What to select for acoustic drums and percussion

vlaoladis

What do you use for acoustic drums and percussion on iOS?

I'm not a drummer and not a beatmaker, and I don't understand which software to prefer to create groovy and live-ish acoustic drums.

What do I want from drums:

• Sounds of acoustic drums in a Classic Rock/Blues manner, Latin-style percussions, and epic orchestra drums
• Customizable: the ability to tweak the sounding of each drum: volume, panning, fx
• Velocity-sensitive
• Easy programming of both classic and complex polyrhythm parties

I don't like the idea of composing with 3rd party pre-recorded loops, so I think my final solution will be based on one-shot multi-layered samples.

I already have Drambo and AudioLayer so I tried to create a drum set with SM Drums free samples.
And it works quite well, I even thought to add Polybeat as a sequencer and call it a day.

But AudioLayer seems to be quite heavy and unstable.
And Drambo has fewer velocity zones and customizing the sound of individual drums will require a more complex project.

So probably there are more solid ways to achieve my goals.

UPD: Also, are there good one-shot libraries for those sounds I described? There are so much different sets on the market, but they usually contain loops, and I don't need them.
Or it is just assumed that I should slice loops on shots myself?

Thank you

sigma79

FAC drum sequenced via Drambo or sequencer in Drambo?

vlaoladis

I thought about the FAC drumkit. It looks like a real deal for electronic drums, but is it suitable for acoustic sounds?

Does it work fast with samples?
As far as I understand it supports only one sample per voice, so no round robins and velocity affects the amplifier loudness instead of sample choice, right?

michael_m

It’s definitely a gap in iOS music apps. Maybe find some good samples and something to sequence them with? There really isn’t a great all-in-one solution.

sigma79

@vlaoladis said:
I thought about the FAC drumkit. It looks like a real deal for electronic drums, but is it suitable for acoustic sounds?

Does it work fast with samples?
As far as I understand it supports only one sample per voice, so no round robins and velocity affects the amplifier loudness instead of sample choice, right?

Probably ( if you say )

Not sure if acoustic or electronic.

but its low cpu.

So you can have a FAC AU per channel.

hacked_to_pieces

I'm currently using Digistix 2 with my own samples.

TurnItUp

FAC Drumkit has some kits on PatchStorage. One of those is a Gretsch 135th Aniversary accoustic Drumkit. Pretty nice sounds.

https://patchstorage.com/platform/fac-drumkit/

raabje

I just started using Audio Layer, and I have pulled the kits in Logic from my Macbook and imported this in Audiolayer. And I converted Battery en Kontakt acoustic kits into Audio Layer. So I have more than enough.

I think when I actually start using the kits, I will tune and tweak them (volume level for the individual zones, panning, pitch correction).

The Lumbeat drummers are great for generating interesting rhythms, and they can work together and with Ibassist. It works pretty good stand alone, but the integration in other software is a bit problematic. Better is when you have a nice groove going, export the midi to a DAW.

And, the drummer in Garageband is good, as far as I know from others.

wim

DrumPerfect Pro ticks most of the boxes of your original post @vlaoladis. It's not an AUv3 app unfortunately, but it has the most potential for realistic drums of all iOS apps. It comes with some good kits and with others available to purchase. It has a very capable sequencer, though it isn't the easiest to master by far.

For instance, there's no other app that has the ability to control the "openness" of hi hat sounds with a pedal control, but that feature is super hard (for me at least) to get your head around. It even has the ability to have different sounds for left and right hand playing and some intelligent logic to go along with that.

It's one of those apps that isn't easy to learn but richly rewarding if you do.

NeuM

GarageBand. The answer is always GarageBand.

audiblevideo

@wim said:
DrumPerfect Pro ticks most of the boxes of your original post @vlaoladis. It's not an AUv3 app unfortunately, but it has the most potential for realistic drums of all iOS apps. It comes with some good kits and with others available to purchase. It has a very capable sequencer, though it isn't the easiest to master by far.

For instance, there's no other app that has the ability to control the "openness" of hi hat sounds with a pedal control, but that feature is super hard (for me at least) to get your head around. It even has the ability to have different sounds for left and right hand playing and some intelligent logic to go along with that.

It's one of those apps that isn't easy to learn but richly rewarding if you do.

This is the way

musikeer

Patterning 2

vlaoladis

Wow, thank you all for so many suggestions.
I've never heard about DrumPerfect Pro and it looks like nailing all my needs.
I definitely will look through the detailed reviews of it.

