chipmusic.org — Noise snare / Complete Drum Kit on Noise Channel threads (2014)

Two chipmusic-org threads from late 2014 on making drums in lsdj's noise channel alone, with concrete instrument settings and tables from several members, and the recurring advice that drums are best spread over channels.

Key claims#

Noise snare (t15443)

• SketchMan3: sweep "from a deep tone to a higher tone" for a "thwack"; noise + pulse snares "a la C64"; noise + wave — a wave-bass table whose short attack layers under the noise snare "to give it more body" (Joe McAlby's kick/snare/bass on one wave channel as the example); four classes of noise: deep crunchy (kicks), high (snares), higher (cymbals), periodic (buzzes, ride bells).
• Victory Road: start with a toned noise (C3/C4) and morph it into white noise with a quick S, noise type FREE not STABLE; the stereo snare trick — a very quick left-to-right (or right-to-left) pan at the top of the table, then centre; a high wave kick (tom-like) under the snare "and you'll get a really big sound".
• metatronaut's snare: ENV A3, shape AE, played at octave 6 (C6); table middle column F0 OL- / F0 O-R / -- OLR, H03 on row 8.
• SketchMan3's wave kick/bass table: TSP 12 PEE / 00 / 00 / 00 P00 / 01 / 00 … (a pitch bend from a high transpose, then bend off and a transpose to reset to the bass tone); snare companion 24 PEE / 12 / 12 / 00 P00 / 01 / 00; a growly synth bass with triangles drawn on the first frames so a smooth kick turns into the bass.
• The One Electronic, metatronaut: a high-toned wave kick layered with the snare gives "a really full and thick tone".

Complete drum kit on the noise channel (t15681)

• Mrwimmer: cymbals from the envelope alone; snares with a decay of 1 or 2 and a shape like FE or FD; noise kick: envelope decay 1, shape FC, table 00 --00 / 00 -SF0 / 00 -SF0 / 00 -SE0 / 00 --00 / 00 -H05 — "the noise sweeps down in pitch pretty quick".
• herr_prof: use the noise channel "to accent sounds on other channels" — definition for a sweepy pulse bass without wasting a melodic channel.
• jefftheworld: don't expect a realistic snare or an 808 kick from noise alone; SketchMan3: "A noise kick is never going to blow out your subwoofer"; JodyBigfoot: wave and pulse kicks "are so much nicer", constant noise "can really bring a track down".
• ForaBrokenEarth, Vegasdiamond: one percussive sound at a time, so spread parts over channels; double-time phrases; introduce instruments one by one (borrowed from beatboxing) — "the brain fills in the old things even if they're not there anymore"; missing hi-hats on the step before with D02 or D05.
• SketchMan3: a hi-hat-like loud attack in the first table row before the down-sweep makes a hi-hat + kick (or snare + kick) in one instrument; a whole song could live in tables; thebitman's "LSDJ and You" noise kick with a clicky attack.

Practical takeaways#

Noise drums: kick = low shape swept down (S with F0/E0 steps or the transpose column), snare = high shape with a quick sweep and a stereo flick, cymbals = envelope only; then layer a wave or pulse tone under kick and snare, and use D to squeeze hi-hats between them.

Notable quotes#

"Make it smack you in the face, whip you in the butt. FW'PAH!" — SketchMan3

Pages touched#

instrument-design · channel-interleaving · stereo-panning · instrument-tables · lsdj · chipmusic-org