View Full Version : computer generated drums
ageofzeppelin
06-07-2002, 09:49 AM
I'm getting a POD 2.0 early next week :)
When it comes, I'll be recording on my computer pretty much all of the time, taking only intermittent breaks for things such as work. What are the best (ease of use should factor into this) programs for making drums for the songs I record? ACID intrigues me, but how difficult is it to use? I'm not a drummer, so anything I do will be fairly primitive.
SomeGuyNamedRob
06-07-2002, 09:56 AM
Originally posted by ageofzeppelin
I'm getting a POD 2.0 early next week :)
When it comes, I'll be recording on my computer pretty much all of the time, taking only intermittent breaks for things such as work. What are the best (ease of use should factor into this) programs for making drums for the songs I record? ACID intrigues me, but how difficult is it to use? I'm not a drummer, so anything I do will be fairly primitive.
I find it to be pretty easy.
BryanMichael
06-07-2002, 12:04 PM
ACID is the easiest way to create drum tracks-period.
BUT if you want to customize everything, you may eventually find loops rather limiting OR complex to edit and get exactly what you want. Why not download ACID Xpress from Sonic Foundry?
It's FREE!! give it a go before you spend your dough.
I use a combination of MIDI programming and loops myself.
www.sonicfoundry.com
Peace,
Bryan
boogie
06-07-2002, 12:41 PM
I use no loops, only midi programming for my solo recordings. So I can get more variety into the drums... but then I've been using sequencers since the old Atari ST days, so I maybe lost track of what is easy to use and what not.
If you're starting out, loops may be a good idea... and there are masses of loop CDs for ACID around.
Tammo
ageofzeppelin
06-07-2002, 12:45 PM
I'd like something where it has menus of bas, kick, hihat, etc and I drag and drop. Being able to edit the volume of individual hits might be nice too.
TwYzTyR
06-08-2002, 12:53 PM
Originally posted by ageofzeppelin
I'd like something where it has menus of bas, kick, hihat, etc and I drag and drop. Being able to edit the volume of individual hits might be nice too.
Sounds like what you need is Fruity Loops. At its most basic, Fruity Loops works like a drum mapper. It's a hell of a lot more than a drum machine and comes with a LOT of samples, but you can import your own samples in 4 different formats. The graph tool allows you to use sliders to determine volume, pitch, pan, etc for each hit. You can get up to 64 beats in a bar and you're also not stuck with using 4/4 time constantly.
The following song was composed and created entirely with Fruity Loops if you're interested.
http://www.paulleavesley.com/MP3_Page/TwYzTyR-For_Her.mp3
sansunzeste
06-08-2002, 07:20 PM
where do u get fruity loops??
BryanMichael
06-08-2002, 09:14 PM
A basic Version comes bundled with Cakewalk Home Studio and Sonar-you can buy the software ANYWHERE-
any online dealer, Guitar Center-etc.
I personally don't like it-It's like hitting the pads on a little drum machine all over again! Flams (falams)? grace notes? too much work
I'm not willing to mess with that anymore to get real sounding drums. Fruity Loops seems oriented toward the dance music/groove creation/sample editing crowd-It is a fun toy, but when I want a real sounding drum part, I use professional MIDI files from keyfax or vamtech that I edit, triggering professional soundfonts from Sonic Implants. I often layer this with ACID tambourines, shakers, ethnic percussion etc.
Real players, real parts, real drum samples (soundfonts), easy to edit in the MIDI window.
Spend an afternoon investing in learning some MIDI stuff-It is one of the single most important things you can do as a home recordist. Alot of people like FruityLoops, but I don't.
The Cakewalk Home Studio "session drummer" is pretty easy to use as well for getting MIDI parts up and working. But ACID is the easiest to use-download ACID Xpress The free version of ACID from www.sonicfoundry.com, get some free loops from the web at someplace like www.rockloops.com
and try it out. Check out the tutorials in Computer Music magazine on very aspect of home recording:
www.intermusic.com
Peace,
bryan
filthykarma
06-11-2002, 02:57 PM
Originally posted by TwYzTyR
Sounds like what you need is Fruity Loops. At its most basic, Fruity Loops works like a drum mapper. It's a hell of a lot more than a drum machine and comes with a LOT of samples, but you can import your own samples in 4 different formats. The graph tool allows you to use sliders to determine volume, pitch, pan, etc for each hit. You can get up to 64 beats in a bar and you're also not stuck with using 4/4 time constantly.
The following song was composed and created entirely with Fruity Loops if you're interested.
http://www.paulleavesley.com/MP3_Page/TwYzTyR-For_Her.mp3
I am just starting out with Fruity Loops, Acid and Sound Forge. Floops is the most intuitive prog I have ever used and Acid is a close second.
Fruity is very editable too. I would like to know where to find out how to edit the beat sig, though. I don't remember seeing that in the manual. And you think being able to handle different siggies would be a big selling point . . . ?
Layyyter . . .
Anyone tried using a program called "DRUMS!", or PC Drummer? Is it worth having if you already have ACID pro?
Waabs
06-11-2002, 06:44 PM
I would have to say the best I have used is Henry's Percussion Studio. It's easy to use comes with over 30 sets of different sounds and you can add your own sounds.
You can chart out a whole song or loop one small bar. It has mulitple tracks so you can do one track as the kick, one as the snare etc. It's hard to descirbe what it's like to use but it really is very easy.
Percussion Studio? Where do you get it and is it free?
Sounds a bit like the Drums! program I mentioned.
sdl89939
06-11-2002, 09:32 PM
Try hammerhead, I just got it and its awesome!
Lots of downloads you can use too.
Stephen
Depending on what kind of drum sounds you want, I might also recommend a more electronic music oriented program by Propellerhead software called ReBirth (I think).
It's essentially a software program simulator of two TR-808 drum machines and two TB-606 bass synths. If you like the way those things sound, then you'll like this program.
ageofzeppelin
06-12-2002, 09:43 AM
just traditional drum set sounds are all I need. I might dig the synthy stuff too though, for a fresher vibe to some parts of songs. The pod came yesterday and it's not quite what I expected. I was hoping I could just plug in and sound like SRV, and then cobain, and then hetfield with the turn of a button.
It takes a little more work than that.
Originally posted by ageofzeppelin
just traditional drum set sounds are all I need. I might dig the synthy stuff too though, for a fresher vibe to some parts of songs. The pod came yesterday and it's not quite what I expected. I was hoping I could just plug in and sound like SRV, and then cobain, and then hetfield with the turn of a button.
It takes a little more work than that.
Yes, but once you get in there, you've got a whole lot of stuff to work with. Before long, you'll be combining Cobain/SRV sounds into distinctly 'ageofzeppelin' sounds :)
mcflytrap
06-12-2002, 07:21 PM
Originally posted by filthykarma
Fruity is very editable too. I would like to know where to find out how to edit the beat sig, though. I don't remember seeing that in the manual. And you think being able to handle different siggies would be a big selling point . . . ?
Layyyter . . .
Go into your Song Properties...you can choose there, I believe.
-fries-