If you aren't looking for real drum sounds the Cherry Audio CR78 vst is a great 'PIP POP SPITZZZZ" Cha Cha drum machine with an easy interface. Really fun. I love it. Ott, I use Native instruments Maschine and controller for entering all my finger drums. It's fun. I use Slate SSD but ez drummer is better.

numberthirty wrote: Sun Mar 31, 2024 3:43 pm I guess that some of it would depend on exactly where it was that someone wanted to end up.

In "Guitar..." terms?

I would make a different set of suggestions if someone wanted to play something along the lines of Sonic Youth than I would if someone wanted to play the parts on the "Classic Coke..." King Diamond records.

I’m definitely more in the Sonic Youth/Another Unnecessary Post Rock Album category

Honestly, for working out ideas I use the "Drummer" a ton. It makes it easy to get something usable and in the ballpark of what I am looking for down before my mind goes blank. I'll usually go back and edit the patterns a bit, but as far as making it easy to jump in and lay down a guitar or bass idea I've found it to be enormously helpful.

Gonna give the groovemonkee thing a try. I have riffs that need to have a foundation and I'm lousy at even moderately interesting drum patterns. Stoked to try this out - hopefully today.

Gramsci wrote: Mon Apr 01, 2024 7:18 amI’m definitely more in the Sonic Youth/Another Unnecessary Post Rock Album category

Copy that.

While this is a little more in the "Metal Bros..." neck of the woods?





I think that there are some things worth considering,

(Even if you might not think that it warrants buying the course they are attempting to sell...)

I will keep all my kick and snare that land on the 1 and maybe 3 right on the grid and will select everything else and sue the "humanize" function liberally. Especially hi hats, I'm fine with them being all over the place taking things out of Quantize makes stuff sound a whole lot more like real drums to me. Also, If a sound is getting to robotic, I will trigger UVi Drum replacer (I also have Slate Trigger but it sucks and sounds like triggers) with like 6 samples loaded into it in Round random robin mode to rando it up. works great on snare hits. I mad e a bunch of samples of our kit with about 6 hits each kinda in slightly different places on the head just for this. Works good.

I’ve found if I think of how the energy of the drummer would be affected by the feel of the song, then any manipulation of velocity/timing sounds far more real if I keep that in mind.

been running abelton into actual drum machines for a long time. Anyone program MIDI drums and do this?

TylerDeadPine wrote: Mon Apr 01, 2024 11:22 pm I’ve found if I think of how the energy of the drummer would be affected by the feel of the song, then any manipulation of velocity/timing sounds far more real if I keep that in mind.

Kniferide wrote: I will keep all my kick and snare that land on the 1 and maybe 3 right on the grid and will select everything else and sue the "humanize" function liberally. Especially hi hats, I'm fine with them being all over the place taking things out of Quantize makes stuff sound a whole lot more like real drums to me.

Co-sign both of these. Think about reserving the 115-127 velocity range for the climax of the song. Consider making very subtle use of swing to humanize. Another thing I will use velocity humanize functions on liberally is snare roll fills. Also, use snare roll fills. Not every fill has to involve 6 different drum voices. Even if you’re djenting.

At the risk of sounding like a dick / stating the obvious: get some experience playing actual drums. If you want to avoid programming something a human can’t do, getting a little experience will make that line much clearer.

brephophagist wrote: Thu Apr 04, 2024 4:58 pm At the risk of sounding like a dick / stating the obvious: get some experience playing actual drums. If you want to avoid programming something a human can’t do, getting a little experience will make that line much clearer.

That’s probably true but sometimes cool things can happen when you kind of go the other direction and then come back the other way again. I wasn’t really a Protomartyr fan until I heard this song, but then I was smitten.

Apparently the guitarist made up this unnatural drum riff in fruity loops, and then the drummer figured out how to play it.