Client Story (March 2017)
I was recently contacted by a client looking to add some drum tracks to a few demo songs. I was sent some high-quality mp3s and given the opportunity to listen and add something appropriate.
The tracks are original compositions with a kind of country/folk feel to them, but I think the ultimate aim would be to take them in a slightly different direction with a bit more energy and a more 'involved' drumming style.
After a few listens I recorded a quick playalong using my personal 'default' kit which I built from sounds in the TD-15 brain, and then started working on finding the right drum sounds for the tracks. Given the genre and guitar sounds involved on the mp3s I was sent, I've gone for quite dry and dark-sounding cymbals, with larger-sounding drums tuned fairly low. After recording a few takes I found a way to let the drums stay out of the way of the songwriting and delicate guitar playing, but still drive the songs along with more rhythm.
I sent some initial takes over to the client and we have been discussing where to take this next. Generally we are very pleased with the results, but we are discussing how to take it to the next level.
For example, one of the songs is actually about a drummer lyrically, so the client wants to try out adding some more drum patterns to back that up. There are several possible approaches - I'll try making the drums (and maybe cymbals) more prominent in the mix, I will try adding more dynamic fills and patterns at the appropriate times, and could also experiment with adding a second drum track with more rhythmic elements on top.
I enjoyed the initial freedom on this project in finding the right sounds and appropriate drum patterns, and now I'm looking forward to perfecting all of that as we work to the final takes.
The tracks are original compositions with a kind of country/folk feel to them, but I think the ultimate aim would be to take them in a slightly different direction with a bit more energy and a more 'involved' drumming style.
After a few listens I recorded a quick playalong using my personal 'default' kit which I built from sounds in the TD-15 brain, and then started working on finding the right drum sounds for the tracks. Given the genre and guitar sounds involved on the mp3s I was sent, I've gone for quite dry and dark-sounding cymbals, with larger-sounding drums tuned fairly low. After recording a few takes I found a way to let the drums stay out of the way of the songwriting and delicate guitar playing, but still drive the songs along with more rhythm.
I sent some initial takes over to the client and we have been discussing where to take this next. Generally we are very pleased with the results, but we are discussing how to take it to the next level.
For example, one of the songs is actually about a drummer lyrically, so the client wants to try out adding some more drum patterns to back that up. There are several possible approaches - I'll try making the drums (and maybe cymbals) more prominent in the mix, I will try adding more dynamic fills and patterns at the appropriate times, and could also experiment with adding a second drum track with more rhythmic elements on top.
I enjoyed the initial freedom on this project in finding the right sounds and appropriate drum patterns, and now I'm looking forward to perfecting all of that as we work to the final takes.
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