Sample Replacement Tuning

[fretfingers]

Hi Guys,

When replacing toms, do you look for samples that are the same pitch as the original, or tune the samples to match the original, or do you even care if it;s the same?

What about snare? I usually blend 50/50 with the original sou would you recommend I tune the triggered snare to match the orig?

Thanks!

 

[Heabow]

Hi man

Yeah it's important to have the same pitch because of the OHs and room mics. I almost never replace toms now but when I have to I try to find tom samples that match almost the same pitch (and tone in some cases) than the originals then find the perfect tune in Trigger. Drastic tuning does not sound good to me as it alters the tone of the samples. But when I record, I always sample the kit so I can use the original kit to enhance/replace if needed. Same for snare. Hope it helps!

 

[DavePiatek]

I always retune the samples to get close to the original, unless I'm mixing something with absolutely terribly tuned toms. Then, I just highpass at ~600 Hz and use whatever samples/tuning I want.

 

[fretfingers]

Same with snare?

 

[acappa]

I always record samples from the session and use them when mixing so I can make sure every record I make has different drums sounds and the pitch is the same. The issue here is that you have to be sure about what sound is best for the production.

 

[DavePiatek]

Same with snare?

Unless the snare has a long tail, I usually don't get quite as particular about it. Since the transient is quick, I tend to use multiple samples for each of the qualities i'm trying to get out of it. I like to blend the original snare (possibly with a transient designer taking away the ring) with a "cracky" sample and then a lower-pitched "beef" sample.

 

[frazzlepuff]

Depends. Usually don't replace toms unless it's a pretty fast metal project, in which case would probably be high passing overheads quite high so it wouldn't even matter. If you have room mics it might be a different matter but often in fast metal i'm moving kick independently from other tracks in drum editing so the room tracks either get severely high passed like an overhead or completely binned altogether. I've heard of people tuning kick samples to match the original, i'd like to know how people do it, like do you check the low end spike on a spectrum analyser and try get them to match? Or do it by ear? Would be good if programs like trigger had an 'auto-tune sample match' option.

 

[fretfingers]

Would be good if programs like trigger had an 'auto-tune sample match' option.

That would be AMAZING! Especially for kick drums where it can get tricky to tell exactly.

 

[brianhood]

Another good option is to high pass the tom samples, and blend them to enhance the attack of your tom mics. This should minimize (or eliminate) any pitch differences between the samples and the real toms.

 

[Via Noctis]

Might be a ghetto idea. But I've had luck using a drum tuning phone app and write down the original drums tuning. Then when I get a same I like I hold the phone up to my monitor till it's the same tuning.