midi drums

[robertnat]

hi folks, i´m just wondering if there are any tricks to make midi drum loops sound more lively and real? you see, i am a one man band, and i make all the drum parts in computer. any help would be very much appreciated!!!!!

 

[Tifstorey]

I used to tend to edit them and make them ever so slightly out of place so it doesnt sound too programmed. This process was very slow and sometimes ever so annoying, but thats what you gotta love about home recording

 

[Myriad_Rocker]

You could try BFD...it's 299 on Musician's Friend. I'm going to buy it was soon as I can afford it. Aside from that, just vary up the volume of each hit I suppose. There are lots of things you can do. Just experiment. I'm in the same position that you are.

 

[Dogman]

You could try adding some eq and reverb in your software. Sometimes this can help at least make the sound more full. What software do you have to mix in?
Ed

 

[johnnymegabyte]

Create a few bars, and test in a loop, to make sure it sounds ok

Then, when you like, COPY and PASTE, to build your song


"Second verse, same as the first"

 

[aaroncomp]

Like others have suggested, play around with the volumes and start/length of each hit. Also, adjust the velocity. These kind of adjustments are much easier if you use a MIDI keyboard (just a thought to consider). I'd also recommend getting DFH ( http://www.toontrack.com/index_samples.shtml ).

 

[robertnat]

It´s really nice to hear that others are in the same shoes.... it ain´t easy to produce one´s own songs alone. but it´s worth it. no hassle, no complications, no more misinterpretations, if ya know what i mean? well, i use cubase and the integrated midi drum editor to creat my drum loops. but i guess there aren´t many ways to replace a real drummer, right? would anyone recommand the use of readymade drum loops?

 

[robgb]

You could try BFD...it's 299 on Musician's Friend. I'm going to buy it was soon as I can afford it.

I strongly suggest you take this man's advice. BFD is fantastic. The humanization tweaks will remove any sense that these are midi controlled drums and the Groove Librarian has something for everyone.

My review is on my website.

Rob Gregory-Browne
The Digital Diving Board
http://www.digitaldivingboard.com

 

[incursio]

Another, fairly cost-effective option might be to just have a real drummer lay down some tracks for you. IMHO, there is nothing that even remotely compares to having a good live drummer (unless you are doing house/trance looping type of stuff).

If you don't have a drummer nearby, and a good drum kit/room/mic setup, I would recommend searching the net to find a drummer who takes on remote projects or sessions. Preferrably, one with a high-end kit, mics, etc, a dedicated recording area/setup that they can use, and a good working knowledge of what goes into recording live drum tracks.

There are several such folks that I came across in a recent search, but I will personally attest to the bloke listed in my signature line. He just completed some custom work for one song of mine, and I have a couple of others in his pipeline. His rates are very good. So good, in fact, that I can afford to pay him for my entire portfolio of current projects.

In fact, I am thinking about exploring the possibility of using the tune he just finished as one of the public mixing contests here. I just need to see how that whole thing works (I haven't been here in a while).

Cheers.

 

[Tifstorey]

I use the Alesis SR16 drum machine now, i gotta say its great. Its quite a long period when your editing the drum beats, but once theyre done, it sounds like a live drummer. You can pick them up for around £80 now, so i would highly recommend anyone out there to get one!