hihat production techniques

Alright -- I've had my MPC about 3 months now -- and it's great -- I love it and I learn somethin new every day. I've searched this site -- and there's somethin I really can't seem to find enough info on -- Can some of the more seasoned vets out there please give us some tips on hihat production? I play my kiks and snares live mostly -- then I tweak them with step, which works rad for what I do. I've been using note repeat and setting the timing at 1/8 or 1/16 for my hihats -- but it just doesn't sound right. Plus -- open to closed sounds lame -- adn I know it shouldn't. What am I doin off? I read a thread using the variation slider that I didn't quite get... and other than that -- I just wanna hear as many methods as possible. Thanks.

u have to really experiment. there's no set way u can do your hats. i change mine up each time. i may use note repeat as u described or i may place a few hats between the kik and snare. really depends on the sound you're going for on the specific beat you're doing. best tip is to experiment! another good thing to do if u use the repeat note is to press up and down on the hat pad while holding repeat. gives you a lil more variety to that repeated pattern. hope that helps

also set your open and closed high hats to cancel eachother out (open window on overlap in the parameters of the program section). then you can get busy. also, you need to use the swing feature. You probably have a natural swing with your kick and snare seeing you play them live. So after you lay your hats down (probably soundz robotic, huh?) press open window when you have the quantize setting (1/16, 1/8, etc) highlighted. On this screen you can change the percentage of swing you want to add.


ps. Press open window on everything, and check out the features.
Also, do a search on the swing function, you will learn alot! peace

It also depends on the feel you are going for....If you want the skippy shaker feel, try puttin 2 of the same shaker on 2pads (pref side by side) and set their velocity at different levels (Velocity plays a VERY important role in hi hat programming) To get that swing feel , velocity switch ups is the key...this can be fine tuned in the STEP screen.

If you do use the NOTE REPEAT feature for them rolls etc, be sure to go back and edit the hits with velocity switch ups so your hats dont have that stiff sound

A final tip would be to sound out the way u want the hats to go outloud b4 you go about recording them - At least this way you know what you are aiming for....Hats should complement the pattern of the beat

B

what up brav! been a while!

Hows it going? Yeah, it has been a minute since I made a real contribution here...Jus been busy...I try to pop by now and then (More so lately)

I wont jus leave like that...This place helped me, so I'll continue to return the favour when & where possible.

Brav

swimming ming wrote:Alright -- I've had my MPC about 3 months now -- and it's great -- I love it and I learn somethin new every day. I've searched this site -- and there's somethin I really can't seem to find enough info on -- Can some of the more seasoned vets out there please give us some tips on hihat production? I play my kiks and snares live mostly -- then I tweak them with step, which works rad for what I do. I've been using note repeat and setting the timing at 1/8 or 1/16 for my hihats -- but it just doesn't sound right. Plus -- open to closed sounds lame -- adn I know it shouldn't. What am I doin off? I read a thread using the variation slider that I didn't quite get... and other than that -- I just wanna hear as many methods as possible. Thanks.

Also try playing them along with the beat with timing correct off using the 16 levels function so you get those soft/hard dynamics working. I find that you dont want the high-hat and snare to sound at the same, though I couldn't tell you why.

descartes wrote: I find that you dont want the high-hat and snare to sound at the same

Big ups to Charlie Watts!