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I know what it is, but I'm not sure the purpose or why it's effective. Is it purely for a more manageable workspace? Because it's easier to program drums on 70BPM?

I loaded some track which were 70BPM onto Ableton, made them 140 and they sounded exactly the same. So was I originally hearing the 140BPM version the whole time?
I just don't get the practical point :/

if you make dubstep at 70bpm, it won't be half time.

half time means, there are 2 quarter notes per 4 beats.

Half time allows you more musical freedom. Think of it as putting more groove in sounds by stepping them off the 1 2 3 4 beat grid slightly. Aka humanize.

Otherwise there's no benefit at all.

When you're writing at 70, you're writing at 35, 140 and 280 for that matter. It's all truthfully in how you're positioning your notes. How you're using the actual grid in front of you, but the pace of the actual song and the human element is based upon the speed of your actual notes and not the speed your sequencer says.

Dubstep sounds like the drums are on 70 bpm and you're playing the kick on 1. Snare on 2. Listen to the metronome to hear an example.
Dubstep is made at 140 with the Kick on 1 and the snare on 4. Pretty much the same thing. Same amount of time. More musical freedom because you can put sounds on the 2 and 3 or inbetween freely.

Hope this helps.

Let it be known that Bassinine is also right, but i'm trying to explain the premise to you also.

Volento wrote:Half time allows you more musical freedom. Think of it as putting more groove in sounds by stepping them off the 1 2 3 4 beat grid slightly. Aka humanize.

Otherwise there's no benefit at all.

When you're writing at 70, you're writing at 35, 140 and 280 for that matter. It's all truthfully in how you're positioning your notes. How you're using the actual grid in front of you, but the pace of the actual song and the human element is based upon the speed of your actual notes and not the speed your sequencer says.

Dubstep sounds like the drums are on 70 bpm and you're playing the kick on 1. Snare on 2. Listen to the metronome to hear an example.
Dubstep is made at 140 with the Kick on 1 and the snare on 4. Pretty much the same thing. Same amount of time. More musical freedom because you can put sounds on the 2 and 3 or inbetween freely.

Hope this helps.

OH. I see, it's more placement and duration than actually the effect of a slower tempo. Cheers guys! So does that mean a 16th-note is an 8th-note for dubstep standards, and a 16th note of dubstep track is a 32nd note in that 70bpm-variation? So only drums get generally programmed at 70BPM?

Neds Newt wrote:I know what it is, but I'm not sure the purpose or why it's effective. Is it purely for a more manageable workspace? Because it's easier to program drums on 70BPM?

I loaded some track which were 70BPM onto Ableton, made them 140 and they sounded exactly the same. So was I originally hearing the 140BPM version the whole time?
I just don't get the practical point :/

you would have to have 4 quarter notes for 4 beats on 70bpm and 2 by 4 in 140

bassinine wrote:if you make dubstep at 70bpm, it won't be half time.

half time means, there are 2 quarter notes per 4 beats.

That would be two half notes per bar actually....

Sub-divide them however you want, you are still in 4/4 @ 140 tempo.

then work at 70
no really think about it like@ 140 a 4 bar 4 note pattern is really a 2 bar 8 note pattern

Same shot, more blocks in your piano roll, step sequencer. Playlist ( arrangement) is twice as big. I find it cleaner and less clutered

set your daw to 140, put a kick on one, snare on three, look at it. Halftime.

set your daw to 140, put a kick on one, snare on 2, kick on 3, snare on 4... look at it... normal time.

Half time is a description of tempo that is relative to itself. Technically, kick on 1 snare on 3 isn't half time unless you're comparing it to a rhythm with kicks on 1 and 3 and snares on 2 and 4. If you made the standard dubstep kick/snare, playing it "half time" would be giving the kick/snare a whole bar.

OMG

AllNightDayDream wrote:Half time is a description of tempo that is relative to itself. Technically, kick on 1 snare on 3 isn't half time unless you're comparing it to a rhythm with kicks on 1 and 3 and snares on 2 and 4. If you made the standard dubstep kick/snare, playing it "half time" would be giving the kick/snare a whole bar.

This, it just refers to the snare really, with all your shuffley nonsense still going on at 140.

Basic A wrote:set your daw to 140, put a kick on one, snare on three, look at it. Halftime.

set your daw to 140, put a kick on one, snare on 2, kick on 3, snare on 4... look at it... normal time.

for some reason i just learned a whole lot of your simple response. aha everything just clicked for me right now even though I wasn't the OP thanks man

Basic A wrote:set your daw to 140, put a kick on one, snare on three, look at it. Halftime.

set your daw to 140, put a kick on one, snare on 2, kick on 3, snare on 4... look at it... normal time.

This

mks wrote:

bassinine wrote:if you make dubstep at 70bpm, it won't be half time.

half time means, there are 2 quarter notes per 4 beats.

That would be two half notes per bar actually....

Sub-divide them however you want, you are still in 4/4 @ 140 tempo.

Nah mon. It means exactly what I said it means. The four in 2/4 refers to the length of notes played.

bassinine wrote:

mks wrote:

bassinine wrote:if you make dubstep at 70bpm, it won't be half time.

half time means, there are 2 quarter notes per 4 beats.

That would be two half notes per bar actually....

Sub-divide them however you want, you are still in 4/4 @ 140 tempo.

Nah mon. It means exactly what I said it means. The four in 2/4 refers to the length of notes played.

There is still going to be 4 beats per bar in 4/4 at 140. If you are playing the halftime feel, it doesn't mean two of those beats just disappear, you are just feeling those as half notes. Set up a metronome and count it.

While what has been said so far is true, one key reason a tune is made half time is to allow for a slower sounding drum pattern while letting the synths, appregiators, lfo's etc play at 140bpm which gives them energy and pace.

The same trick is used in reverse in drum and bass... 87bpm track double timed gives a nice rolling bass with fast beats.

Hope this helps

mks wrote:

bassinine wrote:

mks wrote:

bassinine wrote:if you make dubstep at 70bpm, it won't be half time.

half time means, there are 2 quarter notes per 4 beats.

That would be two half notes per bar actually....

Sub-divide them however you want, you are still in 4/4 @ 140 tempo.

Nah mon. It means exactly what I said it means. The four in 2/4 refers to the length of notes played.

There is still going to be 4 beats per bar in 4/4 at 140. If you are playing the halftime feel, it doesn't mean two of those beats just disappear, you are just feeling those as half notes. Set up a metronome and count it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_signature

I'm not trying to be rude, but you don't understand how time signatures work. Notice the part where it says 2/4 timing means there are 2 quarter notes per bar... ask a music teacher if you don't trust wiki.

It is all moot though, like stated above: kick one, snare three... That's all you have to know for dub step.