Drums Come True - Online drum tracking service

After glancing through your site, I'm not entirely sure of if you used hardware drums or just e-drums (or if it depends on the project). I might clarify that point a little.

Also, that weirdly-stretched cymbal at the top of every page looks kind of bad. I'd lose or fix that.
 
went through your site, the only thing that seems to change from page to page is the writing, and the cymbal / software screenshots sorta got on my nerves half way through but I think you provide a good service and that with some tweaking it'd be a great site
 
Thank you kindly for the pointers. I will consider removing the top cymbal yes, since it probably drags the site down instead of up.
A few look-overs and updates over time should be in order then.
 
I think the site looks very nice, and it's well-laid-out and clear. I definitely agree with VHS that the stretched cymbal banner could be improved. I think a banner there is a great idea, just maybe try to incorporate the cymbal with some other visuals in a layered format?

Good luck with the business...I have the ability to record my own drums now, but if I'd seen this about a year ago, I bet I would have been a customer :)

Very Best,

Dave DeWhitt
Midnight Muse Media - Home

Check Out My New Album
iTunes - Music - Signs of Life by Dave DeWhitt
Cover_Small copy.png
 
Boys & Girls,

Many thanks for the input. Now updated, and very soon I will also implement recording possibilities of my
Gretsch Maple kit with full set of AKG mics for the acoustically inclined.
Will probably change the subheader even more after that I guess...
 
Cool site, but I don't see why anyone would actually pay for E-drums. I've seen a few guys who have a decent set up and will record real drums for people who want that kind of service. The thing is they don't get a lot of work because the prices are way too high. One guy was charging 50 dollars per song, just to sit at home and beat on his drums like he would of been doing and not getting paid for anyway... If it's not cheap as hell, borderline free, it doesn't make sense... But that's just my opinion...
 
FoulPhil said:
Cool site, but I don't see why anyone would actually pay for E-drums. I've seen a few guys who have a decent set up and will record real drums for people who want that kind of service. The thing is they don't get a lot of work because the prices are way too high. One guy was charging 50 dollars per song, just to sit at home and beat on his drums like he would of been doing and not getting paid for anyway... If it's not cheap as hell, borderline free, it doesn't make sense... But that's just my opinion...
Click to expand...

Thanks for your opinion FP. I have had this discussion more times than I can count. I assume you read what is written under the "electronic drums"-section?
The point is that you do not pay for e-drums, and you do not pay for acoustic drums. You pay for the performance played in full by an actual drummer who knows his stuff.
In the end it's the result that counts, and when I display tunes played by me on an digital kit through sample banks people ask what kit I used. I might as well had said that I played
my miced-up Gretsch and they would have believed it. The attitude may be something like "man that sounds great" - I want you to lay down some tracks for me", and when
they figure out that I played samples in real time instead of an acoustic kit (for now), the interest cools off. What's the difference? I could easily have said that I played Pearl Masterworks and that would be it. The result is what counts. Seems like placebo is very prominent here.

And the thing to point out is that everything is played - never programmed or looped. Many might think "why should I get you when I can easily get a copy of AD, SDX, SSD, whatever, myself and import some loops or program?". That's just it. It WILL sound programmed if you don't play it. In an average bar I have, perhaps, between 40-60 notes with varying velocities, which emanates from me tickling the hats, while ruffing the ride, and double pedalling the bass, along with multiple flams on snare & toms. And loops are loops.
A section that repeats itself, and does not respond to the tiny microchanges in the flow of the music. Even if people play to a click they may drag, or rush the beat. You need to play it to get it and "respond" to it, I think.

There are actually quite a few that's doing what I'm doing- both with acoustic setups, and recently "my way" with e-kits and sample banks.
Appr 1000-1500 drummers worldwide are into this biz (according to Tim @ timlovesdrums.com). Some do this full-time, some nothing.
Right now I'm doing an album for a guy in Virginia through february. Country-pop sort of. Before that I did some metal, R'n'b for a guy in Hong Kong.
A funk tune for a swedish guy nearby etc. As long as I put my heart into it and make the performance sound convincing I'm happy. It's just as important
to me as it is to the one who needs my services. Probably more.
 
definitely something to keep in mind... samples and loops get to be a pain in the ass and dull sounding. cool site too.
 
