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Is Drumcomputer worth the IAP?
I’ve had the free version of it for a number of months now, and enjoy fiddling with the various options, but wonder if I would actually ever use it in a song.
I purchased Elastic Drums years ago for many of the same reasons, but have still yet to use it in a song.
The seem very similar, and I love the crazy beats they create, but was wondering if any forum members use them, and if so, could they post their songs as inspiration to those of us who love these app but haven’t yet found a place for them…
Comments
Too CPU heavy for my iPad.
I have a ton of sample fodder from Elastic Drums that I still use many years later. Didnt take long to get a lifetimes worth of sweet fx manglerations.
As for Drum Computer I find it is a pretty different thing. don’t think it has much for fx and those cool x/y pad smeary fx in Elastic Drums are super fun for me when combined with the sampler, and I did use it for much more than just drums sounds. Anyway, I do find the stuff I did with the Drum Computer demo a bit too prickly for my ears to really geek out on (polyplex in komplete does it better for me) but if I ever want a cool MIDI beat generator I just may bite as I liked the grooves it generated.
I understand your hesitation
I think that drum computer and a majority of the other IOS drum apps has some good basic sounds.
Personally I would take the sounds out bring them into Koala or patterning to sequence and stack them
and effect dirty and beef them up with FAC transient etc Koala effect etc.
If you want extra quirky drums, way too many presets to investigate and a million little things to tweak... then YES. It's the Synthmaster 2 of all the drum apps but with a fixed cost unlike the dozens of IAP's in SM2.
I find it always inspires me to play over the top of something I can find in less than 60 seconds. It makes me more current without knowing what everyone else is up to.
Is it on sale? Get 'er done, dude.
Haha! Thanks McD. Guess I need to put my Big Boy Billy Gibbons pants on and relent to the synth drum powers.
No. The synthesis is wack, and its overkill to use just for a sample machine. The one nice feature, the manual-auto “fill bar” behaves the exact same way every time at each point along the bar instead of delivering somewhat random fills. It’s ugly too, and for good measure I’ll add that Sugarbytes’ reverbs are some of the worst I’ve ever heard. The world that is scored by Sugarbytes’ stuff is not a world I’d want to live in.
"To boldly go where no man has gone before." Exploring new worlds... earth is still fun too.
Some like the combustion engine and some like a little Warp Drive. That's what I mean by quirky: Non-traditional physics... sci-fi... speculative fiction... fantasy bullshit.
Oh Oat, as always your takes are precise, consistent, and unwavering.
I don’t always agree, but when you are right, there is no doubting you.
Most of the free stuff also kinda sounds a lil thin, me thinks.
May need some FX magic.
I post this as a tip earlier (somewhere) on this forum for those who find drum computer lacking in the sound department or too heavy on the cpu:
Load it as midi sequencer and map it to your fave other drum machine or samples.
If you have MFXConvert load an instance and set it to receive DCs midi. Set the menu to (at the top) to LEARN and tap on a pad. DCs note for that pad will show up. Do the same with whatever you want to map to.
Then take the sound source note and map it to whatever pad/lane you wish in drum computer. Viola easy mappings. (Don’t forget to save your preset).
I find that if I just use 4 lanes (turn off the midi output for the other lanes in settings gear) and a natural kit I can get some really nice grooves. I feel like each one of DCs lanes has its own algorithm and changing what you map can have an effect. Another tip would be using the output of one of the unused drum channels (like the base/synth sound) as musical note output. I like running it to AudioModern’s Chord app for hits or a bass for something simpler.
TL;DR one of the best drum machines IMHOP
Get it if you can
Is Drumcomputer worth the IAP?
Judge for yourself...
After playing with it for some hours I bought the IAP, hoping it could become my go to drum solution. It’s vast capabilities to sculpt sounds looked promising. I found the presets a bit too crazy but I thought I just need to dive deep into it and I’ll be able to craft any drum sound I need. More than a year later I haven’t used it for a single project. Not a single. When FAC Drumkit came out it finally fulfilled the expectations that DrumComputer didn’t fulfill. BTW, I know Fred is working on a really cool update.
