Easy methods to Make Jungle Music in 2023: The Full Producer’s Information
So, you wish to know the right way to make Jungle music? However you’re unsure the place to begin?
I really feel you. Jungle music might be an intimidating style to method, with its loopy drum work and tremendous quick tempo.
Nonetheless, once you break it down, Jungle music is definitely extra simple than you may suppose. And that’s precisely what I’ll attempt to reveal on this information! Collectively, we’re going to take a look at:
- What Jungle music really is
- Easy methods to obtain these traditional chopped-up drums
- Easy methods to pattern our major musical concept
- And extra!
Able to dive into the world of Jungle music? Let’s go 👇
However First… What’s Jungle Music? 🤔
Earlier than we get began, let’s study what Jungle music really is. And let’s see what separates it from what most individuals simply name Drum and Bass.
Jungle music emerged from the early 90s UK rave scene, constructing on the earlier motion of Breakbeat Hardcore.
Breakbeat Hardcore makes use of a mixture of breakbeats and 4-to-the-floor rhythms. Jungle music alternatively shifted towards a sooner tempo and unique use of breakbeats.
The style is usually outlined by:
- Quick tempo (between 170 and 180)
- Heavy use of breakbeats (don’t fear, we’ll come again to these later)
- Syncopated loops
- A lot of sampled materials for bass, vocals, and synths
- Vocals lifted from dub and reggae information
Should you’re new to the world of Jungle music, you could be questioning what the distinction is with Drum and Bass.
Drum and Bass really emerged from the Jungle scene, as a extra “industrial” and all-encompassing style.
DnB distinguished itself from Jungle music by:
- shifting away from ragga influences
- refining its manufacturing strategies with extra sound design and fewer sampling.
By the way in which, we’ve additionally executed full in depth guides on the right way to make Drum and Bass in addition to Liquid Drum and Bass if you happen to’re 😉
If that is your first time making Jungle music, I like to recommend utilizing a reference observe.
Really, that is what I like to recommend for any style you’re experimenting with, whether or not or not it’s Synthwave or IDM 😅. For this information on Jungle music, I’m going to make use of the next tracks to assist information my choices:
Brown Paper Bag by Roni Size and Reprazent
Easy methods to Make Jungle Music – Step #1: Chop These Breaks! 🥁
I’ve already talked about breakbeats (typically abbreviated as simply “breaks”) a couple of instances, so let’s make clear what they’re.
What are Breakbeats?
A breakbeat is outlined as “the sampling of breaks present in jazz and soul information, and their use to create a rhythmic foundation in a observe“.
Virtually, DJs would isolate a bit of an previous funk observe for instance the place the drummer would play a solo. By isolating, sampling, and chopping that part, they’d have the rhythmic basis for their very own observe:
Frequent drum breaks that had been sampled all through historical past embrace:
- The Amen Break -from the observe “Amen Brother” by The Winstons
- The Suppose Break – from the observe “Suppose About It” by Lyn Collins
- The Funky Drummer Break – from the observe “Funky Drummer” by James Brown
If you need a whole information on essentially the most well-known drum breaks and the place to search out them, now we have a full information right here 👈
Choosing and Chopping Up Our Break
So let’s begin our observe with essentially the most traditional drum break of all time: the Amen break!
Should you haven’t heard it earlier than, here’s what it appears like:
First, let’s pace it as much as 174 BPM, the traditional tempo for Jungle music:
As a result of the Amen is such an iconic break, you’ll discover lots of of already processed loops on Splice and Soundcloud. So you will have the selection of ranging from the uncooked, unique loop – or taking one thing that another person has already labored on.
For this observe, let’s work on the unique Amen break:
In fact, we might simply use this as our drum observe. However that wouldn’t be a lot enjoyable (or very artistic!). So let’s chop up our break to create one thing new.
To cut up a drum break, you principally have two choices:
- Manually chopping
- Utilizing a sampler
Let’s have a look at each strategies, so you’ll be able to resolve which you favor 👇
Manually chopping up drums
Manually chopping up drums is the easy, no-nonsense method.
Mainly, we are going to minimize our drum loop, and transfer round completely different sections to create one thing new.
By re-arranging every hit, we are able to create a completely new sample:
One factor you’ll want to concentrate to when chopping a break is timing. It’s because traditional drum breaks had been not often recorded to a metronome. So once you use them in your undertaking, you’ll discover that hits are sometimes off-grid:
Whereas having some drum hits off-tempo can introduce some funkiness, you at the least need your Kick and Snare to be hitting the grid.
Utilizing a sampler to cut up drums
Should you discover this complete chopping and dragging course of a bit tedious, you can too use one thing like Slicex (FL Studio) or Easier (Ableton Reside).
These instruments will chop up an audio pattern robotically, and assign them to completely different notes in your MIDI keyboard:
All it’s important to do then is attract a sample in your Piano Roll to set off particular person drum hits and create a brand new sample:
In FL Studio, Slicex works in a lot the identical method. You possibly can modify the place of every marker, take away or add your individual markers, and course of every hit with its customized filter and ADSR envelope.
