Learning how to make drum and bass in Ableton comes down to two things: drums that move fast without turning to mush, and a bass that's heavy in the sub and interesting in the mids. Here are seven steps, from tempo to the second drop.
Edition note (Live 12): Drift is in every edition; Analog and Electric need Standard or Suite; Operator, Wavetable, Meld, Echo, Hybrid Reverb and Roar are Suite-only.
1. Tempo
Set 170–175 BPM and a 1/16 grid. Keep swing minimal; DnB's energy comes from precision.
2. The two-step
In a Drum Rack, place the kick on beat 1 and the "and" of beat 3, with the snare on 2 and 4. That's the skeleton. Add ghost snares at low velocity and a ride or shaker for speed.
3. Chop a break
Drag a break loop onto an audio track, warp it to your tempo, then right-click and choose Slice to New MIDI Track. You get a Drum Rack with one slice per pad. Re-sequence the slices underneath your two-step, and EQ the break so its kick and snare don't clash with your main ones.
4. The sub
A clean sine sub (Drift's sine works, or Operator on Suite) follows the root notes. Keep it mono with Utility's Bass Mono and sidechain it to the kick.
5. The reese mid-bass
Detune two saw oscillators against each other in Analog or Drift (Wavetable on Suite), add Saturator, and automate an Auto Filter for movement. Resample your best moments: record the bass to audio, chop the bits that move, and re-trigger them in Simpler.
6. Arrangement and the drop
A common map: a 16–32 bar DJ intro, a build, drop one, a short breakdown, drop two with a new bass pattern, outro. Switching the bass rhythm in the second drop is a DnB staple.
7. Mixdown
The sub and the snare are the backbone. Check the sub in mono, high-pass the rest with EQ Eight, and keep the snare's transient clear. Light Glue Compressor on the drum group; Limiter on the master only to check level.
Variation ideas for drop two
- Swap the bass rhythm: if drop one is straight 8ths, try a syncopated pattern.
- Replace the main snare with a layered or pitched version for the second half.
- Switch from the two-step to a rolling break pattern for 8 bars.
- Add a new mid-bass sound that answers the first one.
Common drum and bass mistakes
- A sub that's stereo or louder than the snare in the mix.
- A break layered on top of the main drums without EQ, so every hit doubles.
- Melodic parts that fill the space the bass needs in the drop.
- An intro too short for a DJ to mix in. Aim for 16–32 bars.
- Too many sounds in the drop. Two bass sounds trading bars usually hit harder than four playing at once.
- Skipping the reference. DnB mixes are dense, so compare yours to a released track at matched loudness every session.
Get the project file
The Chase & Status, Bou – Baddadan ft. IRAH, Flowdan, Trigga, Takura Ableton Template is a fully arranged Ableton Live project. Its product page lists key F, length 2:56, Ableton Live 10 or higher, Serum and Kickstart V2 as required plugins, and all drum samples included (36 MB). Compare drop one with drop two and list what changes.
More to explore: Drum & Bass Ableton templates and Dubstep Ableton templates.
This is an Ableton template inspired by the original track, built to show how the sound can be recreated in Ableton Live. It isn't an artist-made project file.
FAQ
What BPM is drum and bass?
Typically 170–175 BPM. The product page doesn't list a BPM, so check the tempo in Live.
Is there a free version of the featured template?
Yes, a FREE trial version is also listed. Its product page says the subscription starts 28 days after your first download.
How do I stop the break clashing with my drums?
High-pass or notch the break's kick and snare with EQ Eight so your main hits stay on top.