Some very, VERY subtle ''random'' automation of a bunch of different parameters can also help make a part sound more alive. The wilder you get with it, the less it'll suit something that is supposed to sound like real traditional drums, but having a pitch shift, freq shift, volume, different waveshapers and more all drift imperceptibly subtly in ways that don't or at least hardly line up is very cool. With synths, there is a crazy amount of knobs to very subtly drift, FL's formula controller and linking automation together are huge. One goes up and down over 5 beats, others over 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 13, 17 etc., takes a lot of beats before an exact pattern of overlap occurs again. You can make the automation not just a simple up/down if you want it to sound a bit more spontaneous, but going too far with that may make the polymeter effect more noticeable, I'm going for something smooth and gradual when doing this. Be especially subtle with certain stacked effects, such as freq and pitch shifters together or stacked distortion, as the difference between spots where a bunch of their automation is high and where it is low will be more easily noticeable. Also, if your synth has oscilator drift or phase start randomness or something, consider turning that on.
I would love to see FL add a feature for closed hi hats that would let us derive our open hats from the hi hat source being played as opposed to using random open hats. just an idea
Theres a tool in FL called humanization and it works well on drums. Usually when i program drums, i place the notes and adjust the velocity. I also make the length of each notes about the length of a drummer would play. I then aplly the humanization tool
it should also be noted that your drums don't *have* to sound realistic if you're writing in a more electronic genre or you just wanna get weird with it then go ahead; hit 2 cymbals and 4 toms at the same time, play an open and close hi-hat simultaneously, go bonkers
Yep, even some really acoustic styles may get experimental with double-tracking etc. Something I love is to take the sound of an open hat closing and really boosting that thumpy body it may have, then just using that as a hat when I want something thicc. Same goes with all other realism elements. Panning that mimics a real performance is cool and may potentially be something you wanna learn, but so is getting wild and unnatural with it. Similarly, super cool when people on an actual stage get experimental, whether that is through speakers, their physical location or both, especially if they can play with in front/behind and up/down instead of just left/right with a touch of foreground/background. Some people even bring props on stage to mess with stuff, iirc there was also a famous classical piece that faded out by slowly closing a door between the performance and the audience.
@@Gnurklesquimp2 very insightful and appreciated response kinda reminds me how they swung an amp from the ceiling in the Queen Freddie Mercury biopic to get that phasing room sound
Programming drums well is so boring and tedious, that you may as well get a cheap drum kit with MIDI compatibility and learn some beats yourself and program them in with the kit. But if you are tight for space and a full drum kit isn't an option, then try a midi drum pad, I can't think of specific model names of the top of my head but basically it's a tabletop drum kit, with pads that have MIDI and pedals on the floor so you can play them in. There are even super cheap roll up mats that have pads with MIDI, but they can be really shit as loads of them don't have any velocity sensors so you end up with everything being the same velocity, which sounds like ass. I have a Donner DED200 drum kit and I use it to control Spectre Digital's Extinction Level Event and even set it up to do double bass drums and replaced my hi hat with an x hat, since the pedal is now another bass. On that note, realism also comes from tone, and many drum modules and libraries are shit, and sound way too processed and clean to sound realistic, with drums recorded in isolation, no room noise or bleed or any of the actual sonic characteristics of a micd up acoustic drum set. So, Spectre Digital's Extinction Level Event is my personal favourite as it's made to be ultra realistic and has all the features of the acoustic kit sound - from multiple mics, listener perspective (drummer perspective vs audience), to room mics, room settings and even bleed between the mics which helps them actually work together and create an in the room live acoustic kit feel, instead of a programmed isolated drum machine that sticks out like a sore thumb. The drums and cymbals also all are completelh dry and not processed to shit, so they actually sound organic, but you can select presets where they are mixed. The icing on the cake is that it works on the free Kontakt Player so you only really pay for the library, which really isn't too expensive last time I checked, and it had an update with more parts, so more toms, more cymbals etc. But honestly even the basic master kit was packed with features, like two crashes, a ride, a China, a pedal hi hat, an x hat or am optional stack, a splash, four toms I think too a snare and a bass. Each of those instruments is also customisable, which is especially cool on the snare as the selection of snare drums you get is really cool with some amazing sounding ones. I overall love that library so much and the fact that I can essentially turn my entry level Donner drum set into a high end acoustic kit. Also of you're struggling with programming, I think Scott from Chernobyl Studios has a course I programming drums like a real drummer, so I'd check that out.
Some very, VERY subtle ''random'' automation of a bunch of different parameters can also help make a part sound more alive.
The wilder you get with it, the less it'll suit something that is supposed to sound like real traditional drums, but having a pitch shift, freq shift, volume, different waveshapers and more all drift imperceptibly subtly in ways that don't or at least hardly line up is very cool. With synths, there is a crazy amount of knobs to very subtly drift, FL's formula controller and linking automation together are huge.
