Tips on Real Drum Editing

[scrubs]

I'm using Cubase SE and am trying to edit a drum take (my own assy playing) where most of it was ok, but there was one really flubbed fill. I know, RTFM -- and I did read the chapter on editing samples. I did the hitpoint selection and chopped it up -- then I spend about 2 hours manually dragging the hits around to get them in time for each mic (kick and 2xOH). Is there not an option where I can just align them to a grid, like with MIDI once they're all sliced up? Then, once I have them aligned, what is the best way to close up the gaps and reinsert the corrected part without excessive popping? The close gaps feature only works if the tempo is being changed; the glue feature leaves pops; and it won't let me crossfade over a gap between slices...

Anyway, if any of you gurus who do this for a living have tips on how you edit drum takes, I'd be especially appreciative. Thanks.

[travelin travis]

play it again sam. if that's an option. sorry man, i have'nt had the need to use slicing, hit points, etc. i'm very interested in hearing the answer though.

[Greg_L]

yeah, hit points. no idea how to use that stuff.

[TelePaul]

hit points calculate emphasis based on threshold methinks.

[noisewreck]

Hitpoints are kinda tricky. I must say ReCycle is much better at nailing the actual beginning of the hits. With Cubase's hitpoints you gotta zoom in and manually adjust those points. Honestly, sometimes it's easier to just chop the whole damn thing up by hand! Most likely your hits aren't getting chopped at zero-crossing, that's why you're getting clicks.

It is painstaking work. No way around it, I'm afraid. Like others said, it probably would be heck of a lot easier to play it again, rather than do it by hand, plus, it (playing again) will sound much more natural anyway.

However, if you insist on doing it the hard way, you can use the additional lanes in the audio part editor to insert some "tails" of other hits inbetween the slices to fill out the silences. I do this when working with breakbeats and other drum loops sometimes, and sometimes, it just gives the whole thing another feel. Certainly a cool technique, so thought I'd throw it out there.

[Track Rat]

Personally, I do it manually. That is I zoom in on each individual track (kik, snare, tom 1, etc) and find eachs zero crossing and make a cut. Same for the stop point. Then I'll do what ever voodoo I have in mind. Again as a personal preference, I never try to allign anything to a click. If I were reparing a fill, I'd find a simular fill or at least one that's close enough, copy that, delete the bad section, and paste the copy in its place. If it's just a fill, unless you're the worst drummer ever (and that would be saying something ) the timing should be imperceptably close to the original so all should "fit". If anything, cut the copy a bit long so there will be no voids. I do this kind of stuff ALL the time and for all intents and purposes, it's an invisible edit.

[scrubs]

Thanks guys. I was definitely looking for the button that says "make me a better drummer" (I've only been playing for a few months), but I guess it doesn't exist. I generally just click the loop feature and record several takes until I get one that is "good enough" and just go with it. This was my best take of the bunch, except for that one fill. I tried copy/pasting a measure from earlier in the song, but it just didn't sound right. Anyway, I've now got it close to what I want -- now back to practcing.

[travelin travis]

Originally Posted by scrubs

Thanks guys. I was definitely looking for the button that says "make me a better drummer" (I've only been playing for a few months), but I guess it doesn't exist. I generally just click the loop feature and record several takes until I get one that is "good enough" and just go with it. This was my best take of the bunch, except for that one fill. I tried copy/pasting a measure from earlier in the song, but it just didn't sound right. Anyway, I've now got it close to what I want -- now back to practcing.

yea, i can crack drummer jokes all day long but when it comes time to stepping into their shoes, things ain't so funny is they?

[Greg_L]

Originally Posted by TravisinFlorida

yea, i can crack drummer jokes all day long but when it comes time to stepping into their shoes, things ain't so funny is they?

thats why i learned to play most major instruments. now i can crack jokes on anyone.

[noisewreck]

This reminds me of a certain Seinfeld episode