How do I make a dub beat?

A dub beat on the EP-40 uses heavy basslines, minimal drums, echo delays, and phaser effects. Start with a slow tempo (70-90 BPM), sparse drum patterns, and focus on space and effects.

Set Up Your Sounds

Press SOUND and organize your groups. Put kick and snare in Group A (drums 1-399). Load a deep bass in Group B (bass sounds 400-499) or hold SOUND, press the dot button, and try Supertone pads 0-3 for dub bass synths. Put melodic elements in Group C and loops in Group D.

Build the Drum Pattern

Press MAIN to enter main mode. Set tempo by pressing TEMPO, then turn KnobX to 75-85 BPM. Press RECORD then PLAY for count-in. Tap your kick on beats 1 and 3 (half-time feel). Add snare on beat 3. Keep it minimal. For more control, use step sequencing instead. Hold SHIFT + MINUS to go to step 1.1.1, then hold RECORD + press pads to place notes.

Add the Bassline

Switch to Group B. If using Supertone bass, the pads are pressure-sensitive so press harder for pitch modulation. Press KEYS to enter chromatic mode for melodic control. Hold KEYS + MINUS/PLUS to change octaves. Record simple root note patterns that lock with your kick, leaving space between notes.

Apply Dub Effects

Press FX while playing. Use MINUS/PLUS to switch between effects. Move the fader up to increase effect amount. Essential dub effects are delay (set KnobX for quarter or eighth note length, KnobY for feedback) and the phaser (KnobX for modulation, KnobY for feedback). For punch-in effects, hold FX + press pads for real-time stutters and drops. These are pressure-sensitive and can be recorded into the sequencer.

Use Live State Mode

Press SOUND + MAIN to enter Live State mode, which uses "vinyl time" where tempo changes affect pitch. Set some sounds to LOP (loop) play mode by pressing SHIFT + SOUND, navigating to sound mode with MINUS/PLUS, and turning KnobX to LOP. Loops run continuously in the background. Tap pads to mute/unmute for live dub mixing.