JohnRick said:
Thanks for your opinion FP. I have had this discussion more times than I can count. I assume you read what is written under the "electronic drums"-section?
The point is that you do not pay for e-drums, and you do not pay for acoustic drums. You pay for the performance played in full by an actual drummer who knows his stuff.
In the end it's the result that counts, and when I display tunes played by me on an digital kit through sample banks people ask what kit I used. I might as well had said that I played
my miced-up Gretsch and they would have believed it. The attitude may be something like "man that sounds great" - I want you to lay down some tracks for me", and when
they figure out that I played samples in real time instead of an acoustic kit (for now), the interest cools off. What's the difference? I could easily have said that I played Pearl Masterworks and that would be it. The result is what counts. Seems like placebo is very prominent here.

And the thing to point out is that everything is played - never programmed or looped. Many might think "why should I get you when I can easily get a copy of AD, SDX, SSD, whatever, myself and import some loops or program?". That's just it. It WILL sound programmed if you don't play it. In an average bar I have, perhaps, between 40-60 notes with varying velocities, which emanates from me tickling the hats, while ruffing the ride, and double pedalling the bass, along with multiple flams on snare & toms. And loops are loops.
A section that repeats itself, and does not respond to the tiny microchanges in the flow of the music. Even if people play to a click they may drag, or rush the beat. You need to play it to get it and "respond" to it, I think.

There are actually quite a few that's doing what I'm doing- both with acoustic setups, and recently "my way" with e-kits and sample banks.
Appr 1000-1500 drummers worldwide are into this biz (according to Tim @ timlovesdrums.com). Some do this full-time, some nothing.
Right now I'm doing an album for a guy in Virginia through february. Country-pop sort of. Before that I did some metal, R'n'b for a guy in Hong Kong.
A funk tune for a swedish guy nearby etc. As long as I put my heart into it and make the performance sound convincing I'm happy. It's just as important
to me as it is to the one who needs my services. Probably more.
Click to expand...

Yeah you can pay someone to play for you. Then you can cross your fingers and hope someone buys the finished product. Or you could just look for a real drummer to make music with and have him do it for free LOL...
 
FoulPhil said:
Yeah you can pay someone to play for you. Then you can cross your fingers and hope someone buys the finished product. Or you could just look for a real drummer to make music with and have him do it for free LOL...
Click to expand...

You trolling or genuinely dumb ? Some people just want a drum track they can mix in with their own recorded music. They want this without the hassle of finding a drummer they can get along with, have similar tastes to,have timetables in sync with and has the resources to record of a sufficient standard - and is a genuinely good musician.
 
I'd give him a break Phil. He's offering a service that there is at least some market for. (Or, more accurately, he's offering an old service (mercenary, studio drums) through a newer market (the Internet)). As CFox said, sometimes you just want some drums recorded, and paying for it is easier than convincing someone to do it free.

As to the website in its current state, the aspect ratio is still off on the banner at the top. It's not as bad, but it's still enough to lose you most stumble-upon business.

You definitely state that you are selling performed drums, not programmed ones. That's good. You'll probably still have some people who don't realize that because it's not a giant bullet point on the front page. However, those people are kind of stupid, maybe you don't want their business? :D

I fear that your satisfaction guarantee, specifically "I'll do unlimited retakes for free until you're happy!" is going to bite you in the rear. You're eventually going to get difficult customers who will abuse that terribly.
 
The worst thing about this is that your sample clip sounds terrible. What you're offering doesn't sound any better or more natural than someone with programmed samples or loops. It sounds very fake and canned. You need to use real drums. Just being a human isn't enough.

