Auditioning a drum machine

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Krakit

Krakit

Rzzzzz!
I don't want reviews of makes or models here. It's too early for that.

What I want to know is how to go about auditioning drum boxes in the store. I was never on friendly terms with these things, preferring the real McCoy to microchips, but I think that as a matter of necessity, I'm going to have to suck it up and get one.

As I have stated, I don't want anyone to steer me towards one machine over another. I'll probably narrow it down later and ask for advice in this respect. Still, what do you do when you go shopping for a drum machine. Do you just tap on the buttons or what?
:confused: :confused: :confused:
 
Unless salesmen don't mind you trying out the machine for a few hours in the store or borrowing it to take home for some time, there is not much more you can do.

In a store, you can listen to the sounds easily, but it takes some more time to see if you are comfortable with the programming.

I was fortunate enough to know some people who had drum machines I could borrow.
 
Several key points in re to auditioning...

1) Check out the machines internal preset kits.
A-do they sound too "canned"?
B-is their a quantization function if I use the pads?
C- If using the pads, how hard must I hit them and if tapped lightly will it skip a beat?

Your best bet is to start with the stop/start function on drum machine and change each preset to get an idea how it sounds.
Then engage the machines internal/user function and beat out
your own rhythm using a simple kick-snare combo.
Check out the machines "drum-rolls" by depressing the designated pad in the machines "KIT" function. Audition the machines "Ride", hi-hats, "Crash/Splash" cymbals also by depressing the designated pads.(the same with toms,kicks and snares)
Last but not least, Try doing a simple step-recording drum kit of your own on the user-function of the machine.
Also check to see how many outputs the machine has; the more the better for multi-track recording purposes.

These are just basic ideas on auditioning a drum machine. There are more,but just wanted to try and get you thru phase-1!

Happy Hunting!
Peace
Mr.Q
 
Excellent suggestions Mr. Q.

I'm feeling more educated already.

Keep 'em coming.

:D
 
Yo Krakit-Wide-Open:]

You can do a couple of things to narrow down your choices; however, there really aren't too many NEW drum boxes out there as it seems the industry has slowed in putting out new boxes.

I Use the Boss 770 and it is a wonderful box. It has more stuff on it than I can tell you; I haven't even looked into programming as the patches are so fricking good.

I also have an Alesis SR-16; not a bad box but I don't use it much since I got the Boss.

You can call the retailers and ask to rent one for three months; that happens in certain places. So, you pay to see if you like the output of the box.

There are a couple of esoteric boxes that cost lots of pezzutos; but, there was a short price drop on the Boss 770 and its companion box which is quite similar.


There is nothing like a real drummer; however, in my condo studio, a real drummer would drum me right out of my condo.

Green Hornet
 
computer-based drum machine

Krakit - I'm in the same position as you... I'm considering a drum machine as well, and don't have any idea what to look for (I'm not a drummer).

I don't want to divert the topic here, but have you considered computer-based drum programs? Seems to me that the PC is the perfect interface for programming drum patterns. The only downside I see is the lack of velocity-sensitive buttons, but some programs allow you to indicate velocity. Two programs that I've looked at:

PC Drummer - http://www.pcdrummer.com (website is down at the moment)

Fruity Loops - http://www.fruityloops.com/English/frames.html

Have you considered either of those? I've downloaded the PC Drummer demo-- the interface is simple, and the samples aren't that bad. You can also download new samples if you don't like what they've got. I've also checked out Fruity Loops which is a little more than I need-- looks like it's more for the dance music guys...I'm guitar/rock/ballads focused.

Is there any reason that you've rejected software, if you've already made a decsion to get a standalone box?

Pete
 
Drum machines

Well let me start by saying this:if you want a drum machine that doesn`t give you those tired processed drum sounds that you just know didn`t come from any drum set youv`e ever heard before than get a sampling percussion machine like an MPC 2000,2000XL,3000 or a SP-1200 or even an ASR-X(I wouldn`t).I have an SP-1200 and what I do is sample live drums.Anyway hope that helps.Peace!
 
