drum loops...

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paresh

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I'm listening to drum loops and to drum styles in Jammer & I find it hard to get the exact feel I have in mind. Am I missing something? That's why I posted earlier re drum machines - they're easy to tweak...Are there any virtual drum machines besides PC Drummer? Their demo sounds OK but not as gd as loop samples. Thanks for yr input & past replies.
 
Paresh,

Most drum machines and indeed sequencers will play back drums that sound very artificial due to the metronomic nature of the programming. Real drummers are anything but metronomic.

In CakeWalk, you need to switch off Snap To Grid setting in your sequencer to get a more loose feel to the drums.

Also remember not to have to many things happening at once, usually it will be hi-hat, snare and bass drum. Replace the hi-hat with a cymbal crash or fill when it's needed.

You will certainly need to know the note-lengths that lead to a particular drum style.

A good example is Don't Stop by Fleetwood Mac. That's a Shuffle rhythm and is achieved by selecting Eighth Triplets in your sequencer and plonking the hi-hat hits on the first and third notes of the triplets.

Listen to the drums in When The Levee Breaks for a real hard-driving, no-nonsense 4/4 rock rhythm. Notice the fills that John Bonham plays to signal the chord changes. Also notice how he underpins the chords that Jimmy Page is playing.

Tasty... :)

--
BluesMeister
 
In Fruity Loops, there is a "swingometer" that you can slide to make the beat more or less in time for the loops. Helps make it less metronomic.

BTW, Bluesmeister, I have a superb soundfont of John Bonhams drums. I met him once at his sons third birthday party, some thirty years ago:cool:
 
rvf263 said:
Whoops! I think I misunderstood the question.
Not necessarily RVF. Because the question was posted in a CakeWalk Forum, I answered the question in the context of using CakeWalk. :)

Paul
Anyone who attended a party with John Bonham AND can still remember it, deserves the highest respect. :D

--
BluesMeister
 
Bluesmeister

This is how it happened. I used to ride motorbikes and I had a big band of bikers who used to hang out together. Not trouble makers, just bikers. Anyway, one of the guys arranged for me and him to go of somewhere one day and so I went round to his house to call for him, as arranged. His parents were well off and so he had a big house.

When I called around, he said that he had to take his little brother to a neighbours party. So we took his brother on our m/bikes to this house....and it was Bonhams:eek: The party was for Zak Bonham, who had a drum kit for his third b'day. We didn't stay around and I only really have a fleeting memory of the Worlds Greatest Rock Drummer, but I do remember he was a friendly guy, offered for us to stay a while.

Incidently, Led Zep are supposed to be re-forming for some charity concert in LA this year and I heard that Zak was going to play drums for the band. Amazing, especially that John Paul Jones is hated by Plant and Page, so I don't see how it can happen.

rvf263
It came in a downloaded s/font called "assorted drum kits", but I don't know where I got it from. Sorry:( Its a 6.5 Meg file so not easy to email either. But I have to tell you, when I use the soundfont, it raises the hair on the back of my head, all I can hear is "Moby Dick":cool:
 
Drums On Demand

You might also want to check out the Drums On Demand CD if you use loops at all (www.drumsondemand.com). I switched from MIDI crap a few months ago and am very pleased. The Drums On Demand CD has "Song Sets" at various BPMs, styles and sounds that are very versatile. THen there are multiple, verse, chorus, fills loops, etc., and it totally sound like a real session drummer.

Bryce
 
Paul881,
Great story about Bonham.
By the way I have that soundfont called "assorted drum kits"
I tried to audition the sounds but can't get it to play. I did see the Bonham kit in there though. I'm gonna try and open it up in audio HQ and seperate each kit, then add the Bonham kit to my GM soundfont and see what happens.

Thanks for the info!
 
I can only access the Bonham kit via Kontakt and LiveSynth Pro, I can't seperate them in Battery. :(
 
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