# Drum Replacer

Detect kick, snare, and hi-hat hits in a drum track or full mix, then layer or replace them with your own samples (or built-in synthesized ones).

> Canonical page: https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/drum-replacer

- **Category:** Media

- **Keywords:** drum replacement, drumagog, sample replacement, kick sample, snare sample, transient detection, onset detection, drum trigger, drum mixing

## Overview

A band-limited transient replacer in the Drumagog tradition. Detection runs per drum register with log-compressed spectral flux and adaptive peak picking: kick 20–100 Hz, snare body 150–500 Hz confirmed by a 2–4 kHz crack hit within ±30 ms, hi-hats 6–12 kHz. Every detected hit keeps its strength, and the replacement sample is scaled with it, so the original dynamics survive. Layer mode adds the sample on top; replace mode additionally ducks the original around each hit (attack 2 ms, exponential release, adjustable depth) because true band removal needs real stems — feed a separated drum stem for cleanest results. No samples uploaded? Deterministic synthesized kick (pitch sweep 110→42 Hz), snare (tone + noise), and hat (noise burst) are used instead. Output is a fresh encode in WAV, FLAC, MP3, M4A, or OGG.

## Inputs

- **Drum track or full mix** (file)
- **Replace targets** (select)
- **Kick sample (optional)** (file)
- **Snare sample (optional)** (file)
- **Hi-hat sample (optional)** (file)
- **Blend mode** (select)
- **Sample level (%)** (number)
- **Duck depth (dB, replace mode)** (number)
- **Sensitivity** (select)
- **Output format** (select)

## When to use

- Reinforcing weak or hollow kick and snare hits in a live drum recording.
- Swapping recorded drum elements with custom one-shot samples to fit a specific production style.
- Adding crisp synthesized hi-hat or transient attack over a full drum bus or acoustic mix.

## How it works

- Analyzes the audio using log-compressed spectral flux across specific registers: kick (20–100 Hz), snare (150–500 Hz body with 2–4 kHz crack correlation), and hi-hats (6–12 kHz).
- Calculates individual hit strengths with adaptive peak picking to maintain velocity dynamics.
- Triggers custom uploaded audio samples or built-in synthesized tones scaled precisely to the detected strike intensity.
- Applies either additive layering or ducking on the original track around each transient, exporting the combined result in your chosen audio format.

## Use cases

- Layering punchy electronic kick and snare samples over an organic acoustic drum stem.
- Replacing dull live snare hits with a sharp, pre-processed snare one-shot using ducked replace mode.
- Tightening acoustic hi-hat articulation with high-frequency synthesized transient bursts.

## Frequently asked questions

### What happens if I do not upload custom samples?

The tool uses built-in synthesized sounds: a 110-to-42 Hz pitch-sweep kick, a tone-plus-noise snare, and a noise-burst hi-hat.

### How does replace mode differ from layer mode?

Layer mode adds samples over the original track, while replace mode ducks the original audio around each detected hit using an adjustable attenuation depth.

### Can I process a full mix instead of an isolated drum stem?

Yes, but feeding an isolated drum stem yields cleaner transient detection and avoids ducking non-drum instruments.

### How does the tool keep the drummer's dynamics?

Each detected transient's amplitude is calculated during onset detection, and the triggered sample's volume scales proportionally to that strike.

### Which output audio formats are supported?

You can export the processed audio file as WAV, FLAC, MP3, M4A, or OGG.

## Related tools

- [Batch Audio Rename](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/audio-batch-rename): Batch rename audio files using patterns, text replacement, numbering, and case conversion. Returns renamed files as a ZIP download.
- [Duplicate Audio Library Finder](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/audio-duplicate-library-finder): Find exact and near-duplicate audio across uploaded files or a ZIP, including copies saved with different codecs.
- [Audio Groove Quantizer](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/audio-groove-quantize): Detect loop transients and pull them toward a beat grid, swing template, or a reference audio groove.
- [Audio Interview Level Matcher](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/audio-interview-level-matcher): Match loudness between a host and a guest track (or any two voice takes) while preserving natural dynamics.
- [Audio Kick-Bass Phase Aligner](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/audio-kick-bass-phase-aligner): Compare kick and bass timing/phase in the low band, report the offset and polarity, and export the corrected track with sample-accurate alignment.
- [Audio Punch In/Out](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/audio-punch-in-out): Replace a segment of audio with another clip
- [Audio Voice Activity Segmentation](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/audio-voice-activity-segmentation): Detect likely speech-range activity and export speech/non-speech ranges as JSON, CSV, SRT markers, or an FFmpeg cut list.
- [Video Audio Replace](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/video-audio-replace): Replace the audio track in a video file with a new audio file while keeping the original video

## Samples

- [Copyright-Free FLAC Audio Samples](https://elysiatools.com/en/samples/flac-samples): Lossless FLAC audio samples for testing and development, mirrored from MP3 set with nature sounds and meditation music
- [Copyright-Free MP3 Audio Samples](https://elysiatools.com/en/samples/mp3-samples): Collection of royalty-free audio samples for testing and development purposes including nature sounds, meditation music, and ambient audio
- [Copyright-Free WAV Audio Samples](https://elysiatools.com/en/samples/wav-samples): Uncompressed PCM WAV audio samples for testing and development, mirrored from MP3 set with nature sounds and meditation music
- [Copyright-Free Raw PCM Audio Samples](https://elysiatools.com/en/samples/pcm-samples): Raw PCM s16le audio samples featuring nature ambience and relaxing music for waveform, playback, and conversion workflows