Beatbay guide
Lo-fi hip hop beat
A lo-fi hip hop beat is a slow, heavily swung hip hop groove, about 70 to 85 BPM, with soft drums: a gentle kick, a brushed snare on 2 and 4, and hats that don’t always play, all a little dull and crackly as if from an old tape.
The pattern
It is close to boom bap, but softer and looser. The kick wanders, the snare stays on 2 and 4, and the hats leave gaps; a woodblock or rim adds a sound now and then.
| Drum | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soft kick | X | · | · | · | · | · | x | · | · | · | x | · | · | x | · | · |
| Brushed snare | · | · | · | · | X | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | X | · | · | · |
| Soft hat | x | · | x | · | x | ? | x | · | x | · | x | · | x | ? | x | · |
| Wood | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | x | · | · | · | · | · |
| Shaker | ? | · | ? | · | ? | · | ? | · | ? | · | ? | · | ? | · | ? | · |
Read across: each column is a sixteenth note, numbered on the beats. X is an accent, x a hit, r a quick roll, ? a hit that plays only some of the time round.
Tempo and feel
Swing is the key: 60% or more, so the off-beats drag. The sound is “lo-fi” on purpose: fewer bits, a darker top and a soft clip. Beatbay’s Lo-fi kit makes every drum that way as it plays.
The beat above is Beatbay’s “Lo-fi hip hop” starter: 78 BPM, swing 64%. Tap any step to change it while it plays.
Make it your own
Put chance on the hats and shaker so the loop never repeats exactly. With Pro, add the chords track with the Keys sound, held, for that warm electric piano. Turn the room up a little.
When you like it, “Open in Beatbay” takes your version into the app, where you can save it, add patterns and share it as a link, a video or a WAV.
Questions
What BPM is lo-fi hip hop?
Usually 70 to 85 BPM.
What makes it sound lo-fi?
Soft drums, a darker sound with less top end, a little distortion and crackle, and lots of swing.