How to Make Drum and Bass
A complete DnB production guide covering Amen break chopping, Reese bass design, subgenres from liquid to neurofunk, arrangement, and mixing for club systems.
Step 0: Detect the Key of Your Reference Track First
DnB's Reese bass must be tuned to the root note of the track. A Reese bass even slightly out of key creates muddy low-end clash. Before writing a single note, detect the key of your reference track or sample.
Step 1: Choose Your DnB Subgenre and BPM
DnB spans 155-180 BPM across 6+ subgenres. Each subgenre has a distinct production aesthetic. Pick your target before you start -- mixing a liquid bassline with neurofunk drums creates genre confusion, not fusion.
| Subgenre | BPM |
|---|---|
| Liquid DnB | 170-174 |
| Neurofunk | 172-180 |
| Jungle / Ragga DnB | 155-168 |
| Jump Up | 172-176 |
| Dark / Techstep | 170-180 |
| Rollers / Deep DnB | 170-174 |
The DnB BPM Sweet Spot
170-174 BPM is the mainstream DnB sweet spot used by most Liquid, Jump Up, and Rollers producers. It feels fast but still grooves. Neurofunk pushes to 176-180 BPM for technical complexity. Jungle sits at 155-165 BPM for that raw, swung feel.
Step 2: The Amen Break and Drum Programming
The Amen break is the most sampled drum loop in history. At 160-180 BPM, its syncopated kick and open hi-hat offbeat create DnB's defining rhythmic energy. You can use the actual sample or program the pattern -- both are valid.
The Amen Break Pattern (170 BPM)
| Element | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
| Kick | X | . | . | . | . | . | X | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . |
| Snare | . | . | . | . | X | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | X | . | . | . |
| Open HH | . | . | X | . | . | X | . | . | . | X | . | . | . | X | . | . |
| Closed HH | X | X | . | X | . | . | . | X | X | . | X | X | . | . | X | . |
The open hi-hat on the "e" of beat 2 (position 3) is the Amen's signature. The syncopated kick on the "and" of beat 2 (position 7) creates forward momentum. Chop, pitch, and rearrange these elements to build DnB variations.
Kick
Short, punchy, tuned to root note. Use layered samples: transient click (5ms) + tuned body (20-40ms) + minimal sub tail. Tune the body to root note -1 or -2 octaves.
Snare
Cracking, bright snare on beats 2 and 4. Layer a tight snare hit with a white noise burst (50ms). The snare drives energy at 170 BPM -- it needs to cut through the Reese bass.
Amen Chops
Slice the Amen loop into individual hits at 170 BPM. Pitch individual chops up or down by 1-5 semitones for variation. Time-stretch artefacts (from extreme pitch shifting) are stylistically correct in jungle and neurofunk.
Percussion / Ghost Notes
Add rim clicks, shakers, and percussion at 30-50% velocity between main hits. Ghost snares at 25% velocity on the 16th before the main snare create the rolling DnB groove feel.
Hi-Hat Rolls
Rapid 32nd note or triplet hi-hat rolls on transitions (last 4 beats of a 16-bar phrase) create DnB fills. Automate hi-hat velocity from 20% to 100% over 8 steps for a swell effect.
Ride / Open HH
The open hi-hat offbeat is the Amen signature. Use a slightly distorted or crushed hi-hat for texture. In liquid DnB, a clean ride creates a jazzier, more atmospheric feel.
The DnB Half-Time Illusion
DnB is at 170 BPM but the bassline and chord stabs usually move at half-time -- 85 BPM effective. This contrast between fast drums and slow-feeling bass is what makes DnB simultaneously frenetic and groovy. When you program your Reese bass notes, think in 85 BPM note values. Your 170 BPM delay times should be calculated for the drum layer (short repeats at 170), not the bass layer.
Step 3: Reese Bass Design
The Reese bass is the most important sound in DnB. Invented by Kevin Saunderson in 1988, it defines the genre. Learn to build it from scratch rather than relying on presets.
Building a Reese Bass from Scratch
Two Sawtooth Oscillators
Start with two identical sawtooth oscillators pitched to your root note (e.g., D1 = 36.7 Hz for D minor). Detune Oscillator 2 by +10 to +20 cents relative to Oscillator 1. The beating between them creates the Reese movement.
Low-Pass Filter with Resonance
Set a low-pass filter with medium resonance (30-40%). Automate the filter cutoff to sweep from closed (200 Hz) to open (2000 Hz) during the note. The filter sweep IS the Reese sound -- without it you just have a detuned saw.
