So I wanted to share some of the tricks I've picked up and see if you guys had anything to contribute.

If you have a snare on the 2 and the 4 and layer it with another snare that's slightly off beat it creates a flam that can make your groove more interesting

if your grid is set to 16ths and you have two kicks happening back to back try replacing one the kicks with a different sound it will create a sense of movement rather than repetition/stuttering

For hi hats try to vary them from 8ths to 16ths and give them different velocities to add some life and bounce into the beat.

For music samples check both the left and right side individually to see if there are any useful differences and you can also use a stereo imager to sum the left and right together and kill the middle and vice versa. This is how Jay-z's rocboys was able to only have the horns from the sample that had drums and bass in it.

 

sometimes what i would do is send one snare to the right and another to the left depending on the snare it gives it this crazy feel to it. but the snares cant be too different in sound. and sometimes ill pan my hi hats to the left or right and of a crash come out of no where to the other ear.

 

I actually do all those things The Guy mentioned except for stereo imaging. I've produced for a long time but I am now in the stage where I want to learn everything about mixing and mastering.

What is stereo imaging? I will google it but I always find it easier to understand when answered directly, that's why I love forums so much.


For me, off setting drums and panning crashes and percussion really makes a difference for me. Gives the song a live feel, just as you guys have described. My favorite trick for high hats is to add a small delay to them, it also gives it a sense of movement.

Can't forget about the reverb and delay as well on certain instruments.

 

How to find the key signature of your SAMPLE chops

 

For me when it comes to any productions I'm all about layers, if you can't layer it in the mix it aint meant to be there move on. Son

I hardly do hip-hop & rap Anymore and it's killing me Trap & EDM are running the scene in my area right now

 

Avoid the grid like the plague...make the snares slightly ahead of beat, make the hi hats slightly late...

Sidechain the bass and the kick, it makes the kick bang all the time!...best tip i ever learnt of the EDM heads...

Filter samples, automate if you can, it adds variety to your chops...

 

i would check out UNMIX DRUMS by zynaptiq. some of the samples with drums that i struggled to put in the mix are possible to use with this thing. doesn't work on all material and not perfect, obviously. improving the input into the plug-in would help the algorithms a bit. still, impressive stuff by zynaptiq once again.