There are many ways to finesse a drum recording at the mix stage, from manual editing to audio quantisation tools like Elastic Audio and Beat Detective. And as virtual drum instruments have evolved, many producers now prioritise the control and flexibility of MIDI-triggered drums over traditional audio-based editing. However, replacing or augmenting real drum performances with third-party samples from a virtual instrument can compromise the individuality of the drummer’s sound. A hybrid approach, using samples derived from the original drum recording, offers the best of both worlds: the control that virtual instruments offer, without changing the core drum sound itself. That’s what we’re looking at this month.
The advantages of this are threefold. It retains the character of the original performance, it avoids the potential for sonic mismatches between the…
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Sound On Sound USA (Digital) - 1 Issue, April 2025