UK Drill
Genre: Drill · Tempo: 140 BPM · Time signature: 4/4 · Length: 16 steps · Style: UK drill's half-time snare, sliding 808, and triplet hi-hat 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, 6, 11 | 82-115 | step 6: early by about 8% of a step, plays 65% of the time; step 11: late by about 8% of a step, plays 60% of the time |
| sub | 1 | 110 | on the grid, always plays |
| hat-closed | 2, 5, 8, 10, 13, 15 | 40-45 | step 2: early by about 4% of a step, plays 90% of the time; step 5: late by about 4% of a step, plays 85% of the time; step 8: early by about 4% of a step, plays 90% of the time; step 10: late by about 8% of a step, plays 80% of the time; step 13: early by about 8% of a step, plays 90% of the time; step 15: late by about 4% of a step, plays 85% of the time |
| snare | 9 | 120 | on the grid, always plays |
Digitakt II
Tracks
- T1: kick
- T2: sub
- T3: hat-closed
- T4: snare
Settings
- Step 9 (snare, T4): TRIG page VEL locked to 120, the pattern's only snare hit — half-time drill backbone, do not add a second snare on beat 4.
- Sub (T2, step 1): SRC page TUNE locked low (around -30 to -40) plus MOD page 1 DEST set to SRC TUNE, MODE set to ONE, DEP locked negative around -25 to -35 — a downward pitch-slide through the bar for the genre's signature sliding 808, all programmed on the synth engine itself.
- Hat-closed (T3) TRIG page µtime alternates between -1, -2, +1, +2 across its hits (steps 2, 5, 8, 10, 13, 15) rather than one consistent offset — this loose, triplet-adjacent feel is characteristic of drill hi-hat programming.
- Steps 6, 11 (kick, T1): VEL locked to 88 and 82 (vs 115 on the downbeat) — lower velocity on the syncopated hits for a lopsided, tension-building feel.
Digitone II
Tracks
- T1: kick (ALGO 8, FM click-into-boom, sharp)
- T2: sub (ALGO 1, plain low carrier, MOD-page pitch slide)
- T3: hat-closed (high-FDBK FM noise, thinned)
- T4: snare (high-FDBK FM noise, hard)
Settings
- Step 9 (snare, T4): AMP page VOL/TRIG PARAMETERS VEL locked to 120, the pattern's only snare hit — half-time drill backbone, do not add a second snare on beat 4. SYN page 1 FDBK 118 for maximum noisy grit; FX page OVER locked to 60 for extra edge; AMP page ATK 0, DEC 30, SUS 0, REL 15 — tight and hard.
- Sub (T2, step 1): SYN page 1 ALGO 1, RATIO C 0.25, DTUN locked low. MOD page 1 DEST set to pitch, MODE ONE, SPD fast, DEP locked negative around -30 — a downward pitch-slide through the bar for the genre's signature sliding 808, all programmed on the synth engine itself, the direct Digitone II equivalent of Digitakt/Syntakt's LFO/SDEP pitch-sweep techniques. AMP page DEC 110, SUS 30, REL 50 for a long sustained tone.
- Kick (T1, step 1): SYN page 1 ALGO 8, RATIO C 0.55; SYN page 2 Operator A ATK 0, DEC 12, LEV 110 for a sharp, punchy click transient. AMP page ATK 0, DEC 38, SUS 0, REL 18 — short and sharp, distinct from the sub's long tail.
- Hat-closed (T3): SYN page 1 FDBK 85, FLTR page 1 TYPE toward HP (~90). TRIG PARAMETERS page MICROTIME alternates between -2, -1, +1, +2 across its hits (steps 2, 5, 8, 10, 13, 15) rather than one consistent offset — this loose, triplet-adjacent feel is characteristic of drill hi-hat programming.
Syntakt
Tracks
- T9: kick (BD Sharp)
- T10: sub (BD FM)
- T11: snare (SD Acoustic)
- T12: hat-closed (CH Metallic)
Settings
- Step 9 (snare, T11, SD Acoustic): TRIG PARAMETERS page VEL locked to 120, the pattern's only snare hit — same half-time backbone rule as Digitakt.
- Sub (T10, BD FM, step 1): SYN page TUNE locked low, DEC locked long (around 100-115 of 0-127), and SDEP (pitch-sweep depth) locked high, around 90-100, for the genre's signature sliding-808 pitch drop, using BD FM's own built-in pitch sweep rather than an external LFO route.
- Hat-closed (T12, CH Metallic) TRIG PARAMETERS page µtime alternates between -1, -2, +1, +2 across its hits — same loose, triplet-adjacent feel as Digitakt.
- Steps 6, 11 (kick, T9, BD Sharp): TRIG PARAMETERS page VEL locked to 88 and 82 against 115 on the downbeat — lower velocity for the lopsided, tension-building feel.
Notes
A half-time UK drill skeleton: kick+sliding-808 on beat 1, a single hard snare on beat 3, and loosely-timed hats with a triplet-adjacent feel rather than a strict 16th grid. The sub's pitch slide needs to be programmed on the synth engine itself. An original pattern, not a transcription.
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