Drakken Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 I'm a drummer, yet I dread creating drum tracks for my songs. This simply shouldn't be. I can hear drum parts in my head just fine, but translating them to the computer is another story. I don't like trying to play in drum parts using the keyboard or clicking them in with the mouse. It's a very tedious, cumbersome process. So, my question is, what do you guys use to create drum tracks? There's gotta be some way to play in the parts using drum sticks without dropping hundreds of dollars on an actual electronic kit. I'm thinking a drum machine with pads or something? On a related note, I'm curious to know what most people use for the drum sounds themselves. Loops, samples, drum software like Superior Drummer 2, etc.? I still don't have a go-to plugin for drums. I got Battery when I bought Komplete, but I haven't spent enough time with it to really know what it's capable of. It seems like it's more suited to electronic sounds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ectogemia Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 I usually sequence everything by hand with random samples I have. It doesn't always sound 100% cohesive, but eh, whatevez. The biggest issue here is that it's insanely cumbersome. I used a soundfont kit a couple of times for some of my earliest mixes. I've started slicing loops recently and rearranging them to my liking. I love that sliced up sound, too, with all of the samples being interrupted and choppy. Very electronic-y. That said, it doesn't sound real because the lack of cohesion is the goal in the first place. I'm curious to see what everyone else says myself. Sequencing a pattern or two by hand, then copying and chopping it sounds cool and is pretty easy as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moseph Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 I sequence drums by hand with many clicks of the mouse. But then, I usually sequence everything else by hand, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rozovian Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 I suck at writing drums. Or rather, I suck at consistently writing varied enough drums. I record the basic beat with a keyboard, and then adjust whatever needs adjusting. Sometimes, because my fingers don't seem suited for drumming on a keyboard, I record twice, and quantize so they're nice and tight. Because my stuff is more electronic, I can get away with quantized drums, tho a bit of swing helps add a little groove. Sometimes, especially for odd-timed stuff, I just write and mouse-work it until it works. Have a look at the "real" kits in Battery. You should see that they're using multiple sounds for each drum, as if picked up by different mics. The drums are layered and can be linked in a bunch of different ways. I'm still waiting for a physical modeling drum kit, but until they can do 3d waveguides without killing cpus I guess Kontakt, Superior Drummer, Battery, and the Addictive Drums demo will get the job done for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ambinate Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 Sequencing a pattern or two by hand, then copying and chopping it sounds cool and is pretty easy as well. i do this sometimes. typically i sequence everything by hand, usually with a combination of audio samples and midi stuff. these days i also tend to add in slippage and stuff like that to give things a bit more groove. finding the right samples that fit together and sequencing the whole thing with a mouse is definitely tedious, but you could say that about almost everything related to music production, i think... dunno about making beats using drum sticks without investing in a kit, but you could always try out a midi controller with pads, like the akai mpd series. you could assign your drum samples to the pads on it and then make a beat by tapping it out on the pads in real time. not quite the same as playing a kit, but it might feel more natural than clicking away at a piano roll or dragging and dropping samples. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sixto Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 I used to click in my drums completely but now I use a lot MIDI grooves and make changes where I have to. My go to samples are Superior 2 and its expansions, namely Metal Foundry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ambinate Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 a drums machine with pads, wouldn't be like on a keyboard ? it's the same idea, but because the setup of the pads is different (usually laid out in a square shape instead of just in a row, like the keys on a keyboard), it feels more natural for some people. still takes some getting used to, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ectogemia Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 it's the same idea, but because the setup of the pads is different (usually laid out in a square shape instead of just in a row, like the keys on a keyboard), it feels more natural for some people. still takes some getting used to, though. I have these on my controller, and I pretty much haven't even touched them except for a test run that didn't work out. In other news, I have horrible rhythm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ambinate Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 I have these on my controller, and I pretty much haven't even touched them except for a test run that didn't work out.In other news, I have horrible rhythm. yeah, mine has them, too, and i've