Drum Quality?

[synthor]

-As mentioned above, edit the velocity and even the timing of each hit. No drummer is perfect, and they certainly don't use quanisation!

Or use the Reason 4 Regroove mixer.
Shuffles the beats like hell!

Btw. nice tips here, so I just registered myself.

[sune mc]

The reason thread will be most helpfull. Thank you so much futures_untold!

I'm working on Reason 4 and Logic 8 right now and have a very rudementary understanding of each and I expect this will come in quite handy.

Props.

[futures_untold]

I just registered myself.

Happy Days!

Welcome

[alphacat]

Grab a bar or two of a big, fat live drum kit from the recording of your choice.

Look at it in your wav editor; notice that [usually] many of the hits aren't exactly on the beat but a little before or after. There are also patterns to this early/lateness.

They're also slightly different in terms of loudness, roll-off, tone... i.e., although they're mostly the same there are small variations from snare hit to the next snare hit, and so on.

These are the tiny details that -- in conjunction with all the other excellent suggestions above -- make a beat sound like it's live, whether it is or isn't.

[mamosa]

I always find controlling the volumes to be pretty key as well, turn things down!! Have seperate tracks for your Kicks Snares Hats and others, EQ! Put an EQ on each drum track then cut all the frequencys below about 50-60 hz on the kicks. Cut higher on the snare (adjust to taste) and higher again on the hats, then reverb on snares and hats, Learn about the send channels and what they do and use them! Learn about automation and set a few different effects on the sends such as saturation / Delays and automate them so that some snares are clean, some saturated some delayed, do similar for the hats. So now you have a sub sitting under the kick, the snares sittin on top of the kicks and the hats sitting on top of all that. I like to think of EQ like painting you need to layer up the painting to get a good effect but if you just straight over the bottom colour you wont be able to see it, so you use eq to paint on top of the colour shifting from the bottom upwards cutting out frequencys when you go, the end result is everything sitting in its own sonic space. Hope not too much babble here!!

[mike honcho]

I dont mind sharing my experience even though it's all stickied.


Coming from a Drum & Bass production background, I am used to layering snares and drum loops till i get the pattern or flow im looking for.

Then adjust volumes of varying loops and/or snares (real snare drum samples, higher quality the better) till it hits like i want it to. Also look for certain sounding snares your wanting in the drum pattern...

Layering till satisfied > then i used to ALWAYS use anteres tube distortion to get that crisp snare you hear in dnb. NOW writing dubstep its a bit different. I use little distortion, somme verb usually, possibly some delay or echo and compression depending on tune and samples and whatever else.

Also when writing dnb the pace is so much faster it was agood idea to have an automated filter running on your snares or hats to keep them changing mildly throughout the tune. or every 32 or whatever, have not done that in dubstep yet though.

As for the kick, highest quality samples allow least manipulation once used. listen for the kick(s) you like or want in your tune and throw em in, testing a few different ones. Not sure if you know about sidechaining? I myself am just learning but this is something to look into for sure.

Alot of time it depends on sound your going for, I mean there is no "right way" to produce... If your getting good results with your method keep at it.

[mike honcho]

mix it under the main snare, is what I am saying

will add a little dimension to your snares

what do you mean under? notch vol level down so it sits under volumewise?

[junglist]

Snare + Dub Delay + Compression =

[blip]

mix it under the main snare, is what I am saying

will add a little dimension to your snares

Hmm, interesting... will try that.