Good drum machine

  • Thread starter Thread starter Eric V
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Eric V

Eric V

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Hi all! I used to have an Alesis SR16, and I found it difficult to program. Is there an option out there for a drum machine that is a little easier to program? Money isn't an option, but I'd like to keep it at $500 USD or less. Thanks!
 
Edit the drum midi data in the daw, and then fire it at a box with drum voices.
 
I ran the gamut with BOSS machines 80s/90s then graduated to the Alesis myself... but nothing beats a computer program.

I'm assuming you need something portable. So, I would highly recommend the cheapest Mac Mini you can find. Garage Band is free and will serve as more than just a drum machine if you don't load it up with too many trax. It would function quite well for just drumz and bass.

 
Thanks for the responses. I have a Windows 11 laptop, and I use Reaper. Forgot to mention those.
 
I've got an SR18. Never got beyond picking a pattern and playing through the 4 variations you got with it. Couldn't get into the programming part.

Now my drum parts are done with MTPowerDrumkit. HUNDREDS of patterns, fills, intros to choose from, and you can easily edit the midi data in Reaper. If you want a different drum sound, you can send the midi out to your Alesis and record the output using whatever drum set you pick.
 
I'd agree with Rich - if you are playing rock oriented music then running MT Power Drumkit in Reaper works well. When I've found a pattern close to what I want, I will often export the it into Reaper so that I can edit it and make it exactly as I want it.
 
I installed the MT Power drumkit, but I get no sound out of it. Do I select MIDI as an input in Reaper?
 
You should be able to insert a track, add the VST3 as a plug in, and it will pop up a window (just hit skip for now). It will pop up a picture of a drum kit and you should be able to tap on the drums and hear sound. Then if you hit the GROOVES button, you will see a long list of different patterns. You can drag patterns into the track and it will show you the MIDI track, which can be edited by double clicking on the track.

MTPD.webp
 
I tap on the drums but hear nothing. I will keep messing with it.
 
Im not currently connected to my interface, its at a friends house. Im running Reaper on my laptop without being connected to an interface. Is that why I cant hear anything ?
 
Can you play music via the laptop speakers? You would need to set the output device in Windows > Settings > Sound to your laptop soundcard if you don't have an interface connected.
 
What is your output device in Reaper? You probably also need to swap that to DirectSound. If your media player works and Reaper doesn't play, then that is the next spot to check.

These are my laptop settings. I don't connect it to an interface.'
settings.webp
 
Just remember to change things back when you get your interface connected!
 
It was unclear to me if Eric was wanting another stand-alone hardware drum machine or if software would work for his purposes.

If the MT Power drumkit works for you - and you want something similar but with much more kits, patterns, and easy tools to craft drum parts -- you might want to consider EZdrummer 3. I absolutely love it.
 
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