DJ Fresh: how I made the drums for Louder
![Freshly squeezed](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/f0f2abfc273e57e220724d57102dfc4f-320-80.jpg)
Freshly squeezed
DJ Fresh might be a new name to many, but he’s actually been in the game for a very long time. Cutting his teeth on the ‘90s drum ’n’ bass scene, Fresh (real name Dan Stein) gained notoriety as part of the ground-breaking Bad Company.
After setting up the highly regarded Breakbeat Kaoss label with Adam F, and embarking on a string of solo projects that saw him working with artists ranging from the Pet Shop Boys to Pendulum, it was pretty much only a matter of time before he found his own chart success. That day came in August 2010, when he made his first impact on the UK charts with the sprightly, electro-infused DnB track Gold Dust.
One luxurious vocal dubstep track later, DJ Fresh got a richly deserved number one with Louder - a track set to be ringing out right through the summer and beyond.
In this tutorial, he explains how he created the song’s kick-ass drums.
NEXT: Creating the drums for Louder
![The sounds](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/f83de91355e3c9f402a19268fb25386d-320-80.jpg)
The sounds
Step 1: “There are several elements to Louder’s drums, starting with a kick and snare I had already made from a combination of drum kit sounds and white noise. I also had a great cymbal sound, which I looped, compressed and EQed so that it had a rocky sizzle.”
![Sidechaining](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/6dd2ffc40ebb747940ab0cc162f5cc48-320-80.jpg)
Sidechaining
Step 2: “I sidechained the cymbal from the kick and snare to give the impression of the kit being ‘recorded’ or coming from the same room/place. So, the kick and snare dominate, while the cymbal ducks in time, tying it in with them more than if it was just a sample.”
![Tuning](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ad918ff491530f2dfb9d1427f262efd7-320-80.jpg)
Tuning
Step 3: “You should tune the kick drum depending on the key of the track and the type of mix. For example, I’m working on a track in B minor at the moment, where the bass is higher pitched, so I’ve tuned the kick drum to sit fairly low with a peak around 70-100Hz, effectively making the kick the bass in the track as well.”
![More kick tweaking](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/e1afc2ed750c2c5cb0ad3f8de18ea591-320-80.jpg)
More kick tweaking
Step 4: “Louder has a heavy sub in a relatively low key (F minor), so I tuned the kick drum higher so it sits over the bass. It peaks at about 120Hz with some lower energy, and has a gentle slope in frequency presence from 110Hz to about 4kHz, where I boosted it to give it some click.”
![More sidechaining](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/336521697bb1616c7efc0f9c3b6d64d4-320-80.jpg)
More sidechaining
Step 5: “Usually I take out anything below about 70 or possibly 100Hz. This is to help the bass breathe and stop any muddiness due to compression/limiting, especially when the low end of the kick obscures the sub. Sidechaining the bass against the kick will usually be enough.”
![Snares](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/f892381eff6d5b40bc9af0233a01f8ba-320-80.jpg)
Snares
Step 6: “Finally, the snares. I tuned their pitch until there was a peak at about 180Hz and they produced a white noise-ish curve in an analyser from about 700Hz up to 12kHz, above which I cut everything. I used a bit of transient modulation with Oxford Transient Modulator to add some punch and raise the level of the transient compared to the rest of the signal.”