internal · not indexed · qc workflow

pattern audit

every claim on every pattern. mark verified once you've checked the kick placement against the record, the year, the producer, the era, the common mistake. status persists locally (browser only). export to JSON when you're done — i'll bake the verified statuses into the data file on the next commit.

  • DRAFT
    phuture · acid territory ↗
    125 bpm · chicago acid house · A minor — blues inflections · canon: phuture-acid-tracks
    ref: Phuture · Acid Tracks · 1987
    claim: chicago 4×4 909 floor under a moog acid-bass riff in A minor. tape on for warmth, delay off — keep the 303 dry like the original.
    common mistake: people speed it up. acid sat at 125 because the floor needed time to swallow each kick. push past 130 and you lose the trance.
    ·
  • DRAFT
    parliament · flash light bass ↗
    110 bpm · p-funk · Bb minor · canon: parliament-flash-light
    ref: Parliament · Flash Light · 1977
    claim: moog-only bass pattern walking root-5-b7-root in Bb minor — bernie worrell's expressive monosynth phrasing. add drive to taste.
    common mistake: leaving the envelope amount low. crank it. you want the filter to MOVE on every note. that's the whole sound.
    ·
  • DRAFT
    frankie knuckles · warehouse floor ↗
    122 bpm · chicago house · C minor — wide pads · canon: frankie-knuckles-your-love
    ref: Frankie Knuckles + Jamie Principle · Your Love · 1986
    claim: the foundation — chicago 4×4 909 only, no bass, no chords. learn to sit the kick at 122 first. plate on for the room.
    common mistake: rushing to add layers. give the kick + hat + clap 30 seconds of breathing room before you reach for anything else.
    ·
  • DRAFT
    boom-bap · sp-1200 kit ↗
    92 bpm · golden era hip-hop · drums only — works under any key · canon: pete-rock-premier-boom-bap
    ref: Pete Rock / DJ Premier era · boom-bap template · 1993
    claim: the foundational hip-hop pocket through the SP-1200's bit-crusher. kick laid back, snare on 2/4. tape on for the grit.
    common mistake: trying to 'fix' the SP-1200's noise floor with denoisers or dithering. the noise IS the instrument. clean it up and you have a soundless modern sample.
    ·
  • DRAFT
    detroit · model 500 territory ↗
    130 bpm · detroit techno · C minor — modal walking · canon: model-500-detroit-techno
    ref: Model 500 / Juan Atkins · No UFO's era · 1985
    claim: 909 4×4 at 130 with a moog string-stab figure walking i-VI-III-VII in C minor. juan atkins / model 500 / underground resistance dna. plate on for the warehouse.
    common mistake: making it dark instead of melancholy. detroit techno is sad, not angry. minor key + driving tempo + clean patches. the moment you add drive or distortion you're in industrial territory, not detroit.
    ·
  • DRAFT
    footwork · chicago 160 ↗
    160 bpm · chicago footwork / juke · drums only — typically programmed in C, E, or A · canon: rp-boo-dj-rashad-footwork
    ref: RP Boo / DJ Rashad · footwork template · 2010
    claim: 909 only at 160bpm. kick stutter (1, 1.25, 2, 3.75) IS the song. claps half-time on the and-of-3/4. no bass — footwork needs the floor empty so the dancers can move. drive on for the punch.
    common mistake: filling the bass register or adding melodic pads. footwork producers spent years stripping things AWAY to make room for the dancer. you're a producer making the floor for a foot. don't be the show.
    ·
  • DRAFT
    dub · lee scratch territory ↗
    76 bpm · jamaican dub / roots reggae · Bb minor — heavy root anchor · canon: lee-scratch-perry-dub
    ref: Lee Scratch Perry · Black Ark dub session · 1976
    claim: 76bpm. sparse 909 (kick 1, snare 3) + sustained moog sub on 1 of each bar. delay carries the song — that's the whole lesson. delay + plate on by default. drive optional for that ratty bbd character.
    common mistake: too many elements. dub is a subtraction game, not addition. every time you add something, ask 'can i mute this and run it through delay instead, then bring it back later as the surprise?' that's how king tubby and lee scratch perry thought.
