Hammers

Inside hammers

Instruments

• Bass Drums
• Surdos
• Toms
• Roto-Toms
• Darbukas
• Frame Drums
• Scrap Metals
• Snare

Techniques

• Hit - Recording of a single hit.
• Flam - One soft grace note is played just before the main note, creating a “flam” effect.
• Ruff - A single stroke with one hand preceded by two lighter strokes in the opposite hand.
• Roll - Series of hits that follow each other so quickly that they make a continuous sound.

Ensembles (hits, flams, ruffs, rolls)

Bass drums

Ludwig Bonham 26” kicks, a Cadeson 32”, the Yamaha 36”. The 26” kicks are punchy and solid, The 32” are deep and heavy and the Yamaha 36” drum produces an earth-shaking 808-like pure tone that must be heard to be believed.

• Solo Damped 36"
• Solo Damped 32"
• Solo Open 36"
• Solo Open 32"
• Solo Open 26"
• 4 Player

Surdos

A set of four Meinl surdo drums at diameters of 16”, 18”, 20”, and 22” were recorded, their synthetic heads and aluminum shells provide a warm yet punchy sound with a well-defined attack when played with thick, heavy sticks.

• Solo 22"
• Solo 20"
• 4 Player

Toms

The full set of six toms from two unique Ludwig kits were recorded, with all sizes recorded in solo and two-player configurations, and with the four-player ensemble consisting of two 16” and two 18” floor toms. The solo drums were recorded with sticks, wire brushes, and soft 18” paint rollers, which deliver a sound similar to a wool mallet but with a more detailed and pronounced attack. Expertly tuned, with a mixture of Remo Ambassador and Emperor coated heads, they have a solid, massive sound with a long but controlled decay.

• Solo 18”
• Solo 16”
• Solo 14”
• 2 Player 18”
• 2 Player 16”
• 2 Player 14”
• 4 Player
• Rollers 14”
• Rollers 14”
• Brushes 18”
• Brushes 14”
• 4 Player

Roto-toms

Capturing the less common 12”, 14”, 16”, and 18” versions, these offer a nasty, aggressive tone, especially when slack-tuned as Charlie prefers. Surrounded in the bright and dense reverberation of his recording space, these Rototoms produce a violent smack that is a great complement to the longer, warmer sound of the surdos and toms, and bridge the gap to the higher percussion instruments.

• Solo 16”
• Solo 14”
• Solo 12”
• 2 Player Low
• 2 Player High
• 4 Player

Frame drums

Usually intended to be played with hands or fingers, frame drums don’t stand up well to being played aggressively with sticks, mallets, and brushes, with many of the synthetic heads were used did not survive the sessions intact. The sizes used for these recordings were 14” and 16”, played with wire brushes and 18” paint rollers, and recorded in both the center and edge positions. The resulting samples have a very detailed attack and can produce performances with startling realism.

• Solo 16” Centre
• Solo 16” Edge
• Solo 14” Centre
• Solo 14” Edge
• Brushes 16” Centre
• Brushes 16” Edge
• Brushes 14” Centre
• Brushes 14” Edge

Snares

Initially not planned to be recorded, Charlie was taken by the awesome sounds of the vintage Ludwig Supraphonic 6.5” x 14” snare and had to captured them.

Snare on

• Centre
• Edge
• Rim

Snare off

• Centre
• Edge
• Rim

Darbukas

Like the frame drums, darbukas are generally played with the fingertips, and while the shells are made from aluminum, the plastic heads are quite thin and Charlie likes them tuned fairly tightly, so two complete four-drum sets were used, along with a bag full of spare plastic heads.

