Cyberphonk (and Drift Phonk) exploded on TikTok, characterized by high-speed cowbells, distorted Memphis vocals, and aggressive compression. It's not just "loud"—it's texturally violent.
If you want to produce this genre, you need to break the traditional mixing rules.
The defining sound of the genre.
Source: The legendary Roland TR-808 Cowbell.
Processing: Tuned chromatically to play melodies. Heavily saturated.
Pattern: relentless 1/4 or 1/8 notes.
Pro Tip: Don't just use one cowbell. Layer a "low" cowbell for the body and a "high" cowbell for the accent rhythm.
Cyberphonk relies on samples from 90s Memphis Rap tapes (Three 6 Mafia, DJ Paul, Tommy Wright III).
Processing Chain
1
Time-Stretch: Match the BPM (usually 140-160).
2
Pitch Shift: Pitch down -2 to -5 semitones for that "demonic" slow-motion feel.
3
EQ: Bandpass filter (Telephone effect). Cut lows < 300Hz and highs > 5kHz.
4
Bitcrusher: Reduce sample rate to 12-bit or lower to mimic old cassette tapes.
3. The "Wall of Sound" Mix
In most genres, you want dynamics (loud and quiet parts). In Cyberphonk, you want LOUD.
The Master Bus Limiter
Threshold: Lower it until you see -6dB to -10dB of gain reduction. Yes, really.
Clipping: Use a hard clipper before the limiter. Let the kick drum clip the converter. This creates the signature distortion texture.
4. Drums: Digital & Dirty
Kick: Short, punchy, clicky. Often layered with a "top kick" (high frequency click).
Snare: The "Phonk Snare" is tight, dry, and usually pitched up.
Hi-Hats: Relentless varying velocities. Use open hats frequently to maintain momentum.
Sidechain Everything:
The kick should duck the *entire* track (melody, toggle, even the vocals) aggressively. This creates the "pumping" feeling that gives the track its bounce.
To keep it from sounding dry:
Reese Bass: A detuned, wide synth bass for the breakdowns.
Horror Samples: Screams, gunshots, police sirens.
Vinyl Crackle: Add a noise layer sidechained to the kick to give it texture.
Intro (0:00 - 0:15): Filtered melody + vocal sample. No drums.
Build (0:15 - 0:30): Risers + snare roll.
Drop (0:30 - 0:50): Full volume. Cowbell melody + distorted bass + kick.
Breakdown (0:50 - 1:10): Remove drums. Introduce a secondary melody (Acidfied synth).
Drop 2: Same as drop 1 but with different vocal chop.
We specialize in this dirty, high-energy sound. Our Cyberphonk catalog is pre-clipped and mastered to -6 LUFS for maximum competitive loudness on streaming platforms.
