Drum Samples And Reverb Effects

Using drum samples with reverb is grossly under-utilized in today's music production. For those who do use it, a lot of it is to take the sample beyond recognition and this is incorrect usage as far best practices are concerned. Using it correctly is an art form!

When considering using this samples, make sure to specify (at least to yourself) the role that the sound is supposed to fulfill. If it's for a single sound, you run the risk of making the other drum samples take a backseat to the reverb of this one instance. So if it's a noise that plays all the time and consistently, you should turn down the bleed/return.

The length of the reverb is one of the main points of debate. Some people claim that songs with a slower tempo warrant a longer 'tail' (release) on the reverb sound patch, while others ask you to experiment with long and short on both medium and fast tempo songs to see what works for you. Sometimes, a longer reverb will allow the other drum samples to have a little bit more freedom and not need to perform to fill in empty space. If one of the samples takes that burden off the rest, you'll have a lot more freedom!

There are so many practical applications for using this effect with the kinds of samples we've got. You can apply special files called IR files (Impulse Responses) which are environment simulators. What this means is that you could make your drum samples sound like they were recorded in a famous museum, like the Louvre, for instance, or anywhere else. IR files even exist for Grand Canyon locations and more spots - your creativity is the limit here. You can also apply the impulse response to other tracks for coherence.

Having said all of this, though, just about anything goes with certain types of electronic music. As long as something actually works for the song, nobody can tell you that it's not worthy of inclusion as an effect.

To really get experience and a natural knack for applying reverb effectively, you do need to try out different settings. Turn knobs, even if you're not sure of what they do. The deeper you get into it, the more knowledgeable you will get with time. Of course, there are always points at which you should read the manual and ask for advice if you're not sure why something works or doesn't work. Also, try different programs as they will have different parameters for you to modify and you may find one plug-in that just 'clicks' with your workflow and that you find really good - you may amass a collection of favorite plug-ins to use for modifying drum samples.

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