Nothing beats an MPC 4000 for hardware...

Nothing beats GURU for software...

Although, nothing beats good samples, regardless...

BFD hands down. i use it in conjunction with battery2. one could get by with either one -- battery 2 has tympani though, and i love me some tympani....

www.fxpansion.com
www.native-instruments.com

N.O.T.H.I.N.G B.E.A.T.S T.H.E R.O.L.A.N.D. 7.0.7,the more powerful kick ever....but it's so rare!!! eheh i got one!!!

agent202 wrote:N.O.T.H.I.N.G B.E.A.T.S T.H.E R.O.L.A.N.D. 7.0.7,the more powerful kick ever....but it's so rare!!! eheh i got one!!!

agreed, something about that machine makes the sound very hard hitting. i have 24-bit WAV samples of it if anyone would like them.

I have a Korg Electribe R MK-II. I like it because it doesn't sound like real drums at all, which I find complimentary when I use it while I'm playing drums. For using as a click track, I love it.

I was going to recommend the Korg Electribes. I've mainly encountered the ESX, which is a great little machine, save for a few sequencing drawbacks. The lower model electribe has the same sequencer, but many fewer effects. The ESX is nice because there are nobs associated with pitch and sample time, so rather than having to process something and wait for a little bar to fill up on your screen, you just turn a nob and you're done with it until you turn the nob to a different position.

It's got a ton of nice-ish effects as well.

alpha80 wrote:Nothing beats an MPC 4000 for hardware

If you have access to a good drummer and a set of decent mics, this is a good option - if you can stretch to the asking price of over $2500. There are older models, but storage might be a bit of an issue.

It might also be worth bearing in mind that good CD sample libraries do not come cheap. You're obviously paying for someone's hard work (which will hopefully culminate in a simple kick/snare/hi-hat disco beat at your end).

LOLOUTLOUD.

ok amidst all the recommendations i feel obliged to add something....

a sampler has A: a sample engine (the recording, digital storage, and playback), B: a sample editing workflow, C: effects, and D: a sequencing workflow.

the mpc series has a great sequencing workflow but the sample engine isnt really that great except for the 4000 (the others are 16-bit and do not really compare to the sounds of other 16-bit samplers like the asr-10 or eps-16+). the mpc series also doesnt really come through for effects. the sample editing has deep capabilities but its not really the smoothest workflow. the big advantage of the mpc series is the sequencing workflow, where it is just about the best around. but imho a great sequencer doesnt compensate enough for the weaknesses of the mpc series, given the over-the-top price tags of mpc samplers. the mpc series simply has a crazy "hype" premium built into their prices... they're worth that because people are willing to pay precisely that. i mean, it made millions for dre, why not me? sequencers dont cost much at all for them to program (people have been making solid sequencers at low prices for years), theres no reason why you should go overboard just for a good sequencer. get over your point-and-click-phobia and just get a software sequencer with a midi-usb interface to sequence a BETTER sample engine with fx and a good editing workflow.

for a good sample engine, good fx, and a good sample-editing workflow, i would recommend either an ensoniq sampler or a 24-bit sampler (the boss sp-404 just came out, at a low price (around $350) for 24-bit). then theres the whole idea of 12-bit samplers, which have their own "gritty" sound and can really bang hard (especially with drums sampled from vinyl), but they arent exactly clear or sample-accurate. its the "dirty drums" sound of premier, large professor, easy mo bee, etc

I didn't want to start a new thread so I revived this one.

I recently putting together a lot of music with only a drum machine for percussion, and I like it better. I know not one drummer that shares any interest in the music I'm doing, so it is a replacement deal. At this point, I wouldn't ditch the drum machine either, I would do a different band with a real drummer though.


I'm working on a demo right now, but I'm going to be taking this shit to the people soon...so my question is this...how reliable is a drum machine live? I have a Roland TR-606 and a 707 I use strictly for recording, mostly because they're in excellent condition and I don't want to chance them getting fucked up in some shitty club in Memphis.

I traded a distortion pedal for an Alesis Sr-16 and I easily programmed the beats I needed as songs into the machine. I bought it because it was practically free and I figured I could easily find another and reprogram it should I accidentally sit on it.

Does anyone have experience using a drum machine live? In case it fucks up, I figured I'd burn the beats onto a CDR and worst comes to worst, play them through a cd player I'd have onstage looped through an amp for PA just in case.

What would you guys do to have a sort of back-up for a drum machine in a live setting? Two drum machines? A tape of songs?

I'd just burn the beats onto a CD.

If I had the money I'd get an AKAI MPC. However, since I don't, my Alesis HR-16 does the job.

Zoom drum machines aren't bad either. Really cool sounds packed into these things.