How to Make a Trap Beat in Ableton Live: Step by Step

Ableton Live isn't just for electronic music. You can make a trap beat in it just as well. In this guide you build a loop a rapper can write to, with a Drum Rack, a few MIDI clips and an 808.

What makes a beat trap?

• A tempo between 130 and 150 BPM, often around 140, in half-time. More on what BPM is trap.
• The snare on beat 3 instead of 2 and 4.
• Fast hi-hats with rolls.
• A heavy 808 that follows the root notes of your chords.
• A dark or emotional melody, usually in a minor key.

Step 1: tempo and key

Set the tempo of your Set to 140 BPM. That's a safe starting point. Working from a sample or a reference beat? Find the BPM and key first with the free Beat Lab.

Step 2: chords or melody

Put an instrument on a MIDI track and pick a minor key. Two to four chords on repeat often work better than something complicated. With the free chord progression generator you pick the Dark or Sad mood and download the MIDI. Then just drag it into your Set. Need a melody on top? Read how to make a melody for your beat.

Step 3: build a Drum Rack

Put a Drum Rack on a new MIDI track. According to Ableton, each pad represents a MIDI note. Drag your kick, snare, clap and hi-hats from the browser onto the pads. According to Ableton, Live then creates a chain with a Simpler, so the sample plays right away from that pad's note.

Looking for drum sounds? NAME The Trap Oneshot Pack Vol. 1 includes 26 808s, 22 closed hats, 12 claps and 20 kicks, among other sounds, all royalty-free.

Step 4: draw your drums

Make a MIDI clip of one or two bars on your drum track. Press B for Draw Mode and click your notes into the MIDI Note Editor.

• Snare or clap: on beat 3 of every bar. That gives you the half-time feel.
• Kick: on beat 1, then a few kicks that move with your 808.
• Hi-hats: on every eighth or sixteenth note.

For rolls, make the grid finer with Ctrl+1 (Cmd+1 on a Mac). Ctrl+2 (Cmd+2) makes it wider again and Ctrl+3 (Cmd+3) switches the grid to triplets. Draw a few fast hats in a row, for example right before the snare. More tricks in how to make hi-hat rolls. That article is about FL Studio, but the idea is the same.

Step 5: play with velocity

If every hi-hat hits equally hard, it sounds like a machine. According to Ableton, you change velocity in the Velocity Editor, or drag a selected note up or down while holding Alt (Cmd on a Mac). The Randomize button can also vary the velocity of selected notes.

Step 6: the 808

Load your 808 into a Simpler on a new MIDI track and play the root notes of your chords. Let it ring out on the important moments. Make sure your 808 is in the key of your beat, or everything sounds slightly off. Read how to tune an 808 in Ableton Live. New to 808s? Read what an 808 is first. Kick and 808 getting in each other's way? Read how to mix 808 and kick and how to sidechain in Ableton Live.

Step 7: more groove

Drums sounding too rigid? According to Ableton, grooves let you change the timing and feel of a clip. Drag a groove from the browser onto your clip, or pick one under Groove in Clip View. Start subtle and listen whether it moves better.

From loop to beat

An eight-bar loop isn't a beat yet. Put your clips in the Arrangement View and give your beat a structure. More on that in from loop to beat. In short:

• Intro: just the melody, maybe filtered.
• Hook and verse: everything in, but take something out in the verse so the rapper has room.
• Transitions: drop the drums or the 808 for a moment before a new section.

Common mistakes

• Kick and 808 in the same spot. Two low sounds at once make your mix dull.
• 808 in the wrong key. Check your key and tune your 808.
• Leaving the triplet grid on. Switch it back with Ctrl+3 (Cmd+3) before you keep drawing.
• Too busy. A rapper needs space. Fewer layers is often better.

Rather work in FL Studio? Read how to make a trap beat in FL Studio. Beat done and ready to rap on it? Read how to record vocals in Ableton Live. How to get your beat out of Live as a WAV, MP3 or separate tracks is explained in how to export a beat in Ableton Live. Or browse all beats right away.

FAQ

Can you make trap in Ableton Live?

Yes. A Drum Rack, an 808 in a Simpler and a few MIDI clips give you the basics.

How do you set the grid to triplets in Ableton?

With Ctrl+3 on Windows or Cmd+3 on a Mac.

What BPM is a trap beat?

Usually between 130 and 150 BPM, often around 140. Because trap is in half-time, it feels like half that.

Source: the Ableton Live manual.