I'm thrilled to see the rush of posts overnight, but less thrilled to find more banter than assistance... not that I don't enjoy a bit of banter as much as the next fellow.
Let me try again to clear up the misconceptions that litter this thread.
I'm sure you're all used to naive newbies posting, "OHMIGOD guyz i just bought ezdrummer and now I MUST learn the right beats so my first song sounds just like [insert name of latest god-awful but somehow still chart-topping hit] so pleeeeeez tell me the right presets ASAP!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Well, you can all breathe a sigh of relief, because this isn't another one of those threads.
I'm a classical musician studying and experimenting with other genres. I don't know much about drums, but I know a heck of a lot about music. Every sound that makes its way into my music is there because I listened to it and liked it. I don't "paint by numbers."
Having said that, some knowledge simply cannot be gotten by listening alone. Can YOU listen to an oboist and tell me if he's playing on a short-scrape or a long-scrape reed? Probably not, unless someone first explained the difference to you. I hope my analogy is clear.
When using a software instrument, I think it's generally a good idea to learn a bit about how the real thing is played. That's the point of this thread. I'm not looking for shortcuts, and I'm CERTAINLY not looking to avoid listening. I just figured a "Drums and Percussion" sub-forum would be a good place to ask questions about... well, drums and percussion. Right?
Cheers,
Drew