Creating a virtual drum kit from scratch

[freeztar]

I'd like to create a Battery kit of samples from some brazilian instruments that I own. I'm looking for some advice on how to do this most effectively. How many velocity layers do you recommend and what is the best way to get the different velocities? Also, what kind of processing should be done to the samples? It seems to me that I would want to at least eq the samples so that they didn't conflict when all played together. Any ideas or suggestions are appreciated.

[Chickenman]

I would suggest (cos this is what I prefer to get) no processing at all on the samples (maybe a very small amount of limiting)... use two or three mics for each single drum/instrument and try to keep the sound "more direct" (so you can put ambience on later).

I would be keen on roomy sounding samples though.

10 velocity layers should be all good, you could getaway with four though.. depending on the instrument.

[pljones]

The key to choosing how many velocity layers to capture is the instrument's response to being played harder. The more the response changes, the more layers you need. It may change a little at one end of the range and a lot at the other, so you'll need to pick the points in the range with some thought, too. There's no blanket "do this" answer.

Your velocity range should cover what a normal player would expect dynamically. This should include both very soft and very hard playing - and it's probably here you need to concentrate. The mid-range is more likely to have an even response.

Check for clipping while recording and adjust your input gain (or, if the mic's getting over-saturated - ?? does that happen ?? - move it further away or shield it somehow to attenuate the signal) to eliminate problems. But make sure you use the same set up for the complete set of samples for one instrument - both gain and the relative positions of the mics (tho' if playing the instrument makes it move around a bit, don't be too worried). Do a few test runs.

I'm not that fussed on mono vs stereo. Stereo if you're recording a full set of instruments in a particular arrangement makes it easier to set up later. I'd imagine there could be issues with room ambience in either case, if there's too much of it, but I've not really experiemented in that area.

I'm with Chickenman on processing: none is a good starting point.

Until recently, I'd have begged you to normalise the samples. This makes life easier in sfz. But I now have an alternative technique which means I'm not as fussed.

WAV files, not AIFF, please! (Another sfz requirement.)

[freeztar]

Thanks for the advice pljones and chickenman.

So no eq at all huh? I realize that zero processing is ideal, but unfortunately Battery does not allow you to eq individual cells/instruments so it would be advantagious to have the instruments spread through the spectrum (I believe it is the same with sfz no?).
Maybe I'll make two kits...one with eq and maybe some limiting) and one w/o.

I'm thinking seven velocity layers is a good starting point and I can work down or up from there depending on the instrument. So what is the best way to get the velocities? I find it hard to conceptualize narrow velocity ranges while playing. Volume is obvious, but attack is another thing all together when playing. A certain degree of it comes naturally (ie lower volumes usually equal slower attacks), but would it be best to focus on the velocities while recording, or afterwards with battery's built in adsr? Or, should I just record for volume and separate the ranges based on changes in response?
How do the professional sample creators do it??

Instruments to be included:

Pandeiro - fingertip hits, palm hits, thumb hits, and shakes

Berimbau - open, muted, and buzz muted

Caixa - short shake muted, short shake open, long shake open, and long shake muted

Cuica - 3 pitches: both long and short, and a back and forth on each pitch

Surdo - rim shot, higher pitch open, higher pitch muted, lower pitch open, lower pitch muted, and mallet strikes

Triangle - two sizes/pitches: open, half-muted, and muted


So that's a total of 6 instruments in 32 cells!

After I get some more feedback I'll start the recording process and I'll drop a note here when it is done.

...though it might take a little while...