For now, let’s work off the preliminary break I created. And earlier than shifting any additional, let’s course of it a bit 👇
Processing our Break
Proper now, our drum break sounds a bit dry. So right here are some things you are able to do to deliver it to life:
For compression, I’m going to make use of the trusted OTT. I don’t wish to fully squash my drums, so I’ve turned down the Downward Compression to about 35%. For saturation, I’m utilizing Decapitator from Soundtoys, however you should use any saturation plugin you want.
Lastly, I’m including some room reverb in parallel with my favourite method (which I’ve coated right here).
Right here’s what my break appears like now:
I would change the precise sample later, however for now, let’s transfer on to some melodic components.
Easy methods to Make Jungle Music – Step #2: Including an Upright Bass 🎻
Together with the drums, the bass might be a very powerful factor of a Jungle observe. Should you’re into sound design, you’ll be able to design your individual Reese bass.
However if you happen to really wish to go old skool, you’ll be able to pattern an upright bass 😍 You learn that proper, let’s add an upright bass!
Right here, I scoured Splice and located this loop I actually like:
After a little bit of chopping and time-stretching, right here’s the bass line I settled on:
When enjoying it in context with my Amen break, I observed that it didn’t completely move collectively. So I adjusted a number of the drum hits to have a kick or a snare hit on many of the bass notes:
Good 😍
Subsequent, I’m going to take away the subfrequencies from the upright bass. That method, I can layer in a correct sub-bass. I’ve additionally pitched down all the bass line by 6 semitones. This manner, my sub will likely be hitting notes within the E to G area (i.e. the candy spot for subwoofers in golf equipment 😉).
That is what I’ve now:
I really feel like I went a bit too loopy with the Amen break, so I additionally simplified the sample a bit of bit.
Easy methods to Make Jungle Music – Step #3: Including Some Percussion 🪘
Subsequent, let’s boost our drum loop. To maintain issues OG, I’m going to pattern some traditional breaks.
Right here’s one I discovered that I actually like:
When layering breaks, it’s actually vital to match the groove of your unique drum loop.
Don’t simply drag in a break a name it a day. Particularly when chopping up and re-arranging breaks, take note of when the kicks and snares fall. As well as, ensure that to make use of EQ to scrub up a break and solely preserve what you want:
Right here, I chopped up and EQ’d the break to only preserve the bongos. I additionally simplified by Amen break, and that is what I obtained:
I additionally layered within the claps from this traditional break on high of the snares:
Altogether, that is what my drum loop appears like now:
Easy methods to Make Jungle Music – Step #4: Sampling a Most important Motif 💿
Now, it’s time to search out our major melodic hook 😍
To maintain it old-school, let’s attempt to discover a traditional document that we are able to pattern. For this, I’m going to make use of Samplette.io, a free device that generates sampling materials from YouTube:
I lastly found this tune that I favored:
… which I sampled to create this melodic loop:
The combo was positively getting a bit crowded, so I used some transient processing to take away lots of maintain from the drum breaks a clear them up.
I additionally added a little bit of quantity automation to duck the melody on the kicks and snares:
An vital be aware right here is that there aren’t any strict guidelines relating to your major hook.
Loads of traditional jungle information have synthesized melody traces – others have sampled materials. You possibly can even mix the 2 if you need!
Easy methods to Make Jungle Music – Step #5: Including Variation (each 8 bars) 🔀
To maintain our observe attention-grabbing, it’s vital to introduce what we name “turnarounds”. These are brief transition sections that inform the listener that one thing is about to alter. We’ve devoted a whole information to turnarounds right here if you happen to’re 😉
In Jungle music, listed here are a couple of tips you should use to create efficient turnarounds on the final bar of an eight-bar loop:
- Take away the drums
- Substitute the drums with one other break
- Filter down a number of components (drums, musical components)
- Take away the bass
- Introduce a reverse crash or an upsweep
Let’s apply a few of these concepts to our loop.
First, I’m going to introduce a brand new break within the final bar:
Subsequent, let’s add some filtering to our melodic loop:
Lastly, let’s add a reverse crash. I’ve positioned it within the left ear:
Nice! Now all now we have to do is lead into a brand new part! One technique to preserve it easy in Jungle music is to easily take away every part besides the drums and the bass. Here’s what it appears like:
For our third set of 8 bars, we are able to introduce some vocals and horns. Keep in mind that Jungle music is closely tied to Reggae music, so go dig out these Bob Marley samples 🔥
That’s It for This Information on Easy methods to Make Jungle Music! 🙏
That’s a wrap for this information on the right way to make Jungle music! Hopefully, I used to be in a position to offer you some useful tricks to get you began on making Jungle music.
Did we miss out on something? Is one thing not clear? Let me know over at [email protected]