anyway hi to you all. my wife just bought me a zoom 606 guitar effects box. it seems to be realy nice. but my biggest problem im having is my drums, all i have is midi or my keyboard, the presets on my keyboard are just to wrong for my music and to play the drums out by hand is very hard being that im not to good at it. as you will see with the song i have just done for this reason, this is not a full song its just a metal demo with no vox,what i need is to know if the drums sound good i compressed the hell outta them, i didnt bother to add cymballs because they sound like crap off my keyboard just bass drum snare and toms, i played it all by hand and it does get a little off timing especially during the double bass drum part.but i realy like the distortion sound i used outta the zoom it is realy bitey and alive.is there a way i can just play the bass drum sound and record it and then do the snare and the toms and then the ride and crash and just drag and drop them into place within cakewalk pro 9, basicly just record samples of the sounds and just place them within the song as they apply or are needed. please give the demo a listen and let me know if the sounds are even good enough to waste my time on or not. im realy on a tight budget wright now being that my daughter is realy been sick and i was layed of for a year and just gott back to work so i gotta make do with what i have, buying the zoom was realy pushing it even though i have been saving my overtime money and originally had plans on using it for upgrades but with my kid sick and all and me without insurance i had to use my savings, and the bad part is my insurance will kick in in about another month. so please if anyone has any suggestions on how to make midi drums sound good or how to drag and drop loops or somthing i would so greatly appreciate it. thanks guys. tim pate http://www.nowhereradio.com/artists/album.php?aid=1751&alid=-1 the song is called metal frenzy
the ace has distortion in the house.
- Thread starter flash2ace
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King Elvis
New member
Its heavy man!!!
You know in my opinion the drums dont sound that bad. Now I am no drum expert as I use a Zoom drum machine for my sounds. The only thing I can suggest is to add some reverb to those drums to make them sound bigger. Give it a try and let us hear it, cuz it think it would sound pretty good.
You know in my opinion the drums dont sound that bad. Now I am no drum expert as I use a Zoom drum machine for my sounds. The only thing I can suggest is to add some reverb to those drums to make them sound bigger. Give it a try and let us hear it, cuz it think it would sound pretty good.
chrisharris
King of Bling
What's A "Drum?"
Hey Tim: I've been officially barred from ever offering any advice regarding any percussive instrument, so I'll stick to my boundaries and just say, "Hi."
(for the record, the kick drum could have been a recording of a turkey leg hitting an empty milk carton, and I wouldn't have known the difference...I'm lame like that).
-chris
Hey Tim: I've been officially barred from ever offering any advice regarding any percussive instrument, so I'll stick to my boundaries and just say, "Hi."
(for the record, the kick drum could have been a recording of a turkey leg hitting an empty milk carton, and I wouldn't have known the difference...I'm lame like that).
-chris
how the hell did you know about the turkey leg, damn you are a good critic you musta heard the bastard shriek when i ripped his leg off. guys unbar mr. harris hes gott good ears. lol thanks for saying hi chris. always good hearing from you. thanks for the coments guys but i wish there was more,maybe the heavy music scared ya all away lol. COMENTS HERE WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED GUYS THANKS, TIM PATE
participant
New member
hi
participant
New member
oh, you're looking for feedback?
To be honest, they'ain't much in the way of drums anyway. All I hears is bass, guitar, and a tiny snare drum hit every two beats Oh wait, there's a tom fill at the end...
Maybe you eq'ed all the lows off the snare? Or maybe it's just a thin sound?
Not sure what you're asking for; if you're asking if you could make this into a song that would fool people into thinking you were playing real drums... I'd have to say... ehhhhhhhh probably not
OTOH, just do it, man. Just make this song/jam/recording as good as you can make it, and see what happens. You may just fool enough people
(maybe not those on this board, as we all have very little to do and have all trained ourselves to hear to within 1/12 of a semitone and 0.001 dB of total harmonic distortion 
)
Just make the music as good as you can right now, and worry about upgrades later.
Chad
EDIT: To be honest tho, a thread where everyone just says "hi" might come in handy
To be honest, they'ain't much in the way of drums anyway. All I hears is bass, guitar, and a tiny snare drum hit every two beats
Oh wait, there's a tom fill at the end...Maybe you eq'ed all the lows off the snare? Or maybe it's just a thin sound?
