4 Drum machine processing tips

So you’ve built a great hardware drum groove, but what’s next? Help your rhythm patterns nestle neatly into your next track with these processing tips...

Parallel distortion

1 Overdrive effects work great with hardware drum machines. Subtle saturation or drive across drum sounds can be a good replacement for standard compression. When using more extreme distortion effects, however, you can risk losing punchy transients. The fix? Mix distortion in parallel, either as a send effect or by using a plugin equipped with a dry/ wet control. Extreme distortion mixed in at low levels can help fill out the frequency spectrum.

Get those hats moving!

2 Hi-hats, and similar sounds such as shakers or maracas, really benefit from a touch of added movement, and there are several ways you can go about this. A simple way to help hats sit in a mix is to add a little stereo movement, using an auto-pan effect or simple automation in your DAW. For a similar, but more stylish result, employ a phaser, chorus or flanger to create a slow, churning modulation to keep your percussive lines moving. For something even more creative, try turning to a sequencer-equipped effect plugin, such as CableGuys’ Shaperbox, or Arturia’s recent Filter plugins, to apply groovy sequences of filtering or stereo movement to your hats and shakers.

Frequency shifting and ring mod

3 Ring modulation and frequency shifting can result in harsh and inharmonic sounds, and broadly speaking both should be used sparingly on any melodic material. When it comes to percussion, however, going to town with effects like these can yield some very cool results. Try using a frequency shifter with a dry/wet or parallel setup to thicken up weak snares or hats, by creating a shifted duplicate to sit above or below the original sound to fill out the frequency spectrum. Alternatively, using an LFO-modulated ring mod on claps or rim shots can be a great way to add movement and create modern, ear-catching effects.

A little reverb goes a long way

4 Particularly with analogue or vintage-inspired instruments, the raw sounds from your drum machine’s output can sound remarkably dry. Adding just a touch of reverb to drum sounds can really help the sound ‘gel’. Many modern drum machines come equipped with a reverb send, and routing your snares and claps here can bring a groove to life. For more old school machines, employ an external hardware effect or room or plate reverb plugin in your DAW. This is one of those circumstances where having individual outputs can make a real difference. Certain sounds work great with long or large reverbs, although with low-end sounds like kicks and toms, it can result in unwanted muddiness.