Sleepy

Can you give some more info on how you sample drums? How much did you get your unit for? Isn't it a whole load of work to do something like that? Do you need any other equipment? Any info will help, I don't know nothin.
 
Hows I do

Hey Corban,Hows you?Well I have an SP-1200 and I paid 2000 bucks for it,it`s a limited edition that was made in 98.What I do is I mic a drum set (Kick then Snare the hi hats then closed hats sometimes a ride )and run it into a Presonis MP-20.From there I take it into my SP-1200 and sample.It`s really not difficult at all and the quality of my drum sounds are great,partly due to my pre amp(presonis MP-20).I do this with my drum machine but this can be done with just about any drum machine,well the ones that sample like the MPC series drum machines or even a workstation that samples and you are able to create your own drum kits on.The sound especially when you run them through a pre amp is excellent and is a very common way of doing drums through a beat machine or sampling workstation.If you have any more questions feel free to ask.Peace!
 
Does your SP have individual outputs for assigning the Kick,snare, toms, cymbals and/or rolls?

How many outputs does this equipment have?
 
8 of em

My Sp-1200 has 8 individual outputs so I usually route each drum sound to it`s own channel in my board and mix it seperatly.The Mpc series can also have 8 individual outputs but that`s extra.Peace!
 
More simple than you think

Choosing a drum machine is simpler than you think it is. First, decide what kind of music you want it for. Then read posts on boards like this and find out what users are saying about them. Third, decide how much you want to spend. Next, the drum machine you buy should sound like real drums, unless you're doing some funky hip hop or electronic music. Go to a store like MARS and have the salesman let you audition each of them in your price range. Lastly, the drum machine you buy, if you want it for recordings, should have at least four outputs. Why? Because you'll want to have your bass drum going to one input on your recording device/mixer, the snare to another, toms to a third and cymbals to the fourth. That way you have complete control over volume and eq of each sound. Hope this helps.
 
The Boss DR-770 is highly recommended

I used to have the DR-660, and now have the newer version. They're somewhere between $375-$425 (I think). This is an all-around great machine! It definitely sounds real. Believe it or not, I've actually had musician friends flat-out not believe me when I told them what they were hearing was not real drums!

This unit has touch-sensitive pads, which really add life to whatever you're programming. It's pretty simple to program, too. It has built-in effects (flange, chorus, reverb, delay) and eq, and lots and lots of other nifty features. I don't know your particular tastes, but I'm pretty sure you'd find the DR-770 to be your best bet. Go to your nearest music store and ask them to let you check one out for yourself.

Bruce
 
DR 770

Yes, the DR770 is a very good sounding drum machine. Keep one thing in mind though. It only has two outputs. So if you're using it for recording, you'll be limited on instrument separation. Now, the average person may not hear the difference on a CD, unless he or she is a drummer. However, we're not on this board looking for advice to put together "average" recordings, are we? While the DR 770 is a very good machine, I would recommend the Alesis SR-16 for recording if your budget is tight. For $200, you get plenty of 80's sounding drum kits, good snares and basses. The toms and the cymbals are a little weak, but eq can help them along if you feed them through a mixer, like a Mackie 1202VLZ pro like I have using an outboard graphic eq through an aux send. And, the SR-16 has four outputs that can feed into four inputs of the mixer. And my Mackie has two main outs plus two alt outs, equaling four. So I then run those outs to four inputs of my 16 track digital recorder. The SR-16 is a little weak on signal strength, so having the mixer to boost the signal is vital for recording. In my opinion, there's too much reverb on many of the SR-16's drum sounds, but there's one or two very good snare, bass and tom combos that you can choose from. Remember, if you had a real drummer, you'd only get one set sound anyway, so find one you like and stick with it. Good luck.
 
Actually.....

