Adding pre recorded Drums

  • Thread starter Thread starter Leachim
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Leachim

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Hi

I have a vocal and acoustic track to which I would like to add some percussion.

I don't know any drummers.

Both tracks were recorded at 80 beats p/m - so everything is in time.

Is there anywhere I could get some percussion prerecorded that I could change the beat to fit the music - I don't know much about MIDI though

Hope someone can help

Thanks

Mike
UK
 
I use Acoustica Beatcraft. They have a free 1 week trial, then it's just $40 to buy the thing. It takes some time to get the sounds you want, but the interface is EXTREMELY easy to use... you'll be creating beats and songs in minutes. It's also very adjustable, you can have one beat in 4/4, then the next beat 8/13...all in the same session.

http://www.acoustica.com/beatcraft/
Beatcraft Drum Machine - Make Your Own Sweet Beat! Create killer loops and drum sequences with this easy to use Drum Machine software!
 
Buy a Cajon drum for bass and snare drum-like sounds. You can get some drum set-like sounds out of these things...I use them exclusively to play out live with, as well as record. It does the trick, and eliminates that "canned-drum" sound that ANY true professional can spot a mile away. I use click tracks to get them rhythmn locked. If you can keep a beat, you can sound like a trap set with just your two hands! Add some shakers, tamborines, and other toys on separate tracks. I only reccomend it so highly because I also play acoustic...exclusively, and the cajon really compliments the percussive quality to an acoustic guitar. Do a search on youtube for "cajon." Enjoy.
 
You can use your keyboard (if you have one) to generate your own or use a preexisting drum beat.
 
You can use your keyboard (if you have one) to generate your own or use a preexisting drum beat.
 
It's always a crap shoot to add drum machines to already recorded tracks, due to variations in the time, but I've done it by using the pads on the machine (playing it like drums, so to speak). I'm not a drummer, so it never gets very interesting.

If you are patient and a perfectionist, you can tinker with the tracks until you get everything lined up...

...but I never had the patience. I have read pieces about snapping beats to grids, but I'm afraid I don't have any experience with doing that.

It is SOOOOO much easier to record the drum tracks first, but I guess you knew that.
 
Just re-read your post, and it occurs to me that you can use the Effects/Time Stretch in Edit View on the drum tracks to make it match the other tracks.

It's tricky unless you have a recurring "spike" in one of the wave forms already recorded to use as a reference point to line the drum hits with. A little careful measuring of the timing will help. What I do is find a downbeat point and place the cursor right over it, and make a note of the time displayed below the tracks, then find the next one, do the same, and a little subtraction will tell you exactly how far apart the kick drum spikes need to be. Then you can slide the drum tracks forward and back until everything's right.

If you have stereo drum tracks, highlight both of them (click on one to highlight it, and then press [ctrl] when you click on the second -- you probably know to do that, but I don't want to leave anything out ) and the two tracks will move together when you right click on one or the other to slide them.

It's a shame there's no "click and stretch" facility in Multi Track View...that would make all this a lot easier.
 
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