Anyone get overwhelmed with to many sounds?

[Remedial]

I agree with Ronnie. Many times the kick I find has to be altered in some way to get to the sound I'm envisioning in my head. And, the real problem nowadays is that there are SO many drum kits to choose from that you find yourself getting overwhelmed by not only the amount of sounds you have but also by the constant need to get your hands on every new kit that hits the scene.

After going through a period just like that myself, I've developed a system: Find which company makes the best kicks to my taste and stick with them for just that, find which company makes the best hi hats to my taste, etc...

It's kind of on some, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Now, I didn't say snares because, personally, I haven't found any sound designer that makes good to great snares. Most of them have "passable" snares, but nothing that I can use without having to layer.

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[roymaya]

Very true what others have said. I gave up scrolling through patches or kits to find the best sound, it's a creativity killer for me. I remember one time I spent an hour going through every bass patch I had to find the best one for that song. By the time I was was done I was freakin bored and lost the inspiration I had. Right then and there I said I would never do that again, at least not when I'm writing Now I find something that I quickly like and stop and go with it. You have to trust yourself. You can always tweak things later or at worst change the sound later on. Don't break that creativity flow or it can be a killer!

[3rd Degree]

With drums, especially, I make my own kits. It's something that is ever evolving. When you add to it, make sure you purge something. I am going to have to start new folders of "classic snares" or something of all the ones I use way to often as I don't want to purge them but I don't want to not have them handy. Then you keep your hundreds of drum banks so they are there but you have all your good sounds in one place. I only go to the drum banks outside the one I made when I really am trying to do something different, or just need a new sound. If it works, add to my personal drum bank.

[DAH]

In my experience - I better get off with like 20 MYSELFISHLY SAMPLED basic kicks and turn 'em into what fits the track. It IS hip-hop - taking something and MAKING it your own. Plus usually there is only like 30 usable kicks of 400 samples. snares\hats - not a problem in my opinion, but kicks... I love 'em MINES anyways

[Silver Sonya]

All samplers and softsynths should have a way to delete the sounds from within the instrument browser.

This problem drives me nuts.

I would love it if Kontakt or Battery could do this.

Abundance is a nightmare. Please allow me to quickly delete upon hearing!

- c

[mrwonderful]

More sounds the better duhh!

[sameal]

i don't do rap or hip hop or whatever, but I've encountered people with these problems often, and when i get them working with me and my setup they get that way. they get overwhelmed by the sheer amount of places i can pull sounds from. but i don't have a single piece (except the recent additions) i haven't recorded with at the very least once.

i use reason alot, and that alone, to me is infinite. i could sort through kick and snare combos for days in just reason alone. but i don't.

i find a sound i like and go with it. i don't spend too much time hunting down the perfect combination because i'd never be satisfied and waste all kinds of time hunting for the best. plus, you need to make songs later, so save the rest, for later.

find a sound you like and go with it. save the rest for later.

don't get to caught up in little changes either. or youll end up with 16 different versions of the same song with still no idea which ones better.

as the old saying goes, "sh1t or get off the pot"

[Cam Citi]

Yea man, for me Sample Collecting is like Crate Digging. I got a 3tb Mybook portable HD filled with samples. When i have no inspiration sometimes ill just go thru sounds for like an hour and set aside things i like put em into a "On Deck" folder, that way next time i need inspiration i go there. Then i got my Go To's all in a folder when i wanna get something down quick.

[dullfangs]

Originally Posted by grimethamc

I have like 40billion drum kits and I feel like most of them sound the same. I spend way to much time scrolling through sounds looking for the perfect kick/snare. I should be spending more time actually making beats. I think I'm addicted to drum kits, my curiosity is just to much to not buy or DL them. When I first started making beats I had one Croup kit and I swear I made better beats faster and easier. And let's not even get into all the synth presets

yeah, the best thing you can do when you begin making a record is limit your pallete.

i am only using a handful of synths and two different drum kits on my album. i'm also using the same eq's and compressors on every track, and same mastering limiter.

the best thing to sound like a "record" is to have a cohesive set of sounds. it's not so much about having the best sound quality, but about having a consistent "tonal" quality if that makes any sense...

if you pick the best hip hop albums a lot of them use very similar sounds from song to song... it's about developing some sonic signatures. what do you really like to hear? and try to do it better than you heard other people do it, there's no reason why you can't take things to the next level.

