Engineering Sounds

[THEGREAT]

there are many things you can do to make your drums sparkle

personally , when it comes to kicks .. I like to apply distortion . Then cut the sample to be short and punchy

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isolator was a previous favourite to get the most out of separating the frequencies of snares & hi hats

always record drum hits mono

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anybody got any personal favourite techniques for mixing their drums before use?

[SOUL CHOPPA]

I like to use the REVERB to make the drums sound bigger. Depending on the sample determines how liberous I am with it.

[Sharris]

Layering drums was big for me. I kept seeing this tip, but didn't use it for the first year or so, then noticed my drums were always too loud. I wanted them to hit hard & when they were quieter they sounded flat (especially drum breaks & that's mainly what I use). Once I started layering my kicks & snares (& using the "right" sounding layers, ie: sounds with different qualities) I noticed a huge difference. My drums hit harder & I was able to turn them down, so they sat nice in a mix. Also using 2 different hi hats (not necessarily layering them), just really liking what it does to the groove, it's similar to varying the velocity.

[thesisdrs]

Layering drums was big for me. I kept seeing this tip, but didn't use it for the first year or so, then noticed my drums were always too loud. I wanted them to hit hard & when they were quieter they sounded flat (especially drum breaks & that's mainly what I use). Once I started layering my kicks & snares (& using the "right" sounding layers, ie: sounds with different qualities) I noticed a huge difference. My drums hit harder & I was able to turn them down, so they sat nice in a mix. Also using 2 different hi hats (not necessarily layering them), just really liking what it does to the groove, it's similar to varying the velocity.

Good tip with the hi-hats... Not only is a variance of velocity helpful... but different hi hat samples provide different dynamics too. The transients of each sample would be different.

[Sharris]

Yeah, exactly, vary the velocity of the hi hats & vary the actual hi hats.
Also, if it sounds like your hi hats hit too fast in a way (when quantized) - delay the hits of the hi hats just a little. I noticed a lot of people say they play their hi hats unquantized, but I don't think it's just a matter of playing them unquantized (at least for me), it's making it so each hi hat hits just a little late. It depends on the rhythm you got going, but I don't like robotic sounding drums & I don't like really sloppy drums either, so these are some of the things I do to balance it out, especially when I'm makin boom bap beats. Vary the velocity, vary the sound & hit a little late (works well with other drums too....just feel it out & experiment).

[thesisdrs]

Personally I don't quantize. only thing i find is that a lot of times, the samples i acquired already have some sort of reverb in them. Either I have to find more raw/dry samples or just use what i have (which i don't mind because I don't like processing audio too much)

[THEGREAT]

Great points about hihats

.. layering also .

back when I had the 404sx .. meshing sounds was so quick . used to record drums and double the different takes together . Then trim

. Chorus can work good on kicks . And maybe snares

[Sharris]

I use quantize sometimes......when I first started making beats, it actually surprised me that there was such a thing, I mean guitar players & drummers don't have quantize.

Reverb is good too. I have a hard time deciding what to use it on cuz I want to use it on everything.

I don't think I've messed with chorus on my kicks or snares, gonna try that

My best tip would be to go by feel. I try not to think too much when makin beats, I just jam & feel it. I record my jams then listen & analyze them away from the studio. Then I either come back to it later & touch it up or just use the knowledge on future beats. Normally I just use the knowledge on future beats, I have a hard time touchin up my jams cuz I would rather jam

[THEGREAT]

a good technique with reverb ..

for example on a snare . lay the reverb on . Then add louder layer of same snare over the top . great depth effect without compromising the strength of the snare in the mix

[thesisdrs]

IMO you have to use a DAW with the SP-404. They don't have effects like mid-side EQ. I like using that for my kicks so both of my monitors help out and make sure it stays mono. There is a work around to have your instruments pan either left or right with the SP... you can use the Tremolo/Pan (number 6 on the mix) and resample when your desired sound is panned exactly where you want it... that being said i would still need mid side EQing to make sure they stay within the desired frequency.

[Sharris]

I agree in a sense that you need other equipment or a daw with the 404 to make 'higher quality' beats. I use my 404sx for different things......on Sunday I sample random songs & drum breaks from vinyl, then I make little microwave beats on my lunch breaks thru out the week. If I make something I think has potential I'll finish it up or remake it entirely in my MPC or Maschine. I also record all my beats & jams on it to listen to while commuting, play with effects & make little live sets. Also when I feel like makin beats on the couch I'll use it with other portable gear to make little beats or to make a bunch of sounds to use in future beats.... I think it's just all around fun to play with & it works well with other gear.

Sorry I went off topic......ummmm..........another drum tip: I really like using things like crinkling paper, crunching paper cups, spinning a coin, breaking sticks, walking on gravel, ect as extra percussion. I'll use sounds like this as background percussion or layered with the kick & snare.....& tuning the sounds way down can make cool drone like sounds. Finding a rhythm in it & looping it gives it a natural un-quantized feel as well. Like using the sounds from walking in gravel as the 'hi hat'.

[thesisdrs]

Ah yes! I see you tapped into your inner foley artist.

[Sharris]

Hehehe, I had to look that 1 up.....that's interesting....I found an article on how "regular sounds" like foot steps & rain are added to films.

[Monophone]

Can time stretching be applied to drum samples to interesting effect too? I used to use multiply a lot in fl studio to fatten up drums just a little bit more but to where it isn't noticably stretching in the mix, mostly for high-hats. Can that sound good on the sp? Plus the pitch effects can actually sound unique when done right on the 404sx I noticed.

[Sharris]

I'm personally not a fan of the time stretch on the 404sx, I've used it a few times on drum loops I've made in resample mode (it works well with minor time changes on drums), but I haven't really used it as an effect...... I bet you could make some interesting sounds with it....it makes the sound wobble.

I've used time stretching as an 'effect' in MPC's, I like it a lot on hi hats as well. & cymbals. Slowing the bpm way down brings in some interesting artifacts.

& I agree, the pitching on the 404 sounds unique, it seems to work more as an effect than a natural pitch change.... especially when you mess with the feedback........the voice transformer can make interesting sounds too.

Good stuff!