The DR770 has 3 outputs - there's the stereo outs, left/right, and then it does have a 3rd output where you can assign an individual instrument.

If you want to separate all your instruments, you'll still have to do it in multiple passes, but if you want to record say a snare or a bass to a separate track, you can do that easily enough.

Wish

www.mp3.com/IWish
 
That and a token will take you on a ride to no where!

Look You want that SOUND?I mean that SOUND!Yeah the Boss Dr 770 or DR-5 is a banger for ya buck but,key word here BUT,your music will sound cheap and processed no matter if Roger Nichols mastered it for you!Take my advice,it`s either 2 ways.1 you are serious about this and get a good peice of gear or 2 you just wanna expeirament and aren`t really that serious so don`t waste alot of money.
 
Cheap to whom?

I can't really argue with the last post regarding we are all after THAT sound. Yes we are, of course. However, this person said that more than likely your drums will sound cheap unless you invest in a serious piece of gear. Well, cheap to whom? To a serious engineer, yes. To the average consumer, no. To someone that might consider your music professionally, who knows? The point is, why spend a grand on a drum machine when the drums aren't the focal point of your music? Think about it....as a consumer when do you REALLY notice the sound of the drums in the song? When they sound like crap, right? Do you listen to a song saying "wow those drums sound great!" unless you're listening specifically for that. Well, the DR770 or the SR16 are good enough machines to replicate good sounding drums, and certainly good enough for demos and pro consideration. When you make it big, then you can have a full kit with a pro drummer being engineered by an experienced engineer. Until then, go look at a number of drum machines in your budget, find the one that sounds the best to you and experiment with mixers and other outboard gear to get them to sound better. You'll then have all you need, for now. As to the DR770, I apologize for not knowing it had three outputs. If that's so, the DR is probably better than the SR-16 for recording. However, I have made several successful demos with the SR-16 and am very satisfied with the quality of the drum sounds. It's up to you.
 
And to add my .02cents, I own the Boss DR 202 which has only 2 outputs, but I make the most out of it my recording the kick,snare tom & rolls, and cymbals on 4-5 tracks. The DR 202 has separate
accent,decay,verb,flange functions and IMHO, I've experimented with it enuff to make it sound as close to the real thing as possible.Add that to the fact if you experiment with ANY drum machine,you can always find a way to tailor the sound to what you want IF you don't have access to a REAL drummer.
Nuff said!
Mr.Q
 
As I said before........

If you are serious about this you will invest if not you can get a drum machine that will not cost as much as say an MPC series machine and give you what you want,and to me it does matter how drums sound.....I make tracks for many people and if the drums do not have that SOUND,then they don`t want it.A friend of mine has a dr-5 and can do some amazing things with it but whenever he auditions some tracks he made off of it it is very noticable that there is a major difference in the SOUND.That`s all I`m saying.If you audition a boss machine up against an mpc or sp-1200 or even that new yamaha drum machine you can clearly tell the difference in sound point blank and period.
 
Of course theirs a diff between a Roland/Boss vs MPC.
The price alone tells you that! But when you have a daughter in private school , a son in college, a mortgage, car payments etc.
you make the best with whatever budget you have. Furthermore,
spending 2 or 3k on a MPC is waste IMHO as since i have some skills on drums,I can use that same money to buy a entire drum kit!
Some more tips on drum machine use (with WHATEVER drum machine you have):

Purchasing some cymbals and/or a snare can ALSO enhance the sound of your drum tracks as most drummachines cymbals don't have that true resonance and decay that actual use of cymbals has. Accenting drum rolls with a 16 or 18 inch Zildjian ride or crash
will lend realism to your accents (Sam Ash has 16" Z's on sale for 69.00) and adding a snare to replace the macines snare will tighten up that sound,especially when properly mic'd. Throw in some tambourines,wood-block,cowbell etc, you will actually enhance your percussive tracks.
Peace
Mr.Q
 
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