REQ: Audio School Online - Layering Drums – Making Trap Beats

Learn how to layer drums to create trap beats from Ken Lewis, who has produced for Trap legends like Future and Kanye West.

This lesson is Layering Drums – Making Trap Beats. You will learn how to layer drums to create trap beats from Ken Lewis, who has produced for Trap legends like Future and Kanye West. Now, he shows you some of his drum layering techniques specific for making trap beats. This tutorial starts with a simple 808, kick, snare, and hi hat, and morphs into 3 different melodic 808 basslines with chops and bends, 4 kick layers, 5 snare layers, 6 hi hat layers and more. You will learn to creatively change up your hi hat patterns and create trap hat rolls and much more.

This lesson is taught using Pro Tools, but all of the skills and techniques demonstrated can be used with any DAW, as well as devices like Maschine and MPC. Learn the skills that pros like Ken use to create records every day.

Ken’s One-shot drum sounds are included in the session download, along with stems for use with any DAW, and a full Pro Tools session. Watch, pause, rewind, and try your new skills in real time as Ken teaches them.

Skill Level: Intermediate / Advanced

Running Time: 52 minutes

This is the second Layering Drums lesson in the series. Be sure to check out the first one Layering Drums – Making Breakbeats which focuses on how to create an authentic sounding hip hop breakbeat starting with a simple kick, snare and hi hat. More tutorials centered around tuning, recording and mixing live drums are coming soon. Stay tuned for more details!