looking for advice on mixing drum samples into the mix...

[Hi_Flyer]

OK, so how are you supposed to line these up? Or maybe more specifically how do you *know* that you have lined them up correctly?

For example, a project that I'm working on right now, I wanted to blend a sample with the original tracks, not completely replace the hits. It looked like the polarity of the samples was completely opposite the polarity of the original snare hits. So I flipped the polarity of the samples. Is this the correct thing to do?

What about if the wavelength of the samples is a little bit different than the original snare hits? Should I be looking at primarily the initial transient? Or the whole drum hit (ie initial transient, plus the decay)?

I've been messing around with this stuff long enough that I am starting to be able to hear when the hits are a good bit off, but now I'm worried that the reason my snare hits aren't cutting through the mix is that I don't have them lined up correctly and I have sort of a phase cancellation thing going on. Is it even possible to have phase cancellation between a sample and an original drum hit? I know that technically you wouldn't call it that, but could it be sort of a similar effect?

 

[4everfresh]

Start by aligining the initial transient peaks (spot where the sound 'begins'), then use your ears to see if you hear one sound, or two (whichever you are going for)

What you see as having opposite polarity is merely the frequency component(s) of the sound that happens to be the loudest. As far as cancellation, you would have to have an absolutely identical sound, ie the exact same recording, and you would have to line them up (inverted) right down to the exact sample to obtain complete cancellation. However, you can do it, I have gone back and removed stuff from mixes this way. I don't know if it's worth trying to get 'punchiness' out of the mix by lining them up to coincide but I doubt it would matter on anything but a bass drum.