What is swing in music production?

Swing can help bring your beats to life. There’s not much to it on paper: sometimes just a few milliseconds of delay. But these small deviations from the rhythmic grid can inject your beats with personality, propulsion, and humanity. In short, swing in music helps transform a beat into a groove.

All that sounds a little abstract. So what is swing in music exactly? Is it a rhythm or an attitude? In this tutorial, we’ll answer these questions in detail, giving you a solid grounding in swing. We’ll also demonstrate how to use DAW swing functionality and other tools to add groove, realism, and complexity to your productions. Once your drums start swinging, you won’t want them to stop.

Follow along with Karriem Riggins Drums, an instrument that includes a boundless palette of high-quality drums and percussion...