Drum Design

There is nothing more satisfying than creating your own custom drum sounds to use in your beat productions!

Most beginner producers use commercial sample packs or drop samples in their productions that they have sampled from vinyl, but that is not the best way to be original and unique. What if you could create your drum sounds from scratch or to take an existing drum sound and maul it into a new texture? Stand out from the crowd!

The sound design tutorials in this category show you exciting ways of creating brand new drum sounds. Further, I guide you through how to use effects to make your creations even more interesting and dynamic.

Tutorials


Chopping/Slicing Beats Using Recycle


Using Recycle REX Files and Constructing New Beats screen showing propellerheads recycle plugin

Beginner

How to chop/slice drum loops using Propellerheads Recycle.
Duration: 10 mins





Combining Ripped Beats to create new Beats


Combining Ripped Beats to create new Beats screen shows cubase's audio editor

Intermediate

A sound design technique covering how to rip two different beats, at different tempos, replace all the drum sounds within the beats and then mash them up together to create a new beat!
Duration: 7 mins





Processing a Snare to fit in with a Ripped Drum Break


Processing a Snare to fit in with a Ripped Drum Break screen shows izotope's vinyl plugin

Intermediate

Using drum replacement software to rip a snare drum from a commercial drum beat and then creating new snares using a string of dynamics!
Duration: 7 mins





Working on the Sub Layer of a Kick Drum


Working on the Sub Layer of a Kick Drum screen shows boz digital's sasquatch drum editing plugin

Intermediate

How to process a sub kick to blend in with a ripped beat!
Duration: 7 mins





Topping and Tailing Ripped Beats - Truncating and Normalising


Topping and Tailing Ripped Beats - Truncating and Normalising screen shows sound forge's normalise feature

Beginner

How to top and tail drum sounds extracted from a beat. Topping and Tailing refers to truncating and normalising audio along with fade ins and outs. 
Duration: 6 mins





Extracting Drum Sounds from a Beat using Drumagog


Extracting Drum Sounds from a Beat using Drumagog screen shows drumagog plugin

Intermediate

How to rip and replace drum sounds (drum elements) within a beat using Drumagog.
Duration: 9 mins





Compressing Roland TR 808 Kick Drums


Roland TR 808 Kick Drum Bounce Processing screen shows d16's nepheton plugin

Intermediate

Understanding and exploring Roland TR 808 kick drum compression techniques.
Duration: 12 mins





Compressing Roland TR 909 Kick Drums


low end screen showing the famous 909 beat machine

Intermediate

A detailed journey into how best to use a compressor for processing Roland TR 909 kick drums.
Duration: 15 mins





Compressing EDM Drums Beats


Compressing EDM Drum Beats screen shows the eventide ultrachannel plugin

Beginner

A detailed tutorial on how to compress a driving EDM Drum Beat.
Duration: 9 mins





Layering drums using middle and side processing



Advanced

Sound Design tutorial on how to create a background ambient texture from a drum loop using M/S (Middle and Side) and Layering it with drum sounds.
Duration: 6 mins





Processing Low End Kicks


Using Compression in Series to Process Lead Vocals is a deep tutorial on the workings of a compressor, and in this case two compressors in series, and how best to use it for various vocal processing tasks screen shows the cubase stock compressor plugin

Intermediate

Very cool techniques on how to process Low End kicks for a bigger sound!
Duration: 7 mins





Using Phase Cancellation in Sound Design


Using Phase Cancellation in Sound Design screen shows the cubase mixer page where the phase button is

Advanced

An advanced Samplecraze sound design tutorial on how to use flip/inversion, sample nudge and phase cancellation within your DAW to create new sounds.
Duration: 15 mins





Harmonizer Effect - what it is and how to use it


Harmonizer Effect - what it is and how to use it screen shows the eventide harmonizer plugin

