Action Percussion

[Nayrb]

I have to admit that I really don't have a solid approach when it comes to "action" or "epic" drums, so I'm curious to know what approaches those of you who do that sort of thing take. I have True Strike 1 and Apocalypse Elements and bunch of stuff in the stock Kontakt library, so I'm pretty well equipped. I'm just not always sure what I'm hearing in reference tracks (see below for a couple examples). I know a lot of the big boom-smack-bang sort of stuff is just bass drums, probably compressed and close miked. I just wonder how dexterous a person can get on an orchestral bass drum. Are there actually bass drum ensembles like Apocalypse Elements suggests? I suspect taikos and other drums make as much of an appearance. And what about hand percussion? Shakers? doumbek / darbuka? bongos? timbales and congas?


Legend of Grimrock 2 - Main Theme

Legend of Grimrock 2 - Master and the Apprentice

[Samulis]

The thwackier the bass drum sounds, the further mic'd it is (more highs). Close mic'd bass drums tend to sound more like kick drums (deep and punchy), especially when partially muted (as they usually are in sample libs).

The first example is in a 3/4 feel, and the drums are generally being used more to support the track than to power it. Sounds kinda like toms/tenor drums doing the heavy lifting to me.

Generally there are several elements to an 'epic' drum groove, at least in 4/4:
1. Either a '4 on the floor' or an 'epic pattern' bass drum (dotted-quarter, dotted-quarter, quarter). This is basically the same way a kick drum is written.
2. Tenor drums (toms) playing a slightly more intricate pattern or providing key hits. This is slightly reminiscent to how toms might be written for in a kit.
3. Snares playing the most intricate/fastest pattern. This is often perhaps closest to how something like a tambourine or shaker might be written for.

Here are a few (very old) tracks using said 'epic rhythm':
https://www.newgrounds.com/audio/listen/566520 (generic taikos)
https://www.newgrounds.com/audio/listen/492843 (slow generic taikos)
https://www.newgrounds.com/audio/listen/566524 (bass drum + anvils)

Here are some variations on the "epic rhythm" made by subdividing elements of it. The central rhythm however remains present (note the simple pattern at 1:09):
https://www.newgrounds.com/audio/listen/511022
https://samulis.bandcamp.com/track/loomlight (even more generic taikos, with more reverb!)

The epic rhythm is actually an underlying component of some forms of Latin music, but its origin is ancient. What makes it powerful is the 2nd hit anticipating the 3rd beat of the measure, followed by the 3rd beat falling directly on the 4th beat as a 'rhythmic pickup', emphasizing the downbeat. It is an unbalanced rhythm, which makes it seem as if to lean forward at the end of each measure. It is so seductive of a rhythm that many musicians mistakenly play it instead of proper triplets, especially at slower tempos.

(consider also writing in 5/8, 7/8, or 11/8 as an alternative to using the epic rhythm too much. Octonova, linked further below, makes use of about half a dozen time signatures, primarily 11/8 and 7/8, to keep that sense of anticipation without being too generic)

Bass drum flexibility depends on the drum and the player. A good player with two mallets can play any rhythm up to and including rolls (look up college marching bands for demos of very fancy bass drum playing). The main constraint is the excess 'mud' in the low end created by an over-active bass drum, especially when you have contrabasses and other low instruments trying to poke through. Quiet bass drum rolls can be a very suspenseful sound too:
https://samulis.bandcamp.com/track/a-sense-of-danger (at the start, then a 4-on-the-floor is used at 0:43, finally used for emphasis around 1:00)
https://www.newgrounds.com/audio/listen/431544 (4 on the floor, then some accents)
https://www.newgrounds.com/audio/listen/438138 (honestly I have no idea what I was doing here, but I'd say this is on the edge of overdoing it at some points, haha)

It's important to keep in mind a lot of 'epic' music has its roots not in the world of classical music, but rather in rock and pop. A lot of the idioms of drumming from those styles (fills, kicks over time, stop time, etc.) can apply.

Often snares and tenor toms are ganged together and made to play 8th notes, but with occasional accents on rhythmically weak beats (although sometimes, even in Hollywood level scores, just play straight 8ths with no interesting rhythms at all), giving it an interesting (not to mention extremely easy to sequence) rhythm. This is 'cheap' but effective, at least compared to old-school "proper" snare writing. This is basically the same thing as hi-hat or ride writing for kits.
https://soundcloud.com/samulis/pro-ed-wi...res-martin (first segment, observe the flow of dynamics between staccato strings and the snare)

You honestly don't really need the percussion in epic music, it's just there because listeners (and many composers who come from non-orchestral backgrounds) are used to having a drummer wailing away in the background of every track. Every great composer of "epic" music historically made careful, reserved use of percussion, be it Beethoven, Wagner, Mahler, Bax, or so on. Strings, brass, and woodwinds are more than capable of creating rhythmic drive without the need for percussion.

