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How do you create your drum tracks?
I've recently started arranging the songs of my pop/rock band. Cubasis is the main DAW for the creative/arranging part, then Auria takes over for mixing and mastering.
Synth parts and guitar are easy enough (I can play them), bass guitar is less easy but doable as well, but the drums.... that's a different story.
Until now I've used Lumbeat's apps (Rock, Soft, Funk, Mid east, Future... all great!), but now I'm a little bit too limited on their creative possibilities.
How do you guys create pop/rock drum lines? Do you use loops? MIDI programming step-by-step? MIDI packs?
Really hope to receive some inputs and real life experiences.
Ah, finally, I'd like to remain in the iOS domain, if possible
Comments
Great topic! I’ve recently started recording myself drum on my desk at work. I naturally drum all day long 😂 so I figure why not capture it. I’ve been transposing the timing of what I record.
Im also interested in drum apps
Great topic !
For the moment, i'm using Koala + 4Pockets Multitrack to record drums ..... Mostly some "Trip Hop" 1 Bar samples, mostly from Lumbeats or samples modified by SEKTOR.
Still, very very difficult to get nice drums and a good recording of drums T__T
I hand drum most of the stuff I do in BM3 or NS2. I even hand drum with Slate on my iPhone. BUT it depends on the genre. If it’s more industrial, then I’m programming most of it. Looping is your friend. Put a section on loop, try something, hit undo. One cool thing in NS2 (don’t know about other sequencers) is that I can create multiple MIDI tracks for the same “instrument” track, so I might have a track of just kicks, just snares, hats, etc. then you can create combinations by shuffling them around on the timeline, duplicating, whatever. All playing the same Slate instance.
*Slate is the drum instrument in NS2, btw
Regarding Lumbeats' apps, I recommend not using just one loop. Go and make variations using other presets or even better, using the editor and make your own.
Other good option (for me) is Drum Session. But they may be working on a new version (they stated so some time ago)
I last used Koala sampler because of its quick workflow. Patterning2 because of its unusual sequencing and the midge. I like to star off with analog drum samples. Ideally I would run all the IOS drum apps that I own through hardware then into Koala or Patterning 2
Thanks to all for the inputs, I wasn't expecting to voice a need shared by many!
@senhorlampada Drum Session is a great hint, I didn't know it!
Really interested what other people use on here.
I’ve recently started writing / remixing music after about 15 years of doing nothing, so still trying to find the best setup for drums.
Currently I’m using gadget for my DAW and found it’s drums machines to sound great, but very little control when processing the output.
Got on well with patterning 2 controlled via midi, but just recently, I’ve really enjoyed DigiStix for its auv3 multi bus output, sending snares, hats and others out to multiple busses for processing each in different ways, like pushing the snares out through FAC Transient to wrangle the punch for example.
I’m still looking for the ideal setup but I’m quite liking the result I’m getting so far.
Check drum session
https://apps.apple.com/ch/app/drum-session/id1030319584?l=fr
This is a great app to build drums patterns
There’s some flexibility and variety with the “drummers” in GarageBand. I suppose one could then export to an audio file.
@Keyb I’d like to throw up a shout out/recommendation for Auxy Pro on iOS. Based on what I’ve gathered - sounds like you have plenty of musical knowledge/ability and just need that proper piece of equipment or software to fill in the missing pieces to program some drum tracks.
Auxy would be my first choice if I were to start over from scratch on iOS, trying to learn beat making, etc. It comes with some excellent drums and there’s no nickel and diming for add ons. For pop rock, there are several kits that come with the app that will work great. Once you get the hang of it, you’re probably going to want to find your own drum samples and upload them into the app - that’s extremely easy to do as well.
You’ll also be able to program your bass lines and really anything you can think of without having to go find a bunch of individual apps, it comes with a huge library and the workflow is epically simple and intuitive.
Really the only reason folks don’t use this even more is the fact that it’s basically self contained. You cant throw on a 3rd party reverb or other FX on your track within the app (although you could export your tracks and then add 3rd party Fx to the audio stems if you want). Most of the most popular iOS apps have the ability to link up in a somewhat modular fashion to other apps. I think that’s too much in the beginning when you’re just trying to figure out how to cover the sounds you want in your song.
So my vote goes to Auxy Pro! Still love it and use it often.
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/auxy-pro-music-beat-maker/id1034348186
Nanostudio 2 is an excellent choice for what he’s looking for as well - great call!
I make techno and acid stuff, so this may not be overly relevant to you. I spend a lot of time getting the kick right, usually from either two different Slate kicks or a Slate kick and something from one of the Ruismakers - the reason for doubling up being that often kicks with nice transients don’t have the body you want, or the other way round - so grab one sound specifically for the transient and another for the body and adjust the attacks on each until they sound like a single kick with all the noises you want. The kicks always live on their own track.
Hats, snares and general percussion could come from all sorts of AUs, or Slate again, but one thing I’ve been doing lately and getting a lot of joy with is multiple instances of DrumComputer, each sequenced with only one or two sounds in. On each of these I assign one of the NS2 macro knobs to the remix function which allows me to program in some movement and variation in a predictable way. DrumComputer’s humanise knob, and its ability to create beautiful syncopated polyrhythms on the remix knob can get you a really long way, the reason for using multiple instances is that I can then retain control of those remix changes.
A lot of my music is more about the drums than anything else, so I spend a lot of time on this stuff. I once made an entire track out of nothing but Ruismakers.
