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Lo-Fi Drum Patterns: Play, Edit and Download

Start with a beat you can hear and rebuild. These ten lo-fi hip-hop drum patterns show the kick, snare, hats and quieter support notes, with a rhythm chart and a MIDI file for each.

Play the patternsBrowse all 10 patternsGet the MIDI pack

No sign-up required. MIDI contains notes, timing and velocity; load it into your own drum instrument to choose the sounds.

What makes a lo-fi drum pattern feel relaxed?

Start with a clear backbeat, then change how the quieter hits sit around it. A softer hat, an early pickup or a delayed kick can change the groove without adding more notes. Sound selection matters too, but these examples let you study the rhythm separately from your kit.

Read each bar as 1 e & a, 2 e & a, 3 e & a, 4 e & a. Every group of four cells is one beat. The chart shows nominal grid positions; the MIDI includes the preset’s swing and small timing offsets.

Take all 10 lo-fi patterns into your DAW

Download one small ZIP containing all ten original one-bar MIDI patterns and a BPM/lesson reference. Choose your own drum sounds. There is no account or email gate.

Download all 10 MIDI patterns

Unzip the files, set the BPM listed in START-HERE.txt and import a MIDI file into your drum instrument. Shaker uses extended percussion note 82; remap it if your kit does not play it. Individual MIDI links remain available below.

Listen first

Three lo-fi patterns to play and edit

Press Play, change a hit, or adjust the tempo. Export your edited version from the sequencer’s Export menu. The direct download links below provide the original presets.

86 BPM · 4/4 · 18% swing in this sequencer

Dilla Swing Kick Variations

A pocket-first lo-fi beat that leans on uneven kick timing and soft ghost-note language instead of a rigid loop.

Read the rhythm chart and default velocities
Default pattern: one bar of 4/4, 16th-note steps. Numbers show MIDI velocity (1–127); dots mean rests. Scroll sideways on a small screen.
Drum / count1e&a2e&a3e&a4e&a
Kick127··86··102···121··91··
Snare····117·······124···
Hat Closed74·53·69·56·76·51·71·58·
Hat Open·······61·······69
Clap············79···
Rim···43·······38····
Shaker·30···28···30···28··
Download MIDI · 86 BPMFull lesson
82 BPM · 4/4 · 16% swing in this sequencer

Ghost-Note Snare Pocket

A lo-fi groove built around quiet in-between snare language so the backbeat stays strong while the bar feels played instead of pasted.

Read the rhythm chart and default velocities
Default pattern: one bar of 4/4, 16th-note steps. Numbers show MIDI velocity (1–127); dots mean rests. Scroll sideways on a small screen.
Drum / count1e&a2e&a3e&a4e&a
Kick119····84··107··91··81·
Snare····119·······127···
Hat Closed58·43·56·41·61·43·58·43·
Hat Open·······48·······53
Clap············71···
Rim···28···33···30···25
Shaker·23·······25···25··
Download MIDI · 82 BPMFull lesson
80 BPM · 4/4 · 14% swing in this sequencer

Lazy Closed-Hat Pocket

A lo-fi beat where the hat line does most of the feel work through uneven dynamics and slight drag.

Read the rhythm chart and default velocities
Default pattern: one bar of 4/4, 16th-note steps. Numbers show MIDI velocity (1–127); dots mean rests. Scroll sideways on a small screen.
Drum / count1e&a2e&a3e&a4e&a
Kick117····86····109···89·
Snare····114·······122···
Hat Closed66·38·61·36·71·43·64·41·
Hat Open·······43·······48
Clap············66···
Rim···25·······28····
Shaker·18·······20······
Download MIDI · 80 BPMFull lesson

All 10 lo-fi drum patterns and MIDI files

Open a pattern to read its complete chart. Downloads preserve the default velocity and timing; they do not include audio samples.