And maybe do a couple of custom kits with Drumbo to get a better idea of ​​exactly what features are necessary for me.

Again thank all of you for your advice!

Jeezs

GarageBand or Beathawk with acoustic drums extensions or audio layer with DrumDrops sample libraries are the best sounding for pro quality acoustic drums on iOS

JohnnyGoodyear

Another vote for Lumbeat when balancing sound with ease of use etc

audiblevideo

I do love Lumbeats (all the drummers) for being my go to drummer for that real drummer FEEL - esp when I don’t feel like programming a beat

Super that it exports midi.

When I do want to craft a “real” drum beat DrumPerfect Pro is the go to, although I am having fun with round robins inside DigiStix2 loaded with some DrumDrops Kits

Jeezs

@JohnnyGoodyear said:
Another vote for Lumbeat when balancing sound with ease of use etc

I always found that Lumbeats sound very General midi ( look like it has a very few velocity layer and or no round robin). Although the grooves are cool the sound is unrealistic in my mix compare to GarageBand, beathawk or drumdrops drums.
But I may be wrong, I will give Lumbeat a new try, maybe I miss something.

HotStrange

@Jeezs said:

@JohnnyGoodyear said:
Another vote for Lumbeat when balancing sound with ease of use etc

I always found that Lumbeats sound very General midi ( look like it has a very few velocity layer and or no round robin). Although the grooves are cool the sound is unrealistic in my mix compare to GarageBand, beathawk or drumdrops drums.
But I may be wrong, I will give Lumbeat a new try, maybe I miss something.

Agreed. I’d much rather use GB or Beathawk. I only have a couple of the Lumbeats apps, and they’re great at what they do for the “feel”, but I tend to reach for the other 2 if I’m wanting real drum sounds. Which admittedly isn’t too often.

I also don’t mind some of the loopers like Beat Station, the Taqsim app, etc.

Kewe_Esse

Surprised no love for Klevgränd Borsta, Skaka, Ting…

Very good acoustic percussive apps.

HotStrange

@Kewe_Esse said:
Surprised no love for Klevgränd Borsta, Skaka, Ting…

Very good acoustic percussive apps.

Ah yeah my mind was on drums only. Those 3 and Slammer are some of favorite apps on iOS in general. Use them a lot.

Kewe_Esse

Oh yeah forgot about slammer

Probably the most appropriate app of the set relating to OP

Mah brain not really up to much today

Telefunky

@Jeezs said:
I always found that Lumbeats sound very General midi ( look like it has a very few velocity layer and or no round robin). Although the grooves are cool the sound is unrealistic in my mix compare to GarageBand, beathawk or drumdrops drums.
But I may be wrong...

Imho your listening is correct. It becomes very obvious when switching to some „classic“ sample cd content.
But given price, versatility and ease of use of the app(s) it‘s not a flaw.
One may post-pro audio output or use midi to trigger different sources, no problem

richardyot

The Lumbeat apps do have round-robin though, there are usually 3 samples per drum. Velocity layers too, although I'm not sure how many.

sonosaurus

@richardyot said:
The Lumbeat apps do have round-robin though, there are usually 3 samples per drum. Velocity layers too, although I'm not sure how many.

I find that Soft Drummer is the best one of the Lumbeat family in terms of dynamics and human feel, and forgetting that it's a machine... if you don't have that one, it's worth getting.

That said, if you are looking for world percussion, throw DrumJam into the mix... randomized loops, or manual pad dragging to add some live interest... it's not a complete solution for what you want, but it could add something on top...

richardyot

@sonosaurus said:

@richardyot said:
The Lumbeat apps do have round-robin though, there are usually 3 samples per drum. Velocity layers too, although I'm not sure how many.

I find that the Soft Drummer app is the best one of the Lumbeat family in terms of dynamics and human feel, and forgetting that it's a machine... if you don't have that one, it's worth getting.

I'm still eagerly awaiting your Auv3 drum module. As you can see there is a huge gap in the market for this. Something like Klevgrand's Slammer but with acoustic drum samples. It literally just needs to be a sample player, no sequencing.

A drum module with high-quality acoustic drum samples, with velocity layers and round robin. There's plenty of apps that have the samples, but none that are Auv3, and I think that's because they all have internal sequencing which complicates things and makes it harder to create a plugin.

richardyot

@sonosaurus said:

@richardyot said:
The Lumbeat apps do have round-robin though, there are usually 3 samples per drum. Velocity layers too, although I'm not sure how many.