I usually use a sampler and play the beat. I like to listen to the drum beats on songs and try to emulate those to get ideas on how to drive the rhythm. You can find midi pattern diagrams online though for more genre specific so you can see the structure of different types of rhythms
If you’re trying to get the most “human” feel and want to remain all iOS, then the drummer in GarageBand. If you decide you’re not limiting yourself to iOS, then drummer in logic using producer kits for sound or triggering another drum program (in use the producer kits or ik modo drum when I need to do this).
You could start your drummer part in iOS GarageBand and open in logic later (or send it to me and I’ll be happy to convert it and send it back to you as audio). The great part about the drummer in logic is you can set it to follow, just as in GarageBand, but then convert it to midi to really take care of any hits that are slightly different than you want.
Or, if you are being strict to iOS, then bounce your drummer part several times with different kit pieces soloed and put them in Auria, where you can use drumagog to replace sounds as needed. But this is a time when trying to be strictly iOS is going to limit your results, no way around it. Unless you do what’s in the next paragraph.
The best drums of all, of course, are from a real drummer recorded well, so if you can make that option happen it will always be better, at least in my opinion. I’ve tried to make virtual drums pass and can do it fairly well, but then when I record a drummer it is just better.
I concur. Auxy is automatic when it comes to pop sounds and drum kits. It’s easy to use and sounds great. Fun program.
Also, yes I’m a die hard NS2 user and love the piano roll. Can’t go wrong here, imo.
If I made rock and pop I think I would be using DrumPerfect Pro.
For anyone who uses GarageBand, there’s still nothing better than the range of options available in the app. You can ‘play’ any number of kits manually (and quantize, if necessary), you can use their supplied “Drummers” which are automated, you can use their drum machine inspired kits and there’s also a very primitive grid which automates drums.
I typically combine sources, customize the drum pattens for variety (including using automated and manual input) and then adjust levels and EQ to make it all work. If I had a setup where it was possible to use a drum trigger system, that would also be possible. Having had a real drum kit for years, I get easily annoyed by stock drum sounds and patterns.
I’ve been considering just the opposite: getting back into using the lumbeat apps for pop/rock drums. Curious to know what you find limiting.
I wish GB’s Drummer existed as an AU. It’s pretty much perfect for getting something going quickly.
If you have access to Python on a desktop or Pythonista on iOS then my extractor script will let you pull the drummer MIDI as stems from your GarageBand project:
https://forum.audiob.us/discussion/43724/updated-script-to-extract-music-from-garageband-project
The Git project is disabled but there are a couple of alternative links you can get it from in that thread.
Oh, yes. I forgot all about this script. Thank you!
Euclidean sequenced. First time sampling. Feels better sampling your own sounds. Waiting for an Ec4 controller so I can add effects. If you can hear. I make 3 tracks out of the same samples. Hopefully Drambo will add an all kit switch.
Id be adding 4 synths because it will be easier to remember vol and solos. An ec4 for effects and a radio unit/gauss input, where you just press a button and it usually sounds ok. Plus maybe a fieldscaper mic.
My favorite drum app is, hands down, patterning 2. I find it to be a fast and powerful app to create drums, something that I have never been much of a fan of until I found that app (I am sounding like an ad but no, I do not work for them). I find the drummer in garageband to be great when I just want to have some drums built ASAP, but it has very limited options compared to patterning.
Since you mentioned pop/rock as your preferred genres I will also mention DrumPerfect Pro. It sounds super realistic and it is very powerful, but I alway struggle with the workflow; I feel it takes too much time time to create patterns and that it is not very intuitive IMHO.
For AUM I like Digistix a lot, though I am not a huge fan of its factory kits.
Just to continue on the topic of drums, in case it helps someone else I will mention other apps that would perhaps work best on an electronic environment: I like Drambo and Egoist to work with loops (though I am not too much of a fan of prerecorded loops). I actually use Drambo for pretty much everything. Egoist is a lot of fun but rather hit and miss when it comes to getting something I like.
I sometimes use seekbeats, though not very often. I like the possibility of sculpting each sound (kick, snare, etc) but not being AUV3 makes is a slight deal breaker.
For some reason I could never find a use for Elastic Drums, and even less for DM2, though I know other people love them.
I play the drums in via pads on BM3 or NS2. Playing pads is very fun
Mostly Patterning 2.
I like Egoist a lot for drums too.
There’re a lot of options how to create a drum track on iOS. The simplest way is using the smart drummer in the GarageBand. All you have to do is creating a bass track and smart drummer give you a thousand variations of the drum tracks for your bass.
I write indie rock, and after a few years of trying many options (DrumPerfect PRo, Lumbeat etc) I've settled on two principal workflows: either tap out the beat in NanoStusio 2 using Slate, or use the Drummer in GarageBand, depending on which app I'm composing and arranging in.
This track is done in NS2, with the drums "recorded" manually by tapping the beat:
And this track uses the Drummer in GB:
The GarageBand option is pretty effortless, and usually gets great results. Doing it manually is fun though, but time -consuming.
I use Jam Maestro. The workflow is similar to guitar pro if you’re familiar with it. But it has some limitations, no triplets for example, and some feature not available in other apps such as changing time signature in the same track or adding your own time signature. It is not auv3 yet has multiple ports in aum. You have a bunch of kits (pop/rock, metal, jazz, vinyl, industrial...) and then you can create your own by importing samples via Dropbox. The other one I use is patterning 2 which is a beast on it’s own that I haven’t yet figured out how to get the best out of it. Also not auv3 and has multiple ports. I believe the iPhone version is free.