The fundamentals of doing so are pretty straightforward: take a simple source sound, such as a sine wave for kicks or toms, or a noise generator for hats and snares, then shape its percussive qualities using short pitch sweeps and tight amp envelope or filter modulation. Similarly, subtractive synthesis remains an appealingly simple way to synthesise percussion sounds. The appeal of one-shot sampling as a source for drum sounds is pretty obvious – it’s incredibly simple in a modern DAW to drag and drop a sound for instant playback, and with the wealth of samples readily available online, almost any drum sound you can think of is readily available. Generally speaking, classic drum machines tended to use a mixture of simplistic sampling and subtractive synthesis to create drum sounds, and these remain the go-to paradigm for a lot of electronic music today. As powerful synths and effects have become cheaper and more accessible, it’s become easier than ever for producers to step away from using the same old sounds and begin to push the boat out when it comes to sound design.
Once you move away from attempting to replicate traditional percussion sounds, there’s no limit to how weird and unusual your sounds can become.
What synths and samplers lack in realism when it comes to creating drum patterns, they more than make up for in creative potential.
Here, we’re turning our attention to the other end of the spectrum, foregoing realistic sounds in favour of weirder, more creative percussion.
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