How many of you sample replace drums?

[Cacoph0ny]

apologies if this has been discussed a lot before, I searched.

I'm just wondering how many of you sample replace drums, not necessarily the entire kit but maybe just kick/snare. I've never recorded real drums but after working with snare/kick samples I can't imagine getting a better sound out of a real kit. Is it standard to replace/trigger them?

I'm just curious as to how many people actually use 100% real drums vs. samples.

 

[AllanD]

I'm positive 99% percent of the people on this forum have learned to always replace the kick, and a high percentage replaces the snare and toms as well. Another high percentage doesn't even touch a drum set

 

[BLUElightCory]

It really just depends on what you're going for.

For hard rock/metal I've probably used some form of sample replacing/augmenting (kick, snare, and toms) on 95% of the work I've done in the past 5 years - it's just the sound most artists want. I've only stuck to natural drums on a few releases where we were going after a more raw, natural sound (these are ALWAYS fun to work on). I usually lean pretty heavily on my room mics, so there is always still an element of the real drums coming through in the mix anyway - for this reason I make custom samples for each band, which get used 95% of the time (as opposed to Slate samples or anything like that). It just sounds more cohesive to me doing it this way.

For indie rock and other genres I usually rely on samples much less - they are often unnecessary as long as the drummer is solid and the kit is well tuned. Sometimes I'll still use samples in lighter music if the band wants a more polished sound, but I usually prefer a more natural sound in most situations. If there is more space in the arrangement (i.e. the song doesn't have walls of distorted guitars or anything like that) the natural drum tones usually get the job done.

 

[pikachu69]

I have only ever recorded real drums. Never programed a drum track for anything other than making my own riffs up. That being said I replace/augment my recordings with samples often. For metal the kick is sometimes 50/50 original vs sample, most often 100 % replaced. Snare and toms 50/50 original vs sample 80 % of the time. If the drummer hits like a pussy then fully replaced can be your only option but I make sure the samples are tuned to the original kit as much as possible.
For anything other than rock/metal I don't use samples unless something is seriously wrong with the recording.

 

[mva801]

You're going to see a pattern here. For metal/ hard rock - replace kick, blend snare/ toms. For other genres: Very little use of samples unless you can't get a good drummer or recording, then resort to samples if needed.

 

[Empathy]

Another high percentage doesn't even touch a drum set

Unfortunately, this is a big'un.

 

[006]

For anything heavy like metal, death, etc. I always replace kick 100%, to me it just always sounds right this way. Toms and snare depend on the player and the kit, and then it's anywhere from 100% to a blend, usually natural snare though, replacing toms is common on my productions. Anything lighter than that (rock, etc.) I try to stick with natural drums, sometimes I still need to blend or totally replace the kick though.

 

[greyskull]

you should really. be asking... How many of you DON'T Sample replace drums

For me It depends on the project.... But I'll try and use as much natural sound as i can.
sometimes i don't use samples at all.

 

[JamesNorman]

always kick and snare for metal, occasionally toms are reinforced with samples. Every other genre never seen the need too

 

[462studio]

I almost always use samples on my drum tracks.

The funny thing is, I might even use samples to try to achieve a different natural sound than the kit I recorded has inherently.

It's a mixing tool. Sometimes the kit isn't the best fit for the song. Sometimes the kit doesn't sound very good, even with a lot of help. Sometimes the room totally sucks and you need to make up for it.

All that being said, if in the perfect situation where I had a great kit, a great room, a great drummer, etc. I'd still probably be blending/using samples I'd make of thats same kit to some degree because I like the level of control they make available to me while mixing.

 

[vespiz]

+1^

I do it when it's needed and/or I'm looking for a certain sound that I can't get from the original tracks.
And I try not to replace, only augment.

Here's a question: Why do you 'always' replace kick drums? I find it sounds unnatural really fast. At least every drummer I know always complain!

 

[mva801]

^^ Try automating your volume levels, or using multiple samples specifically for fast parts. All replaced drums sound unnatural unless you control their dynamics to make them sound natural.

 

[vespiz]

Yeah, but why replace the kicks? Is it because they are so sucky-sucky? Or "just because everyone does it" and it's the sound of modern metal??

I've used Soundreplacer and always try to follow the dynamics (at most 2:1). SR just doesn't do multiple samples, so maybe it's time to check out Trigger etc.

On the DIO tribute "Stand Up and Shout" I used only the original kick. Mind you it's more classic heavy/rock, but I felt it didn't need samples. Snare got a little something tucked in there to beef it up. (look it up in the main page threads, if you wanna have a listen..)

 

[mva801]

Why? If the original sounds like crap, replace it. If you can make it work, make it work. With music at faster tempos, most metal drummers kicks sound like crap. Hence much replacing....

 

[Jaymz]

And at the same time if its faster tempos and you totally replace the kick then you have to negotiate having a stupidly synthetic click throughout the song. Its a tough balance.

 

[AdamWathan]

you should really. be asking... How many of you DON'T Sample replace drums

Or "How many of you ever record real drums in the first place?"

I replace most of the time because I am recording bad players in a bad room who are too cheap to buy new skins and I am no good at tuning drums anyways.

 

[Deathshake]

I never replace anything, but then again I am more in the Fenriz school of thought when it comes to drums... I probably would use samples were I recording a more mainstream sound than the folk/black metal I usually deal with.

 

[nialldoran]

Yeah on the rare occassions i have a real drum track to work with id look at is a "DI" so to speak samples can bethen used to shape the tone and stuff after the fact. as 426studio said its a mixing tool, im sure every guy in this thread would love to have the ability, space and gear to be able record great drums without sample replacement, but it just isnt realistic

 

[Fredrik-Ablaze]

I hardly ever soundreplace anything and if I do its more for consistency than for the sound.
Feel it's more fun to record and mix the acoustic signals =)

 

[Hounddog666]

I have only used Drum replacement once just because the kick and snare sounded bad because i didn't have long to record drums so i just rushed it (which was a terrible thing to do) when it came to mixing the song the kick and snare fit into the mix very well so i used drumagog and thankfully it saved the mix. i think it is important to try and and get a good sound from the kit before recording but it extreme cases i will use drumagog.