How to build an Afro House drum pattern
There is no single grid that defines Afro House. This tool is a small rhythm sketchpad: a steady kick, a high-frequency pulse and two percussion voices you can make answer each other. Use the examples to explore space, accents and repetition before choosing sounds.
1. Keep one part stable
Load Open space and solo the kick. Its four evenly spaced hits give each bar a clear anchor. Bring the closed hat back in to hear the offbeats. Resist filling every empty step: a stable layer makes the movement in another layer easier to hear.
2. Let percussion answer, rather than duplicate
Add the low voice, then the high voice. If both play the same busy rhythm, mute one and move just one of its hits into a gap. Compare bar 1 with bar 2. A small response near the end of the second bar can make a loop feel less static without changing every beat.
Try this: in Open space, turn off the high-percussion hit on the last step of bar 1. Listen to the extra space, then restore it as an accent. That difference is more informative than adding several layers at once.
3. Use accents before adding more notes
A hit at velocity 78 and an accent at 116 trigger the same lane with different strength. Use a few accents to define a phrase; making every hit an accent removes that contrast. In your DAW, the final effect also depends on the instrument's velocity response.
4. Compare straight and swung timing
At 50%, both sixteenth notes in each pair are evenly spaced. At 60%, the first occupies 60% of that pair and the second begins later. This tool moves the second step of every pair and applies that timing to all five lanes. It leaves the quarter-note kick positions in place.
Start with a small change, then compare it with 50%. Swing is an option, not a requirement for the genre. The MIDI export already contains the offset: applying another swing or quantize setting in your DAW will change the result.
Take the groove into your DAW
- Download MIDI. Both bars are exported, with the current tempo, accents, swing and audible lanes. Muted lanes, and lanes excluded by solo, contain no notes.
- Import the .mid file into your project. It is a type-1 MIDI file with separate named percussion tracks, a tempo event and a 4/4 time signature.
- Assign a drum instrument or sampler. MIDI contains instructions, not the synthetic preview audio or any paid samples. You will not hear a drum sound until an instrument receives the notes.
- Match the note numbers below. All notes use MIDI channel 10. Your DAW may label octaves differently; the numeric MIDI note is the reliable reference. Some instruments need their input channel set to 10 or All.
- Set a two-bar loop and compare. If you keep the session's existing tempo instead of importing the file's tempo, the rhythm plays at that session tempo.
- Kick · note 36
- General MIDI mapping: Bass drum
- Clap · note 39
- General MIDI mapping: Hand clap
- Closed hat · note 42
- General MIDI mapping: Closed hi-hat
- Low percussion · note 64
- General MIDI mapping: Low conga
- High percussion · note 63
- General MIDI mapping: Open high conga
General MIDI-compatible kits follow these mappings. Custom drum racks may not, so remap the notes or move your sounds to the matching pads. The tool does not require or connect to external MIDI hardware.
When to use a loop instead
A step pattern is useful when you want control over each hit. An audio percussion loop can bring timbral movement and detail that five synthesized voices cannot reproduce. Try one approach at a time before combining them; if the result gets crowded, remove a part instead of turning everything up.
For the actual sound of Palm Monkey's pack, listen to the existing product demo. Its WAV files are a separate product, covered by the store's license terms.
Quick answers
Is the MIDI download free?
Yes. You can edit and export without creating an account or entering an email address. The paid sample pack is optional.
Why does the MIDI sound different after import?
The preview generates simple percussion in your browser. Your DAW plays the notes through whichever instrument you assign, so its samples, envelopes and velocity settings determine the sound.
Will my pattern be saved?
Edits stay in this page's memory. Download your MIDI before leaving or reloading. Reset restores the selected starter pattern, including its tempo and swing.