Alpha Centori have released Boom Bap Nucleus, the ultimate drum sound design toolbox, available at the intro price of $149.99, increasing to $299.99.
The purpose of this toolbox is to provide you with a rich variety of elements to work with for many years to come. One of the reasons why it contains such a vast array of sounds is to prevent obtaining overly similar results when layering and shaping your drums. With over 12,000 audio elements at your disposal, the possibilities are virtually limitless. For instance, if you create a kick with four layers of sounds, the total number of possible combinations amounts to an astounding 21,834,082,478,780. Using three layers results in 18,259,738,640 combinations, and with five layers, the possibilities soar to an unimaginable 20,882,116,482,705,190.
The ultimate goal is for you to develop your own unique signature drum sounds, all sourced from a single point of supply. This approach ensures a uniform sound while offering endless variations.
During the creation of Boom Bap Nucleus, three main categories of drum sounds were considered: drum machine sounds, live drum sounds, and vinyl drum sounds. The toolbox comes with designed snares, kicks, and hi-hats that were all created using this very collection. It also comprises raw drum sounds from vinyl and live drums, as well as layers of sounds that enable you to craft your own drums from scratch. Lastly, there is a texture folder, which proves invaluable in adding character, color, and warmth to your sounds.
To create a snare, you have the option to start from scratch with a transient click and then add layers of snare noise, mid beds and low tonals or build upon a raw snare to create a completely different sound. The suggested order of the layers is only a starting point.
For optimal results, I recommend using PunchBox from D16 Group, although several other tools and methods are available. These include using any AKAI MPC with layering function, Native Instruments Maschine, Kick 2 by Sonic Academy, Chop Suey by Tracktion, Triaz by Wave Alchemy, or any DAW with a MIDI controller, all of which can yield excellent results.
This toolbox is designed without strict rules or limitations. Your creativity and intuition should be the primary guides when using it. For instance, in the kick layers section, there are five layers provided, but you have the freedom to decide how many to use. Even if you opt for all five layers, you are not confined to using only the sounds within that section. The intention is to encourage experimentation and the development of your unique methods and systems. Trust your ears and imagination to lead the way in crafting your desired sounds. Embrace the freedom to explore and create in your own distinctive style.
The tuning of drums is a highly debated topic, particularly in the context of the electronic genre. Some producers and sound designers firmly believe in using only tuned drums, while others rely on their ears to determine whether the sound is pleasing.
Dry snares, claps, hi-hats, and snaps generally lack any noticeable pitch and thus do not require tuning. However, if you apply a hall reverb with a long decay to these elements, it might be beneficial to consider tuning them. On the contrary, kicks often need tuning, as many of them have a distinct tone, particularly long sub kicks like the 808 and similar variations.
In creating this toolbox, I deliberately omitted drum tuning because individuals tend to have their own preferred methods for detecting the pitch of a sound. Moreover, various tools can yield different pitch readings for the same sound, depending on their accuracy. Therefore, I concluded that leaving the sounds with an undetected pitch would be the most suitable approach, allowing users to determine the tuning based on their own judgment and preferences.
To help you grasp the capabilities of this toolbox, you can download a sample of the designed drums that were created with Boom Bap Nucleus. This will give you a good idea of what you can achieve with this versatile collection.
All sounds included in this toolbox are in WAV format at a 44.1 kHz sample rate and 16 bit resolution. All sounds are mono except for the designed sounds which are in stereo.
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