How to make dancehall in your browser

By Tongkit Leong · November 5, 2026 · 7 min read

Dancehall is built on a riddim: a repeating drum and bass loop, usually between 90 and 105 BPM, with plenty of space left for a vocal. You can build one from scratch in the Tracks browser studio with the drum machine, a synth bass, and a few stabs, for free and with no account.

What makes a dancehall riddim

In Jamaican dancehall, a producer makes the instrumental (the riddim) and many different artists voice their own songs over it. That shapes how the music is written: the loop has to work for minutes at a time without getting in the way of a voice.

• A drum pattern with space. Kick and snare hits land on a few chosen beats, and the gaps between them are part of the groove.
• A heavy, simple bass. One short, repeating line that you feel more than you hear.
• Sparse melodic parts. Short stabs, a plucked riff, or a one-bar lead. Nothing long or busy.
• Room for a vocal. A chant, a toasted verse, or a sung hook sits on top.

Dancehall grew out of reggae, so if the slower roots sound is closer to what you want, start with How to make reggae in your browser. Dancehall is usually faster, harder, and more drum-driven.

Step 1: Set your tempo

Open the studio and type a BPM into the transport bar. Common ranges:

• 90 to 95 BPM: a heavy, rolling feel.
• 95 to 105 BPM: the most common range for modern dancehall.

If you are unsure, start at 98 and change it later. The tempo map lets you change it mid-song if you ever want to.

Step 2: Program the riddim drums

Add a drum track and open the drum machine. Build the pattern in layers, and listen to the loop between each one.

1. Kick. Place it on beat 1, then add one or two off-beat kicks so the pattern bounces instead of marching.
2. Snare or rim. Put a hard snare on the back half of the bar, and add a quiet rim or ghost hit just before it to give the pattern a push.
3. Hi-hats. A steady closed hat on eighth notes holds the pulse. Lower the velocity of every other hit so it breathes.
4. Percussion. A shaker or a tom hit in the gaps makes the loop feel finished.

The 808 kit suits the heavier, harder side of the sound. For a deeper look at building patterns, see Free online drum machine and Hi-hat patterns that groove.

Keep it close to the grid

Dancehall drums are usually tight. Leave swing low, and use velocity changes to add feel rather than moving notes around. If you want a looser feel, the quantize and swing guide shows how far to push it.

Step 3: Write a heavy bass

Add a synth track. A sine or triangle wave gives the cleanest low end. Open the piano roll and write a line of two to four notes that repeats every bar. Hold the root note long and let one or two short notes answer the kick.

Keep the bass in a low octave and avoid playing it at the same moment as every kick. If the two clash, the low end turns muddy. See How to lock a bassline to the kick for the fix, and use sidechain ducking in the mixer if you want the bass to move out of the kick's way.

Step 4: Add stabs and a hook

Add a second synth track for the melodic part. Two approaches work well:

• Chord stabs. Play a minor chord as a short note on the off-beat, then leave the rest of the bar empty.
• A plucked riff. Use a short envelope (fast attack, short decay, low sustain) and write a one-bar phrase.

Short notes are the point. Use the amp envelope to keep each hit brief, as explained in ADSR envelope explained. If you are not sure which notes to pick, stay in one minor key and read How to make a melody if you don't know music theory.

Step 5: Record a chant or vocal

A riddim is not finished until someone is on it. Plug in a microphone, arm a track, and record a chant, a hook, or a verse over the loop. Tracks has a count-in and a metronome so you can start on time. Record several takes and keep the best one with take comping.

The full workflow is in How to record and tune vocals in your browser. Your recordings stay on your device.

Step 6: Mix and export

1. Set the kick and bass first. They carry the track.
2. Roll off low frequencies on everything that is not the kick or the bass, using the EQ on each channel.
3. Keep reverb on the vocal and stabs modest. Dancehall is usually dry and close.
4. Leave headroom on the master so nothing clips.

When it sounds right, export to WAV for the best quality or MP3 for sharing. The steps are in How to export your song to MP3 or WAV. Tracks is local-only, so your project is saved in your browser and never uploaded.

Frequently asked questions

What BPM is dancehall?

Most dancehall falls between 90 and 105 BPM. Heavier, rolling riddims sit near 90 to 95, and more modern ones sit closer to 100.

What is a riddim?

A riddim is an instrumental loop, mainly drums and bass, that many artists record their own songs over. In Tracks you build one on a few tracks and then record a vocal on top.

How is dancehall different from reggae?

Dancehall grew out of reggae. It is usually faster, more drum-driven, and sparser in its melodic parts, with the vocal taking centre stage.

How is dancehall different from reggaeton?

Reggaeton uses a related rhythmic pulse but is usually more polished, with fuller melodies and Spanish-language vocals. See How to make reggaeton in your browser.

Do I need to install anything?

No. Tracks runs in your browser, is free, and needs no account. Your projects stay on your device.