If you're wondering how to make your drops sound way better,
I have 5 techniques to share with you in this video.
These are what you can do right before the drop hits,
when it hits,
and what you can do in the middle of it when it repeats.
So, if you want to make things more interesting in your music, be sure to stick around for all 5.
*How to make better drops that sound bigger*
Hey everyone, Jake from Transverse Audio here. To respect your time, let's get right into it.
The first tip may go a bit against what you may typically do before a drop,
which is creating a build-up such as a synth riser, white noise riser, or speeding up the drums.
Check out the card to the top-right if you want to do that.
BUT, what you can do instead is reduce what's going on before the drop
to make a bigger change in the decibel level once it hits.
The reason it is so effective is because when you're focusing on what is playing or what's coming up,
you won't be thinking much about what happened earlier on in the track.
You can do this by cutting out the chords and even the drums while keeping the melody going.
But then again, you should probably make the decision of what to keep and what to cut out.
Then, you can either throw in a drum break or increase the reverb just enough to cover the gap.
And don't forget about automation either.
It can be used to really manipulate how things fit together such as making hard cuts in volume,
shaping the presence of the reverb tail,
or controlling how the reverb is introduced either before or right at the gap.
However, I've got a bonus tip for what you can add in the reduced section instead.
What you can do is add a mini-buildup right before it hits, during the break or reduced section.
What this could look like is when you have the vocals or minimal elements continue
after the main stuff cuts out,
you can throw in a short 3-4 beat build with a small gap after it
that lines up with the last kick or percussive element in the build-up. Which is probably going to be 1 beat long.
If you're able to use that mini-buildup AND have an 808 or a sub that hits right when the drop does,
there is a good chance that this other tip will work too.
What you can do is take your sub or 808, keep a bit of the middle, and fade it into the drop.
Then, nudge it over or trim a 16th note out of the end
so it has a bit more emphasis and isn't a continuous sweep.
If you do this with other sounds, you may find reversing it helpful too.
The next tip is what you can do right when the drop hits and that can be one of two things.
The first thing you can do is the obvious impact sound effect at the beginning of the first bar of the drop,
which is nice but may limit you creatively or take away from your lead, bass, or other elements.
So, the other thing you can do if you didn't want to use an impact,
is to increase the decibel level of the first kick, while keeping the rest at the regular level.
Now, you don't want the listener to get used to this louder kick drum,
as its purpose is to really make a surprising loud sound.
Okay, now that I mentioned a tip for when it starts and hits, let's move on to the last technique,
which is for the middle of your drop when it repeats for the second time.
Delaying the drop by pushing things back like the drums, bassline, or impact
can make it more suspenseful and keep things interesting.
What you would do is keep some of the elements going like the melody, arp, or chords,
and delay the onset of the rhythm or beat.
Kind of like the first tip, but it's in the opposite direction.
All you need to do is move it over or trim the patterns by one beat
and it will be perceived as much more interesting.
There we go, those are some great ways to make a better drop.
And hey, leave a comment below with a happy face if you enjoyed this video.
And as always, thanks for watching.