Mixing programmed with live drums...

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axehead

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I currently record guitars and vocals into my PC, but have to program the drums, as I don't yet have a drumkit, or the room to put it anywhere!!!

I either use fruityloops or reason to get some pop/rock drum tracks going. They sound ok, but obviously not as good as the real thing. I read this tip in sound on sound magazine about making programmed drums sound more realistic - by miking up a hi-hat and cymbals, and playing along with the programmed parts. This makes them sound less artificial, as not every hit sounds the same.

Has anyone had any experience of trying this? What results did you get? Does anyone have any songs/samples of this set-up in action?

If it's a good technique then I could buy a hi-hat first, to add a little realism to the drum tracks!
 
Drum Programming..

Just my opinion, but my experience is that you CAN make programmed drums sound very real. What it boils down to is, 1) using the software that allows for TOTAL flexibility in programming drum notes (i.e., hits), 2) having a great set of WAVs to make up the entire drum kit, and 3) programming from a drummer's perspective.

Software - Most drum software on the net forces you to place drum notes into "spaces" in a beat. Usually, you can program 8th notes, and sometimes 16th notes. The problem with this software, is that programming notes exactly on beat makes the pattern sound like a machine, not a human. Drummers hit their drums sometimes exactly on beat, sometimes slightly ahead of the beat, and sometimes slightly behind the beat. The "shuffle" feature on many software drum machines doesn't do this for you. You need to program this. Also, drummers hit notes other than 8th notes and 16th notes. They hit 32nd notes when doing rolls, flams, etc.. You have to program those as well. Software like Hammerhead, Fruityloops, and others won't give you the flexibility to program notes like this. The only one out there is Algorhyhtm from http://spacetimefoam.com. It allows you to place notes anywhere, not just exactly on beat.

Drum Sounds - When a drummer hits a hi-hat (for example) he doesn't hit it the same way, at the same volume with each hit. He might hit the hi-hat with the tip of the stick, with the middle of the stick, maybe with the hi-hat slightly open, maybe all the way closed, etc.. When you search the net for drum sounds, look for multiple "hits" for each instrument, and program your drums mixing all of those hits together. In my drum kit, I've got 9 different hi-hat "hits". When mixed together intelligently, they sound very realistic. Same for all other instruments.

Programming Like a Drummer - To make it sound real, don't program stuff a drummer can't do in real life. For example, the drummer can't have a pattern of 16th notes on a hi-hat while he's hitting the ride cymbal and a few toms at the same time. Also, drummers vary their volumes with each hit. They don't kick the kick drum at the same volume each time. Mix it up.. Lastly, drummers lay a lot of "ghost" notes on their snare drum. This is when they "drop" their stick or hit the snare lightly in rhythm in between the louder snare hits. These can be programmed.

Think this is all BS? Listen to
and
and you'll see what following the ideas above can do.

Happy fake drumming..
 
That is a good way to get the best of both worlds. Even recording a full real drum set and sweatening it with sampled kick and snare can help.

The problem with most sampled cymbals is that they decay way too early in order to save sampler memory.

Dont limit yourself to cymbals either. Other hand percussion instruments can help liven up a sequenced rythm track. If you dont have great timing you can play different parts and if you have a DAW you can make some loops out of your own playing. Even loops sound a little more organic than sequenced drums.
 
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