Do the drums always have to "bang"?

[MagnaOpera]

I think about this pretty often; it's not uncommon for me to get feed back on a beat to the effect of "the drums need to bang harder"... which is suitable for some tracks, but here's what I'm thinking:

Ever listened to jazz? rock? in the majority of songs (outside of hip hop), the percussion is "accompanying" a lead guitar and vocals, etc. If you listen to alot of music (again, not including hip hop) you will notice that the kick drum does NOT cut through the mix, and that a real kick drum sounds like more of a pop than a boom..

So really I'm just trying to spark a discussion about this here: in your opinion, do the drums always have to bang? should they always be at the "front" of the mix? is a beat shitty just because the kick is subtle?

1

 

[Relic]

Only if your making hiphop..

 

[UNORTHODOX]

only if it actually adds to the track. if the joint is mellow it should drive the beat but not overpower it. bangin drums are preferred but it needs to fit evrything.

 

[MagnaOpera]

Only if your making hiphop..

the mind is like a parachute...

man like I think about some of my favourite beats (not my own) and quite a few of them have kicks that are barely audible, and yet I feel the percussion is sick.. whats up with that? Beats that appear on albums by artists considered to be "classic" or "hot" don't always have a bangin' kick.. I think you're a pretty near-sighted person if you think all hip hop tracks have to have "bangin" drums.. might want to rethink the whole cookie-cutter thing.

 

[slik da relic]

im more inclined to hear the snare bang more that the kick... sometimes, even though the song is hot, i feel the producer who made the trk got lazy when i hear the drums sometimes... but we all have different tastes.

da relic

 

[mono]

man like I think about some of my favourite beats (not my own) and quite a few of them have kicks that are barely audible

true, its rather the groove that makes a good hiphop track. most of the stones throw stuff is very light on kicks. the blackstar lp reinvented the rim snare, while lots of ny stuff was very heavy on the snare earlier.

 

[MagnaOpera]

word up on the snares, I've been playing with mine alot more, boosting the low-ends up a bit and shit... I think it sounds pretty tight.

 

[Sucio]

Different genres have different mixes. Hip-hop has always been known for heavy kicks...


Just listen to when someone is blastin hip hop.....and someone who's blasting rock..

 

[MagnaOpera]

sure enough, but I don't think that every track necessarily needs a heavy or hard kick, and i certaintly don't think that just the mix (specifically on the kick) denotes that something is "hip hop".

 

[Sincock]

Different genres have different mixes. Hip-hop has always been known for heavy kicks...


Just listen to when someone is blastin hip hop.....and someone who's blasting rock..

Maybe if you only listen to 90's west coast gangsta rap or some such. As the man above noted; hip hop often doesn't have really heavy kicks. It's a matter of taste but I get sick of hearing "Boom boom boom" all the time.

 

[Vice]

As the creator, it should be how you want it. When someone gives their opinion on a beat, it is their opinion. When It comes down to it, there are no rules.

 

[wrightboy]

As the creator, it should be how you want it. When someone gives their opinion on a beat, it is their opinion. When It comes down to it, there are no rules.

well said.

 

[UNORTHODOX]

also keep in mind most people have the bass turned up, nor will u be able to push the levels as hard with out making a compromise in the mixing stages

 

[spartan265]

big kicks are synonymous with hip hop. nobody can deny that. there is never smoke without a fire. the fact that the stereotype exists proves there is a truth to it some where. however, having said that, i don't personally think that this means a song cant be a hip hop track if it doesn't have big kicks. it just means its a hip hop track with smaller kicks... as long as it goes with the overall vibe of the track and it gives rather than takes away from the sonic experience.. its all good.

 

[MagnaOpera]

^ werd

Maybe if you only listen to 90's west coast gangsta rap or some such. As the man above noted; hip hop often doesn't have really heavy kicks. It's a matter of taste but I get sick of hearing "Boom boom boom" all the time.

cosign!!!

 

[Ash Holmz]

bangin drums and loud drums are two diffrent things.. anyone can turn the volume up on a snare but if it hits flat whats the point. the bang comes from choosing the right samples and the arrangement / groove of those samples. it doesnt have to ring ur ear to bang. james brown "payback" drums bang and they are not loud, the groove and sound is so tight that u just gotta nod ur head.

 

[2GooD Productions]

banging drums are not always necessary.
everytime I think something is necessary, I hear in another banging track by someone else that my assumptions are wrong.
rules are made to be broken and when they are you get something original IMO.

 

[God]

I think about this pretty often; it's not uncommon for me to get feed back on a beat to the effect of "the drums need to bang harder"... which is suitable for some tracks, but here's what I'm thinking:

Ever listened to jazz? rock? in the majority of songs (outside of hip hop), the percussion is "accompanying" a lead guitar and vocals, etc. If you listen to alot of music (again, not including hip hop) you will notice that the kick drum does NOT cut through the mix, and that a real kick drum sounds like more of a pop than a boom..

So really I'm just trying to spark a discussion about this here: in your opinion, do the drums always have to bang? should they always be at the "front" of the mix? is a beat shitty just because the kick is subtle?

1

This is fully dependant on your mix and the type of track you want to create.

Do you feel there are actual issues with the kick? Is it defined in the mix (if you don't want it defined in the mix, then that's your production decision.)

Most of the times I hear cats putting a heavy sine-like bass accompanied by a a flubbery 808, 909 "thump." The kick oft lacks definition in this case - making it a kind of bass fecal sludge... which is remedied by EQ'ing some mid to hi frequency "slap" layered over it from another drum sample.

 

[The Arkitekt]

my opinion: in most cases, yes, the drums have to bang. Hip hop instrumentals need a good rhythm and good flow, and soft drums usually dont cut it. To get away wit soft drums, it usually has to be more of an abstract track and sound different

 

[Sanova]

bangin drums and loud drums are two diffrent things.. anyone can turn the volume up on a snare but if it hits flat whats the point. the bang comes from choosing the right samples and the arrangement / groove of those samples. it doesnt have to ring ur ear to bang. james brown "payback" drums bang and they are not loud, the groove and sound is so tight that u just gotta nod ur head.

I gotta agree there.