Intermediate

What is a harmonizer effect - how does it work and how to use it for adding harmonies to vocals or to create interesting special effects. In this video, I use the mighty Eventide Harmonizer 910 to maul a drum beat!
Duration: 7 mins





Using Expansion - the power of Side-chaining


Noise Gate - What is it and how does it work screen shows fabfilter's pro g noise gate

Advanced

An advanced tutorial on how to use the side-chain of an expander to create new textures for a drum beat. Expansion is a well know dynamic that professionals use for a number of corrective and mixing processes.
Duration: 6 mins





Drum Reverb


Reverb Effect - what is it and how does it work screen showing ozone 5 reverb

Intermediate

Covering techniques, pitfalls and advanced functions on how to configure and use drum reverbs.
Duration: 6 mins





Add Variety to your Drum Beats using Delay Effects


Delay Effect - what is it and how does it work screen showing fabfilter's timeless delay plugin

Intermediate

Sound design tutorial on using delay effects to create a variety of drum textures using existing sounds.
Duration: 10 mins





Using a Delay to Manipulate Stereo Width


Delay Effect - what is it and how does it work screen showing fabfilter's timeless delay plugin

Intermediate

Using a delay effect to create and manipulate stereo width. Make your mixes wider!
Duration: 5 mins





EDM Kick Drum Processing using Valves/Tubes


EDM Kick Drum Processing using Valves/Tubes screen shows the ssl bus compressor plugin

Intermediate

How to use valves/tubes to add warmth and thickness to EDM kick drums.
Duration: 11 mins





Compressing EDM Kick Drums


Compressing EDM Kick Drums screen shows the fabfilter pro c2 compressor plugin

Advanced

Advanced tutorial on how to use a compressor to shape and colour EDM kick drums.
Duration: 15 mins





Roland TR 808 Kicks and Multiband Compression


Roland TR 808 Kicks and Multiband Compression screen shows cubase's multiband compressor plugin

Intermediate

Learn how to use a multiband compressor (MBC) to shape and colour Roland TR 808 bass drums. Getting 808s to swell and bounce has never been easier.
Duration: 7 mins





Layering Drum Sounds using Multiple Layers


Layering Drum Sounds using Multiple Layers screen shows fabfilter's saturn distortion plugin

Intermediate

Learn how to layer drum sounds by using multiple layers and with parallel processing.
Duration: 9 mins





Drum Layering Basics


Drum Layering Basics screen shows cubase's quadrafuzz plugin

Beginner

A detailed tutorial on how to layer drums like a pro!
Duration: 9 mins





Drum processing using Middle and Side - M/S


Ducking any Frequency using Middle and Side screen shows voxengo's m/s plugin

Intermediate

An advanced tutorial that details how to use M/S (Middle and Side) processing to shape and colour drum sounds.
Duration: 6 mins





Drum Layering in Native Instruments Battery


Drum Layering in Native Instruments Battery screen shows native instrument's battery plugin

Beginner

Learn how to layer, manipulate and process drum sounds using Native Instruments Battery.
Duration: 4 mins





Create Epic Drums Sounds using the 'Flip and Nudge' Technique


Create Epic Drums Sounds using the 'Flip and Nudge' Technique screen shows reaper's main arrange window

Intermediate

An advanced Samplecraze technique for processing and layering drum sounds using a unique approach to sound design - as featured in Sound On Sound Magazine.
Duration: 11 mins





Shaping Drum Sounds for Layering


Shaping Drum Sounds for Layering screen shows the envelope tool in sound forge

Beginner

A detailed tutorial on how to prepare your samples for drum layering using ADSR envelopes, truncating and normalising.
Duration: 5 mins





Creating a Huge Low End Kick


Creating a Huge Low End Kick screen shows boz digital's sasquatch kick machine vsti

Intermediate

A sound design tutorial on how to use dynamic processors to create an epic low end kick!
Duration: 6 mins





