- 1). Create a new music project using your digital audio software. If you do not have a digital audio program, you can check out a variety of different options such as Logic, Cubase, FL Studio, GarageBand and Cakewalk. If you're short on funds, you can download a free multi-tracking program such as Audacity, QTractor or Ardour.
- 2). Decide how you want to create your drum beat. If you own a digital drum machine or synthesizer, you can plug it into your computer using an audio interface or just standard audio cables with computer adapters. If using a MIDI keyboard, you will need to plug in using a standard MIDI cable and a MIDI-to-USB converter cable.
- 3). Select your first track for recording. This will appear at the top of your mixer on your digital audio program and resemble a long, horizontal recording space. Select the track with your mouse and click the "Record" button on your mixer each time you want to begin a recording.
- 4). Record a kick drum sequence. The cornerstone of any drum beat, this low-frequency drum sets the pace for the song. Choose a kick-drum setting on your drum machine or other instrument and use the keys to program your beat. For slow jams, hit the kick drum once at every second or fourth beat (listen to the metronome on your audio program to hear each beat). For faster music, such as house music, you may hit the kick drum with every beat. For very fast music, such as punk rock or power metal, you may even hit the kick drum two or three times with every beat.
- 5). Choose a snare drum setting on your synthesizer or other instrument. Your snare will add dimension to your percussion, so choose an appropriate setting and hit the snare after every second or fourth kick drum note. Try different patterns to see what works best for your beat, and record your snare on track 2.
- 6). Choose a hi-hat setting for your third track and record a beat to complement your snare. Feel free to get creative, as you can use your hi-hat for a variety of purposes. You can use it to echo your snare drum, you can alternate it with your snare, or you can even apply it simultaneously with the snare at dramatic points during the beat.
- 7). Pan your snare and hi-hat. While you should keep your kick drum in the center of your mix to maintain the balance of the recording, you will want to move your hi-hat and snare to the left and right in order to make the beat more realistic-sounding and three-dimensional. Traditionally, the snare and hi-hat are panned approximately 6 percent to the right and 12 percent to the right respectively, but you can get creative with electronic drums, especially if you have nothing in the left channel. Just locate your software's "Pan" slider corresponding with each track, and move the slider on your snare track and hi-hat track.
- 8). Add more percussion as desired. The type of percussion will depend on the type of beat, but experiment with different settings, such as cymbals, clicks, synth drums and tom drums. Add additional drums until your beat sounds just right.
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