Makina is one of the most distinctive sounds in UK and Spanish rave music – recognizable within seconds from its driving kick pattern, rolling arpeggios, and emotional anthemic energy. Learning how to make Makina music in FL Studio is where most UK rave producers start, and for good reason: FL Studio is the dominant production environment in this genre, and its step sequencer and pattern-based workflow match how Makina tracks are built.
This guide covers the core elements of a Makina track and how to build each one in FL Studio. It’s a starting framework – the foundation you need before genre-specific production courses and deeper study fill in the gaps.
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What Is Makina?
Makina originated in Spain in the 1990s and became a fixture in UK rave circuits, particularly in the North of England. It sits at roughly 140-150 BPM, slower than UK Hardcore but faster than most trance, with a sound that emphasizes:
- A hard, punchy kick drum on every beat
- Driving basslines with a specific tonal character
- Melodic arpeggiated lead synths running continuous note patterns
- Emotional, anthemic chord progressions and melodies
- Breakdowns that build tension before energetic drops
The genre has a dedicated following that has kept it alive through decades of mainstream trend cycles. Learning to make Makina means learning a specific sound vocabulary that distinguishes it from adjacent genres.
What You Need to Get Started
FL Studio: Any current version works. The step sequencer and pattern workflow are core to how Makina is built. FL Studio 20 and 21 are both widely used in the genre.
A synth with arpeggiator capability: Spire and Serum are industry-standard choices for Makina production. Both have built-in arpeggiators. If you’re on a budget, FL Studio’s Sytrus or 3xOsc with manual arpeggio programming works.
Kick samples: The Makina kick is specific in character – heavy but not overly distorted, with a tight punchy transient. Generic kick samples from pop production packs often don’t work. Genre-specific sample packs from producers like Rewired Records include kicks tuned for the genre.
A basic understanding of FL Studio: You should know how to create patterns in the step sequencer, add notes in the piano roll, and route instruments through the mixer. This guide assumes you can navigate these basics.
Step-by-Step: Core Elements of a Makina Track
Step 1: Set Your BPM
Makina runs at 140-148 BPM. 145 BPM is a common starting point that hits the genre’s characteristic tempo feel – fast enough for drive, not so fast it rushes. Set your tempo in FL Studio’s BPM display before building anything else.
Step 2: Build the Kick Pattern
The Makina kick is on every quarter note – four to the floor, every beat. This is the rhythmic backbone of the genre. In the step sequencer, program your kick sample on beats 1, 2, 3, and 4 of every bar.
What separates Makina kick programming from generic four-to-the-floor patterns is the processing and sample choice. The kick should be:
– Punchy with a short decay (not long and boomy)
– Present in the low-mid range but not muddy
– Sitting at the same volume throughout the track (not ducking)
Layer a clap or snare on beats 2 and 4 to add backbeat emphasis. Add hi-hats – typically 16th notes with some velocity variation – to create rhythmic movement between kick hits.
Step 3: Program the Bassline
The Makina bassline is a defining element. It typically follows the kick closely – often a single note or simple pattern that reinforces the kick’s rhythmic pulse with added tonal energy in the low frequencies.
In the piano roll:
– Start with a single note playing in rhythm with the kick pattern
– The root note of your key is the natural starting point
– Add small variations – a passing note between beats, a brief octave jump – to create movement without complexity
Makina bass tone characteristics:
– Mid-heavy rather than sub-heavy (the bottom end is wide but not muddy)
– Slightly distorted or filtered for character
– Often uses a simple square or saw wave with a short filter envelope
Process the bassline through the mixer: add a touch of compression for consistent volume, slight saturation for character, and high-pass filter below 40-50Hz to avoid muddying the low end.
Step 4: Create the Arpeggio Lead
The arpeggiated lead synth is the most recognizable element of Makina. It creates the continuous rolling note patterns that give the genre its melodic energy.
Setting up an arpeggio in FL Studio:
Option A (synth arpeggiator): In Spire or Serum, enable the built-in arpeggiator. Set the rate to 16th notes at your session BPM. Play a chord (in the piano roll) and the arpeggiator will run through the chord tones automatically.
Option B (manual piano roll): Draw individual notes at 16th-note intervals in the piano roll, following a chord pattern. More work but gives you complete control over which notes in the chord the pattern hits and in what order.