And yeah, your guarantee is ridiculous. As a drummer myself that has done tracks for other people, I usually give them one shot at a redo or change. Just one. Make sure you have a mutual understanding of what you plan to do, and then do it. Then give them one chance to ask for a change.
 
Greg_L said:
The worst thing about this is that your sample clip sounds terrible. What you're offering doesn't sound any better or more natural than someone with programmed samples or loops. It sounds very fake and canned. You need to use real drums. Just being a human isn't enough.

And yeah, your guarantee is ridiculous. As a drummer myself that has done tracks for other people, I usually give them one shot at a redo or change. Just one. Make sure you have a mutual understanding of what you plan to do, and then do it. Then give them one chance to ask for a change.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the input Greg. I always welcome harsh criticism. In order then:

* I now realise that I probably should use the more recent work I've been doing for actual customers as samples,
instead of kicking it off with a apartment jam that's over a year old, and where payment was not in the picture.
I have a pool to take from, so I'll have to amend it very soon. Also realise I did the "fatal" mistake of importing an mp3 in my DAW, just to export another mp3. Not good - since I should go WAV all the way of course. Noticable on the cymbals/highs to say the least.

* My "guarantee", yes. Well, to my defense, I'm certainly not he only one in the online drumming community offering this guarantee, but I do acknowledge it to be a risky one, since a lot of working time can be eaten up by non-serious customers.
 
VomitHatSteve said:
I'd give him a break Phil. He's offering a service that there is at least some market for. (Or, more accurately, he's offering an old service (mercenary, studio drums) through a newer market (the Internet)). As CFox said, sometimes you just want some drums recorded, and paying for it is easier than convincing someone to do it free.

As to the website in its current state, the aspect ratio is still off on the banner at the top. It's not as bad, but it's still enough to lose you most stumble-upon business.

You definitely state that you are selling performed drums, not programmed ones. That's good. You'll probably still have some people who don't realize that because it's not a giant bullet point on the front page. However, those people are kind of stupid, maybe you don't want their business? :D

I fear that your satisfaction guarantee, specifically "I'll do unlimited retakes for free until you're happy!" is going to bite you in the rear. You're eventually going to get difficult customers who will abuse that terribly.
Click to expand...

Thanks VHS. Thought I ought to respond to this as well:

- The banner is still off yes, but actually it is on purpose (to fit most of the set in). I might change it once more, but hopefully it's a tiny step up from the previous yellow cymbalhorror.
- I also have pondered upon that many may not realise that I play everything, and that nothing is programmed. Then again, many might realise it but still choose not to go my route. I prefer not to work with boneheads either way.
- As just said, my "satisfaction guaranteed" may be a bit daft, but still, I trust that the one's who are interested also are serious. Should I find out otherwise, maybe I'll change this condition also later on.
 
I would definitely change that banner. If I were looking for exactly the service you offer on Google, I would see that image and most likely immediately look somewhere else.

I didn't listen to any of your samples, but Gerg has it right. Make sure your samples are all grade-A material!
 
FoulPhil said:
Cool site, but I don't see why anyone would actually pay for E-drums. I've seen a few guys who have a decent set up and will record real drums for people who want that kind of service. The thing is they don't get a lot of work because the prices are way too high. One guy was charging 50 dollars per song, just to sit at home and beat on his drums like he would of been doing and not getting paid for anyway... If it's not cheap as hell, borderline free, it doesn't make sense... But that's just my opinion...
Click to expand...

I have to contest this I see session players (not too many drummers in honesty) come through our doors setting up playing and getting €50 a track and going home and they're considered pretty good in the field here, its not the sound it the player, its the feel, its the groove, I got a bass playing friend of mine to "session" some tracks for me (he done it for free) and its something I, MIDI, Trillian, Your Keyboard or anything else could capture, feeling and a natural bass playing ear.

Oh and don't get me wrong I use trillian quite a lot if its just a cover version or backing track or the song doesn't need mad bass, this guy is perfect for this style
 
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