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Save Your Drum Loops: Chain by Chris Tabron (Beyoncé, Nicki Minaj)

Sep 02, 2020 | 8,008 Views

Do you struggle to get your drum loop samples to sound unique? Watch how you can easily make them sound special with just four knobs, using the StudioRack chain preset Drum Loop Stank by producer/mixer Chris Tabron (Beyoncé, Nicki Minaj, The Strokes, Mary J. Blige).

Drum Loop Stank' is included in the StudioRack plugin chainer as an Artist Preset. Download StudioRack free now, and try it on your electronic and acoustic drum tracks.

Chris Tabron about the ‘Drum Loop Stank’ StudioRack Chain

"Over the years I have noticed a lot of artists who work mainly with loops struggle to get their drum loops to have a sound different from what their loops sounded like initially from a library.”

“The point of my ‘Drum Loop Stank’ chain is to give stock drum loops that extra character and ‘stank’ that makes them special.”

“You get four powerful Macros that will help you do that—Stank, Attack, Boom, and Lo-Fi/Hi-Fi. Between them, you get a lot of power to create different unique sounds for your loops.”

“The chain features a collection of my favorite plugin combinations and settings for mixing drum loops, including the API 2500, Kramer HLS, Kramer PIE, MDMX Distortion, NLS Buss, Q10 Equalizer, J37 Tape and L1 Limiter plugins."

studiorack

"The Stank Macro controls a two-rack parallel split. The first parallel rack in this split is unprocessed, the second is populated with a chain of analog EQ and saturation plugins. As in my other StudioRack preset, Fun Vocals, the Stank Macro controls the output level of this second rack and is intended to be used in a dry/wet approach. A little goes a long way here for blending in a nice layer of character. At the end of this chain is an L1 limiter to help keep things condensed as a lot is going on here.”

“Stank works particularly well on acoustic drum loops, especially ones with room characteristics. A blend of Stank can really help bring out natural resonances and help give the impression your head in right there in between the kick and the snare."

"The Attack and Boom Macros control two controls in Kramer HLS. The Attack doesn't do what you’d expect: it controls the level of mid-range at around 2.8 kHz. Boom boosts extreme lows at 60 Hz."

"The final Macro, Lo-Fi/Hi-Fi, enables you to switch between tape speed in Waves J37. The whole chain runs through this. If the sound is not to your taste you can easily bypass it, but the gritty sounds are well worth experimenting with if you feel your drums sound a bit lifeless. Switching between 7.5 and 15 ips is very noticeable within this chain."

‘Drum Loop Stank’ – Macro Controls

  1. Stank - Parallel distortion chain level
  2. Attack - Mid band level boost at 2.8 kHz
  3. Boom - Low-level boost at 60 Hz
  4. Lo-Fi / Hi-Fi:
    • Counterclockwise (left of center) = 7.5 ips in J37 Tape
    • Clockwise (right of center) = 15 ips in J37 Tape
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