Not sure what you're asking for; if you're asking if you could make this into a song that would fool people into thinking you were playing real drums... I'd have to say... ehhhhhhhh probably not
OTOH, just do it, man. Just make this song/jam/recording as good as you can make it, and see what happens. You may just fool enough people
(maybe not those on this board, as we all have very little to do and have all trained ourselves to hear to within 1/12 of a semitone and 0.001 dB of total harmonic distortion )Just make the music as good as you can right now, and worry about upgrades later.
Chad
EDIT: To be honest tho, a thread where everyone just says "hi" might come in handy
mixmkr
we don't need rest!!
waaay too boomy, no kick drum to really be heard...until you try the dbl bass stuff.., tinny snare, no meat...fuzzy guitars, timing problems... What do you compare this too?
...to a prof. recording... ??..then, D- to a home brew jam, having fun...C- ...overall...needs much more to even be average to get a C.
to get better sounds, I would try and isolate the drums on separtate tracks if you can, and get the timing down, most importantly. Then you can proceed to work on the drum sounds. Beyond that, not sure what other comments are appropriate, or what you really are looking for.
...to a prof. recording... ??..then, D- to a home brew jam, having fun...C- ...overall...needs much more to even be average to get a C.to get better sounds, I would try and isolate the drums on separtate tracks if you can, and get the timing down, most importantly. Then you can proceed to work on the drum sounds. Beyond that, not sure what other comments are appropriate, or what you really are looking for.
so thats the secret, record each drum piece to a seperate track, i can see your point but im struggling already to play the parts it will make it much harder but i will try it. and for the book im not trying to compare any of my stuff to a profesional recording, i just wanna make my stuff sound as good as i can for what ive gott which aint much in the line of equipment. i think maybe i will try the seperate track thingy on the drums. it will definately make it harder to play but i will practice the part until it is perfect then go from there. when you guys start a recording what do you usually start with the drums, guitar, bass? what ive been doing is well i play the guitar part is pick a preset drum beat from keyboard that fits the timing of my song and then listen to it as a referance as i record my guitar track so i dont get of timing.im not afraid to pay my dues and take the time to learn somthing new so if theres any good ideas out there please make them known, i downloade fruity loops demo but i cant figure the dang thing out very easily. so im working on that. thanks for the coments guys and please rip me a new one if it will help i dont care all i care about is making friends here and learning all i can because i know theres some of the best of the best on here that are realy full of info. thanks again tim pate
mixmkr
we don't need rest!!
I think definately record drums first...or at least have a click track to go by when you add them later...but that's a route I would not suggest. Recording one drum at a time maybe tricky too. I think some time spent with Fruity loops will reward you well, and time spent that you are glad you did. Keeping drums on separate tracks allows for different tweaks on the drums, as you might guess....like reverb on the snare only...a different verb on the toms...EQ on the cymbals...another EQ on the kick drum... you get the idea...eh?
You might invest in a program like Sound Forge Acid, and download some drum beats. That might be an easy way to go too, at this point.
As far as comparing...I realize we are all not shooting for rock-stardom...but just providing a basis in which to compare. I feel that a lot of posts get pats on the back, when instead some constructive critisizm, WITH IDEAS, works best for improvement. Why kid someone when it really needs some work to sound halfway decent as compared to alot of other home brew stuff.
Your phrase..."pay your dues" will take you a loooong way. Good attitude...keep it up.
You might invest in a program like Sound Forge Acid, and download some drum beats. That might be an easy way to go too, at this point.
As far as comparing...I realize we are all not shooting for rock-stardom...but just providing a basis in which to compare. I feel that a lot of posts get pats on the back, when instead some constructive critisizm, WITH IDEAS, works best for improvement. Why kid someone when it really needs some work to sound halfway decent as compared to alot of other home brew stuff.
Your phrase..."pay your dues" will take you a loooong way. Good attitude...keep it up.
participant
New member
It's cool. King Elvis (probably) and I don't take the dis personal either 
jcmm
Kwality
mixkr has the right idea.
A click track is essential for a "non drummer" like me.
Especially if the song has parts where the drums drop out for a few bars, or there is an off beat instrument. It also helps when doing each instrument along the way .You just dump it at the end.
I don't have any great systen here but the drums sound hidden and thin. It's always something I end up screwing around with until I get a balance I like.
