It’s been a while since I’ve posted last here; I’ve been busy putting together new and exciting things on the music front. I’ve been experimenting with new VSTS, (the main one here, being NexUs from refx, the same people who brought you the Vengeance sample packs) working out new drum patterns, and even delving into some dubstep.
Typically, most EDM follows between 120-132 beats per minute. It really depends on personal preference for your song; Deadmau5 has most of his music written at 128 bpm, whereas Markus Schulz runs his sets at 132. As a producer, working with some basic dubstep patterns at 140 bpm is definitely an interesting change. The kick drum takes a back seat when it comes to the drum kits, especially if you always use a 4:4 timing for your music. It no longer is the driving force behind a beat, but really just the skeleton holding everything together
I’m not exactly a huge fan of dubstep, but the best way to improve at something, is to keep trying new things. Dubstep has been around for over 10 years (at least some iteration of it) and It won’t be going away any time soon. I really believe that Dub variations have pushed a lot of EDM into the spotlight, so It would be stupid to not appreciate it at least a little for that alone.
Now before everyone gets upset, I understand that the music by artists like Skrillex isn’t really “dubstep,” I don’t want to get all hipster about it by pointing it out, but doesn’t bother me that people without full dub disclosure confuse his style. I don’t feel like calling it ‘brostep,’ – because I don’t hate the music, so why would I insult it? It’s the same way I feel about the Dave Matthews band – I think he’s got talent, and I like some of his music; but the obnoxious fan boys can really ruin it (aka: this is why we can’t have nice things!).
I’ve been working on some video/tutorial related things, so watch for that.