I’ve been working on creating a drumset for a project. I’ve collected some samples that I think might work. In examining some Beatbuddy drumsets I’ve noted that a drum has more than one sample to randomize. Not sure I’ll be able to collect what I want.
Perhaps someone else has created a kit I can purchase without having to “reinvent the wheel” so to speak. I’ll post a youtube link of a recording that has some representative percussion.
Instead of making me reinvent the wheel, why not just tell me what instruments are in the kit?
Gotcha. Problem is no one knows exactly what they were using. Some say that Lazy Lester took a rolled up news paper and slapped it on a stool. Maybe they used spoons for some stuff. My approach has been based mostly on what I hear. The sounds I’ve collected are mostly Foley type sound FX. “Hand slap on a two or table”, stuff like that. I suppose they might work but unlike some BB sets the same sound would likely be triggered every time. I would guess that traditional percussion elements won’t fit the bill.
I have some homemade stuff in my Coffee House kit, but nothing quite like spoons. As far as newspaper slapping a stool, well, it’s easy enough to record something like that, do it a couple tim3 at different intensities, and then you have the multi samples.
Thanks Phil. I actually do have the capability to record and capable software. Time to roll up the sleeves. Appreciate the input.
I did some additional research on Lazy Lester and Excello. The statement regarding newspaper slapping a stool comes up a couple times. I never did see a reference to spoons, but I like the idea of having those in an Excello kit. The most interesting thing was an altered approach to using a conga drum, where Lester taped a coin to his finger and played the conga. This was also used for a side strike to the conga. There is also reference to using a drum stick to hit the wall. I assume a wooden box would work for that. There were hits to cardboard boxes, too.
There also was a drum kit. This, I assume, would have been quite minimal at the time. Most pics I see from the era had a kit with a kick drum, a single snare, and a suspended cymbal. Hi hats may have been known at the time, but were not in widespread use among less wealthy drummers.
That all makes for fun kit.
kick
Stool slap
Cardboard box hit
Snare
Spoons (probably 3 slots, down strike, up strike, and “roll.”
Small ride (a couple slots, edge, middle, bell)
Stick to box.
Conga head coin strike
Conga side coin strike.
Probably add a tambourine, too.
If you decide to tackle this, let me know, and feel free to ask for help.
I am going to wrestle with this. I appreciate your research and concur that the sounds you listed would be valued additions to a set of this type. Later excello recordings do use more complete set. I will value your input so you may expect to hear from me on this. Should be fun…
Phil, a little off track here but if the option exists in an existing drum kit to mute the drum as in this Jimmy Reed cover:
I know this is also done with some kind of dampening disk in the physical world. If you know of it in an existing kit please let mw know.
I think compression and eq to take off the highs, and you’ll have it, but I’ll look for some muted drums. Or, better yet, take a mute conga run it through a pitch shifter and then add a bit of eq boost to the top end and you should have a great muted drum sound. There is a mute conga in the Latin kit.