please help a newb!

[blueomega]

I have always recorded just guitar and vocals and as such have had no problem using a 4-track casette machine. Now I want to add drums and I do not personally play drums.

Aside from finding a drummer and the equipment needed to add live drums to a song...what are my options?

I have started messing with fruity loops but the family computer is in a different room from my amps and keys and stuff. The computer that is in the "studio" is old and while it does run Windows ME, I am not sure it can run fruity loops.

Also my budget is around $500 or less.

Any help is appreciated! Thanks.

 

[gecko zzed]

windows me will run frooty loops.

i presume you are thinking of doing your recording now on PC?

there are many programs that will allow audio recording linked to midi tracks on which you can import or program drum patterns.

you will need to do a bit of invetigating because there are heaps of options out there

 

[blueomega]

thanks for the help

and yes I would like to go to computer but the Windows ME is not the issue really. The problem is that my computer crashes a lot and I dont want to get 90% done with a 10 minute prog masterpiece only to lose everything!

 

[TonyW]

Consider a cheap drum machine

I had cheapish drum machine (a Zoom RT-123) for recording drum tracks onto my old 4 track portastudio.

The RT-123 lets you construct various patterns for verses, choruses etc. including versions with fills into each section - then you string 'em together into a song. I can't drum to save my life but with 'step' edit you can construct things one beat at a time.

Once you've spent a while practising with the manual, you should be able to knock up a three minute drum backing in about half an hour. Of course it gets even quicker once you start borrowing and amending patterns that you've already used for other songs

Then you wack a 1/4 inch jack lead from the drum machine into the portastudio, hit record, and sit back while your drum machine gives a faultless performance.

OK - Its a machine and doesn't have the same feel that loops have - but I found that I could overdub a bit of tambourine or block by hand afterwards just to liven it up, and had some very reasonable (and cheap!) results.

 

[jdier]

I have always recorded just guitar and vocals and as such have had no problem using a 4-track casette machine. Now I want to add drums and I do not personally play drums.

Aside from finding a drummer and the equipment needed to add live drums to a song...what are my options?

I have started messing with fruity loops but the family computer is in a different room from my amps and keys and stuff. The computer that is in the "studio" is old and while it does run Windows ME, I am not sure it can run fruity loops.

Also my budget is around $500 or less.

Any help is appreciated! Thanks.

One other option you could think of is to hit a site that has collaboration forums and see if you could find some guy who plays drums but does not write. You might be surprised to find that there are guys out there looking to work on ANYTHING with someone. Check womb.mixerman.net and hit the Collaboration forum.

The other option that might work is to look at getting a drum machine. I have a Boss Dr. Rhythm which worked for me really well until I went computer.

If you already own Fruity Loops (I would hope you are not posting here while running hacked or pirated software) then you may be able to pick up a used computer for around $500.

Later.

Jim

 

[blueomega]

Cool thanks!

I'm thinking that I will just get an audio interface and then buy fruity loops.(Currently using the demo verison-not stolen or hacked or anything)