Adding Sheen and Bounce to Roland TR 808 Kick drums


Adding Sheen and Bounce to Roland TR 808 Kick drums screen shows softube's heartbeat drum vsti

Intermediate

Learn how to add 'bounce' and sheen to Roland TR 808 bass drums.
Duration: 8 mins





Using Recycle REX Files and Constructing New Beats


Chopping/Slicing Beats Using Recycle screen shows propellerheads recycle plugin

Intermediate

Learn how to import Propellerheads Recycle REX files into NI's Battery and then create new beats from existing content.
Duration: 7 mins





Programming Drum Beats in Cubase


Programming Drum Beats in Cubase screen shows groove agent plugin

Beginner

Learn how to program amazing drum beats using the Key Editor in your DAW.
Duration: 16 mins





Layering Snares using a Synthesizer and a Noise Gate


Layering Snares using a Synthesizer and a Noise Gate screen shows strobe and test tone generator plugins

Intermediate

A sound design tutorial on layering snares using tone generators, noise gates with advanced routing techniques.
Duration: 10 mins





Layering Snares using a Noise Gate and Pink/White Noise


Layering Snares using a Noise Gate and Pink/White Noise shows fxpanion's strobe and cubase's text tone generator

Intermediate

Sound design tutorial on how to create new snare textures using a noise gate and generated pink/white noise.
Duration: 13 mins





Layering Kicks using a Tone Generator and Noise Gate


Layering Kick Drums using a Tone/Test Generator and a Noise Gate shows fxpansion's strobe plugin

Intermediate

Learn how to create epic new kick drums using noise gates and tone generators. The noise gate shapes the tone generator which is then layered with a kick drum.
Duration: 15 mins





Roland TR 808 Kick Drum Bounce Processing


Roland TR 808 Kick Drum Bounce Processing screen shows d16's nepheton plugin

Intermediate

Get your Roland TR 808 bass drums bouncing like a rubber ball!
Duration: 10 mins





Layering Kick Sounds using Tone Modules


Layering Kick Drums using a Tone/Test Generator and a Noise Gate shows fxpansion's strobe plugin

Intermediate

Build the most potent kicks known to mortals using advanced drum layering techniques!
Duration: 21 mins





Processing a Kick Drum in Parallel


Processing a Kick Drum in Parallel screen shows strobe tone module vsti

Advanced

Sound design tutorial - creating a monster kick drum using tone modules and parallel processing.
Duration: 12 mins





How to use Reverb for Electronic Drums


How to use Reverb for Electronic Drums screen shows cubase's groove agent plugin

Beginner

Let me help you to understand and master electronic drum reverb processing to bring out the best in your beat creations!
Duration: 11 mins





Avoiding Masking and Summing of frequencies by Panning


Avoiding Masking and Summing of frequencies by Panning screen shows the cubase panner

Intermediate

Masking and summing of frequencies are a real headache when it comes to gain staging your mixes. One potent way to rectify these issues is to use panning. Let me show you how easy the process is.
Duration: 5 mins





The Art of Drum Layering - Advanced


The Art of Drum Layering - Advanced screen shows an ebook cover design

Advanced

The Art of Drum Layering Advanced is jam-packed with over 60 minutes of advanced drum layering techniques. A comprehensive aid for pros and hobbyists alike, build on your know-how with easy to follow tutorials and produce truly epic beats.
Duration: 60 mins





Using EQ to add Punch and Clarity on a TR 909 Kick Drum


low end screen showing the famous 909 beat machine

Intermediate

Struggling to get your TR 909s to cut through the mix and invade the dance floor? This video tutorial shows you how to use equalisation to add punch and clarity to 909 kick drums.
Duration: 10 mins





Using Dynamic EQ on the Drum Group


Using Dynamic EQ on the Drum Group screen displaying fabfilter q3 dynamic eq

Intermediate

Glue the drum group with dynamic equalisation!
Duration: 9 mins





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