Boom Bap Hip-Hop
Genre: Hip Hop · Tempo: 90 BPM · Time signature: 4/4 · Length: 16 steps · Style: swung, dusty golden-era boom bap drum programming
Open this pattern in the interactive Patchpad (with playback)
The pattern
| Instrument | Steps (1 = start of the bar) | Velocity | Timing and chance |
|---|
| kick | 1, 10 | 85-110 | step 10: early by about 4% of a step, plays 70% of the time |
| hat-closed | 3, 7, 11, 15 | 55 | step 3: late by about 8% of a step, plays 90% of the time; step 7: late by about 8% of a step, plays 90% of the time; step 11: late by about 8% of a step, plays 90% of the time; step 15: late by about 8% of a step, plays 90% of the time |
| snare | 5, 13 | 105-108 | step 5: late by about 4% of a step; step 13: late by about 4% of a step |
| perc1 | 8 | 40 | step 8: plays 40% of the time |
Digitakt II
Tracks
- T1: kick
- T2: hat-closed
- T3: snare
- T4: perc1
Settings
- Hat-closed (T2): TRIG PARAMETERS TIME locked to +2 (µtime units) on every hit — this consistent late swing, not a global swing setting, is what gives boom bap its laid-back head-nod feel
- Step 10 (kick, T1): TRIG PARAMETERS TIME locked to -1 with VEL locked to 85 — the classic syncopated boom-bap kick hit just before beat 3
- Snare (T3) and hat-closed (T2): FX page SRR (sample rate reduction) locked to around 40-50 for the dusty, sampled-drum-machine character boom bap is known for
- Snare (T3): TRIG PARAMETERS TIME locked to +1, matching the swung hats for a cohesive dragging pocket
Digitone II
Tracks
- T1: kick (ALGO 1, plain carrier)
- T2: hat-closed (high-FDBK FM noise, dusty)
- T3: snare (moderate-FDBK FM noise, dusty)
- T4: perc1 (ALGO 1, quiet accent)
Settings
- Hat-closed (T2): SYN page 1 FDBK 85; FX page BR (bit reduction) locked to 7 (down from 16, i.e. moderately crushed) for the dusty, sampled-drum-machine character boom bap is known for. The consistent late swing comes from this track's own +2 microTiming value on every step (steps 3, 7, 11, 15) — Digitone II's TRIG page has no confirmed on-device micro-timing field the way Digitakt/Syntakt's TRIG PARAMETERS TIME does
- Step 10 (kick, T1): TRIG page 1 VEL locked to 85 (matching the steps array's velocity) for the classic syncopated boom-bap kick hit just before beat 3 — its early placement comes from this step's own -1 microTiming value
- Snare (T3): SYN page 1 FDBK 70 (lower than a typical hard FM snare) with FX page SRR (sample rate reduction) locked to 45 for the dusty character; AMP page DEC 55 — this track's own +1 microTiming value (steps 5, 13) already matches the swung hats for a cohesive dragging pocket
- Kick (T1): SYN page 1 ALGO 1, RATIO C 0.45; AMP page DEC 50, REL 30
- Step 8 (perc1, T4): AMP page VOL kept low (~35); TRIG page 1 COND locked to 40% for a quiet, low-probability scratch/texture accent
Syntakt
Tracks
- T9: kick (BD Classic)
- T10: snare (SD Classic)
- T12: hat-closed (CH Classic)
- T1: perc1 (SY Chip)
Settings
- Hat-closed (T12, CH Classic): TRIG PARAMETERS TIME locked to +2 (µtime units) on every hit for the consistent late swing that gives boom bap its laid-back pocket; SYN page OVER locked to around 40 for a dusty, slightly crunched top end
- Step 10 (kick, T9, BD Classic): TRIG PARAMETERS TIME locked to -1 with VEL locked to 85 — the syncopated boom-bap kick hit just before beat 3
- Snare (T10, SD Classic): TRIG PARAMETERS TIME locked to +1, matching the swung hats, for a cohesive dragging pocket
- Step 8 (perc1, T1, SY Chip): AMP page VOL kept low (~35) with TRIG PARAMETERS PROB locked to 40% for a quiet, low-probability scratch/texture accent
Notes
A classic golden-era boom bap skeleton: kick on 1 with a syncopated second hit before beat 3, backbeat snare on 2 and 4 (both slightly late), and consistently swung hi-hats carrying the laid-back pocket. An original pattern in the boom bap idiom, not a transcription.
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