Jon Hopkins Secondary Kick Drive
Genre: Techno, Downtempo · Tempo: 126 BPM · Time signature: 4/4 · Length: 16 steps · Style: Jon Hopkins' technique of a much quieter secondary kick underneath the main kick to propel the beat forward, plus different swing settings on different elements, documented on the Ableton Forum
Open this pattern in the interactive Patchpad (with playback)
The pattern
| Instrument | Steps (1 = start of the bar) | Velocity | Timing and chance |
|---|
| kick | 1, 4, 5, 8, 9, 12, 13, 16 | 34-100 | step 4: early by about 12% of a step, plays 85% of the time; step 8: early by about 12% of a step, plays 85% of the time; step 12: early by about 12% of a step, plays 85% of the time; step 16: early by about 12% of a step, plays 85% of the time |
| hat-closed | 3, 7, 11, 15 | 50-56 | step 3: late by about 17% of a step, plays 90% of the time; step 7: late by about 17% of a step, plays 90% of the time; step 11: late by about 17% of a step, plays 90% of the time; step 15: late by about 17% of a step, plays 90% of the time |
| snare | 5, 13 | 70-72 | step 5: late by about 8% of a step; step 13: late by about 8% of a step |
| fx | 9 | 40 | on the grid, always plays |
Digitakt II
Tracks
- T1: kick
- T2: snare
- T3: hat-closed
- T4: fx (processed foley texture)
Settings
- Main kick (T1, steps 1/5/9/13): TRIG page 1 VEL fixed at 100, micro-timing fixed at 0 - the loud, on-grid downbeat pulse
- Secondary quiet kick (T1, steps 4/8/12/16): a second p-lock pattern on the same track - VEL dropped to 34-38 and micro-timing pushed to -3 (early, dragging the beat forward into the next downbeat), PROB 85% so it doesn't fire identically every loop - this is the sourced 'much quieter kick underneath the main kick to propel the beat forward'
- Hat-closed (T3): micro-timing fixed at +4 on every hit (a consistent late shuffle) while the snare (T2) uses a different, smaller +2 offset - two independently swung layers rather than one global swing amount, per the sourced 'different swing settings for different elements' technique
- Snare (T2, steps 5/13): AMP page VOL and FLTR page 1 machine settings kept close to the kit's other hits rather than made to stand out via a sidechain trick, matching the sourced preference for careful velocity/sound-selection cohesion over heavy sidechain compression
- FX/foley texture (T4, step 9): SRC page sample set to a processed field-recording or tapping sound (not a standard drum hit), FLTR page 1 machine EQ used to fold it into the kit's tonal range, per the sourced use of non-drum sample sources
Digitone II
Tracks
- T1: kick (ALGO 4, low RATIO C)
- T2: snare (moderate-FDBK FM noise)
- T3: hat-closed (high-FDBK FM noise)
- T4: fx (ALGO 8, processed inharmonic texture)
Settings
- Main kick (T1, steps 1/5/9/13): SYN page 1 ALGO 4, RATIO C 0.50; VEL fixed at 100, micro-timing fixed at 0
- Secondary quiet kick (T1, steps 4/8/12/16): same base sound, VEL dropped to 34-38 with micro-timing -3 and PROB 85% - the quiet, forward-propelling counter-kick
- Hat-closed (T3): micro-timing fixed at +4 on every hit; snare (T2) uses its own, smaller +2 offset - two independently-swung layers rather than a single global swing
- Snare (T2, steps 5/13): SYN page 1 FDBK 75 for a controlled, blended noise character rather than an aggressive cut-through hit, in keeping with the sourced velocity/sound-selection-over-sidechain approach
- FX/texture (T4, step 9): SYN page 1 ALGO 8, RATIO A 2.30 (non-integer, inharmonic), FDBK 50, AMP page ATK 0, DEC 70, SUS 20, REL 50, MODE ADSR for a processed, non-drum-sounding texture
Syntakt
Tracks
- T9: kick (BD CLASSIC)
- T10: snare (SD NATURAL)
- T12: hat-closed (CH CLASSIC)
- T1: fx (SY CHIP, processed texture)
Settings
- Main kick (T9, steps 1/5/9/13): TUNE and DEC set for a solid four-on-the-floor pulse; VEL fixed at 100, micro-timing fixed at 0
- Secondary quiet kick (T9, steps 4/8/12/16): a second p-lock layer on the same track - VEL dropped to 34-38, micro-timing pushed to -3, PROB 85% - the quiet counter-kick pulling the beat forward
- Hat-closed (T12, CH CLASSIC): micro-timing fixed at +4 on every hit, independent of the snare's own +2 offset - two separately-swung layers
- Snare (T10, SD NATURAL): TONE and SNAP kept moderate so it blends via careful level/sound choice rather than needing a sidechain trick to cut through
- FX/texture (T1, SY CHIP, step 9): a processed digital wavetable position pitched and filtered to sound closer to a field recording or tapped surface than a synthetic hit
Notes
A loud, on-grid four-on-the-floor kick with a second, much quieter kick p-locked into the gaps between each beat, pulling the pattern forward the way Jon Hopkins has described in interviews about his own production, with the hi-hat and snare each carrying their own independent swing amount rather than one shared setting. An original pattern in the spirit of that documented approach, not a transcription of any specific track.
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