Are buying drum kits worth it?

I found a few free sample packs that are perfect for the music I make, just collect a lot of free packs and if you really cant find anything you may consider buying some packs. But you can also trying layering some samples yourself although it will cost a lot of effort.
 
they're not worth it IMO when you can synthesize your own drum sounds with a good drum synth...i just started learning how to make my own kicks, snares, claps and hi hats...i must say that i prefer to synthesize my own sounds to fit into the track i'm working on and it allows me the flexibility to get every instrument sitting right in the mix...
 
Would you care to tell us how? or at least tell us what kind of drumsynth, then i can do my own research from there :)
 
Vuijkie said:
Would you care to tell us how? or at least tell us what kind of drumsynth, then i can do my own research from there :)
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sure i have logic pro so ultrabeat comes with it...and i use ultrabeat to make my own kicks, snares, hi hats and claps...they aren't that hard to synthesize if you understand sound synthesis!

also look into the waldorf attack as it is also a drum synth worth looking into...

what do you want to know how to synthesize?
 
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Aaaah like that (I also work with Logic). I tried it before too but found myself struggling with it. I find it easier finding some samples then creating my own drums. I believe that every sound should be perfect but for some reason i dont like to edit my drums. I just have to be able to work with it quickly though i take more time for my basses, chords, synths leads and stuff.
 
Vuijkie said:
Aaaah like that (I also work with Logic). I tried it before too but found myself struggling with it. I find it easier finding some samples then creating my own drums. I believe that every sound should be perfect but for some reason i dont like to edit my drums. I just have to be able to work with it quickly though i take more time for my basses, chords, synths leads and stuff.
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i struggled with it big time but after watching the right tutorials i now know how to get my kicks to sound the way i want them...still learning right now but with practice i'm seeing improvements...i'm currently working on synthesizing the drums right now for my next track and my kick is done...in 3 layers to make one sweet kick!
 
I think you would get a real "kick" if you finished your own kick! haha no but it's so much trouble while there's so many samples even for free. Call me lazy but I would rather put my energy into the melodies right now. When i get more experienced in that I might consider making my own kicks.
 
i hear you, i used to be all about using samples! but building kicks is really easy...and i plan on creating a whole template of my own kicks in ultrabeat and then it's just a matter of recalling that template and changing a few parameters here and there to get the kick sounding right for the mix :)
 
Nice man but I wouldn't call it easy, though not if you want to get exactly what you want. Do you also mix in a little clap to add something different to kicks? or just different kicks. And if you ever want to share your template... haha :) let me know :) (btw aren't we going a bit off topic now)
 
Vuijkie said:
Nice man but I wouldn't call it easy, though not if you want to get exactly what you want. Do you also mix in a little clap to add something different to kicks? or just different kicks. And if you ever want to share your template... haha :) let me know :) (btw aren't we going a bit off topic now)
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well it's easy and not easy...again, at first it was hard but with practice and experimentation i'm getting better :) and sure once i finish my template i'll share with you! yes i also add my own claps, hi hats and snares...i just sample shakers because i don't know how to synthesize those! the key to getting good kicks are: 1. the shape of the amp envelope and the decay time 2. the shape of the mod envelope and decay time and 3. modulation of the volume of the oscillators and the pitch...
 
I agree that making your own sounds is a lot better because you add your own style to your beats, BUT starting out making your own sounds is hard, which is why I believe sound kits are good in that case. Check out websites with free sound kits first, get a feel of things then maybe try making your own sounds. If you cant get that down dont hesitate to go out and buy a commercial sound kit until you can make your own sounds.
 
It's probably been said already but i find that a mix of chopping drums from recordings and layering them with commercially available one shots creates a nice full thick drum sound. I think that a lot of the commercial kits sound too much alike and have a "surgical" quality that is devoid of any warmth or feeling. On the other hand when chopping drums from a recording they sometimes lack the "oomph" that i desire. When i combine the two methods along with EQ, compression, reverb etc. i can come closer to the sound that i am trying to achieve.

That's why i love Live's Drum Rack.
 
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