Dubstep Half-Time
Genre: Dubstep / Bass Music · Tempo: 140 BPM · Time signature: 4/4 · Length: 16 steps · Style: classic half-time dubstep 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 | 115 | on the grid, always plays |
| sub | 1, 12 | 90-110 | step 12: late by about 12% of a step, plays 70% of the time |
| hat-closed | 4, 8, 11, 14 | 40 | step 4: plays 60% of the time; step 8: plays 60% of the time; step 11: plays 60% of the time; step 14: plays 60% of the time |
| snare | 9 | 120 | on the grid, always plays |
| fx | 15 | 70 | step 15: early by about 8% of a step, plays 50% of the time |
Digitakt II
Tracks
- T1: kick
- T2: sub
- T3: snare
- T4: hat-closed
- T5: fx
Settings
- Step 1 (kick, T1) and step 1 (sub, T2): TRIG PARAMETERS VEL locked to 127 on both — the downbeat needs to hit as one unified low-end event
- Step 9 (snare, T3): AMP page DEC set to around 90 with FX page REV send at 70 — the single half-time snare needs to ring out and carry the whole 2-bar phrase, not clip short
- Step 12 (sub, T2): SRC page TUNE p-locked to -12 from the base sound with TRIG PARAMETERS PROB left at 70% — this is the wobble entry point; set MOD page 1 DEST to FLTR FREQ afterward and automate it for the full wobble sweep
- Step 15 (fx, T5): AMP page PAN p-locked to L20 and FLTR page FREQ swept low (around 30) for a filtered riser/impact character leading into the next bar's downbeat
Digitone II
Tracks
- T1: kick (ALGO 8, FM click-into-boom, hard)
- T2: sub (ALGO 1 plain carrier, RATIO C 0.25, MOD-page wobble)
- T3: snare (high-FDBK FM noise)
- T4: hat-closed (high-FDBK FM noise, HP filtered)
- T5: fx (ALGO 8, filtered riser)
Settings
- Step 1 (kick, T1) and step 1 (sub, T2): TRIG PARAMETERS VEL locked to 127 on both, so the downbeat lands as one unified low-end event. Kick: SYN page 1 ALGO 8, RATIO C 0.25; SYN page 2 Operator A ATK 0, DEC 15, LEV 115 for a hard click-into-boom transient. AMP page ATK 0, DEC 90, SUS 20, REL 40
- Sub (T2) base sound: SYN page 1 ALGO 1, RATIO C 0.25 for the low fundamental. MOD page 1 DEST set to FLTR FREQ, WAVE Triangle, SPD 20 (roughly a 1-bar cycle), DEP 90 — the slow filter LFO is the real mechanism behind the wobble-bass texture; the step data only marks where the wobble note starts
- Step 12 (sub, T2): SYN page 1 RATIO C p-locked down to 0.20 (from 0.25) with TRIG PARAMETERS PROB left at 70% — the wobble entry point dips slightly lower before the MOD-page sweep takes over
- Step 9 (snare, T3): SYN page 1 FDBK locked to 100 for a harsh, aggressive noise texture; AMP page DEC 90 with FX page REV send at 100 — the single half-time snare needs to ring out and carry the whole 2-bar phrase, not clip short
- Hat-closed (T4) base sound: SYN page 1 FDBK 95, FLTR page 1 TYPE set toward HP (~100) to thin the low end; AMP page DEC 20 (short) for a tight, unobtrusive click
- Step 15 (fx, T5): SYN page 1 ALGO 8, MIX p-locked toward -64; FLTR page 1 FREQ swept from ~110 down to ~30 across the hit (FLTR page 1 ENV depth p-locked to ~-90, bipolar) for a filtered riser/impact character leading into the next bar's downbeat
Syntakt
Tracks
- T9: kick (BD HARD)
- T10: sub (BD FM)
- T11: snare (SD HARD)
- T12: hat-closed (CH METALLIC)
- T1: fx (SY RAW)
Settings
- Step 1 (kick, T9, BD HARD) and step 1 (sub, T10, BD FM): both AMP page ATK left at 0 and DEC pushed past 120 for maximum low-end thump on the downbeat
- Step 12 (sub, T10, BD FM): SYN page TUNE p-locked down (roughly -20 from base) with TRIG PARAMETERS PROB left at 70% — the wobble entry point; route LFO page 1 DEST to FLTR FREQ afterward for the full wobble sweep, since Syntakt's analog tracks each carry two real LFOs
- Step 9 (snare, T11, SD HARD): AMP page REV send at 70 so the single half-time snare rings out and carries the 2-bar phrase
- Hat-closed (T12, CH METALLIC) is this pattern's only Analog Cymbal voice — there's no room for a crash or open hat on the same unit if a variant ever wants one
- Step 15 (fx, T1, SY RAW): FLTR page 1 FREQ swept low (around 30) via p-lock for a filtered riser/impact character into the next bar's downbeat
Notes
A half-time dubstep skeleton: one kick on beat 1, one snare on beat 3, sparse skittering hats, and a syncopated sub hit standing in for where a wobble bassline would enter. The tempo is written at 140 BPM per genre convention, but the pattern itself feels half that speed. An original pattern, not a transcription.
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.