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Joined: Jan 2009
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... want to add drums without purchasing an expensive drum machine. understand that there are programs online that can accomplish that task. where would one start and which are the easiest to handle?
Douglas
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Joined: Oct 2001
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It all depends.... What type of computer are You using (windows or mac)? There are tons of sampling softwares out there. It's been a while, but ther are some realy good drum samples... give me a bit to see what I'm using for drum samples (it truly rocks). Any way, a good sound font editor (or way to plug in sounds) and a midi editor... you should be well on your way.
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Joined: Oct 2001
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Found it! Take a look at www.naturaldrum.comIt's the best I've ever used. If You can't put it directly into your midi editor, you're gonna have to go with something like crystal.
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I use mostly Stylus RMX and EZDrummer. I think Stylus sounds best, but its loop are geared mostly for urban/hip hop/electronica, etc., and it is hard too find ones good for rock, what I do. You can check out some of my songs at the links below to see if the drum tracks I'm getting are what you're looking for.
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Joined: Aug 2001
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How much money is an "expensive drum machine"? What do you consider expensive? A little Roland or Alesis drum machine can be had for $200-400 or cheaper than that on e-bay.
Most software products that produce drum sounds that sound half decent will cost you $200 and up.
Also, what are you using to record with now?
(for good Rock Drum grooves and sounds, I use Addictive Drums, but also have Stylus RMX expanded and Drumcore for other styles).
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Joined: Nov 2006
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Hi Doug many small keyboards have MIDI in/out sockets and an inbuilt drum machine with preset patterns this gives you the ability to transfer both keyboard and drum sounds to a PC and then edit them using a midi editing program.
What you buy in the end will very much depend on your budget, set up, musical style, technical experience and ability.
I would recommend learning to use a program like Cubase or Protools. Drum plugins and VST will then prove very easy to achieve. There are many free plugins available. It is just the cost of the program that is expensive and of course you may need to spend some time getting proficient at using it. A bit like learning to play guitar or piano do not expect to be a virtuoso in a few days.
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Joined: Jan 2009
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Thank you all very much for the info.
Presently I am using a laptop with vista, cakewalk sonar le, or audacity, and garage band on my sons mac.
Realize that it is going to take time one way or the other to learn these programs. But I am up to it.
Thanks again.
Douglas
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Joined: Apr 2001
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Larry does have a point about drum machines. I bought my Alesis SR-16, gosh, 18 years ago; it's very easy to use, sounds decent, and I believe Alesis still sells it. You can probably get one on eBay for cheap, cheap.
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Joined: May 2006
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An alternative is to buy pre-recorded drum tracks/loops from Beta Monkey.. $30 buys a DVD in one of several styles that contains lots of material. http://www.betamonkeymusic.com/
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Thanks Patrick and Colin.
Going to start with GarageBand on my sons Mac. Take it from there.
Douglas
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Joined: Oct 2001
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Yes, GarageBand is an excellent program. The loops are great sounding, and the program is easy to use. You can always export your work as AIFF then burn them to CD to use in you PC's recording programs.
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Yeah, Garageband is pretty easy to use, and the cost is right. There are a bunch of Apple Loops included. You can also find LOTS of Apple Loops (some free) by googling: "apple loops drums"
What interface are you using to record guitar and vocals (what do you plug your mic and guitar into)? That can make your life a lot simpler depending on which one you have or buy.
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Wanted to thank everyone for their insite and input. I do appreciate it.
Douglas
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Joined: Jun 2005
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Probably not the professional standard for it. But I like the drum sounds off of my various keyboards. Typically Casio is what I use where there are percussive tones. Even though there are keys by Casio and Yamaha that do not have those percussive effects I have to have.
I like to play by hand, no manufactured or borrowed rythmn samples. I like the emotiveness of it. I used to like making my own drums out of anything. Coffee cans with tarp or hard plastic wrap, for example. And the lids would work as cymbles. But the synth adds the snap to get that point across and is not as rough sounding. So that is what I have used on the internet.
I was thinking of using the electronic type of drums that are at Target, kind of a starters kit. But that might piss off my neighbors.
The last time I saw a drum machine was 20 years ago as a small child before I became much interested in songwriting. And that drum machine seemed to have a lot of options for ryrhmns and improvising rythmns that seemed endless. Even though I like the emotiveness of a live band with instrument in hand, the drum machines now must be really advanced in comparison.
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