One goes up and down over 5 beats, others over 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 13, 17 etc., takes a lot of beats before an exact pattern of overlap occurs again. You can make the automation not just a simple up/down if you want it to sound a bit more spontaneous, but going too far with that may make the polymeter effect more noticeable, I'm going for something smooth and gradual when doing this.
Be especially subtle with certain stacked effects, such as freq and pitch shifters together or stacked distortion, as the difference between spots where a bunch of their automation is high and where it is low will be more easily noticeable.
Also, if your synth has oscilator drift or phase start randomness or something, consider turning that on.
Great idea man appreciate you 🙏
I would love to see FL add a feature for closed hi hats that would let us derive our open hats from the hi hat source being played as opposed to using random open hats. just an idea
lol are you using fpc
Might want to do that backwards. Take Open Hi Hats you like, take them into Audio Editor & shorten them to make Closed & Medium Hats you like.
Theres a tool in FL called humanization and it works well on drums.
Usually when i program drums, i place the notes and adjust the velocity. I also make the length of each notes about the length of a drummer would play. I then aplly the humanization tool
Thanks!
Good tips
0:29 Infant Annihilator
❤nice work mehn
thank you !
it should also be noted that your drums don't *have* to sound realistic
if you're writing in a more electronic genre or you just wanna get weird with it then go ahead; hit 2 cymbals and 4 toms at the same time, play an open and close hi-hat simultaneously, go bonkers
Yep, even some really acoustic styles may get experimental with double-tracking etc.
Something I love is to take the sound of an open hat closing and really boosting that thumpy body it may have, then just using that as a hat when I want something thicc.
Same goes with all other realism elements. Panning that mimics a real performance is cool and may potentially be something you wanna learn, but so is getting wild and unnatural with it. Similarly, super cool when people on an actual stage get experimental, whether that is through speakers, their physical location or both, especially if they can play with in front/behind and up/down instead of just left/right with a touch of foreground/background.
Some people even bring props on stage to mess with stuff, iirc there was also a famous classical piece that faded out by slowly closing a door between the performance and the audience.
@@Gnurklesquimp2 very insightful and appreciated response
kinda reminds me how they swung an amp from the ceiling in the Queen Freddie Mercury biopic to get that phasing room sound
Fireeeeeeee 💥
Perfect, now what about the mixing? What plugins are the best for making those drums (P5) heavier? (for example Heavy/Dark/Death Metal)?
I find it fairly easy to program realistic drums but it's just really slow and boring work. Like writing a book by carving the words into stone.
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛
Programming drums well is so boring and tedious, that you may as well get a cheap drum kit with MIDI compatibility and learn some beats yourself and program them in with the kit. But if you are tight for space and a full drum kit isn't an option, then try a midi drum pad, I can't think of specific model names of the top of my head but basically it's a tabletop drum kit, with pads that have MIDI and pedals on the floor so you can play them in. There are even super cheap roll up mats that have pads with MIDI, but they can be really shit as loads of them don't have any velocity sensors so you end up with everything being the same velocity, which sounds like ass. I have a Donner DED200 drum kit and I use it to control Spectre Digital's Extinction Level Event and even set it up to do double bass drums and replaced my hi hat with an x hat, since the pedal is now another bass.
On that note, realism also comes from tone, and many drum modules and libraries are shit, and sound way too processed and clean to sound realistic, with drums recorded in isolation, no room noise or bleed or any of the actual sonic characteristics of a micd up acoustic drum set. So, Spectre Digital's Extinction Level Event is my personal favourite as it's made to be ultra realistic and has all the features of the acoustic kit sound - from multiple mics, listener perspective (drummer perspective vs audience), to room mics, room settings and even bleed between the mics which helps them actually work together and create an in the room live acoustic kit feel, instead of a programmed isolated drum machine that sticks out like a sore thumb. The drums and cymbals also all are completelh dry and not processed to shit, so they actually sound organic, but you can select presets where they are mixed. The icing on the cake is that it works on the free Kontakt Player so you only really pay for the library, which really isn't too expensive last time I checked, and it had an update with more parts, so more toms, more cymbals etc. But honestly even the basic master kit was packed with features, like two crashes, a ride, a China, a pedal hi hat, an x hat or am optional stack, a splash, four toms I think too a snare and a bass. Each of those instruments is also customisable, which is especially cool on the snare as the selection of snare drums you get is really cool with some amazing sounding ones. I overall love that library so much and the fact that I can essentially turn my entry level Donner drum set into a high end acoustic kit.
Also of you're struggling with programming, I think Scott from Chernobyl Studios has a course I programming drums like a real drummer, so I'd check that out.
wall of text
@beyshore_ learn to read, it helps
velocity is one tge most over looked things i think