I find that Soft Drummer is the best one of the Lumbeat family in terms of dynamics and human feel, and forgetting that it's a machine... if you don't have that one, it's worth getting.

That said, if you are looking for world percussion, throw DrumJam into the mix... randomized loops, or manual pad dragging to add some live interest... it's not a complete solution for what you want, but it could add something on top...

Soft Drummer is also my favourite, I sampled all of its sounds to create my own brush kits in NS2.

GrnEgz_N_Hm

@wim said:
DrumPerfect Pro ticks most of the boxes of your original post @vlaoladis. It's not an AUv3 app unfortunately, but it has the most potential for realistic drums of all iOS apps. It comes with some good kits and with others available to purchase. It has a very capable sequencer, though it isn't the easiest to master by far.

For instance, there's no other app that has the ability to control the "openness" of hi hat sounds with a pedal control, but that feature is super hard (for me at least) to get your head around. It even has the ability to have different sounds for left and right hand playing and some intelligent logic to go along with that.

It's one of those apps that isn't easy to learn but richly rewarding if you do.

@wim
I have tried everything to get the variable hi hat to work with a pedal. I followed all the available tutorials and documentation. All I am able to get is a glitchy sound and I’ve tried on two different machines even reinstalling.
Have you managed to get the variable hi hat to work with a pedal?

wim

@GrnEgz_N_Hm said:

@wim said:
DrumPerfect Pro ticks most of the boxes of your original post @vlaoladis. It's not an AUv3 app unfortunately, but it has the most potential for realistic drums of all iOS apps. It comes with some good kits and with others available to purchase. It has a very capable sequencer, though it isn't the easiest to master by far.

For instance, there's no other app that has the ability to control the "openness" of hi hat sounds with a pedal control, but that feature is super hard (for me at least) to get your head around. It even has the ability to have different sounds for left and right hand playing and some intelligent logic to go along with that.

It's one of those apps that isn't easy to learn but richly rewarding if you do.

@wim
I have tried everything to get the variable hi hat to work with a pedal. I followed all the available tutorials and documentation. All I am able to get is a glitchy sound and I’ve tried on two different machines even reinstalling.
Have you managed to get the variable hi hat to work with a pedal?

Years ago, but yes. I don't remember anything about it though.

What kind of pedal are you using? If it's anything like my expression pedal, or if you know or are able to discover what midi it puts out, maybe I can try to help.

HotStrange

@sonosaurus said:

@richardyot said:
The Lumbeat apps do have round-robin though, there are usually 3 samples per drum. Velocity layers too, although I'm not sure how many.

I find that Soft Drummer is the best one of the Lumbeat family in terms of dynamics and human feel, and forgetting that it's a machine... if you don't have that one, it's worth getting.

That said, if you are looking for world percussion, throw DrumJam into the mix... randomized loops, or manual pad dragging to add some live interest... it's not a complete solution for what you want, but it could add something on top...

Yep DrumJam is a classic. I haven’t tried Soft Drummer but it’s the one that interests me the most. I do like GarageBands brush set though.

FlowingRobes

Hi,
Wim.....I'm using an fd7 Roland pedal. Its putting out cc4. I almost get it but when I push the pedal all the way the volume of the open hat goes to off. I read something about it may be reducing velocity as I get toward all the way down.

The other thing with DPP....is all the kits sounds don't have any envelopes and the sound programming seems unfinished. Before I added some adsr, the samples ends had a ton of crap noise and pops. Then I had to turn the cross fade parameter down so ALL the samples in the group didn't play. Not a huge deal, but it is off putting at first.

But, it blows away all the others on iOS for acoustic drums played by an ekit. I have audio layer, but it was so finicky about saving locations...and locked up on me a few times.

To the op, drum perfect pro is what your looking for on iOS, until someone comes in and develops superior drummer 2 for iOS.

wim

@FlowingRobes said:
Hi,
Wim.....I'm using an fd7 Roland pedal. Its putting out cc4. I almost get it but when I push the pedal all the way the volume of the open hat goes to off. I read something about it may be reducing velocity as I get toward all the way down.

It probably wouldn't help trying to test with what I have available then. Sorry.

The other thing with DPP....is all the kits sounds don't have any envelopes and the sound programming seems unfinished. Before I added some adsr, the samples ends had a ton of crap noise and pops. Then I had to turn the cross fade parameter down so ALL the samples in the group didn't play. Not a huge deal, but it is off putting at first.

That's very strange. I've never had that problem and have never heard it reported by anyone else in all these years. 🤷🏼‍♂️