In this workshop we’ll be looking at the basics of beatmaking (making drum patterns) using Soundtrap, a Digital Audio Workstation. You don’t need to have an idea of what kind of music you want to make yet! This is all about having fun and experimentation. You also don’t need to want to be a producer – we will briefly discuss how you can use your beats in a live setting or with a band.

We will be covering:

* What drum machines are and how different artists have used them

* What is a DAW

* Setting up our project in the DAW

* Creating a drum pattern

* How to save and export (share) our creations

If there’s enough time at the end, those of us who want to will have space to share.

What you will need:

Please create a free account on Soundtrap if you don’t already have one.

The software works best on a laptop or desktop computer using the Google Chrome browser. If you can’t access any of these, please contact the First Timers team or Ballu in advance and we’ll work something out so you get the best out of the workshop.

About Ballu

Ballu is a guitarist, vocalist and occasional keyboard player in 2017 First Timers band Best Praxis. She spent 2021 dipping her toes into the weird and wonderful world of music production and writing songs about the moon. You can find her on insta @marble.beaches

****What is First Timers Fest?****

First Timers fest is an annual series of workshops that ends in a Fest where every band plays its first show! Our aim is to divesify and demystify DIY music.

People of any musical experience and of any identity can attend our workshops, though they are largely aimed at beginners. To play the fest itself your band needs to meet two or more of the following criteria:

- One or more people have never been in a band before.

- One or more people have never performed that role in a band before (e.g if a drummer is having a go at vocals)

-One or more people belongs to a marginalised group, for example, they are a woman, a person of colour, LGBTQIA+, disabled, working class, neurodivergent.