Looking for a drum machine - advice needed please

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Badfinger

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Good day from Eastern Canada.

I bought a Tascam 2488 MkII several months ago and have been recording original material on it. I'm using PC Drummer for drums. It's pretty good and has some decent sounds.

However, I would like to get a stand-alone drum machine. The main requirements would be the obvious collection of authentic sounds - particularly a good sounding snare - and ease of use. The material is mainly rock, or heavy pop if you will, with occasional forays into country, folk, etc. I have no interest in hip-hop or dance music so those types of sounds are not necessary.

I would also like the option of loading in some of my own sampled sounds, and it would be nice to have some way of playing the kit in real time, e.g. for the clichéd rock ending in free time.

The last time I had a drum machine in my possession was about 20 years ago. I'm told a few things have changed since then. I don't need a top-of-the-line unit as I am not deluding myself into thinking I am recording the next great masterpiece in my former dining room.

Obviously, I would prefer a real drummer. I just don't know any small enough to fit into my tiny space.

Thanks in advance for your help and advice.
 
This is probably not the best forum to ask on...........

We are those rare individuals known as human beings. We like to do things as human beings. Drumming being one of them, having sex with real women being the other (we leave cybersex for the dweebs that use drum machines).
 
Rimshot said:
We are those rare individuals known as human beings. We like to do things as human beings. Drumming being one of them, having sex with real women being the other (we leave cybersex for the dweebs that use drum machines).
Click to expand...

Well EXCUUUUUUUUUSE ME all to heck. Fact is, I love real drummers but I have nowhere to put them. And while a number of my drummer friends would gladly play on my tracks, and have offered to do so, that is simply not possible at this time. Some of the best drummers I know use drum machines for home recording for the same reason--convenience and space limitation.

And just where on earth did the rude comment about cybersex come about? I thought this was a forum about music and the recording thereof. As for the "dweebs" that use drum machines, again, a number of people I know would enjoy a hearty laugh at such an ignorant comment. (Oh, by the way, ever hear of a guy named Phil Collins? Occasional lame songs aside, he has demonstrated over the years that he is a superb drummer and he is a frequent user of drum machines. Check his album credits, or have someone read them to you.)

You've obviously posted a lot more than I, and I can tell from your avatar you fancy yourself a bit of a hardass. Perhaps intimidation, insults, ignorance and a limited imagination are what you are used to doling out.

Me, I'm just a guy with a tiny little space trying to get some of my tunes down. I will continue to play with live bands and real drummers, and continue to respect my fellow musicians.

And for those I don't respect, I will keep my mouth shut when it does not affect me. I read this forum to learn, and I have learned a lot from a lot of different contributors, for which I am always grateful.

Unfortunately, Sir, I have not learned anything from you, except how perhaps one's own insecurities--be they about drumming ability or sexual prowess--can manifest themselves in a hotheaded, rude, ignorant reply to what is a sincere request for advice.

As for this being perhaps the wrong forum to ask such a question, I asked about a drum machine here because this section is labelled "Drums and Percussion." Seemed logical at the time.

I never thought I'd say this to someone several years older than I, but you, Sir, need to grow up.
 
Rimshot said:
We are those rare individuals known as human beings. We like to do things as human beings. Drumming being one of them, having sex with real women being the other (we leave cybersex for the dweebs that use drum machines).
Click to expand...

The nice thing about drum machines is that they always show up for practices and gigs, unlike most of the drummers I have played with.:p
The also don't try and argue that every song should have a 2 minute drums solo. The final advantage that drum machines have over real drummers......... a volume knob.




Just busting balls guys, don't take me to serious. My brother in law is a drummer and acts like a real professional, just our last drummer left us high and dry and was anything but professional.


I'm a singer so if we are throwing musical stereotypes around........ keep an eye on your girlfriends. :eek:
 
What you are looking for is a fancy electronic metronome.

Not a musician. This forum is primarily frequented by musicians that play drums. To ask about programmed drums that fit within your clave is along the same lines as the plethora of producers of NY shows that wanted to do away with live musicians in favor of "canned" music. My AFM local fought and won that fight but it still surfaces once in a while.
There are undoubtedly those that frequent this forum that are not drummers or programmer/loopers/pseudo-percussionists that would not be offended by"drum machines" but to a drummer's ears, they sound very much like the "fill in" rhythms on a Casio cheap keyboard. There is no personality or presense
My allusion to cybersex is very appropriate. When you don't get the real thing regularly, you can probably confuse yourself into thinking that your cybersex relationship is pretty good.
If "growing up" means to give up years of skill, training and experience in favor of electronic gimmickry created by a bunch of tech geeks, then I choose to live out the rest of my life playing instruments.

Badfinger said:
Well EXCUUUUUUUUUSE ME all to heck. Fact is, I love real drummers but I have nowhere to put them. And while a number of my drummer friends would gladly play on my tracks, and have offered to do so, that is simply not possible at this time. Some of the best drummers I know use drum machines for home recording for the same reason--convenience and space limitation.

