How to Write Dub Songs

Dub is that wild cousin of reggae who lives in the studio and eats echoes for breakfast. If you like bass that feels like a hug from a freight train and effects that make your head tilt like an Instagram filter for your ears, you are in the right place. This guide breaks dub down into songwriting, production, mixing, and performance recipes you can use today. We explain the jargon, give real life scenarios, and include exercises so you stop reading and start making bouncy, spacey, bass heavy tracks that people remember.

Everything here is written for busy producers and songwriters who want immediate results. You will get concrete workflows, practical signal chain tips, clear definitions for every acronym and term, and exercises designed to unlock your creativity. Expect studio theater, controlled chaos, and a lot of echo.

What Is Dub

Dub started in Jamaica in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Producers took existing reggae tracks and remixed them. They stripped elements out. They pushed the bass and drums forward. They used heavy reverb and delay on instruments and vocals. The studio became an instrument. Early masters such as King Tubby, Lee “Scratch” Perry, and Scientist turned mixing consoles into live performance tools. They created versions, which are alternate mixes of a single song. Dub is less about adding more things and more about controlled subtraction and creative treatment of space.

Here are simple definitions for common terms

• DAW stands for Digital Audio Workstation. This is your software for recording and mixing. Think Ableton Live, Logic Pro, FL Studio, or Reaper.
• BPM means beats per minute. It is tempo. Dub and classic reggae usually live between 60 and 90 BPM. That does not mean you cannot make faster or slower dub.
• FX means effects. Reverb is an effect. Delay is an effect. Any treatment that changes the sound is an FX.
• Send and return describe routing audio to an FX bus and bringing it back. This lets you reuse the same echo or reverb on different sounds without duplicating processors.
• Dubplate originally meant an acetate test pressing for DJs. Today it can mean an exclusive version or an alternate mix intended for a sound system.

The Core Elements of Dub

If dub were a sandwich, the bread would be bass and drums. Everything else is filling used sparingly. The art is in how you remove, blur, and echo the filling while keeping the bread heavy and delicious.

Rhythm and Groove

Dub puts drums and bass first. The bass is often melodic and dominant. The kick and snare or rim hit sit in precise relationship with the bass. The pocket is vital. The groove must be relaxed enough to breathe and defined enough that the bass melody feels like the song. Imagine the bass as the spine and the drums as the heartbeat.

Space and Atmosphere

Space is a tool in dub. Reverb and delay create depth. Echo can push a sound into the back of the mix or pull it into the foreground. Use space to create a sense of place, such as a small room with a metallic reverb or a cavernous hall with long decays. The trick is to make the space feel intentional and musical rather than accidental. You want the listener to feel the room but not be distracted by the size of the room.

Studio as Instrument

In dub the console and FX chain are instruments. Turning a send up can be a musical event. Automating a filter sweep can be a solo. Learn to think of faders, mute buttons, and send knobs as expressive tools that tell a story in real time.

Sparsity and Drop Outs

Dropping everything out except drums and a bouncy bass line is a dub signature. Silence or near silence is dramatic. When you bring elements back, the ear rewards the reentry. Use dropout like punctuation in a sentence. Less is often more.

Instrumentation and Texture

Instruments in dub are often simple. Guitar skanks, organ stabs, horns, melodica, electric piano, and synth pads all work. Use them sparingly and treat them with space. Textures such as tape noise, crackle, and field recordings add character. They make a mix feel lived in.

Vocals and Vocal Treatments

Vocals in dub are often short phrases. Producers may echo, reverb, chop, pitch shift, or vocode a vocal line. Toasting, which is rhythmic spoken word similar to rapping, fits perfectly in dub. Lyrics often serve as hooks for echo treatment rather than long narratives.

Songwriting for Dub

Writing dub songs starts with writing simple source material. Dub is about rearrangement and reinterpretation. If the skeleton is interesting, the dub will have something to play with. Here is a workflow that works in real life.

