Their character is bright and metallic, and electronic hi-hats approximate the real thing. They’re extremely expressive, ranging gradually from short and staccato (closed) to sustaining and washy (open). The hi-hats are a pair of cymbals that are pushed together or moved apart using a foot pedal, and struck with a stick. The clap may also be used as an extra percussion element, unrelated to the snare part. The snare’s strong, defined transient can easily mask the clap’s diffuse one, so the clap is often played a little earlier than the snare to make it stand out, as in our example above. Sometimes used as an alternative to the snare drum in dance genres, or stacked with the main snare hits, handclaps are usually a sample of multiple people clapping at once, or a synthesised approximation. The sidestick/cross-stick gives a woody ‘click’ that’s very often confused for the rimshot, which is actually a super-punchy hit produced by whacking the head and rim simultaneously. The snare’s main sound comes from striking the head, but further sounds can be produced. When the hits are very quiet, as in bar 2 of our example above, they’re called ghost notes, filling gaps in the beat and adding a further sense of propulsion. However, it can be displaced, and extra hits introduced, to create variations and syncopated beats. In most genres, the snare is found on beats 2 and 4 (the backbeat), providing a sense of push and forward motion. The exact balance and character of these three vary depending on genre and mix requirements. Whether real or electronic, a typical kick drum has 3 sonic components: an initial transient smack that's very short and can cover practically the entire frequency range a rapid drop in pitch, which gives that chest-thumping punch and finally, sustaining at the fundamental frequency (usually below 120Hz, right down to 40Hz, and theoretically even as low as 20Hz), responsible for the real low-end, speaker-rumbling bass. In rock genres, the kick is not usually played together with the snare like this, demonstrated in bar 2. In disco and many dance genres, it’s often played relentlessly on the beat, as in bar 1 of our example above, where it doubles up with the snare/clap on the 2 and 4. ![]() ![]() The pumping, beating heart of the rhythm in practically every genre, the kick is the largest drum in a real kit and so delivers the lowest frequencies. For your complete guide to designing Killer Beats, pick up the January edition of Computer Music. Here, we'll take you on a guided tour of all of them, from kick to crash via everything in between.
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