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Lesson time: (9min 49sec)
This lesson is part of the course Produce a killer pop track
Watch a preview of the full course below.
Lesson transcript:
Right, guys! To start off, we're going to break down the drums in the post-chorus section of the song.
You can see up here I've got a bunch of MIDI that's sequencing through Battery. You can also use any drum sequencer. Here are the various layers that make up this section:
Next, we've got:
Moving forward, we skip down to:
Next up, we've got a light snare drum pattern that's actually a loop I sampled, chopped up, and picked the rhythms I want.
We also have a few bigger drum loops that help refine the groove:
When you combine these parts, they sit together nicely and create a cohesive groove.
We've also got tom fills taken from various drum loops I have stored on my hard drive. I choose the parts I want to help mark the transition into each section.
One of the last things I added was this last chorus where the song breaks down to just the vocals.
These are clean WAV files that I've drag-and-dropped onto the grid.
Initially, it sounds pretty raw and uninspiring. I use a light bit of delay to add the flam effect we discussed, giving it a doubling effect and making it sound bigger.
Next, we use a compressor:
You'll notice the shape of these waveforms changes from a curve to more of a brick wall sound, making the sounds chunkier and longer.
Then, we add a healthy bit of reverb:
In the middle eight, I introduced this part to foreshadow it. When you add a new color close to the end of the song, it's good practice to introduce a bit beforehand to help the listener get accustomed to it.
I keep the volume down so you don't hear it too loudly in the final version, but it sonically helps glue everything together. Then I add a little snare drum sample to remind listeners of the return to the post-chorus.
One last point I want to draw attention to is how I group and process all these drums together.
We start with these buses and look at the routing in the software:
The compression here is pretty intense, squashing everything down.
Adding back the parallel compression and reverb brings out weight and energy, gluing everything together.
Ultimately, if you pay attention to the various colors and sounds you're using, alongside good samples, you can achieve a polished record with minimal effort. The drums stand out compared to the keyboards and guitars, reflecting a careful selection of sounds rather than heavy processing.
Paul Whalley is a multi-instrumentalist, producer and songwriter with a deliberately broad sound. He spent years on the road as a touring session musician with artists including Mumford & Sons and Ellie Goulding. Classically trained, he holds an undergraduate degree in instrumental performance and a Master's in composition from the Guildhall School of Music. Since moving from touring into production and songwriting he has worked with artists such as NAO, Wretch 32 and Nina Nesbitt, and played on top-40 records around the world, including Little Mix's 'Shout Out to My Ex'. He is based at Tileyard Studios in north London, where he writes and produces for major UK labels and develops new artists. On MusicGurus he and Emmi Green deconstruct a pop record from scratch - every arrangement and production decision laid bare - for songwriters and producers who want to hear how hit records are really built. read more
