Dub Reggae Riddim
Genre: Reggae / Dub · Tempo: 76 BPM · Time signature: 4/4 · Length: 16 steps · Style: classic one-drop dub reggae riddim programming
Open this pattern in the interactive Patchpad (with playback)
The pattern
| Instrument | Steps (1 = start of the bar) | Velocity | Timing and chance |
|---|
| hat-closed | 3, 7, 11, 15 | 35 | step 3: plays 60% of the time; step 7: plays 60% of the time; step 11: plays 60% of the time; step 15: plays 60% of the time |
| perc1 | 6 | 40 | step 6: plays 40% of the time |
| kick | 9 | 100 | on the grid, always plays |
| snare | 9 | 95 | on the grid, always plays |
| rim | 13 | 60 | step 13: plays 70% of the time |
Digitakt II
Tracks
- T1: hat-closed
- T2: perc1
- T3: kick
- T4: snare
- T5: rim
Settings
- Step 9 (kick, T3): TRIG PARAMETERS VEL locked to 127 and AMP page DEC set to 110 — the one-drop's single loud, long-decaying kick hit carries the whole downbeat's weight
- Step 9 (snare, T4): FX page REV send locked to 100 (up from a dry base around 20) — the reverb tail is what makes the beat-3 hit read as 'dub,' not the dry hit itself
- Base sound, rim (T5): FLTR page 1 machine LEGACY with TYPE Highpass (2-pole), FREQ around 90 to keep the rimshot thin and click-like, sitting above the kick/snare drop
- Base sound, hat-closed (T1): AMP page DEC set to 15-20 (short) and VOL backed off to around 40 — these hits (steps 3, 7, 11, 15) stay a quiet texture, never competing with the beat-3 drop
Digitone II
Tracks
- T1: hat-closed (FM synth, high-FDBK noise, quiet)
- T2: perc1 (FM synth, ALGO 1 plain carrier)
- T3: kick (FM synth, ALGO 4 plain low carrier, soft/round)
- T4: snare (FM synth, moderate-FDBK noise, roomy)
- T5: rim (FM synth, ALGO 1 plain carrier, high RATIO C, thin)
Settings
- Same one-drop rule as Digitakt/Syntakt — no hit at all on beat 1; the pattern's only downbeat event is the beat-3 kick+snare hit (step 9)
- Kick (T3): SYN page 1 ALGO 4, RATIO C 0.50 for a soft, round low fundamental (the envelope-affected plain carrier, not ALGO 1's dotted-envelope version). Step 9: AMP page DEC locked to 110, REL to 90 (near the top of the 0-127 range) so the one-drop's single kick hit carries the whole downbeat's weight with a long, dubby tail
- Snare (T4): SYN page 1 FDBK set to 60 (moderate, not harsh) for a soft, natural-leaning FM-noise texture. Step 9: FX page REV send locked to 115 (up from a dry base around 20) — the reverb tail, not the dry hit, is what makes the beat-3 hit read as 'dub'
- Rim (T5): SYN page 1 ALGO 1, RATIO C 3.00 for a thin plain-carrier click; FLTR page 1 TYPE set toward HP (~100) to keep it above the kick/snare drop
- Hat-closed (T1) base sound: SYN page 1 FDBK 50 (low-moderate) for a soft noise texture, AMP page DEC 15 (short) and VOL backed off to ~40 — these hits (steps 3, 7, 11, 15) stay a quiet texture, never competing with the beat-3 drop
Syntakt
Tracks
- T9: kick (BD SILKY)
- T10: snare (SD NATURAL)
- T11: rim (RS CLASSIC)
- T12: hat-closed (CH CLASSIC)
- T1: perc1 (SY RAW)
Settings
- Step 9 (kick, T9, BD SILKY): AMP page DEC set to 115 with AMP PAGE 2 MODE set to ADSR so REL (set to 100) actually applies — a long, weighty tail on the one drop's kick
- Step 9 (snare, T10, SD NATURAL): AMP page REV send locked to 110 for the same big dub reverb tail as Digitakt
- Rim (T11, RS CLASSIC): FLTR page 1 TYPE set to Highpass with FREQ around 85 to keep it thin and click-like as the beat-4 answer to the drop
- Hat-closed (T12, CH CLASSIC) is this pattern's only Analog Cymbal voice — no conflict here since the pattern uses just one hat sound, but note a future dub variant wanting a cymbal swell couldn't add one without dropping the hat
Notes
A true one-drop riddim: no hit on beat 1 at all, with kick and snare landing together only on beat 3, plus a sparse hat and a light rimshot answer on beat 4. The space is the point — this pattern is meant to be played through a long reverb/delay chain in the classic dub production style. An original pattern, not a transcription.
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