Do not over do it with percussion

Do not over do it with percussion

One of the main mistakes new producers make when making edm is they program one 2 or 3 bar drum loop then they just loop it over and over  until they get a 8 minute track! This is by far one of the worst things you can do . Number one think of a drummer for a moment. Im sure you been to a Coldplay concert before  and seen a real drummer haven't we all been to a Coldplay concert? If not check this video.

Notice how the drummer does not hit the percussion or drums with the sticks at the same velocity,the same length of time and make the same sound each time. The drummer also has 2 hands and 2 feet so he can only trigger so many hits at any given time. The drummer also does not just play the  open high hat,the bass drum and the snares on the 2s and the 4s over and over and sound like a robot. No the drummer is human he gets tired he may hit one or a few hits with more force than others,then the drummer as you notice is setting the tone for the rest of the instruments in the band. For each phrase the drummer plays a certain way he may play one way during the intro,one way during the verse,one way during the reprise,one way during the middle 8 section,one way during the hook,one way during the chorus etc ,and of course go berzerk during the jamm session so you get the point.

Maybe that video did not do you the justice you deserve .So  check this video out pay attention to the intro with the drummer  notice how each hit is not the same as the last and it sounds real and natural thats the sound you want in your productions.



When programming the drum loops draw in some velocity this way you can create and replicate that human feel that is sometimes lost when midi was invented something like this

Thats all i have for you now i hope you got some good use of this velocity tip as it is very useful. Dont stop with percussion use velocity for strings,leads and pretty much anything in your mix to get the best results.