DnB Friction's beats help please :D

Pick up a break / hits that you like (use quality samples!), analyze it, remove glitches and EQ it to your taste.
I tend to breakdown the sounds to different channels, process them separately (EQ, maybe slight reverb and delay), route them through a group channel with bus compressor.
Adjust the threshold and ratio on the compressor to make it tight, use fairly short attack and release. Bounce.

Say that's your mid-frequency break. Either add a highpassed copy of the drums or use individual highpassed samples. Again, a small reverb can do the trick and give it a little sparkle.
Consider adding some stereo width to the highpassed to make it sound less boxy. Bounce.

Go on to add the main kick and snare sound that'll cut through the mix. Layer multiple samples together to make them sound full (low, mid, high freq samples). EQ properly. Apply a low-cut at about 60-80hz for the kick to leave room for the sub.
Use a frequency analyzer to see where they are hitting. Again, compress to make it punchy. Maybe use a slight reverb for the snare. Make sure the kick is mainly at 80-100hz, snare about 200-250hz. Bounce.

Add percussion to the background. I can hear him using a little conga pattern and a 1/4 percussion pattern running in the background. Vary the velocity of the background pattern and use a little swing to make it groovy (not too much!).
Add additional hihats and crash/ride cymbals with more compression (long release)
Use chopped up high/bandpassed breaks with low volume in the background to fill out some gaps.

That's it in a very basic form. There are plenty of ways to do it but this is just a way of showing how you can do it. Be creative, record your own sounds and try to get them to find their place in the mix. Don't force it though!
 
Back
Top Bottom