Then I change it all again................urghhhh!!
A click track is essential for a "non drummer" like me.
Especially if the song has parts where the drums drop out for a few bars, or there is an off beat instrument. It also helps when doing each instrument along the way .You just dump it at the end.
I don't have any great systen here but the drums sound hidden and thin. It's always something I end up screwing around with until I get a balance I like.
Then I change it all again................urghhhh!!
jamal buchet
New member
again as with evrything i listen on here ..i have to listen in lo-fi...so ....to me it sounds like the heavy guit part and the drums are sitting right on top of each other..?...shit i dunno what im trying to say here....they need "seperation".?...ya know what upon further thought ...just read mixmkr's post..lol
i play drums but i really dont know anything about your "zoom"..is it unit?...wow my lame meter is off the charts about now........
jamal
i play drums but i really dont know anything about your "zoom"..is it unit?...wow my lame meter is off the charts about now........
jamal
Lt. Bob
Spread the Daf!
The drums don't sound very good but it doesn't sound like EQ problems to me as much as being bad samples. Way too boomy and no presence or 'snap' to them. The snare sounds like a paper bag. No offense but you asked.
What kind of keyboard are you using? I have a XP-60 and I get real good drums out of it. But if the drums are bad samples....then there is no EQ that will make them sound very good.
You can and should record them to separate tracks so you can EQ them separately. I, personally, wouldn't compress them so much. What life they might have has been squeezed out of them. Really....I hate too much compression on things. It just sounds so unnatural. Maybe boost the EQ on the snare around 2-3k...something like that.
And you really need some mids and upper mids in that kick. It doesn't have much definition. I don't know much about 'puter recording but the fruity loops are supposed to be pretty cheap and sound decent. that might be something you should consider.
What kind of keyboard are you using? I have a XP-60 and I get real good drums out of it. But if the drums are bad samples....then there is no EQ that will make them sound very good.
You can and should record them to separate tracks so you can EQ them separately. I, personally, wouldn't compress them so much. What life they might have has been squeezed out of them. Really....I hate too much compression on things. It just sounds so unnatural. Maybe boost the EQ on the snare around 2-3k...something like that.
And you really need some mids and upper mids in that kick. It doesn't have much definition. I don't know much about 'puter recording but the fruity loops are supposed to be pretty cheap and sound decent. that might be something you should consider.
man i wish i had roland xp 60 money. all i have is a yamaha psr 280. very cheap indeed. the way ive been eqing is probably wrong to. i use the graphic eq that is built into cakewalk and i just add it to the track and if i dont like the sound i undo it and redo it till i like it and its very time consuming this way.i will try and do it in real time later today, also my monitors suck realy bad and i know that aint helping me any, they are just comp speakers(altec lansing) with sub woofer.i have the demo of fruity loops and the demo of acid pro 4.0 but im not sure if these are usable enough when they are a demo to make drum tracks. money has been such a issue for me lately because my daughter has had so many health problems, she has foot problems to her feet are growing crooked and has to see a specialist about it and it cost me a fortune.i dont regret it and i dont mean it that way but that is why i dont have awesome equipment as of now, i work alot of overtime and i am a forman at a machine shop but my money is just so tied up for now, anyone have any suggestions for better drums on a low low budget or maybe you might know if fruity loops demo or acid pro demo will work for drum tracks in the demo form until i can afford to buy it. thanks for all the coments it is you guys that make this forum so great and i for one realy appreciate it from the bottom of my heart. thanks tim pate
Tukkis
New member
Yeh fruity loops allows you to export the drum track/s as a wave file which you can import into your recording program
The only limitation with the demo is you can't save the fruity loops session file which means after youn finish making the drum tracks you can only export the wav and can't go back later and edit all the beats and patterns
Tukkis
JuSumPilgrim
New member
What are you monitoring with? K-mart speakers with a 500Hz rolloff?
This is not a recording. It sounds like the music? was in the basement with the mics left in the attic.
This is not a recording. It sounds like the music? was in the basement with the mics left in the attic.
HI PILGRIM THANKS FOR THE COMENTS. umh actually i posted what kind of monitors i have and i also posted that i am very limited with cash wright now. i dont use mics as of yet im running direct through the line in.and as i said above i am not trying to be a pro engineer here just trying to do the best i can with what i have. but thank you for the coments.