Layering drum sounds to achieve fatter patterns is such an awesome technique, but it can get quite annoying having to copy all the hits to various places in session for the drop, build-up etc.When you're happy with your three or four snare drums when they're played together, try resampling them One drum... job done.
Now you can save this snare drum as your own, home-made sample and use it whenever you need. Use this same method for loops. If you've created a complex loop using several percussive sounds, export or resample them into a single audio loop file. Now you could be looking at just five tracks of kick, snare, hats, percussion and crash. Not only is this easier on the mind, it will also save you heaps of CPU power.
For the first part you can either create a loop or make individual hits for your new combined sounds. Here we've put together a simple kick-snare Dubstep pattern. Use a bit of compressionand EQ to perfect the sound.
Solo the drums that you want to merge and, if you want to create a loop, select how long you want it to last for. Always check your master output isn't clipping, as this can ruin your samplewhen you come to use it later.
Drop the new files into place and watch your workflow speed up ten-fold. You can now experiment with the combined sound. Try reversing every other hit on the snare sample.Layering the splashy clap sample on top of the lower snares can create an awesome build.
