How to Make Music Like Brooks

The Dutch bring us great music, and Brooks is no different. He’s an EDM producer with a unique sound from whom you can learn if producing EDM is your plan, goal or passion. 

Brooks found fame by putting himself out there. He sent a track out that then found its way to Garrix who played it in a show. He went on to produce a track with Garrix, and the rest, as they say, is history. 

Would you like to try your hand at making music like Brooks? Read this article and watch this tutorial to see how.

Step 1: Making the Brooks Melody

First create a Brooks style melody, then add chords, then make the leads.

To make your leads sound better and full, use more than 1 sound.

The tutorial uses these sounds:

  • Pluck
  • Noisy Supersaw
  • Supersaw
  • Vocal Shot
  • Another pluck
  • Vibrato layer
  • Plucky Supersaw
  • White noise
  • Vocal layer

In future bounce, it’s common to accentuate parts of the melody. It helps to make it stand out more. Listen to the tutorial at 1:42 to hear what the leads sound like.

For the mixing, use:

  • Equalizer
  • Saturation
  • OTT
  • After EQ
  • Reeverb

Automate the wet level to get a choppy feeling. By putting the reverb automation on and off, you will hear that it sounds much better with it on. 

How to Make Automation like Brooks

To make this automation, Right Click > create automation. Then just play around till it sounds good. It helps your EDM because it can give you more movement and depth to your sound.

Step 2: Making a Brooks Bassline

If you want to sound like Brooks, your bass has to sound very aggressive.

Use a lot of layers and try to make them different. Try using these: 

  • Brooks bass
  • Brooks bass 2
  • Noisy bass
  • Heavy sub
  • Aggressive bass
  • Plucky bass
  • Futuristic bass
  • Bass with attack
  • Aggressive layer
  • Aggressive layer 2
  • Futuristic Bass 2
  • Stab

Also, it’s highly recommended to use VSTs like Camelcrusher to make your bass more aggressive.

Step 3: Making Chords like Brooks

The chords are to make the sound fuller. Use a few layers:

  • Clicky supersaw
  • Supersaw
  • Heavy supersaw

Step 4: Making the Drumbeat

A Brooks drumbeat consists of a few elements:

  • Kick
  • Pre-shifted Clap 1
  • Pre-shifted Clap 2
  • Pre-shifted Clap 3
  • Wide Clap
  • Drop Clap
  • Small FX
  • Hi-Hat
  • Ride
  • Downlifter
  • Same rhythm as melody

Step 5: How to Make an Outro

For the outro, just copy the 2nd half of the drop and remove the melody.

Brooks Future Bounce EDM energy on the dance floor.

Tips on How to Mix

  1. Use EQ to clean up your sounds

It helps to get rid of any unwanted frequencies and make sure each sound has its own space in the mix

  1. Use Compression to add punch and body to your sounds

Don’t overmix. If you do, it’ll sound muddy. 

  1. Use Saturation to add punch and body to your sounds 

Experiment with different levels

  1. Use Reverb to add depth and space to your mix

Try different levels of reverb for different effects. Basically, experiment!

  1. Use Delay to create interesting effects and patterns

Use it to create echoes, build ups, and transitions

Tips on How to Master

When the Mixing is done and you’re happy with it, it’s time to master your track to finalize it and make sure you’re happy with it. 

Follow these tips for great mastering:

  1. Use a Limiter to prevent clipping
  2. Use EQ to make your track sound balanced
  3. Use compression to make your track sound cohesive
  4. Use saturation to add warmth and character to your track

What Sample Pack is Best to Sound like Brooks?

All the samples & presets in the tutorial are from the future bounce sample pack.

Elevation is the ultimate future bounce sample pack! The pack contains 160 presets for Sylenth1 & Serum, 300+ samples & 5 FLPs. It’s inspired by artists such as: Brooks, Mike Williams, Dirty Palm, Jay Eskar and more.

What Does Brooks Say about his Music?

In an interview with DJ Mag Japan, Brooks said that when he is in the studio, and gets that rush from making an amazing sound, he knows the energy will go from there straight to the dance floor. When he feels ‘super pumped’, he knows he’s onto something. So, basically, Brooks having fun in the studio extends to others having fun while listening to his music. He is not sitting there boringly following a formula. Crucially, he said he wants people to feel free. It seems that freedom comes from experimenting in the studio and getting the right elements in place for the track to take off into its own world. 

Making music like Brooks is not easy, but with dedication, a good ear, experimentation, and time in the studio, you will be on your way to making future bounce that Brooks might even land up listening to. The key is to play in the studio and feel the rush of making tracks that would bring energy to the dance floor. By following the tips in this article and watching the tutorial, you may soon be making music like Brooks. Give it a try!