Start with the Groove

Create a tight drum and bass loop. In reggae derived genres the bass and drums define the pocket. Spend time here. Get the kick and snare timing right. Slightly shift micro timing of the bass notes if needed to lock with the drums. If you are not a drummer, program a pattern that breathes. Avoid filling every space with hits. Leave room for the bass to move.

Keep Chord Movement Minimal

Dub benefits from long held chords or sparse changes. Think of chord movement as landmarks rather than a race. A single chord for eight bars can be more powerful than constant changes. If you want harmonic interest, use subtle color changes such as adding a major seventh or a suspended second. These tiny shifts are perfect for echo and reverb to make them bloom.

Write Simple Vocal Hooks

Write one or two short vocal phrases. Keep them memorable and repeatable. These will be your echo fodder. A phrase like I will see you later or Love in my bones works. Record multiple takes. Then pick the best syllable shapes for echo. Short vowels and clear consonants react differently to delay. Test and choose what sings through the wash of effects.

Design a Skeleton Arrangement

Map out a simple form. Example: intro, verse, chorus, dub break, verse two, dub, final chorus. The arrangement is a map of possibilities for drops and returns. Decide where you want maximum space and where you want density. Mark these points in your DAW so you can trigger them live when performing a dub mix.

Allow Space for Improvisation

Leave bars open so you can automate FX or drop parts out live. If you are performing with a DJ or mixing board, those empty bars are where you play. Even when producing purely in the box, record automation passes as if you were performing. Those recorded performances become the magic takes.

Production Techniques That Define Dub

Those knock out dub mixes you love are often the result of focused signal routing and a handful of classic effects used boldly. Here are core techniques and how to use them.

Delay and Echo Tricks

Delay is essential. Tape delay and bucket brigade delay are classic choices. Use dotted eighth note delay to create rhythmic space. A common trick is to send a vocal phrase to a delay set to about dotted eighth and then automate a high pass filter on the delay return so the echoes gradually lose low end and sound like they float away. Another trick is to keep the delay feedback low and then suddenly increase it for a dramatic repeating tail.

Practical setup

1. Create a send to an FX bus with a delay plugin or hardware unit.
2. Set the delay time to match the tempo. Try dotted eighth or quarter note for slower tracks.
3. Place an EQ on the delay return. High pass at around 300 Hz to remove mud. Low pass at 5 kHz to soften sibilance.
4. Automate feedback and level for performance. Bring feedback up during a break. Drop it to zero to cut echoes abruptly.

Reverb Choices and Uses

Spring reverb and plate reverb are staples. Spring reverb gives a metallic wobble that sounds vintage. Plate reverb is denser and smoother. Use reverb for instruments you want to push back into space. For drums, use small to medium rooms on snare for character. For keys and pads, larger plate or hall emulation works. Put reverb on a send so multiple instruments share the same space. That makes the mix feel coherent.

Filtering and EQ as Performance Tools

Filters are musical in dub. Sweeping a low pass filter can create a sense of sinking into a bass cave. Use a band pass to isolate the mid body of a snare. Automate filter cutoff and resonance to create movement. Comb filtering can be used intentionally for weird textures. Remember to automate slowly when you want lush moving space and fast when you want abrupt change.

Compression and Dynamics

Compression glues bass and drums together. Use a compressor with medium attack and release to preserve transient but control sustain. Parallel compression can add weight while keeping transients. Sidechain compression is useful when you want the kick to clear space for the bass. In dub, heavy compression on individual instruments can add character. Consider using hardware emulation or tape compression plugins to add color.

Live Automation and Performance

Performing the mix is often the heart of dub. Record automation passes live. Use fader moves, mute toggles, send knob sweeps, and plugin parameter tweaks as performance gestures. Many DAWs allow you to record automation in real time. If you have MIDI controllers, map the important knobs and practice the set like a DJ would practice scratching.

