Drum sampling question. [FOR ANYONE PROGRAMMING DRUMS]

[ArroldW]

So I bought all the cymbal packs and drum stuff from your web store, not all at once of course, but to have variety because I record real drums and program a lot. Now, I have a question about all of your cymbals: How do I process them? Like, am I suppose to add a compressor and some eq?

I ask because I recently did a drop A guitar test and used the shoulder city crashes and hi hat and then the emerald china [19] because I just like the way that one sounds BUT the china doesn't cut through like the other cymbals at all. [even when I turn the fader up]


I can post the drop A test if anyone doesn't understand what I am talking about.

 

[Anthropocide]

Joey's cymbals don't need to be hardly processed. Just put them to your mix, add some highs after 5-7 kHz, and slightly compress all of them in one group bus. That's what I prefer.
And what about china: try to use Agatarian 16in, it's small and fast, can cut through even very dense mix. Good luck! )

 

[ArroldW]

thanks brochacho. I'm gonna go try it right now.

 

[ArroldW]

So I tried doing what you said about the comp and eq but the china is still barely there. Or maybe it's just me?? :/

here is a band that I am replacing cymbals with. Its the Truth Emerald cymbals ONLY. [note: i copy the cymbal placement by listening to the otherheads from the real drums and THEN do my velocity changes]

http://db.tt/ikt8wxe

 

[Seth Munson]

slightly compress all of them in one group bus.

I would say the comp is the most important part to programmed cymbals (post fx wise)
comp it to shit

and to the OP, if the china isnt coming through as much, turn it up

 

[ArroldW]

I would say the comp is the most important part to programmed cymbals (post fx wise)
comp it to shit

and to the OP, if the china isnt coming through as much, turn it up

yeah, i turned up the china and with the comp on all it did was cancel any cymbal noise from previous cymbal hits once the china comes in [like in my sample].

 

[masque-]

I would say the comp is the most important part to programmed cymbals (post fx wise)
comp it to shit

and to the OP, if the china isnt coming through as much, turn it up

what kind of attack are you using on the comp? I usually end up using a limiter to even them out, so i wonder if using a compressor would make much of a difference

 

[Spiritbeast]

Thanks for making this thread. The cymbals sound a bit TOO big for me, and just stick out too much. Good to know that they do indeed need "work".
This is what my mix sounds like unmixed (and with no bass, so that'd explain why it sounds pretty bad) http://dl.dropbox.com/u/27079170/bassonggooddrums.mp3 Here you can hear my issue with the drums.

 

[ArroldW]

Thanks for making this thread. The cymbals sound a bit TOO big for me, and just stick out too much. Good to know that they do indeed need "work".
This is what my mix sounds like unmixed (and with no bass, so that'd explain why it sounds pretty bad) http://dl.dropbox.com/u/27079170/bassonggooddrums.mp3 Here you can hear my issue with the drums.

+1

there are some moments where the cymbals do sound to big for me also. I started adding a SMALL amount of reverb after the eq and comp in the cymbal folder and turning down the folder as well. China still does the same thing though.. I'm such a noob still.



I am going to turn down all of the other cymbals EXCEPT for the china and see if that helps. And maybe use a waves compressor on my example now to see if that will help even everything out.

 

[ArroldW]

YES! I finally figured it out. Pretty much I just used a different compressor into my chain:
c1 comp > Eq > slight reverb
Also I turned down the rest of the cymbals only -2db except for the china and the all seem to be leveled IMO. Please correct me if I am wrong. http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18807078/china test2.mp3

 

[Spiritbeast]

YES! I finally figured it out. Pretty much I just used a different compressor into my chain:
c1 comp > Eq > slight reverb
Also I turned down the rest of the cymbals only -2db except for the china and the all seem to be leveled IMO. Please correct me if I am wrong. http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18807078/china test2.mp3

Sounding good! (Though BTW, If theres lead guitar in that intro I can't hear it. I don't know if my ears were tricking me or not since I'm listening on computer speakers, but it sounded like there was a really quiet lead) Were your cymbals sounding as clunky as mine were in the clip I posted? If so, this gives me immense hope!

 

[ArroldW]

Sounding good! (Though BTW, If theres lead guitar in that intro I can't hear it. I don't know if my ears were tricking me or not since I'm listening on computer speakers, but it sounded like there was a really quiet lead) Were your cymbals sounding as clunky as mine were in the clip I posted? If so, this gives me immense hope!

yeah but it was only when I used samples that weren't from from the same set. And its not a lead its just some electronic drums that the band wanted in the intro. That will get turned up at some point.

 

[K Odell]

I find myself hipassing and using the 1176 bluey on them a lot. Mostly doing the same stuff Seth talks about.

 

[OneDaySky]

I find myself hipassing and using the 1176 bluey on them a lot. Mostly doing the same stuff Seth talks about.

Same here! Hi pass between 600hz -800hz and parallel Comp em with a 1176 and i touch of Dominion for sustain

 

[Beneath_the_Bliss]

n00by question, but what sampler is everyone using for the programmed drums? i'm currently just using Logic's exs24 and addictive drums... does anyone know if there is a way of triggering drums from midi in Drumagog?

 

[Spiritbeast]

n00by question, but what sampler is everyone using for the programmed drums? i'm currently just using Logic's exs24 and addictive drums... does anyone know if there is a way of triggering drums from midi in Drumagog?

You could make a .midi for each different type of drum hit, use a basic synth to play the midi then replace that with Drumagog? That sounds like a pretty horrible idea though... so I'm sure someone has something better.

 

[ArroldW]

n00by question, but what sampler is everyone using for the programmed drums? i'm currently just using Logic's exs24 and addictive drums... does anyone know if there is a way of triggering drums from midi in Drumagog?

for the time being [or until the next band come in to do an EP and I can get enough money to purchase Kontakt 4] I have been using Trigger and the click source hits and a SHIT TON of automation. Here is a picture of what I mean by the click source; http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18807078/cymbal shit.JPG

I first place all of the right cymbals hits where they need to be and then I do velocity changes. [In this picture I have not done velocity changes.] :zombie:

 

[Tevebob]

n00by question, but what sampler is everyone using for the programmed drums?

Really second that! What are some good sampler vst-s for midi which can do "multisample" like Drumagog?

I use Groove Agent One in Cubase 5, it's quite easy to use, and you can mix it nicely however you want, if you set up a whole drumset on an instrument channel, dissolve midi, and after you can add effects to every single channel, even random velocity or placement by adding midi modifier on the midi inserts to make it a little more realistic. The only problem I have, that it is not possible to load more samples to one channel, and randomly change it like Drumagog have this "multisample" function. Drumagog and Kontakt 4 is really expensive just buying for this important function that would need for making more realistic the programmed drums with own samples.

I know that there should be a cheaper solution for this! Anyone knows one?

 

[Seth Munson]

I only use Kontakt
I know a lot of people using the SD2 programmer

and I am sure when SSD4 comes out I will use some of their new programmer along with kontakt

 

[jackiscreature]

I us FL Studio 9 to program my drums, and its set up faily well using the step sequencer IMO.