Tuning instruments.

[Daniel Carroll]

Do claps, snares, hi hats and such need to be in key? I heard that they don't have a root note but still when I listen to some tracks the rides, shakers and claps sound like coincide with one another. Obviously it's down to tuning your drums. Do you pitch them to the key they should be in? Like they don't have bass notes but vst's can detect keys on them. If a clap is in C# and a ride is in C do I pitch the ride up by one semitone? But what if the ride is further away on the scale like E and C. If I pitch it that much it sounds bad. I really want help with this I'm working to get a clean tight sounding mix. Thanks lads! ?

 

[jocasrb]

i think for tuning instruments you shouldnt watch which note is it, but how it sound...maybe some snare can be really good at C#5 some at B4...who knows...but when i add bongos, i always change their tuning, sometimes lower sometimes higher, depends on my sample/melody.. so to assume my work: bongos/toms in 95% cases - Change; snare - very rarely, hihat - often, kick - almost never, cymbals - 20%..ect

 

[loekthuss]

it is not nessecary, but if you feel a cymbal or clap doesn't fit in with the rest of the music changing the pitch it can do wonders. but it can also just make it sound weird.

 

[PasteRaps]

Unless you're using long 808s, where you'd obviously want to be in key, changing the pitch of drums is more about tone than pitch. It's not that you want the snare to ring at, say, G4 specifically, but maybe you want the snare to be tighter and snappier so you pitch it up.