Drum sounds

[ste_p0270]

Hi all,

New member.. been lurking for a while, probably since Mixcraft 7 days..

I've upgraded Mixcraft religiously each time since and now use 9 Pro Studio which I love but being a hobbyist find a lot of the stuff
just goes right over my head

Due to my band "expiring" I'm spending more time in front of my PC recording riffs here and there. For drums, I use EZDrummer2 with the Metal Machine expansion. They sound ok-ish but still lack a bit of heft so to speak. I use a Casio keyboard to control the MIDI side of things.

I'm probably going about it the wrong way but I tend to just record the kick and snare at first by tapping away on the keyboard along to the metronome. I then add toms / cymbals etc. later by drawing them in. I create a new virtual instrument track for the snare, one for the kick(s) and one for the toms and paste the "beat" in so that each drum can be controlled independently with differing FX etc.

I was wondering if it is possible to change the drum sounds (snare / toms / kick) by using impulses like you can with guitar cabs? Is this
do-able?

Many thanks in advance for any replies / advice.

Cheers, Ste

[Mark Bliss]

Hi and welcome!

Many times "Metal" drums in the modern sense are defined by "all attack and little body" to accommodate the speed drumming often used in the genre. Drum sounds with much body would become "muddy" in such dense arrangements.

Using EZD, I'd suggest the first and best solution might be to first try to find other sound packs that better suit your desired interest.
Also keep in mind that the drum sounds are hard to accurately judge in solo and out of context. You really need to hear them in a mix.

There are a number of things you could also try.
Since EZD samples are already heavily processed, I usually avoid trying to "fix" them with more processing. But you could try if you wish too.
Some people trigger samples, but that's usually a live drum recording thing, not MIDI.
You could easily use different samples or copy the MIDI and blend other samples together. That's commonly done to get different drum sounds.

But I'd go back to my first suggestion as it is the easiest place to start.

[ste_p0270]

Hi Mark, thanks for the welcome.

I did look at some other expansions a few days ago but want to refrain from spending any more ££ if i can help it

I like the idea of trigger samples.. I seem to recall this method being used once when we were recording, our drummer
hankered after a specific drummers snare and kick sound.

I will look into this first and foremost, would you have any suggestions where best to look?

*edit* found some drum samples... heh, erm, how do i replace the sounds that are already in place?

Once again, thanks.

Ste

[Mark Bliss]

Triggering is done using audio, and is usually associated with programs that are also a bit pricey.
If interested in that, You might look into "Drumagog" or "Slate trigger"- these seem to be the most common.

Changing your sounds to different samples is going to depend on just how your EZD session is set up.
Are you using your own MIDI programming in Mixcraft or Using the MIDI in EZDrummer?

An example would be to copy just the kick drum MIDI notes, and change the instrument. They could be blended, or substituted.

I also forgot to mention, you could alter the sounds in EZD somewhat by altering your velocity data, again, assuming you are set up with the MIDI triggering from Mixcraft.

There are so many variables!

[TrevsAudio]

Further to Marks comment
Yes there is so much you can do within EZDrummer itself. The loaded kit has several variants (click the top right orange button). Then individual pieces can be replaced (the dropdown arrow on the piece) And that can then be further tuned, pitched and velocities adjusted.
Finally when getting an original beat, I use the Tap to Find function on the search tab. You can input one piece at a time and EZD will quantize and come up with all close matches.

[GovernmentMule]

Here is a free drum kit that will give you some different variations. From what I remember it was not the best but definitely not the worst.

https://www.powerdrumkit.com/

[Mark Bliss]

You might also find something useful in this old blog post on some basic drum programming tips:
http://blog.acoustica.com/off-beaten-path

I'll look for more resources later.

[outteh]

You can also mix drum sets. Create the bass drum track and use the Studio drums, create the snare drum track and use the standard drum kit or other drum kits etc., etc. There is also a separate cymbals instrument you can use.

[Rolling Estonian]

Hobbyist here with EZD2 also. Remember that EZD has it's own mixer that you can use, also multichannel where in MC each drum will have it's own child track that you can put effects on individually or have effects on the whole kit etc. TONS of options! Having said all of that, and having read the great advice you're getting, remember to not get bogged down in the tech stuff so much that it messes with your fun! The ability to type in a few beats and get suggestions is really cool.

M

[bigaquarium]

Good morning,

You might consider pressing ALT-L and creating additional lanes to record your toms and cymbals to separate clips in case you want to change instruments later on. They will still play together of course.

What do you mean by wanting more heft? If you compress them with the fastest attack time possible it will bring down the attack and effectively raise the body of the sound. The default setting on the ToneBoosters compressor (Easy Rider) is a good middle of the road place to start if you turn down the attack time.

This video demonstrates compressing a kick with ToneBoosters compressor:

https://youtu.be/nWdffh2CWdg

-Nathan

[ste_p0270]

Morning all,

Apologies for the late reply.

I'm going to spend some time with the drum sounds this afternoon, trying to take onboard all of your advice and
comments. It is much appreciated - thank you.

Ste

[TrevsAudio]

Make sure also that you're totally familiar with EZD2 and what it can do. Here's an in depth tutorial
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnQN3cX4Csc&t=12s