I think we ended up using something cheap and cheerful instead. Is that it? Is there something wrong with this? Is it broken?” as what I was hearing was not what I expected. The first time I heard a proper TR808 drum machine in the flesh, in the studio, with no processing, hired in at great expense, I remember thinking “Ummm. So my carefully curated sample library (which I still have somewhere) gradually went by the wayside.Īlso, I discovered that it doesn't matter WHAT the drum or cymbal is, if it doesn't sound good, it wont be used.

If it sounds electronic when it needs to sound electronic, and acoustic when it needs to sound acoustic, most people don't worry about how it is made. They just wanted something that goes 'Bang!' in the right place for the correct length of time. Instead, what I discovered was that as long as you had gear which sounded good (be it acoustic or electronic), it really didn't matter what it was.ĩ0% of producers wouldn't recognise a rare one piece cocobolo wood snare with custom okapi lapped heads played with a unique tipped stick. I was expecting that every session I went to, I would be asked for a specific snare sound, or a specific kick sound, or the sounds of a particular set of Zildjian cymbals from 1946 (made on Tuesday 9 October at around 4pm in the Constantinople factory). However, the simple truth was that I never was asked. I collected tens of thousands (more?) of drum hits and had them carefully filed on hard drives so I could quickly find loops or single hits ('one shots') of anything that might be asked of me. So I put about collecting every available conceivable drum, cymbal and percussion sample I could find. I imagined I'd be loading these sounds into a sampler or electronic kit and I'd be famous for have the most extensive sample library in London.

If I was asked for a 'Ludwig Black Beauty' sample, I would be able to reply “Sure, what year? What size? What tuning?” and be able to deliver instantly. When I first started out using electronic drums I imagined that I would have a collection of samples of EVERY drum, cymbal, percussion instrument and drum machine available. However, it is actually pretty easy to sort out, but before you do, you first have to ask yourself WHY you want/need them. That is a totally loaded question, and one I remember spending lots of time trying to solve. This is an issue that has many less experienced electronic drummers a little frustrated – WHERE do you get good sounds from?

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