Triggering Drum Samples

Today’s tip is from Sweetwater Tech Support wiz, Mark Harbst. When triggering drum or other samples in the K2000 or K2500 via the sampling inputs, it is sometimes hard to obtain a consistent triggering of the samples, especially if the drummer is playing jazz or some other genre that requires a busy style of playing with lots of variation in the dynamics. In this instance the best way to get a consistent trigger is to compress (see WFTD archive compressor) the signal before sending it to the sampling input. This will maintain a strong signal even when the hits are low in amplitude. Gating the signal can also help tighten things up . If you have the extra tracks available you could always do the triggering after the initial tracking session, and this way you’ll have more time to experiment and make changes on an as needed basis. For instance, at different parts of the song you might need to make adjustments to maintain a consistent trigger. If so, you could make those adjustments and punch in and out for only those areas of the song. Also, if you need to conserve tracks, you could always bounce the triggered samples along with the existing kick and snare, or whatever instruments you’re tracking. Editors Note: The techniques outlined above work for many drum triggering applications. They are not specific to the Kurzweil samplers.

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