First 20 minutes from class

 

Big Beat Overview - Scroll down for an audio demo of the project we made in class

In this session we dive deep into the high-octane world of Big Beat, the raw, sample-driven, break-heavy style made iconic by The Chemical Brothers, The Prodigy, and Fatboy Slim. Big Beat is all about attitude: broken drums, distorted bass, rowdy guitars, glitchy textures, chopped vocals, and rock inspired riffs.

In this workshop, you’ll learn the exact creative and technical approaches to build authentic Big Beat tracks inside Ableton Live 12. From layering breakbeats and crafting gnarly Chemical Bros-style 303 lines to designing industrial glitches, gritty riffs, and punchy vocal chops, this class gives you the full playbook.

1. How to Big Beat

• Genre Overview: Understand the core elements that define Big Beat breaks, distortion, heavy sampling, repetition, and immediate impact.
• Arrangement DNA: Learn the signature Big Beat song structures and how to build tension using crashes, fills, reverses, and call-and-response riffs.
• Energy & Attitude: Discover how to keep everything “on the verge of breaking,” but still controlled, punchy, and musical.

2. Breakbeats Layering

• Break Selection: How to choose the right drum breaks for different Big Beat flavors.
• Layering Techniques: Stack multiple breaks for thickness; align transients, tighten tails, and control dynamics.
• Lo-Fi Processing: Use saturation, bit-crushing, filtering, and vinyl simulation for authentic Fatboy Slim-style dirt.
• Glitchy Edits: Add fills, stutters, slices, and reversed hits to create motion and unpredictability.

3. Chemical 303 Lines

• Acid Architecture: Build aggressive 303 basslines and leads using Live’s Analog, Drift, or M4L 303 emulators.
• Modulation Moves: Use resonance, drive, envelope modulation, and step-sequenced automation for classic Chemical Brothers squelch.
• Chaos vs Control: Create evolving filter sweeps, glitchy accents, and machine-like bends that keep your acid lines alive.

4. Guitar Influenced Synth Riffs

• Synth Instead of Guitar: Build riffs that are rock/metal inspired.
• Chunky Timbres: Layer FM, Wavetable, and Analog to create thick, guitar-like harmonics.
• Riff Writing Techniques: Call-and-response, octave jumps, pentatonic aggression, and rhythmic variation.

5. Big Beat Vocal Chopping & Phrasing

• Sample Sourcing: Grab phrases from voice packs, spoken word, acapellas, or your own mic.
• Chop Techniques: Use Simpler, Drum Racks, and transient slicing to create punchy vocal stabs and one-shots.
• Phrase Writing: Build iconic hooks through repetition, callouts, and rhythmic placement.

6. Industrial Glitch Sound Design

• Glitch Tools: Explore M4L devices and custom randomizer for resampling glitch and alarm sounds for the style.
• Aggressive FX Chains: Build Chemical Brothers-style chains with distortion, filters, and dynamic modulation.

7. Jamming on the 1

• On-the-1 Energy: Use downbeat resets, big drops, and phrase-based editing to re-center the groove.

Throughout this session, we’ll break down the signature Big Beat production mindset:
Huge attitude, dirty textures, bold sampling, rhythmic tension, and riffs that stick in your head instantly. Whether you're building club-ready bangers, cinematic breakbeat cues, or modern retro Big Beat hybrids, you’ll walk away with a complete toolkit to craft explosive, character-driven tracks in Ableton Live.

This session is recommended for all levels.

 

The Project we made during class for you to explore, edit, remix and save all the tools and samples from.

 

Wavetable Randomizer

An Ableton Project with a complete randomizer rack for Wavetable, Echo and Reverb. Giving you a completely different glitched sound with every note press. You can disabled the randomization with the Macros if you find a sound you like and want to save it as a preset. There is also a custom Max for Live device inside the rack to allow randomization for the parameters inside Wavetable that are not randomizable by Ableton's Modulators.

 

6 Custom Synth Presets

6 Custom synth presets using Ableton's Wavetable, Meld, Drift and Bass (from the Creative Extensions Pack) including Sub Drops, Distorted 303, Synth Guitars and more!

 

Roar Preset Pack

16 Roar Presets for Drums, Keys, Bass and Mixing/Mastering. Ranging from subtle enhancement and fattening to glitch modulated sound design.

 

Break Bus Driver

An exclusive Audio Effect Rack you can use on all your breakbeats tracks and/or Drum groups.

This rack combines saturations, compression, short reverbs, rhythmic delays and transient shaping.

This rack will make your drums sounds fatter and fuller.

Macros:

Drive – Waveshaping distortion from the Drum Buss

Crunch – Mid/High Distortion

GAINNN – Controls the makeup gain of the Glue Compressor before the last stage of Soft and Hard Clipping

Saturate – Analog Drive before final clipping

Room Space – Drums Plate reverb

Groove Echo – Syncopated 1/4 notes for added groove

Tilt Filter – Tilt EQ to adjust the balance of the highs and lows

Comp – Last compressor stage

 

Live 8 Compressor

Compressor from Ableton Live 8 featuring Feed Forward Side Chain compression which results in a much cleaner click free compression.

 

 

What's Included with this session

• 2+ hours of Ableton Certified Training Video
• Big Beat Ableton Project from Class
• Wavetable Randomizer Project (+Custom Max for Live Device)
• 6 Custom Synth Presets for the style
• Roar Preset Pack
• Break Bus Driver for Drum Bus Processing
• Compressor from Ableton Live 8 for Clean Side Chaining
• PDF with a list of the best Big Beat Sample Packs, Breaks Packs Max for Live Devices & Tutorials

 

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ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR

Yeuda Ben-Atar, a world renowned Ableton Certified Trainer, hails from Los Angeles, California. Originally from Israel, Yeuda’s passion for music led him to the United States, where he discovered his true calling with Ableton Live in 2007, embarking on a journey of mastery.

He approaches Ableton in a unique way; producing and performing with video game controllers under the moniker Side Brain.

One of Yeuda’s most remarkable qualities is his exceptional knowledge and speed, combined with his unparalleled ability to explain complex concepts in a simple and engaging manner.

With years of experience as a music production instructor and educator, Yeuda has contributed his expertise to prestigious institutions throughout the United States, including USC, UCLA, UCSD, Colburn Music School, Berkley School of Music, Cal Arts, NAMM, Skywalker Sounds, Bedrock LA, Sonos Studios, Sweetwater Headquarters, 1500 or Nothing studios, Grammy U, Pensado’s Place, Vintage King, Museum of Making Music, Lynda.com (now known as Linkedin Learning), and Perfect Circuit Audio, among many others.

His projects have included working with and teaching artists such as Timbaland, Ludacris, Lavel Kali(Beyonce, Drake) DJ Numark and Jurassic 5, Beck, Skrillex, Flying Lotus, Ed Sheeran, Rick Rubin, Giorgio Moroder, Simi, Bootie Brown (Pharcyde), Dave Pensado, Madison Mcferrin and countless others.