Table of content:
- LoFi House: An intro
- Importance of drums in LoFi House
- Common Drum Elements in LoFi House
- 8 tips for creating the LoFi House drum sounds
- Building the LoFi House Drum pattern in 4 steps
- Extra Tips and Tricks for LoFi House Drums
- Wrapping up
LoFi House: An intro
In the realm of electronic music, LoFi House stands out as a genre that captivates listeners with its unique blend of nostalgia, warmth, and mesmerising beats. At the heart of this enchanting genre lies the indispensable element of drums, providing the foundation upon which the atmospheric melodies and textures are built.
In this article, we delve into the crucial role that drums play in LoFi House, exploring their distinct characteristics and common elements that shape the irresistible groove of this musical style.
LoFi House, a subgenre of electronic music, emerged in the late 2010s as a response to the polished and meticulously-produced mainstream house music. By intentionally embracing imperfections, such as tape hiss, vinyl crackles, and slightly off-beat rhythms, LoFi House creates an immersive, organic experience that transports listeners to a world of nostalgia and intimacy.
The drums, in particular, serve as the rhythmic backbone of this genre, grounding the tracks and providing them with the necessary pulse to keep listeners engaged.
This Ultimate Guide will show you how to create a unique-sounding LoFi House drum pattern that stands out.
Ready? Let’s go!
Importance of drums in LoFi House
One of the most defining features of drums in LoFi House is their "imperfect" nature. This is achieved through various techniques such as using analogue hardware, vintage drum machines, and even sampling from old vinyl records.
The resulting sound is rich in texture and imbued with a sense of warmth that is often missing in modern, digitally-produced music.
Another important characteristic of drums in LoFi House is their relatively simple and stripped-back patterns. Instead of focusing on complex drum programming, producers tend to prioritise groove and swing, allowing the drums to breathe and interact with the other elements in the mix.
This approach contributes to the laid-back, hypnotic feel that is characteristic of the genre.
Picking the right drum sounds is essential for getting the right LoFi House vibe
Common Drum Elements in LoFi House
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Kick Drum: The kick drum in LoFi House is often deep, round, and slightly muffled, evoking a sense of warmth and heaviness. It serves as the pulse of the track, providing the listener with a steady anchor amidst the swirling textures and melodies. It is typically low cut or reduced in bitrate to get that worn-out “LoFi”-sound.
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Snare Drum: The snare in LoFi House tends to be less aggressive than in other electronic genres, often featuring a softer, more organic sound. Producers may use techniques such as layering multiple samples or adding reverb to create a snare that is both impactful and atmospheric. Layering crackling found sounds with the snare is a great way to get an organic vibe.
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Hi-Hats and Cymbals: In LoFi House, hi-hats and cymbals are typically used sparingly, adding subtle accents and shimmer to the overall groove. These elements are often processed with techniques like low-pass filtering or heavy sidechain compression to create a more subdued, ethereal presence in the mix.
- Percussion: LoFi House drum patterns often incorporate various percussion elements, such as shakers, tambourines, and bongos, to enhance the groove and add an extra layer of interest. These elements are usually placed off the grid, introducing a sense of swing and human touch to the rhythm.
[SAMPLE PACK] Get your hands on LÄMMERFYRs LoFi Garage Drums 👈
8 tips for creating the LoFi House drum sounds
To create these captivating LoFi House drum sounds, follow the steps below:
1. Select your drum samples
Start by choosing drum samples with an analogue or vintage character. Look for samples from classic drum machines like the Roland TR-808 or TR-909, or even live drum recordings.
Remember, LoFi House is all about imperfections and warmth, so don't be afraid to use samples with some noise or subtle imperfections.
2. Bitcrushing and downsampling
One of the key elements of LoFi House drums is their low-fidelity character. To achieve this, apply bit crushing and downsampling effects to your drum samples. This process reduces the bit depth and sample rate of the audio, introducing artifacts and a warm, gritty texture.