For an example, Epicscape, aside from tenor drums in the intro, makes extremely sparse use of drums yet still manages to seem epic enough-
https://samulis.bandcamp.com/track/epicscape

Historically, it was the timpani which were usually called for moments of rhythmic emphasis-
https://samulis.bandcamp.com/track/clockwork-army

In addition to timpani, cymbals both suspended and crashed together can be used to emphasize strong points.

For more interesting snare writing, various patterns, accents, and rolls may be used to create an interesting rhythm-
https://samulis.bandcamp.com/track/octo-nova
https://samulis.bandcamp.com/track/the-l...und-plains

For even more advanced writing, hits on the rim of the snare or taps of the sticks may be written as well-
https://soundcloud.com/samulis/percussio...am-gossner

Lastly, some 6/8 stuff can get drowned out by epic percussion, so it's a place where timpani, snare, and crash cymbals work quite well-
https://samulis.bandcamp.com/track/have-...-his-laser

[Nayrb]

As always, thanks for the insight and the examples, Sam! I really like many of these examples, too. Nice to hear more of your music. I'll definitely play around with all of this.

[Mattias Westlund]

(01-24-2020, 11:45 PM)Nayrb Wrote: I have to admit that I really don't have a solid approach when it comes to "action" or "epic" drums, so I'm curious to know what approaches those of you who do that sort of thing take. I have True Strike 1 and Apocalypse Elements and bunch of stuff in the stock Kontakt library, so I'm pretty well equipped. I'm just not always sure what I'm hearing in reference tracks (see below for a couple examples).

I'm not sure you actually need an "approach", at least not in terms of instrument selection. Most composers  seem to be throwing in everything and the kitchen sink and it appears to come down to what sounds good rather than what is correct. Usually everything is heavily layered as well so picking out different percussion instruments in a mix can indeed be nigh impossible.

(01-24-2020, 11:45 PM)Nayrb Wrote: Are there actually bass drum ensembles like Apocalypse Elements suggests?

Well... technically you could make an ensemble out of any instrument, mic it, and sample it. Whether it's something that commonly occurs in the natural world so to speak, that's another matter. But epic soundtracks usually have little to do with reality anyway.

(01-24-2020, 11:45 PM)Nayrb Wrote: I suspect taikos and other drums make as much of an appearance. And what about hand percussion? Shakers? doumbek / darbuka? bongos? timbales and congas?

Taikos are very common too, yes, along with toms, rototoms and octobans. I think synthesized big percussion is a pretty common thing as well. As for smaller percussion you can use anything you like. Listening to some of the construction kit type percussion libs I have, it seems smaller percussion are typically used for providing a steady pulse or pattern (like a hi-hat in a drum kit) whereas the bigger stuff usually doesn't play constantly but accentuates certain beats, plays fills etc.

Overall though I would say you don't need to worry so much about all this. Just throw some stuff on there until you think it sounds right. There is really no right or wrong way. Only make sure that all the big booms and bangs doesn't completely drown out the rest of the instruments, which is an issue I often hear in trailer music and such.

[Terry93D]

Cut the bass to avoid frequency muddling is all that I can say.

[Nayrb]

(01-26-2020, 07:59 AM)Mattias Westlund Wrote: Overall though I would say you don't need to worry so much about all this. Just throw some stuff on there until you think it sounds right. There is really no right or wrong way. Only make sure that all the big booms and bangs doesn't completely drown out the rest of the instruments, which is an issue I often hear in trailer music and such.

I probably am overthinking it. I have done plenty of stuff in this style already. I just felt that I was sometimes doing so by the seat of my pants and hoping for the best, so this thread has been enlightening.

(01-26-2020, 04:30 PM)Terry93D Wrote: Cut the bass to avoid frequency muddling is all that I can say.

This is true, especially with respect to synth percussion. I've noticed in the examples I posted that the low strings and brass also appear to be beefed up a bit. While I enjoy the Grimrock 2 soundtrack as it is, I feel that perhaps all that meat in the low end chases out any more nuanced layering with other instruments. It's all a matter of choice and intent though, I suppose.