Favourite drum in the standard kit? Example?

Not specific to any device, but what is your favourite in the usual set of:
BD, SN, HH, CP, etc?

My slightly rarer #1 is finger-snap

e.g. as used in this

1 Like

Close runner-up is clap.

It’s so important to me that I got an ND2 rather than deal with FM claps on Digitone, and the weird sound put me off the MFB 301 Pro.
And I got the ND2 rather than 1 or 3P, because neither has the clap settings.

4 Likes

I have a very old Ludwig set (1973-1974) and my favourite drum is the bass drum, a 24" one. Overall, what I like most is my Soprano Snare Drum, hand made italian drum

My favorite is the snare drum, with the bass drum coming in at a close second. :musical_score:

2 Likes

My drumkit . The whole kit. Slieshman bop kit, 14inch mienl HH, 18 Avedis crash, 21 Bosphorous ride.

909 = BD SN CL RM RC
606 BD SN HH

For me the sound of the kit as a whole is more important than the sound of an individual drum.

5 Likes

Depends on the machine for me.

Some of my favourites:

909 toms
CR8000 clap
606 kick & snare
707 kicks & snares
GM/GS “power kit” snare
Model:Cycles kick
Most of the Monomachine drum kit

2 Likes

Since I discovered FM a bit before the Digitone was available, and read about Sophie’s statement about drum synthesis, I use my machines differently, escaping from the Analog classics.

In this regard, Model:Cycles was the nail in the coffin: FM sounds are definitely my favorite sounds for percussions.

@krypt did an incredible track with their Digitone that I find very inspiring:

Lately I’ve been studying minimal tracks such as this one on @pokk’s label:

The other aspect I dig when it comes to percussive sounds is distorsion.
I just love it, and now use it more subtly than before, but still love to melt heavy distorted percussions with almost clean ones, especially on bass drum right after the first kick, like on this track:

Here again, DN and M:C are a couple elements I love using, but I’ve rediscovered A4 these last few weeks and have pleasure bringing it back to give some contrast with the FM machines.

I consider this journey far from over, though.
Still feels half a noob.
My best moment in Wednesday jam session was when I messed with a simple kick+snare pattern and OT stutter FX aka delay-ctrl.
I had taken the time to tune the kick so that the speakers were a bit booming, the snare put to the right level compared to this sound, and just kept on shifting the pattern, dancing with joy, happy like a kid with a new toy.

5 Likes

This is a super interesting, niche question. I love this. Im a big 606 fan As grew up with this in my music for as long as I remember. Actually bought and sold 3 times, although keeping this last one. Single output is the key i feel, made the mistake of putting in individual outputs and it just lost something for me. I just picked up a 909 as want to use it in less iconic ways, piss-takingly expensive…still, thats the price. Way more
impressed than I thought I would be and there is so much more to be done on this machine that has been i feel. Having a bug tempo dial right there is a big plus.

Im massively into the 808 hats and kick on the R8, more than the 808 itself, i used to own an 808 back when ÂŁ250 seemed overpriced, but sold it as found it not quite what i was looking for, and since learned the R8 was the sound i mistook for the 808. Still, not just the 808 sounds, many of the sounds on the R8 are amazing. I think that early Warp sound early Aphex/Autechre mainly was full it R8, its just part of my palette. This is all R8, crazy flexibility:

I am really struggling with the Elektron Rythm sound, i mean, it’s amazing gear and i love using it, and anyone who is thinking about needing an analog drum machine with lots of flexibility, yeah it’s pretty hard to beat. Im still not sure what is my block but continue to work on it. I’m dedicated. I tried created an 808 ish sound to help me along, thinking i need prob more to utilise the sampler side and use it for extra support in the frequencies…kinda what it’s designed for actually hahaha. 808ish:

The industrial power of some sounds on the Kawai XD5, amazing, the bass on their 808 is nuts, there is even a sound called Depeche Kick. Sold. Buttons on the front panel are horrible tho. This track is the XD5 kick and clap:

Also the Kawai K1 kick and snare combo, is really nuts when more noise in the snare. Warps LFO pours out of this machine:

or

The editor is really clunky which adds to the sound.

@LyingDalai
These first 4 in the set are using a DX7 so pretty much FM synthesis, used mainly as drum or patterns. Probably some Mark Fell/Surgeon inspiration in there albeit less audible. FM is a great approach with drums, and quite easily create lots of frequencies in one sound which is great for lots of directions with less layers. Definitely hear that in the example you shared. @krypt

Links to fm jams:

6 Likes

909 toms, yeah, its all about the toms on that machine for me. So much flexibility

Toms, congas etc

1 Like

Totally agree with this. The idea is cool. But if you mix your drum machine, then split the outputs, something is lost. I just record a single output from mine now. Either in stereo or mono depending on the vibe. The sounds come together and interact with each other, seperating the outputs defeats that interaction.

