A lo-fi beat is a slow, swung drum pattern under warm, slightly out-of-tune jazz chords, with the whole thing roughened so it sounds like it was played back from an old tape. The roughness is deliberate, and so is the restraint: very little in a good lo-fi track is loud, tight or perfectly on the grid.
This guide covers tempo, chords, drums, texture, mixing and arrangement, then how to start from a loop instead of a blank project. The tempo figures match the BPM by genre cheat sheet, so the two never disagree.
Tempo and swing
Lo-fi hip hop is usually made between 70 and 90 BPM. That is slower than most hip-hop and close to the lower half of boom bap, which is a big part of why the two sound related. Many producers settle somewhere in the middle of the range, because it is slow enough to feel relaxed and fast enough that the loop does not drag.
Swing matters more than the exact number:
- Turn swing on for the drums. Straight sixteenths sound like a machine. A swing setting somewhere in the middle of your sequencer's range gives the hats and snare the lopsided, rolling feel the genre is known for.
- Set swing per part. Drums often want more swing than the chords. Setting it globally can make the keys feel drunk in a way that is not charming.
- Tag the number you programmed. If you work half-time, say so. A loop built at 80 might feel like 160 to someone else, and the person searching lo-fi loops is filtering on one number.
Chords
The lo-fi sound is mostly harmony. Plain triads sound bright and finished; extended chords sound smoky and unresolved, which is what you want.
- Use sevenths and ninths. Major seventh, minor seventh, dominant seventh and minor ninth chords are the vocabulary. A minor seventh chord is the default mood of the genre.
- Lean on ii-V-I movement. The progression from a minor seventh, to a dominant seventh a fourth above, to a major seventh is the most familiar loop in the style. In C major that is D minor 7, G7, C major 7. Even a two-chord loop that alternates two of those has the right feel.
- Keep voicings close and low. Stack the notes within about an octave, avoid doubling the root in the high register, and drop the top voice if the chord sounds crowded. Spread voicings sound lush but take up space the drums and bass need.
- Choose a soft instrument. Electric piano, a mellow acoustic piano, a clean hollow-body guitar or a muted organ all work. A tine or tone-wheel sound with the attack rounded off suits the genre better than anything bright.
- Play it in, then loosen it. Chords that start a few milliseconds apart, and a velocity that wanders a little, read as a person at a keyboard. A rigid, quantised stab does not.
If you want to layer a counter-melody or a second loop, check that the keys agree first. The compatible keys guide shows which keys sit together, and relative major and minor pairs are a safe place to start.
Drums
The drums in lo-fi are quiet, loose and a little behind the beat. The groove does the work that volume does elsewhere.
- Soft kick. Round and short, with the click rolled off. It should thump, not punch. Many producers choose a kick with a slightly muffled tone and then high-cut it further.
- Dusty snare or rim. Pick a snare with a lot of room and a short tail, or a soft rim click. Layering a sample of paper, a brush or a bit of noise under it adds the dry, worn character.
- Lazy swing. Pull the snare slightly later than the grid, a few milliseconds, so it feels as if the drummer is relaxed. Keep the kick closer to the grid so the pulse is still clear.
- Place things off the grid. Nudge a few hats and ghost notes early and late by hand. Perfect alignment is the quickest way to make the pattern sound programmed.
- Velocity variation. Vary every hat. The classic shape has a stronger first hit, quieter ones between, and an occasional accent. Pull a few notes right down so they are barely audible.
- Leave gaps. A hat pattern with a note missing every couple of bars is more convincing than a full, steady one.
Texture
Texture is what turns a clean loop into one that feels old. Do it with restraint, because a lot of it is cumulative.
- Vinyl crackle or noise. A quiet bed of dust and pops under the whole track, mixed low enough that you only notice it when it is gone. Choose a recording that does not have a loud, regular click, because a click that repeats at the same point of every bar becomes a rhythm of its own.
