1. USE HIGH QUALITY SAMPLES
That’s it. End of post. Pack your bags, boys we’re going on tour!
No, but Seriously. The FASTEST way to get pro sounding drums in ANY genre you’re producing is to find high quality samples.
By choosing HQ samples – you’re setting the foundation of all your drum sounds. And your drums are the backbone of your song. Especially if you’re making a high energy genre like dubstep or trap, your drums are what will carry the song. You can think of it like creating a collage with clean, well defined photographs. The amount of time you spend collecting great samples will save you HOURS when mixing and mastering.
If we’re getting down to technicality you want to prefer WAV files over MP3s etc etc — but honestly, the best way to tell is WITH YOUR EARS. High quality samples almost always include Dry or Non processed sounds. This is important because some sample packs are NOTORIOUS for pre processing their sounds. They are soaked in REVERBS and EQ / COMPRESSION so that they sound CRISPY all by themselves. But you have to remember that all sounds have to work IN CONTEXT with the entire song.
CONTEXT is the reason why your drums just aren’t coming through. The less reverb a stock sample has – the more control YOU have to put that sound within the context of your entire song! THINK OF YOUR SAMPLES AS PIECES TO A BIG PUZZLE RATHER THAN THE OUTSTANDING ELEMENT.
This isn’t to say that ALL pre-processed samples are bad. Certain samples are ALREADY properly EQ’D and COMPRESSED. This actually make them easier to place in your song with less CONFLICT. Don’t sleep on these cuz these are also an amazing tool to LEARN and REVERSE ENGINEER processing techniques.
“BUT WAIT,” You might be thinking, “I’VE ALREADY BOUGHT ALL the BEST DRUM SAMPLES. Even the ones the PROS are using but my songs still sound…. muddy.”
You’ve got a good point Which leads me to…
2. SMART PROCESSING + TUNING
When I talk about processing, I’m talking about how to smartly use EQ and COMPRESSION. Your drum needs eq and comp the way a steak needs salt and pepper. You wouldn’t dump salt on that succulent steak you’re about to devour, so why in heckin life would you EQ your drums like THIS (SHOW PICTURE OF STUPIDLY EQ’d TRACK).
When it comes to processing, it should be PRETTY MINIMAL. An easy way to think about it is to take ALL HIGHS from anything that is a bass and ALL LOWS off anything else. (snares, cymbals)
You might have also heard of “Tuning” drums which is considered an ‘advanced’ engineering technique, but I’ll give you a simple version of it. PLUS it’ll also help hack your EQ skills, so that you’re not having to open up Cheat Sheets like this all the time (show EQ chart)
THE Fastest way to EFFECTIVELY EQ is to find the area you want to adjust (LOW, MID, HIGH) and find the ROOT NOTE of your song (more info for that in my basic THEORY video), Ableton’s EQ Eight has an interface that literally shows this. SMART EQing also means BOOST w a LOW Q, CUT with a HIGH Q.
3. LAYERS
In order to get PRO drums you gotta treat your drums like an ogre. THEY GOTTA HAVE LAYERS. This means taking a nice beefy, bass heavy kick and layering it with another clicky one. Or getting one of those thick snares and slapping it right under a reverb’d out clap or snap snare
Even if you have the crispiest, HQ samples, I’ve never not benefited from adding even a subtle second layer to any of my drum parts.
Combine this technique with smart EQing and you won’t just have PRO sounding drums, THOSE SUPER POPULAR SAMPLES YOU TOTALLY LEGALLY DOWNLOADED USE WILL SLOWLY START BECOMING YOUR OWN.
Easy.
4. STOP FAKING IT
The grid is your best friend and your worst enemy. By keeping drums on grid you’re making sure everything is nicely in time and all your DJ buddies can easily beat match your latest banger. BUT if EVERY single element is on that grid, the normies will be able to hear it. The “robotic” nature of grid programming can sometimes be jarring and makes beats sound unrealistic.
Easy mode is to put your MAIN kick and SNARE on the grid, andall your fills hats, cymbals a little bit off. Think of all your favorite hip hop grooves, or vibey beats. You want the listener to sway. BUT WHO HAS TIME TO PROGRAM REAL SOUNDING STUFF. Well. I got some learnin for you.
5. GET LOOPY SOMETIMES
In those HQ sample packs, you’ll sometimes find a folder with LOOPS. Don’t dismiss these as cheating cuz these folders are a GOLDMINE, to getting that pro sound. Lots of these aren’t recorded on a grid (ESPECIALLY REAL HI HAT LOOPS) to give them a more HUMAN sound.
Many loops act as Layers you can just place on top off your main drum line to give it additional FLAVOR and GROOVE. You also can chop these loops up in any which way you want, if you’re that scared of someone calling you out for being a loopy little cheater. GET CREATIVE. HAVE FUN. Pitch that bad boy up or down. Speed it up. Slow it, stretch it. Reverse it. So many options.
Put all this stuff together and you’ll have Punchy, Heavy, Groovier and PROFESSIONAL Drums in no time at all.