If you're a metal musician or songwriter, you know how important it is to have powerful, hard-hitting drums in your tracks. However, getting that sound can be a challenge, especially when you're using programmed drums.
In this article, we'll explore some tips and tricks for improving the sound of your programmed drums in metal music. Here is a link to the accompanying YouTube video - be sure to subscribe!
In this short but informative video, Johnny Fitzgerald of MMS shows some quick tips on how to improve the sound of programmed drums in a metal mix.
Tips for Humanizing Your Blast Beats
Blast beats are a hallmark of metal music, but getting them to sound natural and organic can be a challenge when you're using MIDI drums. Here are some tips for humanizing your blast beats:
- Use automation to give your snare drum more movement and counteract the disappearing air in the mix when the snare top is ducked down.
- Bring in the volume of the snare bottom at the same time as ducking down the snare top to give you all your top end back without it being super overbearing.
- Use a high pass filter on the shell bus that goes higher up whenever the blast beats come in to take the low-end buildup out and make the blast beats fit the song even more.
Improving Your Drum Programming
Of course, humanizing your blast beats is just one aspect of improving the sound of your programmed drums. Here are some other tips for improving your drum programming:
- Take the time to learn your drum software's MIDI editor and explore all of the available options and settings.
- Experiment with different drum samples and velocities to find the perfect sound for your track.
- Consider using a MIDI controller to program your drums in real time for a more natural feel.
