Arranging Drum Parts III

In my two previous columns ("Arranging Drum Parts" in the April/May

2007 issue of MET and "Arranging Drum Parts II" in the September/
i-iighiigint your drum
October issue), I discussed several techniques for creating interesting
drum and percussion tracks. These techniques included thinning out traci<s witin these
drum tracks, detuning drum and percussion sounds, and layering.
In this column. Til describe several effects that can be used to enhance
your students' drum tracks. As before, these techniques will work with simpie effects.
many contemporary musical styles and can be used by students with
minimal performance skills.

Although EQ (equalization) is normally used to

correct tonal imbalances in a track, it can also be
used to create several different sonic effects. Wfih
Example 1 C3 begins with two measures of a basic
drum-kit pattern. In measures 3 and 4, the low fre-
quencies are attenuated, giving the track a lighter,
more buoyant sound and making it easier to hear
the bass.
In measures 5 and 6, the low end has been restored
and the high end is attenuated. This produces a dark,
muffled sound, as if the drummer was playing under a
blanket, and makes it easier to hear the stereo delays
on the bright synth sound.
In measures 7 and 8, both the highs and the lows
have been attenuated, leaving only the middle frequen-
cies. This makes it sound as if the drum track is being
played through a megaphone. All of these filtering
effects are great ways to inject some sonic variety in a
mix without losing the track's rhythmic feel.

CHORUS
Applying a small amount of chorus is an easy way to
add some thickness and animation to a drum track.
In Web Example 2 ^ , the drums begin with no chorusing.
The chorus effect is added in measure 3. You can hear
how the effect animates and smears the drum sounds,
especially the cymbals.
f\6.1: This screen shot from Propellerhead Reason shows the Redrum drum module in the middle
portion of the screen. Drum sounds 4, 5, and 6 are assigned fo tambourine, triangle, and belt
free. Hie controls highligfifed in green determine how much revetb is added \a each sound. The
RV7000 reverberafion module above fhe Redrum module is displaying tbe iong reverberation fime
fhat produced the effect heard in Web Example 5.

MUSIC EOUCATIDN TECHNOIOGY • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2007

www,metmagazlnB.coni
FLANGING
The tunneling effect of flanging can be
used to add some sonic spice to a spe-
cific pattern or fill. In Web Example 3 ^%
you can bear tbe flanging effect added
to the drum kit. Tbe effect is increased
during the drum fills in measures 4
and 8.
DELAY
Tempo-synchronized delay can be
used to create rhythmic subdivisions
of tbe beat. In Web Example 4 Z.^, delay is
added to the entire drum track starting
at measure 5. You can hear how this
double-time effect changes tbe feel of
tbe music. If eacb sound in your drum
kit is on its own cbannel, you can add
various amounts of delay to different
drum sounds.
REVERB
Adding reverb to a drum track cre-
ates a sense of space that can be very
subtle, very pronounced, or anything
in between. In Web Example 5 ^ , listen to
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the kit as well as the tambourine, trian-
gle, and bell tree. In measure 6, a large
amount of reverb (simulating a huge
acoustic space) is added tn the tambou-
rine, triangle, and bell tree. Notice how
these instruments shimmer much longer
and create a much larger sense of space.
Ro. 1 shows how the reverb can be added
to specific sounds in the drum kit.
DISTORTION
Although distortion usually doesn't
come to mind when thinking about
effects for drums, it can be used to
give the drum track a rough, edgy, lo-fi
sound. Distortion is added to the drum
track in measure 5 of Web Example 6 CS.
You can hear bow this makes the sound
more coarse. Again, if each drum sound
is on its own channel, you can add dif-
ferent amounts of distortion to each
one. In most cases, distortion sounds
better on bass drums, snares, and toms
than on cymbals and higb-pitched per-
cussion instruments such as shakers and
tambourines.
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When you demonstrate these effects
to your students, be sure to explain
che most important parameters of each
effect. Also, show the students bow
to change the effect settings in a song
using automation or snapshots of the
settings at specific locations in the song.
If you are using a loop-based program
with younger students, you can create a
new track with the effects configured as
desired and simply drop the drum loop
into the new track whenever you want
the effect.
As an exercise, you might ask stu-
dents to add different effects at dif-
ferent points in a song. When your
students learn to recognize the effects
and to integrate them into their drum
tracks, they will be in a much better
position to create more interesting
music.
Don Muro (www.donmuro.com) is a
member of the NYSSMA Technology
Committee and the T1:ME Board of
Directors.
Mix(
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