Newsgroup: it.comp.musica
Titolo: [Info] Drum&bass: Secrets Of Programming Breaks

dalla ML di drum&bass arena:
[Youdirtyrat]
Dont have the time/energy to do a full breaks tutorial but I'll give 
away some of the secrets that professional producers know that you 
don't.  The  following is for those who have mastered the old school 
basics (ghost notes,  varying velocity, etc.) and are ready to move 
beyond into new school  territory.
Im going to keep my language dogmatic because again, I dont have the
time/energy to explain.  If you need to probe further, listen CAREFULLY 
to your favorite producer's records and youll hear the elements Im 
talking  about.  To put my money where my mouth Ive included links to 
some of my own (completely homegrown) breaks.  Use em if you like in 
your own tracks, or better yet make your own.
1.  Multiple Hi Hats. The secondary/tertiary hi hats are used in prime 
spots  to "accent" certain parts of the break, and have a big hand in 
creating it's  groove.   The different hats kind of "meld together" 
across the length of the  break, emulating the fact that a drum sounds 
differently depending on where  and how hard it is hit, and more 
importantly, creating a vibe.  Dont try too  hard to MAKE them sound 
like the same hat though- to the untrained listener (whose listening to 
the break as a whole, not picking it apart) they just  WILL. Multiple hi 
hats are a MUST for a good break, just varying  velocity/filtering is 
for new jacks.  Your goal is to create a hi hat "line"  of sorts that 
creates a groove across the kick/snare- (warning:OPINION  coming)- the 
hi hat line should be good enough to stand on its own when heard  alone 
during an intro/breakdown.  And once and for all quit NEGLECTING the 
OPEN hi hat!!!!  Its an important weapon in your toolbox and put in the 
right  place can do much to add to a wicked hat line.
2.  Layering. The above accenting/layering technique can be used with
kicks/snares too- your goal is to give each hit a "purpose" of sorts. 
For example try layering a second more "reverby" kick with the first 
kick in the break.  Be subtle- you want it noticable but not too much 
so.  This gives the  first kick a feeling of importance, which makes 
sense dunnit.  Try layering two snares, but crossfade them so that the 
first one is louder during the first hit and the second one is louder 
during the second.  Then, use one of the "non layered" snares as a 
ghost.  Youve just simultaneously created a new snare sound, added 
variation to your break, and found a ghost snare that will fit in 
seemlessly.  Laziness? Genius? A bit of both. Bruhahahaha...  These 
arent the only two ideas- use layering anywhere you want to add 
variation or to create an accent.  Much cooler than fiddling with the 
filter.
3.  Ghost Kicks and Hats.  DnB is constantly evolving but as this is 
being written the new trend is for breaks to sound FAST, not "half time" 
like they did 5 years ago.  Ghost Kicks are essential for this.  Think 
"butterfly"- the kicks should kind of flutter across the break, just 
barely being heard but adding a feeling of urgency.  Some new breaks are 
using CRAZY amounts of ghost kicks, sometimes every 16th note has a drum 
playing!!!!  Besides ghost kicks, remember ANYTHING can be a ghost , not 
just a snare.   One technique is to use a hi hat in the same position 
that you would normally use a ghost snare (told you this was for those 
who had the basics down).  This lets the break kind of "roll" inthatpart 
in a less obvious way than a ghost snare, and can be used in conjunction 
with it.  A break can "roll" twice across its length. Also dont forget 
to try sticks/congos/bongos/any percussion as ghosts.
Bottom line, eliminate random thinking,.  Quit "randomizing" your hats 
and start accenting them in a way that creates a groove that you dig. 
Dont just make two snares sound different for the sake of it, make one 
with a shorter decay to make it "snap" and one with a longer decay to 
let it "drag", creating a different feel across different parts of the 
break (be subtle but not TOO subtle).  Realize that a break is more than 
a kick/snare with hats there to fill up space- every element should 
contribute to the vibe of the thing, and there are usually more elements 
than you may at first notice- multiple hats'/kicks/snares, rides dancing 
subtly across to accent, extra percussion here and there, reeaaally low 
ghosts; the programmed breaks of today are generally more "busy" than 
the two-step of yesteryear, since producers are actually pickin up on 
how to make their breaks sound like the old ones that we had to SAMPLE 
to get vibe/style from.
www.members.aol.com/youdirtyrat/riddler.wav
www.members.aol.com/youdirtyrat/dogma.wav
***
[Josh Steiner]
this is very nicely written, very much how i work... if anyone is 
interested, i just broke up the arrangement of a tune that I am in the 
middle of working on right now called "top down" into little segments so 
you can hear whats going on... i think it illustrates what you are 
saying about multiple hats in a *rhythmic* pattern quite well:
http://eds.org/~joschi/vitriolix/top_down_pieces.mp3
its not done yet, i need to tweak the bass til it a little bigger but 
keeps the same flow movin...
{EOF]

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