Before you begin to create a beat, you must first understand what 8/4 time is. While it may not be commonly used, 8/4 time is very similar to 4/4 time. Instead of 4 beats per measure in 4/4 time, there are 8 beats per measure in 8/4 time. In 8/4 time, the beat falls on the quarter-note.
Set your drum machine to play any pattern you create in 8/4 time. Set the tempo between 120 and 140 beats per minute, as this is the most common range of tempos used in Baltimore club music.
The first step is to program the bass drum sound. While there are no hard and fast rules, most Baltimore club music puts the bass drum on the second and sixth step of the measure.
Put a hi-hat or other percussive sound in the first and third, fifth and seventh steps of the measure. You do not have to use a hi-hat, and you should consider experimenting with different sounds on the drum machine. Try to avoid snare and bass drum sounds, as these should fall in different steps of the measure.
Place a snare drum in the fourth and eighth steps of the measure. Again, you do not have to use a snare drum, but try to use something that listeners will be familiar with, like a tambourine or salsa whistle.
Determine the length of time you want the beat you just created to play. On most drum machines, you can add other patterns after one particular beat plays a certain amount of measures. Try to avoid using the same beat for an entire song without making minor changes.