I'd consider this sound design...

[Augment]

Stop wasting time synthesizing drums when there are shitloads of free ones fucking everywhere. Go make music for Christ's sake.

There's nothing wrong with synthesizing your own drums.

True, but I'm not sure that making sure your snare is the perfect pitch for the key of your song should be an issue, how about focusing on the composition and arrangement? Some of the greatest songs ever written sound terrible from a mixing perspective, yet they still trump most perfectly mixed/mastered modern tracks because the music is so fantastic.

Point I'm trying to make is that music should be the focus, not how amazing everything sounds on a technical level. But I suppose that's the fun in it for some people, to each their own.

A pleasing result both musically and technically should be the goal imo

[Sure_Fire]

Stop wasting time synthesizing drums when there are shitloads of free ones fucking everywhere. Go make music for Christ's sake.

There's nothing wrong with synthesizing your own drums.

True, but I'm not sure that making sure your snare is the perfect pitch for the key of your song should be an issue, how about focusing on the composition and arrangement? Some of the greatest songs ever written sound terrible from a mixing perspective, yet they still trump most perfectly mixed/mastered modern tracks because the music is so fantastic.

Point I'm trying to make is that music should be the focus, not how amazing everything sounds on a technical level. But I suppose that's the fun in it for some people, to each their own.

A pleasing result both musically and technically should be the goal imo

While I agree with that, I think if you aren't a producer you don't really judge music on a technical level. I've had my tracks mistaken for Zomboy's on several occasions by friends who can't tell that my mixes don't sound anywhere near as good as his do. Probably not the best example, but I think musicality should always be more of a focus than technicality. I reckon going as far as to pitch snares to a key is a bit much.

[Ledger]

I only mess with drum sound design/processing when I have nothing to do, and no creativity at the time. So making the drums doesn't really put me out or anything.

[_Agu_]

Stop wasting time synthesizing drums when there are shitloads of free ones fucking everywhere. Go make music for Christ's sake.

There's nothing wrong with synthesizing your own drums.

Yeah but it always goes like this:

1. Me thinking I should finally make a good track.
2. Me staring out with drums.
3. Me spending 10 hours doing drums.
4. Me finishing the drums.
5. Me realizing I just spent 10 hours doing drums.
6. Me feeling unmotivated.
7. Me trying to fit some melody to the drums.
8. Me realizing nothing fits.
9. RAGE QUIT

And it would be different if I started with actually making the melodic part of the song.

^Happened 9999999999999th time to me today.

Also don't forget:
4.5(a) Me realizing that drums i made sound shit ---> Return to part 2.
4.5(b) Me thinking that drums i made sound decent ---> Proceed to part 5.

[hubb]

How about layering a sound you know is a certain note with the snare?. Like a marimba or similar and then highpass the snare a bit and put some envelope on both.