| Drum Samples: Analyzing Snares |
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| Computers - Computers |
| Written by John Gellei |
| Monday, 16 November 2009 08:55 |
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From dance, hip hop and metal, as well styled of country and other, non-commercial music, the snare is an untouchable sound. So steeped in tradition in many types of music, its use varies from genre to genre and style to style. The tempo of the music is also a big factor in determining what - and when - the snare drum samples do.
From dance, hip hop and metal, as well styled of country and other, non-commercial music, the snare is an untouchable sound. So steeped in tradition in many types of music, its use varies from genre to genre and style to style. The tempo of the music is also a big factor in determining what - and when - the snare drum samples do. In urban music like hip hop and RnB, snare drum samples usually dances around beats 2 and 4 in the musical bar measurement. The kick in these songs usually takes place on one of the stronger beats, like the first down beat, and the reason for this is that the kick is more of a rhythmic statement than the snare, although the latter still has its place - and is very important indeed. There are so many different types of snares, but two seem to come out on top when making sample libraries and analyzing those of established producers and application developers. Real, live snares are sampled from recorded songs or recorded for the purposes of electronic use in lieu of a live drummer. The other type is the raspy or smooth snares that are developed by synthesizers like the Roland groove boxes; think TR-606s, TR-808s and so on. When speaking effects, there are a few different ways to use them to alter snare drum samples. In fact, sometimes you would not want to alter snare drums but rather alter the rest of the samples to better match your snares - if the tone of it is so good, why not make the rest match, right? The reverb effect is use a lot in snares; it adds space and sounds just magical on many snares. You can definitely get some surreal effects, like applying a reverb IR file for, say, the Opera House in Sydney and have your snare sounding like it was played there. If you listen to a lot of dance music (or even just a bit), you're probably instantly reminiscent of the two most widely used techniques for placing snare drum samples strategically. The first method sees the snare occupying the first and fourth beats in just about every bar, and this relieves the ear from hearing just the kick constantly, as it usually hits on every single beat. The second method involves applying different groove templates to the kick and snare to have a back-and-forth going on musically. As always, make sure you experiment enough to get a good grip of it yourself. Using snare drum samples effectively is child's play if you know what you're doing, and you will have the advantage of testing if you apply whatever you hear to your own projects, making sure to listen carefully. About the Author: If you want the best drum samples available, check out My Drum Samples here: http://www.mydrumsamples.com/ |