Advice on Percussion Sounds

[Spitfire71 0]

Hello,

 

So I've been composing music for a while now, sort of privately, and dabbling also in video game-style soundtracks and the like.  I'm having trouble with getting those epic, pounding drums typical of most video game/film productions.  If I may ask everyone, what VSTi are you guys using, what specific instruments, and what adjustments (effects and the like) are you making to get the sound you want from those drums?

[Jonnie91 1,149]

My go to "BIG percussion" is Apocalypse Elements by Soundiron combined that with IL Maximus helps  

 

Also, if you want percussion to be big and powerful, and you want it to take the forefront, then using EQ sculpt it out. I use the Parametric EQ2 from FL Studio, as it's got a great visual representation so you can SEE where the sounds are positioned and adjust accordingly.

 

There's really no right answer here, so I'm sure one of my other fellow artists can give another example but I do love my Soundiron's content, and what's even better... it's on sale at the moment  

[DJBailey 19]

This is a great question.  A lot of people want HUGE drums for the combat tracks, and I've had a real challenge getting that awe-inspiring sound. Nowadays I use EastWest's Stormdrum 2, and Symphonic Orchestra for most of my percussion. I've been overusing Taikos a bit lately, but I blame my first employer for that (see below). That's not to say that you can't get good drums out of your DAW's native instruments though.

 

On my first project the cinematic director sent me a youtube video of a Taiko drum ensemble banging out some amazingly virtuosic pieces, and slyly mentioned that the team really liked that sound.  At the time, all I had for drums were the stock samples you get with Ableton Live Suite 8, and the algorithmic sounds you get out of Reason. The sounds that eventually made it into the soundtrack were simply out of Reason's algorithmic drums, using a floor tom synth, some eq sculpting, and just the right compression. I've never come up with a list of hacks before, but here 'goes nothing.  I'm not an expert, by any means, but hopefully at least one of these helps you.  Also, this isn't "The Way" to do it, by any means, just some ideas and things that I've found helps me.

 

Hacks for making booming drum sounds regardless of budget, by DJBailey  (*hehe*)

1. Turn down your headset/speaker volume. You can visit higher volumes, but do most of your work at lower volumes.

2. Find a drum sound you like that has a good strong attack (important), a deep pitch, and some sustain even if it isn't huge.  You can epic it up with effects.

3. Pop on an EQ.  I use Live's EQ Eight for pretty much all my EQ needs.  When working with EQ, don't go too crazy on the low end! I've found that good drum sounds often cover a big range of the audible spectrum, especially with the attack. The sound of the stick hitting the drum is really important in getting bone-rattling accents. Find the right frequencies to boost so the sticks get that punch.

4. Compression is your friend, but don't overdo it. When you're setting your threshold, use your GUI initially to figure out about where it should go, but use your ears to fine-tune it.  I find it helps to actually close my eyes as I'm adjusting parameters.  Play with the ratio and threshold until you think it sounds awesome, then bypass it to hear the original sound.  If it's not better, turn it back on and keep playing.

5. Use the same style of Reverb you're using for your other tracks, but play around with the pre-delay and dry-wet settings. Drums will almost always have their own Reverb.

6. Got your drums sounding perfect? Got your MIDI data in? Now it's time to duplicate your drum track.  Yep, try adding a whole 'nother set of 'em. Then add a little humanization to the drums. (In Live 9 I use their "Random" groove, and adjust the amount until it sounds tidy, but bigger.) This makes it so the two drum tracks never hit exactly at the same time, and it's amazing how much bigger it will sound.

 

Hopefully that helps some.  Let me know what works for you. 

Edited January 8, 2015 by DJBailey