Distortion or Waveshaping
Add saturation or distortion after the filter. Neurofunk Reese basses use heavy waveshaping for a gritty, metallic character. Liquid DnB Reese basses use light saturation for warmth without aggression.
Sub Bass Layer
Layer a clean sine wave sub bass an octave below your Reese. This provides the sub pressure that club systems need. High-pass the Reese above 80 Hz and low-pass the sub below 200 Hz so they do not compete.
Tune to Root Note
Tune the Reese root to the key of your track. Use notes.beatkey.app to find the exact Hz for any note. For D minor: D1 = 36.7 Hz. For A minor: A1 = 55 Hz. The sub sine should match this Hz exactly.
Classic Reese
Two detuned saws, medium filter sweep, light distortion. The original Kevin Saunderson sound. Works across all DnB subgenres.
Neurofunk Reese
Heavy waveshaping, tight filter with high resonance, vowel movement (yelling A-E through filter automation). Dark and technically complex.
Liquid Reese
Light saturation, warm low-pass, melodic note movement. More harmonic and less aggressive. Often uses minor 7th intervals between notes.
Jump Up Stab
Short, punchy bass notes (1/4 to 1/8 note length), heavy compression, rhythmic rather than melodic. The bass is percussion, not harmony.
Tune Your Bass to the Track Key
An out-of-tune Reese bass will clash with every other element. Use BeatKey to detect the key of your reference or sample, then use Note Frequency Calculator to find the exact Hz for the root note. Tune your sine sub oscillator to that Hz precisely.
Step 4: Chords, Pads, and Atmosphere
DnB harmony is sparse. Most of the harmonic content comes from pads, plucks, and stabs -- not complex chord sequences. The Reese bass carries most of the harmonic weight.
Minor Vamp (Liquid DnB)
Repeat over 8 bars. Add chord extensions (min9, min11) for sophistication.
Two-Chord Loop (Jump Up / Dark)
Simple and dark. The repetition creates hypnotic energy. Add bass note movement within the two chords.
Atmospheric Drift (Rollers)
Slow chord changes every 4-8 bars. This is background texture, not foreground melody.
Jungle Riddim (Ragga DnB)
The V7 chord creates a tension-and-release loop. Layer over a reggae-influenced bass pattern.
Use Chord Finder to identify chord progressions in DnB reference tracks. In neurofunk, the harmonic content is often so distorted and saturated that even the Chord Finder will have difficulty -- which tells you the bass IS the harmony in that subgenre.
Step 5: Common DnB Keys and Reese Bass Hz Reference
Minor keys dominate DnB. The choice of key affects which octave your Reese sub sits in and how much sub pressure you can generate on club systems. Use the Hz values below to tune your sub sine oscillator precisely.
| Key | Camelot | Root (Hz) | 5th (Hz) |
|---|---|---|---|
| D minor | 7A | 73.4 Hz | 110 Hz |
| A minor | 8A | 55 Hz | 82.4 Hz |
| F minor | 4A | 87.3 Hz | 130.8 Hz |
| C minor | 5A | 65.4 Hz | 98 Hz |
| G minor | 6A | 98 Hz | 146.8 Hz |
| B minor | 10A | 61.7 Hz | 92.5 Hz |
Use Note Frequency Calculator to find the exact Hz for any note in your key. Tune your sub sine wave to the root Hz for perfect low-end alignment.
Step 6: DnB Arrangement for DJs
DnB is DJ music. Tracks need long intros and outros to allow mixing. Most DnB releases are 6-10 minutes long with the first and last 2 minutes being stripped-down for beatmatching.
| Section | Bars | Elements |
|---|---|---|
| Intro | 16-32 | Drums only (kick, snare, hi-hat) |
| Intro 2 | 16-32 | Drums + sub bass only (no Reese mids) |
| Breakdown | 8-16 | Melody / pads only, no drums |
| Build | 4-8 | Drums return + rising synth filter sweep |
| Drop | 32-64 | Full mix: drums + Reese bass + chords + FX |
| Variation | 16-32 | Drop with percussion variations, FX, stabs |
| Breakdown 2 | 8-16 | Atmosphere only -- reversed pads, lead sound |
| Final Drop | 32-48 | Full mix + extra percussion + FX |
| Outro | 16-32 | Drums only, elements drop out one by one |
The DnB Mixing Rule: Long Intro and Outro
If your DnB track has no 16-32 bar drums-only intro, DJs cannot mix it in cleanly. This is the single most common mistake by producers new to DnB. The intro is not optional -- it is a requirement for DJ playability. Match this to the outro so the DJ can start and end the mix at the same energy level.
