When an 808 kick becomes a bass line

Hear one 808-style phrase at a fixed pitch, then let the same hits carry a short melody.

A long kick can carry a note as well as a beat.

Try this rhythm

Enable JavaScript to play this example here. You can read the complete lesson below.

Listen for the sustained pitch after each 808-style kick. Changing that pitch from hit to hit lets the drum rhythm carry a bass line.

This example uses SuperTime Ultra’s original synthesized 808-style voice. It contains no audio sampled from records and is an approximation of the sound, rather than a circuit-accurate model of a specific machine. Hear the four hits at one pitch, then choose A pitched phrase. The rhythm stays the same.

Hear the note after the attack

Each hit begins with a short fall in pitch. Listen for the lower, sustained note that follows. In One pitch, it is the same note after every attack.

A pitched phrase keeps the same four hit positions and changes their notes. It starts on one note, rises a whole step, reaches about a perfect fourth above the starting note, then returns to the second note. Follow the pitches while keeping the rhythm in your ear.

Listen at a comfortable volume

A small speaker may reproduce the upper part of the sound more clearly than its lowest notes. Headphones or speakers with good bass response can make the sustained pitch easier to hear. Keep the volume comfortable instead of turning it up to find the bass.

The synthesized voice combines a clean low tone with a version that adds upper harmonics. Those harmonics help you follow the sound when a speaker struggles to reproduce the fundamental, its lowest frequency. Small speakers still have limits on how much bass they can reproduce.

Take the idea into a phrase of your own

Listen to One pitch until the rhythm is familiar. Switch to A pitched phrase and hum the sustained note after each attack. Return to One pitch and hear how the same rhythm feels with the melody removed.

Try a short phrase of your own in Sampler Studio or the browser synth. Change one note at a time and listen to how it fits the rhythm. For more context on the sound, read the drum-machine history.