What you need
DAWG installed on any device. Headphones recommended. That's it.
Step 1: Open DAWG and select Drums
When you open DAWG, you land on the main screen with the beat grid. The Drums instrument is selected by default. You will see a grid where each row represents a drum sound (kick, snare, hi-hat, percussion) and each column represents a time step.
Step 2: Build a basic drum pattern
A simple drum pattern has three elements:
- Kick drum - the deep, thudding sound. Place kicks on steps 1, 5, 9, and 13 (the strong beats). This creates a "four-on-the-floor" pattern.
- Snare - the sharp, cracking sound. Place snares on steps 5 and 13 (beats 2 and 4). This is the backbeat.
- Hi-hat - the crispy, ticking sound. Place hi-hats on every other step for an eighth-note pattern, or every step for sixteenths.
Tap the cells to toggle notes on and off. Press play to hear your pattern loop.
Step 3: Add a bassline
Switch to the Bass instrument tab. The grid now shows pitch rows constrained to a musical scale. Tap a few cells in the lower rows - these are the low notes. A common beginner bassline is a single note on every kick drum hit, with occasional variation.
Keep it simple. One or two notes repeating is enough. The bass provides the foundation that everything else sits on top of.
Step 4: Add a melody or chords
Switch to Synth or Groove. Tap a few notes in the upper rows. Because DAWG constrains to a musical scale, any combination of notes will sound harmonious. Experiment - tap random cells and listen to what happens. Move cells around until you like what you hear.
Step 5: Shape the sound
Each instrument has controls for filter, reverb, drive, and other effects. Try:
- Turning the filter down to make a sound darker, or up to make it brighter.
- Adding a bit of reverb to give the sound space.
- Adding drive for warmth or grit.
Step 6: Mix the levels
Open the mixer. Each instrument has a fader controlling its volume. If the bass is drowning out the drums, pull the bass fader down. If the melody is too quiet, push it up. Use the VU meters to see which instruments are loudest.
Step 7: Export
When you're happy with your beat, export it as a WAV file. You now have a real audio file you can share, upload, or use in a video.
Tips for your first beats
- Keep it short. 8 or 16 steps is plenty. You're learning the workflow, not writing a symphony.
- Use the scale constraint. When the grid is set to a scale, every note sounds good. Take advantage of this.
- Listen to the loop. Let the pattern play while you make changes. You will develop an ear for what works by doing, not thinking.
- Save often. Save your pattern to a slot so you can come back to it.
- Make many beats. Don't spend hours on one beat. Make 5 short beats instead. You will learn faster.