- Tape wow and flutter. A slow, gentle pitch wobble on the chords or the whole mix. Small amounts sound warm; large amounts sound seasick. If the loop will be layered with another producer's, keep it modest so the pitch does not clash.
- Bit reduction and sample-rate reduction. A touch on the drums takes the polish off. Lower it until the hats start to sound grainy, then back off a notch.
- Low-pass filtering. Roll the top off the keys, often somewhere around the upper-mids, so the sound feels muffled and far away. A fixed cut sounds flat; a very slow movement across a section sounds alive.
- Sidechain, lightly. Duck the chords or the noise a small amount when the kick hits. You are not after the pumping of dance music, only a faint breath that makes the groove feel like it is moving.
Mixing
A lo-fi mix is quiet and soft, but it still has to translate.
- Restrain the low end. Roll off the sub-bass on everything except the bass instrument and the kick. A tight high-pass on the chords and the texture leaves room for them.
- Choose one low-frequency job. If the bass is a warm, round sine or a muted electric bass, let the kick be shorter and softer. The two should not fight for the same band.
- Add gentle saturation. A mild tape or tube-style saturation on the drum bus and on the keys adds harmonics that make quiet sounds audible on small speakers, and gives some glue without a compressor doing the work.
- Keep the mix mostly mono at the bottom. Stereo width belongs in the chords, the noise and a bit of reverb. The kick, the bass and the snare stay centred.
- Do not chase loudness. Lo-fi tracks are often mastered quietly, with plenty of headroom. Check the result on a phone speaker and on headphones, since that is where most people listen.
Arrangement for a two-to-three-minute track
Most lo-fi tracks are built from one loop and changed slowly. A common shape for a track of two to three minutes:
- Intro, 4 to 8 bars: the chords alone, filtered and with the noise bed up.
- Main loop, 16 bars: bring in the kick, snare and hats, and a simple bass.
- Variation, 8 to 16 bars: add a second melodic line, a pad or a small sample. Keep the harmony the same.
- Breakdown, 4 to 8 bars: drop the drums, let the chords and texture ring.
- Return, 16 bars: the full loop again, with one change, such as a new hat pattern or a lifted filter.
- Outro, 4 to 8 bars: strip it back and let the noise and a last chord fade.
Small moves carry the track: open a filter, change one drum sound, drop a layer for a bar.
Starting from a loop
Many lo-fi tracks start from a loop made by someone else: eight bars of chords played on a keyboard, to which you add drums, bass and texture. That is a normal way to work, and are loops cheating covers why. If you are unsure how a loop differs from a sample, the loop versus sample guide sets it out.
On ColabLoop, the lo-fi genre page lists loops other producers have uploaded in the style. Listening is free and needs no account, and you can filter by tempo and key on the loops page. If a loop fits, you can ask its producer to build on it with you, which is free. Nothing is sold between producers: if they accept, you get a private room to work in, and the loop's owner goes on the paperwork for the track. If you want something with a harder, drier drum feel, boom bap loops are a neighbouring place to look.
Questions producers ask
What BPM is lo-fi hip hop?
Usually 70 to 90 BPM, often with swung drums pulled slightly behind the beat. Pick a tempo in that range and tag the number you programmed, so people searching by BPM find it.
What chords are used in lo-fi?
Seventh and ninth chords, typically minor seventh, major seventh and dominant seventh, often in a ii-V-I movement. Close voicings on an electric piano, piano or clean guitar suit it best.
How do I make drums sound lo-fi?
Use a soft, round kick and a dusty snare or rim, swing the pattern, and nudge a few hits off the grid. Vary the velocity of every hat, then take the top off with a gentle low-pass filter and a little bit reduction.
Do I need vinyl crackle?
No, but some noise bed helps the loop feel old. Keep it quiet and avoid a sample with an obvious repeating click.
Can I use a loop someone else made?
Yes. Many producers build on another producer's loop. Agree credit with the loop's owner before the track goes anywhere.