Personally, i think you people are just lazy if u dont want to spend the time to make your kit have that extra sparkle it needs.....Yes. Alot of the time - u may just really need to reload a new sound to replace the old one and problem solved, but often that method can sway u away from really makin that kick "kick!", or that HH sparkle......
I almost never enjoy the way even my DOPEST kick, snare, etc... sounds so ill end up doin this kind of manipulation to the kits regardless everytime....I dont see it as counterproductive considering no matter what sample i load in my drum machine its still not going to have the thump, resonance, correct decay, and start time as i require for that specific song - to me - thats jus the way it is if u want yer shit to sound right. So in the end even that really awsome sounding kick still needs a little doctoring to make it sound 'professional' in my opinion......to me its worth the time....Sorry, but its part of being a musician - u have to have patience often to achieve the technical side of your music so that your creative side can shine just as equally.
A couple quick tips:
When using EQ - Try to ALWAYS CUT before "boosting".......adding more to frequency ranges that u already have other sounds swarming with can never be the best approach because then your left with one spectrum flooded with too many similar accompanying frequencies rather than covering a wider spectrum.
Envelopes are dope! - Dont forget about how useful simply chopping the start of a hit can be.....Decay time is always great to adjust on just about everthing as well - when doing this i often try to do it to the point where i can still let the track breath but have the individual hits sounds retain their original luster....What this does is leave more room for other sounds.
FX - Some times all yer kit will need to really make it feel ambient, or "real" is a little tastefull reverb on the snare, or a some "phasing" or "chorus" on the hats.
STEEZO
