Halftime DnB Production Guide: How to Make Halftime Drum and Bass in Serum

What Is Halftime DnB?

Halftime drum and bass is a style where the drums play at half the speed of the bass. While standard DnB runs at 170-180 BPM with fast breakbeats, halftime DnB keeps the same tempo but uses a slower, heavier drum pattern. This creates a sense of weight and space that full-speed DnB cannot achieve. Think Ivy Lab, Alix Perez (his halftime work), and Shades.

The bass design in halftime DnB borrows from dubstep, trap, and experimental electronic music. It is darker, more atmospheric, and often more experimental than traditional drum and bass.

Setting Up a Halftime DnB Project

Set your DAW tempo to 170 BPM. Even though the drums sound half-speed, keeping the project at 170 BPM means your basslines and melodic elements interact with the tempo grid correctly. The half-time feel comes from the drum pattern, not the actual BPM.

In Ableton Live, you can write your drums with the kick on beat 1 and snare on beat 3 (instead of the typical DnB 2-step pattern). In FL Studio, the same principle applies in the step sequencer or piano roll.

Bass Sound Design for Halftime

The Low-End Foundation

Halftime DnB needs a massive low end. Start with a clean sub bass in Serum using a sine wave on the Sub Oscillator. This will be your foundation. Unlike jump-up DnB where the bass moves quickly, halftime bass holds longer notes, so the sub needs to be rock solid.

For the main bass layer, use Oscillator A with a saw or complex wavetable. Set unison to 2-4 voices with moderate detune. The bass should feel wide and enveloping rather than tight and punchy.

Texture and Atmosphere

Halftime bass benefits from atmospheric processing. Add reverb directly on the bass (something unusual in most DnB), but use a short decay and high-pass the reverb output to keep the low end clean. This creates a sense of space around the bass that fits the halftime aesthetic.

The noise oscillator in Serum can add wind or breath-like textures to your bass. Use a filtered noise layer to give the sound an organic, evolving quality. Automate the noise level throughout the track for dynamic interest.

Modulation for Movement

Since halftime bass notes last longer, they need internal movement to stay interesting. Use multiple LFOs at different rates modulating wavetable position, filter cutoff, and effects parameters.

Envelope followers can be particularly effective. Map Env 2 to the filter cutoff with a slow attack and medium release. This creates a bass that opens up gradually over each note, adding movement without the mechanical feel of an LFO.

The Halftime Drum Pattern

The drums are what make halftime DnB sound so heavy. Write your kicks on beat 1 (and optionally beat 2.5 or 3 for variation). Place the snare on beat 3 only. Use hi-hats sparingly, often just offbeat 16ths at low velocity.

Layer your snare with a clap and a short noise burst for impact. The snare should hit hard because it only appears once per bar. Use parallel compression on the drum bus for maximum punch.

Mixing Halftime Bass

Keep the sub bass mono and centred. The mid-range bass can be spread wider in stereo than you would in full-speed DnB because there is more space in the mix.

Use sidechain compression from the kick to the bass, but with a slower release than typical DnB. The longer release creates a pumping effect that suits the halftime groove.

High-pass your reverb sends at 150-200Hz to prevent mud. And use a reference track to check your balance because halftime mixes have a very different frequency balance to regular DnB.

Speed Up Your Halftime Productions

Our Dirty DnB Serum presets include bass patches with the weight and texture needed for halftime production. Use them as starting points, add your own atmospheric processing, and create tracks with that signature halftime heaviness.

Check out the Dirty Bass Master Bundle for the complete collection of bass sounds across all genres.

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