Drum Replacement & Enhancement

Drum replacement, or “using samples”, is a modern technique that is being implemented in most mainstream music nowadays. Some view it as cheating, and others view it as necessary to achieve a desired sound. Essentially, there are two main ways to use samples with drums: Blending & Layering, or complete replacement.

Blending & Layering

Some genre’s of music like modern Rock, Punk, and Metal cannot live up to the power and punch of recent records without the use of drum samples. Though unlike metal, most Rock music still doesn’t sound quite right without a natural feel to the drums. This is why there is a common method of drum enhancement called blending. Blending is when you have a mixture of live drums and sampled drums in your mix. This is a great method because you are able to retain the performance itself and all the inflections of the drummer, but just mix in a little bit of samples to add the punch it needs. In fact, a lot of times this is achieved by sampling the drummers kit itself, for even MORE of a natural feel. This is the most efficient way of achieving the effect of drum replacement while it remains more transparent in the mix.

Complete Replacement
Metal, Hardcore, and even some Pop genres now are requiring something even further than Blending & Layering. These genres usually call for Complete Replacement of the drums. This is a quick way to get it done but not the right way. Get it done by recording the drums right in the first place. Don’t mess around with samples. Its like a DJ who doesn’t make any of his own music or a recording engineer who cant play any instruments or sing.

Recording Live

Recording Live in the Studio is a great way to get the best performance possible. Give us a call to book your session today.