -30 for melodic movement; TRIG page 1 COND p-locked to build across the bar — 65% on step 8, 70% on step 16 — with TRIG page 1 VEL locked slightly higher on step 16 (~68, matching the steps array) so it reads as a rolling fill leading back into beat 1, not a fixed accent
Syntakt
Tracks
- T9: kick (BD Hard)
- T10: tom-low (UT Impulse)
- T12: hat-closed (CH Classic)
- T1: clap (CP Vintage)
- T2: perc1 (PC Carbon)
- hat-open: NOT ASSIGNABLE — see parameterLocks; Syntakt has only one Analog Cymbal voice (T12) and it's already used by hat-closed
Settings
- Hat-closed and hat-open share Syntakt's single Analog Cymbal voice (T12) — a real hardware limitation. Hat-closed (T12, CH Classic) is assigned the track since it carries the steady groove pulse across all four beats; the hat-open lift (steps 4, 12, probability 40%) can't be voiced on the same unit — run it from a second Syntakt, a sampled layer, or accept the pattern without it
- Tom-low (T10, UT Impulse): FLTR page FREQ tuned a fourth above the kick's fundamental so the fill reads as melodic movement, not just percussion; TRIG PARAMETERS PROB p-locked to build across the bar (~65% step 8, ~70% step 16)
- Kick (T9, BD Hard): SYN page TRAN pushed (~70) for the chugging, driven low end Bicep's rhythm-section programming is built on
- Clap (T1, CP Vintage): AMP page ATK locked to 0, layered directly on the kick hits (steps 5, 13) with no offset, for the dense chug
Notes
A steady four-on-floor chug designed to sit under a chord/pad stab rather than stand alone — the tom-low fills are the main rhythmic interest, giving the pattern forward motion without adding density. An original pattern inspired by the duo's rhythm-section style, not a transcription of any release.
Patchpad is a free reference of drum patterns and synth patches written for real hardware: Digitakt II, Digitone II, Syntakt, Novation Summit, Arturia MiniFreak, Dreadbox Typhon and ASM Hydrasynth Desktop.