| One of the most overlooked and powerful | | | | or JX-10 have limited percussive |
| tools for creating percussion sounds in | | | | functionality in a real-time sense |
| this modern age of soft samplers, | | | | because the ramp-up time for the |
| emulators, and other sophisticated tools | | | | envelope is a bit too long for |
| is the humble subtractive analog | | | | sequencing- if this is the synth you are |
| synthesizer. Learning how to generate | | | | using, try a different one if available |
| exciting drum sounds also takes a lot of | | | | or edit the sound in a computer to |
| the mystery out of creating other | | | | correct the timing after recording), |
| percussive sounds, such as basses and | | | | decay at one third to one half, zero |
| plucked-string type sounds, as well as | | | | sustain, and little or no release. Play |
| providing an exciting way to personalize | | | | with the decay time to taste especially. |
| your music. | | | | You should now be able to play a bass |
| First, let's make a basic kick drum type | | | | drum pattern from your keyboard and |
| sound. Most any analog or virtual/soft | | | | record or sequence it for later |
| analog synth with one or more of the | | | | performance. |
| following will suffice: An | | | | Now to augment the bass drum sound. Here |
| oscillator,preferably with a sine wave | | | | are some suggestions: |
| generator, a resonant filter, a white | | | | Use a bit of white noise blended with |
| noise generator, and an envelope (that | | | | the oscillator to give the sound a bit |
| preferably can be routed to the filter | | | | more excitement, and if the volume of |
| as well as the amplifier). With these | | | | the white noise can be controlled |
| simple parameters a wide range of | | | | separately, apply a different envelope |
| percussion can be achieved. | | | | with a very short decay time to help |
| The bass drum sound can now be divided | | | | keep things snappy. |
| into at least two components: The | | | | If you can modulate oscillator pitch |
| harmonic content and the envelope. To | | | | with an envelope, try a slight amount of |
| begin, program an oscillator to generate | | | | downward decay. This models an acoustic |
| a sine or triangle wave, so that when | | | | drum's property of, when excited (by a |
| you play a key, a muted, boring sound | | | | hand, beater, or stick), initially |
| comes out of the synth. A sine wave is | | | | tightening against the drum head and |
| best for bass drums, but a triangle can | | | | loosening, which translates to a |
| be used to great effect and alternate | | | | slightly higher pitch at the initial |
| waveforms can also provide different | | | | transient, followed by a lower sweep to |
| takes on the more classic sounds made by | | | | the fundamental frequency. Again, |
| vintage drum machines of yesteryear. If | | | | moderation is key for this type of |
| a sine wave is not available (as is true | | | | sound. |
| on many analog synths), try a triangle | | | | Effects can be very useful for |
| wave, but pull the filter cutoff | | | | percussion, but as far as bass drums go, |
| frequency down a fair amount, to about | | | | there seems to be a bit of consensus on |
| half its range. This should pull out | | | | most-handy sonic treatments. Distortion, |
| some of the overtones, providing a | | | | compression, and slight equalization |
| strong fundamental. | | | | (EQ) can be quite beneficial for making |
| Really, the only other portion of this | | | | a kick drum have more personality and |
| basic sound is the envelope, which | | | | sit more easily in a mix. Also adjust |
| should have the following parameters | | | | the pre-effect sound to see if an effect |
| (which of course can and should be | | | | is actually necessary. Often by tweaking |
| tweaked to your individual taste): | | | | other parameters in the synth patch, |
| Immediate attack (this is where some | | | | effects become less necessary (and can |
| synths can show their true colors, as | | | | be covering up for sloppy programming). |
| some older analogs like the Roland JX-3P | | | | |