| Layering Drum Samples: Does it Work? |
| Articles - Lifestyle |
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To layer drum samples effectively, one should be aware of the technical techniques and methods to utilize. You can only go so far with creativity when it comes to something so technical and focus-driven. If you can read on the history and major changes in the way we have made and perceived drum samples, you'll be many steps ahead of your competition. From the sampled drums of the 70s and onwards (even on this day there are people sampling!) to the synthesized sounds coming out of TR-808s, there is a lot of knowledge to be absorbed!
To layer drum samples effectively, one should be aware of the technical techniques and methods to utilize. You can only go so far with creativity when it comes to something so technical and focus-driven. If you can read on the history and major changes in the way we have made and perceived drum samples, you'll be many steps ahead of your competition. From the sampled drums of the 70s and onwards (even on this day there are people sampling!) to the synthesized sounds coming out of TR-808s, there is a lot of knowledge to be absorbed! Sometimes when layering drum samples together, you may start to hear a clipping or distortion noise. This is normal, but you need to fix it up. The reason why it happens so much is that when frequencies are shared by both samples, they will grow in volume disproportionally to frequencies had by only one of the music samples. Try lowering the volume of both samples by 50%. The start of a sample is dubbed by many as the 'attack', the starting point that lets you know the sound has arrived. This part of the sound is what cuts through other, more release-laden instruments like strings and synths. The middle of a sample is what sustains it. A drum sample with a boomy middle, like the 808 kick, for instance, may have a slow (soft) attack, so its announcement is not as pronounced as a snappy snare to give an example. But you can sure feel it, and this is what has made it such a cultural phenomenon since the 80s. The end of a drum sample is not as 'important' to most music producers as the other two phases. It's true that if fading out slowly or quickly, not much though needs to be given to the end, but there are a lot of samples out there right now (mostly free ones and some paid ones, too) that clip at the end. You really must not have this happen! Take the last few milliseconds, drag to the end and fade out three to four times if you want. Even just once will ensure that clipping is made non-existent. Layering is not as hard as it is said to be. Much of the time, you can't just combine two samples after lining them up. What you should concentrate on is combining the phases of different samples. So if one particular kick drum has a great middle but lacks a punchy entrance, take the entrance from another sample and mix-paste the wave forms to form a hybrid that please the ear both through its announcement and guest talk, so to speak. When it comes time to 'leave the party', the drum sample can simply be faded out or have a reverb tail it out. The possibilities are endless. DISCLAIMER: This article is provided as information only and is not to be taken as financial advice. Want to find out more about drum samples? Then visit the web's number one free drum samples portal for all your needs. |