How to Make a Dark Type Beat (+ Free Loops)

What BPM and key is a dark type beat?

Most dark loops run 130 to 150 BPM, with 140 the most common. The tempo is standard trap, so do not look for the darkness in the speed, look for it in the chords.

The key is almost always minor, with C minor, D minor and C sharp minor leading. The darkest colour comes from the mode: harmonic minor raises the seventh by a semitone, Phrygian lowers the second, and both put a half step of tension right where the ear notices it.

Dark Type Beat in 6 steps

The loops in step 1 stream right here and the mp3 is free. Then work through the six steps.

1. 1Pick a sample▾

   A dark piano, low strings or a muted guitar in minor, around 140 BPM, with one tense interval inside it. Take a loop from the list right below.

   • ▶
     Monkeyball
     140 BPM · Bmin
     DarkHardSimple
     @ndacompany
     ↓
   • ▶
     Maiskolben
     140 BPM · Bmin
     DarkHardSimple
     @ndacompany
     ↓
   • ▶
     Nasty
     140 BPM · Cmin
     DarkHardVirtual
     @ndacompany
     ↓
   • ▶
     Core
     150 BPM · C#min
     DarkVirtual
     @ndacompany
     ↓
   • ▶
     Skype
     140 BPM · Fmin
     Dark
     @ndacompany
     ↓
2. 2Lay the 808▾

   Heavy, on the root. Set it to cut itself, then clip and drive it. A distorted push deepens the dark mood more than extra volume ever will.
3. 3Hi-hats on top▾

   A two-step, not too busy. The darkness has to sit in the melody, so do not fill the gaps with clutter.
4. 4Clap and kick▾

   A hard snare or clap on two and four, a short kick tucked under the 808 so the low end stays clean.
5. 5Try the pitch▾

   Once the drums sit, move the loop down a semitone or two. Lower almost always reads as darker and heavier.
6. 6Arrange▾

   Keep it simple, less is more. Stay sparse and let the tension breathe, put the hook early so the beat stays catchy and easy to place.

Where the darkness actually comes from

The harmony does the work. A minor loop with a semitone rub, a diminished note or a tense interval between two chords. Pretty is the enemy of dark, so if the progression sounds nice, add one note that hurts.

Keep it to very few chords. A dark loop often sits on just two minor chords and repeats them, which leaves all the space for the 808 and the drums. Movement comes from the arrangement, not from a busy progression.

The dark sound palette

A dark piano, low strings or a muted guitar fit best. Keep the register low and the tone covered, bright and open is the first thing that kills the mood.

Detuned bells, a lone pluck or a distant choir pad add menace on top. One cold lead over the chords is enough, you do not need a wall of sound.

The 808 is heavy and usually distorted. Cut itself on, clip and boost, that weight is half the darkness.

Space, reverb and tension

A long, cold reverb on the melody makes the beat feel larger and emptier. Dark music needs room, a crowded mix sounds busy, not menacing.

Leave actual silence in the arrangement. A bar where only the 808 and a single bell play is scarier than everything running at once.

Common mistakes

A melody with no tension. Without a semitone rub it just sounds nice, not dark. Add one note that leans on the root and refuses to resolve.

Too bright a register. Dark lives in the low and low mid range, so keep the top muted and resist the urge to add a shiny lead.

A thin, polite 808. The weight and a cold reverb carry the menace together, a quiet clean bass gives the beat away as a soft one in disguise.

In FL Studio and in Logic

Nothing in the steps above depends on the DAW. You need a sampler for the 808, an EQ to cut the lows off the melody, and a reverb.

FL Studio: the 808 goes in a sampler channel with cut itself on, plus clip and boost in the channel. Draw the hats and rolls with the paintbrush, and set one send to a long dark reverb.

Logic: Quick Sampler for the 808, set to mono so the notes cannot overlap, and the Step Sequencer for the hats. One bus for all melody tracks with a Channel EQ cutting the lows and a reverb for the cold space.

Using the loops from NDA Company

Every loop here is played by hand, no AI, and free as an mp3.