How to Make a Ken Carson Type Beat (+ Free Loops)

What BPM and key is a Ken Carson type beat?

Most beats run 140 to 160 BPM. The energy comes from the distortion, not from the tempo.

The key is minor, often D minor, G sharp minor or E minor. The melody is short and repeats.

How to make a Ken Carson 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▾

   Dark, synthetic, hard, 140 to 160 BPM. Take one of the loops right below and run it through distortion until it sounds crunchy.

   • ▶
     Maiskolben
     140 BPM · Bmin
     DarkHardSimple
     @ndacompany
     ↓
   • ▶
     Lil Game
     148 BPM · G#min
     BrassDarkGoofy
     @ndacompany
     ↓
   • ▶
     Champ
     135 BPM · Dmin
     DarkHardHyper
     @ndacompany
     ↓
   • ▶
     Landing
     140 BPM · F#min
     DarkHyperVirtual
     @ndacompany
     ↓
   • ▶
     Dirty
     143 BPM · Cmin
     DarkDark VirtualHard
     @ndacompany
     ↓
2. 2Lay the 808▾

   It is the foundation. On the bass notes, short, with only a little distortion on the 808 itself.
3. 3Hi-hats on top▾

   Two-step and simple. One triplet roll before the drop, that is it.
4. 4Clap and kick▾

   Clap and snare together on 2 and 4. The kick lands on the same hits as the 808.
5. 5Try the pitch▾

   Only once the drums sit. Move the loop up and down in semitones and keep the position that hits hardest.
6. 6Arrange▾

   Keep it simple, less is more. Start straight in, no intro, hook right at the front. Swap the lead every 8 or 16 bars, that keeps it catchy and easier to place.

Pitch the sample up and down

The position is not fixed. A few semitones change how hard the synth hits.

Up the synth gets harsher and more aggressive, down it gets wider and darker.

The distortion reacts too: pitched down, more grit comes through. Then move the 808 to the new key.

Common mistakes

Lows in the melodies. High-pass every melodic layer, the bottom belongs to the 808 alone.

Too many effects. Distortion, reverb and phaser stacked up only turn to mud, pick the synth that already sounds hard. One clipper at the end of the chain is enough.

Hi-hats too complicated. Triplets in every bar steal the room from the 808, two patterns per section are enough.

Using the loops from NDA Company

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