808 & Bassline Generator
Pick a style, a key and a chord progression. The generator writes an 808 or bassline in that style, plays it with drums, and gives you the MIDI. Press "New pattern" until you hear one you like.
The MIDI file has the bass on track 1, plus drums (General MIDI) and chords if those boxes are ticked. Slides are written as overlapping notes: turn on glide / portamento in your 808.
The Drum Patterns Cheat Sheet + Chord MIDI Pack
The main pattern for all 14 genres as printable step grids with tempo and swing (PDF), plus 72 chord progressions from hit songs in all 12 keys (864 MIDI files) to put on top of the beat.
Your downloads are ready. The MIDI pack link is on its way to your inbox too.
DRUM CHEAT SHEET PDF → CHORD MIDI PACKWant full grooves with chords, bass and drums already written? See the Song Starter MIDI Kit ($19) →
Bassline and 808 patterns by genre
| Style | Tempo | How the bass moves |
|---|---|---|
| Trap 808 | 140 BPM | Long 808 notes on the kick rhythm, held until the next hit; octave jumps and glides at the end of a bar. |
| Drill 808 (slides) | 142 BPM | Sparse 808 with frequent slides up an octave or a fifth and back down. Tuned to the key, often in a minor key. |
| Boom bap bass | 90 BPM | Short, punchy root notes with a fifth and a passing note into the next chord; swung with the drums. |
| House bass (off-beat) | 124 BPM | Short notes on the off-beats, between the four-on-the-floor kicks, sometimes jumping an octave. |
| Pop bass | 100 BPM | Steady 8th-note roots or a syncopated 3-3-2 rhythm that locks with the kick. |
| R&B bass | 82 BPM | Longer notes with fifths, octaves and passing notes; laid back with the swung drums. |
| Reggaeton bass | 95 BPM | Follows the dembow: notes in a 3-3-2 rhythm under the kick and snare. |
| Afrobeats bass | 104 BPM | Syncopated notes around the kick with fifths and octaves, leaving gaps for the percussion. |
| Drum & bass sub | 174 BPM | Long sub-bass notes under the two-step beat, one or two per bar. |
How to write an 808 that works
- Follow the kick. In trap and drill the 808 is the kick's tail: put an 808 note on most kick hits and let it ring until the next one.
- Tune it to the chords. Play the root of each chord. If your 808 sample isn't tuned, find its note first with the 808 tuning chart.
- Add movement at the end of the bar. An octave jump or a glide into the next bar keeps a one-chord loop from sounding static.
- Glide with overlapping notes. Set the 808 to mono or legato with a glide time of about 50–150 ms; overlapping notes then slide into each other.
- Leave space for the kick. If kick and 808 hit together, shorten the kick's tail or sidechain the 808 so the attack of the kick comes through.
Get the beat with chords and bass already on it
The Song Starter MIDI Kit turns 48 chord progressions from hit songs into ready-to-play grooves: a genre-style chord part, a bassline and a drum beat for pop, EDM, hip-hop, R&B, rock, indie, country and K-pop. 1,824 royalty-free MIDI files.
Quick answers
How do you make an 808 pattern?
Start from the kick: in trap and drill the 808 usually plays on the same steps as the kick and holds until the next hit. Tune the 808 to the root of each chord, then add an octave jump or a glide at the end of a bar for movement. The generator above does exactly this for any key and progression.
How do 808 glides (slides) work in MIDI?
A glide happens when two 808 notes overlap and the instrument is set to mono/legato with a glide (portamento) time. The MIDI from this page writes slides as overlapping notes, so turn on glide in your 808 instrument and they slide automatically.
What notes should a bassline play?
Mostly the root of each chord, on the rhythm of the kick. Octaves, fifths and a passing note into the next chord add movement without clashing. Those are the four kinds of notes this generator uses.
Is the generated MIDI free to use?
Yes. The basslines are generated from common genre rhythms and are free to use in your own music, commercial or not, with no credit needed.