Pop 40 Skillstep is available now!

A new member of the Pop 40 line of production-ready kits, Skillstep is a great option for some hard-hitting house beats. The core sounds of the kits are crisp and punchy, so they are easy to work with regardless of what’s happening in the rest of the mix. Describing drum beats is kind of tricky, so take a listen:

Chimy pointed out some pitch adjustments in specific programs in this volume, which is a great trick to alter the tone and feel of the kit. It’s especially useful in House music, the drums do a lot to change the overall feel and weight of the track.

Back when I was in High School, dubstep was sort of an object of ridicule among the nerdy band kids like me. But looking back now, I think we were too quick to judge. While it’s not my favorite house style, peeling back the layers of dubstep reveals a lot of influential and interesting elements. Drops, simple sub-basses, more pronounced bass drums - a lot of these are still commonplace in other styles of music and even sound design. Kits that were originally designed for dubstep are also useful in modern electronica and hyperpop, among others.