Glitch Magic

Tips For Building A Boom Bap Drum Kit & Free Download

Yes, there are tons of free downloads for boom bap drum kits all over the internet, but we are making an original one today because we're production nerds here and want to understand how these samples work.

And music is supposed to be exciting and fun.

Downloading free packs over and over again is convenient, but if you're a fan of producers like Pete Rock, J Dilla, DJ Premier, wouldn't you want to know how they thought about sampling?

(And of course we also have a free download of drums anyway to help you get started writing songs and beats. Check out the end of the article for the sounds)

What is Boom Bap Hip Hop?

A boom bap hip hop is simply a subgenre of late 80's and 90's hip hop that originated in New York City. This is sometimes referred to as "The Golden Age" of Hip Hop.

The name comes from how the beats literally sound. A lot of the style is all about how the kick and snare samples sit with each other in the beat and the kinds of samples producers chose.

A certain amount of it is also a vibe and feeling you get that can't be put into words, so you need to listen to a of the boom bap style to really know when things feel right.

We're huge J Dilla fans and grew up watching Wu Tang Clan videos so when we think of boom bap production, classic producers like Dilla, Pete Rock, RZA, DJ Premier, & Q-Tip all come to mind.

Those are all great places to start if this is a new style for you.

But there are also many modern producers making this style and continuing to innovate on it.

This is genre of hip hop is alive and well.

Choosing Good Samples for a Boom Bap Drum Kit

The boom bap sound is all about sampling. So you're going to be looking for good samples and putting them together in a kit, not synthesizing them most of the time (but there are exceptions!)

Unlike trap drums which used more digital or synthesized samples (as well as generally brighter sounds), those would sound out of place in boom bap.

While the producers who pioneered the genre did use more traditional instruments like synths sometimes (you can see J Dilla's MiniMoog in a museum now) the majority of the sounds come from a sample on vinyl records.

There are also tons of sample packs to choose from that emulate this style of sampling.

Some people feel you need to sample from vinyl directly to be authentic, others lean on sample packs so they don't have to deal with clearing samples, getting sued, or their music being taken down from streaming platforms.

The Best Records To Sample Drums From

There are pros and cons to both, but in either case you want to be looking for certain kinds of sounds and we aren't going to tell you which is the best fit for you, that's a personal artistic choice.

As the saying goes, "It's the ear, not the gear"

Picking a great sample is as much a musical skill as learning scales on the piano.

Samples that work well for boom bap production usually come from old jazz, funk, soul, rock and bossa nova records. The sounds of 1970s records are a big source, but don't restrict yourself to that decade of music.

A good boom bap sample pack, drum loop, or melody pack is going to emulate that sound.

If you want to develop an ear for what to listen for, these are all great examples:

Kool And The Gang - “N.T.”

We have an article entirely about how you can create a similar feeling drum beat with different sounds using Q-Tip's "Breath and Stop" beat, which samples this song (go to 5:35 to hear it)

Melvin Bliss - Synthetic Substitution

A huge hip-hop sample that's been used in dozens of songs. Bernard Purdie lays it down in the intro. The swing of the beat and the way the snare lays back instantly makes you want to nod your head.

Stay Curious When You Sample

Soak up those drums and get that sound in your head.

When you dig through more obscure records, sample packs, or you record your own drum loops with musicians, that signature sound will help guide you to the perfect sounds for boom bap production and help you build drum kits that feel great.

Sure, you could just chop up those classic drum sounds and build kits from them, but if you want to innovate you should look for new sounds.

That's what all the masters did who figured out sampling in the first place.

Also, don’t limit yourself to any one approach because someone told you to do things a certain way.

What makes the greats who they are is they were looking for their way to make music that was fresh and original with the resources they had access to.

And most importantly, follow the process that inspires you and makes you a better music producer.

A great music producer can take damn near any sample you throw at them and make something interesting.

Listen to all styles of music and listen for the element you can grab and use in your own songs.

People who make boom bap tend to have BIG appetites for musi. They listen to all kinds of music you might not expect.

Just like there are classic pieces of equipment, there are classic samples. Usually, there are loops or drum kits made from popular songs (like in the list earlier in the article), that were then turned into different classic hip hop songs.

What To Look for in Drum Samples

If you're using royalty free sample packs, look for acoustic drums kits that are really analog sounding. Lots of midrange punch, gentle distortion & soft clipping mixed with vinyl or tape noise.

If you're using very modern recorded drums, you're going to have to add analog distortion. Also, do some low pass filtering, layer in some noise, and even add pitch wobble. This will help to capture the feeling of those sounds.

Should you choose to sample from vinyl records directly like the OG boom bap producers, you may also look into modern methods of removing vocals from the track.

