808 out of key? Make an 808 bassline that follows your chords

The problem

You drop an 808 under your chords and it sounds wrong: out of key, clashing with the chord, or just not moving with the progression. The chords change and the bass stays on one note, or it wanders onto notes that don't belong.

It happens because an 808 is mostly one low note, so the ear hears it as the root of the chord. If that note isn't the chord's root (or a note that fits it), the whole chord sounds off. A long 808 tail also keeps ringing into the next chord, and a pitch that drifts between octaves makes it sound out of tune.

Fixes that work in any DAW

1. Find the root note of each chordName each chord and play its lowest, root note on the 808. For Am F C G the 808 plays A, F, C, G. Change the 808 note on the same beat the chord changes. This alone fixes most 808s that sound out of key.
2. Keep the 808 in one octavePick one comfortable range for the roots, so the notes sit close together instead of jumping around. Very low notes (under about E1 or F1) get hard to hear on small speakers, so move those up an octave.
3. Shorten the note before the chord changesA long 808 tail rings over the next chord and clashes with it. End each note just before the next chord, or shorten the release, so the old note is gone when the new one arrives.
4. Use glide only where it helpsTurn on portamento or glide (or draw pitch bend) on the 808 patch and use it between two notes that join without a gap, for example into a chord change. Gliding on every note makes the pitch hard to follow.
5. Check the key with the chordsIf a note still sounds wrong, check that it belongs to the key or to the chord. Move it to the chord's root, fifth or octave, which almost always fit.
6. Make room for the kickWhen kick and 808 hit together they fight for the same low frequencies and the bass sounds weak or muddy. Shift the 808 slightly off the kick, shorten it, or sidechain the 808 to the kick so it ducks for a moment.

With 808 Bass Architect, step by step

1. Open 808 Bass ArchitectGive it a try from the button on this page. It runs in your browser.
2. Pick the key and scaleChoose the Root Key (C to B) and a Scale Mode: Natural Minor, Harmonic Minor, Major or Phrygian. Use the key of your chords.
3. Type your chord progressionIn Chord Progression, type your chords, for example Am F C G, or roman numerals such as i VI III VII. The label next to the field shows the chords it read. If it says "Not recognised, using default", fix the spelling. Leave it empty and it uses the style's own progression.
4. Choose a style and set the tempoPick a style (Trap Heavy Bounce, UK Drill Glide Matrix, Jersey Bounce 808, Smooth Neo Sub, Phonk Drift, Afro Swing or UK Garage Skip), then set the Tempo to match your project and the Pattern Length (4, 8, 16, 32 or 64 bars).
5. Set the slides and octave jumpsSlide Intensity runs from 0% clean notes to 100% constant glides. Octave Jump Probability runs from 0% low sub only to 100% constant flips. For a bass that stays close to the chord roots, keep octave jumps low.
6. Listen, then regeneratePress Audition Bar to hear the pattern. The step view shows each hit, slide and octave jump. Not right? Press Regenerate for a new pattern, or type a Seed number to get a pattern back.
7. Open it in the studio and exportPress Generate & Open in Studio to open the 808 line in the MIDIGEN studio's piano roll, with the slides written as pitch bend. Fine-tune the notes there, then export the MIDI file and drag it onto your own 808 sound in your DAW.

Tip: Whatever tool you use, check the result against your chords at the same tempo: loop the progression with the 808 and listen to the moment each chord changes. If it clashes there, shorten the previous note or move it to the new chord's root.

Common questions