Week 2: Beat Making
Week 2: Beat Making
Unit: Beat Making
This week you start making beats. You will learn the parts of a drum kit, build a beat out of individual loops, and then move into Soundtrap’s Patterns Beatmaker to program your own drum pattern step by step. By the end of the week you will also get hands-on with a MIDI controller, recording live drum tracks and cleaning up the timing with quantization.
Weekly Schedule
| Day | Date | Topic | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Mon 8/10 | Day 6: Introduction to Drums | Learn the parts of a drum kit and build a beat from individual Sound library loops. |
| 7 | Tue 8/11 | Day 7: MIDI & the Beat Grid | Learn what MIDI is, then start programming a rock beat pattern in Patterns Beatmaker. |
| 8 | Wed 8/12 | Day 8: Writing a Drum Beat | Finish programming the rock beat pattern and turn it in for a grade. |
| 9 | Thu 8/13 | Day 9: Four on the Floor & Quantization | Play a four-on-the-floor beat using a MIDI controller, then clean it up with quantization. |
| 10 | Fri 8/14 | Day 10: Finish Your Beat | Add the hi-hat and a choice sound to complete the four-on-the-floor beat, then quantize all four tracks. |
Graded Assignments
- Rock Beat (due Wednesday 8/12) — Program the rock beat pattern into Soundtrap’s Patterns Beatmaker, matching the pattern given in class.
Late work will receive a one-time 20 point deduction.
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