Drum and Bass made on the OP-XY using a series of One-shots drums, Bass loops, pads, and a whole lot of tinkering with the frequencies. Hope you enjoy this one.
Can it Drum and Bass? .... Let me know
I've been really enjoying making stripped-back dubstep recently. Nice kick, phat snare, then just adding bits in as I go.
I wasn't really feeling this one at first, or at least I'd got a bit stuck on the direction. Then I came across this mega sample of what I believe is an Arab reed flute known as a 'Ney' instrument. It's a mega trippy little sample, which given I live in the Middle East felt very fitting for my next track, and it just sat so well in the mix. It really opened up some doors in my mind and gave me some new direction.
From there, I added some more of the sound clash shout-outs I've been playing with a lot recently. Then finally came across the original "Champion Sound" sample, which I remember hearing in loads of mega DnB tracks that I probably still have somewhere on vinyl. Absolute classic! sample.
I spent a lot of time on the final mix, particularly getting each of the bass hits sitting where I wanted them. I also started messing around a lot more with the Duck function, ducking some of the subs and mid basses in and out against each other to give everything a bit more room.
To give the track some movement, I started chopping up parts of the full 'Ney' flute instrument sample from the beginning and bringing little pieces back throughout the track with different stretches of the LFOs. It gave some nice ear candy without having the same sample running all the way through. Added in some wobbles, and it all started coming together.
The final piece was the stabs. I felt like they just elevated certain drops and the little breakdowns in the middle. After that, it felt done.
Really enjoyed pulling this one together, and I think the overall mix is one of my best so far. Improving just a little bit each time.
As always, let me know how it sounds on your end! Hope you enjoy the Middle Eastern flavour on this one.
#Dubstep #UKDubstep #DeepDubstep #140BPM #BassMusic #UKBass #SoundSystemMusic #DubstepProducer #OPXY #TeenageEngineering #SoundDesign #SubBass #DnB #DrumAndBass #ChampionSound #DaphnesSoundLab
Made dawless on the OP-XY sequencer. UK Dubstep sound. Inspired by Mala.
enjoyed making this piece. No software or PC was used in the making of this track. Only the sequencer you can see in the video. - Lil housey bouncy one.
Been making tracks on my OP-XY. Getting to the point where I am happy with the EQs and overall sound, made this little naughty 140 banger last night.
Hope you and enjoy it. All feedback welcome.
So with this one, I had an idea in my head from the start. I wanted to take a ship's fog horn and turn it into a mid bass that just hangs over some dark UK sound, dubstep beats. I searched through Splice and found exactly the sort of horn I was looking for pretty quickly.
From there, I wanted a few little incidentals to match the dark, garagey vibe. I was thinking of them as a call and response with the fog horn bass, breaking up those long, sustained notes and giving the track a bit more movement. I actually heard some of my favourite artists Mak & Pasteman doing something similar in a recent post they made. I'd already started building this track, but hearing that kind of confirmed I was heading in the right direction.
The drums are deliberately simple. Space was the whole point of this one. There are probably more risers or impacts etc. I could have added, but as usual I tried not to overthink it and just got it to a point where I felt it was nice and ready to post.
I've also been doing a bit of a deep dive into EQ recently. Honestly, hate me for saying it, but ChatGPT has actually been a pretty good sound engineering assistant for bouncing EQ questions around. It doesn't always get everything right, but it's useful for thinking through where you might be going wrong. EQ can be a minefield at the best of times, let alone when you're working within the restrictions of the OP-XY.
I also wanted this one to hit a bit harder. A few friends mentioned my last couple of tracks were a little quiet on their systems. I realised I'd been a bit too conservative with the OP-XY mixer, so I pushed things a little more this time and it seems to have worked on my end. You can always turn your speakers down... it's much harder to turn up something that isn't there.
One of my favourite areas in the track is where the mid bass suddenly stops dead when some of the FX hit. See if you notice it.
Anyway, this one's for the head nodders. Proper 4am, lights out vibes. the type that might get pulled up. The sort of place where there's no need to look up because your head's down, you're locked into the weight of the bass, and you're just watching your own shuffle.
Hope you enjoy it. Let me know what you think.
Artwork is by Ralph Steadman, taken from The Curse of Lono. It felt like a perfect fit for the dark, murky and foggy ocean atmosphere of the track.
