Hello,

I need some sites or e-books on making music like breakbeat, jungle or 
drum'n'bass. I need to know what drums, bassline and melodies i have to include 
in each song theme, what speed it should be, where to download samples (loops 
and one-shots) etc.

Thanks in advance.

Hi Danano,

There are a number of websites, tutorials, and books that will get you started 
making breakbeat, jungle, and drum n’ bass music.  Music creation is a very 
subjective area, so I’ll try to give you as much information as possible to get 
you on your way.

I’ll break down my research into three key areas.  First, tutorial sites that 
will help you get started on programming and creating breakbeat music.  
Secondly, a list of books that might help with your breakbeat creation and 
development.  Thirdly, sample sites where you can download your high hats, 
snares, and bass drums.

Start with online tutorials.  The sites listed below offer varying levels of 
knowledge.  For example, have you bought your equipment yet?  Do you have the 
appropriate software?  Do you know shortcuts and tricks of the trade?  I’ve 
tried to gather a variety of sources with varying levels.  For the most basic 
tutorial, intermusic.com is a great starting point.  They cover the very 
basics, from getting the right equipment to finding suggested software. 

Intermusic.com
Drum and Bass Tutorial
http://www.intermusic.com/article.asp?
ReviewID=3779&ArticleTable=Features&FeatureType=TUT&Channel=DJS

If you have bought your equipment and are ready to start programming, then try 
orion-central.com’s tutorial on basic drum programming.  They offer basic 
tricks for drum programming.

Orion-Central
Drum Programming Tutorial
http://www.orion-central.com/tutoriallivedrums.shtml

The next two sites offer tutorials for the novice user who is already familiar 
with the basics.  If you’re looking for advice on looping, try loopers-
delight.com’s “Looping Tips and Tricks.”

Loopers-delight
Looping Tips and Tricks
http://www.loopers-delight.com/tips/tips.html

Audioheadz offers breakbeat manipulation and how to make new versions of 
original beats, develop original loops, and edit mono breaks.

Audioheadz 
Tutorial Page on Breakbeat Manipulation
http://www.btinternet.com/~taskie/tutorials/breaks-index.html

Secondly, I would look into books that might help you get started.  
Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any ebooks about jungle, breakbeat, or drum n’ 
bass creation.  However, I did manage to find online bookstores offering items 
for you.  Musicbooksplus.com has a number of books for electronic music 
creation.  Take a look at the list found here:

Music Books Plus
Electroic Music – Midi Synthesis
http://www.musicbooksplus.com/midi.htm

I only found one book that addresses drum and bass music creation that’s found 
at Amazon.com.   The book is made “for all drummers wanting to explore the 
world of electronically produced Jungle Drum 'n' Bass grooves”

Amazon.com
Jungle Drum n’ Bass
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0757990258/qid=1019597566/sr=1-
1/ref=sr_1_1/102-1922267-1175319

Your questions regarding drums, bassline, melody, and song themes all deal with 
music theory.   If you open your scope a little larger and search for books 
on “music theory,” you’ll find a volume of resources.  This will help you 
understand the basics of music creation from reading, writing and understanding:

Amazon.com	
Music Theory
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-form/102-1922267-1175319

Also, a great place to find music theory on drum and bass, jungle, and 
breakbeat are the many discussion boards available online.   United Trackers 
offers a discussion board that specialize in digital music creation:

United Trackers
Message Board Page
http://www.united-trackers.org/2000/bbs/index.asp?board=general

Drum and Bass Arena offers a specific forum for drum and bass production.

Drum and Bass Arena
Forum Page
http://www.breakbeat.co.uk/forum/

Jungle Scene also offers a community area to discuss production:

Jungle Scene
http://junglescene.com/

Lastly, there are a number of sampling sites that offer free and paid for 
samples.  I’ll list a few here, but I’d recommend exploring Google and Yahoo’s 
categories for samples and loops.  Loopsonic offers free drum, bass, guitar 
loops and samples.

Loopasonic
Offering an archive of drum loops
http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~spufus/

Analogue Samples organizes their samples in 14 categories, from drum, bass, 
brass, to leads, pads, and strings.

Analogue Samples
http://www.analoguesamples.com/

Superloops specializes in hip-hop and rock samples and loops for purchase.

Superloops
Specializing in live hip-hop and rock drum loops.
http://www.superloops.com/

If these don’t satisfy you, there are more listings found in both Google and 
Yahoo’s directories:

Categories Used:
Arts > Music > Sound Files > Samples and Loops 
http://directory.google.com/Top/Arts/Music/Sound_Files/Samples_and_Loops/

Yahoo! Directory for Free Drum Loops and Samples
http://dir.yahoo.com/Entertainment/Music/Recording/Sampling/Samples_and_Loops/

If this isn’t the information that you were looking for, please let me know.

Websites that may interest you:

Tutorial Sites:

Intermusic.com
Drum and Bass Tutorial
http://www.intermusic.com/article.asp?
ReviewID=3779&ArticleTable=Features&FeatureType=TUT&Channel=DJS

Orion-Central
Drum Programming Tutorial
http://www.orion-central.com/tutoriallivedrums.shtml

Loopers-delight
Looping Tips and Tricks
http://www.loopers-delight.com/tips/tips.html

Audioheadz 
Tutorial Page on Breakbeat manipulation
http://www.btinternet.com/~taskie/tutorials/breaks-index.html

Book Sites:

Music Books Plus
http://www.musicbooksplus.com/midi.htm

Amazon.com
Jungle Drum N’ Bass
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0757990258/qid=1019597566/sr=1-
1/ref=sr_1_1/102-1922267-1175319

