Enhancing Your Drums with Effects

Right now, I want to talk about some handy things you can do to your drums, some nice effects you can put on them.

Overview

Just to remind you, I have one whole track dedicated to drums. Every single clip on this track is a drum beat of some sort. There are some fun effects that I like to use:

• High Pass Filter
• Low Pass Filter
• Reverb to Delay
• Beat Repeat

High Pass and Low Pass Filters

I'm very into having both a high pass and a low pass filter. Here's how I set it up:

1. Routing: This track is routed to "Drum Dummy."

2. Low Pass Filter:

   • I'm using an EQ8, as Live9's EQ8 sounds great.
   • I mapped the frequency and Q to a knob:
     • Right-click on the knob.
     • Map it to the desired parameter.

3. High Pass Filter:

   • I have number eight selected.
   • Right-click this knob and map it to the Q as well.
   • Now I've got a nice high pass filter effect.

Reverb to Delay

Another effect is the reverb to delay.

• Turning the knob to the left gives you reverb.
• Turning it to the right gives you delay.
• In the middle, it is completely dry.

I set this up by creating a couple of chains where the dry signal is in the middle and it fades into reverb and delay.

Beat Repeat and Crusher

You can also create interesting effects similar to the beat repeat and crusher:

• Left: Bit crushing
• Right: Variable beat repeat
• Middle: Totally clean sound

I have this set so that four buttons on my controller will affect these beat repeats.

Setting Up a Beat Repeat

To show you how to set up one of these:

1. Add Beat Repeat: Drop a beat repeat right into the middle of the track.

2. Select Repeat Mode: This means, as soon as it is turned on, it will start repeating at the specified grid interval.

   • For example, let's do 30-second notes.

3. Playing the Clip: When you hit a note and engage the button, you will get a 30-second note repeater.

You will still hear the main beat because our beat repeat is set to mix, giving you both dry and wet signals. I prefer setting it to insert, which cuts out the beat completely. This way, we only hear the repeat, creating a drum fill effect.

Experimenting with Drums

Depending on when you engage it, you'll get different repeats. This is a fun way to play around with drums and generate unique drum fill sounds.

Conclusion

When you start experimenting with your filters and beat repeats, you can achieve some pretty cool effects.

To recap:

• Take a Beat Repeat: Make sure repeat is on and set it to your favorite grid.
• Activate the Button: Each activation brings a new level of beat repeat madness!

Have fun creating!