And just where on earth did the rude comment about cybersex come about? I thought this was a forum about music and the recording thereof. As for the "dweebs" that use drum machines, again, a number of people I know would enjoy a hearty laugh at such an ignorant comment. (Oh, by the way, ever hear of a guy named Phil Collins? Occasional lame songs aside, he has demonstrated over the years that he is a superb drummer and he is a frequent user of drum machines. Check his album credits, or have someone read them to you.)

You've obviously posted a lot more than I, and I can tell from your avatar you fancy yourself a bit of a hardass. Perhaps intimidation, insults, ignorance and a limited imagination are what you are used to doling out.

Me, I'm just a guy with a tiny little space trying to get some of my tunes down. I will continue to play with live bands and real drummers, and continue to respect my fellow musicians.

And for those I don't respect, I will keep my mouth shut when it does not affect me. I read this forum to learn, and I have learned a lot from a lot of different contributors, for which I am always grateful.

Unfortunately, Sir, I have not learned anything from you, except how perhaps one's own insecurities--be they about drumming ability or sexual prowess--can manifest themselves in a hotheaded, rude, ignorant reply to what is a sincere request for advice.

As for this being perhaps the wrong forum to ask such a question, I asked about a drum machine here because this section is labelled "Drums and Percussion." Seemed logical at the time.

I never thought I'd say this to someone several years older than I, but you, Sir, need to grow up.
Click to expand...
 
If one can't answer in a constructive manner, then they should not answer at all. Everyone knows real drums played by real people sound better than a drum machine but, that's not always an option. That being said, all drummers everywhere can sigh in relief that their precious egos are untarnished. :rolleyes:
 
Let me be the first to give a constructive reply.

What is your budget?

Do you want to be able to sequence your drums on-board or are you still going to sequence using your PC?

The controller modules for some electronic drum sets have some really good sounds but they can be pretty pricey. The bonus is that you could eventually get some triggers for them and put together an electronic set.

As far as stand alone the massive jump in processing power for PCs and programs like BFD have really killed the drum machine market.

I think the Alesis SR-16 might do the trick for you. Most other drum machines are going to be more dance/hip hop focused. I'm pretty sure one could be had for around $150.

Another option is a good sampler. You can get tons of drum kit samples and build your own kits if you want to put in the effort. You could use it for other sounds as well.


Hope that helps.
 
The Zoom RT-123.

Get one used on Ebay. VERY nice. Has good bass sounds too.

BTW, the Guerilla Guide to Home Recording advises the use of a drum machine because so few people have the gear to record a full set really well, and the first thing that says "amateur recording" is a poorly recorded drum set.
 
Thanks for the input

Thanks guys, for the useful replies. Solo2racr: You summed it up nicely--sometimes real drums are not an option. This is certainly the case in my humble home recording setup.

Yonce N Mild: I'm looking for something that will work independently of a computer. I have no interest in putting together an electronic kit, as when the songs are played live, or when they make it onto a CD, they will be played by a real drummer.

I've been lucky enough to play with some great drummers over the years and I listen to CDs I like very carefully, not just to the guitar parts. I look at my recordings as a starting point. I take them to the band and tell the drummer that I want at least that which is there, and he in turn will add things to make them his own. He will also tell me if something I have done would never be played by a real drummer.

I'm not real interested in building a big library of samples, as that is not really my need,

That being said, I'd like the demo sounds to be as good as can reasonably be expected. I'd like to spend no more than $150-300.

Billisa, MadAudio, altitude 909: I will check these units out.

Thanks again folks.
 
Badfinger said:
Yonce N Mild: I'm looking for something that will work independently of a computer. I have no interest in putting together an electronic kit, as when the songs are played live, or when they make it onto a CD, they will be played by a real drummer.
Click to expand...

I'd go with the Sr-16 or 18 then. Since you are just looking for something to fill in until you can record live drums I'd go with the 16 because it's cheaper. But I'm a broke ass S.O.B. so take that for what it's worth.:)
 
Another vote for the SR-18 ... I've had an SR-16 since 1991 and it's a great little tool for when the 'real' drummer is off swinging from the trees and thumping his chest.

My DM5 has a wider range of sounds, but lacks any kind of built-in patterns. Jamming with it requires a drummer with pads, or connection to an external sequencer. Still haven't found a tool that's as simple to use as the SR-16.
 
My personal opinion is look for a used Roland R8.

It's the best machine I've ever worked with.

I'm a drummer and have no problem using a machine to program my parts. Heck, I've been a long time endorse of triggers and electronics. It's all just different tools.

If you don't have the means to record a live kit, using a machine is no big deal....half the stuff you hear on the radio is probably programmed, and almost all of it has track replacement - These days it seems to me that producers think," Why bother getting a good drum sound? It's faster to just replace it with a sample."
:rolleyes:



Tim



Tim
 
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