    ·
  • DRAFT
    trap · 808 sub + half-time ↗
    140 bpm · atlanta trap · A minor — sub-bass anchor · canon: lex-luger-trap-blueprint
    ref: Lex Luger / Metro Boomin era · trap template · 2011
    claim: half-time pocket at 140 (feels like 70). kick on 1+3, snare on 3 only, hi-hat 16ths with a triplet roll. moog 808-sub slides root → 5. tape on for cohesion. this is the atlanta template.
    common mistake: putting the snare on 2 and 4. that's hip-hop, not trap. trap = snare on 3 ONLY. the half-time pocket is what makes 140bpm feel like 70bpm and lets the 808 breathe.
    ·
  • DRAFT
    DX7 · quincy '85 territory ↗
    80 bpm · 80s pop r&b · C minor — modal arpeggio · canon: quincy-jones-dx7-era
    ref: Quincy Jones / Whitney Houston era · DX7 E.Piano template · 1985
    claim: 80bpm electric piano arpeggio walking i-VI-III-VII in C minor + a bell stab on the top of every bar. Whitney / Quincy Jones / patch-11 territory — the sound of every TV theme from 1984 to 1991. tape on for warmth, plate on for the room.
    common mistake: leaving the FM modulator levels too low. DX7 patches LIVE in the modulation depth — if you turn the modulator down, you get a sine wave. crank it.
    ·
  • DRAFT
    C64 SID · rob hubbard territory ↗
    140 bpm · 8-bit / chiptune · C minor pentatonic · canon: rob-hubbard-c64-sid
    ref: Rob Hubbard / Martin Galway · Commando / Monty on the Run era · 1985
    claim: 140bpm 16th-note pentatonic lead through the C64 SID chip. fast, repetitive, in-your-face — Rob Hubbard / Martin Galway video-game-soundtrack DNA. no FX by default — the SID's own character is the texture.
    common mistake: treating chiptune like a polyphonic synth. the SID is 3 monophonic voices — you imply chords by arpeggiating fast enough to fool the ear. slow it down and the magic disappears.
    ·
  • DRAFT
    TR-606 · Sheffield industrial ↗
    130 bpm · industrial / post-punk electronic · drums only — works under any dark drone · canon: cabaret-voltaire-sheffield-industrial
    ref: Cabaret Voltaire · The Crackdown era · 1983
    claim: Cabaret Voltaire 1983 template — TR-606 drums alone at 130bpm. Driving kicks on EVERY beat (mechanical four-on-the-floor, no swing), tight snares on 2/4, metallic hat on 8ths, cymbal washes on the 1 of every 2 bars. Drive + delay on for the proto-industrial Sheffield warehouse sound.
    common mistake: humanizing the pattern. industrial is the GENRE WHERE MECHANICAL IS THE POINT. add swing, velocity variation, or laid-back kicks and you've stopped sounding like Cabaret Voltaire and started sounding like a band trying to play industrial. the machine wins.
    ·
  • DRAFT
    DMX · sucker MCs ↗
    96 bpm · golden era hip-hop / boom-bap origin · drums only — works under any minor key, originally A minor · canon: run-dmc-sucker-mcs
    ref: Run-DMC · Sucker MCs (Krush-Groove 1) · 1983
    claim: Run-DMC 1983 template — Oberheim DMX drums alone at 96bpm. Kick on 1 and 3 (laid back), snare on 2 and 4 (cracking with 8-bit aliasing), closed hat on every 8th, NOTHING ELSE. The first hip-hop record made without a live drummer. Drive on for the punch — Run-DMC records were tracked dry but mixed bright.
    common mistake: adding swing or velocity dynamics to the hi-hat. the genre is LOCKED. as soon as you humanize the hi-hat you've stopped sounding like Run-DMC and started sounding like J Dilla — which is great if that's the goal but it's a DIFFERENT genre.
    ·
  • DRAFT
    Linn LM-1 · when doves cry ↗
    109 bpm · minneapolis funk / pop · drums only — works under any minor key (original is F minor) · canon: prince-when-doves-cry
    ref: Prince · When Doves Cry · 1984
    claim: Prince 1984 template — Linn LM-1 drums alone at 109bpm. Kick on 1 and 3, snare on 2 and 4, single hi-hat on every 8th, NOTHING ELSE. The original record famously had NO BASS — just drums + synth. The lesson is what you leave OUT. Plate on for the warehouse room sound; never delay (Prince records were dry, not dub).
    common mistake: filling the silence with bass. the lesson IS the absence of bass. add a sub or even a moog bassline and you've turned this back into a normal pop record. let the kick BE the bass. that's the whole song.