Experiment with different settings to find the perfect balance between degradation and clarity.
The Bitcrusher from Kilohearts is the perfect tool for adding LoFi warmth to your drums
3. Layering
To add depth and character to your drum sounds, try layering different samples together. For example, combine a punchy kick drum with a more subdued, organic kick sample.
This will add complexity and help you create a unique drum sound that stands out in your mix.
4. EQ and filtering
Use equalization to shape the tonal balance of your drum sounds. In the context of LoFi House, you may want to roll off some high frequencies to create a more muffled, vintage sound.
Additionally, consider using low-pass filters to remove unwanted high-frequency content and further emphasize the warm, analogue character.
5. Saturation and distortion
Applying saturation and distortion effects can help you achieve the warmth and character associated with LoFi House drums.
These effects can introduce harmonic content and add a subtle edge to your drum sounds, making them feel more alive and dynamic.
Decapitator from Soundtoys is amazing at adding gritty distortion to the drums. Turn the “Tone” to the left to get a darker sound
6. Reverb and delay
To create a sense of space and depth in your drum sounds, use reverb and delay effects sparingly. Adding a touch of reverb can give your drums a sense of space, while a subtle, syncopated delay can add an interesting rhythmic texture.
7. Swing and groove
LoFi House is known for its laid-back, groovy feel. To achieve this, apply swing and groove to your drum patterns, making them feel less rigid and more organic.
Adjust the quantization settings in your DAW to create a more human, off-grid feel.
8. Experimentation
The key to creating unique and engaging LoFi House drum sounds is experimentation. Don't be afraid to try unconventional techniques and effects, and always trust your instincts.
The more you experiment, the more you'll develop your signature sound.
By following these steps and incorporating your own creative flair, you'll be well on your way to crafting the perfect LoFi House drum sounds that resonate with listeners and set your productions apart.
Now we dive into how you can make a LoFi House drum pattern.
Building the LoFi House Drum pattern
1. Creating a solid kick pattern
The kick is important in any House music track, and it is no different for LoFi House.
Find a warm and round kick drum sample. It doesn’t have to have a very “clicky” top end.
We actually want to remove a bit of the top end with an EQ - make a low cut at around 9-10 kHz. Or use sample bit reduction to degrade the sample. Any of the methods will make the kick sound more LoFi.
Set the project tempo to 120 bpm for a slower pace.
Program a 4-to-the-floor pattern. But add a couple of offbeat kick notes at the end of the 4 bar to make it bounce a bit more. Cool!
The kick drum is the driving force of the groove in most LoFi House
Take a listen:
2. Incorporating snares and claps
Find a 909-styled clap. Treat it with a fair amount of reverb. Then low cut the clap to around 8 kHz area. Listen to that LoFi’ness. My gosh!
Add the clap on every 2 and 4 in the pattern.
Now on to the snares. These are often used to add grooves to the drum pattern.
Use an acoustic snare drum and treat it with some distortion. Try to push the distortion a bit. Pull up a bit-reduction plugin and reduce the sample rate.
I love the KiloHerts Bit Crusher for this.
Place some snares on the 16th grid. Adjust the velocity levels to add a human factor to the pattern.
This is one of the key ingredients for a memorable LoFi House drum loop.
Add a clap and snare sample - remember to adjust the velocity level
Take a listen:
3. Adding hi-hats, cymbals, and percussion elements
Shuffly closed hi-hats are essentials for those iconic LoFi House drum loops.
Choose a really short hihat sample.
Place a low pass EQ on it
Set it to around 8-9 kHz area.
This will give it a muffled sound - just what we need for our drum pattern.
Place the closed hihat on some notes in the 16th grid. Play around with the velocity levels (and also the panning)
The pattern of the closed hihats are adding a lot to the rhythm of our LoFi House drum loop
Take a listen:
Add a 909 open hihat on the offbeat notes in the pattern.
