Plugins, Producer

How to Produce Reggae Dub Beats with Afroplug Loops & Plugins

11/04/2025
How to Produce Reggae Dub Beats with Afroplug Loops & Plugins
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Reggae Dub is more than just a genre—it’s a deep, spiritual groove that echoes through delay, reverb, and heavy basslines. With the right tools, even beginners can recreate that mystical, echo-filled vibe. In this tutorial, we’ll show you how to produce authentic Reggae Dub beats using Afroplug loops and plugins.

1. Understand the Core Elements of Reggae Dub

Before you even touch your DAW, it’s essential to know what makes Dub… well, Dub:

  • Slow Tempo: Typically between 60-90 BPM.
  • One Drop Rhythm: The kick hits on the 3rd beat, not the 1st.
  • Heavy Basslines: Deep, subby, and hypnotic.
  • Spacey FX: Delays, reverbs, and tape-style echoes.
  • Minimalist Melodies: Often only snippets of vocals or melodic chops.

2. Choose Your Tempo & Drum Kit

Open your DAW (Ableton, FL Studio, Logic Pro, etc.) and set the tempo around 70-75 BPM. Load the Afroplug Drum Kit and look for a Reggae or Dub-inspired loop. You’ll often find:

  • Skanky snares on beat 2 and 4
  • Riddim-style hi-hats or rimshots
  • Percs to add tropical flair

🔊 Try: Suns of Dub • Reggae & Dub Pack • 130+ Loops & Samples

3. Lay Down a Dub Bassline

No Dub track without a bassy foundation. Afroplug’s plugin offers some subby analog-style bass patches perfect for Dub.

🎛️ Use a sine-wave or filtered square wave bass, and keep the rhythm simple but rolling.

🧠 Tip: Play in 8th notes with space to let the groove breathe. Let reverb fill the silence.

4. Add Keys & Skanks

Look in Afroplug’s loop pack for:

  • Organ Skanks (short off-beat chords)
  • Rhodes Loops
  • Vintage Piano Chops

These add the dubby bounce. Layer them subtly and pan them to the left/right for that old-school stereo feel.

💡 Use a tape delay or spring reverb plugin (Afroplug FX or any free dub-style VST) to give them that psychedelic bounce.

5. Spice it Up With FX & Dubs

This is where the Afroplug Reggae Plugin Jammin becomes your best friend:

  • Delay throws on snares, vocals, and keys
  • Spring Reverb on skanks
  • Filter Sweeps during transitions
  • Dub Drops & Risers from Afroplug sample packs

🎛️ Automate your FX to bring in that classic “hands-on” Dub feel. Think of yourself as the engineer-performer, not just the producer.

6. Optional: Add Vocal Snippets

If you want a bit of spice, grab a Jamaican vocal sample from the Afroplug library. A single shout like “Yes I!” or “Dubwise!” adds flavor without clutter.

🧠 Less is more in Dub. Choose wisely and space things out.

7. Mix It Dub Style

  • Pan hard left/right for skanks
  • High-pass EQ non-bass elements
  • Use sends for reverb & delay, not inserts
  • Drop instruments in/out for arrangement dynamics

🎛️ Dub is built in the mix—don’t be afraid to play with live FX automation, muting, and transitions.

Conclusion

Producing Reggae Dub with Afroplug loops and plugins is intuitive, fun, and soulful. With a few loops, FX, and creative mixing, you can transport listeners straight to Kingston or London’s underground Dub scene.

🟢 Ready to build your own riddim? Explore Afroplug’s Dub kits and plugins today and start dubbing your soul out : here