Two Small But Useful Tips For Hi-Hats and All Samples

R

Robby2382

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I see a lot of people trying to get hi-hats the exact way they hear them. Like making them sound they there spitting out so I wanna let the people know how to get it like that at least almost exactly like that without having to do the compression and EQ'ing yet.

First, when you load any sample from your browser presets to your project, click on it, open it's window and click "Normalize". It basically brings the waveform higher making it louder, it might sound super loud for some samples but that's what mixing is for, turn it down through it's channel volume or through the mixer after assigning it.

Second, there's a little knob on the "Channel Settings" for whatever sound you click, in this case it should be a hi-hat, it says "CRF" which means crossfade. Basically what this does is sets two markers in the beginning of the sample and at the end making it to where the sound only plays for however long the note of it is. So if you were to hold a key, the sample would repeat and repeat, if you were to tap it, it would play real fast and cut off. This is essential for hi hats cause if you are putting in fast hi hats without it, all of them overlap. So when you put them in, making them as short as possible without having them cut off.

Hope that was easy to understand. I didn't start doing it until recently but I had to figure it out on my own and it really makes a difference. This works good with sampled 808's too. Which is an essential actually but I don't use sampled 808's.

Just to clear this out as well, you can do this with any sample. It would probably make things sound more clear as well because your sounds won't have that 'flat' sound in the end of it. Especially for people using low quality samples from free drum kits.
 
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apologies if you do not understand humour dressed up as sarcasm

First you have made a silent assumption that everyone knows which daw you are using to do this in. Always spell out your work environment in case other folks don't/won't use that environment

tip 1
wow - normalise your sample(s), just wow. Unless the sound is a one shot sample you are removing all degrees of velocity gradient control

A good hi-hat sample set will have a several layers of velocity specific samples so that you can recreate a range of playing techniques and volume levels - to turn them all all the way on is just plain - there is no other way to say this - idiotic or stupid

tip 2
Highlights my point about which daw you are using.

CRF could be implemented as loop start-end points or just plain loop segment depending on the daw in use.

again wow, just wow.....smh
 
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First, when you load any sample from your browser presets to your project, click on it, open it's window and click "Normalize".

He is obviously loading a single sample and not a multi-sample instrument.Normalize is nothing more than a gain stage.
You won't lose any dynamics, velocity or EQ/Filter or whatever trickery is usually used to emulate the variations from real drums.
If anything, you new concerrn would be head-room, which he seems to be suggesting you bring back with 'turning down the channel volume'.

I do admit I have no idea what this advice is about or who it's for and why it would pertain to high-hats, in particular.
And I further admit, I don't even understand what "problem" he is trying to solve.

Hmmm...now that I think about it, I probably should have added this thread to the "Don't get it, move along" list. lol
 
Ok to the Bandcoach or bandcamp guy, normalizing has nothing to do with changing it's velocity. I'm sorry I didn't say I was using FL but whoever uses it would've been able to tell and whoever wasn't using it could tell that it wasn't FL. Sometimes (In FL Studio) normalizing is necessary. And the reason I say that is because when you're using unprofessionally mixed samples, the volumes aren't right on it. So you normalize it to get the overall volume up and then turn it down in the mixer and with velocity just set the velocity of each note to where it sounds right. Now I notice you said unless your using a one shot sample, which is what I obviously meant if I'm talking about hi-hats.

Nothing of what I said was 'bad advice' it made my mixes sound a lot cleaner. Not everything has to be done a certain way and how the 'books' say it.
 
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Robby2382 said:
Ok to the Bandcoach or bandcamp guy, normalizing has nothing to do with changing it's velocity. I'm sorry I didn't say I was using FL but whoever uses it would've been able to tell and whoever wasn't using it could tell that it wasn't FL. Sometimes (In FL Studio) normalizing is necessary. And the reason I say that is because when you're using unprofessionally mixed samples, the volumes aren't right on it. So you normalize it to get the overall volume up and then turn it down in the mixer and with velocity just set the velocity of each note to where it sounds right. Now I notice you said unless your using a one shot sample, which is what I obviously meant if I'm talking about hi-hats.

Nothing of what I said was 'bad advice' it made my mixes sound a lot cleaner. Not everything has to be done a certain way and how the 'books' say it.
Click to expand...

post up a beat
use Soundcloud


-Coach Antonio
 
Robby2382 said:
.....
Click to expand...

Aggressive much?

When is a sample not professionally mixed?

Normalising has everything to do with changing the velocity (intensity) of a signal, otherwise it would not be normalising.

Do you actually understand the process of normalising?