Dilla Swing Kick Variations · 86 BPM

A pocket-first lo-fi beat that leans on uneven kick timing and soft ghost-note language instead of a rigid loop.

Default pattern: one bar of 4/4, 16th-note steps. Numbers show MIDI velocity (1–127); dots mean rests. Scroll sideways on a small screen.
Drum / count1e&a2e&a3e&a4e&a
Kick127··86··102···121··91··
Snare····117·······124···
Hat Closed74·53·69·56·76·51·71·58·
Hat Open·······61·······69
Clap············79···
Rim···43·······38····
Shaker·30···28···30···28··
Download MIDI · 86 BPMFull lesson
Ghost-Note Snare Pocket · 82 BPM

A lo-fi groove built around quiet in-between snare language so the backbeat stays strong while the bar feels played instead of pasted.

Default pattern: one bar of 4/4, 16th-note steps. Numbers show MIDI velocity (1–127); dots mean rests. Scroll sideways on a small screen.
Drum / count1e&a2e&a3e&a4e&a
Kick119····84··107··91··81·
Snare····119·······127···
Hat Closed58·43·56·41·61·43·58·43·
Hat Open·······48·······53
Clap············71···
Rim···28···33···30···25
Shaker·23·······25···25··
Download MIDI · 82 BPMFull lesson
Lazy Closed-Hat Pocket · 80 BPM

A lo-fi beat where the hat line does most of the feel work through uneven dynamics and slight drag.

Default pattern: one bar of 4/4, 16th-note steps. Numbers show MIDI velocity (1–127); dots mean rests. Scroll sideways on a small screen.
Drum / count1e&a2e&a3e&a4e&a
Kick117····86····109···89·
Snare····114·······122···
Hat Closed66·38·61·36·71·43·64·41·
Hat Open·······43·······48
Clap············66···
Rim···25·······28····
Shaker·18·······20······
Download MIDI · 80 BPMFull lesson
Dusty Clap Aftertaste · 78 BPM

A groove where a low supporting clap changes the emotional color of the backbeat without turning the beat glossy.

Default pattern: one bar of 4/4, 16th-note steps. Numbers show MIDI velocity (1–127); dots mean rests. Scroll sideways on a small screen.
Drum / count1e&a2e&a3e&a4e&a
Kick119······74··104··84··
Snare····114·······122···
Hat Closed51·38·53·38·58·38·53·38·
Hat Open···············38
Clap····43·······58···
Rim···20·······23····
Shaker·15···15···18···15··
Download MIDI · 78 BPMFull lesson
Pickup Kick Push · 84 BPM

A groove built around the pickup kick before the next downbeat, showing how anticipation creates forward motion.

Default pattern: one bar of 4/4, 16th-note steps. Numbers show MIDI velocity (1–127); dots mean rests. Scroll sideways on a small screen.
Drum / count1e&a2e&a3e&a4e&a
Kick122·····8679··104····97
Snare····117·······124···
Hat Closed61·43·58·41·64·43·58·41·
Hat Open···········43····
Clap············64···
Rim···25·······23····
Shaker·18·······20···18··
Download MIDI · 84 BPMFull lesson
Rimshot Ghost Weave · 90 BPM

A lo-fi pattern where low rim accents fill the spaces between structural hits and add conversational movement.

Default pattern: one bar of 4/4, 16th-note steps. Numbers show MIDI velocity (1–127); dots mean rests. Scroll sideways on a small screen.
Drum / count1e&a2e&a3e&a4e&a
Kick119····84···104···89··
Snare····114·······122···
Hat Closed53·36·53·36·58·36·53·36·
Hat Open···············36
Rim··30···28···30···28·
Shaker·15·······18······
Download MIDI · 90 BPMFull lesson
Swung Shaker Drift · 88 BPM

A lo-fi beat where the top-line shaker becomes the feel carrier while the main drums stay restrained.

