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My solution to drums is to use Drummer in Logic Pro X
Last year I posted some previews to a track I was working on and I got several complaints about the drums for no good reason I could ascertain
So I spent the rest of the year (before I went on to Dobly Atmos positioning and mastering) deleting every single drum track in my songs
Instead, every song uses Drummer in Logic Pro X now, so I’m not responsible for the drums, if anyone wants to criticise the drums, it’s not me
Mostly ended up using the Motown and similar drummer on most of my songs – I like that
What I want now is a box that can do exactly that but live – something I can just leave alone and off it goes, responding to what else is occurring
I think the development of drum machines hasn’t achieved the next level – when drum machines first came out the selling point was that it was stable, rock-solid, goes on forever without making mistakes, stays in time, etc
Now that’s a given, the next level of drum machines is that they should be interesting – you should be able to let them get on with it, and it’ll surprise you pleasantly by responding to what is occurring outside the drum machine in a proper musically useful way, in the same way a good human drummer might
On the market, though, all I see are incremental progressions of the 808/909, same emphasis on the 16 steps, the a/b alternates, the fill buttons, etc – that’s really not good enough
No app is going to make the drum patterns you create more interesting. Drum tracks in isolation from other parts are not generally very interesting anyway. It’s in the interplay with other parts that most of the interest lies. Tying in with rhythms and accents in the bass and other parts is key, usually using the kick, snare and cymbals. The basic pattern doesn’t have to be busy or complex, often the opposite is more effective, but variations accenting other parts make all the difference and make the music more cohesive.
On a slight side note to this thread, what apps might serve me well for the creation of drum and percussion based textures for incorporating into ambient tracks?
Noise has some nice IAPs. I think Flotation is my favorite for atmospheric percussion. It’s not tunable though, if that’s a concern for you.
Take something like Needlepoint, get a sound you like, record a small part directly into Segments, for example, slice it, then use a sequencer (eg Rozeta x0x) to play it. You’ll have to play round with the midi notes Rozeta is sending to get something you like. Set mutation amounts on some of the knobs in Rozeta x0x, maybe use something like Knock on top to sculpt the sound a bit. Add fx as necessary, maybe using lfos to modulate some parameters of your fx etc
Reconstruct the drums for a song you like.
learn to play real drums
Like anything else. Practice.
Udemy sale today, btw. $14.99 USD for this course to create drum tracks inside a DAW by drawing midi, down from $39.99 USD.
Is Playbeat 3 already mentioned? This app is easy for randomizing patterns. You can lock the channels, so if you want a steady 4 to the floor, you lock the bass drum channel.
Playbeat can also randomize drumkits, and parameters like flam, pitch, volume, pan.
Also Patterning 2 helps me a lot, just press random on the screen, and there is your groove.
With drum programming, work with the swing settings, flam, ghost notes, etc, to get something more interesting.
This above is for electronic music, for rock, blues, jazz, I just use Band in a Box on PC, find the style you like, and setup your track with 2 intensities (verse is normal, chorus is a bit more wild). Or I use the Digitech Trio+ pedal for a drum groove.
Hopefully he does Auv3 this year soon..
Love this, these Drums..
Edit.. can you imagine, IBassist, FD, and Riffler (hoping for midi in.. chords)?
Totally agree with you, and would add learn to transcribe drum parts too. Unfortunately it’s not an option for everyone, but it will definitely make drum programming much easier and faster.
Another vote for drum computer. It's just so easy to use.
Move on to ambient music...
It is by far my favorite
And/or just study drum programming itself. There's no reason you'd be good at it if you don't understand how it works.
Some resources: https://www.soundonsound.com/search/all?terms=drum programming
That will get you some way there, but actually drumming will make things far more instinctive. It will also give you a much better grasp of how to use swing, triplets, ghost notes, the feel of the stick bouncing off each drum, how tuning affects feel, etc.
I would recommend sitting behind a kit and learning to play to anyone who has an interest in programming drums.
Drums good drums come in 3 parts
The engine - steady beat in almost any part with regular "simple" divisions
Syncopation - offbeat for color and groove
Fills - for punctuation
Just remember ANY drummer only has 4 appendages so keep the number of simultaneous hits to four.
https://www.amazon.ca/Drum-Machine-Patterns-Leonard-Corp/dp/0881888877
https://spectreacademy.net/courses/guide-to-drum-programming/
Seems like 2 good options
Skaka, Borsta, LoadKer, SKIIID, Perc Synth, Tweakybeat, Seekbeats, Axon 2, Drumjam, Different Drummer, Fractal Bits
Pocket Operations is a great little book of drum patterns. You can buy a printed copy or download the pdf here: https://shittyrecording.studio/.
Have a look at the basic patterns and standard breaks, get a simple drum machine app like SDS-x or Hammerhead and play, modify, experiment and have fun with them.
I wouldn’t overthink it.
Often I take some GarageBand kick and snare patterns and layer my own live percussion/cymbals on top. If you spend some time building up a library of skeleton beats, drums become the least of your worries, great arrangements will make your tracks.
Make Drone music instead?
Drums are not to be underestimated, you can have two rhythmic patterns almost the same and one is infinitely better than the other with only one element swung or accented differently.
it's really amazing when i think about it.
lol seriously
everyone has said everything except this…
Yep! I hear too much "automated music" with drum and percussion tracks which are a nightmare to listen to. Simplicity is often best.
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