Confessions of a drum-deficient musician
Home > Home Recording Forum > Recording Techniques > Confessions of a drum-deficient musician
Posted on Jun 27, 2005 02:32 pm
thermocaster
Appenine
Member Since: Dec 13, 2004
Okay...I admit it...I own a couple of drum machines, but I suck at programming them with anything original that sounds good. I just don't seem to have the knack for it yet.
So is there a software program out there that takes a "drum programming for dummies" approach, yet still provides good high-quality drum sounds?
[ Back to Top ]
Jun 27, 2005 04:30 pm Dunno about progs Thermo but when I started progin, I got the MIDI files of famous songs, checked em out, cut em up and put them back together...
I also used the Session Drummer on my old Cakewalk Pro Audio 9 (which I STILL use just for mIDI composition)...there are lots to be gleaned from these sources.
For MIDI, check this out:
www.mididb.com/
Just hack out some beats that sound good, put them together, run them thru a drum machine or soft-sampler/VSTI and yer sorted.
I do this:
Program beats in Cakewalk
Run out to my Zoom123
Select bank on Zoom via the MIDI
Back in and record as audio
Then I get the best of both worlds. I can prog using a PC (can store/easily edit and use again) and get decent sounds from the Zoom...
With practice, ye can get some good sounds. That said, Im nae expert and I still say real drums is the way to go but alas, I do the same for many of my solo stuff.
Good luck bud
Coco.
Jun 27, 2005 04:34 pm Ever look at Jamstix at rayzoon.com/
I am playing with it now, it's pretty cool. ALso, Groove Agent is another, just uses AI to make some cool beats with fills and stuff.
DrumCore is another option that comes packaged with hundreds of cool beats and fill and other song parts that go together, usable at any BPM...
Just some other options...
That said, a "programming drums" article might be a cool addition to HRC...hmmmm...
TadpuiI am not a crook's headMember
Since: Mar 14, 2003
Jun 27, 2005 05:04 pm Wow that looks pretty interesting dB. Does it stick to "boom crash boom boom crash" kind of patterns, or does it "improv" a bit?
Also Thermocaster you might want to think about looking into drum loops and the software to manipulate them. You can find all sorts of pre-built loops and use software to time stretch or compress them into your tempo. Isn't Acid geared towards this kind of use?
Jun 27, 2005 05:37 pm It does some improv fills and rolls and stuff, pretty neat actually. Obviously not like a real drummer, but it is surely a big step toward that direction...it's a very interesting tool for us "drumming challenged" sort of peeps.
Jun 27, 2005 05:41 pm I've been happy with the drum sequences generated by "Band In a Box" software. It's what I use exclusively, because I too am percussively challenged.
I just import them into Cakewalk and run 'em through my Zoom RT-123, just like Coco.
Jun 28, 2005 12:25 am Coco...good suggestion. I'm so out of date with how to use MIDI stuff that I'm scared, but I'll give that stuff a try.
DB, that Jamstix program looks freakin' awesome! I played around with it a bit, and I have no idea what the hell I did, but it sounded neat regardless. It's VST, so that's a problem...however, I'm breaking down and getting Cubase SE this week, so it's not that much of a problem (god bless the educational discount!).
Oh, and a "how-to" program drums article for HRC would be super-sweet.
Tadpui, I haven't really played with prerecorded loops...what else is out there besides Acid? And what does Acid do, exactly?
Jim, same deal as with Coco. I'll have to look into that a bit more.
Thanks for the replies, guys. Lots to think about
