The Unperson’s Modular Drum Safari: Kicking Writer’s Block in the Teeth

Let’s be real, writer’s block is the musical equivalent of getting bogged in beach sand – everyone hits it, and it’s a pain to dig yourself out. The Unperson reckons the best shovel is a session focused purely on sound design – not worrying about song structure, just mucking about making weird noises until something sparks. It’s the creative equivalent of chucking a bunch of snags on the barbie to see which ones sizzle the loudest.

Instead of wringing hands over a blank DAW, The Unperson proposes building a custom sample pack from scratch. By diving headfirst into the modular rack and exploring every nook and cranny, you’re bound to trip over some wild sound that gets your creative engine roaring again. If you’re stuck in a rut, this sort of playful experimentation just might be the kangaroo-kick your track ideas need.

The Unperson’s rack is a proper line-up of sonic troublemakers, each with their own party trick. Pamela’s Pro Workout is in charge of modulation – think of it as the mate who never runs out of energy at a bush doof. Maths serves up envelopes for snappy percs or long, trailing tails, and Mutable Instruments Plaits brings a smorgasbord of drum engines and synth textures to the table. It’s like inviting both a jazz drummer and a didgeridoo champ to the same jam.

DPO handles the weird and wonderful side of things, while the Intellijel uVCF filter self-oscillates for kicks and cleans up the high end for hats and snares. Throw in the Make Noise LXD for that classic vactrol gate vibe, Instruō Càrn for VCA duties, and a double trouble of ALM MFX and FX Aid for effects. With this much variety, you’re basically running a sonic petting zoo with every critter ready to make noise.

Here’s where things get properly wild. With the rack all set, The Unperson starts patching up kicks, tweaking envelopes, and running oddball modulation through the system. The beauty of modular is all about those unexpected sounds – like tripping over an echidna in your backyard. Sometimes you get a kick drum with a weird tail, or a snare that fizzes in stereo; these quirks become the secret sauce of your sample pack.

It’s not just about patching, though. Recording every tasty hit into the DAW, messing with compression, and pushing sounds through effects pedals gives you a stash of samples as unique as a mullet at a job interview. The process is pure fun: triggers get routed, algorithms get panned, sequencing gets unpredictable, and the result is a jam session that could only come from this exact pile of cables and chaos. Watching the video, you’ll see just how much joy comes from letting happy accidents steer the ship.

All those freshly-cooked samples don’t just sit pretty – The Unperson loads them into the Teenage Engineering KO II, mapping sounds across keys and whipping up a full track from scratch. Suddenly, that intimidating blank canvas turns into an all-you-can-eat buffet of original bleeps, bloops, and beefy kicks. The result? A jam that’s got more character than a footy club karaoke night.

There’s something magic about hearing your own madcap creations stitched together in a proper tune. The Unperson shows off a stack of signature kicks, chords, and hats – proving that a little modular chaos and a lot of curiosity can turn writer’s block into a launchpad. If you want the full flavour (and trust me, the sounds are wilder than a possum in a bakery), you’ll have to give the video a proper watch. Go on, you’ll be grinning like a galah on bin night.