Adding Impact to your Drops

 

Question:   Are you doing anything special in your tracks to give the drop more punch when it lands after a break?

Like at 5.45 in Eternal Now. Is that the same kick throughout the that is used throughout the track or you've done 
something to it to give it more oomph at this moment?  Been trying to achieve something similar but I only end up making a mess.

 

Bill replies:

 

Short answer: yes. But two things actually determine the impact of  that drop: 

 

1. First you have to consider musical context. If you want a big impact then obviously it has to be a big dynamic change musically.

 

In this particular context there is a huge build up to a peak followed suddenly by one bar of complete silence. In the musical language of Dance Music this represents the absolute peak of the dynamic range followed suddenly by the absolute bottom of the dynamic range - silence. About as big a dynamic change as you can get.

 

2. The old reverse kick trick - reverse a kick drum and have it lead into the kick on the downbeat of the following bar. This is a great trick - as long as you don't ruin it's impact by overdoing it.

 

 

While we're on the subject; it's essential to understand the importance that arrangement and musical context have on determining musical impact of your tune.

 

In these days of abundant technical tools and plugins it's easy to get carried away with the notion that it's all about tweaking and clever production. It's not. In my opinion, how you arrange your music is where most of the power and interest lies. Production quality is important but it's not everything.

 

The above is a good example of where the arrangement provides most of the dynamics. The production technique merely supports and emphasises the musical change, adding even more power. Like putting the cherry on top of the cake.

 

Have fun with it.

Billy Cosmosis