Step 7: Mixing DnB for Club Systems
DnB is mixed loud and with significant sub bass energy. Club and festival systems have subwoofers that reach below 40 Hz. Your mix needs to translate both in headphones and on a PA.
| BPM | Quarter (ms) | Dotted 8th (ms) | 8th (ms) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 160 | 375 | 562 | 187 |
| 165 | 364 | 545 | 182 |
| 170 | 353 | 529 | 176 |
| 172 | 349 | 523 | 174 |
| 174 | 345 | 517 | 172 |
| 176 | 341 | 511 | 170 |
| 180 | 333 | 500 | 167 |
Use BPM Delay Calculator for any BPM. Yellow = dotted eighth (most rhythmic for DnB FX sends).
| Element | Priority |
|---|---|
| Kick | 1 - Punch and attack |
| Reese Bass | 2 - Harmonic anchor |
| Sub Bass Sine | 3 - Club system sub |
| Snare | 4 - Cut through mix |
| Pads / Chords | 5 - Background texture |
| Master Bus | Final polish |
Mastering Target: -8 to -6 LUFS
DnB releases are mastered louder than most genres because club systems and DJ mixers expect full-level signals. Target -8 to -6 LUFS integrated. The sub bass should peak no higher than -6 dBFS on its own bus. Never let the sub and Reese mids both peak at full level simultaneously -- they will clip the master bus and distort on DJ mixers.
6 Free DnB Production Tools
6 Common DnB Production Mistakes
Mistake: Reese bass out of key
Always tune the Reese root to your track key. Use notes.beatkey.app to find the exact Hz for D1, A1, or whichever root note you need. An out-of-tune Reese bass ruins the entire mix.
Mistake: No drums-only intro/outro
DJs cannot mix your track without a 16-32 bar drums-only intro. Structure your arrangement for DJ use. The outro should mirror the intro so the next DJ can mix in cleanly.
Mistake: Sub and Reese competing
High-pass the Reese mids above 80-100 Hz and low-pass the sub sine below 200 Hz. They must occupy different frequency ranges. Solo the bass bus and verify there is no overlap before 80 Hz.
Mistake: Skipping key detection
Detect the key of every sample and reference you use. A chord stab from a sample in Bb minor will clash with a Reese bass in D minor. Use BeatKey to verify everything is in the same key before layering.
Mistake: Straight 8th drums (no swing)
DnB groove comes from slight swing (5-15% in most DAWs) on the Amen break pattern. Perfectly quantized hi-hats feel robotic. Use groove templates from vintage drum machine samples or apply mild swing.
Mistake: Mastering too quiet
DnB is expected to peak at -8 to -6 LUFS for club and DJ use. If you master at -14 LUFS (streaming standard), DJs will turn you up and the master bus will clip on their mixers. Master DnB hot.
Drum and Bass FAQ
What BPM is drum and bass?
DnB is produced at 160-180 BPM. The mainstream sweet spot is 170-174 BPM for liquid DnB, jump up, and rollers. Neurofunk runs 172-180 BPM. Jungle is slower at 155-168 BPM. Despite the fast BPM, the bassline moves at half-time (85 BPM effective), which creates DnB's characteristic tension between frantic drums and groovy bass.
What key is drum and bass in?
D minor (Camelot 7A) is the most common DnB key. A minor (8A) is popular for liquid DnB. F minor (4A) and C minor (5A) are common in neurofunk and jungle. Minor keys dominate because they suit the dark, tense, and atmospheric emotional range of DnB. Use BeatKey to detect the key of any DnB reference track before you start writing.
What is the Amen break and how do I use it?
The Amen break is a 6-second drum loop from the 1969 song "Amen Brother" by The Winstons. It is the most sampled break in history. Import it into your DAW at 170 BPM (time-stretch to match your project tempo), then slice it into individual kick, snare, and hi-hat hits. Rearrange and pitch individual slices to create DnB variations. Time-stretching artefacts from extreme pitch shifting are stylistically intentional in jungle and neurofunk.
How do I make a Reese bass?
Start with two sawtooth oscillators tuned to your root note. Detune one by +10 to +20 cents. Add a low-pass filter with medium resonance and automate the cutoff from 200 Hz to 2000 Hz during the note. Add light-to-heavy distortion. Layer a clean sine sub bass an octave below for club system pressure. Tune the root to your track key using the exact Hz from notes.beatkey.app. The filter sweep automation IS the Reese sound -- without it you just have a detuned sawtooth wave.