Default pattern: one bar of 4/4, 16th-note steps. Numbers show MIDI velocity (1–127); dots mean rests. Scroll sideways on a small screen.
Drum / count1e&a2e&a3e&a4e&a
Kick119··79····109··86··84·
Snare····117·······122···
Hat Closed43···41···46···43···
Hat Open·······36·······38
Clap············58···
Rim···········20····
Shaker·25·23·28·23·25·23·28·23
Download MIDI · 88 BPMFull lesson
Late Snare Drag · 78 BPM

A lo-fi groove where the snare leans late enough to soften the bar without losing the backbeat.

Default pattern: one bar of 4/4, 16th-note steps. Numbers show MIDI velocity (1–127); dots mean rests. Scroll sideways on a small screen.
Drum / count1e&a2e&a3e&a4e&a
Kick119·····86···104···84·
Snare····112·······119···
Hat Closed56·41·53·38·58·41·53·38·
Hat Open···············43
Clap············56···
Rim···23·······25····
Shaker·18···15···18···15··
Download MIDI · 78 BPMFull lesson
Cross-Stick Verse Pocket · 80 BPM

A verse-friendly lo-fi groove that swaps a full snare crack for a quieter cross-stick style backbeat.

Default pattern: one bar of 4/4, 16th-note steps. Numbers show MIDI velocity (1–127); dots mean rests. Scroll sideways on a small screen.
Drum / count1e&a2e&a3e&a4e&a
Kick112····79····102···81·
Hat Closed53·38·51·36·56·38·51·36·
Hat Open···············36
Rim····71·······79···
Shaker·15·······15···15··
Download MIDI · 80 BPMFull lesson
Double Kick Murmur · 85 BPM

A lo-fi beat that uses a soft double-kick figure to create momentum without sounding busy or aggressive.

Default pattern: one bar of 4/4, 16th-note steps. Numbers show MIDI velocity (1–127); dots mean rests. Scroll sideways on a small screen.
Drum / count1e&a2e&a3e&a4e&a
Kick11761····84···102··79··
Snare····114·······122···
Hat Closed56·38·53·38·58·41·53·38·
Hat Open·······38·······43
Clap············58···
Rim···23·······23····
Shaker·15···15···18···15··
Download MIDI · 85 BPMFull lesson

Rebuild a lo-fi beat in your DAW

  1. Set the project to the BPM shown beside your chosen pattern and use a 4/4 bar divided into 16 steps.
  2. Load a drum instrument, then import the MIDI. These files use General MIDI percussion notes on MIDI channel 10; remap notes if your kit uses a different layout.
  3. Check the kick and snare first, then the closed and open hats. Add the softer rim, shaker or clap layers once the main groove is clear.
  4. Leave imported timing and velocities intact for your first listen. Quantising everything to the grid removes the preset’s swing and offsets.
  5. Swap sounds and adjust the balance to suit your song. Use the full lesson for a closer look at the pattern.

Lo-fi drum pattern questions

What BPM should I use?

The presets here each have their own starting tempo. Try that tempo first, then use the sequencer’s Tempo slider to find a pace that fits your track. A faster BPM does not require you to add more hits.

Why does 18% swing here differ from a setting in my DAW?

Swing scales vary. This sequencer delays alternating 16th-note steps by a fraction of a step; its percentage is not directly interchangeable with a DAW’s swing percentage. Import the MIDI to preserve the timing, then compare by ear.

Can I use the MIDI with another drum kit?

Yes. MIDI stores the performance rather than the sound. If a rim hit triggers a tom in your kit, move it to the note assigned to the correct sound. Shaker uses note 82, which some kits leave unmapped.

Do I need JavaScript to read or download the patterns?

The charts and original MIDI links work without JavaScript. Playing and editing the sequencer requires JavaScript and browser audio support.

Where should I start?

Try the J Dilla-style kick pattern lesson to compare even timing with the preset’s programmed feel. Then try Ghost-Note Snare Pocket to hear a different balance of backbeat and quiet support notes.