what freq range do you use for your drums (variable 12bit)

so i have been experimenting around with the frequencies on my soft samplers that some people have been giving me in anticipation for when i can finally get a "real" 12 bit sampler.

in my other thread, marrelarre was kind enough to share some of his tips for how he uses the s950 frequency ranges for certain instruments.

marrelarre wrote:
The prefered freq. range is all depending on what youre sampling, if its a kick i get it around 5000-6000hz, but a hh i do it around 10-12k, some cats do it higher but i like it being gritty. The snares i do around 8k. Also i sample the drums in 45 rpm to really gritty em up.
(Also the manual has some guidelines on freq. range for different instruments, but you'll figure it out as you go. "oh shit this sounds **** up!" = you gotta raise the range! )

i took this and ran, then came up with my own frequency ranges that have worked best for me.
i have been doing snares around 12khz
and hihats around 15-16khz to as low as 12-13 sometimes. this works well if i want to get really gritty and darker sounding
generally speaking, ive found once you get into the 12khz frequency range with hihats, its a the real turning point for changing the whole character of the sound.

i tried my kicks around 12khz also, but usually i bump it up a little higher to keep more of the original character of my kick. if i go down too far, i can usually really hear that high frequency ring that kicks in that i dont like so much on kick drums but sometimes a LPF will tame this enough.

so my question is: whats your starting reference points for your drums, is it usually around the same frequency ranges every time?

i realize that this kind of a question is usually determined on a sample by sample basis, but it would be cool to hear what you guys usually jump for when using your 12 bit machine.

i havent much to offer in terms of practical techniques being applied , but...


the S950 manual has a recommended bandwidth chart which has bandwidth suggestions for different types of intruments and sounds...

dope, someone also said that in that other thread, but it didnt click until i read you post; just downloaded the manual right now;
heres what it says:

relevant side note: in the s950, you are setting the parameter for BANDWIDTH, not SAMPLE RATE...

i think some machines are different in this aspect.

thanks fobe, good to know.

The Nyquist–Shannon sampling theorem states that perfect reconstruction of a signal is possible when the sampling frequency is greater than twice the maximum frequency of the signal being sampled, or equivalently, when the Nyquist frequency (half the sample rate) exceeds the highest frequency of the signal being sampled. If lower sampling rates are used, the original signal's information may not be completely recoverable from the sampled signal.[2] For example, if a signal has an upper band limit of 100 Hz, a sampling frequency greater than 200 Hz will avoid aliasing and would theoretically allow perfect reconstruction.

The hi freq noise you hear when the sample rate, aka bandwidth on the s950 (they used improper and shitty terminology in the manuals, lol) is aliasing.

The above information on Nyquist theory and a decent instrument frequency chart should give you a healthy understanding of where the sample rate SHOULD be set for any given sample based on what instruments are being sampled. After that its all preference ad experimentation.


The s950 is the only piece of gear I regret selling....

jonestown massacre wrote:The hi freq noise you hear when the sample rate, aka bandwidth on the s950 (they used improper and shitty terminology in the manuals, lol) is aliasing.

did the 950 really have no anti-aliasing filter? most samplers do but, i know on my eps, SOME sample rates have an aliasing filter and some do not.

the high freq noise you hear could simply be the quantisation of the sample rate - if you sample at 3k you would likely hear 'ringing' at 3k...kind of like a ring modulator.

I usually cut everything at 22khz then go down from there if needed. But part of that is because I crush shit down to 8bit a lot of times, and I hate hearing that digital noise in anything above 32khz. Definition of crunchy right thurr

That shit about keeping the sample rate about double the audible range is dead on, perfect place to start. Then tweak down from there. But since I'm not trying to save space and my machine (2000 classic) dosnt have variable sample rates I usually just cut a batch of sample at the same rate. the last thing I'm trying todo when I tweak samples is retain all the information, trying to smash on that shit! But to each his own, as always.

i never thought of the high frequency noise in regards to the nyquist therum, thats interesting, it kinda put everything together for me when thinking about it that way.

i was talking about getting that hi freq noise in battery 3 (not the s950) but i kind of had an aha moment when thinking about that.
an anti-aliasing filter is pretty much just a brickwall type of filter, so im gonna start using the 6 pole lowpass filter on these bit crushed notes and see if i find better results for taming the highs. i think it will work alot nice than the regular slope of the lpf.


anyone else wana share what freq they usually use?

damien907 wrote:i never thought of the high frequency noise in regards to the nyquist therum, thats interesting, it kinda put everything together for me when thinking about it that way.

i was talking about getting that hi freq noise in battery 3 (not the s950) but i kind of had an aha moment when thinking about that.
an anti-aliasing filter is pretty much just a brickwall type of filter, so im gonna start using the 6 pole lowpass filter on these bit crushed notes and see if i find better results for taming the highs. i think it will work alot nice than the regular slope of the lpf.


anyone else wana share what freq they usually use?

4 pole or 6 pole there's never a substitute in that situation for a cut. Most EQ and filter plugins start below the threshold you need. And if they do start above your never gonna get the cut you want because no matter where you place the LPF your always gonna have this smooth curve across the frequency spectrum. Sure they both cut highs, but they sound very different to me.

Are you trying to place this as a bus effect on your master? Or doing to individual samples? If your doing it to your master mabye try stacking two LPF and getting as little as curve as possible? I tottally prefer baking it into the individual samples myself.

im using it on the individual samples, not on the master LR channel.