Creating my own drum samples, help me out

[austinhue]

Hey guys, so my band really wants to try putting our own drum samples on a record, not just SSD. I love the benefits of full drum replacement though, so we recorded/edited our own drum samples! I've never tried something this crazy before, so I'm gonna need your help to make them as close to Slate quality as I can get. I don't want them to sound just like Slate drums though, that's kind of the whole point.

Here's some details:
All drum shells are DDrums Maple.
Kick: 22x20". Recorded with an Audix D6 and a couple of SM57s (yep that's right, one buried inside by the beater and another on the outside pointed at the beater... just to add click)
Snare: 13x6.5". Recorded with two SM57s, one on top and one on bottom.
Rack: 10x8". Recorded with an Audix D4 on the top (it's what we had)
Floor: 14x12". Recorded with an Audix D4 on the top.
Bell (just for fun!): 9" Zil-bell. Recorded with an AKG C 451 B, mixed with the overheads and room.

We also set up two overheads and an SM58 room mic, but they aren't featured here. I've only gotten around to bouncing and chopping up the Z3-style crack hits.

Then the rest is EQ and compression. Let me know if you have questions about this process.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/6920288/Drum Samples.zip

 

[oroinvictus]

I like these samples. I don't have a triggering platform, but I'll see what I can do. Make some more of these.

 

[austinhue]

I like these samples. I don't have a triggering platform, but I'll see what I can do. Make some more of these.

Thanks! I will work on chopping them up, but I have crack and hard hits for kick; crack, hard, medium, soft for snare; crack, hard, medium for toms. All split into 4 formats: dry mics with overheads, dry mics with room, only dry mics, only room. I will post them all soon.

 

[Erratic]

Having any reverb on the sample perhaps?, I tried your samples, the snare is awesome, but the kick have this tail reverb and I found it clicky, what have you done on it? It is possible to hear the unprocessed one?

 

[austinhue]

Having any reverb on the sample perhaps?, I tried your samples, the snare is awesome, but the kick have this tail reverb and I found it clicky, what have you done on it? It is possible to hear the unprocessed one?

These samples are supposed to be a little bit more "metal" than, for instance, Slate or Sturgis. The shells are all smaller, and I left a little bit more click in the kick, ring in the snare, and tone in the toms. Think Killswitch Engage for the kick, Motionless in White for the snare, August Burns Red for the toms.

I don't have any effects but EQ and compression - we did the samples in a big (maybe 50ft. by 30ft.) room, because we wanted the biggest and boomiest natural reverb we could get in the room mic (mostly for snares). So the tail on the kick is probably the room plus my compression - I can try fading it out sooner. I edited each hit by hand and I left the kicks about 250 ms long. I will try shortening them and seeing if that helps.
If the kick is too clicky/roomy after shortening, I can turn down or remove the 57 which we actually placed OUTSIDE the drum, pointing at the beater. It adds a really nice beater tone, but it also sounds like it's outside the drum.

 

[Erratic]

Nice! Sick Natural Reverb, I was sure it was an Aux Reverb !
I kind of knew these were Metal Samples, I guess I have to get use to that new modern sound, I'm more into old school production

 

[SimonTaddio_Qc]

I guess I have to get use to that new modern sound, I'm more into old school production

Bienvenue dans le club

 

[Erratic]

L'overproduction me tappe sur les nerfs solide mon chum!

 

[austinhue]

L'overproduction me tappe sur les nerfs solide mon chum!

C'est seulement eq et compression, je te l'assure... et une vraiment bon place. Tu prefere que je le rends inecoutable, mon chum? =]

 

[Erratic]

Ah non t'inquiete je parlais pas de toi le gros, je parlais des prods en general, ne le prends pas comme ca svp

 

[oroinvictus]

Thanks! I will work on chopping them up, but I have crack and hard hits for kick; crack, hard, medium, soft for snare; crack, hard, medium for toms. All split into 4 formats: dry mics with overheads, dry mics with room, only dry mics, only room. I will post them all soon.

Oh sweet. I'm excited to hear all of the kits.

 

[austinhue]

Here is the full pack. As you will recall if you've used Slate samples, Z1 is close mics and overheads; Z2 is close mics and room; Z3 is only close mics; Z4 is only overheads and room. You can use the Z4s to mix with Z3s, each hit should match up (so for instance, Snare_Z3Crack8 is the same hit as Snare_Z4Crack8, just different microphones). I didn't record Soft, Medium, Hard, and Crack for every drum, only what I felt was necessary for my workflow. I hope it matches up with yours.

Feel free to share this link with anyone! I'm posting it on the drum samples forum now actually.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/6920288/FBR.zip

 

[Sly]

Great

 

[CSMadden81243]

care to share what your compression settings were for the overheads?

 

[austinhue]

care to share what your compression settings were for the overheads?

Sure thing! It's pretty serious-business compression. ~20-25dB GR, 8.5:1 ratio, 20ms attack, 85ms release, .5 knee. Then I slapped on a limiter with 0 input gain too. I checked as loud as possible too, so that's part of why the compression is so intense. Then I mixed the OHs down a whole lot for the Z2s (for example, on the snare, I have top head at +4dB, bottom head at -10dB, OHs at -15dB). This, of course, is just a place to start, since I tailored it to these specific samples. Hope that helps though =]

 

[CSMadden81243]

thanks man, i'll try this out soon