• Solo Centre 8”
• Solo Centre 7”
• Solo Centre 6”
• Solo Centre 5”
• Solo Edge 8”
• Solo Edge 7”
• Solo Edge 6”
• Solo Edge 5”
• Centre & Edge Low 8” Centre
• Centre & Edge Low 8” Edge
• Centre & Edge Low 7” Centre
• Centre & Edge Low 7” Edge
• Centre & Edge High 6” Centre
• Centre & Edge High 6” Edge
• Centre & Edge High 5” Centre
• Centre & Edge High 5” Edge
• 2 Player

Scrap metals

Long a favorite component of Charlie’s percussion grab bag, an entire road-case full of pieces of steel, iron, and brass hardware and scrap metal was auditioned and carefully selected to create four categories of tones; Pipes High, Pipes Low, Iron, and Misc, with that last category consisting of more than twenty of the best from more than a hundred bars, brackets, cans, lids, and other bits of hardware that Charlie has collected over the years for just this purpose. Altogether these recordings provide a wealth of tonalities ranging from tight ticky-tacks, to bell-like tones, to trashy and downright violent smacks and booms. The Loops provided the ideal source for the extensive processing used to create the Warps, and both the Loops and the Warps work especially well when played using the unique Reverse functionality in Hammers.

• Pipe Low
• Pipe High
• Iron
• Misc

Bass drums

• Solo Damped 36"
• Solo Damped 32"
• Solo Open 36"
• Solo Open 32"
• Solo Open 26"
• 4 Player

Surdos

• Solo Damped 22"
• Solo Damped 20"
• 4 Player

Toms

• Solo 18”
• Solo 16”
• Solo 14”
• 2 Player 18”
• 2 Player 16”
• 2 Player 14”
• 4 Player
• Rollers 18"
• Rollers 14"
• Brushes 18"
• Brushes 14"

Roto-toms

• Solo 16”
• Solo 14”
• Solo 12”
• 2 Player Low
• 2 Player High
• 4 Player High

Frame drums

Solo

• 16” Centre
• 16” Edge
• 14” Centre
• 14” Edge

Brushes

• 16” Centre
• 16” Edge
• 14” Centre
• 14” Edge

Snare

Snare on

• Centre
• Edge
• Rim (Single Hit Only)

Snare off

• Centre
• Edge
• Rim (Single Hit Only)

Darbukas

• Solo Centre 8”
• Solo Centre 7”
• Solo Centre 6”
• Solo Centre 5”
• Solo Edge 8”
• Solo Edge 7”
• Solo Edge 6”
• Solo Edge 5”
• Centre & Edge Low 8"
• Centre & Edge Low 7"
• Centre & Edge High 6”
• Centre & Edge High 6”
• 2 Player

Scrap metals

• Pipe Low
• Pipe 1
• Pipe 2
• Pipe 5
• Pipe High
• Pipe 4
• Pipe 3
• Pipe 6
• Iron
• Iron Front 1
• Iron Back 1
• Iron Front 2
• Iron Back 2
• Misc (Single Hits Only)
• Misc 1 (Single Hits Only)
• Misc 2 (Single Hits Only)
• Misc 3 (Single Hits Only)
• Misc 4 (Single Hits Only)
• Misc 5 (Single Hits Only)
• Misc 6 (Single Hits Only)

Loops

Carefully composed by Charlie Clouser in 8 bar loop phrases and delivered to give you the ability to build your own version of patterns by stacking and rearranging via clear keymapping, breaking up loops and end hits, so you can control and develop the performances to suit your needs.

Bass drums

• Loops 70BPM
• Loops 90BPM
• Loops 110BPM
• Loops 130BPM
• Loops 150BPM
• Loops Alt 70BPM
• Loops Alt 90BPM
• Loops Alt 110BPM
• Loops Alt 130BPM
• Loops Alt 150BPM

Surdos

• Loops 70BPM
• Loops 90BPM
• Loops 110BPM
• Loops 130BPM
• Loops 150BPM
• Loops Alt 120BPM
• Loops Alt 130BPM

Toms

• Loops 70BPM
• Loops 90BPM
• Loops 110BPM
• Loops 130BPM
• Loops 150BPM
• Loops Alt 100BPM
• Loops Alt 125BPM
• Loops Alt 105BPM

Rototoms

• Loops 70BPM
• Loops 90BPM
• Loops 110BPM
• Loops 130BPM
• Loops 150BPM

Frame drums

• Loops 70BPM
• Loops 90BPM
• Loops 110BPM
• Loops 130BPM
• Loops 150BPM
• Loops Alt 70BPM
• Loops Alt 90BPM
• Loops Alt 110BPM
• Loops Alt 130BPM
• Loops Alt 150BPM