Have it. Think it's cool. Play with it from time to time for fun. Never use it for anything.
I'd say if the free version doesn't grab you and make you say you have to have it, then skip it.
Some night when you're bored and your will power is low, you'll buy it anyway, so no big loss skipping it now.
I love it. I don’t use the auto-generated patterns much—I prefer to manually make sequences—but it’s great for that too.
And it’s a fantastic way to come up with new drum sounds. Unlike @AudioGus, who apparently still has the ears of a teenager, I like the crisp, tik-tak sounds it makes
I can’t remember what the IAP gets you though. Is it the sequencer?
I like Drum computer but it is super cpu hungry. But now that loppy pro is here it is perfect for sample fodder
One nice thing about using CPU-heavy AUs in Loopy Pro is that they can go into an idle state when you’re not using them. Plus, once I’ve made my drum parts, I resample them to audio and unload the AU.
Non-traditional physics... sci-fi... speculative fiction... fantasy bullshit.
Wow, that could really be Sugarbytes mission statement. Throw all those things together, add a crappy reverb, and you nailed it.
I really appreciate hearing that, for what it’s worth. Even if it was said caustically, there’s still some truth in it I say. Tis the season
I for one love drumcomputer and would use it in every project if it was universal.
I can completely understand why people don’t like the way it sounds, but for the kind of music I make, it’s perfect. Love the ‘wooden’ sound a lot of the drums make.
With 2 young kids, I just don’t have enough time to make music if I’m limited to my iPad only, so DC gets left out.
Like you @krassmann , FAC Drumkit has tagged itself in as a universal alternative. Looking forward to some new features 😉
I think SB has a sale now..
https://apps.apple.com/app/drumcomputer-ipad/id1502238351
I agree about the reverbs but thats it.GUI ist taste (i love it) and the engine is VERY capabble and much more than just a“sample player“.You need to play and learn drumcomputers different approach though.It‘s not an instant gratification machine and most preset rhythm are shit imo.I love all the fresh percussion stuff i can create but also really huge basses and lowest kicks are no problem after diving deeper.Layering is also very easy and fun.
My take on DC is that it is a good enough replacement for my dumb@$$ having sold my Elektron Machinedrum years ago. Set it up with the MIDI side of an Elektron box and some MIDI CC assignments, and you have a pretty dope setup.
I’m with @gregsmith. It’s not perfect but i reach for it every time i need inspiration for a beat. It’s just so easy when you don’t have time to futz with hand crafting a beat. If I don’t like the sounds, i send the sequence out to some other noise maker.
Wow, thanks all for the great input! There seems to be pretty strong feelings for and against it with a healthy dose of “I like it, but” buts.
I think I’ll hold-off for this sale, play with it some more and see if I can find situations where it could definitely be put to use.
In the meantime, thanks to @krassmann and @gregsmith for the shoutout to FAC Drumkit. I really love Fred’s apps, so I’ll have to do some YouTube research on it.
I find it’s loads of fun. You can always just play with it standalone and if you start to want to use in you daw then get the iap, goes on sale about twice a year. Its very deep, ui is pretty good, sequencer is very complete.
For me it was the randomisation system in DC that suddenly clicked and boosted it into favourite category. This thing is really nice and fast jam companion.
I haven't found a better solution (or a solution at all for that matter) for drum pads that you can finger drum live instead of sequencing that isn't GarageBand (which doesn't play nice with AUM)
I really like DrumComputer.
It's a lot of fun.
I've got loads of grooves saved.
DrumComputer reminds me how good an iOS app can be, but it doesn't replace anything. It's a paradox.
There are great DC tutorials and demos by several, including The Sound Test Room, Gavinski, SoundForMore, and a whole series by Tom Cosm
Have fun!
What was the question? Oh, right. Should you buy the IAP? It's true that the free version can already do a lot. But the IAP unlocks the (Multi-Out) Audio Unit, which is essential for me.