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How to Do a Bass Drop

Live digital music producers and DJ's often "spin" music on turntables or digital devices designed to replicate the feel of a turntable. During the performance of a song, after building a steady groove with percussion and digital notes, a bass drop is performed. A bass drop is the culmination of the preliminary build-up in a live electronic song, and it is characterized by a heavy bass introduction into the mix. Bass drops can be found in many styles of electronic and hip-hop music, including breakbeat, drum and bass, and dubstep.

Things You'll Need

  • Turntables
  • Mixer
  • Computer
  • Vinyl or digital music
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Instructions

    • 1

      Prepare the tracks you will sync together for the bass drop prior to starting the live set. Find a track or tracks that have a vibrant percussive rhythm, as well as heavy bass notes. Use heavy music genres like dubstep or house styles. Set the vinyls spinning and cue the music, or cue the digital files on your computer's digital mixing program. Make note of where the bass comes in on the track or tracks, and experiment with turning up the bass on the mixer at this instance.

    • 2

      Turn up the master volume and play the first track. Using the mixer, adjust the treble and midrange on the first channel to make the track sound light and airy. Turn down the bass on both channels, and keep the bass low until ready to drop.

    • 3

      Sync and play the second track over the first track, mixing both tracks together. Build a groove by beatmatching both tracks. Syncopate the tracks to keep a rhythm going for the crowd.

    • 4

      Turn up the bass a little prior to the drop to make the crowd anticipate the bass. Quickly turn it down again to keep the timing of the drop a secret from the crowd. Hint at the bass drop for a minute or two by teasing this way with the bass control to entertain the crowd and accent the rhythm.

    • 5

      Turn the bass up instantly on the second track at the exact peak of a treble or percussive build-up, making the bass erupt from the speakers. The bass drop is usually the loudest part of the track, and the bass can vibrate the room in some situations. Slowly taper off the bass on the mixer prior to calming the mix for the end of the song.

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