Amazon.com	
Music Theory
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-form/102-1922267-1175319

Message Boards/Community Areas

United Trackers
Message Board Page
http://www.united-trackers.org/2000/bbs/index.asp?board=general

Drum and Bass Arena
Forum Page
http://www.breakbeat.co.uk/forum/

Jungle Scene
Offering Community areas for discussion
http://junglescene.com/


Sample Downloading

Loopasonic
Offering an archive of drum loops
http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~spufus/

Analogue Samples
Catalog of Samples
http://www.analoguesamples.com/

Superloops
Specializing in live hip-hop and rock drum loops
http://www.superloops.com/

Drum Track Zone
Offering Drum Samples
http://www.synthzone.com/drums.htm

Cultural Sites:

Breaksworld.com
Offers Message Board and Culture
http://www.breaksworld.com/home.htm

Global Music Resource
Resource Center for making Music with Computers
http://www.globalmusicresource.com/

Hitsquad.com
Portal music resource and industry information
http://www.hitsquad.com

AmericanDnB.com
American Drum and Bass Information
http://americandnb.com/index.php

Keyword Used:

making breakbeats
breakbeats
samples and loops

Categories Used:
Arts > Music > Sound Files > Samples and Loops 
http://directory.google.com/Top/Arts/Music/Sound_Files/Samples_and_Loops/

Yahoo! Directory for Free Drum Loops and Samples
http://dir.yahoo.com/Entertainment/Music/Recording/Sampling/Samples_and_Loops/

Thanks,

Trailhead

Hello questioner.  

I am glad that to hear that you interested in creating Drum n Bass
tracks.  I used to be a Jungle fanatic about 5 years ago.  I still
enjoy listenin to Drum n Bass even though the sound is a lot different
then it was when I was constantly listening to it.

From what I've read about your question I am assuming that you have
heard Jungle before and that it intrigues you.  Instead of trying to
find a book or site telling you how to make jungle tracks, I think you
should take what you hear as a "study guide".  Every piece of drum n
bass that you hear you should be studying so as to learn the
intricacies of the style.  I think that that is the best way to learn
what jungle sounds like and to be able to develop an idea of what you
want to make.  There are things that you have to consider before you
start producing tracks.  Most importantly, you have to choose which
sub-genre of Drum n Bass you want to produce.  Is it Jungle, Drum n
Bass, Techstep, Hardstep, etc.

Trailhead did a decent job of referencing sites that can expose you to
more jungle and the different sub-genres.  However, I am going to give
you some ideas on production.  I happen to produce my own hiphop
tracks at home.

The first thing you have to decide is what is going to be your medium
of production.  Do you plan on running programs off a computer or do
you plan on purchasing actual hardware and equipment?  I use a
combination of both, but most of my work is done on the computer.  I
play bass so when it comes time to lay down a bass track on one of my
beats then I am able to do that manually without having to program it.
 If you do decide on using a computer based setup then the software
that you run is very important, especially when it comes to making
jungle.  There are many audio programs on the market that do a variety
of things.  A company called emagic has a piece of software called
Logic Platinum (http://www.emagic.de/english/products/logic/lap.html)
which is a pretty comprehensive program to use, however I wouldn't
recommend starting off with this program as it tends to be geared
toward the more advanced user.  Steinberg is another company that
makes audio software.  The most popular of Steinberg's products is
called Cubase (http://www.cubase.net/) and is popular amongst jungle
producers.  Once again, this particular program is geared towards the
more advanced user.

I would consider myself an intermediate user, meaning that I am
getting good with basic programs.  Personally, I use three main
programs for all my production.  These are as follows:  Sonic Foundry
Acid Pro 3.0 (http://www.sonicfoundry.com/products/NewShowProduct.asp?PID=462)
which is what I use to lay out my songs.  I feel that it is a pretty
user friendly program suitable for beginner to advanced users.  The
second program that I use is Sonic Foundry Sound Forge 6.0
(http://www.sonicfoundry.com/PRODUCTS/NewShowProduct.asp?PID=668&FeatureID=5785)
which allows me to do most of my editing and I do my recording on that
program.  The last program that I use is Fruity Loops
(http://www.fruityloops.com/English/frames.html) which allows me to
prgram my beats and rhythms.  I find this program simple to use but
yet capable of so much.  This program also can be used by the
beginning or advanced user.  Like I said, those are the three programs
that I basically do everything on.  I know two other producers who
also use the same trio of software for their productions.

You said, "I need to know what drums, bassline and melodies i have to
include
in each song theme"

As I said earlier, you need to "study" jungle by listening to it so
you know what kinds of sounds to use.  Once you start developing your
own style then you will have your own melodies and basslines.

Jungle music tempo typically ranges approximately between 140-170 BPM
(beats per minute).

As far as places to get samples there are software CDs that you can
purchase that are full of samples and loops.  Some companies offer
full CDs in specific genres so it is possible to get a Drum n Bass CD.
 My only peeve with that is that you are using someone elses material.
 I think that using that type of software is a good way to begin to
learn production and the ins-and-outs of the software you use. 
Eventually you can graduate to producing your own melodies, rhythms,
and basslines.

I hope this has helped.  If there are any more questions regarding
this topic or what I've discussed here, pelase ask.  Good Luck!

http://www.spinwarp.com/ - Spinwarp - Great site for just dnb
production

http://www.deepfreq.com/doa/labasic/ - Visual demo showing the basics
of setting up Logic Audio.

http://www.dogsonacid.com/forumdisplay.php?forumid=4 - The largest
message board dedicated to D&B music production.

Also, another good (Probably best) website for the highest CD quality
sampled breakbeats is:

www.breaksmania.com