Timing tips

[EchoGhost616]

Hey everyone, I’ve been dabbling in music production for the past seven years, and while I feel like I’ve learned a lot, I still find myself getting hung up on some of the little things when I’m working on a track. One of those weird questions just popped into my head, and now it’s driving me a little crazy because I genuinely don’t know the “right” answer.

So, here’s the scenario: when you’re using a reverse cymbal as a kind of riser to lead into a crash or hit, how do you time it? Do you start the reverse cymbal right on the bar and give the crash/hit a little room at the end? Or do you line it up so the crash/hit comes in the instant the reverse sample ends? I added some screenshots if my question doesn't make sense.

I know the usual advice is “do what sounds good,” and that’s mostly what I’ve done up until now, but for this project, I really want it to feel tight and intentional. Any tips or insights? Thanks in advance! 😅.  

Edited January 17 by EchoGhost616
verbage

[DarkeSword]

The answer literally is what you already said: "Do what sounds good." Turn off snap in FLStudio so you can freely drag the reverse and keep adjusting until you get the sound you're looking for. If you want something more seamless, consider adding some reverb to the reverse to help mask the hard cutoff.

[Eino Keskitalo]

Alternatively to the reverb, a gap could be masked by some other sound as well. Sometimes the some "harsh digital silence" needs just some subtle noise and it'll feel better.

Something I've struggled with in this scenario (reverse cymbal -> crash cymbal) is that it lessens the impact. I don't think I've actually even thought to have a little pause in there! But I've layered some other drums to accent the hit. Bass drum of course often falls in there naturally anyway.

[Xaleph]

It depends - the gap adds more energy, without the gap will curb the energy.  Are you going for a very high-energy moment, or are you teasing the user to build up later?

 

I discuss this in our Energy Management Sages video.

Edited January 19 by Xaleph