Timing/Drum Machine

C

Chris R74

New member
Ok I have looked through many threads and didn't see anything that actually answers my question completely. I have a Tascam do-32sd porta studio. I am making demos of songs that I have wrote because I can't afford to stay in the studio. I'm by no means a distinguished musician and I'm having some timing problems that are terrible on my play backs. A sound engineer that I have done some work for told me that he likes to take a drum machine and and make a drum chart (????) and then run that while recording. I'm no longer in contact with him and I'm wandering if someone can help me out with some info on this. I suck with a metronome, so with a drum machine can I get a kick and snare lick going to play along with?

Thanks
Chris
 
Chris R74 said:
Ok I have looked through many threads and didn't see anything that actually answers my question completely. I have a Tascam do-32sd porta studio. I am making demos of songs that I have wrote because I can't afford to stay in the studio. I'm by no means a distinguished musician and I'm having some timing problems that are terrible on my play backs. A sound engineer that I have done some work for told me that he likes to take a drum machine and and make a drum chart (????) and then run that while recording. I'm no longer in contact with him and I'm wandering if someone can help me out with some info on this. I suck with a metronome, so with a drum machine can I get a kick and snare lick going to play along with?

Thanks
Chris
Click to expand...
A drum machine is a machine that uses sampled drums (like a recording of a snare, a recording of a hi-hat, etc...) and creates beats with them. So, basically, what he is saying is he wants to replace your drumming with samples, as they play more in time. Some producers like samples, whilst others don't. The only good thing about them is that they play perfectly in time, but I would suggest you practice with a metronome because samples do not have as much energy as a real drummer.
A drum chart is basically sheet music for drums.
Hope this helps :)
 
Chris R74 said:
I suck with a metronome, so with a drum machine can I get a kick and snare lick going to play along with?
Click to expand...

TBH...if you suck with a metronome, a rock-solid drum machine isn't going to make it that much easier.
It will sound better than the metronome, but you still have to feel that beat and stay with it, same as with a metronome.

Play the metronome...and start tapping your foot to the beat. Keep it up for several measures until your foot tapping is comfortable and in the groove...and then start playing.
I just think it's important to get use to doing that...it will only help you with other rhythmic situations, and you will learn to feel even small rhythmic shifts, which then opens up all that "playing around the beat" stuff....without ever losing it.
 
Amen to what Miro says. But, you might skip the tick-tock. You might even have a pattern sequencer in your DAW

BTW, drum machines can be analog without any of that sample stuff. The fun stuff is when you have that drum clock acquired almost as a natural ability and you can leave all that BPM-staff music stuff in the dust
 
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