ABSTRACT
The practice of using samples to add to or replace real drums started somewhere around the early 1980s. It was used in pop and soon became an extremely common practice in the more energetic metal genres. One approach to generating the samples is programming a drum sequence that matches the recorded performance, then using a sampler to trigger the drums. Before audio sequencers existed, this meant syncing a tape machine to a hardware sequencer. Drum replacement is ideal for budget drum recordings carried out in problematic rooms. One early method of triggering drum samples was using a delay unit that offered a sample and hold facility. A single drum hit was sampled and then could be triggered by feeding the unit with the performance itself. Another early method, still used today, involves the drum modules used with electronic drum kits.