Try to layer the off-beat hihat with a shaker.
Change the velocity level of the layered shaker sample to give it an organic vibe.
Add an open hihat on every off-beat. Listen to how it makes your head bop 😀
Take a listen:
Add a couple of percussion samples like rimshots and small drum hits. Place them with a low velocity, so they do not take up space from the other drum elements. We just want the percussion to add a bit of groove to the LoFi drum loop.
I have placed a small drum hit on some of the kick drum notes. The rimshot is placed on the 16th grid - just a couple of times. It just gives the drum loop a bit more character in my opinion.
Rimshots work really well in LoFi House in my opinion
Oh - and try to add a thumby tom sound as well. Process it with some tape saturation. Then add a chorus to give it some sweet modulation. Put on a low-cut filter to remove some unwanted high-end frequencies - we don’t need those. It’s LoFi!
The tom sound will work well as a percussive element in the pattern. It should drive the groove together with the kick drum.
I love to add toms in my LoFi House tracks. Just gives it some cool vibes
Take a listen:
4. Experimenting with swing and syncopation
SWING! MPC-styled swing is the answer for anyone looking for bumping grooves on the dancefloor.
Treat your LoFi House drum pattern with the built-in Swing-presets in your DAW. I use FL Studio, but actually use my own swing presets.
You can download them here 👈
Apply the swing quantization preset and listen/see how the drum elements get shifted a bit off the grid. this just sounds more right for those iconic LoFi vibes.
Also read: How to add an MPC-styled Swing in FL Studio
In FL Studio, go to Tools and select Quantize. Browse for an MPC-styled template and hit accept
Listen to the finished LoFi House drum pattern:
Congratulations! You should by now have created a really cool LoFi House drum loop. Good job!
However, you can actually go a bit further with your drum loop.
Keep reading and discover some extra cool techniques for LoFi House drums.
Extra Tips and Tricks for LoFi House Drums
Use a bus compressor of that “glue” sound
I like to route all drum elements besides the kick drum to a drum bus. (I’m gonna process the kick separately)
Then I slap a bus compressor to glue everything together on the drum bus. Only a tiny bit - actually I only want a couple of dB of gain reduction.
I really love the Solid Bus Comp from Native Instruments.
This thing sounds amazing.
I use bus compression for my drums all the time - this one is my favourite plugin
Add a Crackling or Cassette sample for a LoFi vibe
Listening to vinyl or cassette tapes with music on has a warm sound.
That warmth usually comes from that crackling noise on top of the musical elements - and it sounds so lovely in my opinion.
Drag in a crackling sample and set it to a relatively low volume - just so you can hear it.
You can find some on YouTube or other sources that you can sample for free.
Another solution is to use the plugin called Vinyl from iZotope. You can turn up the noise and crackle level and just sample the output.
Listen to the crackling sound:
Use that as a crackling sound for your LoFi House drum loop.
Save that for any future projects.
The Vinyl plugin from iZotope is almost an essential tool when making LoFi House
Incorporating field recordings for added texture
Field recordings are a great way to add extra texture to the LoFi House drum loop.
This process involves layering the field recordings over your existing drum patterns, paying close attention to how the sounds interact with one another.
You may choose to use the field recordings as a subtle enhancement to your drum hits, or they could play a more prominent role in your overall rhythm section.
Experiment with different combinations and arrangements to find the perfect balance for your track.
Check out some of the field recordings I made on my holiday trip to the Canary Islands 👈
Go outside and record some stuff to add to the background of your LoFi House drum loop
Here is a recording of a restaurant in the Canary Islands, that I recorded:
And this is how the field recording sounds blended in together with the LoFi House drum loop we just created:
Wrapping up
I hope this tutorial made you able to craft some awesome LoFi House drums.
All of these techniques are meant to be twisted or done in a different way.
That’s the beauty of making music: there is no correct way of doing it.
Find your own style and create what you like!
Happy producing!