If you want to listen to my other tracks which are similar in vibes head here - https://www.youtube.com/@Daphnessoundlab
#Dubstep #DeepDubstep #UKDubstep #140 #BassMusic #UndergroundMusic #OPXY #TeenageEngineering #SoundDesign #DaphnesSoundLab #MakAndPasteman #RalphSteadman u/teenageengineering
Ive been looking for other TE forums where people post there work, and discuss OPXY. Seems posting on Reddit doesn't seem to get a lot of traction these days. And little feedback or discussion comes from it.
Are there any other sites where people do this?
Thanks.
This track is a homage to one of my all-time favourite record labels - SWAMP 81.
I was lucky enough to be the right age at the right time to witness the post-dubstep and UK bass music movement as it was happening. It felt like a period where artists and DJs were more focused on developing new sounds than building social media followings. It was an incredibly creative era, and one of the labels that defined it for me was Swamp 81.
Almost every release became essential listening. Artists like Loefah (the founder), Boddika, Joy Orbison, Pinch, Mickey Pearce, Zed Bias, Chunky, Jonny Banger, and Ramadanman (Pearson Sound) were all pushing UK electronic music into strange new territory, which perfectly suited the times. Looking back, it really feels like one of the defining moments in modern UK club music.
With DISTRACTION, I wanted to capture some of that raw sound.
The tracks on Swamp 81 were never about being overproduced. They were stripped back, but every sound had purpose. Heavy snares. 808-style kicks. Warped basslines that never quite sat where you expected them to. Distorted rhythms, glitched vocals, eerie pads and huge amounts of space. Simple on the surface, but incredibly detailed once you started listening to what the bass and subs were doing.
I spent a lot of time getting the snare to hit just right. The bassline sits so low that the dedicated sub only really appears during the breakdowns and build-ups. One of my favourite parts is the eerie laughing vocal, and while experimenting on the keys I stumbled across a synth sound that, after a bit of tweaking, became the strange, haunting lead running through the track.
I loved making this one, feels like I have gone full circle, and I hope you enjoy it too.
If you were around during the Swamp 81 era, let me know. I'd love to hear which artists or tracks defined that period for you.
A little bit of history…
The name Swamp 81 references Operation Swamp 81, the controversial police operation carried out in Brixton, South London, in April 1981. The label took its name from that moment as a deliberate piece of cultural provocation.
The artists behind Swamp 81 built a reputation for challenging expectations musically, embracing underground culture and releasing records that often ignored whatever was fashionable at the time. That attitude is a big part of why the label became so influential.
Artwork: Ashes57 — created from one of her T-shirt designs that I bought back in those days. It felt like the perfect visual companion for a track inspired by that era.
#DaphnesSoundlab #UKBass #BassMusic #Swamp81 #PostDubstep
#Dubstep #BassCulture #UKUnderground #ElectronicMusic #SoundDesign #OPXY u/TeenageEngineering #MadeOnOPXY u/swamp81
Another sketch, another banger..
This one came about after I made the melody on its own and a friend said he really liked it and thought it had Legs. That was enough for me to start messing around with a few ideas.
I wanted it to flip from something melodic into something heavy, grainy and a little strange. I kept the intro shorter than I normally would so the melody could come back a few times throughout the track without overstaying its welcome.
I ended up using loads of wooden-sounding percussion, forest-style knocks, clicks, and little grainy textures to give it that darker, gritty and tape recorded kinda sound. I also added lots of distortion and reverb in areas, sometimes it gave off a few clicks here and there, but decided it went well with it, rather than manicuring every sample to remove the clicks. It was an enjoyable part of making the track, digging through weird sound scapes and seeing what worked, and how far it could be pushed with FX.
I like all the little random sounds in this one. There's a subtle sci-fi, space film sort of atmosphere running through the background that gives the track movement and character without getting in the way.
It's definitely a sub-heavy one. Getting the low end to behave on the OP-XY is always a bit of a balancing act, but a fun on all the same.
Eventually I got to a point where everything felt like it was sitting together nicely... and just hit record.
Let me know what you think.
Too much sub?
#OPXY #TeenageEngineering #DeepBass #BassMusic #Dubstep #ElectronicMusic #MusicProduction #HardwareJam #Synthesizer #DaphnesSoundlab #Sketchbook #SoundDesign #BassMusicProducer #MadeOnTheOPXY
Another sketch, another banger..
This one came about after I made the melody on its own and a friend said he really liked it and thought it had Legs. That was enough for me to start messing around with a few ideas.
I wanted it to flip from something melodic into something heavy, grainy and a little strange. I kept the intro shorter than I normally would so the melody could come back a few times throughout the track without overstaying its welcome.
