Virtual Riot and Modestep give us an inside look into their creative process

Virtual Riot and Modestep are, without doubt, some of the biggest names in the bass music scene.

Recently, the producer and duo collaborated to release “Spicy Riddim Drums Vol. 1,” a collection of high-quality drum samples that are perfect for the heavier side of electronic music. “We had this studio around the corner with a big recording room that could fit a whole drum kit,” Virtual Riot recalls. “And Pat [of Modestep] plays some amazing drums, so we thought we could just record him playing all kinds of heavy metal fills – the kind you use in heavy dubstep right now – and then just spend three days in the studio recording all kinds of one-shots, loops, and fills with him.”

“I’ve never recorded a pack in this format, or tracked the way we tracked this,” Pat responds. “So I thought it’d be great to jump on Instagram and hit up one of my producer friends and ask them what they wanted. I wanted to get a general feel from everybody who’s in the scene, and everybody was saying fills, top loops, cymbals – things that people can add into their existing stuff that just brings a new layer of spice to the mix.”

In the video above, Virtual Riot and Modestep go into detail regarding their creative approach to designing the pack, discussing topics spanning recording, processing, experimentation, and more. Hear their tips and techniques firsthand, and then incorporate their hard-hitting sounds into your own productions.


Explore Virtual Riot and Modestep’s unapologetic sounds:

August 4, 2020

Harrison Shimazu

Harrison Shimazu is a composer, content strategist, and writer who’s passionate about democratizing music creation and education. He leads the Splice blog and produces vocaloid music as Namaboku.