Off-Grid Rimshot

Genre: Dubstep / Bass Music, UK Garage · Tempo: 136 BPM · Time signature: 4/4 · Length: 16 steps · Style: Attack Magazine's 'Beat Dissected' breakdown of a UK bass-music beat: a four-to-the-floor kick plus one extra hit, rimshots instead of a snare (a different sample slice each time), and every hit nudged off-grid rather than quantized

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, 15	60-95	step 1: late by about 8% of a step; step 5: early by about 4% of a step; step 9: late by about 4% of a step; step 13: early by about 8% of a step; step 15: early by about 12% of a step
hat-closed	3, 7, 10, 14	34-46	step 3: early by about 8% of a step, plays 80% of the time; step 7: late by about 8% of a step, plays 80% of the time; step 10: early by about 12% of a step, plays 75% of the time; step 14: late by about 12% of a step, plays 75% of the time
rim	5, 11, 13	55-75	step 5: late by about 12% of a step; step 11: early by about 8% of a step, plays 60% of the time; step 13: late by about 8% of a step

Digitakt II

Tracks

• T1: kick
• T2: rim (three different rim samples)
• T3: hat-closed (slices of an acoustic drum loop)

Digitone II

Tracks

• T1: kick (FM DRUM, soft low body)
• T2: rim (FM DRUM, short inharmonic click)
• T3: hat-closed (FM DRUM, grainy noise)

Syntakt

Tracks

• T9: kick (BD ACOUSTIC)
• T10: rim (RS CLASSIC)
• T12: hat-closed (CH CLASSIC)

Tonverk

Tracks

• ST1: kick
• T2: rim (three different rim samples)
• T3: hat-closed (slices of an acoustic drum loop)

Notes

A four-to-the-floor kick with one extra hit on the last 8th note of the bar, rimshots standing in for the snare with a different sample each time, and every hit (kick, rim and hat) nudged off the grid by its own small amount rather than quantised. Based on Attack Magazine's breakdown of a UK bass-music beat. An original pattern in that style, not a transcription of any track.

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