Question For The Pros II

[smellyfuzz]

Let us talk of PUNCHING in Drums:

Can it be done ?

When is it done ?

Does there need to be a break in the beat for a CLEAN punch ?

 

[Gidge]

Disclaimer : I am not, do not claim to be, or play one on t.v. (a pro)....

but, I wouldnt punch in drums......

keep doing takes until you get a good take...if you cant get a good take, you could always cut and paste various parts from different takes (if you play to a click and start at the same spot)......

 

[Blue Bear Sound]

Can it be done ?

It can be done... with care.

When is it done ?

It is done when it needs to be done.... (ie, the drummer has gone, and a part needs a fixup -- or the drums on verse 2 were really solid and you want to fly the part into verse 1!)

Does there need to be a break in the beat for a CLEAN punch ?

A clean break helps, but the problem is usually cymbals... it is easy to punch in kick and snare, especially if they're gated.... it's much more difficult to do overheads due to the cymbal crashes.... you generally can't punch in/out anywhere mid-crash -- it's too obvious, and most drummers don't necessarily hit the exact same sequence of cymbals each verse, so care has to be taken to match up cymbal points if dropping in parts...

Bruce

 

[darnold]

it is possible. i try to avoid it but i have punched in drums many times. Usually it can only be done with a metrenome. Have the drummer play along with the tune, then punch in on the beat. It can be very difficult to get these clean but it is possible. The easiest way to do it is in a break of some sort. But like mentioned above you will have problems with the cymbals. The best way to avoid this problem again is to have the player play along. Usually the cymbals will ring out very close to the same and you will not notice the difference (sometimes). But always, not only with drum players, will i have the player play along with the song as i do the punch in. They are much smoother and more natural sounding this way. But it is possible, but requires extreme care and skill. Always listen for pops where the punch in is. But i have done many very clean drum punch-ins on breakes and non breaks.

Darnold

 

[RSMITH123]

I have done it on DA-88's and we popped in a hair of a second before a kick and it was seamless.

I have punched and cut and pasted drums tons of times in protools and it is much easier because of crossfades.

 

[LongWaveStudio]

i did it once but i remember doing something strange with compression at the punch in point to make the cymbals seem less noticiable. therefore this post is useless as i cant remember what i did.