Giving this a listen for inspiration
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I frigging love this track.
The distortion is immense!
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So I’ve produced about a minute of music, but I’m struggling to get much more.
How do you guys create these 6-7 minute tracks?
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no think just do
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Tempo divide
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Similar, I have one pattern that I’m quite happy with. But it makes for a slightly boring three minutes 
What do people suggest beyond just adding more layers? I need something more musical/dramatic…
How many patterns do people typically have in their songs for drum and bass?
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It depends on your approach.
I am by no means any authority, but if you are programming your drums versus chopping a break, this would dictate how you go about making variations.
If you program your drums, you should have a couple 4 bar loops. Then swap the sounds you use to make variations. And “chop up”the sequences by programming in ghost hits and changing up the high hats or percs you are using for the ticker.
This kinda ties into your question too.
If you are chopping samples breaks, I usually have 4 to six different breaks I use. They are from packs usually, so they are consistent through out the sample, with a double hit in the 2 and 4 mostly or a snare roll and a variation on the hats.
Depending on how they sound, I will copy the break, then chop the 2 to the end of the sample, and the 4 to the end. If it’s a 4 bar break, it chops on the down beats. That way I have a 4 bar, a three bar, and just the last bar, all of the same break.
I set them all to the same choke group, so each step cuts off the sample.
Then I go into TR Rec, on the 404, or the step sequencer on the Maschine, and I make an 8 or 16 bar loop, at the same bpm. And I usually let the 4 bar play first to establish the sequence, then I will play around with double hits on 1 and 3 of 16 steps, or 1 and 9. If it gets off the downbeat, I will “reset it” by always capping on the 1.
Then on the 3 bar, I will do the same. I keep the last 1 bar to always end on the same hits to maintain consistency.
For melodic content, you can’t go wrong with an arpeggio. Throw a drone in the same key under it, and A/B different octaves.
Bobs your uncle.
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Building up layers.
Then muting individual elements.
Then deconstructing layers towards the end.
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I should also say, I don’t chop breaks too granulated. If I do that, I would just use a drum machine.
I usually chop on quarter notes. But sometimes off set by an eighth note.
That’s why I sometimes cap the bar if it gets off the downbeat.
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Cheers man. I guess that video is quite relevant to these battles!
Unfortunately I won’t be joining this one as I’ve been absorbed by making some breakbeat tunes, but will try and jump back in on the next one.
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Oh, thats okay… Its a drop in challenge for fun… its great to take breaks for breakbeats.
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My chord sequence is from a soundtrack and it is totally not in sync with the normal chord progression; I guess that is what gives it the noir vibe. But it is making it difficult to easily add another musical section!
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It’s hard without hearing it, but my blind suggestion is to isolate the separate progressions to A/B the parts, as contrast to when they are together.
I’m just trying to help!
But this is actually great. It sounds like you’re taking on a challenge!
Just do your best and submit whatever you got, no matter how you think it is, it’s probably way better than you think, because you are just in the thick of it.
The great part is after the reveal, when it’s all done, we can dissect your track. I’d love to see how far you get, then we can take a crack at it too, with whatever issues you still think there are.
Save your stems/samples with the project file in a folder.
What DAW are you using?
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I’ll definitely submit something this time 
Just seeing how I can fill out the track a bit more and get my ideas done in time… 
I don’t use a DAW. It’s all sequenced and ‘performed’ live from the op-z in one take. Although it takes a few attempts to get that take 
I appreciate all the positive encouragement and feedback you bring @BLKrbbt 
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Of course!
And you are doing this on hard mode!
DAWless puts pressure on me too, even if sequenced.
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Agreed that’s definitely the harder route to take as far as composition goes, it was definitely a factor for me in choosing to go back itb, literally can’t wrap my head around complex composition in a hardware environment, put me in front of Ableton though and its target acquired 
all you’ll see is the red dot
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I think that’s why generative is so popular with a lot of the modular peeps. It’s setting parameters, then letting Euclidean take care of the composition.
It’s funny, because it seems like there’s a hardline between DAW and DAWless. But I’m learning to jump between environments. Especially with Maschine software and Logic.
I’m even drawing sequences between XO and the Syntakt.
take many more takes, record all of them, chop the best bits, and start arranging.
record more than you think you will need to have a good selection available.
Allow yourself to have a composition that seems to be too full to be able to start stripping down to your most exciting sound combinations.
Don’t be afraid to jump to a completely different idea at the same tempo and then come back to the main structure to try it out.
try out, record, select, chop, repeat.
edit: completely missed the point that you don’t use DAW at all haha 
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Yeah I always found the hybrid approach pretty flexible, got some good tunes out of it but ultimately I chose to close the loop and do everything Itb to streamline the process, also for me trying to master too many environments proved to be counter productive, more power to all you guys that can juggle it though 
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