I’m seriously unhappy about my drums, snares specifically. I feel that they lack a lot in sample selection. I have a lot of nice samples but when I try and layer 2 or 3 drums it just loses focus, and one drum sample is never enough. I want them to be nice and crispy but they rather sound like jello lol
Any ideas how to up my game because I can’t think anymore lol
stop layering them and pick / sculpt a strong sample instead
edit: layering is fine to keep a variation going, but it’s good to have a ‘main’ sample that is more prominent than the layers, so it doesn’t sound like bunch of random sounds without focus
EQ. Start carving out A LOT of each layer’s EQ with a mind to leaving only the defining frequencies intact.
Which adds another dimension to selecting samples for those layers: besides things like attack and tone and whatnot, you also have to be picking elements because they compliment each other, not just because you like them.
So say you have one where you like the crack, another where you like the hiss, and another where you like the thunk: the thunk gets most of its mid-high and upwards rolled off, the hiss gets highpassed pretty aggressively, and the crack probably lives somewhere in between (varies a bit depending) and gets its lows and highs cut. Kind of like a jigsaw puzzle.
This is why I like a combination of different sound types - often one real drum sample, one synthesized drum, and one sound that’s not often even any kind of a drum like a firecracker, metal strike fx, foley, something like that.
I used to make so many crappy snares + kicks because I was layering like 4 together.
I was always unhappy with them and they kind of “made do”
I now use usually 2 max and am so happy. it’s hard to get out of the habit of thinking “more is more” like you’re super charging them up or something but… think of it this way…
If you have a kick sample and you load another kick sample that is exactly the same but phase inverted… what have you got? nothing. This can happen on a smaller scale when you are layering samples that are overlapping frequencies and phasing each other out. Some can reinforce and work great but be very careful. Flip polarity a lot to check for phasing, be aggressive with carving out EQ and when in doubt… go without
Thanks for helping me, have to say that I overlook phase most of the time. I think in addition, I will start recording sounds.
Imo with kicks unless you’re going for something special most of the time no layers or maybe 1 layer works best. I found a good 606 (I think) vst that is great. You can make so many different sounding kicks with it. Usually I only end up layering stuff for the high end but keep that low end.
EQ Auto-gain. Amazing!
For the psychological effects this is something that everyone has to try at least once.
In my mind even though I knew there were areas that needed a cut I sometimes find it hard because it feels like I’m “taking away” from the track instead of “boosting it” but with auto-gain you just move stuff around and hear the tonality change allowing you to make the decisions that need to be made without second-guessing yourself.
Ok got FL studio working on my laptop. Using asio4all is causing a delay (like delay effect not lag) where as using realtek asio works just fine… Except it’s constantly playing all sound heard through the laptops mic. Not sure WTF is going on. Never had this problem before.
cant you just change the routing/input settings in FL and disable the input?
Don’t even see where it’s getting the input from. Can’t even find any settings for my mic on my computer. Says I still need to set it up lol
Time to start making some acapella bangers yo 
Random local ambiance now included in all resampling. Hopefully won’t count against me in sample pack comps
CONTEST
I’m planning on making my songs from random sounds I record. Song I’m working on right now includes a vocal sample of a Japanese dude giving a tour in English, a train coming to the station, and one other thing I can’t remember. I think another train.
Ugh I have a train phobia. Because in croatia trains are really shitty and sloooow. And I must go by train almost every day to uni and back home. Just downloaded shedload of samples and packs from freesound, now sorting them out…
So weird how different trains are around the world.
In Switzerland they are unbelievably nice and comfortable but pretty expensive. Here in Japan they’re pretty nice and get you around pretty quick and there’s tons of different options. Most of the time you end up standing though unless you’re towards the end of the line. They are also incredibly cheap (unless taking the high speed trains around the country).
Back home in Michigan there’s a train that will take you from Lansing to Chicago. Don’t know anything about it. I think it’s fairly cheap but very slow and uncomfortable
in the UK, as a result of Thatcher’s asset stripping, it’s cheaper to fly from London to Glasgow, for example, than it is to get a train lol…since Thatcher’s privatization of British Rail train companies are split into the operators (they own and maintain the trains and staff the stations) and Network Rail who own and maintain the tracks/signals/stations, etc. The service is terrible, when there’s a problem (which for me is pretty much daily) the operators blame network rail and vice versa…it’s a fuckin mess tbh
Yea there was that story not long ago where the price of a train ticket from A to B in UK was more than the cost of a flight out of the country (from A) for a 1-2 day mini holiday abroad and then back to B
Just conveniently listening to both Burial albums, while the train tries to trudge on to it’s destination. Will be laate to uni definitely but currently don’t care about shit right now, Burial you are the king of those sick vocals and obliterating pulsations of basslines…
Fuck, Raz (Badwai/Ghost Producer) is such a gully producer
https://www.facebook.com/rmesinai/videos/10155845103708149/
His studio is right up my alley as well
(@_ronzlo think u will enjoy this session)