Comping a hybrid drum performance

I play the whole song in full passes, usually four or five, then choose the best sections to make one performance. That is comping. If a section still isn’t quite right, I record more passes of it.

On my hybrid kit, the cymbals are recorded as audio and the kick, snare, and toms as MIDI, the note data that plays the drum sounds. With my current setup, I can also record the raw drum audio from the Roland V71 drum sound module, before the outboard processing. When I choose a section, I keep the audio and MIDI from the same take together.

Keep one performance together

A kick and a cymbal that I played together should still land together in the comp. Combining drums from one pass with cymbals from another can separate those attacks or change the feel, because the timing and touch differ between takes.

I’m choosing a performance of the whole kit. Once the comp is approved, I use it as the starting point for revisions.

Grouped playlists in Pro Tools

In Pro Tools, playlists hold alternate takes on a track. I put the four cymbal tracks, the MIDI track, and any recorded V71 drum audio in the same Edit group so selections and edits follow across them. A Mix group alone doesn’t link the editing.

I keep matching take names or numbers across the tracks and build the comp on separate target playlists, leaving the original takes available. Grouping tracks doesn’t check whether I have chosen the matching take on each one.

In Playlists view, I select a phrase from the matching take across the group, check the source and target playlists, then use Copy Selection to Target Playlist. Avid’s playlist guide explains that control.

This workflow uses the MIDI and Instrument track playlist lanes introduced in Pro Tools 2024.10.

Check the first and last hits

A selection of four measures on the grid can miss a hit that belongs musically to the phrase. If I push a kick slightly ahead of the downbeat, its MIDI note starts before the grid line. A selection starting on that line can leave it behind.

The other end needs the same attention. A late hit may fall beyond the selection, or an early kick leading into the next section may already be inside it. Joining two takes can leave a missing or doubled hit at either edge.

I zoom in on the MIDI notes and audio waveforms, then listen from before the edit through the next phrase. I check the pickup, the fill, the downbeat, and how the groove settles afterward.

If the grid line cuts through the phrase, I use Slip mode, which lets me place the edit between grid lines. I move the boundary across the group and recheck the hits from each pass.

Listen to what is still ringing

A crash may start before an edit and still be ringing after it. Switching takes can cut off that decay, change the cymbal wash, or bring in a second attack. A longer section from one pass often works better than joining the strongest individual bars.

A crossfade blends the audio at a join, but a long fade can also overlap two attacks. I keep the fade timing consistent across the cymbal microphones and listen for doubled hits or a shift in the stereo image. MIDI notes don’t get an audio crossfade, so I check their boundaries separately.

If I’m using the recorded V71 audio, I also check its attacks and decays through the join. A clean MIDI edit doesn’t guarantee that the audio transition works.

Keep the groove through the transition

Two takes can work on their own and still feel awkward together. One might lean forward into a chorus while the other sits farther back, or a quiet fill might lead into a much harder downbeat. I listen with the song playing, because the connection matters as much as either section.

Changes in hi-hat opening, cymbal choice, or playing intensity can also give an edit away. I try a longer section or another take before making more tiny edits. Comping doesn’t require quantizing the performance, and moving the MIDI alone changes its relationship to the cymbal audio.

Before I call the comp finished

I listen through the whole song after working on individual joins. Looping an edit helps me find a problem; a full pass tells me whether the song still builds naturally.

• Listen from before each join through the next phrase.
• Check for missing or doubled MIDI notes, including quiet ghost notes and pickups.
• Listen for cut-off cymbal decays, repeated attacks, and changes in stereo image.
• Confirm that the cymbal audio, any recorded V71 drum audio, and MIDI use the matching take for each section.

Changing a sound after the comp

When I’ve recorded the raw V71 audio, I can shape those sounds after the session with EQ, the Distressors, and the API 2500+. If I can’t get a kick, snare, or tom to fit the song through processing, the MIDI lets me try a different drum sound without replaying the part.

The approved comp stays together while I try those sounds against the same cymbal tracks. When changing libraries, I check that the MIDI notes trigger the intended drums and articulations, and listen to how the new sounds respond to the performance.

If you want audio prints of those drums, we settle on the sounds before I render them. The delivered audio and MIDI share the same bar 1 start, and I leave room for the final cymbal decay.