FL Studio 10 sequencer- ( drum patterns) ....double up or not to double up?

[billytk03z]

Ive been making beats for awhile now in FL studio and one thing that makes me OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) is when I lay out my percussion arrangement on the sequencer. I always seem to make two versions of a project.... version 1 has my percussion laid out with single drum hits and version 2 has my percussion laid out with double drum hits (the same drum sound or different sound combo that hit twice in the pattern)..... Obviously the doubled up drums sound richer and fuller and its easier when i put in ghost beats or low volume secondary beats....

Im just curious what is everybody's thoughts on doubling up beats or not......

[TracKnowledge]

I don't really double up my beats in the sense of just copying and pasting and having the same drum sample being played at the same time in the same pattern because you can achieve the same result simply by adjusting the level of your drums relative to everything else in the mix. What I will do though is layer different drum samples to create a different sound. For example, if I like the punch of one kick and the rumble of another and I think they complement each other well, I'll take both and in FL 10 ill layer them and then play the layered drum so that both samples are played at the same time. Hope that helps.

[BeatGenerals]

So instead of just using Kick 1, you're using Kick 1 twice? If thats what you mean, I never do that, as homie mentioned I can get the same result in my mix so kind of pointless. I do layer different sounds though if a sound is lacking something.

[MarcDHall]

I don't see how doubling two identical sounds would do anything other than make a louder version of one sound. Personally layering is integral to how I make music. Some people seem to think it's a bad idea. I suspect thats because it can be unpredictable. Especially at lower frequencies where things interact and through gain all over the place.

Suppose some people want simplicity and clarity... others want depth and complexity.

[2infamouz]

I agree with these guys if i understand what your saying correctly. If you're going to layer drums use different samples layered over each other, and don't have them quantized. Make the notes hit slightly offset from each other, either by recording it live if you have drum pads or a midi keyboard, or just using your mouse. You'll get a better sound having the layers slightly offset and not hitting at exactly the same time, and also gives a more natural sound than quantized robot beats nah'm sayin.