Darbukas

• Loops 70BPM
• Loops 90BPM
• Loops 110BPM
• Loops 130BPM
• Loops 150BPM
• Loops Alt 90BPM

Scrap metal

• Loops 70BPM
• Loops 90BPM
• Loops 110BPM
• Loops 130BPM
• Loops 150BPM
• Loops Alt 70BPM
• Loops Alt 90BPM
• Loops Alt 110BPM
• Loops Alt 130BPM
• Loops Alt 150BPM

Warped loops

Bass drums

• Warped Loops 70BPM
• Warped Loops 90BPM
• Warped Loops 110BPM
• Warped Loops 130BPM
• Warped Loops 150BPM
• Warped Loops Alt 70BPM
• Warped Loops Alt 90BPM
• Warped Loops Alt 110BPM
• Warped Loops Alt 130BPM
• Warped Loops Alt 150BPM

Surdos

• Warped Loops 70BPM
• Warped Loops 90BPM
• Warped Loops 110BPM
• Warped Loops 130BPM
• Warped Loops 150BPM
• Warped Loops Alt 120BPM
• Warped Loops Alt 130BPM

Toms

• Warped Loops 70BPM
• Warped Loops 90BPM
• Warped Loops 110BPM
• Warped Loops 130BPM
• Warped Loops 150BPM
• Warped Loops Alt 100BPM
• Warped Loops Alt 125BPM
• Warped Loops Alt 105BPM

Rototoms

• Warped Loops 70BPM
• Warped Loops 90BPM
• Warped Loops 110BPM
• Warped Loops 130BPM
• Warped Loops 150BPM

Frame drums

• Warped Loops 70BPM
• Warped Loops 90BPM
• Warped Loops 110BPM
• Warped Loops 130BPM
• Warped Loops 150BPM
• Warped Loops Alt 70BPM
• Warped Loops Alt 90BPM
• Warped Loops Alt 110BPM
• Warped Loops Alt 130BPM
• Warped Loops Alt 150BPM

Darbukas

• Warped Loops 70BPM
• Warped Loops 90BPM
• Warped Loops 110BPM
• Warped Loops 130BPM
• Warped Loops 150BPM
• Warped Loops Alt 90BPM

Scrap metal

• Warped Loops 70BPM
• Warped Loops 90BPM
• Warped Loops 110BPM
• Warped Loops 130BPM
• Warped Loops 150BPM
• Warped Loops Alt 70BPM
• Warped Loops Alt 90BPM
• Warped Loops Alt 110BPM
• Warped Loops Alt 130BPM
• Warped Loops Alt 150BPM

Mixes & Mics

Mix 1

A relatively un-processed mix of Close, and Over, but perhaps with a bit of Room, Catwalk and Chimney as well, generally aiming for a less reverberant, closer sound that is fairly civilized and intimate without being completely dry.

Mix 2

A more heavily processed version, with more of the Room mics used to create a denser, more reverberant sound, and for many users, this will be the go-to for a large but not over-the-top sound. For many of the drum types additional specialised processing was used to make this mix bigger than life, including everything from hardware compressors like a UBK-modified Fatso, Distressors, and even a Cwejman EuroRack compressor, to EQ, distortion, and saturation units like Neve and API EQs, SansAmp PSA-21 and RBI processors, SPL Transient Designers, pitch shifters and distortions from the Eventide H-9000, and a few specialised plug-ins… I think you get the point.

Mix 3

The full-fat, no-holds-barred, turbo-charged Signal. This is the biggest of them all. Multiple layers of compression, pitch-shifted signals mixed with un-shifted signals, transients split off and processed separately, layered and stacked and side-chained right up to the threshold of pain, Mix 3 is what you need when you want your drums to be over-the-top.

Microphones

• Close
• Overheads
• Room
• Close Pitched
• Overheads Pitched
• Room Pitched
• Crush *
• Crush Pitched *
• Subs *
• Close Rear *