drum variability

tips please. how are ways to make my drums feels less static. i'm using mpc1000.

so far, i'm playing with the swing a bit, trying to add and subtract different sounds through out the song as well. but i still feel like my drums are a little static.

everybody please share your tips.

try adding volume variations, it helps alot.

yeah, i was trying to add some volume variation, but i was keeping too small of a range. helped a bit. thanks for the tip.

how long should the drum loop be? is one or two bars too repetitive?

Coru wrote: how long should the drum loop be? is one or two bars too repetitive?

unless you're making house music... then yes... that is BY FAR too repetitive.

4 bars MINIMUM... 8 bars is probably average... i'm occasionally guilty of making 4 bar drum loops but then muting parts on/off as well though...

how long should the drum loop be?
It's your music, come up with a plan and make something.

i usually do 4 bar sections minimum, alot of times ill add certain elements at the end of 8 bars, ect.

crossings wrote:

Coru wrote: how long should the drum loop be? is one or two bars too repetitive?

unless you're making house music... then yes... that is BY FAR too repetitive.

4 bars MINIMUM... 8 bars is probably average... i'm occasionally guilty of making 4 bar drum loops but then muting parts on/off as well though...

hang on, thats negative talk. and your going to confuse the kid into thinking he has to play 8 bars of unquantised shit.

Doesnt matter what you start with, you can copy and paste around. If im playing unquantised drums and want them to be loose, going over and over 8 bars will drive you CRAZY.

Do a one bar loop, get it perfect. then copy it to two bars. vary it, drop out some hats, whatever you fancy. The track mute trick is very DOPE for playing with variations, once you found one you like edit it accordingly. then copy it to 4 bars and edit some more, then copy to 8 and vary it again. ta-da! you now have an 8 bar loop, thats unquantised and not repedative.

imagine playing in 8 bars of purely unquantised drums without editing......you be there for **** days son.

yo... i ain't trying to hand over the ENTIRE sandwich here, my man... just letting him know he needs 2 pieces of bread first... knowhatimean?

crossings wrote:yo... i ain't trying to hand over the ENTIRE sandwich here, my man... just letting him know he needs 2 pieces of bread first... knowhatimean?

haha oh snap!

think i dun gave him some sauce then!

peeping tom wrote:haha oh snap!

think i dun gave him some sauce then!

i think i'll leave the next reply to prah...

crossings wrote:

peeping tom wrote:haha oh snap!

think i dun gave him some sauce then!

i think i'll leave the next reply to prah...

easy prah!

damn, this has been helpful. i've been monitoring the responses while i work on a project and i have already improved my drum game quite substantially over the course of this project.

thank you for that bread and SAWCE.

you migght have input quantize set to 1/16

try setting it to 1/32 or 1/32t