I ended up using loads of wooden-sounding percussion, forest-style knocks, clicks, and little grainy textures to give it that darker, gritty and tape recorded kinda sound. I also added lots of distortion and reverb in areas, sometimes it gave off a few clicks here and there, but decided it went well with it, rather than manicuring every sample to remove the clicks. It was an enjoyable part of making the track, digging through weird sound scapes and seeing what worked, and how far it could be pushed with FX.
I like all the little random sounds in this one. There's a subtle sci-fi, space film sort of atmosphere running through the background that gives the track movement and character without getting in the way.
It's definitely a sub-heavy one. Getting the low end to behave on the OP-XY is always a bit of a balancing act, but a fun one all the same.
Eventually I got to a point where everything felt like it was sitting together nicely... and just hit record.
Let me know what you think.
Too much sub?
Other sketches - https://www.youtube.com/@Daphnessoundlab
#OPXY #TeenageEngineering #DeepBass #BassMusic #Dubstep #ElectronicMusic #MusicProduction #HardwareJam #Synthesizer #DaphnesSoundlab #Sketchbook #SoundDesign #BassMusicProducer #MadeOnTheOPXY
I'm quite proud of this one in its own way. It started as a really random sketch a while ago. I was just messing around with a Kvarnofon preset, stabbing keys, playing with the envelopes, and then I landed on this particular riff that I absolutely loved. I saved it and completely forgot about it for ages.
Last night I decided to go back to it and have another play. It felt like it needed to get a bit more percussive, so I started adding different wooden-sounding percussion and glockenspiel-type hits, a bit like the instruments we used to have at school. Before long I caught myself nodding my head.
It quickly started sounding quite housey and reminded me of the sort of records I would have instantly bought back in the day, around 2009-ish. Young for some, old for others!
Once I'd added a nice stomping kick, I moved on to the bass, which was probably the hardest part of the whole track. Finding something that complemented the riff without overpowering it took ages. After that, though, everything else seemed to fall into place. I spent around 12 hours just experimenting, tweaking and listening back.
As usual, I stuck to my mantra of not overthinking things or overcooking the idea, I like to try and stay within 12-48 hours of making a track, mainly so I don't get bored, move on, and never come back. I know too many producers with this unfortunate habit and too many tracks go unpublished this way.
I like the feel of this one. It's got a nice bouncy groove that would definitely get me moving at 3am on a dance floor (in Obono Club ;). I also spent a fair bit of time adding movement with different LFOs. Some of it is probably a little obvious and a bit wayward, but its meant to catch you off-guard, thats how I wanted it anyway.
It almost feels unfinished... sounds a bit rough around the edges, but I like that. It felt like it could just keep going on and go anywhere, I could have made it 10-12 mins long or so, but i've been doing that too much lately. Maybe it's more of a DJ tool than a finished track, hence the genre I decided for it, and I'm okay with that, tools are meant for just using bits off, under other tracks in the mix, however the DJ desires.
As always, feedback is welcome. I'd genuinely like to know how it made you feel, and if you think it sounds good, then I am getting somewhere.
#OPXY #TeenageEngineering #House #DJTOOL #ElectronicMusic #MusicProduction #HardwareJam #Synthesizer #DaphnesSoundlab
I've been noodling with this track a little longer than usual. Mainly because I've noticed the previous tracks seem to be translating better across different systems, and friends have said they're sounding progressively better on everything from headphones to speakers. Still listening across my system with a sub, then my Hd25's, and trying In ears, everything sounds slightly different.. I don't feel like I can EQ things quite to the level I'd like on the OP–XY yet, but its getting more intuitive now.
I decided to go back to my first real love: Drum & Bass, and more specifically, rollers. This is the first DnB track I've put together on my own without leaning on any drum tutorials, which felt like a bit of a milestone. I spent a long time working on the drums, especially the snare, trying to get that nice snap and the hats sitting nicely in the middle. The main snare is actually layered from three different sounds to give it body, crack and a bit of air.
I also spent ages getting the different growls, womps and wubs sitting nicely together, then trying to make the sub work with them rather than against them. After that it was a case of layering pads, atmospheres and FX over the top, then arranging and tweaking everything over the course of about a week and half, which is longer than I normally spend on a sketch.