3 Likes

This is great, super interesting! I’ve just started a track with the favorites mentioned here. For some reason I had overlooked 606 a bit, but those hats especcially are really beautiful, subtle and musical but they cut through perfect. Next up was a 606 kick. I tend to use harder gabber techno kind of kicks, but a good moment to try something more subtle. Next up was a 909 low Tom, beautiful, you almost don’t need bass anymore!

Anyone has a sample of Nord Drum 2 clap?

Maybe we could continue the vote here and compile a free to distribute samplepack with one of each favorite :joy: A democratically voted ideal Frankenstein of a drum kit

PS it’s difficult to add to the topic myself, I don’t have any drum synth myself, only samplepack bought and freebies from all over. I tent to gravitate to 909s, so nothing new under the sun:) Of the few selfmade drums I made myself I think I like the DN kicks most, sampled a few and use them all the time in my OT.

Sublime use of (cowbell or clave?) in this:

First, I was a Hi Hats man. But now, definitely a Snare man.

EDIT: after reading @darenager

606: hats, snare, kick, cymbal, toms
707: snare 1, clap, kick 1, closed hat, rim
808: cowbell, snare, kick
909: snare, kick, rim, clap, cymbals

808 BD, SD, Clap, RS, Toms, Cymbal, Clave
606 BD, SD, Hats, Cymbal
909 BD, RS, Ride, Clap, Hats (sometimes)
707 BD1, BD2, SD1, SD2, RS, Clap

Between those lot and the occasional DMX, Drumtraks, Linn, DX and other digital vintage drum machines, and my own synthesised drum sounds I rarely need much else. I tend to prefer synthetic sounds to real most, but not all of the time.

Most modern drum machines like the Erica and LXR, Soma, etc stuff, don’t hit the spot for me, I can make better sounds (for me) using synthesis, which is something I have done since the early 90’s and still continue to enjoy doing.

I have to say though the Roland designers (Tadao Kikumoto et al) not only had an excellent idea of what worked, but they also managed it using the most elegant and ingenious methods.

Edit: If I had to choose one, it would be BD, probably TR808/08 or one I made.

5 Likes

SAW85-92 and the first two Ae albums are full of the R8 indeed.
Didn’t the R8 use samples? or was there some analog magic inside?

1 Like

R8 used samples but they had parameters for nuance etc.

2 Likes

Another evidence how good TR samples can sound :slightly_smiling_face:

1 Like

Just listened to a few snippets of your stuff on your Bandcamp, nice. I need to dive into this.

Yeah the R8 is samples well, a combination of short samples/waves and the R8 envelope and filter. There is some serious magic going on in that machine, no doubt. I’ve actually been considering buying a second power supply just so i can more easily sit with it on the sofa to make stuff, still might although they are £50!!!

I’ve tried putting R8 sounds into the Elektron and it’s ok but it really falls short in terms of that sound. The R8 has interesting ways to deal with a sample on repeat, with it adjusting ever so slightly to get a more natural or “human” feel, as was the machine originally marketed.

Also the workflow is super fun, albeit a bit convoluted initially, is a joy when it suddenly clicks. The pads are really nice to use as well, although solid plastic oddly have a better feel even to the pads on the Elektron, and obviously don’t feel the need to highlight themselves every time they are pressed or used, which is a massive dislike of mine.

Also PWOG used the R8 on their amazing Rhythm Volume 1 release. So good. We actually used this release for a kick off point for an upcoming remix release. I was listening to their John Peel session a few days ago, soo good and the claps through that delay, love that. Pretty that will find its way onto something in the future as well.

I used it on my private birthday hangout stream last year as well, the claps are so amazing.

Yeah, really love that machine. Hear on loads of music once you become familiar with it’s sound, i think in many cases where it might be thought to be a 909 or an 808, it’s actually the R8, as shortly after the well documented era of 909/808’s running for like £250 (how much I bought……and sold my 808 for) they did go up even more in price. At one point they were £500 :joy::joy::joy: so the R8 was often the better choice. I definitely wish i had gotten one years ago when mates suggested it. Tony of Distorted Waves of Ohm used one as well. He swore by it, and you can hear his percussion on the later Eurk stuff has that industrial sound which obviously being the R8 was used heavily for that too. Much of the early Aphex stuff uses more the acoustic sounding kick drums over the 808 boom. The stab was used loads back then, and the 808 hats, cymbals suit my taste more in my opinion than the real deal, which is obviously hugely connected to SAW 85-92 and other stuff of that era, Ae, PWOG, Orbital, Speedy J, the whole Ai era etc

I think getting the R8 out to the sofa is what i will do now :sunglasses:

Edit: just to add to good sounding samples chat, yeah totally, so many amazing techno tracks, although may well have had a 909/808 it was all about sampling it to get an edge, something fresh. I find it odd, although not surprising given how much theu cost now, that they are used more right out the box. The 909/808 sampled into Akai is very nice indeed

2 Likes

thanks for listening, and thanks for the interesting R8 insights :slight_smile:
Yes, some machines add their special flavor to samples

1 Like