Quantizing Your Drums

[djdarwin]

Sorry fellas... I dont record live drums. Not much of a drummer, but I can sequence.

Anyway...

Many people answer with try "whatever sounds good" or "experiment." I try both of those things every single day. I am asking you fellas on this post for a "general rule of thumb answer." I dont expect a quick fix or one size fits all response. These just dont exist in music or art.

I am producing Hip Hop so try to keep that in mind in your consideration of these questions.

What do you drum sequencers out there do to give your drums a more human feel?

What drums do you quantize? Do you quantize 100% or less than that?
What drums do you not quantize?

 

[pdadda]

For hip hop, I would definitely quantize kick, snare, and clap pretty heavily.

 

[Dumby]

Live takes only

 

[Elton Bear]

Get a drummer who can play in time. No quantizing, no mess. Alternatively, if you just want a simple break-beat groove, I'd suggest you experiment with recording each drum separately, gets them all in time, with a really clean, crisp sound.

(If you're a recording purist, please don't kill me for suggesting this)