Typical arpeggio patterns in Makina:
– Ascending runs through a chord, then reset at the next chord change
– Alternating patterns that move between low and high versions of the chord tones
– The pattern locks to the BPM grid – 16th notes at 145 BPM create the characteristic forward motion
Synth sound design for the lead:
– Stacked saw waves with slight detuning for width and movement
– Moderate attack, sustain through the note length, fast release
– A moderate filter cutoff with some resonance and a slow LFO modulation for movement
– Stereo widening (Haas effect or a chorus effect) for width in the mix
Step 5: Add Chords and Atmosphere
Makina’s emotional quality comes from its chord progressions. Most Makina tracks use major key progressions with anthemic, uplifting movement – I-V-vi-IV and variations are common starting points.
Add a pad or sustained chord element:
– A soft pad playing held chords provides the harmonic foundation
– Keep pads lower in the mix than the arpeggio – they support without competing
– Use a slow attack on the pad to let it swell rather than hit hard
Step 6: Build the Arrangement
A functional Makina arrangement follows a structure the dance floor expects:
Intro (8-16 bars): Drums and bass only, or drums with a filtered version of the lead. Builds energy and gives DJs room to mix in.
First section (16-32 bars): Full elements introduced progressively. By the end of this section everything is running.
Breakdown (8-16 bars): Drop the drums and bass. Keep melody, pads, atmosphere. Often the emotional peak of the track – where the main lead theme plays in full. Tension builds toward the drop.
Drop (4-8 bars): Everything comes back hard. Often includes a short impact sound or effect on the first beat of the drop.
Main section (32-64 bars): Full arrangement running, with variations in filter movement, percussion additions, and brief element removals to maintain interest.
Outro (8-16 bars): Mirror of the intro. Strips back elements for DJ mixing out.
In FL Studio, build each section as a pattern and arrange them in the Playlist view.
Mixing Makina: Basic Approach
Kick and bass: These are the two elements competing most for low-frequency space. Side-chain the bass to the kick – when the kick hits, the bass volume briefly dips. This creates the “pumping” feel characteristic of electronic music and prevents the low end from getting muddy.
Lead position: The arpeggio lead sits in the upper-mid range (1kHz-8kHz). Give it space by high-passing everything below 200Hz and keeping it clear in the mix. It should be the most prominent melodic element.
Headroom: Leave 6dB of headroom at the master bus before mastering. Makina masters are typically loud but not crushed – the transients (especially the kick) need room to punch.
Going Deeper: Rewired Records
The framework above gets you started, but genre-specific production has nuances that take time to develop through listening and practice. Rewired Records’ free Makina Starter Course covers these fundamentals in video format with an actual FL Studio session – seeing the patterns built in real time accelerates the learning significantly.
Their paid Makina Production Course goes further: advanced sound design, full track walkthroughs, mixing techniques specific to the genre, and access to Rewired Records’ community of Makina producers.
→ Start Free – Rewired Records Makina Starter Course
Frequently Asked Questions
What BPM is Makina?
Typically 140-150 BPM. Most Makina tracks run between 143-147 BPM, with 145 being a common production tempo.
What synths are used in Makina production?
Spire and Serum are the most common in current Makina production. FL Studio’s native synths (Sytrus, 3xOsc) can produce Makina sounds but require more manual work to achieve the characteristic lead tones.
Is Makina hard to learn to produce?
The fundamental patterns are not complex – the Makina kick pattern, for example, is straightforward. The difficulty is in achieving the specific sound character of the genre: the right kick tone, the right arpeggio sound, the right balance. This is where genre-specific instruction and practice with reference tracks pays off.
Where can I find Makina-specific sample packs?
Rewired Records produces sample packs specifically for Makina and UK rave production: Makina Legends Vol 1, the Ultimate Makina Toolkit, and various Serum and Spire preset packs. These are more appropriate for the genre than generic EDM sample libraries.
Can I make Makina in Ableton or Logic?
Yes – the production concepts apply in any DAW. Ableton’s arpeggiator MIDI effect and Logic’s arpeggiator both handle arpeggio patterns well. The practical tutorials from Rewired Records are in FL Studio, so you’ll need to translate interface specifics.
