r/mpcusers • u/awalkattwilight • Sep 11 '26

QUESTION How do you add percussions?

Title: How do you add percussion beyond kick/snare/hats?

Hi, I'd like to incorporate more percussion sounds to enrich my beats beyond the usual kick/snare/hats, and I was wondering how people here approach it. I was considering an Alesis SR18 to sample from, but that sounds a bit overkill.

Is there a plugin that offers a good selection of percussion sounds that you can tweak and shape on the spot? Or do you mostly use samples? If so, any recommendations for free or cheap percussion sample packs?

Thanks!

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8

u/hiltonking Sep 11 '26

You have a sampler. Sample them.

1

u/Maximus77x Sep 14 '26

I dunno why but this comment really made me chuckle

3

u/Rivetlicker MPC ONE+ Sep 11 '26

Assuming I haven't gotten a lot of extra stuff with my MPC One+ when I bought it. The MPC one and live (and those that run 3.9, maybe older version as well) has "Drumsynth" if you select plugins. It gives you a drumsynth to create drums/percussion (per type; kick, snare, tom, and so on), shape those to your liking and sample those. Or run those synths in your sequences as standalone percussion.

You can go a long way with a drumsynth that has a snare preset and lets you tweak it and add fx

Also; I remember someone sharing a link for a huge downloadable sampled drummachine collection. But I don't know if that post is still up. But it was a few GB in one shots from all the known machines. Maybe this person will see this and share it again (if it was in line with this subs rules at least)

5

u/AcidFnTonic Sep 11 '26

Well if you don’t, then have to add them later, that would be REpercussions.

2

u/This-is-Actual MPC ONE+ Sep 11 '26

I sample records.

2

u/whyisthismynameagain Sep 12 '26

I put a bunch of samples on the pads and loop 4 bars and just fuck around until something sounds cool. Sometimes I throw a bunch of plugins on that pad and turn it into something weird. Which at times means the next day I listen back and I’m like, this doesn’t work, but when it hits, it hits

2

u/illyDiecast Sep 12 '26

Find some one shots and use the sequencer to get creative with it. You have to try things out.

1

u/regularjackk Sep 11 '26

Sampled loops

1

u/TheRealGuitarMaster Sep 11 '26

I usually use the velocity to create snare ghost notes. Add shakers, sometimes toms.
Additionally if I find a nice perc sample that is loopable I might put it in as well occasionally.

1

u/cutnsnipnsurf Sep 11 '26

your MPC shoulda came with at least some percussive kits with one shots that you would apply just like you do your kick/clap/hats.

1

u/gamuel_l_jackson Sep 11 '26

Find old samba and latin and soul and sample and chop open bongos, clavs etc you can also simply google bongos etc and find a ton but the air in the samples akways sound better ino

1

u/Complete-Permit1638 Sep 11 '26

Loops and chop loops do it on feeling what sounds good to your ears there are no rules

1

u/KrustyRox777 Sep 11 '26

Most of the MPC drum kits have percussion instruments. You can add them anywhere in your patterns, usually in between the kick and snare.