Send and Return Architecture

Use separate busses for delay and reverb. Route multiple sends to a single FX bus. That way the same acoustic space binds different elements. You can also create FX chains such as delay into reverb for a washed out tail. Try serial chaining of delay then reverb to taste. Keep a dry path as well so you can always cut back to clarity.

Arrangement Strategies for Dub

Arrangement in dub is storytelling through subtraction and texture. Here are ways to structure your track so every silence and echo feels like a deliberate move.

Build Then Strip

Start with a full arrangement. Then slowly remove elements until only drums and bass remain. The removal should feel like pulling curtains. When you bring elements back, let them enter with distinct FX treatment. A guitar stab can reenter drenched in echo while keys come back dry to hit the listener with contrast.

Create Multiple Versions

Make versions of the same song. Create an instrumental, a vocal version, and several dub mixes that emphasize different instruments or FX choices. Versions can be used in different contexts, such as club, radio, or film. A dubplate style version can be an exclusive mix for a DJ or collaborator.

Drop Outs as Punctuation

Use dropouts to create expectant space. A classic move is to mute everything except the kick and a delayed vocal fragment. Let the delays fill the space. Then slam the full band back in. The emotional impact is in the return.

Mixing Tips and Tricks

Mixing dub requires a balance of clarity and atmosphere. The bass and drums must remain clear even as echoes swirl. The following practices will help you keep control.

Bass First Method

Mix starting with bass and kick. Get the low end locked before adding reverbs and delays. Use an analyzer to check for problematic frequencies. Consider carving space for the kick and bass using EQ. A simple technique is to cut a small band around the kick transient in the bass and boost the sub region on the bass if needed. Keep the bass mostly mono under 120 Hz to maintain club friendly energy.

Mono for the Low End

Keeping the low frequencies mono helps systems translate from club to phone. Many classic dub mixes have a centered bass that anchors the room. Use mid side processing or stereo imaging only on higher harmonics to widen instruments without muddying the low end.

Panning and Width

Panning is where you can play. Place delays to one side and reverb tails to the other for stereo interest. Guitar skanks are great panned left or right. Try bouncing echoes side to side to make a spacious field. But be mindful that live mono reproduction can collapse wide elements. Check your mix in mono as you go.

Saturation and Tape Emulation

Saturation adds warmth and grit. Tape emulation plugins and hardware can glue a mix together and add subtle compression and harmonic content. Use saturation on drums, on group busses, and on the master bus lightly. Distortion can be musical if applied tastefully. A tiny amount of harmonic distortion on the delay return can make echoes audible on small speakers.

Automation as Arrangement Tool

Automation shapes the ear. Move delay sends up for a single bar. Filter the delay return so each repeat loses bass. Automate reverb decay to grow during a verse and shrink for the chorus. These moves make static loops feel like a living performance.

Vocals and Lyric Approaches for Dub

Vocals in dub rarely carry long narratives. They are hooks and textures. Here is how to write and treat dub vocals so they function as instruments and emotional signposts.

Short Phrases and Repetition

Write a simple phrase that can be repeated. Repetition allows you to play with the phrase using effects. A line like Hold me now or Where did you go can be looped and echoed. Short phrases are easier to process through delay chains and still remain intelligible.

Toasting and Rhythmic Vocals

Toasting is rhythmic spoken performance that predates rap. Toasts and MC lines fit dub because they can be treated with echo and sit rhythmically on top of the groove. Try recording a toasting session where you speak or chant over the instrumental and then pick the best lines to process.

Vocal Sampling and Chopping

Chop a vocal phrase and place snippets around the mix. Use pitch shifting to create ghostly harmonies. Time stretch small words to make them swell like water. When you process a vocal sample through delay and reverb, the context changes and a throwaway line can become the moment people sing back at a show.

