Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Kick Drum Samples

By John Gellei

There are many different types of kick drum samples. Beat making is an activity that is so oft-repeated that using the same kick drums in every single beat is going to really drain your creativity. Because the kick especially is so ubiquitous in every type of music from rock to rap and hip hop to RnB, having a varied selection is absolutely essential. Knowing the types of kicks is the beginning, but is definitely essential.

A kick drum sample has a few phases, the first being the start or attack. If the attack is very strong, you will be able to hear the introduction of the kick through many other instruments and sound layers, and if it is not that strong, you will still feel it but not be made aware to its presence immediately every time. Rap music producers (and others, too) often use compressor tools to really spike up the start of kick and snare drums, and this can be a powerful choice for drum-centric tracks.

The sustained sound of the kick is very different depending on the type of drum sample that is chosen. One of the more famous sustains can be found in the sounds made by the famous TR-808 sampler and synthesizer by Roland. It has a very long booming sound that degrades in volume with time and yet keeps everything moving. The TR-808 actually has kicks of varying lengths for different applications, too.

Adjusting the volume envelope of a kick drum sample is very easy with the right tools. Most samplers will include an envelope modifier for the volume or can be modified to do this very easily. If your drum sampler or sequencer does not permit this, look for some free tools that will help you; there are literally thousands of free virtual sound generators and effects plug-ins available on the internet for free personal use.

If you don't want to use a volume envelope or volume filter to adjust the volume, there are other programs that can help you crop and tighten a drum sample. An audio editor would be a good start, as the cropping feature in most of these is truly excellent and requires little pre-developed knowledge in audio. Simply crop and then fade out the last few seconds, and you will have an adjusted sample with the volume you want.

Different programs and libraries contain different drum samples for your personal and professional use. If you're serious about audio and music production, then getting a varied selection is your best bet. Combine the samples contained in programs like FL Studio with others you can get off the internet and in different programs, and you will soon have your own choice of go-to samples that you have developed yourself.

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