    ·
  • DRAFT
    707 · voodoo ray acid house ↗
    122 bpm · uk acid house · A minor — 303 bass territory · canon: voodoo-ray-uk-acid
    ref: A Guy Called Gerald · Voodoo Ray · 1988
    claim: A Guy Called Gerald 1988 UK acid house template — TR-707 4-on-the-floor at 122bpm + Moog acid bass in A minor. Brighter pop-machine kick + cowbell ping on every offbeat + claps on 2/4. Tape on for warmth, plate on for the rave room.
    common mistake: leaving the cowbell off. without it, this is just clean chicago house. with the cowbell on every offbeat you're suddenly in 1988 UK rave territory — that one element flips the whole genre.
    ·
  • DRAFT
    808 · planet rock electro ↗
    116 bpm · electro / electro-funk · drums only — typically pitched up to E minor / G minor · canon: afrika-bambaataa-planet-rock
    ref: Afrika Bambaataa + Soulsonic Force · Planet Rock · 1982
    claim: Afrika Bambaataa's 1982 template — syncopated 808 kick (1, 1.75, 2.5, 3.5), clap on 2/4, cowbell on every 16th-note offbeat, closed hat on 8ths. The track that invented electro by stacking Kraftwerk over a TR-808. Drive on for punch.
    common mistake: putting the kick on every beat. that's house. electro lays the kick OFF the beat to create push-pull tension against the cowbell offbeats. if your body can find the 1 too easily, you're not in electro anymore.
    ·
  • DRAFT
    808 · sexual healing ballad ↗
    95 bpm · quiet storm / 808 r&b · drums only — works under any soul progression · canon: marvin-gaye-sexual-healing
    ref: Marvin Gaye · Sexual Healing · 1982
    claim: Marvin Gaye 1982 template — soft 808 kicks on 1 and 3, claps on 2/4, cymbal swell on the 1 of every bar, sparse offbeat hat. The 808 R&B ballad blueprint — every quiet storm record from 1983 onward learned from this beat. Plate on for the room.
    common mistake: filling the silence. the 808 has 11 voices but marvin used 4. the genre is in the SPACE between hits. add an open hat or a tom roll and you've broken the spell.
    ·
  • DRAFT
    modular · berlin school territory ↗
    100 bpm · berlin school / cosmic · C minor — hypnotic motif · canon: klaus-schulze-berlin-school
    ref: Klaus Schulze / Tangerine Dream · Phaedra / Rubycon era · 1975
    claim: 100bpm 8th-note hypnotic sequence through the modular pulse-pad program in C minor. Klaus Schulze / Tangerine Dream / late-70s Berlin school DNA. delay + plate on by default — the FX are half the genre.
    common mistake: changing the notes. berlin school doesn't change the notes; it changes the texture around the notes. let the sequence loop. tweak the filter. don't compose new phrases — modulate the existing one.
    ·
  • DRAFT
    grandmother · dub jam ↗
    78 bpm · kingston dub · Bb major — root drone
    ref: King Tubby / Lee Scratch Perry territory · dub jam template · 1975
    claim: 78bpm dub pocket with the moog grandmother on sub-bass duty. 909 kick on 1 + snare on 3, hat lift on the and-of-4. delay + plate on so the snare blooms into the next bar. swap moog→hookesub via the override panel to hear nick's actual analog grandmother on the bass.
    common mistake: treating dub like a normal hip-hop / rock pattern and adding more elements. dub is subtraction. every time you want to add something, ask 'can i mute it and run it through delay instead, then bring it back later as the surprise?' that's how tubby and perry thought. fewer elements + more space = more dub.
    ·
  • DRAFT
    grandmother · 16th arp ↗
    112 bpm · italo / proto-house · A minor — i, III, v
    ref: Giorgio Moroder / Donna Summer / mid-80s synth-pop · 16th arp template · 1979
    claim: 112bpm 16th-note arpeggio in A minor over a 909 four-on-the-floor. The arp walks A → C → E → G → A → E → G → C across the bar. tape on for cohesion. swap moog→hookeclav or hookelead via the override panel to hear the actual grandmother play it.
    common mistake: treating the arp as a melody to compose. it's a pattern to LOCK. the magic is in the timbre evolving over the same notes, not in the notes evolving. set the arp, then change the filter / envelope / FX. like berlin school but at 112bpm.
    ·
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