It could probably have another melodic element or some keys, but I actually liked how open and airy it felt. I wanted to leave plenty of space so the drums and bass could do the talking, which is exactly what I want from a good roller. I've also realised I have a habit of getting a track to a point where I really like it, then convince myself it needs more, and before I know it I've overcooked it and lost what made me like it in the first place. With this one I tried to resist that and keep things fairly simple.
Then I dropped in the classic "Dangerous" vocal in there to glue it all together. I'm not actually sure where the Original sample comes from, I just know I've heard it loads over the years, especially back in 90/00s DNB. I'm pretty sure this version came out of one of u/STRANJAH sample packs, which i have been using quite a bit, and have been great for thought starters - salute to him and the team.
As always, feedback is massively appreciated. I don't seem to get many comments, so everyone must think they sound perfect... 😄 Hopefully you think this one's as much of a banger as I do.
If you give it a listen, let me know what system you played it on and how the mix translates.
#OPXY #TeenageEngineering #DrumAndBass #Roller #DnB #BassMusic #MusicProduction #HardwareJam #Synthesizer #DaphnesSoundlab u/teenageengineering
I started this one thinking, let's try something a bit slower. I've been making quite a lot of stuff in the 130–140 BPM range recently, so I dropped right down to around 112 BPM and tried a kind of house thing. I used to call tracks at this tempo "Chuggers", and that's what I was aiming for here.
I didn't quite realise how long this track was becoming. Long by name and definitely long by length too, coming in at around 10 minutes. It's a bit of a burner and probably could have been cut down a bit, but I quite like the way it ebbs and flows. There is strong use of the arpeggiator throughout the whole thing, hence the name. As I've said before, I think the arp on the OP–XY is one of the best features on the device.
From there I started building sounds using the different engines on the OP–XY. As usual, I went off on a tangent and before long the track had become something completely different that I found myself moving to.
As I built the track, I felt it needed a hook. While digging around I came across a sample used in the legendary Andy C track, back when he was releasing music as Origin Unknown. If you're a DnB fan you'll probably recognise it from Long Dark Tunnel. I chopped that up and sprinkled a few bits throughout the track.
The sample itself is from a 1988 BBC documentary about near-death and out-of-body experiences. Andy C and Ant Miles famously built the original track using the free sample CD included with Issue 1 of Future Music magazine in the UK in the early 90s, released in February 1993. Bit of a history lesson there for you heads.
The arp became a big part of the voyage. With each drop I just kept pushing it faster and wider. More movement, more tension, more layers and more energy. It drops, then drops again, then keeps evolving as new elements enter the mix.
Whether it's a banger or not is up to you, but I like it.
The result is this:
LONG ARP TUNNEL
Enjoy.
As always, any feedback is appreciated. I am still learning, particularly around EQ. It never sounds the same in two places, but I guess that's part of the learning curve. If you've got any questions about the sound design or how I put it together, feel free to ask.
Artwork is from the amazing Dave Swindells book featuring photos captured in Ibiza in 1989, the year I was born. Highly recommend it.
#OPXY #TeenageEngineering #HouseMusic #ElectronicMusic #MusicProduction #HardwareJam #Synthesizer #Arpeggiator #DaphnesSoundlab #electronicmusic
This is one of my favourite sketches I've made so far.
I found this sample on the @STRANJAH website, I think it's from his Icons pack, which is packed full of classic sounds and samples for inspiration.
As soon as I heard the "Tell Me You Care For Me" vocal, I needed to build a 140 BPM banger around it. A lot of the wub, wob and bass sounds also came from the same pack, which gave me lots to work with.
The hardest part was getting the sub and mid bass to sit together properly. As theirs a few different bass notes going on. It's not perfect, but I like where it landed. It ended up with a basement late night skanky feel to it, which is what I felt the sample needed.
I'm still learning new things on the OP–XY every time I sit down with it, and this one taught me a lot about balancing low end and making space for everything else in the mix.
As always, any feedback is appreciated, and if you've got any questions about the sound design or how I put it together, feel free to ask.
#OPXY #TeenageEngineering #140BPM #Dubstep #BassMusic #SoundDesign #MusicProduction #ElectronicMusic #HardwareJam #ProducerLife #DaphnesSoundlab #sportsbanger
I started this one with the idea of layering a few different breaks and patterns together to create more of a breakbeat / Big Beat feel, whilst going after jungle-style sub sound. I think originally it was going to be slower, but somehow it ended up at 142 BPM.
With this track I got a little stuck in the middle and felt like it needed a vocal, but I couldn't find anything I liked. I asked my wife what she thought it should have and she immediately started chanting "Aya Nappa, Aya Nappa" whilst doing some kind of Big Fish Little Fish dance.
