If you’re new to music production and beat making, you may be wondering about all the fuss regarding snare and kick drum samples being ’snappy.’ Why would we place so much emphasis on this sound characteristic of drums when the arrangement and other aspects of a song seem to be much more important? Well, the fact is that it’s a hugely important topic of debate. There is such an importance placed on the snappiness of your drum track that it’s paramount to suicide to ignore the techniques to make things cut through a mix.
If you have any fears about altering drum samples yourself, don’t worry. It’s not too hard to achieve the snap effect; in fact, it can be child’s play with a bit of guidance and a bit of critical and proactive thinking on your part. If you already have tools like compressors and EQs, you are two steps ahead of a lot of people. Software or hardware, these tools will make life easy for you and getting them to modify a sound the way you want it will be easy after learning their menu systems and hearing the effect that different functions have on your initial sound file. There is nothing like experimentation in this case!
Whether you are using software or hardware solutions to edit and change your drum samples, there are some features you should be aware of. The main feature is the likely inclusion of factory-shipped effect patches. It will be sound editors that have compiled the library of effects settings, so start to use them critically. Listen to the sound before and after applying the effect to gauge the impact, and then relate it to the settings on the device or software. Hopefully you will be able to base creative decisions based on your learning here.
Compression is one of those things that you will learn over time. It’s great for adding some snap to your drum samples for sure, and playing with the settings is very beneficial. You will start to spot patterns and start to notice the changes on the audio based on certain parameters. It is advised that you try a few different compressors, as they each have their own sound. With the subtleties between the different software and hardware, trying the different ones will leave you with a good overall impression of the effect compression has.
When writing down the compression settings you are changing, note how they affect the sound according to your ear. Try not to use sonic and producer jargon, but describe it in perfect English. This will reinforce the effects in your mind. After having noted the effects of each pan and fader, combine them two at a time and write down the cumulative effect of each set. Make sure to mix them all up for maximum comparative description!
Finally, choose the right drum samples to start with. This will always help you achieve the desired sound you are hearing in your head (and have probably heard even before having started to make this beat) and get it down into your sequencer program. To explain it simply, less tweaking equals more time for the music!
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