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Posted by Frase on Oct-17-2004 14:56:

Flat Percussion

Hey guys,

Problems of late ive had are with percussion, i keep finding mine's flat and empty as such. Any ideas or tips to beef up percussion so it doesnt sound less empty?

Thanks in Advance

Posted by robin on Oct-17-2004 15:04:

same problem here! no drive/energy in my percs tips?

Posted by ONION on Oct-17-2004 15:07:

* Reverb
* EQ
* Compression
* Delay

These effects play a vital role in making your percs sound decent...

Posted by Subtle on Oct-17-2004 15:13:

experiment and practise..

loops tend to help

Posted by Mr.Mystery on Oct-17-2004 15:21:

quote:
Originally posted by ONION
* Reverb
* EQ
* Compression
* Delay

These effects play a vital role in making your percs sound decent...

I don't know, I hardly ever use compression on percs (apart from the beat).

Try some panning and multiple layers.

Posted by Sean Walsh on Oct-17-2004 15:54:

Layers, layers, layers. Get as many different percussive sounds in there and pan them accordingly, and don't shy away from the bandpass filter!

Posted by dbl on Oct-17-2004 16:25:

layers and panning

Posted by retiro on Oct-17-2004 16:42:

Just to echo what other members have said! Try variety of different sounds together ie. Shakers, Rims, Clicks along with the usual closed/open hats and clap! Use panning in some of the sounds ie. Shakers from left to right on each hit and then visa versa on Rims! I use a small bit of reverb and eq to brighten the sound up because reverb can make sounds muddy! Avoid delay if you can again it sounds muddy! But generally the key is to practice like mad! This producing lark ain't easy - many long fustrated nights for me and still! Good luck!

Posted by Frase on Oct-17-2004 18:00:

Cheers all for the replies, the technical advice is much appreciated

and patterns that could give me some more practical advice?

like the basic pattern below, but ideas on beefing it up that way? etc

K---K---K---K---
--O---O---O---O-
----C-------C---

Cheers for the advice so far guys

Posted by uxud on Oct-17-2004 20:21:

Definitely reverb, delay, EQ, layering and compression are vital to making your percs sound better. Samples are "dry," and you have to screw with them to make them sound real.

Other things to consider are:
- pitchshifting samples, which changes their dynamics
- manually editing your samples in a waveform editor
- running your samples through various effects VSTs, such as Steinberg WarpVST, to create new sounds

One of my favorite techniques is using two complimentary channels for samples that are panned differently. For example, if you are using bongos or congas, you can pan one hit sample to the left and one to the right (maybe 30-40% each, don't do a complete pan). This adds a bit of depth.

As for patterns, don't feel constricted to use that basic trance beat. You can add different types of drums, add shakers, add snares, and add rimshots. The more complimentary layers you have the more interesting the beat will be.