How do I make sure my drums 'pack a punch'?

[freakah]

thanks for the advice so far! it really helped.

here's the track i'm talking about:

Soundcloud

3 kicks, 2 snares, 1 clap AND mixed with downlink's intro
does it really take that much layers to get this sound or am i doing something wrong?

Shikari-step!

And I'll regularly have 4 snares & 2 kicks layered up, so you're fine! As long as it sounds good you're set! Sounding pretty good, but yeah switch up everything more - more diversity!

And it looks like my production techniques aren't the greatest listen to other people more instead of me!

Although sidechain compression

[legend4ry]

Find good quality samples in the first place, if they're good they'll have punch, good transients and will only need a sligh roll off the EQ on inaudable frequencies.

[Sharmaji]

#1. MIX THEM LOUDER THAN ANYTHING ELSE.

seems simple, right? it is. no matter what, this should be your starting point. yes, your track will seem quiet. yes, a mastering engineer can make it louder. move along.

#2: you've got 2 things working against each other-- the real energy in a drum hit (the transient spike you see), and the percieved volume. something that's really fast and punchy will also not appear to be that loud, but it'll have a TON of voltage/energy. How do you bring that down? compression.

there's a million and one ways to work w/ compression. read up on' em. Depone's parallel compression tutorial explains things that i'm far to impatient to explain --- good look on him.

but #1 is the important one. turn everything else down and turn your drums up.

[lazermouse]

About the filter & bit crusher ... forgot to mention I'm using a Mac, so these won't work.

Luxonix multieffectorhttp://www.luxonix.com/home/en/products.html?id=lfx1310
TAL-Bitcrusherhttp://kunz.corrupt.ch/?Products:VST_TAL-Bitcrusher

[halcyon]

thanks a lot for the suggestions!


one more thing:
i can't find the 'meanbeats' sample pack paradigm was talking about ... ? done a search on the forum though ...

[press]

good samples to start with, then my biggest little trick is to send my drumz to a bus with bitcrushing and compression soemtimes sending the kick and snare a little harder then the other perc. mix that bus in so it sits just where you start to hear it in the mix just barely. boom, more grit, more oomph, more smack.

[press]

#1. MIX THEM LOUDER THAN ANYTHING ELSE.

seems simple, right? it is. no matter what, this should be your starting point. yes, your track will seem quiet. yes, a mastering engineer can make it louder. move along.

#2: you've got 2 things working against each other-- the real energy in a drum hit (the transient spike you see), and the percieved volume. something that's really fast and punchy will also not appear to be that loud, but it'll have a TON of voltage/energy. How do you bring that down? compression.

there's a million and one ways to work w/ compression. read up on' em. Depone's parallel compression tutorial explains things that i'm far to impatient to explain --- good look on him.

but #1 is the important one. turn everything else down and turn your drums up.

yes good tips! a good mix is key key key!

[kaiori breathe]

1., Punch your mum in the head
2., Record sound and layer it into your kick and snare
3., ????
4., PROFIT!

Or alternative do what's been said in this thread re: levels, the mixdown, EQing and compression. I find a bit of distortion can help on pretty much any part of your drum kit. I distort everything nowadays.

[DJ Dom]

sometimes they just do

[Basic A]

good samples to start with, then my biggest little trick is to send my drumz to a bus with bitcrushing and compression soemtimes sending the kick and snare a little harder then the other perc. mix that bus in so it sits just where you start to hear it in the mix just barely. boom, more grit, more oomph, more smack.

This is nice to if bring both bitcrush bus and drum bus into final channel, put a bit of low pass filter on it... Might have to reoute your highhats around the filter though...

IDK its all in the chain.

its ALLLL in the mixdown.

[wirez]

Punch your speaker cones, plays a drum loop and see if they punch you back. If you have internal bleeding, you've nailed your drums.

[abZ]

That is disappointing that "everyone" uses the same drums. I mean I don't have this sample pack. I was the last one to know about them I think and I am not about to be the last one on that bandwagon too.

[Basic A]

That is disappointing that "everyone" uses the same drums. I mean I don't have this sample pack. I was the last one to know about them I think and I am not about to be the last one on that bandwagon too.

Dont worry Ive got new ones I dont think anyones really using much vengence stuff anymore anyway, its rinsed like you said.

[wirez]

That is disappointing that "everyone" uses the same drums. I mean I don't have this sample pack. I was the last one to know about them I think and I am not about to be the last one on that bandwagon too.

Dont worry Ive got new ones I dont think anyones really using much vengence stuff anymore anyway, its rinsed like you said.

I use CM or stock samples lol

[AnalGangstaHo]

Producer or not, I couldn't give two fucks where a tunes' samples come from. If you find yourself leaving the dancefloor in a huff cos "omg, this tune has a Veangence/whatever kick/Snare, I'm off", then you need to get a life.

[nowaysj]

No, but I've left the dance floor because damn this song is unimaginative and sounds like the song I heard before it, and the song before that and the song before that.

[wirez]

No, but I've left the dance floor because damn this song is unimaginative and sounds like the song I heard before it, and the song before that and the song before that.

Somebody plays Mt Eden - Archangel...

Then 2 tracks later somebody plays Burial - Archangel pfft, fuck that shit... Why did Burial remix such an amazing Mt Eden tune, I'm off.

[nowaysj]

If I wasn't sitting, I'd be rofling.

[j_one]

Yeah man, all he did was fucking remove the bassline and put in weak drums.

[wirez]

Yeah man, all he did was fucking remove the bassline and put in weak drums.

Yeh and stick a load of horrible noise over it... Like a shitty distortion sound, you know like the sort of sound everybody used to try and get rid of by cleaning their needles on their turntables? That Burial is a fucking durkhead.