[KevWest]

i don't use many one shot kits for that reason. I would rather have a vst with everything already laid out there. I use Addictive Drums for most of my drums these days though I do have quite a few kits I can usually process those drums to sound how I want them to and for synthetic drums I use Tremor. I might get Arturia Spark for my drum machine sounds and then be done with it all it makes life so much easier that way.

[DesmondA]

Go through them and make your own kit by stacking a few.

[Hypnotic]

You should just think of each sound as a place marker until the arrangement is done and you are ready to clean the mix up. Set a time limit for how long it will take you to finish a song. That helps too. But that's just me of course.

[beat you down]

Originally Posted by Silver Sonya

All samplers and softsynths should have a way to delete the sounds from within the instrument browser.

This problem drives me nuts.

I would love it if Kontakt or Battery could do this.

Abundance is a nightmare. Please allow me to quickly delete upon hearing!

- c

i think you can create a favorite list in NI products.

[sameal]

Originally Posted by DesmondA

Go through them and make your own kit by stacking a few.

+1
kit stacking is almost always a good idea.

[Below Zero]

Downloading drums is corny

[Nahuel]

Originally Posted by Below Zero

Downloading drums is corny

Trying to replicate 1995 ad vitam aeternam aint that much better

[Below Zero]

95 sounds better

[Djtdot]

Yea I feel that u can never have enough sounds but if organized I can find what I need quicker, but most of my final touches come in the mixing stage.

[lemonsquash]

I'd rather take 2 good samples than a 2 gb uncategorized sound library. Make a folder including the best, then do the same process again multiple times. Shift+del is your friend. Mediocre sample = instant delete.

[dan p]

Originally Posted by grimethamc

I have like 40billion drum kits and I feel like most of them sound the same. I spend way to much time scrolling through sounds looking for the perfect kick/snare. I should be spending more time actually making beats. I think I'm addicted to drum kits, my curiosity is just to much to not buy or DL them. When I first started making beats I had one Croup kit and I swear I made better beats faster and easier. And let's not even get into all the synth presets

Take your favorite kit and make your beats.
Sub the sounds out after you create layers and you can see your production start to take shape,otherwise you get into a black hole of sounds that could take hours.Waste is haste we all like to hate........Unless you are digging the journey through the space.Happens sometimes........

[Remedial]

Originally Posted by Nahuel

Trying to replicate 1995 ad vitam aeternam aint that much better

I'm with you. I still think 93 was the best year of hip hop but trying to recreate that on every track is pointless.

And, even if you choose to do that, PUTS style, don't condescend on other folks because they don't feel the same way. But, that seems to be the case with the 90's diehards.

And, what you have to love about them even more is that when you hear their music, they're either complete clones of somebody who wouldn't appreciate being cloned or their product is a horrible rendition of what they profess to love.

Time and the sonic nature of hip hop has moved on. There's no way of either stopping it or putting it in reverse.

In the end, work smarter, not harder, when it comes to drums. There are no awards for doing things the long or hard way, unlike what some folks would have you believe with their imaginary standards.

PS My favorite story of the 90s diehards, of whom Madlib is their most recent king, is how a few years back they used to scream up and down that all Madlib used for his beats was an SP 303 and, if you couldn't use just that, then you need to give up producing.

THEN, there was the Elemental issue that covered Madlib's studio and this man had every hardware sequencer known to man and he said that he always gets anything new that comes out in that realm. But, let these folks had told it, you'd swear they were in the studio with him and KNEW he only used the 303. So, my words of wisdom are, carve your own path, don't go following what you "believe" to be someone else's.

[SNVP]

Originally Posted by grimethamc

I have like 40billion drum kits and I feel like most of them sound the same. I spend way too much time scrolling through sounds looking for the perfect kick/snare

Sounds like you have a large collection of sounds, that are not fit for purpose within your chosen musical style,

What to you are the 'perfect' kicks and snares?

where can you find these perfect kicks and snares in abundance?

go and buy that sample library and or that synth,

spend less time browsing and more time vibing