Making sure we’re in Session View and not Arrangement View, let’s double click in the first clip spot of the track to create the MIDI pattern for our main beat:Īs you can see above, we’ve programmed our simple 1-bar drum pattern using the MIDI Note Editor. We’ve got a Drum Rack plugged into a MIDI track in our project, and have dragged and dropped the samples we want to use on to a few drum pads: Let's get started! Laying The Foundationįirst of all, we’re going to create a simple House rhythm using some samples from our Toybox - Found Percussion Samples pack. Using the Session View in Ableton Live, we’ll pre-program a selection of fills, and then automate their playback, essentially giving the effect of a live drummer playing independently. In this tutorial, we’re going to look at a cool, quick way to incorporate fills that won’t slow you down when you’re on a creative roll. That said, placing fills in your arrangement can be a pain-staking process that eats up a lot of time.
One of the best things you can do to make your beats more dynamic and interesting is to add some drum fills.ĭrum fills are pretty much an essential part of any song - they serve as a way to transition between different sections of the track, building and releasing tension, and ensuring the listener isn’t bored by a monotonous, one-dimensional rhythm that never changes.