Get variations to drums without pitching them.

[ferdik]

To get variations and a more natural touch to a snare sample (or other drums sounds), and avoid the machine gun effect, you often get the tip to pitch the sample slightly different. You could do this by assign pitch to velocity in a sampler.

I don't like this because I think it sounds like a melody played with the drum sample! So is there another old trick in the book to use here?

[CHOOS]

True but you only allow the variation to go up or down a few cents so it stays within reason.
Also use:
different velocity
Swing
you can even add a transient shaper to it and automate the louder hits to have more attach (recreating reality... kinda)
multi-sampled snares
process a the same snare slightly differently and re-sample them

That's it for now

[TIMT]

Change the sample start point and add fades to the beginnings and ends of the samples.instant "ghost"hits or softer articulations.you can also link them to a very gentle lowpass filter modulated by an envelope to push them back a bit when they need to be

I don't repitch drums personally and especially not for articulations

[Kinh]

ya dont naw-eed ta pitch no drum unless it'z a kick. you dig?

[GRUMP]

Feel free to try everything possible. We´re not in School.

A contemprary Method would be to split the Sample up into a tonal and a Noise Part and modulate the Balance (Groove Agent, ...).

But Layering (with anything), Pitch, Pan and also the Amp Envelpe are probably more common. The Amp Envelope is one of the most powerful Tools of a regular Sampler.

I remember very well seducing every Parameter of my ASR10. Be creative!