It is a recalibration of the individual amplitude levels relative to a given absolute level, usually expressed in dbfs - i.e. the entire signal is affected (that is every single sample's (by which I mean the sample points) amplitude is changed) and not necessarily for the good

On a related note at no point do you advise to what level the sample should be normalised, the tacit (unstated) assumption being that you want the biggest peak to be 0dbfs. This is just an invitation to creating a troublesome situation when using the sample later.

Hi-hats may well be a one-shot sample as they are in drum machines, but in a sample set, you are more likely to find them as a grouping of velocity layers - which makes your advice just .......smh

And as fatal wrote - share your music with us; then we will know more about the quality of your mixes and as a result, the quality of your advice......
 
bandcoach said:
Aggressive much?

When is a sample not professionally mixed?

Normalising has everything to do with changing the velocity (intensity) of a signal, otherwise it would not be normalising.

Do you actually understand the process of normalising?

It is a recalibration of the individual amplitude levels relative to a given absolute level, usually expressed in dbfs - i.e. the entire signal is affected (that is every single sample's (by which I mean the sample points) amplitude is changed) and not necessarily for the good

On a related note at no point do you advise to what level the sample should be normalised, the tacit (unstated) assumption being that you want the biggest peak to be 0dbfs. This is just an invitation to creating a troublesome situation when using the sample later.

Hi-hats may well be a one-shot sample as they are in drum machines, but in a sample set, you are more likely to find them as a grouping of velocity layers - which makes your advice just .......smh

And as fatal wrote - share your music with us; then we will know more about the quality of your mixes and as a result, the quality of your advice......
Click to expand...

I'll post up a beat, and overall my mixes aren't that clean. And the reason for it is because I have a horrible CPU so I can't even master really. Just adding a EQ to my instruments makes it where I can't adjust anything without overloading. The beat I'll post isn't even mastered all the way but I'll post it anyways. All it has done to it is some EQ'ing a little bit of panning and some effects and that's about it.

What you said I have no idea what it meant cause it was all technical, you know more about it then I do. I do understand what you are saying with like a sample that is a whole pattern though. It seems like you meant a sample as in a 30 second hi hat pattern, that would obviously mess up the velocity of them, I'm talking about normalizing a one shot sample, then doing whatever to it. I personally do it to make my mixes louder. The reason why I do that is because I don't have studio monitors like Rokit's or anything. I use a $50 dollar set of Phillips speakers with a box that has a bass knob on it. I got no clue how many watts it has or anything.

I don't know what normalizing does besides raises the waveform, that's all I know it does. I do it just too boost the overall volume cause if I have a few instruments playing, then I go over to my samples and go through them, I can't hear them if I am playing sounds in FL already cause there too low. And it sounds like you went to school for this stuff or something, or you read up a lot on it. I'm only 17 so I never went to college for audio engineering or anything.

https://soundcloud.com/robbys-beats/beat-376
 
Robby2382 said:
I do understand what you are saying with like a sample that is a whole pattern though. It seems like you meant a sample as in a 30 second hi hat pattern, that would obviously mess up the velocity of them, I'm talking about normalizing a one shot sample, then doing whatever to it.
Click to expand...

No, when I say sample set I mean a single instrument single note with multiple velocity layers. This is a case of you not knowing enough about the subject to engage in meaningful discussion.

17 - you have a lot to learn young padawan - I'm 50 and still learning....
 
bandcoach said:
No, when I say sample set I mean a single instrument single note with multiple velocity layers. This is a case of you not knowing enough about the subject to engage in meaningful discussion.

17 - you have a lot to learn young padawan - I'm 50 and still learning....
Click to expand...

Ye, that's basically what I thought you meant. And in that case I can see why normalizing wouldn't make any sense to do. But in my case, normalizing is fine. And I might not have been clear on a couple aspects of the topic but you came at me all serious just cause you misinterpreted what I meant by a sample.
 
your beat is good ...at 17 you're doing good keep improving
I would get a summer job better yet even a part-time for all year
at 17 years old
if you're not on a sport team
then get a simple evening part time job.
use that money to buy at less a i5,6-8gig RAM desktop(cheaper than a laptop) but you can get a laptop if that's more up your alley
for a 17 year old I'm sure you want a laptop to be on the go

maybe you just need some more RAM on the computer you have
skip buying a pair of Nike shoes and you'll be good

you don't need to normalise your samples you need a decent set of powered studio monitors
in the $700 plus range

or if you only have around $200 get a and some decent shelf speakers
$128 right here
this way you turn up your speakers so you can hear your work
Amazon.com: Sony MHCEC709iP Mini Hi-Fi Shelf System: Electronics

I understand money might be tight as a teenager
need anymore advice on equipment
holla at me or forum...use the search button here because alot of stuff has been asked before




-Coach Antonio
 
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