Creative Effects on Vocals

Try vocoder for an unsettling texture. Use bitcrushing for lo fi moments. Apply granular processing for clouds of vowels. Route vocals to an aux bus and add stereo delay with different times on left and right. That creates a wide dancing echo bed behind your lead phrase.

Workflow and Tools

Dub can be built in a bedroom or in a studio filled with outboard gear. Here are tools and setups at various budgets and workflows to get you started and to level up.

Hardware Versus Software

Hardware gear like spring reverb units, tape echo machines, and analog mixers have character that many producers love. They can be expensive. Modern plugins emulate these devices effectively. If you cannot buy hardware, choose high quality plugins that emulate tape delay, spring reverb, and analog saturation. The key is to use the tools creatively, not to collect gear for the look.

Essential Plugins and Pedals

• Tape delay plugin or hardware tape echo emulator for warm repeats.
• Spring reverb emulator for metallic, wobbling tails.
• Modulated delay for chorus like movement inside echoes.
• EQ plugin with surgical and musical bands.
• Compressor and a tape saturation plugin for character.
• Looper pedal or plugin for live glitches and phrase loops.

DAW Templates

Create a template with dedicated send buses for delay and reverb. Include a master buss chain with subtle tape saturation and compression. Pre load a drum buss with routing ready for parallel compression. Have a vocal bus with a delay return and a reverb return pre set. When you create new projects start from this template to save time and maintain consistency.

Budget Options

If you are on a budget, use free or low cost plugins and route them creatively. Many DAWs include delay and reverb that are perfectly usable. Use a cheap guitar pedal as an FX send for unique analog color. Record with a simple audio interface and practice performing the mix. Creativity matters more than budget.

Exercises and Prompts to Write Better Dub Songs

These exercises are practical. Do them in a single session. Each one is designed to help you think like a dub producer and to force decisions that lead to interesting mixes.

Exercise 1: The One Loop Challenge

Make a two bar drum and bass loop. Keep it simple. Duplicate it for four minutes. Do not add anything else. Spend ten minutes automating a delay send and a filter cutoff. Record three automation passes live. Export the best pass. Now add a simple vocal phrase and treat it with the existing automation. This teaches you how much life automation can add to a static loop.

Exercise 2: Echo Only Remix

Take an existing song you like. Mute everything but the vocal. Send the vocal to a tape delay and a spring reverb. Automate the delay feedback to create an echo collage. Then slowly bring back drums in short bursts. The goal is not to replicate the song but to make a new dub version that feels cohesive with few elements.

Exercise 3: Live Dub Recording

Set up a DAW project with a bus for delay and reverb. Map delay feedback to a MIDI controller knob. Press record and perform the mix by turning knobs, muting tracks, and moving faders. Do not edit until you have at least three passes. Choose the best and clean up obvious timing slips. This builds performative instinct and gives you live variations to choose from.

Exercise 4: Minimal Vocal Lab

Record a two line vocal phrase. Duplicate it twelve times. Pitch shift eight copies slightly and create a chorus like pad. Place different copies in the stereo field. Add delays with slightly different timings and filter each delay differently. The aim is to create a lush vocal bed from a tiny phrase.

Exercise 5: Dubplate Scenario

Imagine you are producing a dubplate for a DJ who plays in late night club events. They need a version that will break the dance floor. Make two mixes. One with a long bass led intro and one with a quick intro that drops in a vocal hook immediately. Play both in a small group and ask which one brings people to the center of the room. Use feedback to refine arrangement choices.

Real Life Scenarios and Case Studies

Below are realistic examples to help you apply ideas to actual projects. They come from common situations producers face when working in dub influenced styles.

Scenario A: Turning a Pop Song into a Dub Version

You have a pop track with a 3 minute runtime and catchy chorus. To make a dub version you would

1. Extract the vocal chorus phrase and a short verse line.
2. Create a new bass and drum loop that sits slightly slower and deeper than the pop tempo.
3. Use the chorus phrase sparingly, sending it to tape delay with high feedback during instrumental sections.
4. Strip the pop chord changes and hold a single harmonic pad under the chorus phrase.
5. Automate filter sweeps on delays for the final minute and create a long echo tail at the end.