In the end I grabbed the Teenage Engineering Ting mic and recorded a few takes of myself trying to be an MC. I hate hearing my own voice back, but after a few attempts I recorded the phrase "Put Your Hands Up". I chopped it up, played around with the chorus effect, and somehow ended up with the vocal that runs throughout the track. It sounded quite funky in the end and helped keep everything moving, so I went with it.
For the keys I used the HOLD and Maestro function quite a lot. I'm still not entirely sure how it works under the hood, but it creates this nice drifting, reverberating feel that I really liked. I also spent quite a bit of time playing with the EQ on this one, trying to get all the different breaks, drums and elements sitting together nicely. There's a lot going on, so it definitely wasn't the easiest mix.
I'm still learning and making new discoveries on the device. EQ is probably the hardest part when trying to make something sound good across different systems. It sounds good on mine... but it might not on yours!
As always, I tried not to overthink it too much and just get it finished and posted.
So here it is. Sketch No. 3.
Put Your Hands Up! 🙌
Happy to answer questions, talk through the sound design, or hear any feedback.
#OPXY #TeenageEngineering #Breakbeat #Jungle #140BPM #BassMusic #ElectronicMusic #MusicProduction #SoundDesign #Synth #HardwareJam #ProducerLife #DaphnesSoundlab #TX6 #TingMic #boysown
I started making this track with the idea of making a cinematic sound, sci-fi-ish and weird. I also wanted to get to grips with the arpeggiator and actually spending some proper time with it. When I first got the OP–XY I barely touched that section, but now I think it's one of the best parts of the device. It adds so much movement into sequences and can create these glitchy, drifting, spaced out textures with loads of different possibilities.
For the bass and midd bass and other sounds I decided not to go with my usual wavetable approach and instead started building it using the Dissolve function and using the Hardsync engine which was a lot of fun to learn. Originally I was trying to make a Reese bass, but it ended up going somewhere completely different. I liked where it was heading though, so I just kept on with it.
This one goes pretty low as well. Unless you've got a sub or some decent headphones or speakers, you might not even hear how deep parts of the sub are .
It's not a traditional 140 dubstep tune, but I guess it sits somewhere in that space. Hope you enjoy, and as always any feedback is appreciated, or any questions you have around the sound design.
This is the same track I posted last week, but I’ve gone back in and added some automation & subtle movement across the arrangement, which is something I am still getting used to.
I made small changes in the drums, bass, textures and little incidentals, just to give it a more human feel and stop things sounding too stiff. I feel like the whole track breathes a lot more now.
The full track was made on the OPXY. I also tried to show a few of the individual tracks whilst it's playing to show what is actually happening under the hood, especially the LFO movement and modulation shaping different elements over time.
Pretty happy with where it is now, and I’d class this one as finished.
Would love to hear people’s thoughts, feedback, or answer any questions on how certain sounds or movements were made.
Sorry, it’s been a while since my last upload. I’ve got a lot of bits I’m working on and finishing up, will post them soon.
I made this track pretty quickly, just over a few hours really, mainly to test myself creatively and technically.
The vocals are samples from Splice. The basses are all built from sine wave LFOs on the OPXY, and the drums, pads and incidentals are a mix of UK Garage one shot packs and some of the general OPXY drum hits.
I’m starting to get much deeper into sound design now. Things like using transpose octaves in the M2 menu to slightly shift different bass sine waves against each other gives some really wide sounding low end. Also using chorus, reverb, EQ and panning much more intentionally now to make everything sit together better in the mix.
There are honestly so many hidden options in the menus that can completely change your sound outside of the obvious FX units. Transpose is a massive one for me at the moment. Pushing sounds up or down a few octaves creates these weird parallel bass textures that sound really dutty layered together. Width is another one, especially on hats and percussion. Also making sure bass and drums etc are set to MONO rather than seemingly, the default which is legato.
The main thing missing in this track is automation. I still tend to build the full track first and automate later, but on the OPXY that can get messy once loads of scenes already exist. Sometimes automation seems to affect other scenes in weird ghost ways, or you get strange pops and transitions between scenes where parameters connect awkwardly this should be addressed by TE, among a (few) other things...
Feels like the best workflow is probably automating as you build, rather than trying to do it all at the end.
Anyway, starting to get some pretty heavy low end out of this thing now. If you’ve got a proper sub setup you’ll probably hear what I mean.
Let me know what you think as always.