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1. Advanced snare roll design for enhanced build-ups

1 We’re going to create the classic dance snare roll build-up, then use parameter automation and effects to enhance it. Start by importing House.wav onto a new audio track in a 127bpm project, then put D16 Group Frontier on the master bus. On a MIDI instrument track, create a sampler instrument – most DAWs include one. 2 Import 909 snare.wav into the sampler, and program an eight-barlong MIDI clip with a constant stream of 16th-notes. Use the sample’s root note to begin with – that’s C3 on Ableton’s Simpler, which we’re using here. You can tune the drum to fit the key of the song or just to give a different sound – -3 semitones slots it nicely into this particular build-up. 3 Now program the velocity so it starts low (at 16) and increases to maximum over time. Some DAWs let you draw a straight line to achieve this. If you’re not hearing the snare drum get louder as velocity increases, ensure that MIDI Velocity is assigned to control Volume in your sampler. Delete the final four snare hits to make space for the short vocal fill that ends our build-up. 4 Velocity isn’t just for controlling volume – let’s assign it to filter cutoff too. We set the filter’s Frequency to 5.6kHz and Resonance to 35%. To make it velocitysensitive, set Velocity (under the Controls tab) to 42%. Now the snare’s fizzy top-end is revealed gradually. To restore front-end snap, use a short, ‘plucky’ filter envelope with 0ms Attack, 20ms Decay, zero Sustain, and Amount at 20. 5 To modulate parameters independently of velocity, you can use automation. We set the amplitude Attack to 0ms, Sustain to -inf. dB and Release to 20ms, then automate Decay to go from 666ms to its maximum, so it starts out tight and punchy but gradually opens up. Pitch is another good parameter to modulate, automate, or, of course, control via MIDI note. 6 So far, it’s a typical snare build, but effects can radically transform it. We use automation to progressively mix in reverb and heavy chorus, and roll up a high-pass filter, gradually turning the punchy snare into a wash of stereo noise, like a riser. Finally, if you think snare rolls are old hat, simply swap out the snare for a different sound – try a vocal chop or synth blast!