This can help open up samples that were not useable to previous beatmakers. Unlike you, they had to rely on loops built from the drum break or just instrumental sections of the song.

Just be aware these are not royalty free, so you may have to pay to clear the samples later. This is why we got into the sample pack business!

We think music producers deserve to keep all their royalties. Music is a tough business, especially for independent people, so we make samples and sounds you can just use. We're betting you got into music because you love music, not calling your lawyer!

How many sounds do you need for a good boom bap drum kit?

At the very very least, probably 3 or 4 good samples. You need a hi hat, a snare, and a kick drum. That’s the heartbeat of boom bap.

But this would be really minimal and you might have issues with things sounding stiff and too mechanical.

Two different kicks is better, as well as a few snare sounds.

For example, you might want standard snare hit that feels good to use the majority of the time. Then, supplement that with snappy snares that are higher in pitch, cross sticks and rim shots.

Having a few closed as well as open hi hat samples is also helpful. You'll need them to write fills or changeups in your beats.

Snares

The “bap” in boom bap. Try all kinds of stuff. High, low, dry, ringing, there are endless snare variations. They can all serve as the back beat to your tracks and add character.

Here are examples of snares from classic samples that you want to look for to build a boom bap drum kit.

James Brown - "Funky Drummer"

Go to 5:35 and hear the drum loop that changed the world.

The Honey Drippers - "Impeach the President"

This one is probably as widely used as the previous track. This one is worth really studying because it has all the feel and tone you need to look for in a good boom bap loop.

Don’t worry about trying to rip these if you want to use them.

There are some free samples and loops bundled at the bottom of this article for you to download and use in your songs. But if you want to know the vibe of a great snare, these are it.

Kick Drums

Kicks are the “boom” in boom bap and anchor a lot of the song.

James Brown, “Funky President (People It’s Bad)

Something about the kick drum sound on this James Brown recording is just perfect which is why they're sampled so much. The tone kind of sounds like the kick is made out of a cardboard box, but in a good way.

It's punchy and sits with the snare perfectly and has a lot of the analog coloration that people love.

But a common problem with a kick sample from vinyl like this is they sometimes have a great tone, but sound a little thin by modern music production standards. The low end isn't super huge.

So sometimes music producers will layer in a synthesized kick sound.

Or even a basic sine wave below 100Hz, to help the kick have the right amount of thump in the low end.

Hi Hats

The overall shape and tone of a hi hat makes a big difference. And how you sequence or play them are a big part of what makes beat swing, lay back, and dance in most genres of music, not just boom bap hip hop.

Sometimes you find a sample that’s perfect as is, but for hi hats you may have to filter out some top end or use a transient shaper to make the attack more or less “pointed”.

However you decide to shape the sound, make a few variations, flatten them, then load them up in your sampler and play some beats in by hand to see how they feel.

Percussion

When people think of drum loops in boom bap production, or hip hop in general, a standard rock or funk drum kit might come to mind

But digging for other percussion samples helps a beat stand out.

Interesting claps, shakers, and hand percussion all help you add flavor to your beats and drum kits.

Lyn Collins, “Think (About It)”

This Lyn Collins track is a good example that features a prominent shaker part in addition to the core drum kit sounds you would expect.

Kit Layout and Recording

Another big part of the boom bap style that's essential to good drum kits is how you lay them out.

Some producers use drum loops and work primarily with the mouse.

But originally before modern DAWs like Ableton Live or FL Studio were developed, boom bap producers would play in their beats using the pads on a MPC.

If you have a boom bap drum kit ready from a sample pack, try laying it out on the pads or keyboard a few ways.

In many DAWs, you can also mix and match one shot samples with a drum loop on some pads.

There’s no rule that says each key or controller pad for your drum kits can only have a single drum sample.

Try putting rolls, hi hat loops, and melodic loops on pads along with you kicks, snares, and standard hi hats.

Samples and Chops

A great boom bap drum kit usually isn’t strictly drum samples.

Having some melodic samples you use in a rhythmic way, like a drum, helps you establish a voice as a hip hop producer.

No two producers do this in the same way.

Lots of producers practice by simply taking different styles of music or samples of guitar, piano, or whatever they like and see if they can flip it to work over a drum beat and get it to work as a loop.

Here are a few classic examples:

Free Boom Bap Sample Pack

Making good drum kits in any genre of hip hop is an art and making a great boom bap kit is no different.

We recommend you build a lot of them! It will teach you about sound design and improve how you make beats.

Free Drum Kits

If you’ve made it to this part of the article, congratulations! We have something for you.

Here is a free drum kit to get you started putting together interesting sets of samples to chop. It is called DUST DMG. The samples are 100% royalty free, include both one-shots and some loops and ready to use for you to create new beats.