never really used them, either, but it's a pretty popular way of doing things. i've got a few friends that are really into it. i'm real shitty at playing anything live, though, so i just sequence. i wanna give it another shot sometime, actually, 'cause it seems like a really intuitive way of doing things once you get used to it. plus there are like a hundred million videos on youtube of dudes with their akai controllers making hip hop beats in like 30 seconds, having fun, getting all the chicks, etc. i want in on the party Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ectogemia Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 getting all the chicks video game remix website Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nabeel Ansari Posted September 14, 2011 Share Posted September 14, 2011 Step sequencer is your friend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ectogemia Posted September 14, 2011 Share Posted September 14, 2011 Step sequencer is your friend. Step sequencer is boring It's good for dance music and simple supplementary parts, maybe sometimes for other genres with rudimentary percussion, but that's about it. I like putting weird syncopation and trills and glitches in my drum parts, so my step sequencer is pretty lonely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legion303 Posted September 14, 2011 Share Posted September 14, 2011 By mouse or with my Rock Band drumkit ($60). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avaris Posted September 14, 2011 Share Posted September 14, 2011 Sequencing, Loops, Cut up Loops, and Audio I tend to write really complex involved chillout/downtempo beats. Adding just a hi-hat or shaker loop that has a very human feel to it can really add a nice dimension to your track. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drakken Posted September 14, 2011 Author Share Posted September 14, 2011 By mouse or with my Rock Band drumkit ($60). I have an original Rock Band 1 kit; would that actually work? If so, how accurately does it record the velocity of the performance? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nabeel Ansari Posted September 14, 2011 Share Posted September 14, 2011 Step sequencer is boring It's good for dance music and simple supplementary parts, maybe sometimes for other genres with rudimentary percussion, but that's about it.I like putting weird syncopation and trills and glitches in my drum parts, so my step sequencer is pretty lonely. Step sequencer is great for drum sequencing. You just need to learn to use it effectively. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngelCityOutlaw Posted September 14, 2011 Share Posted September 14, 2011 Step sequencer is great for drum sequencing. You just need to learn to use it effectively. With FL, I prefer using the piano roll for drum sequencing or using my keyboard....but my keyboard doesn't work no more =( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omni-Psyence Posted September 14, 2011 Share Posted September 14, 2011 I record pretty much everything I do with my MIDI keyboard controller. It's been working for me excellently thus far. I really want to get a Maschine, though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DusK Posted September 14, 2011 Share Posted September 14, 2011 I greatly prefer the piano roll over the step sequencer for drum tracks. It allows for greater variety without using a kajillion patterns. Actually, my drum tracks are usually just one pattern spanning the entire song. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ectogemia Posted September 14, 2011 Share Posted September 14, 2011 I greatly prefer the piano roll over the step sequencer for drum tracks. It allows for greater variety without using a kajillion patterns. Actually, my drum tracks are usually just one pattern spanning the entire song. There are an absurd number of people from Indianapolis on OCR. Just saying. And chalk up another one for the anti-step sequencer crowd, woooooo, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngelCityOutlaw Posted September 14, 2011 Share Posted September 14, 2011 There are an absurd number of people from Indianapolis on OCR. Just saying.And chalk up another one for the anti-step sequencer crowd, woooooo, Hell yeah. Plus, if you're doing electronica, the piano roll allows you to tune the kick and snare very quickly. So that's a bonus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sixto Posted September 15, 2011 Share Posted September 15, 2011 FL Piano roll all the way! It's actually the only reason I still use FL. Its delicious piano roll. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ectogemia Posted September 15, 2011 Share Posted September 15, 2011 Hell yeah. Plus, if you're doing electronica, the piano roll allows you to tune the kick and snare very quickly. So that's a bonus. Tune it, filter it, rez it, modulate it, pan it... so good. And you can even put in triplets!! Such a premium feature. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnappleMan Posted September 15, 2011 Share Posted September 15, 2011 I keydrum everything these days. Takes too long to mouse things in and the results don't sound as good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darangen Posted September 15, 2011 Share Posted September 15, 2011 I use Sonar's step sequencer most of the time. When I don't use it, I use a midi controller to play them in. My drums are usually pretty basic though, nothing really amazing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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