This approach retains the memory of the original while transforming it into a brooding dub experience.

Scenario B: Producing a Dub Interlude for an Album

You are creating an album and need a 90 second interlude to connect two tracks. Keep it short and atmospheric. Use a fragment from the previous song as the seed. Add a melodica or delayed guitar phrase. Send the phrase through a long plate reverb and low pass the return. Let hiss and tape noise live low in the mix. This will feel like a memory rather than a full song and will give the album flow.

Scenario C: Performing Live with a DJ

If you are on stage with a DJ you need dub friendly stems. Provide the DJ with separate stems for bass and drums, for guitar skanks, for keys, and for vocal phrases. Also provide a dedicated stem for FX so the DJ can layer additional echoes if desired. Practice calling out drop out points and coordinate who mutes what. Communication and simple stems lead to tight live dub mixes.

Common Mistakes and How to Fix Them

• Too many elements. If the mix feels crowded, remove entire instruments rather than just turning them down. The ear likes clear statements in dub.
• Overdoing effects. If your echo wash hides the song, automate it so the effect appears only on key words or phrases.
• Bass that lacks definition. If the bass sounds muddy, check for low frequency clashes with the kick and use a mono low end below 120 Hz.
• Delays that smear transient clarity. Use transient shapers or short compressions before the delay send to preserve attack.
• Flat arrangement. If the track feels static, plan at least two dramatic moments such as a full drop out and a big echo tail return.

Practical Checklist Before You Release a Dub Track

1. Is the bass and kick locked and clear in mono?
2. Does each delay have an EQ on the return to prevent buildup?
3. Are automation passes recorded for at least one FX parameter?
4. Is there at least one drop out point and one big return?
5. Do you have a short version for radio or playlist use and a longer version for DJs?

Frequently Asked Questions

What tempo should dub songs be

Classic dub and reggae often sit between 60 and 90 BPM. That gives space for heavy bass and long decay FX. You can make dub at higher tempos. The key is to adjust delay times to suit the tempo and to keep the groove roomy. Slower tempos enhance space. Faster tempos can make echoes feel like rapid rhythm. Choose the tempo that serves the mood.

Do I need vintage hardware to make authentic dub

No. Vintage hardware has unique character but modern plugins emulate tape delay, spring reverb, and analog saturation convincingly. What matters more is your approach to routing, automation, and use of space. If you want character, a cheap spring reverb pedal or a small tape delay box can be an affordable path to analog color.

How long should delay tails be

There is no fixed rule. Tails should serve the arrangement. For ambient moments, long tails are great. For rhythmic interest, shorter delay times such as dotted eighths or triplet delays work. Automate tails to grow and shrink to keep interest. If a tail obscures forward motion, shorten or filter it.

Can dub work with electronic genres like house or techno

Yes. Many producers blend dub techniques with house, techno, and experimental music. The dub tools of delay, reverb, and dynamic routing can add depth to any electronic music. When blending, be mindful of the rhythmic architecture so the echoes complement the groove rather than conflict with it.

How do I keep a dub mix punchy while using long reverbs

Keep core elements dry or lightly treated and send duplicates to reverb. For example, record a dry snare and a reverb send. Use parallel compression on drums for punch. Use EQ on reverb returns to remove low end so reverbs do not swamp the lows. Automate reverb levels so long tails appear in tidy moments rather than throughout.

What is a dubplate and should I care

A dubplate was originally an acetate test pressing used by sound system DJs to play exclusive versions. Today it can refer to an exclusive mix made for a DJ or for promotional use. If you play live sets or want to create special content for collaborators, making a dubplate style exclusive mix can build relationships and give your music extra life.

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